Transforming Stephanie: Spring Break Doesn't Mean REV32 Break

By Stephanie Jullien, Member of Renaissance ClubSport Walnut Creek

Spring break's the perfect time to relax. Kids are off from school for a week and parents take time off work. Add a trip to the mix and you've got the ideal recipe for a quality family getaway. For me, though, this spring break meant REV32.

We initially had plans to go away for a few days but they fell through. I must admit, somewhat selfishly, that I was happy to stay home because that meant I'd be able to get my REV32 workouts in that week.

I thought that a week off work would make finding time to exercise a lot easier, but by the third day I realized that it was easier to make excuses not to exercise. Mine was the tried and true "my kids are home for the week and we're all out of our usual routine." I pushed myself through it, but I have to say it was just as difficult — if not more — to stay on track this week.

Maybe what made this week a little tougher was that cardio workouts involved running, my absolute least favorite activity. Tell me to swim for 60 minutes and I'll do it, but running is just a different story. During one workout this week, Ann said to head over to the treadmill and run half a mile in under five minutes. "But I don't even have my music!" was all I could think.

Another workout included five intervals of running stairs plus a short straight run. It wasn't a long run by any means, but it was long enough for my taste. At the end of it all, those five laps were too terrible. I guess that's the point of REV32, to push you outside your comfort zone to achieve results.

One other thing about the workouts: I have to give credit to Ann and Curtis for emphasizing proper form. I think what is most intimidating about working out alone is wondering if you're doing something wrong and if people are judging you because you are. Now, any time I work out, I'm confident I'm doing it properly and will continue to do so.

On the nutrition side of things, this week I put making fresh spaghetti sauce from scratch and jarring it at the top of my list. It's an all-day process and I kept the kids busy by having them help out. Their reward was homemade pasta for dinner. As for me, I made spiraled zucchini noodles that turned out so yummy!

Week 4 is just around the corner and with it comes the midway point weigh-in. I'm very curious to see the numbers because I can already see improvements. For example, I went from not being able to do regular push-ups to doing 10 in a row this week. I know I've made progress, but what I don't know yet is if I'll try on my milestone pants or if I'll wait until the end of the program.

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