Two years ago, I bought the Beachbody Insanity DVDs. It was one month before I was starting law school, and I naively thought I would be able to carry on through the second month once I had started school. Didn't happen, needless to say. I got through the recovery week and never started the second month. Last summer, I tried to get my boyfriend to do it with me while we were staying at his parents' house, but we only lasted a week due to his family being in and out...never finding a time when we could take over their living room.
Today, I am trying for a third time! Hopefully my willpower is better now. At the beginning of this summer, I read a book called "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg. (I highly recommend it.) He stressed the obvious importance of consistency in the beginning of forming a new habit, but he also warned against changing too many habits at once. If you can force yourself towards your goal (be it flossing, going for a run, going gluten-free) consistently in the beginning, eventually your brain will take over, and you will no longer have to think about it. (Like driving your car from work to home.)
After reading his book, I decided to change one simple thing that had been negatively affecting my life: my Diet Coke addiction. I had come to hate water, and needed anywhere from 3-5 cans a day to avoid crankiness. I had tried quitting before, and usually only lasted 3 or 4 days before sliding back into old habits. Usually those trials were in conjunction with major life changes, including general health goals like losing weight, getting in shape, eating better, etc. I put too much on my plate for my brain to form any lasting habits. It has now been 54 days since my last sip. The thought of Diet Coke makes me cringe now, imagining all the chemicals flooding into my body.
A couple of weeks ago, I felt I was ready to try another habit: my carb queen addiction. While I don't believe completely cutting all carbs out of my diet is the answer, I knew that I was eating far more carbs than necessary, sabotaging my weight loss goals. I vowed to heavily cut back on any pasta, breads or desserts. I haven't had pasta in weeks (usually I would make some form of pasta or rice every night for dinner), I only eat bread occasionally when dining out, if it is on a sandwich, and I try to have dessert only once or twice a week. I find that I don't even want carbs anymore.
While I have gone for a run or lifted some weights here and there this summer, I have not consistently worked out. Next habit to tackle: getting in the habit of working out 6 days a week. Hopefully I will be able to ride on the successes of breaking the last two bad habits to create a good habit! I've lost a total of only 5.5 lbs over 7 weeks, so hopefully intense consistent exercise will rev up my metabolism and inspire me to eat even better.
Day One: Fitness Test Results
1. Switch Jacks: 45
2. Power Jacks: 40
3. Power Knees: 68
4. Power Jumps: 20
5. Globe Jumps: 5
6. Suicide Jumps: 10
7. Push-up Jacks: 10
8. Low Plank Oblique: 25
The hardest part was the cardio aspect for me. My muscles could have done more reps, but my heart was beating too fast and I needed to catch my breath. Anyone else have success with the Insanity program? What were your results after the first fit test?
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