Month 2 of insanity is just too much for me!  Lately I had been thinking that maybe we should do Month 1 over again to build our strength and endurance that we need to complete Month 2.  After talking with my wonderful workout friend, we decided on a new plan … again!

Here is the new plan.  We will be working out 5 days a week instead of 6 days.  We are going to switch back to 6am.  We are going to do 3 days of the 30 Day Shred with Gillian and 2 days a week of Insanity (Month 1) with Shaun T.  I think that for us at this point, this is a good plan and a more attainable goal.

I believe that we are starting this after March Break (after next week for those who are readers outside of Ontario).  In the meantime I will do the 30 Day Shred on my own.  Although, I think our other workout friend will be joining us and she mentioned she wanted to join over March Break – I must clarify that with her!

I also need to get back to eating healthier.  I have let that slip a bit over the past month because of certain circumstances.  It’s time to kick that habit to the curb.  I will do my best to keep at it.  

You would think that trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle would be easier than it is, but it really isn’t at all.  Does it come naturally for anybody out there?

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Today my alarm didn’t go off so I didn’t have time to do the almost hour workout this morning.  My workout partner is going at it tonight (which I can’t make it), so I decided to go back to Gillian Michaels “30 Day Shred.”  This is only a 20 minute workout, so I could fit in before work.

I wondered if it would be any easier than it was when we first played the DVD in November.  I decided that I would stick with Level 1, although I’m sure after a month of Insanity I could have jumped right to Level 3!  Really, I wanted to see the difference.  Would I feel the same about the video or would I find it easier.

The verdict:  EASY!

It was a really good workout, but definitely not as hard as the first time around.  I could actually do some  push ups (although still only bend my elbows half way).  When I started I couldn’t do any pushups.  I also was faster at the cardio section and found myself making them a bit harder by combining them with what Shaun T does.  It was also nice doing regular crunches instead of the V ab ones that Shuan T makes us do!  Those are killers.

There is one weight exercise that I could not do well when I had weights in my hands, and I found that it I had more balance to do them properly this time around.  The move is anterior hand raises (hold the waits in front of you and lift up to eye level – image to the right) and side lunges.  It must be all of those squats and lunges that we do too many times with Insanity.

This is what I am thinking.  I want to keep up with Insanity, but sometimes I have energy later in the day if we do it in the morning or if we are going to do it at night, I would still like to wake up early in the morning.  I’m thinking that on those days I feel like I can do a little extra, I might pop in Gillian’s DVD and do it up.  It’s only 20 minutes.  I’m sure that by the time I’m done Insanity, 30 Day Shred will be a wonderful treat of a workout!

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Month 1 is over!  I am now in the recovery week of the 2 month program.  It is a chance to recover the muscles, but I think it is getting us prepared for the much harder month that is ahead of us … on Monday to be exact. 

You might think, “Oh recovery week, must be easy!”   I find it just as hard as the other work out DVDs.  It is not as intense in the sense that it is fast and lots of exercises, it is the fact that the moves are slower and more concentrated and you hold moves for longer and working on core balance.  I still am sweating by the end and I have found it harder on my knees and legs, so I need to be careful.  I’m not sure if it is because we are doing some exercises that didn’t really work certain leg muscles before or if it is because we are holding the moves longer or maybe it is because there isn’t as much stretching.  I’m just not sure on that one. 

One more day left, then a day off, then back to it on Monday.  We go from our shortest work out of 36 min and the longest of 45 minutes to the shortest being 40 min and the longest being 65 minutes!  And on Fit Test days, we have an extra workout making it 86 min long!  WHAT!?  Maybe we will split that day up.  The Fit Test is such a work out in itself! 

I need to continue to work on getting to bed early so I can get up early enough to be awake for the workout and have a little bite to eat so I have energy to workout!  Definitely that was my problem this morning!

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Every two weeks I get to do the Fit Test all over again to see how I am doing physically with the workout.  I like this because you are not just keeping track of your measurements, but how your endurance has improved from day one.  I get to see if I can do more of the moves or if I am doing the same or less.  I prefer to be doing more of the exercise rather than the same or less, but some of them are downright difficult for me to do at this point, espically if it has to do with planks or pushups.   

Now that I have been doing the workout for 2 1/2 weeks, I am improving on doing the exercise correctly.  Which I think changed the results of my second fit test slightly. 

So here is the name of the move and my result the first week and then the second Fit Test.

• Swith Kicks              30 / 39    (hard)
• Power Jacks             40 /  37   (I think I did the form correctly the second time which means it’s harder)
• Power Knees            68 / 79
• Power Jumps            20 / 34  (hard)
• Globe Jumps              8 /  9   (Med hard – 4 jumps = 1 set)
• Suicide Jumps            8 / 8 (hard – still working on this one for sure!)
• Push – Up Jacks         6 / 17  (still doing with only slight bend in elbow – but my push up is improving weekly!)
• Low Plank Oblique  20 / 30  (not so easy either!)

Weight:  lost 1 lb
Inches:  1″ around waist and 1″ around hips  (as long as I measured correctly!)

I expect to have better results at the next fit test in two weeks.  Then we have a recovery week and then we start month 2 which is even more insane then the first month!  If you want a very challenging workout, I recommend this on! 

I will post another picture at the half way point and then one at the end of the program!  I hope that I see a bit of a difference! 

A phrase that helps me out that’s said by Shaun T (our trainer):

“I’m not trying to hurt you, I’m just trying to make you better!”

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Wow!  I made it through Week 1 of Insanity and I survived!

Here are the names of the workout DVD’s:

Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Cardio Power & Resistance
Cardio Recovery
Pure Cardio
Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Here are a couple of the exercises we do:
Switch Kicks (nice)
Power Jacks (not so bad)
Power Knees (I wouldn’t say easy, but not hard)
Power Jumps  (not my favourite)
Globe Jumps (getting better at them)
Suicide Jumps (a killer)
Push-up Jacks (another killer)
Low Plank Oblique (I can’t get my knees to bend that far)
To see what they look like check out the fit test worksheet!

I must say that I am improving a little bit each time I do a work out.  I can go a little bit faster and do the move a little bit better, but today I was tired.  I have to take lots of breaks.  It’s good we don’t do the same workout every day because for me it keeps me motivated to keep going and wondering what we are doing next. 

I have been trying to watch what I eat as well and get enough protein and fibre in my meals, especially the protein in my breakfast after the workout.  I haven’t decided if I will use a protein powder or not.  Maybe in the second month depending on my results.  I have some time to decide. 

Did I write already that on day 5 that I had a bead of sweat fall of my eyebrow and onto my cheek?  Wow.  I have never sweat like that before.  That was for Pure Cardio.  It also happened the next day for Plyo Cardio Circuit workout.  They are probably the most intense workouts.  The Cardio Recovery is probably my favourite because you do the moves slow and very controlled.  But don’t be fooled, you still sweat, get out of breath, and feel it after the workout!  It is a log of squat holds, which are always tough.

I’m not sure how much I will blog about Insanity, but every once in a while I will give you an update.  Maybe once a week!  Last week I lost 2 lbs from my starting week.  On Jan 17th we do our second fit test and take new pictures, so I will definitely have an update that day!  I’m sure I will beat my record for the fit test moves even if it is only by one more each! 

5 more days left to go of the second week.  I know I can do it.  Just got to plow through it.  I wonder if this Sunday my body will miss the workout?  It didn’t yesterday!  

Can I say that when a workout program is called Insanity you can probably believe that it is going to be insane!  On January 2nd my two workout friends and I switched from Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred to Shaun T’s Insanity!  And I thought Jillian was tough! 

“Insainty is a 60 – day cardio-based total-body condition program.  We believe it’s probably the most intense workout ever put on DVD.”      Ok – we chose this workout? 

Month 1 – 5 total-body cardio conditioning workouts.  6 days a week.  30 – 40 minutes a day. 

“Be smart.  Many beginners told us that even the warm-up will feel like an intense workout until you get use to it.”   This is true.  No lie there.  The warm up is like Jillian’s level 1 of 30 Day Shred.  I’m not sure we will ever get use to it.  Again, we chose this workout?

Month 2 – 4 new workouts.  45 minutes a day.  Still 6 days a week.  More intervals and intensity.  And we were thinking this would be easy?  Not at all! 

We actually previewd a couple of the DVD’s.  It looked scary!  It is scary!  But I know that if I stick with it I will see results and begin a life of changed lifestyle that will get me in the swing of keeping healthy. 

“Doing Insanity is like conquering your own Mount Everest.  it’s not for everyone.  But if you’re willing to dig deep, you can take yourself to a level you never knew existed, a level your mind will tell you not to pursue.  It happens every time.”  It will definately be like conquering Mt Everest.  I think of jogging.  When I started I never thought I would get to the point I could run a 5K race or that a couple weeks after we stopped jogging I could run a distance and do it jogging the whole time.  But I did it.  I accomplished that goal.  With that in mind I set forth determined to complete this program.  Yes, I will be sore and tired and possibly grumpy in the morning and not wanting to wake up, but I will push through. 

It’s time to get back in to the routine of waking up early every day, not just 3 times a week.  What does this mean?  I need to go to bed EARLY!!  Especially since my body will need that recovery time for sure!  I need to use my time wisely so that I can get to bed early.  I need to take advantage of those couple hours between my workout and my job.  The workouts are longer so I have to make sure I am up earlier so that I don’t make my workout friends late for work and we get to finish the entire workout.  Sorry about that this morning!   I’m sure I will find other areas that will need to be adjusted because of this new workout schedule, but I will adjust as they come along.

So that’s me today, just a few minutes ago actually.  It’s not the best picture, but it will work. 

I’m excited to see what the next two months will look like in every aspect, not just with my workouts. 

This year I am comitting to a healthier lifestyle.  What are you doing different in this new year?