End of Month 1!!!

Wow, can hardly believe it! We’ve made it through one “month” of Shaun T’s muscle defying workouts. Yes, it has taken us longer than an actual month, but it’s still 30 days of workouts. Let me tell you, I’ve had intense workouts before… but nothing like these. I’ve started in-home routines, and have always quit within a couple weeks because there is nothing to keep me motivated.

Not so here.

One of the coolest things about it is the accountability. I have been doing it with my teenage siblings who are already strong and fit. As a result, there is no room for excuses or whimping out with them. On days I desperately want to sleep in and skip it, I remember that they’re counting on me and expecting me to get them up, push them into it, and keep up with them during the workout itself. At times during the workout when I feel like I just wanna collapse back on the couch, I see them out of the corner of my eye and push through to the end of the set.

If you are considering doing this workout, do not (I repeat), DO NOT do it without someone to keep you accountable. It won’t happen. It’s a daily challenge to roll out of bed, chug a protein shake and do the workout when you DO have somebody cheering you on and moving alongside you. I’m a pretty self motivated person, but I still can’t imagine trying to do it alone.

Part of that is because I’m a competitive personality, so I need someone to compete against. Granted, when it comes to endurance and strength, I still usually lose to the 15 and 16 year old. But hey, at least I’m making the effort, right? My breaks are shorter, my sets are longer, my muscles are stronger, and my health is better pretty much all because I have “workout buddies.”

It’s also important to have somebody to spot you, to make sure your form is right and yes, to tell you to keep your butt down on pushups and planks. Because each set of exercises completely exhausts your muscles, it’s really easy to forget your form and just focus on getting through the time slot. This is a big “no-no.” You will not get the full effect of the workout and are much more likely to injure yourself. Shaun does send little reminders through each workout to remember “form over speed” and to not compromise, but it’s really important to have somebody in the room with you who can look at you and see what you may be doing wrong.

This week is technically recovery week. We will be doing the same core and balance workout for six days. Don’t be fooled, though. It is a recovery in that you are not pounding your muscles as hard, but it is still butt kicking HARD. Instead of taking your muscles to full exhaustion in 30 seconds… you get to feel an intense buuuuuurn for about a minute and a half for each exercise. Believe me, your inner thighs and shoulders have never felt so good and totally dead at the same time.

This six day recovery is all there is before we dive into month 2 – where each DVD is labeled “max” before the title. All of the workouts are longer and more intense than month 1. Having made it through the first 30 days and still having to take many more breaks and rests than are allotted through the workout, I’m definitely intimidated. I have no idea what’s to come.

Scared much? Um, yeah. Just a lot. Actually, it would be more accurate to say I’m TERRIFIED. But, just like these last 30 days, we’ll be taking it one day at a time and literally 30 seconds at a time to make it through. Get fit or get out! I’m saying… get fit!