Insanity Workout Update - Insane to Ridiculous

Ok, for the few people who have been following my Insanity Workout adventure, you know I should be in the second, more challenging month by now. At least, that was the plan.

After I finished the first 30 days, I was feeling pretty proud of myself. With the exception of a conference I had to attend for work, I followed the exercise plan as directed. I even made up the conference days. Then I followed the one week of "rest" which just meant all the sweat with half the cardio. The idea is to give your body a break after the first month by doing some stretching and deep muscle work to prepare you for the second 30 days of Insanity.

On the first day of the second month, I opened the video on the schedule and the first thing I noticed was the extra time. The workout had been bumped up, so it was now almost an hour instead of approximately 40-45 minutes. Ok, I could handle that. Then the workout started. The workouts went from Insanity to straight up ridiculous. I couldn't keep up. It quickly became obvious that, while I was in the best shape I have been in in several years, I was not in their shape.

While it pained me to admit it, I wasn't ready for the second 30 days. I'm not a quitter though, so I decided to continue doing the first month video rotation until I can work out at 80-90% of the intensity Shaun T is doing. When I can do that, I'll move on to the next level. It's like Shaun T says "I don't want to hurt you. I just want to make you better."

I'm really pleased with the changes in my body. My cardio and endurance has really improved as has my flexibility. Even the hubby has noticed. The program is definitely worth it, but people do need to be aware of their limitations.

The only problem I had with the program is the amount of jumping and squatting. It did make my knees sore, which I hadn't had problems with before. It doesn't seem to be any kind of permanent damage or injury, but it is bothersome. I have scaled back a bit and that seems to have helped.

The Insanity Workout program comes with a recommended food plan that does have some really good recipes and advice as far as eating right. What it doesn't have is foods to avoid. I happen to have found some of those, so I'll share with you.

Foods to avoid eating within several hours of doing the Insanity Workout:

• Polish Sausage
• Brats
• Pizza
• Cupcakes
• Ice Cream
• Chocolate chip cookie dough

Probably safe to say that you should avoid anything with a lot of sugar. As a general rule, think of healthy crap people eat on television and go with that. You know, stuff like fish, chicken, vegetables and fruit. Crap like that. At least before the workout anyway. Happy exercising!