Manic Monday: Insanity #8

Day 31 (8-20-12)

Today is the start of week 6 for me…the start of the 2nd half of this Insanity workout. I just finished my Fit Test and sadly, I still have another workout to do. Normally the Fit Tests are done on a Monday and it alone counts for your workout…not this round. I still have Max Interval Circuit left to go.

After the fit test, I’m pooped! I’m taking a little break between it and the next workout so I can stop breathing like a woman in labor blog my results…compared to the first day of Insanity. So here you go…

Exercise                    Day 1            Day 31

Switch Kicks………………60……………….82

Power Jacks………………35……………….40

Power Knees……………..70………………..82

Power Jumps…………….21………………..20…I wore myself out on the first 3 exercises 😦

Globe Jumps……………..6…………………..9 (each number represents a round of 4…24–>36)

Suicide Jumps…………..14…………………21

Push-Up Jacks………….13…………………23 (see! arms are getting stronger!)

Low Plank Oblique……..37…………………50

Max Interval Circuit…well, that was fun. If you thought the first half was hard, you better put on your big girl/boy underwear for this half. This workout is an hour long and it feels like 2 hrs. I had to take a couple of extra long breaks today. After having that rest week and the Fit Test right before this workout…my body was NOT ready for this. At one point I took a break to go put cold water on my face (I could feel heat radiating from my face and making my chest hot) and wouldn’t you know…my glutes started to cramp. That was interesting. I can honestly say I have never experienced that…EVER!

Based on what I felt today…GOOD LUCK…cause you’re gonna need it (at least I will :P)

DAY 32 (8-21-12)

I could barely even move today and I’m pretty sure an 85 yr old grandmother could have picked up toys off the floor easier than me. Needless to say, I did not do the workout today. I had a legit excuse though…I couldn’t MOVE.

Just so you know what you may experience with the first day after the first day of round 2 (did you follow that?)…my glutes HATE me! The back part of my shoulders HATE me! My lower back muscles HATE me. Do you see why bending over and picking up stuff was a nightmare today? I even took Ibuprofin, but think my muscles just laughed at it and said “Seriously? Is that all you got?” I got NO relief. Hoping for a better, more muscle friendly day tomorrow so I can finish another grueling workout. Ha!

Day 33 (8-22-12)

Today I’m out of town at my mom’s, but that hasn’t stopped me from doing my workout before and it didn’t stop me today! It is easier to workout at home, but I managed. Again though, her house seems so much hotter than mine. I had everything set up in her bedroom to keep the noise down while little man napped (sound is multiplied by 10x every where else in her house…or so it seems :P)

I’m convinced these fans are NOT working! I see them spinning, but they are not helping me even in the slightest way.

I was still extremely sore from Monday, but the hubby told me if I just start to workout, my muscles will warm up and I won’t notice the soreness as much. He was right…but, after I stopped working out and I cooled back down, the soreness reared it’s ugly little head again. It really is mainly just my glutes at this point. I seriously had NO idea how often I use those muscles. I’m hoping this is a very good indication that they are getting firmer and SMALLER! 😉

The best part about these workouts, so far, is that they are very different from the first set of month one. Right now, it seems as if the first month was really just prep work for round 2…more of a cardio strengthening series to make your heart stronger and muscles more flexible. And now that that is set, it’s time for the REAL workout. Maybe this is why so many people don’t see weight loss until this second half. We’ll see if my deductions are right the more I get into this part of the program. So far though, I’m getting excited about the firmer muscles! My lower thighs are super tight, my arms are starting to get toned and my upper abs are nearly rock hard (if only the bottom ones would kick in :P).

Excuse the funky ribs…they always show no matter what I do.

I’ll be visiting with family in TX for the rest of this week, but I did make sure I had my videos with me. It should be interesting doing these workouts with so many people in the house. 😛 Maybe I can rally together a cheering squad to keep me pepped up! Haha!

Day 34 (8-23-12)

Between a super long dentist appointment first thing this morning, being in the car for nearly 6 hours as we headed to TX, visiting with family and making Oreo balls for firemen, I did not manage to find time to do my Insanity workout. Since it was recovery day, maybe I can do both workouts tomorrow?! We’ll see how everything plays out!

Day 35 (8-24-12)

This morning I decided to go back and do yesterday’s workout that I wasn’t able to do. I had planned on doing the recovery workout this morning and then the scheduled workout this afternoon. Sadly, those dang plyometrics from the recovery got to me and I slightly strained my right hamstring. 😦 I am really not a fan of that type of workout…especially now. 😛

So, I will not be doing today’s workout for fear of further injuring myself. If you remember from my first attempt at Insanity, I injured myself around day 2, but continued to workout and made the injury even worse. I ended up having to sit out 3 weeks. I do NOT want to have a repeat of that…so I’m sitting out to allow it some time to heal. Needless to say, I’m frustrated again.

Day 36 (8-25-12)

Today was my nephew’s birthday party, so we all got up early to get ready and head out to the fire station! Sooo many kids and SOOOO much energy this afternoon, that we were all completely exhausted by the time we left. Little man and my niece were conked out in the backseat not even 5 minutes after we left.

Sadly, during the party, my kiddo had a fit on the floor and when I bent over to pick him up, I yanked on that injured hamstring. 😦 I just about cried. I was literally limping for the rest of the party and my frustration just tripled. I’m hoping come Monday it will feel better and maybe I can start back up again…just being a little more cautious.

Manic Monday: Insanity #7

Day 25 (8-13-12)

Today was Day 1 of the “rest” week…Core Cardio and Balance, but I didn’t do it. This past weekend was just way too stressful and after a very late night trip to the ER for little man last night (hit his head on the coffee table and got a nice gash…thankfully, no stitches), I needed a day to recover.

The damage 😦

This workout is the same one that is set for every day of this week, so I don’t feel like I missed something terribly important.

Day 26 (8-14-12)

Honestly, sitting out for a few days was GREAT! The reason why wasn’t so great, but it just goes to show you, I still do NOT like working out. Haha! I did manage to do today’s workout though! It wasn’t too bad. It’s around 40 min long and there are a lot of exercises that make your muscles fatigued, but you won’t get as worn out this week…what a relief! (Hubby tells me week 6 is a not a walk in the park though, so enjoy this “rest” week while you can.)

For the first time in ages I actually got slight foot cramps towards the beginning of the exercises today. I used to get cramps ALL the times when I was a kid and VERY bad ones at that. These were different though. It may have been due to the quick sideways movements I had to do for some steps, but this time is was the sides of my feet that cramped up (opposite my arches) and I’ve never had that happen. I paused the DVD, rubbed it out, put my shoes back on and got back to it. Didn’t have a problem with it again after that.

Also, towards the end, mainly once the end stretching started, I began to get light headed. Not sure if that’s because I sat out so many days and my body was just readjusting or what, but I sat down for a couple of minutes just to be safe (since I didn’t want to pass out on the floor :P). I don’t think this week is going to be so bad…especially after I get my body reacquainted with the torture I’ve been putting it through for a month. Ha!

Plus, we just had one major stressor lifted off our shoulders, so hopefully my workouts and my attitude will be better for this next round of Insanity blogging! (I think I heard some “YAY”s out there.) 😛

Day 27 (8-15-12)

Today it was extra hot in my house and I’m not sure why. We’ve actually had cooler temps this week, but it was burning up in the living room today. I even turned the main light off and did my workout with just the dome lights on.

It went a little better today! Only 1 foot slightly cramped up, but not enough to stop the workout. The way he lays out these exercises is really a LOT easier on the system than the previous workouts. It’s still a challenge, but hopefully you won’t find yourself dying to lay face down on the floor to catch your breath (like I usually did with the earlier workouts :P).

Ok…I tried to do a search for a funny image of someone on the floor after a workout…you know, to add a little comic relief…and THIS is what I got…

This is a JOKE, RIGHT? Pretty sure none of these people did a workout at all. I don’t even look that nice and pretty BEFORE a workout. 😛 Ok…maybe, the basketball player at the bottom right did SOME sort of exercise, but I’m kinda doubting it.

Anyways, I’m afraid the rest of this week might sound like a broken record, since it is the same workout every day, but I’m hoping each day I’m able to tell you it gets easier and easier. Nothing encourages like knowing something gets EASIER!!!…especially a workout!

Day 28 (8-16-12)

This Core Cardio and Balance workout was even easier today! Too bad you don’t just do this workout the whole program…I’d be able to do it in my sleep after a few more days! 😛 Guess that’s why you only do it for a week.

Downfall today was that I didn’t drink enough water before my workout. Result? I now have a killer headache. Did you know dehydration can lead to headaches? I did, and I still didn’t drink what I should have.

Be sure to drink PLENTY of water, before and after your workouts.

Here’s a little tidbit for you…

Coming from a Dr. who deals with breast cancer…Drinking water from plastic bottles that have been left in your car or out in the heat appears to be leading to breast cancer. The heat causes the chemicals in the plastic to be released into the water. After personally examining a handful of patients (none of which had breast cancer in the family), the common thread between them was they all drank a large amount of plastic bottled water. 

Not convinced? There are plenty of studies that back it up and still yet, many people who say it’s just not true. Why take the risk? My mom uses glass water bottles! We use a purifier at the house. In the long run it’s probably cheaper than continually buying plastic water bottles anyways. 

Day 29 (8-17-12)

Things are seeming a little ridiculous at our house. Once again I did not do my workout today. When I got little man up this morning, I discovered that he had thrown up in the bed (while this was saddening, it was not surprising…he usually sits quietly in his bed until we come get him…if it wasn’t for a video monitor, we’d think he slept all day :P). He threw up again very shortly after I got him up. I knew he hadn’t been exposed to anything, so I didn’t think it was a virus. He’s been putting his fingers in his mouth a lot lately (pretty sure he has some new teeth coming in in the back), so I’m almost positive he just got a bad germ in his mouth. Unfortunately, to be safe, I couldn’t let him eat anything for a few hours…which meant I couldn’t eat in front of him. How mean would that be? Since I usually workout at nap time, and I hadn’t had any food up till nap time, there was no way I would survive the workout.

Isn’t this pitiful? I had to distract him from not being able to eat by watching Cars. It worked for a while.

I’ve gotta get things back on track, b/c I know this next half of the workout is intense! Not really looking forward to it, but I am looking forward to the results!

Day 30 (8-18-12)

Today was the last official day of my “Recovery Week”. Since I missed Monday and yesterday, I’m tempted to do the workout again tomorrow. It’s supposed to be my rest day, but considering I already sat out 2 days this week, it shouldn’t hurt me. I’m just REALLY nervous about what the next few weeks have in store. I’ve watched the hubby do a couple of the workouts from the 2nd half and I will tell you now, it does NOT look easy.

If you haven’t been eating correctly so far, NOW is the time to make sure you do, b/c I’m pretty sure you’ll be worthless if you don’t. You’re going to need all the energy and nutrients you can get!

Say a prayer for me! I have a feeling I’m going to needs lots! Haha! 

I have a friend that is doing this workout and she is struggling with the fact that she is not losing any weight yet. She’s not far into the program yet, but she’s used to doing a good, hard workout and losing weight pretty quickly. It wasn’t until the end of this week that I started to see the numbers go down on the scale. And if you remember, I actually gained weight during the first part of the program…and so did the hubby. In all honesty though, you couldn’t notice the weight gain! If you read posts online from other Insanity users, SOOO many of them will tell you to NOT look at the scales. You need to go by your measurements!

When I started the program (the 2nd time), I weighed in at 120 lbs. I gained 2 more lbs. during the first few weeks (and I was eating healthier). I now weigh 119 lbs and I actually just started seeing the numbers drop THIS week…week 5. I’ve noticed my arms have firmed up, my thighs are much firmer and are toned in some areas, my calves are larger (praying I don’t have my grandmother’s thighs…she once got her jeans STUCK above her muscular calves b/c they were so big :P), and my abs are beginning to become more defined! Whether the lbs are coming off or not (according to my BMI, I only needed to lose around 7 lbs), my body is in MUCH better shape than it was before! That’s what I was trying to tell my friend. Stick with it! Whether this is a program that will help you drop the pounds or not, it WILL get you into much better shape and QUICKLY! If she can survive this, it will only help her with any other exercise routine she chooses to do! But I have a feeling she’ll lose weight if she sticks to it and eats healthy!

Manic Monday: Insanity #5

Day 13 (7-30-12)

I’m starting to get discouraged. I didn’t end the last week well (my fault) and today hasn’t helped either. Today was the Fit Test, to see how much your workout has improved over the last 2 weeks (this is the same test done on Day 1). Despite the fact I did everything right today, and I know my cardio has improved, my numbers didn’t increase much. I was better on each exercise, but on some just by 2 numbers. 😦 Not the kind of pick-me-up I was expecting after 2 grueling weeks of Insanity.

Oh well! No point in having a pity party. That won’t get me into better shape…unless I exercise while I cry…but then that would just dehydrate me faster. Nevermind!

Guess I’ll just stick it out for another 7 weeks. I mean, it’s not like I’m going to get fat or out of shape by sticking with it, right? 😉

Day 14 (7-31-12)

This is what I was thinking almost the whole workout today. Nothing seems more frustrating than having a drooping ponytail swipe your sweaty neck the entire time you are working out…oh wait…burning muscles is pretty frustrating too, but still…that ponytail thing is annoying. If only I had a little bit thicker hair, so it would stay wrapped up in that oh-so-attractive bun I put it in at the start. Haha! Oh well. 😛

Today was Plyometric Cardio Circuit again. This is a hard one…at least for me. The 2nd half of the workout has a lot of exercises that involve push-ups…and we all know how great I am at those. Needless to say, my arms were hurtin’ pretty bad there at the end. I think those exercises are supposed to be harder on your abs (b/c you keep your core tight during EVERYTHING), but clearly my abs are stronger than my arms. Haha!

I ate better, drank more water, and was able to last longer today! See…it does work better when you follow the plan! 😛 I confess though…I still do NOT like working out. I don’t enjoy feeling the “burn” and I’d honestly rather be taking a nap every day instead of putting in the next DVD. But, I have this stubbornness to me…have since I was little. I made up my mind that I was going to do this program, whether I like it or not. If you tell yourself you don’t have a choice, you wipe out that other little voice that says “skipping today won’t hurt me”. Cause you know what? You skip one day, you’re likely to skip another and before you know it, your back on the couch and wondering where you went wrong.

This is my reason for getting up every day and doing my next workout. For some people, they do it for themselves. Me, I do it for my kiddo…because I want to be there for all the amazing things he’s going to do and accomplish! I think, by making it about him, I have a greater responsibility to do it. That way, if I don’t do my workout, I’m not just letting myself down, but him as well…and I don’t want to do that.

Day 15 (8-1-12)

Today was my oh-so-favorite Cardio Recovery…aka Death to Thighs. Again, today is a break from cardio, but you will feel the burn. When I first did this workout I HATED it. Honestly…it wasn’t as bad today. I’m assuming this is a sign my muscles are getting stronger…just like I had hoped! If you don’t have a yoga mat, I would encourage you to get one before doing this workout. It’s not necessary, but you will be on your knees to start off some of the workouts…and if you crash b/c your legs give out, you’ll have that cushion there to protect them. 😉

I would suggest something like this from Walmart or this from Target! You want it to have enough cushion to protect your knees, but keep in mind you will be on this mat with your shoes on. Yoga mats are most often used when barefoot, so be sure you pick one that WON’T tear easily if your shoes grip it!

Earlier today (Wednesday), I posted a blog with a recipe that I tweaked to be healthier and more in line with the Insanity program. If you find it’s hard to cook meals your whole family will enjoy and that will still be healthy and not throw your workouts off track, you can check it out here. I’ll be posting more during the weeks to come on Healthier Hump Day (Wednesdays)!

Day 16 (8-2-12)

So, my sweet, sweet hubby comes home from work yesterday and seeing the yoga mat still on the floor, he asks “what workout did you do today?” I sarcastically responded “my favorite…Cardio Recovery.” He looked puzzled and informed me that is Thursday’s workout. I began to tell him that it’s Wednesday’s. He said the recoveries ARE on Thursdays, so I pull out the calendar and wouldn’t you know it…I did the wrong workout yesterday. Which means I got to do 2 workouts today (since I was supposed to do them yesterday). Punishment for not paying better attention…I know.

After doing Pure Cardio today, I’m beginning to see my mind change. I’m actually starting to dislike THIS workout more than Cardio Recovery…especially when you follow it with Cardio Abs. Now, I’ve always had pretty decent abs (it’s about the only thing that was in shape on me :P), but his workout makes me rethink that. It’s rough!…particularly the part where you are lifting both your straight legs up at the same time while your hands are by your side and your feet never touch the mat, like this…

Don’t you just love how she is smiling in that first pic? She’s awesome, but I don’t like watching her…she NEVER gives up. Psshhh!…overachiever. 😛

I know I’ve said this before, but it’s the truth. The more my cardio improves, the longer I can go in the workouts and the more tired I get. During the Fit Test, Sean asked the guy how he felt then compared to the first day he did the test. His response? “I feel the same.” His numbers had increased a good bit though. He’s pushing himself more b/c he can, so he feels just as tired as he did the first day, but his workouts have improved…and so will yours! Just stick with it! There are a lot of exercises that I am NOT fond of, but I never sit one out. I do them, so I can improve and that way they won’t be as hard the further into the program I get.

KEEP IT UP and PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR CALENDAR!!! 😛

Day 17 (8-3-12)

Today was a little rough for me. Not muscle-wise or because I was winded, I was just give slap out before the workout started. I’ve heard so many times that if you will workout during a particular time of the month (eh hem…ladies (sorry guys)), that you will feel less cramping and discomfort. I guess I will find out in the days to come and can report back to you. As of today…the previous 2.5 weeks apparently hasn’t helped yet. My legs felt like they had been given a tranquilizer and just didn’t want to hold me up today. Not sure how great of a workout I got today, but I did last until the end…almost in tears from tiredness, but managed to suck it up.

One thing I have noticed, and even the hubby kinda laughed at me for it…this white girl CAN’T jump. My push-ups are improving though! 🙂

Just in case you were wondering, this is how I blog every day (excuse the awful panelling…it’s getting painted ASAP)…

I finish my workout, get rehydrated, sit under the fan and blog that day’s workout before I get going with other things around the house or before I pass out on the couch. 😛 I take my breaks where I can get them, b/c once little man gets up from his nap, I can kiss those breaks goodbye. What is it about a mom sitting on a couch that makes a kid come running from wherever he is, only to THEN have a fit that momma won’t get up and come play?

Day 18 (8-5-12)

Did you see that? The date? Yep, I skipped doing the workout on Saturday again and did it today, Sunday. It’s for the exact same reason as last week. Auction day! We had a blast and I even won a power tools set with a free raffle, but was too tired by the time we got home from being out of the house all day.

Honestly, I was nervous about today. I was extremely tired this morning from it just being THIS week of the month. I slowly got myself ready to work out and you know what? It really wasn’t bad at all. I still have about 2-3 days left of possible torture, so I’ll just have to see how my body handles those days when they get here. But surprisingly, so far, so good! Maybe those “experts” do know what they’re talking about after all. I will say this though…I’m now EXHAUSTED and will probably take a nap as soon as I finish this post. It may not have been painful, but it was VERY tiring on my already tired body.

Again, this could have been an EASY excuse for me to sit out today, or even a few days for that matter, but what good would it have done me? I think it just gives me bigger brag rights when I finish this program. 😛 I’m kidding, I don’t brag to anybody, except my hubby and my momma. Haha!

Manic Monday: Insanity #3

Day 3 (07-18-12)

Today kicked my butt, but I have to admit, I wasn’t well prepared. Today may have beat out yesterday for most stressful day in a while. This didn’t help me with my eating plan too well. A lot of people eat when they’re stressed, but I’m the opposite. I managed to eat breakfast and lunch, but not much of it. I didn’t get in my mid-morning snack and I failed to drink a lot of water (HIGHLY recommended when doing Insanity). Funny how eating more will help you workout better (as long as it’s the right foods).

I still stuck it out and managed to finish…just with less energy this time and more out of breath. The fun thing, though, is that when you finish a workout like this, you look “cut” for a short while afterwards! Just a little bit in my case, but still…whatever helps to encourage, right?

Tiny abs starting to show again! Notice the photo is carefully cropped to omit the baby belly…not quite there yet 😉

Sooo…EAT RIGHT AND DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!!!!

DAY 4 (7-19-12)

Today was Cardio Recovery. Sounds like a break, right? If you consider burning thighs a break, then yes, it’s a break. 😛 Today was definitely a test of how long could my thighs hold me up for each exercise. The one pictured below seemed to be the hardest. Why?…

“Death to Thighs” exercise 😛

1. You start in this position, raise up to straighten your legs, only to go back down into this position…16 TIMES!

2. You stay in this position to barely raise up, only to go back down into this position (looks like a slight bounce…but it’s not a bounce).

3. You stay in this position and HOLD IT…and there are no breaks (or standing up straight) from 1-3.

4. Then you switch sides and do the other leg!!!

Yeah…cardio may not have been a factor today, but honestly…I think I’d rather have cardio over extreme muscle burn in my quads and hamstrings. But that’s just me. Haha!

DAY 5 (7-20-12)

“That s*#@ is BA-NANAS y’all”

Sean (instructor) pretty much summed it up right there…as he lay on the floor after the last exercise of today’s workout.  With 10 min left in the video he went over to one of the girls as she was doing Mountain Climbers and asked “How you feelin’?”. She exhaustedly responded “I wanna leave!” He immediately told her to take a break. He then tells them “I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m trying to make you feel better.” If you need to take a break, TAKE IT. I find it’s more important to cut one exercise short in order to take a break and be able to do the next exercise, than to stick it out for one whole exercise only to be too exhausted to even do the next one.

Today was PURE CARDIO and boy was it! Here’s the breakdown…

Minutes 38-34 – 7 warm-up exercises (I know a lot of people who would consider these warm-up exercises to be a complete workout if done longer. That is why this video is insane. What some consider a workout, Sean considers a warm-up.)

Minutes 34-31 – repeat those 7 warm-up exercises, but faster

Minutes 31-27 – repeat the 7 even faster

15 second water break

Minutes 27-21 – stretching…still a slight workout, but definitely gives your heart some time to slow down a little

30 second water break

Minutes 21-5 -round of 15 different exercises (some exercises consisting of more than one move)

1 minute water break

Minutes 4-finish – cool down stretching

FYI…I still prefer this workout over the Cardio Recovery that I did yesterday…even though my glutes were pretty sore this morning. 😉 I also felt the burn in my quads during some of the exercises today, but it wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t do them…just maybe couldn’t do them as long.

“DIG DEEPER” and stick with it!

DAY 6 (7-21-12)

Today was a repeat of day 2’s workout. I was able to last longer than I did on day 2, but I got tired a bit faster at the same time (maybe it was b/c I felt I could go longer…and did). I think part of my problem was I was in a room MUCH hotter than what I usually workout it (my mom’s living room with huge windows that let lots of sunlight (heat) into the room). We’re back in town today for personal matters and while the hubby was out handling stuff, me and the kiddo went to my mom’s house so he could take a nap. If this tells you anything about how committed I am to completing this time, I brought my workout clothes and the DVD workout. Yep…normal Lisa would have never even THOUGHT of doing that, but “Insane” Lisa did. 😛 My mom was in the room while I did it and she even told me “I know how much you hate working out…I’m impressed with how well you stuck with it!”

Extra red face after today’s workout…compliments of my mom’s toasty living room. 😛 **Smiling thru the pain and exhaustion…haha**

It is getting easier…on the body. I’m not as sore as I was the first few days, my heart rate has slowed a little during the exercises (which is good, b/c mine was high, but not so high it was dangerous), and I’m not as tired after the workouts. Mentally, I still hate working out though.

Note: If you are working out on a hard surface, like I am, be careful when going to your knees to take a break (mainly from the push-up position). I have bruised both of my knees this week by dropping, instead of lowering myself down into the child’s pose to rest. Whoops.

I’ve never had a bruise quite like this one. It actually seemed like more of a blood blister b/c it was raised. Pic on left is later the same day it happen and right pic is the next morning…the 3rd day it was lighter but covering almost my entire knee cap. The bruise on the right knee wasn’t as bad.

The pic below is my encouragement. He loves to “workout” with daddy and even requests us to put the “dance” video on so he can do it by himself. Kids soak up everything and I want to make sure he’s soaking up the right things. Seeing his momma and daddy eat better and exercise only sets a better example for him! A kid’s health/nutrition is determined by his/her parents…what kind of example are you setting for your children?

Doing the stretches after his workout! Very important…even for toddlers 😉

Insanity Workout: Day 2

DAY 2 – (07-17-12)

Note: I wrote this yesterday with the intention of keeping it a draft until I blogged the whole week in one post, but it ended up long and I didn’t want the weekly update to be a short novel, so I decided to go ahead and post it now.

I’m hoping this round goes without a hitch, but I started today with a lot of stress and worries on my mind…probably not the best way to start a workout (at least not for me). I’ve known some people to use stress to fuel their workout…this chick is not one of them.  I managed to make it through the majority of the workout just fine, but I think I found where I injured my calf last time…the exercise starts with 4 push-ups and then you “run it out”…like this…

Shot 1: Position after she jumps in the air and then lowers to jump into push-up position
Shot 2: Push-ups
Shot 3: “running it out”

I noticed my left calf getting stressed (where my right was just fine), so I sat out until those type exercises were done. I think it was just the overextension of the calf muscle when the leg “jumped” back out and landed/impacted in the push-up position. There were multiple ones that used this concept, like this…

Shot 1: Jumps to right side, keeping hands in place
Shot 2: Jumps back to push-up position
Shot 3: Jumps to left side, keeping hands in place

Shot 1: Push-up position
Shot 2: Jump to bring legs in between arms
Shot 3: Legs between arms before jumping back out to push-up position

The break I took is where the stress of the day finally hit me. Earlier in the workout (I workout during little man’s nap) I heard him crying “I want momma” thru the monitor. He wakes up in the middle of a nap crying maybe once every 2-3 months, if that. This threw me off to start with and then the pause I took made everything crash on me at once. So, my sit out time was spent wiping tears. 😦 As soon as the exercises I mentioned above were over, I jumped back up and finished the workout. I told you, I’m determined to finish it this time.

I think that’s where a lot of people have a problem with completing their workouts. The stress of the day gets to them and they’re too tired to do the exercises. There have been so many nights when Matt gets home from work and he’s beyond tired, but he has yet to miss a workout…sometimes not even getting in bed till 1am just b/c he was determined to get it done.

Here’s my little emotional rant, so bear with me…

People are too quick these days to find the easy way out. Pain —> pain meds. Overweight —> buy a product. Don’t feel like cooking —> fast food (I’m very guilty of this one). I’ve never been one to have to worry about the scales…I seem to have a fast metabolism, but that says nothing for my actual health. There are people much larger than me that have better stamina and eat better than I do. I watched my dad eat almost anything he wanted and he generally justified it with “I’ll work it off at the gym”. He joked about how his big belly was hard as a rock…”from working out”. It was hard as a rock, but that didn’t mean anything. Ironically, my dad passed away from a heart attack…AT THE GYM. You can’t eat whatever you want to and think that exercise will fix everything. You can’t eat whatever you want to and expect a pill or a supplement to burn the calories for you. YOU HAVE TO EAT RIGHT AND EXERCISE. There are a lot of things that go on in our lives that we have absolutely no control over, but our bodies is not one of them. We have control over what goes in it and how we treat it. I don’t know why it took me this long to personally come to that realization, but I’m working hard on gaining control over my body now. I’m being more careful about what meals I cook, the snacks we keep in the house, getting of my butt and doing physical exercise and trying my hardest to avoid drive-thrus (I fail at this sometimes, but not near as much as I used to). I want to be a healthy mom and wife. I want to be around to outlast these stressful times (which I’m praying will be over sooner rather than later). At this point, getting rid of the baby belly I’ve unwillingly held on to for 2.5 yrs is just an added bonus to getting back in shape. And yes, I used to be in shape…I used to be able to play 20+ games of tennis in this kind of heat without that long of a break. 😛

If you’ve been debating starting an exercise program, Insanity or some other one, I’d encourage you to do it. No one said they’re easy. If they were, there wouldn’t be so many people with weight/health problems. These things require hard work and dedication, but it pays off! If you’re a mom or a dad, do it for your kids…it’s tough as hell to live a life where one of your parents is no longer there. So get to it! Commit and stick to it! 🙂

Manic Monday: On a Tuesday

Yesterday was just too crazy for me to be able to actually blog Manic Monday on Monday.

First, I made the decision to start potty training the little man on the same day I started back with my Insanity workout after sitting out for 3 weeks due to an injury. Yeah…NOT a good idea.

He looked so dang cute in the big boy undies…too bad they didn’t last.

While I was very positive for the potty training (outwardly), I was a frustrated wreck on the inside by the afternoon. Long story short…he’s not ready and I’m ok with that. Honestly, I wasn’t in a huge hurry to train him, but most of our friends kids that are his age are already trained, so we kinda felt like maybe we were a little behind. After today, I don’t really care…HAHA! I actually had quite a few comments and messages on FB from friends who had kids that were late learners too and it made me feel a lot better! He has been waking up dry from naps and in the morning, so I thought the timing was good. The truth is, he still doesn’t want to communicate that he has to go and no amount of bribery (or a tad bit of threatening) worked on him. So, the undies he went through yesterday have already been washed and put away for another day.

Now…back to the workout. I started back over from day one, since I had only made it through 3 days before I injured my calf. (If you missed the first 2 entries for Manic Monday: Insanity workouts, you can check them out here and here.) The first day is the fit test and the first go round, it kicked my butt. This time (since I was starting over) I wrote all my new numbers down and was surprised that I had an improvement…even after sitting out 3 weeks.

All my measurements were the same as the first blog entry, except I now weigh 120 instead of 117. No judgements, please…I was laid up on the couch for quite a few days with my injury and had a birthday (with 2 cakes) during my recovery time. Here’s a comparison of my Fit test from the first round to this time…

Switch kicks – 55 —> 60

Power jacks – 30 —> 35

Power knees – 62 —> 70

Power jumps – 15 —> 21

Globe jumps – 5 —> 6

Suicide jumps – 7 —> 14

Push-up jacks – 6 —> 13

Low plank oblique – 25 —> 37

It was a lot easier this time and I had more energy and didn’t get out of breath as much. Maybe it’s a mental thing that made it easier for me this time…some sort of inner determination to make it from start to finish this time.

Needless to say, after the potty training horror that morning/afternoon and an Insanity workout after that, I was BEAT. Luckily, a nice lady on Facebook (whom I don’t know) gave me an early shopping pass to a local consignment market and I was able to finish the day off with some shopping therapy!!!

My haul! He’s got a good start to the fall and got some prizes too. The Cars book with sounds and steering wheel was only $2!!!

Despite the rough morning and afternoon, we both ended the night on a positive note! I got my shopping in and he got to drag race cars on his daddy’s phone, dressed as a superhero! 🙂

Manic Monday: Let the Insanity Begin!

**To start, I intend to be extremely honest about my personal experience with this exercise program. If I fail, you will know it. If I succeed, you will know it. If I cry, puke, skip a day, etc., you will know it. Please no negative comments! Exercise for me is difficult enough, so if you can’t be encouraging, do NOT post a comment.**

A couple of months back, the hubby and I got sucked into a late night infomercial for the workout Insanity. We quickly saw that it definitely earned it’s name! (If you aren’t familiar with the program, you can check it out HERE.) We knew about P90X and neither of us really felt motivated to do it…maybe it was the 90 day part (seems long for someone who doesn’t work out at all and doesn’t enjoy it). But, we got totally sucked into the Insanity program (60 days). The results appeared to blow P90X out of the water (no offense to those of you who do or have done P90X…anyone who sticks to a program like either of these gets major props in my book!). The downfall for us was the sticker price on it…retails for around $150. Luckily I recently found it brand new on eBay for less than $100. Father’s Day present…check! Now I hadn’t originally planned on doing this with the hubby, but once he opened it, one of the first things he asked was “You gonna do it with me?!” Ummmmm…”we’ll see”. If you’re familiar with the program, you know that you can EARN a t-shirt that says “Insanity” on the front and “I earned it” on the back by submitting before and after pics of yourself along with some forms that have your before and after measurements. If I was going to do this, I was gonna finish and earn that shirt, so I took my “before” pics just in case I decided to it. Well, let me tell you, those pics answered for me…Insanity, it is!

There is a warning with this workout and they strongly encourage you to get approval from your Dr. before starting it. Ummm, yeah…we didn’t do that. So, this is me saying get approval first…don’t just do what we did. I don’t have any medical reason not to start the program and Matt knows he has bad knees and knows his limits. I’m not the type to try and keep up with the instructor if I physically can’t and I’ll stop for a break if I start to feel faint.

Included in the kit is a nutrition guide. There are formulas for you to plug in your specific weight, measurements, goals and whatnot to determine how much you should eat and what types of foods you should eat…strictly for keeping your body prepared for the workouts (they’re super intense). This is NOT a diet, although the nutrition guide is a good start to improving your every day eating habits. I’m going to tell you up front, I will NOT be following the guide 100%. I’m a very picky eater and I love my sweets, but I am trying my hardest to get the nutrients I need in my daily diet, so I can complete these workouts without faceplanting the floor.

With all that said, I’ll show you my starting numbers, just so there is something to refer back to once I get farther along in the workout plan. They won’t mean much to you personally, but it may help you to see how I improve each week (hopefully I’ll improve :P). I’m not very big, but I’m also not the healthiest person. I have a fast metabolism, but I can’t run a 1/4 mile without getting totally exhausted. So, I mean it when I say, if I can do this, so can you!

These are the figures Insanity requires when submitting your pics for the shirt…

Weight: 117

Pants/Dress size: 4

Body fat percentage: 26% (this seemed high to me, but to get in a healthier bracket, I would need to lose 7 lbs…which would be the remainder of my pregnancy weight and some pounds off my thighs!)

Chest: 33″

Waist: 27″

Hips: 38″

Legs (thigh): 22″

Arm (bicep): 10.5″ (don’t laugh)

(I’ll post my before pics once I have pics that show improvement :P)

DAY 1 WORKOUT

Today’s workout was strictly the fit test. It’s a good bit shorter than the actual workouts and has a lot of long breaks (which the workouts do not). This test is to give you a starting point so you can measure your improvement over time. I’ll retake this same one every two weeks and keep track of my number of reps I can do for each exercise in the test. I actually did better than I thought I would (I was expecting pretty poor results, since I haven’t done any form of exercise since long before my kiddo was born…except walking on the treadmill, which didn’t last long AT ALL).

I chugged water all morning long and had already had 2 of my 5 meals for the day (the breakdown for meals is included in the nutrition guide). I admit, that during some of the exercises, I stopped to take short breaks and one I stopped altogether after only a handful of reps b/c my ears got hot and they started to ring (my sign for an approaching black out). Know your limits!!! I also planned ahead and took 1 Ibuprofin before I began and will take another before bed tonight. They suggest taking Ibuprofin in the guide. There are 8 exercises in the fit test. I checked my heart rate after the 6th and it was at 164…normal rate being around 85. I did good for the first half when I took breaks…standing up. After that, my butt hit the floor for the breaks. I drank a good bit of water during the breaks too which helped me get through the exercises, but just about did me in on the cool down stretches of all things. There was a lot of being upside down and lunges where my stomach was being squished on my thigh. So my throw up factor was high just from the water being sloshed around, but not from the workout itself.

All in all, it wasn’t as bad as I expected for even the warmup, and I prepared for sheer torture.

As long as I stay on track, I plan to blog every Monday…Manic Monday! I’ll give an update from the previous week’s workouts. The posts probably won’t be this long (since this is the main intro post), but hopefully they’ll give you enough information/encouragement.

If you have any questions about what I’m personally doing or about the workouts, etc, just ask! I’ll be happy to answer! 

Lisa 🙂