Warm Up Week 2 - OVER!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to keep up a daily post this week. Summer is a pretty busy time for everyone, and I'm trying to enjoy the girls' summer vacation before school starts.

I've been working hard and I'm really enjoying this program. Every day's workout includes a well-rounded approach to muscle toning. I've worked every muscle in my body for 4 minutes a day every day.

I'm pleased with the fact we haven't had to purchase extra equipment or tools. Everything we've needed has come in the kit!

I've grown to really like quite a few of the forms used in this program. They're new to me (most all of them) and I can really feel the difference they make. I might actually be getting abs now, woohoo!

Before I continue onto the first real week of intense 20 Second Fitness, I'm going to go back to the introductory disc and look through all the forms again. It's about to get really intense and I don't want to end up injuring myself because I wasn't familiar with the workout.

After this weeks weigh in, I have not lost nor gained any weight. I suppose that's a good thing (the no gain part) but I haven't been feeling the best and I'm sure that lends to the no loss.

The next four weeks are all about INTENSITY!! You can do ANYTHING for 20 Seconds!!

Disc W, Warm Up Week 2, Day 1

I thoroughly enjoyed my rest day yesterday. My abdomen muscles were feeling a little achey, and I think they appreciated some time off.

Today's workout was just as awesome as I had hoped. I'm pushing myself a bit more this week than I did last. I know it's still a "warm up" week, but I fully intend to go intense when next weeks workout start (there are only two weeks of warm up!)

Today's warm up started with 2 minutes of preparation workout, then 8, 20 second sets of exercise forms. I finished it off with some jump roping.

I really worked up a sweat today, and I'm sporting my aching muscles proudly. I know that I'm working hard enough to produce results when my body shows off a little attitude about being worked so hard (the aches).

Looking forward to tomorrows workout!

BodyMedia LINK armband Review

I was given the chance to review the LINK armband from BodyMedia. The LINK is an armband that a person wears, with a comfortable strap and a small electronic "face." The face has no display screen for manual input, and there is a good reasons for that. LINK is Bluetooth compatible and BodyMedia helps their clients get fit with an Activity Manager that is accessed online (or via Bluetooth when you download the BodyMedia APP, it's free for Android OS and iOS).

Click here to go to the BodyMedia website. (photo from website)

Warm Up Week 1 is FINISHED!! (20 Second Fitness)

Well, I DID IT!! I'm so happy to have made it through week 1. 


I learned some new things:

I can try out ANYTHING for 20 seconds, even if it's intense. 

With each passing day, my muscles were more sore, they felt worked but not abused. Intensity is the key to making this fitness program working for you. The more intense you go, the harder your body works to burn calories.

I can find a spare 4 minutes EVERY DAY without a problem.

Just like every other Mom I know, I'm a busy lady. I have a household to take care of, kids to parent, meals to make, and a blog to run (those are just the major tasks I have, we all have other obstacles in our lives!) Finding 4 minutes to workout has been the easiest decision I have to make throughout most days. 

The kit comes with everything I have needed so far, except for two items. I owned an exercise mat prior to starting this program, but it's wise to invest in one to work on if you don't already have one. The second item I needed (thus far) was a chair. Luckily, I have a few of those lying around here! :) You can actually use a couch, a coffee table, or something similar to perform the task I was just talking about. It's a stretching exercise.

The most EXCITING news for this week is that I am down 2lbs! WOOHOO! Way to go! 

Tomorrow is my rest day. I'm already excited for the next week to begin! 

Disc W, Week 1, Day 4 & 5 (20 Second Fitness review)

I am really happy with this kit and program so far. It's never been easier to work up a sweat in such a short time, and feel accomplished.

 With the intensity of this workout, in such a short amount of time, it can be easy to forget to stretch. I cannot stress enough - how important it is to stretch and warm up before your workout begins. 

What I like most, is that the intensity of the workout is up to me. If there's a certain form that's too hard right now, I can be a bit less aggressive (I don't want to injure myself!) to get through the 20 seconds, or I can replace it with something else that I can do for 20 seconds to keep my workout effective in 4 minutes. In order to make the most of your 4 minutes, it's important to push as hard as you can. You can do anything for 20 seconds!

By day 5, I was feeling less sore, but I could tell that the muscles I've been working are starting to react to the changes I've made in my daily routine. Little subtle reminders, like sore abs when I cough, remind me that I am in fact working really hard towards a goal, even if I'm only spending 4 minutes of my time on it. I AM making progress.

Tomorrow will be the last day of Week 1 for me! I'm excited for the next week of Warm ups to be over so we can get into the full on intensity of the program!

See you tomorrow, same place!

Week 1, day 2 & 3

Disc W, Week 1, Day 2

Hello, hello! I didn't have time to update after workout 2, so I'm going to update day 2 and 3 in one post.

On day 2, I woke up with sore abs. I didn't even know I had abs. I know that the way the program is designed, I should be burning maximum calories throughout the day, if I push myself hard enough. So..That's exactly what I'm going to do! 

On the calendar that comes with the kit, day 2 suggests to begin using your food guide to help you succeed. I say that if you haven't already checked it out, by day 2 you definitely should be looking into it. 

The food guide comes with a lot of great meal suggestions, but  has more to offer than just recipes. Inside are really helpful tips and a great excerpt in the front to help you understand the formula for how to calculate how many calories you should be eating. Not everyone is the same, so just because a friend has lost an amazing amount of weight eating "X" amount of calories a day, doesn't mean you should be following that plan as well. By following the easy formula in the guide I found out what I should be consuming.  

In order to maintain my current weight, I'm allowed 2,857 calories/day

In order to lose weight, I'm allowed 2,286

Not a bad plan, either. Since we started eating whole foods, my meals carry me over for much longer periods of time and I staying within those caloric parameters should be no issue at all.

Knowing what you consume (and the ingredients listed) is nearly the entire reason I started this blog. Start reading labels for all of the items you put in your cart when you go grocery shopping, it won't be hard after long to keep track of your calories.

There are also a lot of different apps available that will keep track of your calories for you. Now there's really no excuse :) 

One new thing I learned today, finding only 4 minutes to work out is really VERY easy! 

Disc W, Week 1, Day 3

Day 3 is here and I'm much more sore than day 2. But not to the point where I can't get up or walk around comfortably. Just to the point where I realize my muscles have probably gone dormant and they are just in an erupting phase..awaken after years of rest (insert spooky noises here). 

So far, I have had a killer time for 3 days straight and I've only spent 12 minutes of my time working out! I can't believe that! I love that I don't have to have a room full of gym equipment, either. All of my 20 Second Fitness  tools fit in a small bag (that came with the kit!). 

I've only needed to use a resistance band so far (I'm using the "beginner" one right now) and my exercise mat. 2 pieces of exercise items and 4 minutes of your time...too easy.

I'm actually really excited for tomorrow to see what forms I'll be doing then. I'm learning a lot of new techniques that I've never seen before and they are, so far, very effective for me (I can feel the progress in my muscles!)

Remember to let us know if you're interested in this program! Our readers have been granted a code for free shipping :) Use the "contact us" tab to shoot us an e-mail on our home page.

7/18/2012 - Disc W, Week 1, Day 1 (20 Second Fitness)

I found a place to keep my progress calendar (by the t.v. where I'll be using the workout DVD's). This way I can cross off what I've done and see what I have ahead of me with ease. Also, the weeks are already mapped out for you, so the success of the program is now solely up to the user. The calendar starts off with Warm Up Week 1, so that's where I'm going to start, too! 


If you want to wait until a Monday to start, it makes sense to me. I'm too excited and started on a Wednesday. Just so long as I space my rest day accordingly, I think I'll be just fine.

As per the calendar, today's agenda is: 

Watch Disc X first!

Take measurements,

weigh yourself,

and take your "before" pictures!

Disc X is an introduction to the 20 Second Fitness Program. Spencer (the fitness programs' co-creator) explains how the program works, and how high intensity workouts will help you burn calories all day long. Before getting into the actual workout portion of my first day, I was instructed to look through the "Form" menu on Disc X. This part teaches you the proper way to do the exercises that are found throughout the duration of the fitness program. 

These are only some of the forms used in this program.

It's extremely important to view the Form videos before beginning your workout. The 20 Second Fitness program is all about pushing yourself, to give it your all for 20 seconds. That can be a LOT of fun (I soon found out!) but not if you injure yourself. So, before you begin - watch the form videos. It is also suggested that you periodically brush up on your Form skills throughout the program, just to ensure you won't injure yourself because you weren't sure how to do something. 

I'm going to have to wait until the weekend to add my measurements. The kit doesn't come with a flexible tape measure, and I don't have one available to me just yet. I tried using a tape measure and I don't know how accurate that really was.

My first warm up workout ever went really great! It was intense. It was fun. And I didn't really want it to be over after the 4 minutes were up! Looking forward to Week 1, Day 2!