30 Day Shred Update...Still at it!

Just a quick note today as I find myself short on time with various tasks. I did my third session of level two on the 30 Day Shred workout yesterday evening. Luckily by that time my muscles had mostly recovered from the two sessions I had done close together. I am pleased to note that this workout really targets the glutes and quads in addition to the arms. I feel like I am accomplishing something significant by doing it daily. (Also I feel like I'm completely awesome and unstoppable!) So far I have done 10 straight days, and my endurance is WAY better than when I started. I can also feel an increased firmness in my glutes, quads and abs, which is gratifying. My arms were already in decent shape, so I don't notice a big difference there, but judging by their soreness they are definitely getting a workout as well. Visually, there is a difference in my midsection and back already (of course- the places where there wasn't a lot of extra padding would show the progress first.) Next step- thighs and rear end...that's where I'd REALLY like to see a difference. Fingers crossed!!

Morning Workout

Since I started doing my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred last Monday I have not missed a single day. I want to put a serious effort in and test her claim that I will looked ripped by the end of 30 days. I have serious doubts if my body is even capable of looking ripped, but it surely won't hurt either way. There are three levels of intensity, and after doing level one for 7 days I felt ready to move on up. Yesterday evening I chose the level two option on the menu with a slight sense of fear and foreboding. I was finally comfortable with level one and would have been happy to stay there, but as we all know, real results come from pushing oneself. It wasn't as bad as I had feared. There was more focus on holding muscle contractions for a long period, which certainly makes them burn, but is less challenging aerobically. Mind you, she made up for it in the cardio portions with a lot of high impact jumping around. My heart was ready to explode at a couple points which I'm sure would have made her happy, but I got through it and lived to tell the tale! It is satisfying to see how quickly my fitness ability increases when I put the effort in every day.

I also had a very productive pre-nine-am morning! I decided last night that I would wake up early to do my  workout since I'll be out with a friend this evening. This means that I would do two level two workouts in close proximity. Not something I would normally do when I just increased the intensity, but better than skipping it altogether. Now I've never been one to do early morning workouts, and I'm sure not making a habit out of it, but I managed to follow through today. I am giving myself major points for that. I am already feeling sore...hopefully I'll still be able to move after sitting at my desk all day.

I was feeling pleasantly mellow on the drive to work. The endorphins from my workout combined with the feel-good nourishment of my green smoothie made for an easy-going mood. We had a hard frost last night, and the sun was shining brilliantly as I drove, making everything sparkle. There was heavy fog in the low-lying areas, and the way it diffused the sunlight into a brilliant, out-of-focus glow made me think of a Hollywood version of what heaven looks like. I love my drive into the city on mornings like this. Just look at that blue sky!