Over the last couple of years I have worked on being less uptight about, well, everything.

As it relates to parenting, this translates to loosening up regarding Laurel making messes, being excessively careful at the playground, eating veggies, etc. I find that things just work enormously better if I lighten up and play it cool. Plus, she’s a kid; it’s age appropriate for her to make messes, get a little scraped up at the playground, and go on periodic veggie strikes.

Yesterday, however, I had a moment where I couldn’t hold back. It was 90 degrees out at school pick up time and the kids were enjoying freeze pops. Laurel took some bites then really wanted to bring the freeze pop home to show her dad (”it’s blue!”). By the time we got home it had melted to juice but she didn’t care.

Laurel managed to get out of her booster, out of the car, into the house, and up the stairs without spilling the freeze pop. But when she got to the top of the stairs I reflexively called out, “Red light! Don’t go past the hallway!” (Our bedroom, where Jon was getting changed, is wall to wall cream colored carpet.)

Jon came to meet Laurel at the bedroom door and she excitedly lifted up her freeze pop to show him (”it’s blue!”) and a bunch of the electrically hued juice spilled on the floor, literally all in front of her but an inch shy of the rug.

I decided at that point that some nagging is OK. Pick your battles. I didn’t put up a fight when she crossed through the house, over the living room carpet (electric blue stains on the blue/green/yellow rug probably wouldn’t be noticeable), and up the stairs. But I’m really, really glad I nagged her before she got to the cream colored carpet — especially because it took me 3 separate attempts to remove all of the sticky freeze pop substance from the hardwood floor.

Amidst the humor and camaraderie of the Shredhead Challenge, each day I’m still amazed by how awesome it is to be making change instead of just griping about being out of shape, low on energy, etc. Yesterday I posted at Boston Mamas about negotiating sugar battles with kids, and how the shred has helped me set my own limits around sugar. It’s really cool to be feeling more in control of things (control freak that I am) on that front.

I’m now tagging in to comment on the last two days of shredding. Yesterday I was short on time so I went back and did the Jillian Level 2 shred – it was great that it was still a good workout and that I was able to do everything (even those frikkin’ plank jacks!). Yeah! Progress! I followed it up with a quick set of abs.

Today I had more flexibility in my schedule so I did Jillian’s 60 Minute Boost Metabolism and instead of the cool down I decided to try Jennifer Galardi’s Standing Abs program (with stretching to follow while multitasking). You get a taste of standing abs exercises through Jillian’s programs and I liked the concept of doing some targeted abs without having to lie in a puddle of my own sweat.

In addition to the bonus of not having to lie in said puddle of sweat, I really liked that: 1) there’s no pulling on the neck as there is with standard on-the-floor crunches; and 2) Jennifer draws from Pilates and dance in some of the moves. Very cool, and after all the Dancing With the Stars I have been watching, I gained a new appreciation for how intense hip rotations can be for the abs.

I’d definitely recommend this program if you want to shake up your abs routine!

Today I decided to add a specific personal goal as part of my participation in Team Jillian. While I’m actually feeling toned and trimmer overall (yippee!!), the one nagging trouble spot is my tummy. It’s definitely shrinking thanks to the shred but to be quite honest I’m wondering if it’s possible to get it flat naturally (meaning, um, without medical intervention).

The other issue is time – because as much as I heart Jillian’s 60 minute Boost Metabolism, it’s hard to fit that in, especially on days when I have no childcare. After reading that our fearless Shredhead leader Kristen did a 21 minute Fat Burn on ExerciseTV, I found one by Cindy Whitmarsh. It wasn’t as taxing (obviously) as the Jillian program since it’s a 1/3 of the length, but it definitely got me sweating. Then I followed up with one of Cindy’s ab programs (found in the ExerciseTV Abs category). I think that’s what I need – dedicated ab programming. Overall, this alternate workout took about 35-40 minutes.

So here’s my plan. I’m going to alternate Jillian’s 60 minute Boost Metabolism (since I have learned through the shred that I really need intense cardio to trim down) with a shorter fitness segment combined with a targeted abs program. Let’s hope I have some good results to show at the end of the month!