So when you purchase the program, there are four different booty programs/schedules to choose from depending on what you feel your "butt type" is. I chose the "too big" option because I definitely have a big booty, but a little too much in the love-handles area and the saddle-bags... and my butt, I'd like it to be big with muscle, not fat! Day 1 had me doing a look at the basics and the signature "Bum Bum" workout (pronounced "boom boom" which is Brazilian slang for your booty, apparently). For someone who thought they had their lower body strength under control, man oh man, was I surprised at how hard bum bum was! I actually put my knee out trying to keep up the pace and wasn't able to finish because I could barely stand anymore let alone to high powers squats and lunges. So what with hurting my knee at all (it's a sensitive little bastard) I learned a valuable lesson right from day 1, which was: slow down and watch your alignment! Today I did "bum bum" for the third time, and I still can't quite get to the end of the video, and I still have to take modifications on some of the moves so that I'm more controlled and am not hurting myself again. My knee is still a bit on the tender side, but I know that I'm watching myself closely enough not to injure myself again. Truthfully, I'm hoping that this program will help strengthen all the muscles around my knee so that I'm better supported for running.
Other workouts this week were "High and Tight", "Cardio Axe" (pronouced "ashay"), and "Tummy Tuck". "High and Tight" was freaking amazing!!! Super challenging workout that rocks your butt from every angle and I could really feel it in the backs and insides of my thighs the next morning! Very challenging but not in a "bum bum" sort of way. Between this and "bum bum", I waddled for the first four days of this week. Then there's "cardio axe" which is just supposed to be a dance-inspired cardio workout, but truthfully, I didn't find it nearly as challenging as the cardio I'm used to doing. I'm used to my zumba workouts where I'm dripping sweat everywhere, my heart is beating so hard and fast, and I get an insane endorphin rush. With this, I work up a bit of a sweat, and my heart rate is up, but it's nowhere near the cardio I enjoy so much. I will probably continue to do this workout for the next three weeks (until the first 4-week program is done) and then I think I'll start subbing in zumba with my wii so I keep pushing myself cardiovascularly. Today was my first attempt at "Tummy Tuck" and I've got to admit, I just wasn't in it today. I had done "bum bum" first so I was already fatigued and then found that the first half of it (which is all I completed) was so focused on the upper portion of your abs than I didn't feel balanced and once those muscles were fatigued, there was no recovery while working on other muscles. So I called it quits about halfway through. Next time, I'll consider doing tummy tuck before my lower body so I have more energy for it.
Overall impressions: amazing workout! Time consuming for my booty type program because I do two workouts most days making my total workout time over an hour most days, but I really feel like I've accomplished something by the end of it. The first three to four days of the program, I could barely walk the next day! I was sore like I've never been sore before!
That being said, I started taking better care of myself in terms of getting a good post-workout stretch, doing hot-cold alternations in the shower for circulation, sitting on a heating pad when my butt was sore, etc. Already by the end of week 1, I have noticed a huge increase in the rate at which my body recovers from intense exercise. At the start of the week, I could barely walk the morning after a good workout. By the end of this week, I noticed that I wasn't so sore after working out and the next morning, I could barely tell that I had worked so hard the previous day. I also noticed that climbing that huge slight of stairs at the train station close to my work was substantially easier and that I wasn't even remotely out of breath. I can feel myself getting stronger everyday and when I put on my tight fitting scrub pants yesterday, they were loose in the butt and thigh! Hello progress! It's a bit addicting to be honest. So I'm really looking forward to starting week 2 on monday. Don't know if I lost any weight this week as my weigh-in is on my rest day tomorrow but I'm feeling pretty damn good about things so far.
As far as vegan extravaganzas go, I just wanted to share with you one of my fav lunches! Super easy to make and pack to bring to school/work and loaded with good nutrition! Introducing my black-bean pitas!
So here's what you do:
- Cut open a whole grain pita and slather the inside with your fav hummus
- Line the inside of the pita with baby spinach or a spinach/kale mix
- In a fry pan, briefly saute a good sized handful of black beans (canned, drained) and equal amount of coleslaw mix (or other shredded veggie mix) with lemon juice, a smidgen of coconut oil, fresh garlic and ginger, and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.
- Use this quickly-sauteed mix to stuff your pitas full and get your nom on.
Note: When I'm going to pack this in my lunch, I toss the saute ingredients (sans coconut oil) in a bowl and stuff them into the pita raw so nothing gets soggy in my bag :)
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