Ali Day 32

I completed something, HALLELUJAH!!!!! We are done with the 30 day shred, we completed it in 32 days instead of 30 but we got it done and that's all that matters. I had a busy morning so I was kinda tired when it came time to do the shred for the last time. I had my hair cut, a pedicure, then took Paige to the mall and to lunch so I was more tired than she was when we put her down for her nap. But our massage is at 3 today so I knew we HAD to get it done before then. We finished on level 1 but neither one of us phoned it in, we gave it our all since it was our last day, we finished strong. My husband lost his love handles and I can see some ab muscles in him that I could not see before. My body didn't really change all that much, but my legs have way less cellulite and are more firm and my shoulders are more toned. I did end up actually gaining 1 1/2 lbs which I'm not happy about but I'm hoping it's because some of my fat turned to muscle. The plan from here is to take 3 days off then exercise 3 times a week, shred on Tuesdays and Thursdays and an hour of body attack class on Saturdays at Lifestyles. Then I think I will try to do at least 50 sit ups daily. Anyway, I am proud of myself for not quitting but I am even more proud of my husband. When we started this I thought he would quit within 3days but he definitely proved me wrong. Thanks for supporting me sweetheart, we had our ups and downs, mainly at 5:45 in the morning when we wanted to rip each others faces off, but we made it and I would have not completed it without you, xoxo.

Rich Day 31

I can't believe we actually did the shred tonight. When I was coming home from work, I got a call from Ali asking me to meet her and Paige at Outback. After eating an entire filet and drinking a 22 oz Miller Lite, I thought for sure we would be skipping the workout. However, as soon as we got back to the house Ali changed into her workout clothes so I know she was ready to get this thing done tonight.

I thought Paige was going to be able to entertain herself because as soon as we turned on the DVD she ran to her highchair and climbed into her seat. She got a little bored after the first circuit though so we had to take her out of the highchair and let her roam the living room. It took a few battles back and forth but in the end she let us complete the shred.

I know we are only doing level 1 but I still feel like we are getting a good workout done with the shred. We can both tell how much we have changed because we both think level 1 is easy. I'm glad we are able to do this level with no problem because it means we got what we wanted out of the challenge which is more stamina and more energy. It also helps that we can both see the difference in our bodies. 1 more day and this thing is over!!

Ali Day 31

So it was a little iffy today whether or not we were going to get the shred done. I didn't wake up early because I went to bed late since I stayed awake watching the Real Housewives of New York season finale. So all day at work I was wondering if I would be able to do the shred tonight or not. Then my boss let me leave an hour early so I thought I'd run home and do the shred then go get Paigey from school. So I got home and decided to take a nap instead, ha. Then I picked up Paige and decided I was craving salmon from The Outback so off we went. Rich met us there and ordered himself a huge beer. I thought once that happened the shred was out of the question for the day. Well I had a nap and 2 diet cokes at dinner so I actually had some energy when we got home so we banged out the shred on level 1. Paige was kind of fussy but she let us finish and I felt great after. Going back to level 1 is so weird because it is so easy for us now and in the beginning we used to feel like we were about to die. So even though I haven't lost any weight I am for sure in much better shape than I was a month ago, Thanks Jillian, you're alright in my book! 1 more day people, I can't believe it. level 1 tomorrow morning then 1 hour massage, WOOT!!!!

Rich Day 30

Yes!! We finally made it to day 30....unfortunately we are not done with the 30 day shred. It sucks that we missed a couple of days because now we have 2 more days of this challenge before we get our 1 hour massage as a reward. Plus, not only did we miss out on those days but we also decided to go back to the level 1 workout today instead of the level 3 workout that we had been doing. I guess it's better than skipping the entire workout but I feel like we are cheating a little bit. The good news is that both of us could tell how in shape we are in because we both thought the level 1 challenge was VERY easy!! Either way, we are going down to the finish on one of the levels because we are not giving up with 40 minutes left.

So onto the entertaining part...since we didn't wake up in time for the shred this morning, we had to do it when Paige was eating dinner. Luckily, she was amusing herself the whole time by mimicking what we were doing throughout the workout. And by mimicking, I mean she repeated everything we did while we were working out, no matter WHAT it was! Sometimes when you workout you let a little gas rip because you are working all of your muscles and internal organs. I won't say WHO it was, but one of us let a good one out. The rest of the time, Paige was literally making a sound with her mouth that sounded EXACTLY like the one that one of us made. We could NOT stop laughing the whole time and I think it helped us with the rest of the workout. If we could have this kind of entertainment the next 2 days we'll have no problem finishing this challenge.

Try and guess who it was!! Hahaa

Ali Day 31

Didn't wake up on time again this morning but we did do level 1 tonight. After doing level 2 and 3 for so long level 1 was a piece of cake. I barely broke a sweat. 2 more days.

Ali Day 30

Well I'd like to say I woke up early this morning and did the shred but I slept in again, then we had gymnastics tonight and chasing Paige around for the 45 minute class is way harder than the shred so I have no energy to do it tonight. New plan to complete the 30 days so I won't be a quitter is that we've decided level 3 is just psyching us out too much. The first day I thought it wasn't that bad but it actually is really really tough. So Thurs, Fri, and Saturday morning we are doing level 1 to complete this mess. Then we're getting one hour full body massages, can I get a HELL YEAH!!

Rich Day 29

We overslept about 10 minutes this morning, I guess we both forgot to set the alarms after a day off from the weekday shred. Ali convinced me that she wouldn't have enough time to get ready for work if she did the shred late so I was stuck doing the exercise alone. I don't think I heard her get out of bed for about another 20 minutes though so I think it was all a ploy to get out of doing the shred...and it worked!

I still think level 2 is harder than level 3 but the cardio is getting a little harder on this level. We have to do a bunch of jumps in the exercises and she calls it plyometrics training...I call it torture. You have to do these crazy things called rock star jumps and I guess it's supposed to be like you are jumping on the stage as a rock start. But rock stars don't have to do it over and over and over again for an entire minute! I know I am getting in shape from doing this shred but I definitely want this thing to be over. I think it's the daily requirement that is the killer because I HAVE to do this thing no matter what. I think Ali will attest, I HATE being told what to do and this thing is telling me every morning...do the shred, do the shred. Actually, I think that's my alarm call saying that because I recorded it for Ali.

Ali Day 29

So I knew skipping a day would be a bad idea. I did not wake up on time this morning so all day at work I was thinking about how I had to do the dreaded shred tonight. As soon as I woke up this morning I wanted to just quit the shred and not finish out the last 4 days. This is typical of me, I always want to quit when things get hard. But since I'm tired of being a quitter I was a good girl and completed level 3 while Paige had her dinner. Now I have to get back to doing it in the morning since we have gymnastics tomorrow night. Then Friday morning will be the 30 th time doing the shred and we will be done. Not bad, it'll take us 32 days to complete the 30 day shred since we took off one day to buy a car and one day for a holiday. And Saturday we will be celebrating. My husband has a sitter coming this weekend (I'm guessing grandma Betty is coming during paige's nap) and Rich booked us hour long massages as a reward for completing the shred. Can't wait
for that. My tired and sore body needs it!!

Rich Day 28

See Ali's post for day 28...no exercise for today. Happy memorial day!

Rich Day 27

Sunday was the hardest of level 3 so far and it's probably because we did it while we were on vacation. We also did the shred on carpet for the first time and I think it felt a little different on our bodies because of the cushion that we had. It almost felt like we were doing the exercises in sand because we didn't have the same resistance as our hard wood floors. For some reason we were both dreading doing the exercise so I think we were psyching ourselves out of the motivation we needed. I guess it didn't help that we had been hanging out at the pool all weekend for almost a day and half before we decided to be crazy and workout. We were on the bottom floor of the resort and there was a walkway passing by our room. If anyone had been walking by our window when we were working out, they would have thought we were the most disciplined people ever. That would have been hilarious!

Rich Day 26

Even though it's Monday when I am posting this, we actually did the shred on Saturday and Sunday...on our vacation!! Actually, Saturday wasn't really officially our vacation yet since we were still in Tampa so I guess that doesn't count.

On Saturday, Ali woke up with Paige and took her to breakfast. Since I knew we had to get the shred done before we took off for Orlando I decided to get up and do the shred while they were gone. I didn't think Ali would believe me so I also videotaped it..haha. I think it was pretty easy for only being the second day and just like level 2, once I realized where the breaks were I was able to push myself during the hard exercises. I can't wait to see if I am able to do the entire exercise with no break.

Ali Day 28

We just got home from Orlando, we woke up at 7 and had to shower and pack to check out by 10 so we did not get the shred done in the morning. After check out we went to my parents and had a huge BBQ, we had filet mignon, baked potatoes, and corn on the cob. Then we drove an hour and a half to get back home and now we're unpacking. We both decided since it's a holiday that we are going to skip today and add on a day to the end, so instead of being done Thursday our last day will be Friday.

Ali Day 27

Woke up at 7 and made breakfast for Paige at the condo and then played. We then went swimming and then put Paige down for her nap. As soon as she fell asleep we did the shred. Did I say level 3 wasn't that bad?? Well I don't know what I was thinking because this sheeet is super hard. But at least we got it done for the day. Right after it was over I ate a huge grilled ham & cheese sandwich. Now I'm going to go relax at the pool and throw back a couple cold beers before heading to Epcot tonight for Illuminations. Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend. 4 more days, yeah baby!!!

Ali Day 26

It's been a hectic morning but I got the shred done for the day. Woke up about 7, took Paige to mcdonalds then walmart and target. While we were gone Rich did the shred. So we shopped for a couple hours then Paige helped Rich pack in the bedroom while I did the shred in the living room. It seemed a little harder than yesterday for some reason. Then I showered and packed up all our shred gear and now we are off to Orlando to relax for the holiday weekend. 5 more days, woot!!!!

Rich Day 25

Today was the first day of level 3 and at first I was starting to get scared of how difficult it was going to be. The whole time during the warm up exercises Jillian kept saying you have no idea what is in store for you. She kept saying this was going to be the hardest level you have done and everything is going to be 10 times faster than level 1 and level 2.

When we finally got into the exercises though it was easier than level 2. There were hardly any shoulder exercises and it was mostly the leg exercises that were the killer. All of the ab exercises were back on the floor so I was back in my routine of resting while we were doing the abs. Plus the circuit 2 strength exercise was easier than the level 1 strength! We were both able to catch our breath during that exercise. I'm sure we could be doing some of the exercises a little harder, but I have no doubt we are going to sail into the end of this 30 day challenge.

6 days left!!

Ali Day 25

Not much to report today, got up at 6:15 and began level 3 at 6:30. It was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. As a matter of fact I think level 2 is actually harder than level 3 so I think I am going to be able to complete the next 6 days without any problems. There's a lot of leg work in level 3 and my legs are pretty strong so maybe that's why it seemed easier. Level 2 is a lot of upper strength which I have none of so that is why it's really hard for me. We leave tomorrow for Orlando for 3 days so we will be packing our weights, portable DVD player,shred DVD, and be on our way. I can't believe this time next week this will finally be over!!! Please remind me to never challenge myself or my husband to anything like this EVER again.

Rich Day 24

This morning I had all of the energy in the world for some reason. I woke up on time and my wife was the one laying in bed begging to do the shred after work. I think she noticed that I was wide awake so finally she decided to get out of bed and get ready for the day's workout.

I could definitely tell Ali was not in the mood to do the exercise today because she was whining the whole time while we worked out. I was the complete opposite. I pushed myself so hard this morning that I almost threw up while we were doing the cardio on circuit 2. I did every exercise in the advanced routine and could tell the difference in how low I was going in the squat leg exercises. My legs were burning!! I still felt like I had some crazy energy for some reason so I was pushing myself to the end. I think I was trying to make myself fall over from complete exhaustion but I was actually able to complete everything. I can't wait for level 3 tomorrow because level 2 was starting to get boring. I'm sure I'm going to be wishing for level 1 once we begin level 3 though.

7 days left!!

Ali Day 24

I had another bad workout this AM. As I've said before I get really moody and exhausted by the end of the week. The alarm went off and I told Rich I wanted to do the shred tonight but he wanted to do it this morning so I got up and phoned it in. I had no energy at all and I did the entire work out at the beginner level so I don't feel like I got much out of it. Rich said I need to do it again tonight but he's crazy. Anyway today was the last day on level 2. Buh bye level 2, I will NOT miss you. Tomorrow we start level 3. I work at 9 tomorrow instead of 8:30 so at least I can sleep in until 6:15 instead of waking up at 5:45 like today, but I still know level 3 is going to be extremely challenging. I'm just hoping my body starts to see as many improvements as Rich's does. He is getting totally ripped from this shred. But I still look the same, go figure. I guess he's not eating as much pizza and coldstone creamery as I am.

Rich Day 23

I just looked at myself in the mirror and I'm back to believing in this 30 day shred. Really, any exercise program would have done the same thing. All I needed was some reason to get my lazy butt off the couch but I definitely feel like I'm pushing myself to complete each day's exercise.

Now that I'm comfortable with the level 2 challenge I have started to modify some of the exercises. Instead of doing just the back exercises, I'm pushing the weights towards the chest while I'm bringing them back. This is taking the place of the lack of push ups that we were doing in level 1. The walking push ups really aren't that hard and by the time it's over we have only done about 10 push ups total. The hard part is still the strength exercises where we are lifting the weights for literally 500 times in our shoulders and by the time the entire exercise is over I can't lift my arms one more time. We both hate the final strength exercise and I think we might be phoning that one in. Then the worst part is the final ab exercise is not on our back like the rest of the ab exercises but instead we are on our hands and feet and doing some kind of side lunge exercise where we lift our knees side to side and work our oblique muscles. Doesn't Jillian know I need to rest during the ab exercises??!

All said, I am looking forward to level 3 because this means we are almost done!!! We have gone through 7 hours and 20 minutes of the 30 day shred and we only have 2 hours and 40 minutes left.I don't know what's worse, seeing how many hours are left or seeing how many days are left. Even worse, how sad is it that we haven't even completed an entire day's worth of time for our exercise?

Ali Day 23

So I got my partner back this morning and the workout seemed easier. I don't know if it's because we are getting stronger and used to level 2 or because misery loves company, but either way we got it done for the day. I was actually thinking about going back to sleep and doing it tonight but then Rich stepped up and made us do it. Which is great because Paige had gymnastics tonight so it would've been a pain to try and do it when we got home. So tomorrow marks only 8 days left, I can't believe the end is finaly in sight. Tomorrow morning is our last day on level 2 then Friday morning we start level 3, ugh. Then Saturday we are off to Disney for the Memorial Day weekend, woot!!

Rich Day 22

Today was the second day I did the shred in the evening instead of the morning and this time I did it before eating dinner. I actually woke up this morning but was about 30 seconds too late to do the shred with Ali. So I made coffee instead and started to get ready for work.

When I came home I went right into shred mode. Ali and Paige were out at the grocery store so I had a limited window of opportunity to get it done before they got home. I wish I would have recorded my workout because by the time Ali got home I was no longer sweating and of course she thought I had phoned it in. Actually, she thought I didn't even do the challenge! Today's workout was the best one so far for level 2 and I was actually pushing myself on the cardio and ab exercises. My heart was beating out of my chest when I was doing the cardio though so I had to tone it down a little before I passed out. I can tell my abs are getting in better shape because I had to actually squeeze my ab muscles during the exercise to feel any resistance. They have been telling us to do that the whole time but in the beginning I was just trying to complete the damn crunch. Now I have no problem doing the crunches.

9 days left!

Ali Day 22

It's getting lonely!!! This is the 2nd day in a row that I did the shred in the morning by myself since Rich didn't get up on time. I thought we were a team?? Lol just kidding, I understand how tough this is getting now that we are getting close to the end and can't wait for it to be over with. The first couple of weeks it was new, challenging, motivating, energizing, but now it's just plain ole torture. I'm resentful because I just want to sleep longer, I'm bored because it's the same routine over and over, but I am going to complete the next 9 days no matter what. Trust me when I say I want to quit so bad right now and toss that DVD in the trash where it belongs but I always quit things so I need to do this till the end to prove to myself that I can finish something I started. Anyway, I did level 2 this morning at 6:30am instead of 6 because I worked 9-5 today instead of 8:30-4:30 so the extra 30 minutes of sleep definitely helped. Either that or I'm finally getting used to level 2 just in time to switch to level 3 in 2 days. The last 7 days will be on level 3 and I'm already freaking out.

Rich Day 21

I can't believe this thing is almost over and we've been doing it for 3 weeks already. I did the exercise after work instead of the morning and I had about the same energy as I've been having in the mornings. I think my body has started to plateau a little because I haven't noticed much change in the past week. I guess I could be doing the exercises a little harder during the cardio and abs because I'm not struggling too much with those, but I'm more concerned with completing the entire workout instead of actually killing my body. I'm afraid if I push myself to exhaustion with those I won't be able to finish. This last week and a half is going to seem like forever, especially since we have to do the workouts during Memorial day weekend. Hopefully the countdown will make it easy to finish.

Ali Day 21

I did the shred this morning at 6 AM by myself. Rich wanted to sleep in so he's doing it tonight. I heard him come into the bedroom at 3:00 AM so I figured he was not going to wake up early and do the shred with me. I went to bed at 9 last night so I had energy but my chest is still congested so that part makes it harder for me. I did level 2 while I listened to my Rihanna playlist and got it done without any issues. I've done the shred 20 times and only have 10 left, ugh. 10 more days seems like an eternity but I've come this far so no point in giving up now. I'm just ready for this to be over.

Rich Day 20

We did level 2 again today and it's not getting easier like level 1 was. I almost gave up when we were doing the strength in circuit 2 because I couldn't lift my arms. Instead, I slammed the weights together and took out all of my anger on the exercise. Before I knew it we were done with the circuit and I didn't feel any pain. I was a little exhausted though when it came to the cardio because I had just spent most of my energy on the strength. Luckily, the cardio is a little easier in circuit 2 so I was able to catch my breath. Then I able to lay down for the abs so I think I'm getting the idea of how hard I can push myself on each circuit.

The last part of the whole exercise is the circuit 3 abs and I don't feel like I've been doing them exactly right. I noticed we were actually supposed to be turning our knees to the left and right while we were lifting our knees into our stomach. I had just been lifting my knees to my stomach and I could tell a difference in my obliques. So my goal for the rest of level 2 is to try and complete that one the right way...but it is definitely much harder.

Ali Day 20

Woot we made it to day 20, only 11 more days of this, THANK GOD. We did level 2 today while Paige was napping. It was still hard as hell and isn't getting any easier yet. But I can't complain because I am eating like a human garbage disposal and haven't gained any weight and my arms have never looked this tone in my entire life. To get through the work out today I thought about the grilled baby back ribs, homemade mac n cheese, and the Sister Schuster yeast rolls we are having for dinner tonight. Trust me, before starting the 30 day shred I would not have been able to even look at ribs and mac n cheese withought gaining weight so I am in heaven.

Rich Day 19

Today was good for having a workout partner because I totally forgot we had to do the exercise during Paige's naps on weekends. For some reason, this thing wasn't even on my mind all day. I guess it's because I had guys at our house all morning cleaning out the air conditioning ducts while Paige and Ali were shopping at the mall. They got home about 10 minutes after the cleaning guys left and Paige was already passed out in the car, so it didn't even dawn on me that we were supposed to do the shred.

I think it's definitely a bad idea to eat a full meal and try to workout right afterwards. The whole time I could feel the food sitting in my stomach and it felt like it was weighing me down. I was struggling through most of the workout but I managed to get enough strength to finish strong. I think my motivation was Ali telling me she couldn't even feel my love handles anymore. Tomorrow we are in the 20's finally and that means we are on the final leg of this competition. I can't wait for this thing to be over but hopefully we can both continue with our exercise programs once we are done.

Ali Day 19

Ugh how are we not in the 20's yet, I can't believe we are only on day 19 and we have to go to day 31. This is getting hard. Level 2 is not getting easier as we go like level 1 did. I can barely lift my hands up to type this. We just did the shred so we are done for the day thank God but man it was not easy. I woke up at 7 and let Rich sleep in until 9:15 AM. I took Paige to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, then we went to Target. After Target we went to the mall, then to lunch at Chick- Fil-A, then to the playground. At 12:30 she fell asleep in the car so I put her down for her nap when we got home and then did the shred even though I was exhausted from chasing her around all morning. The best part of the day was after I put Paige in her crib I came out to the living room and told Rich I was going to change into my workout clothes and the look on his face was priceless. He totally forgot about the shred and had just eaten junky food and mt dew so I told him we could do it later but he said no let's get it done now. I will be glad when day 31 arrives. Oh and we totally forgot that we booked a trip to Disney for Memorial Day weekend so we are bringing our weights and DVD with us so we can do the shred at the condo the 3 days we will be there, now that is some dedication if you ask me. I am really shocked that Rich hasn't quit and he is being really supportive so THANKS so much babe, you really are a great hubby and I love you.

Rich Day 18

We worked out last night and then worked out again this morning. Normally those are the hardest for me but for some reason I was ready to do the challenge this morning. I think I was impressed with how well I was able to complete level 2 last night because the first time we did the challenge I thought I was going to die. I woke up as soon as the t.v. came on (my alarm clock turns on the t.v.) and I nudged Ali to get up. She said she wanted to do the shred at night again but I didn't want to start another Friday night dreading a workout. Miraculously, she changed her mind and agreed to do the workout this morning.

I could tell she really wasn't in the mood to do the workout and then she actually tried to quit on me! I had already convinced her to do the workout and we were already halfway through, so there was no way I was going to let her give up on the morning's exercise. Once it was over, I know she was happy that I made her do it because she didn't have to think about it all day at work.

We have actually been fighting a cough all week long and I think we are all starting to get sick. Once the workout was over I wasn't feeling too hot so I decided to call in sick from work. Wouldn't you know it, once the thought of going to work was out of my head I felt much better!! I guess my body wasn't ready to handle 2 challenges in one day this time.

Ali Day 18

We did level 2 at 6 AM today. It was the roughest day I've had so far. I woke up in a foul mood and by Friday I am usually spent so the combination of the 2 really made for a terrible workout. A couple minutes into circuit 1 I told Rich I wanted to quit and just do it tonight but he motivated me to continue on. I completed the work out but I definitely phoned it in. But I'm glad it's over with so I can relax tonight and hopefully get back to my old self before tomorrows workout. And I have to admit I am loving be able to eat without gaining weight. I grilled out fajitas for dinner tonight and they were awesome. Before the shred I would eat a cracker for dinner and gain 5 lbs so this is great.

Rich Day 17

I just got home from work and thought I would eat dinner and wait until Paige went to sleep before I did the shred. I waited about 10 minutes and decided I wanted to get the workout over with. But instead of the normal location, I decided to do the shred in our bedroom while Paige painted in the living room. This was a lot easier because I could just close the door so Paige wouldn't get injured while I was swinging my weights around like a mad man.

I thought level 2 was a little easier today because I actually knew when it was going to end. I also had some more energy because I was doing the workout at night instead of in the morning. I think I'll have this thing down by tomorrow so the rest of the week will be a breeze. The only hard part is right at the end of strength in circuit 2 because you're doing military presses while lifting one leg. It feels like I'm failing a DUI test because I'm stumbling all over the place. I guess that can be my goal for the rest of the week, to pass the DUI test sober!

Ali Day 17

So we did not wake up this morning to do the shred, the alarm went off and Rich said he needed more sleep so I said no prob and went straight back to sleep as well. All day at work my congestion and stuffy nose seemed to be getting worse and worse and then I started wondering if I would be well enough to do the shred after work. This is why I prefer to do it in the morning because too many things can come up during the day. But I had Jimbo's BBQ for lunch and felt super fat so I really did not want to miss a day. I started feeling better and since we were pretty slow at work today my awesome boss said I could leave early if I wanted so I thought leaving 30 minutes early would be perfect for me to get my shred done. So I rushed home, put Paige's tv dinner in the oven for 22 minutes and then did my shred which also takes 22 minutes so it worked out great. After the shred I let her dinner cool down while I went to pick her up right down the road at daycare and now she is chillin watching Ni Hoa Kai Lan which is her favorite show (don't tell her but I plan to get her a Kai Lan cake for her big upcoming 2nd birthday) We had the Backyardigans for her first birthday but they are sooo last year, lol. So level 2 still seems way harder than level 1 but hopefully it'll get easier as I get stronger. Now we are waiting for Rich to get home, I think he will do his shred when I give Paige a bath or maybe when she goes to bed.

Rich Day 16

I just looked at our pics from this morning and I never realized how happy I look at 5:45 in the morning. How would you ladies love to wake up to THAT ever morning??! Haha. Today was our first day of level 2 and I guess I am back to feeling out of shape again. The exercises are a little harder because you are adding the weights for a longer period. You're also doing more of the abs without being on your back the whole time. On level 1, you got to lay day for all of them so it was almost like a break for you to be doing the abs. There are NO breaks on level 2.

I still noticed Jillian "explaining" the exercises a lot on this level and she actually mentions how she knows she isn't working out while she is doing that. I think the other 2 girls are giving her dirty looks while they are busting their butts and Jillian starts working out again once she realizes they're onto her trick. It's really not true but this is what I think about while I'm working out so I can get through the day's exercise. We did some of the exercises for the entire duration of the circuit so I actually lost track of how much time was left. We were on the last exercise of the third circuit when I though we were still on circuit 2, so all of a sudden the workout was over. Hopefully I can keep track of the circuits tomorrow so I know when I'm almost done.

Ali Day 16

We did level 2 this morning, I was looking forward to the change because I was so bored with level 1 but as soon as I remembered that level 2 starts with walking push ups I instantly wanted to go right back to level 1. But we stayed with level 2 and got it done. It was definitely harder than level 1 but I think it's what we need in order for our bodies to keep responding. So we took our midway pics and measurements. I'm 134 so down 1/2 lb which is incredible because in the last 15 days I've eaten pizza, Tijuana flats, chocolate chip cookies, steak and baked potato, hashbrowns, sausage, cinnamon rolls, chicken parm, pasta and garlic bread and all sorts of other extremely fattening foods. So I'm pretty happy that a short 20 minute daily workout is allowing me to eat the foods I love. I've also lost 1/2 inch off my arms, 1/2 inch off my thunder thighs, and 1 1/2 off my hips, woot!! Please excuse the midway pics, we were literally awake for 5 minutes when we snapped these pics and I have some awesome sinus problems making my face all swollen plus I always look shitastic without make on. It definitely looks like we fell off the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down, lol.

Rich Day 15

Today was our last day on level 1. I thought it would be easy since the last 2 days have been a breeze but I forgot that I agreed to do the remaining level 1 workouts with Rihanna's music in the background instead of listening to Jillian on the DVD. We had already completed the workout on day 12 the same way but for some reason I couldn't concentrate this morning without hearing Jillian's awesome motivational encouragement. When I am working out, I don't actually watch the girls on the t.v. I just listen for Jillian to give me the cue that the exercise is about to be over. When she gives me the final countdown, I push myself harder for those last few reps. The problem with listening to music instead of Jillian is that I don't hear those cues. So instead, I'm over here doing push ups for an extra 10 to 15 seconds while they are already on the lunge curls. I know it doesn't sound like a long time, but those 10 seconds are added to the 3 minutes we already spent on strength..actually, I think the lunge curl is another strength exercise. See!! I DON'T know the order of these exercises. I guess I was just trying to move on to the next circuit until the exercise was over.

So if you couldn't guess, I asked Ali to turn off the Rihanna music so I could listen to my girl. And by ask, I mean I turned off Rihanna and turned up Jillian. Then all of a sudden, once the first circuit was over I was able to do the rest of the exercise on auto pilot so I told Ali she could turn Rihanna back on because I didn't need to listen to Jillian any longer. She didn't want to hear any of that because she thought I was being difficult instead of being out of shape. So needless to say, we had a lover's quarrel this morning about the Rihanna music and I felt horrible because I pride myself on being able to adapt to change. For some reason, I couldn't break my routine this morning of listening to Jillian's orders. I guess I just need to get back to that self motivation I have of being able to do something because I can! Yes, I think I'm quoting Stuart Smiley here...

The next 2 weeks are going to be the true challenge because we are going to stick with level 2 and 3 only. I know we can do it and before we know it, the 30 days are going to be over. Then we get to decide whether we want to continue with this DVD or change up to the next level.. P90X!!

Ali Day 15

Made it to day 15 and did level 1 this morning at 6 AM. It went fine because I went to bed at 9 so I actually had some energy this morning. The not fine part was how Rich wouldn't let me listen to my Rihanna playlist. He was tired and cranky and Rihanna was the one he decided to take out his frustration on, poor girl, hasn't she been through enough, lol. Tomorrow we will be half way through the 30 day challenge and we start level 2, I'm looking forward to it because I am completely bored with level 1. I think we will take our midway measurements , weigh ourselves and also take some pics to see if we can notice any changes. I feel like my body is changing but it could definitely be psychological. I for sure notice Rich's body is changing, I notice changes in his arms, shoulders, and chest and I also noticed his love handles are almost gone. It's kind of amazing that our bodies are changing by only working out 20 minutes a day and by not dieting whatsoever.

Rich Day 14

I have finally defeated level 1!! This morning's workout was a breeze and it even seemed easier than when I was doing it at night. I never thought my body would change this much in only 2 weeks but I have noticed every muscle in my body getting ripped and cut. I feel like I have all of the strength that I had when I was 18 and I can also tell my temperament has gotten better too. I am less stressed out about everything and just feel more relaxed everyday.

We had our same friends over again for this morning's workout and I have to say I was impressed with their commitment to the shred. For some reason, this challenge brings out the competitiveness in everyone. Not only did our friends surprise me by making it to the 5:45 start time, but they actually made it through the exercise with relative ease. It's amazing to watch how much your body is able to withstand when you put your mind to something. Even though you think you are going to die, your body is probably laughing at you and saying "Is that all you got for me??"

We are almost at the halfway mark and I think we are ready for level 2. It was good to try out all of the levels at least once but it was better to watch our bodies progress through level 1 each day. I knew we were ready for the next level when we started pointing out all of the things Jillian does in the video. Like when she is about to start her butt kicks, she lifts one leg in the air and says "ready, begin". Why can't she just start with both feet on the floor like everyone else?! There's also another part in the video when she almost trips and falls and now I can't help but laugh every time I see it. That helps me make it through at least 2 minutes of the shred.

The routine has finally started to fit into our daily schedule and I think that's one of the harder parts of establishing a workout routine. Not only do you have to make the commitment to the same time each day, but you also have to actually fit that time into your day. It's funny because I used to wake up at 5:30 everyday when I was in the Marines but now it feels like I am waking up at 2 a.m. for some reason. I like having the workout done before my day has officially begun because when I walk into work I feel like I have already been awake for 2 hours...oh wait, I actually have!

Ali Day 14

Day 14 is complete and 17 more days to go. We did level 1 this morning at 6:00AM. It was a quiet morning, Kim and Zach woke up and did it with us but I don't think any of us said a word until it was over. I think we were all in shock that everyone woke up on time and that we were really doing this. They enjoyed it more today and even ordered a 30 day shred DVD so they can continue at home. As for us our plan is to continue level 1 for two more days and then do level 2 for a week and then level 3 for the final week and then we will have completed the 30 day shred. At that time we will then burn our 30 day shred DVD. Ha just kidding. Then the plan is to do the shred 2-3 times per week. But we do have a cruise booked for August so we may start the 30 day shred again 30 days before we sail. We'll see about that. As for now I am going to continue with this challenge and hope to see some great results at the end.

Rich Day 13

Today was the second day in a row that we didn't have to wake up early for the shred and I could really tell the difference this time. Paige woke up at 7:00 and I jumped out of bed to get her while Ali slept in. We had some friends over from the night before so Paige was interested in watching them sleep while I made breakfast for everyone. We were planning on doing the shred again today while Paige was napping and when the time came our friends were still at our house. So we decided to indoctrinate them into the 30 day shred for 1 day, to remind ourselves what we looked like on day 1 of the challenge.

I think the extra workout partners helped me and Ali both because we could see how much our bodies had changed in just 12 days. We were both motivating our new workout buddies and telling them how great they were going to feel after the workout was over. We were even counting down the exercises of each circuit for them so they wouldn't give up on the workout. It was so funny when they asked how long we had been working out because Ali and I felt the exact same way when we started the challenge. I don't think we realized how much better shape we were in until we saw our friends struggling half way through the workout. The best part is that they actually agreed to do the challenge with us tomorrow morning...when we're back on schedule for the 5:45 routine. When we started this challenge, we were only trying to get ourselves in shape. But if we can motivate other people to get in shape when they watch us then I think this whole blog experience has been worth it.

Ali Day 13

So we did the shred at 11:30 AM today. I wasn't in the mood because we went out and shot pool last night and I had quite a few beers and was feeling a little rough today. But since that was the time Paige went down for her nap it was the only time so I had to man up and get it over with. I'm already bored with it so yesterday we decided to play Rihanna to make it more fun and it worked. But today we had our friends Kim and Zach over and they decided to do the shred with us so no Rihanna. But doing the shred with newbies made it lots of fun. Kim seemed like us on the first day (like she was about to die. So we just told her to push through it and it will be over soon. She did it and since they are spending the night tonight they even agreed to wake up at 5:45 AM and do it again in the morning (I'll believe it when I see it).

Rich Day 12

Today was probably one of the easiest days doing the shred. We didn't have to wake up early and we didn't wait until the end of the day to do the shred either. We dropped Paige for her nap at 11:00 this morning and I know Ali was planning on taking a nap too. I knew that if we waited we would end up skipping the workout like we did the previous weekend. So as soon as Paige was in her crib I turned on the DVD and changed into my workout clothes. Ali asked for one final smoke break before she beat herself up with the shred and once everyone was happy we jumped right into the workout. We know the routine like the back of our hand now so we decided to try a different routine for today's workout. Instead of listening to Jillian, we turned on Rihanna's playlist and listened to that in the background. We would watch for Jillian to change exercises and we already knew what to do each time.

The workout was over before we knew it because we were singing to each song while we were working out. We were joking about the concert and how we were going to have flashbacks of the workout while we were at the concert. I think all of the focus was taken away from the workout so we finished everything without even realizing we were working out. Then on top of it we both had more energy after the workout than we did before the workout.

The best part of this whole experience is seeing the difference in our bodies. My wife's stomach looks awesome! And this is only after 11 days of working out. I can't imagine what we are going to look like after the entire 30 days are completed.

Ali Day 12

It's Saturday at noon and we've already completed the shred for today, phew. Paige got up at 6:30 AM, funny how I have to force her to wake up at 7 on school days but of course on the weekends she's wide awake and ready to go at 6:30. The 3 of us went to Perkin's for breakfast, then to CVS for diapers, then to Publix and did our shopping for the week. After that we went to my nail salon and I had a pedicure and my brows waxed and Paige got her first pedi. We have matching polish on our toes, so cute. Finally got home at 11 and that's when I realized I was hungry and tired and was so not in the mood to do the shred. I really wanted to just make a grilled cheese sandwich then crash. But Paige went down for her nap at 11 so we had to do it then. We did level 1 again and since we pretty much know the routine we no longer have to listen to Jillian's voice. We're going to Rihanna in a couple months and I found her set list online and made a playlist of it so Rich and I listed to it while we did the shred. I have to say it was a lot more enjoyable with good music. The 20minutes were over in a flash and when I was finished I was no longer tired and hungry, I was super energized. I even steam cleaned the floors right after and Rich washed his car. I can assure you that before we started this shred the both of us would've gotten home at 11, had lunch and then napped until Paige woke up. After the shred today the thought of eating a grilled cheese did not sound good, I had all this energy and knew the grilled cheese would bring me down so I made a baby arugula and baby green salad and I am feeling fantastic right now.

Rich Day 11

So week 2 is over!! Thank god it's finally Friday so we can do the shred a little later on the weekend. I hit my wall last night and passed out at 9:30. I was so tired that I didn't even hear Ali come to bed. Since I went to bed so early I was actually ready to do the shred this morning. But since Ali went to bed late this time, she was the one who wanted to sleep in this morning. I know it's my job to motivate her but I just couldn't talk her our of going back to sleep. I think I tried for a whole 5 seconds though.

When I got home, Ali had already done the shred and was showered and relaxed for the evening. I was planning on doing the shred once Paige went to sleep but it's Friday night and I wanted to get my relaxing on too!! So I finally put the DVD in around 7:45 and Paige worked out with me while we were doing the stretching. She got bored after 30 seconds though and Ali put her to bed around 8. My motivation tonight was watching Ali enjoy her vodka and soda while I worked out. I knew I had to get the workout done before I could relax and I was full of energy because this was the last thing I had to do for the week.

The only problem I had working out tonight was that Ali got me 2 double cheeseburgers from McDonald's when they got their dinner. I ate both of them as soon as I got home but it was less than 2 hours before I did the shred...NOT a good idea. But now that I think about it, how on Earth did I do a complete workout as hard as this after eating something as bad as that??! I know for sure that I would have died if I tried doing that on day 1 of this challenge. Just being able to complete the shred tonight proves to me that my body has changed. Even though I probably only burned the calories that I just ate, I can definitely tell the difference in my stomach, arms and legs. I will give this DVD 2 thumbs up!!

Ali Day 11

So doing the shred Wednesday night and then Thursday morning damn near killed me. I had to run out to Walgreens Thursday at 1PM to go buy a 5 hour energy shot to make it through the work day. I literally felt like I was about to fall asleep and start snoring at my desk. I took the shot and made it to 4:30, picked up Paige then fed her dinner and bathed her and waited patiently for Rich to get home from work. The second he walked through the door I had to go nap for 45 minutes. After that I felt better. Rich was exhausted too, he went to bed at 9:30 last night which is unheard of for him. I went to bed about 11 because I stayed up watching reality shows. So the alarm goes off this morning at 5:45 and I couldn't do it so I slept in till 6:30 then got ready for work. All I thought about all day was how I had to do the shred tonight,on a Friday night, boo. Who wants to do that? I like to get my drink on when Friday night rolls around. So anyway it was on my mind all day and I wanted to get it over with right away. I picked up Paige, swung by Mickey D's drive thru and got her a happy meal and she ate it in her high chair and watched me do the shred. I felt great when it was over, I had a lot of energy but I still would much rather get it over with in the morning. Rich did his at 8 while I watched sipping on a vodka soda. This is the 10th time we've done the shred and I can't believe my body is responding so quickly. I even notice Rich is looking lean and ripped again so it definitely works. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Rich Day 10

This was the second time I did the shred in the morning after doing the shred the night before and it definitely seemed harder this time. It didn't help that I could barely keep my eyes open for the first 15 minutes but it was also less than 10 hours after doing the previous day's shred. Once we got to circuit 2 I think I started to wake up, but honestly I couldn't tell you if I phoned in circuit 1 or not.

Either way, I KNOW this shred is working. I am starting to get those oblique muscles that I know my wife loves and I'm pushing myself more when I can feel the abs working. I used to always be in shape so I never thought twice about doing something as simple as jumping jacks and mountain climbers. Now that I'm officially out of shape I can tell you that those simple exercises really do make a difference. Before we started this shred, I thought I would dance to one of Paige's videos with her and realized I couldn't make it 30 seconds without taking a break. Now I can jump around with her for the entire DVD and she is actually the one getting bored...or maybe embarrassed, I can't really tell yet.

We are a third of the way through this challenge and I have to give all of the props to Jillian. She really is onto something and I totally believe you can get more than enough workout in 20 minutes. I have done step classes with Ali that lasted an hour and I was not nearly as exhausted as I am in the 20 minutes of doing the shred. 21 days and counting!!

Ali Day 10

Phew, miraculously we were able to complete the shred last night and this morning so we are back on track for the mornings. It was not fun doing it at 8:30 at night and 6AM the next morning so I'm glad that's over. This morning was hard because I wasn't in the mood so I just did some day dreaming to get me through it. I just found out my hubby is taking me to see Rihanna for my 36th bday so I day dreamt about what kind of cute halter top I can wear to the concert when my arms are all toned and sexy;-) I also realized that I have a love/hate relationship with Jillian. I hate waking up early and I hate exercising but I love feeling great when it's over, I love feeling toned, and I love that I have more energy. I also love that I had Tijuana Flats for dinner Tuesday and pizza for dinner last night and haven't gained any weight. And after only 9 shreds I am already starting to see some definition in my abs, which I thought would be damn near impossible after having a c-section. What's keeping me motivated is I'm already seeing changes in a short amount of time so I am really curious to see what is possible after 30 days. I also love that my husband is supporting me and waking up early when I know it's hard for him. Thanks babe, you're the best:-)

Rich Day 9

We didn't complete the shred this morning so we had to do it tonight once Paige went to sleep. For me, this is the perfect time to be doing these exercises. I'm nice and limber and wide awake compared to rolling out of bed still half asleep. The only problem with working out so late is that once you cool down and take a shower, it's already 9:00 p.m. and your night is almost over. Plus the whole night you have the thought of doing the shred in the back of your mind.

We stuck with level 1 again and this time I could tell we were making some progress. We were joking about how Jillian is always taking time out of her exercise to show us how her trainers are properly doing the exercises. Meanwhile, she hasn't lifted a single weight or done a squat the whole time. Then she makes some comment about "joining us" and naturally has all the energy in the world. The fact that we noticed that means we weren't completely exhausted like we were the first few times. I also felt my abs working in the reverse crunch and bicycle crunch so I know I am seeing results in that area. What's even funnier is that we are looking forward to the ab exercises because it means we get a break from the cardio and strength training. I'm serious, the lack of a break for 20 minutes makes your body work harder than if you were working out for an entire hour. So just being able to lay down while you do your crunches feels like you are actually getting a rest...and you're working out!!

We are going to do day 10 in the a.m. again tomorrow and hopefully we can stay on track for the rest of the challenge. The question now is how do we maintain this momentum once the 30 days are over?

Ali Day 9

Day 9 is not starting off too well. We were supposed to be awake at 5:45 this morning but Paige is all stuffed up and would not sleep in her crib last night so the only way any of us were going to get any shut eye was to pull her in bed with me. Rich can't sleep with her in the bed because she is like a windmill so he slept on the couch and got some sleep, lucky. I on the other hand got no sleep. That kid had me cornered and would only give me like an inch of the bed, then every hour she started turning in crazy directions and kicking me with her shoes. I tried to move her back to the crib but she wasn't having any of that. So I did not wake up at 5:45 which means I have to do the shred tonight after working all day, then taking Paige to gymnastics, and once she goes to bed we will do the shred tonight then wake up at 5:45 tomorrow morning and do it again. It would be easier to quit this 30 day shred, who's idea was this?? But I'm eating like crazy and not gaining any weight and my arms are looking smaller and really toned today so I'm going to keep it going. Did I mention I ate 2 tacos and chips and queso from Tijuana Flats and didn't gain an ounce. That is very unusual for my body so I'm guessing the shred is helping me maintain. So here's to hoping I complete the shred tonight and again in the morning then I'll be back on track and ready to get these next 21 days over with.

Rich Day 8

This morning was the true test of our commitment to the shred. I had already completed day 7 less than 12 hours ago but I was determined to get back on schedule with my wife. Even though I complain about waking up before the sun has even tried to come up, I like our alone time that we get to spend together. Once you have a child, your whole life revolves around them and it's difficult sometimes to spend even a second alone with that significant other in your life.

Actually, as I type this blog entry our child is crying so my wife has taken her into our bed to spend the night with us. This is the challenge of trying to raise a family while you also try to stay in shape for your spouse. Life happens and while they may seem like excuses there are priorities that come first and your child is definitely the most important responsibility that you have.

Back to the shred...we did level 1 today and I think we are going to stick with that one for the next few days. I was able to finish all of the exercises with the weights and I actually felt like I was controlling my breathing while I was doing each movement. It may seem boring to do the same exercise routine everyday but I want to be able to tell the difference in my ability to complete the workout. Each time I do the exercise, I feel like I am getting stronger and have more endurance. But when I switch to the next level I feel like I'm back to being out of shape. If we stick to the same level then hopefully we will end up doing the exercises as the expert instead of the beginner. Then we can switch to the next level knowing we are not going to back down from the new expectations. I will say that one thing actually helped this morning...SMILE WHILE YOU WORK OUT!!! It may seem cheesy but I found myself actually enjoying the routine while I was smiling. It took the negativity out of the exhaustion that I felt and made me feel more energized. It may be all psychological but I think it worked. Onto day 9!

Ali Day 8

Nothing too exciting to report. Rich did his shred last night then met me in the living room at 6 AM to rejoin me for the morning shred. We did level 1, it wasn't bad and went by quickly. I feel like I have more energy at work and it gives me more patience. The 2 negatives would be 1. when the alarm goes off at 5:45 I want to die, but after a couple minutes I'm good to go and 2. I am so bored doing the same video every morning that I'm beginning to wonder if I can do this 23 more times. Today when it got boring and mundane we noticed the girls on the DVD smile through out the entire workout so we tried it and it actually helps. We look like idiots but we don't care, ha. We just want to complete this 30 days so we can sleep in a little later. Still haven't lost any weight but I do look firmer so hopefully I'm losing inches. I better lose something when all of this is over, geeze.

Rich Day 7

I wake up at 5:45 this morning with Ali saying she would do the shred at night instead of the morning. Then 10 minutes later she says she is going to do it in the morning instead...by this time I have already fallen back asleep. So needless to say we ended up doing the shred separately but I don't think either one of us phoned it in.

As soon as I came home, Ali had dinner waiting for me as usual. I was determined to do the shred though so I ate dinner and then changed into my workout clothes. 15 minutes later, I had the DVD in the machine and was warming up to do my level 3 shred for day 7. Paige has been trying to do the workout with us, so instead of waiting for Paige to get hit in the head with one of my weights Ali decides to take her into the bathroom for her nighttime bath. They are gone just long enough for me to finish the day's exercise.

Even though I was doing the shred at night instead of the morning, it was still VERY HARD!! I saw Ali post a few days ago about me sweating a lot and tonight was no exception. I was actually cleaning up the pools of sweat as I was working out. For some reason I'm able to hear all of Jillian's comments at night and it's funny because I'm thinking everything that she says. Like breathing...I always forget to do something as simple as breathe but as soon as she says remember to breathe, I find myself taking a deep breath and finishing the exercise with more energy. I really don't know if it's easier to do the exercise in the morning or night but I do know that the morning exercises allow us to workout together and we are able to motivate each other more when we watch the other person struggle...I mean "try"...to complete the exercise. I'm going to have a six pack in no time!

Ali Day 7

I went to bed at 8:30 last night so I would be well rested for the start of the week. I had my alarm set for 5:45 AM to do the shred before Paige woke up. Last night Rich said he was going to do it in the morning so that was the plan. Rich woke me up by coming to bed after midnight. Once I saw what time he was falling asleep I kind of figured I would be doing the shred alone in the morning. Well I was correct. My alarm went off and Rich didn't budge so I shook him and said "I can go back to bed and do the shred tonight if you want". He said "no we can do it this morning". I laid there for another 5 minutes and he fell back to sleep so I got up and did level 3 alone:-( he said he is doing it tonight at 8:30 when goose goes to bed. I think I'll lay on the couch and drink a beer and watch him work out:-) this shred is not hard but it's definitely getting boring (never thought I'd miss Lifestyles gym so much) but I'm going to stick with it. I haven't lost any weight but I seem a little more toned so maybe it's doing something. Plus I've been eating like a pig and haven't gained any weight so I can't really complain. I also feel like I have more energy. Every day around 2 PM I used to get sooo tired it was almost unbearable but today at work I felt great.

Rich Day 5 (or is it Day 6?)

We finally broke and neither one of us completed the challenge on Saturday (technically day 5). I wouldn't say that we gave up, we just ran out of time to do it while we had the energy. Our normal morning routine was broken again because we had some awesome friends come over and babysit for us the night before. However, our only guest bed is the pull out couch in the living room and we didn't want to wake them up at the crack of dawn. We also had to finish our car purchase first thing in the morning because we had to leave the dealership on Friday to pick up our daughter...with the new car of course. By the time we finished the paperwork on Saturday, it was time to put Paige down for a nap. In fact, we were all so exhausted from the negotiating that we all took a nap at the same time. In all honesty, that was when we had planned to do the shred because it's impossible to do it with the kid awake. We thought we could do it while Paige was eating dinner like we did on Friday night, but when the time came we were both still too tired so neither one of us could motivate the other to complete Saturday's challenge.

So today (Sunday) was day 6 of the challenge but really only day 5 of actually exercising. I guess we can always discuss the real number with Jillian (are you reading this?? Haha). Instead of waking up before Paige, we decided to try the exercise while she was eating breakfast. She wasn't a complete angel but she managed to stay in her high chair the entire time. I wouldn't say I was the best workout partner either but I managed to complete the level 2 exercise for the day. I don't know if it was because we skipped a day, we were exercising in the morning again, or if I am just weak but I did not have any strength today during the strength exercises. I had no problem with the cardio or ab exercises, it was just during those damn arm exercises that I ran out of stamina. I think I told Ali about 10 times that I can't do this challenge in the morning but I was really mad at myself for not being able to do a simple strength exercise with two 8 pound weights. I felt good on Friday evening with level 1 but I know I had a very hard time doing level 2 the first time. So I'm going to stick with the morning routine and just let out my frustration on the weights. Hey, we're completing 2 challenges at once. We're challenging our body by doing the exercises and we're challenging our relationship by agreeing to do this thing together!

Ali Day 6

OK so we're back on after taking day 5 off. It is definitely easier for me to get it done in the morning before my day begins. Rich would rather do it at night but there's no way. I am a morning person and he is a night person so I suggested we do it seperate but he doesn't want to do that so we're sticking with the mornings. We woke up at 7 today and did level 2 of the shred while Paige sat in her high chair and had oatmeal. The workout seemed hard today but since I know it's only 20 minutes it is definitely manageable. It did not help that Rich was complaining the entire 20 minutes. He seemed more tired than usual and did not seem into it and definitely made it known. Tomorrow we are back to waking at 5:45 for day 7. 24 more days of this seems like a lot. But I am determined to stick with it because I always quit and always take the easy way out so I really want to finish the 30 days, well 31 days now since we skipped 1 day so far.

Ali Day 5

We are skipping day 5 because we are slackers. The shred resumes tomorrow:-)

Rich Day 4

Day 4 was a break from the normal routine and it really threw us off schedule. Instead of starting the day at 5:50 a.m. like we have for the previous 3 days, we decided to try and do the shred after we took Paige to daycare. The problem with breaking your routine is that every thing else you planned for the day gets in the way. We both took off work yesterday to buy a car so the first thing we wanted to do once we dropped Paige off was get to the car dealerships. We were silly thinking we could buy a car in one day with all of the negotiating that goes on in a car deal...and my stubborness at not wanting to pay M.S.R.P. Needless to say, 5:00 p.m. came before we knew it so we went to pick up Paige from daycare. We did not want to skip a day of the 30 day shread so while Paige was eating dinner in her high chair, Ali and I put the DVD in and got our 20 minute workout done in the evening instead of the morning.

I don't know if it was the different time or if I am actually getting in shape, but it felt WAY easier to do the exercises on day 4. Granted, we went back to level 1 but I was able to control the weights more and actually felt the muscles working in each exercise. I can tell what I am working now instead of just praying for the exercise to be over. The question now is will we be up for day 5 since it is already 4:00 p.m.

Ali Day 4

I'm blogging about day 4 on day 5 because we were at the car dealership all day yesterday then did level 1 of the shred at 5 PM. Then my friend Kim came over and we grilled out then she baby sat once Paige went to bed so Rich and I could go to Kelly's graduation party. So yesterday was crazy busy and while I made time for the shred I did not make time to update the blog. We had to go back to the dealership with Paige this morning to finish up the detailing and syncing our phones, etc. We are both really tired today so we are skipping day 5 and will wake up tomorrow morning at 6 AM and do level 2. Then we are going to power clean the house since my parents are coming over at 9:30 AM so we can go to brunch at Jackson's for mothers day.

Rich Day 3

It's only been 3 days and already I wanted to skip the workout this morning. 5:50 seemed to come REALLY early this time and I just wanted to pull the covers over my head and sleep for another hour. But I made the commitment and I just kept telling myself it's only 20 minutes. Plus, I feel better throughout the day now that I'm working out in the mornings so I know it's worth it once I get my lazy butt out of bed.

We did level 3 this morning and it actually seemed easier than level 2. I think it's because there weren't as many exercises with the weights so it's easier to do the "beginner" version of the exercises. You can't make the weights any lighter so there's no way to do a "beginner" version of the weight training. I could feel the difference in my stomach when I was doing the mountain climbers with my back flat instead of my butt in the air. It's WAY harder to do them correctly. The good news is that I didn't feel sore today so I think this means my body has finally given in to the 30 day shred. My new motivation is a t-shirt that Ali bought me a few years ago. It says "Got Your Tickets?" and then underneath it says "To The Gun Show?" Guess where the arrows are pointing?? Hahaa. I'll post a pic of it tomorrow, these guns are getting ripped!

Ali Day 3

Day 3 was uneventful. We did level 3 today and it wasn't bad at all. I'm not even sore anymore. Is that all you got Jillian, I am a machine!!! No I'm kidding but maybe I am in better shape than I thought. I'm pretty sure I'm in better shape than my hubby because he is dripping in sweat by the end and I have yet to break a sweat. He gets to shower first since I don't want his sweat dripping all over the house, lol. Maybe I should politely place a sweat rag near his mat tomorrow morning;-) Well tomorrow day 4 is back to level 1. And the good news is we are both off tomorrow for car shopping so we can do the shred after we drop off Paige at school so we don't have to get up at 5:45 AM, YES! After that we are going to go attempt to buy a new Camry, yippie!

Rich Day 2

I think I woke up 15 minutes before the alarm went off this morning...am I having flashbacks of reveille in the Marines? This challenge is really bringing out the old school jarhead in me but it's still KICKING MY BUTT!!! We started the morning off by taking each other's measurements because we forgot to take them yesterday morning. Hopefully one day hasn't changed us that much. But let's just say, don't joke with a woman at 5:50 a.m. who has a visit from "Aunt Flo" because you are going to get the wrath that you deserve. I guess you need to know your audience if you're going to be a stand up comedian.

So the whole workout revolves around a 3-2-1 concept. 3 mins strength, 2 mins cardio, 1 min abs. I thought I would have no problem with the strength and that I would be dying on the cardio but it's the exact opposite! The strength is killing me! I'm only using 8 pound weights but after 30 seconds it feels more like they are 30 pounds. I remember doing the same drills with our rifles in the military and they were the same weight...I swear this must be a coincidence. Wait, I just realized I'm using 2 weights instead of 1 rifle so I'm NOT of out shape. Ahhh, who am I kidding? When my wife criticized me for swinging the weight instead of "controlling" the weight, I knew I was in for a tough 30 days. And I was supposed to be the one motivating her!

The good news is that I was only sore in the early afternoon. I actually felt better around 4 and right now I'm not feeling any pain. Of course, it is Cinco de Mayo so maybe that's while I'm feeling no pain... Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!

Ali Day 2

Day 2 of waking up at 5:45 am did not go as smoothly as day 1 but we survived. I was a little more moody than usual ( I can't make tomato sauce this week) so that may be why. That's a Real Housewives of Jersey reference so if you don't watch that show then you have no clue what I'm saying. Basically I'm blaming my moodiness on pms. Anyway I guess I yelled at Rich a few times this morning, poor guy. I didn't even realize I was doing it because I was half asleep but anyway, I'm so sorry Richie, I will try to be more pleasant tomorrow morning, lol.

So my arms and shoulders were sore this morning. Not sure if it's from the push ups or because my entire closet rack fell down and I had to hold up the new rack forever while Rich drilled it into the wall. Apparently I've been doing too much shopping at Macy's and my old rack could no longer support the massive amounts of clothing I have accumulated. I thought I was going to have to stop going to Macy's but then I came to my senses and realized I just need to give some of my clothes to Goodwill to make room;-)phew, crisis solved.

So I'm blogging from work right now and all I can smell is the Ben Gay I put on my shoulders. I'm sure the clients are gagging but at least I can move my arms. Oh and this medicated smell is actual helping my sinuses today so that's a plus. I also took some Glucossmine to help prevent any flare ups. Anyway, we did level 1 yesterday and level 2 today. I did not find level 2 that much harder than 1 so that was a pleasant surprise. Tomorrow morning we do level 3 so by Friday I'm sure I'll feel like I went rounds in the ring with Mike Tyson but I'm hoping that the stretching, Ben Gay, and the Glucosamine keep me from experiencing that much pain and suffering. We took our measurements this morning. I'm 32, 22, 33, ha ha kidding I'm bust 34 1/2 waist 32 hips 38 arms 11 legs 22. Rich's are chest 40 waist 37 1/2 hips 42 arms 13 5/8 legs 22. Yes you read that right, my legs are the same size as my husbands, ugh! Just call me thunder thighs from now on, ha ha.

Ali Day 1

So I was super tired when my alarm clock went off this morning at 5:45 AM since I'm still recuperating from my St Louis trip, but I managed to make it through day 1 of our 30 day shred. It was a pretty intense workout, Jillian Michaels does not mess around, but it was doable. I think what saved me was knowing it's only 20 minutes so I just kept telling myself that to get me though day one. It also helped that Jillian and her 2 trainers that are on the dvd with her have the flattest stomachs I've ever seen in my life, so that definitely kept me motivated, lol. Maybe at the end of the 30 days my beer belly will look like theirs. I'm a little sore in my shoulders from the push ups and the inside of my thighs hurt but other than that I think I'm good to go for day 2 tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn. We did our before pics and our weigh in. Rich is 189lbs and I am 134.5lbs. We bought a tape measure today so tomorrow morning we will record our measurements to compare in 30 days. I was 129lbs on my wedding day and if this shred doesn't get me back there then I give up. Well time to finish watching Real Housewives of New Jersey so I can get to bed and be ready for day 2.

Rich - Day 1

5:50 a.m. - The alarm goes off and I jump out of bed... I can see the shock in Ali's eyes that I actually got my lazy butt out of bed before sunrise. It takes a while to get through all of the babble at the beginning of the DVD but we finally make it to the menu screen. Level 1 is where we begin!

I'm not gonna lie...that workout really kicked my butt this morning! I didn't realize how hard it would be to go from exercise to exercise without a break. 20 minutes seems like a short amount of time but when you can't even stop for 5 seconds it feels more like 2 hours. The best part is at the end she starts lying to you saying this is the last one...oh, this is the last one.....oh, this the last one. I'm like, you said last 5 minutes ago!!! I guess it works on us first timers because I actually fell for it. I like knowing that I made it to the end even though I wanted to give up about 10 minutes into it.

So the first day is over and I'm actually not as sore as I thought I was going to be after that beat down I took this morning. But I know it usually takes a couple of days to feel it so I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to walk tomorrow.

Before pics

Ali's thoughts on 30 day shred

So why am I doing this? Well one reason is because I am always looking for ways to lose some poundage (isn't that what us girls do?). So I lost a few pounds last month, completely stuck to eating healthy and working out about 1-2 times per week but the minute I went back to eating like a normal human being I gained the weight right back. It really made me realize I just need to eat what I want in moderation and work out a lot more but working 40 hours a week and having a toddler at home is not so easy. So imagine how happy I was when I found the 30 day shred on amazon and started to read the 1800+ reviews about how awesome this dvd really is. It's pretty much made for people like me, busy people that don't mind a challenge and don't mind working hard. Plus it's only 20 minutes a day so there's really no reason why I should not be able to complete 30 days straight of the 30 day shred. My husband is so sweet to agree to take on this challenge with me. It's nice to have the support of a work out buddy, plus we're both competitive so neither one of us will want to quit before the other. We are starting May 3 and I will post our weight and inches so we know if this dvd is as great as people are making it out to be.

Rich's thoughts about the challenge

So my wife has challenged me/her to an exercise program that luckily only last 30 days. I agreed at first because I want to support her, but I realized today that I actually need to lose some inches in my 185R13 (what Ali calls my belly as reference to a tire size) when I saw a picture of my gut while I was pressure washing my fence. I spent 4 years in the Corps so hopefully I can complete this too...