I have now completed my next Beachbody Challenge, Insanity! My goal upon starting was to improve my cardiovascular fitness, and Insanity certainly fit the bill. However, during the first week of workouts I thought (multiple times) "WHAT have I gotten myself into!?!" But, thankfully, about a week and a half into it, something clicked. My body adjusted and I was (as Shaun T says) "in it!" I am so glad I didn't give up during that first week, which I've unofficially named "shock week." Believe me, at times I really wanted to. But by sticking with it two things happened... 1. I got the results I was after and 2. I started LOVING it...at least the first month's workouts.
Then month two rolled around with Max workouts (because Insanity is not insane enough!) Once again I had a shock week. Once again I questioned if I could do it. I thought, "Maybe I'll just repeat the first month...that's 60 days of Insanity, right?" But I knew that wouldn't be right. I wanted to complete the program, not just a number of days. So once again I had to dig deep and stick with it. Thankfully, I didn't give up (do you see a reoccurring theme here) because once again my body adjusted and I was able to finish the entire Insanity program!
To measure progress every two weeks I did a fit test. I would sometimes get discouraged and wondered if I was getting anywhere with all this sweat and hard work. But then my fit test would come around and the numbers astounded me! And that was all the motivation I needed to keep going. I knew it was working!
So here are the results of my first and last Fit Tests. For each test I did my maximum number of reps for each exercise in one minute...
Exercise First Day Last Day
Switch Kicks 55 126
Power Jacks 47 64
Power Knees 64 100
Power Jumps 25 45
Globe Jumps 8 13
Suicide Jumps 17 21
Push-up Jacks 16 32
Low Plank Oblique 26 52
So, as you can see, it worked and I achieved my goal! And now, especially now, I'm so glad I didn't give up. DON'T EVER GIVE UP!
