Day 1

So today I didn't do Insanity, but at the suggestion of my friend, I tried a Blogilates video. It was pretty fun, manageable but still tough on my noodly arms. I felt it wasn't enough, after the intensity of Insanity, so I decided to incorporate skipping rope into my routine; 1000 each day is my goal. I think I'll leave Insanity for a while, since I don't really like watching out for spiders, and skipping rope is much simpler; I can just slip on a pair of runners, grab the rope and go. If I get bored, I'll switch over to doing a bit of Insanity instead, but for now I'll stick to skipping rope. My main goal is still just to slim down my legs and stomach, and though I know that spot treatment is not possible, I'm hoping the cardio I get from 1000 skips a day and Blogilates videos will help me with my goal, as well as tone the rest of my body as well. Here's to the beginning of a healthy August! :D

Draft of Day 36 & 37, RESTART!

In the last week I did two days of Insanity...pretty bad. I'm falling off the wagon :( The workouts were just so much more intense and more importantly, time consuming. I have lessons and volunteering after school, which eat up 2 hours of time each day.

This was a draft I started and never completed, which I could say the same for the Insanity program. I'm really disappointed in myself for giving up, but in my defense it was finals time and projects and tests were just pouring in. I'm planning to restart soon, now that my summer courses are nearly over and because of a minor blip in my emotional well-being. I'll have to start again with the first month, now that I lost all of the stamina I built up in that month, but if I did it before, I can certainly do it again.

Days 25, 26, 27, 28 - END OF MONTH 1, wooohooo~

So I've been lazy for the past few days and didn't blog, but truthfully it wasn't all that eventful. The workouts were more tiring than they should be because I didn't sleep well, having to study. However, I do feel stronger and were I better rested, I would power through those workouts. As it is, I powered through the warmup and first part, but got tired the second halves. I need to learn how to pace myself, as the workouts in Month 2 are longer and more intense. No more spider sightings, so I'm happy! Tomorrow I will start Month 2, having wasted a week (I did run a lot, though, so that makes me feel less guilty). I'm nervous but so excited to start seeing results!

Day 23, 24

So Day 23 was Cardio Power and Resistance, and today was Plyometric Cardio Circuit. I'm finding that these workouts are just a tiny bit easier to do, except that I crashed in the second half of today's video, probably because I was tired from Hapkido, and also because I pushed myself a little too hard in the first half. Yesterday wasn't that bad, though. However, I'm noticing that my calves have started hurting, and my rests are mostly due to that. It's never happened before; usually it's an all-over ache, but these past few days my calves have started to feel strained and tired. It's probably not a good thing, but I have no idea what caused it and why. Maybe all the long distance running last week... At least I'm feeling slightly stronger, though. Still no difference in the appearance of my legs :(

Finally Day 21 - end of Week 3, Day 22

So today I finally did the first video of Week 4, Pure Hell, because yesterday was my rest day (last day of Week 3). It actually wasn't as bad as I remember it being; I rested, but nowhere near as much. Perhaps the recovery week helped, or maybe the 3k I did earlier today helped loosen my muscles, but it went by really quickly and I wasn't that tired. My muscles had that warm feeling after, like what I experienced in Day 5. I'm not sure if my body is getting stronger, but I feel a tangible difference today. I did better on the 3k than I thought I would, too. All in all, a pretty good day. Resolutions for Week 4: to do Insanity AS SOON AS I get home, max 30 minutes of rest; to sleep before 1am.

End of my (unintentional) recovery week

I missed so many days I might as well count this as my recovery week, and plow straight into week 1 of the second month after one more week of the first month. I have been moderately active, as I am doing fitness testing in school; I'm running a 3k tomorrow. My family has also made a collective decision to eat healthier, which means more veggies, less meat, and less rice. If I can just keep this up through exams and summer school, by August I will be in amazing shape. I don't think I'll meet my goal, as results will probably take longer to show, but I'll enjoy the trip nevertheless.

So the third week curse was right...

I've been pretty busy with homework lately, but that's no excuse. Busier people than I have found a way to do it. This is the fourth day I missed, so I feel terrible. On Saturday and Sunday I did a fair bit of walking, since I was buying props, and filming a video project. By the time I got home, I was tired, both physically and mentally. I had a 2.4k run on Monday for my school's fitness test. My time improved from 15.10 to 13.15, which means I was an entire lap faster (about 2 minutes). I have Insanity to thank, because instead of giving up and walking, which I wanted to many many times, I pushed through, and walked only when I really had to. I gave myself some time to recover, about 15 seconds, then started jogging again. These short breaks energized me, but I didn't give in to the temptation to just walk for half a lap, which I would have before. I didn't do Insanity yesterday, though. And today was more filming, and just plain laziness on my part. I have more filming tomorrow, but I will try my best to finish the third week tomorrow.

Day 19?, rest day and Day 20!

I could swear I did Cardio Power & Resistance on Wednesday, but I don't remember exactly and I didn't blog about it! I know I didn't skip any days, except for yesterday, which was my rest day. My video was stopped on CP&R, so I guess I did do it. Rest day was nice; I always love Thursdays.
Today's workout got cut short, because it was late, and also because another spider came scuttling across the floor. I'm worried that there might be a spider nest downstairs, in the only place where I can work out. I loathe creepy-crawlies of all types, and it makes me paranoid and jumpy. I can't concentrate if there is even a possibility of a spider sneaking up to me. Please go away so I can breathe easier! I feel guilty about not finishing my workout, since I only did about half of it. Also, today I had a venti frap, so that's a load of calories I should be working off.

Day 18

The tailbone is feeling slightly better today; it's hurting less. Cardio Recovery was again a relaxing experience after all of that intense cardio, but my one pet peeve is my utter inability to hold my squats/lunges for more than 5 seconds at that point in the video. Well-rested, I might be able to get in about 10, and I'd simply collapse out of sheer pain. No matter how hard I pushed myself, I just couldn't do it. I can (barely) keep up with most of the cardio, but this is a whole different ballgame.

Day 17

Pure Hell and Cardio Abs today. That tailbone sprain/injury is really getting to me; my flexibility is affected, and the random twinges of pain are really annoying. I felt weak today, probably from oversleeping in the morning. Cardio Recovery tomorrow will be good for me, if it doesn't overstretch my tailbone. This also coincides with the dreaded third week slump, unfortunately. I'm in pain, tired, weak, and unsatisfied with my chubby legs that don't look any slimmer. I also skipped a lot of days during my second week, so this is like starting all over again,  in a sense. I don't think I'll quit, but I'll might get lazier and skip more. There's nothing I can do but motivate myself as much as possibly, get more sleep, and focus on the long term.

Intense volleyball, coma and Day 16.

So during the 30 Hour Famine, I pulled an all-nighter, spending quite a few hours playing volleyball and basketball (on an empty stomach!) with my friends. It was pretty intense, stupid, but fun, and was probably equivalent to a medium workout. I really crashed for the next two days, though. I slept for a long time Saturday night, woke up, ate dinner, and slept again. No Insanity that day... Today I woke up at about 2pm, went shopping, and to my hapkido class and got a light workout. After dinner, I did the Plyometric Cardio Circuit (my Fit Test video is messed up, so I'll probably just skip that part of the program. I have fitness testing at school to make up for it.) It was harder than I expected; it's been too long since I got such a high-intensity workout. I'm now a day behind again, dang it! Pure Hell and Cardio Abs tomorrow. Only about 27 days, or almost a month left until the Trip, and I'll only be on the first week of the second month! Gotta catch up!

Day 15

Currently enjoying my last meal before the 30 Hour Famine I'm doing tomorrow...which means I'll have to skip tomorrow as well :( I completely forgot that I won't be home until about 6pm, and will have to leave at 9pm for the sleepover. Also, I won't be eating anything, just drinking water/juice/tea, so I doubt I'll have the energy to do Insanity. (I have gym class tomorrow, too...)

Day 14 - end of week 2

I'm not seeing results yet, but I wasn't expecting them that quickly. I can feel that my endurance got a tiny bit better; when I take breaks, it's because my muscles are sore or I'm lazy, not because I'm so exhausted I can't think straight and blindly collapse. Control is the key word here, I think; my control improved.

Pure Cardio was still tough, but I took 3 long breaks in between so most of it was bearable and doable. After that I did Cardio Abs, which was quite laid-back. The only move I couldn't do (at all) was the one where both legs are lifted off of the ground; I literally could not get my body to cooperate. The rest was fairly easy, and a nice extended cooldown after cardio hell.

Now my schedule is nicely synced with the Insanity calendar, so tomorrow is my rest day and on Friday I will start with the Fit Test. I can't miss any more days, or it will throw off my schedule.

Day 13

Cardio Power & Resistance today...I took more breaks than I should've, because my lower back/tailbone was hurting. It doesn't hurt all the time, just when I move in certain ways. That's enough to disable me, because Insanity moves every part of my body. There's Pure Cardio + Cardio Abs tomorrow, which is certain to be hell. I really need more sleep, as staying up late is making me really tired.

*Day 12*

Happy birthday to meeeee! /forever alone

I was actually extremely lucky to have awesome, thoughtful friends, who spent yesterday with me to celebrate my birthday. However, we ate quite a lot of junk food, and I went out with my family for dinner + CAKE! So this next week I need to work harder to burn off those extra calories. It was totally worth it, though. I didn't expect nor deserve so much love from my friends, and I was completely blown away by their kindness and how much they cared about me. It's just a really good feeling to know that you are loved, and I was deliriously happy for the whole day.

Today I did Cardio Recovery, and was able to do everything except holding on to the squats/lunges. My legs started burning within 5 seconds, and I had to stand up. How those people do it, I have no clue. It was pretty nice and relaxing, though, and I got a great stretch. I was pretty scared and distracted for the last third of the video, though, because I saw a spider the size of a quarter scuttling all over the floor I was stretching on! I panicked and had to step on it quite a few times before I actually hit it. For the rest of the video, I was nervously looking around, so I didn't get as good of a stretch as I should have. I really hate insects/arachnids/creepy crawly things. 

Also, I have photos! I'm too embarrassed to post them just yet, though, so I'll save them for the end, when I can see tangible results. 

Day 11 & 3X

So for Day 11, I did the Plyometric Cardio Circuit, which wasn't that bad, actually. There are some that I still can't do, like the left-back-right jumping drills in plank position, which comes after the level 1 drills. My arms are still not strong enough to last that long.

I'm going to skip today, because I was out for the majority of the day and now I have to do homework. Happy early birthday to myself, I guess? I'll definitely do tomorrow, though, which is my real birthday. Some nice, relaxing Cardio Recovery to celebrate my birthday sounds perfect.

I feel bad for skipping so many days, because I should actually be starting my third week tomorrow. I never think about doing Insanity until about 9 pm, and then the clock races until it's just too late to do it. I do hope third week syndrome is not creeping up on me...this week I should have more time. I can do this. "I'm smilin' cause I love it!"

Day 10

Ahh I feel like I cheated today because I did work out, but I skipped some of it, like the last section of the warm up, some of the stretching and quite a bit of the cardio. Even so, "that sh*! [was] bananas, yo"! Shaun T makes me laugh, even when I'm super tired. I think he's a great coach, and will probably continue to make me laugh for the 50 or so days left. My super busy week is finally almost over, and I'll be able to step it up on the weekend and next week. Now to more cramming...I really don't know how I'm going to keep it up when I get even more busy, but I'll try! It'll be easier when it's a habit, and it isn't yet. I think I could've done more if I did it right after school, but lazy me was tired (terrible grammar, I know) and not motivated enough. Goal for next week: allow half an hour of rest time, then get changed, do Insanity, shower, and then dinner.

Day 2X, rest day (Day 9?)

Ugh I forgot to blog yesterday because I didn't have time to do Insanity, and today was my rest day. I swear, this week has been a never-ending chain of tests & stress. I feel terrible for skipping two days, but I just didn't have time. I've been sleeping very late, and not eating very well. I will resume Insanity tomorrow with Pure Cardio, which is hell. I'll need to remember to pause it every 5 or 6 exercises for a short water break, otherwise I'll just end up skipping a lot of it.

Day 8

Yet another test to study for, but I found time to do Insanity today. I didn't push myself as hard as I could & should've, but at least I got myself moving and sweating. Can't write much today, I need to study!

Day X

I'm ashamed to say that I'm skipping today; I have a test I need to study for, and I'm really tired from lack of sleep these past few days. I really hate screwing up my schedule, but I just couldn't stay awake in the afternoon and now I'm desperately cramming. I might have to skip a few days more because I have two more major tests to study for this week as well as a pile of homework, but I really really don't want to skip.

metallic paws - giveaway!

I've been following the blog metallic paws, written by Izzy, for quite a while now. She's been one of my inspirations to get fit, because of her gorgeous, fashionable clothing. I want to be able to wear whatever I want and not be ashamed of my body.

Anyway, she is having a giveaway, and I'd really like to win some of the things that she is offering. It'll serve as excellent motivation for me, and I'd be forever grateful.

Day 7 - end of Week 1

I almost forgot to post today; I'm still so tired after my insanely busy weekend. I did do Insanity today though, with a special guest - my brother! It was nice having someone endure it with me, as it does get kind of lonely since I do it by myself in the cold basement. We did the Plyometric Cardio Circuit (again, for me) and I think it got more endurable. I was still really tired, and took more breaks than I should, but from what I remember, I was able to keep up for slightly longer. This was quite a bit easier than the Pure Cardio I did yesterday. I absolutely LOVE the squat position in the cooldown; the warm rush that runs through my legs feels so, so good.

Since I'm not following the calendar exactly, it was kind of confusing. I'll start fresh tomorrow, though, with the Cardio Power and Resistance video, which I liked. I'll move the rest day to Thursday, and push everything else back one day. I also finally weighed myself, and I'm at 120 pounds instead of the 124 I originally thought I was, since that was my weight a few weeks ago. I'm not sure if that's due to clothing, water weight or whatnot, but that's nice to know. My goal weight is 110, so I only have to lose about 10 pounds. It's funny, because I have a friend who's goal is also 110, but she needs to gain pounds! Ah, if only fat was easily transferrable...

Day 6

I was going to write this post earlier, but guess who fell asleep in front of the computer screen? Further proof that today's workout totally kicked my butt... I could barely keep up around the end. There were no water breaks!  I pushed as hard as I could, but still had to rest at the end of almost each section. The water helped, but not much. This one is a pretty tough workout. I do know that it's okay to take breaks, and no one can really last the entire thing without resting unless they're super fit; even Shaun T doesn't do the whole thing himself, and the others on screen all have to take a rest or two in between.

I read about a phenomenon called the 'dreaded third week'. Apparently that's when many people quit, because they're tired because of not getting enough sleep, bored of the routines, and lazy because they don't see results. I really hope I can power through that and get in awesome shape. I read somewhere else that most women see results in either recovery week or after. Month two will definitely show some kick ass results.

I found my charger, so tomorrow I'll be taking pictures for sure!

Day 5!

Holy crap. By some miracle, since this is only the fifth day (fourth day of actually working out), I actually felt my muscles become really warm. I was still sweating a lot, but instead of strained leg muscles, they felt more and more powerful and loose. I think it might also have helped that I brought along a lot of water, more than I did before. The feeling was really really nice. I don't think it's quite runner's high, but it felt good that I didn't feel dead tired. And I didn't collapse on the couch at all! I did sit down on the floor at one or two of the water breaks, and I did take a longer than usual break to go upstairs to get some water, but other than that I was pretty close to keeping up with the video. Today I redid the Cardio Power and Resistance video, which is what I did on my first day. I really really really hope this isn't a fluke! I expected weeks of huffing and puffing to stop collapsing, dead tired, after every section of the workout. Aaahh I'm so excited. This isn't actually that bad! In the words of Shaun T, "[I] can freakin' do this!" 

Also, I lied about the photos. I couldn't find my camera charger, and I'm too ashamed to have photos of my naked squishy legs on my phone, because my friends might see them :/ I'll try to take them soon!

Day 4

I decided to designate Thursday instead of Sunday as my rest day, as my schedule runs pretty late on Thursdays. Today was an exception; I had my regional science fair, so I got home about an hour ago and it's quite late now. I'm also dead tired, so I will resume my journey tomorrow!

Day 3

Since I skipped the Fit Test, today I did Cardio Recovery. All I recovered was a dull burn in my legs, but that's good. Some of the stretches really burned, and the others, like the plank exercises, were bearable. The squats in particular were painful. That was the best stretch I've had in a long time, though, so I'm not complaining.

I took 'before' pictures (or will take as I finish this post), and if I'm brave enough I'll include them at the end. Fat-be-gone! :D

Day 2

Day 2!~ Still extremely unforgiving, but I took less breaks! This time I did the Plyometric Cardio Circuit, which is about 41 minutes long, and the first half of it was bearable. The stretching was great; it's my favourite part of the workout. The second half, however, consisting of jumps and push ups and the like, killed (couched) me. No matter how hard I tried to push, I couldn't last the last 10 seconds or so for many of them. Stamina, y u no build?! I actually brought a full water bottle along for the water breaks, which I foolishly failed to do last time, so that might have helped. My leg muscles hurt in a good way, which I think is a good sign. Go me! ;D I really can't wait until this is easy, or at least completable, for me. Only about 58 days to go! 


I've decided my motivation is to be able to wear shorts with pride and show off my sexay legs on a camping trip which starts on May 28th. And of course, I want to be able to wear shorts and skirts all summer long, and leggings when it gets colder. I'm so excited!

Day 1

Today (or rather, yesterday) was my first day trying out the Insanity Workout, led by Shaun T. After reading the many supportive and informative posts on Soompi's Health and Fitness forum, I was inspired to create this blog detailing my (hopefully successful!) journey to get a toned body that I wouldn't feel ashamed of at the pool or at the beach. This way I can track my progress, and force myself to work because I'll have to write down my results. Unfortunately, I don't have much control over my diet, since I can't really cook, but I'm trying to cut down on overly sugary or savory things. So...onto a tiny summary of day 1 of INSANITY!

I must say, Insanity certainly lives up to its name. I'm not unfit, but I know that my stamina sucks. I took so many breaks, and I'm ashamed to say I collapsed on a nearby sofa more than once. The 30 second breaks that we got felt like 2 seconds, but the 30 seconds for the workouts felt like 5 minutes each. I didn't do the Fit Test, and started off with the 38 minute cardio workout instead. The intervals were short, but brutal and hopefully effective, as it made me sweat buckets. I think in time, I can probably do it without stopping as much, but it's going to be painful. The stretches provided a much needed break, since I'm fairly flexible already from Hapkido, but it still burned and I was wobbling all over the place. Such sweet torture...this better be worth it!

Day 2 will be just as brutal, I know, but I really hope that this will help me the way PE and Hapkido class never did.