Week 4 = Complete

Photo source:  Pinterest

I'm officially done with my first fitness challenge. "Ripped in 30" was a success!  I'm so proud of myself for sticking with it.  These last few weeks have been tough, but my body's finally getting used to the exercise.  My current weight is 114.2 lbs.  I lost a total of 2 lbs during this challenge.

Now it's time for round 2.  I'm going to start Insanity next Monday. I'm actually really nervous about it.  I've done some of the workouts before, and they are BRUTAL.  It's two months of high-intensity interval training.  I don't know how my body's going to deal with that kind of cardio in the early morn.  I'm going to try and prep the next few days in the hopes of lessoning the excruciating amount of pain to come.  I think I'll do Tae-bo for the next week!  I'll update you guys soon =)  

PS. In case you guys want some new song recommendations, here's my January playlist. These songs have been looping on my i-pod this month:

1.  Pon De Floor - Major Lazer (3:34)

2.  She Wants To Move - N.E.R.D (3:34)

3.  One (Your Name) - Swedish House Mafia ft. Pharrell (2:43)

4.  Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Kylie Minogue (3:51)

5.  Clap Your Hands - 2NE1 (3:43)

6.  Lights (Bassnectar remix) - Ellie Goulding (4:37)

7.  Breathe - Dev (3:41)

8.  Girls On the Dance Floor - Far East Movement (3:57)

9.  Destination Calabria (Original Radio Edit) - Alex Gaudino (3:43)

10. She Wolf (Falling to Pieces) - David Guetta ft. Sia (3:43)

11. Waiting For Tonight - Jennifer Lopez (4:07)

12. Bon, Bon - Pitbull (3:36)

Week 3 = Complete

YAY! I finally finished week 3 of "Ripped in 30".  I'm so close to finishing the program -  SUCCESS!  I haven't weighed myself in a while, but that's fine.  I don't really care about the number.  I just want to get jacked!  I definitely feel stronger, PLUS when I tried on my skinny jeans earlier today, they fit wayyy better.  Anyways, week 3 was much more difficult to execute.  The bear crawls, duck walks, and squat jacks KILLED my quads.  I felt like my muscles were on fire.  That's ok though because ::drum rolls:: "sore is the new sexy" =P...

Photo from Pinterest

I've been supplementing my "Ripped in 30" sessions with additional lifting exercises.  There are so many cool workouts available on Pinterest.  I've been obsessed with pinning as of late.  I'm sure you all can tell by my fitspo memes =P  Anyways, I've always wanted more upper body definition, so I decided to try this out...

Photo from Pinterest

I do each exercise 20 times (3 circuits) with 5-lb weights in each hand. However, instead of doing regular push-ups, I modify them and rep them out on my knees.  It takes me about 13 minutes to complete the entire workout.  You guys should try it! =)  

Week 2 = Complete

Man, these last few days have been rough.  I've been waking up super early to squeeze my workouts in.  I really like exercising at night, but when's school's in session, I end up making way too many excuses for myself.  "I'm too tired", "I still have so much homework to do", "practicing piano takes priority", "blah blah blah".  I wanted to make sure I had NO excuse.  I mean I'd get evicted if I started practicing at 6:30 in the morning, so I might as well work out =P  It's going to be tough for a while, but I know my body will get used to it soon enough!

Image jacked from Pinterest...

Today I finished week 2 of "Ripped in 30".  Some of the exercises are just brutal  - she offers modifications most of the time though.  I found the pendulum lunges with serving biceps and stork stances with upright rows to be the most challenging.  Anyways, I'm excited to see what week 3 has in store!  

OH, and I forgot to mention that I started using 5-lb weights!  I was proud of myself for upgrading.  I know it's only 2-lbs heavier than before, but hey, it's still improvement!  I'm willing to celebrate small victories! =)

Have any of you tried Jillian's yoga DVDs?  If so, would you recommend them?

Week 1 = Complete

So I finished week 1 of Jillian Michaels' "Ripped in 30" last night, and I actually really like the program thus far.  The DVD comes with a strict dietary plan, but to be honest, I haven't been following her rules.  I've been eating a lot of junk; the holidays always kill me.  I've consumed so much garbage during break (take-out, sweets, etc.).  I'll have to make sure I watch what I eat from now on, or else working out will be pointless.  Poop.

Source:  Pinterest

"Ripped in 30" contains four different workouts that last for about 20 minutes.  I really appreciate how compact the sessions are.  Who doesn't have time to fit in a 20 minute workout?  Yeah, that's what I thought... =P Anyways, each session features the "3-2-1 system":  three minutes of strength, two minutes of cardio, and one minute of abs.  There are three circuits in total, and you repeat each circuit twice.  

My favorite part is definitely the strength training.  In my opinion, there's not enough emphasis on cardio in this DVD, so I'm going to have to supplement my regimen with extra on the side.  I'll keep you guys updated.  

Thanks for reading guys! <3

-Kim