Monday, July 23, 2012

The INSANITY continues...


Ever had one of those days where nothing goes the way you've planned? Hmph - that was my Sunday. My Achilles was still hurting from last weekend's mud run. Add to that the fact that I was standing in line for five hours waiting to audition for the Voice. By Sunday, my Achilles was swollen and sore. My trainer (and everyone on the Internet) recommended I rest, but I tried to go out for my run, anyway. The day was beautiful, it wasa nice 78 degrees, sunny and clear.  Stlll, the Achilles didn't care how beautiful the day was. Running was not in the cards for me.

Instead, I thought I would take the girls to Sesame Place. At least then I'd get a lot of walking in. Twenty minutes into the ride, the road felt like it was opening up, and I smelled smoke. My tire had blown! What little shoulder there was was blocked with cones. Somehow, I made it to the shoulder safely and by God's grace was followed into the shoulder by a Turnpike official who helped us get towed to a Pep Boys nearby. By the time we got the tire fixed, it was nearly 5 pm. Too late to even bother.

Today was a new day. I'm happy to report that I did the week 2 Fit Test and improved on all seven of the exercises. It was a really good workout, and I"m glad I did it. Tomorrow, I'm trying for a double. Maybe even a little running. :)
I'll check in then.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

PMS...again already?

Isn't it amazing the way PMS creeps up on you? You would think after 29 years of experiencing it, I wouldn't be so surprised when it arrives. This month, I found myself freaking out about how much money we didn't have and dipping into the stash of frozen chocolate bars before i realized that this behavior wasn't entirely unfamiliar to me. In fact, it's a pattern that repeats pretty much monthly, the week before my period is due. This month, like every month, I started to have crazy anxiety about my finances and was convinced we were nearly destitute despite the fact that nothing has changed about our situation since last week. I started dipping into my frozen chocolate stash several times a day when just a week ago, I'd forgotten it was even there.

I have certainly tried all the tricks to remind myself it's coming and prepare myself - downloaded apps, marked it on every calendar I own, even set alarms. I've made progress - at least now I recognize it as it's coming on rather than in retrospect. Don't they say admitting you have a problem is the first step in solving it? Truth be told, it doesn't make it that much easier to endure. I thought I heard somewhere once that there have been women who have literally gotten away with murder by pleading temporary insanity. I certainly believe it. I am definitely a nut job that time of the month - well, much moreso than any other time of the month.

Whether or not awareness of the problem in itself is the solution, it is definitely making for a much smoother ride. I'm still working out - most days twice a day. This is helping my overall mental health immensely. I'm drinking lots of water and aside from the chocolate moments, I'm still eating healthy and the scale is still my friend. Overall, though I'm a little snappier with my family than I'd like to be, I'm in generally good spirits. I'm being gentle with myself and treating myself with tender loving care.

So, what about you? How do you manage that time of the month? Is PMS even an issue? If so, how do you handle it? Do you chart it? Use an app? Hole yourself up in a red tent? How do you manage without alienating yourself from your friends and family despite the havoc hormones can wreak in a relatively short period of time?

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

INSANITY Day 9...seeing progress!

The scale is moving, for sure. I have lost about another pound this week, I think, for a total of 5 pounds in two weeks. That's not the most exciting part, though. I can see myself getting stronger.

Last week on Tuesday, my plan was to do INSANITY in the morning and then run 3 miles later in the day (I am training for a half marathon at the end of August). I was so exhausted that I couldn't get the run in. I was disappointed, but decided not to be too hard on myself. My focus during this process is on my progress over the next 60 days. There's no way I'm going to be able to do everything 100% from the start.

This week, I had my mud run on Sunday and wasn't sure I was going to be able to do INSANITY at all the next day. I did it, though I had to take most of the hopping out because my ankle was so sore. Today, just a day later, I kicked A** on INSANITY Pure Cardio (dripping sweat, but I barely had to stop at all for extra breaks - less even than the people on the video, though I wasn't jumping anywhere near as high as they were). What's more, I was able to go to the gym and RUN THREE ADDITIONAL MILES in just under 40 minutes. YEAH, baby. That's how you dig deep. I might actually have a shot at one of these Beachbody challenges!

I'm going to post pictures in a couple weeks. Can't wait to share them! My size 16 shorts are loose, so I know changes are happening...until tomorrow!

Monday, July 16, 2012

I'm an ATHLETE, yo!

OK, twice in one night...that's right.
I just posted something on Facebook and I had to share it with you guys. I took a picture of one of my injuries from the mud run and I posted that I knew it was a little bonkers for me to be taking pictures of my sports injuries. One of my friends remarked that maybe the running was shaking my brain loose or something...My response:

"Tee hee! I've always gotten a kick out of my sports injuries. I was so NOT an athlete. I've taken pictures of all my really good sports injuries - when I nearly knocked myself out chasing after a tennis ball and ended up with a lemon-sized egg on my head that had everyone thinking I was being beaten by my then boyfriend, now husband....when I jumped off the cliff at Rick's Cafe and landed on my ass and had a bruise from the bottom of my butt to the top of my knee...like I said...bonkers. Frankly, I'm still pretty amazed that I have somehow morphed from the girl who got picked last for every team to a damn nearly fearless athlete who will try anything once."

It's never too late to become an athlete. Why not start today?

INSANITY Day 8....Still on track

OK, so I took a couple days off. Well, no not really...I took ONE day off. Saturday I cued up the DVD and my jumping jacks looked like a granny two-step. Sunday, I had a mud run - the Merrell Down & Dirty. I KILLED those obstacled, thanks to my coach kicking my butt in kickboxing for 2 months and INSANITY and TRX and all the other crazy stuff I've been doing since May. I texted my trainer and told her that I was really banged up - my elbow is scraped, my knee is seriously bruised and my Achilles was screaming from the beginning of the race all the way to the end. She suggested maybe I swap my planned INSANITY workout with the INSANITY recovery workout. I thought that was a good plan.

When I woke up this morning, I had a fierce resolve. I bounced up at 6 am and got my INSANITY on. NOT the recovery DVD, but the Cardio Power & Resistance that was on the schedule. I'm not gonna tell you I was able to do 100%; my Achilles was killing me, even with the right sneakers and the Achilles bandaged up to keep it stable. I couldn't do all the hopping that Shawn T called for, but my knees were above my hips, dammit!

I'm happy to say that my weight continues to go down. I am SO excited about that. INSANITY works, people. I am about to be living proof of THAT!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

DAY 6...Out of Steam.

I know, I know. It's too soon to have lost my fire. But honestly, I was just too tired to do it this morning. Last night, I took my kids to the Flick 'N Float at our local pool and I got to bed way too late. When I woke up, I still had my mojo about doing INSANITY, but when I actually had the thing cued up and running, not so much. When I realized my jumping jacks were going to be more of a two-step you might see in a ballroom dance class designed for senior citizens, I realized I should just stop. I told myself I could always do it later, or maybe I would do my 10-mile training run after all.

After a morning spent in the rain at my daughter's swim meet (which she won, I might add), I did, in fact, don my runner's gear and headed over to the running trail. Unfortunately, it started raining quite heavily on the way over and again, my inner child was not having it. She was sulking, pouting and whining, "Do I HAVE TO???" Rather than force it on the poor thing, I called my trainer and explained what was going on. Her explanation was immediate and simple:

"Your body is telling you it needs to rest. You have been pushing hard. Give yourself a break."

So, that's what I did. I still find myself toying with the idea of popping the DVD in and pushing through it, as my inner critic is trying as hard as it can to shame me into breaking my self-enforced rest day. I have a 5K mud run to finish tomorrow, though, so I know better than to go against my trainer's advice. I firmly believe that it's an important part of becoming an athlete to honor your body's need for rest as much as you honor it's ability to push beyond what you thought were the limits.

Tomorrow is a new day full of opportunities to go hard and test my limits. Maybe I'll even have enough energy to make up the missed INSANITY work out after my mud run. And if not? We start fresh on Monday.

Oh, and did I mention that I lost 4 pounds since Monday (Boo ya, baby. Time for that Pandora bracelet!)

Until tomorrow,

Liimu

Friday, July 13, 2012

Day 5 INSANITY - Building a Foundation


I actually think I've gotten into somewhat of a groove with INSANITY and healthy eating. I can see myself achieving my goals because I have built up some positive momentum. Each day, I roll out of bed and just do the DVD. I don't really think too much about it, it's kind of like brushing my teeth (except longer, harder and much sweatier). Anything else I have planned is in addition to INSANITY. What this means is that many days, I don't do anything else because I'm exhausted.
I'm sure my friends are wondering why they haven't seen me at boot camp lately.  Honestly, I haven't been able to get myself to do it. My marathon training has also suffered slightly, I must admit. But this weekend, I intend to get my run in, even if it's just 6-8 miles, in stead of the 10 miles I'd planned. It's hot and with my daughter's swim meet, I won't be able to get out there before noon. Better 6 than nothing, right?
I can see big changes happening already. I like to think it's INSANITY doing its magic. I've dropped over five pounds this week alone. I'm hopeful that even after this first week, I can consistently lose 1-2 pounds. That will put me at or near goal by the end of the year.
The other thing that's amazing is that it's getting easier and easier to stay on plan in the face of temptation. This evening, I took my kids to the pool and to the Flick 'N Float at our local pool and all around me, people were eating soft pretzels, candy, popcorn, pizza, ice cream. I had a salad with grilled chicken and a diet coke. (The diet coke was my splurge.) Came home hungry and had some green tea with almond milk and a teaspoon of raw honey. 'Night night now.
For those of you new to INSANITY, give it a try! The beauty of it is that it's never more than 45 minutes or so. Also, Shawn T keeps it really nice and varied, so it's not boring at all. Best of all, you sweat buckets, which is how I know I'm getting a really good workout.
Until tomorrow!
Liimu

Thursday, July 12, 2012

INSANITY Day 4...Recovery My Ass


I have broken a lot of bad habits in my life. I quit drinking alcohol when I was 24 - 17 years ago.  I quit smoking a couple years after that. I quit serial dating when I met my husband. I quit eating crap a few years ago. More recently, I quit making excuses and started getting really serious about getting in the best shape of my life. 

Because I have broken so many bad habits, I have - historically - dug my heels in about some of the more benign-seeming habits I've adopted over the years. For instance, having a sweet snack before bedtime is something that my parents ingrained in me as a habit; I don't even know when it began. When my sister recently told me she was going to try to stop eating snack before bedtime, I was like, "More power to ya..." and filed that one away in the category of "Things I'm Not Going to Bother Giving Up Because I've Given Up Enough Already and Who's it Hurting, Anyway?" 

A couple nights ago, when I started this crazy INSANITY program - which I do every morning before I even brush my teeth - I suddenly became willing. it no longer felt right to have a big huge snack before bed.  I never thought I would get to that place of willingness, but what do you know - I'm here. Some nights, like tonight, I might have a cup of tea with a little almond milk and a teaspoon of honey. Other nights, like last night, just water. I'm embracing it as a bad habit, broken. I've always wanted to break free of that snack habit, and maybe, just maybe, this is getting me one step closer to this dream body of mine.
What habit are YOU willing to give up to reach your goals?

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Day 3 of INSANITY...Breaking Bad Habits


I have broken a lot of bad habits in my life. I quit drinking alcohol when I was 24 - 17 years ago.  I quit smoking a couple years after that. I quit serial dating when I met my husband. I quit eating crap a few years ago. More recently, I quit making excuses and started getting really serious about getting in the best shape of my life. 

Because I have broken so many bad habits, I have - historically - dug my heels in about some of the more benign-seeming habits I've adopted over the years. For instance, having a sweet snack before bedtime is something that my parents ingrained in me as a habit; I don't even know when it began. When my sister recently told me she was going to try to stop eating snack before bedtime, I was like, "More power to ya..." and filed that one away in the category of "Things I'm Not Going to Bother Giving Up Because I've Given Up Enough Already and Who's it Hurting, Anyway?" 

A couple nights ago, when I started this crazy INSANITY program - which I do every morning before I even brush my teeth - I suddenly became willing. it no longer felt right to have a big huge snack before bed.  I never thought I would get to that place of willingness, but what do you know - I'm here. Some nights, like tonight, I might have a cup of tea with a little almond milk and a teaspoon of honey. Other nights, like last night, just water. I'm embracing it as a bad habit, broken. I've always wanted to break free of that snack habit, and maybe, just maybe, this is getting me one step closer to this dream body of mine.
What habit are YOU willing to give up to reach your goals?

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Day 2 of INSANITY

Today was successful, although I didn't get everything done I had planned. I also went slightly over my planned calories but still had a respectable number (1850), especially considering what I burned with that awesome INSANITY workout. Boo ya.

Tomorrow, I meet with my trainer - Chrissy of www.healthyfitgirl.com.  Her workouts vary, so I don't feel comfortable having it replace my INSANITY workout. Instead, I'll do the INSANITY workout as soon as I wake up and then work out with her later in the morning. Still having a hard time getting my training runs in - I'm exhausted from my workouts and can't get myself to go out and do another 45 minutes of cardio. I know I'll get it together, though, so I'm not too worried. I have been faithfully doing my long runs, and I know that's the most important factor. I ran 6 this past weekend and have 10 scheduled for this Saturday. Then, an adventure run on Sunday with the kids - that should be fun.

Hubby got injured - I think by the Fit Test yesterday. It's a bummer, because we're sort of in this thing together and I really don't want him to get discouraged and quit. I need a partner. Well, I don't NEED one - I do a pretty good job keeping myself motivated - but I was looking forward to having us both end up with ROCKIN' after pictures, if you know what I mean.
Anyhoo - in diet news, I did pretty well today. Calories were a little high, as I mentioned, thanks to a dinnertime board meeting at Cosi. Who would have think a freakin' Cobb salad would have over 700 calories? And I forgot to order the light dressing. Fuckity fuck. But I just logged it and moved on. I know I am losing weight at a rapid pace - doing everything I"m supposed to. Not worried one bit.

I will keep logging in every day to let you guys know how I'm doing. I plan to update my progress pics every two weeks, too.  Not sure if anyone is reading, but hey - just in case. Until tomorrow - stay fit!