Thursday, November 5, 2009

Still Shredding

So I'm still doing that thing with the video and the exercising.  Yesterday's workout made one full week of the 30 Day Shred, seven consecutive nights.  Even when I've exercised regularly in the past, I've never done it every single day.  I think the relentlessness of it might actually help me stick with the program. There's no thinking, "Oh, today is an off day," or "Do I feel up for spinning tomorrow?"  It just happens daily, rain or shine.  And at a certain point, you don't want to break the streak, you know?  I still haven't managed to do it any earlier than ten at night, but that's working okay.  

My method is to line up a reward for myself first.  I march into Matt's office (I do a whole lot of self-righteous marching before and after shredding I find) and say something like, "Okay, I'm going to shred and then we're going to do X." Whatever X is, like play Rock Band or have cosmos or make balloon animals. Something.  And the workout is so dang short. I mean, by the time you really want it to be over, it is.

So, at day 7, my results are: Mostly stuff only I can perceive.  My upper body is stronger.  When I reach down and pick up Hank, it's like he zooms up to sit on my hip.  And I don't make that attractive grunting sound while lifting him. My arms and shoulders feel firmer.  My leg muscles are definitely firmer, but if you've done any kind of exercise, you know that happens super fast. My caboose muscles are a little sore today, but that's new--I think I started going deeper into the squats last night.  Is this just so, SO much more than you wanted to know?  Also, my tummy is tighter, though I would not try to bounce a quarter off of it.  Only I can tell that,  I think.  I'm hoping some visible results are down the road.

I started counting Weight Watchers points again on Monday, and that's been fine.  I am mostly able to resist eating Halloween candy.  Except Laura had a dentist appointment on Tuesday afternoon that turned into her having two teeth extracted, and when we got home she was so miserable at how numb her face felt that I ate three mini snickers.  I don't know exactly how her discomfort led to my eating candy, but that was the chain of events as I reconstructed them.  I did tally up the points, of course.  Laura is totally fine now, but those snickers may be a part of me forever.  It's a delicate balance, this life. 

19 comments:

Amy said...

Okay, that line about her being so miserable that you ate the snickers--I nearly choked on the brownie I was eating when I read it. You are high-larious!

So when I get to the ATL in December will I even recognize you, you shredding machine of shreddedness? I am so impressed that you've been doing it every day. It inspires me to get off my increasing rear end and do something. Go, girl.

Amy said...

P.S. What does Jillian say you're 'sposed to do after the 30 days are over?

Becky said...

Ha! I don't know. Matt said, "You know the 30 days is a lie. You have to shred for the rest of your life."

Mental Momma said...

And of course, you can totally eat the three mini snickers on WW, but then, darn it, you've used all your points can't eat for the rest of the day.


Ps. I save my points for wine.

Fantastic Forrest said...

Will read and comment soon, but just wanted to tell you to come over tomorrow morning to grab the badge for your well earned award.

Mwah!

The Dental Maven said...

Laura had to have 2 teeth extracted? Oh my. But, I must say: way to manage her trauma with your Snicker indulgence. Think I'll start writing prescriptions for that.

Michele said...

Yay! for you. One whole week. I've shredded vicariously through you. My copy is still in the cellophane. I'm such a loser and I don't mean weight.

Keep up the good work.

Bren said...

Matt is a vending machine dispensing little wisdom nuggets, isn't he? He's right. It's forever. (the "decide which type of person you'll be" quip runs through my mind every morning at 5am)

I have so much to say about working out at home. Like, you're done with it before you would have been able to get Hank all dressed and mentally prepped for the gym childcare, right? 20 minutes in your living room after everyone's in bed is like doing the dishes! Just a thing you do! I swear, after a while, you feel like you're cheating. 24 hours in a day, and I only have to spend half of ONE hour doing this? And THIS happens?! What a deal!

When your 30 days is up, let's talk.

Becky said...

Bren, it DOES feel kind of like cheating! The at home thing is great. I always thought I needed the reinforcement of the social/group class. But I'm finding reinforcement in other ways, I guess, like from my interweb tribe maybe. And yes, the whole taking Hank with me to the gym thing--that 50 minute cycling class takes an hour and 45 minutes by the time it's all over.

And Dental Maven, ah, the teeth. There was much brandishing of xrays and discussion that an upper and a lower canine were standing in the way of progress and shifting things to the wrong side. She still has her RPE that her nighttime headgear attaches to, and now we should be done with that in 1-2 months. I do really trust this guy, but sometimes he seems a little actively interventionist.

Kate said...

I cannot get over your ability to exercise at 10PM. The biggest obstacle between me and a shredded bod is the commitment to a certain time of day/week. Your flexibility with when you workout is what will keep you shredding. I'm inspired!

gretchen said...

Damn, you sold me. This shredding thing sounds totally up my alley. Much more doable than dragging my butt to the gym. Or more accurately, NOT dragging my butt to the gym. YOu should check out my old post from July 14 called "Points" for probably way too much detail about my obsession with Weight Watchers.

Becky said...

Everyone, the post that Gretchen refers to is one in which she tells us the Weight Watchers point count of a serving of semen. If you care about your diet and your marriage, you would do well to go read it.

L.O.L.

Erin said...

woohoo!!! way to go! i need your motivation...i've never done the shred more than two days in a row. lame.

good for you :)

Michele R said...

Becky, I told Hubs the other night about wanting to get the dvd and he said, "Yeah, but you have to play it". Last C-mas I told the boys to get me some dumbbells in various weights. They are still in the closet with their Target tags still attached.
I knew I was forgetting to look for something while I was in Target the other day--where can I buy the dvd fast--I simply cannot order on Amazon per usual.

Becky said...

I know, Michele R, I was the same way. The day I decided to do it, I thought, "Mustn't lose momentum waiting for my Amazon shipment." It is at the Target up by me; it's probably in yours as well. I saw it not with the other dvd's, but actually in the exercise section near the weights.

Lawyer Mom said...

You didn't eat that Halloween candy in front of her, did you? Surely not! Why am I even asking, except . . . maybe . . . because I would have?

Elisa @ Globetrotting in Heels said...

I agree about the 7-day thing: when you are starting out again, it's better to just do some every day, rather than risking breaking the streak. You are inspiring me to get off my fat ass :-)

Anonymous said...

Thank you. I am also still shredding. I did do the amazon thing and you can't get the DVD here so I had to have it imported from the US so I've only done 3 days (I know, excuses, excuses!).

My abs aren't hurting so I think I'm doing those wrong, however, I have yet to do the full 20minutes of level 1 with no modifications and without taking break and it hurts, oh how it hurts. Must be doing me good, right?

Sara said...

I'll never be able to scrub the semen points info from my brain. I could say much more but I won't.

"You have to shred your whole life"
Totally.