Anniversary Pics

I am wearing the same dress that I had on in the other pictures. It looks better now, at least to me anyway!

Day 13 & Day 14

Day 14 was by far my favorite day so far....it was a day of rest. It was a much need rest, especially considering the fact that day 13 was a beast. I am proud to say that after I watched my Colts blow the Superbowl, I still managed to pull myself together and get a workout in. It was hard, but it was a good way to blow off some steam and stress. Not only did I have the complete Pure Cardio workout, but he added in another workout as well. Abs are not my thing, not lately anyway. In high school and college that was a different story, but now, 3 kids later, they don't mean as much to me. I can say this, I was definitely excited by the changes I can see in my body in just 2 weeks. This workout is no punk!! It was worth the money, though.

My knees are not very happy with me right now. It's funny how they never gave me any problems before...I guess jumping 200lbs up and down everyday isn't really their idea of fun! LOL! I have taken a few days to rest them. I wrestled with it for quite some time, saying that i was a wuss and that I was making excuses for myself. Then I realized that all that was the enemy; I have to take care of my body or I will not be able to continue doing this madness. Then I will have no one to blame but myself. So I will start back up either this evening or tomorrow (Thursday) evening. My fit test is the next workout. Hopefully my number will have improved; if you consider the fact that my last numbers were "0" for the last 3 exercises I guess I have no other way to go but up!

I have not had as much time to blog as I would like to lately; grades are due. It's that end of semester crunch. As soon as I get done with the Fit Test, I'll be back on to let you know my results!

Until next time....

Days 11-12

Well, so much has transpired over the past 3 days and two workouts. Where do I begin? Here's a good place; I hurt my need trying to do one of the stretches from the video. It put me down for a couple of days, so I just did the recovery workout twice and then moved on. I learned a HUGE, VALUABLE lesson from it all. Everything they do on the video cannot be done by everyone! I hate that I had to learn it the hard way, but I least I learned it, right?! Since this injury I have started doing the stretches that I grew up with; the stretches that Reggie and Rick had us do everyday for 4 years....and guess what?! They worked! The pain is gone and today's workout was better than ever! Now the pain leaving cannot be solely attributed to stretching; that was nothing but the healing hand of God! I praise Him and Bless His Name for touching my body. Oh, I'm shouting over here. Let me stop, before I never finish what I am trying to say. My point is, if you have never learned the proper way to stretch be careful before you go "all out" doing this Insanity workout. If you have absolutely NO athletic training in your past, make sure that you are doing the stretches and exercises correctly. Ask someone to watch you to perform them. Do them in front of a mirror if you have to!! Just be careful. Don't end up like me.

With that said, I must say that I am very proud of myself for pushing through and not giving up. No more excuses, right?! The hardest part of no more excuses is not letting other people make excuses for you. Once you stop making them for yourself, there will always be someone to step in and make them for you. You just have to keep your resolve and not let them; don't give in. Honestly, there are some mornings that I have to wake up and tell myself in the mirror, "no more excuses." You have to do whatever it takes to make sure that you don't fall off the wagon. I fell off last week, and I promised myself that I would not fall off again, even if that means that I am holding on for dear life!

Now for a workout update. This was about my 4th time doing cardio power and resistance. I made it through the WHOLE video only sitting out 2-3 sets of the entire circuit. It was hard; it took guts. I had the nagging voice in my ear telling me, "your knee is hurt; it's okay of you quit." After using the Word of God to quite that voice, I made it through. A mighty woman of God, whom I love and trust, told me that I should pray in tongues while I was working out. The rationale being that when your in the spirit you don't feel pain. In the soul, or the flesh, your body doesn't like pain or change, and will make you want to quit. It definitely worked today! You should try it out if you have have the chance.

Well I have to go now. I have been busy working out, feeding kids, washing clothes, and cleaning the living room up. I took a pause to finish this, but I must get back to work. This house isn't going to clean itself! (It took me 6 months to realize this!)

Until next time...

Day 10

Day 10 was....I'm still looking for the words to describe it. I am still tired, but really proud of myself for working so hard. I was able to complete most of the circuit training...at least 2 of the 3 sets anyway. It was grueling, and I wanted to quit but I didn't. And that's what is important.

Today workout is scheduled as Cardio Recovery. I am going to knock it out early and spend some much needed time w/the hubby. Sorry so short!

Until next time.....

Stretching w/my baby!

Matthew came in to help me cool down after my workout.

Day 9

Yesterday's workout was nothing short of amazing. The things that I was able to do were shocking even to me. I completed the ENTIRE warm-up, if you count the time I put the DVD on pause, and I was able to go solid for at least 4 minutes. That may not seem like a long time to you, but its an eternity is Insanity time. My body was begging for me to quit, but I found a way to dig deeper and push harder. I was even able to breathe immediately following the workout. It was truly an awesome feeling. Considering the fact that it was only my 2nd time completing the pure cardio workout, I was very proud of my effort and my results.

I still have not gotten back on the scale. I think I am purposely putting it off until I feel like I have made more progress. Since I do the fit test again on Day 15, maybe I'll weigh in on that day and see how much I have lost. I REALLY, REALLY, need to get a soft tape measure so that I can take accurate measurements of my hips, waist, arms, thighs, the whole nine yards. I want to see how much of a difference this is making in every part of my body because I can feel it in every part of my body! I think I'll make it a point to stop on the way home from school today. While I have still been shy about posting my pics, I will definitely post my measurements. Nothing like accountability to others, right?!?

On another note, I am so very proud of my husband who is now on Day 7. He is working so hard, and setting such a good example for our boys. I love him for that! Well, I must return to paper grading and lesson planning! Day 10 workout promises to be a challenge, but I am definitely up for it!

Until Next Time.....

Its a Thin Line Between Love and Hate: Insanity Day 8

I am proud to say that I am back on the wagon, and right now I am loving it. I would be remiss if I did not say a special thank you to my husband, Maurice for helping to motivate me to get back on the wagon yesterday, or the train as he calls it. Though I must say, we have come up with a great new way to keep me motivated; its called $156. It goes something like this: me-I'm too tired, him- are you $156 worth of tired? OR me-I don't feel like it. I have too much to do, him-do you have $156 worth of stuff to do. You get my point right? If for no other reason, I have to finish this program because I spent my hard earned money on it; $156 of it to be exact. So back on the wagon I will stay!

I have come to the conclusion that Insanity/Shaun T and I have a love/hate relationship. When I am thinking about how much my body is improving and changing, I love him. When I am in the middle of the workout, I hate him. When I woke up this morning and got into these jeans (pics to come soon), I loved him. When I walked from my car to my classroom and felt it in every muscle in my legs, I loved him AND hated him at the same time. This is one crazy roller coaster that I am on.

I did so much better on Day 8. Although the power and resistance workout leaves me feeling the worst, soreness wise, I must say that it is my favorite workout so far. I feel so accomplished when I do it. Last night, for the first time, I DID WALKING PUSH-UPS! That right...me...walking push-ups! Last week I could not do a single push-up, not even the regular way. Yesterday I did 12 walking push-ups. To say that I was proud of myself is accurate yet still a gross understatement. I am thrilled with my progress, and I cannot wait to see more! I have to get back to school work now. My break is almost over. Tonight, I believe is pure cardio, which means I'll be puking on the patio again =)

Until next time......

Oh No; I fell off the wagon

So what started as one day off for my anniversary turned into two days off. I didn't eat bad or do anything crazy; I just didn't plan my time well so I didn't get to work out yesterday. I am a little disappointed; well let's be honest, I am a LOT dissappointed. I must have beat myself up last night for over an hour. Then I came to the realization that if God can forgive me, I have to be able to forgive myself. I know that the enemy would love for me to condemn myself and quit. But that's not happening. I am back on the wagon; I have planned accordingly.

On a side note, I have noticed that it seems to be easier to do things when my life is hectic and fast paced than it is when I am off and I have nothing to do. Why is that? Whatever the case may be, you'll here from me later. Insanity Day 8 is serving up at 5:45pm tonight.

Until next time.....