i've been following the blogilates youtube channel since i was in pharmacy school. my friend theresa and i used to do her videos in the gym after class when we had the chance, so i knew i loved the blogilates style. i had heard about her piit28 program, and decided i should give it a try. and since she also had the 28 day reset, which is really just a way to be mindful about what you are eating, i decided to just go all in and do both at the same time... you know... it was the beginning of the new year and all that. ha!
piit stands for pilates intense interval training, and piit28 is a 28 day program where you workout for about 28 minutes a day (more if you take longer breaks, plus add in time for stretching) 6 days a week with one day a week to rest. each workout consists of 7 different moves (think squats or high kicks, etc.) which are done for 45 seconds each with a 15 second break between each move. you repeat for 4 cycles to get the 28 minute workout. there are three different programs, so once you finish piit28 1.0, you can either move up to 2.0 or repeat a second round of 1.0.
so what did i think about the piit28 program? it's hard. sometimes even with the modifications, it was really hard. but it's so much fun! the way it's timed, makes it like a game to finish your round and before you know it, you're done. i really cannot explain the feeling (maybe it's like a runner's high?) when you finish your workout and are doing your stretches afterward. stretching is always my favorite part. i can feel that my muscles accomplished something.
and there's a serious sense of accomplishment that comes with each step... after you complete one cycle, then one whole workout, then after you complete a whole week, and finally after you've reached that last day. it's just a really amazing feeling each sweaty step of the way.
here's my number one tip for piit28. there's an instagram photo challenge that goes along with the daily workouts. it might be something like posting about your favorite quote or a dream vacation or just a sweaty selfie. it might seem strange, but do it! it's honestly the best way to stay accountable. plus, as a fun perk... if you finish the whole 28 days and do the instagram photo challenge, you'll get a free piit28 completion shirt (which i'm wearing in the photo above.) here's one of the quotes i shared on my piit28 instagram account.
as part of the instagram photo challenge, you'll take "before" and "after" photos. even without the photos, i noticed my body changing. i'd say after about two weeks, i really noticed that i felt stronger. my posture had improved. i could complete the workouts more quickly (aka less extended water breaks. ha!). but then you look at the photos and you can really see the changes. the change in how i was feeling was a really great motivator to keep going on the days i didn't want to workout. i just reminded myself about how great i would feel when i reached the end and was doing my post-workout stretches.
so here's another tip: don't blow off those "before" photos. it's tempting to not want to take them... it's not that much fun, but it can serve as a really strong motivator when you see your progress. take your photos in front of a plain background (a solid wall works well) and try to wear the same clothes in your before and after. i used the self-timer on my phone to take mine because i didn't have anyone home to take them.
so what about the 28 day reset? as i mentioned, it's basically a way to check in on what you are eating and get back on track with healthier eating habits. you start out by cutting out dairy, gluten, added sugar, all processed foods, and alcohol. this is meant to clear out your body and see if you have any intolerances. you don't need to purchase anything to do this challenge, and there are some free resources on the blogilates website here. but i knew i would need some help if i was going to stick to it, so i purchased the 28 day reset guide which has tons of meal plans and ideas at the same time that i purchased piit28.
how did it go? my success was a little bit mixed. after about 3 days, i was going insane because prior to the challenge, i drank my daily coffee with milk and sugar... now i couldn't have dairy or sugar. i couldn't handle black coffee, so i was trying to do without coffee. not a good plan. i already knew that i don't have an intolerance to dairy because i cut it out postpartum with aiden. so i decided to add it back in to save my sanity. i learned to drink coffee with just half and half (which contains less sugar than regular milk) and stopped adding my normal spoonful of sugar. i still prefer it this way now. in fact, i no longer like sweet lattes at all. i used to love white chocolate mochas, and now i literally cannot drink one because it's way too sweet. funny how you can change your taste preferences in a matter of weeks.
as far as the rest of the reset challenge, i stuck with it. i do think it was a big factor in my physical transformation during those 28 days. cutting out gluten was pretty major for me. i love bread, pizza, pasta, etc. so i was definitely eating less during this period. making spaghetti with spaghetti squash is NOT the same as regular spaghetti. haha! and cutting out sugar was pretty major as well. there's no doubt that i have a sweet tooth. i tend to sneak chocolate or a cookie or something sweet to get me through the day. for me, it's actually easier to completely restrain than attempt to cut back. if i have a couple m&m's, chances are pretty good that i will finish the whole bag by the end of the day. after about a week, i found that my cravings for sweets lessened, but restraining was still probably the hardest part of the challenge. the processed foods part was fairly easy to stick with, especially with the meal plans helping to guide the meals. and cutting out alcohol was not a big deal for me since i typically only drink once or twice a year anyway.
so what were my results? i didn't weigh myself at the beginning of the challenge because i didn't want to obsess over the scale, but i know what my typical weight was in the weeks and months before i started. i lost right around 10 pounds in the 28 days. i also lost a few inches here and there... these are my before and after measurements:
bicep: 10.25 in → 10 in
bust: 35 in → 34.5 in
chest: 30.5 in → 30.5 in
waist: 28.5 in → 26.25 in
hips: 38.25 in → 36 in
thigh: 22 in → 21.5 in
and these are my before/after photos... which still make me a little uncomfortable to share, but so be it. haha!
if you read this far, thank you! writing this and reflecting on my experience has me feeling excited to get started again. i fell off the wagon a bit and failed to prioritize myself once again... it's an ongoing struggle! but i'm ready to get going again. i have been going to the gym after i drop the kids off at school, but i want to mix it up a little bit now. i'm going to start with round 1 of piit28 again in september.
if you want to join in, you can use the promo code THANKYOU30 to get 30% anything from piit28.com until september 5th. and if you sign up with my ambassador link, i will get a small credit which would be awesome. :)
my final tip would be not to get too hung up on rules. as i mentioned, cutting dairy wasn't working for me. i added it back in, and kept going with the rest. sometimes you just have to do what works for you. there were a few times when i needed to switch my "day off" during the week because of our schedule. so i just did it and didn't get hung up about being off track or anything like that. the most important thing is to keep going! do whatever works so that you will keep going.
leave a comment or send me a message if you have any questions. i'm not an expert, but i'd be happy to share more about my experience or try to help if i can.
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