Day 2 Round 2: MAX Interval Plyo & INSANE Abs

I forgot how hard that work out was!!! Damn. I love it. I was able to notice quite a bit of improvement. The squat push-ups used to KILL me, but I handled them pretty well this time. And I just about kept up with the Level 3 Drills, but that last set of 16 push ups got to me a little bit. Considering I could hardly do 3 when I first started (for real), I'm pretty proud of myself! And I believe there are 96 push ups altogether during Level 3 Drills...if my math is correct. Not to mention all the power push-ups, squat push-ups, oblique push-ups, and balance push-ups. Wow, I never realized how many push-ups were in that work out until writing it out. Crazy! I still suck badly at the balance push-ups, but I am improving. All in all it feels so good to red line my body again. You just can't match the feeling of accomplishment after completing a MAX workout.

Question of the Day: Ladies...I need help. I have yet to find a solution for my hair during Insanity work outs. Pony tails fall out, braids whip me in the face during Power Jumps, and leaving it down drives me absolutely crazy. Tips are much appreciated!! Comments are activated on the blog so post your advice, if you have any. Thanks : ).
















'Guns' ; ).

Breakfast
170 - Protein Bar
90 - Small Banana
Snack
69 - Almonds (10)
105 - Flax Crackers (6)
Lunch
180 - Shakeology w/Almond Milk
15 - Strawberries (4)
45 - Smoked Turkey Slices
Snack
170 - Protein Bar
Dinner
60 - Veggie Stir Fry
86 - Pistachios (1/8c)
160 - Protein Shake w/Almond Milk
1150 - Total
1585 - Budget
435 - Under (will probably snack on something else tonight)

Day 1 Round 2 - MAX Interval Circuit

Well, I decided to skip the rest of month 1 and jump right into month 2. Why? I'm not exactly sure. I just missed them. Plus, I have about a month before Hawaii, and I want to get in the best work outs possible. And since I'm already conditioned for the MAX work outs, might as well do them, right?

Anyway, I had a lot of fun with MAX Interval Circuit. I did pretty well on it too, better than I expected anyway. I figured I would have lost at least a little ground after having not done it for a few weeks, but this wasn't the case. I had noticeable improvement in the Ski Abs, Push Up Jacks, In & Outs, to Oblique Push Ups exercise. I used to die out towards the end, but I was able to get all the reps in this time. I also did much better on the Floor Switch Kicks. All in all I'm happy to be back in month 2!!

Tip of the Day - Don't look at the timer. If you have to, shut your eyes. This will ensure that you're pushing yourself to your personal max, not letting the timer get the best of you. Once I tried this I was able to get in a lot more reps.

Breakfast
180 - Shakeology w/Almond Milk
77 - Apple
Snack
360 - Veggie Chips (too many)
Lunch
240 - Think Thin Bar
172 - Almonds (25)
Snack
140 - Flax Crackers
160 - Casein Protein Shake w/Almond Milk
Dinner
190 - Veggie Patty
60 - Stir Fry Veggies
(literally took 2 minutes to prepare)

1580 - Total
1585 - Budget
5 - Under

Day 9 Round 2: Pure Cardio & Insane Abs

I got my 'I earned it' Insanity T shirt today, pretty stoked about it : ). It's actually soft and comfortable, and for being free, that's not bad. I've never been so proud to wear a plain old cotton T-shirt in my life!!

I was actually supposed to have Cardio Recovery today, but I wanted to work out with Robert so I just decided to do Pure Cardio. Then I convinced him to do Insane Abs instead of Cardio Abs : ). I freaking love Insane Abs. Probably because core work is the only thing I'm really good at. Anyway, Pure Cardio was still just as hard as it was before, because I really pushed myself. And it's still one of my favorite work outs. My arms just about gave out in the middle of Push-Up Jacks, I think it has something to do with Upper Body Weight Training yesterday. But I'm determined to have a stronger upper body before month 2! Well seeing as how it's 2:30am and I am probably not making any sense I'm going to cut this post short.

Breakfast
170 - Protein bar (NuGo)
145 - Flax Bread w/Swiss Cheese
78 - Egg, hard broiled
Snack
77 - Apple
70 - Baby carrots
170 - Protein bar (NuGo)
Lunch
180 - Shakeology w/Almond Milk
78 - Egg, hard broiled
Snack
140 - Protein bar (South Beach)
Dinner
225 - Veggie Patty w/Swiss Cheese
50 - Spinach salad w/bell pepper
Snack
180 - Shakeology w/Almond Milk
1563 - Total
1585 - Budget
22 - Under

Day 8 Round 2: Cardio Power & Resistance and Upper Body Weight Training

Well I just finished Upper Body Weight Training. My plan is to do it 2-3 times a week, alternating with Insane Abs. Why? Because my upper body strength sucks : (. It's MUCH better than it was pre-Insanity, that's for sure, but I still would like more strength in that area. I don't want to have like, P90X arms or anything, I really just want to be able to lift heavier things! Especially since my husband is gone 1/2 the year, it helps to be self-sufficient in that area : ). Speaking of my husband...he has already lost TWO INCHES off his waist in the first two weeks of Insanity. I love him and hate him for this : ). But seriously...I am so stoked to share this with him and be able to be mutually enthusiastic.

Anyway, I still haven't started Cardio Power & Resistance, I'm waiting for it to get cooler outside (I'm a wimp when it's hot). For some reason NO ONE in Washington has A/C, so when it actually does get hot, everyone freaks out and doesn't know what to do. Including me. Oh...by the way...for those of you who have done Upper Body Weight Training, you know at the end how Shaun says something like "Well that's it, good job everybody...now go do...Cardio Power...haha just kidding"...thanks Shaun, thanks : ).
Breakfast
255 cals - 2 Pieces Flax Bread w/Laughing Cow cheese
180 cals - Shakeology
Snack
170 - Protein bar
Lunch
225 cals - Veggie Patty w/Laughing Cow cheese
77 cals- Apple
Snack
170 - Protein bar
Dinner
169 - Ground Turkey Patty (4oz)
44 - Spinach/Romaine salad w/orange bell pepper

Snack
160 - Casein protein shake
1450 - Total
1585 - Budget
135 - Under

Tip of the Day: It sounds obvious...but BE AWARE of what is around you when you're working out. Today I was doing the Heisman and my ankle caught onto the couch and I rolled it. Could have been bad, thankfully it wasn't.

Day 3 Round 2: Cardio Recovery & Cardio Abs

Well, on the bright side, Cardio Recovery is a breeze after having pushed through MAX Recovery for a month. However, it was still easy to challenge myself. This time around I'm able to have better form, and sit deeper into the squat & lunge pulses, whereas two months ago I could just barely get through them without collapsing. It's pretty encouraging to see how much I've improved. I also did Cardio Abs; I would have done Insane Abs but my core was still a little soar from doing it on Wednesday. Plus I was a little pressed for time. I've come to the realization that there really is no better feeling than having soar abs : ).

I haven't had dinner yet so I can't really post my diet for the entire day, but here's what I got so far. OH - also, I got my Shakeology today...so happy : ). I'm going to try Greenberry for the first time tomorrow, I'll be sure to let you all know how that goes.

Breakfast: Casein protein shake w/1tbs instant coffee
Lunch: Veggie burger patty (190cals) w/1 wedge Laughing Cow Cheese (35cals). Don't bash veggie burgers before you try them!! I buy mine at Costco, they are chipoltle flavored and have like 10grams of protein, and they are DELISH. And the best part about them is they only take 45 seconds to prepare : ).
Snacks: Almonds, apple, protein bar

Tip of the Day: Write down everything you eat. Like, everything. Determine your appropriate daily calorie limit, and track! I purchased an iPhone app called 'Lose It' and it has helped me immensely. Every time I eat, I search for what it was, select it, and it adds the calories to your daily log, and tells you how many calories you can eat that day (or how many you are over). You can also create your own food if it's not already in the database. But, if you don't have an iPhone, just suck it up and use good old fashioned pen & paper : ). There are also several free online calorie trackers you can use, just remember to log *everything* you eat.
http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/
http://caloriecount.about.com/

Day 2 Round 2: Cardio Power & Resistance

WOO-HOO! Round II is here!! I had a nice week off after my last day of Round I, but it feels so good to get back into the Insane swing of things : ). I missed it. For those of you who might be curious about what exactly I did on my week off in terms of exercise, here you go. I ran 3-6 miles every other day, with a little Cardio Abs thrown into the mix. I really wanted to let my muscles recover, and just enjoy the mental break. Turns out, the 'mental break' kind of made me crazy. I hated not having the feeling of knowing that I worked my ass off that day, and knowing that my body was changing shape. If you are wondering what you should do during your recovery week, my best advice would be to listen to your body. However, I wouldn't advise anything super intense.

But anyway...back to Round II. I decided to start from the very beginning instead of jumping right back into month two, because I feel that I can still push myself harder and get the absolute most out of the month 1 work outs. And I was right. Even though they are considerably less painful than they were two months ago, I can still push myself harder, and feel just as challenged as I was before. That's the beauty about Insanity...you can take things at your own pace, and I truly believe that none of the exercises will become 'easy' if you are pushing yourself to the max. You can always strive to be faster, jump higher, squat deeper, etc.

My diet today was kind of messed up...I was exceptionally lazy and didn't feel like eating unless it took less than 5 seconds to prepare. I'm also stuck in that frightening time of the month when I'm in between Shakeology orders. I'm not perfect, so don't follow my diet to the T! I just wanted to give you an honest representation of what I'm eating, and what kind of results it's producing. If you want to follow something verbatim, follow the Elite Nutrition Guide : ). Nevertheless...I promised honesty, so here 'goes:

Breakfast: Casein protein shake w/strawberries & pistachios (sounds gross but IT'S SO GOOD!)
Lunch: Protein bar
Dinner: Exact same thing as breakfast.

Tip of the Day: If possible, work out in front of a mirror, and write a short-term physical goal on it with a dry-erase marker. Not only will this keep you motivated, but it will more importantly allow you to correct your form. I just have one of those cheap full-length mirrors and I brought it out into the living room. Hey, it works!

FINAL RESULTS.

Well, I kind of think the photos speak for themselves! It's been an incredible, sweat-filled, muscle-burning 63 days...and I can't wait to do it all over again!!! More than anything, INSANITY showed me just how hard I can push myself, mentally and physically. My definition of 'difficult' has changed, let's just put it at that : ). I'm pretty proud of myself, I must admit. It's a great feeling of accomplishment.