carrot_tit
Gold Member
Okay then, perhaps I should have called this Sarah's exercise hell instead of diary? But I figured i might actually stick to it if I do I diary, even if I'm the only person who reads it. So I've been lurking round the posts for a while and was trying to decide what to have a go at. I used to walk 5 miles a day but when i had to get a new job all that went out of the window so i need to get my fitness levels back up again. I'm working really long hours at a place which is an hour and a half drive away so i needed an exercise that i could fit into a smaller amount of time but which would be as beneficial as working out for quite a while.... I'm going to try kettle bells as soon as i can afford the set i want but for now i decided to have a go at Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. In fact i bought 4 of her DVDs in a box set for £14.99 on Amazon. I watched a YouTube clip of the workout and thought at least the moves look achievable. Here's how i got on:
Day 1 Level 1:
OMG I have seriously underestimated my ability to do anything other than walk forwards and backwards! Yes the moves looked achievable on YouTube as i sat sipping my coffee, but in reality they were a lot harder than i ever imagined possible. And i don't get me wrong, i knew they would be hard. I've read the thread on here, but i didn't fully understand how hard. The DVD arrived this morning. I didn't want to put off starting it so i went ahead without proper hand weights and with a throw doubled up instead of a mat. Probably not my best move but hey. Instead of weights i used 2 cartons of 1litre Soya Milk. Sounds daft but they worked out quite well. They just felt a little awkward towards the end of the workout.
What should have been a 20min workout became at least 30. Why? Because i had to keep pausing her. I had to pause her to catch my breath, i had to pause her to get up and down off the floor and i had to pause her to alter the straps on my sports bra because for some reason they kept slipping down? They've never done that before.
Frankly I knew i was in trouble when i was tired after the warm up. Not the best start in the world. It also appears i have no upper body strength as i was completely unable to do the push ups, even the modified version. In the end i had to do them just kneeling down, I'm pretty sure i saw them do it that way on Celebrity Fit Club years ago. Half way through i felt like Bambi on Ice. My legs were shaking and i was struggling to even get into the right position for the punches.
By the final cardio segment my partner commented that i was punching much harder and generally jumping higher, etc Had my cardio improved so quickly???? No i was running on pure anger by that point. I hated this DVD, i hated this stupid workout but more importantly i hated the fact i was finding it so hard! Anger and frustration fuelled my final few minutes. I can only imagine how the contestants on The Biggest Loser USA feel about Jillian when she is putting them through their paces (i always seem to miss that bit for some reason and tune in just as they are being weighed.) and i can only imagine how hard her workouts are for someone larger than me. I'm not even convinced that i did all the exercises right... I did pause and rewind a couple of times to see if i was doing it right but not 100% convinced. Plus it was difficult to see the tv during the floor segments.
Anyway day one is completed and I'm still alive. I've made a mental note to but a thicker mat as I'm working out on a hard wood floor and the doubled over throw isn't cutting it and also to get some actually hand weights. Hopefully come tomorrow i will still be able to walk and be able to force myself to do the exercise again.
Lets see how i feel in the morning!
Day 1 Level 1:
OMG I have seriously underestimated my ability to do anything other than walk forwards and backwards! Yes the moves looked achievable on YouTube as i sat sipping my coffee, but in reality they were a lot harder than i ever imagined possible. And i don't get me wrong, i knew they would be hard. I've read the thread on here, but i didn't fully understand how hard. The DVD arrived this morning. I didn't want to put off starting it so i went ahead without proper hand weights and with a throw doubled up instead of a mat. Probably not my best move but hey. Instead of weights i used 2 cartons of 1litre Soya Milk. Sounds daft but they worked out quite well. They just felt a little awkward towards the end of the workout.
What should have been a 20min workout became at least 30. Why? Because i had to keep pausing her. I had to pause her to catch my breath, i had to pause her to get up and down off the floor and i had to pause her to alter the straps on my sports bra because for some reason they kept slipping down? They've never done that before.
Frankly I knew i was in trouble when i was tired after the warm up. Not the best start in the world. It also appears i have no upper body strength as i was completely unable to do the push ups, even the modified version. In the end i had to do them just kneeling down, I'm pretty sure i saw them do it that way on Celebrity Fit Club years ago. Half way through i felt like Bambi on Ice. My legs were shaking and i was struggling to even get into the right position for the punches.
By the final cardio segment my partner commented that i was punching much harder and generally jumping higher, etc Had my cardio improved so quickly???? No i was running on pure anger by that point. I hated this DVD, i hated this stupid workout but more importantly i hated the fact i was finding it so hard! Anger and frustration fuelled my final few minutes. I can only imagine how the contestants on The Biggest Loser USA feel about Jillian when she is putting them through their paces (i always seem to miss that bit for some reason and tune in just as they are being weighed.) and i can only imagine how hard her workouts are for someone larger than me. I'm not even convinced that i did all the exercises right... I did pause and rewind a couple of times to see if i was doing it right but not 100% convinced. Plus it was difficult to see the tv during the floor segments.
Anyway day one is completed and I'm still alive. I've made a mental note to but a thicker mat as I'm working out on a hard wood floor and the doubled over throw isn't cutting it and also to get some actually hand weights. Hopefully come tomorrow i will still be able to walk and be able to force myself to do the exercise again.
Lets see how i feel in the morning!
