There are lots of myths about the first year of marriage. Like, it’s really hard. And you’re going to do it ALL THE TIME. And you’re going to get bruises from your first month of sleeping in the same bed. And you’re going to gain so much weight that you cry getting ready in the morning…
Wait. What? That’s not a first year of marriage myth? Are you sure? Because it’s kinda happening to me…
Mark and I have both gotten a little chubbier over the past year. Which is, I guess, expected when you eat McDonald’s everyday…
Gaining weight is completely acceptable when it is done as a TEAM. Because marriage is all about teamwork. And, seriously? I didn’t get married because I wanted to stay hot forever. I got married so I could LET GO. Can I get an ‘amen’?
Like I said, totally cool to let the love handles out when it’s done as a team. And by ‘team’ I mean ‘we’re getting fat together’. But what about when one of you gets all traitorous and goes agains the ways of your couch potato lifestyle? What happens when one of you starts losing weight because of something I’m not allowed to blog about yet?
First, you try to entice him back to the dark side with a mouthwatering Big Mac. Extra special sauce.
And when that doesn’t work? You get off the couch. And you join the crazy blogging people known as Shred Heads.
I heard about them last week after reading a review of The Shred dvd. I love Lindsay of Suburban Turmoil for many reasons (like she’s from Nashville and her husband is local famous), but mostly because I trust her. I don’t know why. But I do.
So when she said that she lost 5 pounds and showed me Before and After pics of other Shred Heads I was sold.
Well, sold until I actually DID the dvd. Because Lindsay said it was hard. And that she hurt the next day. She didn’t mention, however, THAT IT COULD KILL YOU.
Not only did this twenty minute workout almost kill me, it almost ruined my marriage. Because, word of advice, if your wife is doing The Shred in the living room and you are watching FROM THE COUCH you probably shouldn’t say things like, “Go farther down with that push-up” or “C’mon get into that squat!”. Because I promise you she is imagining all the different ways to kill you and all the ways her super smart lawyer friends can get her out of jail. Promise.
I’ve done The Shred three times now. I’m not sure if it’s working, but that’s because I’m too busy trying figure out how to walk without using the achey burning muscles in my legs to notice if I’ve lost any weight.
But until cankles become sexy, I think I’m going to have to Shred til I’m dead…
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June 17, 2009 at 8:44 pm
chelsea swab
i promise it gets better! jillian says it – and she’s right. take a couple days of and let your quads heal (see, i’ve been through it), but when you’re back on the horse, it gets easier. AND… don’t listen to the “get into that squat” comments!! it only makes the pain worse the next day and makes it harder to get back into. take it easy with anita, and work your way up. you’ll see better results from actually being able to repeat the process than from killing yourself once and quitting.
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(I’m just kidding about that. Listening is VERY important in marriage. Very 
)
This is why I love The Internet. Thanks so much for the encouragement, especially since you’re doing it too! I did it last night and it was SIGNIFICANTLY easier. Kind of amazing because I was pretty sure I’d always feel achy afterwards but not so much today. Ha, and I’ve learned the art of ignoring Mark
June 17, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Akirah
So wait…when I get married I won’t do it ALL THE TIME?
No pain, no gain, right? I need to lose a few pounds. But you’ve kinda scared me a bit.
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Ha, maybe other couples do it all the time, but we surely don’t. Especially when I’m in a working out phase because I’m usually too tired
And I probably posted about the pain too soon. I did the workout last night, and I’m feeling REALLY good. The dvd is only $9 on Amazon, and if you have On Demand it is one of the free exercise videos. I think this might work. I made Mark take my “before” picture, so maybe in a few weeks I’ll have an “after” one to share.
June 18, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Brianna
I’m sold. I’m totally buying this DVD on Amazon today. And it comes at a perfect time. I head back to Chicago Monday and don’t have gym access there. This will be great!
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What I love the most is that it’s 20 minutes and you’re done. I get so bored working out, so this is really good for my attention span.
From what I can tell everyone really loves it. And I’m starting to love it, too. Now that the pain has subsided
June 20, 2009 at 1:16 am
Connie Oates
Wow sounds like you are on the right path, impressive only 20 min !!!! Can’t wait to see the before and after.
Would a good cookbook help a little,( save on the Mc Donald trips) one with lots of color photos and easy to follow directions?
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The 20 minutes is the best part. I get so bored on treadmills and always wonder if I’m doing enough. Considering the pain I’d say that I’m definitely getting a workout with the dvd. And cookbook would be awesome…
June 21, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Elisa
First off, I feel you need to buy the entire “Cooking with 5 ingredients or less” cookbook series. Or salads, they are healthy and involve few dishes.
Secondly, I am intrigued by this shred video you speak of. I need to do something myself, and if it hurts so good you know its gotta be working!
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And get the dvd, especially if getting a workout in is a time issue. It hurts, and I really do think I’m seeing results even with very little change in my diet. Not that the diet ISN’T changing, but just to be real it’s changing slowly.
5 ingredients or less? I love the sound of that. And salads are SLOWLY turning into a staple around here. Slowly
June 30, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Monica Evans
In May, before our cruise, the GF and I started working out (separately since we were still long distance).
After the cruise, the workouts became scarce…..
Now that we live together (one whole week!!!!) She’s decided that we should walk in the evenings. Never mind that it’s Atlanta and at 7pm it’s still 95 degrees. Nevermind that the air is so thick I could cut it.
All she tells me is that when we started dating we were several sizes smaller- 2 years later, we are a couple of chubbies. I still don’t see the problem. This has totally been a TEAM effort!
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But Mark and the GF are probably right. If you want to stay inside and only have to take 25 minutes out of your day I’d HIGHLY recommend the Shred. But I also highly recommend McDonald’s for every meal, so you probably shouldn’t look to me for fitness advice 
I think we’re with the wrong people! Ha, I’m all about teamwork