The Guinea Pig: Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred, The Update

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Ok, so it seems I’ve taken a nasty tumble from the bandwagon. But you know what? There’s a part of me that’s kind of glad I did. Not that I don’t want do the program anymore. I actually really want to! Really! But I’m glad that I’ve had this time off from the routine because it’s given me some extremely helpful insight and perspective into what my goals are and how I’d like my life in general to be.

B. offered me some amazing big sister advice (is anyone surprised?) when I was stumped on what to tell you guys. Even though I’ve been feeling some pretty awful things about myself, she thankfully reminded me that life happens. No one can judge me for that because that’s just how it is for everyone. My commitment is the same, my will power is the same, and my intentions are still good. And in fact, after discussing it, we both agreed that my communication with you guys through the good and the bad is vital to my success, your success (if you’ve joined me and are doing the program too), and the whole point behind this new series.

So being the guinea pig, I’m here to tell you that although it’s a great program, 30 Day Shred is hard to make time for if you don’t plan it out carefully.. and make time for it. It’s always been a difficulty for me to prioritize things that are directly beneficial to me, such as going to the doctor, exercising, eating right, getting enough sleep.. yeah, yeah, I got some shizz to work on. But half the battle is admitting that you have a problem.

In addition, I’m sure that a few people would like to hit me at this point. Reason being that while I’m complaining I’m not trying hard enough and I’m not seeing physical results, my body is changing. I’ve received comments from my boyfriend (who I see the most often so he would know), B., a few friends and one of my regular customers at work that I’m looking more toned. And without even noticing, I’ve actually been tightening my belt by one notch. I wasn’t even paying attention because I was too busy beating myself up! What a silly face. But just think people- I have experienced results (albeit small ones) but real results in only 1 week.

So this is turning into an essay and whenever I get too serious I start getting antsy, so here’s the game plan. I’ve completed 7 days. 30-7= 23. I am going to complete 23 more days, it’s going to be great and thanks again for the continued support through this journey- it’s all for you guys!

And now to be funny, here’s a joke: A man walked into a house. Ouch.

Best. Joke. Ever.

<3, L.

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The Guinea Pig: Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred, Day 9

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Oh people, I’ve failed again and I missed Day 9. Pretty much for the same reasons as before- I was running around all day like a crazy person and by the time I got home I could barely keep my eyes open! I desperately texted my boyfriend asking him for advice about what I should do since I didn’t want to skip out on another day. Unfortunately, I never received his response since I promptly knocked out. I’ve asked a few people of their opinion on me missing two days of the program, and nobody seems to think that there’s a huge problem with that. In fact, one person whose opinion I solicited was surprised that I wasn’t taking purposeful rest breaks! I don’t actually know whether I’m supposed to or not, but again I feel awful about it. My commitment to the program is still strong, and I want those changes to happen so badly (for my health, my lifestyle and my confidence). In fact, I feel nervous about missing a day since the first time it happened, the day after seemed harder.

I guess I’m feeling down as well since I’m still not seeing extraordinary results. I know I’m setting ridiculously high expectations for myself (What can I say? It’s a character flaw.). I just can’t help but feel bummed because I don’t look or feel like a babe. I’m sorry if I’m not writing as I usually do in my classic witty chipperness, but I want to be as honest as I can about my experiences to best benefit you guys. So I guess days like this I’ll try and look back on what I can do to stay positive because I’ve worked too hard so far to lose my focus and discipline by feeling poopy.

Is your workout routine making you feel down? How do you cheer up when you’re experiencing self-doubt when working towards goals? You wanna eat your weight in ice cream with me? I await you (with two spoons) at ltwentiesproject@gmail.com!

The Guinea Pig: Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred, Day 8

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Week 2 has officially begun, hooray! I want to start off by saying thank you for the kind words I’ve received as a result of announcing my intense cracking of the knees yesterday- it means so much that people care! *sniff sniff* I’m happy to report that although I’m not completely 100% since Crackstock 2013, what little residual pain I experienced in the same area was manageable.

I tried to take it up a notch today in a different way then weights and that was by attempting to execute proper pushups instead of modified push-ups (which I have been doing for the past week). Modified pushups for the record are done by going down to knee level and pressing up and down with your arms from that point instead of from an elevated plank position. And wow. I definitely couldn’t maintain those for the entire circuit. But I’m actually really proud of myself because I used to not be able to do a pushup at all, let alone a modified one. I’m really impressed with the amount of progress I’ve tracked in terms of my strength and endurance; well, the amount and the time frame of that progress. I still don’t feel as if I’ve noticed clear or obvious physical/aesthetic results yet, although if anything my midsection is starting to feel (just from simple touch) a little more defined.

I was also doing some thinking during this day’s workout about fitness in general and how some people really integrate exercise and proactive, healthy movement into their lives. I did some more thinking and even though these workouts are physically strenuous and sometimes a little hard to fit in, they’re worth it. And even if I wasn’t after aesthetic results (although for the record, I’m not participating in this program just for the hot bod), I can see myself integrating any kind of exercise on a daily basis as a part of my lifestyle. Now by no means am I signing myself up for the label of “gym rat”. Why it’s called “gym rat” I have no idea, since I personally don’t find rats to be all that attractive. But I think that the discipline and commitment I’ve learned to adopt this past week has given me perspective on other areas of my life as well. I’m at a point in time where I feel I’d like to change a lot of things that have been the norm for me in my life for a long time, and I think my attitude toward health and well-being is directly influenced by this program. And hey, you know they say that it takes 21 days to create a habit, so maybe this will be one of mine!

Do you modify your workouts based on your fitness level? How do you track your progress within your fitness routine? Do you find rats attractive? Get a hold of me at ltwentiesproject@gmail.com to get some sense knocked into you!

The Guinea Pig: Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred, Day 7

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Woohoo! Week 1 is officially in the bag (besides my flop day) and I’m feeling great, although I have an interesting development. You see, as I was pushing through today’s workout, I went into my first squat and promptly heard (and felt) a huge crack in my left knee. Yeah, it was awkward. And painful. In fact, my knee was a bit sore for the rest of the workout. I kept on going, just modifying my range of motion a little bit to reduce stress on my joint. I’m not sure whether I should have done that or just stopped, but the pain wasn’t enough that I had to roll on the ground and wince Peter Griffin style. Now, I feel like I’ve always had crummy knees, so I’m not entirely surprised that something like this happened. But now that I think about it, I’ve had a lot of cracking this week.

During some of the warm-up stretching, I’ve noticed my shoulders crack a little, and it feels like the joints on both sides have got a little bit of a pop to them. I know, that sounds disgusting, but it just feels a little weird. I find also that I’ve been cracking my fingers a little more often than I usually do (sorry, I know it’s bad, but I’m a piano player!). Because I’m not an expert on the human body in general (let alone mine), I really don’t know whether this is a point of concern or not. I’m even wondering whether it has something to do with diet… or maybe I’m just going through a strangely noisy de-stiff after not exercising at all for so long. What do you guys think?

I’ve also set myself the goal that I’m going to start the Level 2 workout this coming Sunday. I feel like I do better with goals that coincide with beginnings of weeks or months- kind of like New Year’s, only applied throughout the year.

Meet you back here tomorrow!

Have you ever sustained an injury from working out? Do you question your body’s reactions to exercise? Do you also play piano? Cool! Write me and we’ll chat at ltwentiesproject@gmail.com!

The Guinea Pig: Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred, Day 6

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Hi everybody! Day 6 is here and I’ve stepped it up a notch. That notch my friends is water bottles. I mentioned a few days ago that the only hand weights I own are a little bit too heavy for me and I felt (and still feel) that at this point in time, it’s going to mess with my form and put me at risk for injury instead of helping me, so today was the first day I used two full water bottles as my weights to step up my routine. From not using any weights at all, and just pretending that there were weights in my hands. Pretty wimpy. But wooooo-wheeeee do I feel a difference! What before were moves and motions that were making me feel less stiff are now giving me the sensation of getting more toned literally with each rep. I was scared to do it, but now I’m kinda craving the challenge.

I still haven’t decided when I’m going to give Level 2 of the program a go. I originally thought that I would graduate with confidence by the end of Week 1, but seeing as that’s tomorrow, I’m thinking that maybe I’d like a couple more days to really conquer the Level 1 workout with my faux weights before I move on. What do you guys think? Let me know and tell me after one week what you think of the program, of the series, of my wimpyness! Ok, maybe not, you might hurt my feelings…

Have you stepped up your workout routine in a unique way? Want to join in the program with me? Do you have faux weights? I’m waiting to hear all about it at ltwentiesproject@gmail.com!

The Guinea Pig: Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred, Day 5

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So in light of my epic fail that was Day 4, I pushed really hard today. That sounds gross, and it was. I was super swe… glisten-y. I refuse to admit that I experience the ‘s’ word. But anyways, there was a lot of glistening going on, which actually made me feel a little concerned. Not that I would be permanently glisten-y (yes, I do have a working shower) but because I still feel like the Level 1 workout is still difficult. Am I being too hard on myself? I think this is the first grievance that I have with the program- how do I gauge when I’m ready to increase intensity? How soon should I feel like the workout is too comfortable, or too easy? What if I stayed at one level for the entire program? Is it possible to plateau?

I don’t know whether I’ve just come up with all of these questions because of self-doubt and insecurity or whether I’ve got some troubleshooting to do, but one thing I know for sure is that tomorrow I’m going to start with using full water bottles as weights and challenge myself to do my best. Wow, that was a little epic… even for me.

I also think it’s important to note that I’ve also been experiencing a very positive change since I’ve first started this program- I’m drinking lots more water! I’ve always found that water makes my mouth really dry (is that normal?), but while working out it’s my go-to beverage and I genuinely hope that I’ll be able to start reaping the benefits of that practice too! Day 6 is up next- Week 1 is almost here!

Do you worry about where your workout routine is taking you? Feeling insecure about your progress in fitness training? Do you glisten? I’m here for a listen at ltwentiesproject@gmail.com!

 

The Guinea Pig: Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred, Day 4

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I have a confession to make: Day 4 has been my first set back, because I didn’t work out. And I actually am extremely disappointed in myself. Now, don’t start hurling tomatoes, it genuinely was not on purpose. In case anyone hasn’t noticed, I’ve been posting my… posts a day afterwards, so yesterday (Day 4) was a really busy day for me, and by the time I got home, it was 11:30 pm and I was practically falling asleep on my feet.  But oh well, what can you do. There’s a part of me that feels like Jillian would be really disappointed in me, but missing even one day has made a renewal in my commitment to the program. Therefore, in order to make up for it, I’m not going to count today, and I’m gonna pop in an extra day so that I’m actually finishing the program on May 31st instead of May 30th. So there.

And although I didn’t work out, I made some important realizations. Firstly, I really had to look in the mirror and tell myself that I have horrible posture. Literally, I’m a hunchback. Now, I don’t know whether it’s just a socially awkward coping mechanism for being tall or whether it’s a direct result of having weak core muscles. However on second thought, it’s probably a big ol’ gumbo of both. All jokes aside though, I feel that I look worse (and bigger) because of my slumped shoulders and rounded back, and regardless of whether I can fix it with this program or by other means, I don’t want to stand like that anymore.

My second realization is that yes, already in Day 4, I’ve noticed some very small results, but results all the same!! I’m starting to feel a little more firmness in my calves and even in my stomach (firmness underneath my unwanted pooch). I can’t see it in the mirror, but if I press gently, I’ve got some muscle! Again with the renewal of hope and commitment to the program. Jillian is totally right! It’s hard, it hurts, you sweat and your body is put under stress, but that’s how you make major changes!

Meet you back here tomorrow with the happenings of Day 5 (almost finished week 1!) !

Have you skipped working out and regretted it? Have you noticed results quickly from your workout routine? Are you a hunchback? Email me at ltwentiesproject@gmail.com and us slouchies can unite!