DAY 44 of INSANITY!

Today was a double workout, Max Cardio Conditioning and then Cardio abs afterwards. You would think that it gets easier as the days progress, but somehow it always just remains in ass-kicking mode! I know I seem to say this in every blog post, but this workout is not a joke. When people want me to do something active after INSANITY I battle… and then they think I am being lazy…well I would just like to say, DO INSANITY and then come and tell me that I am lazy!

I have new respect for the guys that play American Football! A lot of Shuan T’s workouts are based on their drills and although on TV it looks easy… gee whiz, give it a go and you will look at it very differently. 

How many push-ups and sprints can you do in 30seconds?

DAY 43 of INSANITY!

18 DAYS left before this challenge comes to an end! Obviously we will continue after the 60 days are over. This morning was Max recovery, I really needed this workout this morning – well the stretching part of it, the never ending sets of push-ups and low plank, high plank still exhausts my arms!

There is STILL this one position in this routine – work out 3- that I still can’t do all the way through without shaking my thighs out, you literally hold the squat position for so long that your thighs start shaking like there is an earth quake. I managed better today than most other recovery days, but I still want to nail it and not stop!!

I have to get on my bike just now and cycle to a meeting… I am not looking forward to using my legs…

DAY 42 of INSANITY!

It amazes me how your energy levels fluctuate… This morning was Max Interval Plyo and as early as the warm up I knew my energy was low and my head wasn’t in the game. This is deadly when it comes to INSANITY… I would rather try my best and do the workout than give up and not do it. Today’s workout for me was difficult from beginning to end. 

Your mind gives up 1000 times before your body will, so you just have to get through it!

Tomorrow is Max Recovery… and we all know that Shaun T doesn’t know what the word recovery means – and I say that with a smile on my face.

DAY 41 of INSANITY!

ALIVE, AWAKE, ALERT, ENTHUSIASTIC –WOOOOOHOOO!

There is nothing better than finishing Max Interval Circuit! Best feeling in the world! I didn’t start the workout with any enthusiasm because I KNOW what I am getting myself into, but 35minutes in I was in the zone and once again cursing Shaun T.

The amount of sweat that one loses doing these workouts is astonishing, and according to research, sweating is beneficial to the body. As I am sweating like a pig, my sweat removes toxins and diseases out of my body. The kidneys can take up to 24 hours to remove harmful toxins like lead and mercury, while sweating removes these metals much faster. 

Sweating can also rid the body of harmful substances like alcohol, cholesterol and salt. For the ladies that want to look younger, profuse sweating can slow down the aging of your skin! Good to know!! So if you want rock hard abs and a pretty face, then INSANITY is the way to go :)

DAY 40 of INSANITY!

We began week 2 with Max Cardio conditioning, this workout is what it says… I think my heart rate couldn’t have gone any higher if it had tried! There are so few breaks in this routine that you are eventually pushed so far out of your comfort zone, but this is where the magic happens – as they say.

I am going to include my measurements from Day 1 to now Day 40. Although there isn’t massive cm loss, I know that my body is tighter and I also like to think it is because we don’t have THAT much fat to loose.

My Measurements:

Height : 5ft 8

DAY 1	DAY 40
CHEST: 87CM	CHEST: 85CM
WAIST: 63CM	WAIST: 61CM
HIPS: 80CM	HIPS: 78CM
THIGHS: 51CM	THIGHS: 52CM
BUTT (AROUND): 94CM	BUTT (AROUND): 92CM
BUTT CHEEK TO CHEEK: 27CM	BUTT CHEEK TO CHEEK: 21CM

If my math’s serves me correctly I have a total loss of 14cm!! That is incredible! We have only just started the 2^nd week and I am excited to see even more fatty tissue become lean muscle!

DAY 39 of INSANITY!

A massive pat on my back for making it through week 1 of Month 2!! Shaun T has stepped up the pace and is more determined to make me die in a pool of my own sweat! I have decided that Max Interval Circuit is the enemy, and hardest workout! A full hour of thigh burning, muscle throbbing workout. I remember looking up and seeing that we 30minutes to go and I was already flat dead. Somehow we always make it through. I hope we didn’t disturb our neighbours with our screams of total exhaustion… 

DAY 38 of INSANITY!

Max Plyo or the beast from the apocalypse… I think I made it through this session much better than last week! Power jumps for 3x 45 seconds, the guys that are doing the workout with Shaun T, all manage to get through it DOUBLE TIME…They are like titans! I try harder each time to get past the burn and push, but sometimes that little voice in my head telling me to stop wins.

Now I can face the rest of my Saturday knowing that I have lapped all the people just sitting on their couches!

DAY 37 of INSANITY!

Max Recovery.  This ‘recovery’ workout is not one of the best. I do enjoy all the stretches but the main focus on this workout seems to be upper body – there is a lot of low plank, high plank positions and although my arms have gotten stronger, I am no way near being able to do all of them and this irritates me.

This workout compared to the other MAX routines is a step down and it does allow you to really stretch out all those tight and sore muscles in preparation of tomorrow’s hardcore workout. It is good to have a recovery day, but I do find myself left feeling unsatisfied… I think I might be addicted to the endorphins 

DAY 35 of INSANITY!

I have just completed the Beast from the apocalypse or better known at Max Interval Plyo! I was very nervous about this workout based on its reviews, but I have to say… I LOVED it! It was no doubt JUST as tough as yesterday and I was sweating in liters!

What I loved about this DVD was the vibe! The other guys doing the workout are all pumped up & hurting just as much as you are and it really helped me to get through the tough times. There are some new moves introduced into the routine which was exciting but they were also rather difficult, such as the squat push up… guess I will get better with practice. 32 pushups and 32 plank runs... this workout is not for the weak!

This workout has left me completely wasted! I LOVE IT!

MONTH 2 of INSANITY!

DAY 34

Fit Test and Max Interval Circuit. Looking back on Month 1 I am not really sure what I was complaining about… After pushing hard in the Fit test we then had to do our first session of the MAX series. That was by FAR the HARDEST workout I have EVER done in my ENTIRE life!!! NO WONDER everyone gets their results in month 2!!! IT WAS INSANE!

I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but COME ON!!! OMG!!! I had such a bad stitch in my side that didn’t go away for nearly the whole workout. It was an hour of hell. I think doing the Fit Test before tired me out and then THAT on top of it, holy crap!

Tomorrow is Max Interval Plyo… also commonly referred to as the Beast from the Apocalypse…. Oh yipppeee… I am so excited….

BELOW ARE MY RESULTPICTURES DAY 1- DAY 30

As you can see there have been small changes, and from the workout I did today, I think Month 2 is gonna get me the results I want so badly.

RECOVERY WEEK

DAY 32 of INSANITY!

I am really excited to be done with this week!! One more day of this and then we can finally kick it into high gear and start seeing some major changes on my body! I have to remind myself that results do take time, and after all it has only been 32 days.

The workout this morning went so well! I didn’t feel exhausted and I managed to dig deeper and power through, absorbing my muscle pain and just getting through it. I am taking my break tomorrow and will do my final day of Core Cardio & Balance on Sunday. We are going camping, so I have to shift the workout around, rather shift it, than miss it!!

HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND EVERYONE!

RECOVERY WEEK

DAY 31 of INSANITY!

Doing the same workout for the past 5 days is slightly boring, but it doesn’t make it any less difficult. You would think that after 5 days you would be able to hold a squat forever…nope, that’s a lie.

It finally dawned on me WHY this Core cardio & Balance is difficult… basically nearly all the workout positions require you to be in the squat position. So when you get to the final 10 minutes at the end and you have to hold that Plié or ballet pose for literally the whole 10minutes, you want to collapse!

Core Cardio & Balance for me kills my thighs, no complaints though. 

We have 2 more days of it and then it’s GO time! Month 2!!!

RECOVERY WEEK

DAY 30 of INSANITY!

My energy levels were extremely low this morning.  Shaun T says it’s ok to be tired because we’ve been pushing out bodies hard for 4 weeks… so I won’t be too hard on myself. I managed to make it through the workout but inwardly I was cursing Shaun T and my tired body!

Today it was the switch kicks and thigh bobs that really hurt me. The Plié (ballet stance) is still the toughest though, but I managed to do much better with it today, I didn’t have to kick out my thighs as much!

I am tired.

RECOVERY WEEK

DAY 29 of INSANITY!

DIETING NIGHTMARES are a constant battle with women of all ages these days. The constant attempt to lose weight, trim down or starve themselves to some illusion of perfection. What I found out recently, and I am not sure WHY this never made sense to me before, is that when you are pushing your body as hard as we are in the INSANITY program or any other gyming program YOU HAVE TO FEED YOUR BODY. If you are gyming and starving yourself you are in fact losing muscle mass NOT fat… the result… you will be a wobbly piece of meat and have wasted your time…

After so many years of cutting out calories, Shaun T now encourages you to eat, eat and EAT. Obviously within your daily calorie needs and not Mc Donalds, but what is so nice is that carbs are not the enemy. It has shifted my whole way of thinking. To get my desired results with INSANITY… I HAVE to eat to boost my metabolism and feed my new muscles. Plus, if you didn’t eat with the INSANITY program, you would burn out FAST!

Today’s Core Cardio & Balance was amazing. Those Plie’s ( ballet moves) kill my thighs, but I did much better today! My arms were even stiff this morning from all the boxing jabs! 4 days to go before MONTH 2!!!!

RECOVERY WEEK 

 DAY 28 of INSANITY!

WOW. 

Core Cardio & Balance is not for the faint hearted. In a sense this workout does let you recover, but at the same time I was still sweating like a stuck pig and my muscles were still screaming. What I do love about this workout is that there are new moves! This workout is all about using your core to stabilize you and get you mean-ass abs! Thank goodness that I have a good sense of balance otherwise I feel that this workout would have been even more difficult. 

There are a lot of moves that require you to hold a position for a minute. To you a minute does not seem long… but to people holding their bodies in a certain position, it seems like a life time. There are in fact some ballet moves wrapped into this workout and now it ALL makes sense as to why girls that do ballet have amazing legs!! 

                                Six days of this and counting…

END OF MONTH 1 OF INSANITY!!

Today is Day 28 and the end of month one of INSANITY! I am so proud of myself and my man for digging deeper and getting through this TOUGH workout routine!! We have just finished Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs and as always the lounge was filled with the sounds of our screams and blasphemous screeches at Shaun T as he pushed us to our limits!

Tomorrow we begin the 6 day workout journey Core Cardio & Balance. It is the same routine for 6 days before we embark on TRUE INSANITY. I will post photo results at the end of the 6 days. 

                                           STAY TUNED!

27 DAYS of INSANITY!

Plyometric Cardio Circuit has been a great way to start my Saturday!  This was the last circuit of Month 1!!! I can’t believe month 1 is nearly over! Tomorrow was meant to be my day off but, as I am a human being and have faults I couldn’t do INSANITY on Friday because my friend invited me for a couple drinks… I was in no condition to do Pure Cardio yesterday. So I took my break on Friday and will do Pure Cardio tomorrow!

Then begins the full week of Core Cardio and balance… I will take photo's of my 30 day progress... then MONTH 2!!

DAY 25 of INSANITY!

There is nothing more amazing tan a hot shower after an INSANITY workout! This was the first workout that I have done on my own, without my man. I have to say that if you want to succeed at INSANITY, you should find a buddy… I never realized until today how MUCH having a buddy to go through the pain with me, helped me.

I made it through Cardio Recovery… and I am still at a loss for words as to WHY it’s called recovery? My thighs, once again, feel like jelly after, what felt lie a thousand, thigh bobs. There are so many long holding positions in this ‘recovery’ that literally have you shaking from strain.

I am proud of myself for actually doing the workout on my own, you may be thinking ‘but it’s easy to work out alone’ . . . If you work out at the gym then yes, but when you are with Shaun T, you want someone else in the room. Misery loves company ha ha!

Pure Cardio & cardio abs tomorrow…. Alone…..eeeek!

DAY 24 of INSANITY!

We all have good days and bad days. Well this was a particularly bad workout for me today. INSANITY is a high impact workout and my ankles are beginning to take strain. Yes, I am one of those ‘weak ankle’ ladies… I will just work through it.

The Plyometric Cardio Circuit took a lot out of me this morning. My energy levels feeling particularly low and my thighs took immense train with the power squats and basketball jumps. There was a devil whispering sweet thoughts of giving up in my ear today, but with the encouraging words of help from my man/ insanity buddy, I made it through. 

Tomorrow is Recovery and it is also my first time doing the workout alone because my man is out of town…WISH ME LUCK!

DAY 23 of INSANITY!

Yesterday I cheated and deviated from the usual clean eating because my man’s granny came to town and we all went out for pizza. Sue me, I am human. This did however cause a massive amount of guilt and I worked extra hard this morning!

This morning was Cardio power and Resistance and if I compare today’s level to the last time I did this workout on Day 19 – there was a VAST improvement.  Picturing all the calories from the pizza leave my body probably had something to do with it!

WEEK 4 – DAY 22 of INSANITY

I almost find it hard to believe that I have been working my butt to the bone for 22 days! This is basically the last week of the same routines… then we have a full recovery week – remembering that Recovery week does not mean sit down and chill… Then we begin MAX month. I am really scared for month 2. In the reviews it says that the difference between month 1 and month 2 is like going from kindergarten to University!! Eeek!

Today we powered through Pure Cardio & cardio Abs… a GREAT way to start a Monday! Yesterday I re-broke my big toe so I had a hard time with the plank drills, by the end of the hour my toe was really blue, but I can’t miss a day…not for a toe! Every day I feel stronger and I am able to push myself further. In the right light I can see the formation of abs happening!! I am very excited to see the photo comparison from Day 1 – Day 27!

DAY 20 of INSANITY!

SHOO! I have made it through week 3!! This morning was Plyometric Cardio Circuit. I had a lot more energy this morning and was prepared for anything! These positive thoughts quickly dropped to the floor along with my sweat when we went into the suicide drills. I had to take a quick breather on the ski abs and plank in and out. It’s definitely INSANE!

Tomorrow is our day off; I am looking forward to the break. Then we crack into week 4! A whole month of INSANITY! The sun is out and the skies are clear, I am now going to relax in the sun and read my book!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!!

DAY 19 of INSANITY!

I have had a few messages asking why I am doing INSANITY if I am not fat. Well ladies and gentleman, it is because I want to get fit. This really has nothing to do with losing weight. I want to replace the fatty tissue that I do have with lean muscle tissue.  I have one life to live and to waste it looking forlornly in the mirror is a no no! My INSANITY quest is for myself and myself alone. I am not doing this to impress anyone or to get a modeling career. I just, FOR ONCE, want to be the girl that CAN look in the mirror and say ‘DAM GIRL!’ and know that I worked HARD for my body.

Cardio Power & Resistance was very difficult today – I think I say this about all the routines? Shaun T must be one of the most hated men on the planet to the brave people willing to do this challenge! I needed a spatula this morning to scrape me off my lounge floor after the workout.  I was even slipping while doing plank sprints because my fat was crying large tears of sweat! This is the most difficult thing I have ever taken upon myself to do… but 19 days in I am smiling and feeling GREAT!!