Which Comes First... Insanity or P90X

So today was my first real test to see how my body would react to doing P90X after doing Insanity. Actually, yesterday was day 1 of P90X for me and I could tell right away with the number of pushups I was able to do. Today was Plyometics (jump training). If you know anything about Insanity, you know just how much cardio and jumping you do in that program. Well I must tell you, doing Plyometrics in P90X after doing Insanity was not that difficult. I was actually shocked. There were times towards the beginning of the program when everyone on the video was breathing pretty fast and I was breathing almost normal or at best slightly elevated.

When you decide to commit to one of these workout programs, you have to figure out what is the best path for you to take. My journey started with me doing Insanity first, primarily because I wanted to be able to focus on the moves of P90X in order to work on my form without being out of breath. I will keep guys informed and updated with what is going!! Just so you know, having someone share in the experience with you makes it even better! So if you are interested in getting one of these Beachbody programs, take a look here: Beachbody Programs or if you just need to chat about creating a healthier lifestyle, I will be glad to have that conversation with you.

Vitamix Creations 2 Blender Build Quality Review

I started hearing about Vitamix about a year ago and nothing was negative. Then I heard about companies like Starbucks and Jamba Juice that use Vitamix and I was pretty much sold.

A few days ago, we saw a commercial for the Vitamix Creations II blender. I knew we were quickly approaching the time when we would need to purchase another blender because of the fact that our heavy usage was taxing our current blender. Because we were using the blender on a regular basis, I knew that I could look at he purchase as an investment.

Today our new Vitamix arrived. Instead of doing one big review post, I will break it up into two separate posts: Build Quality and Usage.

BUILD QUALITY

48 oz. Container and Blender Base

Cable management located underneath the base

Simple sturdy 2 switch, 1 knob operation

48 oz container with integrated blade system

Close-up of laser-cut, stainless-steel blades

Integrated blade housing, bottom of the container

Top of the motor in the blender base

What comes with the Vitamix Creations II

Know Your Body

When you are working out, especially with a home based program, it's important to understand your needs and desires.With that being said, there may be days when your body feels wrecked from working out. You may be overly tired, sore etc, so what should you do? On days as such, I often take a rest day. You have to know your own body. Taking a rest day is not bad as long as you stay on your eating plan and actually rest. When you continue working out, pick up where you left off and keep things moving. Often times when I do this, I find out that I have a much better and more effective workout.

Insanity... 4 weeks in

We are entering our 4th week of the Insanity program. I really do believe that this may be the toughest workout put on DVD as they have advertised. The 5th week will be more of a core/balance week without as much jumping around and during that time we are really going to focus in on our diet. We have been eating a lot better but it's not quite there yet.

The great thing is, WE SEE PROGRESS! Clothes are getting a lot looser and belts are on the last hole. There is still more work to be done. One thing that I did realize is that on the days with a workout and cardio abs, the cardio abs routine doesn't need to be completed right after the regular workout. An adjustment we are making will be to split the two workouts up during the day. Let's face it, after doing a workout like Pure Cardio, you really don't have all the energy you need to push through the entire Cardio Abs workout with good form.

We are looking forward to phase 2!

Labor Day Double Workout

So much for relaxing on Labor Day! This morning, I headed out to Rosaryville State Park and knocked out 8 miles on the mountain bike with the crew. We took it easy but that didn't make the ride any less grueling. We had about an hour and 30 minutes worth of ride time. After a pretty chill afternoon, I popped in the DVD to take care of my Insanity workout... as my luck would have it, today's Insanity workout was "Pure Cardio". I could feel my morning ride during the warmup!! I did manage to push through and finished the entire workout. Now maybe I can relax and enjoy these last few holiday hours. Kelley is about to get her Insanity workout in, the kids and I will watch. :)

Her INSANE Day 1

Today was Kelley's first day of Insanity workouts. I completed the program last year but decided to join her as she started her first round. She had previously watched me workout with the Insanity program before but today was a reality check for her as to just how serious this program happens to be and the ultimate results that you can achieve. I am really proud that she stuck it out through the entire first workout. She has always told me that she likes to workout hard, but today, she decided to prove it!