Oh The Insanity!

So some of  you know that I've been doing the workout program called Insanity by Beach Body.

First of all, let me just say thank you to all my friends and family that are supporting me through this incredibly ridiculous workout plan.

Insanity is circuit training, meaning the workouts progressively get harder not only as you go through the exercise plan, but also through each individual workout!

Usually by the time Shawn T. says we're done, I'm laying on the ground trying to find my life or trying to jug down some water with wobbly legs.

When I first started Insanity, I thought there was no way I would be able to even do it! In fact, I remember telling my coach that I was scared to open the DVD's.. and I didn't for about a week.

But then, I realized that I wanted to live a long life, and I wanted to be healthy... so I made a list of 50 reasons why I'm doing Insanity. When I'm not wanting to workout because I'm dead tired from working and taking care of the house, those reasons motivate me to dig deeper and push through.

I'm now at the beginning of my week 5, which is called Recovery Week. During this week, all the exercises are concentrated on core cardio and balance. It's kind of a "rest" week because the moves aren't as intense. It's essentially prepping you for month 2 which gets EXTREMELY more difficult.

You can't do rigorous workouts like this and keep your  normal diet. Some think that they can, but trust me.. you can't. One of the hardest things about this program is that I need to eat 5 times a day (roughly every 4 hours) to make sure my  body has energy and fuel. So you're thinking: Eating every 4 hours? HECK YA I COULD DO THAT! But let me stop you there.. even though this sounds like a fat kids dream, it's hard. Having to be extra picky at restaurants, looking at the ingredients in processed foods, watching your calorie intake, having friends bring you cookies and you watch your husband eat them all ( ok all but one), resisting those pizza cravings and on and on and on.. but I still have to eat.. so what do I eat? Well my diet consists of this on a regular basis: Egg sandwiches (two scrambled eggs, a piece of cheese, a piece of ham and two slices of bread), regular sandwiches, fruit, protein bars, pasta, chicken, red meat, vegetables (love those peas.. mmmm) and Shakeology (see a video here ). I try to limit my sweets but lets face it.. what girl doesn't love chocolate? So I just try to be smart about it. I have fat free chocolate pudding cups that every once in a while I'll have. I love getting Cliff Bars because they have chocolate flavors, but are good for you! And just like everyone else in my small town, sometimes I get frozen yogurt. But again, I try to be really smart about what I eat.

My husband is really good at keeping me on track. I'll say "Man that pizza commercial makes me REALLY want pizza.." and he says "You don't want pizza! You want ___" and he fills in the blank with a better option and  usually that's what I eat!

I'm sure you're wondering: Becca, have you seen changes/improvements??

Let me tell you this: YES! Though they may not be what most expect. I have TONS more energy, my relationship with my husband is better, I don't feel so self conscious sitting on his lap or when he picks me up, I don't dread getting dressed everyday, I can look at myself in the mirror and smile, I feel good about myself and a whole lot of other things, including my clothes starting to get baggy.

I'm half way through and month 2 I know is going to be difficult, but I've committed myself to doing it, and so I'm going to finish.

This is so much more then "being skinny." This is about being healthy, being able to hold my future grand-babies, being able to try new things and more.

Shawn T. has seriously changed my life and I'm so grateful he and the team at Beach Body put together this at home exercise program.

Because of Insanity, I'm a better wife, a better friend, and a better person.