Insanity As A Raid Boss

For you non-geeks out there, you may not understand this, but for those of you who play video games, you're totally going to get this.

I have tried three times, yes THREE, to do Insanity for a second time.  I had such fantastic results with it the first time, that every time I try to do it again, I'm super excited, motivated, and ready to get my sweat on.  This last time, I even re-made my goals, started to line up meals with my Team Beachbody Club Membership (that I thought I cancelled but didn't), set my workout schedule in the SuperGym, and received a pair of workout shoes from a friend of mine.

Then something weird happens.  I completely and utterly lose interest in doing the workouts by the end of Week 1.  It's like something just clicks off in my brain and I get bored.  I half-ass the workouts, or do something incredibly stupid, like thinking I can power through the warm-up stretches and end up hurting myself.  By the way, don't power through anything - hurting yourself because you're being stupid and think you're awesome isn't fun.  Just ask TH.  He had to listen to me whine about my back for about a week after I pulled it doing a freaking Hip Flexor stretch (the one where you have to put your arm up in the air).

Anyways ... I think I finally figured out why I do this.

I've always looked at Insanity as a raid boss.  I even split each video into "phases", which I mentioned in a previous posting.  For those who don't know what a raid boss is, it's a big bad meanie you and 9 to 24 of your online guild mates have to go kick the crap out of to get item upgrades to make your character better.  It can take weeks (or months) to kill the baddest of bad, which would be the "end boss".  Insanity is an "end boss".  I spent 2 months working to kick the crap out of myself and Insanity, to make me better.  And once I did, it was the best feeling in the world, just like when my guild mates and I kick the crap out of the "end boss" in a World of Warcraft raid.

But, just like in WoW, once we beat that raid boss, the subsequent kills are less engaging after a while.  Pretty soon, the big bad meanie is "just another boss" and you really don't have to put as much focus or effort into it.  You can be drunk as a skunk and STILL beat the raid boss that initially took you two months or more to kill.

So, what do I do about this?  I tried making each "phase" longer, meaning I couldn't stop for a rest or grab a drink of water until that phase was over.  I tried convincing myself that I had never ever heard of Insanity before, and this was the first time I was ever doing it.  I tried pulling a reverse psychology on myself by telling me I couldn't do it because it was too hard and I was a puny wimp.  Then I tried the opposite of that - telling myself how awesome I was and Insanity was the puny little wimp.  :)

Sadly, nothing worked.  Which really sucks for me, because I actually love Insanity.  I need no equipment besides myself, I don't have to dance around or look like an idiot in front of the cats (I swear, they laugh at at me).  It's just "Do this as quick as you can without using bad form.  Now GO!".  I love it. 

So, I would love some suggestions on how to make Insanity all shiny and new again.  A never-before-killed raid boss.  Maybe I should get my Guild Master to demand I do it again.  LOL! 

Or, maybe you know of workout program that uses no equipment but yourself and is kinda sort of like Insanity.  I say kinda sort of, because there can only be one Insanity.  And yes, that was a really lame reference to a Robot Chicken reference in their parody of "Highlander".  :)

3 Easy Football Exercises

As you know, it's football season! 

YAY!  GO BEARS!

TH and I are Chicago Bears fans (as if you couldn't tell yet), and I was thinking today that it'd be awesome if I could somehow incorporate some easy exercises based on how the games going.  I devised a simple, yet effective way to get some decent exercises in during each game.

Feel free to use these and a link back to me on your own blogs and/or pages would be appreciated!  :)


Football Game Exercises


Munchies: Carrots and Water  

- 10 Push-Ups when the other team scores a touchdown.

- 5 Push-Ups when they scores a field goal.
- 10 Squats when The Bears score a touchdown.
- 5 Squats when The Bears score a field goal.
- 5 Crunches for each flag flown - for either team.  It doesn't matter if the flag is later declined, flag goes out, you do the crunches.

Regarding Munchies
I started out with just carrots, but as I kept doing the exercises, I got more hungry.  I had some rosemary & feta chips, a small glass of Almond Coconut milk, and some yogurt.

I also missed my beer (football staple duh!), but I made a Sobe Lifewater (coconut) with a shot of Malibu.  It's not beer and beef, but it's more healthy.  :)

It's half-time now, and so far I've done:

- 20 Push-Ups
- 35 Squats
- 45 Crunches

And that was only the first half AND it's not a very high-flag-throwing game!  I have a feeling the season will get more interesting with these in mind.  My legs and stomach muscles are killing me.  :)

Happy Football!  Go Bears!