INSANITY workout - complete!!

I am a week late in posting this, but I finished the Insanity workout! I am very happy with myself, this was a tough challenge and I did it!
My weight didn't drop a whole lot, but my fitness has really improved and I am down a belt loop and a shirt size since September 1. More importantly, I feel better about myself and that has translated to more success in other areas of my life such as my personal relationships and my demeanor at work.
My Fit Test results are almost shocking, because of my gains as well as the fact that I beat the athletes in the video in a number of the exercise! Here are my results:
Fit Test 1 (Day 1) Fit Test 5 (Day 63)
Switch kicks 54 Switch kicks 128 Increase of 137% (video 110 reps)
Power jacks 43 Power jacks 61 Increase of 42% (video 65 reps)
Power knees 85 Power knees Increase of 47% (video 125 reps)
Power jumps 30 Power jumps 68 Increase of 127% (video 50 reps)
Globe jumps 8 Globe jumps 11 Increase of 38% (video 11 reps)
Suicide jumps 9 Suicide jumps 17 Increase of 89% (video 25 reps)
Push-up jacks 14 Push-up jacks 23 Increase of 64% (video 42 reps)
Low Plank Oblique 40 Low Plank Oblique 64 Increase of 60% (video 70 reps)

I took this week off to let my muscles and joints really recover. I found that the last week or two were tough for recovering from the previous day's workout, so I have to remember that I am not a professional athlete and I am not in my 20's anymore.

Lessons that I have learned from doing these extreme video exercises:
1. Follow the form that they show in the video - this will lessen the chance of injury. I found a few times I hurt myself because I was not following the correct form, either because of fatigue or simply not doing it correctly.
2. Listen to your body - I have also injured myself by pushing past my body's limits to try and match what the young people in the video are doing, mostly in terms of pace. I have to do MY best, not THEIR best.
3. Modify, modify, modify - If you have limitations due to past injuries (for example), modify the exercise to fit what you are able to do. It is better to do some form of the exercise than not do it at all.
4. Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym - This is a lesson that I know in my brain, but my heart and stomach don't always listen! This is the hardest part of my challenge with weight loss: I love food and I need to remember that every little decision on what I eat or drink adds up over time, even though they seem insignificant in the moment. Making smart choices throughout the day will add up to better results in the end, just as poor decisions or procrastination ("I'll eat better tomorrow") lead to poor results.

I look forward to continuing Insanity this week coming; as the title of this blog says, I am on my journey back to fitness and this leg of the trip was a success!

INSANITY workout

I just started the INSANITY workout, from the makers of P90X. Cheryl and the kids got this for me and I am glad to have a new workout routine. The exercises live up to the name! Follow my blog at phil90x.blogspot.ca

10 kilometres, 59:54!

I finally ran 10 kilometres in less than 60 minutes! I have not been running much this summer, I have been spending almost every spare moment completing landscaping projects on my property, leaving little time and energy for running. Most weeks I might get out once or twice, at most.

The last ten minutes of the run were hard, almost every minute my mind was saying, "Just walk for a bit and rest," but I pushed through that nonsense and finished 10 kilometres in 59:54. I know it is only 6 seconds faster than 60 minutes, but it is still a personal victory. Now to get back into a regular running schedule and keep dropping the time, with the eventual goal of running another half-marathon!

Dartmouth Natal Day Race

I had originally planned to run the 2 mile race today, just to have fun and not be too serious with it. I thought the run was at 9:00 AM or so, but when my sister Michelle called me at 7:05 AM, asking if I was still going to run, she informed me that the race started at 8:15 AM!!!

I left the house in a rush and forgot my Garmin, so this was going to be an old-school run with no clock to go by. I decided to run with Michelle, again thinking I will just go for a fun run.

With a few hundred metres to go before the finish line, I told Michelle I was going to run the 10K. She gave me her Garmin and I ran with her to the finish line of the 2 mile race. After about another kilometre, my task ahead of me finally sank in. I will have to run three 2-mile loops around downtown Dartmouth, not just one! Did you know Ochterloney Street has a hill near the harbour? It does. Did you know Crichton Avenue has a hill before Hawthorne Street? It does.

Anyway, the run went well and I finished in 62 minutes, which is pretty good for me, after rolling about of bed an hour before the race with no intention of running 10K.

Thanks to everyone for all the cheers and shouts of encouragement along the way!

Rock The Hill

I had a good time at the Rock The Hill concert last Friday, July 14. Bands played from about 3PM until midnight. I got there at 6 PM to see and hear Seether, who have some really good songs, especially "Broken". After Seether was Coheed and Cambria, a band that I was not familiar with, but they were good nonetheless.



Of course, Metallica was the main draw for the 20-30 thousand people in the audience especially since they hadn't played in Halifax for 18 years, before many of the audience members were even born! They rocked the hill for 2 hours and played many of their classics as well as some songs from their latest album.



I was about 100 feet from the stage, close enough to see the band and get some good photos. The show itself was something to behold, with a huge screen, multi-level stage, flames, Metallica beachballs and even fireworks!



I was impressed to see how much fun the band members had (OK, maybe not Lars so much) and how they stayed on stage after the show to throw out literally handfuls of guitar picks and tell the crowd how much they enjoyed playing for us. My cynical side told me that they understand marketing and branding so well that they acted as if they were emotionally involved with the crowd and I'll bet they do the same thing after every concert. My optimistic side told my cynical side to shut up and enjoy the afterglow of a really fun show.

10 kilometres, 1:00:30!

Father's Day 2011 - I went out for a 10 K run this morning and did it in 60 minutes and 30 seconds! So close to my goal of 60 minutes!

I did the first 5 K in 29:05, then did 10 and 1's for the second 5 K. I ran the last ten minutes by mentally counting my paces, which really improved my pace over that period, I ran the last kilometre in 5:20! I am going to try doing that earlier in the run next time. I completed 9.88 kilometres in 60:00 and finished the last 120metres in 30 seconds.

I felt good afterwards and I feel even better knowing that my 60 minutes 10 K is within reach.

Lunenburg 5 K Muffin Run

I had fun on June 12 when I ran the Lunenburg 5 K "Muffin Run". The route encircled the downtown section of Lunenburg, which is such a historic place the UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site.

This was on my mother's birthday, so for her present I decided to do the 5 K run with my sister. There were other Team Myles members there: Jacki Stevenson, Sheila Doyle and Susan Graham. It was good to see them, as well as the other Heart & Sole members: my brother-in-law Gordon Crooks, as well as Sarah Austin and Paul Wesson.

I really enjoyed running with Michelle, it gave us a chance to catch up and talk for a half-hour, which we haven't done for a while.

True to the name of the run, there were hundreds of homemade muffins available after the run. Heart & Sole's trophy for this run was given to the member who ate the most muffins. Through sheer determination, I won the muffin-eating competition and I have vowed to never again eat so many muffins at one time!