Mom, Interrupted

Mornings at our humble Estate begin this way: the babe cries to alert me to his full diaper and dissatisfaction with location.  I grope my way blindly to his crib, correct problem #1 and transfer him to our bed, thereby correcting problem #2.  I typically crawl back in for a snuggle while we catch up on the previous night's installment of The Colbert Report and The Daily Show.  (Look at me, a news junkie...) 

You can see why I get excited...

Now, if you've read previous posts (which of course, you HAVE) you know that I spent much of last summer and winter prepping for my marathon by rising early for lengthy runs.  So now that I've moved on to Insanity, that's continued...or not...because actually, I have been sweatin' away during nap time.  Much less chance of interruption by children who expect to be fed or dogs that confuse linoleum with lawn. 

This morning, now...this morning...a fellow Insanity challenger tagged me in her Facebook post and that got me all kinds of antsy for my workouts (I have one to make up from yesterday as my own dear mama was up for a visit).  I stopped Colbert mid-snarkiness, put on actual clothes and started my coffee (which I needed to deal with those lawn-confused mutts and their own status updates all over my floor).  Hubby even settled the babe in with Elmo and the gang, so things were lookin' good. 

Then Hubby took a shower.  Damn him!  The babe became quite upset; the mutts desired a chance to defecate outside; I discovered itty bitty ants all around my kitchen sink; dishes needed done; the 6-year-old awoke...Damn it all to hell! 

I am currently baking banana bread and writing my blog.  Two things I can do whilst also running the household and cursing my lack of a full staff here at the M&M Estate.

It smells delicious.

But here's my point: I could say "To hell with it!" and climb back under the covers and snuggle on this incredibly stormy and gray day - and at some point, I can pretty much guarantee you'll find me and three little monkeys watching The Sandlot or Princess Bride.  HOWEVER - you will also find me (at some point, hopefully around 11 or 12) doing push-up jacks, power squats, and the like.  Because I WILL NOT ALLOW a thing like "life" to get in the way of my fitness goals. 

See, that's the excuse I am always hearing, more than any other.  (Except maybe motivation.  But then I just say, "Read my blog" and people get all transformed and shit.)  "I don't have the tiiii-iiiime."  That word - TIME - is nearly always said with a whiiiiiiiine, so right away, I am irritated.  Whiners and pansies are right at the top of my "No Way, Uh-Uh List."  I don't hang with 'em.  You wanna complain about your dissatisfaction - I'll listen.  But if I offer you ideas, if I offer you solutions - and then you prattle on searching for MORE reasons to NOT handle your shit...well, let's just say we probably won't be talking much after that.  You may be talking, but I will have stopped listening and begun contemplating the lint between my toes.

There's a difference between having the time and making the time.  You either want it or you don't.  If you don't, that's your choice.  But don't come crying to a FitGal with your scheduling woes.  I currently manage the lives of four other people and two furpeople (no one can manage a cat, so I won't even include those arrogant balls of fluff).  At any point on any given day, I am breaking up fights, disinfecting surfaces, laundering, cooking, planning, chauffering, shopping (and not the fun kind, so wipe that smirk off your face), nursing, organizing, or supervising...but that's every parent (or should be - don't even get me started!).  I'm not unique in my overpacked days - and NEITHER ARE YOU.  So save your sad story for your Facebook status.  (And please, make it vague and slightly dramatic so you get lots of attention).  I am actually too busy to listen.

No Excuses

As I sit here and shiver through a layer of salt and sweat, I cannot help but be reminded of just how incredible I am.  Today was Cardio Resistance - lots of power moves, lots of upper body work.  It may be hard for you to hear this, but...my upper body is not as strong as I would like.  I know.  I know.  It saddens me too.  But that's why we work on it!  Well, that's why I work on it and then you read about it later.  Weak muscles are not an excuse to stop; they are a reason to press on!

So when I began this program, I could not do a single moving pushup.  Rewind, and let me explain.  If you were to find me at any other point during my day and ask me to give you a good set of moving pushups, I could fairly easily do so.  But when Shaun T demands them at the end of Cardio Resistance, I am already spent from globe jumps, power squats, v-pushups, and the like.  My lil ol' shoulders are at failure.  So up until today, I was modifying with regular or (gag!) "girly" pushups.  Again, I know.  My head hangs in shame.  Or it would...if I hadn't actually DONE those moving pushups today.  It's okay...your applause is welcome here.  Clap away!

I did 'em.  I had to take breaks, but I did 'em.  And I followed with the ever dreaded floor sprints.  Normally, my shoulders and arms are so taxed by that point that I simply cannot hold my sweaty self up.  Normally, I modify by doing standing mountain climbers.  Normally, I am slightly disappointed in my weak upper body.  Today, I was not normal.  (Hahaha.  Shut it.)  Today, I am about to bust outta my sneakers with pride.  It's working!  It's paying off!  Rope Climb 2013, here I come!!!! I may just knock that damn bell OFF instead of ringing it when I reach the top. 

I feel good.  I can barely keep my hands from sliding off the keyboard and have no idea how I'm going to wash my hair, but I feel good.  I DID IT. 

Loading My Plate

This is what's on my plate (almost literally) for the weekend:

Insanity workouts.
Vegetarian shopping (with added chicken and fish for Hubby and the babe).
Closet organization (which has little to do with my FitLife, but is quite high on my priority list right now).
Date with the Werewolf (at the very top of the list).

So, yes...some of these are obvious pieces to my FitLife journey, others maybe not so obvious.  I'm guessing I don't need to explain Insanity whatsoever.  But I'm also guessing a few of you may be curious as to how exactly that is going.  Um...AWESOME.  (In my head, I hear an old cheer we used to use: "A-W-E! S-O-M-E! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome, are WE!" Good.  Now you hear it too.)  I didn't take an extra break until I hit minute 34, and it was because my shoulders gave out, not my lungs.  Upper body has always been my toughest area to tackle, but I'm soldiering right through.  Next week, the goal is 35 minutes.  It WILL happen.

And I promised I would explain further my wading in the vegetarian pool.  I've been wrestling with it on an emotional level for quite some time, but what finally tipped the scales was a picture that caught my eye on Pinterest.  It caught my eye because it was a photo of my favorite, dreamiest Beatle, Sir Paul.  And the quote got me.  So, enough with the meat.  I have gone this route before, but fell off the meatless wagon.  Something tells me this time, it'll stick.  I'd bet my boots the support this time around will be a thousandfold of what existed before.  So thanks in advance to my meatless pals. 

Closet organization really does fit in, I swear!  My mind is clearer when my spaces are uncluttered.  The closet is the first in a long line of "re-do's" around the M&M Estate.  Partially because I simply am done with the every-morning frustration of sorting through clothing to find something that fits (this time, because it's all gotten too big! Woot!).  Partially because I tend to do my workouts earlier in the day when I don my sports bras and shorts first thing, which in turn leads to a generally more productive day.  See?  Told you there was logic and connection.  You really ought to believe me when I say stuff.

The date with the Werewolf? you ask.  Where does that fit?  It's good for Mama's mental health, for one.  There is no one else on the planet that can make me laugh like that boy can, nor is there an easier-goin' creature in this household.  He is an easy person to be around, and I have come to appreciate easy people.  And for two, he's shopping with me to gather those vegetarian foodstuffs.  I always view grocery trips with kiddos as lessons in nutrition and money.  So we'll have some good convo on both topics and he will (I hope) come away with a greater understanding of our shifting diet and how to best budget our cash flow at Wegmans.

That's what's on my plate today.  What are you filling yours with?

Friendly Competition

So it seems Hubby wants a little action.  (Outta the gutter, perverts!)  He is attempting to wrangle a few followers of his own by running a P90X challenge at the EXACT SAME TIME as my own Insanity (aka "Let's Get Crazy") challenge.  Hmmph.

Now, you all know I have a deep affection for Tony and his 90-day weight training program.  It was a certainly a nice way to get in shape...so that I could move on to a 60-day training program that requires absolutely no equipment whatsoever.  *battingeyelashes*smilingsweetly*  I will always be grateful to Mr. Horton for helping me to reach a point where I'm ready to tackle a program like Insanity.  And I'm sure, in the future, I may even return to P90X here and there, for I do enjoy the fine view it provides alongside a truly incredible upper body workout. 

It's just that right now, I need my space.  I'd like to see other instructors.  It's too soon in my fitness journey for me to be tied down to just one program.  I need the cardio of TurboFire, the booty work of Brazil Butt Lift, and the upper body strength training of P90X.  Turns out, I can get all three of those in one workout...and still enjoy the view. 

I consider these first two weeks "research."  Mainly because I am far too impatient to wait until the official start date of July 15, when my group will be taking the fit test, posting measurements and before pics, and generally being all excited to start the first workout on July 16.  But I will restart with them so we can all kick ass on the same schedule and relatively same diet plan. 

And by "kicking ass," I mean both our own and those of our opposing challenge group.  The gauntlet, my friends, has been thrown.  Who will yield better results?  (I'm suppressing a chuckle, because I already know the answer.)  Time will tell.  (snickersnortchuckle) 

As Tony says, BRING IT.  Things are about to get INSANE.

Let's Go Crazy

Yesterday, the heavens parted and a special kind of golden light shone upon my back porch.  For there, in what to all others appeared an ordinary shipping box, sat my long-awaited Insanity DVD's.  Listen...do you hear them?  The angels are singing a celebratory workout hymn.

Today, they shut up.  They couldn't speak either.

Because, holy motherf*#kin' SHIT.  (That's me talking now, not the angels.)  That was the most incredibly difficult 45 minutes of my Fit Life.  I mean, even harder than when I worked out live with Shaun T in Bangor.  (No seriously, dude came to Bangor.  How crazy is that?)  The warmup was tougher than any Cardio X in its entirety.  So, yeah.  I'd say I'm gonna get my money's worth.

I am drenched.  That is typical of any workout, as I tend to shine with effervescence after a simple stroll to the fridge.  (I have been informed this indicates a fitter Queen overall; my body is just awesomely efficient at cooling itself due to its recent upgrades in exercise.  I am so fit, in fact, that even my dogs wrinkle their noses if I get too close post-workout.  And Otis regularly sniffs his own farts with pleasure.)  I am also energetically EXHAUSTED.  By which I mean, I could not eke out a single extra burpee or pushup, but I still feel charged and AMAZING.  Make that AMAZING.  That was hard.  But I DID IT.  So, uh...boo to the YAH, my friends.

I am tremendously excited to discover just how much more efficiently I will be cooling myself when the 60 days is up.  My guess is, a single breath and I'll need a new shirt.  But I'm also guessing I'll be able to stop a bus with my abs. 


So I guess the only REAL question is...WHO'S WITH ME???  I mean, I will go it alone if I must...but then you'd all just be jealous of my relationship with Shaun T and your inferior body cooling system.  There's a challenge group starting in just two weeks...I highly suggest you all go crazy and sign up. 

Summa Time

First Daily Challenge: Push ups to failure

Let's talk about what excites me THIS week.  And what will be my fitness focus for the next 30 days.  I am heading up my first ever KickOffSummer Challenge, where not only am I overzealous and nagging, but everyone loves me for it!  That's my kinda group.

So what we're doing is this: getting fit.  Simple, right? Everyone can get fit. (Don't offer me any excuses.  I believe we've already covered just how I feel about excuses.) It is simple.  They decided. They've committed.  And now they're going to succeed. 

Every day, I am offering up strength moves, stretches, fit tips, mini challenges, snack suggestions, recipes...It's like a fitness smorgasboard with me as master chef.  HEAVEN.  If they complete the challenges, make the recipes, eat the snacks...they get points!  Gold stars, even!  (Well, it's all virtual, but I can say, "Hey! Great job! You get a gold star!" and they can get all happy and offer CHF's - Cyber High Fives - to the rest of the group.  Very motivating.)  And if they don't...well...I may have to get all drill sergeant-y on their asses.  Because my group is NOT for quitters.  (You're all listening, right?)

And already - SUCCESS!  We have total workout virgins all the way to workout...veterans...Anyway...we have all levels!  So there's lots of trading of ideas and advice and "this really worked for me."  Plus, those that recently started their ChaLEAN Extreme and P90X programs are already showing incredible progress.  Their pants are falling off, their arms are sore.  Stuff of beauty!  This is the sort of news that really gets my blood pumping these days.  And gets ME offa my bum and pressin' play.  I have heard it said that when a student surpasses the teacher, that is the teacher's greatest accomplishment.  Well, maybe when I'm 60 and I'm coaching a 20-year-old.  For now, I wanna be the alpha exerciser.  So I'm back to my routine FULL FORCE and joining in on all the mini challenges.  I may have to start charging for the gun show I got goin' on...

PLUS - I am that much MORE EXCITED about my NEXT challenge group beginning in July!  I'm lookin' to get insane in the membrane and crack that whip even harder.  Soooo...who's up for a CHALLENGE????  The weak need not apply...

MUAHAHAHAHAHA.

Eyes Forward

An object in motion tends to stay in motion, right?  I got to keep on movin'...Eyes forward...And lots of other stuff that means "don't stop where you are."  I focused pretty deeply on that marathon, but that finish line has been crossed.  It's time to shift priorities from running to grappling, crawling, and climbing.  Time to shop for grip gloves and underarmour tank tops.  Time to train dirty.  I'm goin' Spartan.  Less than two months till my first mud race and I'm already feelin' antsy.  My legs are twitchin' and my arms are ready to climb.  I've taken a relatively easy time since Run for the Red.  Now I need to get back in the trenches...so I'm thinking Insanity is the only way to go.

Don't get me wrong...I still have lots of affection for Tony, and Chalene will always be my first love.  But I need to start combining some serious cardio with intense strength training...plus, I wanna try something new and shiny.  You probably haven't noticed, but I tend to enjoy mixing up the workouts a bit.  It doesn't help that every time I am roused from my beauty sleep in the middle of the night, Shaun T is the second person I see and hear (the first, of course, being snoring hubby/scared Bear/sick Werewolf/cranky Rooster - and yes, everyone has an animal nickname.  Because we are all BEASTS).  It was informercials that got me where I am today; specifically Beachbody informercials...so I think we can all agree that this middle-of-the-night-workout-ad-extravaganza is a sign from the exercise gods.  I am supposed to start Insanity, and apparently, they want me to start it pretty soon.

In the meantime, I am stealing motivation from my very first Challenge group, an excited and ornery group I pulled together to encourage and cheer each other on while they also fight to their last breath to win a very serious points contest involving grueling daily fitness challenges and snack recipes.  Their excitement bolsters my excitement...which also makes me want to buy Insanity, and in a strange chain of enthusiasm, more bathing suits and lululemon shorts.  Hmmm...

I don't think there is any way around this.  I try to find another route, but I just keep coming back to WWSTD?  Indeed...what would Shaun T do?  Well, I mean aside from ripping off his shirt to the screams of delighted women everywhere...

Well, until I can officially plead Insanity, I suppose running and a climbing rope in the backyard will have to suffice.  Because I really do need to stay in motion...these feet are not happy unless they stink with sweat.  (Hey, fair warning just in case we should meet in public...)

Just Your Typical Prototype

There comes a point in every distance run when I get emotional.  (I know some are surprised by this, but yes...even I have actual emotions.)  I never know exactly when it's going to happen and most times, I forget it's going to until it does.  And there it is - that little lump in my throat, moisture in my eyes (it doesn't sting, so I know it's more than sweat), a tightness in my chest (that is not from shortness of breath - I am a freakin' cardio queen now).  Part of it is simply the release that running brings me, a clarity of mind and simple joy in BEING.  When I take a step back and think on it, I could probably pinpoint when it will happen.  Any time during my second hour.  At a point along my route when I am more surrounded by nature and less by traffic.  When a really great song opens up on my ipod.  It may happen at different points and on different routes, but the feeling is always the same.  It is not only a gut reaction to my surroundings or the physicality of the moment.  It is the same feeling I get when I watch my daughter execute a perfect bar routine; when my son runs the football; when the babe has a new word to use every day.  It's pride.  Just this time, it's in myself.

That's right.  Proud of ME.  A year ago, I had not yet decided to run that half marathon.  I was in the midst of my first round of TurboFire and eating at the diner down the street three to four times a week.  I did not view myself as an athlete and my only concern was working my way from a size 10 to a size 8 and shedding the remaining baby weight.  Seriously - LOOK AT ME NOW.  I have no doubts about running that full marathon in two weeks.  My legs are itchin' for it.  I run because I LOVE it.  I add weighted gloves to every TurboFire workout and I lift with P90X.  I worked out live with Shaun T.  I drink Shakeology every single day and am going organic.  When I eat at the diner, I order things broiled, fresh, and healthy.  It all came down to a single decision.  Did I want to enjoy my life or regret it?

I've been called obsessed, told it's just a phase, that I've lost too much weight.  People feel they have the right to judge my lifestyle, I suppose, because I am so public about it.  Guess what?  I'm open with my choices because I want everyone to share them.  I actually want others to experience the fabulousness I have found.  And there is NO REASON that can't happen.  I am the same as you.  There is nothing in me that you cannot find within yourself.

I will not judge you for your shape, your weight, your size, your ability.  I will judge you for your inactivity and your conscious decisions to live an unhealthy life. I will judge you for clinging to a lifestyle that will shorten your time with those you love. When you run out of breath walking up the stairs or playing with your children - it's time to change things.  Stop telling me to "eat a cheeseburger" or that "big is beautiful."  You can love yourself as you are - but you need to love yourself enough to change. 

Your first step is simply making a commitment.  Walk.  Stretch.  Drink more water.  You don't have to jump into the deep end of the pool.  Not everyone has to run marathons or participate in obstacle races.  But everyone does need to fuel their bodies and shake them out now and again.  This isn't a debate anymore.  It isn't about discrimination.  It's about HEALTH.  It's about YOUR LIFE.  Who wants to live it on the sidelines?  And how do you want your children to grow up?

Obesity is on the rise.  We all know it.  We all see it.  Some of us are doing something about it.  I don't only want to make myself fit.  I want my family to be fit.  I want my friends to be fit.  I want friends of friends to be fit.  I didn't sign on to be a Beachbody coach just to get discounts or just to make a profit.  I did it because these programs opened my eyes to a whole new world of possiblities and fitness levels I never imagined I could reach.  In less than a year, I became an athlete.  I no longer dabble in fitness; it is now what I do and who I am.  And it is my goal to make that happen for you, too.  If you're reading this now, you've thought about it.  Maybe you've already made that change.  Maybe now you're feeling defensive because I've called you out.  I don't care.  What I do care about is that you get off your ass and stop making excuses. 

We aren't so different, you and I.  I used to make excuses for the food I ate and how I spent my time.  And then one day, I just had enough.  I was done being weak.  I was done with losing my breath, watching my kids play instead of playing with them, telling my kids to do their best while I did nothing. 

When your day comes, and you're ready to make that step, be sure to let me know.  You've never had a bigger or more relentless cheerleader than this gal right here.  I will annoy the living piss out of you when you try to explain why you're backsliding.  I will get in your face and refuse to accept whatever lameass excuse you're offering. 

You can thank me a year from now.

Inspiration + Motivation = Perspiration

Inspiration plus motivation equals perspiration.  That's as close as my brain gets to a scientific fact some days.  We all have those days, don't we?  When even coffee the consistency of sludge can't shove our gears into place, let alone get the whole machine running.  When we run on autopilot and are forced to continually jumpstart our overworked brains just to make it through the first hour...and the second....and the other twenty-two...So.  How do we enter into any sort of training when dragging our feet Igor-style seems to be a much better solution?  For me, I try to remember all the reasons I'm motivated.  Kids.  Waistline.  Health.  Events.  But some days, they just don't cut it.  I can recite my motivations backwards and forwards, but when I do that they tend to lose their electrical current.  I need fresh and new to get me moving.  So, I get cheesey - and I look for slogans.

They are all over the place! Pinterest and Facebook are my favorite places to hunt them down, but I am sure there are plenty of slogan gamelands.  The less forgiving they are, the more I like 'em.  The more they resemble something Louis Gossett Jr. would shout in Richard Gere's face, the better!  On days like that, I need more than rote motivators.  I need someone kicking my ass into motion and screaming at me to keep it there.  Now, we all know that I am a stay-at-home mom whose biggest challenges tend to revolve around poop, be it baby or canine...but I like to imagine that if need be, I  could be more Sarah Connor circa Terminator 2 than June Cleaver circa anytime.  So in-your-face slogans usually work for me.  When I read them, I read them the way they're usually printed: IN ALL CAPS.  In my face and screaming at me, possibly adding "YOU MAGGOT!" at the end for good measure.  Today started as one of those days...with me shuffling about in my pj's, sipping Ginko tea to make me smarter while I recited Llama Llama Red Pajama as Jack flipped the pages.  Then, because I knew I had to do something, I plopped myself down in front of the computer and made my brain yell at me in cruel and disparaging ways.  I inspired myself all the way through an hour and a half of Shaun T and his deliciously amazing abs.  BOOYAH!

Which brings me to another inspirational startup I rely on - images of fit people.  I especially enjoy the transformation photos, when people not only get lean but incredibly tan and happy.  I'm thinking that before I post my "after" photos at the end of this month, I may need to get a good spray tan and whiten my teeth to make the contrast even more inspirational. (I wonder if I can convince Hubby that transformations such as mine also make oneself far more stylish...?)

 But you know what's even better than a total stranger's before-and-afters?  INFOMERCIALS! I can wake up to an informercial for a progam I already own and get completely ramped up about it all over again.  And then have trouble falling back to sleep because I quite literally can't wait to do the workout.  It happens pretty frequently - woken up by Hubby's deep gutteral snores and there's Chalene or Tony or Shaun T hawking their lifechanging programs.  Not only do they show me the B&A's, they show me clips of fabulous looking people actually doing the workouts!  It's like my new porn...gets my blood pumping and I'm tossing and turning waiting for a more appropriate time to turn on the tv and crank up the volume to TurboFire.  I'm sure somewhere there's a support group for junkies like me...but I bet it's got a finish line and nutritional supplements instead of a circle of chairs and free donuts...

The (Sweat) Trickle Down Effect

In case you haven't realized yet, fitness is something of a priority in my life.  I love it the way I used to love chocolate cake...well...like I still love chocolate cake (but only on occasion, I swear!).  I feel so passionately about living a Fit Life that I have chosen to share my overzealousness with all of you, Dear Readers, on a daily basis.  Well...if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, I suppose I share on more of an hourly and sometimes minute-ly basis...but I warned you fair and square.  So imagine, if I'm so dedicated to bombarding you with my obsession, how much my darling little monkeys get to share with me.  How lucky are they?!?

Tony Horton is a household name.  My 6-year-old requested Shaun T's autograph when I went to his Insanity class last weekend.  I'm pretty sure my toddler's first phrase is going to be "You're not tired!" from watching so much TurboFire.  They inquire about Shakeology flavors.  My nearly 8-year-old has sworn off McDonald's because it makes her feel "yucky."  This pleases Mama immensely.

I can wish and wish I had started living a Fit Life so many years ago, but the fact is, I am living it now.  I am leading by example.  I share run times and training efforts with them on a regular basis (they pretend to find the nuances of minutes and miles enticing info) and they even join me from time to time.  Seriously - what's more adorable than itty bitty biceps being flexed or hearing that little determined voice tell me "I am gonna finish this thing"?  When my son sees me struggling, he cheers me on, telling me that my "pumps are getting bigger!" And in this case, pumps are good! They are my bi's and tri's, having been carved out from the layers of pregnancy flab I had previously carried in their place.

To my extreme joy, we ran/walked our first family 5k this past Thanksgiving, some of us glued and feathered (turkeys and Native Americans) and some of us buckled and in black (Pilgrims). My Mother's Day gift for the past two years has been a family entry in the Susan G. Komen 5k in Philadelphia followed by a trip to the zoo (as if we don't live in one already).  This year, it has been suggested that we may even run it together.  Be still my healthy heart!  Runners too! Brings a tear to a mother's eye... And this summer - oh! this summer!!!!  After Hubby and I finish our first Spartan, we'll be cheering till we're hoarse for our Junior Spartans as they navigate their first mud race.  The girl especially cannot wait to get dirty! 

Aside from random bouts of interest in my at-home workouts and scattered events, these monkeys are active all year long.  We have a cross country runner (<3), football player, gymnasts, wrestler, baseball player, wrestler, cheerleader...and in the past, we've had a dancer and bowlers.  The toddler just began his first foray into the sporting world with a gymnastics class.  The girl plans to try her hand at basketball next year and both boys have discussed martial arts.  Alas, there are only one mommy and one daddy to handle such voracious schedules, so we must limit them to one activity per season each.  And even that can squeeze the life out of some of Mama's workouts - but I am happy to sacrifice a little of my sweatin' time to encourage their Fitness Passions!  When I see my daughter execute a perfect reverse flip on the bar or watch our wrestler pin an opponent, I feel a pride even greater than the one I feel at a finish line.  Hard to believe, but some things eclipse even my ego. 



And during those rare days in between practices? Bowling.  Roller skating.  Biking.  Hiking.  Or even just the park.  Some of our best nights are spent playing Wii.  Dance Dance Revolution is a family favorite (though only our gal has any rhythm), but we can bowl a mean virtual game, too.  We are a family on the move and I plan on keeping it that way.  Fit kids are happy kids.  Just take a look at those cheesey grins...

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