Fitness Friday: ShapelyGirl Fitness Week 1 Recap

I have joined up with some other ladies from the CWA Review team to form a ShapelyGirl Fitness exercise group for the month of October. Each Friday during October, I’m going to post updates on how I’ve done for the week as a way to be held accountable. My final post will be on November 2, 2012 where I will wrap everything up and talk about my experience with the ShapelyGirl Fitness program.

Last week, I talked a little about the ShapelyGirl Fitness program and why I joined. This week, I’ve officially been participating in the program for 1 week.

Debra recommended to our team to watch the complete dvd workout prior to diving into actually starting the program, so I took her recommendation. By doing it this way, I was able to watch without needing to follow everything the first time around. I was able to see the unique nature of the workout that was geared towards getting started with fitness no matter how many curves you had. One of the things that resonated with me was embracing your curves and just starting where you were at. If you couldn’t complete the full workout, it was okay. If you needed to not use weights at first, that was also okay. You just made adjustments as needed to meet your fitness needs. The workout was low impact.

Now, since this isn’t a review of the program yet, I’m going to go ahead and stop at this point in my assessment of the dvd and transition into my fitness week. I admit that my week didn’t start out on a good note as my sweet Munchkin woke up sick on Monday morning. My workout for both Monday and Tuesday consisted of some walking on the treadmill and running up and down the stairs taking care of my patient.

On Wednesday, Gramma and Grampa said their goodbyes and continued on their journey down the road (they were here a week and a half visiting), so Munchkin decided to take up residence downstairs on the couch instead of resting upstairs. Once she was situated, I did my first workout with the ShapelyGirl Fitness program. When I joined the team, I committed to work out 3 times per week with the program, so I was already behind on my workouts. (My original plan was to use the ShapelyGirl Fitness program Monday, Wednesday, Friday.) Because I haven’t used weights for workouts for some time, I decided to start without weights which turned out to be a good move as my upper body was still feeling it without the weights. I did not make it through the entire workout as I was just too tired. I ended up watching a few segments and then joining back in.

On Thursday, I started my day off with some fruit and a glass of water and then jumped into my workout. I decided to try 2 lb. weights, but I ended up dropping the weights after I got further into the workout. I was still a bit sore from yesterday, so I walked my way through some of the exercises instead of doing all of the exact movements during the workout. I wanted to keep moving without pushing myself too hard right away. Today, my favorite part of the routine was the cool down stretches. Did I mention I was a bit sore/tight from Wednesday’s workout? **grin** With making the few modifications, I was able to make it through the entire workout. I was quite hungry after working out, so I ate a light breakfast and drank more water after I cooled down.

Friday is the end of the first week. While the week didn’t go exactly as planned when it came to the workouts, I still was able to get in my three days of ShapelyGirl Fitness routines. I definitely feel that working out every other day will work better for me, so I’ll really try to stick to that schedule next week. Will update after my morning workout…

Okay, so my morning workout is done, and my arms feel like they’re going to fall off. lol! While I’m doing fine with the cardio, it’s rather obvious that I haven’t used certain arm muscles for quite some time. Working out those muscles for 3 days straight is leading to the ouch factor. While I tried to use the weights today, I found that I needed to give them up rather quickly. My muscles were just too fatigued, and it wasn’t a good idea to push it. Trust me when I say that you still get a good workout even without the weights. I know in time that I’ll be able to do the full workout with weights, but it may take a little longer than I would necessarily like. The plus side to this particular workouts is that it’s helping to release some frustration with events going on in our life. I like that the movements are not complicated, so I can just workout without having to try to learn this or that. Uncomplicated is what I need right now. **grin**

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. ~Philippians 4:13~

The other ladies on the CWA ShapelyGirl Fitness team will be posting about their progress this first week. I’d love it if you would head over to their blogs and encourage them as they progress on this journey. Because we have ladies of all shapes, sizes, fitness levels, and walks of life, you will see how the program works for a variety of women. We appreciate your prayers and support as we strive to get fit physically, mentally, and spiritually. Don’t forget to check back in during the week as this wonderful group of ladies will be linking up throughout the week.