Category Archives: Pre-MFP Workouts

Work outs done in February 2013.

March 11, 2013

Pre-MFP Workouts

Don’t let me go that long again without working out, getworkingsteph.com! 26/30. I am 4 days away from my goal of doing the whole Shred. I’ve let myself down a bit not completing it in 30 days straight and in stopping for 11 days in a row but I got off my butt today and did something so I feel back on track.

I guess I have to learn some times I really, really, *really* won’t want to work out. In those times even Dave can’t convince me to do anything. I have to convince myself. I’m happy I did it. I feel better already. At the same time I don’t want to let myself off the hook I have to also acknowledge that I worked out 21 out of 28 days in February. That’s amazing.

So, a little bit of a setback in stopping for so long, but getting back up and starting again means I haven’t given up completely. I’ll be done the Shred by the end of the week, and onto a more conducive workout. Go me! Just don’t forget to keep going, me.

February 27, 2013

Pre-MFP Workouts, , , ,

25/30. 5 days to go! My abs (which I can feel developing under a layer of fat) hurt a bit today from doing the work out yesterday. I like those days. The days I can feel my muscles are a bit tight but not so tight I can’t walk down or up stairs are good days. Instead of dwelling on how I haven’t lost pounds I’m going to celebrate the things I’ve noticed that have changed.

Here’s a convenient list for you to peruse:

1. My back fat is disappearing. When I glance in the mirror I can tell that my shirts are fitting a lot better in the rear. I can tell I’m thinning out back there. It’s a fun improvement.

2. My arm fat is disappearing. All those weight parts of the Shred are paying off. I have little muscles when I flex and the fat part that hangs down is less, well, fat part-y.

3. Endurance. I’m not getting so nearly red in the face when I work out now. But I’m still sweating an appropriate amount so I know I’m getting better at breathing through the work out.

4. My thighs are smaller. Woot!! It’s nice to see the difference 4 weeks of working out makes when you’re wearing tights. My tights fit way better.

I’m really proud of these little minor changes that likely only I’ve noticed. They keep me going on a daily basis.

Here is a pic of some tights I wore the other day under a long dress/shirt. Something I’d have been too “fatty” to think I could wear before and pull it off.

2013-02-26 09.17.15

 

February 26, 2013

Pre-MFP Workouts

24/30. Back on track! After my 6 day hiatus I finally did the Shred. I didn’t cough or feel terrible so I’m definitely ready to work out. I’m really excited to finish the Shred and start a new work out routine. As much as I like Shredding I definitely feel bored with it. Today I would have been done if I hadn’t gotten sick. Boo! I didn’t struggle with the work out like I thought I would after missing so many days. My muscles felt great, actually.

I still really like when Natalie cheats in season 1 of the Shred. She always makes me feel like we’re such good buddies, faking it while Jillian barks orders at us. Love you girl!

Just a few more days and I’m out of work out Shred!!

February 19, 2013

Pre-MFP Workouts, , , ,

23/30. OMG. Woo! 1 week to go! I really like level 3. I find the stuff with the hand weights relatively easy and the stuff with the plyometrics relatively hard, so it’s a nice balance. Before the weight stuff killed me and I breezed through the cardio sections. Now I breeze through the weight sections and die during the cardio parts. I keep saying this but I really have to throw in cardio after or before a work out 3 times a week soon. Dave made me a banana-strawberry-almond milk-yogurt-honey smoothie. It was delicious. 1. Week. To. GO!

2013-02-19 21.45.15

February 18, 2013

Pre-MFP Workouts, , ,

22/30. 8 days to go! My back felt funny for a few hours after I got home, but I waited it out and felt better so I went for it. I really like level 3. It’s challenging and there isn’t an insane amount of weight stuff. I had to drop to doing push-ups on my knees again because you have to traverse in a semi-circle while doing push-ups and I’m not there yet. Rock star jumps are also tough. Actually, all the jumps are tough. At one point you have to do jumping jacks with the weights. I laugh the whole way through. Jillian does basically none of the work out, Natalie is virtually never shown. It’s basically an Anita work-out video in slow motion because sometimes Anita looks 120 years old with how slow shes’ moving. In level 2 she does these really funny step touches and I was never able to take her seriously. Sometimes when I’m trying to follow Natalie I have to just stop and follow Anita because Natalie isn’t in this season, you barely get to see her. 8 more days!!! I keep saying it. I’m really excited.

Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred Workout (2009)-

February 17, 2013

Pre-MFP Workouts, , ,

21/30. First day at level 3. OMG. Get real, Jillian. Somehow she thinks I should be able to do planks AND weights at the same time. She’s got to be joking. My favourite move was when we did Supermans. I’m pretty sure I looked just like Clark Kent. My sister had to tell me how to do some moves while she folded laundry behind where  I was working out because the video kept pausing and all I could hear was the audio. Then the video skipped from circut 2 to circut 3 and I ended up doing an extra cardio interval by mistake. Talk about not impressed. Kryssie and Jon made me 2 crepes after that though, so it was worth it. 9 days to go. 21 days down! I’m definitely in my zone. Zone. Zone. Zone.

6.-floor-jacks-420x420

 

February 16, 2013

Pre-MFP Workouts, ,

20/30. Out of level 2! Woke up at 7:30, didn’t even complain. Got up, put on my workout clothes, put on my workout shoes, put on the Shred and got it done. I’m really happy about it. It was really tough to do the Shred 10 hours apart. I won’t be doing that again. My muscles are getting sore. I’m on my way to Sudbury now. Can’t wait to see these ladies in these outfits tomorrow! 10 days to go!

280044038_295

February 15, 2013

Pre-MFP Workouts, , , ,

19/30. What!!!!! 1 more day left of planking. I mean presumably the third level is done completely from the plank position but at least I’ll be able to say I beat Jillian’s 20/30 day Shred. I really have to start adding in cardio after the work out, I’m going to start trying to do that when I get home from Sudbury while I’m doing level 3 next week.

Most of my clothes are currently hanging up in my bathroom drying, so I had to shower in our guest bathroom after the Shred. I felt like I was in a hotel. I might do it more often for a fun change of shower pace. A lot of my clothes can’t go in the dryer, which used to be really irritating, but I realized I could hang them up in my shower and they would dry relatively quickly so I haven’t minded too much since then. Try it some time if you need to go easy on hydro/don’t want to risk having your clothes shrink in the dryer/don’t have enough room to put up a drying rack. It’s really convenient.

Tomorrow I have to get up at 7:30 and do the Shred. It will no doubt be very difficult. It means I have to do it in about 10 hours and then drive to Sudbury. I’m not looking forward to it at all. 20/30 will be a huge deal for me, it’ll be the longest work out streak in human history I bet.
2013-02-15 21.32.52

February 13, 2013

Pre-MFP Workouts, , ,

17/30. 3 days left at this level. Today I did all the strength moves, including real push-ups and not once did I have to drop my arms while holding the weights. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and Dave and I are trying to make it really exciting so we’re going to cook together and give each other hand made gifts. cheesecakeRight now he’s making no-bake cheesecake, peanut butter cookies and chocolate mousse cups. Tomorrow I’m going to try really hard to wake up in the morning to do the Shred so I don’t have to do it at night when I want to eat a ton of food and be all in love.