Insanity

So I've been doing a lot of work on myself lately - most of it has been emotional work (getting back in line with my heart and my goals/dreams, etc), but recently I've decided to finally take on another challenge. I want to finally look like the athlete that I am. I completed an Ironman in 2009 but didn't necessarily physically look like an athlete. To be blunt, I have some fat to burn. I love to exercise (that's usually not the problem), but what I HATE doing is watching/counting calories. It annoys me and I'm not so uber intense that I want to become the kind of a person that monitors EVERYTHING. It's not me or my personality.

Cue recent purchase...

So I love infomercials. I can't help it. And I REALLY love the exercise infomercials. In the past I've purchased Hip Hop Abs, Slim-n-6, Tae Bo, Bare Minerals, and Proactive all from watching TV ads. And so far, the only regret I have was the Proactive (it burnt my face - bad investment). Otherwise, besides Tae Bo because it was on VHS, I still use all of the exercise videos from time to time to this day! So, last weekend I was sick and didn't do much but watch TV, which is when I discovered the latest Beach Body video called Insanity! The exercise instructor is Shaun T (who does Hip Hop Abs AND who I LOVE). It's 60 days of "insanity" - all plyometrics and exercises geared toward toning your entire body WITHOUT using any kind of gym equipment. It's all interval training using basic sports drills. I was sucked in and bought it. Currently I'm on day 3 of the 60 days AND I LOVE IT! The videos work your core, arms, and legs - all key muscle groups for tri training. I'm not one to really work my core on my own, so I think this is going to be a GREAT jump start for the more intense Ironman training that is to come! And with the videos came a diet/calorie plan. I found a free calorie tracker on my Droid phone and am following the plan on how many calories I need to consume a day, which with the intense exercising and my current weight is more calories than I would have thought. Entering the calories daily also makes me think about my fuel/food choices. I'm less likely to grab the bag of chips because I will have to make note of it AND it's honestly not the best fuel choice for my body. I want to feel good and function at my best - all things that will help me to do the best I can in Canada this August.

My goal is to finish Insanity and continue to run since I'm training for the San Diego Marathon. Then after my 60 days are done with Insanity, I plan to add in swimming and biking (I may add some of it before the 60 days are over but I'm not going to just yet). After that, I will continue to ramp up mileage for Ironman and add in the Insanity videos to continue with the core strengthening. I'm hoping it works, but regardless it will be more training than I did for my 2009 race. I'm going to do this! I'm going to kick my IM CDA time in the butt, AND I'm going to finally look toned and fit. YESSSSSSS....

My hope is to post Before/After photos in 60 days (or maybe do a before/30 day/60 day picture post). :-)