Today was the day. The day to lace up the ole shoes and start working off all those holiday sweets I’ve been indulging in for the past month.
I’m sure I’m not alone with I say that I have a love-hate relationship with working out. I’ve stuck with a pretty consistent 4-to-5-day-a-week schedule for the past 4ish years, but I still go through many peaks and lulls along the way. I just haven’t found my “thing” yet. Y’know? That thing that you do? Some people are runners, some are weight lifters, some are Crossfitters, or yogis, or Zumba enthusiasts or Jazzercisers. But I can’t figure out what mine is. I’ve tried tae bo (who can resist a spandex-clad Billy Blanks?). I’ve tried free ExerciseTV videos on hulu. I’ve tried running. Oh, how I tried to love running. I ran a few 5ks, one 10k, and then tried training for a half-marathon before I hit a major IT-Band wall. And then I was depressed and cranky for 4 months. So maybe let’s not get into that right now.
My most recent kick was the Insanity program.
If you’ve heard of P90x, Insanity is a similar program from the same producers. 60-something days of cah-razy cardio antics, mostly using your own body weight instead of equipment. There’s cardio, there some yoga-type stretching, there’s even an upper body weight training disc for those who love to lift. I made it about 3 full rounds before I got burnt out. And I guess I should also say that I felt a bit discouraged, because I never saw any of those crazy weight-loss results that the infomercials are always touting. In addition to tracking my starting weight, I also took measurements, since they’re more accurate indicators of progress. I actually gained, but I’d attribute that to muscle mass vs. fat. But it’s still hard to find the motivation when the numbers on the scale stay about the same, and the numbers on the tape measure grow!
So now that post-holiday pounds and New Year’s resolutions are staring me down, I’m still trying to figure out what my “thing” is.
What’s your fitness activity of choice? Have you tried Insanity or P90x, or a similar program before? What has/hasn’t worked for you?