Winter Shape Up 2014 Intro Post + Week 1 Workout
**This is your landing page for everything Winter Shape Up-related! Put it in a safe place 😉
It’s the most wonderful tiiiiime of the year….
Welcome to Winter Shape Up 2014!
I’m even more stoked about this year’s Shape Up because it’s the first year that we’re having full meal plans, provided to you by a Registered Dietitian. I asked my friend Anne to help out with the Shape Up this year, and she’s using her extensive nutrition knowledge to create efficient meal plans (for high energy and fitness gains) for the 4-week challenge.
We’re also really excited to welcome this year’s official Winter Shape Up sponsors:
Huge thanks to:
and Fitfluential!
They’ll be providing tons of amazing giveaways for the next 4 weeks, so stay tuned for your chance to win sweet prizes for participating!
So how does the Shape Up work?
I started doing the Winter Shape Up because it’s the perfect amount of time before spring to start making some visible results from your hard work. As the saying goes, “Summer bodies are made in the winter” so when the sun starts to come out, I already feel and notice the results from my efforts. This isn’t an extreme plan in any means, but rather a lifestyle to easily be able to follow until we change it up in a couple of months. (To avoid plateaus and keep things fresh and exciting, you should change your fitness routine every 4-6 weeks. For the Shape Ups, the plan changes EVERY week so you’ll never feel bored!) You’ll have a plan to follow if you’d like each week, and you can complete the weekly workout 1-3 times on non-consecutive days.
Anne will be posting the full nutrition plans on her blog and I’ll have the weekly workouts here on my blog. On my sidebar, I’ll also have a Winter Shape Up widget that will take you to this page. We’ll have all of the workouts and meal plans easily linked:
(Bookmark this page, pin it, or put it in an easy-to-find spot so you can easily get to the pages below)
Each week, you’ll have a workout plan and a nutrition plan to follow, if you’d like. The beauty of Winter Shape Up is that you can participate as much as your unique preferences and schedule allow, and you’ll be rewarded for participating and checking in along the way! Winners for each giveaway will be announced on Mondays throughout the challenge.
All of the workouts will have a video that you can follow along, as well as a text version. The videos include modifications for each exercise, but keep in mind that they were designed for the average gym-going Jane, who is injury-free and comfortable lifting weights. If you’re just getting started with fitness or strength training, I highly recommend talking with a local certified personal trainer for form guidance. You should be able to easily complete 30 minutes of steady state cardio, 5 days a week, before attempting any type of interval training, As always, check with a doc before making any fitness or nutrition changes.
How to check in and enter the giveaways:
The above pages will be your sources for all of that particular week’s info, and your chance to comment and check in with that week’s progress. When you check in by leaving a comment, you are automatically entered for that week’s giveaway. Check in each day on Anne’s site for your clean eats and here for your fitness progress. (Yes, you can enter up to 14 times each week; 7 on my site for fitness and 7 on Anne’s for food!) For example, for week 1, you will check in below each day with what you did for your fitness routine, how it went, how you felt, etc. On Anne’s Week 1 landing page, you’ll comment to check in with your eats! (I hope I’m not making this more confusing than it should be, haha. Let me know if you have any questions! The simple version: Check in EVERY day! On my page for fitness, on Anne’s for nutrition. Obviously, the more you check in, the higher your chances of winning).
Let’s get this party started, shall we??
Here’s the Week 1 workout schedule:
-For the steady state, do anything you enjoy for moderate intensity. A run, dance class, Soli Beat, row or Stairmill session work nicely
Your official Week 1 Workout, video and form cues will be up Monday, January 27, along with our first giveaways!
Here’s how to prepare for the official launch on Monday:
-Check out the fitness plan above for the first week and see what/if you need to shuffle. If you are beginning or changing your fitness plan, now is a great time to get the “Ok” from your doc, too
-Check out Anne’s intro post for your Week 1 meal plan and grocery list
-Join our Facebook group for discussion, links to the posts, and to connect with your Shape Up teammates
-Take some “before” pics! I don’t recommend going by weight -as muscle is more dense than fat and you could essentially lose fat, gain muscle, look leaner, and weigh the same- but you could have your body fat percentage checked this weekend, and take some before pics to see your chances over the 4 weeks
-Add to your inspiration board, or make one if you haven’t yet. Visualize your goals and success for this Shape Up. What are you planning to accomplish? Having your goals in an easily visible spot will encourage you to take steps towards achieving them
-Here’s a handy badge to add to your blog, too, if you’d like 🙂
Remember to tweet your sweaty workout pics and clean eats so we can all cheer for each other! @fitnessista @fannetasticfood #wintershapeup
This is going to be the best one yet.
xo
Gina (and Anne!)
Are you joining in the fun?? Leave a comment below to let us know! It will count as your first giveaway entry, too 🙂
I’m in! I’ve LOVED your previous shape-ups–can’t wait to see what this one has in store! 🙂
Joining for sure! The Summer Shape Up was a blast!
Loved last year’s, so I’m super excited! Plus, this year, I have extra motivation…my wedding in the fall!
wahoo!
I started doing some of my favorite workouts from last years WSU as prep 😉 I also love the idea of the FB group. Total accountability. Very excited :)!
Yes! Hoping to use it to complement my half marathon training and to tone up after baby #2!
i’m excited to try out new workouts!
I’m excited to start!
excited! looking forward to this!
Count me in! Cannot wait to clean up my eats and work up a sweat 🙂
I’m in! I’ll be doing spinning/row workouts for my steady state and combining your workouts and/or Pure Barre for the other days. So ready!
I’ve really enjoyed the last few shape-ups and can’t wait to add each week’s work out into my routine. Thanks Gina ( & Anne) for putting so much work into this, I truly appreciate it! xo
So excited!!
I’m in! Ready to get started to have a more active summer with my kids!
I’m so excited for this! I’m in 🙂
Looking forward to WSU!!!!! So excited!!!!
Looks awesome, I’m in!
So excited to participate this year! I’m motivated and in the right mindset to do this!!
I am really excited about this! Just wondering what equipment the workouts will require?
Looking forward to this!
Excited to participate this year! Definitely need some shape-up after all the holiday fun!
Let’s get our workout on!
Yay! Your shape-ups are one of my favourite fitness times of the year 🙂
I’m in! Love having a plan when I hit the gym 🙂 And an added bonus with help in the nutrition department too!
In! Super excited to add this to my normal running routine.
I’m in! I love the meal plans. I am in the midst of training for a half marathon so I will be tweaking the workout plan slightly! I can’t wait for it to start!
I’m so excited for the winter shape up! I’ve had a hard time getting back on track since the holidays so this is just what I need!!
Can’t wait to be a part off this! Going to be amazing!
Can’t wait to be a part off this! Going to be amazing!
So excited to start WSU and get back into a healthy routine after the holidays!
I’m looking forward to using WSU as a guide! My workouts need a refresh and this is a perfect time for it!
I did your last shape up and LOVED It!! Can’t wait for this one!!
Yay! I’m excited for some new workout ideas 🙂
I’m in! I so wish you’d consider posting yes workouts on Sunday… Taking Monday off is not great way to start the week motivated! (For me at least…)
sunday is a family day, so i don’t usually spend much of it at the computer. at night when liv is asleep, i can get blog stuff done. i got the workout up today (it’s on youtube) but i can’t promise that it will be up sunday each week. all of the form cues and printable will be up in the morning.
I was going to comment the same thing about starting on Sundays…but I totally get Sunday being family time as that’s what it is for me, too. Thank you so much for making all these awesome workouts! I’m excited for the first one since you always include new and challenging moves! I’ll still be excited every week no matter if they start Sunday or Monday. 🙂
I am excited for some fresh ideas and new inspiration during these dreary weeks!
I’m so excited you guys are doing this! I’m new to your blog but I found Anne about 9 months ago and I LOVE all her recipes that I’ve tried. I lost 60lbs last year and I’m hoping to lose my last seven by Spring!! Looking forward to Workout #1. I’m glad we can play with the schedule, Thursday is my day of rest, I’ve printed it out and made my necessary changes so I’m good to go!!!
I can’t wait! I look forward to the bi-annual Shape Ups all year!
:)!
I’m so pumped! These shape ups are the perfect way to switch it up through out the year! Thanks again!
I’ve never done one before but I’m excited to try it out!!!
Definitely participating- I loved last year’s Summer Shape Up. Have never done the Winter one, but I’m really looking forward to seeing Workout 1 🙂
I’m gonna have to seriously modify, as I am pregnant, but can’t wait!
This is perfect timing for me! I’m in!
Can’t wait to start! Last year was amazing, so I can’t wait! I’m going grocery shopping today to get prepared for the coming week, Thank you Gina and Anne for doing this!
:)!
Excited to get started! I’m in. Thanks for all the work you guys do putting this together. 🙂
Cannot wait to get started! I have been looking forward to this…do excited.
I’m in. Excited for a new challenge:-)
I’m training for a May marathon but I will try to add in some strength/stretching!
I’m in! I just finished prepping some food for the week!
So excited for Winter Shape up! Thanks to Annes meal plan my grocery shopping was a breeze! Can’t wait for some fresh new workouts and recipes!
So excited for this shape up!!!
So excited! Need something to shake up my normal routine.