Two weeks on Insanity with Shaun T.

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I’m 5’5” and just shy of 120 pounds. Because I’m not overweight, people think I’m fit. In turn, I suffer from skinny girl syndrome — the belief that fitting into a size 2 jean means I can eat ice cream all day and skip the workout.

WRONG.

In all seriousness, I do try to eat healthy and for the most part, do some type of physical activity at least every other day. But, I have plenty of excuses when it comes to working out. And, honestly, I really hate running more than a mile, doing squats until my thighs burn or attempting more than three push-ups.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a supportive and patient boyfriend who takes the time to show me how to use machines at the gym when I attempt to get on a leg press backwards. I’ve tried sticking to a fitness schedule, but, lately, I haven’t had time to hit the gym.

So, I decided to check an item off my bucket list and dive into the “Insanity” workouts.

Yes, I am insane. But, I’m alive and hopefully a little stronger – and healthier.

I’ve made it two weeks into the program and I feel good. I think I’m really going to make it through the two month program — and, I might even maintain it after that.

While Shaun T. looks like he is going to kill you with crunches on his infomercials, he’s actually a pretty decent guy. I mean, he lets you take breaks if you need it and he’s always there with encouraging words when you are hitting the point of exhaustion.

OK, I’m bonding with the “Insanity” team. After all, I’ve spent about 40 minutes a day with the workout crew every day for two weeks.

Here’s my take on the program so far:

“Insanity,” at least the first two weeks, focuses on circuit training, which means each cardio drill is punctuated by a nice water break. Also, each workout starts and ends with stretching. So, when you really think about it, a 40-minute workout doesn’t equal 40-minutes of straight “Insanity.”

WEEK ONE: My first week included the Plyometric Cardio Circuit (twice), Cardio Power and Resistance, Cardio Recovery and Pure Cadio. Two days in, I was limping.

WEEK TWO: My second week repeated a lot of exercises from week one, but added Cardio Abs, which showed me how little ab strength I really have. I’m not sore anymore and I do feel stronger — especially in my legs.

And, just to keep this transparent: I didn’t do the Fit Test on day one. I was just a little too anxious to get into the “insane” exercises.

What to hate: Level 1 drills are crazy. If you can do them, you are boss. You go down, do four push-ups, run (in the down position), jump legs in, out, side to side and then jump up and go down to repeat. It’s always some combination of this at a fast pace. It’s difficult for me to keep up, because in the time it takes me to complete four push-ups, Shaun T. has almost finished two sets.

What to love: I never get bored, because each workout has a great mix of exercises. Also, I don’t need to buy any additional workout supplies – like weights. So far, the exercises have been focused on cardio, but even with the ab and arm exercises, Shaun T. shows you how to gain strength without add-ons. Lastly, Every time I complete a workout, I feel like I’m amazing — because after all, I just finished an INSANE workout.

Fun fact: Most work-out videos are shot twice, but each “Insanity” episode was only shot once — because even the super-fit people in the video couldn’t get through it twice.

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