Day 2

Note: I am doing the Insanity workout every day. I just might not get time to post about it for a day or two. But I WILL post about my workouts. So eventually y'all will get to see the whole picture. I'm excited y'all. Thanks for following me on this journey.

Today's workout was called Plyometric Cardio Circuit. Amazing! I'm feeling stronger today! I know I'm not literally stronger. I just was able to push myself harder. It felt great! I didn't feel defeated at all. I was confident that I could do the workout, and I did it. It's a great feeling to be working out to this crazy dvd. The instructor is a good motivator too. What I don't like is how much all this jiggly fat hurts when I'm hurling myself into the air, jumping and kicking and such. Looking forward to shedding this layer of fat.

Here's an example of what today's workout looked like.

You warm up with things like a jog, jumping jacks, the Heisman, 1-2-3 Heisman, butt kicks, high knees, mummy kicks, then you immediately repeat it all, only faster, then roll into the set a third time only as fast as you can.

Next is the stretch.

Then the circuits start. First one looks like this: suicide drills, power squats, mountain climbers, ski jumps. It's about 3 minutes straight, you take a 30 second break, and then you  do it again, only faster. Another break. And again, as fast as you. Then there is a recovery exercise of scissor runs. Then we did a mini set of football wide sprints twice. Another break. Second circuit: basketball drills, level 1 drills (go down into plank, jump your feet back, do 4 pushups, then from the same position do floor sprints, then stand up, go back down and repeat), ski abs, in-an-out abs. Take a break. Repeat circuit, only faster. Another break. Repeat again, as fast as you can. Then without a break you do another recovery exercise of jabs. Followed that up by doing cross jacks, uppercuts, and attack jabs. Then you get a break and stretch. AGH! It's craziness!

Stay tuned y'all. More good stuff to come.

Day 1

To start things off, we did the Fit Test. It gives you the ability to track how many reps you can do per minute of certain moves. You repeat the test once every two weeks and focus on trying to improve your numbers. Today I definitely felt like I got my butt whipped. It was a challenge, that's for sure, but I'm glad I got to see what I am capable of. The encouraging thing was that the instructor, after each little exercise move, asked the participants in the video how may reps they just did and how many they used to be able to do-and I did almost exactly as many as they did when they were first starting out with Insanity. It was nice to feel like I wasn't so far behind everyone else. Made me feel good. The only thing is, I was so distracted by my fatigue that I kept losing track of exactly how many reps I had done in a couple of these exercise moves. So when I charted my numbers I had to guess a little. Oh well. Better luck next time.

So now I'll give you all my current stats.

Starting measurements:
Arms=11.5"
Thighs=22"
Waist=35"
Hips=40"
Chest=38"
Weight=138lbs.

First Fit Test:
Switch Kicks=93
Power Jacks=38
Power Knees=67
Power Jumps=15
Globe Jumps=7
Suicide Jumps=10
Push-Up Jacks=10
Low Plank Oblique=36


Can't wait to see how my numbers improve over the coming weeks. Hang in there with me y'all. I need all the support I can get.

Hey strangers!

So, what have I been up to lately?

Well, I definitely have been busy. As I said before, it's hard for me to stay focused with so much on my plate. I have had a lot going on in my life lately but I've never lost sight of the prize. Over a period of about two months I noticed myself hitting this plateau and I couldn't lose anymore weight. I felt like I was just spinnin my tires. I talked to several different people, and the answer was that I needed to change up my routine. So I tried a couple different things but I couldn't find anything that worked for me. It's hard enough to get into a routine with working out but then, to have to change it all up, and almost feel like you are starting over, that was even harder for me. I had to power through a lot of demons in my life and shut out all the negative self talk. It was an ugly mind game there for a couple weeks. But then...I saw this commercial for a new workout dvd.

It's called Insanity.

When I saw the commercial I KNEW it was what I needed to do. That was the missing piece to the puzzle. The only problem....money. So I had to wait a couple more weeks till I could afford to get the set. Found it on EBay for $70.00 when on the "Special TV Offer" it was $120.00!! Woohoo! Missy got a deal!!

I've been doing the workout for a while now. I wanted to get settled into my new routine and get comfortable with this new workout before I talked about it. But they did tell me to journal a lil about my workout every day so I could have something to refer back to when I'm through. So I have journal entries back from day 1 that I will go back and add here for ya'll to keep track of my progress.

So what's Insanity like? In a word....Insane.

I've never experienced anything like it before. The easiest way I can describe it would be to have you imagine doing a circuit of say, pushups, jumping jacks, lunges, and squats for about 30 seconds each at a moderate pace. Then you do the circuit again...only faster. Then you do the circuit again...at break neck speed! Then you go to another type of circuit and repeat the whole process....and so on. But people, it's not as simple as your regular old, run-of-the-mill pushups, jumping jacks, lunges, and squats. No, no. Nearly everything you do has you leaping off the ground. When ever your body has to literally take flight, it really steps up the workout a notch. It takes so much power to do that over and over. For example, one workout takes you from a squat position to leaping straight up in the air, to landing back in a squat position. Some of the workouts are like high school football drills. All of it combines cardio with working out. 2-for-1. It's extremely challenging. If you've never seen/heard of it before I'll attach the promo video so you can see a bit of what I'm talkin about.

Folks, I'm thinkin that taking my workout to a whole nutha level will successfully get me off my plateau. What do you think?

Need energy anyone?

Anyone else out there need a boost in their energy? Thought so. Well there is no shortage on ways to improve one's energy levels, that's for sure. And of course, eating right and working out are part of the equation. But when you need a lil help in the energy department, as I often do, you don't neccessarily want to turn to coffee, sodas, and so on. So what's a better solution? For me, it's SPARK from AdvoCare. It keeps me going all day long (now I'm sounding like a commercial). :-)

They have severaldifferent flavors. I have only tried the Fruit Punch and the Madarin Orange but I like them both. It reminds me of that Emergen-C fizzy stuff you drink to help when you have a cold. It's kinda cool. You can mix it in a tiny drink of water and take a potent lil shot of it. Or you can mix more water to have more of a Gatorade type of flavor. It does mix prety well, but I'd say not 100% just because if you don't drink it immediately a lil bit tends to settle at the bottom. But that's not a deal breaker for me, in this instance.

I've purchased it in the canister for something like $40-$50 and also in a box of individual packets for around $20. Either one is a good deal and it lasts a LONG time.

Nutritional info: It does have all kinds of goodies in it. Some of which are only 45 Calories(!), 11g Carbs, 45 mcg B-12, 200mg Taurine, and 120mg Caffeine (Seriously!), and much much more.

I'm no guru on supplements. All I know is what I like. I take mine super concentrated in a few ounces of water, chug it, and I'm good for the rest of the day. I make sure to eat something first or it makes me jittery. I've heard that some people even have to take half the amount suggested and that's all they need. Either way, it does it's job well.

I don't sell AdvoCare. I just like what they have to offer. I originally heard about it through my former trainer Cindy. She gave us samples to try. I have loved it ever since. AdvoCare is a great company. And they sell way more than just supplements. If you want to know anything more about it you can visit their site.

My soapbox moment: Now I also want to say, I'm not against coffee, myself. I LOVE coffee. But I limit myself to one a day, if at all. These days it's more out of ritual than neccessity because the Spark more than covers my energy needs. What I'm getting at is this, whether you use Spark, coffee, soda, or whatever to boost your energy, you should just be careful how much you have. As far as things like soda, I happen to think if you "have to" have it, make it something you "treat" yourself to maybe once a day. Use it as something you can look forward to in your day. Account for the calories and adjust your food intake accordingly so you are not going over your calories for the day. I think sometimes people view things like soda and coffee as something harmless that they can have as much of as they want in a day's time. But seriously, those calories add up (not to mention the inevitable water retention)! Imagine if you had cheesecake (seems like a more tangible example) as often as you had soda throughout the day. You'd certainly be more conscious of how many pieces of THAT you were eating in a day. But that much coffee and soda is just as bad for you. You have to be more conscious of the calories (and especially the sugar in the sodas) you are consuming even in the things you drink. If you truly LOVE it, that's fine. Hey, I'm not gonna kid myself into thinkin I'll never have coffee again in my life. Just change the way you think about it. Turn it into your "treat" for the day if you must. Don't just mindlessly consume it throughout your day. It adds up! Ok, there's my rant. I'm stepping down off the box now.

**Side note: Again, I was not paid for this review. Just my personal opinions on what works for me.

A word about supplements

Can I just say, it's difficult to find a good protein shake. I went through a slew of different protein shakes, like many people do. Then....I stumbled on The One. I was at GNC and I was actually looking for another shake I had heard good things about (ISOPure). Didn't find it there. So I started talking to the guy behind the counter. He was so helpful. It's was nice to talk to someone who actually sounded knowledgeable! Then he let me start sampling shakes for free. Totally awesome! After I tried a couple then he showed me one that he thinks is the best. It was in this massive blue jug. I was thinking, "Seriously? Who needs THAT much protein??" But once I tried it I was in shock at how good it was. Now folks....a lot of people say this shake or that shake is good. And they are ALL just plain awful. Honestly I think that most people go with the best shake they've tried and think that's as good as it gets. Pretty sad. We all know what most shakes are like. Chalky. Gritty. Nasty. Some are compared to a Slim Fast shake, some are similar to a Carnation Instant Breakfast shake, some are even reminiscint of that Ovaltine flavor. Well all I can say is that this shake was different than the rest and far surpassed anything I had tried before. In my opinion, this is one where I can safely say it's not just an unfortunate choice between a bunch of unfavorable options. To me, it's in a class by itself and puts all other protein shakes to shame.

Soooo, what is it already??

It's called MAX Protein.

I got the huge 5 gallon blue jug. And that size, if I remember correctly, it ran me something close to $80? It was so worth it for how long it's lasted. And like I said I got it from GNC, you may be able to find it elsewhere, but that's where I got mine.

Some important info: 118 Calories, 22g Protein, 1g Sugar, 3g Carbs, 48mg Sodium, 2g Total Fat, 24mg Cholesterol, 170mg Calcium, 95mg Potassium...etc. If you want details on the other vitamins and minerals let me know and I'll email it to you rather than listing it all off.

I really don't care as much about the specifics of the vitamin/mineral content if it is slightly better or slightly worse than others. The BIGGEST concern for me is the flavor. (And this one, it just goes without saying-it's totally rich and yummy!) Cause honest to God, if it tastes like nasty, gritty, chalk I ain't drinkin it! Makes me gag!! And that's the most important thing right? You need to be drinkin SOME kind of protein shake and if you are spending your hard-earned money on something like this then you wanna use it and not hate it and throw it in the trash. Am I right or am I right? :-)

So I obviously love this shake if I'm willing to go into such detail about it right? Well there's more...

FYI: When you mix it up, of course it's a lil easier if you have a shaker, the faster you shake it the easier it tends to mix. I rarely have a problem with it. If it happens to not mix as well, I actually let it sit for like 5 mins and then shake it up again. (To anyone who may not know, if you don't shake it up immediately the mix tends to clump together while it's just sitting there. So I let it sit and let the water soak into the mix then shake it again and that solves the problem for me.) I've never encountered a protein shake that mixed SO well. It actually mixes COMPLETELY smooth. Not a trace of gritty chalkiness. (Did I just make up that word?) It does NOT have that thick, chunky, almost slimey sort of texture to it. THANK GOODNESS! It's thinner than a milk sort of consistency. You know that premixed chocolate milk you can buy? It's thinner than that. You just have to try it to see what I'm talking about. If you really wanna know, go to a GNC, ask them for a sample of it since you've heard me rave about it.

**Side note: I've been advised to say that I was not paid to post this review. Just giving my opinion for free to help anyone out there that's in the market for a GOOD protein shake. So I hope ya'll found this information helpful.

Note-to-self:

In the future, thou shalt not attempt to start up a new business whilst in the middle of making sweeping lifestyle changes. Not a good idea.


Explanation:

As I'm sure I've said before I'm only able to give 100% to one thing at a time. If I have to split my focus something will always suffer. Starting a new business meant my focus had to be split between working out, being a mom, and the new biz. Which translates lately to 60% of my time going to the biz, 30% of my time going to my son, and 10% of my time going toward working out. Not good. So after talks with The Hubs, I decided to rearrange my priorities to include less time toward the biz and more time to working out and having fun with my son. I don't know any situation where any of these things could be perfectly balanced. And it's certainly not possible for them all to get 100% of my time and attention. I don't like that but I'm learning to accept it. So....I'm off to workout. Praise. The. LORD!

This one's for The Hubs

A song I'm dedicating to my love.

5am!?! Are you CRAZY?!?

If you read my last post then you know I've been a little busy lately.

In my life it seems that either nothing is happening at all, or everything is happening all at the same time. I rather like it when nothing is happening at all. :-) And I get tremendously stressed when everything happens at the same time. :-{

I don't deal with stress well. I tend to shut down. How do I fix that? I have no idea. I'm the type of person who can give 100% effort to only one thing at a time, and for a while now that's been me working out. And that's been WONDERFUL! But I don't do well when I have to split my focus into a bunch of different things at the same time. Something always suffers. I've not been capable of giving 100% to several things at once. It just doesn't seem to compute with me, I don't know why. It's more like 30% here, 40% there, 20% over here, and 10% on that. It sucks. Currently I've had something like 5 days without working out because I've had so much stuff on my plate (but yes I've still been behaving on what I eat--don't want to move backward on that scale that's for sure!).

I've been used to working out for 2 hours at a time and that's hard to fit in right now. Most people use the arguement that if you've got 10, 20, even 30 minutes to work out then there's no excuse for you not to work out. While that is true and all, I like my 2 hour work out. I feel productive and successful each time. It's just the way I like it. It just only seems to work when I've got nothing else going on in my life. (Yes, I do have a very boring life normally. Ha!)

Now I can make a choice to shorten my work out for the time being, or I could work out earlier in the day. I don't like shortening my work out, though that's still a possibility. The thing is, when I need to change something in my life, the things God tells me I need to do MOST are the things I want to do LEAST (is this true for any of ya'll as well, possibly.). What are those things in my life? I feel compelled to change my routine to a 5am work out to save time during the day. But I've always made excuses why I shouldn't....and that's the key right there. It's the thing I want to do LEAST. I'm not a morning person, AT ALL. So to me the thought of waking up even earlier than normal makes me want to curl up into the fetal position, and whine and cry like a baby. Why do I hesitate on this so much??

What I've found to be true in the past is that things I've procrastinated on, turn out to be the quickest, easiest things, and then I wonder why I put it off and made such a big deal out of it. So still, why am I dragging my feet about this?? I think part of it is my fear of the unknown. I like to have the answers. I like to know what's going to happen. AND my fear of failure. I've had this work out routine down for the last 2 months and it's felt great. I've had the wonderful opportunity to put 100% focus on it. I'm thankful I've had that opportunity. I've had the chance to take it slow, pace myself, and establish a great routine, one that I know I will continue to be successful at. I just have this fear that changing up that routine will cause me to fail.

So a 5am work out. That's new. I can do the same things I've been doing, just earlier. I get to start my day when a lot of other people's day starts. It'll feel like I have more hours in my day. There are waaaay less things to distract me at that hour also, which is really a huge benefit. So, even though I'm freaked out about it, I'm going to try it. Worst case scenerio, I could switch to a shorter work out and save time, which is not a bad thing. I'd just like to request some support and especially encouragement from ya'll on this one. I know it's strange of me to ask ya'll for help but I need it on this one. Ya'll really keep me going. This is a busy and stressful period of upheaval and change in my life right now and I don't deal with it well at all. I kinda need to lean on you for a little bit if you don't mind.

Yes, I did actually fall off the face of the earth...

So, clearly I've been busy lately. I've been dealing with a lot of chaos in my life. It's just been one of those times that pop up in my life where suddenly I have a bunch of things that need to get done all at the same time. I've felt overwhelmed and stressed out to the max. It's been a challenge.

One of the many things that's kept me busy is that I've been trying to finish an order I recieved for 5 floral arrangements. But I've only been able to do a little here, a little there, and the project has really been strung out. I've had many interruptions of other things that I needed to stop and do, delaying the order. So many different things I can't even remember them all. Ugh.

And then there's tax time creeping up. Stress. Procrastination. Stress.

And I took on the rather daunting task of making 2-3 weeks worth of meals all at once and then freezing them. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Due to poor planning and time management though, it turned into a 2-day ordeal. 12 meals split up into individual servings, placed in tupperware and frozen. I've heard of people doing that, just never had the guts to try it. But I did. A bomb exploded in my kitchen and the rest of my house in the process. It's all good though. We saved money....in the long run I'll be saving time....and hey, I don't have to worry about wasting leftovers. So it's great. Maybe I'll make a separate post about that later.

Now about this messy house.....

In the meantime, ALL of this stuff has kept me from starting a new business endevor with the Hubs. Yes, this puts any thoughts of being a personal trainer on hold, but it's for a good reason. We've been desperate for money recently and this new business is what could really solve that problem for us and quick! I've just needed to take care of these other things first.

Was it neccessary to share all that with you? Probably not. Just felt like explaining what's been going on with me lately. I know ya'll have just been on the edge of your seats wondering about me. ;-)