workout update

It’s been a while since I posted an update about my exercise.  I just completed week 5 of Insanity Max 30.  I made it through month 1, and that last week I felt like I was really making great progress since the first week.  Then this week hit and I felt like I started all over again…like I haven’t exercised in 3 years and am jumping into the program from scratch.  Man this has been a tough week.  Not for lack of motivation or anything like that, but because the month 2 workouts are HARD.  It’s an incredible workout though, but you really have to look past the ‘man I completely failed in the first 6 minutes’ feeling.

I do find that I am just not coordinated enough to do some of these moves.  I try, but the combination of certain jumps and moving your arms sometimes is hard to keep up with.  There is one move called Iron Legs, where it’s basically lunge, lunge, squat, jump and cross your legs.  Start with your feet together, then jump to a lunge with your right foot forward.  Then from there, jump to a lunge with your left foot forward.  Then jump into a squat.  Then jump straight up, and at the top of your jump cross your legs together and land with your feet together.  And do it all without a break in-between the moves.  After the first couple (if you can make it through without your legs exploding), my feet get tied up and I feel like I’m going to trip myself up.

All the moves at this point are closer to a minute each.  So moves like low plank hold are excruciating.  Basically a pushup (without the ‘up’ part) where you keep your elbows as close to your body as possible.  Go down, within an inch of the floor.  Hold for 1 minute. You know, as I type this out, I wonder to myself why I do this.

Really…it’s because I feel great after completing it.  I really don’t have much more to write.  I could describe all the different moves, and they would all be similar descriptions as above.  It’s just really hard work, but I would easily recommend this program to anyone who wanted a good cardio workout without spending the whole day doing it.

This morning I was at 165 pounds.  That’s a 33 pound weight loss since July 6th, which has been 12 weeks of exercise.  I think I’ve kind of plateaued as far as weight loss goes, because I’ve been at that weight for the last week but I haven’t really been increasing my food.  I still feel like there is some work to do on my mid section, to try and tone up a bit but I’m not really sure how to accomplish that.

I hadn’t really noticed the weight loss.  I mean, I look at myself now, and I know I’ve lost the weight.  But the change doesn’t seem that dramatic to me.  Until I made this picture.  We’ll see what the next 3 weeks hold in the program.  I think after that, I am going to do the T25 Gamma round, which is more focused on weight lifting.  Need to try to build back some of the muscle that I’ve lost.

Insanity Max week 2 – Goals met!

Week 2 of the program is exactly the same as week 1.  Next week, we will sub out the Tabata Power disk for Tabata Strength.  Not sure what the difference is yet, but it’s just probably harder.  The second week didn’t get much easier, but I did manage to extend my max out time each day, if even only a little bit.  Progress!

The real reason I wanted to write today is because of my weight loss goal.  I started this journey on July 6th of this year.  That is almost 2 months ago.  60 Days.  I started out at 198 pounds and I set a goal of losing 25 pounds in 14 weeks.  The 14 week was the length of the T25 program that I started out doing, and was really just an arbitrary date.  60 days later, I have met that goal.  I weighed this morning at 173 pounds.

The saying goes…weight loss (and gain) is done in the kitchen.  I’ve done these workout programs before, and I’ve seen ‘good’ results from them.  But this program paired with a rather strict diet has produced results that I’ve never seen before.  Sure, sometimes there are still cravings, but I have been able to fight through those and not give in.  And they go away pretty quick.  I think the biggest help in all of this has been the elimination of processed sugars and carbs.  Candy, cookies, crackers, chips.  Giving that stuff up has helped tremendously.  Will I ever eat any of it again?  Of course!  But what I’ve learned over the last 2 months will help me manage what I eat in the future.  I don’t need to eat a giant bowl of Chex-mix in one sitting.  Or a whole pint of ice cream.  Or all the candy I can fit in my mouth at once.  Giving into those cravings occasionally isn’t a bad thing, as long as it’s done in moderation.

I’ve been very happy with the results that I’ve seen so far, but it is pushing me to go a bit further.  There is always that little bit of stomach area that can’t totally get out.  I think once I finish this program, I will switch over to P90X or the t25 Gamma workout.  Both incorporate weights, but the t25 is considerably shorter in length and since I do my workouts before I leave in the morning, the length is a big factor.

That’s all I really have for this week.  I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend.