Insanity Round 2

So, I ended up injuring myself twice in the past 2 weeks (first an ankle post hole digging, then a bruised patella from a fall) and had to lay off my workouts - uggh.  I did a few in between injuries, but decided I really wanted to do another round of Insanity instead of continuing with the hybrid for the time being.  I think I will still throw in some of the Brazil Butt Lift workouts, but commit to Insanity.  So, I did the fit test today and started my second official round of Insanity!

It's Here!

I got this in the mail over the weekend.  This is my new shirt that was free since I completed my first round of Insanity.  Let me tell you that it feels great to rock my shirt!

Priorities

This week we have had the privilege of hosting my father-in-law as he visits.  It has been fun and relaxing.  It is amazing how this time of year it does seem a little harder to workout.  The sun is shining (if only I were a runner) and there is so much yard work and stuff to be done around the house that sometimes it feels a waste of time to workout.  However, I try and remind myself that this is really about long-term health and should be up there in my priority list, along with taking care of my children, cooking, cleaning, etc.  Exercise has become part of my daily routine and I miss it when I don't do it.  So, it has been my goal to really prioritize my health, even when my usual routine is upside down (like over holidays or with company) and maybe I will even inspire others.

Morning Workouts

My boys had a late night last night (oh, past 9), so this morning, when I woke up at 7:30 my house was quiet and one of them was curled up at the end of our bed.  It was nice to have my hubby home for the day, so that we all got a slow start and I was able to do my workout while he did some schoolwork with them.  Today, as part of my Insanity/Brazil Butt Lift Hybrid, I did Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs.  Let me just say that Pure Cardio is my least favorite workout from month one.  The month one workouts start with 10 minutes (or so) of a quite intense warm-up which leaves me dripping in sweat.  Then there is about a 6 minute stretching time before the actual workout begins.  So, by the time you start the "workout" portion of the video, you are about 15 minutes in.  So, in Pure Cardio, you do all that and then there are 16 or so minutes of craziness.  The individual exercises themselves are not awful. but seeing as they are all 60 seconds in length and there is no break between exercises, it is extremely intense.  I have yet to make it through this video without pressing pause at least 3 times (for 30-60 seconds).  Then, to top it off, the last to exercises are suicide jumps and push-up jacks - let me just tell you I fall to the ground when the last exercise is through and don't think I will make it back up.  The last 5 minutes are spent in the cool-down.  The hardest part is that normally Pure Cardio days = Cardio Ab days which means as soon as you think you died, you still have a 16 minute ab workout.  I actually think of this as more of a core workout as it involves a lot of hip flexor strength and low back strength.  Today after finishing both, I had burned 680 calories and I felt every one of them.

The interesting thing that I have found about workout out it the morning is that it increases my mental alertness earlier and I feel much better prepared to tackle my day.  This afternoon, I took my CEN (certified emergency nurse) exam (AND PASSED!) and I didn't even think twice about not drinking a cup of coffee.  I have been slowly weaning myself off coffee (and opting for herbal tea when I want something warm to drink) and I can't say that I miss it a ton.  I still like to have a cup on Sunday mornings during church, but other than that it has mostly been eliminated.  So, that all being said, I highly encourage exercise in the morning!

Eating Healthy

I don't know if any of you are like me, but my life often seems a little hectic!  I exercise 6 days a week, run kids to various events, help with homework (or now that school is out, do schoolwork), do some volunteer work, and cook.  And always at the forefront of my mind is eating healthy!  I love to cook and, more importantly, I am proud of cooking healthy and delicious foods for my family.  Sometimes that is hard.  When things are busy, it is easier to just get a frozen pizza or something, but that is a rarity in our family.  I like knowing what is going into my kids' stomachs and what is going into mine.  So, for the most part, we make most of our own food.  I actually will resume making our bread again when my new Bosch Universal Plus Mixer gets here (my last mixer bit the dust).  Sometimes it is hard to find ideas for good AND healthy food.  One of my favorite websites is Passionate Homemaking.  There are tons of fantastic and healthy recipes.  My kids love the Blender Waffles and today I am trying a recipe for fresh yogurt.  The thing I have found is that often eating healthy and natural is not as time consuming as one would think.  I use my crockpot a lot and normally double recipes for leftovers.  So, this a reminder just try and be creative and intentional with your meals and you won't regret it!

How I Keep Sane!

Some of you may know my story, but I will still post it because it is a large part of the journey I am on!  My husband, Jesse, and I have been married almost 8 years.  About 5 years ago, we decided we were ready to start a family (as if our pets didn't count) and things didn't quite go as planned.  After about a year of thinking this month would be the month, we found out something was serious wrong in the baby-making department and were advised that in-vitro fertilization was our only realistic option for conceiving, so we pursued that.  Off and on for about 9 months I went through daily injections of hormones and a painful procedure and three attempts before we finally through in the towel.  The emotional roller-coaster was too much and all the drugs were taking a toll on my body.  So, in May of 2008, we decided we were done and waited to see where the next road would take us.

A deeply spiritual journey lead our hearts around the globe to HIV+ orphans in Ethiopia and enter phase 2!  We decided to adopt 2 boys, then ages 3 and 4.  Adoption, particularly internationally, is rarely a completely smooth process and we were no exception.  All I know is that it was a full year and 2 days from the time I received their pictures to the time we arrived in Ethiopia to bring them home.  We finally arrived in Ethiopia in September of 2009 and quickly dove head first, off a high dive, into parenthood.  Nothing could have prepared me for the reality of parenting 2 boys, then ages 4 and 5, who did not speak English.  We began sprinting through days and not knowing where the time went.  We also encountered the realities of adopting an older child with an attachment disorder.

However, this blog is not so much about my children or even my life so much as a journey towards health and fitness while balancing motherhood.  As an adult, I have been been active and when we first moved out here we joined a gym and regularly exercised.  However, after 9 months of hormone while doing IVF, I found myself over 30 pounds heavier.  No amount of exercise seemed to help and I will admit that my diet was not the best.  We became pescetarians around this time (meaning we eat no meat except seafood), but still I indulged in cheese and late night snacks and whatever to deal with depression.  So, this was not an ideal setup (even with regular exercise), for staying healthy.  And then as we jumped into parenting, we found that we might be eating healthier, but I could not find time for going to the gym due to babysitting issues.  Enter P90X!

Last spring, I was frustrated with my body and had tried a number of fitness videos that provided me little to no challenge and the gym was just not an option.  I had a friend that was doing P90X, so I read about it and promptly ordered it and began to transform my body.  I made it to about day 80 and school started for my oldest (the one who is attachment challenged) and he had a lot of issues those first few weeks, so I did not finish, but I continued to use the workouts, albeit not as regularly.  At this point, I went from about 180ish pounds (yikes on my 5'6" frame) to 170 and stayed there for about a year.  I continued to workout a few times a week and did spin class 1-2 days a week while both boys were in school (my youngest was in kindergarten, so gone only 3 days a week and I was at school 1 of those).  However, I was still frustrated with my weight and my overall look.  Enter INSANITY!

So, I had heard about Insanity through Beachbody (the makers of P90X) and thought it looked right up my ally.  I completed the 60 days on June 18th and only lost 3 pounds (and I was quite frustrated with that), but also 17 inches from my arms, chest, waist, hips and thighs.  I also started using Shakeology to have another healthy meal every day.  This past week I started a hybrid of Insanity and another program by Beachbody, called Brazil Butt Lift.  The goal is to continue to tone, lose weight, and stay healthy.

What I love about all these programs is that I can do them at home.  On really busy days, I have gotten up before my kids and worked out, but most days I workout as soon as they are feed and either off at school or playing.  Sure, there are interruptions and days I think I just want a nap, but I have continued.  I have found that not only has regular exercise helped me with energy, but also it has helped me battle depression and helped me have better mindset to parent.  I realize, now, as a mom, how important it is to not only set an example with healthy eating, but exercise too!  I am a registered nurse and I see every day the effects of obesity and I am a firm believer that it begins at home.  All parents have the responsibility to teach their children healthy habits and I hope that I am doing my part.  So, this is really why I decided to become a Beachbody Coach.  I realized that I wanted to share with others my desire to see us all healthier and this seemed like a good opportunity.  Hopefully, you will join this journey with me!  I hope to be posting about workouts and also some of my favorite recipes.