One month and one day...

Hello Readers. So I just came back from an AMAZING Bachelorette weekend with the all of my girls in Palm Springs...it was absolutely perfect!!! Like all of the wedding events thus far, I was a little bit nervous when we were planning because we were bringing everyone from different parts of my life together and not everyone knew each other so I had a fear of awkwardness between people who had never met. That sounds lame, but I worry about these things...same thing happened before the engagement party and the showers. Luckily, my anxiety faded as soon as I got in the car to drive out and like the other parties, the weekend was awesome and I didn't want it to end. Everyone got along great and had fun together all weekend and I remembered that I really have the best girlfriends and family in the whole wide world. I feel so blessed, I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Alas, it's back to reality and now I'm back in my corner trying to focus on the different ongoing projects at work and tie up loose wedding details, whilst my boss is working remotely from Mexico and my family is out soaking up the sun in the desert. Good thing I have my man to keep me sane.

On the exercise front I've been devoting a minimal amount of time to round 2 of Insanity. So I have to apologize to you readers, in that regard, I've certainly given you empty promises. Insanity is tiring and waking up early is hard so I just haven't been doing the workouts. Nevertheless, it is one month and one day until I will get into a white dress and become Mrs. Jerry Gonzales...and I better look good doing so, so I've rekindled my relationship with Shaun T. I got up early and did Plyo Interval Circuit yesterday and tonight when I go home I'm going to do the Plyo Cardio Circuit or whatever the next video is. I intended to do it this morning but last night I went to sleep really late because when I was already in bed I remembered that I hadn't paid a bill so I got up to look for it but I couldn't find it, so I looked through every piece of paper I saw in my room until I found it sometime around midnight. That whole ordeal made 6am come pretty early today, so Shaun T did not have any part in my morning but we have a date tonight.

Uh oh. The fan on the modem below my desk started blowing right now, it drives me absolutely nuts. It sounds like I'm in an airplane after you just landed when the engine is shutting down, but it's not getting any quieter. I might have to leave early today so that I don't assault the next UPS delivery man that walks in the door. 30 more days until I get a vacation from work, 32 more days until I get a husband, 34 more days until I get to sip a mai tai in Maui....

A Minor Setback

Yesterday, I started from the beginning of Insanity once again. I forwent the Fit Test and went straight into Plyo Cardio Circuit. Then I remembered why P90X was so difficult for me...boredom. I suppose it's hard to be bored when you can hardly breathe, but the monotony of working out in the family room definitely wears on me. I think I'm going to mix this next round of Insanity with jogging too. I like working out outside and maybe by the end of the cycle I'll be able to keep up with the 40-year-olds at the golf course.

Today I didn't work out because I got sick last night...it was one of those 24-hour bugs. At noon yesterday I was a mess...I left work at 3 and got home and went straight to bed with a fever and chills, pretty lame. I rested for the remainder of the evening and my mommy made me chicken soup and the Rational Groom brought me Cheez-Its and Gatorade and cookies...collectively the best remedy for sickness. After a night of sweating, I still felt a little funky in the morning so I opted to skip the workout. As we're approaching noon again today I'm starting to feel like I'm closer and closer to 100%, funny how that works. Maybe tomorrow I'll endeavor to run the golf course once again, this time I'll be sure to put more Prince on the playlist.

Today Prince saved my pride.

Today after work I decided to run around the golf course in Bonita and at least 8 joggers left me in the dust, each of them had a minimum of 30 pounds and 10 years on me. At first I was feeling good as I ran past some walkers and children, then the first woman...at least 35 years old and 170 pounds ran past me...I tried to keep up, but her stride was just quicker. This scene was repeated several times, one man was even running backwards faster than I was running forwards. Finally, as I was running past the Fire Department, I felt yet another 30-something on my heels and then I heard the hum of the keyboard and Prince's soothing voice come on my iPod...And if the elevator tries to bring you down...GO CRAZY!! I immediately felt a burst of energy and my confidence return...next thing I knew I was on the heels of the guy who previously ran past me (backwards)! Ok, realistically I was probably still 30 feet behind him, but I gained some ground and some energy. Not that I have anything against people in their 30's, but I'm still in my 20s, I believe this period of time is defined as my prime. Thank you, Prince.

So I bet you're wondering what happened with my Insanity journey and why I am such a terrible runner. I would love to tell you that you're reading the words of an Insanity grad and that I can now do switch kicks in my sleep, but that would be a lie. Sadly, I kinda fell off the wagon over the last two weeks. We've had so much stuff going on that being diligent with the workouts has been difficult (same goes for blogging). Also, the MAX workouts are almost a full hour, which means I have to wake up earlier in the morning and that is very difficult for me to do. But I tried on my wedding dress on Saturday (which I'm so excited to wear!!) and I am determined to not have to wear a Spanx on the day that I pledge my life to the Rational Groom. I would also like to rock a bikini when we're on our honeymoon in Hawaii...I'm watching the Bachelor as I write this and looking at these people roam along beautiful beaches in Tahiti...it makes me want to look good in a bathing suit and makes me thankful that I found the right guy and that I don't ever have to date again. So tomorrow I am going to start the Insanity cycle from the beginning once again. The Month 1 workouts are no joke and I have enough time to complete another complete round of Insanity before the big day if I am so inclined, so I'm confident that I'll be able to reach my goals by the time the dress goes on. On the bright side, this means that the blogging will continue. Get excited.

A Very Big Day!!!!

The title of this blog entry sounds like a children's book that I would read to one of my nieces. But today is indeed a very big day! Thanks to one of the lovely members of our small group tonight I will be attending an advance screening of....ECLIPSE! That's right, today Kelley-O will be accompanying me as we cut out early from our big-girl jobs and act like giddy tweens for an afternoon. I can hardly wait!!!

In wedding news, as I came on to the blog page a few moments ago and saw the wedding ticker I may have had a mild heartattack....I can't believe the wedding is just 2 and 1/2 months away. I feel like there are so many things to do, but I'm not sure what they are. Luckily I'm meeting with the wedding planner on Friday, hopefully she'll help me organize my thoughts and then I'll be able to create a comprehensive plan of attack. Oh man, I'm starting to panic just writing about it...better get back to work!!

Friday Afternoon Confession, part deux

Friday, you're here!!! You really couldn't come soon enough!!

I had a semi-early meeting yesterday morning so I made sure I got up with enough time to do Max Recovery and get to work with time to spare. Recovery days are supposed to give your muscles a rest and in my mind that means some nice stretching, low impact relaxing...I wasn't too pleased with what Shaun T was offering me, so after 20 minutes or so, I decided I'd had enough and did my own workout for the rest of the time. I engaged in my own personal yoga session and got into savasana and stayed there for another 20 minutes. That makes it sound so much more responsible. I actually just laid down and took a nap on my yoga mat while the video continued. Savasana is known as "corpse pose" so I laid down like I was dead and sleep shortly followed. About 10 minutes into the nap my mom even brought me a blankie. It was lovely.

Yesterday after lunch I started to feel kinda funky so I went home early and tried to rest the funk out of me. This morning I decided that I still needed some rest so I slept in and didn't attempt the workout. That's right...2 days in a row I've chosen sleep over Insanity. That's my confession, please proceed to judge me.

In other news, the Rational Groom got another guilty verdict today!!! This means that Bonita Road is a little bit safer now and that my husband-to-be may never be without a goatee again. He grew a full goatee a few weeks ago and he hasn't lost a case since!! I can't complain, I think he rocks the goatee quite well and it seems that juries tend to think so too....bring on the facial hair!

I am in it

So far this week's workouts have been crazy intense, almost shocking, and Shaun T cannot stop telling me I am "in it". I'm serious, I almost wanted to count the number of times he yelled that someone was In It during the workout Monday and Tuesday, but I could barely get my body to work, much less my brain.

As I mentioned before, Month 2 really kicks it up a notch...the workouts are longer and everything is called MAX something. Even the warm-up was shocking...switch kicks (which are one of the most difficult elements of the fit test) are part of the warmup. They also added this weird side to side kicking ab thing to the warm up...it's like you're in downward dog, but your feet are on one side and then you have to jump to get your feet on the other side. It's almost impossible because, first of all, I'm not coordinated enough to do it, but once I figured out how I was supposed do it I couldn't get my abs to work hard enough to lift my legs. I think if I concentrate enough, maybe in 4 weeks I'll be able to make it through the warmup without stopping.

The Monday workout was Tanya-free and contained one of the funniest moments in the Insanity series to date. Throughout this video, Jeff, who is the guy with the Jersey Shore blowout and is apparently also a breakdancer, is placed in the front row next to Ariel, who is the bomb and is so intense that she always looks kinda scared. At the end of the workout when everyone is tired and sweaty and delirious, there are some people laying flat on the ground others trying to catch their breath..and then there is Jeff who decides that it is a good time to do one of those turtle spins on his back (I don't know breakdancer lingo, but if he was a turtle he would have been spinning on his shell). As he slows down he gets himself out of the spin by doing one of those breakdancer kicks, and in the process of doing his kick he miscalculates his area and nearly kicks Ariel right in the face...the look on her face is priceless!! She looks so shocked and as Jeff walks away Ariel slowly reaches up to her face to make sure that her nose is still there. Hilarious. Maybe this isn't funny to anyone else, but it was pretty funny to me, especially since the spin was so totally unnecessary. It's the little things that make these workouts bearable at 6:00 a.m. day after day.

Tanya came back for the Tuesday and Wednesday workouts and thankfully, she's not quite as annoying this time around. She takes breaks from time to time, so it makes me feel like she's not faking as much anymore. Or maybe it's just that I'm struggling so hard with everything that I don't have the opportunity to notice her as much. Sadly, the girl with the red shorts isn't in the videos this week...I was really starting to like her, hopefully she'll come back in something else.

Now it's time to balance all this exercising with a great dinner and lots of dessert to celebrate my mommy's birthday!!! Happy Birthday Mom!!!

A Friday Afternoon Confession

Hello Readers. I have a confession. I didn't work out yesterday. What happened, you ask? Wednesday night I had a dream that Prince William relinquished his crown and then I woke up and cleaned my room. No, my room still doesn't look clean, but now there isn't a huge pile of clothes blocking the path from the door to my bed. I decided to give myself a break from yet another day of Cardio Core & Balance...doing the same thing every day is starting to wear me down. I didn't want to hang out with Tanya and her cornball faces, I didn't even want to hang out with Shaun T. (Note to Estephanie: you're going to be slightly disappointed with this video - Shaun T doesn't take off his shirt, but you do get a gratuitous shot of his washboard abs at the very end...at least you'll have that to look forward to!) I intended to do the workout after work last night, but the Rational Groom gave me an alternative and the notion of working out quickly faded...so I met up with him and his coworkers for a margarita and a burrito and then watched the Lakers emerge victorious over the Celtics...it was a lovely ending to an exercise-free day.

Today I faced the music and did the workout, this time noticing everyone in the video even more. I really need to find some redeeming qualities in Tanya, otherwise I think I'm going to hate the next month with her. Hopefully there will be some other cool stuff to distract me, based on the thread I posted I think there's a point where someone almost gets kicked in the face, that should be entertaining. Anyway, in this video there is a guy in the back that totally has a Jersey Shore blow out, hilarious. And of course, there is Frankie who always looks like he needs a good shower and shave even before the workout starts...Frankie definitely hams it up sometimes but I find it endearing with him, I think he's just trying to look buff, not like Tanya who looks like she's trying to land a spot on the Britney Spears comeback tour. Ariel also makes an appearance in this one and she totally kills it! Her abs look amazing, form is always spot on and she is so focused throughout the whole thing. Shaun T spends a lot of time using Ariel as an example in this video...in my mind this makes Tanya resent Ariel. I only have one more day of this workout, then I have to figure out how I'm going to manage to wake up early enough to do an hour long Insanity workout every day for the next month. For now, I can look forward to a weekend with family and food. I don't think he reads this, but....

Happy Father's Day, Dad!!!

Welcome to Recovery Week!

The workout this morning was interesting, tough but not crazy tough. I think it's gonna be a good week! I also think that I'm going to be bored after doing the same workout for 6 days. It's all good...I'm sure that next week I'll be wishing I was still in recovery. Next week we start the more intense Month 2 which means longer workouts and everything is labeled "MAX". Yikes.

As you know, I initially swooned over Tanya...but now I'm starting to get super annoyed with her. I'm pretty convinced that she's a professional worker-outer and maybe an actress too, but not a good one. Or maybe she's just one of those really peppy people that seem fake all the time... or maybe she's actually in her 50s and that's why she is pumped about being there, but I really think she's just hamming it up for no reason. Here's an example of what I'm talking about...today Shaun T takes extra time between moves so that he can explain form and we can rest, and while Shaun T is explaining Tanya is constantly nodding her head and making faces that combine the emotions of fear (like she's thinking to herself...oh this is gonna be tough!) and excitement, a-la Tony the Tiger on the Frosted Flakes box. She's always smiling when a smile is not appropriate, like she is trying to show me that the workout is easy to master and that she's pumped...but Tanya, the workout is not easy, it's hard and it makes me want to crawl back into bed, stop faking. Sometimes Tanya can still pump me up...but only when she doesn't have those stupid goofy expressions. Most of the other people are focused and have genuine and appropriate expressions for most of the workout...so Tanya: quit hamming it up and do the damn thing! At least I'm not alone, thanks Beach Body people...threads like these make these workouts so much more enjoyable =)

100 days!!

100 days till the big day!! Weird!! But exciting!!

A big CONGRATS to my man who got a guilty verdict today!!! Great job babe!!!

I'm nuts too

Just to clarify, by no means do I exclude myself from the potential of being psychotic amidst wedding planning (hence, the name of the blog). But in all truth, I'd really like to avoid the wedding planning insanity at all costs, and so far I think I'm doing a decent job at not being too crazy...but you'll have to ask the Rational Groom to be sure.

Now, on to the more important things at hand...I've made it to week 4 of Insanity!! I'm pretty sure this is the longest I've ever stuck with a workout program, and I can totally feel it! I haven't lost any weight at all, but I'm starting to see some definition and now I can wear pants that would normally cut off my circulation. Victory! This week I'm finally starting to get my eating in order...hearty breakfast followed by a healthy 300 calorie meal every 3 hours or so...and so far, no Sour Patch Kids. Of course, I do realize that it's only Tuesday, we'll see how long this lasts (i.e., how long until I run out of groceries, or until I get a hankering for Sour Patch Kids).

Yesterday I woke up late so I had to do pure cardio + cardio abs in the evening after I met some friends for dinner. I do not recommend this. Multiple times I had to eye the trash can to make sure that I would be able to make it there if my dinner came back up. That discomfort was subsequently compounded by the fact that today I have stuff to do right after work so there's no way I could have worked out tonight, so I had to will myself to wake up early and do another Insane workout less than 12 hours after doing yesterday's workout. I do not recommend this. I had a pretty pathetic showing this morning. Last year when I tried P90X sometimes I would be too tired in the morning so between moves I would lay down and nap while Tony Horton would continue leading the workout. The only thing that kept me from collapsing face first into the floor this morning was my unwillingness to get sweat everywhere (just vacuumed the carpet)...I was dripping in sweat by the middle of the warm-up.

With regards to other important business...I finished reading Breaking Dawn and I'm totally pumped to see Eclipse! The Rational Groom will definitely be sitting this one out, so umm...who's with me? Anyone? No? It's all good. I'll go alone...because thats what a twihard would do.

Brides are nuts

Like most women that have gotten engaged in the 21st century, once Jerrbear and I got engaged, I too created an account on TheKnot.com so that I could count down the days to our big day, get ideas, be girly...you know what I'm talking about. In the last 6 months I have grown to loath this website for several reasons. Although it has cool pictures to check out, it is totally overwhelming...the website bombards you with stuff. I used to have the impression that it was user-friendly, budget savvy, realistic...but it's actually just a bunch of vendors trying to sell me stuff that I don't need. But the worst part of it by far is the ridiculous "community" message boards that allow these crazy women to post the most retarded questions ever and excessively use unnecessary acronyms like "FI" for fiance. Some of the comments are so caddy and judgmental, I just don't understand it. This one girl posted something asking about doing a dollar dance...I understand that a dollar dance is not as popular in some regions/cultures but who cares, its your wedding do whatever you want, right? Wrong. This girl who was just looking for some advice got immediately attacked by psycho brides across the country who were judging her for even contemplating carrying out such an atrocity. Brides are scary.




Now that I'm done ranting...workout today was good! I had a dream that I slept through my alarm and had to skip the workout (again) but then the alarm went off at 6:00 like normal, and like normal I got up at 6:30 and had enough time to do Core Power Resistance. As always, the workout was super intense and it ended with me sweating profusely and a shirtless Shaun T. After I ate breakfast, took a shower and got ready for work I was still sweating....kinda annoying when you're trying to put on makeup. But I felt victorious when I was trying to find something to wear...I picked out a dress that normally makes breathing difficult but when I put it on I had room to spare!! Hooray!!

Week 3 Rundown

So I totally intended to be much more diligent in my blogging...but that whole work thing can get in the way from time to time. Nevertheless, fear not! In my blogging absence my better half has entered the blogosphere and is also providing an account of our journey on the road to Buff City. Check him out HERE!

Our trip last weekend was so much fun!! A beautiful wedding, good friends, good food, good wine, good times all around! Check us out...this was at the reception:


After slacking with the workouts and stuffing my face with copious amounts of Sour Patch Kids, it took a while for my body to get back into the groove of things this week. I did the Fit Test (results below) and I weighed myself. Wine, food, airplanes, and Sour Patch Kids did not do me any favors on the scale. I also have had trouble waking up in the morning to work out so this week I've had to do the workouts at night after work. Doing that is actually not so bad...but you run the risk of finding something cooler to do. At 6:00 (ok 6:30am) there really isn't much else to do besides sleep.

Anyway, I'm still chugging along and Wednesday was the first time we had to do the cardio ab workout in addition to the normal workout. When the workout started and I realized that there was a warm-up I wanted to punch Shaun T in the face. The Insanity warm-ups are SO hard! Luckily this warm-up was truncated so I didn't have to cause harm to anything or anyone, other than myself. OH and the girl who wears her curly hair down in the power core resistance video made an appearance in the cardio ab video too! She looked a lot different with her hair back and it was kinda shocking to see how high she jumps. I wonder if I'll be able to jump that high one day.

Here are my Fit Test #2 results:

Switch Kicks: 60 (+6 since Fit Test #1)
Power Jacks: 45 (-3 since Fit Test #1...my bad)
Power Knees: 82 (+10)
Power Jumps: 26 (+6)
Globe Jumps: 8 (+2)
Suicide Jumps: 12 (+4)
Push-up Jacks: 20 (+5...this was SO hard!)
Low Plank Obligque: 32 (+13...heck yeah!)

On location

I'm writing this blog on location in beautiful Vallejo, California. Our hotel is conveniently located right across the street from Marine World or whatever six flags satellite theme park it is that they have here. After much deliberation we decided not to bring Insanity with us on this vacation...actually, Jerry suggested it and I quickly agreed, tennis shoes take up lots of space in your suitcase and this is the first vacation day Jerry's taken since August 2008, why ruin it with exercise. I feel pretty pleased with our progress so I don't feel too guilty about missing one day, even though it's only the 2nd week. I'm not worried, I'm not gonna make a habit of skipping workouts and I'm not gonna let it mess up my momentum...we'll pick it up again on Sunday and Monday will be a big day: fit test and weigh-in! Then I'll really be able to see how I'm doing! I have a feeling I'm not losing too much weight, but I think I'm losing inches...too bad I didn't take all my measurements before I started.

And in case you were wondering...in Twilight news, I took advantage of the flight and read the first part of Breaking Dawn...a big thanks to Sarah for sacrificing your reputation and borrowing the book for me. Jerry was sitting next to me on the flight and almost lost his dinner, he was not impressed and visibly pained by my interest in the story. What can I say, we all need our harmless guilty pleasures.

Now I'm off to get some rest so I can cut a rug at the wedding tonight! Congratulations to Mary & Gary!!!

Day 10

Hello readers (Jerry, Sarah). Hopefully you weren't concerned about my failure to post since Sunday. Have no fear: I'm still doing the workouts, still doing this blog.

The workout this morning was good. I still felt like I was going to die at certain points but I also feel myself improving a bit with some of moves, so that's nice. I also have a new Insanity inspiration/girl crush...I don't know what her name is but in today's video she was wearing red shorts. She is really pretty and has a smokin body, she kinda looks like Rashida Jones (my celebrity girl crush). I need to get myself some red shorts.

I'm going out of town this Friday & Saturday for a wedding and I'm totally pumped to get some R&R and celebrate Mary & Gary's blessed union...but I'm not so sure how I'm going to fit Insanity into our getaway. I can do the Saturday workout on Sunday which is our rest day, but I'm not sure what we're going to do about Friday. The hotel where we're staying doesn't have a DVD player in the room so we'll either have to do skip it or bring a laptop to play the DVD. I feel kinda proud of myself for even considering doing a workout on vacation...vacations were originally intended for eating, sleeping and not working out. So maybe I can just give myself the points for thinking about working out, not actually working out. Sounds reasonable to me.

I made it to Week 2!!

This is a victory already...I'm done with 15% of the program! I feel like I've already worked out more than I did in all of the times I started and quit P90X.

Monday's workout was Power Cardio something. It's the 2nd time I've done this workout and it was still really tough. I kinda feel like every day I'm doing the exact same video because each one ends with me being really tired and Shaun T wearing no shirt. But I found a new inspiration in this video...this blond girl named Ariel, she is the bomb. Her form is always spot on and I don't think she took any breaks. She may be a professional worker-outer like Tanya but I'm going to pretend that she's not and tell myself that I can look like her by the end of this program.

It was VERY difficult for me to wake up and work out this morning. Today was "Pure Cardio", this is the one where you have to do 15 minutes of cardio with no breaks, it's brutal. It doesn't help that during the warm up Shaun T tells us that even he's nervous for the workout...not very comforting. I had to hit my own personal pause button a few times when I thought I was going to collapse. As weird as it might be, I feel like in a lot of these moves it totally helps to grunt...I really don't think I can complete one suicide drill without grunting. This morning the suicide drills were the 2nd to last exercise of the workout so you're super tired and then you have to get down and jump into a plank, jump your feet back between your hands, then jump in the air...jumping back into the plank is impossible without a grunt.

And in relation to my guilty pleasure Twilight, I watched New Moon on Sunday. I feel embarassed for myself saying that I thought it was great, so I'll just say that it was a lot better than the Twilight movie. I still claim Team Edward, but after watching the movie I can totally see why there are so many members of Team Jacob...werewolf muscles are no joke and Edward is so skinny and frail, he looks like he would play Jesus in the Easter play. Of course, a Jesus played by Robert Pattinson would not be nearly as cute as Jesus, as interpreted by Jerry Gonzales in the 1996 St. Norbert's Easter program.

Day 6-7: Plyo Cardio Circuit & Rest

After a very stressful work week, this weekend was a much needed break. My sister and brother-in-law and their troupe of little ones came down to San Diego for an impromtu getaway and a very pleasant surprise! Saturday morning I woke up and did my workout with my 4-year-old niece Sophia. Sophie did a great job and kept up nicely...2 minutes into the warm-up I hear her say "I'm tired" and then she went to go color. I considered joining her but I decided to push through. So I did it, one week on Insanity done!!!

Yesterday afternoon Jerry and I made some good progress on the wedding front. It was really nice to spend that time together and I think Jerry's going to look very handsome with a wedding ring. :) We also got to eat lots of cake and then come home to hang out with the kiddos last night, so all in all...it was a very good day. Today was an Insanity rest day so we were able to relax, which was lovely, and I got some more wedding planning taken care of. I got my hair did by this kooky lady who was was very nice but also a little weird. After she randomly threw around my curls a little, with the help of my mom and Sarah, I was able to communicate to her what I wanted and we settled on a very nice wedding day 'do! So a big thanks to my 2 "followers"! I've been having fun with these last few things, but I still can't believe how much stuff there is to do to prepare for one day.

On a separate and totally pathetic note, I'm pumped because I rented New Moon and I'm going to watch it as soon as the Laker game is over (or once I get bored with basketball) and I might be able to borrow a copy of Breaking Dawn instead of buying it before it comes out in paperback. Go ahead, judge me.

Day 5 - Pure Cardio

Last night I stayed up late again to finish reading Eclipse, it was great! I can't wait to see the movie! I have to see New Moon first though...maybe I can convince Jerry to watch it tonight...eh??? I also have to get the last book...I wanted to wait till it comes out on paperback but I don't think I can wait until August. Again, please don't judge me. When I start buying tons of Robert Pattinson paraphernalia then you can start judging.

So the workout this morning was absolutely nuts! Instead of doing intervals with 30 second breaks in between it just went straight through for about 20 minutes..all kinds of jumps and sprints and squats. So tiring, even Shaun T was tired!! He kept taking little breaks to go around and encourage people and when he saw that people were dying he made them go take breaks too. The black girl who looked like she wanted to give up in one of the other videos was in this video too...again, not enjoying herself too much. At one point Shaun T asks her how she is feeling, she says "I want to leave." Kinda funny...it took him a minute to realize what she said and when he figured it out he immediately made her go take a break. Tanya on the other hand, did not take breaks. But I must admit that I'm a little disappointed because I'm starting to think she's a professional worker-outer, so it's almost like it's not an accurate gauge of what is possible for normal people.

On the bridal front...this week I've been trying to get some more wedding planning items checked off the list. Jerry and I are gearing up for a big wedding-planning day tomorrow...we are supposed to take care of wedding rings, DJ, cakes, Tuxes and whatever else we can fit in. Sunday I am going to do my trial hair & makeup for the big day. I'm praying that everything goes well and that we get some good deals!! This whole process totally blows my mind...this week I found out that there are some brides who spend upwards of $4,000 on invitations. Yes, $4,000. Retarded.

Day 4 - Cardio Recovery

Today it was particularly difficult to get up and work out...I knew it was going to be a recovery day and estimated that it wouldn't be as long of a workout, so it didn't take much to convince myself to hit the snooze button a few extra times. I would say that I was tired due to the intense calorie-melting workouts, but I was mostly tired because I stayed up past midnight reading Eclipse. That's right, I've become a Twi-hard...Team Edward, to be precise. I don't know who coined the term "Twi-hard" or if I'm using it correctly, but I do know that I took careful attention to be sure that last week's Oprah with the cast of the movie will not be deleted from the DVR and that the book kept me up well after my bedtime...I'm near the end and I want to know what happens!! Don't judge me.

As far as the workout was concerned, it was much lower impact today but still challenging. We had to do some really tough squats and leg lift things. I know this doesn't make much sense, but whenever I start a streak of eating healthy or working out regularly and I start seeing results (or after about 4 days, whichever comes first) I feel like its a good time to stop. Like right now, I'm pleased with what I'm seeing...I'm sore, I feel like I'm getting toned, my stomach feels a little flatter...and I feel like that's enough, or I feel like I can work out half as much and I'll be satisfied. So today since I was tired and somewhat pleased with my progress, I thought about quitting. Pretty lame, huh. Good thing I have this blog to keep me going. In any event, I'm interested to see what happens if I actually stick it out. Onward!

Day 3 - Cardio Power & Resistance

OUCH. Everything hurts. I feel like every part of my body is sore...the worst of it is my backside. Everything from my shoulders down to the top of my booty hurts! But it is a good kind of pain I suppose.

The workout this morning was good, intense, sweaty, tiring. There is so much jumping and changing direction in this workout, it's kinda rough on my feet. I think I may need different shoes...maybe cross trainers? How much do cross trainers cost? I'll have to look into that.

This video includes my good friend Tanya and this girl that has long curly hair that she is wearing down. I just kept thinking that she must be so uncomfortable, why would you wear your hair down during an Insanity workout? At one point during the one-legged tricep dips Shaun T asks this girl how she's feeling, probably expecting her to say something totally positive and pumped, instead she yells, "I feel like sh*t!" Duh. Pull your hair back, you'll feel a million times better.

Day 2 - Plyo Cardio Circuit

Even though it's only been two days (one day really) my body is starting to feel the effects of Insanity. These workouts target your core so hard, I'm sore in weird places...when I walk my ribs and back are sore and my calves are sore from all the jumping.

Today's workout was pretty tough but I was pleasantly surprised with how I kept up...and by "kept up", I mean I didn't throw up or have a seat on the couch to watch the people in the video work out. Even though you don't get much of a break between circuits (30 seconds is NOTHING), I like how Shaun T goes through the moves...it's just enough time to get a rythym, get tired, think you're going to die but then force yourself to do just a few more as the seconds are running out.

During the video I was watching Tanya and her perfect form and trying keep up with her...of course, I failed, but there were brief moments when we were on the same rythym and I got excited. Tanya is super intense, but there are others without her level of enthusiasm. There was a black girl in the front row in this workout who was struggling, she looked like she was gonna walk out of the gym or punch the cameraman...I think I kept tempo with her.

Since I'm investing so much into this program, I'm also trying to get my eating on track. No major changes, but I'm trying to steer clear of junk food, drink lots of water and not snack...but snacking brings me a lot of joy so we'll see how that part goes. My mom's BFF told me about these Green Tea Extract pills from Costco that helped her and her husband lose weight, so I bought them last night to see what happens if I supplement my workouts with these things. I took two this morning with breakfast and ummm...the jury is still out...I don't particularly like having diarrhea so we'll see if I'll keep taking them. Also, I think they have a lot of caffeine in them, my legs were bouncing all morning! Oh man, I sound like a crazy lady who is taking diet pills...I promise I'm not a nut job.

Day 1 - Fit Test

Small victory #1: I woke up and worked out.

Small victory #2: I didn't throw up.

The Fit Test this morning gave me a glimpse of how difficult this thing is going to be. There were a few times when I totally thought I was going to pass out, but luckily I stuck it out and finished. Shaun T makes you do 8 moves for one minute each, and all of the moves are so hard I don't even know how he thought of them. The power jumps are nuts...you have to squat and then leap into the air and slap your knees, I felt so awkward but somehow I managed to knock out 20. My numbers are kinda pathetic, but not so terrible that I'm discouraged enough to send back the DVDs and pick up the Chili Cheese Fritos again, no sir. It actually really made me want to get better and be like Tanya (aka "the Machine"), this crazy asian girl who looks like she never gets tired or sad. I'm definitely not there yet, but here is where I'm starting:

Switch Kicks: 53
Power Jack: 48
Power Knees: 72
Power Jumps: 20
Globe Jumps: 6
Suicide Jumps: 8
Push-up Jacks: 15
Low Plank Oblique: 19

Weight: 145.0

I'll have to do this fit test again in 2 weeks...hopefully there will be some improvement!

Team Beachbody Insanity Workout Program - Shaun T

Twas the night before Day 1...

So a few days ago I caught myself reading this ridiculously pretentious and self-indulgent blog written by this girl who is trying to make herself seem really selfless and pure. I really don't want this blog to sound like that. This is purely an experiment in accountability. So I thought I should start with this disclaimer: I know that no one cares about what I'm writing.

I just really want to lose some pounds for my wedding dress and I'm desperate for something to keep me from quitting. So the purpose of this blog is to document my journey on the road to Buff City via Insanity, with the hopes that I'll feel obligated to work out in order to have a complete chronicle of my transformation. If you're not familiar with Insanity, Insanity is a 60-day workout program that will make me sweat, cry, and probably vomit...but hopefully it will also get me in the best shape of my life before the most important day of my life.

So here we are on the eve of Day 1. I'm all set to go with my Insanity DVDs, in fact, I previewed them this morning (while I finished off a bag of Chili Cheese Fritos) and man...I got tired just watching! It looks really tough, I hope I can make it through! The biggest challenge of all may just be waking up in the morning to do the workout, so I'm off to bed to rest and dream about being skinny and buff.