Today's post is going to be about what I've learned and some of the "mind tricks" that have helped me through the DVD. It is specifically intended to help beginners to the 30 Day Shred DVD. But first, let me stop and take a small assessment of where I am today versus where I began. You can go back and read my blog from the beginning to get the painful beginnings of this venture, but today....here is what I have noticed:
I woke this morning with a pretty brutal headache. My energy was lacking. I didn't sleep well last night. Leg cramps. This is not foreign to me. It has been a part of my life for the past 30 years. Some worse than others. Actually, these days it is more a rarity, than common. I don't get the normal calf muscle leg cramps. My body decides to expose all of those small muscles that are wrapped around my bones that you don't even realize stand alone as muscles. And when you massage one cramp, it moves to the other side of the leg. Did you know you have muscles across the front of your shins? Yes, those are the best! Anyway....moving on. I didn't sleep well, that was the point. LOL Everything in my head said "No! Rest today, you need rest!"....but my commitment pulled me out of bed and straight to the closet where I slipped on my shorts and top and immediately slipped on those Nikes. NEVER, I mean NEVER exercise without your shoes! I guess Yoga could be an exception, I haven't researched that yet. I grabbed my XS energy drink and drank as much as I could as fast as I could....didn't take any headache medicine. Here I sit after my workout....headache-free! Energy level is high! And I'm feeling great! Exercise is amazing!! ;-)
Today I was particularly proud of some progress I specifically noticed with this workout: This is the first time I was able to hang totally with the workout pace....even the cardio which was a major weakness of mine before. I was so proud! I still slow my pace on the modified push ups and am unsure if I will EVER be able to do a full push up....but I will still aim for that goal eventually. The point here is this: Today is day 13. I have missed a total of 3 days through the workout but exercised 10 of the 13. The breaks I took did not send me backwards, although I admit I would probably have achieved the stamina goal 3 days ago if I hadn't missed any days. But....I have continued to move forward. Call them baby steps....I call them Proud steps. Now, the rest of my post today is about the DVD and the exercises. I want to share some of the "mind" tips that have helped me break through the "I Can't Do This!" stage and move me to the "I KNOW I can do this....at my pace" stage. I'm going to go through in order and share these thoughts with you now:
First....notice Level 1 workout is divided into 3 sections, or circuits. The exercises are rapidly changed up, so you don't get bogged down and discouraged in any of them for more than a few seconds. You will start with a warm up. Pay attention to something she mentions throughout the DVD....but not with every exercise. This is key: suck your tummy in through ALL of the exercises. She doesn't get into detail about this, so let me tell you why. She refers to this as your "Core". What that means is this is where ALL of your strength will come from. If you keep your stomach pulled in, it will protect your lower back and strengthen your abdominal muscles. Your strength to do virtually all of the exercises will come from this. So....tip number one is this: When you are feeling tired and feel like you can't make another move....move your mind to your stomach and focus on pulling in your stomach. This will do 2 things: it will take your mind off the "I cant's" and will most probably reveal to you the REASON you can't is because your stomach isn't pulled in. When you pull your stomach in and focus on that, you will have renewed strength that will pull you through! Yes...I discovered this on my own! hahaha
Pay attention to every instruction she gives you. One in particular is your butt! When she tells you to push your butt into the wall behind you....that is true! It positions your body to fully utilize the exercise you are doing and exercise the proper muscles. This will protect other muscles that aren't invited to that exercise. And notice she says NOT to push your butt back during the push ups. While doing this exercise I find it helpful to look straight at the floor and focus on keeping a straight line from the back of my head to my knees. I have my ankles crossed just as Anita does on the DVD. I find that focusing on that helps the 30 seconds to move forward pretty quickly. I use a pace as fast as I can but not faster than they are doing on the DVD. I'm just now at their pace. Until now, I have done these more slowly and focused on feeling the exercise in my arms. Again....I see progress here! :-)
The squat and press is important with the "butt to the wall" tip mentioned above. This will save your knees and work the legs properly. Knowing that you have 3 circuits to this workout will help you endure any of the tough ones. The cardio just about killed me for the first week. Don't give up! Stick with it and you will feel amazing!
After cardio, you will do 1 minute of abs. This is my favorite, probably because this is the area that I MOST want to change and I can feel it, although I still have a long way to go! Make sure your belly button is pressed through to the floor behind you. Pay attention to her tips. It is important to note here that if you feel your neck pulling or getting tired, then you are doing it wrong. You should focus on the abdominal muscles that are being worked. Your fingers should only rest gently behind your ears. They should NOT pull on your head and help you do the exercise. This will hurt you and you will not accomplish success with these exercises. Focus on using the muscles she describes in the DVD and make slow, controlled movements with your mind ONLY on your abdominal muscles. Keep your face toward the ceiling, not rolling your head up with your movements. If you do this properly, you will gain strength in your lower back and you will see inches shave away much faster. I have a long way to go here...but I am definitely seeing progress! I love it!
Well....these few tips should help you get through the DVD successfully. I will add more at a later time. The most important thing to remember is this: You CAN do this. Take baby steps. Every step counts and will provide results! Trust me....no matter how you feel....JUST DO IT and you will feel great and accomplished afterward!
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