It takes 21 days to make or break a habit

You may have heard all the hype about the new 21 day fix extreme that launched today (and if you haven’t, why aren’t we facebook friends yet?!) and wondered “what exactly is the 21 day fix? And what’s different about the extreme version?”. Well I’m here to help you navigate the 21 Day Fix (the original version) and give a sneak preview into what the extreme version is (and isn’t!).

 

The 21 day fix was created as a program to help combine fitness and nutrition in a way that most programs don’t. The real focus of the program is nutrition- something that is lacking from many fitness programs. Sure… you might get meal planning guides, but those are typically hard to stick to and if you’re vegan there usually isn’t much catered toward you. So you start a new fitness program and you’re not getting results. You’re putting in the time and still… nothing. Why? Many times it’s due to fitness! There is no fitness program that can beat a poor diet! (Diet here = the food you eat… not some sort of weird restrictive eating style).

 

So in the 21 day fix you get colorful containers (that makes it more fun, ya know?)- one for each of the different categories of food. Purple for fruit, green for veggies, red for protein, yellow for carbs/starches, orange for oil/seeds, and blue for healthy fats. Based on your weight/goals you can eat a certain number of these containers per day. I know carbs aren’t the enemy but I also know I shouldn’t eat a loaf of bread in one sitting (as I am wont to do) so eating from the container system is super helpful to me to make sure I’m getting the right portion sizes. Of course there are only certain foods that can go in each container but it’s not as restrictive as you may fear and wine is even factored in! (yesssss!)

 

Then there’s the fitness component. There are seven different workouts and they’re all 30 minutes long. As a trainer, Autumn reminds me a bit of Jillian Michaels and I kind of love her. She also has a modifier in the workouts so you can adjust them to meet your fitness level so if you’re just starting out you can still hang. And if you’re a seasoned pro you can definitely push yourself (or jump to the extreme version…).

 

So what are the workouts?

Monday: Total Body Cardio Fix

The total body cardio fix is a great intro to the program. The first time through I did the week with just bands (I was traveling) so I was a little bummed that nobody was showing how to modify this workout for bands but I still definitely got a good workout in!! You are combining light strength training with cardio and get an awesome calorie burn! I did it this morning and def got a great burn in! just four sets, 2 exercises per set, 2 times through each with a little break in between each exercise. SO GOOD!

 

Tuesday: Upper Fix

Feeling strong after Monday? Get ready for a challenge with this workout that strengthens the upper body while moving quickly from exercise to exercise to again get that max calorie burn!

 

Wednesday: Lower Fix

Bringing the focus away from the upper body (letting it rest for a day!) and bringing it into the lower body. These are the big calorie burning muscles so not only are you putting muscle into your body but you’re burning loads of calories while doing it! Get ready to feel it on Thursday because this workout really gets you!

 

Thursday: Pilates Fix

Don’t think this is a day off- pilates isn’t as intense as some of the other workouts but it’s still super challenging and you’ll still feel it the next day! Pilates is all about strengthening your core and lengthening your muscles and this workout certainly accomplishes that!

 

Friday: Cardio Fix

Get ready to sweat because Friday is all about cardio! Getting your heart rate up and yet again burning calories.

 

Saturday: Dirty Thirty

Dirty thirty is named after the thirty minutes of training dirty- that is getting your heart rate up, building muscle, and finishing the week strong (literally!). This workout crams a bunch of awesome exercises into 30 minutes and will have you moving the whole time!

 

Sunday: Yoga Fix (optional)

If you are up for yoga on Sunday I highly recommend it. If your body is telling you to take a day off, definitely take it. But don’t take it because you’re feeling lazy! Adding yoga to your workout program is such a great idea to help restore flexibility to your muscles which will allow you to perform everything better!

 

There you have it!! If you really want to get some amazing results, do doubles the last week! Work out in the morning doing the program listed above and add in an evening burn as shown below:

  AM Workout PM Workout
Monday Total Body Cardio Fix Pilates Fix
Tuesday Upper Fix Cardio Fix
Wednesday Lower Fix 10 Minutes Fix for Abs
Thursday Pilates Fix Total Body Cardio Fix
Friday Cardio Fix Upper Fix
Saturday Dirty 30 Pilates Fix
Sunday Yoga Fix Rest

 

So are you ready to try it yourself?? Don’t forget to add Shakeology to help give you energy all day long and to help keep you on track with your nutrition!! (Shakeology = 1 red container)



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d