6 Miles in the Terra Plana

Yesterday I had a decent day training. I began the morning with an Insanity Workout, Core Cardio and Balance. It was easy, as far as Insanity goes. I didn't remember which particular workout I had to do, so it was a nice surprise to discover it was a milder workout for the day.

After the Insanity, I went to the gym to train arms and run. The arm workout was typical, maybe just a little heavier than usual. 3 sets of close grip triceps press downs, 3 sets of heavy overhead presses, and 3 sets of rope press downs began the workout. I finished up with 3 sets of rope curls, 3 sets of seated incline dumbbell curls (heavy), and ended the biceps workout with 3 sets of very heavy standing dumbbell curls. I had planned on running 6 miles when I left the house. By the time I got on the treadmill I had decided I'd just run 60 minutes and see how far that got me. I had a decent pace (for me) and had 6 miles in just under 50 minutes. I was gonna keep going, but I had developed a NEW blister from the Terra Plana shoes on my left heel. So I slowed at about 51 minutes, walked another minute or so, and then stopped altogether. The run in the TP's felt good. Occasionally I could tell I was landing to much on one side or the other of one foot, but I almost immediately corrected it. A day later, other than the blister(s) the only issue I have is possibly some tenderness (bruising) on the pinky toe side of my foot. I think I ran about 10 miles in the TP's in a 24 hour period, so I guess the blister and tenderness are to be expected. Here's a pic of the new Terra Plana shoes below.

Food on the day was great, until dinner. Breakfast was a bowl of cereal, lunch was some left over chana masala (chick peas) and chana sag (chick peas in spinach). Dinner was a bust. I had a small, meaty pizza from this new FANTASTIC pizza place, which is unfortunately very close to our house. Like the closest restaurant in existence to our house. I can see having a small pizza during UGA games happening a lot this fall. Damn. Anyway, small, delicious pizza for dinner along with a couple of bread sticks. Then I really ruined the day with some ice cream for dessert. The sign outside the ice cream place said it all, "Treat Yourself". I saw the sing and agreed wholeheartedly. In actuality (the past week would be an exception due to the fact I was out of town in Atlanta two days) I follow a very good, healthy diet Monday through Friday. I do relax it on the weekends to keep my sanity. Once we set a date for our wedding I'll go back to full time "on" diet.

Sunday is leg day. I think I'm only gonna run about 3 miles of hills at a relatively slow pace to start the workout. It's supposed to be my off day from Insanity, but I'm thinking about pushing ahead and starting the final week a day early. If I do (and I skip the ever hated Max Recovery workout) I can FINISH the program sometime Thursday! I desperately want to be done with it then because I think we're headed out of town for the weekend and I don't want to bring Shaun T. and his Insanity along with us. No offense, but I need some time apart from him and his crazy, that was bananas stupid hard workouts.

Another Fit Test

After pushing yesterday's Insanity Fit Test and Workout back a day due to the 10 mile run, I had to suck it up and do it today. I am a little sore from the 10 miles. My quads and hams feel like I had a really good leg workout about 4 days ago. My ankles and calves fell somewhat fatigued and weak, but otherwise I'm not hurting too bad. Last night I was TIRED though.

I started the day with a muffin and some granola cereal. The muffin was a new cinnamon type muffin I baked last night. Each muffin has a little under 200 calories so when I combine a muffin with something else I get plenty of calories to get through my morning workout.

At the gym this morning I began with a 3.5 mile hill run on the treadmill. I kept the pace slow and incline moderate. My body responded nicely to running again. I was afraid my feet and calves would cramp up on me. After the run I began today's back workout (I'm a day behind this week) with 3 sets of pull-ups, then 3 sets of lat pull downs, followed by 3 sets of heavy T-bar rows, and finally 3 sets of seated rows. My post workout meal was a protein shake with a room temp banana mixed in. NEVER AGAIN. I must have frozen bananas! Thus I'll be going to the grocery store this evening.

Next up (after a small amount of book work so I could rest a little) was the Insanity Fit Test. This is my 4th time doing the test. It never gets any easier. Actually, it gets harder every time because I can push myself harder each time. Ugh. Results below:

Exercise	Day 1	Day 15	Day 36	Day 50
Switch Kicks	59	68	76	77
Power Jacyk	56	69	71	72
Power Knees	85	120	125	130
Power Jumps	35	57	65	72
Globe Jumps	7	12	13	13
Suicide Jumps	13	21	23	25
Push Up Jacks	35	45	55	59
Low Plank Oblique	40	60	72	74

Marginally better in everything except Globe Jumps. Maybe in two more weeks I can get one more jump in. I'm kinda tired by that point though.

After the fit test I rested a bit (creating this post and updating my results) before going back for more Insanity. Today is the Max Interval Circuit. This is day 50 of the program. The Max workouts are still kicking my ass. I fail out every time. Maybe at the end of the next two weeks I'll get to where I can stay in every set. I do think doing Insanity has increased my overall cardio/endurance/stamina. Pushing hard for an hour (or 45 minutes the first month) really helped me with the run yesterday. Today's actual workout was just as bad as usual. By the time I got to the final set of intervals I was exhausted. I ended up cutting it a set short. The only other workout of the day was a walk around the lake with Kim and JJF late this evening. BodyBugg has me burning over 4700 calories on the day. Pretty good considering I didn't ride the bike today.

Dinner this evening was jerked Salmon, sauteed mushrooms with green beans and onions, and some scalloped potatoes. Dessert was a protein bar and a muffin.

Tomorrow is my shoulder day at the gym. I'm gonna have to alter my cardio a little tomorrow. My ankle is sore from having on my running shoes all day (they were tied too tight). Maybe I'll run in my Vibrams tomorrow!

Max Recovery

Thursday again began with me oversleeping a little. I beginning to think I'm just exhausted from training. I began the day with a muffin, yogurt, and a NS Cinniamon Bun Bar before heading to the gym

I decided to do something different with my cardio. Instead of just 30 minutes and then training, I'd do 30, train, then 30 more. I started off doing 1/2 of the 10K personal training program on the treadmill before training arms. The lifting started with 3 sets of overhead presses, then 3 sets of dumbbell overhead presses, and finally 3 sets of press downs for triceps. Biceps began with 3 sets of seated incline curls and ended with 3 sets of standing hammer curls. I returned to the treadmill for 10 minutes, then moved on to the elliptical for 20 more.

Once back at home I had my lunch of a turkey sandwich and a NS oatmeal cookie before resting for a bit. Then it was time for Insanity. Today's Insanity Workout was Max Recovery. ~ 50 minutes of stretching, light cardio, and somewhat difficult plank/push-up/squat work. The most difficult part of any of the workouts for me (other than the initial shock of the workout in general) has been trying to do push-ups while already being sore, and being sure of my footing/hand positions while jumping/pushing on the floor. I've caught myself twice falling (almost face/nose first) because I've perspired so much my hands are slick while doing push-ups. I need a yoga mat or something.

After Insanity I had some left over veggie meat hamburger helper and a NS Brownie. After finishing some bookwork and a little more rest I rode the spin bike for 30 minutes. That was the end of my cardio for the day. Storm clouds moved in and I didn't get to walk.

My other meals on the day were a NS Lunch Entree of Pasta with Beef (I'm trying to eat as much of the NS stuff as I can, just so we can finally get rid of it all) and a LC Lasagna dinner.

Tomorrow is leg day.....I'm gonna try to do a split cardio thing again. 30 before, train, 30 after. Not sure how my legs will cooperate. I'm trying to get myself used to doing more than 30 minutes of running at a time. Just in case I ever want to try to run something longer than a 5k. Like the USMC Mud Run, or the Tough Mudder....

Max Cardio

Today began much like yesterday, with me oversleeping. I guess I'm just exhausted and need the rest. I have been staying up a little late as Kim works on her computer, but not much past midnight. Anyway, once I got up and had some coffee I had my first meal of the day, a muffing and a half, and a cup of yogurt. I think it was around 400 calories total.

My workouts for the day began at the gym with a flat, faster paced run. I varied the pace constantly and finished 3 miles in 24:25. Not bad considering I'm only doing quicker paced runs once or twice a week. After the run I cooled down by walking for the rest of my 30 minutes of allotted treadmill time and then got ready to train shoulders. 3 sets of hammer strength military presses, 3 sets of cable upright rows, 3 sets of Bodymaster's machine side lateral raises, 3 sets of shoulder shrugs, and finally 3 sets of Bodymaster's rear delts.

After the gym I returned home for a protein shake and some rest before having to help my family move more furniture. After loading a moving van/trailer full of furniture (in 95 degree/105 degree heat index temps) I came home and had a turkey sandwich. Once I finished my sandwich I began pacing the floor, trying to get motivated to start today's Insanity Workout, which is Max Cardio & Conditioning. It was AWFUL. I failed out on every exercise following the warm up. Some were kinda easy, but because of the other KILLER exercises, I failed out on the easy ones as well. I hope I react to it like I did after the first time I did the Pure Cardio workout. I had a lot of trouble at first with Pure Cardio, but it ended up being my favorite workout from month 1. I don't know that Max Cardio will ever by my fav. Following the workout I collapsed onto the floor where the Pug attacked me with her incessant licking of my face (she loves sweat). Once I was able to stand I grabbed a cold bottle of water from the fridge, drank a few long gulps, and thew up. Cool, I know. I actually kinda almost passed out during one of the water breaks in the middle of the workout. I had to grab the side of the sofa and hang on for a sec. Like I've always said, if you're vomiting and passing out during/after a workout, that's a sure sing of a decent workout.

Once the sun began to set a little Kim and I called for JJF and took off on a walk. Did I mention it's crazy hot here? Just a little humid too. I was soaked (my 3rd change of clothes on the day) after about 1/2 a mile. I can't wait for some cooler weather. I may jog all day long once the temps stay in the 60's.

Dinner tonight was feat. Fake meat mixed into hamburger helper. Plus a small salad and some pineapple. Dessert this evening was a muffin and a NS cookie!

Tomorrow is arm day and Max Recovery. I feel like I need some recovery....

Fit Test Number 3

Sunday = REST. I had planned to run & do Insanity. My right foot was sore (from the 6 mile run) late Saturday night and all day Sunday. Rest was required.

Monday began my 6th week of Insanity. This week everything moves to the MAX portion of the workouts. Max circuit, max recovery, etc. My Insanity workout this afternoon began with the Fit Test. This is my 3rd time going through the test. I again did better on each exercise. I'm actually doing better than the numbers indicate. The first time I took the test, it was the only thing I did that day. Today I had already run, trained, and moved some furniture with my parents. So here's the latest fit test results:

Exercise	Day 1	Day 15	Day 36
Switch Kicks	59	68	76
Power Jacyk	56	69	71
Power Knees	85	120	125
Power Jumps	35	57	65
Globe Jumps	7	12	13
Suicide Jumps	13	21	23
Push Up Jacks	35	45	55
Low Plank Oblique	40	60	72

I made the mistake of doing the Max Circuit workout immediately following the Fit Test. Doh! The first month's workouts are around 40 minutes each. This one was 60. I was dead by the end. Actually, I was in pretty bad shape during the warm up....During the workout I drank over 70 ounces of water. That's over 4 pounds of water. Crazy.

Prior to the Insanity Workout this afternoon, I trained around 11AM this morning. I began the workout with an easy 3 mile run using the Hill Program on the treadmill. Next I moved on to my chest workout. 3 sets of flat presses, 3 set of incline presses, and 3 sets of decline presses.

Late this evening JJF and I headed out on our evening walk. Kim has been feeling a little under the weather, so she didn't join us for the stroll.

I did get in some other non-training exercise today. I helped move an old bedroom suite that belonged to my grandmother. We loaded it up, moved it across town, then carried it up a flight of stairs at my parents' house. Later in the afternoon I was surprised to discover my father and our friend Robein cutting down an old, dead tree in my back yard. I gathered the hounds and brought them inside, and went out to help them get rid of the fallen tree. The work wasn't hard on either occasion, it's just very humid and warm here.

Food today has been terrific. Granola and yogurt early this morning, A turkey sandwich with a single slice of cheese for lunch (I've now given up low-fat mayo). For snacks I had some chocolate PB, a NS cookie, and 1/2 a NS granola bar. Dinner was a LC Thai Style Chicken and Noodle dinner. I also had some granola later to get in enough calories for the day.

Tomorrow I'll train back at the gym, Insanity during the afternoon, walk and spin as usual. I'm excited (terrified) to see what the next Insanity workout is. As I'm finishing up this post, my BodyBugg has me already burning over 5000 calories and it's not quite 11PM. I blew past my goal of reaching 5K one day this week. Maybe I'll get close every day!

Legs, An Attempted Pug Party, Beef Tongue, & Ice Cream

Another Friday and that means it's LEG DAY!

I began the day with a muffin and some yogurt before heading to the gym. I arrived about an hour later than usual and ran 3+ miles using the Hill Program on the treadmill. Next came the leg workout proper. 3 sets of smith squats, 3 sets of true squats, 2 sets of leg presses, and 2 sets of leg extensions for quads. Hams began with 3 sets of seated leg curls, 2 sets of very light stiff leg dead lifts, and finally 3 sets of weighted hyper-extensions.

After the workout I had a protein shake before grabbing the pug and heading back to the gym for a Pug Party. Unfortunately, Belle (my pug) was scared of Emma (L's pug). That combined with a minor disturbance at the front desk at the gym made me decide to give up on the Pug Party a little quickly. Belle was actually terrified. I don't know why. She actually jumped (as well as a pug can) up into my arms. One home all was well again in Pug Land. She immediately began to battle with JJF.

Next up I rode the spin bike for 30 minutes before having a bowl of granola cereal.

A little before Kim got in from work I got in my Insanity Workout for the day. Again, it is the Core Cardio & Balance workout. Still gotta do it twice more over the weekend before starting the second 30 days of the program. Excited to get at it next week. With the longer Insanity workouts coming up, I think I have a real chance to have some 5000+ calorie burn days. I've come close quite a few times, even 4900+, but I've never hit 5k. Something to shoot for.

Tonight for dinner we went to a local Mexican place so we could grab some tortas. I wanted an Al Pastor torta. They were still out of Al Pastor, so I opted for Lengua (beef tongue). It was pretty good, but I only ate about half. I also had a very small (Mexican style) chorizo taco. Before all that we split some flour chips with cheese dip and salsa. After dinner we again had some ice cream. It was crazy good.

Tomorrow is all cardio, with maybe a few sets of abs at the gym. I think we're gonna grill out for dinner. Maybe some jerked salmon. Sunday is Rest Day! I think I'm still gonna do something. Insanity and a walk? Sounds good.

Almost Broke My Ankle

I began today with a little longer run than usual. 4.5 miles at various speeds. Up to 9MPH for a bit. Nearly broke my ankle in the process. Afterward I trained arms with my mother. 3 sets of press downs, 3 sets of overhead dumbbell presses, and 3 sets of rope press downs for triceps. Biceps began with 3 sets of seated incline dumbbell curls and ended with 3 sets of standing heavy hammer curls. Once back home from the gym I rode the spin bike for 30 minutes and got in my Insanity Workout late in the evening. We tried to walk late, but only got in about a mile before some large storms moved into the area.

Breakfast was a muffin and yogurt. Post workout I had a protein shake plus a banana. Late afternoon I had a turkey sandwich. Dinner was a LC Pizza. After dinner we had a little Ice Cream ('cause it was still like 100 degrees outside). During the day I also had a NS cookie, a Skinny Cow bar, and some rice cakes. Probably around 2200 calories on the day (a little high) and I burned ~4700.

Tomorrow is legs! Yippee! I'm gonna try to eat very light all day (breakfast, shake, and maybe a light snack, basically keep it under 1000 calories) and then eat an Al Pastor Torta for dinner. That's my goal anyway.

Recovery Week

Sunday = Rest Day (still burned almost 3400 calories).

Today begins my Recovery Week on the Insanity Workout. 6 days of Core Cardio and Balance before starting month 2 of the program next Monday.

My actual training today began with a 3 mile run on the Random program on the treadmill. Following the treadmill I trained chest. 3 sets of machine presses, 3 sets of incline machine presses, 3 sets of decline machine presses, and 3 sets of cable flies. Back at home I rode the spin bike for 30 minutes and then washed our old 4runner we use in lieu of a 4wheeler. Insanity followed later in the day. No walk this evening (due to thunder storms and torrential rain), so I may end up spinning again late.

Good day with my food intake. Breakfast was a low fat blueberry muffin, & post workout meal was a protein shake. Post spin was 1/4 of a protein bar, a NS chocolate chip cookie, and a turkey sandwich. Dinner tonight is fake meat steak (fake steak), mashed potatoes, and later on a little NS granola bar.

Tomorrow will be an altered day. I'm headed out with my father for a long day of looking at some properties. My job? Navigation. I'm the only one who can operate a GPS device. So I'm planning on running and training at the gym early (for me that's around 8) and then spinning and Insanity whenever I make it back home. Don't know what I'll do about eating while gone. I need to plan that out tonight.

Legs On a Saturday

Still being a day behind I had to train legs on Saturday.

My morning began with Kim and I making breakfast at home. She had a zucchini & onion, fake egg omelet. I had a facon, egg beaters, and cheese sandwich, a slice of bread with my new apple cider jelly, and a cup of yogurt. Yum!

After dreading, moaning, and crying about having to go to the gym I ended up having a great workout. I started out the treadmill running the hill program, at 6mph, for 30 minutes. After the run I decided to alter my usual exercises. I began the workout with 3 sets of smith squats, then 3 sets of true squats, and finally 3 sets of leg presses for quads. Hamstrings began with 3 sets of seated leg curls and the workout ended with weighted hyper-extensions. I burned 900+ calories at the gym.

I came home and had to grilled jerked chicken breasts before starting my Insanity workout for the day. The workout was the Plyo Cardio Circiut. I decided to try the workout in my Vibrams. The workout is always hard, but with the FiveFingers shoes on I had an extra tough calf workout.
My Vibrams pictured below.


I rested during the afternoon until the sun went down a little and the temps dropped. Kim and I walked our usual route around the lake. It was still hot. Like 85 with a heat index of 93. After we got going it was actually kinda pleasant. Really muggy, but not oppressive like an hour earlier. No spin bike on the day. I was just to tired.

Dinner was fake meat (we now call it Feat, sounds delicious, right?) tacos. So it was Feat Tacos for me and Kim had crab legs. I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I'm starting to prefer the veggie meats to real meat. With the feat there's no chance I'll end up feeling bad from to much grease in the food.

We tried a new treat late last evening. Kim decided to try putting some Ice into the Ninja and then add some crystal light. It made a nice little slushy/snow cone. I made one using my favorite orange crystal light flavor. Basically a 0-20 calorie dessert.

As I write this on Sunday morning, my legs are already sore. Cardio will be an adventure today. I'm gonna try to run, spin, and walk. At least I don't have an Insanity workout to do. All next week the Insanity workouts are Core Cardio and Balance during what the program calls the Recovery Week. I think since starting Insanity my body fat has dropped over 1.5%. I don't want to give all of the credit to Insanity, but it sure didn't hurt. During the past month, while during Insanity, I've also run 3 miles, worked out, rode the spin bike, and walked almost every day. I hope over the next 5 weeks of Insanity I get similar results. If I do I might just restart the program after finishing.

Change Up

Monday is usually when I train chest. I had thought last night about changing the workout more than usual (I typically alter one thing week to week). I really planned on doing all dumbbell work today. When I got to the gym Mom decided she wanted more of a change. Recently, she's only been making it to the gym on Monday & Tuesday. So she's been getting lots of chest and back workouts. As a result we decided to train shoulders today, and do mostly all dumbbells. Of course to begin the workout we pre-exhausted on the treadmill. I ran 15 minutes of 6mph random hills, then 15 minutes of varied pace (between 6-7-8mph) on 0 incline to finish up. I managed a little over 3 miles and was ready to train. We began with 3 sets of seated dumbbell military presses, followed by 3 sets of side lateral raises, then 3 sets of upright rows, then 3 sets of rear delts, and finally I finished up with 3 sets of shoulder shrugs. Once home my workouts continued with a 30 session on the spin bike as I watched the pilot episode of the Wire (The 101 [Directv101 & 239 are replaying the entire series], which is one of the best series I've ever watched) on my DVR. A little later I got in my Insanity workout for the day (Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs). I was pretty much beat at this point. A little rest as the temperature cooled and then JJF and I took our evening walk around the lake. The BodyBugg had me burning ~4800 calories on the day.

Good day with the eating as well. Breakfast was a low fat blueberry muffing and Greek Yogurt. Post workout I had a Lean Body Protein Shake. After my spin I had left over Indian (Chicken Tikka Masala and a little rice). After the Insanity I made my own version of a Mango Lassi. I used Jumex Mango Nectar and a cup of Oikos Vanilla Greek Yogurt. Ninjaed it up, and loved it. Kinda high in calories (400), but for an occasional treat it was great. Dinner tonight was more left over Indian. Chana Saag (chickpeas and spinach) and a little rice. Perfect. Later I had a little left over veggie hamburger helper, a protein bar, and cereal. Calories on the day were a little over 2400. High, but still not bad when you take into account the burn total.

Weekend Resting

Saturday was a day of both training and relaxing.

Training first. 3 mile hills run on the treadmill. Back home I had a protein shake and then 30 minutes on the spin bike. I rested for a few and conviinced myself that if I ate a sandwich and then did my Insanity workout, I could then go to bed for a couple of hours before Kim got in and we would be ready for our dinner and a movie. So I pushed through the Insanity routine, and then went to BED. I woke up to thunder, lightning, and the beginning of a massive rain storm. I ran down, brought the hounds inside, and went back to bed for another hour. I awoke at about 5PM (crazy), released the hounds, cleaned up, and waited on Kim to get home from work. We headed North to Chattanooga around 6:30 and had one of the best Indian meals I've had in a long time. I don't know that it was really any better than any of our other meals at Sitar, but it seemed like it. I had a chicken dish and Kim had soup, salad, and chickpeas with spinach. Loved it. We then proceeded to the movie theater to watch Inception. I really liked it. The theater was crowded, so we had to sit closer to the screen than I wanted, but otherwise it was a delightful evening.

Sunday=REST. I didn't do anything (well, I took a nap). I did fetch breakfast in bed for Kim as we watched a couple of horrible 80's movies. The rest of the day I watched a couple of rain storms, watched Psych (so funny) and True Blood.

Monday is back to running, spinning, Insanity, dog walking, lifting, and low-calorie/high protein eating. Woohoo.

Sleeping on the Porch

Yesterday I had a WEAK arm workout. 12 sets total. 3 sets of triceps press downs, 3 sets of overhead presses. 3 sets of incline dumbbell curls & 3 sets of standing dumbbell curls for biceps. I guess I was a little tired from running before the workout. 26 minutes of 1 minute intervals between 6 & 8 mph. Then I walked for about 15 minutes to cool down. That's 4 decent runs I've had this week! So happy now with the new running style and resulting zero pain!

After the gym I got in 30 minutes on the spin bike late in the afternoon before Kim got in from work. After the ride I decided to go out on the front porch and have a seat while I cooled off. I fell asleep. Slept about half an hour in the late afternoon Georgia heat, sitting straight up in a chair. Lovely. Once Kim got home and changed clothes we put in the Insanity DVD and went through the day's workout. It was the same workout as the first day. Hard, but I did better. Almost made it through the second work circuit before having to stop during an exercise for rest. I don't know if I'll ever make it through an entire workout with out failing out during a set. I'm really enjoying the workouts and stretches. Kim loathes it. Anyway, after Insanity we rested a minute and then walked JJF around the lake.

Food was decent on the day. Breakfast was cereal and yogurt, post workout I had a protein shake, lunch was a chicken salad sandwich, during the afternoon I had a handful of almonds and a protein bar, dinner (late) was a turkey sandwich. Not sure on the calories in for the day but I burned over 4300.

Friday is leg day, and thank goodness it's also Insanity's rest day. So all I gotta do is run 3 miles, train legs, maybe spin 30, and walk the dog. Yay!

InZanity....

Today's (Wednesday) Insanity workout was the most difficult (for me) yet. Pure Cardio. It should be called Pure Hell. I'll get to it in a sec. My training began this morning with another completely decent run. I ran one minute intervals at 6 & 8 on the treadmill for 10 minutes, then 10 minutes at 6, then the intervals again for the last 10. I then walked for about 13 minutes as mom finished up a little cardio before we hit the weights. We trained shoulders together this morning. 3 sets of hammer strength military presses, 3 sets of side lateral raises, 3 sets of upright rows, and 3 sets of rear delts. I decided against any elliptical work today (because I knew the name of the upcoming Insanity workout) and headed home. After doing a little work at home I hit the spin bike for 30 minutes before heading out for some errands. Once back home this afternoon I began the Insanity a little earlier than usual. I knew Kim was not gonna be able to workout with me today, so I might as well get it over with early. It was brutal. I guess I was a little tired from the other training & starting earlier than usual, but the warm up seemed more difficult than usual. The actual workout was a series of 1 minute long cardio exercises. I didn't last through the first exercise. During almost every exercise I had to stop and catch my breath or get some water. I didn't feel real bad, 'cause the people on the DVD were falling out frequently too. Finally towards the end, the main guy was having trouble. He couldn't remember the name of the exercises! Kinda funny. Kinda sad. Anyway. It was rough. I burned well over 400 calories during the 40 minute workout, plus who knows how many more while I cooled down from the workout.

Food today has been sparse. Muffin for breakfast, shake after the gym, turkey & tomato sandwich pre-Insanity, a handful of almonds, and I hope to get to eat dinner with Kim tonight (sushi, I think). I haven't been hungry. That's alarming. Tomorrow or Friday it'll catch up with me and I'll feel wiped out.

It was bound to happen, and quite frankly I figured it would have happened sooner. One of our friends began to tease Kim and ask if she's ready to go home from work every day for her InZanity Workout. Get it? InZanity? HaHa. Kinda like InZane in the membrane? InZane in the brain? Cypress Hill.....Get it? I'm tired and getting goofy. Time for a Blue Rock Star and then some raw fish. Maybe a late walk. Or some Virtual Inzanity......I quit....

Need Some Balance

My lack of balance was brought up again today. Today's Insanity workout was the Cardio Recovery workout. Meaning not so much cardio, but quite a bit of stretching. I realized during some of the stretches that I was straining and actually trembling trying to hold the stretch while in correct form. When I was to stand on one leg, I simply couldn't. I had to hold on to either the wall to get my balance, or grab the cat tree, or whatever I could get my hands on so I didn't fall. After I got in the stretch I could usually manage to balance myself ok, but getting into position without steadying myself was almost impossible. The only really difficult part of the workout was after some slow squats or lunges, we were to hold the squat position at the bottom of the squat. Nope. I held for a few seconds, but had to stand repeatedly to rest my quads, then I'd return to the squat. The freaky deaky soreness in my feet and calves continues, now add in a little quad and ham soreness in non typical portions of my legs to the mix as well. Tomorrow's Insanity workout is the Pure Cardio workout. Should be great....

My training for the day began hours before the Insanity workout at the gym around 10AM. 3 miles of intervals on the treadmill again. It was the best solid run I've had since the middle of May. After the run, mom and I trained back. I began with 2 sets of pull-ups, then 3 sets of pull downs, followed by 3 sets of hammer rows, then 3 sets of t-bar rows, and finally 3 sets of straight arm press downs. Afterward, I got in 15 more minutes on the elliptical before heading home for lunch. Late in the afternoon, before Insanity, I got bored and rode the spin bike for 30 minutes. After Insanity, Kim, the dog & I walked around the lake in near darkness. It was very relaxing though. On the day I burned 4500+ calories (I haven't checked the final total yet, but when I went to bed it was almost at 4500). I'm anxious to see how many I burn with tomorrow's Pure Cardio workout combined with my regular training.

Food on the day was decent. I began the morning with a chocolate muffin, post workout I had a protein shake, afternoon meal was a turkey & tomato sandwich, dinner was a LC meal, and I had some almonds and a EAS protein bar scattered throughout the day.

Great day overall! I went to bed exhausted, but excited about another day of training and eating well to come. On the day I had actual training time of just over 3 hours. Plus the time of working around the house (I had to move a baby gate to limit the Pug's access to the cat's litter boxes, clean, work on the laundry, and make humming bird food) and I had close to six hours of physical activity. I do want to try to get back to shooting some pics of my food for the blog. I found some videos on youtube of people doing the Insanity workouts. Don't think I'll be doing that. Maybe more videos of the Pug!

Freaky Sore

I woke this morning to find some new soreness as a result of yesterday's Insanity workout. Most notably strange places in my feet and calves. I've very quickly learned that the things I need to work on the most are my balance and my flexibility. I used to have plenty of both. Not so much now. The balance issue is very odd. At the end of the workout I had trouble standing on one leg as I stretched the other. Gotta work on that.

My workouts began at the gym today. I started with running 3 miles (the best run I've had in a month) of intervals, varying speeds from 6 to 8. I then walked about 20 minutes uphill, and finally finished up with about 10 minutes on the elliptical. I didn't mean to do quite so much cardio, but I got to the gym early and then had to wait on mom to finish up her fist treadmill work since she got her new pedometer. Next we trained chest. I was rather tired when we started, so it was a machine only workout. 3 sets seated chest press, machine incline presses, hammer strength decline presses, and machine flies. I retired to the house immediately following our last set.

Kim and I had our second Insanity workout after she got home from work. 40 minutes of bouncing and jumping around and we were exhausted. Kim said she's sore all over. She claims even her hair is sore. This workout was a little different than the first. More squatting and jumping than the first, along with some triceps and shoulder exercises.

After dinner Kim, JJF, and I walked around the lake. We got a free light show off in the distance as a massive cloud rolled towards us, filling the sky with almost constant lightning.

I had a decent day with food. Cereal and yogurt for breakfast, protein shake after the gym, two turkey sandwiches scattered throughout the afternoon, and cereal for dinner. I also had a serving or two of almonds (I tried some new habanero bbq flavored nuts & some buffalo flavored too) & munched on a chocolate muffin over the entire day. More calories than I had intended, but still well under 2000. I burned 4055 according to the BB. I really think the BB under-counts the Insanity workouts. 400 or so calories during a 40 minute workout. During the same time frame we take our nightly walk and burn 230. I'm usually barely sweating at the end of our walk, and that's from the heat more than from exertion. At the end of an Insanity workout, I'm trembling, on the verge of vomiting, soaked with sweat, and my heart is racing. I really think the BB is off with this type of workout. Maybe if I count all of the calories burned until I cool down to a resting burn rate it is more accurate. If that's the case I'm burning somewhere around 700 calories as a result of an Insanity workout. Either way, it's a good burn, just kinda messes with my mind thinking that a leisurely walk can burn more than 1/2 the calories as all that craziness.

Tomorrow is a back workout at the gym (switching shoulders and back since the Insanity workout had a little shoulder work today), some intervals on the treadmill, Insanity, walk around the lake, and maybe even a quick ride on the spin bike.