Asylum Day 10 - Third of the Way to Done!

Well, today marks the 1/3rd point in my Asylum workout program.  Lucky for me, Day 10 is a stretch only day because I am sore today.  This workout is killing my upper back and shoulders but hopefully in a good way.

What I can say about this series so far is that it is probably great for athletes looking to improve their game.  For people with the will power to follow the diet plan that comes with it, you'll probably get very lean and strong.  I though cannot follow the diet, or any diet, so I take what results I can get from just doing the workouts alone and attempting to eat better.  Notice I say attempting.  We will not mention the 10 chocolate chip cookie emotional eating binge last night or the box of Samoas that disappeared over the weekend.

Results so far - well, I did wear a somewhat fitted tee shirt today with my jeans.  I do not usually do that because of those darn love handles.  So, I guess my mid section has gone down somewhat.  Other than that, any visible results will be hard for me to pinpoint right now as it's been a crappy week and I just feel icky, ugly and bloated.  But the workout is fun and has been keeping my attention so that's a good thing.

One thing I love about this is that the workouts are all under an hour, most between 38 and 45 minutes which is ideal.  There is one workout called Game Day which is the mother workout and it is about 60 minutes.  I will do that for the first time tomorrow on Day 11.  Eeek!  I also love that the program lasts only 30 days.  After that you can chose to repeat it or do one of the hybrid programs outlined in the package which combine Asylum with either P90X or Insanity or just move on to something new.  It's too soon to say for sure, but I think the 30 day Asylum/P90X workout may follow for me.

Pics to follow at Day 30.  Would love to hear if any of you have considered this workout or what you are doing these days!

You can follow my girl Laura for more in depth reviews and info about each of the workouts in Asylum at her blog, A Mom's Journey to Staying Fit & Fabulous.  Fit and Fabulous she is too.  Laura has been doing Beachbody workout programs back to back and in combination for over a year and looks rockin'!  Go check out her triceps.  :)

Have a great week.

Day 1...Again. A Workout Post

Where oh where have the workout posts been?  Well, I'll tell ya.  Nobody's been working out.  I keep starting and stopping.  Most recently I made it through one week of P90X followed by two random workouts the following week.  And I've been eating pretty poorly.  So, since my jeans were quite tight in the waist the other day, I decided to get back on track with a new program that will hopefully keep my attention.  The problem before?  Dedicating an hour + to workouts.  I just can't do it.

The decision was made to go back to the month 1 Insanity workouts.  Most of them are under 40 minutes.  Perfect.  I will do those 5 to 6 mornings a week subbing in some other DVDs here and there for review purposes, and hopefully 3 nights a week I will do some P90X or other strength workouts.

Just to make sure I keep up with it, I am posting my sad Day 1 photos.  These were taken immediately prior to starting my first Insanity workout on Saturday morning so please excuse the lack of makeup.

The part I'm most anxious to see leave?  The damn muffin top.  Oh how I hate you!

Now I know these aren't the worst before photos in the world, but having been in shape and somewhat fit my entire life, I'm disappointed with my body.  I'm not complaining and calling myself fat, nor am I striving to look like a supermodel, but I don't feel this body truly represents who I am.

More pictures in 30 days.  Hopefully we'll be well on our way to amping up the sad booty, getting rid of the spare tire, and bringing back the muscles!  Expect more healthier recipes too.

Am I the only one who's fallen off the wagon this winter?  What are you doing to get back in shape?

A Year Later - Where's My Workouts??

This week marks one year since I started attempting to get fit once again.  A year ago this week I was busting my rear five days a week with Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred.  I then added in Jillian Michaels: No More Trouble Zones and Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism.  Got bored with that after a month or so and moved on to Workout: One-On-One Training with Jackie and Personal Training with Jackie: Power Circuit Training, Jackie Warner DVDS (all of which I highly recommend).

I finally rounding out this past summer with P90X Extreme Home Fitness Workout Program and then my husband and I almost completed Insanity: The Ultimate Cardio Workout and Fitness DVD Program. 

Well, that all ended a few months ago and I've tried about five times to do another round of P90X.  Never seemed to get passed that first week.  This winter is just kicking my behind and I have zero motivation.  But, given the fact that it's been a year and right now I don't feel much more in shape than I did when I started last year, I'm back on the horse.  Today is day 3 of P90X...again.

So hopefully I will be able to post some more workout updates and reviews to help us (and by us, I mean me) shake off the last of the holiday weight gain and that stinky winter "coat", and get back into kick ass shape.  And really, have you seen what I've been eating lately???!!  Goodness, I need some way to work that off too!

Thanks to all my fitness followers for sticking with me through this little dry spell.  Here's to tight abs, strong legs and a lifted booty in the near future!

Note: The above links are Amazon affiliate links.  They are just easier than adding the links on my own.  My blog does not generate any income.

X-Sanity Plus - Week 2

Still adjusting to not working out in the mornings.  The worst thing about it is that sometimes I run out of time or something comes up (work, headache, kid's event) that prevents me from working out.  Also, I don't find that I bring the same intensity to the workout that I would in the morning.  A few nights my I just felt really full so it was hard to really jump around comfortably.

But, still managed to get in five workouts this week.  Here's how it went:

Day 1 - P90X Chest & Back, Jackie Warner Abs Only Circuit from Power Circuit Training
Day 2 - Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance
Day 3 - P90X Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper
Day 4 - Rest (grrrr, migraines)
Day 5 - Rest (grrrr, not enough hours in the day)
Day 6 - Bob Harper Body Rev Cardio Conditioning
Day 7 - P90X Legs & Back, Insanity Cardio Abs

My husband and I were chatting about working out, eating, etc. earlier in the week and we agree that we have both put on a few pounds since wrapping up Insanity.  Can't tell you how much as we don't own a scale, but I've felt a little "puffy" so maybe two or three pounds (all in the midsection, of course).  I think the main reason is that we are still eating as though we are doing Insanity.  A few nights this week I just felt way too full after dinner.  So, we are going to try to get back on track with cooking at home, watching what we eat and all that really fun (not) stuff.  :)

One thing I'm noticing too is that I'm so bored with my workout selections.  Mostly the cardio ones, but even the P90X videos are getting on my nerves.  Anybody have any good suggestions for cardio workouts that are somewhat intense but preferably not over 45 minutes long?  If so, I'd love to hear about them.  Thanks muchly!!

Have a great Turkey week!

X-Sanity Plus - Week 1

Completed my first week of the P90X, Insanity and other random stuff workout.  It feels good to be back into some strength training.  I missed it even more than I thought I did.  What else is different is that I'm working out in the evenings sans hubby.  After several weeks of being unable to drag myself out of bed, I decided that perhaps this time of year workouts need to be done in the evening for me.  So, every night at about 7pm, I push play.  My husband started morning workouts this morning.

This week's schedule for me was as follows:

Day 1 - P90X Chest & Back, Ab Ripper
Day 2 - Insanity Pure Cardio
Day 3 - rest (unintentional)
Day 4 - Jillian Michael's Shred it With Weights, Level 2
Day 5 - P90X Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper
Day 6 - Cathe Kick, Punch & Crunch
Day 7 - rest

My legs were super duper sore after the JM's workout and then Cathe came along and really drove that soreness home.  I'll review those two DVDs after I give them another whirl or two, but for now, I think I like them and will keep them in the mix.

I'm enjoying giving myself the flexibility to choose different DVDs depending on my mood.  The weekly schedule will change quite a bit week to week, but the three strength days from P90X will always be there.  Love, love, love them!  :)

Hope everybody is having a great week.  Guess it's time to gear up for the holidays.  Any day now all those delicious baked goodies will be popping up everywhere!  Must stay on track with my workouts so I can enjoy.

Insanity - The End! My Review

Hey there folks!  Sorry for the late review post.  Life has once again gotten a bit hectic.  Work for me, in my freelance job, is always feast or famine.  Right now, we've got a huge feast going on.  :)  Now, on to the Insanity review.

Photo credit

First things first - We did not complete the Insanity program as it was meant to be done.  We skipped most of the second to last week and then decided to go back to the Month 1 workouts for our last week. So these opinions and results are based on that fact.

My husband and I both really enjoyed all of the Month 1 workouts.  They were challenging (especially that first week) and fresh.  With each repetition of a workout you can feel yourself getting farther and farther along with less trouble - which is very motivating.  It was great to see our progress from Week 1 to Week 3.  After that though, we pretty much stayed the same as far as fit test results go, which is totally fine with me. 

Unfortunately, our love for the program came to a screeching halt at Month 2.  After the first week we both mentioned that the workouts seemed too frantic, too long and too repetitive.  There were also several complex moves that I felt could cause injury if not done perfectly (and I most likely don't do ANY of the moves perfectly).  We made it two very long feeling weeks before calling it quits and going back to the Month 1 workouts for the remainder.

The problem with Month 2, in my opinion and for my personal taste, is that it gets boring.  In Month 1 several of the workouts contain interval training consisting of three or four exercises done for 30 to 60 seconds each in two to three minute intervals, each interval then being performed three times.  Now for me three times is a bit much (for reference, intervals in P90X are only repeated twice).  I get bored and start craving variety, but for three minutes at a time, I can handle it.  Enter Month 2 and the intervals jump to eight minutes or more.  So after repeating three times, that is 24+ minutes of repeating the same movements.  It was just too repetitive for me.  I lost interest and ended up really dreading getting up in the morning for our workouts.  The only Month 2 workout I really enjoyed was Max Cardio because there were NO intervals, just pure sweat and hard work.

Also, I felt extremely tired all day after starting it with a 60 minute sweat fest.  To keep my body fueled for that type of activity just didn't seem possible.  There are only so many calories one can consume in a day.

Results - my husband visibly slimmed down from his face to his feet.  Both of us experienced great jumps in our stamina and an overall feeling of "tightness".  I, on the other hand, did not start out with any actual weight to lose but wanted to tighten up the butt and loose some of that extra belly fat.  What I got was a firmer and lifted butt and some very strong and toned legs - very happy about that.  The belly?  Well, that's still there, but I hear that good abs are made in the kitchen and to be honest, my kitchen doesn't usually produce the dishes necessary for good abs.  Living on salads and carefully counted carb, protein, veggie ratios is just not something I'm good at, nor do I desire to be.

So, in closing, we did enjoy Insanity.  If we did the Month 1 program for both months I'd have been happy.  And I think that is an option that will bring great results for most people.  What I missed was weight training.  I feel I lost a lot of muscle and strength in my upper body and abs since completing P90X and trying Insanity.  If you aren't as easily bored as me, you will probably enjoy both months of Insanity.  For people with extra weight to lose or who wish to increase their cardio activity, I highly recommend it.  For people with any type of leg, knee or back problems, this is probably not for you.  All of the workouts are very high impact.  The new sneaks (Mizunos in fact) I purchased at the start were completely out of cushioning and support by week 5!

What's next?  We are now in our first week of a P90X/Insanity combo.  I am following the P90X workout calendar and just subbing out most of the X cardio days with Insanity workouts from Month 1.  I also plan to incorporate a few other DVDs into the plan as I have several new ones that I want to test out and review, including Jillian Micheal's Shred it With Weights and Six Week Six Pack which should arrive by month's end.

I'll try to post progress pics later in the week although I don't really have visible results.

Have a great day all!!

Insanity - Week 8 Round Up

This week we missed not one, not two, but THREE workouts in a row and then our last one of the week when my husband's alarm didn't go off this morning.  I can blame work (several weeks of 10-14 hour days, weekends included) and being tired for the first three, but to be honest, I just really wanted a break.  I was getting a little overwhelmed with life and my limited free time lately and if felt good to just lounge in bed with my husband and the dog for that extra hour.

But, we eventually got back into it on Thursday by skipping the "recovery" day and doing what I consider to be the most beneficial workout, Max Cardio and Cardio Abs.  Read that as no annoying interval repetition and some hard core ab-focused work.  I'll try to get two more workouts in this week - we'll see.

As for results - yeah, whatever was done has been undone.  A very stressful, let's see, month?  Two months?  Year?  And my recent moment of clarity about some unhappiness in my life which I have apparently been trying to quell with cookies, cakes, carbs, you name it, have all just taken over.  I won't say I'm suddenly unfit, but I've really fallen pretty hard off the wagon and that belly bagel has made a reappearance.  I'm trying to find the energy and conviction to continue on and finish up Month 2 of Insanity but am not 100% sure that's going to happen.  Do I feel guilty about it?  Not really.  As mentioned before, I just don't really "dig" Month 2.  I'm anxious to move on to something different.  I need my weight training back again.

So, perhaps next week we will have my last week round up post or perhaps not.  I will, however, write up my review of Insanity either way.

For now, I will wallow in my dark mood, try not to purchase every ingredient for all the delicious dessert recipes I've recently printed out, and work out whatever I have to work out in my mind and life.  After that, I'll get back to the kind of working out I prefer - weight training AND varied cardio!

Insanity - Week 7 Round Up

Sleep. Eat (pancakes, waffles, cake, pie, pizza, chocolate). Work. Nap. Work. Eat more. Work. Sleep. Work. This is my life right now. Hate the change of seasons!  My body thinks it's time to hibernate.  All you have to do is look at the recipes I've been posting lately to see that I've kind of put the whole healthy living/good things in moderation thing on hold.  And work?  Ooof, don't even get me started on that.  The last time I had a day off (from work that is, because as we know, moms don't get a day off) was for my brother's wedding weeks ago.

Ok, back to Insanity.  Are we done yet??  PMS and another week of dragging my sorry butt through these workouts giving them very little effort.  I just can't get into the swing of things lately.  I'm so exhausted, I'm working my butt off (for work, not my workouts), and all I want to do is sleep and eat!  And my husband and I agree, the Month 2 workouts don't seem to flow as nicely as Month 1 and there is much greater opportunity for injury.  Or maybe we're just over the whole thing, who knows!

I missed my first workout this week too.  Opted to stay in bed.  Perhaps I'll make it up after the final week, perhaps not, I'm really not sweating it.  But hopefully I won't miss any more.  Only 2 more weeks to go!

Progress:  Going to toot my own horn here, but wow, my legs look great.  I've very happy with the results there.  They are tight and toned, woohoo.  So I've got tight, lean legs and a firm butt, all topped off with a pudgy midsection.  Sexy!  :)

Last week I mentioned a little "2 pack" beginning, but the aforementioned diet has sent them running and I can't find them.  LOL  Anyway, pictures in 2 weeks - hoping I have something to show for all this torture!

Hope everybody else is still doing well and resisting the urge to hibernate and "fatten up" for the winter.  Maybe I was a bear in a past life cuz if I continue to be too lazy to even shave my legs, this could be me.

Insanity Week 6 Round Up

Well, well, well, so this is Month 2 of Insanity.  Oh. My. Freakin'. Goodness!!!  After this week of hard core working out, my rear is dragging - I mean REALLY dragging.  This is just too much.  Honestly, I enjoyed Month 1.  I mean it was hard, but it was doable and I felt I was burning calories and fat.  But Month 2, in my opinion, is a little above and beyond.

Do I feel happy with myself that I can do it and did do it (for the most part)?  Yes.  Do I feel that this type of thing is necessary?  No.  Mind you, I don't believe this was created as something people should do for months and months on end either.  But, there are many twisting moves here that can really cause someone injury.  And trying to do push ups at the speed depicted in the DVDs, I don't see how that is good.  I know my form is off as my entire upper back is very sore to the touch and my chest feels fine, so that may be coloring my opinion here, but to me, I don't feel this is a good and safe workout for most individuals.  Again, this is just my opinion and to be honest, I've been extremely cranky all week so next week I may be saying woohoo, everybody and their mother should be doing Insanity.  For now though, I think Month 1 is certainly enough of a challenge, and coupled with a clean and healthy diet, enough for most people to see results and increase their stamina.

BUT, I did commit and I will continue to the end.  We have three weeks left and I will succeed and provide my honest review of the program as a whole upon completion.  And since we're being honest here, I will most likely purchase and do Asylum when it is released as well (I apparently get a thrill out of beating myself to a pulp), but I am taking many breaks during the workouts and am being mindful not to push myself too far so as to cause injury or utter and complete exhaustion.

The hubs is still with me as well. I lost him for half of Friday's workout because he started to feel a little nauseous (yeah, it's THAT intense), but even half a workout is better than nothing - especially half of an Insanity workout!

Results so far - My upper abdominal muscles and obliques are rockin'.  Dare I say there is the teeniest bit of a "2 pack" beginning?  Possibly.  Lower abs?  Well, I like my carbs and the cooler weather has me putting away a bit more of the sugary treats than usual, AND my job entails mostly sitting on my rear end at a desk staring at a computer monitor, so...  Legs and booty are continuing to firm up.  I don't feel I have that "cut and toned" look that I would love, but at my age, that may just be a pipe dream anyway and I'm fine with that.  So long as I feel good in my skin and my clothes are fitting comfortably and I'm keeping fit, I am happy.  For me it's really about maintaining a healthy lifestyle so I can stick around for my kiddos, husband and pup and set a good example for them.  That HAS to be what it's about for me - otherwise I'll never be happy with the results.

Have a great, great weekend!

Insanity - Week 5 Round Up

Well, this post is a few days late due to my brother's action packed wedding weekend and then my being totally exhausted yesterday.  But, we just finished our recovery week and actually started Month 2 of Insanity this morning.  We are at the half way mark and still pushing through.  Together no less.  He's sticking it out with me.

At the beginning of last week I was thinking ahhhh, recovery week.  A nice, calm week full of yoga, stretching and rest.  NOT!!  I was pleasantly surprised by how intense Core Cardio and Balance was.  I always fear recovery weeks because I feel like I'm going to gain a ton of weight, and with Insanity I also feared getting bored doing the same DVD for six days in a row.  But, my fears were unfounded.  The new program was a welcome change from the same old movements and drills and if I did gain any weight this week it's because of the darned cookies I baked and could not stop eating coupled with the most fabulous wedding food I have ever tasted on Saturday.  Thankfully, I got my white girl groove on during the reception and hopefully burned off a bit of that with my spastic movements.  Hey, you don't have to be coordinated to move it.  :)

My thoughts now that we are one month in?  Well, it's a tough program for sure.  It is also not for everybody.  My body feels like it's really been taking a beating.  I'm not sure one is meant to do high impact aerobic activity six days a week, but for two months we'll see how it goes.  I do feel some increases in my stamina and my lower half has definitely tightened up.  So, I'm still happy with our decision to give this a go.  I know Month 2 is going to kick my butt.  We did the first day today and it was hard, but I won't get into that now - you'll have to wait until the end of the week (if I'm still alive that is)!

Have a great week everybody.

Insanity - Week 4 Round Up

Oh yeah, today we finished our first month of Insanity!!  Now on to the recovery week and not a moment too soon as my hips and right arch are really starting to feel it.  Soon it's Insanity month two - which I hear is grueling.  Eeek!

I'm happy to report that this is the week I finally started to see some of those stubborn fat areas begin to shrink.  That's right, I'm talking about those love handles and the belly button doughnut.  Buh-bye!  By no means are they completely gone, but they are starting to go, well, they were before I started baking (and taste testing) for my sister's birthday.  Anyway, the fact that they were starting to leave makes me very happy as I thought, given my age and having had two kidlets, they were here to stay.  But goodness knows, we are really working hard for what little progress we are getting.  These workouts are very intense but thankfully, effective.

My husband's sides have started slimming down too.  He has not reported looser clothing yet, but honestly, his pants were getting pretty snug when we started so even better fitting is an improvement.  Me on the other hand, after purchasing quite a bit of new clothing last year (mostly jeans), they are now too big.  I spend the day having to hike up my pants every time I stand up and last year's skinny jeans are not quite skinny enough.  Woohoo!!  My wallet is not too happy though about having to go out for new jeans again.

Diet - well, still not doing so well here.  I crave carbs and sugar!  Salads just make me hungry for something else, anything else.  But, I'm still trying.  Did some fun stuff with butternut squash this week and actually really enjoyed it.  I'm going to take Melissa's advice and try some soups too.

My opinion of Insanity so far - I like it, really like it.  It is hard work, it makes you sweat and grunt and groan (and curse like a truck driver), but it works.  Again, it's not muscle building which I do wish was incorporated somewhere, but it is certainly fat shedding and really works on firming those lower extremity muscles.  If you want a nice tight butt and legs, Insanity is for you!  Have I mentioned my hubby is a leg and butt man?  So yeah, this has been nice so far and even I will admit to frequently grabbing my own butt these days to "check my progress".  ;-)

Hope everyone else is sticking with it.  Have a great weekend!!

Insanity - Week 3 Round Up

This week I had to do a few workouts sans partner.  :(  My Mr. got a crappy tattoo fixed up, so he was healing and missed two days - one of which was the recovery day though so I'll give him a break.  And the new ink looks fantastic versus the kindergarten-esque one he had before.  I know he's much happier now as it's in a fairly visible spot on his arm.  And that has what to do with Insanity?  Anyway...

On the recovery day no less, I tweaked my left knee somehow.  Seriously, it happened during the stretching.  Ugh!  Of all the crazy moves and jumping up and down in this program, I twist my knee while stretching.  What a dork!  But I woke up the next morning good as new.

Have I been noticing results?  Well, I notice that I get through the work outs with fewer breaks most days.  My upper abs feel tighter as do my legs.  As far as visible results go though, I cannot see any.  I'm pretty sure a lot of that has to do with my diet which seems to be slowly regressing back into old habits.  I'm not sure if it's the cooler weather or just change of seasons in general (or stress), but the fat content of my meals has increased and many of my meals are ending with a dessert.  Will try to work on that this week.  I have a spinach salad planned for lunch - which I will admit sounds sooo incredibly boring and unfulfilling right now.  LOL  But, we have to do what we have to do.  And I have my baby bro's wedding to attend in just two weeks!  Hello motivation!

Hope everybody else is doing good on their fitness programs.  How's the diet going for you?  Does change of seasons affect the foods you crave?

Insanity - Fit Test #2

Week 3 of Insanity starts out with the grueling Fit Test.  My husband and I both did better this time around, but I have to say, none of the workouts thus far have left me as winded and gasping for air as this Fit Test did.  I think I was having a somewhat off morning to start out, but wow, I really got wiped out after this.  And afterwards, we took the kids to Great Adventure, so needless to say, I slept REALLY well last night.  Almost didn't get up to work out this morning, but I knew I had a crazy day and there was little chance I would work out later tonight.  This is why I do it in the morning!

So, here we go, our fit test results compared to last week.  Minor improvements to mine, but my husband really rocked it this week.

Betty's Fit Test Result Comparison:
Switch kicks (2 kicks = 1 rep) - 63 --> 65 (+2)
Power jacks - 52 --> 53 (+1)
Power knees - 85 --> 115 (+30)
Power jumps - 43 --> 51 (+8)
Globe jumps (4 jumps = 1 rep) - 10 --> 12 (+2)
Suicide jumps - 19 --> 20 (+1)
Push up jacks - 22 --> 24 (+2)
Low plank oblique - 50  --> 56 (+6)
 
Mr.'s Fit Test Result Comparison:
Switch kicks - 52 --> 65 (+7)
Power jacks - 43 --> 59 (+16)
Power knees - 62 --> 91 (+29)
Power jumps - 26 --> 36 (+10)
Globe jumps - 6 --> 9 (+3)
Suicide jumps - 5 --> 16 (+11)
Push up jacks - 18 --> 23 (+5)
Low plank oblique 30 --> 49 (+19)
 
As you can see, my man really improved in just 2 weeks (and power jacks better than me, grrrr).  Very proud of him for sticking with it and only missing one workout so far.  Seeing how fast he's improving has really given me a kick in the pants to step it up too!  I cannot be outdone, no way, not by a hair dresser!!  :)  Just kidding, he knows I love him dearly, but seriously, my competitive nature will NOT let me fall behind anyone.
 
What gets you guys motivated?

Insanity - Week 2 Round Up

Another week of Insanity done.  Phew - we are getting worked to the bone here!  Still loving the workouts, still improving each day, still ending up a sweaty panting mess.  A tad bored with the repetition, a few of the workouts are repeated twice in a week and most of the warm ups are exactly the same.  I also miss my weighted workouts and am squeezing them in when I can.  But, I feel results even if they are not quite visible yet.  I think all this cardio is exactly what I need to enhance my P90X results.

We also had a new workout on the last day.  Cardio Abs AFTER Pure Cardio!  Why anyone would want to do another workout right after Pure Cardio is beyond me, but it is there, and after huffing through, I can see why.  Cardio Abs in and of itself wouldn't really do it for me.  Probably wouldn't feel like much of a workout, but AFTER the hell of Pure Cardio - geez, it was tough.  My body was already fatigued, my core was already worked pretty darn hard, and heck, I was all sweaty.  I HATE getting all down on my mat when my stomach is all wet and nasty.  It just grosses me out.  But we both prevailed.  Hubby had a much harder time as he has not done any core work in quite some time.  P90X gave me a really good base to work off of and I made it through almost all of the exercises without a break.  Those last plank moves though, my shoulders just kept giving out.  I think they are my weakest link which is so funny because I've always had somewhat large, broad shoulders.  Anyhoo...

Unfortunately, the diet front is not so great.  I have been going crazy for carbs (and cookies, chocolate, etc) for about a week now.  I will go an entire day without eating one veggie.  This we will have to work on.  I'm hoping now that things have calmed down around here, my meal planning will go better and lead to more veggies getting into our bodies.

So, until next week, keep pushing play, keep your body moving and for goodness sake, eat some veggies!!

Insanity - Week 2, Day 1 & 2

Dare I say the workouts are getting easier?  I guess easier isn't the right word, but I'm making it through with fewer breaks.  The breaks I do take are much later into the workout, usually during the exercises done from plank position (ski abs - oh how I hate you while I love you).  My shoulders and arms just can't hold up to last to the end.  But, I'll take any progress as good progress.  I noticed my husband is much further into his stretches than he was when we started too (which wasn't very far at all).  And no more back pain for me - guess I improved my form.

My view so far: The workouts are intense and effective.  I think my belly went down a little already and my butt is firmer.  I do wish there were more muscle building exercises incorporated, but Insanity was not meant to be that kind of workout - although I did pick up the upper body weight training DVD via eBay that apparently came with the deluxe Insanity package.  Guess I just miss the weight training from my P90X run and I have gone back to them on my rest days so far.  The ideal program would combine Insanity's cardio and P90X's weight training - that would be awesome!  I'm also getting bored with the warm up already.  It's the same thing for the same 9 minutes most of the week.  A little more variety would have been nice.  But, I like it.  I feel so good and energized when I'm done.  The ultimate endorphin rush!  My husband has thanked me about a dozen times so far for getting him to do this.  Now that's something!  We will keep pushing play and digging deeper until we get to the end.

Menu - Sept 3 & Insanity Day 6

Late, late, late.  This is how today is going so far.  Woke up - late.  Husband woke up - even later.  Ok, let's go work out.  Nope.  Someone needed coffee first.  Barf!  Work out - late.  Shower - late.  Work - yeah, I was late for that too.  Ah well.  Let's hope the rest of the day brings me back on schedule.  TGIF!

On the bright side, today was the last day of our first week of Insanity with Plyo Cardio Circuit.  Woohoo, we made it.  We also did on this on Monday which really effected my lower back.  But today we found out why.  My form during the power squats was way off.  I am leaning forward too much.  As soon as I did one today, there was the pain.  Had my husband watch my form and help me correct it.  That's one of the nice things about working out with a partner.  Hoping next week I'll do better with those.  All in all though, now that we are done learning the moves, I can say that this is one killer workout.  My goodness, there was sweat flinging everywhere.  So gross yet so good!  Note to self - obtain heart rate monitor so I can see exactly how many calories we are burning during these grueling circuits.

Breakfast:
Of course, after that killer workout I was starving with a capital S.  I knew I needed something hearty.  Irish oatmeal!  Yummy.  Today I fortified it with some pumpkin, honey and walnuts.  Recipe: 1 cup 2% milk, 1/2 cup oats, 1 tbsp pumpkin, a dash of vanilla and cinnamon, handful of crushed walnuts - cook.  Drizzled on some honey and added a pinch of brown sugar when it was done.  Twas good!

Someone recently asked about my supplements.  I only take one kind, two pills in the morning.  The Super Vita-CoQ10 Formula by BlueBonnet pictured below.  These are kind of expensive ($29 for 60), but I do feel differently since using them and they contain a ton of vitamins and antioxidants which I unfortunately lack in my diet.  They are supposed to be energizing, and I feel they help get me going in the morning.  The first few days I used them though, I had trouble sleeping and just didn't feel tired.  Thankfully, that wore off after a few days.

Lunch:
10am pb&j (I was a half hour early today - trying to counteract all the lateness from this morning).  Packed a slice of the Indian pizza from last night and ate it cold. OMG, so good that way too.  Side of red grapes.  Yeah, nothing green has entered my body yet today.  Sigh...

Mid-Day:
I had a bit of a drive this afternoon to pick up my kids from their dad's so 1/2 a pecan pie Lara bar it was.  Carefully eaten while driving.  Was hoping to ward off any cravings for NYC pizza during the trip - so hard to say no though.

Dinner:
Green!!  I had a healthy portion of broccoli with my oven "fried" chicken strips (recipe to post shortly) and brown rice.  It's not enough, but at least it's something.

Menu - Sept 2 & Insanity Day 5

Pure Cardio this morning.  Pure?  Hmmm....what could that mean?  Well, lemme tell ya - they should call it Pure Hell on Earth.  This is an intense cardio workout without intervals.  In other words, there is not even the usual 30 second rest between sets.  It is about 17 minutes of constant movement - intense movement.  Each new move is continued for one minute.  For those of you who think you can do anything for just a minute, think again my friends!  I held on pretty good, but I don't think I did more than 3 reps of the last two exercises.  Having those plank position moves at the end of the routine is just nuts.  I have no strength left to hold my body up.  So, I watched the last 15 seconds count down on the clock on my knees gasping for air.  But, I feel pretty darn good right now.

Breakfast:
After that workout, a girl needs a good (big) breakfast.  Enter three hard boiled egg whites, spelt toast with a teeny smidge of butter and two chicken sausage links (could only stuff down one, so Rico was a happy pup this morning between his usual egg yolks and sausage too).

Lunch:
10:30 pb&j.  Should I even enter this anymore?  It's so predictable.  I packed up the leftover chicken tikka and lentil salad with brown rice for work.  I so love this dish and my Indian spice kit just arrived so I'm hoping to make a healthier version of this soon!

Mid-Day Nosh:
Yeah, it's hot here again.  2 chocolate lace cookies in the belly.  :(

Dinner:
A little Indian inspired shrimp pizza with a spicy mango chutney tomato sauce.  Recipe forthcoming in next post.  Paired with the leftover salad from last night that I picked at.

A glass of wine and a little taste of coconut curry chocolate rounded out the evening.

Menu - August 31 & Insanity Day 3

The last day of August.  So, so, so sad.  I love summer and can't believe it's almost over.  Next week, the kids go back to school.  I remember that time from when I was a kid - excited to wear your new school clothes and use your new pens and folders with pictures of Andy Gibb and Rod Stewart on them, but dreading it at the same time.  Where to sit at lunch?  Will my friends be in my class?  Will the class bully be in my class?  Are they going to make us play gym today?  How can I get rid of this giant chin zit over night, etc.  Yuck, I did NOT enjoy that time.

Anyhoo, despite the fact that we BOTH wanted to stay in bed, the Mr. and I hauled our butts downstairs and completed day 3 of Insanity.  There was sweating, grunting, painful groaning and some cursing, but then it was done and we both feel better for it.  His legs are sore and my back is really twisted.  I'm thinking my form may be off on some of the moves.  I'll have to pay better attention tomorrow.

Now, on to the food.

Breakfast:
My back was really bothering me after our workout, so I just grabbed a bowl of cereal and a glass of OJ this morning.  I mix Kashi Go Lean with some Kashi Go Lean Crunch as I find the regular Go Lean to have very little taste (and it looks like rabbit feed).  Top with 2% milk.

Lunch:
Back to work again.  Today I had to bring the kids with me - woohoo!  NOT.  Camp is over and no school yet, so we do what we have to do.  I packed today my 10:30 pb&j on oat nut bread and some fresh strawberries with a hint of powdered sugar.  For lunch I had a salad - spinach, herbs, three hard boiled egg whites, a few cherry tomatoes from a local farm and some cuke slices.

Mid-Day Nosh:
Ack, another donut.  I wasn't even hungry.  Why do I do that?  But at least they are gone now!

Dinner:
It's H-O-T hot here today and I took the kids and friends to the zoo.  Soooo we got home late, and I'm still in vacation mode, and every single muscle in my back hurts, and for various other excuses totally valid reasons, I succumbed to convenience and opted for the Whole Foods hot buffet.  My fav, chicken tikka masala with brown rice.  I added a little of their lentil salad and topped it with some of my leftover broccoli from last night.  When I scoop at the hot bar, I try to drain off as much of the cream sauce as possible - you know, to be healthy!  :)  And, since everybody has to have an appy before dinner, we have sushi, two varieties - spicy tuna and salmon with avocado made with brown rice.  I ate one of each type with a little lot of wasabi (no soy sauce today, I was a good girl).  Yum!!  Surprisingly delicious for supermarket sushi.

Not sure how any of this fits in with the Insanity nutrition guide!  Advice on getting more veggies into my body is always welcome.  Maybe I should try baking them into powdered sugar donuts!

Insanity - Days 1 and 2

Whew!  Two days of Insanity are in the bag.  I have to say, Insanity lives up to it's name.  So far I have done the fit test, 8 different exercises done for one minute each to see how many reps you can accomplish, and today was Max Interval Plyo, interval training that gets progressively faster and more intense with each set.  And as an added delight, Shaun T adds the most difficult exercises (for me anyway) in at the end of the workout.  Hello!  I cannot hold plank position and jump my legs in and out and side to side after the crazy jumping, squatting and running you've had me doing!!  The man is nuts.  But, he has some very fit people doing the video with him and watching them get winded and take breaks makes it all a little easier to swallow.

As for the hubby and I doing this together...well, we did the fit test together (I totally kicked his butt too).  In fact, even my daughter got in on the action for a bit, and when she wasn't doing the moves, she was hysterical laughing at the movements and grunts coming from myself and my husband.  LOL.  Today though, he did not get out of bed and I had to go it alone.  Just me, Shaun T and a lot of sweat and tears!  :)

I have to say though that I really like the workouts.  I feel like I will see some nice results from all this butt busting work by the end of Shaun's 60 day reign of terror.  Very excited to see what tomorrow has in store - a little number called Cardio Power & Resistance.  Oh, a little word of warning, any exercise that begins with the word suicide - well, it's gonna suck!

Fit Test Results (just mine, he asked that I not post his info):
Switch kicks (2 kicks = 1 rep) - 63
Power jacks - 52
Power knees - 85
Power jumps - 43
Globe jumps (4 jumps = 1 rep) - 10
Suicide jumps - 19
Push up jacks - 22
Low plank oblique - 50

Menu - August 29th (Insanity start date)

A few of the lovely ladies over at Beachbody have asked me to diary my meals for a week or so.  I am happy to give it a try but will mention that I do not follow the Beachbody workout diet plans.  Although there are many great food choices in the plans and I have used several of the recipes included, I just find following a written diet plan a recipe for failure (pardon the pun).  I try to keep my eating clean, healthy and somewhat balanced.  I am not, however, a dietitian (yet) so I cannot say that I meet all RDAs, etc., but I do try to keep my protein and carb intake on the higher side while participating in these crazy workouts.

As I may have mentioned, my husband and I are starting Insanity today.  Insanity is a 60 day workout plan.  It is pretty intense from what I have heard and seen.  Today will be a fit test day.  We will have a number of exercises to do and a minute to perform as many repetitions as possible.  The fit test will occur weekly (or bi-weekly, can't remember offhand) and is used to track progress and increases in strength and stamina.  We are off to a rocky start already as I allowed my husband to talk me into doing this tonight instead of this morning.  Hopefully, we will be doing the program in the mornings from now on, or we will be doing them separately.

OK, here's today's meals.  I am including everything I ate - even the bad stuff although that was gone so fast, I didn't even have time to take a photo!  :)

Breakfast:
One slice of spelt bread toasted with a teeny touch of butter, two hard boiled eggs of which I consumed one of the yolks and both whites.  The dog got the other yolk - he likes hard boiled egg day.  Also had one skinless chicken breakfast sausage and a sweet fig.  Washed it down with a calcium fortified glass of OJ (no pulp).

Lunch:
I went to my farmer's market this morning and they were having a special on whole wheat pizzas.  Two for $5 - I can't make two pizzas that cheap, so we had a little treat.

A powdered sugar coated apple cider donut was consumed post-farmer's market visit.  I fought the urge to have a second though (baby steps)!

Dinner:
Fig/balsamic coated chicken sausage and tomato kabobs with grilled corn on the cob that was marinated in a coconut lime chili sauce.  I made a side salad of baby spinach, baby herbs, pears, walnuts and dried cranberries.  Topped the salad with Annie's light raspberry vinaigrette.

Our post-fit test dessert will be a honey almond custard with fig chutney.  I used 2% milk for the custard and halved the sugar in the chutney, but this is still kind of a splurge.

Recipes for the dinner will be posted throughout this week.

So I'm sure by now you can tell that I'm not good with the veggies!  I really don't like most of them I will admit.  I will try to do better tomorrow most likely by having my salad for lunch and at dinner and by doing some broccoli tomorrow night.  I also put some pumpkin puree into my pancake mix for the morning.

Other than the morning OJ, I drink water for the remainder of the day.  LOTS of water.

Now, if you are like me and get a thrill out of watching other people's pain, here are some Youtubers experiencing the Insanity fit test for the first time.  I will NOT be posting a video of me!  :)

Insanity Fit Test 1 - average, every day kinda guy
Insanity Fit Test 2 - already fit female