Ripped in 30: Week 2

Day 8: I ended up working out yesterday… I couldn’t not work out, it just felt wrong. So instead of doing Jillian’s work out, I just did a half hour on the elliptical machine. Oops, my bad, haha! Then this morning I ‘broke out’ Week 2 on the Ripped in 30 DVD and Jillian kicked my booty! I pretty much hated it. Maybe even more than the first day of the first week, but I made it through. But, I did have to stop a few times again and I had to use almost all of the modifications. It definitely was no joke, that’s for sure! And then to top it off I did 15 minutes on the elliptical again which was harder than I thought it would be. I’m not ready to see what Week 3 has in store for me!

Day 9: I slept in this morning, it’s a Saturday, what can you say! I did do the workout tonight. I’ve moved from doing my workouts upstairs to doing them in the basement. I like to do them in the morning; however, usually I end up starting my workout just as Ayden is getting up and he doesn’t enjoy watching me work out (and I don’t enjoy listening to his commentary). I got myself a padded workout mat because doing sit-ups on a cement floor (even if it has a thin layer of carpet) is NOT fun! I’m waiting for when my summer clinic placement starts because when I’m home more often, I noticed that I don’t have the will power than I do while I am gone not to eat as bad and I don’t want to lose the momentum that I have going! I was pretty sore this morning from yesterdays work out, but I sucked it up through day two of Week 2 and did 12 minutes on the elliptical. My elliptical has a ‘calories burned’ counter on it (whether or not is accurate for me, I couldn’t tell you), and when I first started going on it, I could ‘burn’ 50 calories in 15 minutes, once I can get that 50 calories down to 10 minutes (without passing out), I’m going to try and do 60 calories in 15 minutes. Today was pretty much just as hard as yesterday and I substituted two of the exercises for something from the first week because I just couldn’t do them. Oopies, but when I do the ones from the first week, I’m still feeling the burn so I suppose that is okay, haha!

Day 10: Only three more days of Week 2 left! Today kicked my butt… AGAIN, but I push myself through it whining the whole time. I mean, its only a 18 minute workout (with a few minutes of warm up and a few minutes of stretching at the end). I did 15 minutes on the elliptical as well and this time made it to 60 calories. Heck yeah! I’ve been eating like crap for the past few days though. Not a lot of snacks (just a few, hehe) and not stuffing myself full, but definitely slacked a little bit. It’s back to the hardcore calorie counting again tomorrow though. I was down to 122.6 lbs on Thursday or Friday morning and this morning I was at 124 lbs. I know weight fluctuates and maybe I’m retaining more water, but I liked seeing that 122.6 number because that meant only two more pounds until 120! Plus it was Mother’s Day today and doesn’t that sort of give me an ‘out’?!

Day 11: Pounded it out again this morning… and on the elliptical again. I am back on my ‘stricter’ diet this week. Going to keep better track of my calories and not check my weight until Friday or Saturday so I don’t become overly obsessed with what the scale says like I have been this past week. Two more days for Week 2, going to knock them out! I feel like I am getting more toned, although I don’t always like what I see in the mirror, it is getting better. I feel like my quads and arms are getting most workout and I am even beginning to see some definition in my arms (yeah!), and my stomach is in third place. I haven’t taken any measurements yet though, will save that until the last day. 

Day 12: I cheated and stepped on the scale this morning after I said that I wasn’t going to at all this week. I couldn’t help it and I regret doing it. The number was disappointing… 125.2. UGH! Seriously! I SO hope that it is because I am gaining muscle and not because I’m not working hard enough. I’m sad.

Day 13: Scale said 124.6 this morning… yes, I weighed myself again. I think I’m ‘conditioning’ to this level because despite the fact that I can still barely do ten push-ups at a time, I definitely didn’t feel like I burned as much today as I did last week when I started Week 2.

Day 14: Today is my break day and I’m honestly happy I don’t have to listen to Jillian today. I’m liking the workouts, but seven days a week is just too much for this woman, lol. Instead, like last week, I rocked out a half hour on the elliptical instead… 125 calories burned (according to my elliptical machine)!

Overall Impression of Week 2: This week was definitely harder than Week 1 and overall, there were two exercises that I substituted exercises from Week 1 for. One was a push-up one and one was an abs one. I have to say, even with the substitutions, I was feeling the burn so its not as if I wasn’t working my muscles out just as hard. I’m a little worried about Week 3 because of most of the reviews that I read about this product, they say that Week 3 is even harder than Week 4. Hmm… I guess we will have to see! I am still astounded that I’ve lasted this far! Go me!

CIAO! LOVE ME!