Sacrifices and Success

If ever there was a day in the course of this 63 days that I probably had a valid out from Insanity, it would have been today. It was non-stop from about 7:45 this morning until now, at 2am. And it was physical!! Got the girls off to school and then went on a quest for firewood- which involved a lot of walking in quite a few different stores. Apparently the "possible chance of a wintery mix" in the forecast for tomorrow has everyone panicking in Atlanta. Guess you can't blame us for being gunshy after last time though.

Anyway, finally found the firewood, then bought all that they had, which meant loading it all up in my car. Yay for lifting with your legs when your legs can barely hold themselves up!  Then it was off to the office where we have a fountain that was desperately in need of some deep scrubbing of calcium build up.  For two and a half hours I SCRUBBED this stupid fountain. Up, down, squats, climbing in chairs, over head work, you name it... I was sweating! Once that finished I had some machines to assemble for work, and then I had to move all of the firewood from my car to my bosses' car! But that signaled the end of my work day at least.

Then it was home to the kids, and homework with Chatterbox before her and Sassypants were off to bed. Next up I got to write a nasty letter to her teacher who underestimates my protective streak with my children.  So happy I had Cinderella here to help me! Especially since then I had to pack up everything in my kitchen and both bathrooms to get ready for the big re-model that is starting tomorrow of my apartment.  New everything! How's that for motivation to get cooking some healthy meals?  I'm excited, but its going to be a pain to maintain normal day-to-day life while they do it.  Well, we finally finished cleaning and packing at 11:30.  NOW it was time to work out....

I was sore. I was beyond exhausted. I had been physical all day long. It was super late. I missed Darling horribly because it had been such a crazy day that we barely got to message eachother, and I wanted to Skype with him. Especially since we found out a planned trip to see each other this month was not going happen today. Emotionally and physically I was drained. I had 100 reasons to let tonight's work out slide.

But I did it anyway.  And it felt good.  I did have to take like a 5 minute break in the middle simply because I truly am wiped and I didn't want to over extend myself, but I came back and finished harder than I started.  Plus there's just something about it that just gets to me.  As soon as I work up the nerve to hit that play button, the energy just reverberates through me.  Anticipation builds, and then BAM! There is Shaun T telling me I can do it, and to push harder and dig deeper, and I can, and I do. I've done a lot of work out videos before, but I have never felt like the instructor was right there with me as he is in this one.  I absolutely love Insanity. And every day I am going a little harder, and a little longer, and accomplishing a little more.  I am doing things I didn't even imagine I would ever be able to do, and its only day 3! Apparently I am awesome at, and really enjoy, Belt Kicks! Its a power squat which you come out of onto one leg while you kick the other one out in front of you, aiming to get your foot above your hips.  It engages your entire core/back and lower body.

I might have taken breaks, but I certainly worked my ass off too.  Here is me - post work out - laying on the floor a sweaty quivering mess... and yes, that is sweat!

I have motivating factors that have gotten me through today though. For starters? New shoes!!! I needed a really supportive shock absorbent shoe to support my foot, and my last pair, which were amazing when I bought them, have deteriorated significantly over the past 8 years that I have had them.  So I went on a quest to find the perfect Insanity shoe.  After reading about 5000 reviews and trying on a few different pairs, I found the perfect ones for me.  Ascics Gel Excel33.

Pretty right?

Also, I discovered the awesomeness that is Icy Hot.  I used it this morning to relax my quads which were SCREAMING AT ME every step I took... then all of the bending and lifting while we were packing up just intensified that, so right before I went to work out, I lathered up my quads/hamstrings, and because I knew what was coming in tonight's work out, my triceps. The menthol really opened up my lungs to help me breathe deeper and the bonus of it heating up precisely as I was dying on the floor relaxed my muscles out and let me stretch a little longer. Definitely my new necessity for working out!  

Unfortunately, I left the tube down where Sassypants could find it. Imagine her surprise when she slathered her hands up with 3/4's of a brand new tube of IcyHot... The mess was awful, and I wish I had been able to take pictures, but I was more concerned about her touching her face with it on her, so the concern was cleaning it up.  Lets just say she will most likely not be getting into my lotion for a while... "Hot mommy hot!"

Post-work out after my protein recovery drink I've been taking nice hot showers and then doing a deep tissue rub down of basically my entire body too, which seems to help with the immediate soreness.

Finally..... I am trying very hard to avoid the scale and not make it all about weight.  Especially since I am building muscle, which weighs more than fat. Therefore, I'm tracking inches now! Yay.

Current measurements - at the absolute widest part of each measurement:
Arms: (L) 18" (R) 19"
Chest: 42"
Waist: 41
Post-baby Pooch (ya'll women know what this is!): 47.5"
Hips: 48"
Thighs: (L) 29" (R) 29"
Calves: (L) 17.5" (R) 15"

My right calf is the muscle that atrophied so severely following my surgery. It is the only measurement I want to INCREASE.

So now I have another way to track my progress. And every day I'm one step closer. No excuses. All in all, I am finding new ways every day to make this a little better and a little more fun.  Still seeking that balance, but I know there will be sacrifices to make along the way.  I'm just grateful that I have so many people who believe in me to keep me going.