Shred Challenge - Day 3

This morning I woke up after two days of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and walking as well to a very sore, stiff body.  I hurt everywhere.  Even the ibuprofen I took didn't relieve the pain I was feeling.  I wanted to curl up in bed and not move all day long.  But with a 9 month old son that wasn't really a possibility.

So up I got.  As far as the couch.  I really wasn't feeling up to doing the exercises at all, and was seriously considering taking the day off.  Yesterday when Rainman told me that today was going to be awful regardless of whether I worked out or not I proceeded on with day 2 and was now seriously regretting it.  Even though I knew I should, it took me an hour to convince myself that I just needed to dive in and do the workout.

I am so glad that I did.  After the first couple of moves my body started to loosen up and I felt semi-human again.  Don't get me wrong, every muscle in my body hurt, but for some reason getting into the activity made it hurt just a little less.  My endurance for the exercises had even increased, despite the pain, and I was able to go longer before stopping to rest than I had when I first started.

After finishing the workout - which Bug decided he needed to "help" with by providing extra resistance every time he could hold on to me or pin me to the floor while doing crunches - I collapsed back on the couch to rest, but felt amazing. So much so that when Rainman got home from work early we decided to all go for a hike through the woods behind our home to a nearby park and played frisbee for a half hour before the rain chased us home.

30 Day Shred, a 1 1/2 mile hike through the woods, and 30 minutes playing frisbee?  Not too bad if I do say so myself.

Shred Challenge - Day 1

Today's work out seriously kicked my butt.  I felt so exhausted after on 20 minutes working out.  I certainly have quite a bit of stamina to build up, and will admit that I stopped a few times to catch my breath and let my muscles have a break.

However, I was able to get all the way through the Level 1 workout without turning off the DVD before the cool-down!  That in and of itself is an accomplishment.  I know that with some determination that I will be able to see huge benefits from this program.

After completing today's workout I felt invigorated and motivated to keep moving.  So I strapped my son into the stroller and with him and my mother I walked 4 miles.  My legs are exhausted and I feel more tired than I have in a long time, but being able to say that I did both (and can still bend over to pick up my son... at least for the time being) is something that I am extremely proud of.

And as an added bonus my sister has agreed to join me for a little "Shred Challenge".  During the next 3 months my sister and I will be doing the 30 Day Shred program, moving through the different levels each month.  You will see her stats for weekly weigh-ins and monthly measurements along with mine, at least for the duration of the challenge, as well as before and after pictures so you can *hopefully* see the results of the program.  (Or until either one of us gives up, but I'm hoping that will not happen).  Each month we will determine who the "winner" is and she will be treated by the "loser" to a non-food prize of her choice... to be redeemed when I visit her in June.

The best part is that no matter which one of us loses the most each month we will both be losing weight and getting ready for Summer!