I know both soccer teams were starting to wind down because school is coming to an end. The men and women soccer teams have grown very close because of this workout. Every day we would help to push each other and encourage one another. No one would talk down to each other. People finally realized that they aren’t perfect at the exercises and really can’t critique others for not doing it “right”. A lot of the girls helped to make sure everyone went and no one was late. A lot of the boys showed up late over the time of the workout and their punishment was sprints. The boys didn’t learn that the first or second time. They did a LOT of sprints.

Insanity was a lot of fun. I did learn how to control my breathing, how to eat before workouts, after workouts and how to maintain my fitness level. I found out foods that I really enjoyed and that helped my body after the workout. I have never consumed so much water in such a long time. I am very fit from where I used to be and I plan on continuing to be this way. Good-Bye Insanity!

Today was all about just finishing up that final workout. You could just feel how amped and excited everyone was because it was finally over. With a week and a half left of school, we can all finally get to sleep in. I can’t wait to set my alarm for 8:30 and go straight to class. Not having to be awake when it’s still dark out will be a nice adjustment for our final days at school.

Insanity has allowed me to get that much closer to having that body I’ve always wanted. I will continue to workout on my own, but at my own pace. I look forward to being able to lift weights again. I didn’t try lifting during this workout because it was all body weight exercises. I wanted to see how much of a change I could see without lifting weights. Now that we are done, it’s time for some heavy lifting.

Completing Insanity with the entire soccer team has been part of our journey together. For some of us we won’t be returning next year and others have 3 years to go. I am just happy I got to spend more time with my team before it’s all over, even it was at 6a.m. for the last 60 days

Blogging is definitely not for everyone. I could see myself blogging about something that I love or something that I have a strong opinion on. Insanity came easy at times because it was day after day but then I couldn’t think of what to write about. Every day we warmed up and did the exercises. Some days we would throw in some abs after or even some sprints if people were late to the workout.

I truly hope this blog helped people get a better feel about the Insanity program and what it has done for me. As well as some tips for having a good workout program all the time as well as knowing how to eat, when to eat, what to eat, staying hydrated, how working out effects your mind, body and soul etc. I hope that people have some sense of what working out can do for your body and your life as a whole. I don’t know where I would be without it. It’s my way of escaping my “reality” for a little bit. I need me time, and working out gets me away from everything. Whether its stress, school, family problems, friends or anything that I jsut need a break from.

When we first started the work out, I was a little worried because I definitely wasn’t ready for it. I hadn’t drank much water the day before and I hadn’t been eating a lot lately. Definitely don’t do this. I learned the hard way. The first day was our fitness test to see where we were at. I started the test and felt totally fine. Once we got to the 7th exercise my heart started to hurt and I couldn’t get in full deep breaths. I had to stop and try and catch my breath. I was a little scared because I had never felt like this before. I’ve been playing soccer for years and this never happens to me. I felt fine after I stood outside and got some air. I went straight to the cafe and drank water, got some sugar in my system and vowed to always eat healthy and have plenty of water every day. My final thoughts are take care of yourself. Know your limits before committing to the workout. It isn’t easy. It will be tough and just make sure you don’t over do it.

It is very convenient that Insanity will be over on Wednesday and I will be able to get some real sleep before finals week comes. I feel like the most important thing I need right now is sleep. Insanity keeps my body in shape and I know having a good work out plan is essential for a healthy life style. I can’t give up on either. School is very important because I will be graduating next December. All the classes I am taking right now are very essential to me completing my degree. If I don’t pass any of these classes, I will not be able to graduate. I don’t want to be in school for any longer. I have to complete Insanity because I want to know I finished something I started. I have never had any issues with finishing things I start, but the fact that it has been almost every day this spring semester at 6a.m. I will be very happy with myself. I can’t wait!

Working out is very beneficial. It doesn’t affect just your body but your mind and soul. It hits all the right places. It is good for your mental being as well as your emotions. I know that whenever I am stressed or angry or just need space, I always go to working out. I can run off any emotions I have tat I don’t want and can get rid of them that way. Or being able to take a bike rides or just knocks a girl out in a soccer game. I have looked to working out to get myself grounded again.

Although I don’t agree with a work out at 6 in the morning, I feel like it was for the best in the long run. Getting myself to wake up was probably the hardest thing to do but once I was awake I was ready to go. I was able to get more done in my days because I was awake early. I always felt much more happy and rejuvenated. When I wake up late on the weekends I just don’t feel as motivated. In the end, I have grown to really appreciate working out and what it brings to my life. I can calm myself down or just get my blood flowing. Overall my mind, body and soul have been met to my expectations. I strongly influence people to workout it will help every part of your life.

What to eat before and after exercise
By Sharon Howard, R.D., M.S., C.D.E. FADA Does your aerobics class interfere with your dinner schedule? What should you feed your son and hour before the soccer match? Does it matter what you eat after the 30-mile bike ride?

Timing is important

Scheduling exercise into a busy lifestyle is one challenge, and planning meals and snacks around the exercise is a second one. Eating too much food, or the wrong food before exercise can impair your performance or cause indigestion, sluggishness, nausea, and vomiting. On the other hand, if you haven’t eaten in six hours and try to work out, you may feel weak and unmotivated. Timing is important –a big breakfast may be troublesome if you are going for a morning run, but it is fine for a jog before lunch.

Your goal is to have fueled your body with nutritious food that is no longer present in your stomach when you work out. The pre-exercise food prevents hunger during exercise. Carbohydrates are easily digested, but foods high in protein and fat will linger in the stomach for some time, depending how much you ate. Large meals take longer to empty from the stomach, about four to six hours.

Snacks, depending on their content, take about 1/2-1 hour to leave your stomach.. Eating a high carbohydrate snack two hours before exercising can leave you ample energy and a calm stomach for a great workout. Many athletes avoid food within two hours of a very hard workout, but can tolerate a lighter snack within one to two hours of a light workout..

Pre-Exercise eating tips

Experiment with your eating schedule to see what works best for you. Keep these tips in mind:

• A high carbohydrate, low fat snack is easily digested and normalizes blood sugar
• Avoid fatty meals or snacks, because they delay stomach emptying
• Meal should be moderate in protein, just enough to satisfy hunger
• Drink lots of fluids. Your snack can be a liquid meal such as a fruit shake (See recipe)
• A light workout can be preceded with a light snack, but leave more lead time for intense workouts

Ten snack ideas before a workout

The snack should contain 40 to 100 grams of carbohydrates, and low in fat. Too much fiber may stimulate the digestive system at an inappropriate time.

• Milk and 12 crackers, 2 tbsp. peanut butter (54 grams carb)
• Banana and yogurt (56 grams)
• Bagel with jelly and juice (83 grams)
• Cereal (1 oz.) and milk (34 grams)
• Juice and pretzels (50 grams)
• Sports drink, 16 oz (30 grams)
• Sports bar and water (20-50 grams)
• Fresh fruits such as oranges or bananas (15-25 grams per)
• Low-fat vegetable soup, chicken noodle or tomato and crackers (40-50 grams)
• Blueberry muffin or fig bars and milk (45 grams)

What about sugar before exercise?

Some athletes can consume sugared soft drinks just before exercising, but they are taking a risk of causing hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. About ten minutes after starting out, a sugar low will hit with lightheadedness and fatigue. The rush of sugar causes a rush of insulin, and with the muscles using glycogen so quickly, low blood sugar results. This is not common, but you know if you have this problem.

Will eating a candy bar before exercise give the quickest energy? No, but maybe a tummy ache. The fat in a candy bar may delay stomach emptying Most of the energy used during your workout is stored glycogen, which comes from what you’ve eaten for days before you exercise. Also, how you replenished fluids and fuel after your last workout is important now.

What about food during exercise?

During exercise, your body uses sugar without needing insulin, so a sip of sweetened drink during exercise is no problem, but water is best. Exercise that exceeds one hour may require carbohydrate intake, to delay fatigue. Before getting too tired, consuming 30 grams of carbohydrate every 30 minutes can provide an extra boost. However, if the drink is too high in sugar, the liquid will remain in the stomach longer and cause sloshing. Sports drinks are designed with a small amount of quickly absorbed carbohydrate and electrolytes to replenish sweat and blood sugar during exercise. For a short workout, less than 60 minutes, water is adequate. See next week’s article on fluids and sports drinks.

Recovery eating

After exercise, athletes need carbohydrate and fluid to replace glycogen and water losses during the exercise. They will recover faster if they eat a high carbohydrate diet-from 250 to 550 grams of carbohydrates a day. The muscles store more glycogen immediately after exercise than they do later.

Eat or drink carbohydrates as soon as you can tolerate them. Plan to consume 1.5 grams CHO/gm body weight within the first hour post exercise. Juices work great because of the carbohydrate and fluid, and then add solid foods one to three hours later. Sports drinks have half the carbohydrates as juices, and so are more appropriate during exercise. What you eat after exercise is very critical to your performance the next day, since the body needs carbohydrates to restock your glycogen stores. Protein at the post-game meal (two hours later) is also important to repair and build the muscle tissue.

I found this very helpful and interesting. Enjoy

There is 8 days left of Insanity. I can’t believe how fast it has gone by. It seems like yesterday we just started this crazy program. Going from days of dreading it to days of loving it to days of being sore to days of thinking its no big deal. It’s finally almost over! I know everyone is officially sick of waking up every morning at 6 a.m. However it is almost over! I am going to enjoy sleeping for these last days of school. I can’t believe school is almost over too. This whole spring semester just went by way too fast.

I have enjoyed every part of Insanity and the workout. I never thought I could accomplish something like this. I always saw infomercials for P90X and never really saw any about Insanity. I always told myself I wanted to do something like this to get into shape. Definitely never made an effort. I was always telling myself I’d call and order the program, but never got around to it. I am very proud of myself for accomplishing this much of the program. There is only 8 days left and I can’t wait to see the final results. I know I won’t be doing anything as strenuous for awhile, but I will definitely keep working out. The only break I ever really took was for my spring break. I didn’t do anything and when I got back to school, I was shocked by how much my body was not in shape anymore.! I will never want to not work out anymore. I enjoy working out now and I will continue to do so until I can’t walk.

There were days when particular individuals would tell another girl or another boy that they aren’t doing it right, and they need to fix it. If this had happened to me, I would have told them to “shove it”. It’s more frustrating when that particular individual wouldn’t even do a complete squat. I just hate when people are hypocrites. It is not a competition! We are all doing the workout to get more fit and get our bodies more tone. No one is going to do it perfect. No one is Shaun T, but Shaun T. Even in the workouts, Shaun T took breaks. I just wish people didn’t hate on other people, or tattle tale on them. It got as bad as people telling our coach that certain people weren’t doing the exercises. I got so fed up. I am very relieved that this work out is almost over to get away from annoying people who have nothing better than hate on other people. Those people need to be pointing their finger at themselves. Like the saying goes, when you are pointing one finger at someone else four are pointing right back at you.

Staying hydrated is very important for your work outs. You may think you are hydrated but let’s say one day you are out in the sun and don’t drink any water. You will lose a lot of your body’ hyrdation and you will get headaches or feel light headed. I did this the first week of Insanity. I thought I was hydarted enough, but I was definitely not. I felt horrible after every work out. I learned to drink water at all times. It’s important in general to stay hydrated.

I found this article from St. Johns Mercy Heart and Vascular Hosptial on Hydration and your work out. It has a lot of important and useful information.

Hydration and your work out:

What water does for our body:

• Helps regulate temperature

• Removes toxins

• Cushions our joints

• Can prevent or alleviate headaches

• Makes up 60-70% of an adult body

• Can make you feel more energized

• If dehydrated, your efficiency decreases.

Tips on hydration:

• Carry a water bottle with you

• Add fruit wedges to water try lemons, limes, cucumbers or watermelon

• Drink before you get thirsty

• Eat foods that are high in water: tomatoes, pineapple, lettuce, etc.

• The set amounts are unclear, no longer do we blindly recommend eight 8 oz glasses

• You are well hydrated when your urine is pale yellow (straw colored).

Hydration Before Exercise:

• Drink about 15-20 fl oz, 2-3 hours before exercise

• Drink 8-10 fl oz 10-15 min before exercise

Hydration During Exercise:

• Drink 8-10 fl oz every 10-15 min during exercise

• If exercising longer than 60 minutes, drink 8-10 fl oz of a sports drink every 15 – 30 minutes.

Hydration After Exercise:

• Weigh yourself before and after exercise and replace fluid losses

• For every 1 pound of weight you lose due to sweating you need to drink 2 cups of water.