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Day 14: 30 Day Shred - Level 2

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Tomorrow will be it. The halfway mark. 1/2 or 50%. I can't believe it. I'm so glad that I've stuck it out thus far.

The thing that really ticks me off is that Level 1 seemed to get progressively easier, and the third circuit was always such a relief. Level 2 is the polar opposite. Some days are easier, some not. The second circuit is the easy peasy one and the third is just sheer hell. And basically, anything in the plank position sucks.

Oscar was a little more high-maintenance today, demanding to be let in and out (and in and out and in and out and in and out) during key points of the workout. If I sprint, I can run to the door, hustle him in (or out) and book it back to my mat within 5 seconds, which is considered the only acceptable break period. And if I'm sprinting, obviously, I'm keeping my heart rate up, so that has to count for something. Right?

That round ligamentish cramp has disappeared, which is good. Sort of. I no longer have an excuse to wimp out on some of the ab work that was really hurting me. Sigh.

After I finished, I decided it was time to watch the dreaded Level 3. Just to check it out.

Oh.
My.
God.

Or to quote a poster on my mom's message board: Sweet Monkey Sundae!

How in the hell is my body supposed to do the things they are doing? I was momentarily distracted by the fact that Jillian is wearing the cutest sports bra (I need to get one of those, maybe it will help), but then it was back to bowel-clenching apprehension. I am somewhat terrified, but somewhat up for the challenge. I'm a little bored of Level 2, but I just don't know if I'm physically ready to move on. So many decisions.

Tomorrow, I'll watch it again. Just to see how I'm feeling. At some point, the move has to be made.

Until then I am 7/15 of the way there. Woot!

How are my fellow shredders doing out there?

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Ah - spring weekend!

Monday, March 30, 2009

Sunday was a busy, busy day.

K and I threw a baby shower for our friend, Salsa. K offered up her house and we hosted a lovely tea party. It was perfect.

Our friend, S, made the 2 hour drive to celebrate and take some fantastic pics of the special day.

She really captured Turtle's teething pain in this one.



Presents!



Delicious lemonade with lemon slices and strawberries.



The guest of honor! Congratulations to the new mommy-to-be!



S was wise and brought some bunny ears for the kids. The equation is easy. Kids + bunny ears = epitome of cuteness.






And finally, I met up with K & her little J today before Gymboree to do a quick snap with the Easter Bunny. Turtle did great! He was a little unsure, but he didn't cry, so that's always good!


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Day 13: 30 Day Shred - level 2

Yes, I'm still on Level 2.

And it's still whooping my butt.

But that's ok - I'm still sticking with it and I'm going to stick it out. Heck, I'm almost to the halfway point. Giving up now would be ridiculous. Plus, I like to torture myself.

The pugs have really had it with my exercise regimen. Apparently, I get in their way. They have decided they would much rather lay in the middle of my space then on the comfy couch they usually enjoy. Really guys? Seriously? So we're working on it.

I'm making it a point to improve one move a day. I'm doing really well with a lot of it, although some of the plank positions are still giving me trouble. For some reason, circuit 2 is the easiest one for me, too.

I was going to skip ahead and watch level 3 today, but I think I'll give it a few more days. I'm not really in any rush. I just want to try something different.

So, still here. I'm "gargling my heart" by the end, per Jillian's demand, so I guess all is as it should be.

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A special first

Saturday, March 28, 2009

I want to start by showing off Turtle: look at him with his kitchen and his wooden spoon (clearly the best toy ever!). He's working so hard on standing all by himself and I think it's totally adorable. I'm also absolutely NOT READY for him to be walking around, but I guess I have to get used to the idea.



Now, for the big announcement. Yesterday, a few days shy of his 11 month birthday, little Mr. Turtle finally cut his first tooth. You can see it down on the bottom right (his right, your left). It's the cutest looking thing. He keeps playing with it and running his lip on it. It's made him a bit cranky and fussy, but nothing like what I expected. Rumor has it that more will be following shortly.



Turtle would also like you to know that in addition to being able to sit up all on his own, he can now also pull up in his crib, throw his sleeptime monkey on the floor and stare at us through the video monitor when he would like to be retrieved. Odd how he knows where the camera is, isn't it?

Today, we dressed him up in his Easter outfit and headed over to K, D & J's house for a bbq and a mini-session with Karen Heiring. A few other wee ones showed up in their adorable spring togs for some photo shoots. There were plastic easter eggs, parasols, a beautiful wicker rockers, and a special surprise. I can't wait to see the teasers!

Turtle had a great time walking around the yard with his daddy. And I also tried a venison burger, which was pretty darn good, I have to say. So thanks to K, D & J (happy 6 months, buddy!) and thanks to Karen, too!



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Days 10, 11 & 12: 30 Day Shred: level 2

Level 2 is still a pain in the rear.

However, I'm busting though as consistently as I can.

I forgot to mention that I got the step-touch back. It comes in the form of something called a skater, and the modified version is really a funky step-touch. I'm comforted to have that sort of familiarity on which to fall back.

In the meantime, I notice that Jillian pretty well ignores Anita half the time. She really seems to adore Natalie, even when Natalie isn't sinking all the way into her squats or hiking her knees up far enough. We see you, Natalie. We know what you're doing.

DH says he notices a difference. Whee. My arms and shoulders defnitely look (and feel) great. My abs are changing. Again, I'm still not "feeling the burn" in my thighs and butt, but I can see the tone coming to my quads, so maybe it's just taking a little longer to develop.

I know that I'm going to miss tomorrow's workout due to a baby shower brunch (I know, I know, Jillian lacks the time and patience for baby showers), and I'm a little bummed, but I worked extra hard today to make up for it. Hopefully.

Again, I'm super proud for sticking with this, even if Oscar the Pug is less than pleased. Today, when he saw I was not going to stand for him gnawing at my hand weights, he decided to lay down directly beneath my plank position and fall soundly asleep. It was really a great way to ensure I did not collapse halfway through my squat thrusts: flattened puggy is NOT the way to go.

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Day 9: 30 Day Shred - Level 2

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

I know, I didn't post yesterday, but that doesn't mean that I didn't do my shredding!

Tricked you, because I didn't do it today!

I'm not proud of that either. But it's the truth.

My third day of Level 2 was tough. Sweaty, stabbing pain tough. I almost resent Jillian's smile - she looks like she loves the fact that I am experiencing what may be round ligament pain, which I thought I was done with after pregnancy. Clearly not. Clearly circuits of ab work bring it all flooding back. Mem'ries.

I don't know why yesterday was so tough on me, but it was. So I had a breather and tomorrow will be better.

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Progress Everywhere

Monday, March 23, 2009

First up, DH embarked on the first official lawn cutting of 2009. It was a momentous event, and the lawn came out beautifully. Way to go, honey.



Daddy and Turtle went to Dunkin Donuts to pick up breakfast for Mommy and Turtle got to play with his very own bagel half while the grown-ups ate.



Turtle has a new trick: he can sit himself up. For some reason, this particular talent has eluded him, so it was quite the shock to walk into his room and see this:



It didn't take long for him to figure out how to pull up on the side of his crib.



We had some nasty weather today, so we did lots of playing inside. Turtle is finally big enough for his Bounce & Spin Zebra, and he loves it.



Here's a pictoral analysis of how Turtle sits up. First, he pushes up into a modified crawl position...



He then tucks one leg under...



And pushes...



And he's upright!



Yay!

Another thing: I think "bye" is going to be his first word. He used to stick his arm straight out to indicate that he was saying hi or bye. A few days ago, he realized that he can curl his fingers in and out in order to really wave. He spent some time waving at his face in wonder, and then moved on to waving at others. This morning, at Gymboree, he waved and said "bah. bah." And he will do it every time we ask him to say bye-bye. It's awesome.

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Day 8: 30 Day Shred - Level 2

I'm going to have to apologize. I was clearly delirious yesterday when I blogged that level 2 was really not that bad.

I'm going to take a moment to laugh (gently, because of the pain in my ribcage) and then I will catch my breath and continue.

Alrighty.

We are back at the Limp-Linguine-Arms stage. While I can actually do some of the plank position strength & cardio routines, they are working muscles in my arms that apparently have been dormant since birth. Natalie's a pretty big show off with these. To be honest, it kind of freaks me out how much she smiles through the pain. No one should enjoy sweating quite that much.

The ab work is more what I was expecting from Level 1. The kind of workout where it feels like your entire midsection is going to spontaneously combust. But of course, I'm just not that lucky.

Anita's kind of smug, too. Compared to Jillian and Natalie, she really gets to coast through the workout. She makes up for it with some pretty ballet arms, though. Good for her - always thinking of style points. Maybe, one day, I'll be able to handle style points, too. It's good to have goals, right?

I got some extra help in the form of Oscar chewing my hand weight. Nothing like some pug slobber to really help me along. I appreciate the support buddy. Really.

And for those keeping track, I am 4/15 of the way there. God, Mrs. Feldman would be so proud.

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Day 7: 30 Day Shred - LEVEL 2!!!!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

That's right! LEVEL 2, BABY!!!

Yeah, I really don't know why I'm so excited. Today, Jillian told me that if I feel like I am going to die, then she's doing her job. Well, kudos to you, Jillian. Ku. Dos. Because I do. You're just Employee of the Month. I'll work on getting you a special parking spot.

My pug trainers took another break today, but that's ok. Turtle stepped up to give a hand. He's really an awesome little boy.





So, yes, I graduated. I know I said I was going to wait til 10 days, but I figured I would go for it anyway. Start the week off right. And it's funny because there are parts that are easier and parts that are harder. I figured I'd be flopping through the whole thing, but really, with the exception of a couple of exercises, I was able to keep just slightly ahead of my good buddy Anita. And we caught the Glamazon cheating just a wee bit, again. She really slacks if Jillian's not right there to keep her in line.

The other thing is that Jillian is getting a little bit zen in this level. I paid $14 for a high-intensity workout, JM, not a philosophy lesson. I much prefer your boot camp tendencies then your touchy-feely "you can DO this." But that's just me. It's the whole reason yoga and I were never friends.

She also says if we keep this up, we'll be at level 3 in no time. Hmmm. Maybe, maybe not. I have to get rid of the fire in my triceps and my lower abs, first.

PS - in Level 1, the last 60 seconds of abs were a dream. In Level 2, it takes you to about the 8th circle of hell. Just a heads up.

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Birthdays and DVD Releases

Saturday, March 21, 2009

After a house-cleaning marathon this morning, we went across the street to our neighbor's daughter's first birthday party. It was absolutely adorable, and Turtle was, of course, delighted to be able to try out some new toys.





He also fell in love with an Oscar the Grouch remote control. He chewed on that for about an hour!





After his nap, we went to Target. I wanted to pick up some more Morningstar foodstuffs, a new toy, see if they had azaleas in their garden center, and get my hot, little hands on this...



Oh, yes. Twilight has been released. The minute DH went out tonight, I had that bad boy plugged into the DVD player and watched it. It's still not a great movie, but I love it anyway. I think I'm going to re-read the series. :)

And soon it will be off to bed. I'm tired, from all the activity and tomorrow we have to work on some new plantings in the front garden. I'm excited to see it looking better, but I hate gardening with the fire of 1000 suns.

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Day 6: 30 Day Shred - level 1

Allow me to channel Sir Elton John for just a moment:

Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid
I'm still standing after all this time

That's right... Day 6 is done and I feel fantastic.

(For the math whizzes, that means we are 1/5 of the way, or 20% there!)

I'm super excited - after all, temptation to take a break reared its ugly head. It's Saturday, and for just a moment, I thought to myself: Self, it's the weekend. Take a day off. And then I sighed, because this is not the 30DS With Time Off On the Weekends. That would be like the 38 Day Shred. So I sucked it up, and managed to do 15 consecutive pushups (Yes, I'm still on my knees, but whatever. I'm still pushing up).

I'm also feel good about moving up a level in a few days. I think it will be a good change, for one, and also, I'm ready for the increased workout.

I'm telling myself right now: I didn't take off today, so I'm certainly not taking off tomorrow!

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Table Foods and the Collins Brothers

Friday, March 20, 2009

With mobility comes a new expression: the "it wasn't me, mom!" look.

As you can see here, I came upon Turtle in his walker. After he had managed to herd Oscar into Bentley's cage and close the door. But clearly, Turtle is innocent. And he did make a nice show of trying to help his puppy out. It took so long that Oscar had to lay down. Poor pug.



We made up for it later, with a rollicking game of "ride in the laundry basket." All parties involved were amused. Really.



Turtle has been objecting to Stage 3 dinners, so we decided to see if maybe he just wanted to move straight to table foods, chopped up really small. The night before these were taken, he gobbled up some leftover colcannon, so I presented him with pieces of morningstar organic "chicken" nuggets and some soft, boiled carrots.

First, he examines the meal.



Next, he tries it out.



Hmmm, this isn't bad. Not bad at all...



All done!



Tonight, we went to Pauly's to see Matt and Bo Collins play. Turtle was very interested in the setup and sound check.



He was equally interested in the pizza crust.



Showing off his measuring spoons. He's going to be a baker like his mommy.



Matt and Bo, performing.

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Day 5: 30 Day Shred - level 1

Hey, Jillian, here's a thought. If you ever decide to redo your covert art for the 30DS, make sure that you add, in a colorful burst "HELPS IMPROVE MATH SKILLS IMMEDIATELY!"

Just sayin'.

I, who hate math almost as much as I hate spending days in abject pain, have found myself getting a phenomenal refresher course in percentages and fractions. For example: today was Day 5 of 30, which means that I have completed 1/6 of the program. Wheeee! Tomorrow, will be 1/5 or 20%. Do you see how well that works? Not that I would dare tell you how to market yourself, but it's a thought.

So here we are, at Day 5. I'm feeling good. I have become newlyT acquainted with some sort of ligament in the side of my right leg, which apparently is critical to climbing stairs (don't worry, we have a sturdy railing to help me out), but other than that I'm on top of it.

I'm so on top of it, in fact, that I even think I've devised a system. Basically, now that I've been able to stop gasping for air like a beached guppy, I can focus on counting the reps in each exercise. It gives me something to count towards, and really seems to make the movements fly.

Tonight, I practiced two of the moves I saw in my sneak peek at Level 2. I just want to make sure I don't break something trying to maneuver through some of those feats of coordination. I was able to do one of each. Hey, you have to start somewhere, right?

I'll be starting at the 33.3% done marker.

For all those shredding with me: keep it up! And don't forget to send encouragement my way, too! This is a big commitment, and the support of my friends and readers is what helps get me in front of the TV every day!

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Day 4: 30 Day Shred - level 1

Thursday, March 19, 2009

I haven't given up yet.

However today, I have good news and bad news.

The good news:

  • My chest and wrists feel better
  • My knees aren't popping quite as much
  • Aside from the pushups and the side lunge/anterior lift thing, I can keep up with Natalie, which means...
  • I am feeling slightly comfortable with Level 1
The bad news:
  • I've discovered a weird muscle in the side of my right quad. I know it's there because it hurts.
  • My comfort means that it's almost time to move to Level 2
  • I am watching Level 2 right now to mentally prepare myself and I'm scared
  • My trainers failed, as shown here:

That's ok, though. The pugs work super hard all day being cute. They deserve a break.

My bright spot today was that I caught Glamazon Natalie cheating! She was supposed to be doing lunges and bicep curls, and she was all deep-lunging until she thought the camera was off her and then .... THREE CURLS WITH NO LUNGE!!!! Hey, if she can do it...

I kid, I kid. I know I won't get to look like Natalie by faking my lunges. So I don't.

I'm really kind of bummed that I can't do all the push-ups. I was planning to wait to move on to Level 2 until I had those mastered, but is one exercise really going to make that much of a difference? They do a different style of them in level 2, that look equally challenging, so is it really going to hurt me to kind of do my best and really kick boo-tay on everything else?

I will ponder that.

I also hopped on the scale this morning. No major difference, which is fine. I can absolutely see some definition in my arms and shoulders, and I can tell there is some firmness, somewhere deep down on my abs. My legs are tighter too and that's good. I can't imagine that in 4 days I would see huge differences, so I'll be patient. ;)

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Day 3: 30 Day Shred - level 1

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Do you know what this means? I am 10% of the way there!!!! A whole whopping 10%! I know, I'm pathetic. But I'm still in the game.

This morning, the aches have shifted a little. My upper chest feels like it's been crushed and the ache has moved upwards from just above my knees to settle on my lower quads.

Thighs and butt are still unscathed. Take THAT, 30DS. I squatted extra hard yesterday.

To add to my list of ailments: my tail bone and my pinky toe. It's amazing how annoying pinky toe injuries are. Boo to that.

The bad news: push ups and I are mortal enemies. I'm trying. I really am. Yell at me all you like, but I can't keep up with them. Considering it's the first exercise, it's a little discouraging, but I'm thinking that most pushups are better than no pushups, so that's what I'm working with. Once I get through that first circuit of strength training, I'm golden.

I can also keep up with Natalie, the Glamazon on certain exercises. I have really strong legs, if I do say so myself, and I'm right there with her on some of the cardio and even on a couple of the abs workouts. That makes me feel good. Also, I'm starting to get that adrenaline push towards the end where I almost feel fantastic about the sweat and the killer cramp in my side. You know, the cramp that Jillian says means her workout is doing its job. Right.

Today, however, I mixed it up on her. I brought something to the party that Jillian Michaels does NOT have. I bet she didn't even THINK about it when she put on her cute little cropped sweatpants and suspiciously non-matching sports bra (you know, so she could look like one of us mere mortals, who wear whatever misshapen crap we can get our hands on to go to the gym).

I have my own trainers.

I give you Oscar and Bentley.

I made the mistake of letting them back in the house during the extra long two seconds she gave me to get my butt up from the matt. Little did I know that they would want to HELP me.

Here they are, working on strategy...



Bentley's keeping an eye on me. He knows that I know that he's up to something.



Well, when I went down for chest flies (fly's? flys? whatever), Bentley was kind enough to hop on my right handweight and provide some resistance. When that didn't work, he proceeded to attempt to suffocate me by smothering my nose and mouth with his tongue. Brilliant, Bentley. I'm creating a whole new workout regime: Sweatin' with the Puggies!

So I paused the dvd, got him back outside, and resumed. This time, Oscar realied the seriousness with which I was pursuing this and sat right over my head while I was doing my final 60 seconds of ab work. You know, putting his chin on my forehead every time I came back down.

Note to self: pugs stay outside during 30DS at all times.

But... I'm still going!

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

So guess what? I don't only post about my newly discovered love-hate relationship with a certain fitness guru, whose name sounds like Billian Richaels.

I also post about great things like St. Patrick's Day!

Here's Turtle, checking out his card from his Nanie & Pop.



And here he is with Daddy - all in green.



Riding on shoulders is so much fun!



Helping Daddy with the corned beef... Mommy said we had to do it outside because it makes the house stinky.



Our phenomenal SPD spread: the corned beef, colcannon, homemade irish soda bread and green beer. Yummeh!




And, some more of my planting. Between the security sign and the pink hydrangea is what we hope will be a blue hydrangea.

And in front of that, some light green aztec grass to replace the dead mexican heather.




And just a little fun business news: I got my postcards! Here they are, front and back!


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Day 2: 30 Day Shred - level 1

Let's assess the damage.

I woke up this morning and was surprised to realize that every. single. muscle. in. my. body is on fire. With the exception of my butt and my inner thighs. This puzzles me. It means that either a) my butt and thighs are in such exceptional condition that not even Jillian Michaels can help them or b) I'm not doing something right. My money is on B.

So back downstairs I go, very gingerly. It would do me no good if my legs gave out and I took a tumble. Broken bones are certainly not going to get me out of my 3-2-1 workout! Broken bones are for sissy-babies! I'm not a sissy-baby! Well, maybe, I am. But I'm trying not to be!

The minute Mr. Turtle-monster goes down for his nap, I shove DH into his office and get back on my mat. I think fondly back to yoga, where such mantras as "this is not a competition", "do what makes you feel comfortable" and "there's no shame in holding the wall" were the norm. Sigh, how fondly I remember those days.

But enough of that! We are here to work!

You know, in the 30DS warmup, there is a distinct lack of step-touch-step-touch. I can do step-touch. I can ROCK the sweet bejesus out of step-touch. But alas, there is none of that here.

Back to the mat for push-ups. I am reminded that we are NOT "phoning it in." We are here to "give it our all." I wonder, through my fog of pain, how I am supposed to do 40 seconds of pushups on arms that seem to have all the strength of limp linguine.

I cheat. I skip one this go-around. I can't help it. I either skip it or fall on my face and break something. At some point, Jillian makes some snide comment about how Natalie and Anita never cheat when Jillian's back is turned. How did she know???

However, once the first sequence is mercifully done, things move a little bit more easily. I'm pleasantly surprised. And I swear if I poke at my abs just under my ribs, it's a little tighter.

Of course, this also frees up my time to think. Jillian spends an awful lot of time traipsing around, talking about stuff. She only does about 1/4 of the exercises that Anita and Natalie do. I think Anita and Natalie need to say something about that. They're doing all the work and Jillian's getting all the credit. That's just not right.

And then, 22 minutes after we started, it's over. All my limbs are still attached. I'm not bleeding or passing out. This is all very positive.

I let DH know that he is free to leave the office (there are two things I will not do in front of him, and working out is one of them). He assures me that he was listening for loud thumps and/or crashes and has 911 on speed dial, just in case. He's a good man.

Day 3 tomorrow. Cheer me on, reader!

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Day 1: 30 Day Shred - level 1

Monday, March 16, 2009

In keeping with my yearly fitness goals, I invested in Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, shown here:



I thought to myself, it's 22 minutes long, it's a DVD, it promises results (20 lbs in 30 days!!!!11!). I'm not in awful shape; I don't need to lose a whole TWENTY pounds. How bad can it be?

Excuse me while I laugh myself sick.

There I was, in my local Target, eyeing the DVD case. It said all I would need would be some hand weights and a mat. I have a mat! I bought it for pre-natal yoga, which ended in a big, fat, low-blood-pressure induced FAIL. I grabbed peeenk 2 lb hand weights. Hurrah!

And this morning, laced into my sneakers and sports bra, I entered misery. 25 minutes later, I crawled upstairs, vomited in the shower, and wondered if it would be awful to toss the DVD into the firepit.

The warm up was fine. 2 minutes of loose stretches. No cute-sy dance moves, no elongated stretches. Good; Jillian, Anita and Natalie cut right to the chase. I like that. I have a napping baby to consider. It is critical that my workouts and showers fit into the length of one Screen Themes CD, which seems to be all he wants to sleep in the morning.

Next up, the real workout, Level 1. This involves 3 sets each of 3 minutes of strenght training, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs. I dread the ab work, but my fears are misplaced. First Jillian tells me that if I'm a sissy baby, I'll follow along with Anita, who does the modified version of her exercises. Anita is gorgeous and toned and has a friendly face. I think to myself that hey, this IS level 1. I bet I can keep up with Natalie. Anita and I will hang together through the pushups (yes, I do girly ones), and then it's me and Natalie, all the way.

And oh. my. god. How is she squatting like that???? My knees are popping just looking at her!!! Holy crap!! Um, Anita? Hai! Remember me? I'm back! We'll hang together, mkay?

Another fun fact about Jillian? She doesn't really seem to believe in water breaks and hydration. Let's face it: neither do I, seeing as how I hate water, and all. However, today, I was willing to make an exception if it would buy me just a few precious seconds of rest. But Jillian says NO. No breaks. If you MUST take a moment, and by MUST she means that your only other viable option is falling down dead, then you get 5 seconds and she wants to see your ass back on the mat. After all, you don't get to look like Natalie by drinking water! And quite frankly, I'm not so sure I want to disappoint Natalie or Jillian, seeing as how they both look like they could snap a human neck with their pinky finger.

Round 2 of the 3-2-1 routine. I have no idea why my shoulders are burning. My child weighs 28 pounds. I carry him around all. the. time. I heft him over my head! There is no way that presses with dinky 2 lb weights can possibly be getting to me! I'm almost pissed about it. And Jillian has stepped up her game too, telling me how I better not dare give up. That they do this crap constantly on the Biggest Loser and it's no big deal. Yeah, I saw you handcuff that guy to the treadmill. I know how you operate. At this point, I want to cry, but I'm afraid she'll see me through the TV screen and yell. Or have Natalie kick my ass.

Round 3. I stumble through. It's more of a cooling down sequence, prior to the actual cooldown. This means that mercifully, I don't have to do more pushups, but that I do have to do a straight 60 minutes of bicycle crunches. Hey, Anita? When we said modified, I was prepared for ... I don't know... something easier that what Glamazon Natalie is doing over there. To my untrained eye, it looks like the exact same thing. So if you could help me out, that would be super. Anita, can you hear me?

And then the real cool down. At this point, I'm panting and delirious. The pugs rally around me, offering supportive licks and snorts. I hope they stay close so I can send them off with SOS notes, if necessary. Tomorrow, I'll be sure to tape my cell phone to my thigh, just in case there's an emergency.

I'm going back. I'm scared not to. The abs weren't as bad as I thought they would be. The strength brought me to the heights of pain. I realize that I'm not in as decent shape as I thought I was and that needs to change stat. It's nice because I'm not doing ridiculous jazzercise or anything like that, and it's down and dirty, the way I like it.

And really, it's only 22 minutes.

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