Day Thirty: Shredded!

That's me done with my very first round of the 30 Day Shred! YAY! I'm feeling so awesome today! It was hard and there were many days I totally wanted to give up, but I kept on trucking and now here I am at the end! Eff yeah!

Am I shredded? Do I have a six pack? Am I twenty pounds down from where I started? Well, not quite. I probably do have a six pack, but it's still hiding behind a pretty decent layer of fat. Still, it does feel rock hard under there, so as soon as my weight loss catches up, I've got a pretty amazing head start. And I can't even imagine what I'd look like with a six pack! I've never been anywhere close to having one! I'm also not twenty pounds down from my start weight but there is a few things to be said for that. First of all, I AM 13 pounds down as of today! YAY! I probably would actually be the twenty pounds down if I hadn't had the whole vacation backslide in the middle of things. But, that being said, the 30 Day Shred hasn't been my only exercise I've been doing daily either. Here's how it breaks down:

For all of level one I wasn't doing any other exercise and honestly I didn't see much shifting of weight that first week. What I did see was my muscle tone start to pick up a bit and harden up. I'm sure the weight loss was coming, but once I into the swing of this commitment to work out every day, I started adding other stuff in. For all of level two, I also did both levels of her Yoga Meltdown every day along with the Shred. Now, this is where the weight really started flying off. No joke. It was around then that I counted up what I'd lost in the time I had lost it and realised that, if I work my ass off, I can be at my goal weight by the time we hit Portugal. It will take a whole lot of focus on my part, but if I don't give up, I can wear my bikini to the beach. It's been many years since I've been comfortable wearing my bikini out. I hardly even know why I have it. So, for level three I really hit things hard. Since I'm not working much at the moment and I have ended up with a bunch of free time, I put myself to work. The Shred became the shortest thing I did. I have an elliptical machine at home so what I started doing is 10 minutes running on the elliptical, 10 minutes of abs (crunches, leg lowers, ect) and repeat. FOR TWO HOURS. This hurts, but it's also sort of amazing. By the end of it, I've gotten in an hour on the elliptical and an hour of ab work. I drop an amazing amount of weight and I feel so much better. I've been sleeping better at night and had a ton more energy during the day. Plus, just so it doesn't get boring, I've been watching shows on youtube that have been cut into 10 minute increments and use that to time myself.

So I guess you couldn't use me as a barometer for how well the shred works on it's own as far as it being a singular weight loss tool BUT it is what kicked me off and got my motivation up. I would absolutely recommend the Shred to anyone who is looking for somewhere to get started!

Day Twentfour: Ramping up.

Here I am, nearly halfway through level three! I think the closer I get to the end, the more I want to add to my exercise routine. This is definitely the way to go. I know the more I'm able to add in, the faster I'll get my results. And, with all the extra time I have right now, it's a great time to be getting it all in. I know if I can build the habits now, I'll be more likely to keep them going when I've got a lot more work coming in and time isn't as free as it is just now. Honestly though, last time I was at my goal weight and feeling the best, I was actually doing five hours of yoga a day AND I WAS WORKING OVERTIME EVERY DAY TO BOOT! So it's possible. Totally possible. Although, just now I'm doing a lot more high intensity stuff and it probably wouldn't be good to be doing THAT much aerobic-style workouts. Still, it's amazing to look back on. Especially since, at the time, I wasn't even trying to lose weight-I was just trying to be happy. It definitely worked for that as well.

I continue to go back and forth about what program I want to follow when this one is over. Ripped in 30 is still what I keep coming back to. I was thinking of switching over to Bob Harper's Weight Loss Yoga when I switch over to the new program from Yoga Meltdown but I haven't totally decided on that one either. Indecision, indecision.

Today I did an hour on my elliptical AND an hour or sit ups, crunches, and leg lowers on top of the usual! Yep. I was totally motivated today and feel all the better for it.

Day Eleven: No matter what.

Wow. So I guess today just isn't going to be easy.

First up, I weighed in and was really disappointed to see that the number on the scales has gone back up a bit. I had been down to 156 but today saw me back at 160. I started at 162. WTF. I totally wasn't ready for that! You think that when you're working out every day no matter what that the weight will only go down. So I started delivering myself all these little internal justifications. You know: Weight fluctuates a little every day. I'm in the middle of my period so I'm probably retaining extra water. And an oldie but a goody-muscle weighs more than fat. But the truth is, none of that matters. It doesn't matter because the scales are only useful as a motivator. It does me no good if I beat myself up about it. Honestly there's only one thing that I know for sure won't help me get fit and make me happy and that's giving up. Anything else, as long as I'm really working for it, will get me where I'm going. It may get me there quickly and it may get me there slowly, but it will get me there. So fuck the scale. I walked away from it and started level two.

Level two is hard. No kidding. Level two totally kicked my ass. All that strength and grace I'd built up in level one isn't necessarily going to be an automatic carry over. Bummer. My legs were shaking like mad and I started falling over. Oh yeah. Level two is hard. I was reaching for mantras and trying not to watch the clock. I'm telling myself over and over to just get through it. If you can just get through it today, it'll be easier tomorrow. Just get through it. I was trying to remember how some days in level one were huge leaps forward from the day before and some were small steps. So that means you just have to get through the small steps in order to be ready to take the leap, right? And I started thinking about that phenomenon that's always running through my yoga practice. It's almost always the postures that I dread the most that end up being my very favourites. You just have to master it and to master it you just have to keep going. Honestly. This was my internal dialogue the entire time. And eventually I made it through. I was shaking and sweaty, but I did it. Tomorrow will be easier. Tomorrow will be easier. Tomorrow will be easier.

And what did I do when I was done with my first day in level two? I tried to run through the Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown level one! Apparently making it through level two gave me that push to try and get back into yoga. This is where it really kicked me though, because halfway through that routine, I pulled a muscle. D'oh! It's a muscle in my left calf that's been giving me a bit of trouble for a few days now. Not really to the point where I had to stop obviously, but it's been making itself known. Part way through yoga though, it just called it quits. So I've been thinking about it and I realised I have a few options here. I can use it as an excuse. I can take a little breather, soak it in the bath in a bit, and try Yoga Meltdown again. Or I can do a non-aerobic yoga routine after a little break. So what am I going to do? Well, my resolve today can't wrap my brain around using it as an excuse. Excuses got me to where I can't stand seeing a video clip of myself without cringing. Nope. No way. So it's Jillian Michaels yoga or Jason Crandell yoga. I think I'm going to make that call after my break. There are definite merits to both.

Day Nine: Almost through.

Here's my little catch up post that, had time permitted, would have gone along with yesterday's work out. I am so glad to be able to accept work again, but it did get away from me a bit yesterday. In any event, here are my thoughts from day nine:

Yesterday was another day that almost didn't happen. I spent the first half of the day completely incapacitated with cramps. They've gotten so bad, I nearly pass out from the pain these days (and, yes, I am working with my doctors to get it all sorted out) and the last round of pain medication the GP gave me wasn't even touching the pain! They ended up getting me in for an emergency appointment and with that I left with a medication that knocked it back quite a bit. I had all but given up on the notion of working out when my cramps levelled out to a dull roar and I realised that exercise might just be what I needed to push through and feel a bit better. I'm so glad I did, because that's exactly what happened! I'm so excited that I seem to have hit on this frame of mind that pushes me to move forward against pretty much everything! It's an amazing feeling!

I can't believe I'm already nearly done with level one! I had a really defined boost in strength and endurance during this ninth workout that I feel really confident that I'm headed in the right direction. I'm super curious about what level two involves, but I haven't peeked ahead. I guess I'll let it be a surprise. I realised today that for the first time, when she says "this is easy for you!" towards the end of the work out that it was *nearly* true! I mean, I'm still a sweaty mess by the time I complete a tape, but it is SO MUCH EASIER than day one it barely compares!

I was also thinking about Jillian Michaels herself yesterday while I was working out. It occurs to me that, with the exception of yoga (which I still haven't managed to add back in! Arg!) she is the first fitness instructor who has stayed motivating for me. I can't really put my finger on why that is, and maybe it's just because I'm coming to it in the right frame of mind just now, but listening to her walk me through the work out has actually been really nice. I think I'll definitely stick with her work outs after this initial 30 day shred; although I'm not sure which one I'll do next. (Anyone have any experience with her other work outs?)

I was also thinking about what I wear when I work out and, as silly as this probably is, I think my workout outfit helps push me a little. See, I have these yoga pants made out of that material that won't hold water. It's really easy to feel good in them, because they're stretchy enough that they're not restrictive, but firm enough that they hold me in just right at the same time. With that, I often wear one of my swimsuit tops, that's sort of this tank thing of similar attributes. There's this odd mixture of a slimming workout outfit AND one that I can see starting to fit better each day that I work with it that is super satisfying. I used to feel that way walking into the gym with all the mirrors on the way to the elliptical machine. It's like if you can wear something that you can see slimming in your minds eye, it's just a little bit of a boost and, for me, I can take all of the little boosts I can get!

Anyway, I'm off to respond to comments and then finish out level one! YAY!

Day Five: Halfway through level one!

Today I felt like I really reached my first good foothold. Not only am I officially halfway through level one, but I was able to get out of bed and into my workout within 10 minutes! It's a great way to wake up and I felt great doing it. My strength and endurance had a noticeable increase today as well-even over yesterday, which was a step up all on its own. Sitting here now, I can really feel the muscles in my abs, although they're not really sore per say. It's all forward momentum!

Today is the type of day I need to hold onto on the days I really just want to lay down and veg out.

It's funny how exercise really builds on itself. On the days you feel an increase in strength and endurance, it really makes you want to keep adding to the workout. I think this means today is the day to add some of the yoga back in. I'm tempted to go over the Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown tape as opposed to my regular slower stuff with Jason Crandell just because I know the calorie burn is so much higher with the aerobic version and I feel strong enough to really enjoy it just now.

In any event, I'm still going strong! Thanks so much for helping me keep going! This helps me more than you know!

  

Day Four: Getting stronger.

Well, I'll admit, the gumption to get up and do this in the morning is still really lacking. I am so relying on this blog to get me past it and push play. What is it they say about how long it takes to create a habit? It seems like it's something like 30 days of repetition-possibly longer. Ha. By that standard, it will be habit right when I finish this program. Oh well. The upside is, I plan to move onto another one when this one is done anyway, so I guess that's okay.

As far as current progress goes, I am getting stronger. My muscles are much less sore today and I can go a bit deeper into a lot of the moves. I feel like my form is probably improving too. I always have a problem with the moves where they say "don't let the knee go over the toe". I have this problem in yoga too. For some reason, I don't seem to have a good internal indicator of when to stop-or how far to go-and I know it looks like it's going over the toe from my perspective before it actually is. A few years back I lived in a house that had a mirror wall in the room I did yoga in. (It also had a nice big kitchen and, not only a washing machine, but a tumble dryer! Two things I miss so much living in this particular flat in Glasgow!) Anyway, exercising in front of the mirror was the only time I felt like I was getting those lunge-type moves just right. But most of the moves feel like they're getting better and deeper anyway. I wonder if I'll feel like I've 'mastered' level one by the time the first 10 days are up and it's time to move onto level two.

I started moving my breakfast until after the morning workout though, and I do think I like that part better. Before I was eating first, letting it settle a bit, and then going into it. Not only does this feel a bit more natural-possibly a hold over from the yoga days-but I'm hoping it will help with the motivation as well. No bowl of fruit until after your morning date with Jillian, Self!

Any motivation tips would be much appreciated. I so don't want to slip up this time!  

Day Two: Screaming muscles.

I can't say it was easy to wake up this morning. Not only had I gone all out on the 30 day shred, but I also had night work to do. I could feel my muscles getting sore before I even went to sleep last night and that's always a bad sign. I absolutely woke up to heavily complaining muscles but, on the up side, my joints were feeling fine.

Actually, if anything, my knees felt better today than they did yesterday; although I'm really not sure why-maybe it was just the heat of moving yesterday. I definitely have little old lady knees that predict rain (so that's most days here in Scotland). That was the one thing that had given me pause when wading through the reviews for this particular program. I meant to go into that yesterday, but now that I think of it, I don't think I did. Ooops! There were some mentions in a few of the reviews about possible knee problems in this workout and I was kind of wondering if that wouldn't rule me out entirely. When it came right down to it though, I noticed that most of those mentions were coming from people who didn't have knee problems speculating that people that did have them might have issues. Now, I'm not saying that's not true, but luckily it wasn't for me. Again I'm going to guess that my knees feeling better can mostly be attributed to the heat I was generating because the higher the temperature, the better my joints feel. That's always been the case for me. This is also why Arizona was my favorite place that I ever lived. I swear, if I could live on the surface of the sun, I'd probably go for it, but I digress. 

So, did I jump out of bed totally pumped for today's workout? No, not really. But I did do it within an hour of waking up and I really would say that this blog went a long way with that. Even though this is the very beginning and I'm still sorta talking to myself here, just knowing that this commitment is here helped me out a ton. What do you guys think? What motivates you to keep pushing through a routine?

Another plus to this particular workout-and one of the reasons I chose it to begin with-is that it goes by so fast! Just about the time you think you're really invested in an exhausting way, it's winding down and over. For me, that's a perfect way to feel accomplished and see goals being met.

Well, that's me for this post. I've got a post in mind all about food, which I will hopefully get a chance to write later on today. For now though, I've got to get to work.

Brooke

Day One: With a little help from Jillian Michaels

Starting weight: 162 lbs - This isn't a pretty number and to me it's a devastating one. At only 5'2" that's a horrendous amount of bulk to carry around on this frame. So here's what I did about it today...

 After pouring through countless reviews and blog posts, I decided my first exercise commitment was going to be Jillian Michaels 30 day shred (I'll link it at the bottom for you guys).

Review after review I read up on this came to the same point: Even if the touted weight loss number didn't always hit it's mark, the dress sizes were dramatically dropping. I read up on it and watched a ton of youtube videos on it and, even though there were some bad reviews out there, they were pretty overwhelmingly on the upside and, at 30 days and £5.00 I really don't have much to lose. 


The basic idea of this routine is that you're working out for a short time (right around 20 minutes) but during that time there is NO RESTING. It comes with three levels, which you work through 10 days at a time and obviously totalling out at 30 days. 


So what did I think after day one?


I actually felt great for my first go! It was totally exhausting after myriad days sitting around doing nothing-but when she says that you can push through and do it without a break, SHE'S RIGHT. If you're going to forgo hours at the gym, then you need to trust her when she says NO BREAKS. Not even for water, so start out hydrated so you're not too thirsty to move halfway through. Once you start, you've got to stay committed. I know my form wasn't the best ever today and that's okay. I just focused on getting it to where it needs to be and kept moving. 

I already feel the burn from this workout. 


I've promised myself that when I wake up super sore and at a loss for motivation tomorrow, I'm going to do it anyway. Actually, that's where you all come in. I figure if I'm committed to blogging about this EVERY DAY then I have to do the work EVERY DAY, right? That's my promise to me and it's my promise to you. 

And here's the stuff I used today (links for UK and US) 

Who am I and what am I doing here?

About a month ago, I was confronted with the horrible truth of seeing myself on video. I was stunned by my own size. I don't know how it is that weight gain is such a sneaky, sneaky thing but, for me, it really is. And this isn't even the first time. I've been here before-but more on that later.

A little over a year ago, I was at my ideal weight. I was sitting right between 115 and 120 pounds, which makes sense since I'm a shorty at 5'2". That's the weight I'm healthy at, the weight I feel good in, and the weight that gets me into all my cutest dresses. Then, just like it is for so many others, life started happening in a super stressful way. So I started eating. And then all of the sudden none of my pants fit. Most of my major stressors have subsided now and I'm left with this body I gave myself by losing focus. Awesome.

I've also found myself living in a new country (Scotland!) which is both amazing and hard to acclimatise to. Now, I'm not complaining, but I moved here from Arizona and if that isn't a shock to the system, I'm not sure what is. Some days I've totally let myself get a little broken by the cold despite clinging to my mantra of "It's the cold that makes it so pretty. It's the cold that makes it so pretty. It's the cold that makes it so pretty." And that is certainly true. But it's also devastated my fitness routine-it's hard to get out there and jog and walk and discover when it's FREEZING!

But none of these are excuses because excuses won't do anyone any good. I'm done being fat. Now I'm going to shrink into strength.

Now, onto day one.
~Brooke