Hrmph!

I'm annoyed.

Today, I did my 18th day of the Shred.  It felt really good.  My arm muscles felt nice and tight; well used.  I've changed how I'm doing my work outs.  Perhaps making them less effective.  I'm trying to alternate using the lighter weights and heavier ones, so I can at least finish the sets.  Does that make the workout less effective or more effective?  Hmm.  Regardless, I did notice a difference today in how well I did the workout.  I got through more reps, am doing the plank moves better, and the ab moves as well.

However, my measurements were not as impressive as the last time I took them.  Some of my measurements increased (not the ones I wanted either), though I'm still ahead of where I was when I took the first set.  Oh well.  There are a few factors to this, I know.  Shark week has pretty much ended, so my body is dealing with that shift of hormones, which can affect my measurements.  And I haven't been working out every day (though I'm still exercising four to five days a week, which is better than not doing any exercises).  But...

I'm pretty sure my diet has been bad this past week or two, mainly last week.  Actually, I know it has been.  So... I will do better this week and going forward.  I'm a little too embarrassed to write down the specifics on what I ate; it's that bad.  In the end, it's just a setback, not a fail.  Just another reminder that I need to be more diligent.

I still haven't had any soda since 8/19.  That's two and a half weeks, which is a mini success.  I've also continued to cut down on the coffee with flavored creamers.  But I've also been drinking more Bacardi Silver and Smirnoff Ice, which is empty calories (though far less sugar), so I will be cutting back on that.  I'm definitely not drinking more than 2 or 3 per week (sometimes less, and usually only on the weekends), which is still far less than the soda I found myself drinking.

Tomorrow, I will start eating muesli again for breakfast, will monitor my lunch a bit better, and will continue to make fruit/veggie smoothies to go with dinner.  Tonight was pizza night, and I ate a slice and a half (Son took the other half) and drank a large glass of smoothie, and felt darned good after.  I'm also looking into juicers, personal blenders, and so forth.  Like I said, there's a lot of room for improvement and I am going to start holding myself more accountable for the decisions I'm making, especially for the meals I'm not eating with my kids (because I'm pretty good when I eat around my kids... except when it's dinner at Grammie's... which is another area I need to work on).

I also find myself trying to figure out other workout routines or exercises to add in to my days, including my off days.  What will I do after I finish the "30 Day Shred"?  Move on to another video?  Maybe.  Try doing two of the routines per day?  Perhaps.  Just mix it up between them?  Dunno.  I could even start over and try following the more advanced girl.  I'll figure it out.

In the end, I just need to keep in mind that I'm doing all of this to be healthier, stronger, more confident, and a better role model.  I'm making positive changes rather than just remaining stagnant or beating myself up for not doing the things I need to do.