24 January 2010

The Good. The Bad. The Very, Very Ugly.

Well, it finally happened.

All this time I thought I was safe - getting up at 4:45 am to eek out my Insanity workouts at a time when no one, not even the dogs, could witness the spectacle.

Saturdays, apparently, have different rules.

I had everything planned out. Workout at 9am, do the dishes that had been sitting in the sink overnight (much to Knuke's delight), plan our next few weeks' dinner menus, go grocery shopping and then accompany my husband to an LHS basketball game in Mountain View. That was my Saturday.

But Matt woke up. Early.

Seriously, the guy usually sleeps until 10:30 on Saturdays. What in the world was he doing out of bed at 9am?

I had just put the Pure Cardio/Cardio Abs DVD in and was getting ready to push play when he came walking down the stairs. No way did I want him to see what I looked like in the middle of Heisman's and Level II Drills. Scary.

Under the guise of "what do you want for breakfast, honey?" I turned the power off on the DVD player and ran to the kitchen.

He followed.

Dang.

During a pre-workout breakfast of pancakes (Made with soymilk! Snuck it in! Ha!) and turkey bacon, Matt decided we should do the workout together cause he wanted to go to the store with me.

Um, what? Shouldn't there be some sliver of privacy still left in marriage?

Apparently no. Big, big no.

He took one end of the living room, I stayed on the other.

Under the ceiling fan. No way should a girl sweat like I do in front of her man. It's ugly.

Halfway into the workout (got my HR up into the 190's again - yay me!) I remembered that this was the last day of week 2 of Insanity, which starts the addition of double workouts. After Pure Cardio, we go straight into Cardio Abs. 55 minutes of torture, made worse by the fact that my beloved could see just how many push-ups and suicides I cannot do.

But my high knees are higher than his. Ha. And I do prettier yoga poses.

But man, can he crank out the circuits. I was particularly happy to be behind him for several of the exercises. Yowza. Nice view. And the man can do push-ups like nobody's business. I'm jealous.

With Matt working out next to me, I found that it made me push a little harder. Did I want to impress him? Did I want to show him that I actually have been getting up and doing the workouts in the morning? Do I want him to think I'm strong and capable?

Yes, yes and yes.

That was all well and good until we got to the cardio abs part. It. Was. Miserable. You know how 20 minutes can seem like sixteen hours? Yeah.

We both collapsed on the floor in our respective places and dared each other to get up and turn off the DVD player. Neither of us wanted to get up. I seriously couldn't move. I felt like a truck had rolled over my midsection, then backed up over me. Then ran over me again.

That workout was so intense that, just an hour later, I almost had to cut our grocery run a little short because I got really dizzy and weak in the middle of the store. It was a little scary, but I made it through. Despite the shakes, I felt good from burning more than 600 calories in less than an hour. And a handful of almonds in the car on the way home helped. I've got to remember to drink a protein shake after each workout. When I don't, I want to pass out.

And why did Matt want to go to the grocery store with me in the first place? I thought he was being nice and wanted to spend a little time with the wife.

Turns out he wanted to monitor my spending.

Now that's love, folks. He's so romantic.

20 January 2010

A Tale of Two Contradictions

So, this morning was weigh-in at work.

According to my scale at home, I knew I should expect a little bit of a gain. I kept reminding myself that even on The Biggest Loser, week two is always a challege.

I've never pushed myself so hard in a workout before. This morning was the Plyometric Cardio Circuit, and I kept thinking, "Last chance. Last chance. Move it!!!" I felt sure that it would pay off.

Um, not really. Dang.

I stepped up to Kirby - this really awesome machine that measures just about everything - and fed him my smart card.

Yep. Gained 2lbs.

I also apparently grew .03 inches, which this shorty of 5'1 will happily accept.

The thing I find the most interesting is that even though I gained 2lbs, I lost 1% of my body fat. Since 1/5, I've lost a total of 3%. Plus, I measured again this morning and I've lost 1 inch around my waist.

So I'm either blaming the gain on muscle, or the fact that my necklace is way too big today. But I like the fact that I'm losing body fat and inches.

I do have to brag on my workout - I actually did boy push-ups! During the Level 1 Drills (drop down - four push-ups - jump in - jump up - drop down - repeat) I've been kind of cheating and dropping down into modified (read: girly) push-ups, but since I was pushing so hard this morning I didn't have time to get my knees on the ground. I busted out actual push-ups like it was nothing.

Well, until the third circuit, and then I kind of collapsed and thought about never getting up again. Shaun T. was in the background screaming at someone else who had collapsed (it's slightly gratifying to see the people on the DVD collapsing in a pool of sweat) to get up and keep going, so I picked myself up - and was slightly light-headed and shaky - and finished the set.

I've never been so happy to see the cool-down stretches come up on the screen.

Know what else is hilarious? When Shaun T. is screaming at the top of his lungs, "FASTER!! PUSH YOURSELF!! GO!! GOOOOO!!!!" and the suggestions on the screen that appear above the timer say "Know your limits!" and "Rest when needed!" How in the world are you supposed to rest when Shaun is riding your tail the whole workout? Like I'm really going to slow down.

I can't let boys win.

Tomorrow is Cardio Recovery - like I posted last week, it's still a killer workout, but at least you can breathe and stretch out. Matt has a basketball game tomorrow night and won't be home, so I might, MIGHT let myself sleep in and do the workout in the evening. Maybe. I'd hate to break this routine I have going.

Anyone have any new favorite workout songs? I can't get "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas out of my head. It's annoying yet awesome all at the same time.

19 January 2010

Insanity Day 9 - Done.

Not much time to write - tonight is begging for a bubble bath with a mindless and silly fiction novel since Matt is at a basketball game. So I'm going to write this blog in my very favorite way.

Bullet points.

Get ready.
  • Since tomorrow is weigh-in day at work, today I channelled my inner Jillian Michaels and had two last-chance workouts. Insanity (Pure Cardio) this morning and 3.5 miles with Knuke and Tina after work.

  • Two workouts equal more than 600 calories burned today. That better show up on the scale tomorrow.

  • Chegg.com is my new favorite website. It's like Netflix for textbooks - meaning my Microbiology text is only going to have a $66 rental fee rather than buying it for $197 from the school bookstore.

  • My SparkPeople Insanity support group is so great. Man, those people are nuts...in a "we all like to do crazy workouts until we can't breathe or walk" kind of way. Great support and motivation to get up every morning and face down Shaun T.

  • Nectarines are an insane $3/lb right now, but we couldn't resist. We eat them like candy. That, and my mini bananas. Oh man, I love those things.

Want to see what Knukie looks like after 3.5 miles? It's rather cute.



What a smooshie dog. He's tuckered out.

Off to bury myself in a book. And maybe some blackberry tea.

18 January 2010

Insanity Day 8 - Pure Cardio & Resistance

Week 2 of Insanity officially began at 5:30 this morning.


It was hard.


Obviously, given the title of the entire workout series.


I think what made it hard was that, in the schedule, Sunday is a rest and recovery day. Just one day off made my body think that it could sleep in this morning – I was a little sluggish getting out of bed.


Once again, thank goodness for dogs in your face when the alarm goes off.


Gooood moooorrrrrnnnniiiiiinnnnggg!!!!!!!!!!!



I think I burned about 300 calories just trying to get them off me.

Wakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeupwakeup!!


Ugh. Just five more minutes.

Lickthefacelickthefacelickthefacelicktheface!

I'm up.


Getoffme..wait. That one's not mine.

Flashbacks of wakeuplicktheface mornings at my sister's house. That one teeny dog makes my three brutes look like they're chill and mellow.

You can tell by the ears.

I'm thinking a good run on Sunday afternoons might get me ready for the Insanity of Monday mornings and keep me in a routine. I'm afraid I'll slip back into the couch-potato mode I was in all of October through December if I give myself a break.

Another reason to get out of bed:

Mini bananas!!!

Have you ever seen anything so completely adorable??


The banana. Not the dog.

Well, the dog too.


Sorry, dog. That's mine. But you're still cute.

Other news: I get the MRI results on my knee this Wednesday. Fingers crossed for good results.

I've got to be able to continue these workouts. I can't let Matt win.

Um, I mean...

Actually, that's exactly what I mean.

"Unless you puke, faint or die...KEEP GOING!!" Jillian Michaels

16 January 2010

Insanity - Week One. Done.

I've officially completed week one of Insanity.

It was great to get up this morning to work out a 6am - more than one hour of extra sleep! You have no idea what that does for a girl.

I think the best part of this morning's workout - which was a repeat of Tuesday's Plyometric Cardio Circuit - was the fact that I finally figured out how to use my Garmin's heart rate monitor.

I had attempted to use it yesterday, but completely forgot to take the thing off the "run" mode - therefore, my ending stats stated that I ran .6 miles and only burned 59 calories.

Um, no. I don't think so.

So this morning I made sure to set it on "general" mode, and I'm much, much happier with the results.

My target heart rate is usually between 155-172, with 191 being my 100% max. I looked down at my Garmin a couple times during the circuits, and at one point I was at 193. That's how insane these workouts are!

My average heart rate during the workout stayed in the 180's, and the final calorie count was 423 calories burned in only 40 minutes. That's not too bad for an early Saturday morning.

Matt and I decided to go visit Stefanie this morning. We left at 8am and were at the hospital by 11 (totally my fault it took so long since I wanted to go up Manchester Road rather than stay on I-44. Oops.). Stef is doing really great - she's talking, laughing and just generally looking better. No walking for her yet, but she just amazes me with her positive attitude. She told us a little about her procedure, and then we spent the rest of the time catching up on gossip and news. It was just great to visit for awhile.

We stayed for about an hour, then turned around and came home so Matt could do his Insanity workout with a couple of our baseball players. He's been taking the workouts to school during the week to have the kids do during PE, and some of them want to keep it going, even on the weekends.

Our baseball team better be freakin' strong and awesome this spring.

I'm just sayin'.

And the most important item of the day: catching the Saints game at 3:30. Guess what we'll be doing the rest of the evening?

I need a nap. These early mornings have worn me out.

And I think some s'mores. I'm craving marshmallows. And chocolate.

15 January 2010

Insanity Day 5 - Pure Cardio

When you're in the middle of a workout and the people on the DVD in back of the trainer are calling him crazy, you know you're in for it.

And I agree with them.

Today's workout had no rest. At all. It was, as the DVD title implied, pure cardio.

And it felt really, really good.

I got through the whole thing feeling really strong. Afterwards, when I went to shower, I happened to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

So besides a 10-mile run, this is what will turn my face the shade of a tomato.

But I still hate suicides and push-ups. And I always will.

I bought some new protein shakes yesterday and will try one for breakfast this morning. It's an EAS one - chocolate fudge. That sold me right there. Out of all the protein shakes I've tried, this one has the best ratio of calories/fat/protein that I like. Most high-protein recovery drinks tend to be a little on the fatty side, and this one only has 3 grams. I likey. For 11oz, it's only 110 cal/3 fat/2 fiber/ 17 protein. I like those numbers - cause I also supplement it with a 100 calorie Thomas' High Fiber english muffin. That keeps me full till lunch.

Pre-baby shower for my BFF Teri tonight! It's so cool - she and Tim have no idea if they are having a boy or girl, and this party is the big unveiling. They gave the sealed doctor's report to their cake decorator, and if they cut into the cake and the inside is blue, it's a boy. Pink, obviously, it's a girl. Isn't that creative? I'm really excited about it.

Update on Stefanie: Kidney is in, it (and Stef) are doing great, and she was in an observation room all night - the hope is that she'll get moved to a regular room some time today. Stop by her website and see all the updates and kind notes people are leaving for her! Go to http://www.caringbridge.org/ and type in stefaniehood in the "search for a website" box. I'm so proud of her and her strength and positive outlook through all of this.

Also, please keep my dad in your prayers. There is a chance he'll be leaving on Saturday or Sunday to go help with recovery efforts in Haiti, but his recovery work is a little different than most. His responsibilities include trying to identify bodies, notify family members and line up everything for a proper, sanitary removal/burial/cremation, etc. As you can imagine, it's very stressful - not to mention the possibility of disease, fatigue and who knows what else. I know that he and his team will take every precaution they can to stay safe, but we would all still appreciate any prayers for safety and spiritual protection you can throw his way.

Haiti, my heart goes out to you. I pray that recovery and relief comes to you as soon as possible so you can start to rebuild your lives. From http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com - a family of missionaries currently in Haiti: One thing is ABSOLUTELY true ... Haitian people are tough, strong , brave , and tenacious. Most of them have been suffering for decades and decades and have seen more than you can imagine.

Praying. Hard.

14 January 2010

Insanity Day 4 - Cardio Recovery

After yesterday's near workout-meltdown, today's cardio recovery was a welcome change.

I actually was ready to get out of bed this morning. My sore muscles miraculously disappeared in the middle of the night and I felt energized and ready to go.

But as Shaun T. cheerfully explained, today's cardio recovery, while it might be at a slower pace and easier to follow, is still a workout.

I was dripping sweat in about five minutes.

During the workout, I started to wonder, what do I prefer? 30 squats in a row or balancing yourself in squat position for 60 seconds, followed by squat pulses for another 30 seconds?

My muscles were burning.

I would term today's workout as an LSB - long, slow burn - session. It combined intricate yoga poses with strength-building poses to maximize balance and muscle strength. My legs were shaking when we were done.

Seriously. You try holding the warrior pose for 60 seconds without falling over.



Then switch legs and do it again.

Then do it all over again, but this time adding in oblique moves where you bend the leg that's up in the air up to your shoulder so you can work your side abs. Switch and repeat. Without falling.

Yeah. It was crazy.

But it felt good to just stretch out and see how long my muscles could hold me in the air.

I really, really like this Insanity program. I like the fact that every day it's something different, and I'm not getting bored doing the same thing over and over.

I can't wait to see how Matt did with the yoga. I'm having so much fun picturing it in my mind.

On a more important note - as I'm typing this, our good friend Stefanie Hood is in surgery in St. Louis for her kidney transplant. We are going to try to go up and see her in the hospital this weekend, and we're just praying that her body doesn't reject the kidney it so desperately needs. We're also praying for a successful recovery for both Stefanie and her donor - what a selfless gift of life!

13 January 2010

Insanity Day 3 - Cardio Power & Resistance

Want to see what I look like when I have to get up before 5am to workout?
Yes. I'm thrilled to greet the morning.

This morning's workout consisted of things like moving push-ups, 8-and-8's, tricep dips, vertical jumps and other various forms of torture. I will honestly admit I spent more time watching the tv trying to figure out how to do some of the complicated moves than I did actually doing the moves.

But that's ok.

Matt did too.

So I'm justified.

It was one of those workout days where you could actually feel your muscles breaking down just to build themselves back up.

Did that make sense? Yeah, I know. My brain has apparently broken down also.

Matt agreed.

With the muscle part.

Well, probably with the brain part too.

I felt pretty weak and dizzy this morning during a couple of the repeats, but when I got done with the workout I actually felt like it was ok. I had this feeling that this morning was my breaking point and tomorrow I'll come out stronger because of it. It's just a matter of getting back into a routine and re-training my body to push and stretch it's limits.

Speaking of stretching limits, I had an appointment today with an orthopedic specialist about my knee that's been bothering me for, oh, about two years now.

He's a runner and a cyclist too, so he didn't tell me how bad running is for my joints. He reinforced that running is good...if I stick to a stretching and cool-down session after each run.

Oops. I might have overlooked how important those things are in my race to find sustenance after each long and grueling run. My bad.

There might be a slight possibility of a tear in the meniscus, and if the MRI I have scheduled for Friday proves just that, I'm looking at surgery. If it's just a strain, I have to chill on the workouts and running for about six months.

Six. Months.

You know how many sunchips and cookies a girl could eat in that time?

Let's all bow our heads and pray for either 1) absolutely nothing wrong and the wrenching knee pain is just all in my head, or 2) surgery. And quick.

(This is where husband-justification comes in again.)

Matt was back up and working out two weeks after his surgery. Two measly weeks. I would give all the cookies in the world to have this knee stuff straightened up in two weeks rather than drive my husband up a wall for six months*.

*Whenever I tend to get a little crabby or grumpy, my beloved pushes me out the door for a run or a walk with the dogs. It's true. Endorphins make people happy. And happy people don't kill their husbands.

Weigh-in was today at work - I'm down 2.9 lbs from last week, and my body fat percent dropped two points.

2.9 lbs. That's almost 12 sticks of butter.

Take that, butt.

12 January 2010

Insanity Day 2 - Plyo Cardio Circuit

You know that feeling you get after you run seven marathons in a row? Uphill? With multiple ankle weights on?

Yeah. Me neither.

But I would suspect that it feels very similar to how I feel right now.

Muscles I didn't even know I had are screaming out in agony. Sleeping last night was completely out of the question. Every toss and turn kept me wide awake cursing Shaun T and not caring if I ever get the ripped muscles and flat abs he promises.

4:45 came way too early this morning as my locked-up muscles and I attempted to get through day 2 of the Insanity workout. The dogs even looked away as I struggled to roll out of bed. It was that bad.

Coffee did absolutely nothing.

Traitor.

Today's plyometric cardio circuit made yesterday's fit test look like a kindergarten birthday party. After the warmup and initial stretches, my muscles loosened up and I was feeling pretty good. Jump squats, basketball drills, football drills...not too bad. Sure, it got my heartrate pounding and sweat was flying all over the floor, but I could keep up and handle the intensity.

Until the "four pushups, run it out (in pushup position), jump up, land back down (in pushup position), four pushups, repeat" sequence. For eternity.

Seriously. Not a joke.

I wanted to cry. My back and arms were already sore from yesterday, and I was supposed to do what?? With repeats!!

And it only got worse as I sat at my desk throughout the workday. I could just feel my back muscles stiffening up and my legs threatening to buckle every time I got up to use the copier. By the time I left work today I was reduced to shuffling across the parking lot like a little old lady who just got out of her arthritis support group.

Let's just say that on my way home from work tonight I got the following text from Matt as he did his workout:

"I hate Shaun T."

I walked in the door and Matt looked like he wanted to throw something through a wall. It made me smile.

Misery loves company.

The good thing is that Matt's sore muscles are the same as my sore muscles, so I know I'm doing the workouts halfway right. And you know what? It's only day 2. I know it will get better. Easier. I'll be able to follow along without looking like a rabbit on crack.

But right now I think I'm going to take a muscle relaxer and go to bed. This all starts again in the morning.

11 January 2010

Insanity Day 1 - Fit Test

The alarm went off at 4:45 this morning.

The dogs immediately jumped out of their deep sleep (how do they DO that??) and proceeded to lick my face and wedge their cold, wet noses under my arms and hands.

Ugh. I’m up. I’m up.

Did I really commit to 60 days of insanity?

Literally. Insanity. As in Shaun T’s 60 day Insanity/Beach Body program.

The first 30 days consists of 30-40 minute (ridiculously insane) rotating workouts (the three minute warm-up leaves you dripping with sweat and gasping for air).

So technically, since this first workout is only 30 minutes long, I shouldn’t have to crawl out of bed at 4:45 to start a workout that I want to be finished with by 6:00.

Technically.

But in the real world, I need those extra 30-45 pre-workout minutes to come to terms with crawling out of my warm fleece pajamas, put on my shorts, t-shirt and shoes (and stare in shock and dismay that the bottle of self-tanner did not perform as promised), let the dogs outside, have a tiny cup of coffee to jump-start my brain, let the dogs back in…and then start the DVD.

It’s like a whole day of work before I even get started. I can’t imagine what time I’ll have to get up when the workouts reach 60-80 minutes. For the love.

I shoved the dogs out of the living room since they jump when I do jumping jacks, they lick my face when I go down for crunches or push-ups, they try to trip me when I do lunges…you get the picture.

The DVD goes in. Today is day one – the Fit Test. One minute to do as many reps of each exercise.

Shaun T is annoyingly upbeat and his two workout sidekicks are amazingly ripped. I remind myself that’s exactly why I’m doing this…something I’ll need to remind myself of again when I want to lay on the floor and die halfway through the fit test. We start with the warm up – three minutes of crazy cardio and a couple stretches thrown in so you can catch your breath.

Fit Test Exercise #1 starts. One minute of as many switch kicks as you can do. Not too bad – my coffee is my energy at this point. I’m feeling pretty good.

30 second rest while you record your number.

Exercise #2 – Power Jacks. Kind of like a jumping jack but you land in a deep squat then push off from that position for the next jack, landing back in a squat. My quads start screaming that it is way too early for this kind of punishment.

Another rest to record your reps and drink some water.

Exercise #3 – Power Knees. This was actually easy, but I kept losing my balance. You would have thought the dogs were in the room.

Rest. Record. Sweat. Drink water.

#4 – Power Jumps. Like power jacks, but in reverse. The goal is apparently to bring your knees to shoulder height while you’re in the air. I almost died.

Rest. Resist temptation to lay on couch. Record number. Wipe sweat out of eyes.

#5 – Globe Jumps. These just bite. I hate these with the fire of a thousand suns. This is the equivalent of four power jack/power jump combinations where you jump to the right and land in a squat, then backwards and land in a squat, then left, then forwards. That’s ONE rep. I almost screamed “Are you KIDDING me???” at the TV, but remembered Matt was still asleep upstairs.
I gleefully reminded myself that he gets to experience this tonight when he gets home. Ha.

At this point, I almost didn’t care about writing down my number. I wanted to lay on the floor and cry out to Jesus.

#6 – Suicide Jumps. Ah, old-school 8th grade gym class. I knocked out more than I thought I would and told my screaming legs to shut up. I rock at suicides. Or at least I want to rock at suicides.

Recorded my number. Took a couple sips of water and noticed there was only 10 minutes left to go on this workout. Sweet. I can do this.

#7 – Push-up Jacks. Ok. I’ll admit – I can’t do a boy push-up to save my life. But push-up jacks make a regular push-up not so bad. You start in push-up position and when you ease down, your legs jump out like a jumping jack. Come back up while bringing your legs back to the starting position. A little difficult, but kind of fun and different.

Rest. I feel some energy coming back, which surprised me. A good surprise though – I wanted to finish strong and make this count.

#8 – Low Plank Obliques. If anything, these just hurt my elbows on the hardwood floor. I’ll need a towel or my exercise mat next time. You get into plank position, then bring your left knee up as far as you can to your side (think armpit area), return your left leg to starting position, then bring your right knee up. Repeat as fast as you can. Total abs killer!

Fit Test #1 Results:
Switch Kicks: 87
Power Jacks: 39
Power Knees: 60
Power Jumps: 25
Globe Jumps: 8
Suicide Jumps: 15
Push-up Jacks: 12
Low Plank Obliques: 50

Not as bad as I thought they’d be. According to the program, we do the Fit Test every two weeks to see how we’re improving. I also took my weight and measurements, even though this isn’t really a weight-loss thing – inches lost and muscle gain is the goal.

Matt does his Fit Test tonight. I can’t wait to see what he thought. He asked me this morning how I liked it and if I had any advice, and I just told him to watch out for the ceiling fan in the middle of the living room. Those power jacks will take you right into it. :)

Tomorrow is day 2 and on the schedule is some sort of evil-looking plyometric cardio torture.

Can’t wait.

09 January 2010

Florida Obsession

Off season, how you make my emotions go crazy.

On one hand, it's fantastic to have time off together. On the other, a bored husband will either 1) drive you crazy, or 2) find creative ways to run up your credit card bills.

Mine likes to do a little combination of the two.

I got the heads-up one week before New Year's Eve. The next thing I know we're in the truck for 11 hours on our way to Pensacola to escape the single-digit temperatures of Missouri-turned-Antarctica.

Fireworks on the beach for New Year's? Wearing flip-flops in December/January? I'm in.



Even though Pensacola was only in the 60's while we were there, it felt like the tropics to us. Floridians were walking around with gloves and scarves while Matt and I ran around in shorts and t-shirts.

We got lots of "are you crazy??" looks.

Actually, those looks could have been the result of the locals finding out that we don't eat seafood. Ever. Even on the coast where it is shoved in your face in gleeful abundance. So if that makes us crazy, we embrace it wholeheartedly.

That brings up another thought, which completely takes me off topic of this whole post. I still can't fully bring myself to enjoy meat anymore. If it lived, breathed, had a heartbeat and a brain, I just can't justify eating it. It turns my stomach. It might also be in part because of my anatomy classes and fully realizing that every hunk of chicken or slab of beef is nothing more than a merger of muscle, tissue, flesh, veins and arteries. I can't bring myself to sink my teeth into that.

I bought a really fun cookbook off of Amazon called "Better than Peanut Butter and Jelly - Quick Vegetarian Meals Your Kids will Love." After a quick read-through, I'm convinced this cookbook is true to it's word. Quick, easy and so good! If you're interested in trying out a meat-free diet, I'd highly recommend starting with this cookbook. Yum.

Ok. Back to the main point of this post. While in Florida, Matt happened to see an infomercial on TV (#2 coming back into play from the "bored husband in the off season" list) for a workout program called Insanity. It's supposed to be a harder workout than P90X with the added bonus that you don't need any weights or equipment to do the workouts. The promise is a ripped, cut beach body if you follow all of the workouts for 60 days. Matt thought it sounded like the best thing ever, and even I was intrigued by the before-and-after photos the infomercial highlighted. (Completely real, I'm sure.) We talked about it and decided that if we got it we'd do it together, checking each day off on the wall-size workout calendar that came as part of the package.

Matt grabbed the phone and his credit card, I'm sure much to the glee of the infomercial people. That's marketing at it's best, people.

He ordered the program.

It came in the mail.

It's sitting on our counter, and I'm scared of it.

Matt's in Dallas right now for a baseball coach's conference and will be back on Sunday. We're planning on starting Insanity on Monday, and I'm very intimidated. I'll admit it - I'm a little weirded out about working out in front of my husband. I'd like him to think I'm stronger than I am, and I'm afraid his pre-conceived expectations of me are about to be dashed into little bits. I guess if anything, working out with him right beside me will only cause me to push myself and (according to the promise of the infomercial) burn through 600-800 calories in one workout.

I'm very excited about that part.

I'm going to try to post updates on our progress if I'm not too sore to type. If you don't hear from me in a week or so, call for medical help immediately.

So here we go. Me working out alongside my husband (the obsessive, perfectionist coach that he is) who has already told me he's going to encourage and push me to do my best.

I have a feeling that #1 in the "bored husband list" is about to rear it's ugly head.