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.

Imitation...

They may not read my blog, check my numbers on the scale, or scrutinize this month's measurements, but there are four pairs of eyes following my progress and keeping track of my commitment more consistently than anyone else.  See that guy on the far left?  He comments on my "pumps" pretty frequently.  That one in the middle?  I am setting an example for her as a woman.  See the tallest one all the way to the right?  We talk running on a regular basis.  And that little guy...well, we're certain that one's a future football player/wrestler like his big brother.  They have all witnessed countless hours of me kicking, punching, and shaking my booty through TurboFire and HipHop Abs.  They even saw me struggling through a few sessions of P90X (long ago - I'm not struggling any longer ;))  And they always want to join in.  They want pumps, too, after all.  So, being the role model and incredibly fabulous mama that I am, I ordered "Tony and the Kids" for them.  Our deal is if they retain interest and do it often, they can also get Shaun T's DVD.  Just like Mom and Dad!

Last night we popped it in and those lil' sweat monkeys went right to work lunging, jumping, and stretching.  They did crunchy frogs, yoga poses, and wacky jacks (again, just like Mom and Dad!) right along with Tony, laughing the whole time (not always so much like Mom and Dad...).  I cannot express my joy at their joy.  Even the Rooster followed suit, reaching for the stars and then to the floor (even when the older three moved on to new moves).  It was half an hour of fun and fitness, and they were mighty proud of completing a workout with the great Tony Horton.  As they flexed for the camera and high-fived all the way around, commenting on the rough workout they'd just completed and wiping imaginary sweat from their brows, they made plans to do it again later in the week.  You know, to get in shape...like Mom and Dad...It's the sincerest form of flattery...

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...

When Jenny Met Running

You know you need to exercise.  Everyone is telling you.  Your neighbor.  Your doctor.  Your friends.  The crazy lady at Chic-Fil-A.  Maybe that last one is just me, but you get my point.  It's not brain surgery or rocket science.  It's a given.  The knowing is easy.  The starting can be just the teensiest bit difficult, and the sticking-with-it even harder (something akin to a root canal sans novacaine comes to mind).  BUT...I believe that if you have that much dislike for your workout, you're just doing the WRONG WORKOUT. 

I've done 'em all. I like most of 'em.  But I looooooove TurboFire and I downright LUST after running.  It just took me about twenty years to discover the first and appreciate the other.

Think of it like dating.  We learn as we grow...

 As a teen, I loved the big hair and bright colors on Buns of Steel.  I gritted my way through each agonizing minute, but my buns never reached the approximation of any sort of metal.  Because I only gritted my way for about a week.  Then in college, I experimented with jazzercise type videos (everyone experiments in college!) and even had a brief fling with running and lifting (my roommate did it and promised it would make me feel good).  After college, I got a job as a step aerobics instructor and personal trainer (I was inching closer, but the fit still wasn't quite right). 

About a year ago, I saw a TurboFire informercial during a middle-of-the-night newborn feeding.  I watched in awe as they shook booties, kicked high, and punched hard.  And those abs! I felt my own midsection and noted it was not the same as theirs.  But the announcer promised it COULD BE in just 90 DAYS.  I was desperate.  I handed over my husband's debit card faster than my newborn could fill a diaper.  And guess what? GREAT FREAKIN' PURCHASE! Because it changed my fitness life. 

And with this new level of cardio confidence, I took my own self to Providence, RI and ran a Rock N Roll half marathon just five months later.  BadASS. Now I became a runner.  I have previously described my love of running and all that entails, and I can pretty much promise I will refer to it again in the future.  (You don't just talk about your spouse once and forget 'em, do you?)

Soooo...my point (yes, I still have one) is this: I found the workouts I needed to make me WANT TO DO IT.  I nearly salivate when workout time approaches.  At various points throughout my day, you can catch me mid-chore with a faraway look in my eye, and I'm seriously contemplating my sweat schedule.  It's these dirty little daydreams that keep me revved up for the late-night rendevous with Mr. Horton and my hubby...We get (P90)X-rated six nights a week, baby!

Your workout is out there.  If you've started a program and found it wasn't for you, remember: there are lots of exercises in the gym.  Keep looking, put yourself out there.  A little yoga here, some HipHop Abs there.  Before you know it, you've got google eyes for your very own workout and the two of you are attached at the sneaker.