What does Insanity look like?

Insanity looks like this...

It's day 24 and I haven't missed a workout. Yesterday I made it all the way through the Cardio Power and Resistance workout. Well, there was that brief rest when my butt hit the floor during triceps dips and stayed there for 20 seconds. But I got going again. And my push-ups are slower than Shaun T's. I'd play the girl card, but Tanya is on the video putting the rest of my gender to shame.

Next week is "recovery week." I'm kind of excited to hit that milestone, but, if the workouts are anything like like the current Cardio Recovery workout, I'm not sure I'm going to have a fun week. My thighs are getting very worried.

Insanity

When my daughter said she was going to order the latest P90X program and asked if I would do it with her, I agreed. Honestly, I didn't think she would actually go through with it. Now I find myself with "Insanity" on my to-do list six days a week. With a mess of continuing education credits to complete before the end of the year, a new group of yoga teacher trainees starting in five days and countless home and garden projects already on the list, perhaps "insanity" is most likely to get checked off daily.

Today, day 1, was a fitness test. I made it through the warm up feeling confident. Halfway through the second test exercise I had paused the DVD and was sprawled, panting, on a deck chair. I'm pretty sure it was cold outside, but I couldn't feel anything except a very, very rapid heartbeat.

I went back and finished the test, pacing myself better, having acknowledged my lack of cardiovascular fitness. I've never been comfortable at a high heart rate, which is one of the reasons my half-marathons and triathlons were always slow. And, with a history of cardiac events on both sides of my family, I have a some fear around pushing too hard.

At least I felt good during the warm up and cool down stretches. Perhaps I'll be doing Insanity in half-time. Does that make me only half-insane?

December 15 - Acharya (Scholar)

Image via Wikipedia

What did you study this year? What did you learn? What did you teach?

This is an easy prompt, since I spent most of the year studying for the Ace personal trainer exam, which I will be taking in one short month. I studied exercise physiology, anatomy, the psychology of change and fitness progressions.

I learned that aging has not been kind to my memory. Back in high school and college I retained everything I read. Now I can barely remember breakfast. Thank goodness for my volunteer "clients" who have allowed my to practice what I studied. I remember it all much better when I apply it.

I also studied the Chakra system, to write a series of blog posts and to prepare for the Advanced Chakra workshop I taught last month. Each time I reexamine the Chakras I learn more and get a bit more insight into myself. This year I finally wrapped my head around the seventh Chakra.

I taught yoga. I taught my yoga students how to align themselves in asanas and how to breathe deep. Those are the things I studied a few years ago. What I hope I taught was self-awareness and self-acceptance. That's something I learn more about every day.