The Shred

Due to an abundance of great local micro-brews and amazing restaurants, I have been feeling a little more round and soft in the middle lately. I have been ignoring the signs for a few months, trying to brush it off as nothing more than a few vigorous hikes could take care of, but when most of your wardrobe starts to feel tight and more than one pair of pants loses a button in a week, it's a sign. A giant, red, flashing sign that something must be done. And fast.

Since I can't afford to get a whole new wardrobe I decided to suck it up and try the 30 Day Shred - you have probably heard of it as it has been all the buzz on the internet lately. It is an exercise plan developed by Jillian Michaels, the head trainer on the show The Biggest Loser, and it follows the formula of 3 minutes strength training, 2 minutes cardio, one minute abs. The workout is only 20 minutes and there are three levels that get progressively harder as you go on.

Sounds pretty straight forward right? 20 minutes sounds like a piece of cake!

Today was my second day on The Shred and let me just tell you, it totally Kicks. My. Butt. I am sweating harder after that 20 minutes than I do hiking up Mt. Mansfield for two hours. Jillian Michaels is crazy. My arms are incredibly sore, walking down stairs makes my legs go weak, and both mornings I did the workout I thought I was going to puke right after. And I am only on level 1. But no pain, no gain (or loss), right!?

In order to stay motivated I thought I would chronicle my journey here, that way I know I have to keep up with it!! And I imagine that some of you Brides-to-be are planning on doing some sort of weight loss regimen in preparation for the big day and could benefit from an in depth revue of this popular video. In addition to doing the 30 Day Shred, I am also trying to modify my diet to be a bit healthier. I have cut out drinking for the most part (I still have a glass of wine every so often, but that's it) and I am eating low-fat/low-carb as often as I can. For breakfast I am drinking Slim Fast chocolate shakes made with Soy Milk- it's a super fast and easy option for me since I don't have a lot of time in the morning to make something.

So there it is- I plan on doing regular updates on both my diet/work-out progress and what changes I see in my body. Wish me luck!