I bought Jillian’s 30 Day Shred Video yesterday and today was my first workout. It’s a 20 minute workout broken into three sets. Each set has 2 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs. I have to say, for a 20 minute workout it had me breaking a pretty significant sweat and I was only on level 1. I definitely had moments when I was cursing Jillian’s name. I think I could probably handle level 2 or level 3, but I didn’t want to get in over my head at first. I think it would be a great supplement to the workout regiment on days when I don’t have a lot of time to hit the gym.

If you are looking for a fast home workout that gives you a good burn, I recommend it.

Tonight I tried my hand at a kettlebell class. For those who don’t know, a kettlebell is a bowling ball shaped weight with a handle. You swing it and lift it in multiple directions and in different forms. (Pictured below is the swing.) It’s so effective because it requires you to use various muscle groups all at the same time and keeps your body fully engaged through the workout.

I had heard about this class before, and after doing some research online I found out that it is a calorie torcher as well as a great way to tone your muscles. So, since I’m being adventurous on the exercise front, I decided to give it a whirl.

HOLY. SMOKES. It was definitely really hard. I can guarantee I did not have a smile plastered on my face like the lady in the photo below, and I sure as heck didn’t look as put together as I swung my 8kg weight through the air and attempted to avoid knocking myself unconscious. There were only two other people in the class, which was good because the instructor was able to spend a lot of time helping me make sure my form was correct. (Most of the time it wasn’t, even if he had just corrected me… oops!)

I worked up a pretty intense sweat by the end and I can already tell that I am going to be seriously sore tomorrow.

Overall verdict: I would do it again. Hopefully next time I will have better form and won’t give myself serious bruises from where I accidentally let the kettlebell hit my legs on the way down and around. But that is probably a pipe dream.

I posted a few weeks ago about working on improving my diet and exercising more. I’ve been doing really well since I got to Boston. I’ve cooked most of my own meals and I’ve worked out (almost) every day. I’m trying to keep things going and this week my plan is to take my lunch to work with me. Lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and turkey or fish for meats. I have even gotten up at 5:30 a few mornings to squeeze my workout in before I have to leave for work. I found a great gym called The Training Room and it’s conveniently at the corner of Jack’s block. Perfect.

Last Christmas my mom gave me a great lunchbox & thermos and it’s made taking my lunch to work a little bit more fun. Thanks, Mom!

(btw, that’s green tea in my water bottle… not anything suspicious!)

I bought a bike last week and I had the first opportunity to take it for a test ride this weekend. I took the bike down to the Charles River and rode the path. It was a bit touch and go for awhile, since I haven’t ridden a bike in ages. I’m actually really concerned about having to adapt to riding on the road and I am TERRIFIED that someone is going to hit me. I get panicky when I drive because I don’t want to hit a biker and they are EVERYWHERE up here. It’s totally nervewracking.

So after an hour and a half of dodging pedestrians and dinging my little bell to let people know I was approaching them on their left I started to get the hang of it. I only had to explain to two people that I wasn’t really used to riding a bike on narrow paths. It made me look really cool, I promise.

It’s not so much about knowing how to ride as knowing how to navigate. There is a basket on the front of my bike, which makes it a little front heavy on the steering. Not to mention it can get pretty narrow on the path, making swerving around pedestrians a bit frightening for both parties. I’m sure I’ll conquer the bike scene soon, but for now I’m just going to keep taking it slow.

Here’s a peek at my bike and the great scenery from yesterday as a thunderstorm was coming in. (Don’t worry, as soon as I heard the thunder, I hightailed it back to my car!)

Side Note: Anyone who has the pleasure of watching me try to put my bike on and off the bike rack on my car is in for a seriously hilarious show of me cursing and struggling. I hope I get better at it soon.