20 Second Fitness: Week 6

Well, I did it! I completed one full run through of the 20 Second Fitness program. It started off with two warmup weeks followed by four weeks of full workouts. Six weeks is definitely the longest I've stuck with any fitness routine so yay for me!

20 Second Fitness is interval training where everything is done in 20 second intervals. You push as hard as you can for those 20 seconds. In the full workout weeks, the workouts are between eight and twelve minutes a day. If you don't think you can get in a good workout in such a short amount of time, you are wrong! These workouts are intense!

After week 5 I confessed my love for sweets and that I felt it was holding back my progress. So with that I made a commitment to myself to really cut that stuff out. It wasn't easy, but I really felt that I had an awesome week with my food. With the exception of some delicious chocolate cake at a party, I had no other sweets. Couple that with the workouts and I lost one more pound plus 1/2 an inch this past week! It is still slow going but I am only looking to lose about 15 pounds and those last 15 are usually the hardest to lose.

Start Weight: 145 lbs Waist: 34.5" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"	Week 2 Weight: 145 lbs Waist: 34.5" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"	Week 3 Weight: 143.5 lbs Waist: 34" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"
Week 4 Weight: 142.5 lbs Waist: 34" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"	Week 5 Weight: 142.5 lbs Waist: 34" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"	Week 6 Weight: 141.5 lbs Waist: 33.5" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"

In the six weeks I have been doing this I have lost 3.5 pounds, yet I still have not lost many inches - only one. Does that make any sense to you because it sure doesn't make any sense to me! I have been wondering where did the lost pounds come off from? I think I may have figured it out. Although my bust measurement is still at 36 inches, it seems that I have gone down a cup size from DD to D. While I would have wanted to do that in the long run, it would have been nice to lose some inches off the thighs or butt first. But that's OK, I'll take what I can get and I am still happy with my progress!

So now I am cycling back to Week 1 of the full workout DVDs and I plan on continuing on with this program for well, forever! I love that the 8 to 12 minutes is so easy to fit into my busy days. There are no more excuses! I hope I can start shedding some real pounds and inches soon. My plan is to continue to share my progress with you, though it may not be as often. Oh and Mr. Spencer has challenged me to post a video of my Star Jumps so I might put something together. We shall see.

Connect with 20 Second Fitness
Facebook: facebook.com/20second
Twitter: twitter.com/20secondfitness (follow the talk with #20secondfitness)
YouTube: youtube.com/user/20secondworkout

Try it Yourself!
If your excuse for not exercising is that you have no time, then you need to give 20 Second Fitness a try! Everyone can squeeze 8 to 12 minutes in every day. Use code green mamas pad when your order 20 Second Fitness and receive free shipping in the Continental United States or a $15 discount for orders to Canada and overseas.

Follow my 20 Second Fitness Journey
Introduction
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5

I was given a 20 Second Fitness Program kit free of charge in order to try it out and report back on my progress. I received no monetary compensation and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Always check with your doctor first before starting any fitness routine or program.

20 Second Fitness: Week 5

So here I am 5 weeks done on my 20 Second Fitness adventure - can yo believe it? This was a rough week for me not because of the workouts but because of a stomach bug that went through my house at the end of the week. For the first time since I started I skipped not only one but two days and did not workout on Friday or Saturday. Normally, Sunday is my day off but to make up for the missed days I did both of those workouts. The first one I did early in the morning and the second at night after the kids were in bed. Let me tell you, even though my workouts were more than 12 hours apart, that second one was tough!  Especially since it was loaded with burpees and burpees with pushups. I hate those. But you probably know that by now.

The workouts are definitely still getting more intense. One day this week there was a 12 minute workout and the last 4 minutes were all jumping rope.  This is definitely a great cardio workout but for some reason I jut can't get it right. I will do the first 20 second set no problem. Then I start up the next and the first time my foot catches on the rope is the end. From that point on I literally trip up more than I jump. So eventually I just ditch the rope and pretend that I am using one. I figure I will get more of a workout that way than if I keep tripping up and have to restart with the rope. Obviously I need to practice more on this.

Start Weight: 145 lbs Waist: 34.5" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"	Week 2 Weight: 145 lbs Waist: 34.5" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"	Week 3 Weight: 143.5 lbs Waist: 34" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"
Week 4 Weight: 142.5 lbs Waist: 34" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"	Week 5 Weight: 142.5 lbs Waist: 34" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"

This week's update also comes with a confession from me. Here I am 5 weeks into this exercise routine and I have not lost any inches. While my numbers do show 2.5 pounds lost, I wonder if that was more of a fluctuation in water weight then actual weight loss. So here comes the confession: my problem is eating. When it comes to meals I actually do really well and eat healthy. But my vice is sweets. Most notably chocolate. If there is anything like that in the house I have a hard time not eating it. I've been good and have not been buying any sweets since I started this, but people keep bringing it over. Like this afternoon my husband went to Costco for a bunch of stuff and came back with Nutella. (That wasn't on the list). I left it in the cabinet in the basement and I am not opening it!

On the bright side, I do feel like I am getting stronger. Five weeks ago when I first started this program and was introduced to star jumps, I could barely do them. I have improved them so much and I think I might look slightly less ridiculous while doing them now. I am actually getting some height and I am getting more done in those 20 seconds. I'd like to tell you that my burpees have improved as well, but I am really not too sure on those.

So as of right now I need to get serious about making a commitment to cutting out the desserts otherwise I am not going to get anywhere. Sunday was a step in the right direction for me as my snacks were a handful of peanuts and some whole grain crackers with hummus. I just need to keep it up and try to gain some will power. And darn it I need to keep the treats out of the house because having them here is torture for me. Hopefully for next week's update I can report that I did awesome with food and actually lost some weight and inches!

Connect with 20 Second Fitness
Facebook: facebook.com/20second
Twitter: twitter.com/20secondfitness (follow the talk with #20secondfitness)
YouTube: youtube.com/user/20secondworkout

Try it Yourself!
Use code green mamas pad when your order 20 Second Fitness and receive free shipping in the Continental United States or a $15 discount for orders to Canada and overseas.

Follow my 20 Second Fitness Journey
Introduction
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4

I was given a 20 Second Fitness Program kit free of charge in order to try it out and report back on my progress. I received no monetary compensation and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Always check with your doctor first before starting any fitness routine or program.

20 Second Fitness: Week 4

Week 4 is done and in the books! I can't believe I have been doing this for a month already - and I am still enjoying it! I will tell you that thus far, every week has been harder than the previous. This past week was the 4th week overall but the 2nd week of full workouts, and definitely the toughest yet. As with the prior week you start with 4 minutes of a body specific workout. This can be arms, legs, core, back, etc. That is followed by 4 minutes of cardio, and then you either end at that or there might be jump rope or something else after that.

On Wednesday was the leg day and surprisingly I do well with leg days. Don't get me wrong, it hurts, but I am able to keep my intensity up through it and really push hard. However that was followed by an arm day on Thursday and well arm days are much more of a challenge for me. I start out with a good pace but by the end my arms are like jello and remain useless for a good hour after I am done. This week I was even taunted a little by Spencer. After tweeting about the 6 sets of calf raises I did on Wednesday, he followed up on Friday with his cute little comment (read from bottom up). So now I have added a new goal: showing Spencer how tough this mama is! :)

The last day of Week 4 was on Saturday and let me tell you, it was HARD! I have been having crazy busy days this past week so most of my workout have been at night. I bought some new workout clothes at Target this week and got myself all pumped and ready and then Spencer kicked my butt with a full 12 minutes of cardio! For good measure, he made sure to really kill me with both star jumps and burpees in the same session. As the sweat was pouring off of me and my legs felt like they were about to give I was cursing you Spencer. All the while my husband sat on the couch watching me and eating apple pie and ice cream. I don't want to even talk about the 4 minutes of jumping rope. I start out with one good set and after that I trip up every other jump. Eventually I just put down the rope and jumped pretending I was still using it. I am sure I looked ridiculous but it was better than constantly stopping to fix my rope.

Looking for some results? Me too! I dropped another pound so woohoo for that! Yet I have not lost any inches at all since I started 20 Second Fitness. I am wondering where the 2.5 pounds I have lost in total is coming off from if my measurements are the same? I am perplexed . Perhaps I am not measuring properly or maybe I am loosing from areas that I am not measuring. Something tells me that if I measured my bust I might see a change there.

Start Weight: 145 lbs Waist: 34.5" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"

Week 2 Weight: 145 lbs Waist: 34.5" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"

Week 3 Weight: 143.5 lbs Waist: 34" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"

Week 4 Weight: 142.5 lbs Waist: 34" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"

Week 5 starts today and I know I have said it before, but I am scared! That last day of week 4 was insane for me and if that is the baseline for what this next week is going to be like, well it is going to be a rough one. But I am loving this and I am determined to get my body fit by the time vacation rolls around later this summer. 20 Second Fitness has been so easy to fit into my daily routine somewhere, even if it as night, and I am hoping this is something I can stick with for life! See yo next week!

Connect with 20 Second Fitness
Facebook: facebook.com/20second
Twitter: twitter.com/20secondfitness (follow the talk with #20secondfitness)
YouTube: youtube.com/user/20secondworkout

Buy 20 Second Fitness Today!
Use code green mamas pad when your order 20 Second Fitness and receive free shipping in the Continental United States or a $15 discount for orders to Canada and overseas.

Follow my 20 Second Fitness Journey
Introduction
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3

Check out these other great bloggers who are using 20 Second Fitness!
Maggie at My Little Review Corner
Paula at Frosted Fingers
Shasta at Faithfully Frugal and Free
Rachel at Yellow Tennessee
Kim at What's That Smell?
Alison at Being Alison
Annie at Mama Dweeb
Amy at Coffee Lovin Mom
Christa at Little BGCG Reviews
Danw at Dawn's Daily Diggs
Nicole at The Blonde Critic
Nina at The One Fantastical
Jessi at Jabbering Jessi
Crystal Simply Being Mommy
Connie at MiscFinds4u
Kathleen at Life With 4 Boys
Brandy at Happily Blended

I was given a 20 Second Fitness Program kit free of charge in order to try it out and report back on my progress. I received no monetary compensation and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Always check with your doctor first before starting any fitness routine or program.

20 Second Fitness: Week 3

Yesterday I finished my third week of 20 Second Fitness, which was the first week of full workouts. First and foremost I must say that I am so proud of myself for sticking with this so far and not missing a single day. In the past I have started routines and then easily just dropped them. A perfect example is the Wii Fit. My husband bought it for me one Christmas (I asked for it) and I did it for a few weeks. But then I stopped and literally did not touch it for YEARS. With 20 Second Fitness, I feel that the reason why I have stuck with it is because it truly is so easy to fit a 4 to 12 minute workout into any day. No matter how crazy it is! I have had some pretty crazy days these past 3 weeks so a few times I did my workout at 10:00 at night. But knowing it would be done quickly helped motivate me to just get it done.

Now to be clear, when I say it is easy to fit into my day, that does not mean the workouts themselves are easy. No way. These workouts are HARD. In this first week of full workouts, each day was between 8 to 10 minutes long. But during that short period of time, you really push your body to the limit. Each day will consist of a body specific workout followed by a cardio workout and some days there is a little more after that. There was one day that included 4 straight minutes of tricep extensions. When I was done, I seriously could not lift my arms above my head for hours after. The cardio workouts this week included a lot of the dreaded burpees. On the last day, Day 6, Spencer made those burpees even more difficult by adding a pushup to them. Not cool Spencer, not cool. I actually swapped them out for regular burpees because I honestly could not do the ones with pushups. I have mentioned burpees a lot so I searched and found this diagram of what exactly a burpee is. Despite what you think you see in this picture, let me assure you that these things are hard!

Moving onto the numbers; after two weeks I saw no change in my weight or measurements. Here after week 3, I am happy to report I saw two of my "stats" drop a teeny bit and that makes me very happy! Now I will say that we need to take my body measurements with a grain of salt because who knows if I am measuring in the same exact spot each time. I am trying my best though. As of today I have lost 1.5 pounds as well as 1/2 inch on my waist! I think that now that I am into the full workouts, I will start seeing these numbers decreases consistently.

Start Weight: 145 lbs Waist: 34.5" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"

Week 2 Weight: 145 lbs Waist: 34.5" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"

Week 3 Weight: 143.5 lbs Waist: 34" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"

One thing to keep in mind when doing the 20 Second Fitness Program or any other fitness routine is that results vary from person to person and you may not see instant results. The key is not to get discouraged and to keep pushing and give it all you've got. Spencer has a few quick tips for us if you are not seeing the results you would like to see.



Today I start Week 4 and I am sure it is going to be even harder than last week. I will really need to practice those darn burpees with pushups so I can actually do them. I am looking forward to the challenge though as well as the results. Stay tuned!

Free Shipping Discount!
Don't forget you can use code green mamas pad when your order 20 Second Fitness and receive free shipping in the Continental United States or a $15 discount for orders to Canada and overseas.

Follow my 20 Second Fitness Journey
Introduction
Week 1
Week 2

Check out these other great bloggers who are using 20 Second Fitness!
Maggie at My Little Review Corner
Paula at Frosted Fingers
Shasta at Faithfully Frugal and Free
Rachel at Yellow Tennessee
Kim at What's That Smell?
Alison at Being Alison
Annie at Mama Dweeb
Amy at Coffee Lovin Mom
Christa at Little BGCG Reviews
Danw at Dawn's Daily Diggs
Nicole at The Blonde Critic
Nina at The One Fantastical
Jessi at Jabbering Jessi
Crystal Simply Being Mommy
Connie at MiscFinds4u
Kathleen at Life With 4 Boys
Brandy at Happily Blended

I was given a 20 Second Fitness Program kit free of charge in order to try it out and report back on my progress. I received no monetary compensation and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Always check with your doctor first before starting any fitness routine or program.

20 Second Fitness: Week 2

I have now completed warmup week two of 20 Second Fitness and I am really feeling good! In the second warmup week you really step it up a notch. The workouts are a bit longer now, about 6 to 8 minutes each day, and way more intense. Most days you will do about 2 minutes of target exercises followed by 4 minutes of what Spencer refers to as "heart pumper" sets. These sets are basically 4 minutes of intense cardio. I was actually really surprised how much more intense week two was than week one. By the end of each workout I was ready to collapse onto the floor. In fact a few days I did.

I am starting to develop a little love/hate relationship with 20 Second Fitness host Spencer. I hate him because he makes me do super hard exercises like Star Jumps and Burpees which are practically impossible for me to do. I can only imagine how ridiculous I must look doing these. But I love him because he's motivated me to stick with it these two weeks and it has made me feel good about myself. I will curse him while I'm doing my pathetic version of Burpees but when its done I can stand there and say I didn't give up and I did it!

On Wednesday of this past week, after my workout I started to develop shin splints. I have not had those since high school and I forgot how much they hurt. So I reached out to some of the other 20 Second Fitness bloggers on Twitter to see if anyone knew what I could do for them. Lucky me that Spencer saw it and replied with some tips on how help with my shin splints. I thought it was pretty awesome that he took a few minutes to help me out and one day letter I was already feeling better.

So with week two completed you may be wondering if I am starting to see any results. As far as measurements and weight goes, I am exactly the same. It has only been two weeks and I am not expecting to see my numbers drop instantly. As I said earlier, I am feeling great about myself and I think that is a huge accomplishment for me.

Start Weight: 145 lbs Waist: 34.5" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"

Week 2 Weight: 145 lbs Waist: 34.5" Hips: 40" Thigh: 23" Arm: 11"

Today I will start week three and to be honest, I am scared. This is not a warmup week, this will be a full intensity workout. Since this past warmup week was rough, I can only imagine what Spencer has in store for me from this point on. Wish me luck and I'll see you back here next Monday!

P.S. An important tip from me to you. Do NOT let your toddler get a hold of your stretch cord or jump rope. If you do, this is what will happen. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Free Shipping Discount!
Don't forget you can use code green mamas pad when your order 20 Second Fitness and receive free shipping in the Continental United States or a $15 discount for orders to Canada and overseas.

Follow my 20 Second Fitness Journey
Introduction
Week 1

Check out these other great bloggers who are using 20 Second Fitness!
Maggie at My Little Review Corner
Paula at Frosted Fingers
Shasta at Faithfully Frugal and Free
Rachel at Yellow Tennessee
Kim at What's That Smell?
Alison at Being Alison
Annie at Mama Dweeb
Amy at Coffee Lovin Mom
Christa at Little BGCG Reviews
Danw at Dawn's Daily Diggs
Nicole at The Blonde Critic
Nina at The One Fantastical
Jessi at Jabbering Jessi
Crystal Simply Being Mommy
Connie at MiscFinds4u
Kathleen at Life With 4 Boys
Brandy at Happily Blended

I was given a 20 Second Fitness Program kit free of charge in order to try it out and report back on my progress. I received no monetary compensation and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Always check with your doctor first before starting any fitness routine or program.

20 Second Fitness: Week 1

So week 1 of the 20 Second Fitness Program is in the books and I must say I am very proud of myself for sticking to it thus far! On Sunday I completed Warmup Week 1 which consisted of 6 days of 4 to 5 minute workouts. On Day 7 you are given a day off to rest, but I decided to keep things going and redid a workout form one of the previous days.

In this first week, each workout was either 4 or 5 minutes long. That time is made up of 20 second reps of 4 different exercises. On the first day Spencer hit me with pushups and I am really REALLY awful at those. By the time my 4 minutes was up I was completely out of breath and my heart rate was really pumping. I woke up the next day super soar, but that made me happy because I knew I was working hard.I found myself looking forward to my workout every day which is a first for me, and I think it is because it is so quick and easy to fit into my schedule. The video below is a 2 minute demo of what a workout is like. It is fast and intense



What I like so far:
~ Super quick, intense workouts.
~ I am completely out of breath at the end of each workout.
~ Each workout shows several people each at a different intensity level so you have someone to pace yourseld against, no matter what level you are at yourself.
~ I find myself doing some of the exercises like Quick Feet throughout the day, just to give myself a little boost. 
~ I already feel better about myself even though I don't notice any physical changes yet.

When you first get started with this program and before you even pop in that Warmup disk, I highly recommend viewing the introduction disk which has very important videos for proper form. I initially skipped it figuring it wouldn't be a big deal but then I was faced with exercises I had never seen before. So on Day 2 I back tracked and went through those form instructions before moving on to my exercise for the day.

Later today I will be starting Warmup Week 2 and I am looking forward to see if it is harder than the first week. I did not weigh or measure myself at the end of Week 1 (too much snacking this week) but I am pledging to be better about food from this point on and I will update with statistics at the end of Week 2.

Free Shipping Discount!
Use code green mamas pad when your order 20 Second Fitness and receive free shipping in the Continental United States or a $15 discount for orders to Canada and overseas.

My Previous 20 Second Fitness Posts
Starting A New Fitness Program!

Check out these other great bloggers who are using 20 Second Fitness!
Maggie at My Little Review Corner
Paula at Frosted Fingers
Shasta at Faithfully Frugal and Free
Rachel at Yellow Tennessee
Kim at What's That Smell?
Alison at Being Alison
Annie at Mama Dweeb
Amy at Coffee Lovin Mom

I was given a 20 Second Fitness Program kit free of charge in order to try it out and report back on my progress. I received no monetary compensation and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Always check with your doctor first before starting any fitness routine or program.

Starting A New Fitness Program!

My weight has been an up and down struggle for me since my early teen years. I am sure there are plenty of people out there who can relate to that. My senior year of high school I got tired of being chunky and lost 25 pounds to get to 128 pounds. No crazy fad diets, I just cut out junk food and soda and kept my portions under control. I felt awesome and I was able to stay around 130 for quite a few years after that. Once I got married the weight started to creep back on and by the time I became pregnant with our first son in 2004, I was 142. Two years later when I started my pregnancy with our twins, I was 152. And by the end of that pregnancy I was up to about 190. Fortunately the weight always came off really quickly for me with nursing and being on a dairy/soy free diet for my infants. However once I start eating all foods again, the weight gain starts once more. When I got pregnant with our 4th son in 2009, I was the heaviest I had ever been hovering near 160. And at 5'4", that is not a healthy weight for me.

My youngest in now almost 18 months old and I am weighing in at 145 pounds. Honestly, that is not too bad considering I have had 4 babies in 5 years (3 pregnancies). Losing and keeping baby weight off is hard enough and on top of that I just kept having more babies which didn't do anything positive for my weight or body. And I swear there are some parts of my body that look like they exploded post-children. It is yucky and I want to do something about it. My biggest problem is finding the time to exercise with 4 children. They are usually up by 6:00am and then it is non stop go-go-go until they are all asleep at 8:00pm. Even though 3 of them are in school for 2.5 hours in the morning, I still have the little guy home with me and he is pretty much attached to me. {sigh} So breaking out my Wii Fit or a 45 minute workout DVD is not really an option. The only time I have to myself is at night and once 8:00pm rolls around I am way too exhausted to exercise.

So when I was given the opportunity to try out the 20 Second Fitness Program I jumped at it. This program guarantees that with just 4 minutes of intense exercising every day, you can see results. Well 4 minutes is definitely something I can work into my busy schedule. It is called 20 Second Fitness because you do each exercise in 20 second intervals. The program consists of 6 DVDs, set of resistance bands, jump rope, food guide and a wall calendar to track your progress.

 

I really am so excited to get started with this and plan on sharing the journey and my progress here with you. Today is Day 1 for me so I will be doing my workout a bit later and I'll try to follow up tomorrow with how it went and some more information on the workout. I don't plan on posting every single day because that would be a bit much but I do plan on posting at least once a week and more if I can.

Right now I am going to share the most difficult thing I have ever shared on this blog, my measurements and a before picture. I apologize for the blurriness, my husband took these last night with my iPhone while we were both exhausted after the twins' birthday party. Sorry, no bare belly pictures or anything, no one needs to see that.

Weight: 145 lbs

Waist: 34.5"

Hips: 40"

Thigh: 23"

Arm: 11"

You can kind of see that post-child belly a little bit and that is one thing I desperately want to get rid of. Before kids I had a pretty flat belly but like I said, some areas just exploded and won't go back. My goal is to get down to around 130 pounds and shed some inches. I think fifteen pounds is very attainable and I am really optimistic that this routine will work for me and help me get into shape again. Stay tuned!

Check out these other great bloggers who are using 20 Second Fitness!
Maggie at My Little Review Corner
Paula at Frosted Fingers
Shasta at Faithfully Frugal and Free
Rachel at Yellow Tennessee
Kim at What's That Smell?
Alison at Being Alison

I was given a 20 Second Fitness Program kit free of charge in order to try it out and report back on my progress. I received no monetary compensation and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Always check with your doctor first before starting any fitness routine or program.