Well, two weeks are done, and I'm still here. This week was a little challenging because of a weekend trip, but I did the best I could to work around it.
This past week's routine consisted of:
Monday - Cardio Power & Resistance
Tuesday - Pure Cardio
Wednesday - Pylometric Cardio Circuit and light cross-training in the PM
Thursday - 4 mi run (in lieu of Cardio Recovery)
Friday - Cardio Power & Resistance
Saturday - Pure Cardio (was also supposed to do Cardio Abs also but laptop went kaput, so deferred to Monday)
Sunday - rest
Reflections from Week 2:
No Fit Test this week, so I can't gauge any real progress yet. The only other indicator would be weight, but that's been a funny (not funny "ha ha" but funny "strange" or funny "@#%^") thing... not really changing in spite of my efforts to keep within the calorie limits set by MyFitnessPal. I read that this is a normal side-effect of muscle building and fluid amassing to protect the muscles, so I'm moving on from that for now -- if only because of what I mentioned in my previous post that weight loss was not really the objective here and that there are far simpler (relatively) ways to get there. I do feel fitter, though, and a touch more toned, but I don't want to declare anything definitive yet.
Nutrition Plan
As I mentioned in my last update, there is a nutrition component to this program. Now, most of the reports from people who have completed the program said they got results even if they didn't follow the nutrition plan, so I felt pretty good about just tracking my food and eating mostly healthfully. The nutrition plan and MyFitnessPal are actually approximately equivalent calorie-wise, so I haven't had to do much guessing in that area.
Without giving too much away, the plan focuses on whole foods and eating approximately 300 calories every three or so hours between meals. Since I'm a grazer, I already eat like this -- and in general, I eat healthy but do splurge once a day or every other day, within the limits I'm given. I'm trying to make these splurges less frequent, but I do find that it actually helps fill my calorie void on some days. I used to (read: last month... ha ha... see pic below) eat way too many sweets, and although I don't love them as much as I used to, I do feel like including a little bit makes me feel more balanced (i.e., less likely to revert back to eating them without abandon).
Just as long as I'm not eating dinners like this or this (homemade vegan banana bread and a carrot cake roll -- this was last month):
I am highly unwilling to "eat clean" for an extended period of time -- maybe for 80-90% of the day, TOPS -- and that's all right with me. While I admire people who can stay away from muffins and fro-yo all the time, I can only do it for so long, and if that is the reason I don't have a six-pack, then all I can say is that this is why I don't wear mid-driffs. =)
However, I am reinforced by having more energy when I do eat healthfully, so I think I can stick with it for now. The additional energy I've had is perhaps the most surprising part of this journey so far -- even if I'm ready to keel over after a workout (I'll blog about the specific workouts next time!), I feel better the rest of the day. Not sure if that's a side-effect of the workouts, being more conscious of the food I eat, or a combination of both.
Finally, Saturday's workout was done while I was staying in Las Vegas. It was "The Ukrainian"'s first time doing an Insanity workout with me, and even though he didn't like every exercise, he agreed that it was a good workout. As proof that he isn't invincible like he sometimes says he is, his calves were sore the next day. Completing that workout in a small room was an accomplishment. We were supposed to do an additional 16 minutes of ab exercises, but the laptop we brought ran out of batteries -- with the cord at home. I still think with all the late-night walking and gambling, getting up to do such an "insane" workout was something of which I could be proud.
This past week's routine consisted of:
Monday - Cardio Power & Resistance
Tuesday - Pure Cardio
Wednesday - Pylometric Cardio Circuit and light cross-training in the PM
Thursday - 4 mi run (in lieu of Cardio Recovery)
Friday - Cardio Power & Resistance
Saturday - Pure Cardio (was also supposed to do Cardio Abs also but laptop went kaput, so deferred to Monday)
Sunday - rest
Reflections from Week 2:
No Fit Test this week, so I can't gauge any real progress yet. The only other indicator would be weight, but that's been a funny (not funny "ha ha" but funny "strange" or funny "@#%^") thing... not really changing in spite of my efforts to keep within the calorie limits set by MyFitnessPal. I read that this is a normal side-effect of muscle building and fluid amassing to protect the muscles, so I'm moving on from that for now -- if only because of what I mentioned in my previous post that weight loss was not really the objective here and that there are far simpler (relatively) ways to get there. I do feel fitter, though, and a touch more toned, but I don't want to declare anything definitive yet.
Nutrition Plan
As I mentioned in my last update, there is a nutrition component to this program. Now, most of the reports from people who have completed the program said they got results even if they didn't follow the nutrition plan, so I felt pretty good about just tracking my food and eating mostly healthfully. The nutrition plan and MyFitnessPal are actually approximately equivalent calorie-wise, so I haven't had to do much guessing in that area.
Without giving too much away, the plan focuses on whole foods and eating approximately 300 calories every three or so hours between meals. Since I'm a grazer, I already eat like this -- and in general, I eat healthy but do splurge once a day or every other day, within the limits I'm given. I'm trying to make these splurges less frequent, but I do find that it actually helps fill my calorie void on some days. I used to (read: last month... ha ha... see pic below) eat way too many sweets, and although I don't love them as much as I used to, I do feel like including a little bit makes me feel more balanced (i.e., less likely to revert back to eating them without abandon).
Just as long as I'm not eating dinners like this or this (homemade vegan banana bread and a carrot cake roll -- this was last month):
I am highly unwilling to "eat clean" for an extended period of time -- maybe for 80-90% of the day, TOPS -- and that's all right with me. While I admire people who can stay away from muffins and fro-yo all the time, I can only do it for so long, and if that is the reason I don't have a six-pack, then all I can say is that this is why I don't wear mid-driffs. =)
However, I am reinforced by having more energy when I do eat healthfully, so I think I can stick with it for now. The additional energy I've had is perhaps the most surprising part of this journey so far -- even if I'm ready to keel over after a workout (I'll blog about the specific workouts next time!), I feel better the rest of the day. Not sure if that's a side-effect of the workouts, being more conscious of the food I eat, or a combination of both.
Finally, Saturday's workout was done while I was staying in Las Vegas. It was "The Ukrainian"'s first time doing an Insanity workout with me, and even though he didn't like every exercise, he agreed that it was a good workout. As proof that he isn't invincible like he sometimes says he is, his calves were sore the next day. Completing that workout in a small room was an accomplishment. We were supposed to do an additional 16 minutes of ab exercises, but the laptop we brought ran out of batteries -- with the cord at home. I still think with all the late-night walking and gambling, getting up to do such an "insane" workout was something of which I could be proud.
This program sounds interesting. I'm a grazer and I eat all day so this might be for me!
ReplyDeleteI could not leave sweets out 100% either... sounds like you're making some great tweaks that are sustainable!
ReplyDelete