The Lost Week

Surely, we will look back at this time as the Lost Week. We let things get in the way last week, but this weekend we devised a plan to help us (1) not feel defeated and (2) have no more excuses. We're doing the 30-Day Shred four times a week. Will it take longer? Yep. Will have the same amazing results the DVD cover promises? No one can say for sure. Will we feel better about ourselves when we miss a day? Absolutely.

I'm doing the Shred on Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun and giving myself Mon & Wed to get into a new form of exercise: swimming. I get really bad anxiety trying to swim in lanes and/or work out around people... so this is both a physical & psychological challenge for me. I went on Monday and really enjoyed it. I'm going again today, after class when there will likely be more people. Cheers to trying something new and forcing yourself to do it twice!

-Megan

#Fail

Okay, so Chloe has been without a computer for a few days & I have been without time for a workout the last few days. I know, I said that this semester I wasn't allowed any excuses, and that I was really getting into the groove of an evening workout... but this semester started in full-force way faster than anticipated, which made the six different dinners/obligations I had this weekend a bit of an issue.

I spent the whole week reading for my classes or baking food to share with people. So, to make up for it, I'm re-doing day 8 today and starting from there.

Chloe wrapped up day 10, which means that her next workout will be level two! Eek.  I'm frustrated that I've fallen behind, but at least it happened right at the start of the semester, & now I know how to adjust.

Let's hope my body hasn't already given up on everything. Also, Chloe & I talked a lot about our diets and, while we're not "dieting" & trying to lose weight that way, we both hope to eat fewer sugary snacks, drink more water & have more nutritious foods back in our diets. The holiday sluggishness continues...

-Megan

Get It

This is the first time I've seen this music video since having any understanding of sex.

It's super disturbing. But I can't stop myself from singing it when I throw on my workout clothes.

-Megan

Take that, week one!

Man, I feel good. I haven't skipped a day, largely thanks to Chloe. She reminds me that "Jillian wouldn't approve of a day off." It hurts, but it's starting to feel like a really nice routine--time to think, time to feel like I'm doing something with Chloe even though we're not together.

I keep waking up early to work out, then going back to sleep. My workouts happen at around 10 p.m, but I'm enjoying that, actually. I'm just letting myself go with that instead of forcing myself to follow the "start your day right with exercise" ideology. I want the "start the day with a big ass mug of coffee & some time reading in bed" kind of morning.

I also keep eating a lot of chocolate. I keep telling myself I need to finish all the Christmas candy before it goes bad. Does a Whitman sample even go bad? Probably not, but I'll eat a lot of it just in case. And then, after a long first day of classes, I let us slip back into a habit of frozen pizza. "Just this once," I say. "Because we ran out of coffee this morning & I want something quick so I don't have to think about anything else."

So, for this week: exercise success. Next week: less sugar + better diet success.

-Megan

A Family Affair

Yes, it's 10:30. And yes, I finally just got up the courage to do Day 3 of the workout. I'm afraid to pee, because it took all of my remaining strength to lower myself into the couch for this post.

I'm just here to share a quick note: Joe was teasing me while I was doing the "dynamic warm up" for the workout. He was doing hip circles in his jeans & hoodie, so I teased him until he finally joined in. I warned him to throw on some shorts & lose the t-shirt/hoodie combo.

He didn't listen.

Before we finished round one of strength, he was just in jeans. He's smelly, sweaty & still sort of panting. I may just harass him into doing this with me every day. We did both say we wanted to get in better shape & have a more active lifestyle...

The Good: I had three large glasses of water + smaller meals today. I forgot how good it feels to be hydrated. I also woke up nearer lunch than breakfast, so I didn't have coffee. Sadface.

The Bad: I made up for The Good by eating lots of Bunny Grahams & a lot of candy. 

P.S. My legs are trembling. It's like when you're cold & you have to keep telling your teeth to stop chattering. Please. stop. trembling.

My thighs... owww

 Hell, Day 2

The first day of the 30 Day Shred went better than expected. By better I only mean that I didn't cry. Instead  I screamed and cursed at Jillian for making my body hurt so much. The strength circuits are the worst part, and of course, the longest. The only easy thing is the cardio because it's a bunch of jumping jacks and butt kicks. I want to start running again when the snow melts. Hopefully my mile time hasn't increased too much. During summer gym in the 8th grade it was around seven minutes. I am positive that it will now be no less than 15 minutes. I tried running last summer and made it around three sides of the block before I had to start walking. I'm ashamed.

Day two was going better than day one until I had to take my clothes to the basement. After my shower I walked to the stairway and stood there for a few minutes sizing up the stairs, knowing that my trip down wasn't going to end well. I couldn't decide what would be better, going down fast with more pain, or going down slow with less but having the possibility of getting stuck halfway down. I chose the first option and started my descent. After only one step I clung onto the railing for life, as my legs wobbled under me. It took about three minutes to get down the nine stairs. Going up wasn't as bad, mostly because I sat at my computer for half an hour and let my legs relax.

It's now almost eight and we are beginning to put Christmas decorations away. That means walking up 15 stairs to the attic instead of the 9 to the basement. My thighs hurt and for some odd reason so does my butt and my elbows. Apparently tennis has worn off already and I have the joints of an elderly person.

Alright enough complaining. I'm not dead yet and hopefully I will live through tomorrow too. Not sure about Friday though. Plenty of surprised to come!

-Chloe

What is wrong with my legs?

Okay, I know. I said no "before" pictures. But I changed my mind. Here I am: pre-workout challenge.

LOLZ. But I did buy a Jillian Michael's Wii game for $5. I don't recommend it. Or at least not used... it's not working, & my vocal chords get more of a workout than anything else. New year's resolution: work on my habit of shouting at inanimate objects. (Turns out there's a 2011 version, which is probably tots awesome. Mine's a super old 2009 used version.)

* * *

Bam. Did it. Two days of Jillian's 30 Day Shred, Level 1. The best part? The last two minutes--no, no. Not the cool-down stretching. The last two minutes of cardio. When my body is finally like, "Oh, cool. So this is what we're doing. We're working out now. Right on." And then I dominate pretend jump rope exercise.

The workout is split into three circuits: 3 minutes of strength + 2 minutes of cardio + 1 minute of abs. According to Jillian, that knot in your stomach during that last, third minute of abs is "fear leaving the body." I think it's a pile of Christmas candy, holding on for dear life.

* * * 

Okay, I've never really been flexible. At a sports physical before my freshman year of high school, the doctor actually said, "No, seriously. Try to touch your toes." So, maybe this isn't surprising... but it's super weird: the stretching after the workout is the most painful part. I need to somehow find time to also be doing yoga--need to open my body back up & be able to sit with my legs straight. Before my muscles finish atrophying.

* * *

-Meg