Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Challenge Completed! (Pictures)

Okay, I just finished Day 30 of the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I have results and I have pictures. Since I'm already eating clean, I ignored the diet program and continued on my merry Primal/Paleo way. Wanna see how I did? Read on.

I'm not gonna lie, Jillian is a tough trainer, even at home through a screen; more amazingly, she actually motivates me the way I need motivating. Even better than that? She uses mainly resistance training in the 30 Day Shred series, which is fabulous. She kicked my butt every single day, and I'm a former athlete - granted I've been out of practice for the past few years - but even on the last day I was dripping with sweat and breathing heavy; but the exercise itself isn't that hard, it's actually pretty easy... which is great for anyone looking to break back into fitness or if you're a beginner.

Pictures:

Conclusion: Am I shredded? Hell yeah... underneath the rest of this blubber I need to lose. It didn't give me the exact results I wanted but it did give me *some* results, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. Have I still got a ways to go? Undoubtedly. Am I gonna keep going? Yes.

Soon.

Oh yeah. There's also this:

That's 5 weeks of yoga right there. Gonna keep doing yoga, yes, it was the JM's Yoga Shred.

In fact, I believe I'll try the Jillian Michaels Body Revolution next. We'll see how it goes from there. Either way, the beast is gonna get loosed soon! Watch out. Fitness Beast Mode, here I come...
Ready or not.

Until Next Time,

<3 Shade

Primal 30th Birthday: 50 Pounds, 6 months! Fat Loss to the Max!

Hello Otherbeasts! I'm glad you're here. Well, I'm sorry to say that I didn't meet my goal of being 125 by May 8th, or even 130 lbs by then. Where I did land? 137.8 on May 8th, 2013... my 30th birthday.

That is close enough for me! I'm totally encouraged and pumped by my astounding journey because it's not over, oh no, the fun part starts now. Here's how it goes: Sickness, then Wellness, then Fitness, as a dear friend of mine put it. And it's true.

I used to be sick, all the time. 30th birthday hit and I quit smoking cigarettes. Done. Cold Turkey. This month I feel like I have hit the "Wellness" tier and here's why: I also started resistance training and started doing yoga every single day. Because I'm on my path to fitness.

So, here's the entire story summed up: Back in October, 7 months ago and at 190 LBS, I made a decision to go Primal and loose weight for the health benefits. I started eating fully Primal in November, and here we are, 6 months later, and I've dropped 50 pounds of FAT just by eating. Now I'm 140, feeling good, and getting toned. End.

Here's the Journey in Pictures:

So, now I'm determined to fill out my form because I refuse to be "skinny fat." To me, long, lean, toned muscles are beautiful. I'm not talking about those crazy orange body builder ladies... but think someone like Jillian Michaels. She's gorgeous!

Anyway, I've been stumbling a little because my sugar cravings have been through the roof since I've quit smoking! It's murder... I crave Razzles... and Skittles... and Hansen's Organic Root Beer... SWEET. I swear sugar ought to be a legitimate drug... it's addictive, you need fixes once you become addicted, it's super hard to quit, and it's bad for you! It HAS to be a drug. It's just legal and they sell it in 5 pound bricks at the supermarket. What? Yeah.

I also had some bummer news because I started resistance training and yoga while I'm losing weight and so my body has hit a plateau at 140. 'But Shade, I thought you said you hit 137 on your birthday, it's 17 days later, shouldn't you weigh less?' Okay, maybe I'm being overly self-critical and that's not what you're thinking, but let's say you are, so I say: It's not my fault! I'm kidding.

What happened was I started working out and started gaining weight. I started freaking when I got back up to 145, started researching, googling everything I could about gaining wait when starting an exercise regimen and it turns out, it's pretty normal... especially if you were a chronic dieter like I was and lost muscle mass. (Believe me, I've never seriously done any sort of weight training or body sculpting in my LIFE, I always had "better" things to do, so I actually have no idea what my lean body looks like with about 18% body fat.)

(I'm gonna find out.) *GRIN*

So, I'm gaining some muscle (weighs more than fat) and losing fat at the same time, so it's a little hard to tell what's going on with my physique right now. I've only been seriously resistance training about 15 days now, just over two weeks, and I can already tell a difference. They may be small differences, it may only be an inch, but it is my inch, and I can hold on to that! Sorry for the V for Vendetta allusion.

So now I have a new part to my journey: Fitness. I went through Sickness, I'm in Wellness right now, and I'm ready to kick it into Fitness... even though I still have about 15 or 20 pounds to go, and some seriously stubborn fat to shed, here's a preview (I'll be doing photographic comparisons in about three weeks) pose because I felt silly:

Everyone remember, it's not until I reach my goal weight, and my goal body fat, that I'll be going to the beach on that day, hitting Dancer posture and thanking the Lord for his help in accomplishing a healthier temple, a stronger temple, and a more peaceful temple. It was for that reason alone that I made a commitment last June and decided to dread my hair, because I wanted to commit to a healthier lifestyle. So far, so good. I'm also convinced that once I reach Fitness my seizures will finally no longer need treating with medications.

So stay tuned, because I'm about to get shredded. This is a revolution, a metamorphosis, and a transition, and I'm excited about it! Eat like a predator, not like prey. It's time to let the beast out!

To every Otherbeast, thanks for reading!

Until Next Time, <3 Shade

9 Months of Dread (Dreadlock Pictures!)

Hello my gorgeous Otherbeasts! I've had dreadlocks now for 9 months and what a journey it's been! I have pictures! I've come to sort of love the unique lumps and loops that my dreads continually surprise me with... or I am getting better at dealing with the chaos. Maybe both.

I hope that your weekend was a superb one filled with joy, happiness, peace, tranquility, and rest. If your weekend wasn't that awesome, then be thankful that you woke up this morning breathing! (It could have been worse.)

So, yes, 9 months of dreadlocks and they're still wild and crazy. I even have one I named "Ragnarok" because it looks like a Minmatar ship in Eve.

On the whole though, I'm still in love with them and I believe I'm past the "I want to cut them off" phase... only because when you get down to brass tax, I really hate brushing my hair! And the subsequent shedding.

One of my other favorites (yes, for the un-dreaded, most dreadies have favorite dreads) is one I call "my big fatty," because it's still the one that tightened up quickest, hasn't got drastic lumps/bumps/loops, soft like cotton rope, and is a pretty nice size.

Perhaps my favorite thing of all is no hair ties! It's by far, the coolest thing ever.

 

I advise anyone thinking about getting dreads to think long and hard on the subject, they WILL change you as a person... but only for the better. Plus every single day is a surprise because they're all doing something different than they were yesterday.

Love you Otherbeasts! And thanks for reading! Stay tuned because I can't wait to see what the one year mark (June) brings to my dread party! Take care Otherbeasts.

Until Next Time,
<3 Shade