Blogilates Beginners' Challenge - Week 2

I'm actually slightly shocked at the fact that I'm halfway through this challenge. I'm shocked that I've managed to stay at it for a whole two weeks! I'm shocked that my motivation hasn't completely dissolved into non-existence. Somewhere in between all this shock, is a tiny little voice whispering "I'm so, so proud of you Shan!" I'm allowed to be proud of myself, aren't I?

In this post I explained that I was beginning this 4 week challenge and I explained how the whole thing worked. Now I also said last week that I understand that not everyone is going to be interested in every little detail of my weight loss journey. And I am completely OK with that. But, if you are interested, you can find my journal entries for this last week below - there were many moments of strength and progress, but weakness found itself creeping in every now and again.

You can access the Challenge as well as all the videos I speak about over here.

 

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Day 8 - Sunday, August 3rd

Workout: 15 push ups, Total Body Workout and The 100 Workout

Nothing quite like a Sunday night workout. Taking an hour to work out tonight has left me feeling ready and motivated for a happy and productive week ahead. I'm always so much more excited for the beginning of a new week if my Sunday night has been productive.

For some reason I really battled with today. Is it normal to struggle with a workout after a rest day? My abs just weren't co-operating today. As difficult as it was I pushed on through and managed to break a good sweat. Some of today's workouts were a repeat of Day 1. I noticed that I was a lot better at the elbow push ups today - they were something that I really struggled with last week.

I cannot do a regular push up to save my life! I'm going to be completely honest with you guys and tell you that if I managed three in a row (on my knees) then that was an accomplishment!

Day 9 - Monday, August 4th

Workout: 10 squat jumps, Ab Time and 8 Minute Abs

I honestly enjoyed today! By no means does that mean that today was easy - but I really pushed myself to try hard and give it my all and it just feels so great to know that I tried my best.

I'm not sure if it was just because I was tired after a long day and the Ab Time workout, but I struggled towards the end of the 8 Minute Abs. I can feel the tiniest little abs underneath my mushy belly and I can't wait for them to carry on getting stronger and stronger.

Seriously hoping for another good day like this one tomorrow!

Day 10 - Tuesday, August 5th

Workout: Two 30 second side planks, Fat Burning Cardio Warm Up, Legilates Legsercizes and Till The World Ends

Apparently Day 10 is the day that most people give up and stop this challenge. This is because the newness and excitement of beginning it has worn off, but it is often too soon to start seeing results. I'm proud to say I'm still going and am as motivated as ever.

The Till The World Ends workout was really tough - I battled to finish it. I've noticed that my left leg is a lot weaker than my right and I've also noticed that my triceps are extremely weak. I'm looking forward to doing this specific workout in a week or two to see if there are any improvements in this bod of mine. Roll on Day 11!

Day 11 - Wednesday, August 6th

Workout: 20 double leg lifts, Quiet Cardio, Saddlebag Shaver and Glad You Came Calves

I woke up with a horrible cold that doesn't seem to be going away and so I actually took my rest day on Wednesday and did these workouts on Saturday.

I'm growing to love working out on weekends for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the gym is less packed which is always nice. Secondly, I can do these blogilates workouts at whichever time I want. I don't need to worry about being on time for lectures or going to bed at a reasonable hour. I like to take things slowly and spend a little more time really focusing on each move and the freedom of my weekends really lets me do that.

Today's challenge really wasn't too bad - the Glad You Came Calves was probably the toughest. I worked up a really good sweat and I'm feeling stronger each day. I do, however, still battle with the Runner's Lunges in the Quiet Cardio, so that's something I'm hoping to get better at.

Day 12 - Thursday, August 7th

Workout: 50 pelvic thrusts, Pick Me Up Quickie Workout, 8 Minute Abs and ABC Abs

I'm so happy with how I handled today's workouts. It really is the coolest thing to see how much better I'm handling a specific workout than I was a week ago - especially for today's 8 Minute Abs. My body is getting stronger and stronger and I think I may be falling in love with this whole lifestyle.

I've noticed my tummy shrinking ever so slightly, but I'm not sure if that's just my imagination or not. I've made a conscious effort not to hop onto the scale for a while. My reasons for this are simple - I get very despondent if I don't see a big drop in my weight in a short period of time. I'm not realistic at all when it comes to scales. With these workouts, I'm building muscle and we all know the whole muscle weighs more than fat story. So in order to prevent disappointment, I'm staying off of the scale for now.

Day 13 - Friday, August 8th

Workout: 10 elbow push ups, Feel Good Soul Stretches, Upper Body Workout, Call Me Maybe Squats

Absolutely LOVED the Call Me Maybe squats today, simply because they caused a burn that I've never felt before. My goodness did my jiggly little thighs shake, but I felt so great once I had completed the video. 

I struggled with the Upper Body Workout tonight, but I was expecting this because my upper body is probably the weakest part of my body. I've been doing my bicep curls daily for the last month or so, but with tiny 1kg dumbbells. I think I may need to invest in some heavier dumbbells because my biceps have gotten so used to my babies. I have neglected my triceps and it's beginning to show as I do these upper body workouts. I'm weak in this area and I struggle through the workouts. This leaves me feeling disheartened but I refuse to give up. With each day and with each upper body workout that causes me to realise I'm weak, I'm actually getting stronger and so I just need to push on through.

Oh and those elbow push ups that I struggled so much with last week? Yup, I owned those little babies tonight. Yay for progress, no matter how small!

Day 14 - Saturday, August 9th

Rest Day