30 Day Shred Update

Hello, folks!

Remember when I said I was starting Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, and I posted pre-shred pics of me in my underoos?  If not, you can see me in all of my glory here.

I should have finished "shredding" a week ago on February 11th.  Unfortunately, lack of discipline and laziness has led me to restart the 30 days four different times...  

Apparently fourth time is a charm for this girl because I'm finally sticking to it.  Today will be day 9 which means I will finally be progressing to level 2 on Thursday.  Now that I've been doing the same exact workout for about 25 of the last 37 days, I'm really getting sick of it.  I can't wait for Thursday to start a new level and to do some new moves!

Anywho...I just wanted to give a heads up on my shred progress.  I know many of you are just dying to see another picture of me in my knickers when I get to my post-shred photo :)

Challenge Results & Goals

Happy Monday, everyone!

Yesterday was the last day of my 7-Day Slim Down Challenge, and I took a lot away from the challenge.  Not only did I take away knowledge, but I took away 3lbs!  After abstaining from the scale for the entire week, which was probably the toughest part of the challenge, I finally got to weigh in this morning.  

Last Monday when the challenge started, I was 175.8 and today I weighed in at 172.8!  Woohoo!

I enjoyed this week-long challenge so much, that I am following it again this week.

A few times during the past week, I had slip ups with the meal plan, i.e. popcorn, beer, wine, going out to lunch with a friend and getting a wrap and french fries, having steak on Valentine's Day, and 4 thin mint cookies...  I am hoping that if I follow the meal plan even more closely this week, don't cheat as much, and amp up my workouts, I will have even better results than this past week.

Now, goal time.

Last week, these were my 3 goals:

Floss.  Every damn day - Nailed it! I even flossed twice one day!

Follow the meal plan as closely as possible - I did fairly well, but you can see my cheats above.  Since I still had a great loss, I'm considering this a win.

Run twice - Nope. Huge failure.  The "heatwave" that was supposed to hit my area never happened.  We barely made it into the 20's, and it snowed.  It's currently snowing, and we're supposed to get 4-6"...  

Goals for this week:

Develop a half marathon training plan - I signed up to run my 4th half marathon in May so I need to get my booty running again and start training.

Follow my challenge meal plan to the T Monday-Friday, with the except of a little wine... - Nick and I are going out of town this weekend to visit friends so I am not going to be able to meticulously follow the meal plan of the weekend.  I will try to choose options close to it though while we're away. I just opened a bottle of wine on Saturday, and only had a glass.  I would kind of like to finish it instead of waste it...but only 6oz at a time!

Stretch for 20 minutes 3 times - my muscles are sore from all my workouts and I'm not as flexible as I used to be...pretty self explanatory. 

Link up with the stellar Carolyn and share YOUR goals!

Non-Scale Victory

"Ello, 'ello, my lovelies!

Today I am linking up with the fabulous KTJ (Seriously, she's awesome. Go check her out!), to share my non-scale victory.

My NSV is that I am rocking my 7-Day Slim Down Challenge, and I feel awesome! 

Eating clean, with the exception of the popcorn fiasco, and working out, has never felt so good. I am pumped full of energy and my body feels less bloated and heavy. 

I know we're talking about NON-scale victories today, but I am beyond excited to see the number that shows up on the scale once this challenge wraps up. No matter what that number ends up being, this challenge has helped boost my confidence in my health and fitness goals. 

Yesterday, my challenge leader gave us the tasks of writing down one thing that has changed since we joined the group. We then had to take a selfie with that message, and display it on the group wall. Following what I just said above, this was/is my selfie:

I am learning so much about living a healthy lifestyle, and about myself, through this challenge. I am grateful for the experience, and I am excited to continue using this knowledge to complete my goals!

    

Weigh-In Wednesday

If you read my post on Monday, you know I am participating in a 7-Day slim down challenge.  I weighed myself on Monday morning as part of the challenge, so this number is actually from a couple days ago.

175.8

I almost weighed myself again this morning, but decided not too.  At the end of this challenge, I am hoping for an awesome loss, and want to be surprised by it.

The challenge is going really well so far.  I did slip up last night and ate some popcorn.  And by some, I mean an entire bag.

  All day I was fighting cravings, and once I got home, I gave in.  I am disappointed in myself for not resisting fully, but it is done and over, and I just have to work harder to make up for it!!

Tomorrow, the temperature here is supposed to get into the 30s.  HEATWAVE!!!!! I have a goal this week of getting 2 runs in.  It looks like the first one will be happening tomorrow :)

Accountability

To get my flabby ass whipped into shape, I need help with my accountability.

When I only have myself to check in with, it's extremely easy to lose control.  Right when I needed it most, someone I went to high school with, formed an accountability group on Facebook.  I signed up right when I saw it!  

The creator of this little group, is an accountant by day, and a Team Beachbody coach by night/in her free time.  Her group is a 7-Day challenge, free to join, and she has created a meal plan for everyone to follow.  Besides following her meal plan, she is asking everyone to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.  She also gives us little challenges to complete such as 20s planks, and 60s strength moves. 

 Everyday, the participants need to check in on Facebook and let the rest of the group know you have finished your exercise and challenge for the day.  If it starts getting late, and you have not yet checked in, the creator sends you a little reminder.  This is exactly what I need at the moment.  I need the little reminders, and the set meal plan.  I need the structure and the support.

I am also linking up with the adorable Carolyn  to set some goals this week.

1.  Follow the 7-Day challenge meal plan as closely as possible.
I am trying to follow the meal plan as closely as I can, but I am allowing a few changes.  For example, I am not supposed to drink coffee for the next 7 days, but I am still having a cup each morning.  I do not need the coffee, but I've created a little morning ritual that I am not willing to give up.  I like to get my coffee when I wake up, return to bed, read for a while and slowly savor the warm goodness of the java.  It's a nice start to the day, and I know I could drink tea instead, but I gotta have the coffee :)

2.  Floss.  Everyday.
I floss a couple times a week, but I really need to get into the habit of doing it daily.  In a few weeks, I have a teeth cleaning appointment, and I want my dentist to be impressed with my super healthy gums, and mad flossing skills.

3.  Run twice this week.
It is supposed to be in the high 20's a couple days this week.  I think that is warm enough to brave the cold and get some runs in.  If I am going to run the Madison Half again, I need to start seriously training very soon!

What are your goals this week?  Link up with us, and share!