"Sweat" with PiYo

Workout 4 in Chalene Johnson's "PiYo" program is called "Sweat"... and it will make you do just that for 37 minutes! For each series of moves, she breaks them down one move at a time and you will keep adding on until you can do the entire set straight through at tempo. You will incorporate all the moves you learned from the previous workouts and speed them up... and you will feel the burn! This is truly cardio without jumping. It's been 4 days and I can honestly (and shockingly) say that I can already feel a difference in my strength and flexibility. I realize you're probably reading this right now thinking, "There's no way..." I was relieved when I saw other friends on Facebook sharing that they were having a similar experience in their first week.

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For example, I noticed that I was able to stay in the plank moves longer for this workout than I had for the two previous "Define" workouts. I didn't feel as much of a strain on my muscles, and believe it or not, I am definitely noticing that while I'm still struggling with the push-ups (regular and tricep), I definitely realize that they are getting easier already. Which is amazing to me since (as I previously mentioned), I've been unable to do a real push-up since before getting pregnant with my daughter who is nearly 2 years old.

Now, there are some burpees in this workout. I realize to some, that's considered jumping, however, Michelle (who shows the modifications) does not do the burpees "all out". I burned 195 calories doing this workout (not too shabby for the type of workout it is). I'm kind of disappointed that the schedule has you do the two "Define" workouts and "Sweat" again before you move onto the net workout --- so it's going to be a few days before you get another PiYo update from me. If you're on the fence about PiYo, what's holding you back? I would love to talk with you! :)

Stay strong, and push play!

~ Aly

PiYo's "Align" and "Define" Workouts

PiYo has finally arrived!! I was so excited when I found out it was being release a couple days early, and then it managed to arrive at my doorstep only 4 days (2 business days) after I ordered it... and did I mention the shipping was free?

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I was so excited to tear open this package. After having such success with the deluxe workouts with the 21 Day Fix, I decided to go for it and order the Deluxe Kit for PiYo as well. It came with the 9 workouts that the basic kit came with, as well as the bonus DVD of "Hardcore on the Floor"... in addition, the Deluxe kit includes 2 more strength workouts called "Full Body Blast" and "Strong Legs", a yoga mat, and the Beachbody Strength Slides which will work with these two deluxe workouts whether I'm on a hard floor or carpeting. It seemed with the splurge to me! :)

While I've done Pilates and Yoga workouts in the past, I wouldn't say I'm flexible or an expert by any means. In fact, I really don't think I'm flexible at all and have been unable to do a "real push-up" since 2011 when I got married (I got pregnant at the end of 2011 and despite my workouts that kicked into full gear in January 2012, I have been unable to do a full push-up still). I decided to suck it up and do the "Align: The Fundamentals" segment which is an intro to the key moves that we will be incorporating into this program. Chalene does an amazing job of showing you how to break down each move, how your body should be aligned to ensure the best results (and to avoid injury), plus she shows you the beginner, intermediate, and advanced versions of each move. LOVE IT! It's about 40 minutes long but well worth it to go through once (I burned nearly 100 calories, per my Polar Heart Rate Monitor).

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I was anxious to get started, so I went right into "Define: Lower Body". This workout was 21 minutes long and really just gets you into the key lower body movements. I always try to push myself to do the advanced or intermediate moves before I just "settle" for the beginner moves, and I was impressed with myself as I mainly followed the intermediate moves. There was one move that was harder on the hamstrings that I had to break out of the pose since it was pulling my tight hammys. Ironically, Chalene commented seconds after that experience that we shouldn't pull too hard if we are tight there. What I found even more amusing was that I nearly did it again when we switched sides... so beware if your hamstrings are tight like mine!!

Today, I did "Define: Upper Body". This workout was 19 minutes (I think there's a typo in the kit because it claims to be 35 minutes in the Quick Start Guide). Similar concept as the Lower Body workout, only focusing on the upper body. Lots of plank style holds and abs exercises in this workout. My shoulders definitely feel like they got a workout today.

I can most definitely understand why people from the test group got such amazing results with this program right away... even though there isn't a huge calorie burn from these two "Define" workouts (I burned 82 on the lower and 63 on the upper), I definitely feel the burn... there's no doubt about it that this is going to do some serious toning... tomorrow is the "Sweat" workout and I'm very excited to see how cardio is incorporated into PiYo.

I wanted to touch briefly on the Eating Plan that comes with this program. I'll be honest: the only time I've followed the eating plans that have come with Beachbody programs was when I did the 21 Day Fix --- and I was very impressed with my results in just 21 days. Without having containers like the 21 Day Fix, PiYo offers a similar type of plan. You calculate your calorie target, and that will then put you in one of four different food plans to follow. For example, I am in the 1,400-1,599 range, which is Plan B. This plan would allow me to eat the following per day:
- 5 Servings of Primary Vegetables
- 2 Servings of Secondary Vegetables & Grains
- 2 Servings of Fresh Fruit
- 5 Servings of Lean Protein
- 4 Servings of Healthy Fats

The goal of the plan is to take in 40% carbs, 35% protein, and 25% fat per day. There's a list of foods that fall into each of these categories, as well as a note as to what one serving of each food might be (for example, 2 cups of cooked green beans counts as one primary vegetable serving --- 1/2 cup of sweet potato or quinoa is one serving of a secondary vegetable or grain). This seems easier to balance for me since there are more healthy fats in the day, especially for cooking... oils, nut butters, avocado, various cheeses, etc. Herbs and spices are freebies, as are various vinegars, mustard, garlic, black coffee or unsweetened tea. There's a lot of flexibility with this eating plan to help make PiYo even more successful for you. I hope to formulate an eating schedule as I did for the 21 Day Fix for PiYo as well, so stay tuned for that...

Want to see an example of the amazing PiYo results? This is just one of the many reasons I plan to come up with an eating schedule to follow the suggested meal plan with PiYo... Amy's results are AWESOME! You can tell she's gotten more toned everywhere!

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If you are just learning about PiYo and want to check out a video, here's a 2-minute clip for you to see a few highlights and hear a bit about it. Have you tried PiYo yet? What do you think? Have questions? I'd love to hear from you! Leave your comments below or find me on Facebook!

~ Aly

Why I'm Excited for PiYo

If you have been following my blog or Facebook page, you know I've been sharing how super excited I am about Chalene Johnson's new workout, PiYo! It will be released at the Beachbody Coach Summit next week (sadly, I won't be there), and I am SO anxious to get my hands on this program. I've become a huge fan of TurboFire and ChaLEAN Extreme (which were also created by Chalene Johnson), so I have no doubt I'm going to love this workout too.

What is PiYo?
- The name "PiYo" may be a little deceiving... there are some yoga and pilates inspired moves, but this is a low-impact (but high intensity) program! You won't be holding poses like yoga or pilates.
 - You will build a lot of CORE strength... this workout is all about "Strength, Cardio and Flexibility"
- This workout will help increase flexibility and strength using your own body weight... no lifting weights, and no equipment will be needed.


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- There will always be a modification for every move so this program works for virtually everyone, whether you're a beginner or have been working out and super fit... which means you can grow with this program as you get stronger! And a HUGE perk with this program to help make sure you are doing the move correctly: someone will always be showing you the side profile of what each move should look like. So you'll see Chalene from the front and a side profile of one individual of her crew doing the same move. No more wondering, "Am I doing this right?"

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Ok, so does that help give you an idea? Chalene has been talking about how this program has changed her life. I love her TurboFire workouts --- the jumping around to the music really revs me up, but I'll be honest, I'm not all that flexible, and I feel like a little old lady when I get out of bed some mornings. I'm hoping based on what Chalene has shared about PiYo and how it's helped her that it will also help me! I've heard the results that people are seeing that have been able to try this workout prior to its release have been amazing... they are so much stronger and some are really shedding some weight! Oh, and Chalene says the music is upbeat too --- I don't know about you, but I'm more likely to enjoy my workout when the tunes in the background keep me going (which is probably why I love TurboFire so much).

So, the details as of now (which are subject to change, but for now, here's what I know)...  June 23rd is the release date on the Beachbody Website. There are 9 total workouts in the base kit and the price is going to be $59.95. The full workout descriptions are posted on the PiYo Workout Facebook Page, but this will sum it up for you...

Align: The Fundamentals (46 minutes) - Learn the PiYo fundamentals with this blood pumping workout
Define: Upper Body (35 minutes) - Strengthen and stretch your entire body while shaping your arms and shoulders
Define: Lower Body (25 minutes) - Shape your lower body
Sweat (30 minutes) - A traditional PiYo workout, this is fast-paced with body weight strength training and with some abs work
Core (30 minutes) - This workout will hit every muscle of your core
Sculpt (30 minutes) - Uses your body weight to generate muscular endurance
Strength Intervals (25 minutes) - Includes body carving intervals; alternates intervals of body weight resistance and athletic moves
Drench (45 minutes) - This begins with a warm up, then stretches your upper and lower body, moves onto a power section to boost heart rate, then focuses on the lower body to improve muscle, endurance, balance and flexibility
Bonus: PiYo Buns (25 minutes) - Focuses on toning your backside

I love that they're not all long workouts... as a mom of a toddler, I don't always have an hour to spend on a workout, but it's great to see that I might be able to double up on days I have more time (I say that now, but it may take time to build up my strength to be ready for that!) Once this workout is available for purchase on June 23rd, I will be working with other coaches to set up a Facebook Challenge, so make sure if you plan on purchasing this program that we connect on Facebook so you can be added to the test group that will start in early July.

So does this sound like something that might interest you? Make sure you sign up to receive the most current info from me so you don't miss out on PiYo when it's released! Click here to be added to my mailing list.