Every Day Is Abs Day

I think this sums up the last 7 days..oh...and OUCH!

Okay, not every day is abs day, but it sure feels like it this week!

Day 29: Pump and Shred
This week began with a sneak peek of what I'll be facing in Phase 2 of this challenge.  Pump and Shred is a 45 minute workout that features squats, lunges, lots of dead rows, clean and presses, a shoulder track, and an ab track that left me whimpering on the floor of The Cave.  Getting good at this one is definitely going to take some work!

Day 30: Hit the Floor
My abs were already sore from Monday's workout, but I dragged myself down to The Cave and did the prescribed workout. I normally don't grunt and groan out loud during workouts, but tonight was an exception. I had to keep reminding myself that the results of this challenge are 100% worth the pain.

Day 31: Feel the Burn
Another day. Another workout (Pump and Burn). Another ab track. I usually crack a smile during this one because of the soundtrack - not tonight.

They're the keys to my success...but tonight they felt like torture.

Day 32: I SURVIVED!!!
Hell Month at work officially ended at 4:30pm today...and I'm still alive and sane! I usually celebrate the end of this annual torture by making a beeline to my favorite bar and chugging multiple beers.  This year was different. I came home, hit The Cave for another round of Hard Core Abs followed by a 20 minute flow workout, and then handed out candy to the few brave kids who came around trick or treating (it started pouring rain about 30 minutes after trick or treat started).  My favorite costumes were a little lion and a tiny pink dragon. For some reason, toddlers in costumes seem extra adorable to me.

Day 33: You're Really Going To Need To Breathe Through This
Finally a Rest Day!!!! I know...last time I had a full out rest day I was twitching. Tonight I was more than content to be face down on my massage therapist's table for an hour instead of working out.  My back and shoulders usually have a lot of tight spots, but tonight was just silly! At one point my massage therapist paused and said, "You're really going to need to breathe through this." before digging his elbow into a massive trigger point in the back of my right shoulder. Holy $#!* that hurt...in a good way. I could actually feel the muscles twitching as he released them! I was a little more prepared when the process was repeated on my left side. I'm almost afraid of what he'll find in my back next month!

After our massages, Mr. R&R and I stopped at the awesome wine shop next door to the massage place.  We chatted with the owner for a few minutes about what we liked, what our price point was, and were quickly directed to a Chardonnay from Napa Valley that he swore was amazing. The wine guy even admitted that he'd never heard of this particular winery before, but fell madly in love with this incredibly inexpensive ($20) wine when he tried it in their tasting room.  Of course we bought it - and a bottle of white Bordeaux that he'd recommended last year when we got back from France.  We swung by Trader Joe's on the way home for some prosciutto, brie, gouda, and crackers and we were all set for an awesome night of celebrating our first 30 Days and the end of Hell Month.  I think the wine and cheese tasted even better after not having had them in so long!

Day 34: That Wasn't Smart, But It Was Worth It
I woke up Saturday morning with my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth and feeling like a heavy, bloated mess.  I guess that's what happens when you eat a bunch of cured meat, rich cheese, salty crackers, and drink 3/4 of a bottle of wine after abstaining from those things for a month.  I don't care. It was delicious...and totally worth it.

I had initially planned on hitting the pool before tackling another Pump and Shred workout, but the thought of swimming while mildly hungover made my stomach heave, so that was out.  Pump and Shred was tough enough!  The lunge track sucked (yep, still hate lunges with a passion)

Day 35: 
Mr. R&R and I hit the trails again today - this time tackling the 6 mile long (3 miles out/3 miles back) Monches Segment of the Ice Age Trail.  Although this section of trail is really close to our home, we'd never been there before.  We're used to hiking in the Southern Kettle Moraine (which is pretty hilly) so we were pleasantly surprised that the trail was both beautiful and relatively flat!  On a somewhat related note, I finally updated our hiking blog (with last week's hike)!

Monches Segment

And of course my day wouldn't have been complete without an ab workout. Hard Core Abs is tough enough, but it's even tougher when you've already done 2 hours of physical activity!

Phase 2 of the Raise The Bar Challenge begins tomorrow morning - hopefully it's not all abs all the time!