A New Year, A New Shred

Like many brides-to-be, I started my new years with a goal in mind to be healthier, leaner, and stronger for our wedding. I'm a loafer at heart. I love laying on the couch and eating homemade chocolate peanut butter cookies or doritos with a nice glass of pinot noir. But a girl's gotta do what a girls gotta do, especially when months of bachelorette parties, engagement parties, weddings (several of our friends) and a honeymoon are just around the corner.

So I have made 3 choices that I hope to sustain over the next year. (I hate the idea of resolutions as I feel like those only last until January 3rd...so we're trying "choices" this year)

1. Take a break from the week night wine.

Now I love to a glass of wine after work to unwind. But it seems like a healthy way to cut back on those empty calories. So I've decided that I will only have wine during the work week on evenings when I go out with friends or colleagues.

2. Make healthier snack decisions

For some reason I always need to snack at work. When I'm at home, I have no problem going from meal to meal without a snack but at work around 10:30AM and 3:30PM, I become ravenous. There is always a sinful treat around the office for us to snack on, such as home made cupcakes or left-over catered lunch. In 2010, I've started bringing in low-fat instant oatmeal, Yoplait Yo Plus Yogurt, and carrots with hummus to keep my blood sugar up and satiate me between meals.

3. Get my booty moving

This is the hardest part of my healthier lifestyle. Not just because I'm a lazy bum. But my work schedule is crazy during the week. I'm often working until 7 or 8 at night and then I have to get on the bus and head home to spend a few hours with my honey before we retire for the night. Typically the last thing I want to do is go for a run outside or trek to the gym. So I decided to start at home.

I checked the ExerciseTV option through our Comcast On Demand service and found Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred episodes. Now I had read about this program on many a wedding blog but did not really believe the hype. Until now. I did my first episode on Sunday night and was almost floored by the 2 circuit.

Essentially Jillian creates three 6 minute circuits, consisting of 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs. This all sounds harmles...even easy in theory. Oh but think again. It is tough but worth it especially for a lazy bum like myself. I get bored easily and like to get my work out over fast and this does. But girls, you may be crying halfway through. I'm contemplating purchasing the full DVD set but I'm thinking I'll keep this going for the next week or so before I commit.

One hint, many of the strength moves require hand weights...which I clearly do not own. I have been using 2 cans of food which have been plenty of weight for this weak little chick.

What are your new years "choices"? Have you tried the dreaded Shred?