Thursday, January 6, 2011

That is FEAR leaving the body!

Oh Jillian Michaels.  You don't scare me.

Well, maybe you do...just a little.

I recently started the 30 Day Shred.  Whew.  Jillian really does rule the workout world.  I used to think workout videos were pretty cheesy and never thought they would be nearly as effective as an hour and a half at the gym.  Well, any sort of gym membership is not feasible right now, due to both financial and time constraints.  Okay, I thought...I'll just do circuits of my own in the family room as the day allows.  Five minutes here, 3 minutes there.  I'll be ripped in no time!  Ha!  That lasted about 2 days, and I was getting nowhere fast with exercise.  I was completely unmotivated and all too easily allowed other things to fill the time instead.  Within the last two weeks, I've finally started doing a more serious workout - JM is about as serious as it gets!  Now, don't be fooled.  I might refer to her as "JM" in a blog post, but in reality I would probably call her "Ms. Michaels" in a squeaky high-pitched scared voice if I were to meet her in person.  But I digress...

Exercise has always been an effective multi-purpose outlet for me.  I feel good about myself whether or not I'm losing weight; I have a heck of a lot more energy throughout the day even if I had to wake up early to squeeze in the workout; it's more motivation to find time for a shower :) ; I can deal with stress; I sleep better at night...the list goes on.  But as a mother, exercising certainly hasn't been priority for me...I've chosen errand-running, household chores, sleeping (sometimes), appointment-making, cleaning, and almost everything else above a workout.  And it's taken a toll.  So now I'm back at it - I've done "The Shred" for the last week and a half, and it's been great!  The exercises are intense, but even already I can feel myself getting stronger and feeling better.  I'm finally at the point that I don't dread the workout but instead see it as time for myself that benefits me and has a major trickle down effect to my family.  The goal is to stick with it for 30 days and maybe even work my way up to the Intermediate level...can't imagine with JM has in store there.

Sometimes I stare into my closet longingly at my pre-pregnancy jeans.  I wish that I could just wake up one morning and slide right in.  But alas, I'm fairly confident that that's not a reality for most mothers.  And if it's a reality for you, then kudos to you!  We nursing mothers who not only feel famished no matter how much we eat but who also need to consume extra calories (hundreds in fact) to feed our little nurslings should probably focus more on being healthy when it comes to working out versus weight loss.  I need to take some of my own advice in that regard.  Sometimes I see moms who are about a size three and feel tremendous jealousy toward them and shame toward myself.  Shame?  Seriously?  Yes, sadly.  That's how vain I am.  So I'm trying to make very conscious efforts (it's almost embarrassing how purposeful these efforts need to be for me to actually follow through with them) to focus on health...and health alone.  Not on the number on the tag of my jeans, not on the letter indicating the size of my sweater, but on caring for my physical body in order to bring glory to God.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own." 1 Corinthians 6:19

Bring it on, Jillian!

3 comments:

  1. I'm afraid of Jillian Michaels too...but part of me like wants to be her..to be as tough as her...

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  2. Jillian MIchaels makes me tremble...:) This is a GREAT post and one I can totally relate to.

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  3. Hey my dear--how's the shredding going on your end? Although our dear friend JM scares me, too, she's been awesome. :) And I miss you, by the way...

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