An Insane Update

It's week four of the Insanity program.  And there I am doing my daily workout when I witness a miracle.  For the first time in my life I am on the floor doing push ups, and not only can I make it through the prescribed dosage of the floor exercises, but I notice my stomach no longer grazes my knees.  I am beyond overjoyed . . .  Although I still find some of the exercises challenging to get through (and may I remind you, the uber fit Insanity staff, struggle to get through them as well), I find myself progressing and able to get through much more than I could before.  Point blank: the program is working.  In my opinion, I see a decent amount of change.  I cannot wait for the second month of Insanity workouts to begin.

I must also take the time to add the fact that I have taken a peek at the upcoming month of workouts.  Frankly, I'm frightened.  Intimidated. I am optimistic about the progress I have made thus far, but the level Shaun T. brings forth in the second month scares the people working out with him.  Draw your own conclusions.  However, I still recommend this program to anyone with the desire to work hard, get healthy, and stay beautiful!

Going Insane

They're annoying.  Ridiculous.  But in a moment of weakness, you get sucked into them.  I'm talking about infomercials.  You know what I'm talking about.  Infomercials are strange -- they start out like an infection but before you know it, you're reeled in, and you find yourself falling in love with the Shark steamer.  Whatever it is, we all find ourselves coming across these televised pests, only to convince ourselves once in a while that we need said item.

Therefore, I have to come clean.  I am no exception to this rule.  And after being bombarded by the Insanity workout infomercials, I finally bit the bullet.  Excited by the prospect of sexy, sculpted abs, I found a cheap copy of the workout and quickly jumped in.

In this quest for beauty, I intend on reviewing the product for you as well, updating my blog with pictures, etc.

First and foremost, I checked out a plethora of websites reviewing the workout before I bought into the Insanity workout, and I have to be honest: the reviews are scary.  Most will tell you this isn't the type of a program for a beginner because even the experienced workout artists struggle.

Yes, the program is, well, insane, if you will.  However, this doesn't mean you can't trudge along.  My first day was stinky.  I mean, I could barely keep up.  However, anyone with a little determination can transform him or herself into the "little engine that could" and give it all he or she has.  Plain and simple.  If you've got the determination, go for it!  You will more than likely have to start and stop, but it's okay.  In the words of Shaun T, "dig deeper!"

Okay...  so, you're going to have to learn to eat right.  The Insanity program comes complete with a nutrition guide, which asks you to eat five times a day.  For people such as myself, this is slightly overwhelming.  There is an underlying fear that you'll gain weight like crazy.  Frankly, if you're doing this program, you'll need all the nutrition you can get; you'll be working a lot of it off.  The meals are quite nice, actually.  Unlike icky diet plans, this one, I can handle.  I have a harder time eating all that I'm supposed to.  Anyway, the nutrition guide contains five different meals and the user picks one meal for each.  Typically, in the morning, I enjoy fruit, 1% cottage cheese, and Fiber One cereal.

Yes, five meals of this size is a tad much... however, even through my fear of getting ginormous, I have found that there's a glimmer of hope.  Keeping up with my program and taking pictures every week, I think I have found that I indeed am looking a little smaller instead of the balloon I have blowing up in my mind's eye.  (I have to add here that I've gained some weight...)

Keep in mind, working out the Shaun T. way, you'll be GAINING muscle.  So, for those like me, quit freaking out, take constant pictures, and you should be just fine.  Thus far, my clothes haven't gotten any tighter, and my shirts are starting to feel a little loose.  So, yay for me!  And yay for you...because thus far, I've learned that with some effort and the right mindset, Insanity lives up to it's name, but it's achievable!  With slight embarassment, I leave you with some visual results...

I'd like to think there's a slight differenct in the second picture...perhaps you may not think so.  Regardless, there is definitely a mental change I believe is quite evident.

For those who might be interested in the Insanity program, I would highly recommend it.  However, be forewearned, it is a challenge.  You will sweat.  You will have to break from time to time.  Hang in there, and you will see a change.

Good luck on all your beauty quests--I'll continue the Insanity transformation as it progresses!

Stay beautiful!



The HCG Diet, or How to Starve Yourself and Pretend You're Not

I fall for it too. 

The radio, television, the Internet; they all do the same thing: convince us that their false advertisements are really worth a hoot.  The fact of the matter is, we buy into them. 

Weight loss products are being promoted through the media hardcore.  One such diet program boasting big results is the HCG diet.  And like any person begging to shed a few pounds I bought into it. 

Here's how it works:

The HCG supplement comes in different forms.  There are HCG drops which you simply swallow, and there are HCG injections which you, with much courage, inject into yourself like a diabetic does with insulin.   HCG is a concentrated form of the pregnancy hormone.  Yes, you heard correctly, the pregnancy hormone.  Although I'm not sure how many times a day a person injects him or herself with the HCG supplement, drops are taken three times a day; fifteen minutes before anything is consumed -- this means liquid or solid.  The first two days of the HCG diet users are asked to eat as much of anything they like while taking the supplement.  However, fasten your seatbelts, because the next part of the diet is horrendously ridiculous. 

Users are then told to drop down to a 500 calorie a day diet.  Yes, 500 calories.  Per day.  For forty days.  Not to mention the diet is only forty days, but the food in which one is allowed to eat is also ridiculous.  For breakfast a person is allowed green tea.  That's it.  Well, that's not completely it . . . because you're allotted as much green tea as you wish.  Let me just add this little tidbit of info: THERE IS NOTHING IN GREEN TEA.  Water tastes better and has the same caloric value.  Just sayin'.  For lunch you're allowed a dark green salad, a few ounces of baked or grilled chicken (I believe it's three ounces . . . ), a piece of melba toast (which you can hardly find anywhere anymore), an apple or orange, and water. That's it.  Supper is the same.  Not once did the HCG supplement stave off cravings for me.  I felt hungry the entire time.

Admittedly, I was turned on by the potential this diet had promised for me.  However, having unsuccessfully tried the HCG diet, I can honestly say I don't need to pay an extra $40-$50 on a supplement when I can just as easily starve myself. 

A lot of people claim a great deal of success with this program, and I suppose a person would have some success if he or she only ingested 500 calories a day.  The long and short of it is this: it's not worth your time or money.  Look elsewhere.

The Beauty Quest: An Introduction

This blog isn't meant to gloat or relish in the idea that I am remotely under the assumption that I am super model material.  I feel nowhere close to that.  However, reaching this discovery has lead me to the belief that all women must feel far from attractive at some point in their lives.  When we go through breakups, we may not feel attractive. When we seesomeone else we deem "goddess-like" in appearance, we put ourselves down at times; feeling less attractive than is true.  The thought that so many of us conceive ourselves as unattractive in whatever way is a devastating thought.  However, we are our own worst critics.  Nevertheless it is time to tear down the walls we've built up around ourselves and discover what's at our core.  Therefore, this blog is being created to delve into what beauty truly is.  Going beyond the physical, this blog seeks to discover all the ways in which women can find true beauty, inside and out.  Here I will review, research, and share thoughts on makeup, diets, inner beauty, fashion, etc.  On this journey, I hope that you'll share your own thoughts and ideas, ask questions, and reveal the ways in which YOU find yourself feeling at your most beautiful.