If you're reading this, then you're either A) already a BBG girl, B) new to the wonderful world of BBG or C) none of the above haha. When I first started, I fumbled my way through. At the time I wasn't aware of the huge community and either it hadn't existed yet, or I hadn't found it. I've completed BBG 1.0 three full times. I've completed BBG 2.0 up to week 20. I'm currently on 2.0 again, on week 14. I've also seen a lot of questions about 1/2 marathon / marathon training and BBG. I'll be posting a separate post about that soon! Without further ado, here are my top BBG tips: 1. Get involved with the community... Their support is incredible! They're also extremely helpful if you have any questions. There are groups on Facebook, tons of girls on Instagram & lots of meet ups. The community is a wonderful resource.
2. Stay positive... The workouts are very hard (did you really think they'd be easy if you only had to workout for 28 minutes?), but you'll get through them and get better/stronger! Don't get down on yourself because you see someone saying they completed the circuit 3 times and you can't finish it 1 time. If you continue to work, you will get better. One week you may not be able to finish a circuit, and two weeks later you may get through it once. Progress is progress. So stay positive! 3. Take videos, pictures, do the challenges... anything to track your progress. I've enjoyed the videos because you can see form improvement, speed and the shape of your body change with each progress video. Pictures are also great. Make sure you take pictures from every angle (I haven't done this from the beginning and I wish I had). Take them in your workout clothes, bathing suit and some people even do a bra and undies. It is up to you! Challenges are great because you may finish a it in 35 minutes the first time and 34 minutes the second time. Progress is progress (I can't say this enough!) 3. Everyone is different... Some people see results in 1 months, others take longer. Don't compare yourself! 4. You'll get out as much as you put in... Lots of cheat meals or missed workouts will hold you back. Don't be afraid to add an extra rep or upgrade a move. The girls who get the insane results are pushing themselves every workout (example #mysweatlifeLISSfromhell). Don't be afraid to do 4 resistance workouts in 1 week instead of 3. Burpees too easy for you? Add a bushu or a push up or even a push up and a bench jump. 5. Loving yourself! If you're not where you want to be, hating your body will not get you there any faster. That hate is wasted energy. Replace those mean self hating thoughts with positivity and self love. If you keep doing the work in the gym, you'll eventually get there and when you do, you should already have so much self love. It's been a process for me, I write down positive things about myself to reinforce it because I do struggle with negative thoughts about myself. But self love is SO important. I'm still working on it, but I'll get there and you will too. 6. Stay positive & enjoy the journey! I hope this has helped! If you have ANY questions, comment below and I'll get back to you! XOXO, Wilk
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Hi everyone! I have been seriously slacking with my posts. A lot has been going on. First, I successfully completed BBG 1.0 for the third time! I'm feeling super strong and I've managed to eat cleaner too! I'm really looking forward to see what kind of results I get from 2.0. Second, I've become a yoga manic. I took 4 classes last week. 3 were hot yoga classes and 1 was regular.
Currently, I have shin splints. i've been resting and taking lots of yoga classes (which have also really helped my IT band). I am so ready to get back into serious training for running, and I have the biggest motivation to do so: I'm running the NY Marathon for St. Jude! Please consider donating. I honestly cannot think of a better / more deserving cause. No amount is too small. To donate: http://heroes.stjude.org/chelseawilkinson Here are some images from my latest round. Hi all! Accountability time... I've been slacking on my updates. During my second round of BBG, the weekly updates really helped keep me on track. I'll be more conscientious of that going forward. At this point, marathon training has had to be put on the back burner. My knee is STILL bothering me even after stretching, heat, ice, foam rolling, etc. I've decided to focus on strenging my hip and booty muscles to combat future IT injuries. I've begun adding intervals of slow running into my LISS to slowly get back into it. Looking forward to running pain free soon!
BBG really is a great community. In a world with so much hate, it is nice to have a group of positive people lifting each other up. Unfortunately, you don't see that too often anymore. I'm also loving the app! It is still a little buggie but it has gotten so much better. The challenges are so fun and the badges keep me encouraged. Looking forward to finishing 1.0, 2.0 and starting 3.0. I can't wait to see what insanity Kayla has for me next. I was sick most of week 4. It really started in week 3, but it got back week 4. I ended up taking off from work (so unlike me) because I wasn't feeling well. I guess my body needed the rest because I slept until 5pm!! So, by Wednesday I hadn't done a single resistance workout or LISS. I really contemplated starting over. "Why do I even bother.." etc, but those negative thoughts have got to go! I sucked it up and got my butt to the gym. I completed all 3 resistance workouts and 2 LISS (3 if you count walking around NYC). All in all a great week. Forcing myself to workout really helped make me feel better. Week 5 and I'm ready to step up my workouts and really focus on my eating. Next week is 1/2 way thought! So crazy how fast time goes! Stay tuned - I've been working on some healthy recipes. I'll be posting them soon. XOXO, Wilk Week 1 of marathon training and BBG has officially come and gone! *See below for the week's schedue* I was supposed to do 4 runs and 2 BBG. I completed both BBG workouts and 3/4 runs. I did not do the 8 miler that was scheduled for Saturday because my IT band is still hurting. I had to force myself through a 4 mile run on Friday. Pretty much limped after. Figured, if it was that painful to get through 4 'easy' miles, doing 8 at a much faster pace would be painful or cause injury.
I've been incorporating glut bridges and "clammies" to strengthen the area and prevent more IT pain but I haven't seen the fruits from that labor yet. After some research, I found out that my foam roller isn't the best kind to help with IT pain. So, I ordered a new, tougher roller and rolled quite a bit last night. In some pain today, hoping it's just because the foam roller is doing its job. If I can't get this pain under control, I'm going to have to put a pause on my running. I don't want to chance hurting myself like I did earlier this year with the stress fracture. Anyway, I forgot how much I LOVE BBG. I was SO, SO sore after legs. But it was totally worth it. I love the program and can't wait to see the results I get this round. That's all for now! Stay fit my friends... XOXO, Wilk Week 9 has come and gone! I completed all four of my marathon training runs for the week but my bikini body guide week 9 workouts carried into week 10. This morning I did week 9 abs & after work I did week 9 legs to finish out the week. My legs are puddy! I had to modify a few exercises because I only had one bench. But wow. Really hard day! Bring on week 10! Running has been going better than expected! The interval runs are very challanging but I feel so accomplished when I finish. This week is going to include some new running shoe shopping! My poor Pumas are almost dead but I'm hoping to keep them around for short races because I love the two color shoes in one pair. In week 9, I ran only 14.9 miles but my pace was much faster than usual - 8:49! 178 miles or about 18% to my goal of 1,000 miles for the year! I can't believe month 2 is over! One month left of the bikini body guide 1.0... Interested to see how difficult 2.0 is! Now for running... The building up phase is complete and the general phase has begun. This phase is preparing me for the main phase, which is the most difficult part. I'm really enjoying the interval training and can't believe I'm able to survive running 7:30 intervals for 3 minutes. Even with a missed long run, I am still on pace for 1,000 miles! Week mileage: 26.3 - average pace: 9:40 Month: 68.9 miles - average pace: 9:51 Miles in 2015: 163.3 My favorite Puma shoes are almost at the 300 mile mark... Looking into new shoes to rotate. I'm thinking Hoka One Cliftons. Anyone ever use those? I've heard good things and it has great reviews. Week 4 recapThis week included my longest run ever: 2 hours and 2 minutes. It was only Monday of the week and I was worrying about the run. Would I be able to complete it? My left knee has been bothering me. Nothing major, just enough to be a nuisance running. I made sure to really stretch through the week, which seemed to help! So, week recap:
Monday: 40 minute Gipis marathon training run and Week 4 BBG Arms and Abs Tuesday: Week 4 BBG Legs and Cardio Wednesday: 40 minute Gipis marathon training run Thursday: 40 minute Gipis marathon training run Friday: REST Saturday: 2 hour and 20 minute Gipis marathon training run Sunday: Week 4 BBG total body The last time I ran over 2 hours was my 1/2 marathon back in October. By the end my body hated me and I felt like I was 100 years old. I was expecting to feel the same after my 2 hour and 20 minute training run, but surprisingly, I did not! I'm really impressed with how well my training has prepared my body for the run. I'm not an experienced runner, so for me 2 hours and 2 minutes is like "whoa!". I took goos with me, which ended up being expired.. YUCK. I only had one though. The texture wasn't right and as I finished the first one, I had a feeling it was expired. Thankfully my genius husband suggested I bring clementines with me. So, he pealed and separated a clementine out for me and bagged it up. It really helped! It was weird chewing the first few times. But I felt better each piece I ate throughout the run. I also noticed that at the end of this run my stomach didn't hurt. After my 1/2 marathon, my stomach was upset for the remainder of the night. I must admit I almost cried when I got home after my run. I usually run Gipis & Nike+ simultaneously, but for a long run I was concerned my battery wouldn't last so I only ran Gipis. With about 20 minutes left my music stopped so I took my phone out of the inside of my jacket. Somehow, I'd gotten locked out (I'm guessing that it considered my jacked rubbing an attempt to unlock and after a few 'bad tries' it locket). I try to unlock my phone and it said to wait 1 minute. I'm panicking! I know I have about 20 minutes left because it gave time remaining updates every 10 minutes from 40 minutes down to 10 minutes. The last I had heard was 30 minutes and I knew I had run almost 10. Finally, I get my phone unlocked and it says 21 minutes left. I decide that my phone will not freeze in 20 minutes so I put my armband back on over my jacket. 10 minute warning comes and goes... I'm in the parking lot near my house. I usually have to run around the parking lot at the end of my runs so I take a peek at my phone to see I have a little of 3 minutes left... then it happens. Music stops. No big deal, I think to myself. Then I realize my phone completely turned off. It must of crashed because when it turned back on I had 60% battery. So, I don't know my splits and I don't know if I beat my half marathon time. I think I might have because I ran the entire time, during my half marathon I had to walk a few times. But, I'll never know. I think I am going to invest in a GPS watch so that doesn't happen again. What type of GPS watch do you use? So, here is the total of my first month's journey to 1,000 miles Week 4 mileage: 25.7 miles Month 1 miles: 94.4/80 905.6 miles left! This week included 4 runs, 3 were 25 minutes and the final run of the week was a 1 hour and 50 minute run. It also included the two required bikini body guide workouts (I excluded the optional workout this week and added an additional recovery day).
All three 25 minute runs were done inside on the treadmill. I cannot understand why these three short workouts felt like an eternity but the 1 hour and 50 minute run felt quick. I need to make peace with the treadmill because with all the projected snow, I will not be getting in as many outside runs as I would like. For my long run, I accidentally left my Nike+ app on inside mode so it kept saying my average pace with in the 9’s. I was pretty bummed out when I finished and looked at Gipis and noticed it was actually 10:13. Still faster than the 10:26 that Gipis has recommended. I was very sore from BBG legs so I included lots of foam rolling. After my long run my left knee has been irritating me. I’ve foam rolled, stretched and taken extra rest days without any impact. It still doesn’t feel right. I will definitely be using rock tap on it for my 2 hour and 20 minute run this week. This week’s lunches includes roasted red potatoes and cubed chicken covered in a spicy tomato sauce. The threat of snow seems to be inevitable. We are predicted to get 2-3 feet. Not sure how I am going to get three 40 minute runs and a 2 hour and 20 minute run in. I’ve decided to start incorporating Insanity workouts into the routine. Substitute a total body BBG workout for Insanity. I want to keep things new and exciting (and keep my body guessing). So here are the totals: 18.5 miles for the week 68.7 miles for the month 931.3 miles left (approximately 7% there!) Week 2 does not technically end until Saturday but weather dependent I will not be running again until Sunday.
This week’s workouts were: Monday: Rest Tuesday: AM- Bikini Body Guide abs and arms, PM- 1hour 5 minute Gipis (running app) run Wednesday: AM- Bikini Body Guide legs and cardio, PM- 1hour 5 minute Gipis run Thursday: 1 hour 5 minute Gipis run Friday: AM- Bikini Body Guide full body Saturday: Rest *weather permitting – if it is supposed to rain all day Sunday, I will be running on Saturday* ***UPDATE: Weather did not work on my side, so I had to run on Saturday. This caused some differences in running totals.*** This week is the longest run time wise per day of my training program. Four runs of 1 hour and 50 minutes. It doesn't sound like it is that much, but I am also doing the Bikini Body Guide and didn't want to neglect those goals because of running. Monday was a much needed rest day after running Friday, Saturday and Sunday the week before. Tuesday was a great day, I felt great during both workouts. I am surprised how great I felt, had negative splits and completed the run with an average pace 34 seconds per mile less than the program called for. Wednesday = death! Felt great after the morning workout but when it came time to bundle up and run after work that day I was just exhausted. I learned a valuable lesson from it. Love the process. The first 3 miles of the run I fought with myself, “I don’t wanna do this”, “I wanna go home”, “UGH”… once I realized fighting with myself wasn't accomplishing anything, I gave in and decided to embrace the process. Part of the realization came from knowing that at my current pace I wasn't going to complete the run in the recommended time. To me, what was the point of even running if I wasn't going to meet the goal for the day, so I gave in and began to enjoy it. After embracing the process I was able to finish with an average pace 2 seconds per mile faster than the plan. I was so drained after the run though. I decided to take the morning off the next day and focus on finishing the run after work. It ended up being the right choice. Thursday’s run 16 seconds under the program goal. Although I almost didn’t go, (thank you hubby for encouraging me to run) I really enjoyed getting out and just running. I feel fortunate that I’m able to go out and run. I’m really trying to remember that every time I go out. Friday completed week two of the bikini body guide with a full body workout and the end to a long week. To sum it up: Week total: 33.4 miles Total 2015 miles: 50.13 Only 949.87 left! I'd love to hear from you: What races are you registered for in 2015? I haven’t registered for any yet but know I want to do several 5ks, maybe a 10k and a ½ marathon. 2016 will be the year of my first full marathon! 1,000 miles in 2015 has officially begun and here is a quick a recap of my first week at it… I’m still sick. This stubborn head cold / sinus infection won’t seem to let up but I had to push through and run anyway! As a note – I’m not just running to reach my miles; I’m following the Gipis marathon training program to prevent over use and increase speed and endurance. The week called for three 55 minute runs and a 1 hour and 5 minute run. I ran Monday (see previous blog post), tried to run on the dread-mill Tuesday and failed miserably. I didn’t even reach the mile mark before I called it quits, more running Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a total of 22.9 miles. In addition, I re-started the bikini body guide and did the 2 required circuits Tuesday and Saturday. The hardest run by far was Monday, I was very sick and breathing was hard but I pushed through and managed to get the run done.
This week is going to be a very difficult week. I’m actually exhausted just planning the workouts. The week plan includes three 1 hour and 5 minute runs, a 1 hour and 20 minute run, and 3 bikini body guide workouts. The plan is to rest today. My body is exhausted after the weekend. Morning workout of the bikini body guide circuits: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and after work runs: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. This will allow a rest day on Friday so I can complete the 1 hour and 20 minute run on Saturday or Sunday. The following week will be much easier. The runs decrease to three 25 minutes and an hour and 55 minute run. Looking forward to that break! So, to sum it up: 22.9 miles completed 10:32 average pace 977.1 miles left or 2.29% complete Am I becoming a morning person? After today’s morning workout, maybe! I wasn’t able to get Week 12 BBG abs done at the gym (no rooms were available for me to use) last night, so I did LISS. I decided on a whim to try and go this morning. Surprisingly, I got up and out and was at the gym by about 6:30. I think my festive pants helped get me awake enough to workout (pictured above). It was nice and empty! I was able to get my step and other equipment without having to doge people. It was really nice! I also got in 10 minutes of 30/30 HIIT (30 seconds on and 30 seconds off) at a 6:58 pace (intervals were at 6:58 but machine said 7:03average for the whole workout). Now, after work I can go for a run, maybe do another HIIT or even just… relax! That’s a thought. I haven’t been able to go home after work and just relax in ages. Let’s hope these morning workouts continue to be as successful as today.
I'd love to hear from you! When do you work out? Are you a morning person or a night owl? Halloween candy has really ruined my eating! I've been eating so bad it's spooky (I had to haha). Time to get the candy out of the house and get back on track. With only two full weeks left of the bikini body guide I need to buckle down so I can see results when I compare the start of the program to the finish. This week lunches are simple. 1/2 cup cooked brown rice and .33 lbs of chicken and a low fat yogurt. Still making sure I stay close to micros and drinking enough water. Tonight my workout will be week 11 resistance arms & 10 minutes of HIIT. How do you get back on track? To splash things up, I decided to carve a pineapple instead of the usual pumpkin. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it is! I used a knife to cut off the top and an ice cream scooper to core the inside. Then I used a knife to cut the face.
What's your favorite way to give a new take on a holiday classic? Running / BBG Update
I attended a wedding on Saturday and wore heals for most of the event. Since then, I’ve gone on a few runs and my calves have cramped very badly. I’ve been drinking enough water so I think it is just the strain from my teal pumps. I took the day off from running and did the bike in hope that they will heal quickly. Only 3 more runs left & 10 days until the half marathon! I can’t believe how close it is. Fingers crossed my run today feels good. I have one workout left for BBG week 8. This has been my favorite week yet. I really love the circuits. I can’t believe I’m almost finished the program! I can’t wait to put together my final before and after photo and see how far I’ve come. My eating has been off recently so my goal for week 9-12 is to eat correctly and complete all planned workouts! Positive thoughts produce positive results! Happy Thursday & I hope you all have had a wonderful week so far! |
About meMore than just running....
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