Transform

I am seriously jazzed over this App I’m using for working out.  Chris & Heidi Powell from Extreme Weight Loss have put all their knowledge, Know How, and coaching into an app and I am in love.

I’ve looked at it for the last few months thinking “maybe”.  Then I decided to take the 7-day trial and I was hooked.

I’ve come a very long way on my own in the weight loss world.  I’ve said before, post-surgery the first 50 pounds flew off, the next 40 have been a labor of consistency and work.  A lot of good choices and cardio to burn the calories.  What I’m left with is a smaller, but saggy, frame.  I am now ready to embark on really shaping my new body and that, my friends, is done through resistance training.  Enter #theTransformapp.

The app is broken down into three parts.  Nutrition (literally meal plans for you based on Chris and Heidi’s eating philosophy), resistance and cardio.  I even like the cardio better than what I was doing.

Take yesterday — week 2, day 1.  Resistance was simply 15 minutes to complete as many rounds as I was capable of the following 3 exercises:

Hollow Rocks (keep your legs and shoulders off the ground and rock back and forth for a series of 5 — harder than it sounds!  Core BURN!

Mountain Climbers – Set of 10 each time

Air Squats – Set of 15 each time.  Now, herein lies a minor miracle.  I am terrified of squats.  Those who know me know just how bad my knees are.  I mean they are terrible.  I am petrified that I will blow them out doing squats.  I’ve worked with trainers and on my own over the years never having confidence to do them to their fullest.  I watched Heidi’s sample for form and decided to give it my all – all in – I spaced my legs apart, dug in my heels and placed a stability ball behind me so I would know where “deep enough” was — and voila — I did squats, engaging my thighs and butt, and my knees never felt a thing.  I was shocked and amazed!  And excited.

In total, I did a series of six rounds in that 15 minutes (a few breaks in between, I’ll admit) and that equals 90, NINETY, squats.  HOLY COW!

Cardio is a mix of High Intensity and Low intensity.  Last week it was 1 minute high, one minute low for a minimum of 10 minutes.  This week it’s 2:30 high, followed by 2:30 low for a minimum of 10.  I can’t believe how hard I can push myself aerobically compared to where I started last year.

Throughout the app they share encouragement and there’s videos for inspiration and life lessons and places to journal along the way.  I really, really can’t say enough.  I was so stressed having to plan my own workouts and figure out what to do on my own.  I didn’t want to commit the money yet for a trainer if I could avoid it and now I think I have a solid tool in place.  It is $14.99/month or $38 for 3 months, which is the option I took to give it a fair try.

If you’re looking for a good at home (or in the gym, you select where you spend most of your time) option for a trainer without the cost – give it a try.  I can’t wait to see where I am at my one-year anniversary.

Speaking of — my one-year surgiversary is July 31st.  My goal for the next three months is to lose the last 9 pounds to reach the -100 mark, lose an additional 2″ on my waist and lose one more size in jeans (I’m now a 9-10 – my goal is an 8).  It is also to horseback ride on my anniversary.  Cannot wait! 🙂