Day 2, complete.

Yesterday, when I arrived home from work, I handed Drummer Boy to Mr. Fix It, changed into my Shred clothes and faced Day 2 of Mission Shred and all that is Jillian Michaels's 30 Day Shred regime. I have to say, for as sore as I was, I managed to keep up well with only a few extra modifications in the exercises. Once again, I was happy for those 20 mins to be over though. Oh, and I should mention that I'm using my lunch hour at work to get out and walk so I'm not stuck sitting behind a desk all day. I'm still pretty sore this morning, and the freezing temperatures don't make getting out of bed any easier.

During the work week, my breakfasts consist of a bottle of water and a cinnamon raisin english muffin. I always bring my lunch (and snacks) with me to work-- they vary, but this week I'm eating Aidells italian style chicken sausage with black beans. For snacks, I always have almonds (Emerald's Smokehouse Almonds are my favorite) and fruit-- yesterday I had a cut-up apple, and today I have fresh berries, strawberries and blueberries. Today I also brought a small Babybel cheese for the late afternoon when my cravings kick in. Last night after dinner I really wanted something sweet, and usually I would have a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch cereal. Instead, I opted for a hot cup of apple cider and I was satisfied. Hope I can keep the 'eat this, not that' initiative alive.

I've been using the Daily Plate app on Livestong.com. After putting in some data, and setting the goal of losing 1lb/week, the application calculated a daily caloric intake goal of 1414 calories. This is a pretty difficult goal, especially if your sugar and carb cravings are as bad as mine. Yesterday I was outside this goal by 28 calories even with my lunchtime walk; however, the application doesn't recognize 30 Day Shred so I'm hoping those awful awesome 20 mins burned enough calories to keep me within the 1414 goal.

Day 3, here we come!!

Day 1, complete.

Wow. Okay. That was harder than I thought it would be. And it sure didn't pass as quickly as I thought 20 mins would! I'm ashamed to admit it, but I was winded in the very first few minutes, during the warmup with the 'windmill' arm stretches. I had to stop a few more times during the 20 mins, but I tried really hard to follow JM's advice and not rest for more than 5 seconds. I fully expect to be sore tomorrow-- especially since it's 8pm and my legs and arms still feel a bit worked-- nearly 9 hours post Day 1 Shred. Thank goodness I was only using 2 lb weights! Looking forward to tomorrow though-- it's the first official day of the new year-- meaning everyone in the house is returning to work/school! Can't wait to get our routine back! Here's to a new normal!

**Update**
The first morning after Shred Day 1. Ouch. I'm sore.

A new normal.

I may have just had an epiphany. While I sat on the floor of Drummer Boy's room, willing him to surrender to slumber for an easy 45 minutes, I took the time to reflect on motherhood. I'd like to say that this year, 2012, I will make an effort to do more things for myself, and take more time for myself, but that's not what being a mother is about for me. And it's not an unfortunate thing. Truth is, I find a lot of joy in doing things for my family and for Drummer Boy, and when I'm not with him, I want to be; and that's when I realized, not even Mission Shred is for myself.

My mother is on medication for high blood pressure, and BOTH my parents take pills for high cholesterol. My father is borderline diabetic, and I know there are a slew of other pills they take for ailments beyond my knowledge. I don't want to be them. I want to be around for Drummer Boy for MANY more years and so it's imperative that I find a new normal.

I'm anticipating the hardest part of my new normal will be drastically reducing my sugar consumption. I want a cherry coke or moon pie to be my reward for reaching a goal; however, I expect those items (and similar items) to remain my vices in the beginning. What will really be great, is when I no longer have to transform my cravings into rewards and can instead reward my hard work and dedication with some new sparkly nail polish, make up, or anything from Etsy. Heck, maybe I can channel all that energy from craving bad-for-you food and find my own niche on Etsy. Whoa. I just blew my own mind.

So tomorrow is the big day. I have a 20 minute date with Jillian Michaels and Dr. Oz is whispering food mantras to my psyche.

Oh, and I took my measurements today as scheduled. Here's the gist:
Weight: toooo much
Waist: sticks out further than my boobs
Thighs: rub together
Hips: don't lie.
Arms: too bingo-wingy.

Challenge Accepted.

I am a manatee. At least I feel like one. Therefore, I have been inspired and motivated by Jillian Michaels's 30 Day Shred DVD. A simple search in Google: "30 Day Shred result before and after"; and a similar search in YouTube sold me on the DVD. I bought it at Target about 2 weeks ago, and for the past 2 weeks, it has sat on my counter, unopened. That is until Monday, January 3rd when me and my girlfriend D unleash all that is awesome in The Shred.

Tomorrow I plan to take BEFORE pictures and measurements (waist, hips, arms, thighs, and weight). And I should mentioned that I plan on altering my diet during this exercise to fall within the parameters of the Word that is Dr. Oz: all fresh foods (no processed foods-- no hydrogenated oil or high fructose corn syrup), foods low in saturated fat (no more than 4g per serving), low in sugar (less than 5g per serving), foods high in fiber, and only whole grains or complex carbohydrates. Dr. Oz preaches small portions and frequent meals/snacks and LOTS of water and a daily vitamin.

I have a lot I want to accomplish but basically the gist is to be happy in my favorite pair of jeans. What have I learned from Ziggy Marley? H is for "Here we go!"