30 Day Shred

Day 10 -- 10/10/2012

No, I haven't forgotten about the 30-Day Shred.  Yes, I did miss a couple of days due to a concert and a little extra sleep deprivation (in addition to my already minuscule sleep portions).  I will say it has been hard to get back on the workout happy train since skipping a couple of days.  It's true what they say -- good habits take twice as long to form as do bad habits.

Today I just completed Day 10.  This is my last obligatory day in Level One.  I am definitely ready to move on.  I can complete the workout without totally cursing Jillian's existence anymore; furthermore, I am getting just a little bored with the routine, so I am looking forward to new and/or more challenging exercises.  One thing that has helped is to turn down the volume of the video and exercise to my iPod.  I have a playlist I call "Work It Out" which includes everything from Little Big Town to Dave Matthews Band.  No one ever said I wasn't eclectic in my tastes!

Speaking of getting re-motivated, I have not checked my body measurements.  I think I will save that for the end of this month.  However I am obsessed with stepping on my scale everyday.  I believe that's actually a dieting no-no.  But my weight has very consistently gone down (except the morning after the concert and the couple'a light adult beverages...water retention, anyone?)  In 10 days I am down 4.4 pounds!  Wahoo!  Stay tuned for my thoughts on the next 20 days.

Day 3 -- 10/03/2012

My legs feel like jello!  It was actually harder to complete the workout today than in previous days -- isn't it supposed to be getting easier?  Nevertheless, I had an incredible sense of accomplishment.  I am hoping to hit "rock bottom" soon and find the soreness become replaced by new found strength.  Stay tuned...

Day 1 -- 10/01/12

I started Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred today.  I am (one day short of) 6-weeks postpartum, a nursing mother, and highly motivated to "shred" off the last of my baby weight and then some!  I have researched blog posts, forum topic threads, and diet reviews of this workout for days -- perhaps trying to scare myself back onto the couch.  The most common theme I discovered was not so much an incredible weight loss, but a significant loss of BMI and inches.  I CANNOT believe I am about to do this, but here are my starting measurements:

Right Upper Arm 11 3/4"
Left Upper Arm 12"
Bust 43 1/2"
Bra Band / Upper Torso 35"
Natural Waist 34 1/2"
Hips 40 1/2"
Right Upper Thigh 22 1/2"
Left Upper Thigh 23 1/2"

Things to ponder: why is everything on my left side slightly bigger than my right side? Did you  notice that bust size?  Nursing makes my chest go crazy! 43-34-40...that's one heck of an hourglass.

My thoughts after finishing Day One:

Whoa!  Workout-Video-Jillian is just as intense as Biggest-Loser-Trainer-Jillian.  She kept saying things like "You are never going to get abs like mine for free!  You have to earn them!" "The finish line in any race is back at the starting line.  You can't finish what you don't start!"  "No breaks!  If you're only going to workout for 20 minutes, it's going to be the hardest 20 minutes of your life!"

I had sweat rolling into my eyes.  It was a tough workout, but my heart rate stayed nicely elevated and all my muscles engaged the entire time.  Throughout the day, my legs and sometimes my arms felt like jello, but manageable.  I have no idea how badly I will hurt in the next few days.  Wish me luck!