Is it hot in here?

Only I would decide to take this “get fit” craze to the next level as summer temps roll in. Today, for instance, it’s going to 103 degrees outside. And that’s without the heat index.

But the point is that I did it! I made it through Jillian’s entire workout without having to fast-forward through anything so I wouldn’t be late for work or fall to the floor from a heart attack. For the record: with warm-up and cool down, the workout is 26 minutes. That might not sound like that much of a difference from the 20 minutes the package boasts, but in my morning routine, every single minute counts. (Yes, I will actually have to get up 6 minutes earlier to fit it in. When I say every minute, I absolutely mean it.)

It’s surprising how even just one week of workouts has made a difference, too. After the first workout, I had jellylegs so bad that people at work were laughing at me or asking what had happened. I couldn’t lift my arms over my head. After a day or two of rest and after switching from 5lb to 3lb weights, I could move a little further through the workout before I had to take a rest during the weight workouts. And today, I made it all the way to the last abs routine before I screamed at Jillian, “You’re killing me, woman!” My arms are a little shaky, but my legs held up much, much better than they did a week ago. We’ll see if they tighten up during the day. Hopefully chasing after my little minions children will keep them warmed up enough.

What made me proudest, though, even more so than finishing the ruddy workout, was being able to hang on the abs circuits. The workout routine I had been doing was to use my exercise bike in the morning, and then my Denise Austin  abs routine at night (when I didn’t have the girls). Apparently, it worked, because not only are my abs only a teensy bit sore in the good, just-worked-out sort of way, but I could follow the more advanced routine for those portions, instead of the modified exercises the other helper was demonstrating.

So there you go. I’m sticking with it and keeping myself accountable by telling all of you. Now let’s see how I do this next week! Will I rock the house? Or will the doors be locked and the curtains drawn as I hide in shame?

Tags: Exercise, health