24/7

Some of you may remember that last month I was following the 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss fitness program. Well, when I finished those three weeks, not only did I realise I had gotten great results, I also realised that I was hooked. The exercising/clean eating thing had captured my attention big-time and I decided that I wanted to continue.

That's why I signed up for Shawna Kaminski's six-week 24/7 Virtual Coaching Program. Shawna is in Canada and I am in southern Italy, so choosing her as my personal trainer might seem a bit wacky, but she has this great system worked out to make it possible. Every day she emails me my workout, sometimes it's a video, sometimes only audio, and a handy tip regarding health, nutrition, motivation, or some other aspect of fitness.

On top of that, we are in frequent contact every day. We send emails, cell-phone text messages or use Skype. Whenever I have a doubt, a question or a problem, she's ready with advice and support. 

Can you tell I'm loving this program? And I'm loving the results I'm seeing in my physique!

I am chronicling my fitness journey on her blog Female Fat Loss After 40. Hop on over and read my posts Progress Report and Motivation.

As always, let me make a full disclosure: I have been provided access to Shawna Kaminski's workout programs, but I am not being compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed here are mine, mine and only mine. I only tell you about the program because I'm so darn excited about it.

I Did It!

That's right, I did it. I completed Shawna Kaminski's 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss program. I did my daily workouts (okay I missed two days...) and stuck to the diet (okay, I had a couple of extra gin tonics) and I made it through to the other side. In my last post on the program I said I'd tell you if it was worth it . . . and, believe me, IT WAS!

As I said in the beginning, for me this program was not about losing weight, but all about getting fit and healthy. But, that said, I am so thrilled with the results. My clothes fit better, I feel lighter and more comfortable in my own skin (and my bikini!) and I can actually do a few pushups, something I could only dream about 21 days ago!

Here are my stats:

Weight: lost 5 pounds

Left Arm: exactly the same

(Don't ask me why I didn't measure my right arm, it's a mystery...)

Chest: gained .25 inch

Waist: lost 1.75 inches

Abdomen: lost 2.25 inches

Hips: lost 1 inch

Left thigh: lost .75 inch

Right thigh: lost .75 inch

That's a total loss of 6.5 inches of fat! Let me repeat, the weight loss was not my goal, I was not overweight, but the flab loss was exactly what I had in mind. And that quarter of an inch gain in the chest? An unexpected bonus!

I'm a little bit less of a pear now.

Maybe this is where I should make one of those disclosure statements in which I clarify that I have received no payment from Shawna Kaminski for the posts I have written on her program. Everything that I have said about the 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss program is my own honest opinion. I did receive access to her workouts and diets . . . otherwise how could I tell you about them? 

No small animals were abused during the course of this program, nor was any child labor involved . . . although my sons will tell you they were victims of duress and undue suffering. Every morning they awoke to the sound of Shawna calling out to me "halfway there!" or "almost done!" More than once they told me, "make that annoying woman shut up!" Make her shut up? No way! She's my hero!

When I started this program I was just looking for something to keep me busy during the two weeks that my gym would be closed. But what I discovered was a whole new lifestyle, a radically different way of eating and exercising that I am super enthusiastic about. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, these 21 days were only the beginning for me. I can hardly wait to get started on Shawna's regular long-term workout and diet program. 

I'm hooked!

The Shawna Workouts

Time for an update on my progress with Shawna Kaminski's 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss program. If you haven't seen my previous posts about this, read here and here.

Let me tell you about the workouts . . . they are killer! I mean, I have been working out at the gym in my own little way for the past six years, so I didn't expect these workouts to be too hard for me. Wrong!

The thing is they are a completely different kind of workout. The focus is on doing short bursts of high intensity work, mostly using your own body weight. Shawna runs a boot camp in Canada and, let me tell you, she really knows how to run you through your paces. When you finish one of her workouts you are drenched in sweat and feeling those muscles.

Sometimes I ask myself why I keep doing it.

Me, who would much rather be reading a book "in santa pace" as they say in Italian (which means "in sainted peace"). I'm not doing it because I'm out of shape, but because I can feel these workouts are getting me into better shape.

And because they're addictive. I can. not. stop. In this program you have a workout to do each day. Three days a week you follow along with a video with Shawna (I feel so on a first name basis with her, what with her being in my living-room with me, sweating it out with me every day). She does the workout and you follow her . . . or try to follow her anyway.

On the other days, you follow a routine that's explained in a written document with pictures. The first time I did one of those workouts I was afraid I would feel all alone with no Shawna encouraging me from the video screen. How would I get motivated? But, there she was, her voice anyway, on the music tracks that accompany these workouts, calling out how many sets I had done, letting me know when I was halfway there. Awesome.

What about results? Well, I'm feeling them. Only the "after" pictures and body measurements will tell the objective truth, but I am definitely feeling the results of this program.

1. My weakest body part (my shoulders) is getting stronger. At first I could barely do a handful of modified pushups . . . now I can do about two handfuls! They are still modified, but I am doing more of them.

2. My abs are becoming visible. Wow! My tummy is getting flatter and I'm beginning to notice muscle definition down there. That really tickles me.

Not quite . . . but I can dream!

3. My energy levels are much higher. Now this was totally unexpected and I am loving it. I am getting so much stuff done around the house. Unfortunately, I work a lot on the computer and these days I have to force myself to sit down and get busy. The thought of sitting down without moving kind of irritates me . . . very surprising for this avowed couch potato!

Dust bunnies beware!

A lot of the change I am experiencing is also related to the diet plan that comes with the workouts. Stay tuned for more about that another day.