Shred - Day 8 - LEVEL TWO!

Holy crapoli ....... moved up to Level 2 last night.  Boy, oh boy, that was what the doctor ordered.  I see another member of our little challenge, Lori, also moved up yesterday and felt about the same way.

I had so much sweat dripping off me at one point I thought I'd stop and take a quick pic.  The beads of sweat don't seem to show up, but I promise you, they are there.  Running down my through my eyes.  There was a few times I wondered if it was still sweat or if it had turned to tears (OK, maybe not quite ... but it sounds dramatic, doesn't it???)

I look thoroughly impressed, don't I?

For me, Level 2 is a major shoulder workout.  She really targets those little muscles that I typically avoid disturbing at all cost.  I'm still using my 5lb weights, but there are parts where I had to put them down.  I refuse to stop, but definitely wanted to.  And there is one cardio move ... ummm, plank jumps or something ... those are HARD!

Unfortunately that is all I got done.  My plan was to also do a fitness class or run.  However I had to register my daughter for dance class, which I assumed would just take a few minutes.  Boy was I wrong!  Over an hour waiting in line!!  Grrrrr :(  Plus the drive into town and back.  Hopefully as soon as we get back into a schedule of some sort I'll find it easier to fit in my extra workouts.  I feel all off kilter right now with all the uncertainties.

Tonight my son has a soccer game and it's at a great location that has a ton of stairs.  While they're warming up I'm going to run the track and the stairs.  There is nothing like climbing a big grandstand to get your heart begging to be let out of your chest!

~♥~ Heidi ~♥~

Still Shredding

I took a little break from blogland this long weekend and did some much needed housecleaning and organizing.  Somehow that helps me regroup and I don't feel so scattered. 

Of course, I felt like doing what little Miss Tia did all weekend .....

We had rain on/off all weekend and I'm sad to see the summer going.  Even George didn't want to leave his 3 story house that my niece built him.  It's made out of cardboard and is starting to fall apart, but he seems to like it and he doesn't sleep up in our attic as much - so we'll have to build him a solid one.

I think I was a bit bummed this weekend.  Maybe it was the rain??  I skipped my group run (there's a story there but I'm not quite ready to share my thoughts) and on Sunday I did not Shred (ohhhh, the shame.......).  Plus on Saturday I baked about 6 dozen muffins and tried 4 of them.  Made me feel so gross!

But Monday I got right back on the train and today I'm moving on to Level 2.  I find myself sleeping through Level 1.  The push-ups are still tough, but I'm getting through the rest of it fine with 5lb weights and some is getting too easy.

My little girl went off to high school today (Grade 8s only) and tomorrow my son will start Grade 10.  I can't believe both my kids are in high school now.  WOW!

3 more days to weigh-in and measurements.  Getting a bit nervous and hoping there will be some change.  I'm fighting the urge to pull out the tape now.

Shred - Day 4

Shred - Day 4 =  Complete ... that's it

Day 4 was one of those days where I really, really didn't want to do it.  I had a pretty busy day and also had an upset stomach for most of the afternoon and evening.  But around 8:00 I was feeling a bit better so decided to get my Shred on :).

My daughter seems to have the uncanny ability to walk in on me either during the Upright Rows or the Cardio Punches - and she seems to find both those moves quite hilarious.  She's done it every time so far and it makes her laugh every time.  Honestly, those are probably two of the goofiest "looking" moves in this set.

I was saying yesterday that I feel like I'm ready to move on to the next level, but I got thinking about that last night.  I'm still struggling with the anterior raises with a side lunge.  I'm doing them, but they're hard and I'm probably loosing form a bit.  So I've decided to stay with level 1 until those are not a challenge (or until the 10th when I will move on no matter what).

I did manage to do ALL THE PUSH-UPS last night in big girl position - yay me!  Except I did less total push-ups in the 2nd set than I normally do, so not sure if that really counts.  Normally I do 20 in the 1st set and 16 in the 2nd - last night I did 20, then 14.  Though after I was done the whole thing, I went back and watched that part over and I counted how many they do in the video.  Hmmmmm .... I'm doing more than they do in each set - hahahhaa.

Shred - Day 3

Shred - Day 3 = Not so bad!

Last night was day 3 of The Shred video.  It actually wasn't quite so bad.  I got a few more big girl push-ups in this time.  The shoulder presses weren't so bad.  Those front raises are still tough.  There's a few moves where I think I'll move up to 8lb weights to get a bit more of a work out.

Has anyone else noticed that on the front lunges Natalie stops lunging for a few times and only does the bicep curls?  I thought I noticed it on Day 2 then I watched for it last night.  Kind of funny. :)

I'm starting to think I might switch to level 2 a bit earlier than the 10 days.  Some of you have said you're feeling quite sore and so far the only place I'm really feeling it is in my shoulders, and it's barely noticeable.  I am however feeling a little "tighter" already .. but it may just be wishful thinking.  I've vowed to stay OFF the scale until Sep 10th for the next measurement/weight day.  That's really tough for me.

Running

I also got a good 70 minutes of running done during soccer practice last night.  It felt great!  I had 2 little stops to talk to some people, but otherwise I just zoned out and ran. 

Food

So far September is proving to be pretty good.  I've been right on target with points, eating a little extra for the exercise.  However, I'm running out of fresh veggies and need to hit up the stand today.


Just a short post today.  Lots to get done and little time to do it in.  Also this being the last weekend before the kids go back to school I have some extra stuff to get done.  Hope everyone has a great day!!

Shred - Day 2

Shred - Day 2 = Uninterrupted Success    YAY!!!

Hmmmm, Day 2 seemed easier.  Maybe it's because I didn't run BEFORE shredding this time.  That would make sense ... DUH!  Still drenched in sweat, still muttering during certain moves (push-ups, squats with presses, and mostly during those side lunge front raise things ... grunt).  But I managed to do the whole first set and two-thirds of the 2nd set of push-ups in big-girl position before dropping to my knees.  My next mini-goal is to do both sets all the way up.

I'm surprised how excited I get before I do the video.  I'm literally SKIPPING down the hallway.  Though I'm sure that won't last - hahhaa.  It's just like I feel that I'm doing something big and positive and I can't wait for the results.

Running

I had a group run planned for today but after I got home from work I just wasn't into driving all the way back into town again.  It sure would be convenient if their run time was a little closer to my after work time.  I'd have to waste about 2 hours in town waiting to avoid the extra drive.  It's a good 20 min drive each way and with my fuel tank on the lower side (as well as my bank account) I figured I could just run from home tonight.

But .... as plans will go, that didn't happen.  After I did the shred, I made dinner, cleaned up, and then I was just done.  I was in bed just after 9:00.  I never go to bed that early.  Good thing I did because we got an INSANE rain storm last night, seriously I thought the house was going to float away.  It kept me up for a good hour or so in the middle of the night. 

Here's the new recipe I made last night.....

BLACK BEAN SOUP

• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 small-medium carrots, sliced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (not condensed)
• 1 can corn
• 3 cans black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 can stewed tomatoes
• pepper, to taste 
• 1 handful of cilantro, chopped fine
• hot sauce - optional

1. Saute onion, garlic, carrot & celery in oil for about 5 minutes until onion is softened.  Add ground cumin and chili powder, stir through. 
2. Add lime juice, broth, 1 can ONLY black beans, corn, and pepper.  Stir and bring to a low boil.
3. Puree remaining two cans of black beans and tomatoes.  Add to pot, stir.  Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes until carrots are tender.  Add hot sauce if desired.

Makes 16 cups

Nutrition per cup:   114 calories, 0.8g fat, 4.8g fibre

Shred - Day 1

First off, awww you guys are sweet!

First day of Shred = success!!

My day was a bit crazy yesterday. I had work all day, had to pick up rent cheques from my tenants, had the farrier come to trim the horses feet, had to make dinner early, my son had soccer practice and somewhere in there I also squeezed in a 35 min run (during practice) and the shred at about 9:00. But I did it!

Got into an argument with my husband about it though. With everything going on, I didn't get going on the shred until almost 9:00. I was half way through when my son's soccer coach called me to discuss something. When I was just about done the call, my husband came in the room and crawled into bed (my DVD player is in my bedroom). My daughter had already come in the room twice to giggle at me, saying I looked funny. All I needed at that point was my husband to laugh at me, or to bring up the fact how annoyingly cheesy Jillian is (think she's great, but she's pretty cheesy in this video). So I asked him to leave for a few minutes so I could finish up. He thought I was joking and laughed. Then I begged him to leave ... he covered his head with the blanket and said he'd hide. But I still begged him to leave - well maybe beyond beg ... I may have begun to demand and get downright annoying.

So he up and left, and I finished the video. When I came out he'd settled himself on the couch with a blanket and a pillow and he wasn't too happy with me. He thought I was being ridiculous.

Anyhow, we worked it out and he came back. But he thinks that if I feel so silly doing the video then maybe I shouldn't be doing it. He doesn't understand why I'd feel so uncomfortable with "him" watching me. Which is true, he's my husband I shouldn't feel insecure.

Really I need to aim get it done earlier in the day anyway. Yesterday was a bit more hectic than normal.

As for the Shred ...... WOW, it's a bit tougher than I remember. Well, some moves anyway. Some things were super, duper easy and I feel I need more of a challenge, but others one's (weaker areas such as shoulders) left me wanting to "phone it in" hahhahaa. I can tell that it won't be long before I'm muting the TV and putting on some background music (like others have suggested).

I'm also SUPER excited about something I found out yesterday. My son is going to be having one of his weekly soccer practices at a facility that has a running track and a wicked grandstand with lots of stairs to run. YAY!!!! Is it sick that I find that exciting???? That means that I will have at least 90 minutes per week where I have no excuse to not get an awesome, grueling workout - with no where else that I have to be. Most parents drop their kids off and either go shopping or go home, or some sit in their car and read a book, while their kids practice. I like to take that time as an opportunity to get in a workout. Plus, I like to peek in on what they're doing from time to time. WOOHOOOO, this is going to be great.

Where they practiced last year I still got out, but I had to go for about 1/2 mile down a very dark road in a pretty bad area of town in order to get to an area that I could feel safe again. I did it, but I always felt nervous. Now I won't have to worry about that. Lots of lights, lots of people, and a ton of stairs. I love it!!!

Moment of Truth

Today kicks of the 30 Day Shred Challenge which includes all that wonderful starting information.

I took all my pictures and measurements this morning. Got them all ready to go ... then made the fatal mistake of checking out some of the other challengers blogs before I posted.

It's true, there was a small debate going on within my mind as to whether or not I should actually post the information. Insecurity is a tough thing and comparing yourself to others is plain brutal.

But ... I'm sucking it up because I know that putting myself out there will make me stronger. If I don't put it out there then it's that much easier to back out.

30 Day Shred - Beginning Photos & Stats

Weight - 148.0

Measurements

Chest - 38"

Waist - 33.75" (at bellybutton) - 30.75 (at narrowest)

Hips - 38"

Thigh - 22" (at widest - left thigh)

Arm - 12.25" (at widest - just under armpit)

GOALS

♥ Be 144 or less. I know many of you have goals to lose alot more than that, but this works for me

♥ Reduce measurements, specifically Chest & Waist.

♥ Shred or Fitness class every day

♥ Run minimum 3-4 times/week

♥ Track my food EVERY SINGLE DAY