Beachbody, insanity max 30 is done!

A couple days ago I finally finished Insanity Max 30. It’s supposed to be two months, but it took me three months. I think I had about one week where I was sick and didn’t work out at all, and I also generally skipped one or two of the workouts to spin, or run instead. So instead of doing five IM30 workouts a week, I did 3 to 4 (However I did work out 5 to 6 times a week).

I know a lot of people would stick to the workout schedule and also do the other workouts, but that’s not me! There was a time in my life when I used to do two (or three) workouts a day, but a long time ago I decided one workout a day (and some walking, and maybe some crunches) is it! I can’t fit in two workouts a day consistently, and I have no interest in getting the body I want if I can’t maintain it!

Anyway, Insanity Max 30 workout program is (supposed to be) two months of 30 minute workouts, the workouts are basically circuit training. Some of them have different themes; for example cardio, Tabata, or strength…however they are basically all high energy circuit training workouts. I had to modify all of the planks and push-ups, because I’m no longer able to do much in that position due to a hiatus hernia and my right arm issues, so I did most of them against the wall and occasionally swapped out for upper body handweights. Besides that I didn’t do a lot of the jumping, however I definitely noticed by the end of my three months I was jumping a lot more, and my squats were a lot lower!

Here is a collage I made of the beginning of the program, halfway through, and beyond. Not a huge difference but I can definitely see that my waist is tighter, and my arms and thighs look stronger. I always stand in the same spot in my downstairs bathroom, because I can see how much tighter I’ve gotten based on the lines behind me!

One thing that really impressed me was the picture I took of my back. No matter what kind of shape I’m in whenever I look at my back there are always a lot of bumps. The picture I took of my back is probably the tightest and smoothest my back has been since I was in university! I will have to take another picture in a different top that shows more of my back to see the results more accurately!

I’m not sure what I’m going to do next. I’m considering the transform 20 program which is also with Shawn T (I love him! He is so motivating and high-energy!)…However most likely if I start another program it’s going to be in July because I’m running the Sporting Life 10K next weekend (i’m so excited! I haven’t done it in three years due to chemo in 2016, oopherectomy recovery in 2017, depression in 2018) and a 5K race in early June, so I need to focus on running until then. I’m also once again doing the Great Cycle Challenge through June, so I will be doing a lot of biking and spinning!

In other exercise news, I recently did a trial of the Peloton app, I love it! Are used it on my spin bike several times in the last month and it was just like a spin class! I’ve also tried some of the strength training workouts and enjoyed them. It’s $20 a month after the free trial, I’m probably not going to join right now but I will eventually, maybe when my Beachbody membership is done in the fall.

 

Word of the wise to anyone thinking of doing beach body, the app is great for working out but make sure to join through the website and not the app. I want your membership on the app is $129, one year membership on the site is 99. I didn’t realize this and subscribed on the app. Need a Beachbody nor Apple will take responsibility for it and refund me the $30. Which is why I will not be re-joining after my year is up. As much as I love the workouts, I will not support bad business practises that cheat current out of money.

Toning it down

For the last few years, I’ve been wearing pretty major make-up. It started when I was in chemo, which makes sense because if you don’t have any hair, eyelashes, or eyebrows, your make-up needs to be on point or your eyes disappear! Chemo also leads to sallow skin, and red eyes, so…yes I definitely got in the habit of using some pretty hard-core foundation, and fully lining my eyes.

Recently though, I’ve been feeling like it’s just a bit too much. As I get older I feel like the matte make up is too powdery, and I guess I was starting to feel a little bit like a caricature.

So today I tried something a bit different. I mixed my (Smashbox) foundation with a little bit of moisturizer to make it a little bit less matte, and added a bit of highlighter on my cheeks to make them look a bit dewy. I also skipped the under-eye liner.

The top picture is how I normally wear my make up, the bottom picture is today. I think I like it more for every day, it is going to take me a little bit of time to get used to my eyes without eyeliner on the bottom, I feel a bit naked, but I do think it’s a nicer more natural look. It’s also nice to not have to worry about eyeliner smudging under my eyes, because under eyeliner does tend to do that throughout the day!

Nails again

Back in 2007, after a couple years with fake nails, I decided to go with gel overlay instead. I kept it up until I got pregnant with Charlotte , and then that was it. Since then I have gone back-and-forth with Shellac, but never gone back to anything more.

Until about three months ago. Out of the blue, I decided I wanted to grow my nails longer! So I did the exact same thing I did back in 2007, no tips just gel overlay to keep my nail strong so they can grow. I haven’t grown the very long, but I’m having fun with the fills and I found a great place and a great nail technician who likes to do different things! Generally I just tell her the base colour I want, and she does something with it! Sometimes she keeps it pretty simple, sometime she gets really creative (Like the green with marble). Today I went with a pale yellow, with two chrome accent nails.

If anybody’s looking to go somewhere, I really like Kathy at Infinity Nails.

Half-tuck!

Do I look like a Gap model??

Beachbody 6 month update

I just realized I’ve been doing beach body for six months! In that time I’ve done the 21 day fix, T 25, turbo fire, and I am now 2/3 of the way through Insanity max 30!

It has been amazing for my body, I’ve lost about 4 pounds, maybe a little more it’s hard to tell because my scale is pretty unreliable! But I do know that all my clothing fits better, and I feel so much more confident. My waist and hips are so much tighter, and my arms and thighs have really slimmed. Here a Picture from the end of September when I started, and another one from today, in the same workout clothes!

I also feel so much stronger! I went for my first run of the season yesterday and although it was pretty slow, I definitely felt like I had maintained most of my stamina, and like I would be able to build it back up easily! I’ve also noticed how much stronger I’ve gotten, I am using far less modifications in my workouts, and just today it occurred to me how much lower I am squatting!

Unfortunately, the program I’m doing does have a lot of push-ups and planks type of poses, and I cannot do those. They give me horrible heartburn and reflux and now I know why, because on Monday I had an endoscope and discovered that I got a hiatus hernia! I take medication for it every morning, but it usually starts wearing off by the evening, which is when I work out. Right after dinner! However, I don’t let it stop me. I do any push-up or plank poses on the wall instead, or come up with something upright that is using the same muscles.