TurboFire Day 41 Results and Review
Day 41. TurboFire still rocks! Weeks 5-8 have workout schedules that do not include high intensity interval (HIIT) workouts. I never thought I would say this, but I miss those crazy heart pounding workouts!
I did sneak in one HIIT 15 workout this week for a friend. I had talked to her about the HIIT workouts so much that she wanted to try one. It was kind of special because this friend has asthma.
She has trouble doing cardio workouts because of her physical condition. Let me paint you a better picture. This is a person who would live at the gym if she could. She is an avid weight lifter and makes sure she gets in some form of cardio a coiuple of times per week.
I remember going for a walk with my friend some ten odd years ago. She had trouble making it around a two mile track because of her asthma. Over the years, she has increased her cardio endurance and can now go about 30 minutes on a trail or teadmill.
I challenged her to try the HIIT 15 workout for two reasons. First, she has a little layer of belly fat that she cannot seem to lose. She works hard to get the muscles she has – stored fat just hides her hard work. It is a frustration felt by many gym rats who know how to pump iron but seem to struggle on the cardio side.
The second reason I wanted her to try it is the way HIIT workouts are designed. I told her that she would learn a sequence of drills like you would see on an athletic field or high school gym. The trainer, Chalene Johnson, would go through them slowly. Then, she would hear a siren and perform the sequence of exercises with as much intensity as she could push out.
The catch? The drills only last for about a minute. Then, she would get a one minute break. This pattern would continue until the cool down period. The whole workout is only 15 minutes.
It worked! Because of the short duration of the high intensity cardio, my friend was able to push herself and then, recovery in the minute that followed. HIIT workouts are supposed to burn up to 9X more fat than the traditional cardio she was trying to do despite her asthmatic condition. Maybe this is the answer to shredding out the belly fat for my friend? Maybe I can give you an update in the months to come. She is a new fan of Chalene Johnson’s TurboFire HIIT workouts.
I am sharing this experience because I am thrilled to see one of my friends benefiting from the Beachbody workouts I love so much. I must advise each and every reader to check with their doctor before starting this or any workout program. This article is not intended to suggest that if you have asthma or a similar condition that HIIT workouts are suitable for you.
Five Steps to Figuring Out How Many Calories You Can Eat and Still Lose Weight
Beachbody gives you tools you can understand to help you lose weight and get into shape. Most people think they have to eat 1200 calories or less to lose weight. Then, they put the weight back on even faster than they took it off. Most people actually need to eat more than 1200 calories per day to continue to lose weight. That’s right. Eat more!
Eating less than 1200 calories in a day may lead to nutrient deficiencies and affect your health. You can follow a 1200 calorie per day diet for about a week, but after that, you need a smarter eating plan. Follow this short formula to determine how many calories you can eat each day and still lose weight: RMR + DAB + DE – CD.
RMR stands for resting metabolic rate. This represents approxiamately how many calories your body burns naturally while you are at rest to maintain body functions such as breathing, circulation, and digestion. To calculate your RMR, multiply your body weight times ten. So, if you are a 160 pound woman, your RMR is 160 x 10 which is 1600.
Next determine your daily activity burn or DAB. This number depends on whether you consider yourself sedentary, moderately active, or very active in your daily routine outside of an exercising program. Now, most of us probably project too high here, so let us assume we are the sedentary type. To get your DAB, multiply your RMR by ten percent. 1600 x 10% is 160.
The third step is to calculate the calories you will burn in your daily exercise or DE. According to Beachbody, an average TurboFire workout burns about 650 calories. So, if this same person used the TurboFire program, her DE would be 650.
The fourth step is to determine your caloric deficit or CD. Since one pound is 3500 calories, you need to have a CD of 500 calories per day to lose one pound per week. If you wanted to lose two pounds, you would need a deficit of 7000 calories per week or 1000 calories per day. This number depends somewhat on your current weight. Again, you do not want go below 1200 calories per day nor do you want to stay on a 1200 calorie per day diet more than one week.
Finally, plug all the numbers into the formula RMR + DAB + DE – CD to determine the number of calories to eat each day and still lose weight. Let’s plug in the numbers for our example of a 160 pound woman using the TurboFire program and having a goal of losing one pound per week. RMR (1600) + DAB (160) + DE (650) – CD (500) = 1910 calories per day to lose one pound per week. Nice!
While you are trying to lose weight, you should periodically go through this formula again to adjust your caloric needs. Let’s say this woman has lost ten pounds and is recalculating her eating plan. She now needs 1800 calories per day to continue to lose one pound per week. (RMR 1500 + DAB 150 + DE 650 – CD 500 = 1800)
If you do not know how many calories you are burning with an exercise program, you may be able to find a chart online or in a book to help you estimate how many calories per hour you burn with a particular activity. You can also get a calorie monitoring device based on your heartrate such as the Bodybugg from 24 Hour Fitness (retails at $199). Or, you can use the free tools from your free Beachbody account.
The Caloric Needs calculator is easy to use and will estimate the number of calories you will burn with various Beachbody workout programs. It also has a few other exercising activities such as aerobics and cycling. All you do is answer a few basic questions such as how many times a week you will be exercising and what activity you plan on doing.
The cool thing about this calculator is it will tell you not only how many calories you should eat to lose weight but also how many you should eat each day to maintain your current weight. To use this caluculator as well as a few other helpful weight loss tools, all you need to do is sign up for a free Beachbody account.
Once you have your account, go to the Eat Smart tab of the Teambeachbody website. Click on Nutrition Tools. Then, click on Caloric Needs and fill in your answers. Ok, so you can do the math with the five steps above or just answer a few questions and let the online caloric needs calculator work for you! I hope you have found this article useful. Keep pressing play!
Fall Hike? Mix It Up for Results
My hip flexors are sore today. Yesterday, we took a five mile hike on a local trail. The trail was challenging. Not only was it five miles long, but it was rolling with hills and curves. Sometimes we were walking; sometimes we were jogging. This was an invigorating walk that challenged my aerobic, strength, and endurance capabilities.
I live in an area that has a lot of pollen, and I have allergies to pollen and to mold. That makes walking on a trail difficult for me most of the year. In the spring and summer, I have trouble breathing because of pollen. Late in the year when we’ve had a rainy season, the mold count on pine needles in wooded areas makes me wheeze and affects my endurance and intensity.
For a short period of time during the year, the trails are perfect. If I don’t get out and hike them when I can, I lose a beautiful opportunity to enjoy nature and mix up my routine. The ultimate key to keep your body burning fat and your muscles getting tighter is to mix up your workout routines. Don’t let you body get used to doing the same thing everytime you work out.
As for this morning? I think I need to do a little yoga to stretch out those hip flexors. Hmmmm. P90X Yoga X or Patience Hummingbird? What will you do today? Get out on a trail if the conditions are right for you. Keep it mixed up. Keep doing your best. Forget the rest.
7 Tips for Beachbody’s 2 Day Fast
Yes. I tried the Beachbody 2 Day Fast to kick start my Slim in 6 six week weight loss program. I didn’t have expectations for losing a lot of weight in two days because I know what my body burns on it’s own without exercising. I did the fast because it was a way to get me thinking about weight loss and getting my body ready for a lower caloric intake following my 90 day P90X program.
Take a look at the Beachbody Step-By-Step Nutrition Guide that comes with your Slim in 6 program. On about the third page, you’ll see a chart to help you figure out how many calories your body needs based on your gender, current weight, and activity level. Then, subtract the 300 calories you’ll be getting from your shakes during the fast. Take the resulting number and compare it to The Daily Deficit chart on the same page. This will give you an estimate of what you could lose as a result of the fast…read more
What Supports Your Fitness Goals?
I started Beachbody’s two-day fast today in preparation for starting Slim in 6 on July 1st. I’m also taking the Slimming Formula which may help stimulate my metabolism and help burn fat more efficiently with exercise. I’m also supplementing with Cal-Mag (calcium), Omega-3, and ActiVit Metabolism Formula which is a multi-vitamin with green tea and L-Carnitine to boost my metabolism and promote fat loss. By the way, let me know if you’d like to join me on my six week weight loss journey. My new fitness goals are to slim my hips and thighs and drop 15 pounds in six weeks.
I just returned from an awesome family reunion. It was nice to visit with my family members and hear what they’re doing to lose weight. As you know, I’ve been doing P90X. I primarily toned up and lost inches with only a ten pound weight loss in 90 days….of course I gained muscle and blasted fat, so I’m happy with those results.
Anyway, my niece has lost about 30 pounds with Weight Watchers since November. She attended two meetings and decided she could do the program on her own. Congratulations go out to her! My youngest brother lost about 40 pounds doing the South Beach Diet. It’s working for him…hats off! Congrats! I’m excited. And another one of my brothers lost 20 pounds with a Biggest Loser DVD. I’m proud of him, too. I’m telling my readers about these successes to point out that each person must find what motivates them to reach their fitness goals.
My mother has Fibromyalgia and joint issues. She could not even dream of doing P90X or even Slim in 6. I was talking to her about each person finding what works best for them. For my mother, activity in the pool supports her joints and helps guard against muscle injury with her Fibromyalgia. I suggested that she checks out the local YMCA where they have a pool she can use.
I admire runners, but I do not enjoy running. I admire bikers, but I can’t see myself peddling down the road with traffic. I’ve said before that I love working out in the gym, but I find it hard to remain consistent. My consistency came with Beachbody workout videos. I stay motivated and work on both exercise and nutrition. Beachbody helps me balance both sides of the equation. Activity and diet.
I may not be perfect everyday, but I stay on my fitness path and make adjustments to stay on course. One of the things that helps me stay on course are the message boards where I connect with other people who are doing the same workout as me. It is a great place to get encouragement when you need it and to stay motivated by helping other people get through their struggles. Hope to see you there or in WOWY – our online Supergym.
