Shred Day 2

...done :)

At this present moment in time I can feel every worked muscle...which just so happens to be every muscle in my body. I loves it!

Looking foward to completing day 3. Baby steps. I'm all about the baby steps this time.

Start Small, Dream Big

Monday, as every person who has tried to lose weight before knows, is the official start date for any new workout plan/healthy eating regime.

I had planned on setting out my goals for this week over the weekend...but I actually didn't get round to deciding on what I would do until about 7:30pm this evening!

The gloomy weather and full day of work made me feel about as much in the mood for exercising as sticking raw chillies in my eyes. Lay on my bed listening to music I cast my eyes across the shelves stacked with DVDs. Hmm, should I do one? Which one can I be bothered doing?

I went for Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred for these reasons:

a) It's only 20-odd mind long.
b) It's a really intense workout that gives an all over workout, burns calories and makes you really feel like you've done something worthwhile.
c) After going on about all these 90 day programmes, this will be a good test to see how I fare with a third of that commitment (in previous attempts on this DVD is hasn't been great...but today is a new day/week/30 days!)
d) err...did I say it's only 20 mins long?!

I love/hate this DVD. I love the 3-2-1 concept (you do three rounds of 3 mins strength, 2 mins cardio, 1 min abs + warm ups and downs) and I love/hate the intensity - LOVE that working that flat out makes an efficient use of your time and is better than half-arsing it at the gym for an hour yet HATE the intensity as it kicks my arse!

I'm going to take some full length piccies tonight to compare later down the line. At this point in time I'm taking baby steps so only going to commit to one week of doing this DVD. At the end of the week I'll review whether I continue for another week or change it for something else.

My Workout DVD Collection

This consequence of getting bored easily + wanting to lose weight =

THIS!

Zumba, hip hop, salsacise, pilates, toning, pumping, Davina - I have it all covered! Technically I should look EXACTLY like Kate Moss now. I demand my money back.

My love/hate affair with exercise DVDs (or videos as it was back in the day) started at the tender age of ten when me and my cousin would stick on my mum and auntie's aerobic videos. The one we favoured was a horrendous 1980s VHS which had you shimmying to tracks from the 1950s and 1960s. Thinking on, I even recall there being video footage of me and my friends at my 10th birthday party dancing to this video (oh the SHAME!!)

I graduated from the 80s leotard VHS phase to...a 90s leotard VHS phase! Another aerobic video by some mega annoying woman whose claim to fame was being Princess Diana's trainer.

Over the years I've been given some cast offs from my sister and bought my own - scouring Amazon for the a cheap DVD that will end up being THE ONE. One DVD to solve all my fat problems. I know that a DVD is not the answer, but it doesn't hurt to keep checking does it? ;)

At the moment I'm being wooed by the lure of the 90 day programmes - P90X, Insanity and that one from Tracey Anderson (True Story: I actually watched the full 30 min infomercial online for her new programme. I. Just. Want. It) My sensible self tells me if I put together all DVDs in my collection I could do a completely new routine every day for 90 days. But my impulsive/stubborn/idealistic/hopeful self just believes in the other programmes - I mean LOOK at the results (go on, Google P90X results - uh-may-zing!)

I think I may be able to fend off the urge to purchase the above DVDs, mainly because they look far too intense and they are way too expensive (hitting me where it hurts on both counts!) However, I am still thinking about the Kettlebell DVD set I have seen. Kettlebells is something I've been contemplating for a long time after I saw them being used on the Biggest Loser years ago. I saw in a fitness magazine a couple of weeks ago that using them really helped an already fairly fit women get over her plateau as they act as strength training whilst also raising your heart rate - so a great source of cardio. Reading many, many articles I know that I need to start proper strength training to see some serious results, my bit of cardio and toning is just keeping me on an even keel. There is no point in me toning when I have a wodge of fat covering the area I'm trying to tighten up. The fat has to go first.

Kettlebells may be my new 'thing'. The kick starter to my new plan of attack. Until then I'm off to watch the Tracey Anderson infomercial again, haha! (No really...)*

*Just joking! :)

Plan B

After my admission that I don't want it enough I've decided to fake it till I make it and get some new plan of action in place.

I truly believe the old adage of "fail to prepare, prepare to fail." Ask me to wing it and I fall flat on my face. Work presentations, interviews, glamming up for a night out...I need time to get my lipglosses ideas together before I deal with the task in hand. Oh and lists, lovely, lovely lists. I heart them. All essential for planning.

I am going to schedule in workouts, what activity to do when, back up exercise plans if Plan A isn't do-able that day, and try to plan my weekly meals and snacks better.

Procrastination is thy enemy so I need to actually implement these plans - which means moving my arse (boo!)

I Don't Want It Enough

I like to think I'm pretty honest with myself. Whether I'm feeling motivated enough to get up at 6am before work and sweat it out down the gym or I've thought "eff it!" and ate and drank exactly what I've felt like, I've been honest with it all on this blog.

After reading countless other blogs and fitness/weight loss websites/resources I've come to the conclusion that I obviously don't want to lose weight enough. I don't want it enough.

As my post history shows I'm highly emotional and swing from being focused and driven to lost and miserable within a few days. If I wanted this enough then I would be more consistent and focus on my goals. I would give it my all.

I'm doing it all half-assed which means I take one step forward and two steps back.

I'm not moaning about it, I'm just being honest with myself.

In the past when I have felt like this I've made a plan of attack for the week to get myself back in the groove but I think I need to change things up. I can't do what I've been previously doing as I can't sustain it, I get bored. I don't yet know how I'm going to change things up. But I need to think of something soon as I refuse to end this year having made no progress from the last.

Time for a new plan of attack.