Day....???

I realized that my last post took me 20 minutes to write. Why is this funny? It's funny because I was writing about how I didn't have 20 minutes to work out that day!

Geez.

Due to my recent epiphany, I've decided that it is probably better to blog less and work out more. I've been doing great the last few days! I haven't been keeping up with Jillian workouts, but I've been running at the gym and making sure I log 15,000-20,000 steps per day. I'm feeling really great and almost all of my pants are baggy in the butt. I think it's time to go pants shopping!

I guess this is the end of this blog. I want to recommend the "30 Day Shred" video to everybody. It's been a great experience and I have seen major results in a short amount of time! I'm a believer! If you're looking to tone up and shed a few pounds quickly, dedicate 30 days to Jillian and you won't be let down.

Day 14: Take 2

No Jillian today. No workout of any kind today.

We are down to one car and both Tom and I had errands to run tonight. It was 7:00 by the time we got home, made dinner and fed Westonator. Then we had to run 4 errands. We had to carpool because the car is in the shop and it didn't make sense for each of us to make separate trips all over town.

We just got home and it is 9:38. I will not be doing Jillian. I will, however, be going to bed early so that I might have the energy to work out with Jillian tomorrow.

I remember when I thought 30 days seemed like a really short amount of time...

Life is getting in the way of my workouts! I suppose that is the same challenge that everybody faces. Between work, children, maintaining a home, and trying to spend time with friends and family, it's tough to schedule in a work out!

Tomorrow marks the half way point. I feel like I'm pretty much where I was when I started, except that I am a little bit stronger and I have more endurance. My weight is not going to change the way I want it to until I take a serious look at my diet and make some changes....but it's nice to see my little biceps growing :)

Day 13: Take 2

Yesterday I did level one with 5 pound weights.
I'm really lacking motivation right now...

Day 12: Take 2

I'm not feeling as tight and svelte as I was last week. A weekend of binge eating really threw me off. And I was on such a roll, too! I'm really bummed about the steps backward, but I got back in the saddle tonight. Today I ran 3.5 miles and did a grueling ab workout. I wasn't in the mood to hang out with Jillian, plus I had to get my rear to the gym because there are only 13 days left in October and I still have to get to the gym 8 more times! I'm still fighting off a cold and lots of head/chest congestion but running really made me feel better. Getting my heart pumping and sweating a little bit really made me feel healthy and energetic, even though I'm actually kind of sick and tired.

This cold weather makes me want to load up on carbs and sleep in. Must be time to hibernate...

12, 13, and 14

The last three days were not attempted. I was in Marshall to visit my family so I completely neglected my diet and I definitely didn't hang out with Jillian Michaels. When I say completely neglected my diet, I mean COMPLETELY. We're talking apple pie a la mode, beef roast, dohnuts, beer, fast food breakfast...... the whole nine yards. It was delicious, but I've got to get back on track! Eating poorly for three days really made me feel bad, physically. I had less energy and felt really 'blah'. I suppose I can attribute some of that 'blah' feeling to having a cold and really bad allergies. It's harvest time and Marshall is surrounded by fields so the air was thick with stuff that makes me miserable.

Having a bad couple of eating days and no physical acitivty really reminded me how much better I feel when I am practicing a healthy lifestyle! I've decided not to consider the last three days as lost days. Instead, I'm going to consider them do-over days. Tomorrow is day 12. Again. And tomorrow I have a standing date with Ms. Jillian Michaels.

Days 10 and 11

Day 10 was a total miss. Wednesday is grocery shopping day and I had to drag Weston with me since Tom was out of town. I can honestly say I have never had a worse experience in the grocery store. From door to door, my shopping trip took over three hours. Most of this was because of Weston. This is supposed to be my workout blog so I'll spare you the details. Suffice it to say that the cart can no longer contain my child. By the time I got home, bathed Weston, fed Weston, and got him to bed, it was pretty late and I really didn't feel like working out.

Today was day 11. I punished myself for missing yesterday by doing two Jillian workouts this evening. First I did level 3 and I followed it up with level one. I'm moving up to the 5 pound weights for a lot of the moves. I feel like I need to push myself harder or I'll never see the results I want. I need a more intense workout or a longer workout. Doing the two back to back today felt really good. Maybe I'll continue to do two sessions per day.

I weighed myself yesterday and I have lost 2.5 pounds! I must have been holding on to water weight when I weighed myself the other day. I haven't seen this weight for a loooong time. It's been about two years. Feels good! I'm going to keep going with this!

Day 9

I just finished level 2. I'm getting really sick of Jillian but I am starting to notice changes in my body which is keeping me motivated. I weighed myself this morning and was really disappointed that the scale hadn't budged. I guess that can be explained by the fact that I haven't been altering my diet very much. I need to kick the diet plan into high gear if I'm going to see the results that I want.

While the number on the scale hasn't changed, I know I have gotten smaller. I feel firmer, tighter, and stronger. I'm sure I've gained some muscle weight and dropped a little bit of fat weight. I'm really only about 3-4 pounds away from my pre pregnancy weight but I'd like to lose 5-10 pounds to get back to my ideal weight. If I can get to my pre pregnancy weight by the end of these 30 days, I'll be satisfied with my results. I know I can always do another month of Jillian (or maybe find a new DVD since I already cringe when I hear Jillian's voice....) to get to my ideal weight.

Tonight was tough because Weston was climbing all over me during my workout. I ended up doing sit ups with him on my stomach and using him as resistance for some leg lifts because I couldn't do the real moves when he was tyring to climb on me. About 10 minutes in, he started whining and carrying his Baby Einstein DVD over to me and pointing at the TV. I got the message.

So... Weston is contentedly watching his DVD as I cool down from my DVD.

I'm going to do this! I feel good for sticking with it. 21 more days!

Day 8

Today I did level one and kicked it up a notch by carrying three pound weights through all the cardio moves. If you want to make jumping jacks, butt kicks, rope jumping and punching much more difficult, just try to do the moves while holding on to three pound dumb bells! Whew! I was definitely sweating at the end of today's workout. I'm finding that my endurance is increasing. My muscles are already sore and fatigued before I start the workout so the strength moves feel more and more effective each day. I'm officially 1/4 through the program!

I ate apple crisp and turkey sausage for dinner. Bad news.
If I could get my eating under control, I'd be on a roll right now.

I'm starting to notice Jillian's overused phrases. For example, she always says "phoning it in".

"This will replace hours of phoning it in at the gym."

"Don't phone it in on me guys."

What does that even mean?

I will go to bed wondering...

Day 7

Today I did level 3 of "30 Day Shred" and I felt fantastic! It seemed much harder the last time I did it. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that I slept in this morning and have energy whereas my last attempt was after a long day at work. I even did the traveling push ups the real way! No more girly push ups for me! I need to work on getting my face/chest lower to the ground before I can honestly brag about doing full push ups. I think it will be awhile before I get to that point if I even get there at all during this 30 day cycle.

My eating challenges yesterday were a work outing at the bowling alley and a wedding reception. I had a very small breakfast and then I ate some bacon around 10:00 a.m. in an attempt to load up on protein and feel satiated before facing pizza at the bowling alley. I ate two pieces of pizza for lunch but I gave my crust to Weston. We headed straight to the wedding reception where I grazed on pineapple and carrots. For dinner, I loaded up on veggies and chicken and gave my potatoes and my bun to Weston (Don't worry-he's getting his veggies too!). I successfully avoided eating wedding cake and, even more challenging, I avoided the open bar! Go me! I was really proud of myself for that one. I did have one minor (OK, major) slip up when they brought out tubs of flavored popcorn from a local specialty popcorn shop and allowed guests to make bags as a take home favor. I love popcorn. I really do. I couldn't pass this up. I snagged myself a giant bag of caramel popcorn and munched on it while we chatted with our table mates.... and then I ate the rest of the bag for breakfast this morning. Ooops.

The eating part of this challenge is much more difficult for me than the workout part.

It feels like I have been doing the Shred Challenge for FOREVER but it has only been seven days. I'm not even 1/4 through yet! Must. Keep. Going.

Day 6

This morning I did level two with Jillian. Man, those walk out push ups are KILLER! I also noticed how dirty my carpet is while I was doing the push ups. There's nothing like spending 20 minutes with your face intermittently near the floor to remind you that it's time to vacuum. I really like the jumping oblique twists in this level and I really dislike the chair squat with V-press (this move makes me want to die). I am so sore right now. I can tell this workout is really effective and I know I'm going to see results if I can stick it out for 24 more days.

Weston is getting his own little workout right now as he carries my three pound weights around the living room. He's my little workout buddy.

Whoa. He just threw a weight down the stairs. Gotta go!

Day 5

Day five was a miss, at least in the workout department. I'm sssoooo tired by the time Friday rolls around. I simply didn't have the energy to work out. Plus, I brought home an assembly project from work and I had to get started on it. They're paying me 35 cents each to put together these little awards for one of our clients. It's really tedious.... I spent four hours of my Friday night putting magnet strips on the back of mirrors and then gluing the mirrrors into cards. Boring. BUT it will be extra money in my pocket so it's worth it! I think I have about 4-5 hours of work remaining on this project. I need to have 1100 of them done to bring back to work on Monday so I'll be spending a solid chunk of my Sunday on this project.

Even though I didn't work out with Jillian today, I did great with my food intake. I'm starting to feel thinner and I can tell my muscles have reached a point of exhaustion. I woke up really sore this morning which I think can attribute to my 3 mile run on Thursday.

25 days left!

Day 4

I am not a runner. I enjoy most forms of exercise but I have never been very into running. The only time I ever feel inclined to run is when I feel really stressed out. I am usually wanting to run away from something that is going on in my life or wanting to run away from the negative feelings I have churning inside me from something stressful that happened during my day. Today was one of those days. I had a pretty terrible day at work and I left feeling really angry. I decided it would be a good day to skip Jillian and pay a visit to the treadmill instead.

The last time I ran was a couple weeks ago and that night I pushed myself to run a mile. Today I had enough anger to fuel a 3 mile run. I told myself before I started that I wasn't going to stop until I hit the three mile mark. Two miles in, I was surprised at how great I was feeling. I felt exhilarated and strong. The third mile flew by as I gave myself a mental pep talk about making tomorrow a better today and moving past my negative feelings about work.

My legs were a little wobbly as I walked through the parking lot back to my car, but I felt really accomplished. I just ran a 5k in under 30 minutes!

I managed to make it through book club without eating anything and I skipped happy hour trivia tonight in favor of hitting up the treadmill. I did slip up and eat a piece of chocolate cake because the Costco reps were at work today and Costco cake is ssssoooooo yummy.... Oh well. All I had for dinner was a bowl of cereal and skim milk. I figure I blasted about 400 calories on my run so I don't think the cake set me back too far. 26 days to go!

Day 3

I just finished day three. I did level one today because I was feeling really tired. I changed clothes as soon as I walked in the front door after work because I have book club tonight. I knew that if I didn't do my workout right away, I wouldn't do it at all. Weston wandered around the main floor during my workout and he only carried away my weights two times. I find some of the moves in this level to be too easy so I try to use 5 lb dumbbells instead of 3 lb. I have to admit my motivation was not there today, mostly due to my energy level, but I pushed myself through the workout anyway. I'm annoyed that I have to do 'girl' push ups. Push ups kick my butt! I've never had a lot of upper body strength... but I hear that can change with some effort ;)

My eating was great so far today except for the cup of hot chocolate that I had in the afternoon. I made sure to eat breakfast and I had a pretty small lunch. I didn't get in any protein for breakfast or lunch so I had protein for dinner. I ate half a brat (with no bun), half a go-gurt, half a banana, and half a cheese stick for dinner. Weston ate the other halves of those four items so it worked out perfectly!

I'm off to book club! Hopefully I ate enough for dinner to keep me from caving and eating something bad at book club.... I'll report tomorrow.

27 more days to go!

Day 2

Today is day two and I'm feeling really motivated! I was not sore when I got out of bed this morning. I really thought I would be after yesterday's sweat session. Apparently I am not working hard enough! I was really thirsty all day long and managed to get down 40 oz of water before leaving work. This is huge for me as I usually make it from 8-5 on less than 20 oz. I know I need to drink more water so I'm trying to be mindful of that as I do this 30 day challenge.
I managed to sneak in a 20 minute walk with a co worker during lunch today and I feel really good about that. My eating was OK today. I had a great breakfast with lots of protein, a reasonably large lunch with more protein, and a small meatless dinner. I'm mentally preparing to tackle the upcoming food challenges that are looming ahead. In the next four days, I've got book club, happy hour trivia, a work outing, and a wedding reception. YIKES! There are so many opportunities to fail in the eating department. I'm going to have to be really focused. I'm also trying to figure out how I am going to make it to the gym 12 times this month (we get reimbursed by our insurance program) and still make time for this 30 day program.

Tonight I did level 3 of the "30 Day Shred" DVD. I definitely worked up a good sweat. I skipped the cool down at the end of the session and went straight to the fridge for some water because I was ssoooo thirsty. I went half speed through a lot of the moves so I could focus on my form. The traveling push ups are really hard. I have to do a lot of the modified moves for this level because I am not strong enough to do the full moves. Maybe I will be doing the full moves in another 28 days.

Day 1

Welcome to my new blog, SaraShredsIt! I purchased the Jillian Michaels DVD "30 Day Shred" back in January and I have been working out with the video occasionally but certainly not regularly. I've gotten to the point where I am ready to commit! I'm also at a point of physical fitness where I can take on something challenging. I've come a long way on my journey back to my pre-pregnancy weight but I still have about 5 pounds of fat to shed and some toning that needs to take place. This blog is going to follow my 30 day effort to lose the final pounds of baby weight that are lingering from my pregnancy with Weston, who was born on June 10th, 2010. Yup. It's been nearly 16 months and I am still not quite there. However, that's not to say I haven't made a lot of progress! Let's take a look back to see how far I've come.

I gained 55 pounds with my pregnancy and after it was all said and done, I had about 30 pounds that I was stuck with. Since I wasn't breastfeeding and my muscles were completely non existent from being on bed rest for a month, I did not drop many pounds in the months immediately following Weston's birth. It was definitely slow going for me as I dropped a pound or two each month. Once I felt like being more physically active, my weight loss picked up. But then the holiday season hit and my weight was at a standstill for 2 months. Since returning to work and being on more of an eating schedule, I've continued to lose about 1-2 pounds a month. Twenty five pounds later, I'm feeling pretty good about the progress I have made in the last 16 months. It hasn't been easy to find time to work out and eat right amidst the chaos of working full time, maintaining a home, and being a mother to a toddler but my progress proves that it is possible!

And now I'm ready to take the plunge with Jillian and finally lose the last 5 pounds. I even made Thomas take 'Before' pictures while I posed in my swimsuit. Let me tell you, those pictures left a little to be desired. I know that my trouble areas are my hips and belly. I'm anxious to see how these 30 days will change those two areas! I'm not going to post my before pictures until I have after pictures so you'll have to check in after 30 days if you want to see the results ;) I'm going to try to post daily to keep myself accountable.

Today I did level 2 of the DVD. Tom had to sequester Weston in the basement half way through my workout because the kid kept stealing my weights and dragging them off to other parts of the house. I was sweating and huffing away after only a few minutes but it felt GREAT to work my shoulders and abs. I still can't do the last ab move on this level. I can't say I had the greatest eating day. I guess it was alright other than the 10 or so caramels that I decided I needed to eat with my apple. One day down, 29 to go!