Well on my way to being shredded

Living in the land of chocolate and cheese isn't as easy as you might think. For one thing, if you're like me and really like chocolate and cheese (not necessarily together) you might find yourself questioning the health benefits of consuming these foods on a regular basis. In the summer it was fine because I was walking a lot, but now that it's darker earlier I don't get nearly as much walking in each day. I'm just not comfortable walking by myself in the dark and I think that is completely reasonable. That's why I did some searching on the internets for some type of exercise program I could do at home.

I kept seeing the words "30 Day Shred" on Twitter posts and on blogs ALL THE TIME. So, I looked it up. It's a program of three 20-minute workouts led by Jillian Michaels, who is apprently the trainer on the "The Biggest Loser," a TV show that I have never seen. Anyhow, I got a hold of a copy and tried it out. And promptly had my ass whooped. It was a serious workout, yo. And I was dripping with sweat when I finished it.

The idea is that you do each section of the workout program for 10 days and at the end of the 30 days you will be "shredded," which I think means "fit and healthy" but I'm not entirely sure. I'm still on Level 1 and I plan on being there for a little while longer. One of the problems is consistency. When I started out I was doing the workout every day and it was great minus the sore legs and arms, but that disappeared after about five days. I'm not quite sure what happened, but every day turned into every once in a while. I was doing a lot of travelling which led to a bit of exhaustion and laziness definitely played a factor, too. But I'm back, baby! I'm determined to do this work out at least Monday through Friday until the end of the month.

It's not an easy workout, but it does seem effective in fighting against the influence of the chocolate and the cheese. But there's just one thing I can't get over and that is Jillian Michaels herself. She kind of blows my mind. She's a bit of a tough chick, but she also seems to be trying very hard to be sympathetic. On her web site you can buy a t-shirt that says "Disco Sucks!" Maybe if I were a more serious fitness person I wouldn't be as distracted by her asides and overuse of the word "Buddy," but I can't help it. It kind of cracks me up.

On a related note, I have noticed that I burp a lot in the morning while exercising. Does this happen to any of you? I don't recall having this problem at any other time of the day. Sometimes it's a bit scary because I feel pressure in my chest, which is always a bit worrying, but then it just ends up being gas. Embarrassing!