Day 2: I need a reality check

I just finished the second workout from this 30 day challenge. Right now I'm sitting at my kitchen table and I would much rather be sitting on my comfy couch, but I am way too sore to walk to the next room. Where do I begin?? I guess I'll start where I left off with my last entry...

After my last ramble of a post I decided to head to Walmart to purchase a kettlebell and some sand. The workouts included in this challenge require only a few pieces of equipment, but of course they're items that I don't already own. For instance, the workouts regularly involve a sand bag. It's a modified duffle bag that holds small bags of sand inside. You can purchase these here on their website, but I didn't want to spend that much on something I could make myself.

So I headed to Walmart, and of course they don't have sand there. How does Walmart carry literally everything you could ever need except for sand?? Anways, I went to Home Depot and found the sand. I was just a little bit surprised by the fact that sand doesn't come in bags less than 40 lbs. I'm sure the associates got a kick out of watching me struggle to lift that into my cart that kept rolling away. And then I faced another adventure of attempting to lift it out of the cart and into my car. At least I provided some entertainment for onlookers.

Long story short, I decided to make some modifications to the workout equipment that the instructors use. I went home and filled some ziplock baggies with sand, put those inside of a plastic bag in case they open, and put that inside of an old duffle bag. (One recommendation I have is to use a duffle bag with handles or something to grab onto- mine kept slipping out of my hand today.) I weighed my duffle bag and it was 17.8 lbs. Their website shows that they only fill their bags to 20 lbs, so I figured a little less was fine for a beginner (later I found out this was way too heavy- I'll address that soon). I included a picture of my "homemade sand bag" below and the bottom left picture shows the completed bag next to my shoe for size.

 

Day 2 was much more difficult than Day 1, partially due to the fact that I was already sore from the first day. But I pushed myself and did all of the moves along with the instructor. I will admit that I took a short break for about 3 minutes between the first and second rounds. Keep in mind that the video provides no time for a break, so there's no chance to even take a sip of water. I stretched and complained and drank some water during those 3 minutes and then I was back to it. By no means was any part of this workout easy, but I pushed myself very hard and tried keeping up with the instructor, Rita, to the best of my ability.

After today's workout was finished, Rita took a moment to say a few motivational words about the next 28 days and modifications for beginners. This part of the video was critical for me to hear. Rita said that beginners should be working at their own pace and doing what they are able to do. She said that beginners can begin without weights at all and just going through the motions without the sand bag or other equipment is still beneficial. The last thing she said was to keep in mind that she didn't just start doing this; she has been doing this for 6 years and slowly working up to where she is today.

Rita = 6 years. Brittney = 2 days. Hmm...

I need to SLOW DOWN. The one thing I can say about these workouts is that they are definitely effective. You can feel the burn right away and they get your heart pumping hard. But I really need to keep in mind that these instructors have been doing this for much longer than I have. They are stronger and more capable of doing these intense moves. I need to slow down a little and do the moves at my own pace.

So please, for anyone who might be reading this and wanting to attempt the videos- be careful. Don't push yourself too hard or hurt yourself. I definitely don't want to get hurt because I won't be able to complete the challenge, and then these last two days (even though it's only been two days) will be for nothing. I want to see a change in myself for the better, not worse. This is a process, and I have to start small before I can do such advanced moves. It will take time, but I'll get there.