I've already been doing Jillian Michaels's 30-Day Shred workout every day for a week, and miraculously, the soreness from my first few days have disappeared.

Yes, I'm still at Level 1, and I don't really mind staying at Level 1 for the meantime. My next goal would be to properly do push-ups. I admit, whenever I do push-ups, I try to do modified push-ups on my knees.... When I can finally do push-ups without "cheating", then I'll move on to Level 2.

My arms already feel firmer after just one week, so let's see what results the next week will bring.


Friday-Monday's workout
- Level 1 of Jillian Michaels's 30-Day Shred

Saturday's meals
Breakfast: Peanut butter sandwich on whole-grain bread, pastel de yema, coffee with low-fat milk
Lunch: Pork barbecue (from Ineng's), sisig (from Sisig Hooray), brown rice
Snack: Poppycock Chocolate Lovers (flavored popcorn is my kryptonite :( )
Dinner: Pancit canton, pork barbecue, brown rice

Sunday's meals
Breakfast: Fresh strawberries and roasted pistachios on Greek yogurt, pain au chocolat, coffee with low-fat milk
Lunch: Bacon and Hungarian sausage cream penne (from UCC)
Snack: Halo-halo (at Razon's)
Dinner: Bola-bola siopao, pancit canton

Monday's meals
Breakfast: Greek yogurt with dried blueberries and roasted pistachios, pain au chocolat, coffee with low-fat milk
Lunch: Korean pork barbecue, brown rice
Snack: Tall iced caffè americano with non-fat milk at Starbucks
Dinner: Pork sinigang with vegetables, brown rice
Dessert: 1 piece salted butter caramel

 

I just started Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred last March 2, which means that if I keep this up every day, my 30th day will be on March 31. I've only done three workouts so far, but I'd like to believe I'm already seeing a change in my arms—aside from that Salonpas slapped across my aching bicep. Hah!

The program is essentially a circuit training program that incorporates three rounds of a three-minute strength workout, a two-minute cardio workout, and a one-minute ab workout. Including the warm-up and cool-down, it's approximately a thirty-minute workout...perfect for me to squeeze in after I arrive from the office and just before dinnertime. That leaves me the rest of the evening to relax!

I'm fairly an experienced exerciser, but strength training has always been my weakest point. I'm not at all surprised that my muscles were sore following the strength procedures, but I managed the cardio sessions with ease. I love that Jillian teaches complex strength procedures (working out different areas simultaneously instead of isolated exercises), which not only saves time, but also maximizes the workout.

Jillian also says in the videos that I'm not supposed to "phone it in" and follow each procedure to the letter. But I'm afraid I've had to make a few concessions. Since I only have a pair of 5 lb dumbbells, I've had to use just one dumbbell instead of two in a few of the workouts. I did try it initially with both dumbbells, but I couldn't take it, especially not with my injury. I'd also rather be careful about my form and not risk injuring myself.

I'm honestly not expecting dramatic results because I really don't have that much weight to lose anymore, but I'd be happy to get rid of some of this extra flab on my arms, butt, and tummy, in just thirty minutes of exercise a day...a refreshing change from my boring hour-long cardio routines. Wish me luck!

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday's workout
- Level 1 of Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred with 5 lb dumbbells

Tuesday's meals
Breakfast: Peanut butter sandwich on 100% whole-grain bread, coffee with low-fat milk
Mid-morning snack: 1/2 whole-wheat pan de sal with peanut butter and blackberry preserves, unsweetened green tea
Lunch: Chicken meatballs in sweet and sour sauce, brown rice
Afternoon snack: 1/2 whole-wheat pan de sal with peanut butter and blackberry preserves, unsweetened green tea
Dinner: Whole wheat spaghetti with olive oil, sundried tomatoes, garlic, basil, pine nuts, mushrooms, parmesan

Wednesday's meals
Breakfast: Corn muffin, coffee with low-fat milk
Lunch: Whole wheat spaghetti with olive oil, sundried tomatoes, garlic, basil, pine nuts, mushrooms, parmesan
Dinner: Breaded garlic parmesan cream dory, vegetable lumpia, brown rice
Dessert: Chocolate banana "ice cream"

Thursday's meals
Breakfast: Fried egg, whole wheat pan de sal, pain au chocolat, coffee with low-fat milk
Lunch: Breaded garlic parmesan cream dory, brown rice
Snack: Vegetable lumpia
Dinner: Korean pork barbecue, spicy Japanese eggplant, brown rice

School's not even out for the summer yet, but the heat is starting to become unbearable! I know, it's really tempting to grab a cool treat like ice cream, halo-halo, and frozen yogurt, but...as I am trying to limit myself to one dessert a week (by which I actually mean one cake/pastry/ice cream a week), I found a novel way of enjoying bananas.

I found this article on making ice cream simply out of freezing bananas and putting them in a food processor...except that I was too lazy to use the mini-food processor at home. I did the reverse by mashing the banana with a fork and putting it in the freezer. But before I froze it, I added cocoa powder, because chocolate goes well with banana...and, voila, a healthy frozen dessert or cool snack that's under 100 calories (1 banana = 70 calories; 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder = 25 calories).

It tastes better than it looks. Trust me.

Can you share any other ideas to flavor this "banana ice cream"?



Friday's exercise
- 40-minute brisk run/walk

Sunday's exercise
- 3,000 on the jump rope (Yay! Finally!)
- 3 x 15 tricep curls (on each arm) with 5 lb dumbbell
- 3 x 15 bicep curls with 2 x 5 lb dumbbells
- 3 x 15 shoulder presses with 2 x 5 lb dumbbells

Thursday's meals
Breakfast: Old-fashioned oatmeal with peanut butter, coffee with low-fat milk
Lunch: (at Oliver's) Almond cajun chicken with honey mustard on wheat bread, Starbucks brewed coffee with low-fat milk
Dinner: (BPI freebies from Chowking) Breaded fish fillet, 2 pieces fried wanton, kangkong with Chinese bagoong, a few pieces Chicharap

Friday's meals
Breakfast: French toast with fresh strawberries, coffee with low-fat milk
Lunch: Salmon cream pasta (UCC leftovers), Goolai mixed greens with mandarin oranges, grapes, honey almonds, breaded chicken, apricot vinaigrette
Dinner: Chicken with toyo-calamansi sauce, vegetable lumpia, brown rice

Saturday's meals
Breakfast: Ube hopia, whole wheat pan de sal with peanut butter, coffee with low-fat milk
Lunch: Chili with beef and brown rice, Tostitos blue corn tortilla chips, banana, Goolai mixed greens with mandarin oranges, grapes, honey almonds, breaded chicken, apricot vinaigrette
Snack: Coffee with low-fat milk
Dinner: Daing na bangus, tomato with salted egg, grilled eggplant, brown rice

Sunday's meals
Breakfast: Double chocolate chip muffin, coffee with low-fat milk
Lunch: Tapa, vegetable lumpia, brown rice, ham, broiled lamb chop
Snack: Chocolate banana "ice cream", 3 pieces Fita crackers with herb cream cheese, coffee with low-fat milk
Dinner: Chili garlic shrimp and scallops, Chinese chorizo fried rice, sweet and sour pork, a few bites of sansrival and brownie
 

I just took advantage of the recent Cebu Pacific sale to book flights for my friends and I to enjoy a beach weekend! Our balikbayan friend K is returning to the Philippines, and she said she missed the beach, even if she wasn't fond of beaches before. I'm not a big beach buff either, but I do relish any opportunity to spend with my friends. We're still going a long time from now, in June, but I'd like to start to get in shape just by having dessert (cake, cookies, ice cream, and other sugar-based treats) once a week from now on. Argh, it's going to be a tough ordeal for me, since I do love my sweets.

But whenever I am faced with temptation (like my brother's birthday cake at home, or the ice cream from the nearby Korean grocery), all I have to do is to remember that fantastic feeling of a not-bloated tummy simply when I didn't have dessert for five days. I'd just like to schedule my dessert in moderation, just not to deprive myself completely, but if I can do without my weekly dessert treat, so much the better.

I won't do anything else to my diet or exercise habit. I know if I can tone down the sugar in my diet, I'll be much better.

How about you Belles, any beach vacations lined up? And any healthy plans to help you get a beach-ready body?

Tuesday's exercise
- 45 minute brisk walk/jog

Tuesday's meals
Breakfast: Old-fashioned oatmeal with peanut butter, coffee with low fat milk
Lunch: (at Recipes by Café Metro) Crispy tilapia, gising-gising, Korean beef stew, rice
Snack: Banana
Dinner: Pork barbecue, beef chili, brown rice

Mom just bought a tub of imported strawberries. They were wonderful! Large, plump, and sweet. Strawberries are also rich in vitamin C...which my explain why my cold and cough went away after a few days.

Over the weekend, I made some steel-cut oats and sweetened it with muscovado sugar (slightly fewer calories than table sugar), mixed in some milk, and topped it with fresh strawberries. Much better than that Quaker instant strawberries and cream oatmeal.

And this morning, I topped French toast with fresh strawberries, after hearing Nigella on the Asian Food Channel say that that's how she eats French toast (while her kids have French toast with ketchup). I usually put either strawberry jam or syrup on my French toast, so this was a real treat!

I really need a new digital camera.

Tuesday's and Thursday's workouts
- 30-minute brisk walk/jog/run

Saturday's workout
- 1,800 on the jump rope
- 3 x 10 weighted double leg lifts

Sunday's workout
- 45-minute brisk walk/jog/run

Tuesday's meals
Breakfast: Peanut butter on 2 slices of 100% whole-grain bread, coffee with low-fat milk
Lunch: Broiled liempo, ginisang togue, brown rice, ponkan
Snack: Baked tortilla chips
Dinner: Grilled tilapia, broiled liempo, pork siomai, brown rice, tomato with salted duck egg

Wednesday's meals
Breakfast: Banana pecan cake, coffee with low-fat milk
Lunch: Vegetable lumpia, brown rice
Snack: Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar, unsweetened green tea, 1 Fita cracker, 1 baked tortilla chip
Dinner: Grilled red paprika salmon medallion, brown rice, lettuce with Italian vinaigrette, cream of mushroom soup
Dessert: Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting

Thursday's meals
Breakfast: Peanut butter and blackberry preserves on 100% whole-grain bread, coffee with low-fat milk
Mid-morning snack: Baked tortilla chips
Lunch: (at Burger King) Whopper Jr. without mayo, onion rings, hot-fudge sundae
Dinner: Chicken roulade with spinach and cream cheese, brown rice

Friday's meals
Breakfast: Fried egg on 100% whole-grain toast, chocolate lava cake, coffee with low fat milk
Lunch: Chicken roulade with spinach and cream cheese, brown rice
Dinner: Calamari fritti, vegetable lumpia, misua soup, brown rice

Saturday's meals
Breakfast: Chocolate chip-bacon pancakes with butter and real maple syrup, coffee with low-fat milk
Lunch: La Paz batchoy, pan de sal
Snack: Siomai
Dinner: Pork barbecue, brown rice
Dessert: Cassava cake

Sunday's meals
Breakfast: Steel-cut oatmeal with fresh strawberries, muscovado, and low-fat milk, coffee with low-fat milk
Lunch (Brooklyn Pizza delivery): Spicy shrimp pasta, spaghetti with meatballs, pepperoni and mushroom pizza, buffalo wings
Dessert: Chocolate lava cake, coffee with low-fat milk
Dinner (leftovers): Deluxe pizza, calamari fritti, garlic-cheese breadstick with olive oil and balsamic vinegar