Time Flies!

Wow! I can't believe it has been an entire week since I last posted.  I don't know what happened...I guess I was just too busy living life.  I'm wrapping up a huge project at work, which I have to have finalized and submitted by this Friday or I can't go with my family to Maine, so that has taken up a lot of my time.  Plus, fun family stuff...and insanity.  Seriously, this six day program is tough!  It requires a major commitment, and I'm loving it.  I'm REALLY seeing and feeling results!  I'll give my Week 3 update tomorrow, so that's all I'll say for today.

We had a nice week, which we capped off with Father's Day today.  I'm so lucky to have the partner that I have.  He's an incredible man and an amazing father and I couldn't imagine my life without him.  I know I'm sounding pretty sappy here, which typically isn't my style, but I think sometimes these things need to be said.  My kids are REALLY lucky to have the father that they have, and I don't ever take that for granted.  Here's a perfect example.  Today was Father's Day (as if you didn't already know that), and I told Paul to choose something fun to do.  I told him we would do anything he wanted.  So, for the entire week he didn't say anything about what he wanted to do, even though I kept bugging him.  Finally, yesterday afternoon he told me that we all had to be in the car at 7:30 this morning so that we could go do something for Father's Day.  But, he wouldn't tell us where we were going.  We ended up in the car at 7:45 this morning, and Paul proceeded to drive about 15 minutes south to a U Pick Strawberry Farm.  We spent about an hour and a half picking 16 quarts of strawberries.  Sounds like a great way to spend the morning, right?  I think so.  But, you know what, it's not Paul's favorite thing to do.  The kids and I get excited for strawberry picking every year, but Paul doesn't care either way about it.  He comes with us most years because he enjoys family time, but it's not his ideal activity.  So, why did he choose to do it today?  Because I mentioned yesterday that I was afraid the kids were going to miss strawberry picking this year because we are leaving for Maine next weekend and won't be back for a week.  So, rather than choose an activity that he really enjoys, he took us strawberry picking so that the kids would get to go.  I'm telling you, it's the small things that matter the most.

Insanity: Week 2

Wow!  This workout is seriously kicking my butt!  I can't believe I'm still feeling it after two weeks, but I am.  Insanity is tough!  Each workout leaves my muscles sore and my body drenched in sweat.  I definitely feel like I'm getting a good workout.

I'm already noticing a difference in how my body feels.  I feel stronger and more toned.   My clothes are a little looser and I lost five pounds (that's the amount I gained when I trained for my last half marathon).  I feel stronger when I run.  And, most importantly, I just feel better in general.  I really think this program is working!

I start week three tomorrow, and I have to take the fit test again and take updated pictures of myself.  So, I'll post those results tomorrow or Tuesday.  In the meantime, here's what I look like when I'm in the midst of Insanity.  It's not a "pretty" workout, but it sure gets results.

Before Insanity, I could barely do one push up.  Now, I can do a lot of them!

Insanity: Week 1

Well...I survived...barely.  Seriously, Insanity is, well, INSANE!  I'm not usually a workout video person.  I tend to buy them and then I never actually do them.  But, Insanity is different.  Maybe it's because Paul is so into it, but I don't think so.  I think it's just because they're really great...in a make you cry and beg for mercy sort of way.

OK, I admit it, I have always been one of those people who watched the Insanity commercial with a lot of skepticism.  I thought it was just another fad like Tae Bo.  So, when Paul told me he wanted to get the videos, I laughed a little inside.  I mean, I can run 13 miles at a time.  How was a 35 minute video going to transform my body?  But, as is often the case, Paul was right and I was wrong.  I hate to admit it, but it's true.

Insanity is AWESOME!  The videos are really tough and I have soreness in muscles I didn't even know existed.  I'm already feeling more "firm" after just one week.  I can't wait to see how my body transforms over the next seven weeks.

So, I'm going to post an update each week.  Sunday is my rest day from the videos, so that's when I'll recap the week.  I'm going to post pictures every two weeks for comparison and give updates on my progress.

Here's week number 1!

BEFORE PICTURES:

I know I'm in great cardiovascular shape, but I have no muscle tone.  My hope is that Insanity will help me get rid of the padding and add some muscle.  (Ignore the poor quality of these pictures.  The lighting was completely off.)

 See that gut?  That's what happens when you grow two babies, especially one that is just shy of 9 pounds and 22 inches long.  It's a good thing I love them, because those two kids sure did a number on my body.



The workouts are intense.  I have never sweat so much in my life.  By the end of the workout, I'm drenched and ready to collapse.

But I'm also so happy.  I love how I feel when I finish!

So, I'm definitely an Insanity convert.  I highly recommend the videos.  I'm excited to see what the next few weeks bring.  Next Sunday, I'll have an update and progress pictures.  Stay tuned!

Insanity

Paul and I have decided to do Insanity.  You know, that fitness craze that everyone seems to be talking about.  Well, I guess it's more like the fitness craze that everyone used to talk about.  I seem to "discover" something long after everyone else has already tried and raved about it.  I did the same thing with Tae Bo.  I think I did it two years after it lost popularity.  I like to think I'm just waiting for people to try it out first and prove that it works, but it's actually that I just don't catch on as quickly.

Paul and I are both looking for something new to do that will get our bodies in shape.  As runners, we're in great cardiovascular shape, but we can both use some "toning."  Insanity isn't really a strength training program, but it is supposed to build strength.

So, we ordered it last week, and it just arrived.  I spent last night reading through all of the materials, and we're going to start it on Monday.  I'm really excited!

I am going to follow the 60 day program completely, including the nutrition plan, and I'm going to blog about my experience throughout the program.  I will post before pictures and then provide updated progress pics every two weeks.  I'm not trying to lose weight...I'm just trying to tone up.  So, the pictures will be important.

Don't worry, though, I'll make sure I blog about other things during the 60 days for those of you who have no interest in Insanity.