Orange Theory Tips/Advice

So, I've never tried Orange Theory per se, but I'm fairly familiar with the type of classes they are. I think once a week is great to start out with...give it a couple months and if you feel like you can do two per week, then scale up if you can afford it. In the meantime, I'd supplement with something a little less intense, like yoga. YouTube has some great low-intensity work outs.

The main thing with these high intensity workouts is to listen to your body. When you go too hard too fast, you risk burn out or injury. Trust me, I had both happen to me when I was doing a similar workout program. What's most important is that you find what works for you and you can do it consistently. One saying that really rang true to me was "A little bit of yoga every day is better than a lot of yoga every once in awhile." Small consistent movements give you better results than intense infrequent ones.

However, you can't out run a bad diet....so be very mindful of what you eat. Researchers are even now starting to say that while working out is great for your mental health and blood pressure, it's kind of terrible for losing weight. Because while you burn calories...it's not nearly enough to make a dent in overall burn rate, and oftentimes it makes your body more hungry.

Good luck! I hope you enjoy your new workout routine (and like you mentioned, I'm sure OrangeTheory will be great for managing some of that anxiety!)

Thank you AyEmVee!! I totally sign on to what you're saying about how exercise can actually backfire. I managed to gain 5 pounds while I was training for a half marathon because I didn't pay attention to what I was eating. I will definitely be tracking my food.

I still have some Pure Barre classes left from a package I bought a while ago, so maybe I'll supplement with that once a week and a muscle class that I go to regularly.

My company is doing a weight loss challenge right now, and I'm approaching it totally differently than I did last year. Last year I was all about HIIT workouts and a fairly restrictive diet, but I was totally miserable doing the workouts everyday and depriving myself.

This time I'm doing yoga and more mindful eating....portion control and being really good on weekdays, but letting loose a little on some Friday nights and Saturdays. I've lost the same amount of weight as I did last year....but this time I feel like things are much more sustainable.

Like I said...it's all about experimenting and finding what works best for you.

This is my second time with Orange Theory. I signed up for the 8 class and go twice a week. I think it is such an awesome workout, but I do need to get my eating on par. I too want to lose about 25 pounds by the wedding. I also plan on swimming a couple of days a week or doing the C25K app.

A new Orange Theory opened near me and offered two weeks free so I tried it thinking I'd go right back to yoga after the 2 weeks. Well, I ended up loving it and decided it was worth the $150/month for unlimited membership. That was at the end of January. Since then I've been going about 3-4x/week and have had great results! I don't weigh myself and wasn't trying to lose weight but I am starting to see muscles in my arms and abs that I barely saw after doing crossfit for a year! So I think it's great but the best workout is the one you look forward to and can maintain consistently!

I go to a personal training gym. I was going regularly twice a week for circuit workouts and could really see the results especially in my arms. I "fell of the wagon" so to speak for a while because work and school and now I'm going once a week if I can fit twice in, I try. I definitely would try to go twice if you can-- I had a much more noticeable difference last time and while I can see it building now..it's not as quick !

Thanks Kayla! I think I will upgrade to twice a week in April. I'm really enjoying these workouts!