Insanity Final Week - Rome Wasn't Built In A Day

I can't get over the fact that the end of my self-imposed suffering is almost here LOL.  It took longer than 60 days but it was worth every minute, every trickle of sweat and every sore muscle.

When we started Insanity it seems the odds were against me.  I was up against a 20-lb weight gain, in part from the hypothyroid and in part to a slower metabolism due to age. I needed a "quick fix" as the warmer weather was on it's way and I hated the idea of spending money on (bigger) clothes when my closet is full (of clothes that don't fit!)

Even as my husband was selling the idea of Insanity to me I doubted my ability to do it.  The infomercial intimidated me with all those tuck jumps, push-ups and images of people laying on the floor exhausted, about ready to die LOL.  Surprisingly, it was love at first switch kick for me.  The result of my first fit test was encouraging and as they say, the rest is history. 

To date I have lost 6 lbs. which doesn't seem like a lot but it is all I need to fit into my old clothes. My jeans are two sizes down, I have lost inches, gained "new" muscles and have more energy.  My favorite result is the cardio-conditioning, I no longer huff and puff at the slightest exertion.  I didn't think I can love a workout but I love this workout.

Despite losing inches around my waist the hardest thing to come off is the belly fat. It seems that is par for the course for my body type and the weight I gained in such a short amount of time prior to Insanity.  I'm using the Rome-wasn't-built-in-a- day excuse for that.  It's also part of the reason why I want to do a second round.

When I'm officially done in a few days my plan is to take a week's break before starting the second round. No,  there won't be any sitting on my behind all week, I will still be exercising but not to Insanity.

In the meantime, a girl can dream:

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That Place of Gratitude

While waiting at the optical shop I couldn't help but peruse the celebrity lifestyle magazine on the desk nearby.  A quick scan of the articles had me somewhat annoyed at a celebrity quote wherein she feels very blessed to be experiencing life from a place of gratitude.  My first thought was that it is easy to be in a place of gratitude with all that material success, a life with no financial worries, help with the kids, and housekeeping, everyone catering to your every whim and the time to exercise two hours a day!  Okay, even if I get to that place of gratitude I don't think I could exercise for two hours a day LOL.  So that gut reaction tells you the tenth commandment is my stumbling block and that charity is a virtue I need work on :-)

The more I thought about this "place of gratitude" the more I got to thinking about life.  It brought to mind stories of those who carry heavy crosses, those who valiantly plow through everyday with only a sliver of faith and a "fiat" borne out of hope.  I thought of moments in my own life when I could hardly manage a cry for "help" let alone a word of thanks. Is (my) gratitude limited only to seasons of plenty?

At Mass yesterday, an Augustinian friar talked about his missionary life in the Andes.  He spoke about this five-year-old boy who came to him begging for food. Each day that the boy showed up the priest gave him bread.  After a few days, he decided to follow the boy to see where he is taking his food.  It turned out that the boy had a two-year old sister to whom he gives this food, they are orphans.  I have a five-year-old and a two-year-old...I can't imagine.  I needed to hear that and so did my children. 

Since these mission areas are remote they only have the Sacrament of the Eucharist once or twice a year (that's a whole 'nother blog entry).  When he arrives at the villages there is a feast prepared for him. At the suggestion of keeping the food for their own families, the people feel insulted.  They tell him this is their way of thanking God. They thank Him when they have food and thank Him when they do not because He is God, He gives them all that they have. Gratitude in seasons of plenty and want.  I needed to hear that.

I have lived a very comfortable life for more than 20 years since leaving the Third World.  I have grown very accustomed to not being poor, not even in spirit. These little inconveniences that grate at me are not always for a lack of personal culpability.  But in God's mercy, He never abandons even through sin and ingratitude. God is faithful even if we're not. 

While the temporal comforts appeal to me, the gratitude from want and sacrifice is really the place to be.

Insanity Fail Week - Are We There Yet?!

We are finishing up week 7 of Insanity, yay!  Week 6 was a near bust when the vomit bug hit our home.  The youngest child had it first then the husband, then me then the girl then the husband, again.  Out of six days, I was only able to exercise for three and the husband only twice that week.  I won't lie, I enjoyed that break especially that I got to sleep despite that being illness-related. 

This week can't be over fast enough.  I love the intensity of this phase but the length of it, not so much.  An hour of very intense, very fast movement is exhausting.  At 45 minutes my brain tells me I can do it but my body refuses to cooperate. The good thing is that none of the people on the video are completing all the drills either.  It is that crazy-hard and as you know by now, it's the reason why I love it. My favorite of the workouts on this phase is the Max Interval Plyo.  It has a lot of the drills I like (push-ups, suicide drills) in variations that are challenging but you walk away from it feeling like a bad-a**. So now I really have to do a second round!

With week 7 half-done, we are adding an extra week to the original schedule as make-up.  By the end of it all we would have done this workout in 9.5 weeks.  Then I will eat donuts! LOL

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