Reasons for...............

Very few times do I ask myself to go over my reasons for losing weight. I know I should think about it more because it's supposed to motivate you and keep you going isn't it?
The thing is I started this (my latest) weightloss journey just because I needed to lose weight, I never questioned why or what I'm doing it for.
So (having thought long and hard) here's why I'm losing weight

1. Health:- Heart, Lungs, Knees, Back, Joints etc
2. Mental health.
3. I'm going to live a long time (in the genes apparently) so I may as well make it as pain free as possible.
4. For my kids and their kids and their kids and their kids (Ok maybe I'm not going to live that long but you get the gyst)
5. For my husband because I've threatened promised I will look after him when his lungs are shot because he continues to smoke even though he has COPD (though he says he'd rather be put down).

It's not going to be easy and hasn't been thus far but I will get there bit by bit. I'm no longer aiming for a certain weightloss each week because I've found that's the quickest way to demotivate myself. I'm aiming for some loss every week whether it be 1/2lb or 3lb but the main thing is for it to be slow and gradual because I'm terrified of ending up with loose skin.

Anyway I'm onto the second week of Insanity and yes, I am still loving it.
Today was 'Pure Cardio' again and this is what I looked like by the end of it 

I look at this and all I see is the sun damage on my face round my eyes.

Alot of people that take part in the 'Beachbody' workouts use 'Shakeology' and claim that it really helps aid their weightloss. 'Shakeology' is not cheap though and currently not available in the UK unless you buy from Ebay (and I'd be worried about what I'm buying).
My Beachbody coach has offered to ship it over if I buy it through him but the cost is still too high so I had to experiment with various drinks available in the UK to help get me through and recover from these Insane workouts.
The best by far for me is 'Lucozade Sport' Isotonic drink

"This s**t is bananas y'all"

It sure is Mr T and yet we still do it.
This is the 'Insanity' workout that I dread. 45 minutes of 'Pure cardio' with none of the usual 30 second rest breaks - it's balls to the wall the entire way through.
The warmup is the usual set of moves repeated 3 times with each set getting more manic (Shaun T would say each set just gets faster but if you see me do half these moves - they're manic).
Quick water break then into those glorious stretches - already at just day 5 I can see a huge difference in my flexibility.
Another quick water break and then it's all out flailing of arms and legs (in my case anyway - i'm not the most coordinated of people). Here's those all important moves:

• Suicide Drills
• Switch kicks
• Wide football sprints
• Stance Jacks
• Pedal
• Hooks and Jump rope
• Power jacks
• Level 2 drills
• Frog Jumps
• Power Knees
• Mountain Climbers
• Ski Down
• Scissor Runs
• Suicide Jumps
• Push up jacks (push ups with wide feet)

My legs were actually wobbling by about the Pedal move and by the time I got to Level 2 drills I had screamed "oh s**t" more times than I care to admit.
That S**t was most certainly bananas Mr Shaun T!!! But I smiled cos I love it!
The final stretch is a relief and I'm never tempted to omit that part despite being absolutely cream crackered by that point.


So today was weigh day. I was actually quite OK with the thought of getting on those scales despite knowing I'd not been brilliant all week with my food choices so you can imagine the total and utter disappointment (not) when I remembered that the battery to the scales had died and I was supposed to have replaced it before today. Sucky huh!
So no weigh in today, I'm going to have to trudge to town later and buy a battery and weigh myself tomorrow - guess who's going to be a perfect eater today lol, like it would make a difference.

Recovery? Yeah right!

I think I'm going to have to purchase a dictionary as a gift to Shaun T because todays Insanity was 'Cardio recovery' and I have to say one of us has the wrong interpretation of recovery.
Granted the moves were slower (to start with) and we weren't subjected to such a manic warmup but bloomin eck, a person would imagine recovery to not ....well.... hurt so much.
'Cardio recovery' is basically about strength and balance and includes a whole heap of squats, squats with pulses, lunges, lunges with pulses, plank work, balancing and then some Yoga stretches that I seriously struggled with (and yet I found them so easy during my previous round last year).
The idea of 'Cardio recovery' is to go easier on the body after the past few days of Insane, ball busting workouts and compared to the other workouts it's certainly milder, just don't let the recovery title fool you if you decide to take the Insanity challenge.

Tomorrow is 'Pure cardio' and I am bricking it because basically it's the one workout that I really remember from last time. I am going to need every ounce of dedication to press play to this one but press play I will and I'll love every minute of it. When I hit the floor from exhaustion I know I'll find that one last ounce of effort to keep going because Shaun T has this uncanny knack of making you want to push yourself beyond your limits (most limits are in the head anyways, the body can do so much more than we ever imagined).

Tomorrow is also weigh day - eek!
I know I'll be lucky for even a pound loss because my food choices so far this week haven't been great but I'm dealing! 

C'mon y'all, let's gooooooo

So Day 3 of Insanity started pretty much exactly how I remembered it would - painfully!

Day 3 is 'Cardio power & resistance' and after the insane workout the day before you will need every ounce of willpower and determination to complete it.

The 'warmup' (that term still makes me laugh with disbelief) consists again of a set amount of moves that are repeated 3 times with an increase of intensity during each set - again you get that all important 30 second break between sets. Use those 30secs to crawl to your water.
The moves for the warmup are:-

• Jog.
• Power jacks.
• Log jump.
• 123 heisman.
• Butt kicks
• High knees.
• Vertical jumps.

If you're still alive ( or at least able to pick yourself up from the floor) after those then you move on to the all important stretches - these really do help flexibility as you progress.
After that you're onto the butt kicking workout. Here's how this workout goes:-

• Power jumps:- start in a squat position and then jump into the air while bringing your knees up to your chest and slapping your thigh. Once you land you go at it again and again and again for a whole minute. 
• Belt kicks:- Love, love, love this move, it's a welcome break after the first move. Start in a squat position again and as you stand up you front kick with one leg. Then go back down in to the squat and repeat again and again.
• Hit the floor:- hmmmm can't explain this one because I hate the move.
• V push ups:- Start in the plank position then walk your feet in so that your backside is in the air and your body has formed a 'V'.  Now perform push ups from that position (if you can of course).

30 second water break and then repeat 3 more times.

• Tri-cep dips:- Performed on the floor in a table position.
• Leg Tricep dip:- Same as above but hold one leg in the air.
• Tri cep ball pushup :- Start in the 'V' position but your walk your feet in and bring your knees to your chest (ball position). Do your dips from that position.

30 second water break then repeat 2 more times.

• Hurdle jumps:- Basically running super duper fast on the spot and then hurdling to the side every time Shaun T shouts "jump".
• Globe jumps:- Start in a full squat position with hands touching the floor in front, jump up with hands in the air while leap frogging to the side, then do the same to the back and again to the left and then to the front. 4 jumps = 1 move.
• Moving push ups:- Start in plank position, as you lower your body down move the right hand hand and foot out to the side. As you come back up bring your left hand and foot in. harder than you would think and takes time to master.
• Floor sprints:- Run in a plank position.

So there you are after all that you then complete the all important stretching.


I think soon I will start wearing my heart rate monitor to calculate the calories I burn off during these workouts. It's only a cheap one and can be temperamental but if I can get the hang of it I think it will add to motivation if I can see what I am burning off.

Weigh in on Friday and I'm not looking forward to it. I haven't been as 'good' as I should have been this week and I know it's going to show.
Maybe I do need the accountability of a group after all :(

Balls to the wall.......

Now I remember!
Today it all came back me!
My sudden lightbulb moment? Day 2 & 3 of Insanity are the worst - Ever!
Day 2 because you are so stiff from Shaun T's "Fit test" the day before that even shuffling out of bed is agony and Day 3 because you remember the intensity of the workout from the day before and dread it!

So today was Day 2 for me. The stiffness of every bone in my body and the pain in every conceivable muscle (and then some) had me talking myself out of this crazy ass workout before I'd even shuffled out of bed.
That's the problem I have you see, I talk myself out of things very easily, luckily I've also learned how to trick myself back into them.
Basically I dragged my sorry ass out of bed at 6.30am and told myself  "I'll just workout later in the day", the problem with that theory is that if I don't workout in the morning I won't be bothered by the afternoon and I'll just miss it (been there, got the T shirt).
It has to be a morning workout so I convinced myself to watch the Insanity commercial (that I recorded via Sky TV) just to see what I'll be doing later on in the day (wink, wink) and it worked. Every single time it works! As soon as I'm 10 minutes into the commercial I cannot wait to get going on the workout - awesome!

So this was todays workout - Plyometric Cardio Circuit

45 minutes long this 'workout' will push you to your limits and just when you think you can't do anymore Shaun T will motivate you to 'Dig deeper'.
It starts with a 10 minute warmup but just like the 'Fit test' this 'Warmup' will have you questioning your ability to complete an actual workout.
Basically Shaun T gives you a set of 7 exercises to be repeated 3 times and each set gets more intense, but hey you do get a 30 second break in between sets!!

Next is stretching. By this point the sweat is already dripping but these stretches are just.....well......I love em. Seeing how much more flexible you have become each day is just as satisfying as seeing how much fitter you have become.
Do not omit these stretches!

Now it's time to get real and dig deep! The workout!
The moves in the workout are also divided into parts/drills with a 30 sec break after each set. The sets are repeated 3 times and again the intensity increases with each one.
If you thought the 'Warmup' moves were hard these show you a whole new level of crazy ass working out, it's called Insanity for a reason.

Finally you get to stretch again. The temptation will be to stay on the floor (because that's where you will be by this point) but do not miss this cool down stretch. Not only does it gently stretch those warm muscles but it also helps to bring the heart rate down.

So does that tempt you to give it a go? Think you've got what it takes or just want to challenge yourself? Even if you're overweight like I am you should give this workout a go so why not watch the commercial and see what you think

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6lbvC17OEk

Are you ready to dig deep?

 

"The INSANITY^® workout might just be the hardest fitness program ever put on DVD. Your personal trainer Shaun T will push you past your limits with 10 INSANITY workout discs packed with plyometric drills on top of nonstop intervals of strength, power, resistance, and ab and core training moves. No equipment or weights needed. Just the will to get the hardest body you’ve ever had."

Today was Day 1 of Insanity.
I have to admit I struggled at the thought of it when I woke up at 5.30am this morning knowing that I would need to be out of bed in 1 hours time in order to get going - it was hard!
But 6.30am I was up and dressed and by 7am I was ready to press play to Day 1 of Insanity - The Fit Test!

Let me tell you this 'Fit test' is more like a full workout and will need some real motivation and determination to complete, it would be much easier to give up after the 3rd move than to keep going knowing it's only going to get harder, but Shaun T is a fabulous motivator and is brilliant at making you want to get up off the floor and keep going.
It begins with a gentle warm up and stretch (well gentle by Shaun T's standards anyway)  and finishes with a cool down and stretch.
The 'Fit test' itself comprises of 8 moves and the idea is that you have 30 seconds per move (one move at a time) to do as many as you can and you then record your result, you then get a short break while Shaun T shows you the next move and it all starts again.
Initially there are no good or bad results because you are only competing against yourself - the idea is that over the 60 days of the workout you will take the fit test every 2 weeks and the aim is to prove your own personal result.

So my results for 11/03/2013 (I decided not to compare against my previous round of Insanity last year - too depressing I imagine)
1) Switch kicks = 62.
2) Power jacks = 29.
3) Power knees = 70.
4) Power jumps = 14.
5) Globe jumps = 5.
6) Suicide jumps = 11.
7) Push up jacks = 12.
8) Low plank obliques - 30.

Tomorrow - Day2 - 'Plyometric Cardio Circuit - Ouch!

Are you digging deep today?

Day 2 control

Jeepers Day2 and it's already hard to break those bad eating habits.
We had the day planned as staying home and cleaning out hubbys workshop but something cropped up and we had to pop into town to help a friend out.
If I'd stayed at home I would have found it easier to control what I ate and I started off really well when we got into town. MrSG stopped to fill the van with diesel and asked if I wanted anything out of the shop
"Nope" I replied.
"No chocolate? I have to ask cos I'd usually be in trouble if I didn't" Says MrSG
"Nope" says I resolutely.
"Mints?" asks MrSG
"Nope" says I.
"Cool".
Easy as that - one to me!
Later after we've helped the friend
"Shall we go for breakfast?" says friend to MrSG.
"Course" says MrSG
So off we all go to breakfast. Eggs, Bacon, sausage & beans all round.
One to the evil fat girl inside!

Here's another awkward conundrum. One of my daughters made me this for Mothers day tomorrow and it would be rude to not eat some

On the upside, this next image is my breakfast (before the town breakfast - poops, that does sound bad doesn't it). Normally this bowl would be full to the brim with either Crunchy Nut Cornflakes or Shreddies, however this is down to a mere handful of Shreddies (Crunchy nuts are off the menu now)

And I only added a splidging of milk too.
One to me!

2 days till INSANITY!

Foolproof weightloss tip......

Learn to say No!



Today was/is the day!
Today I tossed that fear aside (OK shoved it temporarily to one side) and faced the scales.
Originally I was going back to Slimming World but having consulted with Mr SG I came to the conclusion that as I know the diet pretty much inside out and because I literally dread the weekly weigh in I would try to do this on my own first. If I find it too difficult to motivate myself and/or feel I need to be accountable to a coach then I will go straight to Slimming World. For now though, I'm doing this on my own with the help of my family.
My first thought was that I need to set myself realistic goals and once I reach each of those goals I will recieve a treat to celebrate it. Mr SG came up with the idea of me getting a garden plant for every 7lbs I lose and me being the keen gardener I am agreed without hesitation, I'm even going to come up with some kind of theme.
7lbs seems most doable, I'm a happy girl.

I know I haven't exactly stated my actual weight yet, but here's the thing, I'm not quite ready to. I know, I know, it's a cop out and I really should be ok about pasting it on my own weightloss blog. The problem is that my family may read this blog and I'm not quite ready for them to know my weight - even Mr SG doesn't know it. I know it won't make any difference to how they feel about me, they love me unconditionally but I'm embarrassed about it and if I know they know then I'll start getting paranoid.
So for now my weightloss tracker (on the right) is tracking my weightloss as I lose weight toward my ideal total weightloss.
One day I'll be completely open and honest about it but for now......................

Basically I need to lose around 70lbs. I'm at the heaviest I've ever been and I'm completely uncomfortable on a daily basis. My knees hurt, my back hurts, my asthma is affected, I have heartburn most days and I'm tired all the time, while alot of those symptoms can be put down to medical problems there's also no denying the fact that my weight is probably also a major factor.


So as of today, this is me

With this motivation in mind

Sunday may be an issue as it's Mothers Day and it can be hard to resist those treats that the kids buy but look what is happening on Monday (widget on the left), yep Insanity is in the building!

All systems go.....................

It's all systems go on the healthy eating and exercise front!
Finally I am just about fully recovered from the flu and a chest infection - yay! Slimming World will see my return on Thursday (I am dreading the weigh in but need to face it) and I start my daily dose of Shaun T on Monday.
I am a full month behind where I wanted to start due to the illness but better late than never and I am slap my thigh, pee my pants excited!

“Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” ~Edward Stanley