Insanity Max 30 in Review: Week 5

Cannot believe I am writing my halfway point review already! Thirty more days to go and I will complete the entire Insanity Max 30 program. When I started, five weeks seemed like a LONG time! It feels good to stick with my goals!

Surprisingly it has flown by!! There have been many, many temptations in the past four weeks, a handful of bad choices, and some moments where I was so sore that I couldn't sit down on my chair! I have learned so much about my body, my nutrition and my will power from this workout.

So, week five was a tough week! This program showed me I am stronger than I realized. My will power is strong when I am motivated by a challenge. I don't want to fail. I am much more likely to stick to a nutrition plan and workout when I am accountable for it, and my Max 30 accountability group keeps me on track.

Recording Max Out time for my workouts, made me competitive with myself. I wanted to increase my Max Out time for each workout! So, I used my mental power to challenge myself to sink down a little lower into the squat, to push myself a little harder and to stop slacking when I wasn’t putting in my full intensity to the workout. Do you do that with yourself? Do you give up too easily? Do you get discouraged easily? This workout is a challenge, but progress happens in the moments where I don't think you can go on! Shaun T motivates me to continue on through the workout. He reminds me, that I have the mental will to continue.

After four weeks I was ready to switch it up and ready for the new workouts! Even though they were challenging, I feel like I’m getting stronger, doing less modified moves, but I’m still exhausted and sweaty at the end of 30 minutes. I push myself with each workout, but I still rarely make it to the 15 minute mark before maxing out.

The reason for that is this, when I feel myself getting stronger I just push harder at the beginning so I am still maxing out much earlier. That's the goal of this program: max out early because you are working so hard that you can't go on!

Some afternoons, I had company while working out!! I love that my 12-year-old son wants to workout with me.  He loves Shaun T, and usually has way more energy that I do!!


Here is a video clip of some of our workouts.



Max 30 Power, really tested my upper body strength! While it starts with some cardio at the beginning, the majority of the workout tests upper body strength with push up variations and leg strength with squats and lunges! While I was exhausted at the end, I felt accomplished!

Then there is Friday Fight 2! This workout will really test your physical abilities, but also your mental toughness to stick with it! DON’T QUIT! Don't turn off the DVD player until that 30 minute workout is over! Don't stop after you Max Out the first time, keep going no matter how much you want to stop! That is progress! Don't let the Max Out time defeat you! It's a process..... trust it!

The Month 2 Workout Line Up is
Monday - Max Out Cardio
Tuesday - Max Out Power
Wednesday - Max Out Sweat
Thursday - Max Out Strength
Friday - Friday Fight 2

Lets talk nutrition!

This is how I keep the late night munchies at bay: eat 3 hours before bed for best results.

So what changes am I making this week? Well I’ve switched up to drink my Shakeology as my evening snack. I need a sweet lately after dinner, so this has helped me kick my cravings. I also made sure to drink this shake, my last meal, 3 hours before going to sleep for the night. The reason behind this practice is that I want my body to rebuild muscle and burning fat instead of burning off any carbs or sugars that I ate before going to sleep.

My second focus has really been on drinking plenty of water!!! I was definitely starting to slack in this department. So I have been filling up a three Shakeology bottles every day. I bring them to work, they sit on my desk, and each day I focus on drinking all of them! That keeps me hydrated, my hunger at bay, and my body healthy!

Here is my meal plan for this week:

What did I not do so well with this past week? Well I did have 2 slices of pizza for my son’s birthday party, and a slice of cake! I enjoyed it, because it was my son’s event and was worth it, but now it’s time to get serious again!

Then I had a barbeque picnic on Sunday where I had a spoonful of potato salad, a cheese veggieburger on only the bottom half of a bun (white bread), and lots of veggies, but also had a brownie and a cookie for dessert.

So for week four here is the game plan: I am planning to workout every afternoon at my typical 5:30 pm! I am going to stick to the meal plan, with NO CHEATS, pack my food every day for work and drink lots of water. I do have a special event at work on Friday, where there will be donuts, danish, and muffins, but I will eat my oatmeal and eggs for breakfast in advance, and hold a cup of coffee in my hands, so I should have no temptations! And I never think I am depriving myself, but instead I’m treating my body with respect. I don't want to have a stomach ache, feel drowsy or bloated and I certainly love the way my body feels, so that's my reward! It's all about my perspective.

Take some time today to get your weekly game plan together!