today is day one of my (drum roll please) journey through the thirty day shred! i’m a little bit nervous, if i’m being honest, because i love this video but i’ve never done it more than three days in a row. when i was initially trying to lose weight, i did this video a lot through the week but never dared to try level two. my boyfriend has agreed to do all thirty days with me, so that’s a little extra motivation. i’m really competitive and i don’t like to fail at things i’ve agreed to do when someone else is doing them with me. for those of you who don’t know anything about the shred, it’s a video by the amazing jillian michaels. there are three levels of the workout, and every ten days you start the next level.
for the first level of the video, i’m going to do the first five days following the ‘beginner’ model anita, and the next five days following the ‘advanced’ model natalie. on the eleventh day, i’ll be starting level two of the shred. i’ve never even seen level two, so this is going to be a difficult journey! what i’m expecting:
- a lot of pain and muscle soreness.
- bitchy moods when it’s time to do the shred every day.
- a lot of pride when i finish the thirty minutes daily.
- a kick ass, more muscular body once this is finished.
the things that i’m going to find most difficult are simple. basically, there’s one big thing:
- doing the damn video every single day.
life gets in the way, but that’s not an excuse i’ll be using in my life anymore. my body and my wellness is just as important as an appointment, or sleeping in a few extra hours. this shred is going to be a big priority to me for the next thirty days! some other goals i have for the next thirty days:
- lose about ten pounds.
- eat clean, mostly raw, and disciplined.
- ditch the cravings for crap foods.
- build endurance.
- make it to the gym 3-4 times a week.
- start running.
i even picked up a couple things this week that will support me on my little journey. i’m a libra, i love material things. the first was an adorable, thick journal that i turned into a daily planner and inspiration journal of sorts. it looks like this:
on the first page, i wrote some inspiring things to keep me going when i’m feeling weak. i even included a sweet message from my best friend who lives in germany, @lavenderbombshell.
last but not least, a delicious fruit salad i made for myself the other day. it had apples, bananas, oranges, strawberries, raw hazelnuts, and ginger cubes in it.
so, here’s to forming a healthier, fitter lifestyle for myself. here’s to the thirty day shred, and proving to myself what i’m capable of. wish me luck!
today was actually a really good day! i woke up extremely cranky to my phone ringing, but realized it was my landlord’s office lady calling to tell me that a package had come for me. it was my jeffrey campbells! i died of excitement when i saw the box (which had cats all over it) and i ripped it open. bug insisted on filming the whole thing because i was obviously ecstatic. then, i put them on and wore them out with my mom to get salads together, and after that bug and i went to the bus station to pick miss willow (@dareyoutolose) up once she was out of school. she came over for a while, which was incredible, and i shared my life story with her. i’m so pathetic! after she left, bug and i went to the gym for a while and i ran for thirty minutes. you know those women at the gym who watch your machine the entire time you’re running, and spy on your calories burned and speed? i had one of those ladies next to me and it was absolutely the most annoying thing ever! decided to skip my strength training today because my body is sore and i’m getting sick. nothing wrong with listening to your body! i’m feeling good about my body today, which has to do with the amount of time i’m spending at the gym, and the types of good, healthy food i’m eating. i feel great. i got my nutrition book today so i’m prepared on tuesday when i start spring quarter. also, i got pulled over today for absolutely no reason, which sucked. i guess i did have a headlight out on my car, but they basically pointed flashlights in my face, held up big sticks, asked me if i drank anything tonight, and let me go. kind of bizarre!
when i’m at the gym, i’m pouring with sweat and my feet hurt. my muscles are sore from the hard workouts i’ve had earlier in the week, and my body is on fire. my hair has fallen flat and my makeup has been smudged off. i’m panting, occasionally i whisper to myself, “keep going”, and i’m chugging water like i’ve never tasted it before. i grunt when i challenge myself to lift more than than i ever have, and there’s something in my side that’s poking me and it hurts, but not bad enough to make me stop.
oddly enough, that’s when i feel the best about myself. during all of that is when i finally feel ‘good enough’.
today i went to the gym about two hours before it closed, so i didn’t have too much time but the victory is that i went at all. i slept in too long today, i was lethargic, and i needed to clean the house. however, i decided to make time for myself and for the gym - gold star for elle! i walked on the treadmill at a speed of 4 at an incline of 8.0 for 20 minutes, ran on an incline of 2.0 and a speed of 6 for five minutes, and walked the last five minutes at an incline of 2.0 and a speed of 3.2. felt pretty good after my little bit of cardio, especially since i was so sore today from yesterday, and i did a little bit of strength training today as well. drank lots of water, and just had the most amazing pear!
my body is so unbelievably sore today. i’m aching everywhere and none of my muscles want to work after my pretty intense, diverse workout yesterday. i walked it out for a while, just to get my body moving, and found that i’m actually feeling a lot sicker than i was yesterday, flu-wise. my nose won’t stop running, i have the sharp hacking cough, and my eyes burn, which probably has nothing to do with the rest of it. i’m drinking a ton of water though, and resting when i should be sleeping. i had a bottle of metromint water today that really satiated my chocolate craving. it’s amazing how much the water really tastes like mint and chocolate, with only three ingredients in it. almonds and fruit for tomorrow sound nice. i’m kicking off my own march madness with a trip to the gym, and hopefully a body that feels great, flu-free. i’m working on being excuse free, which is going surprisingly well. i’ve never been a gym bunny type of person, but lately, i feel like crap if i don’t work out. i’ll be running a decent 5k in no time - which is one of my goals!
