Week 3

Week 3 Tip
They say it takes 3 weeks to make or break a habit.  While that may not always be the case, let's hope that by the end of Week 3 you're committed to making fitness part of your routine for life.  When the stresses of life try to creep back in, don't let them sidetrack you from your fitness goals. The answer is not to skip your workout or have a cheat meal—just get in and Push Play. Working out releases stress-reducing hormones, so it really is the feel-good medicine, physically and emotionally!

Day 15
Fit Test
26 minutes
W: 227 calories
M: 320 calories

Seriously, the Fit Test is hard work!  My husband improved on just about everything, but my numbers changed by only a few repetitions (some more, some less). I'm not especially surprised by this, since I experienced so much improvement during my first round of Insanity, and for many exercises I really feel that I'm doing as much as I physically can do in one minute.  Sometimes the fluctuation of just a few reps is literally just a momentary lapse in concentration, or failing to start at the exact moment Shaun T says "Go."  At the end of the day, I am working hard, and succeeding.

My husband's tests, on the other hand, were quite impressive.  After 2 weeks, his numbers were mostly on par with mine, and I've been doing this for 2 months!  However exhausted you are after finishing the Fit Test, seeing those numbers improve is a great encouragement that you're doing something right. 

My Fit Test #2
Switch Kicks - 143
Power Jacks - 53
Power Knees - 98
Power Jumps - 42
Globe Jumps - 9 1/2
Suicide Jumps - 21
Push-up Jacks - 29
Low Plank Oblique - 85

Husband's Fit Test #2
Switch Kicks - 117
Power Jacks - 45
Power Knees - 95
Power Jumps - 37
Globe Jumps -7
Suicide Jumps - 14
Push-up Jacks - 20
Low Plank Oblique -58

Day 16
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
41 minutes
W: 472 calories
M: 578 calories

I woke up with a sore throat, and just was not feeling like working out today.  Plyometric Circuit is personally the hardest video for me (in month 1), so it took a little more effort than usual to push play today.  But I did!  For my husband and I, so far we haven't had to ask each other, "Are we working out today?"  We are both determined to stick with the schedule, so sometimes it's more like, "When are we going to fit the workout in today?"  I think this is a very important frame of mind to have - never question IF you're going to work out that day.  Just know that you are, and if you have to switch around the time because of a conflict, so be it.  My husband said he still has a hard time just getting through the whole warm-up, so his cardiovascular endurance still has a long way to go.  But we're still pushing through and doing all we can every day.

Today was one of those crazy workouts, where I got an important phone call in the middle of the warm-up stretches, my husband had to stop and re-tie his shoe laces and my youngest needed help in the bathroom, I had to take a potty break in between the intervals, ... just one of those days.  But even with all those distractions, we finished, and felt better afterwards having completed the workout. 

Day 17
Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
61 minutes
W: 563 calories
M: 629 calories

I'm really starting to look forward to my Pure Cardio/Cardio Abs day.  I know it's a longer workout, but it's becoming one of my favorite.  Really pushed through today, had to take a few breaks to allow my heart rate to recover a bit (sad to admit I took a full 30 seconds off of power squats, but then had no excuse during frog jumps - those are so hard!!).  My husband was really struggling today.  He has never worked out this intensely, consistently every day.  I'm a little worried about taking a few days off this weekend, but I think he's secretly looking forward to the break.  We've discussed the possibility of doing Cardio Power tomorrow, then doing Cardio Recovery on Friday after our convention, since it might actually feel really good to get up and stretch our muscles, and then we're only off one extra day.  Hope we can stick to that plan, but it gives me the opportunity to comment on how you can deviate from the schedule somewhat.  Use discernment.  Usually Cardio Recovery is in the middle of the week after two or three workouts.  If you have to rearrange your "off" day to be in the middle of the week, you may want to move Cardio Recovery to what would have been the off day on the schedule, so there's still a cardio break every 3 days or so.  Also, I sometimes add just the floor work portion of Cardio Abs after Cardio Recovery if I'm feeling up to doing a little more.

Day 18
Cardio Power & Resistance
39 minutes
W:  418 calories
M:  551 calories

Today was supposed to be Cardio Recovery, but as I said yesterday, we adapted our schedule somewhat this week to accommodate a 3-day convention we are attending this weekend.  So, after spending our morning packing and driving 2 hours in the car, we arrived at a townhouse we rented for the weekend.  Unpacked, got in our workout clothes, and pushed play.  I could not be more proud of my husband than I was on this day.  I could tell he did NOT feel like working out - this was definitely one of those days he was doing it just for me.  Yay for workout buddies!  But, as always, we both felt better after our workout.  However, big failure on my part as I forgot to pack our Recovery Formula! Rats!  I'm okay without it, but my husband really enjoys the Recovery drink after his workouts, and I think he carbed out a bit at dinner because he didn't have it.

On a side note, staying in the same townhouse with us is a certified Neuromuscular Therapist and fitness trainer.  He had not yet seen the Insanity videos, and was impressed.  We pushed play and there he was in the background, just watching.  I kept hearing comments during our workout such as, "Oh, wow.  That works 'such and such' muscle," or "Those are kind of like 'such and such' exercise."  He also complimented our good form, which was nice to hear because sometimes it's hard to tell what you look like.  Also turns out that working out while someone else was watching pushed me to try harder.  Just a note for all you who have significant others who do NOT want to join you - it won't help them any, but if they watch it might just help you!  Plus my husband just watched me do it the first time, and now he's doing it with me, so you never know!

Day 19
OFF

Muscles sore this morning - did some stretching to alleviate the tightness.  Not scheduled as off, but our 15-minute drive back to the townhouse turned into 2 hours thanks to a horrendous traffic jam.  There just wasn't any time or energy left in the day.

Day 20
Cardio Recovery
W:  217 calories
M:  229 calories

Better day today, and came back from our convention and pushed play.  Cardio Recovery felt great after a long day of sitting.  My husband still can't hold the squat holds for very long, but I'm happy to say I never had to break the stretch during the entire video.  I wanted to do Insane Abs afterwards, but my window of opportunity ended and I had to relinquish my TV access.

Day 21
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
45 minutes
W:  446 calories
M:  568 calories


Technically, day 21 we also took "off".  Our convention put us behind schedule exactly one day, which I'm actually quite proud of considering we were away from home a total of 4 days.  But, I don't want my blog to be off by day number, so just know that technically this is our 22nd day on the program, but only day 21 on the schedule.

With that off my chest, this is our first workout since my husband went back to work after vacation.  We started Insanity when he was still on vacation, so it will be a bit of a test to see how we do now that we're forced to work out later in the day, after a full day of work.  I think we'll make it through the next 2 weeks okay, but a little worried once we hit the longer (and more challenging) Max workouts in month 2.

So, tonight we went out to eat because I haven't gone grocery shopping yet, and I think I just still had too much in my stomach when we started our workout at 9pm. I didn't want to start - I wanted to go to bed.  But felt myself getting into it during the warm-up, and it ended up being one of the best Plyometric Cardio Circuits I've done.  Got through the whole first interval without any extra breaks, and was able to keep up with the 2nd interval, too.  Had a few collapses, but got back up and finished strong.  My husband had a scare when he looked down at his heart rate monitor and stopped dead. "My heart rate is 200, and it's not going down!"  Ran over to look, and turns out a setting got changed and he was looking at calories burned!