Cue the Insanity...

After a weekend of running, relaxing, and Richmond, I am back on the grind today.  Oh yeah... I ran a 5K this weekend in Richmond, Virginia.  But not just any 5K.  It was "the happiest 5K on the planet":  The Color Run. 

I had a blast!  I had paint tossed at me at several points during the race.  I guess I shouldn't call it a race--there were no timing chips and I certainly didn't time myself.  I can't wait to do it again next year!

After my race, I was plum out of fitness goals.  This is not a good thing.  Without a goal, I become hapless and complacent, trudging through each day without purpose or any kind of caring.  So, I set another goal.

source

And as long as I'm scaring the crap out of myself here, I thought about the one program I've always wanted to try, but assumed I didn't have the guts to complete:  Insanity.

Insanity is a 60-day conditioning program, full of high intensity cardio and resistance exercises.  I'm trying to make this lifelong fitness journey less about aesthetics and more about my total health.  But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'm secretly hoping Insanity will help me get ready for my birthday "freakum dress."   Just sayin...

I've heard that Insanity is tough, but I've seen people get ridiculous results from it.  So I'm giving it a whirl.  Why?  Just because right now I think I can't, and I really want to change my mind. But in order to do it, I have to start thinking that I can.  I can and I will.

source

As far as my diet is concerned, of course I'll be keeping better track of it.  My primary concern is getting enough calories, so I will likely use My Fitness Pal to track my diet.  There is a handy dandy nutrition guide (with recipes) that comes along with the Insanity package, so I'll utilize that to plan my meals.  We're talking lots of lean protein, fruits, and veggies, and 5 meals a day.  I have a basic idea of how I want to structure my meals, so I'm excited to hit the grocery store and stock up!

I'll take before, 30-day, and 60-day progress pics.  I would take measurements, but I never seem to do those right. I will post before pics in the next post, along with my results from the Fit Test. 

Stay tuned!

ETA:  So I didn't post pics on the next post, but they are coming soon!

Did I mention I ran a 10K???

Run4Shelter 10k, Kent Narrows MD

On Saturday, September 8th, I left my house at O-Dark-Thirty in the morn to head across the Bay Bridge to the Run4Shelter in Kent Narrows, Maryland. The race event was held to benefit a local homeless shelter.

Armed with my iPod and water bottle in hand, I started out on a 10K course with high hopes of finishing what I started after the Warrior Dash in May.  I had been training like a beast, running twice a week until the end of July.  My resolve began to dissolve and all of a sudden I stopped caring.  I've been under a lot of stress lately, and have been struggling to manage it.  I know now that I can't let anything else bring me down but we all fall off the horse from time to time.

At the start, I was pumped.  I took off with a swarm of runners, across a bridge and onto a beautiful wooded trail.  There were runners of all ages, shapes, and sizes.  I even spotted a young girl with her father.  I later found out the girl was just ten years old!  I pictured myself as a ten year old girl... yeah I was amazed!

Anyway, I set a *really* modest goal of simply finishing the race.  Then I decided I would finish in under an hour and a half.  I knew it had been a couple of weeks since I had a really good run and that I would need to pace myself.  And pace myself, I did.  I made it past the halfway point before slowing down for my first walk break.  After a sip of Gatorade, I picked my pace back up and headed for the finish.  I ran and walked for a couple more miles after that first break.

Around Mile 5, an ambulance pulled up behind some of us, and I noticed a young lady curled up on the sidelines with an oxygen mask around her face.  I still don't know how she fared that day.  The last mile was sooooo long.  Even once I passed the 6 mile mark, with two-tenths of a mile to go, it seemed to stretch on forever.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I crossed the finish line.  I couldn't believe that *I* just finished a race, much less 6.2 miles.  I imagined me as the overweight, asthmatic little girl who always finished last in gym class.  I hated running and could not jog even a quarter of a mile without literally gasping for breath.  I watched for my time and didn't place among the first 217 runners.  I checked my time online a few days later, and discovered that I completed the race in 1 hour and 21 minutes.  My pace was slow and I did walk for about a mile or so, but I FINISHED what I started, and that counts as a VICTORY for me!

My next goal is to maintain my 10K and improve my speed.  Half-marathon training may be on the map sometime in the future, but I want to work on my pace first.  I joined a running group called BGR, and ran with them for the first time on this past Wednesday.

Since I traveled to the Run4Shelter all by my lonesome, I only have the 2 pictures I posted on this blog.  However, there are professional pictures from the race at the following link:

http://chessiephoto.com/f922952373

To view my photos, enter "rs49" in the search box at the top right.  I'm not sure how long these photos will be available, but I was not about to pay $53.85 to post them here.

Oh!!  But I also found this YouTube video clip of the 10K starting line.  See if you can find me (in the gray Warrior Dash T-shirt--the one with the horned helmet lol) at 0:26!

On to the Next! Updates and other foolishness...

Wow, how quickly two whole months go by!

After four months, I decided to take a break from virtual training to go my own way.  Fitness has become a top priority in my life ever since I set a goal of living a healthier, more active lifestyle.  However, I need to re-evaluate my goals.  I have been neglecting myself in a way I can't really explain.  I'll just say that my soul is sad.  I have not made time for hobbies that used to make me feel happy and productive, like I was tapping into who I was created to be.  Yeah, really. 

My sewing machine is no longer in commission.  While I'm saving for a brand new one, I turned my attention to my second-favorite hobby--painting.  I devised a plan to spend Friday nights with my paints, a glass of moscato, and some great tunes while I transfer my deepest dreams to canvas.  I set out to start this ritual last Friday night.  And then my son got sick.  And then he was up late with a tummy ache.  And I was up with him, trying to coax him to sleep.  And then I didn't really feel like painting anymore, or doing much of anything for that matter.

This happens all the time.  I come up with a plan and I get stoked.  And then stuff happens and my plans get derailed and I don't know how to feel the way I did before-- like conquering the world.

If you come across a remedy for this, fling it my way.  Please?  Thanks.

And then I hired a personal trainer...

By the time I finished my last workout program,  I was ready to try something new.  One of my friends on Facebook was friends with The Get in Shape Girl, and I admit--I did a little Facebook creeping to find out what she was all about.  I perused her website, which is an excellent resource for exercise tutorials and clean recipes.  I read her personal story, and how she struggled with her weight until she eventually did something about it.  She became a personal trainer, and a bikini competitior.  I was totally inspired by her story and was excited to discover that she offered virtual training.  I had always wanted to work with a trainer, but couldn't justify the expense.  I had no idea how much it would cost, so I decided not to entertain the idea at all.

One day, the GISG (as she will now and evermore be deemed as I do not feel like typing the whole name out) advertised a special on virtual training--just $30 a month, plus a free copy of her Bikini Competitors' Cookbook.  How could I resist such a deal?  I signed up that very same day.  She asked me questions about my workouts and diet, and checks in with me regularly.  I often feel like she is right here with me.  The workouts are challenging without consuming too much time, and I can do them at home or at the gym at work.  She even customized my routine so that I can train for the Warrior Dash (which is next weekend---eek!).  She's an awesome motivator, and I'm so glad I made the investment.  I have the accountability I need to keep me straight.  I'm eating cleaner and better than I ever have, and I'm confident that I will reach my goal.  Like, this year, finally.

In the past month, I've lost about 5 pounds.  I've gained much better eating habits.  I'm excited about working out again.  I'm ready to challenge myself, pushing to my limits.  In fact, the GISG just released a bikini workout plan that [I'm definitely going to grab, and] I'm sure will pair well with her cookbook.

Speaking of recipes, I'm working on some new stuff so stay tuned... :)

All about the Female Body Breakthrough

I admit, I've been hiding from everyone/the blog/my life.  Sometimes I feel like a multitasking ninja, managing family, work, fitness, recreation, whatever without breaking a sweat.  Occasionally, I freak out and let the madness consume me.  I get tired, become emotional, get stressed... and work myself into a funk.  And then, I'm paralyzed.  I usually snap out of it after a few nights of good sleep and get back on top.

So, I said I was going to dish on the workout program I've been doing for the past 9 weeks.  The Female Body Breakthrough is a 16-week strength training program, designed to help build muscle mass and lose fat in a reasonable amount of time.  I know a lot of women think that lifting heavy weights will make them beefy, but the truth is that we don't nearly as much testosterone as men do.  So, it's much harder for us to build significant muscle mass.  As you build muscle, your metabolism increases, allowing you to burn fat at a faster rate and burn more calories even when you're not doing anything at all. 

There are four 4-week phases, all with different workouts.  You can also improve your nutrition in four phases for optimal fat loss.  Basically there are 3 major components of fat loss, in order of priority:

1. Nutrition
2. Strength training
3. Cardio

The first phase (Base Phase) has you doing 2-3 strength workouts per week, and no cardio at all until the third week. You focus on cleaning up your eating by eliminating processed and fried foods from your diet. 

Each phase has two strength workouts (A & B) which are alternated each week. There is one day of rest or stretching between workouts, in order to give your body ample time to recover.  For example, if you do 3 strength workouts each week, your schedule looks like this:

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
WEEK 1	Workout A	stretch	Workout B	stretch	Workout A	REST	REST
WEEK 2	Workout B	stretch	Workout A	stretch	Workout B	REST	REST

In each following phase, the workouts change again.  You lift heavier weights for fewer reps, and do more challenging exercises. You gradually add 1-2 highly intense cardio interval workouts (HIIT or metabolic circuits as they are called in the book), and by the third phase, you can add 1 more day of cardio-of-choice.  By then, your workout schedule may look like this:

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
WEEK 1	Workout A	HIIT cardio	Workout B	Stretch	Workout A	HIIT cardio	Opt. cardio
WEEK 2	Workout B	HIIT	Workout A	Stretch	Workout B	HIIT	cardio

This may look like a lot of exercise, but each strength workout is really only 30-45 minutes long, maybe as long as an hour, depending on your pace.  The HIIT cardio takes only 20-30 minutes.  In the book, author Rachel Cosgrove recommends that you only do 30 minutes on your day of optional cardio.  At most, you may be working out up to 6 hours each week.  Considering that there are 168 hours in a week, that's really not a lot of time at all.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to "tone up" or build strength.  I'm sure you'll get excellent results with consistency and patience.  To be honest, I've struggled with my nutrition.  In the book, Rachel has you eating clean and not counting calories until the final four weeks.  For me, counting calories is much easier.  When I can see the numbers, it motivates me to up my protein intake.  I know what to eat to manipulate the numbers, so I trick myself into eating more veggies, less starchy carbs, etc.  I don't eat a lot of processed food, but I do have a tendency to eat too much food, period.  Especially carbs.  Carbs are not forbidden, but you must eat the right kind of carbs (complex, full of fiber--sweet potatoes, green veggies, fruits) at the right times (in the morning or before and after a workout).  I still struggle with carb timing, but I am giving myself time to improve.

My results so far have not been dramatic, and I know it is because of my eating habits. But I am figuring out what works best for me, and sticking with that.  Consistency is what will lead to success.

Random Thursday: Does this butt make my jeans look small???

Oh.
Em.
Goodness gracious, sweet Baby Jesus. 

That is what ran through my brain as I tried to figure out WHYYYYY I could not get my jeans (the same size 10 skinnies that fit so great, a mere 3 weeks ago) up over my tail this morning.  The Hubs reassured me that I was looking "much better" than when I started this new workout program four weeks ago.  He observed that my waist looks smaller, and my booty is rounder.  Of course, he's got no complaints.  Who am I mad at???

Voice of Reason says:  Why you trippin?  You know you are sore as crap today.  Yesterday, you were whining that it hurt to sit down.  So there is quite possibly a whole lotta water being retained in your glutes and thighs, thanks to DOMS.  Or else you are building muscle, and it's probably pushing out the fat before burning that biznatch. And don't forget that your body composition is changing.  You are eating well, working out HARD and generally doing the gollygoshdarn thing.  Either way, there's no need to panic.  Chill out...

I'll admit it.  I was tempted, for a minute, to give up.  But that is sooo Old Me, and I'm trying to find a New Me.  So I'll just press on and see what happens. 


In other news, remember when everyone was cised over these friendship bracelets?

I remember making tons of these in middle school, and selling them for 50 cents a pop.

Target is charging $4.00 a pop.  Maybe I should start my bracelet business back up!  Whatchu think?

Random Wednesday: Intrepidacious(ness)

I made up a word today.

I don't remember exactly how I tried to use it--you know how people talk about experiencing "fear and trepidation"?  I think I was thinking of that phrase.  Which would have been redundant anyway, because--wait for it--trepidation is just a schmancy word for fear.

As it would turn out, intrepidacious (which I was using wrong as the day is long because in-trepidation is pretty much the absence of fear) is not really recognized by dictionary.com as a word.

source

In other news, I had a seemingly 10-year-long conversation with a gentleman at work about why he paid $400 for a blender.  That's right.  He got himself a Vitamix.  His reason:  he was sold on the lifetme-lasting blades and the delicious smoothie demos.   Seriously though, I was jealous.  Not because I'm not ballin quite at the level where I can drop point-4 G's on a blender.  But because I have seen rave reviews and tons of recipes online that I have been dying to try.  For now, I'm content to try out recipes with my Ninja blender.


Why do I always forget that *one thing* whenever I pack my stuff the night before I need it?

The first time I packed myself up early to hit the gym first thing in the AM--I forgot my shower shoes.
No biggie...

The second time, I forgot my bra.
Plan B:  I MacGyvered one out of a bandana, toliet paper, and a couple of staples.  Don't ask.

This morning, I forgot to pack my daughter's snack for preschool.  Thankfully my amazing husband packed her a much better snack than I would have--celery and peanut butter.  Everybody happy.


One of the things I'm diggin about changing my diet is that I have better skin, hair, and nails.  One of the things I hate is the ridiculous egg-farts I get from veggies and dairy and anything that has tons of fiber in it.  What kind of trade off is that?  Sure, I look and feel better.  But now I smell worse??? 

Would you rather be out of shape and smell wonderful all the time (like, ALL the time)...

...or...

...be really fit and healthy, but always smell of egg-farts?

Bikini or Bust

Numero seis on my bucket list is "Wear a bikini."  How's that going, you ask?  Welp...

Two weeks ago, I embarked on a journey called The Female Body Breakthrough, a workout plan designed by Rachel Cosgrove, a renowned fitness guru and owner of a gym called Results Fitness somewhere out in California. The FBB is a 16-week strength training program in which I will be busting tightening my hind parts.  I am banking on killing two birds with one stone on this program---getting into a bikini and training for the Warrior Dash (number 4 on The List).

Many women do tons of cardio to slim down.  I've been there and done that.  Even after losing dang near 60 pounds over a year and a half, my body never looked better than when I started weight training last summer.  This was me before I even started working out:

And this was me last March, when I started P90X:

I've changed my diet quite a bit since starting the FBB.  Since your body needs protein to feed the muscle (and burn the fat), I've been focusing on getting more protein.  I've also been eating a lot more fruits and veggies... sometimes in juice form.  Several months ago, my husband told me about a documentary he'd watched about some dude who did a bajillion-day juice fast.  He was motivated to start juicing for health benefits... so I bought a juicer.  Fast forward a few months, and here I am just starting to use the thing.

This weekend I made a recipe from this book:

Four carrots, one apple, and half a pineapple later...

...I had a frothy orange potion of detoxifying deliciousness. 

I wonder how many more carrot drinks I can have before I start to look like this:

source

10 Things to Do Before I'm 30

I've jotted several mini-bucket lists in my day.  1,299,102,472 things to do before I hit puberty.  23,382,190 things to do before I finish high school.  289,192,018 things to do before the Apocalypse...  I'm a list-makin son of a gun, folks.  I love to start projects.  But I lose interest pretty quickly, especially when there's a glitch in my plans.  And then, it's on to the next, leaving fragments of unfinished projects all over the place.  My life is a lie mess!!!  Well, kinda but not really.  Seriously, I just need to work on my follow-through.  So, I am giving myself until November 17, 2012--my thirtieth birthday--to accomplish all 10 things on this list.  For if I do not, the spell cannot be broken, and I shall remain a beast forever.

Without further ado *toot that horn*:

1)  Create--and regularly update--a blog.  I've blogged a bit before, through LiveJournal and Yahoo Geocities.  I pretty much used my blogs as an online diary, venting my woes to my closest friends and perfect strangers.  *blink*  This blog is perfect for my commitment phobia. It's only relevant until I turn 30.  After my birthday, I can drop it like a hot potato.  Hasta la vista sucka.

2)  Be more social.  This should really say "Be less socially awkward" but you are what you eat, so...

3)  Paint more often.  Ever since I was a tiny tot, I have loved art.  I love drawing, painting, sculpting... the whole shabang.  I took a painting class in college and made a whole lot of crappy paintings, so I'm going to devote the next several months to pretending that never happened, and I am actually an artistic prodigy. 

4)  Do the Warrior Dash.  In case you didn't know, the Warrior Dash is a 3-mile obstacle course chock full of rope climbin', tire hoppin', fire dodgin' adventures. That's right.  I'm a fire dodgin' son of a gun. Training is already under way for the race, which takes place in my home state in May 2012.

5)  Train for and complete a 10K.  Notice I did not add "race."  I randomly decided to start running (like, for the first time in my life) in June 2010.  I did the Couch to 5K program to work up to running 3 miles.  I never actually did a race.  Just kidding--I did a 5K at work before I started running, but I walked most of it.  Anyhoo, I am perfectly happy not running with tons of other people.  I will settle for running all by myself, 6.2 miles straight without dying.  My life will not be a lie.

6)  Wear a bikini.  In a public place, you may ask?  Ha HA! *twirls mustache*  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I haven't worn a bikini since I was 6 years old.  It was black with multicolored stars.  (Just kidding--I wore a bikini to the beach last summer, but quickly destroyed the evidence.)  Why is this a big deal?  I am conquering my weight and body image issues once and for all.  Plus a healthy life is a happy life, cleanliness is next to Godliness, a penny saved is a penny earned...yada yada blah blah splat.

7) Design and construct a wearable garment from scratch.  When I was 5, I wanted to be a doctor.  When I was 8, I wanted to be a lawyer, and then a teacher.  As I got older, I fell in love with fashion.  I sketched constantly.  I watched my mother sew and became totally inspired.  I made my own bell bottom pants, a couple of dresses, a pair of PJs, and doll clothes galore.  The one thing I haven't done yet, is to see one of my own designs come to life.  I'm totally gonna do it.

8)  Sell stuff on Etsy.  Okay, I have to admit--this one makes my stomach hurt.  I wouldn't know what to sell... can I sell my car?  I wish I could sell on Regretsy, because I would totally sell the humidifiers I bought that sound like a freaking airplane engine.  Whatever that sounds like... they're loud, dangit.

9) Grow my biggest fro ever.  I've been growing my hair out, naturally, sans chemicals, for over a year now.  I have no frame of reference for my biggest fro to date, as it's been a jolly good 17 years or so since I last wore my hair un-chemically treated.  If my fro ever made the Guinness Book of World Records, I'd want my pic to be captioned:  "Fro-growin son of a gun."

10)  Take a birthday trip.  I've narrowed it down to two places.  The question is... Vegas or NYC?