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30-Day Get Fit Challenge | Week 1, Workout 2

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Staffer Gretchen Parker, 35, is working out with ExerciseTV celebrity trainer Kathy Kaehler (past clients include Julia Roberts and Jennifer Aniston) for Us' 30-Day Get Fit Challenge! She's blogging a few times a week. Here, Gretchen details her second workout session with Kathy:

First, the good news. I'm walking upright!

The bad news is that I was so sore after my first workout that my boyfriend and/or passersby had to help me out of the car, off the couch and out of bed. For two days.

That first workout was Thursday. Kathy had urged me to follow it up on my own, doing cardio Friday, cardio and weights Saturday, cardio Sunday, cardio and weights Monday, cardio Tuesday. Her regimen is six days a week — no matter what.

Related: See photos from Gretchen's first session with Kathy.

Well, I didn't quite meet her muster. I woke up Friday with my hiney muscles and leg muscles screaming at me. I have to confess: I gave in to them. I did make it to the gym Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.

Thank goodness Kathy didn't yell at me when we met on Wednesday. She was actually proud of me for making good progress on my cardio. I upped my elliptical machine time from 5 minutes to 20 minutes, and I cut my mile from 14:44 to 13:30.

And I have to admit that I feel pretty good! Pre-Fitness Challenge, I was on a six-month gym hiatus. Honestly, I never missed spending time in the gym. But I did miss the extra energy that working out gives you.

Now that my blood is moving again, I feel less sluggish and more productive. That's already a great motivator.

I'll post my food plan as soon as I get it from Kathy — but so far she's told me to cut down on processed foods, sodium and hidden sugars. Those happen to be three of my favorite things in the world, so that's going to be tough.

Stand by for more on that subject.

But now that I'm pain-free, my goal for the next few days is to not miss workouts, eat more real food and less fake food and to stay motivated!

Questions? Comments? Contact me at askgretchen@gmail.com

Read Gretchen's previous blog entries:

30-Day Get Fit Challenge: Meet Us' Gretchen Parker!
30 Day Get Fit Challenge | Week 1

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