Day 16 (Level 2, Day 6) | My Weightloss Struggle

Yesterday, I didn't do the workout DVD. Instead, I went to San Francisco and marched a little bit to protest the California Supreme Court Ruling that upheld Prop 8. Today, I woke up with a bad cold. I have a sore throat and I'm sneezing like crazy.

Still, I put in the 30 Day Shred DVD. And, by the end of circuit 1/strength, I started to cry. I didn't feel good, and I just. Broke. I paused the DVD, and texted DH "I don't know if I can do this today." And I sat. And waited for a response.

Guess what? It didn't come right away. I waited for a few minuted and asked myself. What am I waiting for? And I decided that I was waiting for DH to say that I could take a break and not finish working out. So that way the responsibility wasn't on me. But here's the thing: IT IS.

So I pressed play and continued. And pushed through it. And FINISHED. It was hard. It was SO hard today. I had to stop during plank twists again. But I did it. I'm strong enough to do it.

I feel a little guilty that I took a break (about 5 minutes in total), but I'm proud that I pushed play when I could have just stopped. I'm proud that I took the initiative to continue even when I was breaking down.

The rest of today, I'm going to relax and try to shake this cold of mine. And listen to some of Jillian Michael's podcasts. Clearly, I'm a big fan of her.

I need a hug. And some support today. But I am persevering. And can I say, I'm starting to see a difference. In my body, and my willpower.

--Steph | My Weightloss Struggle

Half Way Point | My Weightloss Struggle

Wooh. I just finished day 15 (Level 2, Day 5) of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. Today was my first day off work in a while, so I slept in, cleaned house, took a nap, and ran some errands. Still, I did the workout DVD. I'm pretty proud of myself for doing it too. Especially after a lot of sitting around all day.

I did the big girl exercises for the most part. Today, during "walkout pushups", I actually did pushups!!! Yay! Before, I followed Anita, and walked down to plank pose, held it for a second, and walked back up. This time, I walked down, did a pushup, and then walked back up. Woohoo!

I had to stop during plank twists again, but I held out for longer. I didn't have to stop until almost the very end. I felt my ankle land a little weird during the oblique twists, so I stuck to single jump rope today, but did them really quickly so I kept my heart rate up.

Unfortunately, I feel a little bit of nerve damage in my left arm. I think I might have slept wrong, but the heavy arm working in level 2 might have been a big part of it too. It didn't stop me from doing my exercises, but I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Overall, I'm feeling a little more encouraged today. I think the rest has helped my morale. Weight update: I am now 147.5! Half a pound lost since I started. And I weighed myself after breakfast, so it could be more! Which is great, since last week I was up a pound. I'm starting to think that that gain was muscle, and the fat just took a little longer to come off.

Working out is hard, but I think I am starting to feel the endorphins from the exercise. I feel a lot better after I work out, even if I'm tired.

I think that once I'm done with these 30 days, I'll start again with level two until I fully master it. I know I won't be able to be a complete bad ass (like Natalie) in 5 days. So I'll keep doing it (maybe sometimes with level 1) until it's easy. I think that challenge will keep me doing it even after the 30 days is over.

See you tomorrow for day 16 of My Weightloss Struggle!

--Steph

Day 14 (Level 2, Day 4) | My Weightloss Struggle

Today I was a good girl and did Jillian Michael's work out DVD without much persuasion needed. I definitely feel myself getting stronger. I only had to stop once, during the plank twists. Damn plank twists. And I started to try to do less modification during the exercises. Part of me feels like I half-assed it during the high knees, but I know I squatted further during the row with the static lunge, and that other row that hurts my shoulders like mad.

I'm proud of myself today. But I know I still need to eat better. I really wish there was a store near my work that had nice, inexpensive, premade, healthy food. Like Trader Joe's. But there isn't, so I need to be good and start bringing my lunch!

That's all for now. See you tomorow for my half-way mark (Day 15!) for the "30 Day Shred" on My Weightloss Struggle.

--Steph