Day 8 - "Praying for Death"

Butt Kicking Workout
There's a part in the BFBM video (during the plank exercises I think) that Jillian says, you should be praying for death right now. I certainly was about half way through. Oh my goodness this workout killed me today! I did the mountain climbers unmodified at full pace this time, and after the first set, I was ready to lie down and take a break. But I kept moving... until those stand-up mountain climbers shot up my heart rate and I had to take a 30 second breather after the second set of those to get some water. My heart rate was up so high that it felt like those times when you sprint a mile super fast and then want to fall on the ground and pant while slowing down your hummingbird heart rate.

There is something about this workout that is really fun, but at the same time, totally ass-kicking. I really didn't think I'd ever be able to do the mountain climbers at full pace, but last time I tried it, but with my butt up higher a little, and that showed me that hey, I can do this. It's not easy. And it's not fun. But it IS possible!

This video is my favorite of the three videos because of the karate moves. Back in high school I did kenpo karate and then Olympic tae kwon do in university, so I find these martial arts moves enjoyable (I throw a few kiyah's in there for emphasis and husband-scare factor now and again), and I know for a fact that they whip you into great shape without you even realizing.

Day 1 - Banish Fat Boost Metabolism

Today is the first day of round 2 of the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. This time, we're switching things up a bit. On Sunday's, we'll be doing Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, and on Tuesday's, it'll be No More Trouble Zones.

BFBM
Let's just say this workout ain't no joke. A full 40 minutes instead of our usual 25 minute workouts. This video consists of 7 circuits, with each circuit having a theme, such as core, or cardio. I left the sound on this time, since this is a new video I've never done before, and I'm glad I did. Jillian was very motivational and kind of hilarious (umm... what's this about getting jumped in the parking lot?) I have a bit of a martial arts background myself, so I found this workout to be quite fun. (Tip: if you make "tsuuu" noises for the punches and "kiyaaahh/kiyup" noises for the kicks, it makes them more forceful and reminds you to breath.) I tried to kick it up a notch today by making myself try at least one of each move unmodified. Amazingly, I did the mountain climbers on the second round fully unmodified, and IT FELT AWESOME. I mean, it was tough, and I was grunting through it. But I did it!!!

Here we go round two!

PS I almost forgot to mention, this would be a great DVD to take along for travel since it doesn't require any weights or equipment.