The 30-Day Shred: Day 15

“I ran three miles, staggered into the lobby, and took the elevator back to my apartment. No point to overdoing this exercise junk.” –Stephanie Plum
Janet Evanovich, Two for the Dough

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You guys. Seriously. I’m not young anymore.

PIN IT, y’all!

A few years ago, I completed The 30-Day Shred with Jillian Michaels. At the time, I was young. It did the trick, and the weight fell off.

Then, I had this. The King of (Ring) Pop(s).

Clearly, he wasn’t that size when he came out (*wince*). He’s become that size in the last few years (*sniff*). Anywho, by the time he hit two, I figured it was time to take what I’m referring to as ‘the baby weight’ off. So, I fired up The 30-Day Exercise Challenge on Facebook, and over 800 of my closest and dearest girlfriends from around the globe joined me, as my second trip through Shredville began.

Granted, not everyone is Shredding, but to each her own. Some are walking. Some are T-Tapping. Some are PiYo-ing. Bottom line: they’re doing something besides sitting on the couch watching Rocky marathons on AMC (my specialty). Last Friday marked Day 15 of The 30-Day Exercise Challenge and, in particular for me, The 30-Day Shred.

The 30-Day Shred consists of three levels at 10 days each. Each workout is less than half-an-hour long. I add at least a half-hour of cardio (read: swim with my children) most days. I’m halfway through level 2. I’m begging Jesus to make a quick return before level 3 begins. My shoulders would like to spend exactly zero more minutes in the plank position.

Here are my stats at the halfway point:

Neck: lost 1 inch (tips about managing newfound turkey neck appreciated)
Bust: lost 2 inches (of course…and down one cup size)
Waist: lost 2 inches
Belly: lost 2.5 inches
Hips: lost 1 inch
Arms: lost 2.25 inches for both
Legs: lost 1.5 inches for both

For those of you that don’t have A Beautiful Mind (me, either, but I’ve got a calculator), that’s a total of 12.25 inches in 15 days with The Heifer Otherwise Known as Jillian.

Oh, and I lost 6.4 pounds, too. Say what you want about her, but it works!

My 14-year-old daughter, she who really didn’t need to lose anything, has been Shredding with me (bless her heart!) and lost a total of 8.5 inches and 1.4 pounds, too! #proudmama

More toned. More flexible. More cardio stamina. More sweaty. More stinky. More laundry. More showering. More, more, more. But less hungry! All that exercise makes me somewhat more careful about what I eat.

I try to stick around 400 calories per meal (x3) plus a 200-calorie afternoon snack, but I’m not a stickler about this. Being a stickler makes my perfectionism act up, driving me to perfect overeating again. I also try to eat relatively low-carb and overall healthy foods. I suspect that, as I go, I’ll have to get better about this. And maybe back off the Chick-fil-A fried chicken sandwiches a bit. But, hey, as long as I can lose an average of 2 pounds per week and still have the occasional chicken sandwich, ain’t no shame in that game.

Here’s my Day 15 pictorial update. More pics forthcoming on Day 30, of course.

If you can’t see a difference, besides the fact that I managed to paint my toenails in 15 days, please don’t tell me.  I’m anxious to complete this challenge and move on to the next one, so I can have some more obvious before-and-after pictures, which WILL be forthcoming on Day 30. Over.

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SPEAKING OF THE NEXT CHALLENGE…

The next 30-Day Exercise Challenge is scheduled to begin on Monday, September 15! Y’all need to get in on this, even if you aren’t tracking with the particular exercise type that we’re doing. If you’ve joined the current challenge late, this will be the perfect time to be on Day 1 with us! Many, many are being motivated, supported and encouraged in whatever exercise they’ve chosen.

The new challenge is Jillian Michaels’ Ripped in 30! This DVD is similar in style to The 30-Day Shred but contains FOUR workouts instead of three! If memory serves me correctly (and we all know that’s sketchy), level 1 of Ripped is worse, way worse, than level 3 of The Shred (even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus). I will be doing each workout for two weeks, meaning this particular challenge will last a total of eight weeks, ending on/around Friday, November 7, 2014. And y’all KNOW I’m already researching a plan for after that! Lord knows I’m gonna need to workout when the holidays (and their cookies and such!) roll around! Dang cookies.

Don’t worry about specifics for now, just make sure you have the DVD and your trusty hand weights. A sweat rag will be good, too. I’ll be posting printable calendars and weight/measurement sheets for y’all soon!

I call this one The-DVD-I-Never-Finished-Because-Morning-Sickness. Whereas, The 30-Day Shred the past few weeks was about getting moving, this one’s gonna be about redemption. I did level 1 of Ripped after I finished The Shred years ago. I remember going into it a little cocky after having killed level 3 of The Shred and, immediately, being humbled. It. Will. Not. Break. Me.

If you’ve been doing the legwork to prepare for The 30-Day Shred, here’s the link to buy it. You can start it on Day 1 with us and track right along with us at your own pace.

If you’re still preparing to even deal with The 30-Day Shred, Jillian’s come out with a new, Beginner Shred DVD. It’s on pre-sale at Amazon now in time for a September 2 release date. You can get it here.

{Affiliate links abound.}

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NOW FOR THE GOOD STUFF!

Y’all. The sweat is becoming an issue. For reals. First, it starts as a little beading, then, the next thing I know, I’m wiping it out of my cleavage. I promise it comes out of my ears sometimes. It’s a thing.

For this reason, I knew, the moment I saw these beauties, that they were the one for me!

And now, I want TWO of you to have one of these for sweat-soaking purposes, so I’m giving them away! In order to enter, just leave a comment on this post telling what has been the most encouraging part of being in The 30-Day Exercise Challenge group, or, if you’re not in the group yet, how the encouragement of the group will help motivate you to meet your exercise goals. Then, get in the group, man. Not man. Lady. Ladies only, dude.

Rules, lady:
To enter, you MUST leave a comment answering one of the above questions ON THIS POST (not on the Facebook page)!
Enter only once, please.
Comments will close for winning purposes on Friday, August 29, 2014, sometime around dinnertime.
Winners will get to choose size and style of Bolder Band.
And this: I LOVE Y’ALL!

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MY FAVORITE!!!

Some of the ladies from The 30-Day Exercise Challenge have volunteered to guest post here on AinW. I’m pretty sure it’s because of their great love for me, but whatever. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be sharing their posts with you! If they don’t inspire you, God help you.

Up first: Toni, from Auckland, New Zealand. We call her John the Baptist. She’s our Forerunner.

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Get to commenting, Winners!