View Full Version : Challenge - Add 1 Activity to Your Day
Hello everyone,
I haven't been around much as I've been enjoying the beautiful Northern CA weather and spending as much time outside as possible. Now that most of my outdoor projects are done I feel myself dragging to get to the routine stuff. I'm definitely a project rather than a process person.
One thing that helps me stay energized and productive throughout the day is doing a high-intensity workout in the morning on a regular basis. This past winter I fell off the wagon and adopted a leisurely schedule; now that the weather is warm I want to have the energy to be active every day, especially in the mornings.
I'm starting a Challenge to get myself motivated and would love some company. I decided on the 1 Activity just to keep things simple, but if you want to do more, more power to you!
My 1 Activity will be 30 minutes of high-intensity exercise every morning. I will start with the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred. My goal is to start the activity tomorrow and make it a permanent part of my daily schedule. But honestly it might take me a few days to start. The first week of Shredding is rough so I'm dreading it. But I will post everyday with updates, regardless of the progress, in an attempt to keep myself accountable.
Anyone care to join in?
cow-hi
ps. This is meant to be an activity that enriches your life, whatever that activity might be. It certainly doesn't have to be exercise, or entail any form of sweat and/or pain! :) In fact, I did the opposite this past winter when I added a morning pet cuddle to my day. We all piled on the couch, covered in blankets, and cuddled for 15 minutes each morning. It set a lovely tone for the rest of the day.
I'd be in for the pet cuddle...a walk would be good. I didn't do well with the weight loss challenge. I'll watch you all for awhile!
So far no shred, but it's early yet. :)
I did realize why I've been dragging these last couple of days. It's that time of month... amazing that it takes me by surprise every time. Clearly I'm not that bright. :) I'll see what I get accomplished this week after checking my expectations.
I did it! Woo-hoo! Yesterday at 11:30 am I did my first shred of the year. I was able to stick with it all the way through and today I have some soreness but not much. Pretty proud of myself :). I hope today goes just as well.
Ultralight
5-18-16, 11:14am
:+1:
Excellent!
:+1:
Excellent!
Thank you!
Yesterday I completed the 2nd day of shred. Yay! By the afternoon my quads were sore and made the act of sitting and standing a challenge. I was prepared though and decided to take a nap! Today's shred will have to be done with the sore quads and triceps so that should be fun :).
A nap was the activity I was going to add. Then I remembered I already had. :~)
Kudos on your accomplishment.
Day 3 of shred completed yesterday! With Blondie blasting in the background :). J.Lo did the honors on days 1 and 2. I thought I'd have a tough time with the sore muscles, but after a few minutes they relaxed into the exercises and I was able to do the whole workout. And added bonus - the quads were much less sore afterwards and now are back to normal. Triceps are still a bit sore, probably because I don't use them as much throughout the day.
Took another nap in the afternoon, after lunch, and it was very nice!
Gardenarian
5-20-16, 12:54pm
I have recently added a new activity - 15 minutes of sunbathing (as weather allows.)
My vitamin D is very low, but I can't tolerate the supplement. It's really nice to spend some time just lying on a blanket in the backyard,
Shred #4 completed! Along with nap #3! :) It appears I'm adding two new activities to my daily schedule.
Feeling lazy today and am trying to justify taking a weekend break. I know that means it will set me back for Monday's workout.
Gardenarian - good for you! I've fallen asleep plenty of times outside enjoying the fresh air and the birds singing.
Shred #5 completed! Dragged a bit but still got it done.
Shred #6 completed. Woo-hoo!!!!
Time for morning walk with puppies and shred 7.
Shed 7 completed!
Yesterday was really busy for me and today I'm feeling it. Kinda tired and my triceps and calves are sore. Suffering a bit from allergies too.
Ultralight
5-24-16, 4:18pm
Shed 7 completed!
:+1:
Shred #8 completed. Whoo-hoo!
Walking the dogs this morning I felt the difference in my legs since I've been shredding - they feel really strong. I even felt like I was walking differently, more tall. I'm also starting to feel a bit of something happening in the abs area.
Yesterday I took a day off to rest my muscles but today's workout was noticeably more difficult so I'm going to avoid taking breaks.
And man, I love how much I sweat during these workouts. It feels so good, like my body is being cleansed from the inside out. It feels healing.
Day 9 of shred completed.
Yesterday I felt the first full day of energy burst from the shred and when evening came and I was still energized, I did a second set of shred. Wow. What a workout. The sweat was pouring down my face. It's a bit tougher when you just had a full meal 2 hours before. But I got it done, showered, and off to bed.
This morning I thought my muscles and joints might need a break but they actually felt looser and more comfortable. The morning shred was fine. Today I'm feeling the work in my butt and upper arms! And a little bit in the abs. Why is that the abs are always the slowest to get with the program?
Day 10 completed!
The second day of doing 2 shreds, 1 in morning, 1 at night. Feeling pretty proud of myself.
Ultralight
5-27-16, 12:53pm
You are on a roll!!!!
Day 11 completed. Did 2 shreds.
Starting yesterday I've switched out my 2 cups of French roast coffee for 1 cup of English breakfast tea. Caffeine aggravates my roscasea, and with the warm weather and plentiful sunshine find that I do just fine without it once I get over the initial slump. I've been feeling the energy drop but hopefully it will only last a few days.
Day 12 completed. 2 shreds.
Nighttime shred was tough and sweaty, especially after lounging on the couch watching a movie. Blasting some old school dance tunes helped, and it made for a good night's sleep.
Day 13 completed. 1 shred, took evening off.
Today my glutes are really feeling the workouts and my ankle is a little sore; not sure if the ankle is from the shred or from some other projects I was working on yesterday. I'll see if I want to rest the ankle or stretch it out with a workout. This morning it was really stiff and I almost fell going down a couple of steps but it feels better after walking the dogs.
I gave in and am enjoying a rich cup of coffee instead of tea today. Dh made a pot and the smell was hard to resist.
I'm trying a name change. I've been using watergoddess for years and it started to feel kinda stale so now I'm trying out Geila to see how I like it.
Took yesterday off from shredding to let my foot rest. It turns out it's not the ankle but a spot on the top of my foot, probably injured during the weekend projects. I tried the shredding moves last night and they don't put any pressure on the spot that's sore so it wasn't the shredding. I might take today off as well. The foot is healing nicely and I don't want to slow down the healing.
I do miss the shredding though, and the energy that comes with it. I'm looking forward to getting back to it.
Day 14 of shred completed.
I skipped the morning shred to let my foot rest. But I really missed the workout and the energy it gives me. By afternoon my foot was pretty much back to normal, so I did a shred before bed. It felt so good to sweat and give the muscles a workout.
Day 15 completed - 2 shreds, morning and night.
I found that on the days when I didn't shred I ate a lot more food for energy, which led to me feeling sluggish... Also finding that knowing I'll be doing pushups later has led to me eating less at dinner and eliminated evening snacking.
Day 16 completed - 2 shreds.
Today I'm feeling tired. Yesterday was a busy day physically, and I'm feeling the workouts in my body - I can feel some new muscles developing, along with some soreness.
I've almost doubled the number of pushups I can do at each workout; I'm happy with that as my upper body's always been my weak area. I'm feeling sore across my back and shoulders and thinking how good a massage would feel right about now.
Day 17 completed - 2 shreds.
Today's hot here - mid to high 90's. Already spent some time outside watering the garden and I might take the day off from shred. I'll do a bit more watering to give everything a good soak and then see if I want to make a rest day. The only problem with taking a day off from shredding is that then I end up eating a lot that day and feeling sluggish and blegh.
My arms and shoulders are still complaining about the pushups. They're not sore, but they're tight. I wonder how long it will take them to adjust. Maybe I need to use them more during the day to get them to loosen up.
Saturday was a no-shred day. I was active most of the day so I got a good sweaty workout that way.
Day 18 of shred completed on Sunday. This workout just flew by! It seemed too short. Since I took Saturday off I decided to only do 1 shred on Sunday to let my muscles acclimate back to the workout. Even with only 1 workout I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was not munchy in the evening. I had an early dinner around 4-5 and didn't feel the urge to eat anything else for the rest of the night.
I'm also happy to see some definition in my body starting to develop! I've been enjoying the increased energy and strength for a while now, but now I can see a difference in the way my body looks - it's more toned and there's new definition, especially in my legs, torso, and butt. Happy, happy!!!
Geila - aren't you getting an increased appetite from the increased workouts? I've had that happen, and it has happened to friends.
Geila - aren't you getting an increased appetite from the increased workouts? I've had that happen, and it has happened to friends.
Lainey - I haven't found myself getting hungrier with this workout. I know it happened when I was swimming - I'd get ravenous! This workout actually has me eating less because I get so much energy from it that it carries me throughout the day. I don't need food for energy because I'm getting it elsewhere. It must be the combo of exercises, or something, not sure.
Day 19 of shred completed! Since my Sunday workout felt easy and short, I decided to do 2 shreds back to back yesterday. It worked out really well, I got a good workout and the second set felt good because my muscles were really nice and warmed up by then. I could get deeper into the exercises. It knocked me out in the afternoon though and I took a nice long nap.
I do miss the evening workouts though. It was nice to workout, shower and go to bed. I don't think I can do another shred in the evening if I do 2 in the am since my muscles need a chance to recover. Once I'm up to speed on the am routine, I will try one of her other dvd's in the evening. Maybe the abs one, that should be ok, not too much pressure on the joints I hope.
Day 20 completed! 2 shreds, back to back in the am.
I dragged a bit doing the workout, it always happens the day after I add something new as the muscles are adjusting to the new routine. But boy did I have lots of energy the rest of the day! In the evening I was missing my old workout so I took the dogs for a nice long walk. The weather was really nice and we all enjoyed ourselves.
And a big bonus - I'm finally starting to see some definition in my arms, chest and shoulders! Whoo-hooo!!!!! :cool:
Day 20 completed!
You are well on your way to a new habit. :)
20 days deep is legit!
Day 21 completed! Whoo-hoo!
Good workout - 2 shreds back to back and a nice long walk in the evening. Had a ton of energy all day. Really feeling the strength in my legs and overall stamina.
Day 22 completed - 2 shreds back to back. The is a 30-day program so I'm going to track until day 30.
Yesterday I was tired from doing the book purge - not physically tired but mentally which felt like being physically tired. I skipped the evening walk and spent time watering and enjoying the garden instead. A hot shower that felt good and I was off to bed.
Day 23 completed! 2 shreds b2b.
I can't believe how strong my legs have gotten in just 3 weeks. I feel it in my daily activities and I can see and feel the newly developed muscles all along my legs and thighs. It's pretty cool. I'm looking forward to seeing the same results in my upper body.
RoseQuartz
6-11-16, 9:01pm
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Geila, I've been very inspired by your checking in here. I started 30 day shred 5 days ago because of this thread. For a non-athletically inclined person who gets desperately bored doing cardio- this workout has been a real winner.
Yesterday (day 4) I actually was able to laugh during the cardio circuits, where the day before I was cursing. I've been sleeping better, and have felt quite energetic. :)
Yay! I'm so happy to hear this. You must have been in pretty good shape already because you didn't mention the quads on days 2-3. :) I'd love to hear your progress, please share! I'm glad you're enjoying it - well, ok, maybe "enjoy" is the wrong word... but the benefits are fantastic!
Day 24 completed on Sunday - 1 shred in am. Saturday was a day of rest. No shred. I was planning to be very active on Saturday but it was too hot out to do what I was planning so ended up relaxing all day on the couch watching movies and napping. This made the Sunday shred pretty hard. I felt like a zombie doing it! And then I had to take a nap to recover. :)
RoseQuartz
6-13-16, 9:22pm
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I actually am in terrible shape. I had a very hard time going up and down the stairs in my house the first two days. Yesterday was day 6 and I felt tired and not as into it as the previous two days, but my room was also super hot and I think that made me feel yucky. I'm still trying to find that sweet spot of the day that works best. I did learn not to push it until after dinner for me. I am a morning person thoroughly. :)
I'm probably about 25 lbs over my normal adult weight, I gained that a couple years ago and can't seem to shake it. Most likely because my body fat % is pretty high. I'm not focused on losing weight though. I just want to feel strong and more agile in my everyday life.
I'm really excited to get to the next level.
I get those blah days sometimes and they usually only last a day. If you start to feel bored you can always go to the next level and try it out. You're over the hardest part so that's good! Pretty soon you'll start to feel some real changes in your strength and stamina.
Day 25 completed - 2 shreds B2B. This was a really good workout. I actually enjoyed it and felt energized while doing it. I can feel that it's time for me to increase my weights. I know I have some 5 lbs ones around here somewhere...
Day 26 completed on Monday - 2 shreds B2B.
Day 27 completed today - 2 shreds B2B. I was feeling tired and sluggish and almost skipped this morning's workout. I had to remind myself of how hard tomorrow's workout would be if I skipped and how much energy I would miss out on by not shredding today. The first 5 minutes I dragged and then all of a sudden - umph! - a surge of energy kicked in and I blew through the rest of the first shred. After getting nicely warmed up the second set was a sweaty wonderful mess! Loved it. But I need to find those 5 lb. weights; I'm not getting enough of a workout in my upper body. I have officially more than doubled the number of pushups I can do during the workouts, even when I do two sets. Whoo-hoo!
Day 28 completed! 2 shreds B2B.
Today was a fun workout. I pushed myself to increase my pushups on each set and increased my weights for a portion of the workout and my body seemed to really like it. I guess our bodies get bored just like our brains do. I'm really grateful for my body and how much it does for me.
Ultralight
6-16-16, 1:17pm
28 days ain't no joke!
Day 29 completed - 1 shred am.
My arms were a bit sore from yesterday's workout so I took it easy and only did one set. I have a bunch of stuff to do and didn't want to tire myself out. The 5 lbs. weights are working out well.
Day 30 completed - 1 shred in am, with 5 lb weights.
It's interesting to see that our bodies do enjoy being challenged. When I switched over to the 5lbs., it energized me. Posting here has been really helpful so I plan to start a June fitness thread to keep the momentum going.
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