Day 56 - I've done 26 days of the shred?

It's tough for me to believe that I'm so close to finishing up the shred. Last night, I did some yoga to stretch myself out in preparation of shredding today. I'm not sure why, but when I shred two days in a row, the second day seems to be easier, but a better workout. Of course, I was sweating like a fiend. Of course I tried a little more with my knees today. I was able to modify the jumping moves so that I could actually do them. I like them, just worry that my knees might suffer.

I'm noticing subtle changes to my physique as I go along. Yesterday, my wedding ring felt too big on my finger and my watch was loose even though it's the same spot I always wear it. Today, I could picture myself without a flabby belly for the first time in as long as I can remember. Like it was an attainable goal!

I'm probably going to swim tonight.

Day 45: Half the way there!

Today is day 15 of the shred. That means I'm only 15 days away from finishing it (and from starting on my next 30 day program). I did my workout this morning, even though I wasn't really in the mood again.

I think someone's got a case of the Mondays!

I used the knee stabilizer, I took my Ibuprofen, and my knee is starting to feel better. It still gives me twinges, but it's not as bad as it was. It probably helps that I used some Tiger Balm on it last night as well.

I continued with the modified versions of anything that was remotely threatening to my knees, but I did the whole thing again. I'm still sweating like nobody's business - which is a good thing - but I'm keeping the routine going.

One thing I'll say about my knees, that I noticed last night is that I'm nearly positive that it's muscular. I'm starting to see some muscles around my knees (which is something new). You know that muscle that's just inside and above your knee joint? That's the one I'm seeing, and it's also the one that's been bothering me.

I've been giving some thought to what to do next. Lots of my friends and supporters have suggested the C25K program (Couch to 5K) which I'm strongly considering even though it's 9 - 10 weeks and not 30 days. But it's only 3 days a week so I could still do something else on the off days. Or stick with the shred. I'm just not sure yet.

3rd shredding day - 33rd continuous exercise

I made it! This morning I was able to do the whole shred with only a few 5 second breaks. It felt really good to see my endurance improve, but I really had to push myself to do it. There were several times in the cardio sections that I wanted to just stop for a minute, but I pushed myself to do more. I'm glad I did, but ugh - I'm way sore again. Pain headed down the stairs to get to the car this morning like I had on day 1 of the shred.

The good news is that even though I'm only 3 days in, I'm already starting to see some muscle definition that wasn't there before I started - mostly around my obliques (under my moobs). Which, btw, my moobs are also shrinking incredibly and I'm so excited about that! That started with the Wii Fit stuff last month, but the shred is helping in a major way.

A quick note about proper diet and my friends:

Yesterday there was a bit of a dustup on my Facebook status talking about whether or not I'm eating properly. Nothing major, no feelings hurt or anything like that, just some of my friends who are more advanced than I am giving their opinions and advice. I totally appreciate everything they're trying to do but I got a bit overwhelmed and felt intimidated (due to the difference in level and expertise). The truth is that they're right. I need more protein in my diet, and I need to eat less "junky" food. Both of those have always been my weaknesses. However, it's important to note that I'm like 30x better than I was before I set out on this journey. So it's gotta be small steps that I can incorporate into my daily routine and make into a lifestyle change. I told my friends that and everything's cool. If you guys are reading this, thanks again for the advice, keep it and the encouragement coming - that's what I really need!

I'm really glad that I've started on this "health kick" and I'm doubly glad that I'm seeing results. My weight is going up from the 30 day shred at least during these first few days, but I'm pretty sure that the inches are coming off. I'll do a measurement check in on day 7 and report back. As usual, I'll also do photos, but I probably won't be sharing those publicly unless you ask.

Day 20 - nearly 3 weeks and still going!

I lost 0.8 lbs today, which is a good thing (of course!), but even better, I'm starting to see some results in the mirror. I'll do some pics tomorrow - though I may not share them for the reasons I stated earlier in the blog - but that way I can document the process. What I saw in the mirror this morning was - much more definition around my mid section. Not my gut, although I'm noticing some shrinkage there, but more above that. Almost hourglass-y going on in my mid-section around my ribs. Also, I'm seeing some muscle cut lines in my shoulders - I haven't seen those in a while, and when I was working out years ago, they were one of the first things to show up. That means that even though I'm not doing weight training, the Wii is actually working! I'm most excited about fitting into old clothes and the fact that my man-gut and moobs are getting smaller.

Drank lots of water yesterday and managed to not eat after 9 pm again. It was tough last night though, because I didn't get home until late and so I didn't get any dessert. :( The price we pay to get in shape.

I'm doubly excited also because I took my followup cholesterol test yesterday after 4 months, and I've managed to lower my cholesterol by 50 points, which is huge. I'm still barely higher than I want to be, but I'll aske the dr. about it next week and see what options I have.