Wednesday

Being Fit...and Losing some Grouch, too.

So, as you may have guessed (or if you've read my About Me page) I tend to get grouchy. Part of the reason I started this blog was document my efforts to relax/de-stress and change my mood.

I already tried a Meditation Challenge....and my zen time was good, I could just never remember to do it!

Next on my list was getting healthier and more fit. I'm far to lazy and do way too much sitting through the day, so getting some activity would be good.

I knew from previous bouts of fitness that:

 More Exercise =  less stress + more confidence + happy endorphins = Less Grouchy!

I want to start by saying that neither T or I were overweight, we were considered to be in a healthy range for BMI and our body fat percentages were in the normal range for our age group. However, we've both noticed that it takes us waaaay too much effort to climb stairs and do other mundane things...we were just very out of shape!

We both wanted to be stronger, have more endurance and, in general, be healthier.

So, T and I, made a decision to get in shape together. The workout needed to be something we would both want to do....so, I guess my pilates videos weren't going to cut it. :) Our decision came down to two programs you may have seen on infomercials: P90X and Insanity. These are both workout programs put out by the company Beach Body. They each cost over $100 to order, but we wouldn't have to shell out money for either of these, since we know people who own them and were able to borrow them (YAY!). We looked at this cool WikiHow article on choosing between the two and decided on Insanity (since you don't have to purchase equipment).

I realize this may be considered extreme to some of you. We could have started jogging daily or doing a simpler program in our living room, but our goal with this, was not only to get more fit, but also to challenge ourselves. The Insanity program definitely fits the challenging bill. For sure.

Gratuitous picture of our cat, Scar. He taunts us by napping on the couch while we work out right in front of him. Then glares at us if we're too noisy....oh, cats.


We've been doing the Insanity program for 10 days now and let me just say it is HARD. Like sweat dripping out of every pore, during EVERY workout, hard. Like try not to cry in the middle hard (I may have broken down yesterday....). However, the results are already noticeable. Within the first two days we felt more energized and were sleeping better. I'm less grouchy throughout the evenings (yay!) and I feel more relaxed as well. After 8 days I noticed that my body felt tighter and more pulled in. Not like I had lost weight, but like everything was firming up. My clothes are fitting better now, too.

I don't want to make this post too long, so I'll do more posts on our nutrition, and such, later.

One thing I do want to say is this: If you are thinking about doing Insanity or a program like P90X, be careful. They probably aren't for everyone. Its pretty fast paced, although they do say to take rests whenever you need to and never sacrifice form for speed. The programs are very tough and you have to be willing to push yourself. So, be aware of that.

However, if you're looking for an interval style program that requires little to no equipment (one set of hand weights...and you can always use cans of beans!) and goes at a slower pace (doesn't mean its easy!), I would recommend Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred DVD. It has much shorter work outs (25 minutes) and gives you modifications of each of the moves, in case you're having difficulty completing some of them. I got my DVD, used from Half Price Books, for only $7. So it's fairly affordable, too.

How about you, are you on any sort of fitness program or regimen?


NOTE: All of the opinions are my own and I was not paid to try any of these products. I paid for the Jillian Michaels DVD myself and the Insanity program is borrowed (aka, FREE).

10 comments:

  1. I've been wanting to try some of the Beachbody programs, but they don't quite fit in the budget. So, for now, I'm just doing old school aerobics in the mornings (when I have the discipline to choose exercise over sleep--ha). Good to get a review of these!

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    1. They are very expensive. We got lucky that we could borrow them from somebody!

      I've found that I have to work out in the afternoon/evening or I will always choose sleep over exercising! :)

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  2. glad to hear your enjoying it, beachbody's turbo fire is pretty good too all you need is a stretchy band thing (can't remember the proper term) that comes with the video.

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  3. Yay for you! I'm starting with baby steps here... haven't had any pop since Sunday, and have been "eating like a diabetic" all week. Next week I'll try to incorporate some exercise.

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    1. Woo-hoo for baby steps! The no pop thing is the way to go, I started by cutting back and had been trying to cut it out completely for a while. I haven't had a sip of soda for about three weeks.

      I've found that when I do drink a little soda now, it tastes way too sweet to enjoy.

      You can do it!

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  4. I tried 30 Day Shred for awhile. It's HARD! Good for you doing Insanity!

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    1. Thanks Hilda!

      30 day shred is very hard! Definitely gets you sweating.

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  5. Exercise really is a great way to beat the grouch. Unfortunately, the prospect of exercising when I'm already crabby makes me crabbier. Vicious cycle? :) Good for you!

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    1. haha! I know how you feel with the extra crabbiness. :)

      Working out just seems like it would completely exhaust the meager energy you already have when crabby. Breaking that cycle is the hardest part!

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