Max Out Month 2

Week 5 of Insanity Max:30 is in the books and I have to say, it may have been the hardest week of workouts that I have EVER done. They are completely doable, but your mind can't win!!!! You must not give up. Shaun T talks about how he is scared in some of the workouts.. DON'T LET HIM GET INTO YOUR HEAD!!!!
One of the things I really liked about Month 2, is that it isn't just a harder Month 1. There are new moves (that I had never done before), there are CRAZY push up sequences, and through every since move, if you perform them with purpose you are sculpting those abs!
In Max Out Cardio, you have to move quick but you also have to pay attention. A lot of the time in month one, I just focused on what I was doing and never looked up. This isn't the case for month 2. I had to focus on and watch the moves because I had never done them.

Max Out Power should just be called Beat Down Day! By far the HARDEST workout I have EVER done. The moves are 45 seconds on 15 seconds off unlike month one 20 seconds and 10 seconds. Shaun says, "Now you have found the power - you have to let your power take over - not an option to not max out- now you let the power from within take over'" and it's so true! I wanted to actually turn off the workout and give up and I have never felt that way before. It pushes your most and mind to the limit and then gives you a little shove over into feeling a bit defeated. You have to go down to be able to get back up though right??

Max Sweat Intervals helps you redeem yourself after Max Out Power. So, after being beat down, you will do Max Sweat and feel like you can conquer the world. Don't get me wrong, you are going to max out, and much sooner than you did during month one. Don't hold back and don't be afraid. I was feeling very humbled after Max Power but as I went through Max Sweat, my confidence in the fact that I COULD do this came back in full force. I was also super sore by this workout and I was feeling muscles I didn't even know existed!

Max Strength would have to be the exact opposite of how I felt during max power. By the end you and the floor will be best friends because it should just be called make them do push ups. I have never done so many variations of push ups and up until I started T25 almost a year ago, I had never even done one push up! I modify them but I am strong enough (from month one) to push myself through. I can visibly see a difference in my arms and that is all due to my BFF the push up.

By Friday, you are ready for the week to be done. You are sore and tired but then it's time for Friday Night Fight Round 2. Out of month one, Friday fight was my favorite one, so it wasn't a huge surprise that it is my favorite in Month 2 either. I like knowing I only have to do that exercise one time and being able to give it everything I have. Shaun says, "It's about going beyond your max! You will max out but because you got this far - you know how to go more! Pull it together and you fight!! Do what you need to do to get through." He has a way of pushing you to go just a little bit farther than you really thought you could go.

Week 5 was mentally challenging. You have started to master month one and feel really confident and then you fail (a lot). I am so happy that I can do it in my home where no one can see my uncoordinated movements and my near face plants. I'm really starting to see more definition in my abs (hallelujah). I've never had abs before, so being able to see some has been a highlight for me. I used to be afraid of gaining muscle, but the truth is, I would rather be strong with some muscles than weak. My shoulders and arms are definitely getting defined (thank you push ups) and I think the exercises this week are really helping to define my inner thighs (at least that is what hurts the most). The soreness is worth being comfortable in my skin and knowing that no matter what he throws at me, I can push though it.

Are you curious yet??? I will have round 2 of Insanity Max:30 starting February 9. Join me, you will not regret it!

Why not you??

That girl in week 1, she had no idea how much she would GROW. She looks scared- ha! She was scared. She wanted to see changes so badly and she wanted to be able to be a good example to as many people as she could be. 

That girl in week 4, she thought she was doing awesome. She had seen some results, she had stuck to the plan, and was pretty proud of herself.

The girl in week 6, she has been humbled. She has experienced some freaking HARD workouts. She has faced her fear of group exercise classes. She has learned that she is more than a number on a scale. She can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 2 more weeks and she will be an Insanity Max:30 graduate!!! She CAN push through and Max Out! She KNOWS that things she never thought she wanted are possible. 

When I started doing Beachbody programs (T25 to be exact), I wanted to be able to tone up a little bit, and I did. Max:30 has taken my toning to an entirely new level. It has taken it to a level that I didn't even know I wanted. I didn't know that finding abs would push me to want to see what other muscles were there. I didn't know that I could actually enjoy (gasp!) push ups! I didn't know I was capable of some of these things.

I am not posting this to make anyone feel badly. I am posting and sharing myself like this because I want you to see the possibilities. If you want to be a runner, go outside and run (even if it's just 100 yards) you have to start somewhere. If you want to learn about nutrition, start researching!!! All the answers you need are available- all you have to do is find the one that you are looking for.

2 more weeks and then I will be starting a new program, I will be committing to the 21 day fix Extreme program for 3 weeks and most likely I will then start another round of Insanity Max. If you are wanting some direction...ask me!!! I want to help you start your journey. It won't be the exact same as mine but it will be an adventure that I would love to go on with you :)

Insanely Grateful to the Max

I have been a sappy mess today! It's the same feeling I had after my first half marathon and after I completed the Dopey Challenge. It's that sense that I completed something that at one point in time I thought was impossible. 

The changes in my body are subtle compared to the changes to my mind and to my spirit. When I finished Dopey in January 2014, I was burned out! I had done something that few other people could say that had done and my body didn't want to do it again. I was depressed and I didn't know what I was going to do. I couldn't continue running crazy amounts of miles for crazy amounts of hours per week. My family needed my time and I felt guilty giving that time to myself. Beachbody and Shaun T literally saved me! That sound dramatic even to me but it is so true. I had never done an at home program (except for my treadmill ��) and I had never consistently cross trained. I had gotten a challenge pack with FocusT25 and it sat in that box for at least six months until that day when I just didn't want to run anymore but I needed to do something. I'm giving you a little of my backstory so please bear with me. 

FocusT25 gave me results that I had never seen before and muscles in my legs that I didn't even know I needed to help me run faster. It also showed me that there was another way. 

Fast forward to the release of Insanity Max:30. The name insanity scared the crap out of me! I had seen the original version and my mind said "oh no - NOT ME!" but this was a shorter version right? It was only 30 minutes and I was "allowed" to take breaks. I had learned focus and now I needed to gain my power. So, I ordered it and couldn't wait to get started. 

From Day 1, Shaun tells you that he believes in you and that you CAN do it and somewhere around day 10 you start believing that you just might be able to do this! You keep pushing play, you drink your Shakeology, and you SEE your body transforming. I told a friend of mine that I was extremely glad that I had the photos to see my transformation because that stupid scale DID NOT MOVE and for the first time in my life it doesn't matter. That number that I used to define myself by for so long, it's just that- a number. That number doesn't show how many push-ups I can do or how I am able to do tuck jumps, it doesn't show the confidence I have gained or the joy I have for sharing my story of hope with others. That number means nothing! 

I was able to finish month 1 feeling on top of the world and then I pushed play on month 2! To say that I felt a bit defeated can't even express my feelings enough. The entire time Shaun was beating my body down though he was lifting my spirit up. He kept telling me that I could do it and you know what... I DID! I might have "maxed out" but that was the whole point right? Learning to see your limits and trying to overcome them. 

I will probably never meet Shaun but I want to be him for someone. I want to be able to help people believe that even if it's hard, they can get through. He didn't just give me a six pack (which I won't be giving back) but he gave me peace. He gave me strength and the courage to step out of hiding in the background. I couldn't say thank you enough to him because as cheesy as it sounds, my life isn't the same anymore.

I think that we all are trying to live as best as we can and for those 30 minutes every day, I could just be me- Jama, not a mom or a wife, I could be the athlete that I always knew I could be but that I never knew I was.

If you are scared to fail... don't be. You will fail, it's a guarantee but through the failure you will see who you we always meant to be! So thank you Shaun for showing me who I could become and for always believing in me- even though we may never meet you have changed me and I am eternally grateful!