I’ve officially hit the half way point of my PiYo journey, completing all four of the first four weeks through the toughest time of the year: Thanksgiving and Christmas. While most people shy away from starting a new health hand fitness routine during the holidays, I dove right in with my health and fitness success group partners.
In those four weeks I have lost five pounds and 3.75 inches! I lost an entire inch off of my waist and hips each! Who doesn’t love slimming those areas?!? This progress puts me at my pre-pregnancy weight just 12 weeks postpartum; results I’m thrilled with!
Want to achieve similar positive results with PiYo?
Here are my top five tips for PiYo success:
Learn It: If you haven’t done a program like PiYo before, you’ll want to be sure to learn the moves first. As a relative amateur to yoga and pilates, I found that it can be somewhat challenging to master some of the moves, especially at the pace Chalene typically goes. The very first workout is all about learning the moves. Don’t skip it! It may seem slow, but it’s critical for when the pace picks up.
Follow the Schedule: People often pull out the schedule only when they first open their box. Rookie mistake! The schedule is there for a reason. In PiYo, the schedule is carefully designed to help your body build and strengthen as you go. Day by day, week by week, if you follow the schedule you’ll notice improvements in your body and confidence to complete the workouts. Skip ahead and you’ll likely be sore, tired, and frustrated.
Don’t forget about learning the meal plan, too! You can find my meal plan tips here. Understanding the meal plan and following it, will give you the best results. Your success is dependent upon it!
Stay Focused: This is the hardest for me as there’s usually so much going on. Just as I put in the dvd to push play, the baby starts to cry or the spunky four year old is running around playing dinosaurs. Of course all of those things must go on and life needs taken care of, but I found that PiYo requires more focus than many other workouts. Given that the moves are different and often build off of each other, if you’re jumping in and out of the workout to take care of other things or distracted regularly, you’re more likely to miss important building steps, become frustrated, and even potentially injure yourself. Plan to workout at the best time possible for when you’ll be distraction free. And I get it; it’s easier said than done!
Have a good mat and keep water close by: Most of the workouts require a mat for ultimate comfort and protection for your knees and wrists. While a towel will work temporarily, a mat will be a much better investment. While you’re at it, find a pretty one that inspires you to put it to use. It can’t hurt! And, don’t forget to keep the water close by. With any type of exercise, it’s important to stay hydrated. These workouts don’t prompt you to drink water like some others, so you’ll want to keep your water handy for a quick sip when you find you need it. A few seconds to rehydrate won’t hold you back!
And finally, enjoy your rest day: If you’re like me, taking a rest day sometimes seems like it will prevent you from making progress. But oh contraire! A rest day is so important to allowing your body the time to recover. Take advantage of it and use that time for something else that fuels your soul!
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