Insanity update- one month down?!

I can't believe I finished day 27 of Insanity yesterday!  I've tried to go in the correct order and according to schedule except for a couple of minor rearrangements like when I have to take a day off unexpectedly (then I skip the scheduled day off making it a wash).  I'm happy to report that Insanity is working.  I may not be in the best shape of my life, but my husband and oldest son say they can see a difference.  My arms are more toned and my hips "less wide" (is that a compliment?!)  More importantly, I feel stronger, especially in my legs.  Oh, and I can finally do all the workouts, well pretty much.  Cardio Power and Resistance was the first workout I was able to complete start to finish without stopping.  I've made it through that one 2-3 times now.  I just completed Pure Cardio for the first time a few days ago, though my frog jumps may have more closely resembled turtle hops.  (Don't turtles hop?  Well, you get the idea then.  I may not have been catching much air, but I didn't stop, not even for a second.)  And night before last I completed my first Plyometric Cardio Circuit without putting my knee down.  (My plank form definitely left something to be desired the last time through ski abs and in and outs, so there's still room for improvement!!)  I still haven't made it through a Cardio Abs workout without putting my knee down (tough plank combination at the end), but I also haven't tried the workout fresh, yet.  Oh and there's this killer double leg lift combination that I can't do.  Anyway, I've finished all of month one.

But, I have a problem now.  We're heading out of town June 5-10.  How will I do Insanity on the road?  Somehow I just can't imagine myself sweating with Shaun T. in a hotel room in front of the whole family.  I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate it either.  Especially considering month two is tougher than month one, though it's hard to imagine how.  This could definitely be embarassing.

I think what I'm going to do is tack on another week of workouts to month one then align the recovery week of Core Cardio Balance with our vacation.  Surely a recovery workout won't be as bad to do in front of the fam.  In fact, the kids can join in if they want to.  If it's anything like Cardio Recovery, I shouldn't break a sweat.  Then I can get into month two when we get back from Dallas.  Does that sound workable? 

My tentative plan:

Wednesday May 25:  Cardio Recovery
Thursday May 26:  Cardio Abs and run
Friday May 27:  Cardio Power and Resistance
Saturday May 28:  Pure Cardio
Sunday May 29:  Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Monday May 30: Cardio Recovery and run
Tuesday May 31:  Cardio Power and Resistance
Wednesday June 1:  Pure Cardio
Thursday June 2:  Cardio Abs and run
Friday June 3:  Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Saturday June 4:  Core Cardio Balance (Transition week of recovery between months 1 and 2.)
Sunday June 5:  CCB
Monday June 6:  CCB
Tuesday June 7:  CCB
Wednesday June 8:  CCB
Thursday June 9: CCB
Friday June 10:  Rest (drive home including stop off half-way to see friends)
Saturday June 11:  Fit test and Max Interval Circuit (beginning of official month 2 of Insanity)

Notice how I moved Cardio Abs away from Pure Cardio.  Hopefully I'll get through all the exercises on the workout that way.  At least, this is my plan at this point.

Insanity Update- Day 16

I'm still at it, so I guess it's official- I'm insane.  Seriously, I really like this workout.  Many of the moves are somewhat familiar to me, but I know them under different names.  I jokingly refer to Level 1 Drills as lookin' for the paci and Suicide Drills as pickin' up the paci (I repeat these drills frequently throughout the day).  Ski Jumps are washer to dryer to washer to dryer and Hurdle Jumps are over the dog gate.  Power Squats could be wipe toddler's bottom/nose and Insanity doesn't even have a drill that compares to picking up Calvin in his carrier!  That said, the workout is tough.  But you know me, I love a good challenge!

Insanity is quite the topic around here.  Monk completed the Cardio Power and Resistance workout with me the other night and Measle Bug (7) has been leading Prince (5) in exercise classes each afternoon.  They're really serious about it- as you can see.  The Bug has always had moves.  She would have loved to have been a cheerleader.  She was just born to the wrong parents for that.  Poor girl.

I've been pretty much following the Insanity workout calendar, but I did switch around my day off last week to accommodate our late night at the ranch Saturday.  This meant that I did not get a day of rest before taking my fitness test yesterday.  I still improved in all the drills so I can't complain.  And I probably should have completed Cardio Abs separate from Pure Cardio instead of doing them back to back the day before my test.  Some days I also walk, some days I run on the treadmill and some days I don't do anything but Insanity.  I don't think I've lost any weight, which is ok, but I think I'm beginning to tone up a little more.  The exercises are definitely getting easier!

What are you doing to get in shape or stay in shape?

Insanity update- 1 week in

OK, I know this is going to sound insane, but I'm only 1 week into Insanity and I can already tell a difference in my strength.  I was holding Queen (2) yesterday and had to squat down to pick something up off the floor, like a pacifier, and I thought- hey this is easier than it was last week.  I'm pretty sure she isn't getting lighter, so I must be getting stronger. 

Some of my older kids hang around while I do the Insanity workout and one of them asked what my core is.  I told them I had no idea, but it hurt!  Monk (11), Twinkle Toes (10), and Measle Bug (7) have all enjoyed trying Insanity for themselves.  None of them has lasted beyond the warm-up, of course they do swim 3-4 miles every night!

I asked Big D if he was up for doing Insanity with me.  He said no, but while I did Insanity, he'd watch Hannity.  Cute, huh?  Actually, between his garden, our lawn and his mom's lawn, Big D is getting plenty of exercise these days.  He trimmed our trees today, too, and carried up an unused dresser (as of the 40 bag challenge) to the attic!

In other news, we are praising God that Calvin's CT scan of his head showed that all of his cranial sutures are still open, as they should be.  His skull is a bit warped, but the sutures are open.  He'll be fitted for a helmet Thursday.  We are so grateful to the Lord that he doesn't need surgery!  This is a major answer to prayer!  Thank you to those of you who knew about this and were praying along with us!

A week of new challenges- I must be insane!

As if life with 6 kids weren't challenging enough : ), this week I've embarked on a few new challenges.

I learned about the 60 day Insanity total body conditioning program from Roan at Joyful Always, that crazy woman who just finished her first marathon despite falling in the midst of it!  That should tell you something about this program.  I'm now two days in and feeling quite out of shape, but challenged, definitely challenged.

I'm not a video workout kind of person.  The last time I remember working out with my tv was trying to dance along to my mom's Jackie Sorenson aerobics video.  I think I was 11.  Just when I would get down a move she would have gone on to the next one.  Frustrating.  I'm a simple person.  A simple, uncoordinated person.  Running and swimming are more my speed, albeit a slow one.  This is fun, though, and let's not forget challenging.

The second challenge I'm taking up yet again this week is the 90 day Bible challenge.  Last summer I read through the Bible in June-August, but August was really tough because of homeschool planning and starting the school year a bit early.  I decided to read in May-July this year which will give me August off to get our school year planned. 

This will be my 4th time to read through the Bible in the last year and a half.  This challenge has meant so much to me!  It's the boost I needed to get into God's Word enough to make me really hunger for it.  It's allowed me to make meaningful connections between the Old and New Testaments and provided a framework for the in-depth studies I participate in.  For instance, this year in CBS we studied the history of Israel and the minor prophets.  Have you ever studied books like Nahum, Zephaniah, and Habakkuk?  Thanks to the 90 day Bible challenge I already had the context in which these men of God prophesied.  More importantly, I've grown in my knowledge of God, which has brought me closer to Him.  I see that He's the same God yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  That He is both the covenant maker and covenant keeper.  That He is a God of love and mercy, but also a holy and just God who will judge the world.

And I'm still plugging away at the challenge of memorizing Colossians in a year, working on verses 3 and 4 of chapter 2 this week.  It's almost harder to keep at something for a year than just 2 or 3 months.  I'm loving meditating on the deep Christological passages in Colossians, though.  What a Savior we have! 

I'm grateful for the accountability these challenges provide.  Discipline is tough.  It requires work, whether to bring my body into submission through Insanity or my mind and will into submission through reading and memorizing God's Word.  Please keep the encouragement coming my way and I'll try to pass it back to you!  Sharpening one another is what it's all about, right?

What new challenges are you embarking on?