Insanity: Week 3

The workout:

This last week James and I have really started to realize the “catch” of the Insanity workouts. On week one you say, “Just wait until week 4, we will be so good at this!” but here is the truth (or at least my truth):

Week 1: you are just trying to not pass out. Week 2: now you have more endurance so you can actually keep up  with some of the exercises but you still need a ton of rest. Week 3: you need less rest but you still struggle with some of the tougher drills AND Week 4: Now that you are stronger you can actually do the exercises correctly and with good form, which makes the workout harder on a whole different level.

And after this week, we get a “recovery” week and then “Month 2” begins which is raised intensity and a longer workout… Insanity veterans say month 2 is like starting all over again! (not looking forward to that)

So we are still truckin’… I got some new training shoes (which has helped with some foot and knee pain I was having) but overall we are just LOVING it!!! (that was total sarcasm) Insanity doesn’t get easier like you think it will. After this week though, we will have our 3^rd Fit Test and 1 months pictures to take! EEEK!

The diet:

This week has definitely been a weak one for us. We did good during the work week, as usual, but totally splurged this weekend, we drank wine and ate pizza and ITALIAN FOOD! It’s hard to say no to such delicious food when you are 6 glasses of wine deep! We got right back on track though… I think that for the most part we are used to the diet now, we are just struggling to find new recipes that we like to break the monotony of the same old healthy meals we are so practiced at making. Our newest invention is homemade flatbread pesto pizza on lavash bread, we love it!

Overall, although I am dreading the beginning of Month 2, I am excited  to see some results (they say is is ALL about month 2) I am also stoked about the release of Shaun T.’s (Insanity creator) new video “T25”… apparently it is like Insanity but shorter (only 25 minutes a day!)  This could be an awesome follow up to our Insanity adventure?!

Insanity: Week 2

The workout: This week, I felt so much stronger, mentally and physically. I find myself telling myself to “pull through” each exercise because I know there is going to be a 30 second break soon. (or Shaun T. in the background is yelling “dig deeper”, that can be either really motivating or really annoying, depending on the day). In week 2, my stretches were a little deeper, my knees were a little higher and I am actually starting to maintain form throughout the workouts, instead of being a pile of Sloppy  McSlopperson but the end of the video.

It is rough though maintaining the 6-day-a-week schedule (when it comes to the weekend). This last weekend we went stayed a night in San Francisco for a Giants game… we came home Saturday,  tired and totally unmotivated, but somehow, James dragged me from my comfy spot on the couch and we powered through… it really sucked.

The diet: Still going pretty strong, but we do have a weakness for weekends and social settings. This weekend we definitely had a cheat day… Cuban sandwiches and a few beers for the Giants game and amazing gruyere and pancetta breakfast sandwich the next morning. As of right now, gin and tonics and Miller 64’s are what we consider “diet liquor” and we are sticking to our guns! But like I said, for the most part, we have been good. The hardest part this week has been really sticking to the “5 meals a day” thing, we have been trying but mostly we get in about 4 meals.

Other Fun Stuff:

• The end of week 2 meant our second fit test, and although I don’t have the numbers in front of me, James and I both did exceptionally better than Day 1!

• I haven't lost any weight yet but I have noticed teeny changed in my body... looking forward to more! I especially want a tighter tummy for my super tight wedding dress so I can't wait to see some real results!

I am that mouse...

I don’t want to turn my wedding blog into a fitness blog, but this is taking over my life at the moment… especially since I am at a momentary pause from the chaos of planning our wedding. All of our deposits are in, save the dates are sent and the next couple of months should be pretty mellow (and then of course, shit will hit the fan). So other then finishing designing our invitations and spending the lot of our “decoration” funds online, I am basically focusing all of my energy on finalizing plans for my bachelorette party and the honeymoon. And other than plane tickets and hotel reservations, my main concern is getting my body ready for Vegas and Cancun, baby! I want to be able to look proudly back at all of the pictures and tell my future children, “Look sweety, I was hot before you ruined my body”.

So with that said, I’m going to do a mini update of my Insanity journey. This week, Week 2, I have noticed a significant different in my workout abilities. I feel stronger physically and mentally, I definitely have more endurance on both levels. I am really realizing the power of the food I am putting in my body and how it affects my workouts every day. On the other hand, the cravings are hitting us hard. While James is craving foods like cheeseburgers and pepperoni pizza, I am dying for sweets. We do each eat one square (yes, one square) of dark chocolate a night, after dinner… but other than that, the closest thing I’ve had to refined sugar is the quarter packet of Stevia sweetener that I’ve been putting in my iced green tea. Wait, I take that back, I had a Jameson and Ginger Ale last weekend and that obviously had sugar in it… but still, my point is, one teaspoon of simple syrup doesn't compare to a freakin’ cupcake! Yesterday, I made it a point to not wear my glasses into the break room at work because someone had put 3 boxes of assorted mini muffins and red velvet Lofthouse cookies (Lofthouse cookies are my absolute favorite cookie). I figured, if I couldn’t see the frosting clearly, then I wouldn’t crave them as much.

Hi, my name is Sarah, and I am addicted to sugar... and salt… and naps.

Okay. I actually feel a little better now…  is there a such thing as Desserts Anonymous, cause I feel like it might do my some good.

P.S. I know that one cookie won't hurt me, but it doesn't work that way... haven't you guys read "If you give a Mouse a Cookie"? (I am that mouse)

Insanity: Week 1

So we have finished Week 1 of Insanity and it was insane.

The workout:

As someone who thought they were in at least “okay” shape, I can say that this intense cardio circuit workout was not for the faint of heart… in fact, multiple times I felt like fainting and/or puking. The exercises alone aren’t that difficult themselves, but the repetitiveness and the fast pace is what gets you… this workout requires a load of endurance, and it aint a short video! By Day 3, I was more sore than I had ever been in my life (literally) but by Day 7 (the one rest day of the week) and felt almost 100% recovered from by previous days workout.

I will say that I don’t know if I would have stuck with this every day if it weren’t for that fact that I am doing this with my fiancé… for me, doing this with a partner has been the key factor that has held me to my commitment. (I’ve heard that Week 1 and 2 are when most people drop out of Insanity

The diet:

A pleasant surprise… sticking to the Insanity diet has been easier than I thought it would be! Although I’ve cut back my daily intake of calories by at least 20%, I feel like I am actually eating more throughout the day. With the Insanity diet, you eat 5 smaller meals a day vs the normal 3 large meal… so it feels like I am able to “snack” more often, although I can already tell, it is going to take me a while to get used to eating “large” dinners. My normal eating habits consist of my getting uncomfortably full, and I’m not going to lie, it’s been weird only eating to “satisfaction” and then stopping, but I think that my body will adapt with time. We have had our temptations (we did have a few cocktails this weekend!) but overall I think that we have done really well (I even brought celery and carrots and hummus to a baseball game instead of indulging in $1 hot dog night). So far, I can say that (for us at least) the key to sticking to the diet plan is planning and prepping ahead of time (more on that later).

Other fun stuff:

·         I mentioned that the start of the Insanity meal plan would bring more meat into our diets but after this first week, we have decided to return to our little-to-none meat diet. I thought that we would be needing a lot more protein to balance the energy expended with the workout but after really “doing the numbers” I realized that meat wasn’t so much of a necessity. Our protein shakes in the morning + farm fresh eggs + shit tons of hummus + our love for Greek yogurt = plenty of protein. (the one meat we are still eating at home is deli turkey for our sandwiches)

·         Speaking of protein, try going from a super fibrous diet (like I was eating) to a protein shakes every day diet… I won’t get into the details but let’s just say that “things” weren’t “moving” as easily as the were when I was eating mostly veggies and fruit. So on top of the protein powder, our Daily Vitamin and Krill Oil, we have added Dietary Fiber Gummies (yummy by the way)… and I am happy to say that they have successfully “gotten things moving”!

·         I have really, really weak knees

·         Testing chocolate milk as a recovery drink, so far, I’m loving it… the first day we started drinking it was the first day I wasn’t horribly sore afterwards!)

Sooo... the second thing I am obsessing over and have a very high chance of overdoing is.... CHALKBOARDS! I think they will add the perfect touch of fun and bit of contrast to the world of pale colors that will be my wedding.

We already talked about the mason jars...

I also previously mentioned my idea for the centerpieces...

I also want to do something for the bar area... possibly with a super clever phrase about the magic of liquor and a list of the available libations...

...and possibly a few more for the dessert table, guestbook table, etc...

I have already purchased a few of the chalkboards online. I plan on painting the plain wooden frames and using chalk markers to do some of my own, secret, artwork! But my big chalkboard project will be an arrow sign similar to the one below...

Here is a little sketch of my idea for the arrow sign that my dad and I are going to build. I am going to paint chalkboard paint onto the wooden arrows and cement the post into a galvanized bucket...



So now, the search for the best chalkboard markers that actually erase!

Mason Jars Galore!

There are two themes that I am totally stuck on and know I want for my wedding decor and mason jars is one of them. I think they are cute and rustic and best of all, cheap. I found 12 packs of 16 oz. jars at Wal-mart for $9.99, so cheap! And guess what else good 'ole Wally World had? Ball brought back there old style blue-ish tinted jars with their "Heritage Collection", how cool is that!? (6 for $10.99, I am definitely getting a few of those!)

At our drink station, we are going to have mason jars with a smear of chalkboard paint so that guests can write their name on the jars and take them home... like below (but not hearts)... I also love the idea of ribbons (or is that too much?)...

I am also obssessed with the vintage style paper straws that have been so popular lately, I think we are going to go with gray for the wedding...

As for decor, I know that I want to do something involving mason jars and a flame! Either something with a candle or possibly even mini oil lamps... here are some of my inspirations, althugh I think whichever way I go, I will use a shorter style jar...

So simple, just floating candles and rafia

Aren't these short, squaty jars adorable?

I also might incorporate jars with some of the floral accents, maybe this is where I can use those awesome throw back jars!

How cute are these mason jar decorations? And so easy, all I would need is some ribbon, or wire, or burlap and lace! Regardless of what we end up doing, I think I have found another project... which means... another bridesmaid get together is on the horizon!

Recommitting!

I have issues with commitment. Not with my man (obviously, or else this blog would be a fat facade)... but with my health. I am constantly recommitting to myself when it comes to eating healthy, exercising and other lifestyle goals. When it comes to diet, I have always eaten pretty well... I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and a pretty balanced diet but I am equally guilty of over indulging in fats and sweets (especially sweets). As for exercise, we recently signed up for a gym membership and have been okay when it comes to getting to the gym but we could be going a lot more! At the beginning of this year, I told myself I was going to get serious and for the past 3 months I have been teeter tottering between doing pretty good and falling off the deep end again.

Then, about a month back, I had a mini revelation about eating meat... long story short, I saw a few documentaries and it totally changed my outlook on the meat and dairy industries. I basically told myself that at home I would try my hardest to eat no meat and little to no dairy and so far I have actually succeeded in that goal. When we go out, I will normally find a vegetarian dish on the menu, but when I am at someone else's house for dinner, that is when I will indulge. I guess the main reason that I have been able to keep with this "lifestyle" so far, is because I feel strongly about the reasons behind it... so why is it so hard to commit to more healthy choices? I mean, I feel like I feel strongly about my health (did that make sense?!)

Anyway, lately I have just been feeling down about my body and just the way I feel overall. Going semi-veg has given me some really positive results that I wasn't even expecting... but I want more... I am ready to really really stick to something.

Conveniently, the day after I started writing this, James decided to purchase the Insanity workout DVD's. Although it wouldn't have been my first choice for a "plan", I'm going for it! (Plus, Insanity was expensive and I'm not letting that money go to waste!)

If you haven't seen the Insanity infomercials, basically it is a high intensity cardio routine that is supposed to give you amazing results. It lasts a little over 60 days and also comes with a nutrition plan.

So we are giving Insanity 100% and the only valid excuse I will give myself to quit this is if it starts to hurt my back or neck. (I just started chiropractic care to correct my spine and I don't want to mess up the progress I've made) If I do have to quit Insanity, I have a lower impact back-up plan in place.

Reasons I am doing this:

• To get in shape for my wedding... my first dress fitting is at the end of July and these next 3 months are my last chance to get into the shape I want to be (while still having a wedding dress that fits!)
• To become stronger. I have always felt generally weak in my arms, so I definitely want to improve that, but I especially need to strengthen my core and back. Like I mentioned, I suffer from mild kyphosis (curvature of my spine) and it gives me a slight hunchback (ew). Not only that, but it gives me bad back pain as well as tension headaches. I feel that at 25, I shouldn't have to be dealing with this and I want to fix it ASAP. I just starting working with a chiropractor to make some corrections, but really the main problem with my posture is that I have a weak core. I need to build up muscle that is strong enough to support proper posture, the only way to do this is with specific stretching and exercises. (So hopefully Insanity will help rather than hinder my progress)
• I am totally addicted to salt and sugar and I don't want to be. If I can stick with this program, I will get away from my old habits of binging on crap.
• For a challenge. Basically, I just want to see if I can do it... mostly because I never finish anything and also because I know that it is going to be really, really tough!

DIY: Rustic Centerpiece Boxes

Centerpieces have been a rough spot for me. I’ve really had a hard time deciding exactly what I wanted, while staying modern and affordable. One of the main things I was concerned about with it came to my table décor was the size of the centerpieces and whether or not the tables would look empty. I would prefer an overly stuffed table, with no room, than a drab, bare table.

Not having an Ivanka Trump wedding budget, I knew that if I wanted flowers as a centerpiece, I would have to be creative. I could have the florist do a small arrangement and then add more pieces, but if so, what? I could go a different route and not use flowers, but if so, what?

At first, I was really trying to go with a “no flower” route… it would be cheaper and I could always reuse or resell the centerpieces rather than trash them like you would flowers. But unfortunately I didn’t find anything that I really liked that matched the theme of our wedding. Eventually I caved to some sort of floral-ness to be the main attraction at our tables and I finally decided on doing something with succulents. Here are a few of the inspiration pictures that helped me decide:

I decided that I would also somehow incorporate our table numbers into this arrangement… something simple and easy. There are so many adorable ideas for numbering tables, but I do have a few other things in mind outside of the main centerpieces and although I already said I don’t mind overcrowding, I didn’t want the tables to look “cluttered” and confusing. Once again, I don’t want my wedding to look like Pinterest puked all over it… I’m trying my hardest to stick with a simple theme. (Most likely, though, my guests will end up leaving having contemplated whether or not I have mild schizophrenia)

So anyway, after perusing the web for some rustic looking boxes, I came up short. Turns out boxes/planters that look like they are falling apart at the seems can be pretty expensive. Since when did rustic become so ritzy?

Then, I took to craigslist and found a few prospects, but after consulting with my dad about some old barn wood I found, he told me that he already had some! (old fence wood to be exact) So this last Saturday, we got to work building the boxes for our centerpieces…

The box design was very simple, we just used 1"x6"x6' wooden fence slats and produced a 12"x6"x4" rectangular planter box. Below is a basic layout of the design.



The finished product

 

We had a lot of scrap wood and ended up making 16 boxes total (after a few mistakes), but if you wanted to something similar and only make 15 boxes, it looks like this design would only require 7 fence slats... that is if you don't mess up! Even if you bought the fence slats new, this project would still be pretty cheap!

How we cut the wood

The workstation



All the pieces for one box

Pops

Piling up!

Pre drilling the holes for the nails

Nails! (only 2 per side and 2 for the bottoms, 6 total)

More nailing

This was my job... Bud!

Before

After

James came over just in time to clean up!

Overall, this project only cost me about $2, which was the cost of the box of nails, as compared to the "Rustic Barnwood Planter Boxes" from Save-On-Crafts that I was tempted to buy (at $10 a pop!) So I saved myself about $160 in the end. Plus, my boxes are even more enchantingly rustic and are actually made from old wood! That's a solid point for team Do-It-Yoursef... (or team Drink-Beer-While-Your-Dad-Is-Doing-It-For-You) Score!


I can't wait to fill these puppies!