Insanity+Shakeology - Price Lowered For April!

Promotion Ends April 30, 2013

Have you wanted to try Insanity or Shakeology, but $205 was a little out of your price range?

You can try it now!

Team Beachbody has lowered the price for an Insanity Challenge Pack to $180!!!!  This includes FREE shipping, so you'll only have to pay whatever taxes your state/country charges.

This is the LOWEST pricing for the Insanity Challenge Pack - ever.

What is a Challenge pack you ask?  Well, I'll tell you.

A Challenge Pack consists of a workout, a 30 day supply of Shakeology (The Healthiest Meal of the Day), and a 30 day free trial of Team Beachbody's Club Membership.  If you use the Insanity Challenge Pack to sign up as a Coach, you also get the Game Plan Tools Kit and the Business Essentials Starter Program - for the same price.

Becoming a Coach doesn't mean you have to be all "you gotta do this, you gotta do that".  If you just want it for the huge discounts, well...that's ok.  But, if you are really, really into helping yourself and other people, and you're just a natural motivator, there is a HUGE potential for you to actually make money as Coach.  I very, very rarely post about the Coaching Opportunity, or about the amazing benefits of Shakeology and why you should replace one meal a day with it.  But I couldn't resist this promotion, because it's showcasing two products that I KNOW work.  And I stand behind these two products 100%.

Anyways, I got off track.  That happens a lot.  :P

In the Insanity Challenge Pack, you get:

• The complete Insanity workout program featuring the one and only Shaun T.
• A 30 Day supply of one of four Shakeology flavors.
• A 30 Day Free Trial membership to the Team Beachbody Club.  Club Membership gives you support, fitness tips, healthy recipes to try, and a 10% discount on products. 

So, what's the big deal right?  $180 is still a lot for anyone right now, but I'll break down the pricing for you.

• Normal Insanity Challenge Pack pricing: $205.  (Ouch!)
• If you bought all the products separately: $270.  (Even more Ouch!)

So, $180 doesn't seem all that bad.  It was worth it for me, if they had offered this when I got Insanity last year.  You can check out my Insanity Results and Shakeology Review to see for yourself.  I should mention...since it's not in my initial review of Shakeology, once I finished Insanity last year, all I did was drink the shake once a day.  I lost an additional 11 pounds, just by replacing one meal a day with it.  Just saying.

This promotion ends on April 30, 2013 so get yours today and let Shaun T kick your butt for a while.  You'll love him and hate him all at the same time.  And with summer coming, it's the perfect time to look even better in those swimsuits that have been hanging out in the closet all winter.  :)

If you are interested, you can click on any of the "Insanity Challenge Pack" links or the Shaun T picture above and get all the details.  This is one deal I just HAD to pass on to anyone who reads my ramblings.

If you have questions, please ask in the comments.  I'll leave the comments turned on for this post and hope that I don't get too many spam posters.  :)

Focus T25 - The New Workout by Shaun T!

Image from Focus T25 Facebook Page

The creator if Insanity and Insanity: The Asylum is back with a new program.  This program is focused on a fast, hardcore workout in only 25 minutes.  Quoted from here, Shaun says:

INTRODUCING FOCUS T25™

The only thing that stands between you and the results you want is time. That's why I experimented for the last year to see if I could create the same kind of results you'd expect from an hour-long program, in under 30 minutes.

The result is FOCUS T25–and the name implies the intent: If you focus your intensity for 25 minutes, and you do it 5 days a week, you WILL get results.

Yes, you are working out for less time. But since you have your shorts on, since you have your sneakers on, and you managed to Push Play, I'm just asking you to give it everything you've got, for ONLY 25 minutes. You focus, and you go! 25 minutes. 5 days a week. 100% results.

And there are major university studies out there that prove the value of shorter, more intense workouts. But I'll save that for later. The only question now is, do you want to be one of the first to see these routines and what kind of results you can get? The answer is yes, because these routines were created at the specific request of Beachbody^® CEO Carl Daikeler. The guy's got no time, and he personally reviewed every detail so he could make T25 HIS personal program.

Don't miss the biggest breakthrough in health and fitness since Insanity. Join our email list and I'll make sure you don't miss out on the latest news about FOCUS T25.

So what does this mean?  It means "YES!!!!!!" in really big bold letters and lots of exclamation points.  I've been trying hard to get figure out which workout I wanted to tackle next, but with the energy and excitement that I felt for Insanity.  When I saw this pop up on my Facebook wall, I was like "Oh hell yeah!".  Even TH is excited about it, as he has limited time each day (seriously, he works like 14 hour days with an hour drive each way).  This is perfect for him, as he just didn't have the time to commit to the 45 minutes to almost two hours that Insanity has. 

Right now, the date they are estimating for release is Summer 2013.  And since spring has decided to take it's sweet time getting here, we can only hope that summer gets here sooner than spring has.

Head over to the Focus T25 Facebook page, and click "Like".  Once you do that, if you then click on the "Be The First!" image under the cover photo, you can enter your email address and be informed when they release Focus T25 for sale.

Alternatively, you can follow this post or the Nerfing Flab, Buffing Life Facebook page and I'll let you know when it's available - which I hope is sooner than summer, but one can wish.  :)


NOTE: All the images on this posting are from the Focus T25 Facebook page.  I do not own them in any way, shape or form. 

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".  :)

Insanity:R2 - Week 1, Day 5

Make up workout number 1 done.  I still have to make up Saturday's workout of Plyo, but there's no way I'll get it today.  I'm going to do it on Thursday with Cardio Recovery, because it'll be easier and still give me my rest day on Sunday.

I almost didn't make it through Pure Cardio.  I was only able to do about 30 seconds of each exercise, and that was pushing it.  Level 2 Drills and Suicide Jumps or Drills or whatever the hell they are can kiss my receding butt.  Love me some Mountain Climbers though.

And I'm going to stop writing now because my whole body feels like head cheese. 

Insanity:R2 - Week 1, Days 2-4

So I just finished Cardio Recovery. 

I barely made it through it.  I barely made it through Plyometric Cardio Circuit or Cardio Power & Resistance on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I feel wimpy. 

Then again, it's only Week 1, and I have not been active like this since my last round of Insanity.

One bonus for me is this time I'm not gasping - more like dying - for breathe after 10 seconds like I was before.  But, I still think I should be doing better than I am.  But, I can only get better.  :)

Another bonus was my stomach, which used to get in the way of many stretches and exercises, isn't that much of a problem now.  It's more of a "I don't have the balance for this right now" problem.  I almost fell over a number of times over the last couple of days.

I was going to be super awesome and do Pure Cardio today too.  PC is Friday's workout, and TH and I will not be here as we're going to our camper this weekend. 

OH HELL NO. 

Yes, capitals.  My legs feel like the head cheese I talked about the other day.  There's no way I'd make it through the warm up, much less the entire workout.  I don't think I should be doing double workouts during the first week anyways.  If I was on Week 3, maybe.  But not fresh out of the gate.  So, I'll do Friday's workout on Sunday when we get home, and go from there.  Yes, I realize this is going to throw my schedule off for a little while, but I will make it up - maybe after next Thursday's Cardio Recovery.

My feet are starting to hurt again.  At least I know this time it's because I'm using them and that it's not my shoes.  Though, if I were smart (and had a job), I'd probably get decent workout shoes instead of my dependable, old, every day Sketchers.  Something with a bit more flexibility and support.  If anyone knows if that shoe exists, let me know!  :)

Anyways, I've got a tone of crap ro finish before TH gets home from work, so I'm going to leave you now.  Stay safe!

Insanity - R2 - Week 1, Day 1 - Fit Test

Have you ever seen head cheese?  It's kinda like jello with fruit in it, only not nearly as good looking or appetizing.  Or as colorful.  My grandma used to get it from Jewel (a grocery store) back in the day and eat it on rye bread.  That's how my muscles feel right now.  Like head cheese, a little jiggly with chunks of stuff you'd rather not see.  Google it and tell me it's not the most disgusting looking thing you've ever seen given the label of "cheese".  I won't post a picture of it because I already feel like puking. 

Yes, today was Fit Test Number One day.  I swear they made it harder.  I don't know how, but they did.  I didn't do too bad considering I haven't done one for "real" since the last one of Insanity Round 1.  I'm not counting the one in June, because I didn't even finish week one.  Yes, my numbers are lower, but not as low as they were the very first time I did Insanity, so I consider that a bonus.

Here's my Fit Test #1 Results:

• Switch Kicks - 50
• Power Jacks - 21
• Power Knees - 55
• Power Jumps - 12
• Globe Jumps - 4
• Suicide Jumps - 4 (DIAF. That means "Die In A Fire" for you non-nerdy types)
• Push-Up Jacks - 8 (I hate you with a  passion only rivaled by my hatred of spiders)
• Low Plank Obliques - 50

I also have good news to report!

I did my weigh-in before doing the Fit Test.  I'm down to 194.2 pounds.  On my last weigh-in date, which was May 23, I was 208 pounds.  That's a difference of 13.8 pounds!  And the weird part?  I didn't workout, I wasn't really watching what I ate (besides eating smaller portions sometimes), drinking my Shakeology every other day or so, and drinking TONS and TONS of water.  I was in shock!  So, now you can imagine me doing a happy dance around the living room, because that's what I did.  :)

Now, my goal weight is 180 pounds.  Considering I lost 10 pounds on my first round of Insanity, and I was still learning how to eat proper portions of the right foods, I'm pretty damn confident that my final weigh-in in 60 days is going to be 180 or LOWER.  That's right.  I said it.  LOWER.  It could be 179.9, but that's still lower.  :P

Here's to a great beginning to another round of Insanity.  I guess this means I have to nix the beer completely now.  /sigh

My Fitness Goals - Round 2

I know, I've said it before but I'm doing Insanity again!.  This time I mean it!  When I said that back in June I think, we had normal weather.  Four days into the program, mega hot heatwave hit us and it didn't let up until last week, but this week has been gorgeous.  I've made my start date tomorrow, August 13th, because 13 is my lucky number.  You may think it's strange or weird, but I like that number because everyone else fears it.  :)

Part of starting Insanity the first time was to make a goal list.  If you want to check it out, you can find it by clicking on the pretty blue link you just read.  So, I figured the best way to do this right would be to create a new set of goals that reflect what I've learned from the first round of Insanity, and what I want to accomplish in this second round.  If you'll look back through my first round, I lost a total of 10 pounds and 19.7 inches.  In a perfect world, I'd like to double the weight lost, but realistically, I know that is not possible, nor would it be super healthy.

Why you might ask?  Well, I'll tell you.

Because I'll rebound and go on an "I must eat all the ice cream I can because I'm not as huge as I was anymore" spree.  Like the great and well known "Eat the Brownie Extravangaza!".  And I know I would.  I may not limit it to ice cream - cookies, soda, chips, chocolate, candy, Wendy's, beer, Burger King - whatever.  It would be a total nightmare and a waste of 60 days of kickin' ass.  Not to mention depressing as all hell.

So, I'm going to do it the way I did before - Daily, Weekly, and Monthly goals.  I am also staying with Sundays as Rest Days (except for camping weekends where I make up Saturday's workout on Sunday), and also with the "I'm allowed one bad thing on Wednesdays IF I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO HAVE IT".  With my last round of Insanity, I had to kick the soda habit and letting myself have one on Wednesdays was awesome.  After a while, I didn't even want one, or if I opened it, I couldn't drink it because it killed my stomach.  Sadly, this is no longer the case, so that one day of having a single bad thing will help again with cravings and rebound issues. 

Also, Saturdays are considered "Free Days".  I don't have to follow my nice eating healthy habits, I can eat badly if I want too.  With the first round of Insanity, this "Free Day" was used probably 50% of the time.  I just didn't want to jam my mouth full of french fries and a burger all the time, so I rarely used it.  BUT - when I did use it, I wouldn't feel as guilty about it.  Having a Free Day is a good thing.

TLDR version for you ADD types: Saturdays are Free Days, Wednesdays are "One Bad Thing" days, and Daily, Weekly, and Monthly goals are a must.

So, here they are, in no particular order:

Daily Goals

• Drink a glass (8 oz.) of water with every snack & meal.
• Eat 5 times a Day - Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner.
• Drink at least 64 ounces of water daily, more is better.
• Log my Calorie Intake with My Fitness Pal.
• Do the WORKOUT!.
• Eat suggested serving sizes, not how much I really want.
• Write an INVENTIVE blog post about the workout of the day.  Because I've done this before, it gets kind of old reading about how much I hate Plyometric Cardio Circuit.  Be Original!

Weekly Goals

• Lose 1/2" inch on a body part; it doesn't matter which one.
• Record bi-weekly measurements & weight, and ONLY bi-weekly.  No checking weight in between measuring days.
• 6 of 6 workouts done each week.
• Don't injure myself!
• Write a blog post that doesn't pertain to a workout at least twice a week.

Monthly Goals

• Push myself harder each week than I did the previous week.  
• Month 1 - Lose 4" total.  Month 2 - Lose 8" total, for a total of 12" lost by end of Insanity.
• Stick with the program!!!

Final Goals

• Final weight of 180 pounds or less
• A flat stomach
• Have more energy and sleep better.
• Complete lifestyle change by eating healthier foods & proper portion sizes without realizing it
• Be able to wear the "closet jeans" with no belly flab hanging over the top, or in this case, "closet shorts" since it's summer time.  :)
  

And there you have it.  Some of them are the same as before, as they are things I still need to work on.  Some of them have changed because I know what I can accomplish if I set my mind to it.  Round Two - here I come!!  :)

Is the Hot Trend Over Yet????

Copyright Masterfile.com

So, you probably wondered what happened to me.  Even if you didn't, I'm going to tell you anyways.

I wasn't abducted by aliens.  I wasn't hit by a train or in some other random accident.

In fact, I've been sitting on my couch reading the In Death novels by J.D. Robb and sweating because it's been too damn hot to do anything else.  Let me tell you something - if you don't have central air conditioning, and your region has been experiencing some of the hottest weather on record for the last 30-odd days - GO GET CENTRAL AIR!

We have two window units in our house (no central AC).  The one in our bedroom is kick ass, and sometimes I would just lay in there with the nice cold air blowing.  Our living room unit is from April of 1982.  I know this because it is stamped on the metal casing.  When it hits 90 degrees at 10:00 a.m., it blows out warm air.  I posted a pic on Facebook (I'll share it here too) from July 18th where it was 91 degrees INSIDE at 4:30 p.m. with the AC unit cranking on high.  The pic says 3:33, but I forgot to adjust it for daylight savings time.  :) Although, thinking about it now, 3:33 is half as hot as Hell (6:66) so that's kind of a cruel little joke.  I was feeling too much like a scrambled egg to realize it before.

July 18, 2012 - Living Room temp with AC unit cranking.

So, needless to say, I'm not stupid enough to workout in that type of heat.  Which sucks because for the last thirty days, it's been noting but HOT.  You add in the humidity and heat index and it's REALLY HOT.  Hopefully we'll get a break soon and I can get back on the ball.  I ranted on one of our Facebook pages yesterday:

So, I'm having a bit of a problem. It's been too hot to exercise (anywhere) for the last 30-odd days. No exercise to be accountable for has created the bad mentality of "You don't need to eat 5 times a day or drink 72 ounces of water because you're just going to sit on the couch or floor and sweat your a$$ off". I still try to push the water (heat + my meds require it), but I skip the meals. I still eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up, and I have to eat lunch and dinner (again, meds), but I'll eat a few carrots for lunch, or a 90 calorie granola bar. But I don't do the snack thing - mostly because I don't feel hungry - at all. It's too damn hot to eat. This has turned much more into a rant of circumstances I can't change than I meant it too - but it burns my a$$ that I killed myself to change my eating habits and exercise insanely (haha), and I can just feel all that hard work slipping away - and until this weather breaks, I can't do a thing about it.

And that pretty much sums it up.

I haven't abandoned you, it's just been too damn hot to sit at my computer and type, much less do anything else even remotely productive.  This heat can't last forever, and when it goes away, you'll be seeing my "I'm starting Insanity from the top again!" posts because, well, Insanity rocks.  :) 

Laters!

P.S. - If you're wondering, I got the pic at the top of this post from www.masterfile.com.  It reminded me of TH sweating, so I had to use it.  :)

Insanity - Week 1, Day 5 & 6 - CP & PCC

Pure Cardio and Plyometric Cardio Circuit.  Jesus H.

Somehow, I managed to skip a day somewhere and my schedule got weirded, so I had to do these two workouts today.

Needless to say, I'm tired, I'm sore, and I just want to crawl into bed and sleep for 10 hours. Except 10 hours of sleep is wishful thinking on my part. 

Today has been crap since I was rudely awakened by Yarly the cat.  I won't go into details, but that cat has hit the high point on my shit list.  Adding to the fact I somehow missed a hard workout, and had to make it up today, plus do Friday's workout before we leave for the weekend, and I'm just not a happy camper. 

Going to shower and make myself a shake, and then hopefully sleep for a few hours before I drive us out to the campground this weekend.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Insanity - Week 1, Day 3 & 4 - CPR & CR

Hello my wonderful readers!

As you may have noticed, I'm doing this round of Insanity on a two workouts to one blog post ratio.  This is because you've already heard me rant and rave about them, and really...who wants to hear me repeat myself nine hundred times over the next 60 days on Insanity?

I'm doing it for you!  LOL!

Anyways, here's what been happening:  Cardio Power & Resistance (CPR - Wednesday) and Cardio Recovery (CR - Thursday).  As you may have also noticed, I'm getting somewhat lazy and am shortening all the names of long things so I don't have to type them out, realize I spelled them wrong, and have to fix it.  Yes, I'm that lazy. Or that bad at typing.  Either way, I may shorten names.  I'm sure you're all smart enough to figure out what they are by now.

Cardio Power & Resistance was ... different.  I really don't remember half of what I did in that video.  I mean, I've done it before, but maybe it was because I was so drained and "blah" the last time I did them that they just didn't register.  Or I didn't have enough oxygen in my brain to retain the exercises.  It could happen. 

Anyways, it felt completely new, but I was still struggling to get through it.  The warm-ups are really kicking my ass more than I thought they would.  I don't know if this is because I took such a long break, or if I'm just working harder than the first time I did Insanity.  Either way, I'm totally feeling it.

Then we come up with Thursday's Cardio Recovery.  I wept with delight, then I remembered the pulses, the slow squats and oblique plank things that I can't remember the name of right now...and I wanted to cry.  My legs feel rubbery, in a good way.  My core feels sore, which in the last round of Insanity, I didn't start feeling that until Month 2.  So, that is awesome! 

I just love Cardio Recovery because of and in spite of those damn pulses, because it just stretches and makes you feel all loose.  Drinking a Chocolate Shakeology afterwards is like heaven.

I'm kinda of looking forward to Pure Cardio tomorrow - probably with the same enthusiasm a dog feels when you tell him you're taking him to the park, but you're really taking him to the vet.  Yeah, it's kinda like that.  :)

Also, I'm doing a research poll for Shakeology drinkers, and will be working an article series for a very in depth review of Shakeology from the perspective of others besides myself.  If you would like to participate, please contact me and I'll send you the questions.

Have a great day!

Insanity - Week 1, Days 1 & 2 - Fit Test & PCC

Hello my friends!  Yes, you read that title correctly.  I missed so many days last week, and I didn't even do the Fit Test, that I decided to start Insanity all over completely.  I chose to start on Sunday, so that my rest days fall on Saturdays - which is normally when we're at the campground.  :)

Yesterday I did the Fit Test.  I was mildly surprised that my numbers hadn't dropped terribly considering I haven't really worked out since I finished Insanity.  You can see for yourself below.  The first number represents my Day 63 results from my last round of Insanity.  The second number is Sunday's numbers.  The third number represents my Day 1 numbers from the first round of Insanity back in April.

Switch Kicks: 84 - 54 - 43
Power Jacks: 33 - 20 - 16
Power Knees: 73 - 72 - 53
Globe Jumps: 8 - 4 - 4
Suicide Jumps: 7 - 6 - 5
Push-Up Jacks: 15 - 12 - 3
Low Plank Oblique: 52 - 45 - 23

I seriously thought they would be way lower than they are, so I'm quite pleased with myself.  It's nice to know I didn't lose as much stamina as I thought I did.  :)  I'll be completely honest and say that I pushed myself incredibly hard to get those numbers, otherwise they'd be a crapload lower.  At one point I had to actually pause the Fit Test for a minute because I felt light-headed.  But, that's what I get for not turning the air on before I started the video up. 

As for today, Plyometric Cardio Circuit (PCC) welcomed me with open arms.  I didn't want a hug.  In fact, by the end, I was pretty much out of everything - breathe, stamina, and the will to make my muscles hold me up.  As much as I missed Insanity, I was laying on the floor wondering what kind of crazy I must be to want to put myself through this again.

Then I thought of the 10 pounds and close to 20" I lost with the first round of Insanity, and I know it will be totally worth every single minute of aching muscles, gallons of sweat, and swearing I'll be doing for the next 60 days.  About the actual workout - I love all the jabs and punches at the end of the video, and I think that the Cross Jacks are my second favorite exercise move.  The first one would be the Over The River thing.  :)

I feel drained, but happy to know that for the next 60 days, I have a definite workout that I know won't annoy me or make me frustrated because of my inability to execute it enough to feel like I'm actually working out. 

I'm also happy that I got today's workout out of the way early since we're going to my dad and stepmom's later this evening to make my dad a Father's Day dinner since TH had to work last night.  I won't have to worry about coming home to do my workout, because it's already done.  Yay me!  :)

Hello Insanity, I missed you!  See you tomorrow!  :)

Turbo Insanity Jam

So, I know I told you I'd write on Monday.  It's quite obvious that I didn't.  :)

I apologize, but I've been sucked into reading the "Shades of Grey" trilogy.  I finished it it - all three books - about 10 minutes ago.  I've decided to write my thoughts on each book, because after all the hype they've gotten, I feel it's something I just have to write about.  So, look for those in the upcoming days.

I've also decided to add Insanity back to my life.  I missed it too much.  If you recall back to my last post about Turbo Jam, I'm just not feeling the whole dancing and kicking thing.  Chalene's great, the music is great, the workouts are great, but they just aren't my cup of tea.  I will continue to do them during Month 1 of Insanity, just to make sure that I'm not jumping the gun on it, but the more I try to get motivated to do Turbo jam, the less I want to work out.

Today, which is still my Tuesday, I will be doing Plyometric Cardio Circuit.  I'm going to skip the Fit Test because technically I should have done it on Monday, though I didn't officially decide to go back to it earlier today.

Why, you might ask?

I've noticed loss of muscle definition in both my arms and legs, I've lost that drive to workout, and I just generally feel like crap.  Doing Turbo Jam left me feeling frustrated and annoyed, not like I actually accomplished something.  For those of you out there who like to dance, you'll love Turbo Jam.  I just can't do it.  I like the whole "do this as fast as you can" type workouts.  Maybe once I've gotten the muscle tone and coordination, I'll revisit Turbo Jam and Chalene, but for now, I'm going back to Shaun T.

So, that's all for tonight.  I've got to get sweaty now.  Expect a full report tomorrow!  :)

Turbo Jam on Monday!

So I know I haven't written anything since I posted up my Insanity results, and for that I am sorry.  Been super busy with summertime fun activities - like camping.  I've also been sucked into Diablo III and have been playing it like it's going out of style.  :)

Monday June 4th I'm starting Turbo Jam with a few people from our team's super awesome Facebook page.  I absolutely can't wait to get back on to a workout schedule.  I just don't workout without a schedule to follow.  I wanted to test myself and I failed miserably at it. 

"Today, I'm going to do push-ups, some arm work, and some good old fashioned crunches."

Yeah, that hasn't happened.  Though yesterday, I did do a couple sets of arm curls with my trusty ol' five pound weights.  Yeah, I'm a weakling, shoot me.  :)

I do things if I know I have to follow a schedule, so next week is going to be awesome.

My Uncle is flying up from Mississippi for a work conference, so I'll get to hang out with him tonight.  I haven't seen him since Thanksgiving last year, so it should be fun.  Last I heard, we're going to Jimmy Buffet's Cheeseburger in Paradise.  Too bad I won't get a cheeseburger, but I'll report to you how good their salads are.  :)

I have continued to eat mostly right.  With the Memorial Day weekend, I kinda let myself slide a little a bit (beer, food, horseshoes and bags!), but I've still managed to lose 2.2 pounds even without being super strict on myself.  I'm doing a modified Shakeology Cleanse to jump start my Turbo Jam program, and so far so good!  :)

With that 2.2 pounds of weight loss, I now officially weigh less than I did when TH and I got married two years ago.  This makes me super happy! 

My goals for Turbo Jam are to be under 200 pounds by the time I finish the program.  I'm going to shoot for 199, but secretly hope I'll get down to 190.  Since it's not as intense as Insanity was, I'm not exactly sure how that will work, or if it will work, but I've got two months to lose 15 pounds.  But, as I learned from Insanity, it's not about the weight I lose, it's about the inches.  So, a parallel goal is to fit into the size 14 shorts I've had for like 10 years.  They are almost brand new since I think I only wore them like three times before I stopped being able to button them.  They are the "Closet Jeans" of summertime.  :) 

Again, like Insanity, I'll post up measurements and weight loss, as well as pics, when I'm finished with the Turbo Jam program.  I plan on staying to the "every two weeks" schedule of measuring and weighing like I did with Insanity on Fit Test days.  

Lots of stuff going on these next few months!  I can't wait to be able to write to you about them!  Don't forget to "Like" NFBL on Facebook to get more frequent updates and tidbits that I don't post up on the blog!  See you Monday!

60 Days of Insanity - Review, Results, & Pics

I've finally finished!  I dug deeper, pushed harder, and made it through what's been labeled as one of the toughest workouts you could ever do without expensive equipment.  Insanity is just that - insane.  It will make you work, make you sweat, and make you swear.  And it's totally, completely, 100% percent worth it.

For those of you who don't know what Insanity is, here's the blurb from the Beachbody website:

Your personal trainer Shaun T will push you past your limits with 10 discs packed with cardio and plyometric drills with intervals of strength, power, resistance, and core training. No equipment or weights are needed, and you don’t have to be in extreme shape to do it. As long as you’re ready to dig deep, Shaun will help you get insane results in just 60 days.

Insanity is a Total Body Conditioning Program designed specifically to tone and shape your body with nothing but your body in 60 days.

Now, people may ask if Insanity works.  I can tell you that yes, it does work.  I have muscle where I had no muscle before.  I have confidence and energy where before I had none.  I don't have nearly as many problems with my knee, unlike before I started.  I can chase my nieces and nephews and not feel like I'm going to have a heart attack after running five feet. 

Was it hard?  Definitely.  I went from a complete lazy couch potato to a level of intensity I've never experienced before in my life.  At times, I wanted to give up, because I thought to myself "There's no freaking way I'm ever going to be able to do that".  I was wrong.  Within a couple weeks, some times as little as one week, I was able to conform my body into the moves required - like Diamond Jumps and Riot Tuck Jumps.  I can do those now.  Not that I can do them perfectly, but I can do them.

I also had a great team of people helping to encourage and inspire me to keep pressing play every day.  My heartfelt thanks go out to them and all my readers, especially Coach Brandy, because I can honestly say that if I didn't have all of you to be accountable too, I probably wouldn't have stuck with it.  I've learned so much, and have all of you to thank for it.

Now, I'm sure you're all wondering when I'm going to get to the "review" part of this post.  So, I'll stop rambling and feeling mushy and get on with it.  I'm not going to go through every single week, just highlights here and there.  If you want to read about my entire journey through Insanity, you can click this link and it will take you to a nice little list I have compiled for just that purpose.

Day 1.  Sorry for the crappy pic.

Day 1 was my first Fit Test and it was by far the worst day ever.  I felt like I had dropped into the pits of hell and was slowly being consumed by goblins who were masters of all sorts of evil torture.  Everything ached and I discovered muscles in places I didn't know HAD muscles.  The next two weeks weren't much better in terms of evil torture methods.

By the time I reached my second Fit Test, which was two weeks later, I felt confident that I wouldn't have improved.  My muscles, especially my legs and feet, were sore.  There was a muscle under my arm pit that was sore.  Hell, my damn fingers were sore!  But, I did improve.  I was like "Holy crap!  They went up!".  It was after seeing those numbers go up that I realized I was going to stick with it.  I wanted to know how much higher I could get them.

At this time, I could tell that it was working a little bit.  My arms looked smaller, my face looked smaller, but I still wasn't really losing much weight.  It wasn't until I did my measurements that I found out that I was losing inches.  It was also at this time that I stopped focusing so much on losing weight and focused more on losing inches.  I suggest you do the same.  Focusing on weight can be discouraging, but focusing on losing inches made the workouts go by faster and made me work harder.

Day 30.

By Day 30 of Insanity, there was definite improvement everywhere.  I had energy, had a great attitude and was proud of myself for finishing the first month.  Day 30 fell right into the middle of "Recovery Week", and let me tell you, I LOVED LOVED LOVED Recovery Week.  It stretches and almost relaxes your muscles, but you still get a great workout without feeling like you want to die.  It was also at this time that I signed up to be a Beachbody coach so I could get Shakeology cheaper.  Shakeology is like a gift from the Gods.  It tastes good and it gave me my daily dose of chocolate in a healthy form.

One of the hardest things for me was curbing my eating habits and eating five times a day.  I loved soda, chips, crackers and cheese, beer, fast food burgers, ice cream - all the things you shouldn't eat massive amounts of, I wanted, especially since now I couldn't have them.  Instead of cutting them out completely, I set a limit for myself.  Saturdays were free days, I could eat whatever I wanted if I was smart about it.  I also set Wednesdays as "You can have one, and only one, bad thing today" day.  At first, I gorged on Saturdays.  After a while, I didn't want to because the food I used to eat didn't taste as good, so I stuck to my shakes, salads, healthier foods and snacks.  Wednesdays I would pick to have one can of soda.  I can't even drink soda now because it's too sweet, makes my stomach hurt, and gives me a headache.  I really miss my bubbles, but I'll take a chocolate shake instead.  :)

Day 45.

It wasn't until Day 45 that I really started to notice the changes in the mirror.  I'd been so used to looking for them, that I didn't see them when they showed up.  My stomach was smaller, my arms had muscle bumps, my legs were more toned.  The closet jeans that were so uncomfortable to wear at Day 30 felt good to wear, not loose, but not cutting into my stomach anymore with 5 inches of gut hanging over the edge.  I didn't have to wear the baggiest shirts I owned to cover up that hanging bulge either.

Let me interrupt myself here and say that starting Insanity Month 2 was just like starting Month 1 all over again.  It was hard, everything ached, and those damn hellish goblins were back with their torture devices.  The exercises became more complex, sometimes combining two or more exercises from Month 1 into one exercise.  And I will be honest and say that there are a few them that I still can't do, but I did the best I could with them, modified them when I had too, and got the job done.

Day 60.

These last two weeks of Insanity, I kinda hit a "blah" phase.  I don't really know why.  Maybe because I'm a little sad it's over.  Before I used to be like "OMG I DID MY WORKOUT! YAY ME!" and it's been "meh, did my workout" lately.  I'm sure those of you who have been following my blog posts have noticed this as well.  I really don't have an explanation for  it, but one of the ladies in our Facebook group is feeling the same way, so maybe it's normal.  I think it's the beginning phases of Shaun T withdrawal, because he is just an awesome guy.  :)

Day 60 of Insanity.  I made it!  I did it!  YAY ME!  I decided to commit and succeed (to steal a line from my buddy Jon - thanks!).  I stuck to it, even through the aches, the pains, the "why do you hate me"s.  And I have the results.  They are more than I expected, considering I didn't even think I'd make it out of Month 1.  Take a look for yourself and tell me what you think! 

And there you have it folks.  Insanity - 60 days of pure insane cardio designed to make you sweat, swear, and look good.  :)  Up next for me is Turbo Jam, which we're starting on June 4th.  After that, I've already planned on re-visiting Shaun T and Insanity to see how badly I can pound those number into the dust.  :)

I want to thank those of you who've been following this journey either here on the blog or over at our Facebook page.  Stayed tuned for a journey through Turbo Jam!  :) 

Insanity - Week 8 - Completed!

I know I've fallen a little behind with posts lately, but here's a recap of the last two workouts.

Day 5 of week eight was Max Interval Plyo.  I did eleven S-S jumps from the warm-up and jammed out a good number of Power Jumps too!  It was tough because the house was ROASTING - even with the air on.  I was sweating buckets.  I really pushed hard doing this for the last time, and I felt it! 

I still hate Level 3 Drills, and I probably always will. 

Day 6 of week eight was a double workout with Max Cardio Conditioning and Cardio Abs.  There's nothing like running out of steam halfway through an exercise, stopping to breathe, and trying to pick it back up.  The house was still roasting and the knees were aching a bit (I blame Power Jumps and Riot Jumps).  Again, I pushed myself as hard as I could for this last exercise and man am I feeling it today.  My legs feel like Day 1 all over again.

My final Fit Test is today, and I'll be making a separate blog post for that one once I complete it.  I'll also put up all the good numbers and give you an over view of my Insanity experience.  All said and done, I can't wait to do round two after we finish Turbo Jam. 

I will miss Mr. Shaun T during our two months of Turbo Jam, but don't worry, I'll be back to visit.  During the two weeks before we start, I'll be doing Hip Hop Abs, so I can still get my fix.  :)

Stayed tuned for the Insanity Results ... and maybe pictures.  I haven't decided yet if I'm going to post them yet.

Insanity - Week 8, Day 3 & Day 4 & Facebook Challenge!

This post is going to cover two workouts.  Why?  Because TH and I were being huge dorks yesterday and played Diablo III all freaking day.  You know what that means right?  Yeah, the workout didn't get done.

So, I'm doing them both today.  Which is going to suck monkey chunks.

Day 3 of week eight was Max Interval Circuit.  I just finished it and I'm dog tired now.  I got a new record for S-S Jumps though - nine!  I was so proud of myself!  I was also able to do the Full Body Drills a lot better than the last time I did them.  By this I mean I was ALMOST able to do two full sets without stopping to rest my arms.  That's huge!  Doing the moving push-up jacks is still a bit discombobulated, but I did them!

The only thing that still gives me trouble with Max Interval Circuit is the Side Suicide Jumps.  The problem is I still have that flabby roll (thought it's A LOT smaller now), and doing any kind of get-down-jump-back or to the side move is a real pain in the butt.  It gets in the way a lot less than it used too, but it's still an issue.  It's my dearest wish that when I do round 2 of Insanity in two months and two weeks (Turbo Jam!  June 4th is our start date!), that problem will be corrected.

Insanity - Week 8, Day 2 - Double Trouble!

Have you ever been denied something you really wanted?  You coveted it?  You dreamed about it?  It was the first thing you thought of in the morning and the last thing you thought of before going to sleep, only to dream about it?

Lorraine Swiss Cheese.

I want it.

Bad.

The kick in the butt is we have some in the fridge.  And I can't have it because I'm still on the Shakeology Cleanse.  As soon as I woke up on Monday, I wanted it.  I have been coveting and craving that single piece of goodness for three days.

Insanity - Week 8, Day 1

Week 8 has started off great!

Can you hear the sarcasm in that?

For one, I'm doing everything a day behind when I normally should, which throws me off completely. 

For two, I'm doing the Shakeology Three Day Cleanse, which leaves me begging for energy about halfway through the workout.  If I could harness the power of anything to get through them the way I know I can, I'd be a happy camper.

However, I'm not a happy camper.  I should have listened to myself and waited until AFTER Insanity was over to do the cleanse.  I almost hurt myself twice today doing Max Interval Plyo because I got light headed.  If you're not used to doing a cleanse, have never done one before, or are not used to exercising, I highly recommend NOT doing one while doing Insanity.  Do it before you do the program, or after.  Just not during.  Maybe it's just me, but yeah.

So, Max Interval Plyo.  My friend.  How I will miss you when I'm bouncing around doing Turbo Jam in two weeks.  (Did you see the sarcasm there too?  LOL!).  I know the workouts haven't changed, and I know I've beat this poor horse to death before, but I swear they come in, steal my workouts, and switch them with modified ones.  They always seem harder than last time.  I guess that either means I'm slacking or I'm pushing myself harder. 

Knowing me - it's probably both.  :)

I did do 7 S-S jumps today during the first group of intervals though.  That made me happy.  I still can't keep up with the machines when they are doing Level 3 Drills though.  I just go at my own pace, and it seems to work.  I'm not a huge fan of what I call "burpies" (Level Drills to Mr. Shaun T), and I've never been able to do them well.  Getting on the floor and assuming my body is going to catch itself is not going to happen for a very long time, if ever.

Oh, and the knee step things - I can't remember the real name at the moment - I love those.  They hurt, but they feel great at the same time.  :)

I'm seriously debating whether or not to do Max Cardio Conditioning tonight, or just push this whole thing back.  MCC is more intense (for me) than Max Interval Plyo, so I'm thinking I'm just going to push this entire week back one day.  If I wasn't doing the cleanse - yeah I'd push myself to do it.  But, this just means my FINAL FIT TEST (yay!) will be on Monday instead of Sunday.  I'm thinking that sounds just fine to me.

Besides, if I push it back it gives me more time to play Diablo III.  Which I'm going to do right after I proofread this and publish it.  :)

See ya tomorrow!

Insanity - Week 7, Day 6 - Complete!

Saturday's workout was Core Cardio & Balance, which I did today.  Yes, I know it's Monday, and I said I'd do it on Sunday, but there were extenuating circumstances which prevented me from doing it yesterday.  You can read about them by clicking the link I'm typing, which you are currently reading.

I really do love Core Cardio & Balance.  It's such a laid back workout when compared to the other workouts.  :)

I also started a Shakeology Three Day Cleanse today too.  One of the options is to swap your dinner of salad and meat with your lunch of Shakeology.  I'm so glad I did that, because even with the relative ease of Core Cardio & Balance, I was still struggling to find the energy to do it.  I think if I had not swapped my meals, I wouldn't have been able to make it through it.

I feel better after doing my workout, though I'm very tired.  Normally, I feel energized after my workouts, but after the hell that was yesterday, and doing the Shakeology Cleanse, I think my body just needs to sleep for a few hours.  I'm also starting to get a headache, so after I'm done writing this, I'm going to go chug some water and veg on the couch for a while before I start folding the laundry that got left in the dryer all day.

If you'd like to know what the Shakeology Cleanse is and what does, drop me a line by clicking this link or by clicking the "Contact Me!" link on the navigation bar.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) I will make up today's (Monday's) workout.  I'm now on Week 8 and I don't want to stat falling behind now.  I'd rather push myself to do two workouts than screw up the schedule.  I can't believe how fast 60 Days has flown!  I can't wait to see what my final results be.  :)

I think I'm going to end the blog for today off here.  My brain is starting to demand sleep.  I'm going to apologize now for any typos because I feel really lazy and don't feel like going back to fix them.  :)

Camping, Mother's Day, and Daisy

It's hard to know where to start for this blog post.  So many things happened over this weekend.

First, campground was awesome!  I only gained 0.7 pounds this time versus the 2.5 pounds from the last time we went.  I was smarter with my food choices and I found a replacement for beer.  I wanted to try Malibu Red because it sounded awesome (it is), so I brought a bottle out there.  Jewel also had Sobe Lifewater on sale, so I brought those out too.  Put two shots of Malibu Red in a Lifewater and you've got a  pretty damn good drink that is marginally better than the Icehouse I normally drink.  One bottle of Lifewater lasted me between 45 minutes to an hour, and in that time I'd normally drink two or three or four beers.  So...bonus!

Oh, I tried all the new Lifewaters (minus just the regular old coconut) with the Malibu Red.  The best one was the Pomegranate Nectarine.  It also tastes fantastic with the Sobe Raspberry Lemonade too.  :)

Mother's Day was great too.  We had dinner at TH's sister's house and ended up staying a while.  I also made smart food choices there - mostly veggies with only half of a rib-eye steak which I JUST REMEMBERED RIGHT NOW IS STILL IN MY PURSE!!!!  Damnit!  /sigh  It was a good steak too.  Anyways, the only bad choice I made was the Baskin Robins Chocolate Oreo Ice Cream cake that TH and brother-in-law bought.  Hello - Oreos.  Ice cream.  Chocolate.  Yes, I'm having some, and while I wasn't an animal with the size of my piece, I definitely didn't skimp on it either.  It was amazing. 

Then, we came home and discovered our cat Daisy had passed away while we were gone.  She adopted us about 3 years ago, and she was old, about 15 or 16 at minimum.  We were going to take her to the vet today because she hasn't been eating right and not acting like her normal self.  She was just really lethargic, not very vocal (which she always was because she was deaf), and laying down in the oddest places.  I feel absolutely horrible that we went away this weekend, because I told TH when we left on Friday that I had a feeling she might not be here when we got home.  I hate that no one was here with her, because she would always cuddle with you, purr her heart out when you weren't feeling well, and rub her head on your chin (or lick you or both).

I miss my little old lady, and hope she's playing in kitty heaven with my Panther, who we had to put down about 2-3 months after Daisy adopted us.  Rest in piece Miss Daisy Crocket.

Needless to say, after we buried her in the yard at midnight last night, I didn't feel like doing Saturday's swapped workout.  If you'd like to read about Insanity, Week 7, Day 6, you can click here.

Miss Daisy Crocket - the coolest old lady cat ever.