Insanity
 

Some time last month, a friend and I made a deal that we would both do the Insanity workout. Unfortunately, she is one that actually follows through - lol. She is dropping off the month 1 discs for me today. I am nervous as heck about it. I think that knowing she is doing it will keep me motivated (hopefully). Tonight I am going to do the Fit Test to see just how bad I am.

Wish me luck!!

Luck. Much luck - I admit it sounds grim to me!

I've been doing ski exercises to tone my legs.
I get aerobic exercise every day, but no real toning, unless you count hefting my fatty cat about.

So I'm doing the squats and lunges I did before I went skiing.

Me, apres ski in France... yeah okay, I just like the photo. But I am feeling the benefit from the exercises.

Good luck, Bbro! Don't get scared. The second week will be easier. Take it on your own pace. If you get too tired, just make the movements, no matter how small. I just started again and today is my second day. :D Bbro, check in everyday. That will make you more accountable, so you'll make yourself workout. Eat clean or healthier and you'll see results in a month! :thumbup:

Sundae: squats are good. Do the plank to tone your core, and do push-ups to tone you upper body. That's all you need to do. :wink:

No idea about plank (!?) and push-ups are a long way in the future... I'd have to have Arnie's arms to lift this body-weight. even now.

But I do appreciate the advice and am going to keep with the squats til I lose more fat.
I can't wait to post a pic of me in my new dress.

And you... Well each to his own and all that. But you are tiny. I can't think of any way to describe you that won't sound racist or gender-diminuitive.
Lovely lickle em be that I want to gobble up like Xào tỏi.
But you go, girl. You've always made me think of a Bond heroine anyway.

I don't think I've ever seen a pic of bbro, but you go too!
We can create a fusion video. Tulip can do kick-arse and cookies, bbro can do kick-arse and outdoor cooking. And I'll just sprinkle glitter and sing Gilbert & Sullivan.

Yay us!

You're doing it too?? Sweet! Now I will be accountable to two people - lol. You check in too!

Sundae - planking works your core and is really challenging, but doable. Pretend like you are going to do a push up, but stop at the top and hold it, making sure your body is in a straight line. There's a plank. A modification is doing the same position, but resting on your forearms. There are also side planks - same concept, but with one arm.

There is a pic of me on here - One of the RFN threads. No idea what year, though - lol

Here's a YouTube link on how to do a plank. Like they said, start out with 15 seconds. Increase by 5 seconds every two days. As Bbro said, rest on your elbow rather than hands. Start this way. Once you are stronger, you can attempt the side plank.

http://youtu.be/dz0oFaVGuh4

Looks like no insanity yet. She changed the start date. Still want to do the fitness test, but will probably wait till tomorrow, I haven't gotten much sleep the past few days. Although, I am still contemplating looking on youtube for the first workout for Saturday.

Bbro: yes! And here's me checking in. I did plyo cardio circuit on Monday. On Tuesday, I went on a school field trip and hiked an hour with the class. On Wednesday, I didn't feel well -- headache, body ache, weakness. So I decided to take only a 30 mins walk to get the blood flowing and get some sun. Today I did cardio power & resistance.

Talked to the friend and told her that I was gonna do the fitness test. So, she said we would start on Saturday! Looks like I am working positively for her :)

Bbro, I am confused. Do you have a copy of Insanity or do you just have the Fit test DVD? It would kind of a bummer if your workout is dependent on your friend. What if she can't work out? Would it mean you won't be able to and have to wait another day to do it with her?

I don't have a copy - she has the discs. She is going to do month 2 and give me the month 1 discs. We will be doing them separately. I am just waiting for her to drop them off, then, I am on my own - so if she can't do it, there's no excuse for me not to do it. This is her first time on month 2 and my first time ever, so she was hoping that we would be able to motivate each other.

Did cardio recovery this morning. My mom was sitting there watching me so I couldn't slack off....ugh! :lol: Anyways, I was going to offer you a copy but I guess you don't need it. If by chance in the future you'd want a copy, albeit downloaded version, let me know. Btw, I'm glad you're having me to check in also otherwise I might've been lazy this morning! Oh yeah, remember to take before and after pictures!

Bbro and Lola. Thanks but no thanks.
As I said, I'm not even up to push-up standards, let alone planking?!
Crazy ladies.
I'm working on my own fitness at my own pace - which I promise is not a euphemism for being lazy.

But I'm keeping an eye on both of you.
I admire you muchly, and will keep up to date via this thread.

I think planking is easier than pushups. Isn't planking where you are already up, and you just hold that position?

Yeah, planking is just holding the position. If your arms are weak, you can just rest on your forearm as shown in the youtube link.

Sundae: Do whatever suits your need, girl. Ain't gonna call you lazy. ;)

Anyways, in addition to Insanity, I've decided to do the squat challenge. I looked myself in the mirror and saw that my butt has meshed with my thigh. :right: Ugh! Just bought a cute v-string and would like to look decent in it. :D
Here is the challenge for anyone who would want to do it too.

Almost forgot to respond to this. You called me "baby" and compared me to "sauteed garlic"?? Hahahahahhaha.....:lol:

Well at least it transaltes as expected, I can never be sure. It could have been squid eyeballs for all I know ;) For either one!

I so want to just go straight to the bar tonight! UGH! Now that I read you did it, I can't slack, Lola - lol

I don't think there will be any pictures. Not a fan of doing the no shirt pics. Lucky there are any of my face out there :o

Glad I helped motivate you. :) the pictures are your sake, not to post. ;) Btw, I don't do no shirt pix either. I wear yoga pants and this knit shirt, which both are body hugging enough to show my figure. You can still see the difference with that.

I might do measurements with every fit test. About to start - post back after!

Well that was depressing. I couldn't even finish. I had to stop with only 3 exercises left. My lungs hurt so bad - I could breathe fine, but it wasn't easing. I might try the rest in a bit, but right now, I just feel like crying :cry:

Was that for the fit test? You shouldn't have pushed too hard. :p: Did you try to finish the whole minute? I didn't...lol. Woman, rest when you need to. Take things slowly and don't push too hard. For example, the knee jump (not sure if that's exactly what it's called), do 1, 2...then rest, breath....do 3...rest....4....oops, time up? Okay, input that. Do try to follow the people in the video. At first, I don't even jump as high or go down as low. The purpose is the do as much as you can to get stronger and get your heart rate up. You'll get stronger and better eventually. Trust me. Well, I was in it to lose fat so as long as my heart rate is up, I was okay with it. Anyways, no need to cry. Just start the workouts and by the next fit test, you may be able to finish it. ;):D

That's the sad part - I didn't try and keep up, I did rest, but I did try for the whole minute. It's all the jumping that got me. I still tracked it. Push up jacks were laughable. I could only do one :( I was surprised at the low plank obliques though.

Well, at least I finished. Normally I wouldn't have even tried to finish. I guess that is one accomplishment. Definitely not looking forward to tomorrow's workout now, though.

I proud of you, nevertheless. Hang in there. The 2nd week will feel better.

Just finished pure cardio. I have thoughts on it for you Bro, but I gotta run now. I won't be home until this afternoon or later. I'll post then. Go workout, get your energy on, then enjoy your Saturday! :)

No worries! I am not working out until later, but I already have my workout clothes on. I just have too many things that I need to get done first.

I am a little sore today, but in a muscle I don't use very often. I more associate it with cramps than working out - lol

Now that is an exercise routine I can handle!

Day 2 - Plylometric Cardio Circuit. Seeing how bad I did yesterday, I really procrastinated. Bad enough that I was watching Spalash (horrible tv show) and hand washing dishes. I pulled up my big girl panties and finally started. Surprise, surprise, I had to stop with 20 minutes left. I felt like I was gonna hurl. It was so bad that I contemplated helping myself a long. I had to decide whether to keep going or call it good and just trying again tomorrow. I really didn't want to do the same workout tomorrow, so I started again and did what I could (more than I thought, but still not all). I CANNOT do a damn push up to save my life. I ended up finishing the whole DVD.

Note to self - eating 1.5 hours before working out is too soon. And wear the small sports bras or the girls will be growing new stretch marks with all the jumping!

Now, I am off to collapse into a child's pose for a while.

I can't believe I agreed to do this for a month!!

Good job! That's all is need, Bro. Seriously. I know it's scary; I still remember the feeling. And yes, eating 1.5 hrs. before doing Insanity wasn't a good idea. As for push-ups, be on your knees rather than toes, and go down as much as you could handle. If you don't feel your triceps working, then you need to go down lower. Otherwise don't go down low. Do little to build up your muscles. It took me a couple of weeks into the program at first to attempt the push-up on my toes. This is the third time I'm doing Insanity in case you didn't know.

Pure cardio is going to kill you. This is my tip. When you feel too tired or heart beating too fast, or light headed in my case, stop that exercise and walk back and forth. Let your heart rest and when the next exercise comes up, continue. I think each exercise is a minute or 30 seconds. Do your best, rest when you need it. If you notice, the people in the dvd rest too. If they rest, then it's perfectly okay for you to do the same.

Plyometric cardio done!

Thanks for the advice Lola - I am hurting today. My calves HURT! They work a little better after I move for a minute, but getting up and walking after sitting for a bit is KILLING.

I think I will wait until maybe 2-3 hours after I eat today. Hopefully that will help



PSST - I am down 4 pounds total :D

I just finished. I will admit I didn't push as had as I did yesterday because it hurt so bad. I did as much as I could. My feet also hurt badly. I don't know why. I have never been able to work out pain free. I am thinking of trying to get some inserts and see if that helps.

Woooohoooo!!!!!! Super wonderful! :thumbsup: that should be an incentive for you to keep on trying. I'm glad you didn't push yourself too much today. We don't want you to get injured, do we? :) hmmm....I'm not sure why your feet hurt. Well, I do exercise on carpet with shoes on. I guess you can try some inserts. A lot of my shoes, running ones included, have inserts, hehe. I think I have more tips for you but I'm too exhausted at the moment. Massage those calves out and remember to drink lots of H2O!

Well, they hurt more today. Too soon to tell if I can work out. Might have to take an involuntary rest day :(

If your calves are hurting too much, then take a day off. Working out in that condition is counterproductive, and you may injure your muscles. Massage them with ben gay, and massage, and massage. And stretch too. :D Take a day or two, depending how much pain you're feeling. But rest no more than 2 days. You must use them again otherwise you'll continue to hurt for a long time. Remember to drink lots of water (to flush out toxins) and eat a banana!

Today is my rest day, but I was going to jog anyways. However, I need to make cupcakes for my nephew's teachers and clean my desk to hook up another printer, so no time!

Hope you feel better soon! Pick up where you left off in a day or two. :thumbup:

I looked at reviews online for the Cardio Recovery work out. I think I should be able to do it with no problems. There isn't any jumping for once! lol I want to do the core exercises and stretching, but I might skip the squats.

Stretching seems to help a lot. I was thinking about it and he doesn't really stretch the calves themselves. He does all other parts of the legs, but not exclusively the calves. Well, I already added some more lower back stretching after the workout - may need to add the calves as well.

Thanks for the encouragement :)

I never updated!! I ended up doing the recovery workout yesterday. I didn't do all of the squat moves - because it hurt, but still managed to burn about 200 calories.

I can walk almost normally today. I wonder if I should take an early rest and walk completely normal before going into the next workout. Today is Pure Cardo - I am guessing lots of jumping

Pure cardio is a killer. It's one killer set without any rest. Eek! You know, I can't remember the exercises in pure cardio although I just did it a few days ago, hehe. I don't think you should wait for you calves to be back to normal, but you should do what you're most comfortable with. Or you can give it a try and if you feel like you need another day, stop and come back tomorrow. but remember not to be over indulgent with yourself. I tend to do that, hehe. Good luck!

As for me, I haven't worked out yet. :(

No frowny face! It's not too late - you still have lots of time :D

I always rest with these videos - whether there is an official rest or not - no worries there ;)

I am definitely gonna give it a try. Dinner is a salad and workout clothes are already downstairs waiting for me. All I have to do is change and pop it in. I will post back after to let you know

Done! I tried this time - it wasn't the legs that stopped me, but the pain in my feet. At one point, I took off my shoes, but the impact of jumping hurt my knees. AUGH! It's like I keep getting road blocks! I definitely had more in me today, but I just couldn't continue. Tomorrow, I am going to have to get to work on time and run out to Dick's Sporting Goods and see what kind of insoles I can get

I am not doing the push ups yet (can't), but I am doing the easier ones when they are called for. I figured some movement strengthening my arms is better than none. There is one exercise I skipped completely, but I forget what it is.

I am definitely improving, though, I noticed that my heart rate isn't shooting through the roof constantly anymore. Tomorrow is the first workout again - it will be interesting to see the difference - if there is one already.

I am a bit bloated right now, but I figure that might be expected considering I just finished.

Went out and got some inserts for the shoes. Hopefully these will work. I also bough a high impact bra because MAN was that uncomfortable. I actually bought 2, but one is 42 dollars, so I may take it back. I will see how the other cheaper) one works out first. I may just say screw it and keep both. It's not like I can't use them, right? 100 bucks total at the sporting goods store.

How ya doin Lola?

Sundae - start that squat challenge yet?

Well, not yet.
I'm going more for the "ski" exercises first - where you hold the position a while, rather than the up and down. I found them hard at my fittest, and even though I've lost weight I'm still trusting 12 stone 10 to creaky knees.

Today I was doing baby lunges in the kitchen, while my veggie chilli was cooking.
I can't do full lunges, even my fitness instructor when I was at the gym discouraged it to an extent, but I'm working on them.

And I definitely feel better for it.

Give us a month and I'll start the proper challenge, photos included.
My thighs and bum are beyond redemption without surgery, but I do feel the benefit of weighing less, and making exercise more pleasureable (tolerable?) is one of them.

Every little bit helps :) Good for you. I hate lunges. I am always afraid that my form is bad and I am gonna blow out a knee - lol. Squats are easier for me, although, I am definitely more conscious of my form now.

I want to go home now and try out my new stuff. Never been this excited to work myself into exhaustion before. Or it's the hotdogs I have planned for dinner :lol:

Eating too little foiled my plan to exercise yesterday. I was too weak and fatigue by evening came and couldn't squeeze in a workout as I had planned. I even forgot to do my squats and plank! So, I made sure I did my Cardio power and resistance early today. :D I even got to eat lots of food too, hehe. That's right, people. Remember to eat to lose weight! :D

Bbro, do you work out on a hard surface? I wonder why you're getting foot pain. Anyways, I hope the inserts will help. A pair of good sports bra is a very good investment. ;)

I have lots more to say but gotta go now help clear the table to set up the train set. :p:

Good job! Getting enough food is always important. It was definitely better for you to skip a day rather than pass out - lol.

I am Done! The sports bra definitely helped. It is kind of a hard surface, but I always get sore feet. The inserts kind of helped, but with my old shoes - not the new ones. I am thinking of getting foam floor thingys from dick's to help.

I am using the word "definitely" way too much in this post - lol. I did compare today to the last time I did the Pylometric Cardio Circuit and I did do much better. Woohoo!

I was mentally and physically weary this morning, so I didn't work that hard but I did get to my Pure cardio. I have to credit my diligence to Bro. If I weren't thinking of her, I might've skipped. Thanks, Bro! :D

Do you have a foot condition, Bro? My friend suspected that I have plantar fasciitis (because her doc diagnosed her) when I developed severe foot pain some time back. :p: Since then, I have switched to more comfortable shoes and put inserts in many of them. Whenever my foot ache, I would put ice on my foot. I found that this helps relieve the pain.

I was going to suggest you put some kind of buffer, be it a rug or "foam thingy," to exercise on. My concern was that it might slip or slide during your workout unless you can secure it somehow. Did you get the foam mat yet?

I'm glad you're feeling less tired doing the workouts. The first week is the hardest. Soon, you'll feel yourself getting stronger. Keep up the good work!

Sundae: The "ski" exercises are good enough. You don't need to do any lunges or squats. :)

I think I'm pmsing because I've been feeling fatigue and depress. With only 8 days left to lose 1 1/2 in., I had to make myself go exercise. I couldn't push as hard as I normally do and took more breaks, but I did it. I did my plyometric cardio circuit and 90 squats. :D

Bro, how are your feet feeling with the inserts? I was trying to pay attention to see why would your calves and feet hurt so. I noticed that on some exercises, if you use the balls of you feet rather than landing on your heels more, your calves would be used more and hurt. As for your feet, I'll try to attention to that tomorrow. Wait, I mean on Sunday because I have cardio recovery tomorrow. :D

Lola - yay! Glad I could motivate you :D The inserts seemed to help a little, but my feet just got tired again. I think maybe I just need to work through it at see if it's just weak feet. It seems like my old shoes actually feel better with the inserts, oddly enough. I haven't bought the mats just yet. I think I might give it another week and see what happens.

Yesterday was my rest day, but it ended up with me going out and now I feel like crap. I think I may have to bow out today. I am just not feeling it. And I feel guilty! Now I want to exercise, but I just ate and I don't want to vomit. Actually thinking of doing two workouts tomorrow, now, for repentance - lol

Am finding the ski exercises easier.
May be ready for a squat challenge soon.
My thighs have always been my strong point; it's my knees that let me down.

I need to badger Mum to get us back doing the DVD workouts again.
We've both lost so much weight between us, and since Dad giving up the car she's more physically active. I bet we'll enjoy them more than we did.
Stretching and toning is so much easier when it doesn't involve hefting around weights of 15 stone plus.

I have discovered that I am now hating this workout. I don't feel like I am getting anywhere. The warm up is a workout itself - not a warm up. A warm up doesn't immediately make your heart rate rocket. I can't even get through a warm up without stopping. My feet hurt constantly and I can't afford a doctor and their most likely expensive solutions or new shoes. I just really hate this and I cannot wait until the month is over. Back to the video....

Bro, if this workout isn't working for you and is giving you too much pain, perhaps it isn't for you. You should stop it before you get injured. Working out is supposed to help you get better, not worse. Stop now; I won't respect you any less. Everything you've bought can still be used for other exercises. For toning, I have Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred that I can make a copy for you. You can alternate this workout with walking. You still should see results if you eat right. Give it some serious thought then give me the word. I will burn you a copy and send it to you right away. :)

I did not get to my exercise today. I slept late and never made time for it. :(

Did cardio power and resistance today but with just movements to get blood flowing rather than a real workout. It's been a week and I haven't even lost a pound, so I need look at my diet and exercise and modify.

Just wrote a whole thing and lost it :(

ANYWAY!

Starting up again. Decided that this weekend was a temper tantrum due to PMSing. Plus, I saw this bump. I am not sure how to pronounce it, but it spelled "muscle"? Know what that is?? ;) Figures that I stopped right before Pure Cardio. I think the last time I did this, I was having issues with sore calves, so it will be interesting to see the difference when I have full motion and movement.

I am not expecting rapid weight loss with a routine as intense as this. I know it takes your body a while to get used to this type of exercise. I am going to focus on clothes and staying within my daily calories. If you are interested in tracking, Lola, I use a site called sparkpeople.com - that's how I know my correct calorie range.

Pure Cardio is done - I was able to do 4 whole big girl push ups. Weird thing, even though I thought I was pushing it, I actually burned less calories than last time. Guess I wasn't pushing as hard as I thought.

My feet still hurt, but I think it might be getting better. I actually want to try with my previous shoes, but I can't use the inserts. Maybe I should wait until I do the recovery workout again.

Did pure cardio this morning, still the weak way though. I was feeling so bad yesterday that I didn't exercise. Will write more later.

Lola - sorry you are still feeling bad. I missed today. Decided that seeing a friend that I haven't seen for a few months was more important. Ended up with an asthma attack, so karma kicked my ass. Gonna get back on the horse tomorrow.

Ignoring my update yesterday, I did NOT get back on the horse right away. Decided to take some time for the poor old lungs. I am actually moving the exercises around.

Today I am doing the Recovery workout instead of Pylometric. I can still get moving, but not put too much of a strain on my lungs that quickly. Tomorrow has to be another off day because I have an appt after work. Sat - back into the mix again.

Hope you are feeling better Lola!

Hope you are doing well, too, Sundae. One tip for the squats. Make sure your knees don't go further out than your toes. This will help protect them from being injured.

Thanks, Bro. I'm feeling better. :) Yesterday was rest day for me. I was going to go jogging anyways because I haven't lost that inch and a half to fit into my dress for the wedding Sunday. :neutral: :p: However, I became too busy. I managed to squeezed in a 30 mins. walk in the evening (I was too full to jog by then). Today, I went on a field trip with my nephew, so I couldn't exercise this morning. I did manage to get some exercise on my legs because I came to the farm early. They let me play ride the pedal car. The nice lady actually told me to go play because I won't be able to later when the kids play. She also complimented me by thinking I was about 23, 25 years old. :D

Bro, how do you know how much calories you're burning? What are you using to measure it? I want to find something to use too. By the way, I just remembered something. You can log on to their website and ask a trainer about the Insanity workout. I'm assuming you have the original dvds? They should put that info somewhere. Log on and tell them about your foot problem. Maybe they can come up with a good solution for you.