The third workout, Resistance, went by like a dream.

Then I was struck with a bit of a cold. Just enough to make even contemplating another round of cardio (next up on the rotation) painful.

But today it was time to bell up or shut up. I insisted on repeating Cardio Workout Week 1 again because I felt that I hadn’t “mastered” it. The truth is that I’m scared of what Week 2 will entail. At least this way I knew what was coming even if I didn’t like it.

I made just barely perceptible improvements this time around. What is it about this workout that’s so hard? There are a few exercises I hate for sure:

1) Jog quickly in place while holding your bell in front of you, chest high, and then keeping jogging while you punch the bell up over your head and back down. Ryan calls punching it up in the air “turbo charging” the exercise. It’s like this: run, run, run, run, run, run, turbo charge, turbo charge, turbo charge (while you keep up the run, run, run, run, run). Then again. And again. There’s this perky blonde woman with curls in the background. She doesn’t look particularly buff, which gives one hope, but then she just keeps turbo charging with a maniacal grin on her face. I’m not 100 percent sure, but I think I hate her.

2) Take a wide stance and then squat down so that your thighs feel as if they are on fire, hold the bell out in front of you and then hang out there. For a long time. After all the other exercises, this is nearly impossible. Ryan tells us to “go to our happy place.” My happy place is on the couch. Can I go there? Only in my mind. Except my mind is too busy thinking, “*%$# #@# *&!”

3) Mountain climbers. My God. I think we did these in gym class when I was in grade school and I thought nothing of them. I probably could have Mountain Climbed my way to Wisconsin Dells and back. Now I can do about 20 before I hit the floor. I guess these are super good for you but I HATE them.

The question is: why do I continue the torture? I guess discipline and the belief that it will get better. Even if it sucks, there’s something to continuing on with something regardless of the suckitude. And I really don’t want “lunch lady” arms. Not yet. Besides, Ryan promises us we’ll be seeing “pro-gress.” He has strange pronunciation on his “o’s.” But you gotta love him. He’s “feeling the burn right along with you at home.”

After workout: flop down on couch. Think about going to bed at 9:00. But still up at 9:05!!