Day 16 w/Jillian Michaels

We completed Day 16 of the 30 Day Shred this morning, but we changed it up a bit. Interval 2 has been a workout, however it involves a large number of plank poses, thus meaning you're on your toes quite a bit. My man has some major bone spurs, so being on his toes for an extended period of time doesn't flow. Therefore after completing 5 out of 10 days of Interval 2, we went back to Interval 1 this morning to change things up a bit and also make sure we're getting the most effective workout possible. We will continue Interval 1 for the next 4 days until it's time to start Interval 3.

Each interval seems to have its own strengths. For example, interval 1 is better/harder on the cardio side than interval 2. Interval 2 is better/harder on the abs workout than interval 1. Both can kick your tail, but we seem to breath a little heavier on Interval 1... so interval 1 is where it's at for the next few days until Day 21, which will begin the scary Interval 3. Only time will tell what that looks like.

Regardless, we're seriously enjoying working out together and the new routine we have. Granted, there are many mornings where it's a mental battle to get out of bed to start the day... but once we're up and moving, it's TOTALLY worth it.

The cult following at work with the 30 Day Shred has increased... more folks have been added the the group working out during lunch Mon, Wed, and Fridays... and additional folks have purchased the video to workout at home. I just keep telling them the same thing my friend told me (when she gave me the video to borrow)... don't hate me... hate Jillian. Should I contact Jillian for a kickback or two with all these DVD purchases stemming from my constant rants about the workout. hmmm... but one thing is for sure, we are more conscious of our bodies and our health right now and it's four weeks past new years... so folks are stepping further than their resolutions. That's a very cool thing to see and it's much easier the more folks you have encouraging you and walking the same road together.


In other news... this week seems to be busy and I'm trying not to let it be stressful. I'm doing my best to take each day one at a time with the goal of completing each task at hand.

I have my first exam in Anatomy & Physiology 2 on Saturday morning. The exam is over the Autonomic Nervous System, the Endocrine System, and the Reproductive System. I feel like I have a good general grasp of it, but the details are what usually are inquired upon and those I'm shaky on at times. Additionally, my prof grades on grammar, spelling, and sentence structure in addition to content when it comes to the definition question and the few short answer questions. The positive thing is... as long as I spell everything correctly and write in complete sentences, even if I have the entire concept wrong, I have a chance of receiving good points on the "problem", so that's encouraging. The spelling is difficult at times though, because we're dealing with medical terms. I think sometimes they make the wording and spelling up just for kicks because the words can get really long at times.

Other reasons for the busy nature is that we're FINALLY getting our wood lamanent flooring put into our house this week. I am VERY excited about the transformation that is taking place and cannot wait to post pictures once it's complete and then pictures again once we start to decorate again. We've owned the flooring for over six months, I believe and have finally started to see progress. The flooring is being put in the back "living room", the old office, the kitchen, and our small hallway in between the kitchen and bathroom. It already looks totally different. One reason this adds to our busyness is that we have to work to keep the furbabies away from the guys as they work. This at times is no small task. The furbabies go from the freedom of wandering the entire house, to being gated to stay only in the front living room. To say they get a little stir crazy is probably an understatement, especially when you're talking about Sir Licks Alot, Dexter. But so far it's looking like it's worth the trouble. Can't wait for it to be complete... our house will be able to get back in order soon.