Insanity Day 38: Max Cardio Conditioning

Once again, I am a day behind.  And although I posted a while ago about how it's OK for me to be a day behind and I shouldn't skip workouts, it bothers me.  It bothers me a lot.  On one hand, I really want to do the Max Recovery.  It's like yogalates to the extreme, but on the other hand I just feel like everything will be messed up if I stay a day behind!  So... I am thinking... that maybe... maybe tonight I will do Max Recovery.  We'll see if that happens.  But that's what I want to do.  Then tomorrow I'll be right back on schedule!

Max Cardio Conditioning is like Pure Cardio on steroids.  It was so hard.  This workout doesn't have circuits and it doesn't have rests.  So it's hard to pace yourself, and it's also hard to know how much would be the equivalent of the 2/3 I'm doing of the other workouts.  So what did I do?  I did it all.  Omigosh ouch.  I practically died with 11 minutes left.  Each exercise is a minute long, and I think I only did 15-20 seconds of each of the last few.  I have a long way to go.

My arms are extremely sore from funky push-up day, AKA Max Interval Plyo.  But it's good.  It's good.

Dr. Pepper Update

It's been exactly 65 days since I've had Dr. Pepper.

I'm not counting the days, I just have my last day marked on my calendar.

I haven't missed drinking it in a while, but today I do. 

Today has been a bad day.  I'm just all around moody, and sad, and feeling sorry for myself, and angry at anyone who looks at me the wrong way, or says the wrong thing.  I realize that no one is being any different today, and everything that is upsetting me wouldn't upset me on a normal day.

Today I have a serious craving for Dr. Pepper.  I understand how drug addicts relapse.  They have one stressful day and they want to turn to something they once loved, and go all out with it.  I want to go buy a 12 pack of Dr. Pepper and drink as much as I can as fast as I can.

What's stopping me?  Thinking about Insanity tomorrow.

Insanity Day 37: Max Interval Plyo

This one didn't have three circuits after the warm up.  It had two, but then a few extra exercises at the end.  So I did the entire warm-up, the two circuits twice, and then all of the exercises in the last "circuit".

I forgot that these workouts are 15 minutes longer, so I should be getting up at 5:15am to get them done with enough time to shower and get ready for the day.

Anyway... this work out has my favorite move.  The pogo:

I don't know why it's my favorite.  It just is.  I guess, I just like how it makes my bum burn.  When jumping from regular squats, I think I sometimes push off of one leg more so than I push off of the other.  In the pogo, you're only standing on one leg, so it's 100% that leg that is being worked.  Very targeted.

This workout also has the hardest move (for me) ever.  The balance push-up:

The thing that is hard about the balance push-up is NOT that you lift an arm and leg off of the floor.  For me, it's hard because when you go down into the push-up, your elbows go BACK toward your body (not out).  My triceps SUCK!  I can go down, but pushing myself back up is nearly impossible.  So pushing myself up onto one arm and leg is even more impossible.  I can do this if I do a regular push up (elbows going out), then lifting myself onto one arm and one leg.  But, that's not really the correct way to do it.  Definitely room for improvement here.

Insanity Day 36: Max Interval Circuit

Um... yeah.

The warm-up for this video is twice as long as the month 1 warm-ups, with harder moves.  The stretching is half as long as the month 1 videos.  There are three circuits after the warm-up, when there are only two in the month 1 videos.  Each exercise in each circuit is 45 seconds long instead of 30 seconds long.

I'm happy to say that I did about 95% of the warm-up.  I took a couple of rests, but I'm very pleased with how much I did, especially since it's twice as long as I'm used to.

I was dead by the end of my first time through the first circuit.  It was then that I decided to do each circuit only once.

Halfway through the second circuit, I felt last night's dessert start to come up, so I started taking it a little bit easier at that point.  So in all honesty, I'm not as exhausted as I should be right now.  I'm tired, I've just been more tired than this after a workout.

Tomorrow I will try to push harder than I did today.  Three times through the warm-up and two times through the remaining three circuits.

Oh, and...  Friday and Saturday I skipped Core Cardio & Balance because I went dancing Friday night.  You might think dancing is easier than Insanity, but I don't make it easier.  Saturday morning my entire body was sore; abs, legs, neck...  I really *dance* when I go dancing.

Two Weeks!

It's getting so close, I can't believe it!

Lance is already having dreams about it (or I should probably say nightmares... missing our flight, etc.).

The Groupon today was $20 for a pass of 10 Ruva bed tans at my favorite tanning place, Beaches.  This is normally $50!  And, it's something I've been thinking about doing before our trip anyway. 

I used to go to Beaches a lot (I mean A LOT) when I worked at Gold's Gym.  A perk of working at Gold's is that you get a free gym membership, but you also get half off on your tanning.  So I was buff, and tan.

But anyway, uh... I got the Groupon, and I'm going to start my pass of 10 tans tomorrow.  I figured I would get burned anyway in Florida, so why not get that over with before I go?

Actually, I don't burn when I go tanning.  I start out with really low minutes (5 mins, tops), and work my way up, so I'm just getting tan, no burn.  By the time I'm done, I'll have a nice base tan to wear under sunscreen in Florida.  Therefore, no burning!  *So excited!*

This tan will also help show off my Insanity bod.

Except that I don't really plan on showing anyone that.

Except Lance, I guess.

Oh my goodness, Harry Potter world, I am so stoked!  *uncontrollable excitement*

Oh my goodness, Disney World!  *more uncontrollable excitement*

Insanity Day 31: Core Cardio & Balance

I did a tiny bit better today than I did yesterday.  I took fewer extra rests.  I took extra rests, but not as many as yesterday.  Still pushing.

Seems like I sweat a lot more today than I did yesterday.

Yesterday's workout made me a teensy bit sore!  I was very happy about that.  I like being sore because it lets me know my muscles are still being challenged.

Insanity Day 30 - Core Cardio & Balance

This workout is easy and hard at the same time.  It's easy because there isn't a whole lot of jumping and running exercises.  It's mostly balance and strength exercises.  I can *almost* do the entire workout without extra rests, but not quite.  Hopefully by Saturday I will be able to do the entire workout.  That is my goal!

The hardest part is the last three minutes.  You go into a plie squat and do various movements with your arms.  It's pretty hard.  I did  maybe one minute of it.  Plenty of room for improvement.

So True!

A coworker of mine has this lovely wife who writes a comedy blog.  I love reading it each day.

Today's post spoke to me, deep down.  It is so incredibly true.

You can read it here.

While I didn't join her weight loss competition, and while I'm not eating as healthy as she is...  I am obnoxious.  Very obnoxious.  I look for opportunities to show off how in shape I am by demonstrating various hard exercises, or talking about my flat abs, or bragging about how I haven't had Dr. Pepper in over two months.... you know, stuff I've blogged about for the past month of Insanity.

I am obnoxious.  And I am proud of it. 

Unfortunately, I don't have three friends to be obnoxious with.  The people I was competing with are... let's just say, not as dedicated to exercise as I am.  I had one friend who wasn't in the competition, but who was sharing in my exercise goals, and she came down with a serious sinus infection that lasted for 6 weeks.  She is just now fully healed and is just now starting up exercising again.

Obnoxious... that's me!

Insanity Day 29: Core Cardio and Balance

Sorry to disappoint, but I didn't work out today.  When I got up I had a really bad sore throat and my head was throbbing, so I went back to bed for an hour and a half.  Man, it felt good.  But, tomorrow through Saturday I will do Core Cardio & Balance.  I promise!

Insanity Day 28: Fit Test #3

Switch Kicks (2 kicks = 1 rep):
Day 1: 30    Day 15: 36     Day 28: 42.5          13 more kicks!

Power Jacks:
Day 1: 34    Day 15: 46     Day 28: 53             +7

Power Knees:
Day 1: 61    Day 15: 75     Day 28: 88             +13

Power Jumps:
Day 1: 17    Day 15: 27     Day 28: 32             +5

Globe Jumps (four jumps = 1 rep):
Day 1: 6      Day 15: 9       Day 28: 9               +0   :-)

Suicide Jumps:
Day 1: 9      Day 15: 12     Day 28: 13             +1

Push-Up Jacks:
Day 1: 13    Day 15: 20     Day 28: 23             +3

Low Plank Oblique:
Day 1: 26   Day 15: 38      Day 28: 46             +8

Man alive, it hurts!  I can definitely see improvement from my first fit test.... I'm just happy I got a bit of improvement from my second fit test!  Now on to a week of recovery so I can start up the harder workouts!

Insanity Day 27: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Is anyone sick of me posting each day about this?  I kind of am.  But at the same time, I think it's good to have a fitness journal.  So if you've been skipping some of them, I totally don't blame you.  This is more for me than it is for anyone else.

This was my last level 1 workout, so I pushed and I pushed hard.  I seriously starting balling like a baby on the third time through the last circuit.  Tears, sweat, pain, moans of agony... I had it all.  But I pushed and pushed and here I am, exhausted.  I actually finished the workout about an hour ago, so I've had some time to recover.  I feel great now, but an hour ago I was sprawled out on the floor not wanting to get up, not wanting to go up the stairs, and not wanting to stand in the shower.  I need a shower seat or something.

So, after one month of Insanity...

• My body is more toned overall.  I've noticed it the most in my stomach and my thighs.

• My complexion is better.  This is probably more a result of quitting soda, but I quit soda so I could do Insanity without throwing up.  So, there you go, it's pretty much directly related.

• I have more energy throughout the day.  I'm up at 5:30am and in bed by 9:30pm.  Early to bed and early to rise makes you less grumpy, ready to face any challenges, and ready to sleep at night.

• I sleep better at night.  No tossing and turning. No waking up randomly in the middle of the night.  I also wake up fully rested.

• I crave healthier foods.  Fries are still a temptation, but much less of a temptation than they used to be.
  
• I'm more confident with my appearance in general.  I feel good about myself.  I'm more positive.

• I have gained 0.4 pounds.  Yeah.  Not the greatest thing, considering that I'm in a weight LOSS competition.  But I know that the weight I've gained is purely muscle weight.  I wish they would go by body fat percentage instead of percentage of weight lost.  I don't weigh in until tomorrow, so I'll try to dehydrate myself between today and tomorrow.  Haha....

Insanity Day 26: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs

Oh my goodness, you guys!!  I did SO well at Pure Cardio today!  I pushed so hard, I really used my positive affirmations.  I was dead at the end.  But it's OK.  Cardio Abs was really hard.  My tummy is weak.  But it's good.  I'm smiling because I love it.

Tomorrow is Plyo Cardio, then Monday I'm supposed to do Core Cardio and Balance, a new workout video, BUT I'm going to do the fit test instead.

On the Insanity schedule, I do Core Cardio and Balance every day next week, then the following Monday, I do the fit test as well as one of the advanced videos.  I don't really want to do that.  The fit test kicks my butt because I push so hard to improve from the previous.  So I wouldn't have anything left to give the "Max" video!

I know, I know, trust the system.  But seriously, no thanks.  So, fit test on Monday, Core Cardio and Balance Tuesday through Saturday, then my first Max workout the next Monday.

I'm so ready for this.

Insanity Day 25: Cardio Recovery

As I was Googling for an image to include with this post, a picture came up that was me!  It was a link to one of my blogs about Insanity... kinda cool, I think!

Anyhow... I'm getting better at Cardio Recovery, even though this is only the third time I've done it.  The hardest part today was, again, holding the squat position, after doing 16 squats and 16 pulses.  Yikes!  My legs were so shaky.  Shaky legs, then you're supposed to go into this pose:

And hold that pose for... what feels like forever, once per leg.  So yes, that means you hold this position for two forevers.  :-)  I held it!  But I was shaking uncontrollably the entire time.

Yoga is very refreshing.  I feel like I should do it every day either before or after my scheduled Insanity workout.  Too bad I don't feel like getting up another hour earlier.  4:30am?  No thank you!

Also, I think instead of it being Pure Cardio that is lumped with Cardio Abs (which is on the schedule for tomorrow...), it should be Cardio Recovery and Cardio Abs.  I'm sure there's a method to why they lumped what they did, but it's just extremely hard doing those two videos back-to-back.  I'm so not looking forward to tomorrow.  But, I feel amazing right now.

Insanity Day 24: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

This whole week has been kicking my butt!  I'm supposed to be moving on to the advanced videos soon, but I'm still not as good as I'd like to be at my current videos.  Argh!

I still can't keep the Reebok Easytone shoes on longer than 2 times through the warm up.  The pain they cause is now extending into my legs and bottom, which is where I think it's supposed to hurt, but my feet still aren't OK with them.

My arms, abs, legs and bottom are all tighter than they used to be.  My complexion is better.  I actually like water, now.  I can't believe it's been two months since I've had a Dr. Pepper.  I don't crave it anymore.

If you look at me now, and looked at me a month ago, I'm sure you couldn't tell a difference.  The main difference is the way I feel about myself.  I feel better about myself.  I know my muscles have gotten stronger, but they aren't very visible.  Except maybe my tummy, but I don't go around showing that to people.  :-)

Drama, Drama, Drama

I had an online journal at LiveJournal.com during the years 2004-2006.  Those were some of the hardest years of my life.  I'm glad they're over.  I'm glad my words (albeit immature and dramatic) aren't lost, like I thought they were.

My First Kiss

I really hate that song, buy 3OH!3.  Ick.

I don't like talking about my first official kiss because I hated it.    Then why am I talking about it?  Because I'm doing this, in case you've forgotten.  I'm determined to talk about them all, no matter how painful.

But anyway, back to this "kiss". I didn't like the boy, and I didn't want to kiss him.  My friend liked him, she wanted to kiss him.  So she said, "If you had to choose between us, who would you kiss?"  He picked me, and I guess took it as an invitation to kiss me right then, right there, in the middle of a mall.  Blegh.  It was awkward.  And I let him do it because I was too scared to say no, or object in any way.

Looking back, I should have said something like, "Um, that wasn't an invitation.  I'm just here so you guys can hang out.  I don't like you."  Or something like that.  Maybe nicer?  But then again, teenage boys don't hear nice things as what they are, so you have to say things very directly, almost rude.

I hope, hope, hope my little sisters don't have to go through anything like that.  Please don't be afraid to say, "NO!" or push boys away, slap them in the face, anything like that.  Boys are stupid, and who cares what they will think of you?  Yes, it was just a kiss.  But it was a kiss I'd rather not have on my (extremely short) list.

I'll be the first to admit it, I was not a strong person as a teenager.  I was very dependent on my friends, I was who they wanted me to be.  I let other people define me, and I regret it.  I regret it so very much.

Luckily, I am happily married and I don't have to think about how dumb I was as a teenager.

(As a teenager) You think that what you want right now is so important and that it can't wait because the opportunity may never present itself again.  I can say that God is in control, and he may present the initial opportunity merely as a temptation, and hopefully you don't fall into it.

Insanity Day 23: Cardio Power & Resistance

I don't know if I'm still pushing or if I'm going backwards in my progress.  It was hard today.  I am tired.  Especially my arms.

The end.

Insanity Day 22: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs

--Insert comment about how hard it was.

--Insert comment about how the time change made getting upat 5:30 even harder.

Oh, and...  My abs are noticably flatter.  Oh yes.  That little pooch that I've always had?  Shrinking.  Totally awesome.

My Baby Girl!

It is Bentley's official birthday today.  She is two years old!  I love her so very much.  She makes me so happy.  I love coming home from work and seeing how excited she us to see us.  I love laying in bed, watching TV or a movie and having her snuggle with me.  I love watching her play with her food.  I love watching her play with Layla.  She is the best thing that has happened to this family.  I wish dogs lived longer than 20 years, because I get sad thinking about how short our time will be together.  She is such a good dog, and she is perfect for me.

Here are some pictures of her over these two years of her life:

This was taken the day we got her.  I always wanted a black chihuahua.  We chose her because she was beating up the dog that shared a kennel with her.

She wasn't much bugger than a Mike & Ike box.

She loves helping me cook and thinks my food is the best in the world.

She loves to go for rides in the car and have her head out the window.

But sometimes she gets really tired and has to take a rest.

She's a good girl and is potty trained.













We are so lucky to have her.

Happy birthday, Bentley!

(She sat on my lap the whole time I posted this.  I think she's still tired.  :-) )

Insanity Day 20: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

I am terrible on Saturdays.

I got up at 9:00am to work out.  That's sleeping in (at least three hours more than a weekday!), but it's not really sleeping in.  That would be getting up at 11 or later.

I couldn't push as hard as I have the rest of the week.  I don't think it's due to fatigue.  I'm pretty sure it's because of what I ate yesterday.

I had In-N-Out.  Yes, fast food.  It was the first time since last week.  I went 5 days without fast food.  That's a long time for me/us.  I did NOT, however, drink soda.  I had Minute Maid Light.  Thankyouverymuch.

Also, I made these.   Curse you merryweathermama!!  Those cookies were amazing!  I ate practically the entire batch, by myself.  I gave one to Richard (my co-worker), and I think Lance had three or four.  The rest were me.  All me.  Entire batch of cookies between Thursday night and Friday night.  BROWNIE cookies.  Myself.  Ugh!

So, I stank it up today.

What's for lunch?  Taco Amigo.

Don't judge.

Insanity Day 19: Cardio Power & Resistance

I'm pretty sure the warm-up for this workout is the hardest warm-up.

Insanity knows which muscles are weak, and how to make you work them anyway.  It's not very nice.

This is Just One of My Favorite Things

I'm really slow about posting pictures that I've taken.

Anyhow, this was taken a couple of weeks ago when I changed my hair....again.  :-)


Behold, the pirouette:

It's a little more blonde than I originally wanted, but I decided that I like it, a lot.

What is this "pirouette" I speak of?

Well, basically, you part a star on the top of your head, and dye that all one color.  It can be close to the color of the rest of your hair, or, obviously, it can be contrasting, like mine!  If you do a tiny star, or a star with a lot of points, it will look more like highlights, but awesome-r.  Mine is a 6 point star, but it's really large, so mine looks more like a "window" or whatever they call it these days.

What I love about it is how the blonde looks with the red peeking out beneath it.  I went more blonde than red because of the shape of my hair, and how funny it would look if I didn't do a lot of blonde in the back.

So that was probably more info than you wanted.  But there you have it.  My hair.  Yay!

Here are some other pictures of pirouettes:

I would LOVE to do a pirouette on someone's hair.  Any takers?  I can't cut hair, but I've dyed plenty.  Anyone wanna take a trip with me to Sally's?

Also, this is NOT a pirouette.... but I would like to do this EXACT thing to my hair someday when I get over my issues with my nose.

I think there are few things sexier than the color pink, and a blonde pixie.  So, why not mix them?  Heck yes!!!


(If you're wondering what my nose has to do with anything....  I think you should have feminine facial features in order to pull off a pixie.  I have a masculine nose.  Don't disagree with me, I won't believe you.  I've lived with my nose my whole life, I know what it looks like.  I'm fine with it.  But until I can see evidence of pixies looking cute on people with sharp facial features, my opinion will stay the same.  Thanks.)

Insanity Day 18 - Cardio Recovery

What a nice relaxing yogalates day.... :-)

I can't hold a squat (seriously that sounds weird) or lunge for as long as the video tells you to... but I did my best!

I feel ready for two more tough workouts this week.

Next week is my LAST WEEK of Insanity Month 1.  After that, I will have a "recovery week" where I do a different recovery workout, and then I go to Month 2 where the workouts are HARDER.  So next week I need to push and make sure I am super good at each video.

Let's gooooo!

Insanity Day 17: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs

Well, that was hard.

The first hard thing was waking up at 5:30 this morning. Getting up just 5 minutes earlier than I'm used to is hard, so when I decided to set my alarm for 30 minutes earlier than my normal 6am workout, I felt like I was crazy.  I probably am crazy.

The second hard thing was not going back to bed after I got up at 5:30am.  Getting up to shut my alarm off (I keep it right outside our bedroom door so I physically HAVE to get up and walk across the room), wakes up the dogs and they run ahead of me, so then I let them outside.  Not going back to bed after that, is hard.

The third hard thing was putting my all into Pure Cardio, fully knowing that I'd be doing another workout right after.  But I put everything I could into Pure Cardio.

Still dripping in sweat, and my muscles shaking from fatigue, I switched the DVD to Cardio Abs, let out a huge sigh, and mentally prepared myself for more sweat and more fatigue.

For a visual, here's Shaun T after Pure Cardio, before the cool down stretch:

I can happily and proudly say that I did MORE of Cardio Abs today than I did on Saturday, even though I did MORE of Pure Cardio as well.  Actually, I didn't do any of Pure Cardio on Saturday.  But today I did both, and I did both to the best of my ability.

How do I feel right now?  The sweat has dried, my pulse is back to normal, but my arm, leg, and stomach muscles feel very tired.  They would like to go to sleep now.  But there's one thing I love about working out in the morning: I can't go back to bed.  I have to push through my entire day.  By the end of the day, I am so tired that I sleep SO much better at night now.  I'm a really light sleeper, so I usually wake up when Lance comes to bed.  I haven't heard him once.  I'm sleeping so much deeper that I wake up feeling more refreshed and ready for the day ahead.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a fruit smoothie to make.

Insanity Day 16: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

I was really slow getting up this morning.  I didn't start my workout until 20 minutes after I normally do.  So, I only went through the warm-up circuit twice.  I kept the Reeboks on until I was done stretching after the warm-up.  I did each circuit three times after that.

I got a little emotional during the third time through the second circuit, but no tears.

At one point, not sure when, my water bottle was half empty, but it felt really heavy.  Stupid push-up drills.

Oh, also...  I'm not sore.  No more soreness!  But my muscles are fatigued.

Have a great day.

My Dreams

My goals. My aspirations.  What I want to become.  What I want to accomplish in my life.  These are all things that change from time to time.  But two things have remained...

I want to be a wife and stay at home mother,

and,

I want to do hair.

Simple right?  It's so easy to think about things that you want.  The hard part is taking those thoughts and putting them in a plan of action to actually get what you want.  It's much easier to dream about your dream car than it is to make the payments on it and to dedicate extra time to take care of it.  I'm a firm believer in "you get what you wish for."  You can get anything you want, you just have to work for it.

Yeah, I could do hair.  All I need to do is go to school and learn the craft.  I've got friends and family whose hair I would do if I knew how.  Why don't I go to school?  Fear.  I'm afraid.  I'm afraid of meeting new people.  I'm afraid of putting too many tasks in my life, thus having less free time with Lance and friends and family.  I'm afraid of how long it will take for me to graduate, due to the fact that I would need to take night school classes, and they tend to be part-time, instead of full time.  I'm afraid of the money it will cost to put me through hair school.  I'm afraid of debt.  I'm afraid of working less at my current job.  I'm afraid of making less money. 

Yeah, I could be a mom.  Why am I not a mom yet?  Again, fear.  These fears are different from the hair school fears, and are very personal fears, so I won't share them, but they are there.  I'm working on them.  It's not easy, but I'm trying.

I'll admit it, this isn't my dream job.  I never grew up wishing I'd be in political marketing, or checking reports and tables for clients.  That's just where I landed.  I'm thankful for my job.  They treat me well here. I have no reason to leave here, at least until I can fully accomplish my stay at home mom goal.  That might be a while.

Insanity Day 15: Fit Test #2

Switch Kicks (2 kicks = 1 rep):
Day 1: 30    Day 15: 36          12 more kicks!

Power Jacks:
Day 1: 34    Day 15: 46          +12

Power Knees:
Day 1: 61    Day 15: 75          +14

Power Jumps:
Day 1: 17    Day 15: 27          +10

Globe Jumps (four jumps = 1 rep):
Day 1: 6      Day 15: 9            12 more jumps!

Suicide Jumps:
Day 1: 9      Day 15: 12           +3

Push-Up Jacks:
Day 1: 13    Day 15: 20           +7

Low Plank Oblique:
Day 1: 26   Day 15: 38           +12

I am so happy with my results.  After only two weeks, I've had big improvements.  I'm even proud of my +3 suicide jumps.  Let's see how much better I can get after two more weeks!

Insanity Day 14: Off

Is it funny that I'm writing even though I'm not working out today?

Thank goodness I'm not working out!  My back and obliques are sore today.  I can tell my body very much needs a day to rejuvenate.  Last year, when I completed Insanity, I would drink soda on Saturdays only, because I didn't have to work out on Sunday.  This time, I've completely quit soda.

Ok, that's not entirely true.  I have had some soda here and there, but it's been non-caffeinated, and only a couple of times in the past month or so.

Mostly I'm proud of myself because it's been over a month since I've had Dr. Pepper.  That was really hard to quit.  I was so addicted.  I use to drink two or more 20 oz. bottles every single day.  I'm saving some money this way.  If we go out to eat, water is free!  Water is best when it's ice cold.  Ice, ice cold.  I like to fill up my water bottle at night and put it in the fridge overnight so that it's as cold as can be when I work out in the morning.  I don't like to put it in the freezer, because then I have to wait for it to thaw.  I don't have time for that.  Also, I don't want ice in my water.  I just want ice cold water.

Yesterday, I asked Lance if he noticed if I was in better shape, and I told him to tell the truth.

Now, before I give his answer, you need to know that I'm not "one of those girls" who ask questions like this to get their man in trouble.  If you are one of those kind of people, it's OK, I'm not putting you down, I'm just saying that this was a sincere question I asked because I wanted a sincere answer.

He said, "When I had my arms around your waist earlier, it felt smaller than it used to." Then he paused, got a sly grin on his face and said, "But your bum is still the same."  Then we both laughed.  I'm fine with that.  Small waist, big booty?  Who could hate?  Hahaha.  Lance is great.  I love him.

Insanity Day 13: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs

Let's just say I completely failed Pure Cardio today.  I went through the warm-up twice with my Reeboks on, then when I went to take my Reeboks off and put my Pumas on, I stopped the video and went straight to Cardio Abs.

Saturday AM workouts are harder for me.  I think it's because I sleep in.  But no matter what it is, I'm really fatigued today.  This could be due to me skipping Cardio Recovery this week, so my body is a little bit over-worked.

Note to self: Do not skip any more workouts.  It's OK to be a day behind the calendar schedule.

Cardio Abs is kind of easy, but also hard.  In retrospect it was easy.  But while doing it, it is hard.  There are no sit ups or crunches.  Instead you go into what Shaun calls "the c-sit position."  It looks like this:

If I'm in the position correctly, I immediately begin to feel the burn.  So doing any sort of extra effort really worked me.  After the C-sit position, you do some exercises in low plank and high plank.  Those are hard for me because my arms are dead from yesterday.

Tomorrow I get to rest, and then Monday is another fit test so I can track my progress!   I know you're all dying to see how much I've improved from my last fit test.

What I Wore Today

I'm finally doing another one of these.

I am wearing....

Purple slingback heels, and some very old Laguna Beach jeans.  The exact same combo the day I took this random picture a couple of years ago....

This shirt:

I love this shirt.  Lance got it for me for Christmas and it was a huge surprise!  It has some very pretty rhinestones and embroidery that you can't see from the picture.

These earrings, which I also love and were also a Christmas surprise:

And... the same necklace I wore last time I posted about what I was wearing....

Insanity Day 12: Cardio Power & Resistance

I skipped day 11, which would have been Cardio Recovery.

I did the warm-up and both circuits after that, threes time each.

My whole body feels exhausted.  My legs and arms are shaking.  (This may be the cause of my slurred *typing* above.)

I'm still breathing a little heavy right now, and I'm still dripping in sweat.  I literally *just* finished.

I need to eat breakfast but we are out of milk.  Yikes!

Last night, I weighed myself in my Puma shoes and then I weighed myself in my Reebok shoes, and the Reeboks are one one pound heavier than the Pumas.  That doesn't sound like much, but it sure makes a difference to me when the workout I'm doing is already ridiculously hard.

I only lasted two times through the warm-up with the Reeboks on.

Keep pushing.

I'm hitting the shower now.

Push Harder

I must not be pushing hard enough because I haven't been as hungry today and I wasn't very hungry yesterday.  Tomorrow = full workout, no skipping.

Insanity Day 10: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Second to Pure Cardio, this is the hardest video so far.  But it is also my favorite.  The music gets intense and helps me keep pushing.

I'm still only doing each circuit twice, and I'm still only wearing the Easy Tone shoes for the warm-up.  I should wear the Easy Tone shoes throughout the day, but I'd rather not wear them outside.  So maybe I'll wear them around the house each evening.  Not that I walk much when I'm at home, but at least they'll get stretched out or worn in a bit faster.

Tomorrow I would be doing Cardio Recovery, but I decided that since I'm a day behind I'll skip it this week.  This means that my first two-workout day will be on Saturday (like it should be) instead of Monday.  Insanity is nice and gives you one day each week off, which is Sunday for me.

Insanity all the way!

In Other News

I'm taking a Marketing Research course through the University of Georgia (courtesy of DataWise).  Took my first test today....

92% !  Booyah!  On to Module 2 ( there are 11 modules).

Insanity Day 9: Pure Cardio

It was hard.  I rested a lot.  I am weak right now and need to eat breakfast.  Reebok Easy Tone shoes still hurt super bad.  That doesn't seem to get betting better.  Also, it's only in the right foot.

Insanity Day 8: Cardio Power & Resistance

The shoes hurt me, again!  I didn't last as long today with them on as I did yesterday.  That being said, the warm-up had more lunge-type moves than yesterday's, so it was a little harder.

Again, I did the warm-up circuit and both circuits after that twice.  I'm starting to sweat more throughout the workout.  Also, when we get our 30 second breaks, I can tell my body and heart rate is recovering faster.  Last week my heart would still be pounding out of my chest when it was time to start again, and that was when I was only doing each circuit once!  So I'm pushing along, getting stronger, and getting better.  To quote Shaun T, "It's get FIT or get OUT, people!"  I'm getting fit.

Cardio Power and Resistance is a lot of squat\lunge moves as well as push-up-type moves.  Such as the one below.  I don't like doing push-ups.  I'm pretty good at them, but I don't like doing them because I already feel like I have large shoulders and arms, and I don't want to make them bigger.