Karate (day 10) and day 11

Wow, have I already completed day 11??!! This program is so awesome that the days are just flying by and I am feeling more confident and stronger with every passing day. Today was Cardio Recovery and it was just what the doctor ordered. Last night during my Karate class I hurt my left quad and with all the stretching this morning it feels a lot better now.

Karate was great and it was a good workout and the Sensai made an announcement that there will be NO jewellery, regardless of its usefulness... so, looks like last night was the final time I could wear my HRM during Karate but at least I got a second reading ;-)

Here is the data:

Duration: 1:36:31
Calories: 586
Fat Burn: 1:04:36
Fitness: 31:39
Average HR: 116
Maximum: 159

This morning's workout, day 11, was Cardio Recovery and I was again disappointed with the number of calories burned but it felt SO GOOD! I took fewer recovery moments while in my deep squats and I noted that my balance has improved greatly as well. Here is the data from this morning:

Duration: 49:50
Calories: 236
Fat Burn: 47:47
Fitness: 1:54
Average HR: 105
Maximum: 134

Make it a great day folks!

Karate and Day 9: Pure Cardio

Well, on Monday night I wore my heart rate monitor to Karate and got caught :o See the instructor made it very clear that there was to be no jewellery to be worn to his classes as it is not a fashion show.. we are there to work. Anyway, he made a scene when he saw my watch and I later went up to him and explained what it was - he seemed ok with it and my plan is to wear it again tonight to get another reading but after that I am just going to have to do "spot checks" when I wear the HRM to see if I am still burning the same amount or if it has changed. In any case here are the stats from Monday night:

Duration: 1:26:32
Calories: 607
Fat Burn: 47:53
Fitness: 38:30
Average HR: 124
Maximum: 168

So, all in all Monday was a crazy day!!

Tuesday morning I knew that I had to be on the road all day for work but that did not stop me. I got up, mixed up a bottle of the R&R Formula and headed downstairs for the gym. I looked at the calender and gasped... it read Pure Cardio! Could it be that I have to redo that workout already? YUP, it could be and it was. I took a deep breathe and popped in the DVD... and I survived ;) I think that there was improvement but I can't be too sure. Here are the stats:

Duration: 54:21
Calories: 445
Fat Burn: 23:05
Fitness: 31:05
Average HR: 135
Maximum: 169

I am feeling great but a little exhausted and I think that it is because I am doubling up with the Karate. Seeing as Karate seems nearly as insane as the program itself I think that I am going to try and just do the Karate on Mondays or Wednesdays (if I do Insanity and Karate on Monday then Wednesday I am just doing Karate). We shall see how that suits me :P I just don't want to burn out and risk not completing the program.

I should say that I did what I was told not to do this morning... yup, I stepped on the scale again. I couldn't help it... I have been working so hard and I knew that I HAD to see some results. I mean my clothes are fitting a bit different but I needed my weigh in fix... and, drum roll please....

4 pounds down since the last weigh-in!!! Yippee... now THAT is encouraging!

Week 2: Cardio and Resistance

Last week I missed a workout day (Wednesday) when I went to Karate that night so this week I am starting a new routine which includes doing all my Insanity workouts in the morning so that life doesn't interfere with my goal of earning my better, stronger and leaner body ;-) So, that being said I used the Wednesday as my rest day and today marked the first day of Week 2.

About today's workout... I sucked! First of all last night I completed my workout very late and it took me a while to unwind and get to sleep... after about 6 hours (maybe a little less) I was up and at it for today's workout. I got dressed, got my water and decided to try it without the R&R Formula to see if it made a difference and tiptoed downstairs to my gym. I pushed play and got started and realized very quickly that I am making progress. I was into the third set of the warm up drills when I realized that I did not start my Heart Rate Monitor!! I was so upset about it ... how stupid! I pressed start on my HRM and continued with the program.

Overall, it was not a great day! I had to really push myself to follow along and did not have great results at all. I think it was a mental shut down that I experienced. I knew that I was not going to have the right readout on my HRM and the fact that my R&R wasn't in my water made me believe that I should have just stayed in bed. SO, the moral of the story is... I will press start when I get dressed and I will treat myself to the yummy R&R Formula every day as they clearly serve as my motivators.

Here are the stats for the day (what I got of them):

Duration: 32:40
Calories: 280
Fat Burn: 12:38
Fitness: 19:52
Average HR: 137
Maximum: 172

Tonight is Karate... :)

Make it a great day!

Day 5, 6, 7

Well, I decided not to do double up on Friday and saved it for Saturday and I am grateful that I did because I crushed it on Saturday and did WAY better than I expected!! I did the Cardio Abs right after the Pure Cardio and I felt like I conquered the world. I did do day 6 last night at about 9pm which I admit was too late but I got through it. Some days I feel like I am a real sucess with the program and some times I just feel like I am going through the motions... like I am there in body but my mind didn't show up?!?!? Anyway, I am gonna work on that by beginning my new schedule this week; 5am workouts Monday - Saturday and Sunday as my rest day.

So, without further ado, here are the stats for the weekend:

Saturday: Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs
Duration: 1:11
Calories: 629
Fat Burn: 26:31
Fitness: 44:30
Avg HR: 139
Maximum: 175

Sunday: Plyometrics
Duration: 58:53
Calories: 526
Fat Burn: 21:09
Fitness: 37:36
Avg HR: 140
Maximum: 176

Week 1 is complete and I survived it!

Calories: 3860 (that is just Insanity and does not include Karate)

Physical changes: +1 pound BUT I feel so alive on this program! I really feel like every workout pushes me harder and further and I strive to beat my personal bests all the time. I want to get better, jump higher, sweat more, squat lower and longer and crush it everyday! So my mental has improved while the physical is likely in shock and it will take a while to it to kick in ;)

Additional Observations: I hate Tonya... she is always looking so darn good and doing everything in perfect form!!

Make it a great day folks!

Day 4: Cardio Recovery

I guess I should have know by the name of the workout today that it was going to be a little lighter but I have to admit that I was surprised! It was a nice, slow workout but in the end I felt like I should have done more. I was disappointed with the calories that I burned and the lack of sweat to wipe up... is that normal or am I weird?

I was able to keep up with almost all of the moves, the only exceptions being the deep squats as my knees were on fire and after I though that I was going to lose my squat I held it for the count of 5 and then took a break. I did not require additional pain meds this morning to get me through, the Prednisone was enough (yeah). I was happy with my effort but next week I think that I will try and get deeper and focus more on contracting all my muscles in all the moves to ensure that I get the most out of the workout.

I am considering doing day 5 tonight just to feel the burn!! Anywho, here are the facts from today's workout:

Duration: 41:26
Calories: 339
Fat burn: 39:33
Fitness: 1:53
Average HR: 117
Maximum: 154

Oh, and on a side note, I finally got the courage to step on the scale this morning... I was so worried about all the weight that I thought that I gained over the summer BUT it amounted to 4 pounds! SO, I am 4 pounds heavier today than the day I completed P90x... my goal for Insanity is to take off 10 pounds (I think that sounds like a reasonable amount) and to tone up ... maybe even lose a size in my pants (or 2).

So, that is all for today folks... stay tuned tomorrow to see if I pushed play again tonight!

Make it a great day!

Karate and Day 3: Cardio and Resistance

Well, well, I must be CRAZY or perhaps INSANE!

So, last night I went to my first Karate class and it was an intense 45 minutes followed by some "kata" training to regain composure. It was terminated by another jog around the gym... in total 622 calories gone last night! Yeah me...

Then, at 5am I got up and did my day 3 of Insanity... it was awesome! I can't wait to see how much I improve over the next few weeks. I have been feeling really sore and stiff and have had to resort to Prednisone just to be able to functon. This morning when I pushed play I had to pause it within a minute and go and add Atasol to the cocktail this morning too... but it got me through! It felt so good to be done my workout first thing in the morning. I had a little results and recovery in my 20oz of water during the workout followed by old fashioned oats with dates and almond milk for b-fast. I am feeling so good today... here are the facts:

Duration: 44:10 minutes
Calories: 537
Fat burn: 6:17
Fitness: 45:07
Average: 153
Maximum: 181

Make it a great day!

Day 2: Plyometric Cardio Circuit

So last night at around 7:30pm I had my little boy tucked into his bed, homework was complete, kitchen clean up was done, and I found the courage to push play. It started quite similarily to P90x, with a series of exercises intended to warm up the muscles and joints BUT it was what followed that which took me by surprise! I expected to regain composure and do some stretches like in the X... WRONG! We had to do it all over, just faster! And then again, faster still until I thought I was going to pass out or slip over my sweat piles that were forming all over the place. OUF! That was the warm up!!! WOW, I knew then that I was in for a treat.

So, I had decided to throw in some R&R drink in my water - good idea! I think that it helped... but I should not have used some of that salt-free Mrs. Dash on my chicken stew! I thought that I was going to be sick!! Anyway, I managed to get through it all and felt like a million bucks. I am so happy to be active again and I feel like taking off the summer was the worse thing that I could have done for my endurance. However, I also know that I will rebuild it quickly so I am not getting discouraged.

Now, I should say that my joints are not feeling well this morning. I have inflamation in my left knee and feel a sore hip on the same side. This program will certainly remind me to keep taking all my meds to keep the joints free from inflamation so I can get through the 63 days, and beyond.

OK, so here are the facts:

Calories: 618
Fitness zone: 43:14
Fat Burn zone: 24:46
Average HR: 141
Maximum HR: 182

Yeah, I realize that the workout is only 40 minutes BUT I put on the HR monitor when I got dressed and had to run up and down the stairs a couple of times before the workout. Then I left it on for a bit while I continued to cool down... it took me longer than 4 minutes to cool down.

So, that is it - day 2 completed!!

Make it a great day!!

Let the INSANITY begin

Ok, so I was like a kid at Christmas time yesterday when my Insanity arrived. I broke it open and started to read but there really wasn't much there so I popped in the first DVD and saw Mr. Shaun T himself talking me into digger deeper... oh yeah! Then I tried the FIT TEST; clearly I am not too fit :S I have to confess, or lay blame, that our floor in our gym is not complete so I did it in the family room where the floor is SLIPPERY! I found it hard to do the moves well when I was struggling to keep my form. Anyway, here is the stats:


1. Switch Kicks - 79

2. Power Jacks - 38

3. Power Knees - 80

4. Power Jumps - 31

5. Globe Jumps - 9

6. Suicide Jumps - 13

7. Push up Jacks - 6 (slippery floor)

8. Low Plank Obliques - 50

I was dripping with sweat and feeling whipped at the end of the Fit Test... what will the real deal do to me? I will let you know tomorrow because tonight is the night. I plan on stopping at the store tonight to buy the floor for the gym TONIGHT. In the meantime I will use my yoga mats to control the slipperyness. I also signed up for Karate on Monday and Wednesday nights :P This is going to be a great year and at the end I should have the body that I will be proud of.

Oh and for my calorie count:

Fit Test = 240 calories GONE!
Left my heart monitor on for another 4 hours as I ran around the house trying to get things put away, drove Skylar to her Karate class, did homework duties and put the kids to bed (which included running up and down the steps countless times) and burned nearly another 1000 calories

Here are the stats:

Duration: 4 hours 33 minutes
Calories: 1216
Fat Burn zone: 3 hours 56 minutes
Fitness zone: 21 minutes (can you say FIT TEST?!)
Average heart rate 105
Maximum heart rate 172

So, there you have it... ready to go INSANE!

Make it a great day

En route

Insanity is due to arrive tomorrow :P It is now in my province and on its way home... I am giddy!!

Make it a great day!

Still waiting for the Insanity to arrive

House update

Just because people have been asking... here are a couple of pictures of our beautiful new house. We should, fingers crossed, be in on the weekend.

Insanity seems appropriate

Insane is how I would describe my life right now and so I did what any INSANE chick would do... I ordered INSANITY! It should be here next week and it is the next beachbody program that I am going to do. I plan on doing at least one round of Insanity and then incorporating P90x and Insanity for a hybrid program in December. Stay tuned for the updates... I am grinning from ear to ear today because I am sooooo excited!

Make it a great day folks!