40 Workouts Later: My Insanity Max:30 Journey

Here I am after completing the 2 month Insanity Max:30 program and I'm supposed to share my before/after pictures with you, right?!  Because that's what it's all about...you get your workout program, eat perfectly, workout when you're supposed to and  you end up looking super toned and like the people on DVD cover.  I am here to tell you that yes, I did get awesome results from this program but I wanted to share more than that.

For those of you that don't know, Insanity Max:30 is an at home DVD program created by the celebrity trainer, Shaun T.  The program is 2 months long and requires you to workout five days a week (6 if you choose to do the recovery workout) for 30 minutes a day.  The workouts require no

equipment or weights; every exercise uses just your body weight but believe me, this requires a lot of

strength both physically and mentally.  

Shaun T challenges you to do better every week and encourages you to push yourself to your max.  It's a competition against yourself; you watch yourself get stronger with every workout and rep you do.

That's a quick description of what this workout is all about but I'm here to talk about my results after 2 months with my man, Shaun T.

How many of us buy an at home DVD workout program and actually stick to it?  It's hard, right?!  I've only completed one other DVD program back in October so when my team decided to start a Max:30 group with over 60 of us coaches, I was pumped!  Our journey started on December 15th and my last workout was completed on February 6th.  Without these coaches or my workout buddy, it would have been so much harder to keep going.  Some weeks I just wasn't feeling it but having them as my accountability partners kept me motivated especially on those days I didn't want to push play.

So here's what I've learned as I reflect on the last two months.

Physically, yes I have become stronger.  I am able to do more push ups, more squats, switch kicks, etc. and I can see more definition in my arms, legs, and abs.  There is no doubt that this program kicked my butt and continued to make me physically stronger; but even more importantly, it changed my mentality in life.  Shaun T is all about pushing you to your max in your workouts and if you have the strength to get through the hardest part of your workout, then I think you can have the strength to overcome whatever hardship life hands you.  There were many times where I wanted to give up during my workouts and even times when I didn't even want to start!  But it's during those times of doubt and frustration when your real strength is revealed.  So physically, yes I am happy with how strong my body has become; I am even more happy with how my mentality in life has changed.  These past two months have taught me that if you want something, you just have to go for it.  Don't let minor setbacks hold you back.  Overcome the negativity in life and replace it with positive thoughts and actions.  Your dreams and goals are yours and only yours; so have courage and be strong.  You get to choose how you want to live your life.

The hardest part of being healthy is choosing the right foods to properly nourish your body.  Let's face it, you can workout everyday for an hour plus some and still not see results.  Why?  It's because we don't follow what our nutrition plan tells us!  You've heard the saying "abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym," right?  It's true!  If you are not getting the proper nutrients in your body, you're not going to see results.  I believe you should love your body no matter what shape it's in, but if you want to lose weight or tone up, you have to and I mean HAVE to take the time to make sure you are eating the right foods.  Trust me, I used to have the mentality that I could eat whatever I wanted since  I was always working out.  I even had this mentality during part of my Max:30 journey and I can see that this is one thing I need to kick up a notch.  I'm great at keeping up with my workouts but there were some days when I just failed at caring about proper nutrition.  I tried to follow the meal plan as best as I could but with the holidays and other gatherings, I gave into temptation and got off track multiple times.  I still got awesome results but when I think about what I could've worked 

harder at it's my nutrition.  So if you're struggling with losing those last few pounds or feel like

you've hit a plateau, take a good look at what you're feeding your body and don't give in!

Before starting Max:30, I was used to going to the gym by myself or putting in a different workout DVD and getting through it on my own.  I now know the power of having a workout partner.  My friend, Meredith, and I decided we would both commit to the two months of Max:30 and would help each other along the way.  I know I had my coaches supporting me online but having a friend alongside you during every workout makes such a difference.  There were days where I didnt want to workout, days where she didn't want to workout, and even days where we both didn't want to workout.  If we didn't have each other, it would've have been so much harder to push play on those days we just weren't feeling it.  Not only does having a workout partner keep you motivated and accountable, but it also allows you to share laughs, struggles, and victories together.  If you can, find a friend to workout with!  It'll keep you living a healthy lifestyle and makes working out fun! 

I am glad I had the right people to support me these past two months.  I've learned a lot and changed both physically and mentally.  If you'd like to make a change and do something good for yourself but need help doing it, please send me a message or find me on FB :)

Thanks for reading about my Max:30 journey!

And as Shaun T would say, "Peace out, deuces."