Pop Pilates DVD First Time Through Review

Workout
For any Community fans... POP POP! :)

So, my first time completing the Pop Pilates/Blogilates DVD workout (~ 1 hour 3 min). I have been avoiding this, actually, since I was sort of afraid, haha. Time to face my fears. I've tried doing the workout a couple of times before, but that was always after having done some intense cardio. Not the greatest idea. Last time I tried, I got to 15 minutes before giving up. My neck just ached so badly (and I had proper form). I also tried the tongue trick - pushing your tongue to the roof of your mouth to alleviate some pain/discomfort in your neck, which helped a little, but it was still excruciating. I just figured the workout was really tough. Which it is. But not as bad as I thought.

I did it today, with no workout beforehand. So much better. So much more approachable/not painful. I didn't feel any discomfort in my neck. Some of the moves were a little difficult, so I had to take some mini-breaks. But I got back into it. I'm hoping to get stronger/more flexible and not have to take breaks. I did try to do all the moves unmodified though. I might be a tad stubborn.

I felt amazing afterwards. I'm going to try to this on the Cardio Recovery Days for more conditioning and strengthening of my muscles. And flexibility. My flexibility has already improved by leaps and bounds since a year ago (when I couldn't even touch my toes). I attribute a lot of this greater flexibility to Cassey's Pop Pilates (youtube workouts). It's amazing to see how far you've come.

Favorite moves: Roll Over, Eagle Crunch, Roll Up, Chest Press, Tricep Scorpians, Half Cobra Pushups, Bottom of the Bowl Stretch, Hip Twists, Singled Legged Spidermans.

I'm also starting to like the Candlestick Dippers. I used to loath them. Mostly because it was harsh on my knees (even with my mat folded in half) and my hips would make an uncomfortable popping noise. However, it doesn't hurt anymore. Well, not in an unusual way, anyway.

Most difficult moves for me: Shoulder Stand, Earthquake, Chest Press (even if it is one of my favorites), Spiderman Pushups.

Afterwards, I ate dinner and wasn't planning on doing the Cardio Recovery (~37 min) at all. But then I did. Push yourself further than you can even imagine, right? Plus, I figured it's semi-yoga-esque, so maybe it'll help me sleep.

Verdict? I really like the set-up of the DVD. I still favor her Youtube videos (since they're short and I can mix-and-match or tack to them onto the end of my Insanity workouts/cardio). But, I still really enjoyed it, and of course - her positive attitude and upbeat/bubbly personality keeps me going.

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Food
Beverages: 2 cups coffee (w/stevia, coconut milk and 1 TB creamer), 1 cup green tea, water, detox tea.
Breakfast: Finished off the leftover blueberry/craisin steel-cut oats. Topped with almond milk and raw pepitas.

Lunch: My sister dropped by to borrow something, and so I shared half of the omelet with her, as it was way to big. And she was eyeing it. Haha. For the whole omelet, I used 1 whole egg w/3 egg whites (saved from the eggs benedict hollaindaise sauce), some salt and pepper for the base. Then I diced 1 whole green bell pepper and 1/2 an onion and sauteed with fresh-squeezed lime and a pepper-blend (Sonoma Salt-Free Blend from Omaha Steaks) in coconut oil (1/2 tsp). Then I topped the omelet with a little bit of grated raw white cheddar. She actually just told me was going to take a bite. And then she moved half of it to her plate, lol.

Dinner: While dropping by, my sister also dropped off a huge thing of tofu she had cooked on the stovetop. Apparently she thought it would go to waste and knew I would eat it.
So, I had tofu and made some dipping sauce (some reduced sodium soy sauce, a little bit of sesame oil and a little bit of sriracha sauce for a kick). I also had a baked sweet potato on the side and roasted green beans.

Snack: Cantaloupe

I'm thinking of starting to lay off the cheese, haha. It's a bit of a weakness. I try to use only a little bit, but still. Or maybe the next time I go to Trader Joe's or a health food store, I'll look into their vegan cheeses.
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I'm soaking some raw cashews to make some cashew coffee creamer tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes. ;) Unless it's a huge disaster. Ha. Just kidding. I'll still let you know. If it works out, I might start making my own almond milk.

Love always,
Marie

Spontaneous 1.5 Hour Add-On Workout and Heart Rate Charts

So, yesterday didn't go as expected. But I loved it and embraced it nonetheless. :)

My sister dropped by early in the morning, baring goodies. Panera's Artichoke & Spinach Souffles. I haven't had one of those since last fall. They're fairly high in calories (~420 cals, I think) and sodium, but oh-so-delicious. 

Then she asked if I wanted to go to the gym with her in the evening to go to the CXWorx class (mentioned in a prior post). I agreed and she said she would call. She woke up at 3, so she had to take a nap and it wasn't set in stone.

I sort of figured she would back out, since she would be exhausted. So, I did a ~40 min Insanity workout (Plyo).

What I said before about the plyo workout not feeling very plyo... I actually completely forgot about the 2nd/last circuit. The floor in & out abs count as plyo, right? And so do the ski abs (or, as Jillian Michaels calls them: moguls). For the plyo, my heartrate remained lower than usual, in the lower 80% the whole time through, which is still fairly hard.

Anyway. I was thinking of doing some Pilates, but wanted to call my sister to ask if we were still on for the gym. If we were, I was just going to skip Pilates because the CXWorx class involves a plank circuit.

She said to go ahead and cancel, and so I did these (focusing on lower-body).

~7 min. Oh man. Lunges. I've done this workout a few times, but forgot what it entailed. I sort of have a love-hate relationship with lunges.

~14 min. This was my first time doing this workout. I liked it. Using the books was a little awkward, but a new way to add weights to my workout (you rest it on your hips while in the bridge position).

~10 min. I've done this one countless times. I tend to really like cardio. More lunges, which was fine... until we did the lunge split jumps. I can't do them fast like her, haha. Also, there are 10 burpees (actually, 9, I believe, as she accidentally miscounts) at the beginning and 10 at the end.

~4 min. Did this again. Love it. I did this in the park once, after a 10 mile run, haha. People were sort of staring, but I don't care. I was wearing capris, so it wasn't that awkward (as opposed to shorts). It's easy to remember the routine.

So, afterwards, I jump in the shower. Right as I'm getting out, my sister calls. It's 5:35 and the class starts at 6:30 (I live about 25 min. away) and asks if I'm still up for the gym for 1 hour. I'm always up for the gym, haha. I didn't feel particularly sore, so I agreed.

When we get there, I ask if she wants to try Zumba afterwards. I didn't think I was up for running and really enjoyed the one Zumba class I took with my friends at a YMCA. She agreed to stay for half of the class... and we ended up staying the whole time. It was more enjoyable than the YMCA class I took. That one was comprised of mostly elderly women and it was the middle of the track (no walls), facing the weights. Sooo awkward, as the class involved some outward pelvic thrusting and other moves. While we were facing the bodybuilder-type guys. 

Anyway, my gym's set-up is a bit nicer... you're in a room that the weightlifters can see inside, since the back wall is made of glass, but during the Zumba class, they turn off the lights, so no one outside can see in. This made me less self-conscious. And most of the moves/other students were my age, which was nice and didn't make me feel as out-of-place. Going to try to make this a weekly thing, as we both really enjoyed it.

Oh, and side-note. Somehow during the CXWorx workout, I busted open one of my fingers. I didn't even feel it/see it until the end, when we were putting up our weights/bands/yoga mats and it was already dry. Wonder how I did that?

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Wednesday Food

Breakfast: Panera Artichoke & Spinach Souffle. Not healthy, as I mention above. But definitely soul-food. I get this about once every few months.

Lunch: Avocado w/lime, pepper, hot sauce and a little bit of cheese.

Snack: Following my workout, I had a green smoothie. Juiced 3 carrots and 1 tomato and blended it with 1 scoop of Trader Joe's Very Green Supplement, 1 scoop of Muscle Milk Light Vanilla Whey, 1 handful spinach, 1 handful of mixed berries, a touch of coconut milk and tart cherry juice (maybe 1 TB each as I'm running low) and the rest was filtered water.

Dinner: Chipotle! Again. My sister is stubborn. Her fiance wanted Subway and I said that was fine with me. But she said that if she didn't get Chipotle, then she wouldn't eat. Like I said, stubborn. Ha. I like that Chipotle's food is not processed/fried and that the veggies are local and the chicken is antibiotic free (the steak, I believe is grass-fed). I got brown rice w/chicken, black beans, lots of fajita veggies (bell peppers and onions. It was late and they had a lot, so they didn't mind piling them on), pico (mild salsa), sour cream (I never eat sour cream, but Chipotle's is really great) and lettuce. I opted out of the guac, since I had an avocado already that day. Beware of using too many of the hot sauces/pico (I used to ask for extra pico), because the sodium levels tend to run high.

Dessert: Yogurtland. I like Yogurtland because many other froyo places are too sweet (I can't eat OrangeLeaf anymore as it is way too sweet for me). Also, it's more affordable and not all of the yogurts are super-tart (as some other yogurt places tend to be), making it the perfect balance for me personally. I usually only spend ~$2 per visit (1-3 times a month).

They had some specialty "Around the World" flavors, so I had the Tiramisu with Polynesian Vanilla with a little bit of Reese's and sliced almonds on top. I've been getting the sorbets/fruit flavors with fruit added in, so I thought I'd try the limited versions today and indulge in some chocolate. ;)

Overall, since we ate out, it was higher in calories than what I normally eat, but... I had a really light lunch to even it out and worked out 2h45min. So crazy. At least the gym classes were not high-intensity, but still worked up a sweat.

...I don't eat out as often as it seemed this past week. I usually only eat out once every 2 weeks, but haven't in a month. Then, this past week it seems it all happened at once. At least the places I've been eating out have been healthier options, right? Though, I do try to avoid eating out too often.

I saw this post from the Sweaty Betties on Facebook.

"Just so you all know, I am NOT a food PURIST. 
As much as I would love to say that I eat ALL organic, non-gmo, fresh farm grown food every day, I don't. 
I would LOVE to, but thats not always feasible (nor would my sweet tooth like it). 
Do I preach against artificial sweetners? Sure. But then I had half a bag of Gummi Savers yesterday.. does that make me a hypocrite? Maybe.
Here's the deal--- there is a LARRRRGE spectrum of healthy and non-healthy and a WHOLE lotta grey area. 
Most of us live in the grey.... Most days I live in the lighter grey, sometimes, its just BLACK.
But I will say this, Black/White & All/Nothing eating is only going to frustrate you.
Do your best, make the best choices you can with where you are.
I want to just educate you, so that you KNOW why some things are healthier for you or less healthy and then YOU can choose how often you allow that in your body.
No judgement here and no food police, just realize that we're all on the spectrum and as long as you're trying and improving yourself inside and out then you're doing better than 95% of the rest!"

Love this stance. I try to eat healthy as often as possible, but it would drive me up-the-wall-insane if I was too strict on my diet. I do avoid and am against processed foods, but will eat it occasionally. I find that I don't crave it much though. Except for chocolate and ice cream. It took me a long time to get a handle on those cravings.

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These heartrate charts might prove useful. I use my heartrate monitor (it gives me %, which is nice) to determine if I'm pushing to hard and I need to slow it down.

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I was expecting to feel incredibly sore today. Not the case. My arms are slightly sore (planks?), but otherwise I feel fine. Haven't done my workouts for the day. Will post on that later. Cardio Recovery. And probably some pilates afterwards.

Stay healthy,

Marie

Insanity Week #2 Days 1 & 2

This is definitely the face that I often have during any of the excruciating moves in Insanity or while doing Pilates. I don't do this in public though, haha. Don't want to scare people.

So, yesterday. I'll do a quick run-down.

Day 1: Cardio Power & Resistance
Can't remember if there was anything specific I wanted to say about this particular workout. I do notice that there were quite a few arm workouts (tricep dips, anyone?), so afterwards I figured I'd do an arm-focused pilates workout. Love working my arms. My arms have seen definite improvement since I've started, which boosts my confidence in wearing arm-baring outfits.

Oh, and I did not feel a crazy amount of soreness in my thighs/glutes yesterday. Felt it, yes, but not in a crazy amount of pain, which made my workouts so much more bearable.

~16 min

I actually haven't done her Victoria's Secret Series much. I tend to veer towards the Bikini Blaster series and I'm really enjoying the HIITilates. I do like this workout though. It's nice to mix it up. I think I did "Awesomesauce Arms" a little too often and this definitely threw some new moves in.

Food:

Breakfast: Overnight crock-pot steel-cut oats (see link to recipe in the post from yesterday). So, funny story. I asked someone if they could put mine in a bowl w/some almond milk and drizzle a small amount of raw honey on it. They poured honey on it. Edible still, but not as healthy. And I couldn't finish it. But I had it today and it was great. Sans honey. I topped it with raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and almond milk.

Lunch: Eggs benedict, I believe. Prepared in the same manner as all the other days. I looove it. 

Snack: Juiced carrots mixed with green smoothie (same as days before).

Dinner: Someone dropped off steaks as a present, haha. So, yeah. I'm not much of a red-meat eater, but I like it occasionally. I had a small steak with one roasted beet, one baked sweet potato and ~15 green beans? Yum. Baked the sweet potato in foil for ~45 minutes @425 and the beets ~1 hour @425 F. The green beans were baked for ~15 minutes @350 F with some assorted spices.

If you have a sweet tooth like me (major sweet tooth)... roasted beets and sweet potatoes are lifesavers (if you like them). I've come a long way the past couple of years. I used to have a gigantic mason jar filled with refined sugar in my dorm and use it up within the school year. Now, I rarely add refined sugars to anything and watch my refined sugar intake (if I do add any sweetener, I now prefer Stevia). 

I am also limiting my sweetener intake though, as well. Though Stevia is all-natural (and, honestly, in my opinion, it tastes better than Splenda, which can leave a weird aftertaste), long-term effects are still not entirely known. Also, I don't know if this goes for natural sweeteners (I'm thinking probably), but sweeteners can increase your sweet cravings (much like sugar). I used to put Stevia in all of my teas (I drink a lot of teas). Now I only put it in Chai if I'm having it (1-2 times a week) and 1TB in my morning coffee. Progress. :)

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Day 2: Pure Cardio

In the words of Shaun T: "This sh** is BANANAS yo!" haha.

Felt more exhausted today, but still pushed through. And you know what? I felt amazing afterwards.

Followed with abs, since I haven't focused on those in a few days.

~14 minutes

I also started to do her "Flatter My Abs," but I couldn't push through. I was too exhausted to keep my legs elevated for any of the moves, so I figured it was my body's way of telling me I had enough.

I haven't done this video in a while. And dang. Cassey looks different. It's because this was filmed right after her bikini competition, so that was the most svelte I've seen her. She's still super-fit. As her instructor told her, "you can't keep your bikini body all year." 

Balance. I also noticed that my body was more fit in the warmer months, since I was more active (and not sick all the time). Winter I've softened up a tad. But I'm kicking it into gear. :)

Food:

Breakfast: Overnight Crock-Pot Blueberry Steelcut Oats w/pepitas and almond milk.

Lunch: Eggs Benedict with leftover roasted green beans.

Snack: 1 scoop of Trader Joe's Very Green Supplement, 1 scoop of Muscle Milk Light Protein Powder, unsweetened coconut milk, filtered water and 2 TB of Tart Cherry Juice blended. Following workout.

Snack 2: *ahem* Not healthy. Documenting all the goods and bads. 80/20 (80% clean foods/20% cheat foods), right? I actually try to eat healthfully, but it's good to have "food for your soul" every once in a while. Here goes: 1/2 c of Butter Pecan Ice Cream. Mmmm. Soooo good. I had to measure, because icecream is my kryptonite. I don't keep it in the house. Had dinner with my mom and she picked it up as a treat though, haha. At least she didn't pick up cookie dough. Or we'd be in real trouble. ;)

Dinner: Mom treated me to a Korean chicken soup. Basically, she removed the skin and fat off a whole chicken, cut it, boiled it with garlic/spices until the chicken was tender and the broth had formed. We usually top it on top of white rice, but I'm trying to avoid white rice... and I didn't bother making brown rice today. So, I topped it on top of spinach. Really delicious. Barely tasted the spinach (but I love spinach, so... it wouldn't have mattered). Also, topped it with a bunch of green onion. Might try adding in quinoa in next time. If I remember to make it. One of my favorites, though I feel it was a bit salty this time - wondering how much salt she put in. She thinks I'm crazy though, haha. She had to add extra to hers. I don't eat a lot of salt, so I just might be sensitive to any amount more than a sprinkle.

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So yeah, that's basically yesterday and today for you. I'm going to try to get in the best shape that I can before my friend's wedding in June. The dress is sleeveless. I want to tone up my arms a bit more before the wedding.

Stay warm and healthy,

Marie

Subscription Boxes / Birchbox-Women's Health Collaboration Box?

So, I'm really excited - this morning I saw that Birchbox was teaming up with Women's Health to create a Wellness Subscription Box for April. Yay - two of my favorite things in one! Beauty and Health.

http://blog.womenshealthmag.com/whexperts/news-womens-health-teams-up-with-birchbox/?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-womenshealth-_-content-experts-_-Birchbox

Click the link above to read more about the collaboration and how to sign up. If you're already a Birchbox subscriber, I think you get to choose if you want the Women's Health collab box or to just receive a regular Birchbox box.

I actually was on Birchbox's waitlist and was emailed a few weeks ago that I could join them. However, I opted out, since I decided to go with Ipsy after seeing this video.

I like how they compare the two and also compare prices (This is January. Birchbox value: ~$18-20 and the Ipsy value:~$35). I see that they also compared February and the price difference was crazy. The value for the Birchbox box was $12.26 and the Ipsy value was $61.74 (both are $10/month subscriptions). Their "hey guysssss" at the beginning of their videos sort of irks me, haha. But I do like that they take the time to compare both boxes each month.

I did, however, sign up for the Women's Health/Birchbox Collab, since it sounds interesting.

I also am really interested in the eco-friendly subscription boxes, like Seasons Box, etc. They do tend to be a little costly, but sometimes eco-friendly products cost more... and it seems like they give you full size products.

I like the idea behind subscription boxes though... you can try several products without investing in full-sizes and it introduces you to brands that you might not be aware of. When I leave the country though (should be in the next few months, fingers crossed), I'll have to unsubscribe. But, Korea is very generous with their samples. Anytime I would buy anything, they would shove a handful of samples into my bag. 

Anyway, getting ready to do some Insanity. Need to mentally prepare myself, haha.

Love always, 

Marie

Sunday was Thigh Day

So, today was  Plyometric Cardio Circuit (same as the first day). Yesterday I was running late and didn't have time to do a full Insanity workout, so I just did some quick HIIT workouts (Blogilates' 100 Burpee Challenge & then I just free-styled the rest, haha).

I have to remind myself to switch sides when I do the stretches after the workout, as Shaun T only does the right side for the hip flexor move where you're balancing on one leg and the other is at a 90 degree angle... and you pull it into yourself (forgive me, don't know what this is called).

Also, tried this workout with my Nikes, as they provide more arch support than my minimalist shoes, but my right arch still was achy. I noticed it during the football drills. I think it's because I balance on the front of my foot with that move. I'll try and watch them and see what I need to do and adjust accordingly.

I'm already feeling my body changing, if ever-so-slightly. I feel stronger/more muscular in my core/hip area. Also, I was able to keep up with them during the 3-step Heisman. Though, the Suicide Drills, I did fall behind (I know he says to go at your own pace, but I try to push myself to keep up, if I'm capable).

I've been checking my heart rate during the 30 sec. breaks and it's consistently in the upper 80s-97%. I don't actually wear my heart rate monitor during Insanity, since it pinches when I do the planks/push-ups.

I'm also confused about the name of this particular workout... I didn't feel like there was a lot of plyometrics involved (I feel like there were way more in some of the other videos). The only one I can think of are the Basketball Drills (Jumps? Sorry, I can never remember names...) and Ski Jumps. I do feel incredibly exhausted after this workout though. And I really like the addition that's tacked on to the end with some extra moves (jabs, uppercut, etc.).

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Since I felt that there was a lot of work that centered on the thighs/lower body (or, that's where I felt the workout the most... lots of squats and such) in the Plyometric Cardio Circuit, I decided to do some Blogilates' workouts that focused on the thighs afterwards.

~4 min

~4 min

~14 min.

I've done these 3 videos all before and love them. I especially repeat the first two (as they're easy to fit in). I'm trying to shoot for 1 hour workout every day (5-6 times a week).

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Today, I made a "healthy" (healthier?) deep dish chocolate chip cookie pie. With chickpeas and oatmeal. I cut the sugar down (as others suggested in the comments) and subbed in Splenda Brown Sugar (I don't like the aftertaste of regular Splenda, but their brown sugar tastes almost like the real deal. I wish there was a Stevia version though...). I also don't like too much chocolate, so I used mini semi-sweet chips and reduced the amount. I also used coconut oil. This could easily be a vegan dessert (use carob chips, etc.) and is gluten free.

I halved the recipe and gave some away to my family members. My sister dropped by especially to try it and said it tasted really great, but the texture was a little different. My mom ate a bite and was like, "are there beans in this?" Haha. I guess I couldn't fool her. I personally could taste the beans, though they were more subtle. I really like that it has a gooey texture.

And I noticed lately I haven't been in the mood to cook anything for breakfast. So, I'm making an overnight slow-cooker steel cut oatmeal (almond cherry). I can just eat it in the morning, and I'll be good to go. I can also refrigerate the rest and eat it for the next couple of days.

I cut out the butter and subbed in coconut oil and might add some walnuts in the morning. Also, added in some cinnamon and fresh blueberries and cut down the amount of dried cherries.

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Food today: I felt a little out of it/exhausted, so my sister picked me up some Chipotle as a surprise for lunch. With brown rice, fajita veggies, chicken, guac, pico and lettuce.

Also ate a piece of the chickpea cookie dough pie (between breakfast and lunch), eggs benedict on a whole wheat english muffin for breakfast (with tumeric, parsley, sea salt, cayenne for seasoning and one yolk w/fresh lemon for the sauce).

Then, for dinner, right after my workout, I juiced some cucumbers, carrots and a tomato and blended with spinach, unsweetened coconut milk, filtered water, protein powder, Trader Joe's Very Green powder, mixed berries and flaxseed.

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Goals this week: sleep at a more appropriate time.... (yeah, it's almost 3am now... oops). Also, eat more vegetables (try to fit more veggies into breakfast meals...).

Positive Outlook

Some positive quotes to help you get through your day and to put some things in perspective. : ) These can be applied to every aspect of your life, including fitness. I think it's best to remain positive and have a great outlook, because that affects your health and well-being as well (as well as your relationships with other people!).

Pure Cardio, Abs and Skin Journey

So, I'm all about honesty. Wednesday or Thursday I did not work out (unless you count chasing dogs and a baby, haha). I stayed at my friend's place (the one who had the birthday party) and food-wise I didn't eat the healthiest. But that's life. I try to eat healthy most of the time, but for special occasions, I sort of let loose. Also, I feel that if I were home, I probably wouldn't have been able to put 100% into my workouts, as I was really nauseous and had cramps. Some days, you just have to listen to your body and relax.

I was better than I used to be before I cared about my health though. I didn't drink anything other than water, had two slices of pizza - one chicken with bell peppers and one cheese. I really like pepperoni, but stayed away from that since it's super greasy and salty. I also had some red grapes and a cupcake. Not horrible since before going to the party I had one avocado and a smoothie. The next day, however was similar meal-wise.

Today though, I felt much better.

I started taking "evening primrose" oil supplements. I actually found out about the benefits of Evening Primrose on Pinterest: "Great Anti-Aging supplement that you should start taking by age 30. Will see major improvement in skin tightening and preventing wrinkles. Helps with hormonal acne, PMS, weight control, chronic headaches, menopause, endometriosis, joint pain, diabetes, eczema, MS, infertility, hair, nails, and scalp." I looked into it, and the "weight control" is mostly for those who have lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time, for instance, via surgeries.

I'm taking it for hormonal breakouts as it is that time of the month and I started having a cyst form on my chin. :( Ugh. So painful. I haven't developed any more new ones and with my new skin regimen, my skin is looking muuuch better. It's interesting being on a skin journey and a fitness journey at the same time.

I feel like they go hand-in-hand. Foods that are good for your skin are often beneficial for your overall health as well.

I started the next day of Insanity today. Pure Cardio (~38 min). The thing I like about this particular workout is that the set-up is differently than all of the other Insanity videos. In the other ones, you do about ~10 minutes of warm-up (3 rounds of cardio moves, for the most part it is the same in all the vids with a move or two that might be different), followed by ~10 min of stretching/static moves/hip-flexor stretches, followed by the actual workout. Now, Pure Cardio is the same until you get to the actual workout.

In the other videos (exception of the Ab one and I can't really remember month 2 workouts, since I did that for 1 week), the actual workout is split several moves that you do 3 rounds of, with a 30 sec. break into between each round. And then you do another set of different moves that you also do 3 rounds of (also with a 30 sec. break between each round), followed by a few minutes of cool-down. (Does this make sense?) Basically you do 3 sets of each move, with as many reps as you can do during the allotted time.

In Pure Cardio, the actual workout are segments of different moves, but once you do one move, you don't repeat it in rounds. You do one move, you move on to the next. All of the moves are different. I also don't believe that there are 30 sec. breaks? I didn't really pay attention as I was trying to push myself. I thought I'd be sick, even though I didn't eat a lot before the workout. I just pushed through the pain though.

I think the hardest for me were the level 2 drills (jump into plank position, 8 pushups, 8 floor-sprints, jump feet together, stand-up and straighten as you do a vertical jump and repeat), especially since it was followed by "the pedal" (sprints followed by jumping lunges).

Near the end, I was ready to give up. Not because of the workout itself, but because my right arch was killing my foot and it was hard to push through it. I did push through it though. This happened last time I started Insanity too. My arch started strengthening though, and within a couple weeks it wasn't an issue any longer. I suppose I just need to strengthen my feet. Perhaps I'll try wearing my Nikes instead of my Vibram/Merrells and see if that helps.

I followed the workout with some Blogilates ab workouts.

Best Lower Abs Workout. This one is ~10 minutes. The first move was the hardest for me. Not only because my arms were exhausted already, but I had difficulty getting my butt behind me arms. Though, she does say that it's okay if that's difficult for you. I've done this a few times before and struggled with it too, but was able to do it. I didn't use plates, as I have a hardwood floor. I just put on some socks.

Tough Love Handles Workout. This one is ~13 minutes. The side planks at the beginning. Oh my gosh. I feel like I'm starting pilates all over again, after taking a break from it. My elbows especially were dying as I did these. I had to fold my mat to provide more cushion for my elbows. Otherwise, I really actually liked this one. It was my first time doing this one, as it's fairly new (Valentine's Day this year). I also like the scenery, even though it's harder to hear than the ones she does in her apartment though, but that's expected.

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Food-wise, I wanted to sort of "detox" from some of the junk food I ate. I did have coffee though this morning. Followed by green tea and then nothing but water afterwards.

Breakfast: Eggs benedict. One whole wheat English Muffin, one poached egg with Tumeric, sea salt and parsley on top. I decided to skip the hollandaise sauce this time (usually I just use 1 egg yolk, squeeze of a lemon, 1/4 tsp of Earth Balance butter - melted, sea salt and cayenne).

Snack: Raw almonds.

Lunch: Protein shake (3 carrots, 4 mini cucumbers juiced. 2 handfuls of spinach. Raspberries (~1/4 cup), Trader Joe's Very Green Supplement Powder, Muscle Milk Vanilla Whey Light, filtered water and unsweetened coconut milk).

Dinner: Baked salmon w/coconut oil to grease the foil, garlic, lemon, parsley, dash of sea salt and Mrs. Dash. Roasted broccoli with garlic and tumeric. Baked sweet potato.

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Skin Journey Updates

I ordered the PMD (Personal Microdermabrasion). Hopefully it'll help fade my hyperpigmentation faster. I'm happy to say that I don't have any active acne, except for one cyst on my eyebrow and one on my chin (hormonal). The rest is just flat and red. My skin is much brighter, smoother, hydrated and is glowing now. It's not as clear as it was last year, but it's getting there. People have been raving about the PMD all over youtube, etc., so I'm hoping my results are similar. I'd like to see it help with the hyperpigmentation as well as the shallow crater-scars I have on my right cheek from some severe cysts several years back.

I've also been washing my face with filtered water. Some people have a reaction to hard water clogging their pores and leading to breakouts (I believe this is due to the chlorine in the water. It dries out my skin and makes it flaky and tight). I've seen some improvement since. I've bought a filtered showerhead that should come in soon, hopefully that'll help as well. I've just been avoiding washing my face in the shower and will wash it in a bowl that I fill with filtered water. It's also nice that because the filtered water is room temp, it's not the hot water that I usually use, which I suspect also dries out my skin.

I've also ordered the Tanda (similar to the Zeno, but sold by Sephora) mini device. I've read reviews on Sephora and it seems to helps with cystic acne. The only caveat that most people have is that it's a battery guzzler. I bought it for $25.99 on Groupon (instead of the $49 on Sephora).

Will post the skincare products/foundation hauls soon (sorry, it's been a busy week, I'll try to get it up on Sunday though) followed my current regimen for skin.

Love always,
Marie