Sooooooooooo....I guess you could say that I like to workout. However, if you take the amount that I like to workout and times that by agajabillion, that's how much I love to eat. Therefore, I am in a continuous circle of sweating then eating, eating then sweating, and on the uber gross days, sweating while eating or eating causing sweating. Having this psychotic addiction to food would be a total load of crabapples if it wasn't for the simple fact that I like to workout...there just happens to be a few days here and there that I forget that fact and plant my sweatsuited self on the couch with the Kindle.
Eyes getting blinded by sweat, heart pounding out of the chest, gasping for breath to prevent passing out, screaming out loud in agony or accomplishment, fighting off dizziness, blisters forming on hands and heels, teeth grinding, brain planning, stomach squeezing, legs cramping, hair hurting, muscle ripping happiness....and no I'm not describing childbirth or me trying to fit into skinny jeans, I'm talking about that part of fabulous delirium that can come from a good workout. I'm always trying to find something new to keep my body guessing. The worst part of doing the same thing over and over, like teaching nine Zumbas a week, is my body getting used to the activity. It takes nothing short of pulling a car uphill both ways for my body to go, "Oh, this is getting a little tough." I love having the energy, the ability, the power, the strength, the results (somewhere under this permanent winter coat of a body), and the drive. I'm not saying that everything is just a cake walk, but I do like to keep it challenging...so my husband introduced me to INSANITY.
Usually, you cannot get me to workout at home, I have no want or motivation, but I've heard so much about this program that I became intrigued. Also, my amazingly amazing husband said that he would do it with me...yes, please! My gorgeous husband working out beside me every morning, I'll take it! I have my own personal motivator right there beside me. Why would I say no to that? If you have never heard about INSANITY, YouTube it right now, and then come back to reading this. Okay, are you good? So you're all caught up to speed? Okay, looks doable, right? Looks tough but fun, right? Well, try it...
My husband and I were (notice the past tense) super excited about starting this program, following through every day, and tracking the results. This is a nine week program: four weeks-one week-four weeks.
Week 1: We jumped out of bed early each morning and did the workout to the best of our ability. We listened to Shaun T, took his notes seriously, and pushed it to the max. We felt proud, tired, excited, and accomplished.
Week 2: Oops, we overslept a little, but that's okay because we did it that night after work. We were familiar with Shaun T's instructions, felt more comfortable with the moves, and encouraged each other through the hard parts. We felt good, motivated, and knew what to expect.
Week 3: Oh no, we forgot a day, well, it's okay to double the workouts on one day, right? We felt like the workouts were a black cloud hanging over us on some days, we say stuff before Shaun T does because we now know every word of the videos, and we don't feel like it's getting any better. We felt burdened, irritated, comfortable, and stronger.
Week 4: Well, we have to rearrange the schedule a little bit because we missed a day...what in the world are we going to do next week when we fly to the states? We do the workouts, talk back to Shaun T and tell him to shut up, and we continue to "boo and hiss" the program for the rest of the day. The workout honeymoon is over...
Yeah, I know, right? What happened to my love for working out when it comes to this program? It's still there, I promise. I actually feel antsy until we do the workout because the feeling of accomplishment that comes with it is addictive. First of all, it makes me sweat like Paris Hilton on an episode of Are You Smarter Than A Light Switch. Thank goodness that we have wood floors in our livingroom because it is disgusting. We pour the sweat because we are genuinely having to work. Second of all, Shaun T makes you stretch twice. As much as I love to workout, I hate to stretch; why...I don't know. But he forces us to do it, and we do it, and that takes away a lot of soreness. Third of all, there is no equipment required; it relies solely on your body weight, so yeah, I've got quite the workout ahead of me. Finally, my husband and I really do feel ourselves getting stronger in some areas. As much as we hate it on some days, it works.
Physical results, well, I don't see any, but that's because I'm not following the diet plan. I can tell you that if I gave myself a chance and cut out all of the crap that I love to consume, then physical results would be booming. I notice some on my husband, and he notices some on me, so they just might be there. We're excited about continuing with this program, but we'll be even more excited when it is over! I do plan to adhere to an appropriate diet when doing the second half of the workout to see what the true results will be. I might even take pictures..baaahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaa. That's laughable. So, my personal opinion is I think this is a killer workout. It's repetitive, but effective. If you are thinking about this program, here's my advice:
Keep a towel with you. If you don't, you will pour the sweat, slip, and break your face, and then you have two problems on your hands...the need to workout and a broken face.
Be consistent and always try to do it the same time of day. We've done it both in the morning and evening, and there are different results...I like the mornings the best. I get pumped...to take a nap :)
Do not skip a day. Just don't...hold yourself accountable.
Do not skip the stretches; those are probably the most important part of the program.
Do not get mad at Shaun T; he's there to help you, so if you cuss at the screen, I'm, oops, you're just wasting energy.
Do not eat four doughnuts before the workout (Abigail learned her lesson). Do not eat a bag of candy corn and a bag of a circus peanuts before the workout (Reuben learned his lesson). We've never been so miserable. I actually swore off doughnuts for that entire night of sleep.
So, the Newtons are halfway through this program, and when we finish, I'll have a final post about it. So if you're ready to feel like you just got beaten so hard that you could throw up someone else's dinner, then I suggest this workout. If you start the workout and think to yourself, "Well, this isn't so bad, this is kind of easier than what everyone made it out to be," you're either pulling a Bev Perdue and blatantly lying to the world, or you're not giving it all that you have. Also, if you do it, don't think about how the results look, because I don't look any different, but focus on how they make you feel, because they make me feel great...or angry...or dead to the world...or as my husband says, glad...glad that we made it out alive!
When my husband introduced me to the world of Insanity, he had already completed 60 days and looked amazing! He had great results, but of course he ate better with it. I, however, started the program and finished through week 3. I thought I would die!! It is my goal to start again and actually finish it this time. I hate feeling like something has beaten me….oh yeah, it’s a competition!
ReplyDeleteThe whole time I was doing it, I thought of you. I knew you would have no problem whatsoever. So truly, it is inspiring and motivating to know that I am not the only one its killing. I feel a little better….I’m sure not what you intended, but it helps. My goal is to start it back next week, so I can eat more for the Holidays :)
Good luck to you both!!!