The 90 day plan

The sessions comprised of running on the spot, burpee jumps, squats, lunges, push-ups, mountain climbers, bear crawls, biceps curls, shoulder presses, sit-ups, 2-minute plank just for fun and much more. The mid-summer heat exasperated our bodies nervous system as the sweat pooled on the floor, our faces red, our lungs gasping for breath and someone tried to talk in between sets (usually me). At the same time, the other panted, "stop, I can't talk right now", flatulence was coming from somewhere, probably the dog, tensions were high, but we ploughed on regardless.

Joe Wick was cheering us on between the kitchen and the backyard. He had become part of our household, sometimes we cursed at him, somethings we virtually high fived him, but as soon as the session was over, the laptop smashed shut as if to say "Go Away Joe, I can't handle your face right now".

For the first 30 days, this was a typical scene in our house during the Joe Wick, Body Coach 90 Day Plan. It was a lot of hard work, between prepping food, cooking it, exercise, thinking about training, thinking about food, trying to fit exercise into the day and recovering from the day before. It didn't take long until the plan was in the fibres of everything that we were doing; we were transforming. At first, we didn't believe that the kitchen and the backyard could be any substitute for the gym, but within a month we were sold. I love sport and have always been quite active in some sport or exercise, and I wasn't sure if this online plan could compare. Still, I have to say I am a believer. We can now not only work from anywhere (those of us fortunate to do so), but we can also exercise from anywhere.

I learned a lot over those 90 days, the plan was initially all about getting back in shape and let's be honest the core focus was on losing a few kilos, but the focus shifted to a transformation. Joe Wicks talks about this all the time, and initially, I was like "Yeah, yeah, blah, blah' I want to fit into the jeans I bought one year ago, but as I continued, the importance of losing kilos and the "sad step" diminished to the bottom of my list of goals.

It doesn't matter if you are 55kg or 155kg losing weight and committing to something just for you is a lot of hard work. I talked about this before, carving out time just for you, is physically and emotionally challenging. But it is worth doing, wherever you are or whatever stage you are at in life. You won't regret exercising, but you might regret that second cupcake or chocolate bar. There were days that I didn't want to exercise, the sheer thought of it would put me in a bad mood, there were days my hamstrings felt like someone took a cheese grater to them, and there were days I was just tired and thought what is the point? I persevered, and as the weeks went by I started to see the effects, both physically and mentally. When we had a rest day, I missed the training, but I was glad of the rest.

I have to say I am proud, that no matter what events occurred over the 90 days I did not miss one training session and my oh my were we tested. The backyard was paved this summer, a job that I thought would take a week turned out to take six weeks. Due to COVID, we couldn't leave Jock off at doggy daycare, so he pretty much barked for six weeks, and don't forget the full-time jobs, full-time home daycare and poor Abigail was cutting four teeth at once. She hardly whimpered, but there were a few nights of broken sleep.

The first time I had a cake for my husband's birthday after the 90 days, I was so excited to eat it, but after a few bites, I felt sick. Honestly, I could feel the sugar exploding in my veins, the short-lived sugar rush turned into a stomach ache, like a child that ate too many sweets at a party, that couldn't be good, right? The food that I might have once felt deprived of no longer appealed to me. Figuring out how to get the session into my day was now a high priority every day.

I proved to myself that you can exercise in your kitchen, in the rain, at 9 or 10 pm, at lunchtime in between meetings while the dogs barks and the baby sleeps. I proved that when you are focused on a goal and genuinely committed to the cause, you can do it. The journey also provided us with a lot of fond memories. I will never forget ordering Jock away from the mat as he sniffed the sweat dripping off my face right as I squeezed the last push up out, or him running between my arms as I tried to complete a 2-minute plank, I was laughing so much I nearly fell on the floor. Nor will I forget the beautiful moments spent sitting outside, in the new garden, under the umbrella drinking a smoothie with my husband, not fit to talk but enjoying the silence and each other's company.

I was so thrilled to have completed the 90 days that I even signed up for the Graduate Plan. It is another level of fitness, that I am finding it much more challenging. I am not sure if that due to burning out, it is September after all and we haven't had a break all year, perhaps one is due. I am currently aching in my shoulders and glutes, sitting at a desk is no fun but worth it.

So if you are thinking of taking on a new project, I highly recommend the 90-day Plan. You might set out with one goal in mind but end up achieving so much more, it is a worthwhile, memorable experience that benefits your mind, body and soul.

Stay safe and wash your hands,

Regards,

Working from Hawaii