Chobani ruined Yoplait for me. It really did.
I've tried Oikos, Athenos and Chobani Greek yogurts in that order. Oikos was tasty enough. I liked that Athenos has the yogurt separate from the fruit. But after having Chobani, I'm sticking with this pony.
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| Chobani Greek yogurt |
Chobani has a whopping 14 grams of protein and is 140 calories. It does have 20 grams of sugars but the best part about Chobani is that it's not overly sweet. If you have a sweet tooth, I recommend mixing the fruit and yogurt fully before eating. The yogurt itself is considerably less sweet than some other brands. But, as I'm older now, that is what I like about it. It tastes more natural and is incredibly creamy and satisfying.
By comparison, Yoplait light yogurt only has 5 grams of proteins, it does have fewer calories at 100 and 14 grams of sugars. But compared to Chobani, it just tastes artificial and isn't as yummy.
Pomegranate, blueberry and pineapple are my favorite Chobani flavors. I have yet to try some others like vanilla, lemon or honey... but I'm sure they're all great. Give it a try :)
The moment my feet flew out of my Reeboks while trying to jump in and out of plank position, I knew I had to change my shoes for Insanity.
Looking to get some cross trainers, I headed to Dick's Sporting Goods. They had about 8 or 9 different women's cross trainers, half of which were bulky and the other half which were the typical slim-looking Nike types. I tried on 2 different pairs of Nikes and decided to give Nike Free TR Fit a try.
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| Nike Free TR Fit |
At around $85, I'm assuming these are called "Free" because they are extremely light and provide very little barrier between you and the ground. While I love how they fit almost like a glove, I am not too thrilled about the lack of shock absorption. I knew going into it that this would be the case, but I decided to see whether it was a good trade-off for now slipping around during In and Out abs.
The good news is that these shoes stay put! The bottoms are extremely pliable as you can see from the cut pattern. The opening and tongue tie closely around the ankle for minimum movement. Not too crazy about how they feel laterally. During suicide drills, I can feel the distinct point where the soles meet the sides of the shoes.
The slightly even less good news is that my arches were beginning to ache in the middle of the workout during Plyo. It may be that I need to adjust from the cushioned shoe to the more natural shoe. I've heard some people do Insanity barefoot. That's something I haven't tried, but I feel like this is close to it.
The slightly better news is that these are great during Cardio Recovery. The rubber soles are perfect for the deep lunges and other poses.
I was thinking of returning these and trying some other shoes, but the pros outweight the cons. Also, I really love the colors. I give these shoes a 7/10. I wonder how long they will withstand these workouts... but for now, they keep me from smashing my face.
Call me crazy, but I get excited for this one. It has you go all out. P90X threw in Ab Ripper X every other day. Insanity has you do Cardio Abs once a week. I think I'm pumped about improving in the abdominal area. Still struggling by the last couple of minutes, but I find that digging in and holding the C-sit really helps build those muscles.
High heart rates during Cardio and intense toning with the abs. It's a great combo for some recovery drink, a shower and an early bedtime!
Technically, Cardio Recovery should have been Day 11. However, my schedule worked better with Recovery on this day. So, let's run with it.
Believe it or not, Cardio Recovery is curiously difficult. There are still some moves I can't hold. Why is that? Sometimes cardio workouts can be easy to "fake" or get through by flailing around rather than truly engaging your core. With Cardio Recovery, though, you are having to get into deep positions and go through slow, methodical movements. Like yoga, it can be a bit challenging in the beginning. Of course, that's where the value comes in.
The happiest part of Cardio Recovery for me is being able to develop my Warrior 3 pose. For as long as I did Yoga X, I always had an extremely difficult time holding still. It may be that I was tired from the previous 40 minutes of yoga... or maybe because my core wasn't strong enough. Now, though, I'm getting the hang of it!
Moderate heart rate levels since it is a recovery day. My muscles are definitely enjoying the stretch.
Power & Resistance is right. I take the most breaks during these drills. Between belt kicks which really work the glutes and quads and the hit-the-floors which make me literally want to hit the floor... I'm spitting sweat all over the place.
I've noticed an improvement in hurdle jumps during this particular workout. I think it'll prepare me for improving my switch kicks during the next Fit Test.
Heart Rate monitor says I was up to 198 bmp. It definitely felt like it!
