Aloha Abs

Relaxation on Hawaii’s Big Island - Source

Derrick and I decided that we would make every effort to take a nice trip every year. Last year we crammed in a couple of nice trips like to Miami, Key West and Gulf Shores. This year we've scaled back a bit. We're only taking one nice trip (so far), but I couldn't be more excited about the destination.

In a few short months, we're traveling to Hawaii for a week. Neither one of us has been to Hawaii, but we have an excellent opportunity to visit some friends who recently relocated there and see their new baby due in June!

I decided that now was as a good time as any to get in shape. When I was about 25 ymy doctor told me that as I approached 30, my metabolism would slow down making it easier to gain weight. Boy, was she right. Since my wedding two years ago, I've gained about 10-15 pounds. At 32, I can imagine this only getting worse if I didn't do anything about it.

So I decided to get a personal trainer. She's a celebrity. She comes to my house every day between 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. She pushes me. She tells me if I want to go jeans shopping, or better yet, bikini shopping, I have to do five more pendulum lunges with hammer curls. Sometimes I just want to throw my two-pound weights at her head, but I can't because that would totally ruin our flat screen TV.

Her name is Jillian Michaels and for the past 20 days, I've been working out to her 30-Day Shred video. She uses a 3-2-1 interval system to combine strength, cardio and abs and packs it all into a 20-minute workout. There are three levels, each increasing in intensity.So far, I've done level 1 for 10 days and this morning, I just completed 10 days of level 2. Level 1 was difficult because I was in horrible shape. I could barely do a push up, but at the end of the 10 days, I was doing push ups, more jumping jacks and bicycle crunches.

Level 2 is a whole other story. It pretty much sucks with every other circuit involving some kind of plank exercise. There were plank thrusts, plank jacks, walking push ups (which involves a plank) and plank twists. I literally felt like I was going to die, which is exactly how Jillian wants you to feel. Well, at least she's effective.

While I haven't noticed much weight loss, I have noticed more strength, more energy and my stomach doesn't jiggle as much when I walk--dare I say I see little definition in the abs? I do have some recent measurements I had to take for a wedding I'm in, so I can certainly compare at the end of 30 days. However, it doesn't help when you go to work and this is the first thing you see:

A basket of treats and tray of donuts. I blame about 50 percent of my weight gain to these kinds of occupational hazards. But after working out this morning, I am able to forgo the temptation and resort to healthier alternatives. 

Level 3 starts tomorrow then I'll be on to some other kind of torture. But for now, I like working out with Jillian. We have a love/hate relationship. But as long as she can get me into smaller jeans and a bikini by September, I'll love her.

Do you have a favorite workout?