I’ve been doing the 30 Day Shred for about a week now. But I haven’t done it every day. So I’m like on day 4, but my first day was 7 days ago. I like it much more than I did the first day. Now that I know what to expect I can really push myself. The first day I took it easy because I was worried about over exerting. But I still feel that on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being a total insanity) it’s like a 7 for me, although I’m still on level 1. Once I can do all the push-ups w/o stopping, I’ll up to level 2 on Monday. Push-ups are the last part of her routine where ‘m still taking breaks.
Although the scale is staying steady, my clothes are starting to fit better. I’m not giving all the credit to Jillian, because I also run at least twice a week and I’ve been counting calorie on My Fitness Plan. So in order to keep the momentum going I decided to make up some goals for this week. My guilty pleasure is my ritual of eating kettle corn and drinking wine in front of the TV late at night. I do this like 3-4 times a week. So, I’ve decided to cut it out for a week and see what happens. So here are my goals
1. No Wine or Kettle Cone for a week.
2. Do 5 days of exercise.
3. No eating after 11pm.
4. Drink more water.
I’m starting off with fairly easy goals. I’m also looking at buying a new scale and starting to take some measurements. So, I can get a before and after snap shot.
Oh. Last week I bought Jillian’s latest DVD, “Yoga Melt Down” at Wal-Mart for $9. I’ve only done it once on Saturday morning. Not sure how I feel about it yet. It’s longer than the 30 Day Shred and not really as intense, but I don’t know yet. We’ll see.
Hope everyone is having a great week.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Well I'm Not Completely Insane
The Insanity has been placed on hold
So my journey into Insanity was pretty short. I really liked the DVDs. The workouts were intense. But it’s not a workout for large frame, flat footed folks like me. There’s a lot of jogging in place, jumping side-to-side and bouncing up and down. This put a lot of stress on my feet. And without the proper footwear, I didn’t get very far in the workout. I continually had to stop to let my feet recover and this defeated (no pun intended) the point of the workout. After trying out three different cross trainers, I just gave up. I may go back to the Insanity after I lose a few pounds, but for now I have moved on.
Getting Back on Track
With Spring/Summer now upon us, I have slowly returned to running. After the wedding, the snow, the honeymoon, the moves, etc. I really had no time to focus on running. Now things are starting to settle back down. I rejoined the road runners for yet another summer. But I’m not mentoring this year because I knew I was not going to commit to the full marathon program every Saturday. Last Saturday I did 6 miles and hopefully I can jump up to 8 by this Saturday.
Working it out
As I may have mentioned, back in January I quit the Boot Camp. Biggest mistake ever. But after moving, I had no choice. There was no way to get there in time. My weight has crept up slowly ever since. I did join the Gold’s Gym. But I only did that to escape the cramped condo where I was living with my husband until the house was ready. I’m also thinking about quitting that as well, because now after my third and final move this year, I finally have a house with a basement where I can workout in the comfort of my own home!!! Yippee!!! So no more excuses.
What I’ve learned from the Biggest Loser
Yesterday I went out and purchased the 30 Day Shred with Jillian Michaels. She’s the female trainer from the Biggest Loser. I’ve watched the show every now and then. But I’m not a fan because it’s too drawn out. It really doesn’t need to be two hours long per episode. Also the constant discharge of emotions gets to be tiring after a while. But two things came from me watching that show.
1. I now have a BodyBugg to monitor the calories I’m burning throughout the day.
2. I purchased this DVD and I will try to commit to Jillian’s 30 day program.
I’m bugging out man
Like I mentioned earlier, I have a Body Bugg. I’m on my second one now. The first one I returned because after a few days it developed a series of little cracks on the back of the monitor. They sent me a new one right away and that too is also starting to show little cracks. But overall, I like the monitor. Not really in love with it yet. I like it because I can see what I’m really burning throughout the day. I’m averaging 2200 calories on a non-exercise day. So, subtract 500 calories and I’ve figured out that I should eat 1700 cals a day to lose a pound a week. So far that hasn’t happened yet. But today is Day 1 of my new journey.
Lightly Shredded
I read a lot of comments about this 30 Day Shred DVD on Amazon. 73% of the purchasers loved it. They said it was a kick butt workout that will have your heart pumping and muscles burning in 20 minutes. It sounded too good to be true. So this morning I did the workout for the first time. I started at level 1 and I have to say it was moderately challenging. I felt I got a pretty good workout, but I didn’t get my butt kicked. I won’t say I mastered level 1, so I’m going to stay at this level for a week or until I'm able to get through the whole routine w/o stopping. I ended up doing a 30 minute jog around the neighborhood to round out my morning workout.
Stay Tuned
Like I've said in the past I'm really going to try and keep this blog up to date. Maybe post something every 2-3 days. My updates will mostly focus on my adventures in terms of exercise and diet which I didn't get into this time. But in the future I will try to post more info regarding my diet as well as my weight and other measurements to keep a record of my status.
So until next time, stay fit.
So my journey into Insanity was pretty short. I really liked the DVDs. The workouts were intense. But it’s not a workout for large frame, flat footed folks like me. There’s a lot of jogging in place, jumping side-to-side and bouncing up and down. This put a lot of stress on my feet. And without the proper footwear, I didn’t get very far in the workout. I continually had to stop to let my feet recover and this defeated (no pun intended) the point of the workout. After trying out three different cross trainers, I just gave up. I may go back to the Insanity after I lose a few pounds, but for now I have moved on.
Getting Back on Track
With Spring/Summer now upon us, I have slowly returned to running. After the wedding, the snow, the honeymoon, the moves, etc. I really had no time to focus on running. Now things are starting to settle back down. I rejoined the road runners for yet another summer. But I’m not mentoring this year because I knew I was not going to commit to the full marathon program every Saturday. Last Saturday I did 6 miles and hopefully I can jump up to 8 by this Saturday.
Working it out
As I may have mentioned, back in January I quit the Boot Camp. Biggest mistake ever. But after moving, I had no choice. There was no way to get there in time. My weight has crept up slowly ever since. I did join the Gold’s Gym. But I only did that to escape the cramped condo where I was living with my husband until the house was ready. I’m also thinking about quitting that as well, because now after my third and final move this year, I finally have a house with a basement where I can workout in the comfort of my own home!!! Yippee!!! So no more excuses.
What I’ve learned from the Biggest Loser
Yesterday I went out and purchased the 30 Day Shred with Jillian Michaels. She’s the female trainer from the Biggest Loser. I’ve watched the show every now and then. But I’m not a fan because it’s too drawn out. It really doesn’t need to be two hours long per episode. Also the constant discharge of emotions gets to be tiring after a while. But two things came from me watching that show.
1. I now have a BodyBugg to monitor the calories I’m burning throughout the day.
2. I purchased this DVD and I will try to commit to Jillian’s 30 day program.
I’m bugging out man
Like I mentioned earlier, I have a Body Bugg. I’m on my second one now. The first one I returned because after a few days it developed a series of little cracks on the back of the monitor. They sent me a new one right away and that too is also starting to show little cracks. But overall, I like the monitor. Not really in love with it yet. I like it because I can see what I’m really burning throughout the day. I’m averaging 2200 calories on a non-exercise day. So, subtract 500 calories and I’ve figured out that I should eat 1700 cals a day to lose a pound a week. So far that hasn’t happened yet. But today is Day 1 of my new journey.
Lightly Shredded
I read a lot of comments about this 30 Day Shred DVD on Amazon. 73% of the purchasers loved it. They said it was a kick butt workout that will have your heart pumping and muscles burning in 20 minutes. It sounded too good to be true. So this morning I did the workout for the first time. I started at level 1 and I have to say it was moderately challenging. I felt I got a pretty good workout, but I didn’t get my butt kicked. I won’t say I mastered level 1, so I’m going to stay at this level for a week or until I'm able to get through the whole routine w/o stopping. I ended up doing a 30 minute jog around the neighborhood to round out my morning workout.
Stay Tuned
Like I've said in the past I'm really going to try and keep this blog up to date. Maybe post something every 2-3 days. My updates will mostly focus on my adventures in terms of exercise and diet which I didn't get into this time. But in the future I will try to post more info regarding my diet as well as my weight and other measurements to keep a record of my status.
So until next time, stay fit.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Insanity, but not the workout
So, things have been kind of insane lately, but that has nothing to do with working out. Last week I completed week 1 of insanity and it was great. I had plenty of time to do the workouts because I was snowed in at home most of the week. Week 2 has not been so great. Life has returned to normal. I'm back at work and as a result I have to make the effort to workout in the morning or in the evening when I get home.
Monday
Well, Monday I did not get up and vowed to workout at home after work, that was before I had to drive out to Maryland to pick up a prescription for my mom. Then on the way home my head lights weren't working and I took my car to the shop. I didn't get home until after 9pm and I was starving. So, I canceled my workout.
Tuesday
I didn't workout in the morning. They celebrated February Birthdays at work. I ate 3 cupcakes. After work, I had a million errands to run. I picked up a pair of Under Armour Cross Trainers hoping it will provide more support for my feet. I got home after 9pm. So, I canceled my workout.
Wednesday
I managed to do Cardio & Resistance in the morning. The Under Armour Cross Trainers didn't help. In fact, I thought they were worse. I really need to get good cross training shoes. I've been to several athletic shops, but unlike running stores, they had a small selection and sales people know nothing about cross trainers. One guy tried to sell me running shoes and tell me they were for cross training.
Thursday
I didn't get up early because I went to bed after midnight on Wednesday. In the evening, I met w/ my Realtor and signed papers to sell my condo. I go to closing on March 30th. I returned the Under Armor Cross Trainers. I got home at 8:30pm. So, I canceled my workout.
Today
I took the day off to take my mom to the doctor. I'm hoping all will go well with her appointments. If I'm lucky I can workout in the evening.
I may have to have a Week 2 do over. I have gotten over the initial shock and soreness, but I don't want to lose all of the gains I made. Also, I really think my performance is being hampered by the fact that I do not have the right shoes. Midway through the warm ups, the mid-sole of my feet start to hurt. So, I slow it down and don't push. Someone recommended Asics Gel-Intensity, but I can't find it in my size. I'll just have to keep looking.
Here's hoping next week will be less hectic.
Monday
Well, Monday I did not get up and vowed to workout at home after work, that was before I had to drive out to Maryland to pick up a prescription for my mom. Then on the way home my head lights weren't working and I took my car to the shop. I didn't get home until after 9pm and I was starving. So, I canceled my workout.
Tuesday
I didn't workout in the morning. They celebrated February Birthdays at work. I ate 3 cupcakes. After work, I had a million errands to run. I picked up a pair of Under Armour Cross Trainers hoping it will provide more support for my feet. I got home after 9pm. So, I canceled my workout.
Wednesday
I managed to do Cardio & Resistance in the morning. The Under Armour Cross Trainers didn't help. In fact, I thought they were worse. I really need to get good cross training shoes. I've been to several athletic shops, but unlike running stores, they had a small selection and sales people know nothing about cross trainers. One guy tried to sell me running shoes and tell me they were for cross training.
Thursday
I didn't get up early because I went to bed after midnight on Wednesday. In the evening, I met w/ my Realtor and signed papers to sell my condo. I go to closing on March 30th. I returned the Under Armor Cross Trainers. I got home at 8:30pm. So, I canceled my workout.
Today
I took the day off to take my mom to the doctor. I'm hoping all will go well with her appointments. If I'm lucky I can workout in the evening.
I may have to have a Week 2 do over. I have gotten over the initial shock and soreness, but I don't want to lose all of the gains I made. Also, I really think my performance is being hampered by the fact that I do not have the right shoes. Midway through the warm ups, the mid-sole of my feet start to hurt. So, I slow it down and don't push. Someone recommended Asics Gel-Intensity, but I can't find it in my size. I'll just have to keep looking.
Here's hoping next week will be less hectic.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Week 1 - Complete!
Happy Valentine's Day!!!
This morning I finally finished week 1 of Insanity. And I love it. The workouts are not getting easier, but I can see that I'm not as slow when I'm doing the drills. Also my recovery time has gotten a lot faster. I'm not as soar as I was following the first Plyometric Cardio session. The stretches are soooooo important. Shaun T knows what he's doing.
Since yesterday was my recovery day. I have to start week 2 tomorrow. I'm also looking for some decent cross trainers. I'm using my old aerobic shoes and I want something more supportive and responsive. I think I could dig a lot deeper if I have the right shoes to support all the bouncing. I'm also looking for a heart rate monitor. The battery to my old one died. Then while I was trying to replace the battery I broke the stupid thing.
Today is Valentine's Day!!! And most importantly it's my birthday, which makes today Candy Binge Day!! One of 4 days out of the year where I can eat candy and drink soda. I've had problems w/ soda and candy in the past, so I limit my intake to 4 times a year. This is my 4th year doing this and with each year the desire to actually "binge" has diminished. So, even though I had a good workout. I don't think I'm going to advance much nutrition wise today.
This morning I finally finished week 1 of Insanity. And I love it. The workouts are not getting easier, but I can see that I'm not as slow when I'm doing the drills. Also my recovery time has gotten a lot faster. I'm not as soar as I was following the first Plyometric Cardio session. The stretches are soooooo important. Shaun T knows what he's doing.
Since yesterday was my recovery day. I have to start week 2 tomorrow. I'm also looking for some decent cross trainers. I'm using my old aerobic shoes and I want something more supportive and responsive. I think I could dig a lot deeper if I have the right shoes to support all the bouncing. I'm also looking for a heart rate monitor. The battery to my old one died. Then while I was trying to replace the battery I broke the stupid thing.
Today is Valentine's Day!!! And most importantly it's my birthday, which makes today Candy Binge Day!! One of 4 days out of the year where I can eat candy and drink soda. I've had problems w/ soda and candy in the past, so I limit my intake to 4 times a year. This is my 4th year doing this and with each year the desire to actually "binge" has diminished. So, even though I had a good workout. I don't think I'm going to advance much nutrition wise today.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Day 4 - A Nice Break
Today's workout was Cardio Recovery and it was a welcomed break from the usual insanity. I was still a little stiff from the previous 3 days of working out. Since I was actually able to leave the house and get to work today, I was looking forward to my workout this evening.
Cardio Recovery is a very short 33 minute routine that focuses on slower strengthening moves and stretching. So, I'll have to remember to eat less on the cardio recovery days. I love Shaun T's stretches because they're like yoga poses and I'm actually pretty good at yoga. Plus I'm hoping the stretching will help loosen my stiff inner thighs and hamstrings. BWT where are the upper body moves? So far we're mostly focusing on lower body. Eventually I'll have to get better shoes and a heart rate monitor.
Tomorrow is Pure Cardio. Wish me luck.
Cardio Recovery is a very short 33 minute routine that focuses on slower strengthening moves and stretching. So, I'll have to remember to eat less on the cardio recovery days. I love Shaun T's stretches because they're like yoga poses and I'm actually pretty good at yoga. Plus I'm hoping the stretching will help loosen my stiff inner thighs and hamstrings. BWT where are the upper body moves? So far we're mostly focusing on lower body. Eventually I'll have to get better shoes and a heart rate monitor.
Tomorrow is Pure Cardio. Wish me luck.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Day 3 - To sore to dig deep
OK. I completed Insanity Workout Day 3 - Power Cardio & Resistance. But I was not able to dig that beep because I'm still sore from Day 1 & 2. So, I did the best that I could. I was glad the entire workout was only 38 minutes. So far my favorite part of the workouts is the stretching. He uses yoga moves and I'm a big fan of yoga. My least favorite part, push-ups. Girls w/ no upper body strength are not fans of push ups or tricep dips. On a side note, I'm having trouble with this DVD because it suddenly skipped during one of the drills and I missed an entire set of moving push-up. It did the same thing during the Fit Test. Is anyone else having this problem? Tomorrow is something called Cardio Recovery. Sounds like fun.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Day 1 & 2 - Fit Test
So, today was my first day of Insanity. I wanted to start on Monday, but I hurt my back shoveling out a parking space covered in two feet of snow. So, I waited a day to get started. It worked out well since we've been snowed in for days and I needed the extra activity.
I started the day off with the fitness test in the morning. It went well. I don't think I did everything right because some of my results were higher than the participants in the video.
I finished the day doing Plyometric Cardio Circuit. It started off rough because I wasn't wearing the right shoes and my feet were hurting. Halfway through I changed shoes and did my best to finish, but I can not do push ups. I also took a lot of breaks and felt a little light headed at the end. Thank God for running. That at least prepared me a little for the cardio, but I have a ways to go.
Here are my Day 1 Fit Test Results:
1. Switch Kicks - 117 (Pretty high. I obviously did this wrong.)
2. Power Jacks - 36
3. Power Knees - 71 (Also weirdly high)
4. Power Jumps - 30
5. Globe Jumps - 7 (Impossible to do after Kicks, Jacks and Knees)
6. Suicide Jumps - 13 (I was barely able to do the jump part)
7. Push-up Jacks - 8 (I can't do push-ups)
8. Low Plank Oblique - 42
I'm so sore right now. I don't know how I'm going to do this again. But I'm going to try and stick with it.
I started the day off with the fitness test in the morning. It went well. I don't think I did everything right because some of my results were higher than the participants in the video.
I finished the day doing Plyometric Cardio Circuit. It started off rough because I wasn't wearing the right shoes and my feet were hurting. Halfway through I changed shoes and did my best to finish, but I can not do push ups. I also took a lot of breaks and felt a little light headed at the end. Thank God for running. That at least prepared me a little for the cardio, but I have a ways to go.
Here are my Day 1 Fit Test Results:
1. Switch Kicks - 117 (Pretty high. I obviously did this wrong.)
2. Power Jacks - 36
3. Power Knees - 71 (Also weirdly high)
4. Power Jumps - 30
5. Globe Jumps - 7 (Impossible to do after Kicks, Jacks and Knees)
6. Suicide Jumps - 13 (I was barely able to do the jump part)
7. Push-up Jacks - 8 (I can't do push-ups)
8. Low Plank Oblique - 42
I'm so sore right now. I don't know how I'm going to do this again. But I'm going to try and stick with it.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Welcome to My Insanity
Welcome to my Insanity Workout Blog. My name is Valerie. The purpose of this blog is to keep yo up to date on my journey through Shaun T’s Insanity Workout.
My Athletic Past
I’m overweight. But I’ve been overweight my entire life. Right now I’m at the highest weight I’ve been in the last 5 years. I’m not a stranger to working out. As of last year, I’ve completed 5 marathons and several other half marathons, 10K and 8K races. I’ve been into running for the past 5 years, but lately my passion for running has been fading. Like most people I got into running in the hopes of losing weight. In the beginning I lost 30 lbs w/o even trying. I managed to maintain my weight during my running years. But I’ve been at a plateau for the past two years. I’m not getting any faster and I’m not losing any more weight. In fact, over that last year I’ve been slowly gaining weight, even though my routine has not changed much. So, I need a new routine.
Why Insanity
Because it looks hard. I’ve tied workout DVDs in the past, but after a few weeks I’ll get bored with the same ol’ routine. Insanity is like the next step up from P90X. But P90X has been around forever and it requires special equipment in addition to the program. If I survive Insanity then I may try the P90X to focus on strength training. But for now I want to improve my cardio.
I’m also curious how I’ll do over the next 60 days. I’ve been watching YouTube videos of people doing the Insanity workout and they all look pretty fit compared to me. Most state that they are P90X veterans and decided to switch to Insanity for a “challenge”.
So tonight when I get home I’m going to take the Insanity fitness test that everyone has been talking about. I’ll see how I match up to the P90X veterans. I’ll also take my measurements and some before pictures so we can see how I’m progressing through this journey.
My Athletic Past
I’m overweight. But I’ve been overweight my entire life. Right now I’m at the highest weight I’ve been in the last 5 years. I’m not a stranger to working out. As of last year, I’ve completed 5 marathons and several other half marathons, 10K and 8K races. I’ve been into running for the past 5 years, but lately my passion for running has been fading. Like most people I got into running in the hopes of losing weight. In the beginning I lost 30 lbs w/o even trying. I managed to maintain my weight during my running years. But I’ve been at a plateau for the past two years. I’m not getting any faster and I’m not losing any more weight. In fact, over that last year I’ve been slowly gaining weight, even though my routine has not changed much. So, I need a new routine.
Why Insanity
Because it looks hard. I’ve tied workout DVDs in the past, but after a few weeks I’ll get bored with the same ol’ routine. Insanity is like the next step up from P90X. But P90X has been around forever and it requires special equipment in addition to the program. If I survive Insanity then I may try the P90X to focus on strength training. But for now I want to improve my cardio.
I’m also curious how I’ll do over the next 60 days. I’ve been watching YouTube videos of people doing the Insanity workout and they all look pretty fit compared to me. Most state that they are P90X veterans and decided to switch to Insanity for a “challenge”.
So tonight when I get home I’m going to take the Insanity fitness test that everyone has been talking about. I’ll see how I match up to the P90X veterans. I’ll also take my measurements and some before pictures so we can see how I’m progressing through this journey.
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