So, you remember the last few posts, how I've been a bit forlorn about the prospect of finishing Insanity?
Well, not so anymore!
Hip Hop Abs and Rockin Body arrived this week and after previewing a few of the workouts... I CAN'T WAIT TO START! It looks like so much fun with lots of pumpin' and groovin' dance moves. For two days after previewing one of the dvds of HHA, I couldn't stop smiling or wanting to just move. After already having 12 years of dance experience, I already can't keep myself still whenever catchy music plays... but now the dance bug is worse than ever!
We will finish Insanity on Thursday and then my sis and I will start HHA or Rockin Body on the following Monday. We're going to finish strong and have fun during these next few days, but I'm really excited for how next week is going to kick off!
SO ready to dance back to health! :-)
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Yes, It's True...
I'm becoming a fitness junkie. Who'da thunk???
After years and years of detesting exercising, doing it because I "had" to, and still being overweight... something is starting to click. Some people enjoy running on a treadmill, working the weight machines, or doing Pilates. If they can stick with that... more power to 'em.
But, I never have.
There have been seasons of my life where I could stick to a particular workout routine for a few months (I danced for 12 years... I guess that's something, right!), but nothing ever lasted. I didn't see results, didn't feel any different, and honestly... I got bored. Doing the same thing over and over again to the point where you could do it in your sleep is not exactly my idea of fun.
The first workout (other than weekly dance class) that I've stuck to for more than a few weeks, is kickboxing. And I'm not talking about your typical cardio kickboxing workout routine where you basically have a cardio workout that includes some kicks and punches. The kickboxing workout that my sister in law and I have been taking since last June is an actual martial arts, self defense training class. Being with the class for almost 8 months has been the biggest fitness commitment of my life, both in time and effort. And what d'ya know, we even got our brown belts in the process (w00t!). In a few short months, I was finally seeing a difference in my body. And I wanted more.
After 6 months of kickboxing, it really clicked in my head that my weight loss struggle was not something I could just sit back and relax about. I needed to take it head on, and wrestle it by the horns. That's when I started researching. I knew if I tried to get back into the Walk At Home, pilates, or Jazzercise workouts, I would just get discouraged again and quit like I had done every time before.
In this way, Insanity really has been a good fit for me. It's fast paced, switched up, actually requires concentration in order to keep your form right, and works you hard. As we're coming up to the end of Insanity, I'm doing more research for other things that will keep me motivated in the same way. Shaun T has other workouts that build on Insanity. Truth be told, when I saw Asylum, I was seriously tempted to push the "add to cart" button. But then I remembered that this next two months between Insanity routines is actually for recovery... not "kill yourself more."
I have decided that I will be going back to Zumba class (Monday and Wednesday), will continue kickboxing (Tuesday and Saturday) and am actually going to try one of Shaun T's original workout series, back from when he was a dance choreographer and instructor. It's a hip-hop, standing ab workout (fun fun fun!). I'm actually really excited to be pushing into a new "season" of training!
"A coach can only give lessons; an athlete can instill them within themselves." - Shaun T
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Whew!
Well, another week down...another Fit Test approaching. We have each come to the sad realization that we have no clue what we will do when Insanity is finished. None of us are willing to go back to just doing nothing, of course, but we really don't know what it will look like to be done. Only two and a half more weeks of this craziness before we are off and on our own for 60 days.
I'm sure there will be some cardio, strength training and maybe even Pilates (ew!) when March sends us back into the world of Sanity. But let's face it... it's not going to be the same. At the beginning of this journey, way back in early December, I honestly didn't think I'd be saying this... but I am going to miss Shaun T and his butt kicking workouts.
I am going to miss being completely out of breath. I am going to miss racing for water at breaks. I am going to miss that horrible, yet incredible, feeling of having my muscles work to complete exhaustion. I am going to miss pushing myself harder than I've ever been pushed before. I am going to miss hearing "DIG DEEPER" booming out of my surround sound speakers.
Having a good rest between Insanity's 60 day routine is wise. This is not in dispute. I am sure each and every muscle in my body will be grateful for the rest; but I am also sure that it will not take long before they all look at each other and wonder when we can do it again.
These next two and a half weeks are going to be the most fun. We are going to push ourselves harder, sweat more, break less, and see even more results. Then we will close up the case and send the DVDs back to their owner (my generous sister and newly certified group fitness instructor, Cherise, who loaned the set to us during this process). This test run confirmed my suspicions that I would be investing in the Insanity program. I fully intend to order the series.
And I have no doubt that there will remain dust free for many seasons to come. There will be no dust gathering on this baby! :)
I'm sure there will be some cardio, strength training and maybe even Pilates (ew!) when March sends us back into the world of Sanity. But let's face it... it's not going to be the same. At the beginning of this journey, way back in early December, I honestly didn't think I'd be saying this... but I am going to miss Shaun T and his butt kicking workouts.
I am going to miss being completely out of breath. I am going to miss racing for water at breaks. I am going to miss that horrible, yet incredible, feeling of having my muscles work to complete exhaustion. I am going to miss pushing myself harder than I've ever been pushed before. I am going to miss hearing "DIG DEEPER" booming out of my surround sound speakers.
Having a good rest between Insanity's 60 day routine is wise. This is not in dispute. I am sure each and every muscle in my body will be grateful for the rest; but I am also sure that it will not take long before they all look at each other and wonder when we can do it again.
These next two and a half weeks are going to be the most fun. We are going to push ourselves harder, sweat more, break less, and see even more results. Then we will close up the case and send the DVDs back to their owner (my generous sister and newly certified group fitness instructor, Cherise, who loaned the set to us during this process). This test run confirmed my suspicions that I would be investing in the Insanity program. I fully intend to order the series.
And I have no doubt that there will remain dust free for many seasons to come. There will be no dust gathering on this baby! :)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Wow, a full week of MAX intervals done. Each of these workouts has been butt kicking, sweat dripping, and muscle exhausting hard. With a minimum of 55 minutes for each workout, it is amazing what your body can handle. I can do more pushups now than I've ever been able to do in my life (try a minute of power pushups and you'll literally feel the muscle building) and I can clearly see the muscle definition more in my biceps and quads.
But, you ask, what are the real results? Is she losing weight? Does this workout work if I just want to drop the last 10 lbs? Is this my magic fix?
The simple answer is... yes and no. Truth be told, I have no idea if I've even lost an ounce in this process. I made the decision to not step on a scale until after Insanity was over because 1) I knew I'd be building a lot of muscle and because muscle has more mass than fat, I didnt want to look at a scale and freak out thinking I was gaining weight - when in fact I was only gaining muscle that would then burn the fat later; and 2) I saw this picture a few weeks ago and it really made me think... It's not just about what the scale reads. As a petite young woman (I'm not quite 5'3"), you can be almost 140 lbs and still have a stronger, healthier, and more sculpted body than you would at 125. So I am measuring my progress by how strong I'm getting, my endurance level, my energy, the visible muscle definition, and how my clothes fit me.
And I can tell you, there has been progress in each of these areas. You already have heard me spout about how much stronger I've gotten and how my endurance has picked up. My energy is almost always higher now as the endorphins run rampant around my brain and my body is suddenly like... MOOOOOVE YO'SELF! But I am also seeing changes in how different articles of clothing and whole outfits fit differently (better for the most part!).
It's rather exciting when you can just slip on a pair of jeans that you used to have to stretch out for a few days before you could comfortably wear them; or to be able to use the next smaller belt hole; or to not feel like your jersey cotton shirts are suctioned to your body; or even to grab a sleeveless top and shorts for your workout and not feel like you need to cover up because you feel chunky and like you're falling out of everything.
No, I dont have a six pack yet, no my muscles are not rippling every time I move, and no, I'm not suddenly a size 4 (or whatever your idolized dress/pant size is). But I can push through an hour of Shaun T's drills while still breathing, not collapsing on the floor, or giving up, I can comfortably pull my belt in a notch, and when I walk around, and I almost never feel the need to put on another layer to even out lumps and bumps (which coincidentally only makes me look bigger all over... go figure).
We've got about three more weeks of this craziness. I'm going to be sad when it's over. Because Insanity is such a targeted and intense-body pounding routine, it's not suited for a lifestyle of exercise. It is designed to kickstart your body into deeper fat burning and strength training. If you were to try to just keep doing repetitions of Insanity back to back for extended periods of time, you are likely to injure yourself and you won't really get the same results because your body is smart and will hit a plateau.
After this set of Insanity is over, my sibs and I are going to take 60 days to do different workouts. This will give our bodies the chance to rest and fully recover before we jump back in to start Insanity over. Those 60 days are going to be harder than the past few months because we will need to reach down and find a different motivation, push ourselves in different ways, encourage one another to get up out of bed in the morning and do something. Can't say I'm looking forward to that. Initially, we'll be tempted to just stop it all and be lazy for those two months. But, that ain't happenin!
I am going to do Insanity again after this time is finished. But I am going to take a couple months in between to let the muscles fully heal, restore, and rest. I'm excited, though, because I want to do BETTER next time around than I've done so far!
But, you ask, what are the real results? Is she losing weight? Does this workout work if I just want to drop the last 10 lbs? Is this my magic fix?
The simple answer is... yes and no. Truth be told, I have no idea if I've even lost an ounce in this process. I made the decision to not step on a scale until after Insanity was over because 1) I knew I'd be building a lot of muscle and because muscle has more mass than fat, I didnt want to look at a scale and freak out thinking I was gaining weight - when in fact I was only gaining muscle that would then burn the fat later; and 2) I saw this picture a few weeks ago and it really made me think... It's not just about what the scale reads. As a petite young woman (I'm not quite 5'3"), you can be almost 140 lbs and still have a stronger, healthier, and more sculpted body than you would at 125. So I am measuring my progress by how strong I'm getting, my endurance level, my energy, the visible muscle definition, and how my clothes fit me.
And I can tell you, there has been progress in each of these areas. You already have heard me spout about how much stronger I've gotten and how my endurance has picked up. My energy is almost always higher now as the endorphins run rampant around my brain and my body is suddenly like... MOOOOOVE YO'SELF! But I am also seeing changes in how different articles of clothing and whole outfits fit differently (better for the most part!).
It's rather exciting when you can just slip on a pair of jeans that you used to have to stretch out for a few days before you could comfortably wear them; or to be able to use the next smaller belt hole; or to not feel like your jersey cotton shirts are suctioned to your body; or even to grab a sleeveless top and shorts for your workout and not feel like you need to cover up because you feel chunky and like you're falling out of everything.
No, I dont have a six pack yet, no my muscles are not rippling every time I move, and no, I'm not suddenly a size 4 (or whatever your idolized dress/pant size is). But I can push through an hour of Shaun T's drills while still breathing, not collapsing on the floor, or giving up, I can comfortably pull my belt in a notch, and when I walk around, and I almost never feel the need to put on another layer to even out lumps and bumps (which coincidentally only makes me look bigger all over... go figure).
We've got about three more weeks of this craziness. I'm going to be sad when it's over. Because Insanity is such a targeted and intense-body pounding routine, it's not suited for a lifestyle of exercise. It is designed to kickstart your body into deeper fat burning and strength training. If you were to try to just keep doing repetitions of Insanity back to back for extended periods of time, you are likely to injure yourself and you won't really get the same results because your body is smart and will hit a plateau.
After this set of Insanity is over, my sibs and I are going to take 60 days to do different workouts. This will give our bodies the chance to rest and fully recover before we jump back in to start Insanity over. Those 60 days are going to be harder than the past few months because we will need to reach down and find a different motivation, push ourselves in different ways, encourage one another to get up out of bed in the morning and do something. Can't say I'm looking forward to that. Initially, we'll be tempted to just stop it all and be lazy for those two months. But, that ain't happenin!
I am going to do Insanity again after this time is finished. But I am going to take a couple months in between to let the muscles fully heal, restore, and rest. I'm excited, though, because I want to do BETTER next time around than I've done so far!
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