You Are Not Tired! --- Turbo Fire - Day 15 and 16

Turbo Fire is just one of the exercise routines created by Chalene Johnson, fitness expert and creator of the original cardio kickboxing program Turbo Jam. The key to this program is the killer workout music and the exercise moves that will have you tight and toned in no time.

The Turbo Fire program lasts 12 weeks and throughout the program Chalene Johnson will teach you how to exercise effectively. She does this by giving you tips during each workout and also offering a "New to Class" option so you can learn the moves before you start kicking it into high gear.

Turbo Fire may not be for everybody. After all, it is a high intensity and high impact workout routine. It also gives you a workout schedule so each and every day you are not left wondering what you are going to do. This makes your workout something you never need to think about. You just need to pop the DVD in and push play!

When you purchase the program, everything you need comes with it. Not only do you get the schedule, the introduction book and nutrition book, but you also get a lower body band and a resistance band. So all you need to do is tie up your shoes, grab your water bottle, and be prepared to sweat!

Many of you may be familiar with my personal journey with P90X, the program created by Tony Horton. I have come a long way since then, and since I am starting on a new journey with Turbo Fire, I thought I would do a similiar thing to keep me motivated. However, things are going to be a little different. After all, it is summer right now and things are going to be busy. I will try to keep updating my journey every day, but if you don't see a day, I will combine them. After all, the most important aspect is getting the workout in. However, limited time proves I might not always get the chance to write about it.

As part of my journey, I decided to become a BeachBody coach. If you would like to support my business, either by joining me with TurboFire or any other program, feel free to check out my website by visiting my BeachBody coach page. However, I welcome any kind of support regardless. If you would like to read about my time with P90X click here or feel free to just jump ahead and see the results on Day 90.

As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by and read. I know this journey can be hard to keep up with (especially if I write about every single day) and I look forward to the interaction in the comments section and your constant push to keep me going!

It is hard to believe that we are already at the start of week 3 of this Turbo Fire journey, and it has gone by incredibly fast. Now I am not sure if that is just because this workout program is just plain fun, or if it is due to how busy life has been as of lately.

Going into the third week, I am still noticing that new workouts are being introduced. This one being the Fire 45EZ class. I have to say, this so far is one of my favorite workouts. I have done this one once before, prior to starting TurboFire, and the moves just make for a great workout. (And I am not tripping over my uncoordination!)

Most importantly though, the start of another week also marks results. And that is probably what most people are looking for. They want to see weight loss or inches lost... at least some kind of progress.

I have to say, I have not been looking forward to results day. I have been peaking at the scale throughout the week and what I have been seeing... well, I would rather not see. But, this is a journey and we all want to see what they are. So, I will take the bad with the good!

As I stepped on the scale, I was not happy. But, I have to tell myself that the scale is just a number and fluctuates greatly. That being said, I have also been starting to get sick again, so I have been taking some over-the-counter medications that could possibly influence the results. In addition, it has also been very hot outside. I know I have a tendency to retain water when it is hot. To top it off, this past weekend I have had a large amount of sodium in my diet. Also another factor for water retention. Before even looking at the numbers... I knew it wasn't going to be a good week.

After 2 weeks on TurboFire: I have actually gained 4.6 pounds! Yeah - I was a little ticked off by that too! However, just this week I lost 2 inches, making my total inches lost 3.5 inches. (During this journey I don't expect the insane results in inches as I saw with P90X. After all, there is only so many inches that you can lose!)

When it comes to results, I need to take it with a grain of salt. After all, I am pretty close to goal (although not as close as I used to be after gaining some weight!) And obviously, losing inches will definately be a much great advantage than losing the weight. That means I am actually putting on muscle. That is beneficial because the more muscle you have, the more you actually burn during rest!

So, I guess I better turn my frown upside down and deal with it. Or just push harder this next coming week. Besides, I was pretty sore on weigh-in day. That also means I am probably retaining tons of water and my muscles are filled with lactic acid from the intense workouts. So more likely than not, I will see greater results in a couple of weeks. I am keeping my fingers crossed and trying not to get too frustrated!

I am a big fan of the HIIT (high interval intensity training) days because I get to feed my sadistic workout self with these great, torturous workout routines. Ok - so I don't think they are torture. But they are hard work. After all, you only have to push through the the set for 1 minute, but you have to give 110% the entire time before you get a break. Oh yeah - and did I mention they usually repeat the sets a couple of times and usually do between 3 to 4 different sets in the workout. If you haven't tried that - it is tough. If you aren't huffing and puffing at the end, well, let's just say, you should be pushing a little harder.

This was the first time I have ever done Turbo Fire HIIT 25 class. So far it is the longest of all the HIIT workouts (that is unless you move into the advanced part of the program!) This was a killer workout. It includes a lot of jumping and frankly, it is probably the first time since I have started TurboFire where I felt like puking midway through! But I guess, that is a sign of a good workout.

Honestly though, I can't wait to do it again!

I enjoy my workouts, but I have to say, because I am not yet at goal, I find myself getting frustrated when I workout this hard and don't feel like I am seeing anything. So, for that reason, I have to emphasis the different ways to tell that you are getting results! I will probably emphasis this several times throughout my journey because I feel it is important and not only do I need the reminder, but someone else out there might need one too!. If we get frustrated with a lack of results, we are more likely to quit, assuming the program is not working.

So, if you feel like you aren't getting results, change what you are measuring with.

1. Attitude - If you attitude has improved you know the workout program is doing something. Working out is a great way to release endorphins into your body. These happy endorphins will make you much happier and just a nicer person to be around. So what does that say - workout and make more friends!
2. Inches - If the scale doesn't show you something, the tape measure probably will. Remember, one pound of muscle takes up a whole lot less space than one pound of fat. However, society has always stressed the numbers on the scale. Throw the scale away if you need to and show your success by the inches trimmed.
3. The Mirror - The mirror doesn't lie. If you notice that your pants are hanging off of you or your clothes are fitting differently, chances are good that you have lost some weight and maybe toned up, whether the scale tells you that you have or not!
4. Pictures - If you can't see it in the mirror, than take a picture and compare. Doing this at 30 day increments is a great way to see the differences. It is also a great way to show yourself how far you have come. When doing P90X, I thought I wasted a complete month. However, the pictures showed differently.
5. Strength - Don't you feel it? You know - those muslces. I know I feel stronger. In fact on some days I feel like I can conquer the world. So even if the scale doesn't show the results, you truly know how you feel. So punch that scale out with those huge mucles! Or just have fun inviting your friends to the "Gun" Show!

So, how do you measure your success?

If you would like start from the beginning of my personal journey and learn more about the TurboFire program, click here. If you would like to read about my previous day, click here.