Am I Insane Enough? My Fitness Diary (8)

I'm undertaking the biggest challenge I have faced so far fitness wise. Yes, I'm going to attempt to do the Insanity plan from start to finish for the next 60 days. Well it's actually 62 days but who's counting?

This is the 60-day plan that comes with the Insanity DVD - they aren't kidding around, they mean business. I printed out the plan on a calender to keep track of what I need to do each day.

October is nearly complete so here's November and December...and no I don't work out at midnight, my printer randomly added those time slots.

It's composed of daily workouts, six times a week. The first 4 weeks are already hard with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for about 40 minutes each, then 1 week of "recovery" (which is pretty much more cardio but not as hard), then 4 weeks of general mayhem with HIIT workouts that are about an hour in length. Most workouts combine cardio training with strength (push-ups, squats, lunges, abs, etc.)

This is not a workout plan that I would recommend for beginners - it's way too much if you're just getting started. Remember, I've been training since January where I started with about 2-3 sessions of moderate exercise per week. I've also been doing Insanity off and on for the past month or more, but never according to the given plan because quite frankly, it's a bit crazy!

So why now? Basically, I've hit a plateau - I'm pretty happy where I am physically, but I want to have more of an athletic figure. No matter what I do, my last bit of remaining stomach fat is still "there" and I know that's ok, but I want to really challenge myself. I want to see if I can actually do this and get in the best shape of my life - physically and mentally. I'm not sure if I will be able to get through this program, but here's hoping.

I could have timed this better. It means I'll be under a strict nutrition plan up until Christmas, which means goodbye all the Christmas cookies, cakes, and liqueurs. I've decided to completely give up alcohol for this period - no more wine with dinner. I won't be changing my actual food plan much from what I'm already eating since I'm quite good with that as is. I still eat a lot of food and large portions, I never go hungry. I've recently added in magnesium supplements to help recover my muscles, since magnesium deficiency is quite common with increased sports activities.

I still don't know how strict I will be with myself during this. I somehow can't see myself not eating anything sweet or lovely for the next two months, as that is part of the Christmas holiday traditions for me, but let's see. It also means I'll have to continue my workouts when I'm on holiday this year in Vancouver - I fly out on December 20. I'm sure I will have to skip days here and there, but I'm going to try my hardest.

Why Insanity?

I love the effectiveness of the workouts and how quickly time flies. The music is not annoying, and the trainer Shaun actually motivates me, instead of making corny jokes like on other DVDs. It's a workout DVD that is very gender-neutral, unlike Turbofire which is aimed clearly at women. I like the fact that none of the women in Insanity seem to have fake boobs (as far as I can tell.) I also like how most of the workouts are done standing up, I really am not much of a lying-down-on-a-mat-doing-Pilates girl, I love the energy of jumping around. It's incredibly high energy and really tough, but somehow I like it. If you're serious about getting into the best shape of your life and don't have any problems with your joints and doing high impact sports - this is a great workout DVD.

I took some before pictures today - I can't wait to see how my body will transform after this!

Do you have any fitness or dietary goals in the period leading up to the holiday season? Please share in the comments!