Another Week Shredded – Continuing on Level 2

Day 117

Level 2 on the 30 Day Shred has taken a lot longer than I had anticipated: I was sick and now I’ve just got back from a trip to the mountains. I started Level 2 on May 19th but have only done it 7 times thus far. I will do it till I reach 10 then move onto Level 3 [check out the killer video].

I was sucking in air big time during the second section’s cardio this morning – those moves make my heart rate soar! But I actually felt my shoulder muscles working a lot more today than I had previously, and I held my plank arms solidly, without feeling like I was about to wilt. I also saw marked improvement while doing the walk out push ups. I can actually do those, full body. I can’t get as low as Jillian but I can actually do them! I think it’s because they are slower than on Level 1.

One thing I started doing recently was taking a little extra time during this level. My heart rate was really high during the second section’s cardio so instead of dropping to the floor and doing abs I walked about for 30 seconds or so. I also did the same after the end of section 3, just before the cool down. You don’t want to just stop moving after pushing your heart rate as blood can pool in your extremities. The thought of that is enough to keep me moving, but obviously it is not a concern to Jillian Michaels even though she makes you go, go, go then rest up only during abs without a word about blood flow. Maybe moving your abs is enough movement. I’ll have to look into that. But I do know I don’t feel good lying down doing abs after a lot of intense exercise.

How’s my body looking thanks to the workout? Much better me thinks. My butt is looking a helluva lot better and my hips slimmer. I still haven’t lost any weight though!!!! But I will continue on…

I signed up at a web site called The Daily Plate last week so that I can start tracking the food I eat – so I can put a finger on why the weight isn’t shifting. I found this nutrition tracking site because I googled for stories about the Shred and how other people were doing on it. The Daily Plate has a group for the workout so I joined. It could be a good place to hang out and get some motivation when I really need it.

I have started eating waaaay more veggies than I had been and I can already tell that my skin is thankful for that dietary change. I had been eating way too much bread and nutritionally devoid items that this can only be a good thing for me and my scales.

Here are my workout stats for today:

6/2/08

29:25 [workout time]
12:01 [in aerobic zone 60% -80% Target Heart Rate]
149 bpm [average heart rate] – high for me
180 bpm [highest heart rate] – 100% my max HR from the cardio in section 2!
251 [cals burned]