Insanity Week 3 Updates

We're on week three of Insanity now. My body has at least adjusted to the early mornings--I now wake up between 6:30-7 (instead of my usual 8:00), even on days where we don't have to do the workouts. We've been finding oursevles going to bed around 9:30pm and being more conscious of what we eat for dinner, because you have to think about how it's going to feel in your stomach when you're jumping around doing a plyo workout the next morning. Chad and I have both gotten colds/fevers since starting Insanity, but that's hard to say yet if it's just because flu season germs are still going around, or if it's because our bodies are so exhausted.

The workouts themselves don't get easier; I think your body just gets more used to them. You can always go faster or harder to match the speed they are going at on the video, so as your fitness level improves on each workout, you can work harder and still be just as tired as you were in week one. Each day we do a video, we'll say "THIS is the hardest one." But we've narrowed it down to the Plyometric Cardio Circuits as the hardest/worst one, with Pure Cardio as a close second!

I have to say, I'm not a fan of a lot of the body positions Shuan T has you in. For instance, when you're doing hamstring and hip flexor stretches, he has you keep your arms straight out away from your body while you bend down. The first few days of the workout, I started having low back pain, and once I stopped holding my arms out the whole time, it got better. When I got my YogaFit certification, that was one of the BIG no-no's: having someone bend down with their arms straight out. It's usually recommended that you would do what's called a "swan dive" and bring the arms out to the sides of your body as you lower down for less strain, (i.e. shortening the lever).

I'm also not a fan of his Cardio Abs workout for that same reason: uncomfortable body positions. By the end of the 10-minute ab workout, I'm feeling it in my tailbone and hips because he has you sit in "C shape" the entire time (see below). Again, that was something we were taught as group fitness instructors; you can't have someone in the same body position for more than just a couple minutes, otherwise you start feeling the workouts in places like bones/joints, not the intended muscles.

What I do really like about Shaun T's style is his constant focus on form and the core. If we're doing high knees, he keeps stressing using your abs to pull up. His constant reminders make you focus on the whole body, not just "getting ripped" like you might expect from his personality and appearance. I treat core the same way when I instruct people--for example, even if you're doing a shoulder press, your abs should be engaged so the spine stays straight and the back doesn't arch. Constant attention and engagement of the core practically eliminates the need for standard crunches and traditional ab workouts.

That's my "review" so far. Still have to see what the dreaded month 2 brings...

NIFS Mini Marathon Training

This year, my Mini-Marathon training is going to take a different twist. Instead of just training alone, I'm going to be one of the pace group leaders for the NIFS Mini-Marathon Training Program. They host these trainings on Wednesday nights starting Jan. 23, at two locations: downtown at NIFS and in Carmel at Cherry Tree Elementary. I will be at the Carmel location leading the 9 min/mile pace group.

There are still spots available, so if you think you might want some added help in improving your finish time, or just want the company for the long runs, sign up!! Not only does the registration fee cover your training runs, but it also includes a post-race celebration dinner at Maggiano's!

I have to admit--I'm  a little nervous about running in the snow, if it should come to that. I generally don't start my Mini training until March, and by that time, all the snow has cleared out. I'm a wimp about running in snow, so my biggest fear is slipping and falling on a patch of ice and making a fool of myself in front of my entire pace group! :/

Digging Deep in 2013

When I logged onto my blog today, I realized that my last post has been almost a month ago! My apologies! I'm sure you've all been as busy (or sick with the flu) as I have this holiday season.

So, now that the holidays are over, and sadly, so is the Colts' season, what's next? Well, I think I might be officially insane. It's full-swing back to work for January with all the New Year's resolutioners demanding high-intensity classes, then Mini Marathon training begins on Jan. 30th (more about that in a later post), and to top it off, I have decided to support my husband in his weight loss/health goals by completing the next 60 days of Insanity with him. Yep, insane.

So, my weekly workout schedule is now looking like this (and this is eliminating ALL of my normal workouts aside from the classes I have to teach for my job):

Monday: Morning Insanity workout; 1-hour spin class at lunch; 45-min yoga class at evening
Tuesday: Morning Insanity workout; 1-hour core/BOSU/stability ball class at lunch
Wednesday: Morning Insanity workout; 30-min yoga class at lunch; mini training long run at evening
Thursday: Morning Insanity workout; evening Boot Camp
Friday: Morning Insanity workout (finally...only 1 workout per day!!)
Saturday: Rest or short run or yoga
Sunday: Rest

(We elected not to do the Saturday workouts like the Insanity schedule dictates, in order to avoid burnout. So, although we are completing all 60 days of workouts, it will take us longer than the 9 weeks to finish.)

And, honestly, I should be squeezing in a couple more short runs. Because although I'm doing a crazy amount of exercise, when you don't train specifically for something like an endurance race, you don't have as much success. So, why did I do it at all, you're asking? First and foremost, I'm resolved to do anything and everything to support Chad in his 35-pound weight loss goal. Insanity was his idea (he completed 3/4 of the series a couple summers ago), and he made it clear that I didn't have to do them with him. But, I know how I would feel if I had to get up for an early morning workout while my spouse was still cuddled up in bed. I realize that even though Chad knows how healthy I am, I can't talk the talk at work and not walk the walk at home.

Secondly, I'm doing it out of pure curiosity. I've always made fun of people who get on bandwagons like P90X and Insanity, like they think it's going to be some miracle worker, when just regular exercise and diet could have helped them all along. And, I'll still feel that way. But at least now I'll know exactly what the workouts entail, have more educated answers when people ask about the program, and I'll see how the intensity stacks up to my own boot camps--new ideas! :)

Last night we took our "before" pictures (apparently if you send in B&A pics, you get a free Insanity t-shirt...wooo), we have the training schedule posted in our kitchen like some sort of tacky decor, and we knocked out the first workout this morning. I'll definitely keep posting about how the 60 days are going!

I have a feeling my coffee intake will be on the rise....