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