Insanity diary - days 57-58

A very quick post:

Day 57: day off - whoop!

Day 58: Fit test. I was really worried about this as I've not strictly been on the schedule (more's the pity, as if I'd stuck faithfully to it I'd be done in a couple of days!). But it was surprisingly ok and I made at least minor progress on every exercise - the below shows my starting scores, my 2 week progress scores, and today's scores for each exercise:

Switch kicks: 90/45 -110/55 - 112/56

Power jacks:   50 - 56 - 60

Power knees:  85 - 104 - 118

Power jumps:  0 (ankle) - 26 - 30 

Globe jumps:   5 - 8 - 10

Suicide jumps: 8 - 12 - 14

Push up jacks:  0 - 12 - 16

Low plank oblique:  33 - 42 - 50

I was meant to do my first Max session after this, but I just couldn't fit another hour of exercise in after it, so I did the abs session instead, and will get on with the Max session tomorrow.

Pray for me.

Ax

Insanity diary - days 43-56

So I'm pretty far behind now, but ready to get back on it!

Day 43: Day off - one I was meant to have

Day 44: An unexpected work celebration meant getting home about 1.30am and not working out...

Day 45: Day off. One I wasn't meant to have, but one which day 44 necessitated.

Day 46: Decided that as I was going on holiday, there was no point in doing one workout when I also had to work late then get home and pack etc... I did at least go for a run!

Days 47-50: 4 fab days in Copenhagen. Lots of food, but lots of walking meant I didn't feel atrocious!

Day 51: Time to get back on it. If I'd picked up where I left off, this would have been the Fit Test followed by the first of the Max sessions, so a full 90 mins of HEAVY going workout. But I decided that as I'd had over a week off, that would be the best idea. My Fit Test results would undoubtedly be depressingly poor, and the Max session might just kill me. So instead I embarked on a self-prescribed catch up week. Starting with Plyometric Cardio Circuit. Doing this session convinced me I'd done the right thing. Admittedly, I'd eaten very lightly that day which might have contributed to it, but I felt awful. I struggled to keep up, I felt sick and lightheaded, and I had to take a couple of breaks. I felt like I'd really let myself go just by having a few days off! But I got through it.

Day 52: Cardio Power and Resistance. Tough again. But no lightheadedness or nausea - progress!

Day 53: Pure Cardio. This was always my least favourite, though recently I've started to like it better. Still harder than it was, but again, felt my fitness coming back.

Day 54: Day off - should have been a rest day (cardio recovery) - but I had an awards do to go to which meant another late night.

Day 55: Core Cardio & Balance. Got through this reasonably easily and enjoyed it. Almost there!

Day 56: Repeated Core Cardio & Balance, and again I got through it without too much difficulty.

Which means I've finished my catch up week... got tomorrow off, then on Tuesday I'll be doing the Fit Test and attempting the first Max session. Oh dear. Oh dearie dearie me.

Ax

Turning 30

This cake was insane.

Turning 30 isn't the beginning of the end. It was a great birthday where I got to see LOADS of friends I hadn't seen in too long, and some lovely pressies to boot!

Special mention to Will. Who tried to make me a Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix tape cake, spending hours and a fortune on it, failed, then bought me two AMAZING cakes to make up for it.

Can I do it all again?

Birthday breakfast

The work bit

Meatliquor and their Bingo Wings - I couldn't think of a better birthday treat

PRESENT HAUL!

Birthday part 2 - brunch at The Table - yum!

WINNING! This didn't last long...

One cake wasn't enough

Sing sing sing

Far Rockaway - my party venue - had the BEST decor.

So much love for this guy. All the way from Southampton with food poisoning just to wish me happy birthday.

More pressies!

Then this guy turned up

Party 2 - the Glasgow leg

Two of my favourite people in the world

Not to mention this guy, who came to both my London AND Glasgow parties

RAWK

Awww

Thanks everyone. You've all made 30 awesome so far.

Especially this guy.

Ax

Insanity diary - days 31-42

Now I'm pretty far off the 60 day schedule I should be on, but it's still going ok! Days 31-36 I was away, having an incredible long weekend back home trying on a thousand wedding dresses, dancing to classic rock and metal like I was 20 again, and eating far too much cheese.

Finally got home late on Monday evening, and picked up the routine again on Tuesday - day 37.

So it's recovery week - yay! That doesn't mean an easy life, but it means 6 consecutive days of Core Cardio & Balance, a 40 minute workout designed to give your muscles a bit of a rest - but not too much. You do every exercise for a minute, but the transitions between exercises are a little gentler and slower, and the emphasis is on strength and balance, doing each exercise well with perfect form, rather than going as fast as possible like the other workouts. So you feel everything working - esp in the hip flexor burners and shoulder burners - but you don't get that same exhaustion. It does have one other slightly odd side effect - all the deep breathing and core strength means I yawn EVERY TIME. Lots. For most of the last 20 minutes of the workout.

So I've done 6 days of this now, and got a day off tomorrow - yay! But then on Tuesday I have another Fit Test, followed by an hour long work out from the new Max set of workouts for the second month. the next 30 days are going to be TOUGH.

Ax

Insanity diary - days 26-30

Still going... just!

Day 26: my 30th birthday. Should have been a recovery day. I took it off. So sue me.

Day 27: Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs. Bizarrely I'm starting to enjoy this session. I feel like I've really earned my lunch on these days!

Day 28: The day after my birthday party. No hangover, but it made the Plyometric Cardio Circuit session that bit harder.

Day 29: Rest day. I had every intention of going for a run or something, but a late finish at work put paid to that. So I had a proper day off.

Day 30: I should have started recovery week today, doing the Core Cardio & Balance session every night, but I'm flying home tomorrow and realistically I'm not going to get to work out every day. So instead I went for a run (which felt easier than I expected - clearly all this cardio is doing me some good!) and will try to do so again as often as I can, before I start back next week with the recovery week.

It means I'll finish the programme a whole week after Will, but it also means I'll enjoy my trip home a whole lot more.

Ax

Dirty Thirty

So in about 15 minutes, I turn 30.

I've been getting asked, over and over, how I feel about it - and I'm absolutely fine with it. I've got a good job, which I genuinely enjoy and which pays decently, and challenges and excites me. I've got great friends, some of whom I don't see often enough, but we all try, and we all understand that we're busy. I've got a wonderful man, whom I'll be marrying later this year. Sure, I haven't managed to get on the property ladder yet, but living in London that's not a possibility for most people, and aside from that, I'm doing ok financially - I have savings, I can go on the odd holiday and indulge my passions for good beauty products, holidays and theatre. I'm healthier and fitter than I've been in years. I feel content and calm.

I LOVED uni - and many of my aforementioned friends were made there - but you couldn't pay me to be 20 again.

So what have I done with the last day of my twenties? I got up early. I went to work. I had a salad for lunch. I came home and worked out. I had a bath. Ate a healthy meal, featuring one of my absolute favourite foods - flower sprouts (yes really). I watched House of Cards. I wrote a few overdue blog posts. And I'll be in bed about midnight, in time to get a good 7 hours of beauty sleep.

I'm ready to be 30. But I'm not a total dullard - I'll get to eat, drink, and misbehave all weekend.

BRING IT ON!

Ax

Lancôme GWP

I've been meaning to post this for ages now, so I hope the GWP is still running for anyone who wants to take advantage!

Popped into Boots last week to stock up on my favourite day moisturiser (Lancôme Hydra Zen Neurocalm Extrême Soothing Moisurising Cream-Gel. Catchy name.) and was obviously a walking target as the second the girl on the counter mentioned the free gift I had a supersize bottle of their Galatéis Douceur in my hand.

But onto the gift. And what a gift!

Just look at how the bag bulges! *snigger*

Lancôme always do great gifts - this time last year I bought their Genifique and Visionnaire serums, and as it was geared up for Mother's Day I got both of them in gift sets, plus got an additional gift bag - which summed 3 x mini lipsticks, 3 x mini mascaras, 2 x mini Genifiques, 2 x mini Visionnaires, a full size Galatéis Douceur, mini Hydra Zen day and night creams, and 3 x mini bottles of their La Vie Est Belle perfume! But I digress.

And I think I love this year's offering event more.

The big box and bottle were my purchases, but the rest was all free free FREE!

That's:

• 125ml (full size) bottle of Bi-Facil eye make-up remover
• Mini lipstick in L'Absolu Rouge - a lovely nude pink
• Mini Hypnôse mascara
• Mini Le Crayon Kohl in Noir 
• 7ml bottle of Advanced Génifique serum
• 15ml pot of Hydra Zen Neurocalm day cream
• 5ml tube of Hydra Zen Neurocalm eye contour gel cream
• 2.5g Blush Subtil in Rose Paradis - a perky but subtle pink which would suit any skin tone

God I love Lancôme.

Ax