fitness update: the tale of the tape
Two weeks ago, I decided to shift from the more flexible approach to getting fit outlined in Pam Peeke’s Body for Life for Women book to the more prescriptive approach in Bill Phillips’ original Body for Life book. I did this after seeing how well the latter program was already starting to work for my husband.
At this two-week mark, I’m pretty amazed by the results. The scale shows a drop of only 3 pounds—from 136.5 to 133.5. But the tale of the tape (as they say in boxing) is more striking. I’ve lost nearly 2” from my waist, and 1” each from my bust, hips, and thighs. My arms have stayed the same, but I suspect that’s because of the muscle being added. I can totally feel the difference in how my clothes fit. Beyond that, I also feel more energetic, more balanced. (Gerald’s results have been even more impressive, but that’s his story to tell, not mine.)
So, how does it work? It’s pretty straightforward. Six days a week you exercise, alternating a high-intensity 20 minute cardio workout on one day with a 40-45 minute weight training routine the next. For the weights, you alternate between upper body one day and lower the next, using a formula for increasing intensity—12 reps at a relatively easy weight, followed by 10 at a higher weight, 8 at the next higher, 6 at the next higher, then 12 at a lower weight followed immediately (no 1-minute break like the others) by 12 of a different exercise for the same muscle group. The goal is to hit a point by the last rep where you absolutely, positively, couldn’t do another rep if your life depended on it. (He provides downloadable PDF worksheets on his web site, which makes it easy to keep track of your progress and plan your workout for the next day.)
The recommendation is to do this on an empty stomach, and then to wait an hour afterwards before eating—to ensure maximum fat-burning. So getting the workout done first thing in the morning makes the most sense, and also lets you get it out of the way for the rest of the day.
On the food side, Phillips recommends that you eat 5-6 small meals a day—eating every 3 hours or so. Each meal is supposed to have both a healthy carb and some protein, with the emphasis being on reasonable portion sizes rather than calorie counting. Veggies can be eaten with any meal, in whatever quantity you like. He particularly encourages the use of protein/health bars for the in-between meals, and that’s worked well for me. I’ve become quite the expert on the different brands and flavors, and have finally found a few that I genuinely enjoy rather than tolerating.
The plan allows for one “cheat day” a week, during which you can eat whatever foods you want, and yesterday I indulged in french fries at lunch, and potato chips and a white roll with my burger at dinner. Turns out my body really doesn’t like those refined carbs much anymore, and I felt like crap by bedtime. Interestingly, I’ve had almost no cravings for sweets since starting the program, and wasn’t the least bit tempted by my kids’ milkshakes and ice cream after lunch.
This is a 12-week plan, at the end of which you can assess where you are and decide if you want to reduce the intensity of the weight training. But I suspect that the dietary changes that Gerald and I are making aren’t going to end after 12 weeks. It’s clearly improving our quality of life, and that’s not just a short term goal. More importantly, this feels sustainable. We’re eating foods we enjoy, and we don’t feel hungry at all during the day. This is nothing like “diets” I’ve been on in the past—it feels like a low-level shift in our way of thinking about food and eating.
More updates to come.
