P90X3 Results and Review

I may have a new favorite Beachbody program.

Ok... it's a toss up. I have loved the challenge of Insanity ever since I first started the program. Once I heard about the new P90X3, I thought I had better give this Tony Horton guy a chance. Personality-wise, about as different from Shaun T as they come, but I thought I'd give it a try.

And man am I glad I did.

Rewind to last fall. I had to quit working out due to a back injury. Then I went to North Dakota for work for two weeks and ate out every day, and did NOT make good decisions. Oh well. I'm human. Then the holidays came, I was still trying to let this back injury heal... not good. I stepped on the scale nearly 20 pounds higher than were I was at my lowest and a good 15 from where most of my clothes fit comfortablly. In a decade I was determined I would NEVER see again. I NEEDED the structure of this program.

P90X3 has 4 different programs to follow, based on what you want out of it-Classic, Mass, Lean, and Doubles (if you're crazy or something). It took a lot of thinking, but in the end Justin pointed out that I would be going right from X3 to half marathon training, and the extra cardio of the lean program would probably help me out. I don't know if that's true or not, but it made sense to me at the time so I decided to go for it!

The thing I love the most about this program is you do NOT get bored with the workouts! There are 16 different ones, and with the way it is broken up into 3 phases, things get changed up in a hurry. I think I had a new favorite workout every month! All I needed for equipment was a few dumbbells (I used 5-12 lbs, wish I had heavier ones for some of the workouts but definitely got by with what I had) and resistance bands attached to a door frame (I got a special strap from Dick's Sporting Goods) instead of a pull up bar, since there is nowhere to put one in our house.

The changes I have noticed in my body are crazy! Aside from the before and after pictures, I can tell I am so much stronger. I even have definition in my biceps, which I have never had before!

I compared my measurements from now to when I finished Insanity just over a year ago. I'm still 5 pounds heavier, but my measurements are right where they were after Insanity! And that means more muscle!

       
       
       

A Life Update + I Ran a Half Marathon

Well it has been about 4 months so it's probably time to dust off the blog... I really do have a fairly good reason for neglecting it-last time I posted was in the middle of boys basketball season, which stretched into March, and then BOOM we moved back to Reliance, South Dakota. We had always said we'd like to get back to the area someday, never thought it would be so soon though! Justin had an opportunity to return to his old job and we decided to take advantage of it, even if I was unsure of what my future would hold.

Luckily things lined up just right, and I found a job I am loving as a crop insurance adjuster, and jumped into that position two whole days after I returned to South Dakota from finishing up basketball season in Wyoming. Needless to say, it has been a crazy four months! I love the interaction with the farmers in the area, and have ran into several of them in the past in my agronomy days. I'm not so crazy about all of the driving time, but I'm thankful for my XM radio!

Justin has now been calving for four months, since we were calving heifers out in Wyoming in February. Luckily, the end is in sight for him and he is now getting ready to brand, and then start haying. Sooo maybe there isn't much of an end for him!

And now the really crazy part--I survived my first half marathon! I probably didn't get to run as much as I should have in the few weeks before due to my work schedule being a little on the crazy side (I spent a week and a half living in a hotel), but I did stick to getting my long runs in. I was a little disappointed in my official time of 2:32:40, but my time on my Garmin said 2:30:06 which is pretty darn close to my goal of 2:30! I heard other people say they thought the course was a little long too. I learned my lesson though-I'm pretty sure that when my iPod Shuffle is plugged in and my laptop is asleep, the charge drains back out. It lasted a whole mile... talk about a let-down! Luckily I had some music downloaded to my phone and plugged into that-it wasn't my running playlist but at least it was something! And yes, I'm already looking to see when I can sign up for my next race :) This summer is shaping up to be a busy one!

Sandra, my mother-in-law, and her friend Pat walked the race too!

It's that time again!

Time again for what? Late night calf checks!

I really want to go to sleep right now, but in 45 minutes I need to wake Justin up to go check on the first-calf heifers. There probably won't be too much action for another week, but of course we can't take any chances.

These late night calf checks (6, 8, 10, and midnight) are in addition to my regular office work, coaching, working out, and trying to keep the house from looking like an absolute disaster... Yup it's goodbye free time for awhile. But getting to see these cute little guys come into the world makes up for it.

Insanity Results

I'm only a month late, but here's my Insanity results, with before and after pictures. I stuck to the calender as written.

Overall-I LOVED it! Did it hurt? Yes. Did I cry? Yes, more than once. Do I regret it? No, not at all.

I cried on a couple of different occasions, for different reasons. I cried the first day because I couldn't believe I actually could do it. I was an athlete-at a very high level of competition. College and life happened, and I found myself quite overweight. To be able to be wearing smaller clothes than I did in high school is something I am very proud of.

I cried the first day of month two. I had to workout by myself because Justin ditched me to go elk hunting. I cried because it was hard. I cried because I was doing it alone. I cried because I hate in & out abs (burpees). And then, I cried because I did it. Me, who could hardly make it thru the 30 Day Shred just a few short months before was now doing hour-long Insanity workouts.

I've heard a lot of people complain about how tough it is on their knees, but I have/had a torn meniscus. Did not bother me one bit. Justin has had his ACL repaired twice (same knee) and did not have any pain with the workout. Now if he goes and plays basketball, he comes home and automatically plops down with an ice pack. In my opinion, as long as you are using proper form on your jumps and squats, there shouldn't be much trouble.

Now for the results-bottom is before, top is after. 14 pounds gone difference...

And measurements-

Justin and I decided to take some time off over Christmas and just started round two this week! It's been a little rough getting back in shape (my triceps are KILLING me) but we both know it is so worth it!

I'm sure you all want to know more about me

Well since Emilie at Inch by inch and step by step nominated me for the Liebster award, you get to learn more about me whether you like it or not!

The premise behind the award is simple.  It's awarded to bloggers by bloggers, specifically with a following (as I understand it) of under 200 people.  It's basically a way to recognize the blogs that you really like to follow and get other people reading those blogs too!

Since I've been nominated I have to tell you 11 things about me. Then, I have to answer 11 questions that Emilie asked me, and nominate 11 other people for the award, and ask them 11 questions! Sounds like fun!
So... here's 11 things you may or may not know about me.

1. I spent a semester at Luther College in Iowa, halfway thru the semester I decided that I'm a farm girl at heart and needed to pursue a career in Agriculture. So, once I finished out the semester I transferred to South Dakota State and majored in Agricultural Business.

2. Basketball has always been a HUGE part of my life. My senior season of high school was probably the highlight of my life-as a team we were the runner-up at the state tournament, I was All-State HM, All-Conference, All-Area, and scored over 1000 points in my high school career. (Yeah I'm bragging a little)

3. I don't drink beer, and I really shouldn't touch vodka.

4. My usual XM channel rotation consists of The Highway (Country), Prime Country, and 80's on 8. Totally threw you with the last one, didn't I? Once in awhile I'll throw in The Blend or The Pulse.

5. I'm absolutely obsessed with the game Solitaire Blitz on Facebook.

6. My go-to brands are Ariat for boots, Cowgirl Tuff for jeans, and Under Armour for workout gear.

7. I am a SUPER competitive person, in just about everything. It bugs the crap out of me that Justin always gets more reps than I do on the Insanity Fit test! Everything from board games, to Wii, I love competing. I think this may be the one thing that will help me start/stick with running.

8. I've always been a picky eater and I just can't get past it!

9. I HATE putting clothes away. I always let it pile up and then do a big clothes-putting-away session. We won't talk about how often (or not) it happens.

10. I took piano lessons for 8 years when I was younger, and can (kind of) still play.

11. My cousin Becky is my best friend-if we don't chat with each other throughout the day at work, our days are pretty lonely!

And now my answers to Emilie's 11 questions

1. What is your first and most clear childhood memory that you have? Oh wow-tough one! Probably riding my John Deere tricycle through the barn when it was brand new.


2. If money and time were not issues, where would you travel to and why? I would go to Vegas for all 10 days of the NFR and buy a whole new wardrobe and more at Cowboy Christmas.


3. When you were little, what did you want to be when you 'growed' up? A waitress was the first thing I remember! Don't know why!


4. Where did you have your first kiss4? Outside the "little gym" at the East Chain school


5. What is the one thing in this world that no amount of money or coaxing could ever make you do? There are probably a lot of things! One that comes to mind is there are a lot of foods I would never eat.


6. What challenge will you conquer in 2013? Staying skinny!


7. If you woke up on a deserted island tomorrow morning, what are the 3 most important things you'd want with you and why? My phone (I do everything on it), an unlimited supply of drinking water (you need it to survive), and Justin (the most amazing guy ever!)


8. Who do you not want to ever read your blog and why? I can't think of anyone-it's pretty family friendly!


9. What was the catalyst that led you to blogging? I started blogging to help promote my photography business (yeah that one that has gotten pushed to the side lately)


10. What's the one life lesson you hope to teach your children/nieces/nephews? The value of hard work! It is something that unfortunately is going by the wayside in this society!


11. Where is your favourite (yes Emilie is from Canada-we'll let it slide :)) place in the whole, entire world? Oh wow, there are several that come to mind, but if I had to choose just one it would be the Black Hills of South Dakota.

The 11 people I nominate are: YOU! Yes-I am going to break the rules and nominate everybody who reads this post :)

And my 11 questions for you are:

1. If you could have any career, what would it be?

2. If somebody gave you $1000 right now, what would you do with it?

3. What is your current favorite song?

4. If somebody were to write your biography, what would the title be?

5. What was your best birthday?

6. If you had to travel to one place for a month, where would you go?

7. What is your favorite month of the year and why?

8. What is something you enjoy doing that others may think is a chore or boring?

9. What is the most exciting event you have ever witnessed?

10. What is your favorite Christmas song of all time? Yes-I know it’s a little early for this.

11. What is one future event you would really like to know the outcome of?

Have fun!

Insanity Update

I'm more than halfway through Insanity! And still surviving-most days. This week I started the Max workouts and they are a definite step up from the first month, but I definitely was ready for the step up.

The first month's workouts were tough, but towards the end I think my body was getting used to it and looking forward to mixing it up. Recovery week was NOT was I expected it to be! I was expecting a much slower pace than what it was, but it was still a little bit of a step down.

Now-for the fit test results from Day 1 to Day 36.

	Day 1	Day 36	Change
Switch Kicks	53	65	12
Power Jacks	40	48	8
Power Knees	56	90	34
Power Jumps	20	27	7
Globe Jumps	8	11	3
Suicide Jumps	10	13	3
Push-up Jacks	16	23	7
Low Plank Oblique	20	50	30

My goal was to improve from my first test 20% and I either met or exceeded that goal on every move! The fit test is a major workout in itself-when Justin and I do it we are both pushing so hard to beat our last score (and each other!).

I lost 6 1/2" and 6.5 lbs in the first month of Insanity. I thought that was pretty good-and then I added up Justin's measurements... he lost 13 1/2" and 7.5 lbs-wow!

Here's a before and after picture. Top is Nov. 4th, bottom is Oct. 1st.

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens after the next month (or 3 weeks and 2 days, to be exact). I've decided that I'm giving up sweets for the next ten days to see if that helps push me along. Wish me luck!

October Update

Well it's safe to say that life has gotten a LOT busier lately! Since I last posted, I have started coaching basketball, which will take a considerable amount of my time between now and March.

I'm assistant coach for a great group of ten girls. They make going to practice 3-4 times a week and games 2-3 times a week so worth it! We played our first game Friday. It was the typical first game of the season-playing against a team of 8th graders, while our team only has 2 8th graders, period. There are only 3 8th grade girls in the class, so needless to say we were going in with a huge disadvantage. The score definitely was not pretty, but we were so impressed with the girls' defense. The high school coaching staff had worked with the girls the night before on their defense, and wow did they pick it up in a hurry! Now I'm really excited to see how we can improve on it in four days of practice this week!

Since I don't get home until after 7:00, I've been trying to make Justin's life easier by prepping and freezing some meals. Last week, I made 2 pans of Lasagna and 2 pans of Tater Tot Hotdish (just a normal recipe, split into smaller pans. I don't like leftovers!) on my lunch break one day. He's happy that all he has to do is throw something in the oven!

Let me know if you would like recipes!

Work has been a little busier too. We weaned the rest of the calves last weekend, so now there are 700+ calves around the ranch to monitor daily. What does weaning entail? This is when we separate the babies from their Mommas, and we give them vaccinations to help prevent them from getting sick, as well as weigh the calves to track the performance of the cow and the bull (or the calves' parents). Of course, the weather was not very cooperative, so I had to work my first Saturday in a long time! I guess it probably worked better that way anyway, because then I didn't have to worry about rushing to basketball practice.

Justin and I are still doing the Insanity workout-and still seeing great results! Last time he told me, Justin was down about 5 lbs, and I'm down 6.4, to 181.6! So close to getting a new pair of jeans :) We won't take our measurements til after next week's recovery workouts, but I did lose 3 inches in just the first two weeks. I'm excited (but nervous) to see what the second month of the workout brings!