On To The Next!

Before HipHop Abs

I've spent four sweaty weeks with Shaun T, carving out some long-hidden abdominal muscles.  I learned that even I, devoid as I am of dancing ability and rhythm, can "tuck, tone, and tighten" my way through a HipHop Abs workout and actually have a good time doing so.  (This is one time I am glad I can only see the upper 1/4 of me in my little wall mirror; I can pretend I'm groovin' and shakin' my booty to an actual beat and lookin' f-i-n-e while doing so.)

So will I use this program again? Abso-freakin-lutely! Coming off of TurboFire and using it in conjunction with P90X, I have to admit the beginning workouts weren't quite as intense as I was used to (although I was still dripping sweat by the end).  After the first week, I started replacing the other cardio workouts with the bonus DVD "Extreme Cardio" and that, my friends, was intense.  I think I caught the faintest glimmer of what Insanity will be like when I finally crack that egg.  The Total Body Burn made my total body burn.  And I actually began to see results within the first week (during which I also followed the jumpstart meal plan included with the package).  Overall, this program was well worth the money, but I do wish I had splurged and gotten the deluxe package with the extra DVDs (as I will be ordering them eventually anyway, when I return to this one).  I think I would have loved it even more had I done it before the more difficult Beachbody programs; it would make a great introduction the library.

After HipHop Abs/Before P90X Doubles

So...now that my fling with Shaun T is at a (temporary) end, who to turn to?  What's next???  Well, there's been another man making my heart race these past few months.  He's funny, fit, and never lets me down...I've decided I want to see more of him...I am moving on to P90X Doubles, baby!  I've been doing the Classic program with Hubby on a regular basis, but have decided to up the ante and follow the Doubles schedule for the next 90 days.  I expect big results (and a skyrocketing appetite - Wegmans, BEWARE!), so expect more "after" photos along my journey (this set is also serving as my "before" for the Doubles session).  You know I love my bragging rights, and I plan on bragging fewer modifications within the first 30 days...as in, I WILL be doing chin-ups correctly. 

So, as Tony says, "BRING IT!" (Oh, and Hubby? You'll be needing to bring it, too...at least once a day.  Mwah!)

The Accountability Department

I like fun workout words - sweat! jump! dance! run! push!  Action words, verbs, movers and shakers are what get me going.  Words like accountability don't typically enter my vocabulary unless I'm discussing household chores with my children (for the thousandth time today).  Accountability is a word dressed in an ill-fitting brown suit and mustard-colored necktie, maybe listening to Muzak or proofreading last year's reports on the price of generic toilet paper while lecturing me about buckling down and straightening up and flying right.  *YAWN*

But, accountability does make some good points.  Not much would get done without it.  Every organization needs a stickler to make things work, so make room in your otherwise good timin' brain for an accountability department.  You need that little voice to remind you why you're waking up at a time that is perfectly good for sleeping; why you, when everyone else is snuggling deeper into pillows and blankets, are lacing up your shoes to do those action words mentioned above.

As for myself, I have found I am getting pretty good at holding myself accountable.  I know when I'm making lame excuses ("the laundry needs folding," "I'd better check Facebook one more time," or "this needs eaten before it goes bad") and when I need to kick my own ass into gear.  I have also learned that the more I broadcast my intent, the more accountable I feel.  Failure only I know about is one thing; failure everyone can witness is quite another.  Now, I am sure not everyone in my social media world is keeping track of my workouts and nutrition, but I know for certain that a few people notice a few things.  That's enough for me.  I said I was going to do P90X and HipHop Abs and train for a marathon.  So that's what I'm doing.  I log onto my networks when I press play (and it's not just for bragging rights - that's what events are for).  It is my proof.  I said I was gonna, and I am. 

Even this blog holds me accountable.  One of my Push goals (side note: get yourself a copy of Chalene Johnson's Push and do what she says) was to write every day in order to keep track of my progress and just to get back to writing.  Now that people are actually beginning to read it, I know I need to keep putting it out there.  It is part of my routine now, just as exercising is.  See, the great thing about accountability is that it takes the decision out of the equation.  You set a goal and you accomplish it.  The Dwight Schrute of your brain will tell you what to do if you just follow along.  Before you know it, you don't even need accountability.  Working out and training become as much a part of your day as brushing your teeth, getting the kids off the bus, or taking the dogs outside.  It's no longer a struggle; it just is.

So who/what is your accountability?  Why haven't you broadcasted your goals to everyone you know?  I share each one with hundreds of people on a daily basis, even though I'm pretty sure the guy I used to go to kindergarten with doesn't really care that my pushups are coming along so nicely.  But - I can certainly pretend that each and every one of my online friends - from old classmates to friends of friends I've met only virtually - are anxiously awaiting my next account of fitness miraculousness.  And I can promise you this: if you let me in on your goals, I will be watching your every workout move and counting each bead of sweat.  In a totally noncreepy, nonstalkerish way...

Entering the Asylum

If you've read my previous posts, you are aware that I am a bit of a Beachbody fanatic.  I shook my booty through 90 days of TurboFire and followed that up with a round of ChaLEAN Extreme. Now I'm gritting my teeth through P90X and groovin' to HipHop Abs.  But tonight I got a little insane with Shaun T live and in person, so I'm headed towards the Asylum very soon...

I must admit, I was feelin' a little cocky when I walked into the packed room at a local VFW, ready to sweat and flex my newfound muscles.  After all, I've been doing two-a-days for a little over a month and I'm training for a FREAKING MARATHON.  I am fitter than I have ever been.  How difficult could one hour be?  Ummm...pretty damn difficult.

I ripped off my shirt during the warm up.  Baby belly be damned, because I could not tolerate having that extra layer on.  Nor could I tolerate taking it easy and going at the class half-assed.  (For those of you who don't know me, I prefer the whole ass approach.)  My legs were sca-reeeeem-ing in the first ten minutes.  My arms started shaking at fifteen.  I can't even tell you what my abs were up to at the half-hour mark, because I had moved beyond pain to sheer determination. 

Baby belly be damned!

That was the hardest, sweatiest, most exhilirating hour of extreme fitness I've experienced in quite a while.  So...now I know what my next Beachbody shipment is going to be.  My arms were still in spasm state and my head was still floating in workout la-la land while I got an autograph for Bubba and a photo for me.  All I could concentrate on was when I could start Insanity at home.  Which means, hubby will be entering the Asylum with me, whether he wants to or not...muahahahahaha.  So please, pardon the upcoming overzealous posts once I start, because these endorphins tend to spin outta control...

Bubba with his autograph

Too ramped up to pose pretty

Accessorizing: What's Hot This Year

No matter what workout you choose, you're gonna need "stuff." Even running, which I believe to be the simplest of all workouts in terms of equipment, requires the right shoes.  The right playlist.  And eventually, the right fuel belt.  Personally, I love the "stuff." Walking through a sporting goods store gives me butterflies.  Everywhere I look, I see fitness possibilities! Exercises I haven't tried! Clothing to showcase my new muscles! And shoes...oh! the shoes...

My favorite stuff varies from workout to workout.  I love my new Brooks Ghosts for running; my iPhone, with mapmyrun and my music to keep my legs pumping; my fuel belt for lip balm, Gu, and water. When I punch and kick my way through TurboFire, I have to wear my weighted gloves (sculpting those bi's and tri's while burning an unseemly number of calories) and Under Armour sportsbras (my girls are happiest in those).  P90X and ChaLEAN Extreme require weights, which require lifting gloves to keep my hands callous-free and make me look like a serious contender.  Yoga...I must have a mat in a pretty carrying case, yoga gloves and slippers so my sweaty extremities stay where I put them, and yoga pants to make my rear view extra appealing (solely for the hubby's benefit, I swear!).

Sometimes, the stuff can provide that extra motivation.  I want new stuff.  I want to wear new stuff and use new stuff.  I enjoy the purchasing of the stuff, the unwrapping of the stuff, the new smell emanating from the stuff.  If I don't actually exercise, the stuff seems a tad superfluous.  Plus, I like being able to say, "I need stuff."  It's a valid excuse to shop! I really do need new shoes, new sports bras, yoga pants, running skirts...and whatever else may catch my eye as I wander the brightly colored aisles inhaling the myriad scents of rubber and spandex. No guilt here.  Just a conscientious member of society, doing my part for the economy while I maintain my personal health.

Soooo...pick yourself a workout you love.  And make sure it requires some stuff, even if said stuff is just a bangin' new outfit you wear during said workout.  Sometimes the best smiles I get all day are the admiring ones I aim at my reflection during a particularly sweaty session of HipHop Abs.



"Before" Photos - Because without them, you can't have the "After" photos...

There is a good reason you've decided to start working out, and chances are that reason is something you want to keep hidden, perhaps with baggy sweatpants and long butt-covering tops. So who in their right mind would take a "before" photo and actually share it with other people? Well, I have...and I swear, despite what you may have heard, I am reasonably sane.
Those "befores" can be great motivation. When shared, they are a commitment statement, an advertisement to your world that you are starting a new lifestyle. As for myself, I shudder at the thought that those would be the last anyone would see of my midriff. So I keep on pressing play, crunching and jumping six nights a week. I drink my Shakeology every day and monitor what goes into my body. And I know that soon (hopefully within the next few weeks), I will have the "afters" I'm proud to share (and I'll be busting out the belly-baring tops packed away since 1998. To hell with fashion when I've got actual abdominal muscles to showcase!).

And really, how can you brag about your progress if you don't have the proof? I want to point at my befores and say, "Can you believe that was me? I have come so far, it's incredible."
I also find more inspiration from seeing others' transformations, be it from P90X, TurboFire, or HipHop Abs. It pumps me up for my workouts and gives me fuel to keep pushing as hard as I must to get the results I lust after. So maybe, if I keep going, I can inspire someone else to start living a Fit Life and find the energy, passion, and exhiliration I have discovered in the last year.

So, suck it up, not in, and take disturbingly honest "befores." You'll be on your way to your awesome "afters" in no time!