Almost fit test time...

I had to skip my workout last night as I had to taxi my family here, there and everywhere to Christmas parties last night - but at least I didn't even have a drink on a Friday night (poor me!). It was me, the cat and a horror movie, with a healthy dinner of low fat pork mince, roasted veg and little squares of potato you put in the oven (not sure what they're called). With a little reduced fat frozen yogurt. Raspberry and choc go really well together!

The day before the workout was tough but actually I think i'm improving.
This morning, before I meet friends for tea, i'm going to do the Pure Cardio and Cardio abs.
I'm annoyed with myself that it's taken me 3 weeks to do 2 weeks of the program, but I had a weekend away and a gym sesh in there.

I'm going to do the fit test tomorrow. Really impressed with myself for press ups compared to what I was doing when I started, although my arms hurt kind of around where they meet my shoulders, like a deep pain. Probably a few tendons in shock! Now i'm going to stick to the plan as much as I possibly can - shame how working late and going away GETS IN THE WAY, grr!

Oops!

The rest day turned into a rest weekend and included Monday - I just had so much on, I was tired, and then on Tuesday I went to the gym with a friend. 

So i've basically lost 3 days of the schedule, ugh! But my husband and I are back on it tonight! It actually works out perfectly on the Insanity diary as we'll do today (Weds) and tomorrow (Thurs) then I said i'd go for a long swim and sauna on Fri with a friend, which is the day off on the schedule. Then i'll do the fit test on Saturday morning - not looking forward to that at all!

My sister-in-law's wedding was so good - endless amounts of amazing food and wine. Every time I drink though I do regret it because I never sleep properly - either my mouth is drier than the Sahara, or I need to pee! Nightmare. Hence feeling worse for wear on Sunday. I did decide to at least eat healthily on Sunday - eggs, then salmon and veg, then soup and toast for dinner.

Last night was good at the gym too - I did more than I usually do actually and it felt easier! Perhaps my body needed a couple of days off...

Tonight is Cardio Power & Resistance. I've got a turkey burger with salad and lentils for lunch which i'm already looking forward to ;-)

The friend I went to the gym with is who I usually go running with every week, only it's too cold now. She commented I already look more toned. Back to feeling positive. I think i'll supplement the gym with the Insanity workouts.

Midweek recovery

Like I said a week ago when I did cardio recovery, it's not recovery, it's just not cardio! Again, not aching this morning after the numerous squats and lunges yesterday. 

This week did feel easier though. I also love the time ticker that counts down along the bottom of the screen. There's nothing worse than hammering a workout and then realising you still have 30 minutes to go. I do find myself getting to 20 mins, about halfway, then looking again and the time has flown down to 5 minutes left! Not a bad thing!

I managed to go to a pizzeria last night and have king prawns in tomato sauce with rice. Husband had a calzone the length of the table and managed to eat everything except the end bit, which is now for his breakfast (!)...

So about to get ready for my sister-in-law's wedding :) exciting!!! Skipping today's workout to do tomorrow. Will let you know how many champagnes I get through today (uh oh!)...

Have a great weekend! 

Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit

Well, let me tell you. That pizza (forgot to say, washed down with a glass of full fat cola) caused me to put back on the 1lb I lost. Grrrr!!!!!

I have to remember that i'm feeling a lot firmer, so weight should be irrelevant right now and I should just concentrate on doing the workouts and eating well, then everything else will follow. I just attach success of diet and exercise with losing weight. 

Last night was the plyometric cardio circuit (another person's full review in detail here). In the plan, it said Cardio Circuit and I thought ooh new workout I haven't done before, but it was a typo as there wasn't a CD with just Cardio Circuit on, so I did the Plyometric - third time in 10 days so slightly boring. But still tough! Have realised it's much of the same as a lot of the workouts - jumping, push-ups, same warm-up and cool-down stretches. Not aching today again which is good!

I also have to tell you, I used fake tan for the first time last night in ages as i'm a bridesmaid this weekend and typically it's streaked. Even though the stuff says on the bottle NON STREAKY. Lots of skin scrubbing planned today in order to get it off! I can't believe I used to be obsessed with this stuff 10 years ago when I was at Uni and looked like a tangerine! :-O

So i've got a weekend of champagne drinking, oh god. Working from home this morning before we go to London so i'm about to do the Cardio Recovery (more toning).

Then going to have my rest day tomorrow and come back and do the workout on Sunday. Hopefully i'm not too knackered/hungover, oh dear! Last wedding of the year :)

Cooked the best meal last night - low fat lamb loin, salad with balsamic and brown rice. Prefer lamb loin to steak, mmmmmmmmm!

Motivation, motivation, motivation

Well i''m still not hurting today after last night's pure cardio. Did it on my own as husband was at a work trip. On his return he actually said, you didn't do Insanity without me did you? Let's do it together tonight! (had to hide the look of total amazement on my face!)

So pure cardio is just as difficult as everything else. Still lots of push-ups which i'm not great at and end up on my knees. Plenty of jumps, my least fave. Hopefully by the end of this blog i'll be telling you i'm doing them til past Shaun T ha ha!

I have to admit, i'm slightly flagging only 10 days in. I need some motivation and keep thinking of the end goal, where I can see a toned, hot body well before bikini season. It just feels like it's going to take a long time and a lot of sweat to get there from this point in time. Uh, I guess it's obvious that fit people don't just wake up like that without hard work! So anyway, each workout i'm putting in my all. Maybe it's just a shock to my system and it's normal to just see the long road ahead when you're near the beginning. I must just remember that i'm a 6th of the way through already and it hasn't taken much time at all. I also keep thinking of when I post the "after" photo on this blog, which is spurring me on!

Food diary....I was working from home yesterday and ate pretty well.... 
Breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs with a few slices of low fat salami and some tea (250 cals)
Snack - Baked crisps (100 cals)
Lunch - Chicken soup with a slice of granary bread buttered (400 cals)
Snack - slice of Weightwatchers malt loaf (100 cals)
Dinner - Went to my parents' for homemade pizza and salad, mmmm...
I would say that was 800 cals...
Then had a 10 cal yogurt with low fat evaporated milk (50 cals)

= 1,700

Calories burned from pure cardio - 600+

Total for day, 1,100...this is obviously rough!

Week 2

Not a lot to report from rest day except that I weighed myself and i'd still lost the 1lb. But i'm getting so hungry! 

I just followed Shaun T on twitter - I expected inspirational and motivating tweets and I wasn't disappointed. The one that resonated with me was "Calories are not the only thing to focus on. In fact, they are the least of your concerns #workhard #focusonform #seeresults"

Last night was Cardio Power and Resistance. I have to say, after 1 day off my motivation was flagging, which is so bad isn't it!! Whenever i'm in a "can't be bothered" mood, I just think how i've never done a workout and regretted it. So I pushed on and pressed play on the DVD and I was very glad I did. Husband said this is the hardest one and I would agree. Lots and lots of jumps so very tough on the legs. I can really feel it in my core too. By the last set, I had to do some push ups on my knees. I'm going to work up to full on push ups by the end, like GI Jane!!! Apparently given my weight I burned 567 calories with this workout.

Foodwise I had a low fat yogurt for breakfast, then a cuppa soup and 2 ryevita mid-morning, followed by lunch which was a can of tuna in spring water (drained), plus tomatoes and about 3 more ryevita. Then in the afternoon I had an apple, half a big cookie (I always crave sugar mid-arvo) plus a packed of sour cream baked Walkers crisps. Then after the workout I had 1 tortilla wrap fajita. The fajitas were a new type which were yummy - they had this coating for the chicken. Deeelish! Then later on I had a 10cal jelly pot with some light evaporated milk.

It does look like I eat a lot!!! I think I average about 1,600 cals.

So tonight is pure cardio...eek! Another 52 days to go!!

Rest Day :-)

Yesterday was Insanity Day 6: Plyometric Cardio Workout (same as Day 2). My husband came back from the stag do and I joked, are you going to do Insanity with me to burn off all those beers? He actually did it with me! And enjoyed it!

This workout was hard going - in fact, i'd say the toughest out of the week. I'm sure if I look through past blog entries I say that every day! This one in particular has an end part which is floor based of in-and-out planks and then side-to-side things. Ugh just horrendous! I was a trembling heap on the floor - but I outdid my husband, however that's because when I did press ups I could only get my arms halfway bent. Very impressed by his press ups. Proper army style. I also like when he takes off his tshirt and is covered in sweat, ahahahhaa! 

Before I did the workout I cleaned the ENTIRE house top-to-bottom. Took about 4 hours. That had to be a workout in itself! In fact, we've both just overslept by half an hour :-/ 

Foodwise:
Brekkie: 2 eggs scrambled, 170 cals
Lunch: Tesco prawn salad, 400 cals
Snack: YooMoo Frozen Yogurt with Pomegranate seeds, about 200 cals
Dinner: Kung Po Turkey with stir fry veg and brown rice, plus a couple of bread sticks, about 600 cals
Snack: 10 cal apple and watermelon yogurt with light evaporated milk, about 80 cals

Total, 1,450 cals

I can't seem to find the calories burned for the workout... say 400.
Then housework calories....say 300

Jeez, could've eaten more really! Haha! Well, this better show on the scales!

Anyway, today is REST. I'm actually going to have a day off but eat super healthily and finish any chores. After a bit of Googling, i've discovered that the rest day is important as it stops your body plateauing (i.e. not losing weight) and allows for muscle recovery, growth and repair. Plus your joints need a rest. The whole program is about muscle confusion so having a day off before starting up again actually aids results. I'm not an exercise expert but the makers claim to be, so i'll follow what they say ;-)

Hope anyone else reading this who has completed week 1 is also doing well :-) please comment below if you have any thoughts/comments about taking or not taking a rest day!

Something strange...

...so this morning i'm not aching. I actually jumped out of bed. Hmm. This seems odd, especially after last night's pure cardio. I think my body must be in a state of total shock. Perhaps it's all the stretching in the program?! Or that i'm not doing loads of weights like I usually do in the gym?! Er, or i'm not pushing myself hard enough!? Either way I feel like I may skip my rest day tomorrow - is that bad? 

Pure cardio was pretty horrendous but I did find myself giving my all and only flaking when some of the athletes on the DVD did, which felt good :-) I still find it quite amazing that you're only jumping around on the spot and not actually going anywhere but, compared to my usual cross trainer-side stepper-rowing machine-weights-abs-gym workout, I feel so much fitter. 

But...i've just realised that because i'm in London for my sister-in-law's wedding all next weekend i'll miss 2 workouts :-/ just before my 2 week fit test! Gah!!! However, tried on my bridesmaid dress (UK 10) and it's looser than ever! YESSSS!

I might weigh myself tomorrow as a Week 1 check-in. I've read that a lot of people didn't lose anything the first month. Obviously they were either building muscle to replace fat, or eating badly.

On to food, yesterday's breakfast was a non fat fruit split yogurt - 100cals, then lunch was a slice of granary topped with non fat salami, egg fried in a little olive oil, some butter spread and salsa, with tomatoes on the side, followed by a 10cal jelly with a little light evaporated milk.
Then I went into town with my mother and mother-in-law. I had a voucher for free cake (yes!) so we actually split the carrot cake into 3 (my portion was then about the size of my thumb, boo!) and I had a cappuccino. Then did my workout and dinner was a turkey breast with a couple of new potatoes, salsa and non fat fromage frais, with broccoli and asparagus. I had another of those chili crackers too! Mmm!

Today hubby is back from the stag do, so i'm going to do Kung Po turkey with brown rice and stir fried veg. Get some good back into him after all of that drinking!! I also need to clean this house, my god it's all gone a bit slack since starting this workout!!! 

They call it RECOVERY?!!?!

Hmm so last night was Cardio Recovery AKA what I would call toning exercises. So yes, I give Shaun T the fact that it wasn't cardio, but it wasn't bloody recovery let me tell you!!! It was a lot of toning up the core with slow moves, squat and lunge work - basically til your legs were screaming.

Well, today I woke up without sore muscles but from the moment I had a small glass of red wine last night I had the mother-of-all-headaches which continued through the night and my head is still thumping. Could be a number of things - work/study stress, dehydration, the wine, or not doing this workout properly... 

I've worked something out - I actually fancy Shaun T, ha ha! *ahem* I think because he's an optimistic and positive person - he always says the right things to keep you pushing on. The PT's in the gym I go to are so arrogant that I don't ever want to approach them. They use about 4 pieces of equipment at a time on 1 person and even when they're not actively using them, they still ask you to leave them alone as they'll be on there in a minute, grr!

So if Insanity goes well then i'll buy the next 30 day phase called Insanity Asylum. I may even quite the gym as it'll be January by then when people go crazy and you can't even find a parking space, let alone a free weight! I do love swimming though and i'd miss that, but is it worth £40 a month to go for a swim a couple of times a week? Hmm...jury is out.

I still can't believe I have today and tomorrow until rest day! I think this will be the most days in a row i've ever worked out! 

Food-wise, I had 2 eggs scrambled for breakfast with some non fat salami, then lunch was tuna salad with a few new potatoes, then I had turkey breast wrapped in salami with a couple of new potatoes, asparagus and broccoli.Then I craved a small glass of red wine with a slice of cheese on these amazing chili crackers I found. Thank god I wasn't in work yesterday as they had a huge charity cake bake and I would've caved in! But anyway, I blame the wine for the headache, although as I write it seems to be subsiding :)

Also, last night I couldn't escape from depressing TV - first life of Pi, so sad that I switched off with an hour left, then Children In Need about these 2 brothers still babies who had a disorder and died from flu together, so I then switched over to a film which was about a woman dying of cancer and how her husband and child coped! OMG. Terrible evening of me blubbing, hence glass of wine!!

Cardio Power & Resistance

Oddly I was actually looking forward to the workout last night. It must be the promise of abs that's getting me off the couch! Husband also didn't go to the gym and did the workout with me again. It's nice to do it together, although he's off to a stag do this weekend so i'll be on my own.

So Day 3: Cardio Power & Resistance. Apparently this is easy compared to next month's workouts, but I found it hard going. I did get all the way through and only once did press ups on my knees. I made sure no heating was on in the house first so the room was quite cold in comparison to the day before where it was like a sauna and I had to open all of the window to bugs!

I had a cheeky weigh in yesterday morning and have already lost 1lb! I go up and down a lot, but these workouts are killing me so i'm sure they're making a difference. 

I'm annoyed I couldn't start on a Monday to get Sunday as my rest day, as I did Bodypump in the gym instead and my DVD's arrived on the Tuesday and I wanted to begin straight away as i'm a bridesmaid for my sister-in-law next weekend. She's on a juice diet (which I couldn't do) so this suits me. So unsure whether to carry on without a rest day, or just have Monday as my rest day. Maybe that's better because i'm normally less tired on a Sunday so can put more time and effort into the last workout of the week.

For breakfast I had a couple of slices of salami and a 100 cal non fat fruit yogurt. For a snack I had sour cream baked crisps 99 cal, then lunch was leftover small portion of low fat turkey bolognese with wholewheat pasta and salad. Had a small afternoon blip for chocolate - only had 4 of those US Hershey kisses and had a 100 cal non fat raspberry jelly pot. Straight after the workout had dinner - 150g sirloin steak, 5 boiled potatoes, salad with balsamic dressing and a corn on the cob with some butter. 

I must admit, i've given up putting everything into My Fitness Pal. I've done it for about a year and it always says I should be 6lb lighter from what i've eaten. I don't measure everything and if i'm under cals I think, oh I can eat a bit more of that XYZ. I know what's healthy and what's not, so i'm concentrating my efforts on making choices instead. I'll write here what i've had most days though but not calorie count too much.

Hubby sweated!

Day 2 workout last night: I'm still in shock that my husband joined me on the workout last night - even though he has NEVER done a workout DVD in his life! 

It was the plyometric cardio circuit session. Absolutely killer. I'm hoping when I repeat the DVD in about 4 days it's easier than that. I'm still aching, but it feels good that it's obviously burning my muscles.

There is no way an unfit person could get through this. My husband was puffing on his inhaler every 5 mins and dripping with sweat and he's so fit. We first met in the gym even! He admitted that it was really difficult - I was amazed!

Thankfully we have lino floors and so the sweat was easy to clean up, ew! Now re-thinking the fact I have a low light in the sitting room, but it's only another 58 days so i'll just have to work around that ;-)

Then for dinner, we had a turkey mince bolognese with low fat Dolmio sauce on wholewheat spaghetti with broccoli and asparagus. I've packed a small portion for lunch today. Breakfast i'd had 2 scrambled eggs, then for lunch a salad, then a 100 cal yogurt. Then got home and had a slice of pie my husband's dad had made, grr! Pie now all gone so that won't be happening again!! I'd worked late and craved sugar, which is so unlike me because i'd usually rather have savoury to sweet. Any who.

So tonight is Cardio Power and Resistance. Apparently from this site I will burn over 600 calories, so this will be really tough (I expected that though!). What I do like is that usually i'm in the gym for over an hour and don't push myself enough, but this workout kills me. My body always reacts quickly to healthy eating and exercise, so i'm hoping to see some small results in the next 10 days.

Also, I can't afford Personal Training at £36 a session/hour. Even the group workouts are £18 per person. Group classes are free at the gym I use but are so repetitive. This was £30 for basically 12 personal training sessions I can repeat whenever I like! After the 60 days, I can still dip into them a couple of times a week. In fact, i've read that some people do 2 rounds.

I ordered a really tight dress off ebay by mistake (it was a medium but a Japanese medium is like an XS!), which is also made for midgets (i'm going to wear it as a top) - hopefully it will fit by New Year! Especially as I over-indulged last New Year at our house party and there's a terrible photo of me looking about 5 months pregnant (I'm not; it was a food baby).

Ouch!

The morning after the fitness test before and i'm aaaaaching :( 

I was looking up a rough calorie burn amount for the Insanity workouts and found this site which is really good.

Yesterday's workout burned 382 cals which is roughly what I thought. 

I'm also keeping track of my food on My Fitness Pal. 

If anyone reading this has any tips/support please comment :)

First fit test complete!!

Oh my god, if this is a taste of things to come then this program lives up to its name!

I thought I could do a workout after the fit test, but the fit test is a workout in itself: about 40 mins worth including warm up and cool down. 

I was pretty puffed but felt exhilirated by the end. I always think you can't do cardio unless you're running or on a cross trainer, but clearly jumping up and down in the air isn't something you usually do in the gym for fear of looking stupid. In my front room i'm quite happy to!

I want the girl's abs who was doing the fit test!! I'll be interested in my fit test score in 60 days time... [WATCH THIS SPACE]

Shaun T's Insanity bought!

There was a deal on for the 10 Shaun T Insanity 12 DVD workout for £30 so having seen all of the commercials and with exactly 42 days until Christmas and 50 days until the new year, I thought I could whip my butt into shape before party season.

As of today, i'm 5ft7, 9 stone 10lb (61.7 kg) - BMI 21.3 (healthy)

I go to the gym/swimming/gym class 3 times a week and usually on top of this do a 4 mile run with a friend one evening. I'm at my desk all day and try to go for a half hour walk at lunch time.

I eat pretty healthily but live with a 15 stone husband so it can be quite difficult to resist the Ben & Jerry's he insists on smuggling into the fridge! I went on the Dukan diet 2 years ago and dropped 12lb down to 8 stone 12 for an event but then I kept the low carb diet up too long (even veg are considered a carb) and fainted so it stopped there and now I eat and drink normally, the 12lb has piled back on, grr!

So as I pretty much just want to lose half a stone and really tone up my middle and thighs, I thought i'd do this intensively and see where it got me. I also have a lot of study, so i'll swim at the gym on a Sunday (insanity day off) but the rest of the time workout at home.

Today i'm going to do the Day 1 Fit Test.

So...the typical before picture...i'm not sucking it in or anything :( I hate this pic ha! I'll try and find a tape measure somewhere to measure myself!