arisugawa

After taking 3 days off - 1 due to packing/moving, the other 2 due to headaches & nausea - I’m getting back on track with the 30 day Shred.  2 days now plus the 4 from before = 6 days total Shredding!  I am taking it slowly for now, so I am still working on Level 1 which is still quite a challenge.  I haven’t seen any visible differences in my body yet (I know that’s extremely ambitious after only 6 days, but after reading comments from others on this program I allowed myself to hope!) but the exercises themselves feel a little easier.  I feel a lot more controlled doing the moves, which means I can push myself farther and hopefully get more out of every move.  Best of all, I no longer really feel sore the day after, and I am down 2 lbs on the scale this morning!

Also, I wanted to thank everyone who has commented on my blog so far, for your kindness and encouragement.  Since I am new here and am basically just jotting down some random thoughts occasionally, I never expected anyone to be reading this, much less commenting, so that has been a very nice surprise!

I’m happy to report that my knee held up well enough for me to successfully complete the Shred Level 1 workout again last night.  In fact, it’s not even bothering me today.  However, if I thought Day 2 was going to be easier since I had done it once before, it’s certainly time to think again!  My arms were so sore from attempting full pushups on Day 1 that I could only do the modified (knees) pushups this time, and was still straining to complete them.  Also, my calves and abs are exceptionally sore today.  It makes me wonder if each day will add a new sore body part until my entire body is just sore all over.

Still, the soreness makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, and I’ll just take it one day at a time and see where that takes me… hopefully to some lower numbers!

After being sick last week, I’m happy to report that I’m finally starting to feel normal again…  which means it’s time to get back on track and focus on getting healthy!

Lately I’ve been hearing tons of great things about Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred workout, and since I’m a fan of Jillian already from watching Biggest Loser, I’ve decided to give it a shot!  From reading others’ experiences, it seems that the weight loss number itself usually isn’t too spectacular, but many have seen significant results in toning up and losing inches, as well as increased endurance.  Sounds like a good deal to me, for only 20 minutes a day!

So, I bought myself a pair of 3 lb. hand weights and gave the Level 1 workout a try last night.  Here are some initial thoughts:

- 20 minutes without breaks is really relentless!  Even having read the reviews, this was more challenging than I thought!

- The exercises themselves are pretty basic (for level 1 at least) - pushups, crunches, jumping jacks, etc.  So far this is a plus for me since it means I can focus on the exercise rather than spending the time trying to figure out how to do it in the first place.

- Today I am mildly sore all over, even a little less sore than I expected.  However, my right knee is hurting a bit - I must have stressed it too much last night doing one exercise incorrectly, and will have to watch for it in the future.

- I haven’t done other workout videos before so I really have nothing to compare it to, but I really liked Jillian’s style - tough (but nowhere near as tough as it shows her on tBL!) but very encouraging as well.

- Exercise is a pretty amazing thing:  Before I started the workout, I was just laying around feeling somewhat down, and had a strong urge to snack.  After the workout, I felt much better and the thought of eating those unhealthy snacks was actually repulsive!

Overall, I’m quite pleased with 30 Day Shred.  Hopefully my knee will be okay to do it all again tonight, and I am planning to continue this program for at least 30 days.  I will definitely report back with more thoughts and results when I have them!

Well, today I actually have a quasi-legitimate excuse for not exercising - I am so sick I can barely sit up straight!  I hadn’t been sick so far all year so I thought I skated by this time, guess I was wrong there.  Hopefully I can feel better by Thursday, which is when my sister is planning to come over and help me with some serious packing & moving this weekend.  In the meantime, even if I don’t feel well enough to exercise, I will be watching what I eat very carefully to make sure I get the nutrition I need and avoid the junky stuff.

In other news, I finally got to watch this season’s The Biggest Loser!  Though I missed the first few episodes, I caught up by watching online, just in time to watch tonight’s (half) episode.  I’m a little ticked that the 2nd half was pushed to tomorrow… certainly the presidential debate is important, but does it really need to be broadcast on every single channel? ;)  Although honestly, I don’t think the show needs to be 2 hours long in the first place.  So much of it is just lengthy recaps, stretching out of the weigh-in, boring pseudo-drama about voting, and fake-sounding product placement.  Too bad the show isn’t willing to cut the fat like the contestants are!

I’ve never been very good at keeping a regular diary/journal/blog, and even worse at staying healthy, but on recommendation from a good friend I thought I’d give this a try!

I gained 30 pounds during my freshman year of college, and while I’ve stayed around that mark since then and even gone a little below, I’ve never managed to take it completely off after that.  Recently, I’ve watched the numbers creep higher again, probably due to my lack of exercise and love of eating out.

So!  Seems like it’s time to get serious and try something new, and hopefully finally get on track.