Day 3

Thursday evening and all day yesterday (Day 2) I was sooo sore! It hurt to laugh, it hurt to walk, and if I got down on the floor with my daughter I could barely get up! This morning I figured I would still be feeling the soreness, but that was not the case. I woke up at 6:30 (I usually do not set an alarm on Saturdays, but figured I better or else my workout wouldn't get done!) and again did Level One with 3lb hand weights. Afterward, my legs and arms felt like jelly, and I sweated a lot more today than the past two days (so much so that I told my mother I needed one of those dorky sweatbands that go around your head--sweat in the eyes is painful!). I've decided that if I'm not sore in the morning, I will increase to 5lb hand weights.
In addition to my diet, I'm also doing Renew Life's CleanseSmart. This is a 2-part cleanse that is supposed to support normal detoxification and health. According to smartbomb.com's product page for CleanseSmart: "CleanseSMART is a total-body formulation that supports the body’s 7 channels of elimination: the liver, lungs, lymphatic system, kidneys, skin, blood and bowel. CleanseSMART combines 23 natural ingredients, which provide cleansing support for the body’s own natural processes. The Morning Formula is a 15-herb formula and provides 7 herbs to help support the liver. The evening formula contains 8 natural ingredients that help to cleanse the colon. CleanseSMART is easy to take, just 2 capsules in the morning and 2 capsules in the evening." I've seen evidence of the skin portion of this promise: more breakouts (yuck!) For the first time in my adult life, I've had to buy an acne wash to deal with these. And I won't discuss the other cleansing properties with you, because I'm sure you don't want to hear about my colon :-)
I'm amazed at what three days of working out has done for me mentally. I know exercise is supposed to release endorphins, but I'm surprised at how upbeat my moods have been since starting this. For those of you who don't know, I have a history of pretty severe depression and have been unsuccessful in finding an anti-depressant that works; in addition to that, I have mild PTSD from the experiences I went through with my ex-husband. Those are a couple of the reasons I have trouble staying motivated with diets and things like that. Anyway, overall, I am feeling pretty good about my decision to do the "30 Day Shred" and am looking forward to seeing the changes it produces in my body!