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 - Week 1, Days 3 & 4

So, 20 Minute Workout.  Sounds easy enough.

Not really.

My Wednesday and Thursday workouts were both 20 Minute Workout.  I was pro-active and did my Thursday one just a little while ago so I could write about both of them at once since I'll be really super busy when I wake up later.  We're going out to the campground again, and I swear, the kitchen WILL BE CLEAN before we leave.  I made a huge dent in it by doing the dishes already, but it needs more work.

On to the workout video.

In all honesty, it's not the workout that's hard.  It's me being uncoordinated.  I actually did 20 Minute workout three times during MY "day", once earlier around midnight and twice after 3:30 a.m.  Those of you who have read my blog, know that my "day" is when normal people are sleeping, so for you new readers, that's why some of this may sound strange.

So the moves are simple, the music is good, and Chalene Johnson really is fun to watch.  I just can't get my body to do what she's doing.  Now, by the third time around, I was a bit better at timing the punches and such, but when it came time to add in kicks is where I was getting all clumsy and lopsided.  I feel like I have four left feet and they are all going in opposite directions.

Now, for the effect it's having on my body and muscles, well, even Chalene says during the 20 minute workout "Bet it doesn't even feel like a workout, does it?".  And it doesn't.  I went from "do as many of these things in 30 seconds (or a minute) as you can" to dancing/kick-boxing/sculpting.  It just feels like...I don't know, I can't really describe it.  All I know is I'm about to say the one thing I never thought would come out of my mouth (or fingers in this case):

I really, really, really wish I was doing Insanity. 

There, I said it.  I miss Shaun T, and I miss feeling like I actually worked out.  With 20 minute workout, even after doing it twice in a row, I didn't feel like I got a workout - at least, not what I'm used too.  I'm hoping that as my muscles learn these moves and I am able to stay in sync with Chalene, I will start to feel like I'm doing something besides feel ridiculous.

I'm done with the schedule for this week, but I'm probably going to pop in Learn & Burn tomorrow just to practice the moves some more to help with that muscle memory and coordination that I am seriously lacking.

On a completely different topic, our cat Yarly scared the crap out of me earlier.  I was outside having a smoke and he's waiting for me by the back door.  Well, he goes to walk into the kitchen and his back leg goes out on him and he lets out this absolutely awful sound.  Remember, it's like 4 in the morning when this happens, TH is at work, and I panic a little bit.  I kind of just held him up around his belly for a bit because he was stuck in a half step pose (kinda looked like a Hip Flexor Stretch cat-style actually), and then I made him lay down for a bit. 

I sat on the floor and pet him, then he gets up like nothing happened.  So, I felt bad and gave him and Leela some treats just to make him feel better.  Not that Yarly needs them - he's like 22 pounds of huge furriness.  I do believe a trip to the vet may be in order though.

I probably won't write anything until after Monday's workout (camping and all), so we'll talk to you then!

Turbo Jam - Week 1, Days 1 & 2

Okay, so I know you were breathlessly awaiting my post yesterday on how my first Turbo Jam, Learn & Burn, went.

Weren't you?

Huh?

Bueller?

You didn't get one because as excited as I was to start it, I didn't actually do Turbo Jam yesterday.  I did Diablo III Jam.  TH and I had a marathon.  We got both our main characters into Hell mode, got our first set of alts into Nightmare mode, and finished making TH's Staff of Herding.  We then had to go check out the area Staff of Herding unlocks, which is called Whimseyshire, and it was quite hilarious by the way.  I definitely recommend checking it out if you have the chance.  Tell me you don't laugh hilariously.  Just don't pee in your pants because I'm totally not responsible for that.

So, I did two sets of Learn & Burn today.  I was going to add in a Cardio Abs from Insanity, simply as a "Haha, you didn't do your workout yesterday, so now you have to do another one" type thing, but I was so frustrated that I just turned the DVD player off.

Not because it was hard or ineffective.  Quite opposite actually.  Learn & Burn takes the moves that you'll be using for the next two months, and teaches you how to combine them to effectively work your body. 

The problem lies with me.  I'm not coordinated.  AT ALL.  If I learned anything from doing Learn & Burn today, it's that the cats have to go away because I don't want to fall on them when I trip over my own feet and that I mostly likely will have a black eye at least once during the next two months because I will end up punching myself in the face.

Yeah, that's how uncoordinated I am.

Now, I will tell you that during doing Learn & Burn twice in a row, things got a bit easier, but not a whole hell of a lot.  And I will tell you that the exercises I did where I didn't manage to maim myself or a feline actually felt good to do.  Those muscles are a little achy now, which I've totally missed since I ended Insanity a few weeks back.

I have a feeling Turbo Jam will actually be the workout to get rid of most of my flab if I can actually get my body parts to follow what the people on the screen are doing.  :)  Oh, and if I do happen to punch myself in the face, or trip over my own two feet, I'll post pictures to prove it. I'm going to go make myself a kick ass glass of Chocolate Shakeology to reward myself for a good day's work.

See ya 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 6, Day 6 - Completed!

I know, I know I know.  Today (Monday) is actually the start of Week 7 for all you normal people.  I however am not normal.  Like you really needed me to tell you that!  Since I was occupied on Saturday (party!!!), I moved my Day 6 workout to Sunday...and this is Sunday for me until I go to sleep. 

It's done!  I really love Core Cardio & Balance.  I've gotten a bit better at the end exercise, which are called Shoulder Burner Plie (I think).  I can totally tell that the bottle of Shiraz, 4 Miller Lites, and 3 Rum Chata shots effected me.  More than just a small headache and major dehydration too.  My muscles didn't want to cooperate, but I made them!

Insanity - Week 6, Day 5 - Double Workouts!

Today was the first day of "double workouts" for Month 2.  Yippee!  /end sarcasm.  At least this month I was smart about it and split them up instead of trying to do them back to back.  Much more effective that way because I was actually able to give each workout the focus it deserved.  I did Cardio Abs first, then did Max Cardio Conditioning about 45 minutes later.

Not really too much to report on either, so...yeah.  Max Cardio is getting a bit easier to do.  I was actually able to do 4 Diamond Jumps.  Surprised the hell outta me when I just did it.  I'll take that as a sign that my legs are cooperating with what my brain wants them to do.  And In - N - Out Abs/Push-Ups Jacks didn't kill me until halfway through the second set of them.  Another shocker!  Push-up Jacks are still the bain of my existence (as far as Insanity goes), but they are getting easier - a little bit.