As of yesterday, I completed the 30-Day Shred with Jillian Michaels. I have to say that this is quite an accomplishment for me since I don't remember the last time I did anything other than sleep, breathe or eat for 30-days straight. Okay, so it was not 30-consecutive days due to the fact that I had a terrible cold for two weeks, my mother-in-law was in town and there was an issue with the car wash and my rear bumper that ate up one of my times to work out. However, working out an average of 6 out of 7 days is really good, especially for me. I did not let myself out of exercising just because I didn't want to. I pushed through and, boy, am I glad that I did. It's pretty amazing how much more endurance and strength I now have. Did I lose a lot of weight? No. I didn't change my diet too much, but I did firm up areas that used to have a life of their own, got rid of the muffin top, and definitely lost some inches on parts of my body, including my mid-section. I see new pants shopping in my future.
The next step (after my birthday week next week) is to ratchet down to the basics: protein, veggies and fruit, maybe whole grains (like brown rice) thrown in on occasion. I built a lot of muscle mass while doing the Shred, but now I need to lose the "softness" (aka fat) around it so I can show all my hard work off. I mean, some of it is showing already as people are noticing the changes in my body (also proves people are looking at my body - ha!), but losing these last 18 pounds will really showcase it.
I told my niece, Cassie - who has been instrumental in keeping me motivated during this process, she basically rocks - that I was done with JM. And three seconds later, I'm downloading the two free Jillian Michaels' iPhone apps. What can I say? She really does have good ideas for strength training. Running is great for cardio, but I have to keep up with strength and endurance training as well. I'm considering P90X as my next challenge, but I haven't committed yet. It might be the perfect thing to do in the summer since it's hot here and I really can't run outside when it's over 75 degrees (I have to treadmill it all the way) and I have time since I won't be working. I'll just have to see. 90 days doing the same workouts day in and out might get a bit boring. 30 days with Jillian was enough! Thinking out loud...
Anyway, I'm thrilled to get back to running, though not today. I'm taking a well-deserved day off and reflecting about my experiences with JM. What did I learn?
1) I can do a lot of things that I thought I couldn't, now including full on sit-ups and push-ups (still on my knees, but I can go all the way up and down and my wrist is not hurting - yes!), thus...
2) I am strong.
3) I can do anything I set my mind to, even exercise for 30-days in a row - let's hope this spills over into lifetime diet changes/eating habits.
With that, I have no desire to be lazy and to lose all the things I have gained in the past month. Changing my body is great, but changing my mindset is, well, there are no words for it. We tend to be our own worst enemies when it comes to our minds and letting it convince us we can't do this or that, or letting us take the easy way out. I refuse to let my brain psyche me out anymore because I, as a holistic being, am better than that. I will push myself when I don't think I can run another foot or lift weight for another rep. I've learned that those moments are what cause the changes in mind, body and soul and that is a very good thing.
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I'm so proud of you! It's hard to stick with something, but when you make it a part of your every day, it just comes as natural as breathing and eating.
ReplyDeleteAnd see! That's exactly what I gained from it. It gives me the drive to want to be better. I went from going to the gym daily to now going to the gym AND doing some other form of workout DVD. (I'm that lame.)