- I have no idea what to expect, but I do expect that I am about to be in for a world of pain. - [Crystal] You guys are looking great. (Yells) Almost there. Last count.
Round one. - Ahhh! (Classical music) - Today we're trying barre method. - I have no idea what a class looks like. - I think that it'll remind
me of dance which is fun, but also trick me into working
out, which is also fun.
- I feel like barre method
is one of those things that beautiful girls who wear yoga pants but still look really put
together all the time do. I'm not really put together. - I think it's gonna be a lot of the stuff that I used to do at a
bar, like this forever. I don't know.
- And then you like, plie
and you like lift your leg. Yep, oh, this is plie. - My name is Crystal. Welcome to the Bar Method Downtown L.A.
The Bar Method is an interval class. We utilize certain
elements of a ballet class, like the bar, and stretch. Anyone can do this workout,
it's safe and effective. - How do you think we're going to do? - You guys obviously are very
fit, you enjoy working out.
I think you guys are gonna do amazing. - We're ready to go when you are - Alright guys, so today you're
gonna be joined by Grace. She's one of our instructors here. So if you ever need a form reference, she's here to keep you guys on track.
Right away you're gonna start to lift your knees up to
the height of your hips. Lift, Lift. - So the warm up starts, and it's already pretty
intense from the get-go. I already feel it in my abs.
(Laughs) - You're gonna feel it more right now. Release, come down to
the floor for a plank. - We're doing push-ups, and arm movements. I've got these three
pound weights behind me, and we're just doing
these tiny little pulses, but it's the hardest thing.
- This is the warm up right? - Yes. (Everyone laughs) - The warm up is incredibly hard. My body is already on fire. This isn't what I expected at all.
- We get through the warm up, and we go into this nice stretch. - And she reminds us
that we're gonna stretch after every exercise, which
is like a dream come true. - I wish the stretches could last forever. They feel great.
- This is so calming. - It is nice. - Yeah. - And before I know it
I'm back at the pain.
Shaking so hard. - [Crystal] Shaking is good, kind of. - We're starting to do a
couple reps and I'm thinking, oh this isn't so bad. And the next thing I know we're doing 10 reps, 20 reps, 30 reps, 60 reps.
- Last 10. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, I got you, eight. - I did not know that holding my leg up was going to be so hard. My left butt is tired.
- [Everyone] Yes - How is this happening? We're about half way,
and it is a slow burn. - It's a fast burn for me. - We're doing strength. You got it, you got it guys.
Here it is, last 20 and you're done. - Immediately followed by stretching, immediately followed by
intensive, high rep strength. - We've got these mats
up against the wall, and I'm thinking to myself, oh this can't be so bad, we're literally leaning against a wall. I was wrong.
This is terrible. My abs burn, my quads burn, my butt burns. - Now we're in the abs section, and abs are always one of my
favorite parts of working out. I am having a great time,
but also I am in pain.
- We're almost done! It feels like little fire ants
are just crawling on my abs. - As I started getting
over how hard it was, and just dealing with it, I
kind of started having more fun. - I feel like Beyonce. - We are Beyonce right now.
This class was absolutely nothing like I thought it would be. I thought that I was in
for a world of ballet. And it turned out to be a really
cool combination of ballet, pilates, yoga, all in one
very difficult package. - It was so hard.
It didn't feel like a
dance class to me at all. I think what is similar to dance is having to lift your own body, and your own body being the
thing that's keeping you back. - This is one of those things
that's really, really hard, but also really really fun,
and really really good for you. So I had a good time, and I
would definitely come back.
- You guys are all done,
give yourselves a hand. (Girls applaud) (upbeat music).
Translator: Emma Gon
Reviewer: Denise RQ. A 2012 study found that the average British woman spends
17 years of her life on a diet - 17 years. A 2013 study by the National Institute
of Health Research found that 25% of 13-year-old girls regularly skip meals
to maintain a thin appearance. And if you thought 13
was young to be on a diet, a study by the Professional Association
of Childcare in Early Years found that children as young as three
expressed dissatisfaction and concern with their appearance and their body.
Our mirrors are ruining our lives
and that of our children and that has to stop now. Let me share with you a little story. A few months ago, I went to see a show called Circa
on London South Bank. It featured six acrobats, male and female, and they performed for about 75 minutes, and during the show, you witnessed the most incredible feats
of athleticism, strength and bravery.
And when the show had finished,
something struck me and it actually has nothing to do
with the stunts I've just witnessed. It has to do with the acrobats physiques. Some of them were outwardly muscular. Some of them have a layer
of fat over their abdominals.
And some of them even have
puppy fat on their inner thighs. All very ordinary stuff,
but from people doing the most extraordinary things. And it struck me then,
that we've got things wrong. For many of us, the pursuit
of a perfect body means we've forgotten about
what is really important and that's the health of
our body on the inside.
We praise people for
their skinny appearance ignoring the fact that potentially they've got there through
a very unhealthy and restricted diet. What if we move our focus to what we can achieve with our bodies rather than what they look like? What if we move the focus
from fatness to fitness? Good physical fitness is
important for many reasons, we know this. It can protect against injury and strengthen our immune system. It also means we can play sport, take part in daily
activities with our kids and socialize in a really healthy setting.
It also makes every day things easier like shopping, taking the stairs, walking. And not only do those
everyday things become easier, but we feel stronger and
better equipped to try new things. And that's partly because
exercise can be very enjoyable, but it can also take you
into your discomfort zone. And I think that's a healthy
place to be sometimes.
I personally take myself
into that discomfort zone in a big way, three or four times a year. Because I think it makes me more mentally, physically
and emotionally resilient. When I became very fit, my world literally expanded. And that's partly because I use exercise to help me through a very dark
and difficult time in my life.
In March 2012,
I was treated for alcoholism. And exercise became a very corner stone of my successful recovery. Instead of drinking
bottles of wine every night, I used exercise to change
how I felt about myself. So I could not overstate the power that fitness and exercise
have for building resilience, but also changing how you feel
about yourself and the world in a really healthy way.
And while I am here, let me debunk a few myths about exercise. The first one is that you need
a long time to exercise effectively. Simply not true. A 15 minutes high intensity or
heat workout is really effective.
As it is a 20 to 30 minutes
faster cardiac session. So a run before breakfast may be. It's more about the intensity
and the quality of your exercise and much less about the duration. Another myth is that you need access
to a gym or expensive gym equipment.
And again, not true. Parkrun is hugely popular in the UK. For those of you
who haven't heard about parkrun, it's a 5 km run that takes place
all over the country in parks and it's entirely free to sign up for. It's also very possible
to do effective workout in your hotel room or at home using only your own body weight
or furniture as props.
And let us not forget our daily commute, consider walking whenever you can. It may takes a while
to get your head around, but it requires approximately the same number of calories
to travel one mile on foot, irrespective of your speed. So in other words, you burn roughly the same number of calories,
when you walk or run. But the efficiency, of course, comes in how quickly you get to your destination.
So walking is a great way
to strengthen your bones and joints, maintain good heart health
and burn calories. So what's not to love? And yes, let us talk about fat. We are obsessed with it. Avoiding fat in our food
avoiding fat in general.
Fat, we are told, is bad. And indeed too much fat is bad. It can cause metabolic conditions
and poor heart health. And obesity affects 1 in 4 children and 1 in 3 adults in this country.
So too much fat is
definitively a bad thing. But how we measure body fat
has come into dispute. BMI which is a very popular method isn't as accurate as you might think. And its correlation with body fat can depend on your age,
your race and your gender.
So it's very possible to be slightly obese by these generic standards and still very fit. And I'm arguing that might
not be such a problem. While subcutaneous fat or excess of it particularly around the middle can be damaging to our health, what is more damaging
is the lack of fitness. We need a certain amount of
body fat in order to be healthy.
Studies have shown that people
who have that healthy amount of body fat have greater life expectancies
than those who don't. Now I'm not suggesting we ignore the global epidemic which is
the obesity crisis across the world. And I'm not saying
it doesn't need actioning because it does and now. But what I'm suggesting is that rather than
obsessing over our scales, we worry more about
how we control our weight.
Are we depriving our body
of valuable nutrients or even the pleasure of food simply to avoid being more active? After all it is physical activity that helps us to prevent
cardiovascular disease, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and even health systemic
conditions like Alzheimer. So I think we need to move our focus from fatness to fitness. Because it's a lack of fitness that is damaging
our children's health and ours. And let us just take a minute to consider the legacy
we are leaving for children here.
The stats are woeful. A recent study found that children between 5 and 7 do an average of 102 minute
of PE a week in the schools - 102 minutes. The NHS on its official website recommends that children between 5 and 18 do 16 minutes per day of exercise. And let us face it, we all know how to get out
of our PE at school, right? I didn't think it was just me.
A quick note faked by mom
and you are off the hook. Another problem is space. Where I live in south London, there are very few green spaces for children to play in their schools, the playgrounds of concrete
and spaces are cramped. It's getting harder and harder
for kids to move in schools now.
And I'm worried
because that's a problem. If they can't feel what is like
to be fitted in a young age, it's going to be very hard for them to make a pattern of
their behavior growing up. An unfit child is a lot more
likely to be an unfit adult. And an overweight child is much
more likely to be an overweight adult.
And another problem, I think,
we need more role models in sport for kids to look up to. They can't be it, if they can't see it. The Olympics were helpful, but the messages contradictory. In the Rio Olympics,
many male commentators were more interested in making stereotypical and unhelpful remarks
about women's physiques than they were commentating
of their performances, their strength and their stamina.
One NBC commentator
was overheard to say the US Women Gymnastics Team looks like they stood about
in a mall during their team final. But our roll models don't just
need to be TV celebrities, sports people or famous people, they can be anyone of us. As parents, teachers,
aunts, uncles, neighbors, we all have a responsibility
to prioritize our fitness, so that young kids can do the same. Studies have shown in fact that children whose parents are fitter themselves have greater level of fitness that children who don't.
So I think we need to change
our perspective on our bodies and put our priority not on
appearances but on functional fitness. Body image problems has been endemic for women for too long a time. But this is a problem
that affects boys and men, too. While young girls tent
to externalize their negative thoughts and strive for a thinner appearance, young boys tend to internalize
their negative thoughts and strive for a
more outwardly muscular look.
And stats show that young boys are increasingly turning to steroids
in order to get that bulky look. Whereas young girls
tend to emulate celebrity who themselves are
airbrushed to look perfect or starving themselves to look thin. This isn't about men or women, it's about all of us. Too many of us have a warped
and distorted view on how we look, which is fed into by
the advertising industry, the media, the fashion world and, of course, the multi-billion
pound weight loss industry.
We need to be much less critical
of ourselves and of others. And instead of making our goal a perfect body or a perfect dress size
or whatever that means, it should be about getting more active. Let us reconnect with
our bodies in a primeval way and make fitness
something that we all do because of how it makes us feel. Perfect doesn't exist, but happy and healthy does.
If youre nervous about getting an assessment,
dont be. We want to put your mind at ease right now
and tell you exactly what you can expect. You should dress comfortably and ready to
work out. Youll learn some of the Dos and Donts
of weight and cardio training and go over your personal goals to create a plan for your workouts.
From there youll go through a quick warm
up and then do 5 simple tests that help create a baseline for your fitness level. These tests help determine your cardio and
endurance level, strength level, posture and muscular imbalances, and core strength. Think of it this way, by learning what your
body is capable of now, youll be able to see how much better youve gotten a few
months down the road. After you finish the baseline tests, well
take all the measurements youre comfortable with and then youll go through a quick
one-on-one workout so can get a feel for the gym.
The whole thing typically lasts about an hour
and its a great way to get your routine started. Remember this assessment is for all fitness
levels and its already included with your membership, so why not give it a shot and
see what your body can do..
[Crying] I feel like I have to be strong for everybody. Just wonder who's going to be strong for me
sometimes. I dont want to do this anymore, I just
wanna rest and have a sleep. I just feel like its all a bit much.
Oh well I have to go out there and feed the
baby now. Meet Elle, an ordinary woman on the brink
of an extraordinary journey. At eight months pregnant Elle is planning
to do something inspiring, to make a dramatic example of how each of us has the power to
change our core identity. Wife of husband Jon and adoring mother of
infant daughter Kiana, Elle is about to undertake a life changing journey.
I just can be really hard. A journey that will push her both mentally
and physically as she struggles to overcome the limitations of circumstance. It can be difficult because people have their
own opinions on what I'm doing, and what I. Think I should be doing.
You did a beautiful job. Not only will she attempt to shed the post-pregnancy
weight, but Elle is also hoping to develop her body into the peak physical condition
necessary to compete on an international sports modeling stage. Next year in May, 2011 I will be competing
in an International Sports Modeling physique Competition. And it would be roughly nine to ten months
after my second baby.
But the journey has little to do with winning. Because as soon as I step on stage, as far
as I'm concerned I am a winner. Now genetically unfortunately I'm not blessed,
I don't have great genetics where I can eat whatever I like and can stay fabulous and
thin. My genetics are more round, so it just means
for my competing, it can be a bit of a challenge.
With her second pregnancy now in its third
trimester, the enormity of the challenge is clear. However, to make the odds even tougher Elle will be avoiding traditional weight loss advocates, such as dietitians and gyms, but she isn't
completely without resources. I don't have a mentor, and I don't have a
coach. But I do follow a system that my husband has
pioneered over ten years of working one-on-one with people.
It's confidential, and he doesn't tell me
either. He just tells me this is the next phase, he
keeps it close to his chest, but this time he's revealing more of his secrets to me,
which is fantastic. I'm very blessed to have him on board. Elle met her now husband Jon while both were
working at an inner Sydney hotel.
Over the years their marriage has had its
share of problems, many of which having stem from the trauma and neglect of Elle's darker
past. My childhood was very short, my parents would
fight a lot, but my baby brother and sister needed me. So I had to grow up pretty quickly, my mother was indifferent, and my dad was a drunk. He was aggressive and a very heavy drinker,
and he would beat me quite a lot.
It was a lonely time, I was very sad, and
I would cry. I used to think that I wasn't worthy of their
love, and that if they're not going to love me, then who else would? Even today I still have trouble with relationships. Because I think sooner or later everyone is
going to leave you, so I distance myself from other people to avoid ever getting hurt. Elle's teenage years were troubled, and emotionally
tough.
Falling in with the wrong crowd she was often
without a home. When I was 14, my dad kicked me out of home
in a pretty profound way. I had nowhere to go to, I was just a little
kid that nobody loved. I had so many people tell me that my dreams
are stupid, and that I would never amount to anything, and after a while, you start
to believe it.
The area was rough, there were a lot of gangs
and it really was a case of predator and prey. A live or die situation, it was tough community,
with nowhere to live, I needed money, but honest work was scarce for someone so young. So I aligned myself with the wrong kind of
people, and for a while it profited quite well. I knew what I was doing wasn't legal, but
being in the gang was like having a family.
People look out for you, took care of you,
something that had been missing for most of my childhood. As those teenage years progressed, the harsh
realities of this lifestyle began to catch up with her. Nobody gets out, if I had stayed on that path
it was going to end in either prison or death. I was young, but I was getting to an age where
I could be trialed in court as an adult, and not a minor.
And I just couldn't live like that anymore. I wanted a new life, I wanted to be completely
different. I wanted to be all those things I always dreamed I could be. So I started an apprenticeship as hairdresser at a five-star hotel.
On my first day working there I met Jon. We became friends, and he was really different,
he wasnt like anyone I had met before. The early years of Elle and Jon's relationship
were complicated and uncertain, but after many difficult years Jon was able to instill
in Elle the principles of certainty and self-worth that aided in turning her life around. And that was really only possible because
Jon came into my life, gave me the tools to be able to do that, and it will basically
be the exact same tools that I'm going to put into practice now to compete on the world
stage.
It was a painful process, I cried, I kicked,
I screamed, sometimes I loved it, other times absolutely hated it, but my whole life changed
when I met Jon, and I was only able to blossom and grow into the person I am today because
I have the certainty that not only did Jon love me, but that he could show me how to
confront and then overcome my limitations. Everything in life is going to take a little
piece of you. I just have to roll with the punches and sort
of go with it and go, okay tomorrow is a new day, and try not to beat myself up about it
emotionally. Working through issues of abandonment and
dependency, they strove to forge a new life together.
A life that would be built upon trust and
integrity. 10 Years on, Elle is hoping to share the same
lessons that helped redefine her own life with others who have been preconditioned to
fail. And I'm hoping to be able to inspire women
out there who think they cant do it or it's impossible. If you set something for yourself, you set
a goal, you set a task then you can achieve it, all you have to do is believe in yourself.
By applying the same principles to her struggle
with post pregnancy weight Elle hopes to demonstrate that through self-belief anything can be achieved. Unfortunately, I don't actually have a nanny
to take care of my children, a chef to prepare my meals, a chauffeur to drive me to where
I want to go, someone to do my washing, any of those things. I don't have a personal trainer, I don't have
a nutritionist, I don't even have gym membership. It's very important for me to show my daughter,
I want to show her that she can achieve anything that she puts her mind to, and the best way
to show her that is to do it myself.
As preparations for the world stage intensify,
Elle's journey to overcome the odds will test the limits of her mental and physical fortitude. Sports modeling is about being fit, healthy,
and having a toned physique. It's not about being super skinny like you
may see on catwalks, and things like that. But, it's more emphasized on having muscle
definition.
Understandably Elle has a long way to go. I'm at a huge disadvantage because I'm starting
behind. I haven't got any momentum behind me. My body hasn't really been doing much in terms
of preparing for sports modeling competition, it's been preparing to have a baby.
So my body has had a completely different
goal. So I am 85.5 Kilos, and I'm 41.2 Percent body
fat. With the baby now overdue, Elle has been admitted
into hospital where doctors will attempt to induce the birth, but despite their best efforts,
Elle's contractions are yet to begin. I've been in the hospital for four days for
high blood pressure, and I'm still no closer to having my baby, and I am very upset.
I miss my husband and my daughter and I want
to go home, but I'm feeling very sick, and nauseous, and cramping in my stomach. And they keep doing all these tests on me. I feel like a lab rat. After yet another night of extensive testing
and anxious waiting, Elle is allowed to return home, but the reprieve is short-lived.
I've been in hospital for five days, and I
was able to go home because I had gestational hypertension which basically means I had high
blood pressure, and signs of preeclampsia, but now I've come back to be induced. I am hoping that my body starts to do what
it's supposed to do, and I'm just going to try to trust that it knows what to do. So I've got my TENS machine on, and I'm getting
contractions, and I'm ready to go downstairs now, because I am 3cm dilated. Yay, I walked around hospital up and downstairs,
everywhere I could try to bring on the labor naturally as I could.
So here it goes. Energy. After five days of prolonged waiting, and
nervous anticipation, the moment has finally arrived. Spread your legs there, ok.
Focus on taking slow big breaths. But the ordeal is far from over. The birth of Elles second child is agonizing,
lengthy, and at times complicated. But after nine hours of excruciating labor
she's greeted by the small face of her infant daughter Kamika.
You did so well my darling, oh my goodness. Healthy and happy, baby Kamika's arrival into
the world brings both joy and relief to the nervous family waiting by Elle's side. But as one journey ends, another is about
to begin. 10 Months away, and this body is going to
be on an international sports modeling stage.
Where is your baby sister? The long pregnancy now behind her, Elle's
focus has shifted to regaining the body that she has lost. So this is week one, and my plan is just to
let my body recover, and to just get back to normal after giving birth, and then next
week I am gonna look at eating a little bit better, and making sure that I am having the right nutrients and vitamins and really focus on that, and getting rest when I can, so that
would be my first priority it's taking care of myself so I will take care of my girls. But with two infant children to care for... [I am so tired] ...The task of losing almost half of her body
weight has never seen more difficult.
The baby is not due to feed until 2 but she
woke up screaming for milk, and then my toddler started screaming for me, and she was waking
up early too so I had to run to get her, change her nappy, and then I took photos today just....
For our before shots, and I got to see how horrible I look, which was quiet upsetting,
and I was doubting whether I could do it or not but I'm just feeling a bit emotional. Like I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself,
and I don't know if I'm crazy, what am I thinking? And you know, I look at myself and I feel
like I look horrible. With her self-esteem heavily depleted, the
second week of Elle's journey begins with a reluctant first attempt at exercise. So its the start of week 2 that can Kamika
has been born, and I'm gonna try and do some light weights on a bench.
As you can see my gym facilities arent
great but they work, and these are the weights that I have, which is just like a power block
and you can snap them. So I just want to get back into the swing
of things, not looking at doing any heavy hard core training, just take it very easy
and light for the next couple of weeks. Consistency is the key, not intensity. Elle's training program has been designed
to stay at a consistently low intensity throughout the entire journey, but after nine months
of inactivity, what little result she has summoned is soon hampered by doubt.
I feel horrible. I look at myself in the mirror, and I wonder
where has my body gone? Its been stolen, and been replaced with
this, and I seriously just want to quit now and just eat a whole block of cheese because
I don't even know if I'm wasting my time. What am I thinking, I'm going to compete in
that sports modeling competition, the only thing I want to complete in is a cheese eating
competition. I dont even remember how to do this.
Her initial attempts at resistance training
have proved to be premature, for now any further attempts will be put on hold I want to give up now. Instead Elle will concentrate on maintaining
her structured food plan which requires her to eat eight nutritionally balanced meals
every day, except on Fridays when she'll be given a day off. I am breastfeeding that just means that I
have to be a little bit more careful with the sorts of food that I eat because I want
to make sure that my newborn baby is getting the correct nutrients and vitamins, so I'm
not doing anything drastic like cutting out carbohydrates. I want to stick to eating lots of healthy
natural foods as best as I possibly can.
From week to week Elle will be taking measurements
of her stomach hips legs arms and chest. Her weight will also be monitored, but the
overall focus will be on centimeters lost, and the reduction of body fat. So I am really concentrating on losing centimeters
because I know then I'm sort of coming in to the shape that I am most happy with. I'm so scared to get on these scales, I really
don't like to weigh myself because weight can be lots of things.
It can be fluid, it can be muscle, it can be fat. By recording the results weekly, she hopes
to accurately monitor her progress. So I was 112 last week, and I am 111 this
week, so I lost 1 cm, which is exciting. I was hoping for more, but I am happy that
I lost something.
So one centimeter so no changes there. So I'm happy that I got a centimeter, but
I wanted more. But um... Considering the week that I had,
I should be grateful that anything has happened.
Its been a really crap week. This week I am really gonna try to focus on
getting some more sleep. So lets see how we go with that, and just
be a little bit more structured with my times, so hopefully I can juggle it a bit better. But each new day brings its own stresses and
complications.
I am so tired of being up for 24 hours. The baby wont stop crying. Look at her, WIDE AWAKE. Oh my gosh.
I just feel like just a disgrace. I dont even want to go out. I don't even want to see my friends, I don't
want them to see me like this, I look so ugly. And as her emotional state suffers, so too
does her physical progress.
So I've actually put on kilos, but it could
be anything, so I am not gonna stress about it too much, its a bit depressing. What's more concerning is that I've put on
body fat one percent. So I don't know where that's come from. So I've put on one percent body fat and kilos
which I don't really care so much about the kilos, its the one percent body fat, what
happened there? What the hell happened there? Oh, I dont know.
Seems pretty depressing. Despite weeks of structured and carefully
planned eating, Elle's body is yet to respond. Feels like I have done all that hard work
for not much result. So its the 19th of September, 2010 and
I have had a pretty stressful week this week, so I am really scared to measure.
I am very stressful just with appointments,
doctor's appointments, and different things, and I just have a lot to do with the girls
as well. Just pretty busy. They seem to be more demanding this week,
and I started doing a bit of walking this week, which took a lot out of me, I was absolutely
exhausted and nearly passed out and fell on the ground, so wont be doing that again. With her early attempts at exercise and controlled
nutrition bearing little result, Elle's spirit is beginning to wane.
I am so tired. My breasts are killing me, from breastfeeding, I just wanna give up. [Crying] The painful realities of living out her dream
combined with increasingly demanding pressures of motherhood have not been without consequence. Pushed to her breaking point, Elle is left
anxious, and in doubt.
I feel like I have to be strong for everybody, I have to be strong for my husband, I have to be strong for my daughters, I have to be strong for myself. [Crying] Just wonder who's going to be strong for me
sometimes. But her resignation will not come today. 38.5 Percent and 42.4 Percent, so I just put on about a kilo, but I didnt lose any body fat, and I didnt lose any muscle, but anyway,
hopefully this week will be better.
Its times like these when you know I just
feel like its all too hard and now its time to give up, just gotta breakthrough the
wall I'd rather breakthrough a KitKat. Finished Nine weeks into the journey, Elle's focus
has now switched to maintaining proper rest, so that she can keep up both her energy and
her spirit. I'm feeling a lot better about this week because
my stress levels were down, and I had a lot more sleep which was good. It's been almost three months since I have
had baby, and now I am really starting to think about walking consistently.
So I'm doing my first cardio session today
and I'm going to be doing it for half an hour at a low intensity. Today is a particularly hard day because I'm
really craving junk food badly. I want cookies and lots of them. I also have these waiting for me, mmm...
Yummy
cookie. I'm not going to have them because today is
Thursday, and only on Fridays do I allow myself to have a treat. So I'm just trying to hold out to tomorrow, then I can have a cookie. Isnt it pretty? What the hell am I gonna wear? I dont fit in to anything, I hate this.
My feet look like baked bread in my shoe. Kiana is laughing at me; I'd be laughing at
me too. Didn't get much sleep this week, and probably was pretty stressed as well. So I have lost, no I am exactly the same exactly.
What was I? 73 Or 74? This is where, I'm sought of neither lean
nor overweight. I am kind of just somewhere in the middle,
so I have to just kind of breakthrough that, so here we go cardio session, 30-minute walk, thats all I am gonna do. One centimeter yay, down to 57, happy days. So quite a big loss in centimeters, which
is exciting.
You are cute, you are very chubby, its
your four-month birthday today, happy four months, and mommy is happy because I can fit
into a size 12 jeans again, yay! I want to inspire women who are just like
me, and flip through glossy magazines and see these Hollywood A-listers have babies,
and transform back into these beautiful women, and you think gosh, how am I supposed to do that? I don't have a nanny, or a trainer or a dietitian
to prepare all my meals. Obviously they're putting a lot of hard work
as well, but having the extra help would definitely be a bonus. So how does someone like us me achieve
it? And I want to show you that it is possible,
because if you are like me, and you've been blessed with two arms, and two legs, and you can move, then anything's possible that can achieve your dreams. And the reality is I'm no one special.
I don't have magic powers, I dont have this huge determination and will, but what I do have is two beautiful daughters that inspire me to better. With little to no help from her family, and
a complete absence of child-minding assistance, Elle's journey is secondary to her role in
stimulating and educating her daughters. But while this commitment can be a challenge, it is the children themselves that motivate her to keep going. I want to inspire my daughters to show them
that anything they put their mind to, they can achieve.
What does this one say? Colors. Colors. Yeah!!! What does this one say? Eyes. EYES!!! Yes, You're so smart.
I don't just want to tell them that, I wanna
show them that, I wanna show them that Mommy set an impossible dream, and she achieved
it. Hello darling. I feel really pissed at my husband, and it's
not his fault. Broke his ankle, and as a result of that couldn't
sort of exercise, and then because of that everything sort of escalated with his health,
and then he got Meniere's disease, and lost his hearing in his right ear, and is being
diagnosed with a brain tumor, so he is really not well, and he is asleep quite a bit and
it's just exhausting because I want him to do more to help me, but I know that he physically
can't so I feel like I'm looking after three children sometimes.
The symptoms Meniere's disease plague Jon
with daily attacks of vertigo, nausea, and vomiting and with the resulting sickness
leaving him incapacitated and bedridden for most of the day, Elle's dreams of competing
on an international sports modeling stage seems all the more impossible. There are some days where it can be a little
bit overwhelming. My husband just had an operation, and he's
needing obviously me to care for him a little bit more than he has previously, so I feel
like the pressure on me is really amped up a little bit so, yeah it was challenging to say the least. [Crying] Sometimes I wonder you know; if Jon is going
to be here for the future.
[Crying] So I really want to enjoy having him with
me because you know, you just dont know, but at the same time I just feel like its
all a bit much. So really really tired today, and just totally
over everything and want a holiday from my life and everything sucks. So I have lost weight, but my body fat is
relatively the same, so I probably just lost fluid. Since the birth of baby Kamika, Elle has lost
over 13 kilograms, an astonishing result compared to the slow decline in her percentage of body
fat.
Just need to get the body fat down. I have stayed for a while, so hopefully I
will get a good move next week. Staying the same for 1, 2, 3 this will be
the fourth week, thats really upsetting. Elle had previously hoped to lose over 25
percent of her body fat throughout the course of the journey, but with less than a 6 percent
drop in the last 18 weeks, this result would seem unlikely.
Oh gosh, I am so sick of playing this up and
down game with my body fat and weight, its really irritating. With the loss of body fat becoming a cause
for concern, Elle has expanded her fitness routine to include a variety of light weight
exercises in the hope that this will help breakthrough her body's natural resistance
point, but the changes have not made the journey any easier. So I am in a really bad mood today. I woke up with hot spots on my breasts, which means I'm getting my Mastitis.
I'm really hoping I get a good result because
I am in a really bad mood, and you know itll just top it off. So let's see how we go, I am really anxious. Oh, wow I lost a lot of body fat, and I gained muscle, very good result. So I had a really awesome result last week,
and I found that in a result of that this week I have just been trying to self-sabotage,
you would think that, hey I got a great result, I'll be motivated, and want to keep going,
but for some reason you know in the back of my mind I almost wanted myself to fail.
I was kind of destroying myself. Okay, so I have lost weight, but I lost a
bit of muscle, and gained a bit of body fat. Pretty disappointed because it means that
I have lost muscle and gained more fat. So today is Boxing Day, and Christmas was
yesterday, and I'm feeling pretty upset really cause ahh people don't quite understand what I'm trying to achieve, and what I'm doing, and they think I'm a little bit crazy, and it's quite a lonely place to be umm...
When your friends, and family don't understand what you're doing. So there is roughly four months to go and
counting, and I'm really getting anxious now because my body is not where it should be,
I think I could be a lot further along, but you know I have committed to this, and have
to see it through, so now what I'm going to do is really focus on tightening up with everything, and really just trying to take better care of myself because I just have not been, I
haven't been getting much sleep. It's New Years Eve, 2010 and for Elle the
conclusion of another year isn't the only reason to celebrate. Happy New Year.
On New Year's we have a nice quiet meals at home. We were able to watch the fireworks on the
balcony, and I was really excited because it landed on a Friday and Fridays are the
day that I can have whatever I like to eat so that was pretty fun to be able to have
some pizza and some wine. I am hoping for a good result this week because
I feel that I put all the effort in the right places. So let's see how we go.
Oh I lost body fat, and gained muscle! Yay! Cool! Very happy with that, I lost two percent body
fat, and gained one percent body muscle mass, so thats awesome. Yay! So thats good. Despite the intake of junk food on New Year's Eve, Elle results are the most encouraging in weeks. So its slowly creeping down.
Family: Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! The massive two percent loss in body fat would
indicate that Elle's weekly day off has actually been beneficial. So its Friday morning, and I'm going to
have some cookies for breakfast, and its my cheat day, and I eat whatever I want. It's lunch time now so I am having some burgers and fries. Once a week, Elle spends an entire day of
avoiding strenuous activity, and indulging in fatty foods, a practice that most would consider detrimental to weight loss.
Some people are not going to believe that
I am able to get amazing results, and still have a day where I have whatever I like to
eat. But contrary to popular belief, the respite from diet and exercise seems to be having a positive effect on her measurements. Its the 16th of the 1st. 2011 And I'm really
nervous and anxious.
I'm not sure if my body is gonna make it,
I've definitely changed, I can see that but, I hope its good enough. So one centimeter off the leg also one centimeter off the hips, 75 and 1cm lost. I lost a kilo, two percent body fat, and gained
one percent of muscle, thats awesome result. Everyone goes through a hard stage where they feel like they are doing all the right things and nothing's happening.
They want instant... Results I mean I wanted instant results, but it does take time. So I am really happy now that I'm starting
to see a little bit more results with my body, I am starting to see my dcolletage some
tone in my arms, my stomach is getting flatter, my hips are getting narrower, I am still a
long way off from my goal, but I'm feeling a little bit more confident that I'm half
the size that I was before. Yay! It was a good one.
I am so happy. The physical results of Elle's long months
of low intensity exercise and nutritious eating are finally starting to appear. I am in a good mood now. And as her body starts to develop, so too
does her mind.
Elle's mental stamina toward her responsibilities
as a mother has vastly improved. The belief that she can actually succeed had
started to take hold, and as the certainty of this conviction becomes stronger her physical progress responds in kind. So today is the 6th of February, 2011
and there is fourteen weeks until competition which is pretty daunting, and this week has
been pretty normal sort of week, not too stressed, but umm... Let's see what today says.
Cool, so I have lost a little bit of body
fat, not very much but some. After 30 of weeks training, Elle
has only lost ten percent of her body fat. So today is the 6th of the 3rd, 2011
and there is ten weeks to go into competition. I am pretty nervous, scared, all those things.
So now with only 10 more weeks remaining
until competition day, Elle needs to lose at least another 14 percent if she is to reach her goal. Found that I have to dig really really
deep to wanna continue on to keep going. This journey has made me see things in myself
that I probably haven't seen before. It helped me to understand you know that I
can be tested pretty severely, and I can come through.
Oh, yes, yes! That is awesome, I've been working so hard
to be under thirty percent body fat, and I'm 28.4. But you know its really scary stuff. I didn't anticipate how hard it would actually
be emotionally to go through, and I find that the more sort of size that I lose and the
smaller that I get, the harder it is, because its you know quite scary to think that I will be on that stage in two months time. I've just gotta trust that it will work, and
I'll get there and you know, I'll bring a body that I'll be proud of.
Professional sports models are judged on their
muscle definition and physique. So with just a few weeks remaining, Elle has
precious little time to refine her newly slimmed figure. So today is the 3rd of April, 2011 and I am
really anxious about my results in six weeks out I feel like a stupid fat mother, trying
to pretend to be something I am not. [Crying] Oh my Gosh.
With the competition now only one week away, the nerves have started creep in. So today is the 8th of May, 2011 and there
is one week out from competition, so I am pretty excited, pretty nervous, pretty anxious,
cant believe I am going to actually be stepping on the stage in a weeks time,
this time next week I'll know what the outcome is. (Baby crying) It's ok. Its all getting a bit too much now.
Tomorrow I'll be stepping on the stage, so
I'm really scared and really anxious, I don't want to muck it, you know all my months and
months and months of hard work and I can just totally ruin it all. So this is the, I guess almost finished package. So 84cm roughly say eighty-four-and-a-half. The pressure is on, its really testing
.
My determination and courage to go on I suppose It's time like this that I sort of think
that my dreams are pretty stupid. Legs, forty-three-and-a-half and waist 60 centimeters, its gonna be really tough comp, really really tough lineup. So I have lost half a centimeter off everywhere which is just pretty good, which is only in a day a day, so my metabolism is obviously very
strong at the moment. The girls that will be competing, that I am
aware of are very good, sensational great bodies, haven't had any children, are significantly younger than I am, some you know almost ten years.
My results are pretty good I think, from all
this stuff that I had to through, so yeah. But um I'm just me, and I'll just have to go out there be me I can be. I hope that I'll be good enough. Elle's long and painful journey is nearing
its conclusion.
Today she'll be stepping onto a national sports
modeling stage, to learn just how much she's achieved over the last nine months. I would never have thought that I'd be almost
30 and have 2 kids and be the smallest I ever been in my whole life. I never thought that was even possible, not
in the realm of possibility. So I'm feeling pretty good, I am feeling like
you know no matter what happens, I am a winner, from what I have achieved.
Like I just cant believe it, I've shocked
myself. I never really thought I could get that sort
of result. Now I just want to get up on that stage, and
make my husband and my girls proud because I'm pretty nervous and anxious about being
in front of all those people, but I just want to make them proud now. After carefully packing their costumes, props,
and supplies , Jon Elle and Jon's sister Natalie load up the family car for the journey.
The competition is a two-hour drive from Jon
and Elle's Sydney apartment. So Elle is forced to save her last-minute
preparations until they have safely arrived. I cant believe Elle's come this far,
she is about to get on stage, and its just a real emotional time for us both, but umm... You
know we set a goal and we are here and we are coming to finish the job no matter what so.
It doesnt matter about the result today
really, thats just the cherry on the top. If she does well, places well, that will be
awesome. But the fact that she is here is just unbelievable. So I can't believe it, nine months after having
my second baby.
With the competition just minutes away Elle
can feel the anxiety mounting, but she isn't the only one that is feeling the pressure. The combination of nausea and persistent sickness
has taken its toll Jon. He was so so sick from Meniere's, and he was
having attacks and vomiting. And he still stood beside me through the whole
thing.
Which is pretty special to have such a loving
family. So yeah, I am really happy with that. The moment is finally upon her. With the chance to realize her dream waiting in the crowded room beyond, Elle makes an anxious departure for the stage.
I just cant believe it, I cant believe
I am here, I am really scared because I am actually gonna do it now. It was easy when we know it was all fun and games. I cant believe it, I'm going to do it, I'm going to be stepping on the stage, I'm going to do it. Now I just hope I do it well.
Please welcome Elle Ip. So I can't believe it, I fulfilled my dreams
today. I am so happy with her because she just executed
like just perfectly the way I've imagined it, and even better, just looked awesome out there. Elle Ip, number 84, comes in 3rd.
I never ever expected a 3rd place, and
I was just so proud to be able to actually do it. She's, you know what she has accomplished
is simply just unbelievable. So I am in total shock at the moment, I just,
I can't believe what I have achieved, and I am so blown away, I just can't believe it. Elle's accomplishment on stage represents
the culmination of an ordinary woman's struggle to remain courageous in her conviction even when the odds are stacked heavily against her.
Today she's showing that it is indeed possible to overcome the limitations of circumstance. In the months following her stage debut, Elle
went on to competing several other national tournaments. Earning both acclaim and success with her
newly developed physique, Elle's competing has also brought renewed strength and a fresh
energy to her emotional fortitude. Where's Mika...
Peek a boo. Through the power of certainty and the reaffirmation
of herself worth, Elle's seemingly unattainable dream of competing in a national sports modeling
contest has now become a reality, but for Elle the journey is far from over. Nobody thought it could be possible
that nine months after having a baby that I would be able to do this, especially from
where I come from, but umm... It's a testament to dreams you know, have your dreams and stick with them and I guess believe in yourself even when it gets tough.
But for all of her successes, there's still
one more goal to be accomplished. So it's always been a dream of mine to compete in the world championships, so the world championships are for fitness modeling that's what real
models do and not me I'm like imitator, amateur, but my husband
supports me and we're going. So pretty scared, pretty anxious, finding
it hard to sleep. The girls have been unsettled, Kiana is not
feeling so well.
So everything sort of feels like it's falling
to pieces. It sort of makes me think that you know I
shouldnt go, I cant go and. Yeah, but you know I want my girls to believe
that what they hope and dream to become one day is a reality if they make it and I want to show them that. So just gotta keep moving forward, you know this is my dream, and I've gotta go get it no one is going to hand to me on a silver
platter, it's always hard to live your dreams, its never easy, but it can be done.
Despite her misgivings, Elle and Jon are leaving for NewYork. The city is home to the world championships
of sports modeling, and so it is on this stage that Elle hopes to conclude her epic journey. So the night before I hit the world champion
stage for fitness modeling in New York City, I can't believe I'm here. When I started this journey I seriously doubted
that I'll be able to look good enough in a in a bikini, let alone stepping on a regional stage and only in my wildest wildest wildest dreams would I have been able to come to New York,
and be on the world stage, so I really just wanna enjoy it and sit back, and reflect and.
Just be so, yeah excited that I was able to
fulfill my dreams. I am kind of scared now, dont really know
what you do after you fulfill your dreams, I guess you can find another one so... Im happy to be here, its been a long
road, enjoy the show. Our next competitor, all the way from Sydney, Australia, please welcome mother of two, Elle Ip At nearly 30 years of age, and after giving
birth to two children, Elle has brought real competition to an international stage of the
world's most defined physiques.
12 Months ago many would have believed this
task to be impossible. [Okay ladies, thank you] But as she exits the stage, Elle realizes
that not only has she achieved the impossible, but the inspiration as well. With her time in New York coming to an end,
Elle reflects on everything she has achieved. It has been a life changing experience, and one that has redefined her core identity.
Competing on the world stage in New York City
has been an amazing experience, and one that I'll treasure forever. 1 Year later Elle has not only kept the weight off, but has also improved her body to the extent that she's now in the best shape of
her life. I feel we're a lot closer as a family because
now I have the strength, and energy to not only take care of my girls, but to have fun
with them, and just really enjoy them and run around and be a big kid, and even though
Jon is still struggling with his health, I. Feel more certain that I can support him,
and take care of him, and together as a family we can face whatever the future holds.
For Elle it has been a journey of hardship
and pain, a journey that has altered not just the body, but the mind and the soul. A journey to remind us all just what can be
achieved through the power of dreams, a journey Beyond Expectations..
- [Voiceover] Lift
those heels like you got six-inch stilettos on! - I've never worn stilettos! (Upbeat electronic music) - I'm interested in Cardio Barre because everyone says it's super intense and super crazy and it's
kind of like dancing. I just want to be fucking
like taut like a string, You know, I want to tighten up. - I love to dance. And it's just dancing and exercising.
So, it's like the best combination for me. I'm interested in losing
some of the weight that I have gained since P90X (laughs). - I'm not terribly
interested in Cardio Barre. I'm just here because this
is the stuff they make us do.
I guess my goal is to
just be kind of lean. Lose the gravy! - I have no ballet experience. So, this is just gonna be an adventure. We'll see what happens.
After we did P90X, I
got a little skinny fat. I just want to get rid
of the little mid-section I've developed now. - It seems like it's a really
fun way of working out. So, hopefully it will
make me work out more.
My goal is I would love
to lose a little weight. I would love to tighten up
my stomach a little bit. (Electronic bell music) - What is Cardio Barre? What are we getting ourselves into? - Okay, Cardio Barre is a ballet-based, fitness, exercise workout. It's dancing in some aspects but it's actually very difficult.
We tone the muscles. So, it's a lot more
looking for that length and that ballet body, the dancer's body... - Yes! - That everybody wants (laughter) now. Did you guys bring towels and water? - We're completely unprepared.
- Let's do it. (Fast piano music) Swing those hands! In, out, in, out. - What is this, a little pony trot? - Ow! - Ooh, my butt checks! - [Voiceover] Oh, you're an evil woman. - [Voiceover] Oh, you like it.
- [Voiceover] No! - Oh! Oh! Oh! - My body's just not built for this. My leg won't stop shaking. - That was actually miserable for me. I didn't understand any of the exercises.
What are we doing? - It was a lot harder than I expected. Ryan was groaning the whole time. - Ah, god. Ah, god.
Ahh, (laughter). - Fucking up my focus. So, that was a little bit hard, but... - If you had the focus of a champion, that wouldn't bother you.
- You know what, you're done! - I mean I think I probably
looked a lot stupider than I felt, but I felt
like it went pretty well. - I had a great time with this. At one point, she did compliment my legs. - [Kaylee] Look at this leg! (Laughter) (fast piano music) - All right.
So, I'm skateboarding back from
my first Cardio Barre class on my own. I was the only guy there. And I was clearly the
worst one in the class. - I'm not very good.
My movements are awkward
and uncoordinated, and I feel very ashamed of my... It's actually very discouraging. - It's been pretty great. - I'm loving every single second.
- I'm also really loving it. - I'm bad at it. - (Laughter) Yeah, you can say that again. I'm trying my darndest, but it's just not working out for me.
- That's the thing, though,
you've just got to stop trying and just give yourself to it. - Shut up, Shane (laughs). (Upbeat orchestra music) - [Ryan] I called the
Cardio Barre place up to see how much everyone's actually gone. At the top, Daysha with 10.
(Cash register ring) - [Shane] Daysha, holy... - [ Voiceover] Damn girl (clapping). - [Shane] Holy shit Daysha! - In second place, me, with seven. (Cash register ring) - No (laughs).
I'll clap for myself. Tied for third place is Shane and Macie with five apiece. - You have to understand,
out of town and then sick. - And in last place, in glorious
fashion, is Jen with two.
- [Daysha] Two?
(Cash register ring) - Big old chopsticks (laughter) again. - I will say I have like
committed to going a lot more to catch up. We have two weeks left, right? - {Shane] (laughter) So you're gonna do... - What are you gonna
go, seven days a week? - [Shane] Twice a day for...
- This is our last week of Cardio Barre, and it has been going amazing. My butt has gotten like
exponentially bigger which, you know, can't complain, at all. Look at that, look at that! Definitely helped a homey out. - Hi guys.
I'm Richard Giorla and I'm the creator of Cardio Barre. I'm really looking forward to taking you through your last class. Test Friends, ready? All right, let's do it! (Laughter) (upbeat electronic music) - Good job Shane, one. - Nice Ryan, good Daysha.
Beautiful Macie. Straighten your right leg Jen. Other right leg Jen. Keep an eye on her for me.
(Upbeat electronic music) Now, don't bounce up, just press up. Remember exercise just maintains you. Uncomfortable resistance will change you. So, take yourself a little further.
(Upbeat electronic music) It's time to break now. (Upbeat music) - I loved Cardio Barre. This has been one of the
best things we've done. I feel slightly more, I guess, taut.
Every single session ended with me just floating out of
there, feeling incredible. - It's not really about
what the scale says. It's about how I feel and I always feel fantastic
after these classes. So, I don't really give a fuck (laughter).
But, let me tell ya' all. My butt, like, Cardio Barre! - It just simply isn't for me, but I could see why people would do this. It was a lot of fun. I continually embarrassed
myself week after week.
Really put forth a good effort. Tried to eat better. So, if I didn't lose any weight, I would have been a little
upset because that was my goal and the fact that I did means I could come out of this vindicated. - You're supposed to
grasp what they're doing just by seeing other people in a mirror.
So, every time I went to
a class which, granted, was only three times, I was really, really embarrassed. Definitely gained weight, though, because I wasn't exercising
but I was thinking, "Man, if I had exercised I would deserve "this extra sandwich." - I feel like it was
like a really nice way to start my morning, or to end my night. I'm really sad that it's over. I want to keep going.
I got probably stronger
and better at doing it. I probably did not lose weight because I've just been eating
everything I want to eat like fried chicken sandwiches. - [Voiceover] Yeah, I
know it's really weird. - [Macie] Oh!! - [Voiceover] Stop it! - [Shane] You got it, you got it great! - Wow! Okay (laughter).
- I sounded... - [Shane] What? - [Ryan] Stop looking like you're an alien that just landed on Earth, dude! (Laughter) Stop it Prichard. (Laughter) - [Shane] And flex! - [Ryan] This should be good,
this shot, huh (laughter)? - [Shane] Turn. - Do you see my butt? (Laughter) - [Shane] Okay, come
on.
Let's start it over. Bring it back to the top. You guys are making this so
much harder than it has to be. (Laughter).
- I'm not ready for this shit. - Come on, yes, you are. - Shut up, Julissa. - [Julissa] Towards the end of 2017, some of the Pero Like crew decided ^we need to get fit for 2018.
So, we called on our fitness celebrity trainer, Melissa Alcantara, who also trains Kim Kardashian to help us out. - [Melissa] Perfect. Go, go, go. - [Kim] You guys, she's trying to kill me.
- Only a little bit. - [Kim] Officially trying to kill me. - [Julissa] She exposed us to the hardest eight weeks we will never forget. - My name is Melissa Alcantara and I.
Started my fitness journey about six years ago. I gained 70 pounds when I was pregnant with my daughter Isabella, and I just couldn't seem to lose the weight. And so, one day I saw an infomercial on Insanity. It's the craziest workout ever, and I was like you know what? If these people can do it, I can do it.
From that day on... It was a 60-day program, and I just followed it through every single day, prepped my meals, and 60 days later I lost 40 pounds, I had abs, and that kind of set off this whole journey that I'm still going through right now. So, I'm gonna be training Pero Like for two months. They have no idea what is about to happen to them.
^- I used to workout before I started at Buzzfeed, ^and what I mean by working out was me at home doing some pushups and walking my dog. - I hate working out. ^It's as though someone is dragging me by the feet and I'm hitting my face and mouth and teeth and everything on cobblestone. - I have a gym membership.
^I like to think that I'm working out, ^but really I ain't doing shit. - I never work out, ever. ^I get extremely out of breath when I walk up the stairs. ^- I'm putting Pero Like on a macro-based diet.
^They are going to have to weigh their food, ^cook fresh food, eat a specific amount of protein, carbs, and fats, which I've created for them individually. - I thought macros was an abbreviation for macaroons, so... Apparently, it's not. - My hopes for the Pero Like team is not to focus on losing a ton of weight.
I want them to be conscious of the food that they're putting in their mouth, of how they feel inside. - My weight is at its biggest that it's ever been. ^I eat bad, I have a lot of heartburn, ^and my doctor says that I'm generally very unhealthy. ^All I'm hoping for is just to get a little bit slimmer.
- I've done so many different diets, but it never surpasses a time period. ^From this journey, ^I honestly just wanna gain mental stability and strength. ^I wanna do it for the gain of confidence ^that I think I've lost over the years with just letting myself go and just eating and doing whatever I wanna do. - I wanna do this 'cause I wanna feel sexy.
I've actually had hundreds of sexual partners, and I've only ever taken my shirt off with one. So, learning to love myself a little bit more is going to be one of the hardest parts of this journey. - I am a very emotional eater. So, when I'm happy, I eat, when I'm sad, angry, excited, and I think I've hit a point now ^to where I feel a little depressed and sad ^because I don't feel healthy.
^I want to gain some confidence in myself ^that I am able to accomplish this journey, and that I will be able to develop healthier eating habits. - Pero Like, are you ready for me? (All talking) - It's day one, and tonight, Melissa's coming by after work and we're gonna do our first fuckin' workout. (Exhales) I'm doing the eating already. I had a good breakfast, but I don't know about this...
I don't know about this gym tonight. - I'm super excited (chuckles). Yeah, I'm just like (swallows). - Everybody's gonna be sweating, even the other people.
They're gonna look at us at be like, yo. - The one that was like, I'm excited. Now I'm like, what?
(Laughing) - We're about to enter hell, man, and I'm not looking forward to this shit. - [Julissa] Our first workout with Melissa was rough.
- Julissa is killing it right now. You okay, Nor? - My arms are gonna fall off. It feels like my arms are gonna fall off, it feels like my legs are gonna fall off. This is day one, and I'm really fucked.
- In the beginning, everyone is always super motivated. And so, I saw the motivation in all of their faces. - With this new food plan, suddenly I became more aware of what I was putting inside of my body. This is two cups of brown rice.
I made a scramble of sorts that just has half a yellow bell pepper and one whole tomato cut up in four. It's not as bad as I thought it was gonna be. - [Julissa] It's meal prep Sunday and we just went grocery shopping, so... Wow, I've never seen my fridge like this.
Look at that. - From the beginning, I saw that Julissa was like 'I'm gonna murder this.' She's very competitive. - I was waking up in the mornings, going to the gym. I'm here, 6:30 in the morning, at the gym.
Oh, there's no cuts, but after eight weeks, you gon' see. Yes, I was tired, but it wasn't like my normal sluggish tired. It was like get up, you got this, you can do this. - Norb is super strong.
I felt like he was in it, but at the same time, he was kind of like, 'oh, yeah, I got this.' - For the first couple of weeks, I definitely was very negative about the whole experience. I complained a lot. I don't feel like working out. I don't feel like cooking.
I don't care about this anymore. I don't care about looking good. I don't care about losing weight. But I did the workouts and I did the food diet.
Even though I hated doing it, I still did it because I knew it was gonna benefit me in the long run. - For Maya and Curly, there's something about building self-confidence, and I saw that that's what they needed in the beginning. - The working out part I was nervous about, but I ended up working out with curly a lot. And I love him so much, and we just push each other.
Every single time we wanna quit, we're like, no, just one more set. - What's wrong today? You're not weak. You can do this. I kind of, for the longest time, needed the other Pero Likers to kinda be there with me.
I felt really weird going to the gym by myself. - [Norberto] Come on, Curly. You can do it, I believe in you. I believe in you.
- Damn.
- Do it, come on. Come on, keep going, keep going. Stay, stay, power, power. - We had a group text, which was amazing.
- Definitely being in a group while doing this I think helped me. One, because I'm competitive, but also the fact that we were in a group chat talking, the fact that me, Maya, Curly, and Norb all worked together? You kind of hold each other accountable. Maya, you're gonna have a piece of the cake? - I'm just looking at it. (Laughing) Can I have your permission to look at it? - We are at Muscle Farm headquarters in Burbank.
We're gonna so sprints, kettlebell swings, battle ropes. We're gonna hit every muscle. We're gonna do a total body workout. Y'all are gonna come out like this, with guns.
- Aren't you excited? - I am not excited, what you talking about? This is gonna be terrible. - I feel like I might throw up, I might cry. - I feel like I might throw up watching her throw up, and then I might cry watching her cry. - [Julissa] The first workout we had at Muscle Farm was intense.
- I knew it was gonna be hard, and it was 100 times harder than I ever expected. - Push, push, push, push.
(Groaning) Let's go, let's go. - I don't know what the fuck I got myself into. I'm kinda regretting this shit.
After that first rep, I could promise you I was like, oh shit, I said I was gonna come out on top, and instead I'm fucking dying right now. And I didn't wanna tell everybody that I was dying. And then after round two, it was like a boost of energy and all this adrenaline just rushed through me. Alright, you guys, let's do this! I was no longer feeling like I was gonna die.
For real, for real, I'm proud of all of us. We did it.
- Yeah, we did. - Nobody gave up, nobody was like, no, I'm not gonna... I can't, come on, wait, let's finish, let's stop.
We fucking... We did it, you know what I mean? And although I was talking my shit, we finished, and that's really what matters, and we finished strong on top of that. So, group hug, guys. Lo hicimos!
- All sweaty.
- All sweaty, a sweaty hug. - Alright, so apparently Mel just sent us a revised workout for the next four weeks. She signs it off at the end as 'have fun, muahahahaha,' and there's a little devil emoji. I had just gotten used to the last four weeks.
I was pretty good with them. I was starting to get better at the exercises. I was staring to get better at the routine, and now she throws this curve ball. - I also did see the new workout plan and I was like, girl, you are...
No, we're not... I'm sticking to the old workout plan. There's a part where we're jumping and we need to jump on a box. I'm like, where does the box come from? What box? How am I gonna jump on a box? - Y'all, this glutes hamstring whatever day, calves, is real, so be prepared because it's real.
- I cheated a little bit, but it sparked an entire breakdown 'cause I felt guilty about it. I feel horrible and I feel like shit. I know that it's a process and it's not gonna be fixed like that. And I didn't nibble today, I didn't cheat because I don't care.
I really care a lot about this, and I wanna do right by Melissa, and I wanna do right by myself. I realized that whoa, what's happening? Don't do this to yourself because you can fix this. You have the control to literally go to the gym tomorrow and work off whatever it is you ate. - I feel like I definitely had an emotional breakdown where I was sitting in my car and I just didn't want to get out.
This morning, it was a struggle to get the fuck here into the gym. I'm in the parking garage and I still haven't gotten out. And I'm late, it's like 6:45, not even 6:00 anymore. I just want sleep, I just want a 12-hour night of sleep.
- Over the weekend, I went down to San Diego. I didn't think about the diet. I didn't think about the workouts. I just decided to go out there and enjoy myself.
- [Woman] What are you doing? - I'm breaking my diet, that's what I'm doing. So, today, I wake up and I go weigh myself, and in two days I gained five pounds. So, this week, I'm gonna go hard at the gym. I'm gonna lose those five pounds and I'm gonna lose an additional five pounds, and I'm gonna try and look as good as possible ^and finish this off (speaking Spanish).
- This shit is actually working. Not only is it working, but I can see the difference, which is even more rewarding. Seeing it on the scale, cool, but when you're seeing at feeling it? That's a whole different territory. That makes you want to keep going.
Look at this, look at these bones poking. Welcome back, collarbones. Welcome back, girls. - Discovering my body changing was...
It happened really fast. I immediately started to fit into clothing that I hadn't fit into in a very long time, which made me super excited to keep going. - So, my mom has noticed a difference. She commented the other day, she was like and I was just like, 'no, mom, I'm trying out this new thing, this diet and everything.' - We're at Muscle Farm today for our final workout with the whole gang.
It's been such a journey, right? I feel.
- Yeah. - I think I'm gonna continue this, hopefully. Cross my fingers, but what about you? How do you feel? - I mean, I feel pretty great. I've complained a lot, but now that we're here I don't regret any of the eight weeks.
- I can't believe their results. I'm just so happy and so proud. We're sculpting and building booties and muscles. Today, we're gonna do total body.
It's not gonna be super duper crazy, but it's gonna be intense. - The first workout compared to the last workout was a drastic change. I definitely noticed that we were less nervous to workout with them and we were more determined to make them proud. - Together, together.
Two, yes, come on. Three, no laughing. - In the final workout, I could definitely keep up. It was still hard, it was still difficult, but it was nice to know that you know what? I can do this.
- We did it.
Did we do it? - You're still alive. (Cheering)
(all talking) - I lost 30 pounds. My goal for this was to get my ass kicked. I wanted to change my lifestyle, and I feel like I did that.
Now, I'm going more to the gym, I'm more aware of the foods that I'm eating, and I think none of that would've happened if it wasn't for this eight week program. - I lost 12 and a half pounds. Seeing my face thin out, seeing my body get slimmer, was so rewarding. Melissa's plan really works, and I stuck to it.
I went to the gym even if i didn't want to, and that let me know that the mental strength that I wanted in the beginning, I had all along. I just had to really work for it. - I lost 30 pounds. It wasn't as weird to go to the gym alone anymore.
I felt a little bit more confident. The goal was to be able to feel comfortable enough to take off my shirt, and it's interesting because I don't think that I have... I'm there yet, and I think that that's okay too. I think that if I've learned anything from watching Melissa is that working out is kind of a process that never really ends.
You continue to keep growing, and it's nothing that you just do once. I stopped drinking, I stopped smoking, I stopped doing drugs and now I'm getting my fitness together. So, it just was really nice to kind of become this whole person, and I bring it all back to her. And I'm saying she did this for me, and I'm so thankful for her.
Because of the way that she trains and because of who she is, you wanna do well. - I lost 18 pounds. I didn't focus on hitting a certain number that I wanted to lose, I focused on does this feel okay? Do I have energy? Are my moods okay? Because my emotions were out of wack in the beginning, and I feel like now that I have this system going, I have everything in check. Your personal goal should not be because of somebody else.
- Oh my God, that is insane! Oh my God, I am so proud of you guys. You have no idea. I watch you guys on Instagram, and every time I see you, I see the changes, and it just makes me so happy. If I did, you can do it.
I'm no different, I'm not a superhero, I'm just... I'm a mom, I'm just a regular person. You have to make time for yourself, for the things that you want, so that you can feel good, so that people around you can feel good..
Hey guys it's Kelli from Fitnessblender.Com and today I have a HIIT workout for you for people who get bored easily so
we're going to be doing a different exercise for every single interval so
this should fly right by things could get interesting here I've included your warmup let's go ahead
and get started alright so for our cardio warm up we're
going to be doing 25 seconds of each of these exercises we're starting off nice
and light just jogging in place so get your feet moving so I'm not exactly sure how this is
gonna go i haven't practiced this routine but we're going to be doing like
I said a different exercise for every single HIIT interval so, it could be fun, if you could ever call hit fun - we'll see
how this goes so next up we're going to be doing a
high knee march, so pulling up each knee one at a time - get your arms in there too - and pull up as you up as high as you can you won't need any equipment for this, so you can technically do this anywhere all right five seconds & I'm going to
switch to a Buttkicker row so right here nice and slow still
pulling your arms back and bring that foot up to kick yourself in the butt so we're warming up our arms our upper
back and the front of the thighs five seconds & I'm going to switch to two
front kicks so alternating out in front here one then the other bring your arms into
it if you like it's definitely a total body routine, hitting all of the muscle groups at some way or another here except for doing an overhead stretch plus a toe touch so; windmill your arms up, stretch, and
then come down. Keep your back flat so you get a good stretch through your
lower back and the back your thighs come back up up next we're gonna be doing a walk down so walking your hands up one at a time
until you're full plank. Walk yourself back up. So this is good for warming up
your arms and again you're legs and the backs of your thighs okay next up we have reverse lunges.
Coming up nice
and tall, back behind yourself drop down right between those two feet squeeze your glutes pull your cord next up, side lunges. So coming here you can go down to one
foot in the center so keep that leg that you're leaning away from straight this is gonna be tough, it's hot in here
today not a good sign when you're sweating pretty good during the warm up! We're going to pick up the pace a little
bit here the next we're going to do butt kickers fast this time so nice and light on your feet. Move as
quickly as you can especially once you get warmed up, start pressing for speed. Five seconds switch to squats, which we're going to be doing a lot of today so you want your feet about
shoulder-width apart and you're sinking down, sticking your butt out behind
you so that the majority of your weight is in your heels and keep your back flat,
your eyes up at the wall in front of you squeeze on the way up keep your core nice and tight to protect
your back.
Next up is a curtsy lunge so back and behind yourself, up in the
center. I highly recommend music during this routine turn on something
that motivates you, get ready to work. Next up, our last warm-up interval is
jumping jacks. Nice and light on your feet, make sure you're getting a full range of
motion and then pick up the speed once you get comfortable five seconds left alright so that is our warm-up, we'll be
right back! We're going to be doing 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest for all of these different
exercises and we're starting off with high knees so here we go take a good deep breath
start it up Get your knees nice & high, try to land nice and soft, and move as quickly as you can That's halfway! My ponytail is already bailing on me in the first 10 seconds! Three two and one alright so this is an
active rest so keep your feet moving, to at least a boxer shuffle next up we're doing mountain climbers so
get ready here we go again as fast you can.
Try to pull in your core Halfway right there hey relax - ok so next up we're doing a
ski squat to a sumo squat the good thing about all these is at
least they're only 20 seconds, right? Here we go so narrow out too wide and back. Again,
landing nice and soft here, and going down only as far as you can control but
push-up hard five seconds. - Alright, those are done. Next we're gonna be doing lateral jumps.
Five seconds rest.
Here we go jump as far as you can to each side. 10
Seconds left 5 4 3 2 & 1 all right next up, Burpees, because what
is a HIIT workout without Burpees? I'm sorry it's a must :) here we go; down, jump up as hard as you
can halfway already. Alright so next up we're doing split jumps. Five seconds, take a deep breath 2, 1 - here we go ten seconds Alright, next up we're doing sidestep jumps.
These are fun. Starting in 321 - come down to a squat
move to the side and explode upwards. Go down as low as you can control hold it there, step & jump. 3 Seconds left all right relax.
Next up we have a
spider-man push up So get down...Here we go you're stepping up by that foot and then
do a push-up motion good for range motion and its' a total body exercise make sure you're breathing. Next up we're doing a single leg jackknife here we go five seconds left ok next we're doing broad jumps, so jumping in one direction as hard as we can & then back the other here we go - wind up and jump as far as
you can, turn and go again. Make sure you're turning in a different direction each time. About five seconds left alright rest Next up we have a jumping lunge, 5 seconds of rest left.
Here we go; so down, pop up so the other way; you can also split it in
half come to the center and then go down. Next: "round of applause" here the exercise - we're not going to applaud until it's over. Down, clap your feet, then come up & clap your hands. Ok fast feet are next.
We're going to sink into a squat & move our feet as fast as we can. Here we go sit down, & get those feet moving Keep going! Oh my gosh! Okay, next up is up and out
jacks. Here we go so out, and then in front Pick up the pace as you get more
comfortable ten seconds. 3,2,1 And relax.
Next, to
star jumps! If you get too tired right here - if you feel a little too winded to do it safely, make modifications all right interval before we take a quick break Whew! Now: 2 knees plus a switchfoot okay we're going to take a quick water
break don't stop moving, we'll be right back in
just a second so we're starting back into this with
getups, so we're going to be doing a crunch then going up to touch our toes. So start
out flat on your back, again we're doing 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest - hope
you're still with me! Here we go; come up, tap your toes,
stretch back out and go for that other toe as quickly as you can Next up we're doing plank
jacks. So flip over and you're going to be doing a plank of your choice -
you can go nice & low or come up for a tall plank. We'll be hopping our feet together & apart as fast as you can.
Try to get your body in
a straight line. Next up we're doing power skips,
alternating back and forth jumping up as hard as you can two, one - here we go; up, and then the other side try to get your upper body in there, even
if it's a small range of motion do your best to push up as hard as you
can. Next is a side lunge center jump. We're lunging off to one side and then jumping
in the center Tap that toe, then jump up hard in the center Try to land soft; keep knees slightly bent and jump up all the way - make sure you're nice and straight in the center jump up like you mean it! Alright relax for just a second.
We're
doing squat hold burpees. Take a deep breath. Here we go; drop down and stay right here the do another be a kick-out Next up:
push-ups so choose your level of difficulty; if you've
got enough gas left to do a full push up, do a full one for as long as you can we go oh my gosh Just move to an easier version when you get tired - if you burn out completely just stay right here with a good bend
your elbows and pull in your core Next, the Russian twist so again pick your difficulty; if you
wanna get your feet out further it's harder. You're doing a trunk
rotation and range of motion is more important than speed here.
Try to
get the full twist. Put your feet up further to make it harder, or you can
rest them on the ground to make it easier. Popping back up now, we're doing Oz
squats; we going into a squat and then jumping up as hard as you can and
clicking your heels together. Here we go Drop down, explode upwards bring the feet together halfway Next up we're doing a power curtsy Just two more active intervals to take a
quick break again - we're almost done already so here you go; curtsy behind yourself come up and jump in the center Relax.
Last one here We're doing - 2 high kicks + a jump deep breath So on the same foot, you've got 1 & 2 kicks,
then jump up as hard as you can Quick break and we'll be
right back ok so we're here with the last leg of
this HIIT routine and we're starting off with rocket squat. So we're sinking down in three increments and then jumping up as hard as we can 1,2,3 and off - or 3,2,1 & off Just make sure you're squeezing
your muscles the entire time and jump up as hard as you can, then land nice and soft Now we're going into a tall plank,
and we're going to pushing up and putting your butt up in the air using your
upper body, and then bring one toe and tap up near your hands. Here we go so up and then bring knee up & in all right stand back up next we're doing
butt kicker drops. We're gonna be doing three butt kickers and then drop down to
touch the ground in a squat.
Here we go; one two three and down, one
two three and down. So start with a different leading leg each time to mix
things up, keep your body guessing & your mind in the game Next up, what do we have? We have three pulse lunges. So same with the squat; 3,2,1 lunge, and switch okay next up we have tricep dip kicks.
Come down, here we're pressing up while we kick a foot out - so kick one foot and then the other. Have your arms going straight out behind you to target those triceps, the back of
your arms keep it going three seconds left Alright we're going to flip over, next
we're doing an up-down plank Go down down, up up, down down, up up Try to lead with a different arm each time Next up: front kicks + squats kick in the front, and then one squat Alright, here we go; so down and squat.
Use nice smooth motions, keep everything nice and tight. Pull in your core and squeeze
your glutes on the way up from the squat and again when you're kicking keep your
abs really tight here So next up we have stutter jacks - so this
one's gonna be hard we're nice and tired. Here we're breaking
our jumping jacks into 3 increments so one two three One two one two, and
then once you get the hang of it and pick up the pace five seconds left Next we have a split jump squat three two one here we go so apart, apart
and down. Again you want to lead with a different leg each time.
Over halfway done. Next up we have my fly jack's - one
minute and a half of work left here! Here we go, so again nice light on your
feet & move as quickly as you can Don't forget to breathe! Ten seconds three two one all right next up we have plyo side
lunges three two one here we go so down tap your foot and then come to
the center so you're staying leaned on that side, long enough to kick the foot & tap that heel. Keep your back nice and flat Last interval and we're going to finish up with squat jumps so really finish those legs off so go as hard as you can okay that is it! So make sure that you
cool down and stretch after this; we'll provide a link to cool down for you. Drink lots of water when you're done
here, otherwise good job guys; this workout is complete! .
What's up, guys? Jeff Cavaliere, Athlean-X.Com. So, I was going to do an entirely different
video tonight and something came across my desk that forced me to change my hand. You see, there was a recent poll that was
done, or a fitness test that's supposed to determine how long you're going to live. 10 Drills, or exercises that you're supposed
to be able to do to ensure a longer life.
In that group of drills was this one particular
one called the Standing and Rising Test. Apparently, this is one of the ones that causes
a lot of problems for people. They sit there and they pass it around, and I'm going to
show you what it is because I want you to try it. Whether or not you can, or can't do it I think
there's a really big, important message that spawned off of this that made me feel so strongly
about making this video.
It is: let's raise our standards of fitness.
You see, here's what the Standing and Rising Test is: I'll stand up out of frame here so
you can see it. Basically, you're supposed to be able to cross
your feet, and without using your hands, your knees, or your shins you're supposed to be
able to lower yourself down to the ground here, and then you're supposed to be able
to rise up off the floor without using your hands, your knees, or your shins. Now, obviously that was easy for me. It's
not supposed to say "Look how good I am and how I can do it." No! This is fucking easy
because it's supposed to be easy.
You see, we can't let this be the standard
of excellence. The fact that I could get off the ground without using my knees, my shins,
or my hands? Good. Congratulations, Jeff! You're a human being. If we were a kid, when
we were babies we did that all the time.
We made things look easy. Why is it that as we
get older and I mean even in your 20s why is it that when we get older we start
allowing people to tell us what's normal for your age and what you can and can't do. You can't use the excuse "I'm getting old.
I'm too old for that shit." Too old for what? To get off the ground by yourself? Without
needing the Life Alert? "Help me, I've fallen! I can't get up!" We
need to be able to have much higher standards for what we do. So, try it out and see and
test yourself in private.
Again, if you can't do it, here's the thing:
let it be a wakeup call. Let it be a wakeup call. This should be something that should
be easy for you. If it's not, you might have a problem with
your lower body strength, you might have a problem with your balance, you might have
a problem with coordination, you could have some orthopedic issues; your knees might hurt.
I've got pretty shitty knees myself, but I
was still able to get up. If those are the things; start working on them. You can. There
are so many things you can do.
At Athlean-X here, I try to train you like
an athlete. Like a professional athlete. Even though I know you dont make a living as
a professional athlete, I try to train you like a professional athlete by giving you
the same exact things that I let these guys that come and make a living off of being a
professional athlete are doing. I have high aspirations for you.
You still
possess the same levels and capacity for strength and balance and coordination and quickness.
You have the same capacity, you're just not allowing yourself to realize it. You're trying to set these limitations up
being either too old, or just not a pro. Let's raise the standards. I hope you can all get
off the ground and if you can, congratulations.
I really am glad. I think a lot of guys watching this channel
who followed me for a long time are going to be able to ace that test really easily,
but if you can't, again, not picking on you at all; but it's a wakeup call. It's time to start changing your habits and
doing some things. Again, even if you are able to ace this, that's just a standard of
well-below our standards.
So we're going to take you to that next level.
We have so many challenges in Athlean-X to make sure that we take it to these extreme
levels of fitness and we walk you through them and get you there step by step. If you guys are looking for that plan and
to let me take you through and raise your standards then head to Athlean-X.Com right
now and get one of our Athlean-X training systems and work your way up. From the bottom all the way up you'll get
better. That's the key.
Day by day. If you've found this video to be eye opening again,
this is what we're setting as our standard of fitness excellence leave your comments
below. In the meantime, I will bring that video to
you that I promised I was going to make. We're going to do something on the shoulders again
later this week; a really good shoulder training tip that you might not have been aware of.
I'll bring that to you in a couple days. I
wanted to make sure I got this out to you as soon as this came across my desk. It was
that eye opening for me. I'll see you guys back here again real soon..
