After a weekend visiting my family and indulging in birthday cake, pizza, spaghetti with homemade sauce *Y*U*M* and M&Ms, I was pretty determined to start my week out well. ARGH! A bout of insomnia on Sunday around 3am kept me in bed until 7 on Monday, which meant I wasn't going to have a chance to work out all day or evening.
Shit.
On Saturday, I did have a GREAT walk in the strange November warmth, and it felt good to move like that, but it doesn't make me sweat the way INSANITY does. I knew I had to get back to it and really give it a go. Monday was shot, and I decided to start all over again at the beginning of the INSANITY schedule. Monday would've been the "fit test" day with this plan. However, I know what my fit test would indicate: I'm still an out-of-shape fat ass.
Today is Tuesday. I pulled myself out of bed and headed upstairs to meet Shaun T and endure the Plyometric Cardio Circuit. This is the one that is about 42 minutes long, and he begins with those killer warmups: suicide drills, the Heisman, mummies (which are SO much harder than they look!), jumping jacks, etc. These intervals are about 3 and a half minutes long each, but there is NO rest for the weary between them. After the warmup, I am sucking wind and am very sweaty.
However, after you do three sets of these brutal warmup exercises, you are rewarded with a stretch...but remember that Shaun T doesn't take stretching lightly! It's a serious part of the workout to ensure that you are warm when you stretch those muscles, a preventative measure against injury. Shaun T is serious about your form and protecting your body from harm, so he gives a six minute stretch that are similar to many yoga poses we've all done for years, but there is no "touchy feely" bullshit here; even the stretches feel hard. First of all, we never, ever get to sit down to stretch, and these stretches focus on your core and balance, so everything is engaged while you're doing them.
The beauty of this six minute stretch, apart from the relief from the warm up, is that you are now down to about 23 minutes of working out left to your day! WHOO HOO! I am all about being "halfway done"...
But, the rest of the workout is a killer, including this horrible thing he calls "Level One Drill". Basically, this is the squat thrust you reviled in your childhood gym class during those stupid Presidential Fitness Weeks. In a cruel and creative twist, Shaun has you squat out into a plank position, do four push-ups, and then do this kind of "running man" in a starter's position. BRUTAL. I am so slow and pathetic on these, and I definitely have to do the push-ups on my knees. I am on my KNEES and I still can't keep up!
He also does these "in and out" core exercises, where you are again in a plank position pulling your legs in and out. Keep those butts DOWN, he says. But it's SO HARD to keep my butt down. I don't know where I am feeling this the most: my legs? my shoulders? my abs? Why can't I do this????
And just when I'm feeling so defeated, WHOO HOO we get a 30 second break. Never has 30 seconds flown by so quickly.
Again, there are three sets of this kind of brutality, but I just keep telling myself, out loud - alone in my attic, that I can do this. Somehow I buy it and keep going...
When the last of the three rounds is up, we move onto more brutality, including basketball jumps, football drills, skiing downhill, and then sprinting in place. At the end, he adds in some jabs to work the core some more. This feels like a vacation after the basketball, football, and skiing I just did.
It's finally over, and the nice thing is that everyone on the DVD looks as spent as I am. These people are in incredible shape; I have to say that it is inspiring to watch them be so fit and it's someone vindicating to see them sucking wind, too. Granted, they are all working at a much higher level than I am, but I can' wait until the day I can keep up with them...and I truly believe that someday I will!
The best part of INSANITY is when it's over. See you tomorrow, Shaun T.
P.S. I weighed myself today for the fun of it. I'm at 173. My fattest ever. Just sayin'.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Cardio Recovery
Ha. The name of today's workout is "Cardio Recovery"...it lulls you into the erroneous belief that Shaun T is not going to rake your ass over the coals.
WRONG.
Today's workout happened pretty easily because I remembered that it was a recovery day. I got fooled and drank the kool-aid, getting out of bed with the belief that I would not kill myself today. However, although it was a tough workout, today was not as grueling and painful as the other workouts are because it is much more stretch- and strength-based.
The Cardio Recovery has 35 minutes on the clock - which makes you think you are going to just CRUISE through. But, again, there is some tough stuff in this workout that makes you realize why it's called INSANITY.
There are some pretty serious, very deep squats. And he does them vvvveeeeerrrrrryyyyyy s.l.o.w.l.y. OUCH. There are long moments of holding these squats, of squeezing your inner thighs together while holding in your core, and then there are plie squats, too. Don't forget about the lunges. WHOA. It was so slow, but I was sweating and breathing hard. Remember, I'm SO out of shape that even a cardio recovery day is a big workout for me.
I felt like today was a better day than yesterday, as I didn't suck wind and I didn't hate myself as much today for not being able to get through everything. It was worth getting up early to do it, and I'm actually bringing the two next workouts with me this weekend as we travel to go see family.
WRONG.
Today's workout happened pretty easily because I remembered that it was a recovery day. I got fooled and drank the kool-aid, getting out of bed with the belief that I would not kill myself today. However, although it was a tough workout, today was not as grueling and painful as the other workouts are because it is much more stretch- and strength-based.
The Cardio Recovery has 35 minutes on the clock - which makes you think you are going to just CRUISE through. But, again, there is some tough stuff in this workout that makes you realize why it's called INSANITY.
There are some pretty serious, very deep squats. And he does them vvvveeeeerrrrrryyyyyy s.l.o.w.l.y. OUCH. There are long moments of holding these squats, of squeezing your inner thighs together while holding in your core, and then there are plie squats, too. Don't forget about the lunges. WHOA. It was so slow, but I was sweating and breathing hard. Remember, I'm SO out of shape that even a cardio recovery day is a big workout for me.
I felt like today was a better day than yesterday, as I didn't suck wind and I didn't hate myself as much today for not being able to get through everything. It was worth getting up early to do it, and I'm actually bringing the two next workouts with me this weekend as we travel to go see family.
Three weeks in...and sleeping in.
If I don't workout in the morning, it doesn't happen. The alarm is set each morning at 5:35, giving me time to snooze and still get out of bed to work out upstairs by 6:00. If I work out any later than 6am, I can't make it to work on time. So, this is the plan every day. But, we all know that 5:35 a.m. is early, early, early. And it's soooo tempting to sleep in.
Sleep in? Come on, Jen. You know your little guy will wake up anywhere between 6:30 and 6:45. When did sleeping until 6:30 become sleeping in? Oh, right...when I became a mother.
The hardest part is that Jack loves to crawl into our bed after he wakes up and snuggle with John and me...what could be better? And working full-time this year, I certainly miss my snuggle time with him.
Between the exhaustion of working full time, the false sense of "sleeping in" and the missing the cuddling, I'm getting killed in terms of getting a workout in. Man, does this add to the self-loathing and the lack of energy. So, I've made the commitment and purchased the INSANITY DVDs; they've been in my possession for three weeks now...and I've done about a week and a half of them. They are so FREAKING hard...did I mention that I'm out of shape?
So, how to get my ass out of bed? Mind trickery! Yesterday I told myself I'd get out of bed and do some yoga. I like yoga - it's good for the mind and body and psyche. Once I got out of bed, I realzed that what my body needed was a good sweat. I was so cranky the day before - and I knew it was because it had been a week of "sleeping in" and general laziness taking over my body. Bad for the mind and body and psyche!
I thought, "OK, no Shaun T today. I give you permission to not do that to yourself today. Go for a walk instead." A quick check of the temp outside showed that it was 26 degrees in Syracuse. OUCH. No walk. Head upstairs and do the damn INSANITY workout.
You know what? I SUCKED. It was so freaking hard. I guzzled water like mad and sweated every ounce back out. I was slow and pathetic and pissed off. But I finished it! And that felt amazing...exhausted and whipped, but I was proud of myself.
Yesterday's workout was the Cardio Power & Resistance. I haven't done these workouts often enough to know what's coming in which DVD, but this is about 38 minutes of crazy drills: suicides, the Heisman, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, etc. So, once I got started I realized how HARD this one was (p.s. - they all are hard) but I sucked it up and just got into it.
Shaun T is motivating and not annoying - I actually like spending my early mornings with him. He is in amazing shape, gives great cueing and reminds you of your form throughout. The most annoying thing he does is refer to himself in the third person every once in a while. Jen finds that a bit unneccessary.
I am not kidding; I really sucked ass on this workout. I was sweating like a maniac and I could feel my stomach fat bouncing around during the jumping portions. I really hate that, and usually that's enough for me to stop and do a lot of negative self talk like, 'You're a big fat-ass and always will be so give it up.' Yes, I suffered through the fat jiggling on my belly and the ache in my legs and the serious sweat pouring into my sports bra.
And that was just the warmup. Shaun T's warmups are heinous...there are three three-minute brutal segments that repeat at a faster and more intense rate. You want to die, and that is just the warmup.
But thank you, Shaun T, for your amazing, well-timed stretch. These are basically yoga poses I've been doing my whole life, but for some reason they are harder and held longer in INSANITY. And he just does them - no fancy yoga names or breathing or any of that shit. It's INSANITY, man. There is nothing frou-frou about any part of this routine.
So, by the time you get to the "actual" workout, there are maybe 23 minutes left. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Your mind tells you, "I can do this! It's only like 20 minutes...that can't kill me." Oh, but yes, it can! Twenty-three minutes of hell - including the stretch at the end - and you're done. It's over. And you feel like you could die, go back to bed, or lay on the floor for the rest of the day. But, you know, work is calling...and I've gotta get in the shower.
I find Jack is sitting in bed, watching Dora. "You all done esercisin', Mommy?". Yep - it was worth giving up the snuggling to feel as amazing and proud of myself as I did at that moment. I felt like I put myself first, and amazingly both Jack and I survived.
Sleep in? Come on, Jen. You know your little guy will wake up anywhere between 6:30 and 6:45. When did sleeping until 6:30 become sleeping in? Oh, right...when I became a mother.
The hardest part is that Jack loves to crawl into our bed after he wakes up and snuggle with John and me...what could be better? And working full-time this year, I certainly miss my snuggle time with him.
Between the exhaustion of working full time, the false sense of "sleeping in" and the missing the cuddling, I'm getting killed in terms of getting a workout in. Man, does this add to the self-loathing and the lack of energy. So, I've made the commitment and purchased the INSANITY DVDs; they've been in my possession for three weeks now...and I've done about a week and a half of them. They are so FREAKING hard...did I mention that I'm out of shape?
So, how to get my ass out of bed? Mind trickery! Yesterday I told myself I'd get out of bed and do some yoga. I like yoga - it's good for the mind and body and psyche. Once I got out of bed, I realzed that what my body needed was a good sweat. I was so cranky the day before - and I knew it was because it had been a week of "sleeping in" and general laziness taking over my body. Bad for the mind and body and psyche!
I thought, "OK, no Shaun T today. I give you permission to not do that to yourself today. Go for a walk instead." A quick check of the temp outside showed that it was 26 degrees in Syracuse. OUCH. No walk. Head upstairs and do the damn INSANITY workout.
You know what? I SUCKED. It was so freaking hard. I guzzled water like mad and sweated every ounce back out. I was slow and pathetic and pissed off. But I finished it! And that felt amazing...exhausted and whipped, but I was proud of myself.
Yesterday's workout was the Cardio Power & Resistance. I haven't done these workouts often enough to know what's coming in which DVD, but this is about 38 minutes of crazy drills: suicides, the Heisman, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, etc. So, once I got started I realized how HARD this one was (p.s. - they all are hard) but I sucked it up and just got into it.
Shaun T is motivating and not annoying - I actually like spending my early mornings with him. He is in amazing shape, gives great cueing and reminds you of your form throughout. The most annoying thing he does is refer to himself in the third person every once in a while. Jen finds that a bit unneccessary.
I am not kidding; I really sucked ass on this workout. I was sweating like a maniac and I could feel my stomach fat bouncing around during the jumping portions. I really hate that, and usually that's enough for me to stop and do a lot of negative self talk like, 'You're a big fat-ass and always will be so give it up.' Yes, I suffered through the fat jiggling on my belly and the ache in my legs and the serious sweat pouring into my sports bra.
And that was just the warmup. Shaun T's warmups are heinous...there are three three-minute brutal segments that repeat at a faster and more intense rate. You want to die, and that is just the warmup.
But thank you, Shaun T, for your amazing, well-timed stretch. These are basically yoga poses I've been doing my whole life, but for some reason they are harder and held longer in INSANITY. And he just does them - no fancy yoga names or breathing or any of that shit. It's INSANITY, man. There is nothing frou-frou about any part of this routine.
So, by the time you get to the "actual" workout, there are maybe 23 minutes left. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Your mind tells you, "I can do this! It's only like 20 minutes...that can't kill me." Oh, but yes, it can! Twenty-three minutes of hell - including the stretch at the end - and you're done. It's over. And you feel like you could die, go back to bed, or lay on the floor for the rest of the day. But, you know, work is calling...and I've gotta get in the shower.
I find Jack is sitting in bed, watching Dora. "You all done esercisin', Mommy?". Yep - it was worth giving up the snuggling to feel as amazing and proud of myself as I did at that moment. I felt like I put myself first, and amazingly both Jack and I survived.
How did I get here?
Like many women approaching age 40, I've taken a moment or two (or a hundred) to wonder how in the world I got "so old". When I was 20, a sophomore in college, my mother and father were 40...which, to the sophomoric mind, was OLD. It's hard to shake that long-standing paradigm. The strangest part of "getting old", and I've talked to many others who seem to agree, is that no one seems to know "how we got here". Like, um, where did the last 20 years go? And, how can I be nearing this significant age without feeling terribly old?
But "feeling old or not" aside, I am not happy with my personal fitness level. I need to take action...NOW. I have five months before the big four-oh hits, and I've decided to create a fitness goal for myself: I want to feel good about myself, to be able to put on a bathing suit without the accompanying self-loathing, to get dressed in the morning without tribluation and misery, and to be healthy.
I have a storied past with working out and fitness: I have been in incredible shape and dedicated many, many hours to the pursuit of the perfect body. I never achieved it. At least, I never thought I did until I got pregnant, had a baby, and two years later still hadn't lost the "baby fat." When I look back at those pictures, I see how much I took for granted. I looked GREAT! Not perfect. So what? I looked GREAT, and I wasted it feeling so shitty about myself and killing myself for something I could never achieve.
So, I've decided to take action - palpable, immediate action - and embark on a challenge. I'm not great with challenging myself; I tend to do too much negative self-talk, casting doubt upon my abilities. But when I saw the informercial for Shaun T's INSANITY workout, I immediately thought that this might be the workout for me. It's obviously hard, difficult, impossible, insane...but it just might be the thing that helps me conquer my demons about body image and self esteem.
I am blogging about this journey because I need to get negativity and self-doubt of my head and onto the page. I need to share my successes and failures. I need to be accountable. I thought maybe a public forum might help me reach these goals, perhaps inspiring others along the way.
But "feeling old or not" aside, I am not happy with my personal fitness level. I need to take action...NOW. I have five months before the big four-oh hits, and I've decided to create a fitness goal for myself: I want to feel good about myself, to be able to put on a bathing suit without the accompanying self-loathing, to get dressed in the morning without tribluation and misery, and to be healthy.
I have a storied past with working out and fitness: I have been in incredible shape and dedicated many, many hours to the pursuit of the perfect body. I never achieved it. At least, I never thought I did until I got pregnant, had a baby, and two years later still hadn't lost the "baby fat." When I look back at those pictures, I see how much I took for granted. I looked GREAT! Not perfect. So what? I looked GREAT, and I wasted it feeling so shitty about myself and killing myself for something I could never achieve.
So, I've decided to take action - palpable, immediate action - and embark on a challenge. I'm not great with challenging myself; I tend to do too much negative self-talk, casting doubt upon my abilities. But when I saw the informercial for Shaun T's INSANITY workout, I immediately thought that this might be the workout for me. It's obviously hard, difficult, impossible, insane...but it just might be the thing that helps me conquer my demons about body image and self esteem.
I am blogging about this journey because I need to get negativity and self-doubt of my head and onto the page. I need to share my successes and failures. I need to be accountable. I thought maybe a public forum might help me reach these goals, perhaps inspiring others along the way.
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