The first week of January, Cody and I began our very first round of the 21 Day Fix program. We weren’t sure what to expect, or if anything this program would teach us would stick. We successfully completed the program, and wanted to share our thoughts on the experience.
Amberlee’s Experience:
This was probably one of the most difficult, yet rewarding things I have ever done.
I’m not going to lie, the first week was so hard. I rarely workout, so my body was sore and in shock after every workout routine. I had two options regarding the everyday workout schedule: wake up super early to fit in an intense workout before heading to work, or wait until after work, drive an hour home, change, and workout then. I chose the ladder most days because I am not a morning person and this way Cody and I could work out together. My body was exhausted and in shock for the first 4 days or so, but slowly I began to notice a change. Sooner than I had expected, my soreness faded, I was able to keep up with the videos longer, and I started to look forward to my workout sessions.
The food plan was not as hard to adjust to as I had thought. However, two weeks in my mom asked me how the plan was going – I responded with “Well, I hate vegetables now. I’m sick of them.” The lack of carbs was really challenging for me. The first week was a little rough, and of course there were days where I was extra hungry or was tempted by more carbs than I was allotted or processed foods that sounded much better. We went the first two weeks without a cheat meal, and if I could give you one piece of advice, I would say to give yourself one cheat meal a week. That one meal can give you the strength you need to get through the next week, I swear it works wonders. As I mentioned, I did have some difficulty with the lack of carbs, and was jealous when Cody qualified for way more food than me, but I stuck to it and learned to space out my meals and snacks in a way that didn’t leave me hungry. I rarely needed all of my allotted portions because I was eating right and feeling full enough. As for the food prepping, that is a job within itself. It was a pain to have to food prep and portion everything out for the week every Sunday, and figure out how I was going to eat pretty much the same thing all week and not get sick of it.
I have been finished with the program for a couple of weeks now and I can honestly say that it was worth it. It really did help me to change my lifestyle. I am much more mindful of what I eat, and how much I eat. Portion control is key and I am now able to eyeball about how much of something I should really eat, I guzzle water throughout the day, and am still feeling better than I was before I started the program. I am also so glad that Cody and I did this program together. We were a great support system for each other, and carving out that time to workout together each day, away from the TV and our phones, really brought us closer together. We were each other’s biggest cheerleaders.
The hardest part for me is finding the time and especially the energy to work out. I need to get back to being better about that, but I am heading in the right direction. All in all, I would say this was a positive experience. The only thing I would warn against is that you should be careful when ordering things from the Beach Body site. I did this program with the Shakeology shake as a meal replacement each morning, and thought I had specifically made sure that I was only ordering one bag, not a reoccurring delivery (because that stuff is crazy expensive). A month later another bag showed up at my door and I’m out about $150. I was not happy and need to get online to cancel the reoccurring orders that I feel I was tricked into. Oh, and if you’re looking to give this program a try – look up the app! It’s great for tracking your portions, water, and exercise each day. It also has a quick list of what foods count towards each container, which is super helpful when grocery shopping.
Cody’s Experience:
Recently I had the opportunity to participate in the 21 Day Fix from Beach Body with Amberlee. This wasn’t my first “at home workout” program that I have tried out. I used to do Insanity, which is also a Beach Body program. I would have to say that I thought the 21 Day Fix was going to be a cake walk compared to Insanity, but the realization of me being absolutely wrong hit me like a freight train in the first 10 minutes of day 1. Although the workouts were tough, and the diet plan needed some adjusting, this program really kick started me into a solid daily routine.
The workouts are designed to target different muscle groups on different days. This helps the body to reap the benefits of every workout, and gives your body enough time to heal before you tear it down again. All of this makes you stronger, and allows you to achieve the physique you are looking for. I was able to drop close to 16 pounds in the duration of the 21 days. One part of the workouts that left me just a little bit frustrated was the stretching, and being flexible. My 23 year old body is a little stiffer then when I was 16. During the first week I really struggled with getting my body to stretch, and become flexible in certain stretches, but towards the end of the program I saw a noticeable difference in my flexibility. This was a huge achievement for me.
On any normal day for me, I would eat what I thought was good food, (although a man needs his unhealthy snacks) working out at least 3 days a week, and just kind of going through the motions. What this program really showed me was how much of each particular food “groups” I would consume every day. I had no idea just how many carbs I would consume on any normal day. This program really shows you the basics of learning about how much fruit, vegetables, protein, carbs, and good fats to eat, as well as what a normal portion should consist of. This is the most important piece of information that I learned from doing the program. I do not follow the program to a T anymore, but it really made me very conscious about choosing better alternatives throughout the day, as well as trying to maintain smaller portions.
I would recommend this program to anyone that’s looking for a new workout to try, trying to lose a bit of weight, or for anyone trying to find a beginner program to jump start a healthy lifestyle. I love how this brought Amberlee and me closer, and I am extremely happy that I decided to take a risk, and start this program.
