I Tried Chloe Ting's 2 Week Shred Challenge

 

(Disclaimer: Chloe Ting is not a certified fitness instructor nor is she a qualified nutrition expert. The information and advice presented in her videos do not necessarily represent scientific fact and should be acknowledged as her personal opinion/what works for her body type. ~ To ensure that you are in the proper form and alignment for ALL her exercise moves, seek outside info from a trained professional.)

I don't love working out. 

There, I said it. But I also don't love the lethargic feeling that comes over me when I spend too many days stationary in front of my computer - which has been happening a lot more since the pandemic began. For a few weeks I picked up a running habit, following my partner dutifully to and from the track at the local school... but rainy days, hot days, and humid days made for a very inconsistent practice and eventually I lost interest.

I've tried a few more times to run, but honestly, I just don't find it thrilling. I'd rather go hiking in the mountains or climb up the scariest cliff face than stare down at asphalt.

Being cooped up inside for the better part of the spring and summer has inspired me to re-evaluate how I feel about at-home workouts. I've been a longtime fan of Blogilates and Yoga with Adriene, but recently I've been seeing the #chloetingchallenge floating around on social media.

I'd heard of her. Anyone who's ever Googled a free at-home workout has probably scrolled past at least a few of her videos, but honestly I never really gave any of them a try. The 2 Week Shred Challenge was recently featured on The Everygirl and after reading the author's honest perspective on how those two weeks went for her, I decided it would be interesting to give it a go myself - just to see how I felt and looked after that two week period. 

Day 1

The first episode for Day One was an intense cardio session that lasted approximately 15 minutes and no joke - it killed me. I already have a difficult time with cardio (hence my lack of running commitment) and the follow up ab workout just....hurt. 

I hate burpees and the up/down planks were the absolute worst, but I powered through everything (with a few breaks in between) and collapsed on my mat when I was finished.

After that first 25 minutes, I was honestly unsure if I'd be able to stick this out. 

Day 7

Weight loss is 80% diet related and 20% exercise related, so I knew that if I really wanted to see any physically tangible results, I would have to adjust the way I eat and drink for a bit. This meant cutting back on calories and reducing the amount of carbs I've taken to inhaling as comfort food (mostly bread and beer). Being more mindful in this way opened my eyes to how few veggies and fruits I was getting in a day, something that I knew needed a remedy.

The daily exercises became both more difficult and somehow easier to manage. Am I building up some actual muscle here? Either way, every day that wasn't a rest day brought only dread.

Day 14

I'm done! I did it - I survived the 2 week challenge. Day Fourteen was surprisingly easy to get through - even though I had a few setbacks this week (like a hangover on Day Twelve that knocked me out) - and I was honestly just so relieved the whole thing was over. 

So, did the 2 Week Challenge live up to many of its claims?

In short, I still don't have visible abs. I didn't track my weight changes or my measurements either, but from my before and after pictures it's pretty clear that not much changed. I do think my core feels overall a lot stronger and my posture has been better since starting this whole thing.  

That takeaway here is that two weeks honestly isn't long enough to really see any actual results, not without some serious alterations to my daily life (and I'm NOT in the habit of starving myself for weight loss - that's NOT healthy).

I would be down to try another Chloe Ting workout challenge though, and this time around I might actually track my measurements to see if the numbers shift at all. I'm not really all that interested in being super toned, but I did want to increase my endurance when it comes to cardio and strengthen my core to help aid me when I finally start hiking mountains, and I do think her workouts could assist with that.

Let me know in the comments if you'd be interested in my breakdown of another fitness challenge!