My experience with Physique 57, learning to listen to my body, healing an injury and my new fitness routine with one month before and after photos included!
For years, I've considered myself a yogi. I would practice 4 – 5 times per week and I absolutely loved it. Yoga is something that grounds me, makes me feel connected, helps me see a different perspective, and ultimately makes my body feel good.
But about a month ago, I hurt my lower back.
I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I was doing an at-home HIIT workout and my lower back seized up. I fell to the ground in pain and could barely walk. I was home alone at the time, so I immediately went online and found a chiropractor who was close to my house, flagged down a cab and got adjusted.
It didn't really do much for my pain, and honestly what helped the most was just taking a break from exercise. I went on a 10-day trip and didn't workout at all, and my back started to get better. When I got back to the city, I figured I was all better, so I went back to yoga. And I couldn't do it. The back bending, the warriors, pretty much everything besides child pose hurt my back.
About the same time I got injured, the folks from Physique 57 reached out. They asked if I wanted to test out their On-Demand program, but since I have a local studio just a few blocks away, I asked if I could try classes instead.
What I liked about the idea of Physique is that it's low-impact, but still really challenging and strengthening. (side note, I believe part of my lower back stuff was because I didn't have a ton of core strength) I wanted to focus on building muscle in my body and needed something that I could do that would strain my back.
I joined their testimonial program, and I haven't looked back! I'm now one month into the program and I'm loving it. Truly, it's great!
Here are my one-month before and after photos (excuse the bad lighting)
You might not notice that much of a difference in the way I look, but I can totally feel my body changing. I am stronger, I can hold the movements for longer, I can even do 15 REAL pushups! (that's a lot for me). I think as the program continues, I have two months left, I'll see even more progress. But for now, I'm really happy with where I'm at!
Because I'm sure a lot of you are interested, here are my measurements thus far:
- Bust: 33.25″ –> 32.5″
- Waist: 26″ –> 25.5″
- Hips: 38.5″ –> 36.73″
- Booty: 40″ –> 40″
- Thighs: 21.5″ –> 21″
- Arms: 11.5″ –> 11.25″
So as you can see, I didn't have huge changes, but because I'm also building muscle, I wasn't really expecting that. What I can say is, I am SO excited to see where I am in another month's time.
And while I certainly miss my yoga, and hope that I can start to supplement it back into my routine in a few weeks, for now I'm sticking to 4 Physique 57 classes per week, lots of walking and some semi-intense HIIT workouts at home (as my back allows).
I'm excited to also be sharing how you can get try out their on-demand program for free! What's great about on-demand is that you can take the Physique classes anytime, anywhere. Like for me, I'm going to away from NYC for the next two weeks, so I'll just take my four classes online! You can choose from a variety of programs and class length, and can even stream live classes from their studios!
If you want to try it out, you'll get 30 days free!
I'll make sure to update you after month two and month three – with more before and after photos! And also, I'd love to know what you think of this type of post. It's not something I do often, but I really like the idea of adding in some more personal aspects to the blog. Let me know what you think in the comments!
Your turn…
What's your current workout routine like? Share below so we can inspire, sweat and feel amazing together!
xo Alyssa
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