A fitness influencer who piled on the pounds doing daily high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has discovered a weekly workout routine that actually allows her to lose weight — and she’s now proclaiming that “less is more” when it comes to exercise.
Courteney Fisher,who boasts 1.3 million followers on TikTok, was left burned out by popular HIIT classes, which left her feeling ravenous and resulted in binge eating.
“My cortisol levels went through the roof,” the content creator confessed in a viral video which has clocked up more than 750,000 views.
“My hormones were all over the place, and my body was in a stressed state,” she added.
“I ended up feeling really, really discouraged and exhausted because I was pushing my body so hard, and I was not getting to where I wanted to go.”
@justtcocoo Quick reminder & reason why pilates and sculpt is so transformative for our bodies✨ Pilates & sculpt workouts are going to help regulate your nervous system due to the deep breathing and low impact moves that then in turn will lower your cortisol levels. High cortisol levels cause fluid retention in the body, weight gain, increased hunger, and irritability. When we start doing low impact workouts like the one from today and this week we will start to lower cortisol levels and store less water in the body. Another big thing that happens is when we stop doing such high intensity workouts and incorporate low impact intentional deep core focused workouts into our routine our cortisol levels drop which then drops our hunger hormone making it easier to stay consistent with our nutrition goals. Consistency is key with both our workouts and our diets. When we pair our pilates and strength training workouts we’re able to drop our cortisol levels, build lean muscle, strengthen smaller muscle groups that are often overlooked, increase mobility, flexibility, and help you drop fat and stick with your nutrition!
♬ original sound – Courteney Fisher
At the time, Fisher was often doing multiple HIIT classes per day.
She would also undertake regular boot camps.
Feeling fatigued and frustrated — and failing to lose the weight she wanted — the fitness influencer decided to create a far gentler exercise routine dubbed “3-2-1”, and surprisingly found the pounds dropped off.
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“The 3-2-1 stands for three days of strength training, two days of Pilates, and one day dedicated toward your cardio work,” Fisher stated.
While the routine means you must work out six days a week, the content creator claims the method is more manageable than most.
She stresses that the day dedicated to cardio should be flexible — and doesn’t necessarily have to include a grueling sweat session on the treadmill.
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“For me, I love having that day be just a long walk,” she said.
“So I’m really focusing on getting in those five [other] workouts every single week and staying consistent with it.”
Meanwhile, Fisher said she had long been a fan of Pilates, but worried the workout didn’t burn enough calories.
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To her surprise, however, the content creator found that the exercise did wonders when teamed with weight training and gentle cardio.
After sticking with the 3-2-1 method for some time, Fisher dropped 10 pounds and lost 11 inches off her waist.
“I am definitely the fittest I’ve been,” she enthused.
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“My body fat percentagehas dropped tremendously, and I feel so happy with where I’m at. I am now just maintaining.”
“This is just your reminder that less is more,” she concluded.
