Case of the Mondays

I have a doctor's appointment on Monday. From there, I'll be able to tell how bad things are, get a shot or something, maybe medication, and continue on with Month 2. I have been trying to go about life without wearing the brace but it's definitely not helping me. I can feel my hard work diminishing from my body :(


All I know is I'm ready for Monday!

Another Setback

So Month 2 isn't going to happen for another week. The mild pain in the back of my knee has become more consistent and has went from a 2 to a 5 (1 being weak, 10 being intense pain). It  isn't a pain that makes  me stop in my tracks and cry but it has increased in a short amount of time and that scares me. I need to see my physician but I know he will ban me from dancing for at least 3 weeks (he always does) and he may even put me on crutches again. Walking across MTSU's campus on crutches is HELL. I refuse to do that ever again! Plus I have dance midterms this week. Sitting out is not an option.

For now I am giving myself the week off. I started the Max Interval Circuit series on Friday but I didn't make it through the entire thing due to my knee pain getting way more intense than I expected. There was a lot of jumping and lunging and I couldn't handle it at the time even with the knee brace.

I'm very frustrated that something else has come up to turn 60 days into 4000 days but at the same time I am confident that I will get back on track. To be safe, I will have to see my physician after my dance exams are over, however, if he puts me on crutches, I will throw them in the closet and continue my daily activities.
Until next time...

<3, Peace, & K-pop y'all!

INSANITY MONTH1: DONE!

So I haven't given up on INSANITY. My computer has been in the shop though. I just completed my RECOVERY WEEK which consisted of 6 days of Core Cardio & Balance with 1 rest day. Tomorrow starts my Month 2 and I am absolutely terrified. Plus workouts have been extended to an hour rather than 40 minutes.

I had to buy a knee brace because between INSANITY and my technique classes, my knees seem to have some sort of built up tension. Sometimes I feel like they are going to overshift (if that's possible). I overextended my left knee a while back and I deal with a mild pain behind my knee. Apparently I've inflamed my bicep femoris. I haven't been icing it but since the pain has been going on for a while, I'll go ahead and start.

My stomach is getting toned and I am excited. I can't believe I committed to something for an entire month working out 6 days a week. I feel so accomplished and scared lol.

Anyways, here's a sweaty pic. I already changed into sweats b/c it's late & I'm tired.

Peace, Love, & K-pop

Late Night

Last night I did Cardio Power & Resistance...with my MOM. She joked about doing it with me but I didn't really think she would & she did. She did such a good job. She felt bad about stopping alot but I told her repeatedly that I did and still do the same exact thing.

I think I did a better job with another person by my side. Plus my mom saying she would do it "as if it is so easy" kind of lit my fire.

Afterward, we sat in the hot tub & has a beer along with girl talk. Last night was awesome : )

PC Day Start Over Week 4

I actually completed my Pure Cardio before work. I usually do my workouts at night. I didn't get up early for it but I actually feel pretty good.

YAY for productivity!

Messing Up

I'm going to restart my week of INSANITY. I missed Wednesday due to hw and Thursday I missed due to a migraine. It's my 4th week of INSANITY & I have one more week after this until MONTH 1 is over so I would like to be consistent especially during these last weeks.

Tomorrow I will start again with Pure Cardio (SATAN's WORKOUT) then continue the week with Cardio Power & Resistance, Plyometric Cardio, Cardio Recovery, Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs, & another Plyometric Cardio series.

I can't believe I am so close to month 2. I hear it's hell :(

I hate PC!!!

Pure Cardio today was ew. That is all.

Still Going Strong! Days 15-19

I haven't stopped INSANITY! I just haven't blogged lately. I took my fit test Tuesday and improved for the most part:
Exercise:                Fit Test 1          Fit Test 2
Switch Kicks              81                     76
Power Jacks               40                     48
Power Knees              20                     79
Power Jumps              12                     22
Globe Jumps                 7                      8
Suicide Jumps               0                     12
Push Up Jacks            18                     21
Low Plank Obliques    38                     52

Seeing the improvements really helped me feel validation for continuing the workouts. I feel like my stomach has gotten a bit more toned. Wednesday was my birthday & I suffered from a headache after an awful dental  appointment. I slept most of the day after class was over, skipped my gsa meeting, then I did the Plyometric Cardio series around 11. Of course it made me miserable.

Thursday night was Pure Cardio Abs. It wasn't as torturous as I thought it would be but still not exactly a walk in the park. It was somewhat nice having a new series be thrown into the mix though.

I had Cardio Recovery Friday. That one is always the least painful. Yay for Cardio Recovery days!

Yesterday night I did Cardio Power & Resistance. That one has gotten a bit easier since the beginning but still not easy! I hate the hurdle exercises and the globe jumps. I also still hate Tania. I'm insanely jealous of her ability to BEAST through INSANITY in every video! Ughh I can't decide if I want to kick her in the face or worship the ground she walks on!


Tonight I have Plyometric Cardio AGAIN!

P.S.- I made it into the Move Go Go team! I am excited for new beginnings! (If it weren't for Insanity, I wouldn've had the confidence to try out)

Side Note a Go-Go

So although I have not seen any major changes in weight I think my stomach is getting a bit flatter. Because of this and my dependence on INSANITY, I have decided to audition for a go-go dance company. In case you didn't know (b/c I don't usually bring it up randomly) I used to go go dance 2 years ago. It was a really fun side job. But when I did, my body looked like this:

Since then, my middle has gotten a bit "SQUISHY" , however, there are go go auditions for a company I've had my eyes on coming up next Sunday. They are expecting us to audition in full costume and makeup. At first I was a bit apprehensive because I haven't worn or put together an outfit for go go in a long time. So I gathered all my old go go fabric and *made* a possible audition outfit.

I don't feel like a whale so this just might work. INSANITY has me feeling slightly more confident (although I'm not exactly known for being insecure). I hope I don't chicken out hahaaaa

Day 11 & 12

For Day 11 I had my Cardio Recovery day. I was excited for it because I knew it'd be my easy day! Even sso it was a bit rough for me. I love Cardio Recovery days :)

Day 12 was Cardio Power & Resistance. It was tough. I had forgotten how much leg work was needed for that series. I hated it. I hated everything from the power jumps to the tricep dips, globe jumps, hurdle jumps, and moving push-ups. I wanted to karate chop my tv while doing that series.


Next is PURE CARDIO. I hate that one the most :/

INSANITY DAY 10

I completed Plyometric Cardio today. It was quite intense. I was so excited to do it at first because it wasn't Pure Cardio haha. Pure Cardio is the worst so I honestly figured as long as I wasn't doing that, I'd be good. Little did I know...

I think my body is being difficult because of the week I missed being sick. I had such a hard time with Plyo today. I think I will start using my SPIRIVA inhaler before the workouts because today I just couldn't seem to get my heart rate down.

I think I may have overstretched my right groin muscle but that's definitely nothing serious. My leg muscles were spasming & trembling after the workout so I'm about to eat something in hopes that it's just a lack of calcium or potassium. I'm actually surprised I didn't experience the trembling sooner.

I've been slightly frustrated seeing so many ppl experience weight loss and drastic results after just a week of INSANITY. I know that we all have different body types and bigger bodies tend to lose weight faster but it just sucks. I've always been athletic (exercising 3-5x a week) but had a problem with consistency. Even so, I've always had the same exact body type. I had been the same weight from 8th grade to junior year of college but gained 10 lbs last year and it has been the same ever since. I know that my eating habits need to be changed and I've been slowly but surely working on that. Even so, it still sucks to work so hard hoping for change and getting no results. People approach me asking if I've lost weight but it's usually after a discussion on working out so I feel that they are being polite. I weight between 165-169 lbs depending on the time of the day and that has been my weight for a year. If it were up to me I'd be 150 lbs. I am 5'10 so I am not overweight but I'd like things to be a lot more toned than they are.

Since there haven't been apparent results to my workouts, I decided to take my measurements in case I lose inches (or millimeters hehe) rather than pounds. I know that it is too soon to panic about results considering that I had a few days off but it's hard watching others get so many results doing the same things you are doing. Anyways, these are the measurements (some are useless but I thought it'd be good for me to know):

Chest 38"

Waist 29.5"

Hips 41"

Thigh 26"

Inseam 33"

Anyways, here's a sweaty pic.

<3

Pure Cardio hell

So today was PURE CARDIO. I dreaded it sooooo much b/c I remembered how tough it was the last time. I had to pause it a few times due to mental distractions. During the warm-up my hair kept flopping into my face, then I'd lose a scrunchie, & then my ponytail would bounce on my neck. I was so irritable. Then once I gave myself a high bun I continued the workout in fear.

It was during the switch kicks that I felt a strange sensation in my stomach and got nervous so I paused the video to lay on the ground to compose myself. I thought to myself "This is going to be the series that I vomit during" but I really really hate throwing up so I just laid there until I felt better.

I usually have to pause the video a bit every workout but this was the longest I've ever taken to complete a series. It may have something to do with my sick week off.

Tomorrow will be better.

<3

I'm BACK!

I have finally gotten back on schedule with INSANITY! I continued on with Cardio Power & Resistance tonight. My body definitely had a bit of a harder time than usual keeping up. I'm actually a bit terrified for Pure Cardio tomorrow :/

I guess this is what it feels like to gain motivation. I really want to complete this program and stay on schedule and it feels nice to have a goal.





:)

INSANITY DELAYED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

I'm sicker than I originally thought, however, I got 2 shots in the bum, an antibiotic, and some strong cough/throat syrup. I should be back to myself by Monday but no guarantees. The clinic also tested me for strep but I doubt that is the case. It seems to be a sinus infection...a very very annoying sinus infection.

At first I was disappointed in myself for not keeping up the INSANITY schedule but there is just no way. I could probably get through it if it weren't for the sinus pressure on my forehead. It is killer!


I'll continue to "DIG DEEPER" and re-do my written schedule when I can. For now, it's bedrest :(


-IVORIE

Minor Setbacks

Sorry to disappoint but I'm sick again. Wednesday was my rest day and i was supposed to do Cardio Resistance Thursday and Pure Cardio today. Unfortunately my schedule didn't permit me to do any working out on Thursday. I went to school  at 9am, got home after 330, went to work at 430, and got off at 1130. I went into work with a headache and a sore throat. By the end of the night, although I was placed in an isolated area, my voice was barely present. I felt so crappy & exhausted after work that I decided to put Cardio Resistance off until the morning. I planned to do Cardio Resistance Friday morning and Pure Cardio Friday night.

I woke up today with a pounding headache, a stuffy and sensitive nose, a sore throat, a harsh cough, and no voice. It was so frustrating. I actually started Cardio Resistance but I got dizzy before I even completed the warm-up.

I've now missed 2 days of INSANITY. Tomorrow, no matter how bad I feel, I will resume my schedule continuing with Cardio Resistance. I really wanted to get through INSANITY  smoothly but of course there's always something to get in the way. I was so excited about getting through week 1 but I've been sick since Sunday. I am not going to give up. I will just continue when I am better which will hopefully be tomorrow.



<3

Day 6

So apparently I wasn't over being sick and it snuck up on me again so I did INSANITY pretty late tonight. Today's series was the lovely PLYOMETRIC CARDIO CIRCUIT. It hasn't gotten any easier for me either haha.

I've improved on push-ups though. My arm muscles have always been pretty weak. They are naturally nicely cut just like my mom and grandpa's arms. They fool people all the time but they are sad sad arms. I remember taking a fit test for my Personal Conditioning course and I could only do 13 pushups in one minute. My arms are sad frauds!

Other than that I am soooo friggin excited that tomorrow is my REST DAY! I think I'll go to the MTSU rec center though so that I can get a small run in. INSANITY is insanely tough but I am slowly developing motivation to complete this challenge and that simple fact makes me happy!

DIG DEEPER!!!

<3 Ivorie

Day 5 INSANITY

So today I am doing a double dose of Insanity. It is also the first day of class so I planned to do Cardio Recovery before school and Pure Cardio after dance theatre auditions tonight.

Initially, I was a bit scared to do two in a day but it seems I lucked out since Cardio Recovery is exactly that. It was slow and relaxing. My heart seriously got giddy when it started and I saw it was only 33 minutes. I was beyond happy. It felt like a yoga/pilates class. I know Pure Cardio will be rough tonight especially after auditions.

I'll be back on later to update. Keep it gangsta
_________________________________________________________

So I just finished PURE CARDIO and I must say it was crazy. I had to stop a few times but it comforted me to see all the roman statues stop and almost die with me. He had to tell a few of them to stop and get water. I was right there with them lol.

At the end of the video Shawn T. said "That shit was bananas" ....he was right on!
<3 Ivorie

Sick

I've been sick all day with an unsettled stomach. I woke up sick and decided to wait out doing INSANITY til I got better but nothing has changed. I think I may have to stop drinking on the weekends...

I have school & dance theatre auditions tomorrow so I will attempt to do today's CARDIO RECOVERY series tomorrow morning and I will do PURE CARDIO when I get home from auditions. My body has let me down today.

Tomorrow I will be 100% again!


<3 A sick dog

DAY 3 INSANITY

So today I put off INSANITY for the evening so that I could go shopping and take an afternoon nap. I think the afternoon nap had me feeling worse than a night's rest because I almost didn't do it. After some more procrastination, I stocked up on three bottles of water, found a huge fan for extra chill, and braced myself for  an ass-whooping.

Today's lovely series was called Power Cardio and Resistance. Of course I started dripping sweat during the warm-up. The Power Cardio and Resistance series included many squats and jumps. I hated it. Even so, it didn't feel as draining as the Plyometric Cardio I did yesterday which is a relief.

Unfortunately, it seems that I've strained my tricep in my right arm. I was doing tricep dips when I felt a pop in the area where the tendons & muscle meet. Now I've been a horrible & clumsy dancer for 8 years and I know what a strain feels like. I may have to visit my physician for a follow-up: At least he can't put me on crutches for this one hahaha. For the rest of the series I skipped the tricep dips and leg lifts but I was able to complete the rest of the exercises.

I'm so excited about possibly getting through INSANITY's 60 day challenge. I'll feel really amazing if I complete it since I seem to have commitment issues. I'm a bit annoyed that I already have a small injury so soon in the challenge but I have a knack for getting injured so it's no big whoop.

Anyways, here's a sweaty picture:

Day 2 INSANITY

Today I started my 2nd day of INSANITY. I originally planned to wake up at 10am to do the Plyometric Cardio Circuit in hopes that I could relax afterward before work. Of course, I overslept and when I finally did wake up I washed my face, brushed my teeth, grabbed 2 waters and a Powerade, & dragged my ass to the living room.

This series was actually the one I test-drove to decide if Insanity was for me. A coworker had let me borrow the disc and I couldn't even walk the next day. I felt a bit at ease knowing what was coming but I also dreaded it all. There were many times in which I laid on the ground dying. I also had to strip down a bit b/c my body seemed to be on fire. No wonder those girls in the video are basically in underwear! It really kills you and he keeps yelling at you to "dig deep", "look into my eyes", and saying "I'm right here with you" but I just wanted to go through the tv and punch him for making me feel like a major weakling. I found myself grunting and yelling throughout the workout trying to push through enough to make it to the next water break though.

I completed the series an hour before work and I've already began to feel a tightness in my chest from all the push-ups we did. I'm kind of scared of the next one: Cardio Power & Resistance

Anyways, I'm off to bed. I've got to try again tomorrow.

<3
Ivorie

I've spent my summer sleeping for the most part. I had summer courses at the beginning of the summer and spent most weekends going out dancing and dating. During that time, because I had free membership to the gym on campus I happened to be in the gym 5x a week. Then summer school ended and my low tolerance for bullshit caused me to cut out dating again.

When I'm not at work I'm at home sleeping or laying down watching internet shows/videos. I do this until 2 hours before work and if I don't have work, I do these all day with a beer in my hand. I feel like on the outside I may seem depressed although I just really really enjoy my downtime. Sadly, I've been gaining weight and when I see old go-go pictures of myself, I get a bit scared. I've always been fairly athletic & I have an hourglass figure yet I can't help but notice weight building up around my bum and thighs. I believe that if you are unsatisfied with something yourself you must either change it or take pride in it and quit bitching so I try to work out, however, consistency and I seem to consistently (haha I'm such a comedian) be at WAR!

With that said, school is starting next week so I'll be more likely to work out if I'm on campus but I need a bit more oomph to my workouts. I have a workout-obsessed co-worker and a non-athletic co-worker who just started INSANITY.

INSANITY is a high interval training workout program that pushes you immensely yet the people doing it show great results. I have a friend who completed it this summer and lost 40 lbs!!! She's actually starting the program up again to push herself even harder. My non-athletic co-worker has been doing it for 2 weeks and has dropped 10 lbs already! I don't know if I will get those results because I am built differently but I at least hope to tone up a lot and for once BE CONSISTENT.

I'm starting this blog in hopes that it will help me stay with the program and continue to progress.

 I tried the INSANITY Fitness Test today and my results were as follows:
81 SWITCH KICKS
40 POWER JACKS
20 POWER KNEES
12 POWER JUMPS
7 GLOBE JUMPS
0 SUICIDE JUMPS (I laid on the floor dry heaving during this time)
18 PUSHUP JACKS
38 LOW PLANK OBLIQUES

Tomorrow I will continue. I really hope that I stick with this.