Day 8: Back to “Cardio Shred” with Jillian Michaels
Weight: 162 lbs.
First, I want to apologize for not posting on Sunday. But, hey, it was Sunday after all.
Anyway, on Sunday, I sweated to Cindy Whitmarsh’s “Fat Burn.” It was a quick workout, but I have never felt so uncoordinated in my life! The moves were not complicated, but having never done them before, I was definitely not auditioning for the ballet.
And I think this is something we should discuss for a minute. While doing these workouts, it’s easy to give up simply because you feel like a clod. That is the wrong thing to do! Over time, your coordination will likely improve as you exercise In fact, that is one of the goals of exercise: coordination. It is a secondary goal, at best, but exercise will definitely help even the clumsiest person reduce their clumsiness. (And I should know!)
After the workout, I managed to talk my husband into doing a Yoga workout with me. Yoga is great because it not only helps you relax and center, but also stretches your muscles. after a week of workouts, with very little stretching post-workout, I figured it would be a good idea to try some Yoga. And, we (my husband and I) are considering doing Yoga a few times a week at night before we go to bed. This should not only stretch out our achy muscles, but should also help us sleep better – and who doesn’t like that?
Monday was my first day off from the program. I admit I spent most of the day lounging on the couch, but I did take the dogs to the dog park. So I got a good 30 minutes of activity in (although, given that I ate an entire grocery store over the weekend, I probably should have done more!).
This morning, I went back to the beginning. I repeated the “Cardio Shred” workout with JIllian Michaels. It was a little easier this time, but still kicked my ass!
With the end of the program in sight, I am pleased at how well I have done. Sure, the number on the scale has gone up, but that could be due to water weight, building muscle… or all that food I ate over my three-day weekend. Ah well, you win some, you lose some.
I still have faith that I can not only complete this program, but continue it. I feel fantastic. My clothes are literally falling off of me. I had a doctor appointment on Monday and after sneaking a peek at my chart, I found that I had lost at least 15 lbs. from around the same time last year. That was a real boon for me. I knew I had lost weight, but it was nice to see actual physical evidence that proved it.
Stay tuned tomorrow for another round of abs workouts!
whoo-hoo! good for you! way to stick with the program, just taking it a step at a time.
i HIGHLY recommend pilates if you have access to that with your videos. i take a pilates reformer class that is amazing, but also find that a basic pilates mat workout does wonders.
also: don’t even worry about the number on the scale. especially as a woman. we fluctuate like crazy given various water weight/miscellaneous hormonal issues. i actually have a policy on only weighing myself once per year when i go in for my yearly check-up. it can be discouraging to not meet a “goal number,” so i think you have the right idea about measuring your progress in terms of how you feel and how your clothes fit your body. i was beyond ecstatic when i knew i reached my fitness goals last year, as measured by running in my first long-distance race + comfortably wearing a size i never thought i would after i reached puberty! : )
keep it up!! you’re doing awesome.
Thank you for your support! It means alot to me, especially as I am essentially using this blog as a way to hold myself accountable. If people are reading it (and some are according to my Dashboard) then I pretty much have to post every day! But it’s good.
I have tried Pilates before. In fact, I have a few videos that I purchased. But I had some trouble the last time I did it. Somehow I managed to throw my back out. So I am a little gun shy, although I know Pilates does indeed work wonders!