The Daily Fuss

Pure Insanity

Thankfully, Sunday is a day of rest - even according to Shaun T. and the sadistically fit crew at beachbody.com that invented the Insanity workout.

If you haven't seen the compelling informercial, Insanity is a 60-day program (a series of max interval workouts) intended to deliver the "best body" you've ever had in your life to those who commit to "digging deeper".

The key to the regimine is that instead of regular interval training (sustained moderate exercise with spikes of high-intensity) max interval training is sustained high-intensity with brief rest periods and a great deal of stretching in the middle of the workout.

I just finished my first week of eight total.

I am sore.

I am sore in strange places.

The moves aren't too tough and Shaun T's voice is hypnotic, which helps me push myself without wanting to hunt him down and kill him.

The hard part for me (and likely anyone) is sustaining the activity level and the increased speed to which I am asked to push myself without breaking form.

The price is roughly $125, which may problematic for some. Perhaps the Beachbody team feels the price alone demonstrates a ceratin committment level? I tend to agree.

Workouts are 40 minuntes per day for the first month and then longer, tougher workouts for the second month. After training for two half-marathons last year, (where long runs can take the better part of two hours for me to complete), I appreciate the impact of an abbreviated workout on my schedule.

I'm sure this program works, especially in conjunction with a diet of lean protiens and lots of veggies. However, I need to lose 30 pounds (yay resolutions), so after one week, I feel like I have rock hard abs, fantastic muscle tone, cardio endurance and incredible balance ... right underneath my fat suit.

I have no other way to explain it. That, an accelerated thirst for wine as the day winds down to evening, just to dull the pain.

I'm hoping to make a leap in results at the conclusion of week two. Wish me luck and endurance!

Has anyone out there had success with Insanity? Please post a comment and share your fuss with us!

What the Fuss? 13.1

Nothing motivates me like new gear. The North Shore Half Marathon is three weeks out and I needed a boost.

Running in excessive heat with less-than-ideal, ignoring-technologically-sound-clothing, didn't-want-to-spend-the-money-unless-I-am-fully-committed clothes left me with rub marks EVERYWHERE.

So I went shopping.

1. Althleta Tempo Visor - $18

2. Lulu Lemon Marathon Singlet - $68

3. Lulu Lemon Ta Ta Tamer II - $58

4. Athleta Swift Zip Skort - $54

5. Lulu Lemon Run In the Sun Dress - $98

Ready to run in style, this new look will surely take the egde off the last 70 miles of training before running 13.1 on race day.

Piece of Cake

Is it true what they say - I can't have my cake and eat it too?

I haven't applied this to stay-at-home mom's yet, but for a working mom, I can attest to the following:

If I do happen to have access to cake and am faced with the prospect of eating it:

1) I must settle for cake that someone else made (either Mary Poppins or Sweet Mandy B) because I don't have time to bake.

2) That cake will likely end up as a permanent part of my ass. Any time spent at the gym is precious time away from the kids.

3) If I didn't work, I may have to settle for less fancy cake or no cake at all, in which case my ass might be better off. Or, I might find the time to bake it myself, in which case, I would be a super-chunk in no time.

I'm having a tough time today balancing work, life, losing 25 pounds and flawlessly executing my holiday preparations. If I own up to the ridiculousness of this metaphor, and cake = money, then my preference is to just pay someone to make me thinner. Unfortunately, losing baby weight is one thing I cannot outsource and it's pissing me off.

Working moms - how do you find time to lose the baby weight? "Total starvation" is not a helpful answer ... I LOVE FOOD.

PS - I am typing this post halfway through a fifteen-mile ride on my new recumbent bike. This type of multi-tasking is bound to frustrate even the most even-keeled individual.