Insanity Max 30 – Sweat & Sparkle

Smashed

This past week, I was super-strict, logging everything I even thought about eating, pushing myself through tough workouts, all because I was annoyed I didn’t reach my mini-goal last week. Well, consider that mini-goal smashed! I reached it this week, and then some, with a 4-pound loss.

My next mini goal is to lose 10 pounds before the end of November. There are five weigh-ins before the end of November, so it shouldn’t be impossible. Of course, we have the stumbling blocks known as holidays starting in November, so I need a plan. Why can’t Thanksgiving conveniently be on a Saturday, my weigh-in day and “off” day? Hmmph. All I can do is schedule my workouts, make a solid plan, and stick to it.

I got up early this morning and did another Insanity Max 30 workout, and I nearly died. This one was tough! We’re talking burpees with jump lunges after each one, sadistic moves like that. I practically needed a beach towel to keep wiping all the sweat off my face.

After a big loss this past week, I know my loss this week will be pretty small. All the same, I am going to aim for 2 pounds and challenge myself. Here’s to a good week!

86d6ee26d404f6302a5b7823ac5276cf--insanity-workout-motivation-insanity-fitness — *Oh look, another Shaun T quote! 🙂*

I Want My Reward!

To help motivate me along this journey, and to add some fun, I decided to reward myself for every 10-pound loss. Nothing wild and crazy, no Maserati’s here, just little things I usually wouldn’t spend the money on, like a salon manicure.

Last Saturday, I was 0.6 pounds away from my next 10-pound reward. Besides not earning the reward yet, I was just very disappointed with losing 1.4 pounds when I worked so hard last week. I am determined to reach my next mini-goal (and get my reward) this Saturday, so I decided to shake things up again and switched last night’s Insanity workout to Insanity Max: 30.

insanity max 30

Insanity Max: 30, led by my boy Shaun T, is basically Insanity condensed into 30 minutes. No stretching to catch your breath after the warm-up, no breaks, no chit-chat, just hard-core go-go-go for 30 long minutes. So it’s harder than regular Insanity because there are no breaks to look forward to, but it’s also over faster (since Insanity workouts range from 40-60 minutes). And trust me, I watch that clock on the screen, counting down the minutes to the end!

Last night I was straightening up the top shelf of my closet, which tends to slide into a jumbled mess because I really can’t reach it and end up slinging things up there instead of neatly placing them there. I pulled a stack of sweaters down to refold and put back neatly, when I discovered that two sweaters had been shoved behind all the others. I completely forgot I had them! I tried them on, and they both fit. I couldn’t wait to wear one of them today to work. It was like going shopping but not having to spend any money, ha ha. Oh, and it was a reminder to straighten that shelf more often!

Insanity Max 30 Challenge

I was struggling so much last week, with such huge disruptions in my schedule and routine, and temptation everywhere, that I finally said “Enough.” I decided to skip weigh-in on Saturday. I still worked out each day, but it let me take some pressure off myself and get ready for a new week.

Today I am going to start the Insanity Max 30 workouts. I printed the workout schedule and hung it up in our workout room. I am going to modify the schedule, because I refuse to give up my strength training workouts, so I will be using Insanity Max 30 for my cardio workouts but keeping weight training in the rotation as well.

I am going to take my photos and measurements this evening for the Day 1 stats, and I have to do them again at Day 30 and Day 60. Then I send everything in to get my t-shirt for completing the challenge!

I feel excited again and ready to put my all into this. If I work really hard and don’t lose focus, I should be at (or very, very near) my goal weight and goal size by the time this 60 day challenge ends. It was nice taking a few days off, but now I’m ready to get back at it and kick these pounds to the curb. Goal weight, I’m coming for you!

Weigh-In and Wonder Woman

For some reason, it’s been hard this week for me to let go of that one-pound weight loss last week. I was so disappointed, and then it left me worried that my body is going to plateau, hold onto every ounce, and I won’t be able to lose any weight from here on out. Why all the teeth-gnashing and drama? I’ve tried and failed so many times, for years and years, and now that I have made such good progress, I am terrified that something is going to halt my progress, and I will never get to the finish line.

Okay, even I know it’s not entirely rational. But the doubt and worry nibbled into my brain, and now I can’t get the buggers out. I made a few changes this week to shake things up, maybe surprise my body. I figured after nearly three months of Insanity workouts, it’s possible my body is getting used to them. So I switched to Insanity Max 30. Those workouts are shorter but more intense. I did step aerobics earlier this week, and this morning I did a Les Mills Combat workout, just to toss some different styles of workouts in there.

Last night I was hunting for something to wear to work for today, and I started trying on some sweaters and tops that I have had shoved on the top shelf of my closet forever, untouched, because they haven’t fit for a long, long time. I was surprised at how many fit now. Some of them are size medium, which I had no idea I fit into yet! Not all of the mediums, but most of them, fit me now. I divided them into a doesn’t-fit-yet pile and fits-now pile, and I was excited to wear one of the sweaters to work today.

I am both excited and nervous for tomorrow morning’s weigh-in. I really want a good loss to knock these doubts out of my mind.

Oh, some awesome news: in that pile of sweaters that has been collecting dust for lord knows how long, I discovered a long-lost Wonder Woman shirt I completely forgot I had! I had shoved it into that pile when I gained weight and it no longer fit. Well, it fits now, and I can’t wait to wear it this weekend!