Insanity, Day 45

I'm not going to lie, today's workout was rough, and not just because it's an insane workout. I was dragging a bit when I looked at the clock and realized I had better get moving, otherwise the evening was going to get away from me with dinner and the kids' bedtime, and I didn't want to wait until 9 or 10pm. So I started by posting that I was about to workout on Facebook, then logged into WOWY so I couldn't back out. I then sluggishly made my way to the DVD player in the family room, started it up and got my towel and water. During the warm up I actually paused it and thought to myself "I am not in the mood to put myself through this." But I turned right around and started anyway. When your frame of mind is like that, every move seems to require so much more strength and lung power to perform. I was still feeling out of it about 5 minutes into the workout, I just couldn't get that feeling out of my head. But as the warm-up got into its third cycle of the circuit, I was sweating like usual and was finding myself concentrating more on the moves than on my state of mind. Once I had my blood flowing it was business as usual. In the end, I still ended up drenched in sweat from an amazing workout. Yes, it was rough. But I was able to "Dig Deeper" and push through because I have worked too hard for too long to let myself give up. I am so glad I did.

Game Plan II

This past Saturday, Leslie and I attended The Game Plan II Seminar in Pasadena. What a great collection of Beachbody Coaches, all willing to share ideas and experiences with everyone to help improve their business. We made some friends,  reconnected with one that I haven't seen in years, and came out of it completely inspired and fired up to kick our business into gear. I really look forward to the next time we can attend another Beachbody event because everyone that we met was so great. Thanks Beachbody, I love this company.

Leslie Posing with Chocolate Shakeology @ The Game Plan II

Leslie with Tom Mikkelson @ Game Plan II

Leslie, Traci Morrow and Matt @ Game Plan II

Fitness Ministry

Last night we had our best group workout yet. The room was packed with energetic women ready to "Bring It" to CardioX from P90X. In fact, with the size of the group increasing so much, we may now have to move to the Church Sanctuary for more room. I am so excited about the progress that has taken place, and to finally see that our ministry is spreading beyond the walls of the church. One of the newer group members was excited to share that after joining in on the workout last week she actually lost 5 lbs. The other thing I am excited about are all the questions about nutrition and healthier eating habits. I see huge potential with this group and am excited about the future physical and nutritional well-being of the group, and how it helps to clear their minds and bodies and enable them to become more spiritually fit as well.

On another note, thank God that the group was so charged to workout. I was really feeling it from my Max Interval Plyo workout for Insanity that I did a few hours earlier. Now being in the second month of Insanity, the workouts have definitely become more intense...I didn't even know that would be possible after the first month. I am more sore, especially in the upper body. So it was probably really good for me to do CardioX, as it loosened up my muscles a bit. So, thank you ladies for forcing me to be there for the workout with your dedication to show up.

Insanity Month 2 Begins

As if it weren't a busy day with work and meetings with the New Song Committee on Community Outreach, both very important and meaningful things of course, today was also the day for me to begin the 2nd month of Insanity as soon as I got home from work. I think I hate Shawn T today...but just today. For some reason, that man decided it was a good idea to do the fit test and then do Max Interval Circuit for the first time immediately after it. As if the fit test weren't exhausting enough, let's just throw an hour of heart pumping, muscle straining intensity into the mix as well. None of the other workouts have been more than 35 minutes or so, but today's was over an hour. This was the first day I didn't feel like I could make it through all the moves. I did my best, I know that there is a lot of room for improvement.  I did take my picture, documenting my progress through the half-way point. I am proud of myself. I am officially down between 175-177 lbs. I haven't gone above the 177 mark in over a week, so I feel confident that my weight will stay below as long as I continue to eat right and maintain my workouts. I love the way I feel and plan to continue on my journey for a healthier tomorrow with my family.

Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse

The Shakeology® 3-Day Cleanse


The key is to follow the same regimen all three days.

Essentials:

• 3 Shakeology shakes per day
• 2 cups of green tea per day
• 1 or 2 pieces of fruit per day (optional)
• 1 salad for dinner—Dinner salad may include WHITE GRILLED PROTEIN—poultry or fish only
  Only use low-fat dressings, and go easy on the salt and/or pepper to taste.
• No dairy or extra sugars (this includes almond and soy milk)!
• Drink 2 to 4 liters of water every day 
• 2 snacks before/after any of the major meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
• Fruit is optional, and it is discouraged (however, some of you will need the calories while others may not)
• Power-workout participants (those who are already super conditioned) are recommended the higher numbers of calories For maximum results, do NOT use additives

Daily Regimen:

1 cup of green tea to start the day

Breakfast:
1 scoop Shakeology (140 calories)
1/2 cup of fruit (60 to 90 calories)—optional
Ice to taste
8 to10 oz. of water

Snack 1 (85 calories): 1 piece of fruit (apple, pear, orange, banana mango, etc.)

Lunch: 1 scoop Shakeology (140 calories) Ice to taste 8 to 10 oz. of water 1 cup of green tea or a detox tea

Snack 2: (you can have the second snack before or after dinner) 1 scoop Shakeology (140 calories) Ice to taste 8 to10 oz. of water

Dinner: Salad with grilled white fish or poultry (roughly 340 calories)
 Greens—3 servings of vegetables, plus 4 oz. of grilled white meat (fish or poultry)
 2 tablespoons of dressing—no more!

Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse FAQ
Here are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions:
1. How many calories per day?

• 800 to 1,100 calories per day

2. How often can I do the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse?

•  Ideally, you should do it once per quarter (every 3 months)
• As the seasons change
• Before starting a new workout program
• When you feel you need help breaking through a plateau

3. Should/Can I still do my workouts during the Cleanse?

• Depends on the individual
• You’ll have less energy than normal, so consider doing it during a recovery week
• Try not to do in the middle of P90X® or INSANITY®

4. Can I do a 1-day or a 2-day cleanse instead of a 3-day?

• Yes! Some people will see results with one or two days
• We recommend against continuing the cleanse for more than three days

5. Should/Can I take other Beachbody® supplements during the Cleanse?

• Results and Recovery Formula™: No, too much sugar/calories
• Others (Omega-3, etc.): Not necessary, but won’t hurt either

Fitness Ministry & Insanity

Last night we had a great group show up for workout. 4 New women joined the class and we all had a great time doing Cardio X together. Two of the girls were from Mom 2 Mom and the other 2 were recruited by a regular attendee. I was happy to hear that they felt the intensity was perfect for their fitness level, and one of the ladies is starting to really improve with all of the movements. I shared some recovery drink with them and talked about the importance of replenishing your system after a workout.  I look forward to next week's class.

As for my own progress, I am half-way through the recovery week between month 1 and month 2 of the program. It is a welcomed break even thought the workout still makes me feel plenty, especially during the leg lifts and the shoulder burner series of movements.

Insanity Recovery Week, Day 1

Day 29 of Insanity is the first day of Recovery Week.  Core Cardio and Balance started off simple enough, although I had plenty of sweat coming down. I liked the workout, but two moves in particular made me really feel the burn. The shoulder sequence made me feel like my arms were going to fall off, causing me to take frequent breaks along the way, as did the standing leg-raise sequence. But overall, I enjoyed it and can't wait to see if I improve over the course of this week.

Fitness Ministry Resumes Today

My section of Fitness Ministry through our Church resumed today after a small break. Only a few people showed up, but they worked their tails off. We did our usual weekend workout...Kenpo X from P90X. It is a great way to blow off some stress with all of the kicking and punching you get to do. Everyone had a great time and were all dripping with sweat. I shared some recovery drink with them and just chatted about the different workouts Beachbody has to offer as they looked at some of the products I brought for display. Great day.

Insanity Month 1 is in the Books

I completed the final workout of month 1 for Insanity and I feel great, and I think my abs have finally shown up. I am looking forward to the Recovery Week workouts before starting month 2.  I do have a question though...Will this stuff ever seem easy? I feel like I am just as tired after today's workout as I was after the first actual workout. Coincidentally, it was the same workout. I think I am just pushing myself more, and taking less rests in between, and that's why it hasn't gotten any easier. I do need to continue working on my shoulders. They seem to tire out first during the Level 1 and 2 drills, especially when going back and forth between "ski abs" and "in and outs" on the floor. Another thing I am going to keep watch over are my calves down to my heels. My calves are extremely tight, and some of the jumping moves really gets them burning, but not in the same way as muscle soreness. It affects me to where my tendons that connect to my heels are in pain a lot, so I have to do a lot of roller exercises with them to break up the tissue and loosen them up. I need to find a way to relax my calves more every day. They have always been big, but they have tightened up since going through P90X with the Plyometrics and Legs & Back routine really setting them on fire. This will not stop me, because the rest of me is feeling great. I am now down to less than what I weighed when I graduated High School. A little more definition is what I am aiming for. I hope that the second month of Insanity will get me there.

My Insanity Journey

I am upset with myself. I am almost done with the first 4 weeks of my Insanity program, and I dropped the ball when it came to blogging about my experience every day as I planned to. I have been religiously posting comments every time I work out on Facebook, but it isn't the same as a detailed journal that captures everything I have gone through in real time. From here on out I am going to try to post my daily trials of Insanity as I move toward days 30 - 60 of the 60-day program. If you are reading this, then you accepted my facebook request to  follow my blog so I will make sure I stay committed to documenting my progress, and I thank you for that.


I went back and found some of my facebook posts to help me recollect what I was going through in the beginning stage of this program. Everything seems like such a blur. I honestly cannot believe I have been doing this for 26 days, it feels like I just started. That is something I would like to make sure all my friends understand, that you could be looking back and say, "Man, look how far I have come in such a short amount of time" instead of  "damn, I need to do something about my health and fitness." The day before Day 1 is the most difficult, it's the day you have to decide to make a change. But trust me when I tell you that once you get into it, and you start feeling yourself change, you will turn around and realize you have been doing it for over a month and never look back again.  Join me on my journey and you will change your life forever.


8/10/2010

I did my Insanity Fit Test yesterday, ready to do my first actual Insanity Workout, Plyo Cardio Circuit. Here goes nothing. May have reached for a little more than I should have. I loved the Insanity workout, took as few breaks as possible while keeping my best quality form. 

8/11/2010

Woke up sore after yesterday's crazy schedule, but still gonna give Day #3 of Insanity a go. Today is Cardio Power and Resistance...I'm already looking forward to my after-workout lunch, I'm sure gonna need the fuel. I'm WOWY bound.

8/10/2010

Day #4 of Insanity...So far, so good. Today is Cardio Recovery. I'm WOWY bound.

8/11-8/19/2010

No juicy details to report. I stayed the course and posted that I did my workout for the day no matter how hot it was or how late I worked out.

8/20/2010

Day #12 of INSANITY...Today is Cardio Power and Resistance. I can't believe I'm already finshing week #2. Has it gotten any easier...Hell No! How do I feel...GREAT!

8/23/2010

 My results were pretty good for my Insanity Week 2 Fit Test. Improved in all movements except for Globe Jumps, but I think I was just jumping higher so it took longer for me to come down. I feel great.

9/1/2010

It's later than I would like to do this, but it's time to suck it up. Day 24 of Insanity is Plyo Cardio Circuit...I must DIG DEEPER. I don't believe in too tired.

That's just a brief synopsis of what I went through. I promise to do better with the details, and maybe I can inspire someone to take a leap of faith and make the decision to create a healthier tomorrow for themself.

As Shawn T would say..."Peace Out"