Ugh.  Working out.  Let’s talk about it.  There are two types of people in this world – those that work out, and those that don’t.  And I have always belonged in the latter group.  My idea of exercise is going for a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood, or walking through Target on a shopping trip with an iced coffee in hand – ha!  Not that those things are bad, but they certainly aren’t aerobically effective – or at least, not that way that I do them.  Since starting my “weight-loss journey” (I guess you’d call it that?) 10.5 months ago, I haven’t exercised as much as I’d like.  I’m not wanting to exercise to lose more weight – after losing 60+ lbs, I’m pretty good with where I am, but I DO want to tone up my body and lose some inches and some of the loosey-goosey parts for sure;)  I totally understand that exercise is super good for my body, and I should be doing it anyway – for my health.  I just…..kind of hate it.  No, no – I really hate it.  Much like healthy eating used to feel to me – exercise has always felt like an overwhelming punishment.  Like, I have to work out 4-5 times a week for the rest of my life?!  Nah, that’s okay – I’m good.  But, I DID get over the feelings of healthy eating being a punishment, so I’m trying to see if I can do the same with exercise.

For the past few weeks, I have been doing the 30 Day Shred.  The 30 Day Shred is a work out video by Jillian Michaels and it incorporates short bursts of strength, cardio, and abs into a 20-25 minute workout.  There are 3 levels – and you do each level for 10 days straight (everyday) – each level gets progressively harder than the last.  I’m currently on Day 27, so I only have 3 days left which I am SO ecstatic about.  Even though the workout is short, it definitely hasn’t been easy to do.  You don’t get any rests or breaks in the 25 minutes, and it really is much harder than it looks.  And guys.  EVERYDAY.  I went from exercising occasionally to every. stinkin. day.  Yeah, maybe not the best way to start, but I guess I was trying to jump start my habit.  I even managed to still exercise on a day when I was feeling really crummy and coming down with a cold.  I mean, I don’t regret doing the video, and as I said, I’m SO glad that it’s almost over!  And I really have seen results in my body – I’m feeling muscles that I never knew existed.  Is my body “shredded” at this point?  No.  But I have seen definite improvements and it’s really encouraged me to see how much I can change my body with exercise in just 30 days time.  Have you noticed that I seem to love 30-day challenges?  Hehe:)

My current goals after the 30 days is up is to 1).  Take a break on Day 31 and give my body a much needed rest day.  And 2).  Try out a plethora of different exercises and workouts over the next few weeks and try to find something that I really like.  If you have any suggestions of what I should try or what has worked for you, please tell me in the comments – I’m up for suggestions!  Also, for all of you that exercise on a regular basis, I’d love to hear what motivates you and keeps you going – even when you don’t particularly feel like doing it.

P.S.  If you any of you use My Fitness Pal, feel free to connect with me over there and send me a friend request – I’d love for us to be able to encourage each other!