Help! I need to stay fit for the next two weeks. #exercisefilter
March 22, 2017 8:09 PM Subscribe
I'm getting married in 2.5 weeks. A couple of weeks ago, my trainer had to suddenly stop the group training classes that had been getting me in the best shape of my life. I have a handle on nutrition and will keep that going on my own; but what can I do, on my own, for the next few weeks to maintain the stronger muscles and healthier body fat percentage that I've worked hard to attain over the last 9 months? I can't deny that I want to look good when the cameras are on me.
I've used the wedding as a motivator to finally get in shape like I've wanted to for years. I've been eating much healthier and training / working out consistently since last summer! 2-3x/week doing a circuit training style small group workout/bootcamp mostly involving weights and bodyweight exercises. And have had good results - incremental, gradual, lasting changes to my body. (stronger, more toned, better posture, less body fat) I've felt better day-to-day, too - more energy, better mood, etc. I want this to still be a way of life and I will find a new trainer after the honeymoon - but just don't have a lot of time to evaluate new trainers and make that decision right now! And as superficial as it may seem, I do care about retaining my stronger, fitter body through the wedding when every camera and video is going to be on me and I will be captured for history.
I want to keep up the good work - particularly want to keep working on toned arms, stronger core, and keeping my body fat where it's at. I'm continuing to eat well but I'm not wanting to lose weight; just maintain my strength and looking good and feeling good. I live in an apartment and don't have access to weight machines; so body weight or other non-jumping exercises that don't require big machines would be awesome. Help!
I've used the wedding as a motivator to finally get in shape like I've wanted to for years. I've been eating much healthier and training / working out consistently since last summer! 2-3x/week doing a circuit training style small group workout/bootcamp mostly involving weights and bodyweight exercises. And have had good results - incremental, gradual, lasting changes to my body. (stronger, more toned, better posture, less body fat) I've felt better day-to-day, too - more energy, better mood, etc. I want this to still be a way of life and I will find a new trainer after the honeymoon - but just don't have a lot of time to evaluate new trainers and make that decision right now! And as superficial as it may seem, I do care about retaining my stronger, fitter body through the wedding when every camera and video is going to be on me and I will be captured for history.
I want to keep up the good work - particularly want to keep working on toned arms, stronger core, and keeping my body fat where it's at. I'm continuing to eat well but I'm not wanting to lose weight; just maintain my strength and looking good and feeling good. I live in an apartment and don't have access to weight machines; so body weight or other non-jumping exercises that don't require big machines would be awesome. Help!
Ellen Barrett is my favorite. She is a pilates instructor, but her more recent videos are more of a pilates/yoga/dance blend that works really well together. I liked to a number of her videos on YouTube, the floor fusion in particular is great.
I also like Sara Ivanhoe for yoga, pick any video any you'll be in encouraging capable hands.
As you can see, searching on YouTube for any exercise personality yields tons of free videos, most of which you can do in an apartment with no extra props needed!
posted by Champagne Supernova at 8:31 PM on March 22, 2017 [2 favorites]
I also like Sara Ivanhoe for yoga, pick any video any you'll be in encouraging capable hands.
As you can see, searching on YouTube for any exercise personality yields tons of free videos, most of which you can do in an apartment with no extra props needed!
posted by Champagne Supernova at 8:31 PM on March 22, 2017 [2 favorites]
Best answer: The good news is, even if you stop exercising until the wedding, your body won't change that much in such a short period of time. (If you were training for a race, this would be a different story: aerobic fitness is much easier to lose.) Just keep an eye on what and how much you're eating; you'll need a little bit less if you're not as active.
posted by asterix at 8:48 PM on March 22, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by asterix at 8:48 PM on March 22, 2017 [8 favorites]
I really like the BeachBody online streaming classes - I'm not going to link to it, because it's kind of an MLM scheme, but it's one that actually has good products (I am not a Beachbody coach). But if you got all-access to that, you might like Core de Force or 21 Day Fix Extreme. Not cheap. But fun.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 9:35 PM on March 22, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by treehorn+bunny at 9:35 PM on March 22, 2017 [1 favorite]
If classes work for you then maybe you could take the opportunity to try out a few other classes in your neighbourhood! You might even discover a new type of workout that suits you.
You could try getting a ClassPass (or equivalent for your area) to try different things out perhaps?
posted by Crookshanks_Meow at 11:56 PM on March 22, 2017 [2 favorites]
You could try getting a ClassPass (or equivalent for your area) to try different things out perhaps?
posted by Crookshanks_Meow at 11:56 PM on March 22, 2017 [2 favorites]
You can't lose 9 months worth of progress in a few weeks even if you sit on the couch eating ice cream. You'll be really busy. Give yourself a break and just walk a bit every day in between manic last minute planning. Enjoy the fruits of your labor. Congratulations on your wedding!
posted by spitbull at 3:39 AM on March 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 3:39 AM on March 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
Fitness Blender (https://www.fitnessblender.com/) has some good options. The videos are free, and you can narrow down in the search by things like no equipment (low impact = no jumping). You can also refine the search by length of workout, if you want to do *something* but don't necessarily want to devote an hour to it.
(and congratulations!)
posted by pinwheel spark at 4:38 AM on March 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
(and congratulations!)
posted by pinwheel spark at 4:38 AM on March 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
Someone here recently recommended the free Nike Training app and I've been loving it! It creates a custom training plan for you - you can tell it what kind of equipment you have (like little weights) but most workouts I've done are equipment-free. The training shows videos and I find it helpful for keeping correct form.
posted by beyond_pink at 4:42 AM on March 23, 2017
posted by beyond_pink at 4:42 AM on March 23, 2017
Memailed you!
posted by Hermione Granger at 4:51 AM on March 23, 2017
posted by Hermione Granger at 4:51 AM on March 23, 2017
Best answer: Congrats! Blogilates on YouTube has short, mega-effective videos, mostly not cardio but more Pilates like keeping toned, feeling better, better posture, etc.
posted by athirstforsalt at 5:28 AM on March 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by athirstforsalt at 5:28 AM on March 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Wonderful advice and thank you for the congratulations, as well. :)
It sounds like the general consensus is that I'm not going to lose a ton of progress in a month, anyway, which is actually a relief. :) I'll check these out and look for ones that target the areas I care about most - but I'll mostly just try to keep eating well and being active when I can, especially since I just feel better when I do!
Feel free to keep the recommendations coming! Would especially love to know if you've gotten results out of them. Sometimes I'm suspicious that some workout tools/plans (especially ones to do at home) don't actually get you much in the way of results... (Thank you @sondern, that is SO helpful to know you see results that quickly! I'm going to start today!)
posted by inatizzy at 5:30 AM on March 23, 2017
It sounds like the general consensus is that I'm not going to lose a ton of progress in a month, anyway, which is actually a relief. :) I'll check these out and look for ones that target the areas I care about most - but I'll mostly just try to keep eating well and being active when I can, especially since I just feel better when I do!
Feel free to keep the recommendations coming! Would especially love to know if you've gotten results out of them. Sometimes I'm suspicious that some workout tools/plans (especially ones to do at home) don't actually get you much in the way of results... (Thank you @sondern, that is SO helpful to know you see results that quickly! I'm going to start today!)
posted by inatizzy at 5:30 AM on March 23, 2017
Nthing Kayla Itsines. You can download her PDFs online or purchase her app. I'm in good shape from ashtanga yoga/hiking/gardening and she still kicks my ass on an every other day basis.
posted by coldbabyshrimp at 8:22 AM on March 23, 2017
posted by coldbabyshrimp at 8:22 AM on March 23, 2017
Best answer: I disagree with everyone that says you won't lose progress in a few weeks. You will lose your muscle pump and the tone really quickly, most of that goes away if you take a couple days off, so be careful. It's also a mental thing, if you stop or slow down you're going to lose the endorphin high and the stress release you will need pre-wedding. I would search for a yoga studio or Orange Theory Fitness or something similar (boot camp is a good search term to use), a lot of them have intro specials. And continue with the exercise until your wedding.
posted by katypickle at 9:06 AM on March 23, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by katypickle at 9:06 AM on March 23, 2017 [4 favorites]
I second Jillian Michaels videos - "30 Day Shred", "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism", or "Body Revolution" are great for toning without a major time commitment.
posted by Kriesa at 9:32 AM on March 23, 2017
posted by Kriesa at 9:32 AM on March 23, 2017
Ballet Beautiful videos are great for low-impact, low-jumping. Also seconding Nike Training Club (but they are generally jumpier).
posted by Owl of Athena at 10:16 AM on March 23, 2017
posted by Owl of Athena at 10:16 AM on March 23, 2017
You might want to do a quick workout shortly before the photos (nothing that gets you sweaty of course, but a few pushups & other bodyweight exercises before you get into your outfit) - that could give you a temporary muscle pump! Or if you have time to do a full workout the morning before and then shower + get ready, that could work as well. I find my muscles always look best right after a workout.
Also, I know you mentioned you had your diet all set already, but I wanted to add that eating carbs helps your muscles appear fuller, so you could try to get a good amount of those the day before (assuming they otherwise make you feel good).
posted by jouir at 10:29 AM on March 23, 2017
Also, I know you mentioned you had your diet all set already, but I wanted to add that eating carbs helps your muscles appear fuller, so you could try to get a good amount of those the day before (assuming they otherwise make you feel good).
posted by jouir at 10:29 AM on March 23, 2017
Response by poster: Thanks again everyone. I've been doing some stuff at home and decided to look up local bootcamps one more time (thanks @katypickle) and I found one that has good reviews and has a one-week free intro pass. Perfect for me to jump in, give it a try, then if I like it I will start a membership after the honeymoon. With one week to go I think it will help me retain at least some of my tone, which I've definitely noticed I'm starting to lose... I feel good about this! Thanks again everyone.
posted by inatizzy at 5:11 PM on March 30, 2017
posted by inatizzy at 5:11 PM on March 30, 2017
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You might also like some of Jillian Michaels' videos -- 30 Day Shred is the first one that comes to mind. Bootcamp style videos that use body weight and free weight exercises. I really like the arm workouts on this one. When I do it consistently, I get visible results within 10 days.
posted by sondern at 8:19 PM on March 22, 2017 [6 favorites]