It's Not You, It's Me

Apparently I am a big, paranoid baby. I was fretting over Level 3 of the 30 Day Shred and I now know that it was for no good reason. Don’t get me wrong… it is a hard workout. It’s definitely the toughest video I have ever done. However, I think I worked myself up into being a huge worry wart without just cause.

The problem, which I can clearly see now that I know what to expect from the last nine days of this series, is that I had never in my life done planks prior to the eleventh day of this DVD. After the initial shock of trying those for the first time, the rest of the workouts in that level got easier as I became more accustomed to the movements, but I still held onto the fear that today I would discover something yet more difficult to master and vastly unfamiliar to me. Well, guess what? The main premise of this final level is building on what has already been learned in the first two.

Thank goodness! I can’t believe how relieved I was to finish today’s set and finally rest assured that this is something I can see through to the end! I’m a pretty stubborn girl to begin with – my birthday just passed, which means I am a Capricorn; basically I’m a determined mountain goat – so I was fairly certain I was going to finish the 30 Day Shred regardless of any roadblocks. However, now my confidence is up and I am absolutely positive that this is something I can do!

Again, I know it won’t be easy to finish this last week and a half. The workouts really are a killer and are much more advanced than the first twenty days. Right now I am just doing the beginner’s steps, but I will start bringing in some of the bigger, more expertly performed movements soon. Hopefully by the end I will be ready to crush the blasted DVD between my abs, thighs, or buns of steel!

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 7 glasses of water throughout the day
- 1 banana
- 1 pear
- 1 1/2 cups rice with small pieces of vegetables
- 1/2 piece of pita with tzatziki
- 1/2 Greek roast potato
- 1 cup Greek salad with feta cheese, onion, tomato, green pepper, and dressing
- 1 cup lamb souvlaki pieces
- 3 cups spinach salad with croutons, dried cranberries, mushrooms, and calorie-wise Greek feta and oregano dressing
- 1 cup broccoli, sunflower, and bacon crunch salad

EXERCISE:
- 1 hour and 40 minutes of walking completed in 2 outings (1 hour and 5 minutes long and 35 minutes long)
- 25 minute workout video