Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred - Day One

After reading rave reviews from some of my favorite bloggers, I decided to take the plunge, and yesterday I publicly declared (on Twitter) that I was going to start Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. Today.

So, even though Michael kept pushing snooze, I forced myself out of bed at 5:40 and turned on the TV. I haven't yet purchased the DVD, but levels one and two (there are three levels total) are available right now for free on Comcast On Demand. The verdict?

I enjoyed myself! Her plan is based on the premise of 3-2-1. Three minutes of strength training, two minutes of cardio, one minute of abs. This series is repeated three times and is sandwiched by warm up and cool down/stretching segments. The total workout was only 20 minutes. By 6:15, I was outside walking the dogs.

The pain level was not as great as I expected, and I am NOT in shape. I was slightly sweaty, breathing heavily, and my legs felt weak when I was done. I think I'll jump up to level two pretty quickly. My legs (thighs, really) still feel kind of tired, and it's now 10:30am. I think the real test will come tomorrow and Saturday, since I know that muscle soreness often has delayed onset.

Finally, why am I doing this? A lot of people at work kind of rolled their eyes at me when I mentioned embarking on this 30 day program. I'm not overweight, and I don't think I'm fat. I'm a small person. That said, I can't button some of my favorite jeans, and that pisses me off. I don't necessarily want to lose weight, but I want to lose my belly pooch and have a more defined, more toned shape. I'd like to have a kick-ass body, not just a slim body. I want to be healthy.

On Twitter yesterday, a few people told me they were going to start the 30 day program along with me, and I hope some of my other blog readers will join too! Hopefully we can chat about this here in the comments. I think it will be fun. You in?