PiYo Calories Burned!?!?!

Hello!  The day began sunny and warm here in Erie, PA.  Reaching 62 at 10 AM in mid-April is a GREAT start to a day in this part of the state!  We are currently a homeschooling family and it is nice to be able to structure our days however we like!  I also work from home with my health coaching business plus lead women's ministry at our church and a lot of that work takes place from home.  The days are busy but good!  So, back to today... we did academics from 9-12 with a good amount of focus and then we were DONE!  I was up late last night with a few projects and "slept in" until 6:40 this morning, knowing that today is a day where I could fit in my workout later in the day.  Some days it has to be done by 6:30 in the morning in order to happen.  Not today!  Hurray!  :)  

This is my first week to be back to PiYo and some have asked me what it would be like to go to a low-impact program after four months of high-impact programs??  STAY TUNED! 

The kids were ready to ride bikes once our school day was done.  So we grabbed a little snack and headed outdoors.  I wish that I could ride a bike.  I always rode my ponies as a kid and just never really had the interest in learning to ride a bike.  Now when I try it is SCARY.  Maybe some day?  I am AWFUL on a bike.  Like treacherous.  Hazardous.  Should not be navigating the sidewalks alongside of my kids who do fine on their own bikes... so, I am on foot.  And I am okay with that.  BUT, I have to be able to keep up with them. Literally.  Walking does not cut it but I am not a runner by nature.  

I have never had a body composition that makes running a natural fit.  After losing 55 pounds these past 19 months, I have certainly become lighter on my feet!  Having the best shoes for my feet makes all the difference in doing high-impact exercise such as the jumping that I did in my recent 60 Days of Insanity Max 30 which was then followed by 60 Days of the 21 Day Fix Extreme.  I went to a local running shop at the end of November and they fit me with my first-ever pair of Mizuno Wave Runner 10 and the transformation in my feet and entire body astounds me with how much more I am not able to do quite comfortably!  One of my goals this spring is to attempt to start with some running - on a modest scale!  Today was "Day 2" for that effort and I already felt a bit more coordinated with it than I did yesterday. I am keeping up with the bikes as we go around the neighborhood.  And no shin splints, either!  Thanks to my awesome shoes!!!  I was fitted for and purchased my initial pair at Achilles Running Shop and I can not say enough good about their expertise there.  I have crazy flat feet with no arches and I also have pronation issues where my ankles want to collapse and roll inward where my arch should be!  Last month a friend let me know that she had spotted some of my Mizuno Wave Runners at TJ Maxx and I hurried right in there!  ONE pair in my size and nearly 1/2 price of the originals.  So I bought them to have for outdoor use. 

Today I put on my Polar FT4 for a first time with an outdoor activity.  I have been using it since beginning Insanity Max 30 in December.  I really enjoy tracking my heart rate and calorie burn.  I have a good feel for when I hit my upper 160's/170 and that is when I need to level off and back down a bit to maintain something closer to upper 150's to low 160's.  

So we headed out the door and 48 minutes later I had burned 287 calories through 25 minutes of walk/run with the rest was spent piddling around with the kids before and after our active phase. I have a good sense of when I am hitting the upper 160's for heart rate and it was good to be able to confirm it on my Polar.  I know that I can jog/run from our house to the one corner and still have my breath well enough at the end.  So I will be looking to increase that range and then make my way on up that hill!  

We made it back just in time!!  The rain began to fall as we were taking off our shoes.  I got the kids settled and folded some laundry and then it was time to begin today's PiYo workout!  PiYo Sweat was on the calendar for today!  I did PiYo for 90 days when it was first released in June of 2014.  I am just returning to the program now after completing the Fix Extreme.  This week is Week 1 of 8 for this round of PiYo.  Think of Pilates/Yoga as you picture PiYo.  See this blog entry for PiYo workout descriptions and also the info that I recently put together which contrasts PiYo with Plyo and tells you more about each.  I usually do PiYo barefoot.  But today I have a few dry spots on my feet and I did not want to aggravate them with friction against the mats during all of the Downward Dog and the fluid sequences.  So I changed to my "indoor sneakers" and I was ready to start!

As I pressed "play" on the 36 minute PiYo Sweat routine, my Polar read 350 calories.  I completed that workout with a 2 minute interruption from the kids and guess what!?!?!?!  I had burned 400 calories during that time!  I do LOVE this low-impact but high-results deal that is PiYo!! My heart rate was right up there in the 150-165 range the majority of the workout! Even went over here and there! It is amazing how something that is so low impact can still be quite effective when you tap into it with your fullest potential!  Here is that initial image once again.  :)  It was pretty neat to see how all of this came together.  The main thing is to BE ACTIVE!  Find something that works well for you and you will be that much more likely to do it.  I would be glad to help you with that!  BONUS - PiYo is in corporate special during the month of April and I can help you with that part as well!  Complete the form below for more information.  I hope to hear from you!

   

Fill out my online form.

The easy to use Wufoo form builder helps you make forms easy, fast, and fun.