Oh. My. Goodness.

Insanity: in-san-i-tee, noun


a) Extreme foolishness; folly; senselessness; foolhardiness
b) A foolish or senseless action, policy, statement, etc. 


Okay, to be honest, right now that's pretty much how I would describe my state of mind. This morning marked the beginning of month two. We started out with our third Fit Test. Everything was great, we were pumped, increased our reps on each exercise and were dripping in sweat by the end. All fine and dandy, right? 

Well... that was before we plugged in part 2. Yes. Today was a double session. All of us were secretly hoping for a short, but intense workout like we had experienced when we had to combine Pure Cardio with Cardio Abs (still killer, by the way). But, no. We started the routine and looked at the countdown timer. Every single one of us had an audible gasp of pain, disbelief, and horror. 

59:59. The countdown begins. 

What the heck? We have to do another HOUR of this stuff? I looked at my two siblings behind me and almost wanted to cry. I had already pushed myself to my max in order to beat my old rep-records on the Fit Test, and now I had to do another hour? My muscles were shaking, my quads were screaming out to beg me to just sit down. 

Instead, I heard Shaun's voice ring out as he started the warm up. 

Warm up? I've been doing this for half an hour already... I'm about as warm as I can get! 

With horror in our eyes, and shaky muscles, we all started going anyways. With each new exercise, each of us moaned, begging each other to just turn it off; all the while knowing that this was the real battle. Would we push through, or just quit. 

You have every reason to skip it. You're already exhausted. You probably couldn't even hold yourself up in a plank if you tried. You can pick it up tomorrow. What's it really going to matter anyway? You'll just tack on an extra day at the end. 

I realized that this mental battle, right there, right then, was what was going to define the next 30 days. It was true, I had every reason to quit. Going through the whole thing would require skipping a shower (ew!) and would still make me a few minutes late for an appointment. Sooooooo tempting! 

Honestly, I don't even know that I made a decision one way or another, but I looked down and saw my feet moving. Okay, I guess we're doing this thing. 60 minutes, I'm gonna die; but I'm gonna die fighting for my health. 

Over dramatic,  you say? Ha! Believe me, it's not. 

That hour (after having already done half an hour of kick-butt stuff) was by far the hardest workout, mental challenge, plain ol thing I have EVER done. There were a few points where involuntary tears popped to my eyes because I was so exhausted; there were times when my muscles literally gave out and I couldn't hold myself up anymore; there were times when I felt like giving up. But each time, I had to remember WHY I am doing what I'm doing. 

It's not just about looking good or having people look at you and say, "hey, you've lost weight! awesome!" It's so much more than that. I took on this challenge to reclaim my health; I made a promise to myself that I would get things back under control; I have a God Almighty who is telling me that I. Am. Worth. It. 

It's not easy getting stronger. You know why? Because before the muscle can build, it has to be torn down. Before anything else can happen, you have to rip things down so that it can be wound tighter and  with more backbone strength than ever before. 

Truth be told, the workout got easier as we went along. Not that the exercises themselves got easier, or my muscles got less tired and I was less drenched in sweat. On the contrary. Everything digs straight down to the deepest muscles and you will shake, be in burn pain, and feel like keeling over. Let's just be honest - you've never done anything this hard. 

But each rep that I pushed through (or even just didn't collapse on the couch, but stood catching my breath), was a victory. Each minute that went by was one minute closer to finishing and being able to look my siblings and myself in the eye and say, "I finished!" I really do believe that each workout feels like a marathon. You almost dread it right before you start, you feel good once you're in it, about halfway through you want to quit more than anything else on planet earth, but once you push past that point you get another endorphin kick and you push through to the end. Then you can look back and be proud and even admit to having even enjoyed it. 

I can't say I'm looking forward to the next 30... er 29 days of workouts. They're going to be tough. Each one will be a challenge. But I AM going to finish. I am going to earn my Insanity T-Shirt!!! 

Keep Pushing!!!

End of Month 1!!!

Wow, can hardly believe it! We’ve made it through one “month” of Shaun T’s muscle defying workouts. Yes, it has taken us longer than an actual month, but it’s still 30 days of workouts. Let me tell you, I’ve had intense workouts before… but nothing like these. I’ve started in-home routines, and have always quit within a couple weeks because there is nothing to keep me motivated.

Not so here.

One of the coolest things about it is the accountability. I have been doing it with my teenage siblings who are already strong and fit. As a result, there is no room for excuses or whimping out with them. On days I desperately want to sleep in and skip it, I remember that they’re counting on me and expecting me to get them up, push them into it, and keep up with them during the workout itself. At times during the workout when I feel like I just wanna collapse back on the couch, I see them out of the corner of my eye and push through to the end of the set.

If you are considering doing this workout, do not (I repeat), DO NOT do it without someone to keep you accountable. It won’t happen. It’s a daily challenge to roll out of bed, chug a protein shake and do the workout when you DO have somebody cheering you on and moving alongside you. I’m a pretty self motivated person, but I still can’t imagine trying to do it alone.

Part of that is because I’m a competitive personality, so I need someone to compete against. Granted, when it comes to endurance and strength, I still usually lose to the 15 and 16 year old. But hey, at least I’m making the effort, right? My breaks are shorter, my sets are longer, my muscles are stronger, and my health is better pretty much all because I have “workout buddies.”

It’s also important to have somebody to spot you, to make sure your form is right and yes, to tell you to keep your butt down on pushups and planks. Because each set of exercises completely exhausts your muscles, it’s really easy to forget your form and just focus on getting through the time slot. This is a big “no-no.” You will not get the full effect of the workout and are much more likely to injure yourself. Shaun does send little reminders through each workout to remember “form over speed” and to not compromise, but it’s really important to have somebody in the room with you who can look at you and see what you may be doing wrong.

This week is technically recovery week. We will be doing the same core and balance workout for six days. Don’t be fooled, though. It is a recovery in that you are not pounding your muscles as hard, but it is still butt kicking HARD. Instead of taking your muscles to full exhaustion in 30 seconds… you get to feel an intense buuuuuurn for about a minute and a half for each exercise. Believe me, your inner thighs and shoulders have never felt so good and totally dead at the same time.

This six day recovery is all there is before we dive into month 2 – where each DVD is labeled “max” before the title. All of the workouts are longer and more intense than month 1. Having made it through the first 30 days and still having to take many more breaks and rests than are allotted through the workout, I’m definitely intimidated. I have no idea what’s to come.

Scared much? Um, yeah. Just a lot. Actually, it would be more accurate to say I’m TERRIFIED. But, just like these last 30 days, we’ll be taking it one day at a time and literally 30 seconds at a time to make it through. Get fit or get out! I’m saying… get fit!  

It's Here!

Well the elliptical arrived today! I'm super excited. It's really cool because it's an easy way to get an extra few minutes of exercise while also having your family movie night. Granted, it is a very large machine so it is currently sitting in the middle of the basement until we find a more permanent location. Despite almost a month of Insanity, running a 10 minute mile still burns and is definitely tiring. haha! I am really looking forward to incorporate a mile or two a day along with Insanity.

Who knows what will happen when Insanity is over... up to five miles maybe? Long term goal... DC Marine Marathon!

Of Elliptical Machines and Days Off

So the past week has been fairly business as usual. We've kept on with the various routines and are all pleased at the increase in our stamina and strength. At the beginning of the week, it was more challenging because we are (still) trying to fight off a cold that wants to be bronchitis. Let's just say.. it makes breathing difficult. :-P

We also went out and bought an elliptical machine that is going to be greatly used after Insanity ends. I've been wanting to get one for a couple years, but we just haven't made the space for it. We originally thought we'd make a space back in our storage room in the basement... but then all realized: if it's back there, in the dark gloom and storage boxes.... it will become storage. If we have to look at it every day whenever we go to watch anything on TV, we will remember, maybe not be enthused about getting on it... but we will get on, turn on the TV and rock it out for a while.

We're almost in our last "week" before the end of the first circuit. Wow. It went way faster than I had expected. Yes, our timing has been thrown off a bit  because of different obligations like kickboxing class, and the few friends we've had from out of town who've slept on the couch next to the TV (I mean, really, would YOU want to wake up to the sound of us doing suicide jumps and power squats? I don't think so), but we're still on a good pace and I'm glad that none of us is so obsessed with the workout that if we miss a day we feel like rejects.

Having said that... it is funny that once you get in a routine of an intense workout daily, your body does crave it. Sundays are really hard for me because they are the "rest" day and by 2 or 3pm my body is like.... MAKE ME MOVE!!!!!!! And also, your whole body starts to churn at the idea of a really unhealthy meal. If I don't have some kind of legit protein and veggie with my regular meals, my stomach clearly shows its displeasure.

So as of now, we are keeping on as usual and feeling very antsy when we miss a day. My siblings are still pretty constantly asking me to move our workout time until later in the day (yeah, we all love our sleep time) but they also admit to feeling better and being happier when I still make them get up ;-)

Blink open those eyes, grab a protein shake and then move!