Day 1 of the 30 Day Shred

Okay, so I've been putting off going into a real exercise program for a while now. It's easier to reject food to control portions than it is to actually put out effort to exercise. Lol! However, I decided I need to get my rear in gear.

A few weeks ago, I bought the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD that promises 20 minute workouts on 3 levels. Essentially, there are only 3 workout routines, with one routine per level. Within the workout routine, there is one trainer that demonstrates an easier, modified version for those who are like me, a bit out of shape. Each routine has a 2-minute warm-up and a 2-minute cool-down. The heart of the workout is her 3-2-1 interval training technique. Interval training is a huge buzzword in the physical fitness world, claiming to help you burn way more calories than a steady workout. The concept behind interval training is to work your body as hard as you can for about a minute, then progress to a lower level for the next 3 to 4 minutes, then start the cycle again and again until you complete your workout. In the 30 Day Shred, it starts the cycle with 3 minutes of strength training, like pushups, then 2 minutes of cardio, like jumping jacks, and then 1 minute of ab work, like crunches. She goes through this cycle a few times, and then it's time to cool down. Since it's only 20 minutes, there are no breaks and you have to maintain your momentum and intensity. In terms of equipment, you will need some dumbells and an exercise mat.

So yesterday was Day 1 for me. Let's see just how "shredded" I get in 30 days. Lol! Anyways, I watched through the Level 1 workout before starting it and everything looked simple and easy enough. None of the exercises are anything I haven't seen before. However, once I started the workout, I realized how hard it was! I mean it was HARD!! There were times when I really wanted to just drop to the floor and just breathe for a minute or two! It makes sense that you have to maintain a high intensity to get the most out of a mere 20 minutes, especially if this is all you're planning to do for the day. After the workout was done, I was wiped out! I admit that I did take a break during the workout to drink some water, plus I thought my heart was going to pound itself out of my chest. Lol! Anyways, I survived, and my arms are really sore now.

Overall, I really like the workout and I'm glad I got it. After the first day, I am definitely motivated to keep going and try it again tonight, though I'll go a little lighter on the arms so they can recover. I do have to say that I think the cool-down is too short and doesn't stretch you out enough. Going forward, I may just supplement the cool-down with a few yoga stretches.