(Jen wondering if this is really worth feeling this horrible)
Day Two of the 30 Day Shred is over, and I was actually looking forward to starting the work out. I was sore before it began, but my arms finally stopped quivering from Day One, so I thought I was ready to go. That was until that evil woman Jillian had me do the first push up and then I literally started laughing out loud at myself. I could barely push my body up off the ground due to the soreness in my arms. I don’t know how I finished those, but I did.
While holding the five pound weights, I thought I would be able to do the first weight circuit with five pounds instead of the 2 1/2 pound “weights” that I used yesterday. I was wrong. I lifted them twice and quickly ran to the pantry for refuge. No, not food silly, the 2 1/2 pound Salsa jars, of course. 🙂
Ladies…this is where we need to dig deep and keep going. It would have been so easy for me to stop, but I didn’t, and neither did my daughter. I know you can do it as well, and I am SO proud of you for giving your body the kick it needs.
Tips for today:
- Watch what Jillian says about the knees. If your knees are hurting in any way, listen to her directions to avoid that. The first day mine were sore, and I realized I was leaning in and having my thighs over my knees which leads to soreness.
- Keep drinking that water. Water, water, water…
- Listen to your body. The great thing is that after I am finished, I feel a little sick. The benefit of that? I have no desire to dive into the doughnuts. I’m trying to listen to hunger, and not “cravings.”
- Read the comments from yesterday’s Day 1 post. There is a whole community of us in this together. If you think you can’t do another day, realize you are not alone in feeling like you are going to keel over 😉 There are more friends that only commented on my Facebook page which I am updating daily.
Thanks for being honest. I know that the people on Biggest Loser eventually love her, but I’m not so sure I’ll be there after only 30 days. I’ve done this workout for about 7 or 8 days once before, and so I know the awful truth . . . tomorrow’s soreness is going to be worse than today!
And thankfully, I have some 3 pound weights!
Hang in there, when she says it gets easier, it does. I am on day 6 and I am amazed at the improvement in my endurance in such a short time. Granted I was working out regularly before I started this, but it is absolutely worth it. We are worth it. We have to treat our bodies like the divine temples that they are!!:)
Yeah, I’m using 2 lb weights. No plans for changing–lol! The strength circuits are my LEAST fav. It’s so funny to be relieved to get to the abs part!
It’s fun to all do this together! Kept me from chickening out today.
Jen, honey, you know I love you, right? Well, if that’s a picture of you shredding, “you’re doing it wrong.” (name that movie) When you’re on the floor doing those awful ab exercises, you should have the opposite elbow/hand behind your head from the knee that’s crooked. Or, to put it another way, when you crunch, your elbow should be traveling across your body to get to your knee. That move is to work your “transverse abs” (thank you “evil woman”), which are the ones that cross your stomach to trim your waist.
So think, “right knee bent, left elbow crunch”
Does that help?
oh sheesh…you were looking WAY TOO CLOSE! But you are right, and I realized that by day 2. lol And on my next update post, I think I am going to quote you to make sure that no one else follows my lead. 🙂
@Jens, ah, fame! I’m a detail person – sue me! Just remember, if you aren’t dying by the end of the first circuit, you’re not trying! (ask me how I know this!) love you!
I think I must be crazy as I went to the gym and did walk/jog intervals on the treadmill before coming home and doing shred!! (Tuesday is music class at the gym for my little one, so I had to go!) I’m going to be in sooooo much pain tomorrow!
Love that you started this, Jen, as I definitely didn’t want to do the shred today, but I said I would so I had to 😉 I may have to read that sentence tomorrow though to pump me up again!
I told my sister about your challenge because I wanted to borrow the dvd I knew she had and wasn’t using. Well she got so excited about the challenge that she is doing it now! I will go to the store tomorrow & get my own. I have to have a surgery (minorish) on Friday and won’t be able to do it for a few days so my day one probably won’t be until next Tuesday.
Day 2 complete!!! My arms and thighs were sore this morning…advil is a wonderful thing. Hope to keep this going…I seriously fell off the exercise wagon during the summer. I actually owned this for awhile but was not consistent…..somehow it was wayyyy back in the cabinet..hmmm…Anyway, thanks for the motivation!!
Day 2: Done! My arms are so quivery during the strength and I’m only using 2.5 pound weights! Here’s to getting up early to do day 3—I can do it! I can, I can I can!!!
CONGRATS on pushing through! I haven’t done the 30 day Shred before, but joined a gym last year. I started going twice a week, then three times and finally now I go 4-5 times/week and feel GREAT!!! I take spin class and also a toning class similar to the Shred videos. Isn’t is amazing how light weights can hurt so good (bad?)??? You’ll love the way your arms look after finishing this program. Not big, just toned.
Again, CONGRATS and you are so inspiring!
Oh I was so sore today! Actually, the sore began last night. My husband was rubbing my calves and it took me a minute to realize that he wasn’t squeezing them ridiculously hard- I was just ridiculously sore. I’m not even sure what exercise it was that made my calves hurt, but man alive, they did! Aside from being sore, today was actually easier for me, endurance-wise. Dare I say I’m looking forward to tomorrow?
@Brittany, The jump rope cardio KILLS my calves. They should look good in 30 days though 🙂
@Brittany,
Yup, it’s the jump rope 🙂 funny as you would never have realized it til you started to feel them burn while jumping!
You talked me into it. I ordered the DVD today. I may regret it.
Today my 3 kiddos joined me (10, 8 and 5) . The older 2 did it all. My 5 year old loved the butt kicking 🙂 She made up a song, spank your bootie!
I’ve done the dvd about 5x now and my biggest suggestion after having 4 babies is…DO YOUR KEGELS! I about peed my pants doing the jumping jacks and jump rope. 🙂
@Heather, LOL 🙂
@Amanda, LOL! It was like that for me when I tried this DVD 4 months after my son was born! It’s better now (9 months later!).
@Alicia’s Homemaking, I’m only 3 months post partum so thanks for letting me know it gets better. 🙂
Good for you! I put the shred on my Amazon wishlist for using my swagbucks. In the meantime, I did go to Zumba class at the Y today for the first time since spring and I made it all the way through class w/o my asthma inhaler. Yay!!
When I was doing the Shred regularly, I noticed if I added more calf stretches after it was over my legs were less sore.
Day 8 completed. It is truly easier each day. Thanks for posting each day. Keeps me motivated!
Hello!
I really enjoy your blog! I did Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred video and really liked it; however, sometime around the second week I got the worst stomach ache of my life. It lasted two days. On the second day I got a headache and took some Advil for relief. Low and behold, my stomach pain completely disappeared in 20 minutes. I finally realized that my abs were so sore that it was causing the abdominal pain. Just a heads up so if you come across that you can reach for the Advil instead of suffering like I did!
HA! Got the dvd last night and started today, so I’m a day behind everyone else. OH MY GOODNESS! I’ve worked out before, but after a long, sedentary summer, I got my rather rotund backside kicked by JM today. The strength was easy, I moved back and forth between 3 and 5 pound weights, but that cardio – wow! I was SO happy to be able to lie on the floor for a few to do abs, and just when I could breath she’s saying to get up! My legs were shaking for an hour after wards, I’m kind of worried about how crazy sore I’m going to be tomorrow – and I have to work out being that sore??? I think I can, I think I can!
Hey Jen
I sooooo needed to read your post tonight! I’m from New Zealand and while I’m not doing the 30 day shred I recently joined the gym with a trainer to lose 20lb that crept on when I met my man (over a 10month period!)
I HATE the sick feeling I get from working out so hard and the struggling to breathe…..I just hope that in 30 days I’ve made some progress towards my goal.
I can’t wait to read your updates – it will give me the incentive to keep going too.
xx Barbara
Day 2 … DONE 🙂 That’s funny about the picture … sorry but I noticed right away too … then thought maybe someone caught you in the switch to the other side! Hey, I have another tip: when doing the first set of crunches, make a fist and insert it under your chin so you keep your neck and head straight … crunches used to kill my neck and I found it was because i was straining with the neck … so try it if it bothers you (and never ever ever lace your fingers behind your head, cup your ears with your fingertips) … not sure if Jillian witch has ever said that as she’s on mute for me 🙂 Great job everyone!! See you tomorrow!
Day 2..done for me too. I was sore after day 1 and still sore after day 2. 😉 The part I do enjoy is the 2 minute intervals…thank goodness…right as I start dying /complaining in my head/ she says “just a couple more” and then we switch. Whew!
{Oh, and I thought about going to level 2 but stayed at level one and I plan on doing level one for a couple more days…}
I survived. I stuck with Jillian again today. It hurt. It was not pretty. Why do her workout make me want to nap? Seriously? Good luck everyone!
Let me clarify…I want to nap AFTER the workout is over, not during! They wear me out!!
Thanks for the encouragement to get back into regularly exercizing with a plan! I decided to use the videos I already had and am using BeachBody’s Slim in 6 videos (basically 3 levels of exercize for the 6 weeks).
Day 2 finished for me! Why did it not dawn on me to take pain reliever? 🙂
@Amanda, Drugs – duh! Off to find the motrin – the arnica is just not cutting it today!
Today was actually my day 1. Monday and Tuesday just didn’t go well and the 20 min workout fell below the line of have-tos. I actually have a 40 min workout of Jillians and I only committed to 20+ minutes today and was very glad when it was over. I hate burpies people! Then I made myself a vegetable/fruit juice mixture with my juicer which I dusted off today. It made me feel so much better after that workout. Breathe in breathe out! Day 2 is always better….Thanks for the motivation.
Completed day 3 today! I did workout 2 by accident and I’m definitely going back to workout 1 tomorrow!