sexy back!! day 1

well, i've been doing better since my last post. even though i didn't do too good with the food journalling, i started it again yesterday. this past week i did insanity workouts 5 times, only taking 2 days off, and i overindulged on the good ole vino just once. 


i've found another source of motivation, too. i remembered how good i did with working out at least 4 times a week and eating clean last summer, when i entered a local "biggest loser" type thing {which i won hehe}, and that got me thinking. what i needed was some friendly competition or some type of goal {other than sexy jeans} to help me stay motivated. well, i found it.


every year, there is a suicide awareness walk/run that's about 18km. it's about 6 months from now, and i'd like to be able to run it. i know, a VERY lofty goal, but i fuckin' got this. another thing i have going for me is that i asked my sister if she would be interested in doing it too, and she is. so i now have a partner, and we can be accountable to each other.


this big idea occurred to me last night when i was in bed. i was immediately so excited that it took me a good hour to fall asleep. when morning finally came, i was up researching how to prepare for this type of run. i found a good  running exercise for beginners {see pic below for running exercise}, and some other interesting things!


apparently, High Intensity Interval Training {HIIT}, which is basically what insanity is, should NOT be done more than 2 days in a row. yet, the schedule calls for 6 days on and one day off. eek!! and i wanted to incorporate my new found running exercise into another insanity hybrid of sorts. BUT running is high impact too, and i'm assuming {i could be wrong, but i am sick to fucking DEATH of googling shit} that the reason for HIIT to not be done 2 days in a row is to spare the good old joints, ligaments and whatnot from all of the stress, not to mention to give your muscles a chance to recover. at least that's what immediately came to mind while reading it. so.. what the fuck do i do? i will NOT eliminate the insanity, because no matter what i read, i LOVE this workout! it's hard as fuck, i love the challenge and the feeling of getting stronger every day, and it's done AMAZING things to my body. i'm not even talking looks here; i'm talking strength, endurance, power, and speed. 

all this thinking and brainfarting and googling around led me to this: a running exercise/oxygen circuit/insanity SUPER HYBRID!!! *evil laugh*
if this doesn't prepare me for the suicide run in the next 6 months, i don't know what will!


basically, what i have decided to do is this: day 1-running, day 2-oxygen circuit, day 3-insanity, day 4-rest, then repeat. of course, depending on how i feel after the first time around, i might need to take 2 days off. or at least that's what BF advises, until i get into the swing of things. it works out perfectly, because if i picked up where i left off with insanity the other day, i will be on the week 2 fit test. i'm just going to start at the beginning with insanity anyway, to satisfy my ocd-ish tendencies. i do imagine that i will have to tweak this program here and there as i go, but i'm confident that it will work.

today was day 1. i am NOT about to go rez running in canada in march {snow and ice and rez dogs OH MY!!}, so i am glad that there is a free gym just a 12 minute {yes, i timed it} walk away. since i wasn't called in to work today, i strapped down my boobs {don't want 'em flying up and hitting me in the face, now do we?} and put my running clothes on under my jeans and sweater. now, this was my first time using a treadmill for any amount of time.. so i was happy that i actually had the gym to myself. i can't even imagine how much of a spaz i must have looked like, trying to get used to running on that cursed machine. but, i got 'er done, and i felt good afterwards. altogether, i was there for about 25 minutes, and i walked there and back. then i went for a 30 minute walk just before supper. no running or anything, just a leisurely stroll with one of my dogs. so i burned a decent amount of calories. i can feel it now too, in my legs and my core. it's a good hurt :)


looking forward to tomorrow's oxygen circuit. it's a nice low-intensity kind of thing {at least compared to insanity and running like a psycho on that deathtrap of a machine!}, and i missed it.

another thing i almost forgot to mention is that i am working on quitting smoking. the thought ABSOLUTELY terrifies me, even though i know it has to be done. i love my cigarettes, i really do. i love my 20 or so "mini-vacations" a day, i just love smoking.. but i can't do it. i really don't feel like hacking up a lung or two in the middle of my run, or hitting a wall and not improving because my lungs just don't work as good as they should, not to mention the cancer and other risks. totally unacceptable! so, starting today, i am using a method of gradually cutting down to quit {SHUT UP!! i AM trying!!} by counting all of my cigarettes. then tomorrow, i count them again, but omit one so that i'm smoking one less cigarette each day. i've actually used this method before, with great success. i remember that once i got below 10, i didn't even want to smoke anymore. 


that's all for today. i'm not going to blog my food intake, because it's a pain in the ass and not so a good of a read, but i'm doing it. same supps, small frequent meals, you know the drill. i'm glad i have a new plan, and i'm looking forward to running alongside my beautiful sister to help raise awareness for suicide prevention.