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In the last year I’ve been through the Foundational Five, the Tummy Safe Path, Fit2B Beginning, and Fit2B Advancing. I also ran my first 5K and did abdominal rehab with The Tummy Team. (Which in retrospect should have been in the reverse order). The questions was, where do I go from here? I didn’t feel ready for Fit2B Challenged and I wanted to explore more of what Fit2B had to offer. So I created my own schedule.
4 weeks
They can be done in any particular order, though there is an ebb and flow to the difficulty of the exercises. There will be a week focused more on stretching than hard core cardio. I use that as a recovery week. If I’m sick, have my period or just need a break, that’s when I use that rotation. Obviously everything is negotiable. But these are combinations of my favorite workouts and ones that I’ve never gotten around to trying before. I also wanted to make sure that healthy building blocks of the Foundational Five were maintained, so you’ll see those each week as well. This is not a beginner schedule. That is what Fit2B Beginning is for. I consider this to be something between Fit2B Advancing and Fit2B Challenged.
I use shorter workouts on Sundays, since this is a day when I struggle most to get a workout in at all. I also consider Saturday to be an optional day, but I like to have one scheduled anyway, so I don’t have to think about what I’ll be doing. You’ll also find that the week begins on a Monday. I do this because in my mind Monday is the day I push reset. It’s one of the hardest days to get motivated. By having a set workout picked out and ready to go it makes it easier to get over the activation energy. Also, if Monday goes well, I’ve found the rest of the week is more likely to be a good one. So why not start by taking care of your body?
Disclaimer
I am not an exercise physiologist. This is a schedule that I created for myself and I am sharing it. I am in no way making any guarantees or promises about this other than that it might keep you from getting bored by changing things up a little. This has not been authorized or endorsed by the staff at Fit2B, though it does contain affiliate links.
I did this for fun and my own edification based on what I felt like my body needed. It in no way replaces that amazing work do by Beth Learn and the other staff at Fit2B. Think of this as being inspired by their example.
I was going to wait until next week to unveil Week 1, but so many people on the Fit2B Private Member Forum expressed excitement to see this that I’m showing it this week. Which will make this post extra long, so bear with me.
Fit2B Inspired Week 1: Building on Strong Foundations
This week is a combination of solid core base in the Foundational Five, simple cardio and upper body strengthening. I thought it was important to continue to have the continuity of the Foundational Five throughout this set of combinations. I realize you might be getting bored with them. If so, please feel free to skip them though I don’t recommend it. This is an important building block to your fitness, something that shouldn’t be neglected even as you move to more advanced levels. I used to always close my workout time with one of the Foundation Five because I thought if I didn’t have time I just wouldn’t do it. But I’m finding that by doing it first, I am more engaged and aware of my abdominals throughout my workout. Plus, these are fairly short, so you can fit them in anywhere.
Monday
Total Length: 39 minutes
Why I love this combination:
To me this is kind of the holy grail of exercise: core work, weights and cardio. Those three things are what I like to see in almost every work out session, at least for myself, though in varying degrees.
Tuesday
Basic Transverse and Mula Banda
Total length: 43 minutes
Why I love this combination:
I opted to open with Basic Transverse and Mula Banda first because I was afraid I’d skip it otherwise. I was anxious to get to the hard core cardio, given my recent frustration with lack of progress on the weight loss front. But I’m glad I opened with it, because it provided the gentle core wake up I needed. Kickboxing isn’t as long as some of the other cardio workouts, like Tabata. But it really made me break a sweat. At the end of those two workouts I was good and tired, but in a nice way. Balanced is a great weights workout, but it incorporates the whole body. I like the focus really is on balance, not lifting weights per se. Together I felt like I did a little bit of everything.
Wednesday
Total Length: 44 minutes
Why I love this combination:
Just when I think I can’t go on anymore, it ends. That is what I love about Insane Upper Body. It definitely challenges me, but it doesn’t break me. I’m still trying to be able to do this workout fully without any rests or modifications, but in the meantime, I know I’m building muscle and increasing my strength. Just the short time of cardio in Basic Aerobics II is a perfect warm up and while I said in an earlier post that I don’t consider Insane Upper Body to be a true cardio workout, it does keep the heart rate up.
Thursday
Total Length: 67 minutes
Why I love this combination:
I like this Tabata workout because it allows me to take quick breaks to deal with my kids. Then I just tell them to wait until the end of the next exercise. While Tabata focuses on speed, Yoga and Pilates Loaded focuses on strength and the ability to maintain and sustain various movements and position. It may be a little heavier on the upper body than I usually like for one sitting, but since I don’t do Tabata with weights, I don’t mind too much.
Friday
Total Length: 63 minutes
Why I love this combination:
After a long week, I appreciate the chance to realign. Sometimes Align it Flat feels a little tedious, but it never fails to help me continue to be aware of my posture. I love Tabata Kick and Squat! It’s fun and feels more energetic and interesting than other Tabata workouts. I also like the extended length. If I do this and one of the Foundational Five I feel like I’m set for the weekend, even if I get too busy to do much other formal exercise.
Saturday
Total Length: 31 minutes
Why I love this combination:
This is still not a favorite workout of mine, because it aggravates my knees a little bit. However it has grown on me since I first did it. I like that it incorporates weights, but isn’t really an upper body focused workout. It’s energetic without being full on cardio. Overall a good choice for a Saturday morning.
Sunday
Kelly Dean’s Total Body Stretching
Total Length: 37 minutes
Why I love this combination:
So after I put this routine together I heard Bethany say in one of her workouts that you should do at least one stretching workout per week. Now, I already have a recovery week planned which will include some stretching and relaxation workouts, but I also see her point. So I’m adding some suggested stretching workouts to each of the three weeks. In this case, I quickly tacked on Kelly Dean’s Total Body Stretching because if I’m honest, I probably should be doing this workout a couple times a week. I love it and I know it will help me maintain alignment. This makes this session a little longer than I usually like for Sundays, but doable.
So that’s Week 1. Next week we’ll target trouble spots. See you then.
Fit2B Inspired Week 2: Target Trouble Spots
Fit2B Inspired Week 3: Restoration and Relaxation
Fit2B Inspired Week 4: Prepare for the Challenge
If you haven’t already, check out the new Fit2B e-course, Experts on Diastasis Recti.
Don’t forget you can use the coupon code laundryblog to save 30% off a Fit2B Studio yearly membership. That’s less than $7 a month.
