BBG Month 1 of 3 Complete: Progress Post

I've officially completed month 1 of Kayla Itsines; BBG (Bikini Body Guide) program. WOO! 

Here is what I've learned so far:

It get's easier as you go. Week 1 was a shock to my system. Going from doing basically just yoga to this was a challenge. Push ups were HARD even though I thought I had a lot of arm strength from yoga. I struggled to get through 10 (of the 15) push ups and had to take breaks. By the second round I couldn't make it through all 15. Kayla advises to start on your knees but I opted to start on my hands and force my yoga arms through it. By week 5, I'm finding them much more doable. 

Nikes didn't work for me. In the pics above, you'll see I'm wearing these cute lil Nikes that I ordered for my new BBG workouts. Returned. I LOVE Nike - don't get me wrong, but for this workout they didn't have enough support. I actually virtually chatted with a Nike Women's specialist and asked for recos for shoes with the most support for jumps (jump squats, lunges etc.) and they recommended the pair I'm wearing in the pics and then also Nike Frees (both of which I ordered, tried for a workout and then returned). I decided to order a grey pair of Nikes that I will wear for athleisure and then stick with my Asics (the shoe I wear for running) with the most support for BBG. Obvi not the cutest, but I just checked out their website and it seems like they finally have some new designs. I'm going to go into the store to see what they recommend for this kind of workout but right now I think these and these are cute. 

Jump Lunges are THE WORST...but they also got easier by week 5. For the first 4 weeks I really HATED the jump lunges. They BURNED my thighs. After my first week 5 workout, I felt much more comfortable with them (by more comfortable, I mean that I was able to get to 15 of 30 easily and only had to really push myself for 20-30). 

I'm SO hungry. I'm starving all the time. This is normal because as you put on muscle you burn fat more quickly. Bryan is very happy about my new appetite and that I've been putting more than a few pieces of kale on the table for dinner. I've been eating lots of nuts and avocados to stay full. 

I'm putting on muscle weight. I put on muscle VERY easily so I'm always making sure to choose workouts that don't make me bulk up. In the past, workouts such as yoga, barre, pilates have helped me thin and tone whereas spin, running and squats tend to make me bulk. So far I think I've gained around 2-3 pounds (of muscle of course). No girl wants to look on the scale and see herself getting heavier BUT I'm OK with it. If I felt like I was packing on pounds of fat, I would obviously be upset but I'm seeing the results in my body - my arms are definitely toning (Bryan's been calling them HUGE but I know that in women code that translates to skinny strong), my abs are starting to show (they disappear after I drink a glass of water or eat a cashew BUT I know they will show more as I progress), my butt and legs seem to be toning but they are the least noticeable right now (for me...Bry thinks that my butt "looks good"). I can't tell yet if this workout is going to make me bulk with muscle. Although I've gained weight on the scale right now, I don't feel bigger. 

My progress pictures so far don't do me justice. I'm definitely toning, but in the pictures I've taken so far, you can't really tell. I do think that I need to take more pics of different poses for my progress pics (flexing arms like the muscle emoji). Right now I've only taken front, back, side and side. 

More to come! I'll provide another update after week 8. Note - I wasn't planning on posting my progress pics but if you think this would be helpful, comment on the blog and let me know!