If you guys haven’t noticed yet, I like to follow fads, trends, take action on some, wait until almost the end to join in on others, and when it comes to fitness, I have to have a little something more for motivation. I’ve always struggled with finding that motivation to get my ass moving. I need the workout plan, the diet, the whole routine clearly laid out for me. It’s the only way I can really stick to things! If I have to come up with it on my own….well…fat chance of that happening.
So, I’ve tried a few different programs (I know, there are a TON out there) but here’s my top 3 favorite programs I’ve tried and why!
- Oh Autumn. Autumn Calabrese is intense! Things I love about this workout: They’re all DVDs, so I can pop them in at home and just hit play the next day for the next workout. Each day is different for the first half, and then you repeat the sequence.
- This program sends you small color coded containers for you to pack your meals in. Like for lunch you can have one yellow, one blue, and two green, or whatever the combo is. Each color represents a different food group.
- It’s all about portion control and the 21 days it takes to make a new habit.
- The workouts are also nice because Autumn shows you the next exercise first, and allows you to learn it before you jump into it. She also offers a modified version in case you can’t keep up. I hate it when they jump into the next exercise and then for the first half of it you’re like, “what the hell are they doing”.
- This one is actually purely a nutritional program. There are a lot of supplements involved and you have to be extremely disciplined with your regular diet, meal planning, and exercise.
- There is no exercise program, which was the down side for me, but for 24 days I managed to be motivated enough to workout, watch my diet and eat clean, and lose 8 pounds and 2 inches. It was amazing!
- The second round I did it though, I did not work out hardly at all. I lost 3 pounds, but felt like a waste because I didn’t focus on exercise or eating well.
- They do have a lot of great products, some of which, I still purchase to use on a regular daily basis! But they’re no magic pill, they require work too!
3. Kayla Itsines Beach Body Guide
- Her Bikini Body Guide is a killer! It’s a 12 week workout program and it’s broken up by weeks and then days, so you don’t repeat workouts very often.
- It’s 2 circuits, you do as many rounds in 7 minutes of each circuit, and then repeat.
- Holy sweat. Let me tell you! I don’t even sweat (for whatever weird nature reason), but THIS makes me sweat! AND it makes me SO sore. But it’s a really awesome balance between legs, cardio, arms, and rest days!
- She also has a nutritional program to go along with it, but she’s Australian and half of the foods she had on her list I’d never heard of.
- You can buy the program to access all of the workouts and nutrition plan.
So there it is peeps. My top favorite workout programs because I am just too lazy to stay committed on my own. But hey, when things work, they work! And if it keeps me moving, then I’m into it!
I’ve heard about all three of these programs but couldn’t get much info on what Kayla Itsines was all about. She seems to have a large Instagram following so I have been getting bits and pieces from her post and followers. They seem to be getting some great results! Thanks for posting the link to her programs and your review. It looks hard, but I’m going to give it a try!
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Yeah no problem! They are definitely hard workouts. So I definitely was taking it easy the first couple weeks and still dying! Lol
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I’ve been trying to push myself to try the 21 Day Fix, but can’t seem to find the motivation yet. I liked the idea of portion control tools and quick workouts, but the cost of the shakes really blew my mind!
Erin
http://www.topknotsandsweatpants.com
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Yeah shakes are going to be expensive wherever you go. But it lasts a whole month! And if you decide you don’t like it then you just won’t buy it again! š
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I have always struggled with finding a good program that I actually stick with. I have a lot of friends that love shakeology-however I can’t get past the price!! I recently ordered IdealLean from IdealFit-a protein for women… so we’ll see how it like it!!
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Oh I haven’t heard of that one before! Please do share how you like it!! I’m always looking for the next thing! š
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And I actually love the Advocare shakes a lot more than the Shakeology.
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Good to know!!!
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Impressive how many different options you’ve tried, really good of you to put the consumers in the know with what works for you! I find a bunch of my clientele struggle with the same thing and they come back from a tour or something telling me that they’ve never found the drive to “stick with it”. I got interested in that and decided to conduct some research. Turns out the behaviour (and results) doesn’t always change when the focus is on the outcome (for a lot of women, weight loss, or more accurately – body composition). I guess what I don’t dig about these self-help trends is that they tend to focus the consumer on the quick outcome instead of teaching behavioural adaptations that will prove sustainable. From an exercise physiological perspective, I can’t get behind a beginner exercise program doing advanced movements for the sake of a heavy caloric burn. Injuries, non-sustainable results and lowered morale lead these new-to-exercise-rs back to coaches like me. Not saying all of the programs do that, it’s just the trend I see. Why bother learning a box jump when you can’t squat properly, you know? In my experience, that’s the common reason why people can’t stick with the cookie cutter exercise/nutrition programs.
Without being THAT guy, bottom line is move more daily, find active stuff you enjoy so you tend to do it more, eat better 80% of the time and (possibly the biggest one…) don’t sweat the small stuff. Stress is a killer, but only if you let it be.
Have you worked with a nutrition coach or trainer or had friends that did? How were the results comparatively to say one of these programs?
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I worked with a nutrition coach while I did Advocare’s 24 day challenge actually and it helped a TON. Even now when I want to focus on my eating I go back to their tips and meal plans to get back on track. And yeah I agree that it is super helpful, but it definitely has to be paired with consistent exercise. For me at least.
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I’m actually about to start another one of Autumn’s programs, Country Heat and I’m excited about the portion control part. Hope it works!
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Oh one of my friends has been doing that program and she absolutely loves it!!! You got this!
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I swear by Spark! Awesome post! Very informative š
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Oh really?? That’s awesome! Whenever I say I gotta have my spark people have no idea what I’m talking about. Thanks!!
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Wow!! Great informative post, Allison! You have outdone yourself again!
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Wow thanks Kally!! I really appreciate that š
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I really want to try one of these but I always feel I’m limiting myself cos I know it would have to be a Dvd one or I wouldn’t commit to doing it or make the effort!
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Yeah I know what you mean! That’s why you’ve got to also have that accountability side of things. Someone or something to make sure you’re getting your workouts in! š
Thanks for reading š
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Really tempted by the 21 day fix!
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You should definitely check that out! The workouts are really great!
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The idea of not dieting, just controlling portion sizes really appeals to me! Thats the closest to a diet I think I could persuade myself to go!
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Yeah dieting is definitely hard. And you shouldn’t have to avoid things you love! Portion controlling really is huge and I think the 21 day fix really does a good job of teaching you portion control that you can carry on after the program!
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