This week has been repeating the first week's classes, just in a different order - so just a quick rundown:
Day 7: Day off - woohoo!
Day 8: return to Cardio Power & Resistance. Slightly hungover. Painful. But I coped.
Day 9: Pure Cardio. I don't think this session will ever get easier.
Day 10: I had another day off here - I wasn't meant to, but work forced my hand by sending me to Keswick for the day, meaning a 5am rise, not getting home til after 9pm, and not eating well enough to sustain me through a heavy workout.
Day 11: back to Plyometric Cardio Circuit. For the first time, I felt like a session was getting easier. Though I still suck at press ups.
Day 12: Recovery day - lots of stretching. Actually, genuinely, feels good!
It's getting better, but also, it's getting addictive. On the train back from Keswick on Tuesday I was starting to think "ooh maybe I could squeeze in the workout when I get home..." even though I knew it was a bad idea on little sleep and not enough good healthy food.
Two more days til I get another day off!
Ax
Thursday, 26 February 2015
Friday, 20 February 2015
Insanity diary - day 6
WOOHOO!!! I made it!
Day 6 HURT. I'm not sure if it's because it's the end of the week and I'm pushing myself further than I'm used to, or if it's because I have a stinking cold that's making my eyeballs ache, or a combination of the two, but it was tough.
Day 6 of week 1 is a repeat of the plyometric cardio circuit session that you do on day 2. So it hurts - no surprises there. Today it definitely hurt more even though my muscle ache has dissipated, but that could be due to my cold.
There's not much more to say, except I'm now settled in front of 30 Rock with a hot toddy.
Slàinte mhath!
Ax
Day 6 HURT. I'm not sure if it's because it's the end of the week and I'm pushing myself further than I'm used to, or if it's because I have a stinking cold that's making my eyeballs ache, or a combination of the two, but it was tough.
Day 6 of week 1 is a repeat of the plyometric cardio circuit session that you do on day 2. So it hurts - no surprises there. Today it definitely hurt more even though my muscle ache has dissipated, but that could be due to my cold.
There's not much more to say, except I'm now settled in front of 30 Rock with a hot toddy.
Slàinte mhath!
Ax
Thursday, 19 February 2015
Insanity diary - day 5
Almost there!!!
Today was Pure Cardio. And it's ruddy tough. The big difference with this one is that instead of repeating the same short sequences a few times, doing each exercise for 30 seconds with a 30 second water breaks between each sequence, the main section of this workout is 15 minutes of continuous hard cardio, no water breaks, and sustaining each exercise for a full minute. So yeah, it's tough. And sweaty. VERY sweaty.
It's really reassuring to watch the keen exercisers on screen struggling - I'm not the only one that had to take a few breaks! However, I can see that this is a workout where I'll probably notice a big difference week on week as my stamina builds.
Only one more workout to go then I get a well deserved day off - wish me luck!
Ax
Today was Pure Cardio. And it's ruddy tough. The big difference with this one is that instead of repeating the same short sequences a few times, doing each exercise for 30 seconds with a 30 second water breaks between each sequence, the main section of this workout is 15 minutes of continuous hard cardio, no water breaks, and sustaining each exercise for a full minute. So yeah, it's tough. And sweaty. VERY sweaty.
It's really reassuring to watch the keen exercisers on screen struggling - I'm not the only one that had to take a few breaks! However, I can see that this is a workout where I'll probably notice a big difference week on week as my stamina builds.
Only one more workout to go then I get a well deserved day off - wish me luck!
Ax
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Insanity diary - day 4
Whoop! Over half way through week 1!
Today's session was cardio recovery - and boy did I need it. Still worked up a sweat due to some deep stretching and working my muscles hard, but it's all about control, not speed.
And again, I really enjoyed it - I think my yoga (and maybe even some good habits and muscle memory gleaned from my years of dancing, albeit a LONG time ago) has really helped to prepare me for the stretching, particularly as Will struggled with the stretching a lot more than I did. Plus, it was only a half hour class so I was in a nice hot bath in no time.
Only two sessions left this week - I know they won't be easy, but I'm really psyched about completing a week. Only 7 more to go...
Ax
Today's session was cardio recovery - and boy did I need it. Still worked up a sweat due to some deep stretching and working my muscles hard, but it's all about control, not speed.
And again, I really enjoyed it - I think my yoga (and maybe even some good habits and muscle memory gleaned from my years of dancing, albeit a LONG time ago) has really helped to prepare me for the stretching, particularly as Will struggled with the stretching a lot more than I did. Plus, it was only a half hour class so I was in a nice hot bath in no time.
Only two sessions left this week - I know they won't be easy, but I'm really psyched about completing a week. Only 7 more to go...
Ax
Tuesday, 17 February 2015
Haircare empties
I mentioned before that I basically ruined the lower half of my hair by bleaching it a few months back. Until then, my haircare was a pretty basic routine of drugstore brand shampoos and conditioners and pretty much anything would do as long as the conditioner wasn't too heavy to make my fine hair go flat.
But since bleachgate, I've been trialling some (affordable) products - the damaged ends are beyond repair, but I'm keen not to damage my hair further, and to at least improve the appearance of my frizzy locks.
Mark Hill MiracOILicious 2 Minute Intensive Treatment
This rich intensive conditioning treatment is super thick and just feels ultra nourishing - it has the texture of a Body Shop body butter. The smell is also delicious, rich with some spices in the fragrance. Two minutes leaves my hair feeling mega soft and tangle-free, and it comes in a huge tub which will last ages if you're using it as a once or twice weekly treat. I LOVE it.
Cost? £7.99 for 200ml (but ALWAYS on offer - currently £5.33 in Boots)
Repurchase? Already have.
John Frieda Frizz Ease Go Curlier Curl Activation Spray
This spray is sprayed onto damp hair, and is heat activated, designed to make curls curlier and last longer. I hoped the longer lasting curls might let me style my hair less often to prevent further heat damage, but honestly, I couldn't see much difference. A real shame.
Cost? £6.99 for 100ml (but again always on offer - currently £4.66 in Superdrug)
Repurchase? No
OGX Thick and Full Biotin & Collagen Oil Mist
This oil spray can be applied either to damp hair before styling to add a shot of moisture, make hair more manageable and give a volume boost, or applied to the ends of dry hair to smooth and control flyaways. I can't say I noticed any difference to the volume when I used on damp hair, but it did make my hair softer and more manageable. Applied to the ends of my dry and damaged hair, it did smooth and help to control, but the upshot was that my style didn't last so long - the curls fell out of my hair by mid-morning. Which is fine for a relaxed look for work or if you don't have much planned, but worth bearing in mind if you've got your heart set on big curls for a special occasion. Also, the tube attached to the spray is too long, curling up and meaning you need to remove and trim it to get to the bottom of the bottle.
Cost? £6.99 for 118ml (again, often on offer - currently £4.66 in Boots)
Repurchase? Probably not this one given that I didn't find it helped on the "thick and full" claim, but there are others in the OGX range which I'll certainly give a shot, especially the kukui oil one designed to hydrate and defrizz, and the coconut water one designed for weightless hydration.
Any recommendations for me to try next?
Ax
Insanity diary - day 3
Getting home from work this evening I had no idea how I was going to manage another workout this evening, but I'm a pretty competitive and determined sort, so in goes the DVD.
Tonight's workout was cardio power & resistance, and honestly, I found it ok. Still hard obviously, and still couldn't do it all without a few breaks, but I managed the very vast majority of the workout.
I also noticed as time went on that I'm even enjoying it - it's pitched at the right level to be both aspirational but manageable, you really feel you've achieved something come the end of a session, and the time goes pretty quickly when you're focusing on the pain.
I predict some very sore legs tomorrow, but I even kind of enjoy that - it's a reminder that I'm doing something good for my health and I've earned my aches.
Plus, tomorrow is a recovery session, which means lots of stretching rather than cardio and strength. In my eyes, that's practically a night off.
Ax
Tonight's workout was cardio power & resistance, and honestly, I found it ok. Still hard obviously, and still couldn't do it all without a few breaks, but I managed the very vast majority of the workout.
I also noticed as time went on that I'm even enjoying it - it's pitched at the right level to be both aspirational but manageable, you really feel you've achieved something come the end of a session, and the time goes pretty quickly when you're focusing on the pain.
I predict some very sore legs tomorrow, but I even kind of enjoy that - it's a reminder that I'm doing something good for my health and I've earned my aches.
Plus, tomorrow is a recovery session, which means lots of stretching rather than cardio and strength. In my eyes, that's practically a night off.
Ax
Monday, 16 February 2015
Insanity diary - day 2
I'm keeping this diary largely to motivate me to keep going with it. Six workouts a week is going to be TOUGH!
Tonight was my first session of "proper" workout following yesterday's Fit Test. Guaranteed sweat and pain.
But actually, I thought it could have been worse. This workout isn't for the fainthearted, but just because don't start with a six pack doesn't mean you can't give it a go. You absolutely can.
The workout - this one is the Plyometric Cardio Circuit - is 45 minutes, but the first 15 minutes or so is a warm up, and the last 10 is a cool down. The middle 20 minutes however? Holy hell it's hard work. I should add, Will's also doing this, and as he was at home today he did it before I got back. He texted me at work to say it gave him a vision of Jesus and Lincoln doing the foxtrot. So yeah I was pretty terrified.
But actually, it's manageable. I certainly didn't keep up with Shaun and all the folks on the screen - but they're all on day 60+ and I'm on day 2. I'd guess I did about 80% of the work out overall - all of the warm up and cool down, a slightly slower version of all the cardio. It was mostly the press ups that were my downfall again.
I guess what I'm getting at is, it's not completely unachievable. It's not for beginners, but as long as you're reasonably fit and you're willing to work hard (and sweat. LOTS.) you'll get through it and get lots out of it.
Oh and another bonus - you need to stay well fuelled to do such an intense workout, so as long as you're eating nutritious food, you can eat quite a lot of it!
Ax
Tonight was my first session of "proper" workout following yesterday's Fit Test. Guaranteed sweat and pain.
But actually, I thought it could have been worse. This workout isn't for the fainthearted, but just because don't start with a six pack doesn't mean you can't give it a go. You absolutely can.
The workout - this one is the Plyometric Cardio Circuit - is 45 minutes, but the first 15 minutes or so is a warm up, and the last 10 is a cool down. The middle 20 minutes however? Holy hell it's hard work. I should add, Will's also doing this, and as he was at home today he did it before I got back. He texted me at work to say it gave him a vision of Jesus and Lincoln doing the foxtrot. So yeah I was pretty terrified.
But actually, it's manageable. I certainly didn't keep up with Shaun and all the folks on the screen - but they're all on day 60+ and I'm on day 2. I'd guess I did about 80% of the work out overall - all of the warm up and cool down, a slightly slower version of all the cardio. It was mostly the press ups that were my downfall again.
I guess what I'm getting at is, it's not completely unachievable. It's not for beginners, but as long as you're reasonably fit and you're willing to work hard (and sweat. LOTS.) you'll get through it and get lots out of it.
Oh and another bonus - you need to stay well fuelled to do such an intense workout, so as long as you're eating nutritious food, you can eat quite a lot of it!
Ax
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