Day 5: PURE CARDIO (and CARDIO ABS voluntarily!)

I was dreading Pure Cardio today. I had read so much about it and as a noncardio person whose Achilles heel is probably endurance, I was terrified. Interval training has always been -- not easy -- but doable for me because the short breaks (even as short as Shaun's) are enough for me to build back up. But straight through? Not only that, but I had to wait until lunchtime today to do the routine, and by then I was hungry. Astoundingly, I not only did really well with Pure Cardio, but while stretching during the ads following, I decided to go ahead and do Cardio Abs too, for the second time this week.

To back up, though. I think Pure Cardio's saving grace is that the "bananas" part is only 15 minutes long. You do an intense 10-minute "warm-up" (and we all know this is no warmup but a complete cardio circuit on its own), the usual 6-minute stretch that's getting repetitive and boring as hell about now although it's a relief, and then 15 straight minutes of intense cardio and plyos. The other saving grace is that none of the absolutely horrible plyos are in this one, like the globe jumps or the tuck jumps. There are even a couple of low-impact intervals. I made it about 8 minutes in before I had to take a modification/breather, and that was about the time that a bunch of the participants started crapping out, too. I needed to modify or rest briefly a couple of times, but overall I was extremely pleased. Then, when did the warmup of Cardio Abs that I found absolutely miserable on Tuesday, I was able to do it all without even modifying, even with the tuck jumps and even after having done Pure Cardio. I loved Cardio Abs. Now I feel like a million bucks. Warm bath time, then lunch -- although I notice that I'm having a really hard time forcing myself to eat for the first hour at least after these workouts, no matter how hungry I was before.

Speaking of eating, right before today's workout, I actually resisted some homemade chocolate chip cookies, which are something I usually would crumble at the sight of. I am so happy I didn't touch even one of them, or I think I probably would have pooped out early. I think my resolve came from the fact that I'm working so damn hard I don't want to spoil it. My weak time is actually after dinner, though, and last night I had a Hungry Girl dessert -- OK, two -- again. Well, that's better than devouring one of the kids' boxes of Valentine's chocolates I have hidden in the closet. The thought crossed my mind, though. So I guess I should consider it a win.

I know part of it is that I'm obviously having an "on day" despite all odds. After all, it's day 5 and I'm tired and now sore from Cardio Recovery, of all things. But even so, I can see that my fitness level has already increased quite a bit in just five days. My legs are much stronger and my endurance level is higher. The Fit Test doesn't seem daunting now and I'll be interested to see what happens the week after next. I did weigh myself this morning, though, and I wish I hadn't. Although I'm not trying to lose much weight (maybe 5 pounds), it was kind of a bummer to see myself exactly where I was when I started. I'm sure I've lost some fat and put on some muscle and so I know that's more important than the number on the scale. Still, I did expect a slight loss, even if it was just water weight.