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!

first of all, i have to say how wonderful it is to get a tiny little box (unfortunately only delivered in the uk, but alison was kind enough to send me one!) full of healthy treats. the name made incredible sense to me. it’s a graze box - have a few pieces of everything, close it, and come back later. the first thing i tried was the seeded granola. it was literally the best granola i’ve ever had! it had seeds of all sorts inside it. the ingredients were, jubo oats, sultanas, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, honey, sunflower oil, coconut, sesame seeds, flax seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest. the entire package had about 180 calories in it, or so. very low fat and very delicious.

perhaps my favorite (it might be a tie) thing inside the box was the piña colada mix. it had dried pineapple, which i’ve never had before and was INCREDIBLE, along with dried mango and coconut shavings. it all tasted so amazing and fresh and perfect! about 130 calories were in this mix.

i’m never a fan of cranberries, but dried like these were rocked my world. they’re juicy and amazing and a bit tart, which i love. along with the cranberries were pieces of orange and such. so incredible, and only about 110 calories in the package.

last but not least, something that changed my life. i have never had anything like this, nor am i a fan of pumpkin seeds, but these are VANILLA seeds! it’s the most pure, amazing thing i’ve ever tasted and i wish i had more. they were perfection, a bunch of seeds in vanilla love and they’re such a pleasure to enjoy with a cup of coffee. i got to share these with bug and willow today, and they loved them as well! these were about 130 calories for the entire package, i believe. 

long story short, my first graze box rocked my world. i have to thank alison so, so much for sending it to me after knowing me just from tumblr. such a sweet girl and i can’t wait to send her something in return. i will post a link to her blog and add her to my favorite blogs page as soon as i remember her tumblr URL. my mind is blanking out! i give graze boxes a 10 out of 10, for their amazing commitment to bringing people healthier, delicious snacks for a low price of three euros. the content was perfectly presented and tasted so good, even after traveling to america. i wish i could keep them coming, but i’ll have to work that out with someone in the uk!