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Insanity/P90X review

MY thoughts on Insanity (and P90X). 

P90X-finished May 2010

Insanity-Finished July 8, 2012

Day 2

Insanity is a 60 day (really 62 and a final fit test) which offers a very intense cardio workout but it did little for my upper body strength when compared to P90X. I have noticed an increase in my leg strength (especially when running up hills) due to the amount of plyometric exercises (exercises that produce fast and powerful movements) involved in the program. I love the fast pace of Insanity, this made the workouts go by so fast and I was always dripping wet. The program is divided into 2 months. During the first month the workouts last approximately 30 mins; during the 2nd month they last 1 hour. Please know that I did take rest breaks with every workout and did not feel bad because the folks in the dvd (who are way more fit that I am) had to take rest breaks…Shaun T included.

P90X is a 90 day program and it was not that exciting to me and I think that is because I don't enjoy resistance training as much as I enjoy the fast paced cardio that is Insanity;  NTM the workouts last 1 hour.  However, P90X is the workout I would choose for toning. P90X incorporates some cardio in addition to resistance/strength training. P90X also includes plyo but Tony Horton is good about demonstrating modifications for the moves. Another advantage of P90x is that it offers 3 different workout options: Classic, Lean, and Doubles. With classic you perform plyo, Lean no plyo, Doubles twice a day with plyo. 

How much did I lose?

As far as weight loss, I lost 8 lbs with Insanity; 20 with P90X. Again, I think the resistance training and cardio involved with P90X contributed to this. You may be thinking "you did all that with Insanity and only lost 8 lbs?" Yes, but I am not at all discouraged because I did lose inches with Insanity and my cardio vascular endurance and lower body strength has really improved. I also know that my body fat was replaced with muscle; a pound is a pound. I was so excited this past weekend because the dresses I wore were a size 14 (not a 14W but a regular 14; this is down from 16W). Currently I am dealing with a little bloating due to female issues, but once this subsides, I will take my final measurements.

So you want to try Insanity?

Insanity is NOT for anyone who has knee, ankle, neck, or back issues...I'm so serious. I don't have any of the above and as I progressed through the program I started to experience some aches in my knees. Modifying moves should be considered if the plyo movements are too much for your joints. For example, instead of performing the power jacks (jumping jacks into a squat position) simply do squats. Basically, any move that requires jumping…don't jump.

Day 30

What's next for me?

I have started preparing for my fall races so I am back to my run/walk intervals. I have also started P90X  which should really help me to gain more muscle definition in my upper and lower body due to the resistance training involved.

So where are the before and after pictures?

I'm transparent but not that transparent…lol  I only wore a sports bra and shorts when I took my photos and I'm not quite ready to share those yet…maybe one day. 

P90X or Insanity?

Now that I have completed both programs I have to say it really depends on what you want. If you are looking to improve your cardio endurance I say Insanity. If you want more resistance/strength training I say P90X. If you want both then consider the P90X/Insanity hybrid. Whatever you do, check with your doctor first because both programs are intense.

Day 62

Please let me know if you have any questions, I am happy to share MY experiences with both programs.   

Dieting Tips for Type 2 Diabetes

Dieting Tips for Type 2 Diabetes 

 

Let's talk about why certain foods are good for type 2 diabetes and others aren’t. In general, you want to avoid foods that increase your blood sugar rapidly. You only have to eat a small portion of them to spike your blood sugar to a dangerous level. These foods usually contain lots of carbohydrates. The three types of carbs are sugar, starches and fiber. 

Fiber is the best of the three carbs for diabetes. It actually slows the digestion of carbs. Peppers, spinach, mushrooms and peas are good sources of fiber. Quinoa is a type of seed that's rich in fiber and can be added to a salad.

Diabetes-Friendly Foods

·         Vegetables

·         Beans

·         Fish

·         Cereal

·         Nuts

·         Yogurt

Bread, rice and potatoes are foods containing carbohydrates that people with diabetes should avoid. These foods are full of starches and sugars that will push blood sugar through the roof. It doesn’t take a very large portion of these carbs to make someone with diabetes have an episode of hyperglycemia (extremely high blood pressure). 

The tricky thing about food is that anything can push blood sugar into the danger zone. You only have to eat too much of it. Portion control is the key to creating a safe diabetes diet. When you eat the right amounts, it's easier to control your blood sugar. And make sure you fulfill your nutritional needs.

When a person has diabetes, their weight and how much they exercise affects how many carbs they can eat safely. On average, their blood sugar should be 130 mg/dL before a meal.  Two hours after a meal, it should be less than 180 mg/dL. Figuring out how many carbs you can safely handle is not a trial-and-error experience. Talk to your doctor to understand how certain carbs can affect your blood sugar.

Your doctor can tell you the average grams of carbs you can safely eat during each meal. You can then portion your breakfast, lunch and dinner to safe carbohydrate limits. By keeping a careful record of how many carbs you eat each time, you should stay well within the blood sugar safety limit. But you have to do your homework. It’s only possible to eat the right amount if you know how many grams of carbs are in the foods you’re eating.

Foods labels are required to have nutritional facts. Carbohydrates for each serving size are listed on that label. When you’d like to eat a food that doesn’t have a label on it, it’s a good idea to look it up so you can understand how many grams of carbs it contains. There are plenty of websites for quickly finding this information. 

Your doctor will also talk to you about insulin and oral medication. Some medications can have life threatening side effects. When choosing your anti-diabetes drug, make sure you do research on its safety. For instance, the type 2 diabetes drug Actos has been shown to increase the risk of bladder cancer by 83 percent, which has led users to file lawsuits for compensation.

William Richards researches and writes about prescription drugs and medical devices for Drugwatch.com.