Kickin major BUTT!

Well my youngest girl came down with a cold over the weekend, but she seems to be getting a bit better each day. Unfortunately when they're sick they want more Mommy cuddle time which means Mommy better step up vitamins to support the immune system. Yesterday my throat was on fire, my lymph nodes were enlarged & my congestion was poo. BUT I upped vitamin C, added vitamin D, took a couple Airbornes, took my L-glutamine & told myself I was going to get better, my throat had burned all day long & I downed INSANE amount of water to try and help my throat feel better (hey that's better than popsicles at least). This morning I woke up with NO throat ache! I'm getting better, the huge power your thoughts can have!

I ate my preworkout banana & started sweating within 15 minutes, crazy isn't it! This month 2 workouts are doing amazing things already! So I was ready...



I felt something special today. At 2 minutes into the warm up I was already COVERED in sweat, crazy! So far I believe this workout (for month 2) is my fave... I don't know if I've ever sweated this much before without being in intense heat. I killed it, it's awesome! At about 12 mins left I heard my youngest at the gate for the kitchen crying/calling for me, so I grabbed her & brought her down so I could finish. The only drawback to having her there is she had to be on my workout area mat so for the full body drills I couldn't do travelling push-ups (she was in the way), I just did regular push-ups. I fought back the nausea countless times, it was freakin incredible! O.M.G. those plank punches kill my core! LOVE THEM!

I LOVE this workout & this workout series! It just might be my new favorite. IN fact next week I'm going to order the deluxe videos because I'm going to roll straight into a second round of Insanity as soon as I finish this one - with the extra videos. Love this stuff, it's like CRACK! :)

I survived 1 week of the MAX workouts!

I'll tell ya, they are humbling! They are HARD, I've never dug deeper or pushed harder. I've NEVER felt so accomplished after a workout than I do when I get through a MAX workout! INSANITY is just amazing! I can NOT give it enough praise! My RHR was already low 40s before starting this program so not much improvement to be had there. I can easily say that in the beginning of INSANITY the 30 sec breaks did NOT feel like enough & now it takes less than that time for my heart rate to slow down & feel recovered, it's just that amazing.

This morning my obliques were sore, going into max interval plyo. I'll tell you that workout was brutal [in the BEST of ways], but I was BETTER than the first time I did it & it felt AMAZING getting through it! My shoulders are sore, abs/obliques, calves, glutes, hammies... That's pretty impressive, me thinks, especially for not doing any weights. BUT I'm already recovering faster, AMAZINGLY faster! My soreness has already subsided and it's just impressive how much more efficient your body gets from these videos. I wish I could describe it better! I seriously want EVERYONE to do this! It's THE best program EVER! My metabolism is jumping up again, I'm feeling it and I'm going to need to up my calories again but that's okay!

Half way through this week I had to switch to mind over matter to push through the soreness & keep going. I'll tell you, it feels AMAZING to have done a week of these max workouts! Especially knowing that in 3 more very short weeks I'll be an INSANITY graduate, it just flies by! 9 weeks is NO TIME!

I freakin love this stuff, WOW amazing!

Max interval circuit take 2

That was SO much better! OMFG it was unbelievable! I LOVE how it felt getting through that. I never hit pause, I can't keep up 100% yet but DAYUM is it awesome.

First off compared to Monday it started much better (no 3 year old wake-up and so on). I also went through it once before so I could be a bit better. Well, I don't really know what all to say.

I TRY to not look at the timer until after the warm up & stretch, that way I can easily think to myself "okay, only forty-something minutes left, I can do this" - cuz it's an hour long workout. From there on out I give each circuit what I can and enjoy my water breaks with standing RIGHT in front of my fan :)

My obliquies were already sore going into this workout, and they got worked MORE with the crazy shiz that he came up with. LOVE IT! At about 20 mins left I got an energy surge, so I suppose it was like a 2nd wind? THen maybe 2 minutes later I realized my WHOLE lower body was tingling - calves, quads, hammies, glutes, the whole schebang. I dug DEEP and pushed through. It was amazing.

I love this craziness! Hopefully my lower body won't be too sore for Max interval plyo tomorrow >:)

INSANITY Max Recovery

So I knew going into this that it wasn't going to be a stretch or easy workout, I knew Shaun T's INSANITY recovery workouts were ONLY a "break" from cardio. This was the only one I hadn't previewed but I knew it'd be a good workout, I just hoped it wouldn't kill my legs more *LOL* Well it wasn't JUST legs, it was full body. Oh the CORE killage in all the plank work! I don't know what it didn't hit, it hit everything I swear ~ abs, shoulders, arms, legs etc. I do know that I made it through, none of it I couldn't push through & next time I'll be better.

This program is sheer awesomeness I tell you! My current plan is to get to the end of the 9 weeks, perhaps do a P90X recovery week & at that time come up with some sort of P90X, X+, Insanity hybrid (at least a month's worth) and keep going me thinks.

I've almost made it through a week of the really crazy workouts, shew!

Insanity max cardio conditioning

PAIN is your body's way of letting you know you're still alive.

When I started this morning's workout I had glute, hammie & oblique DOMS, a slight bit in pecs too. The "warm-up" KILLS my calves. Way before this workout was over I just wanted to stop. I don't even know what to say... I could've done without the tons of jump squats, really I could've. My butt would probably be grateful for some rest, but there's no rest for the wicked!

The first month workouts are hard. They had been the hardest cardios I've ever done. I hoped they'd prepare me for this month but it seems they very VERY barely did. Right now I'm HOPING "max recovery" doesn't have leg work cuz I don't know how I could do any. I've NEVER been this sore in my life, EVER. And it's only the third day of the first week.



If I can make it through this month, well heck I can't even imagine. One day at a time. I can, I will. Failure is not an option.

Insanity max interval plyo

Luckily hubby rubbed my back last night so it wasn't hurting this morning. My glutes were sore going into it though, but not too horribly bad. I'm thinking the extra glutamine helps (even if it's just mental).



This crap is seriously crazy! How the HECK did he come up with some of these moves? Squat push-ups um k... SIDE push-ups OMG HELLO LATS! And at the end just when I thought my legs had been trashed enough we had to do diamond jumps, seriously? I looked like a dying bunny I'm sure. My legs were so shaky I could barely do them, but I did, dang it! I'm going to be awesome at these workouts with time & working harder than I ever have before, digging deep & NOT giving up.

Alls I know is my appetite is UP! I'm upping my calories already & paying attention to my body's signals. This program is awesome, lives up to its name & all the hype etc. It leans you OUT, improves your cardio ability IMMENSELY, I mean improves it so much it's hard to believe. It's seriously like making the IMpossible possible for you. Yeah...

I'm probably going to be doing extra stretching today too. I love this craziness!!!

Insanity MAX month begins!

First I have to say Kelly O thank you for your comment, it just made me will myself to make it through & not miss any max workouts, no matter how much I hurt :)



This morning went swimmingly. I ate my banana, watched my 300 video to get ready & was about to kill it (seriously) then the clouds opened up & downpoured & woke up my 3 year old, at 4:30, yeah... At 5 I thought I had successfully snuck away from her so I went down & started the workout.

Warm up was great! Can't wait to get NEW cross trainers tomorrow cuz this'll kill me if I don't. Well during the first stretch I heard her walking around so I went upstairs & recruited Hubby to watch her so I could keep going. I can't even really talk about how much I wanted to die, really I dug deep. I felt muscle soreness right away, I'm skurred for the oncoming DOMS! At about 22 mins left I heard Aubrey calling me. SO I had to come up again & grab her and attempt the rest of the workout with her there with me & hubby sleeping again. It worked. It was good. I'm already sore!!!! But I'm ready for more & I'm ready to do better. Love this stuff, but I was already deemed crazy before they even came up with these videos ;)



This stuff is no joke. GET FIT OR GET OUT!!!!!!

INSANITY fit test #3

Ooh I feel ready for the max workouts! I have improved SO MUCH it's nuts! I LOVE Insanity! It's max amount you can do in one minute of each. I'll admit that I feel like I could workout after this [HELLO I know when I first started I didn't feel like I could workout after!], but I think for now (for me) it's best to split fit test & a max workout into 2 days ;)

RESULTS:

Switch kicks: 56, 63, 68 (136 kicks)
Power jacks: 57, 62, 73
Power knees: 100, 104, 120
Power jumps: 33, 43, 57
Globe jumps: 10, 12, 13
Suicide jumps: 20, 22, 24
Push-up jacks: 28, 35, 40
Low plank obliques: 82, 106, 110

I don't know if I can go much faster/do much better than this. We shall see! Month 2 INSANITY max workouts here I come. Bring. it. on. mofos!

Month 1 down onto the really crazy workouts!

Sooo I finished up month 1 of Insanity (including the 5th week, recovery week) and Monday I start the MAX crazy workouts. So I will be blogging more about them, if I can remember much that is. I'll be doing my fit test & bringin it to a new level I can't wait! My cardio has already grown leaps & bounds, I'm getting leaner & feeling awesome. Oh I don't think I'll be doing *any* extra workouts along with the max workouts. I'm expecting lots of pain & am ready!

I decided on being Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) for Halloween, ha! Yeah, but it's 6 weeks away. Right now I look pretty good in it (got the boots, waiting for the thigh holsters to be delivered), so I have 6 more weeks to get a bit leaner & rock it - I'm not wearing a wig or anything so I s'pose it'll be Lara with a haircut. No pic until my BF is where I want it. But I'm basically going for this look:

How bad do I want it?

I haven't had a chance yet to go through and answer the questions from that post the other day & since I can't do any vlogs for a while (did I mention I broke my camera?) I figured I'd just do this. Presently I just finished week 3 of INSANITY and I'm starting to feel pretty awesome. I'm starting to feel worthy (of at least the easier workouts HA). Goal is by the time I'm done with the 9 weeks - to feel like I should be in some of the vids ;) Or have a camera again & DO some workout vids again like I did way back when. Anyway, I LOVE LOVE LOVE these workouts! I've NEVER loved cardio this much, EVER.

How bad do you want to be a great athlete? ath·lete (ăth'lēt') n.
A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts. I've never considered myself an athlete, I don't play any competitive sports. I do compete against myself though, and with some of the craziness I do at home I must be an athlete. I train as I am one, I eat as I am one, so I must be. I want to be great, I am determined to be as great as I can be. I see others' fit test results & I want to do what they do or better if it's possible for me. The sky is the limit and I have learned to not underestimate what I can do. I am an example for my girls and an inspiration to others, I will live up to any expectations those hold of me & do my best.

1. How Bad? I want it. Bad. And I'm taking it.

2. Why? Why? Why NOT?! I'm not trying to outrun the racer next to me, I'm not trying to squat heavier than the person on my right, or even stand on stage hoping I've peaked my muscles just right, dropped my bodyfat low enough, out pose etc. the ladies next to me. I'm fighting off the overweight/obesity epidemic [aka plague] that is our "culture" because I lost all the fat, I got in the best shape of my life. I deserve to be my happiest which is when I am in peak shape, working HARD and eating CLEAN day in and day out. Nothing makes me feel better than training HARD, so why wouldn't I?!

3. What are you willing to sacrifice? I get up before 4 am 6 days a week, fuel myself ASAP, drink water & prep for my early workout, just so that I can get one in before kids wake up and I get busy. 2 more days a week I commit to extra weight lifting, just to make sure. They say it takes lots of sacrifice... To me there is no sacrifice. Why would I sacrifice HOW I feel by stopping? Nothing feels better than pumping your body full of endorphins first thing in the morning, nothing feels better than giving your ALL and getting better each time. It's not a sacrifice, it's choice. I choose to because I CAN!

4. How much? I find the best things that are easily doable for me. I know my body & how to fuel it & how it responds to certain things. I train a minimum of 6 hours a week. I drink 2 gallons of water a day & adhere to my eating plan no.matter.what. I'm at the point now where if I have things to do I'll just bring a cooler with my food & eat it just in case. I'd rather be prepared than end up eating something bad!

5. Do you really love it? Is it my passion? My passion is to be fit, healthy, be a good strong example for my daughters and hopefully inspire others. My passion is to HELP others find some of the happiness that I found by becoming physically what I never thought I could become. I found when working out I NEED something I like or I won't stick with it! With P90X, X+, Insanity etc. I've found there really is no way I could get bored. I REALLY enjoy the workouts so I look forward to doing them, I can do them in my place so I have no excuse to NOT do them. I feel great after doing them, so I go back, over & over. Because I like it, I want it, I choose it.

No one is PERFECT 100% all the time. Sometimes you don't want to do it, you just make yourself do it & feel good about getting it done. You just need to remind yourself of your why, think about other people who can't choose to do what you CAN choose to do, and just get.it.done.

How bad do you want it?

Thank you LEYA for this!!

How bad do you want to be a great athlete?

So many people talk about it, but very few actually do it. I once heard a quote that I will never forget and one that I use on a weekly basis while working with athletes: “A great athlete does every day what a good athlete does occasionally.” You see, a great athlete does whatever it takes on a daily basis, while a good athlete does it when it is convenient. A great athlete trains every day, while a good athlete trains when it’s comfortable. A great athlete goes out of his or her way to eat right so that his or her body recovers faster, while a good athlete eats whenever and whatever is available. Many athletes enjoy playing their sport. That is not what I am talking about. I am not talking about just making the varsity team; I am talking about being a contributor on the varsity squad. I am not talking about just getting a scholarship; I am talking about being an All-American. I am not talking about just being a professional; I am talking about being an All-Star or a Hall-of-Famer.

I am talking about being great.

A lot of good athletes are out there, but very few are great. The difference between the good ones and the great ones is what they do on a daily basis. It is called consistency, hard work, and dedication. If you are an athlete, I want you to ask yourself five questions. These five questions will determine if you have what it takes to be great or if you are satisfied with just being good.

1. How Bad?

How Bad Do I Want It? How bad do you really want to be great? Do you just talk about it or are you doing what it takes on a daily basis to be great. Michael Jordan once said, “Some people want it to happen; some wish it would happen; others make it happen.” You have got to go and make it happen. You have got to go and take it. How bad do you want it?

2. Why?

Why Do I Want It? Do you want to be great so people notice you? Do you want to be great to be famous? Do you want to be great to make money? Do you want to be great so that you can help others? Whatever it is, you need to know why. Why do you do what you do on a daily basis to be great? What is it that motivates you?

3. What?

What Am I Willing To Do Until I Get It? What are you willing to sacrifice? A lot of athletes say that they want to play professionally and that’s great. However, do you know what it takes now for you to get there? What you need to do on a daily/weekly/monthly/annual basis to reach that ultimate goal to play professionally? To be a great athlete takes a lot of sacrifice. You may have to go to bed early when your friends are out at a movie. You may have to tell your girlfriend you can’t hang out because you need to train. Are you willing to make those kind of sacrifices?

4. How Much?

How Much Do I Really Invest Into It? How much time do you put into what you do? It takes time to be great at anything. How much time do you put into practicing? How much time do you put into studying so that you can master your sport? Be honest with yourself. Are you really ready to invest the time necessary to be great at what you do? There is no substitute for hard work. Are you willing to put the time into practice? Are you willing to work? How much are you willing to work at it?

5. Do You Really?

Do You Really Love It? Is this your passion? Your passion is what is going to drive you. It is what keeps you going when times get tough. Things will not always be easy. The road is going to get rocky and if you do not love what you are doing, you will quit! If you do not have a passion for this, you will throw in the towel. You really need to ask yourself: is this what I love to do? If not, hang it up and find something you love to do. This is what life is about! Now that you have asked yourself these questions, go and get it. Go and take what you deserve, and don’t look back until it is yours!

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I want it, I'm taking it, I'm getting it. I am an athlete even if I don't "compete" in any way. I compete with myself & I get better EVERY single time.

I'd love to help coach YOU, if you'd like me to help in any way (for free) just go to MY SITE and sign up for free.