fitness friday - week 1

As I mentioned in my post this last Tuesday, I don't want to bore you all with daily updates on my 30-Day Shred and therefore decided to relegate Shred posts to once a week. Then I thought it would be fun for others who are shredding to be able to link up with their own sobs, stories, and successes. But why limit it to just shredders? I know that other bloggers regularly post exercise/fitness related posts who might also like to participate.

And thus Fitness Fridays was born.

Hopefully some of you will humour me pity me play along and write a fitness-focused post or link to one that you've already written this week.

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I finished Day 3 of the Shred yesterday. It was SO. MUCH. EASIER. than day 1 was. Don't get me wrong, I was still hurting and still irritated at that one point where Jillian says, "Just a couple more!" then starts blabbing about something and infact makes you do like TEN more, but it was so much more bearable.

It might have helped that I took Wednesday off (other than walking around Superstore, BulkBarn, Super C, two Loblaws, and two Walmarts. I know. Ugh, right?). What started out as a grocery shopping-induced headache turned into me sitting on the couch all night eating ice cream. Chocolate cheesecake ice cream to be exact. Mmmmm, chocolate cheesecake. *wipes drool off chin*

Where was I? Right, the Shred and how I flaked out after only two days.

Initially, my biggest concern about the Shred was that it doesn't seem to allow for any days of rest which I've always read are important when exercising and especially when doing strength training. When I was going to the gym 4-6 days a week in Calgary, I would focus on legs one day then arms the next, thus giving each muscle group a chance to rest and build. While I'd like to do this with the Shred -or even two days on, one day off- the "45-day Shred" doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it?

We'll see how I feel tomorrow and the next day. Day 1 was painful, day 2 was excruciating, then day 3 -after I was a big lame-o non-shredder a day of rest- left me feeling great and actually energized.

For those of you who are a few days ahead of me with the Shred, what was your experience? Did you find it got that much easier that quickly? How have you felt rest or taking a day off has played into your shredding experience, or have you not taken any time off at all?

Now it's your turn.

If you have an exercise move, tip or advice you'd like to share, or even if you are simply documenting your progress, link up! Any post written this week is fair game. If you're doing something daily like the Shred or Fit in 15, feel free to add a link for each post with a brief description in parenthesis. Please make sure to link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back to Muddy Boots in your post.

This is my first time using one of Mr Linky's Magic Widgets, so *fingers crossed*.

Also, I took my 'before' pictures today. Yikes. I'll post them at the end of the Shred if you all promise to ooh and ahh over the changes to my body, mkay?

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ETA: I posted my own Day 1 Shred post just to give you an idea how of how to format your links so that people will have any idea of what your post is about. Cause I'm neurotic and controlling like that.

E(again)TA: I'll leave Mr Linky up until Monday morning, then put a new one up next Friday. Please remember to link back to my blog in your Fitness Friday post. Thanks much.