….The orange theory fitness kinda kool-aid that is. And it is beyond addicting…
I came to realize that my plan of “just eat healthy and exercise more” was not quite working for me. So drastic measures had to be taken.
In November, a cousin of mine (who I would like to note has always been beautiful and strong and wonderful regardless of her weight or size or any other physical attributes) started doing Orange Theory. In the past 6 months she has dropped close to 80 pounds. Amazed by her strength and commitment, I decided to take the plunge when a new OTF studio opened just up the road from my apartment.
So for those of you who don’t know, here is the breakdown on how the whole Orange Theory thing works…
You walk into the studio to see 3 distinct areas.
Treadmills, Rowers, and Weights.
When you work out at OTF, you will either start with cardio (treadmills) or start with strength (rowers and weights). You get to pick where you want to start, and half way through, the trainer will tell you to switch.
While you are working out, one trainer will give instructions over the headset while the other checks out your form and answers any questions or addresses any problems you may run into. Its great having two coaches available to make sure you are getting the best out of your workout.
Trainer with the headset calls out instructions.
For treadmill this looks like “60 seconds at a push pace. Walkers up to 6% incline, Joggers and runners increase speed by 2 mph over your base. In 3…2…1…Go!”
And in the weight section it is demonstrating each exercise (which is also displayed on a tv screen) and letting you know how long or how far to row between sets.
During the workout you wear a body monitor (either across your ribcage or on your wrist). The information from the monitor is displayed on a TV in the gym so you can see your progress. The premise behind Orange Theory is that you want to be in the Orange zone of your heart rate for 12 minutes of the class (and no, this does not have to be a straight 12 minutes, it can be broken up through out the class!).
Each time you spend a minute in the Orange Zone you earn a splat point (the symbol above). By reaching 12 splat points in a workout, your body achieves something called Excess Post-Exercises Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), also known as the afterburn. EPOC/afterburn is basically the body using oxygen to restore and rebuild the muscle after this type of intense workout. When you get to the EPOC level, your body will continue to burn calories at an increased rate for up to 36 hours after the class!!! And that is why OTF gets such amazing results in such a short amount of time.
The workouts are intense to say the least. Each time, I feel like I am 2 seconds away from an asthma attack (even though I have my inhaler). And I am not gonna lie, getting up at 4am to get to the 5am class to be home before the baby wakes up absolutely sucks.
But starting my day with something healthy and hard makes me feel amazing. And even though I am tired and sore, I feel empowered and motivated. I feel like I am unstoppable. So I will continue to drink the Orange Kool-Aid.
Always ❤
Ashley Grace
A Heart of Grace 