T.G.I.R.

RESTday!!!! finally here! and...it's only been 4 days (well 5 if you count the fit test day....i guess i do)

I'm here blogging in my bathroom (waiting for my laundry to get done...haha) with my bella goose. here's why the laundry ISN'T finished at this point: 

yep. sleeping in my dried laundry (ACTUALLY, they're not even clean....since i forgot to put detergent in the washer for this load.....GO ME) but i mean, still had to wait for her to get out to re-wash them. she was too cute to kick out. haha 

Ah rest day...just in time...my whole body is sore, but my quads are KILLIN me today! a whole 6 days of the Asylum probably would've done my ENTIRE body in. i'm really just thankful i can still walk and dance fairly well today :) haha

Even though it was rest day, i was gonna try and do the Relief DVD. didn't quite make it to that today, though. i've got it on my calendar this weekend and i am excited for it!

Once again, TGIRestday.....

Always always REMEMBER THIS: a rest/relief day is KEY (sometimes this is a hard one for me to remember myself). don't get too excited and overzealous once you get into working out every day and start doing like 5 workouts in one day (i mean....not that i would know...ahem).....especially if you are just starting out! maybe down the road when your body has changed and is adapting. but for now....YOUR BODY NEEDS a day to rest and re-energize for the upcoming week! and don't forget to fill your body with energizing fuel as well!

AND....

 just because it's a rest day doesn't mean you forget all diet guidelines. splurge once in a while, but not just because it's rest day. and DON'T do that every rest day! i will try and get some yummy recipes posted in the next few days! mmmm

off i go to finish my laundry and get some zzzzz's. back into speed & agility round 2 for day 6!! hope everyone has/had/is having an amazing day!! 

LOVES - court

....vertical. plyo. death.

death...as in death of legs. 

here i am right after the workout. you really cannot even see how much sweat is on my face. a little disappointing. haha. but don't worry, i was SOO drenched. 

oh and by the way...that is a very sarcastic thumbs up. i felt like collapsing to the floor at this moment (it helps that they all clap and cheer at the end of a workout, gives me a LITTLE boost)

BUT HEYYYY.....i MADE IT!!! woo hoo! this is by far the hardest workout up to this point (this would be day 4!!) all of the workouts have been intense in their own ways, BUT this one...literally. insane. when Shaun s DYING...........ya......it does prove that he's at least human, though (i suppose...haha)

I would say that it's ALL about the legs...i mean it is plyo, jumping, vertical, rotating...BUT. it is TOTAL BODY. you work with resistance bands (both on arms AND legs...WHILE jumping and pushup-ing). you're jumping, lunging, using the agility ladder, working on your balance, doing pushups...whew. this one pushes your body to it's final breaking point, several times. my legs are so so exhausted right now, and even a little jello-y, 7 hours later.

But once again, Shaun pulls you through, dying right there with you, pushing with you. and once you finally get to the end you hear "15 seconds till the Hell is OVER" and those lateral jumps over your ladder are KILLING your legs, you do just a few more, and then he says just what you wanna hear: "TIME". and collapse. well...at least that's how my ending went. haha. 

I know i keep saying this, but it feels SO GOOD once you finish! no matter how hard it was or how fatigued my muscles felt throughout, that final 'time' at the end just makes me feel pretty darned accomplished. 

KEEP PUSHIN' THROUGH EVERYONE. no matter what you're doing...just get out there and do SOMETHING. take a walk at the park, walk your dog, mow your lawn, hit the gym, or (if you're crazy enough) take on Insanity, P90X, or  the Asylum. 

make a choice. make a change. make a commitment. stick to it. you will not regret it. i promise you. 

until tomorrow......LOVES - Court

GLITTER! what i love and HOW TO DIY

Lately, i am in LOVE with doing glitter nails!

VERY cheap and SO cute!! 

The top picture was just a test nail...all we had at home was the big glitter. if it didn't get so thick, i would actually use the big glitter because it has kind of a disco ball effect that i really like.  

The second, third, and fourth pictures are all of the same color/nails. The actual glitter color was just a violet/purple, which i thought was very pretty. but with a clear coat over the top, it totally turned fuchsia/pink!? and although that was a pretty color too, i was really disappointed because i LOVED the original purple. (FYI, the purple has been the only color to come off in the clear polish...which i thought was weird...)

The fifth picture has 3 different glitter colors mixed together. (royal blue, a lighter/brighter blue, and silver). the last picture is my current color, which is just a regular kelly-type green (LOVE this one too)

SO....what do you need and how can you get glittery fabulous nails??

All you'll need is....

• Glitter (make sure it is a fine glitter, and that it has a shaker top option; the glitter i use is just from Walmart "Glitter Caddy"; it contains 6 different colors and was about $5)
• Clear nail polish/top coat (i have Sally Hansen "Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear" Color 100 - Invisible - about $3 from Walmart)
• Small paintbrush (any cheap one from Walmart or any craft store) so you can brush away any excess glitter
• A paper plate and paper towels/napkins (glitter gets REALLY messy!)

AND here's how you do it: (sorry some of these pictures are a little blurry, my camera wouldn't focus for ANYTHING!)

Step 1: Make sure your nails are free of any other nail polish and that they are dry

  Step 2/3: One or two nails at a time, paint on one coat of your clear polish. then, shake on your glitter. make sure to get the entire nail covered with both the polish and glitter. (but don't worry if you get it a little outside of the normal nail, you'll be able to scratch off that excess after they dry)

Step 4: Once you have one layer done on both hands (clear polish and glitter), repeat Step 2/3, adding one more layer of polish and glitter. before you do this, you need to make sure the first clear coat is completely dry!

The Final Step: Just put one more layer of clear polish over your second layer, let it dry COMPLETELY, and you've got yourself some GLITTERY nails! 

And there ya have it! CHEAP, SIMPLE, FUN, CUTE nails! have fun and don't get too messy with the glitter :)

LOVES - Court

The asylum. day 3!

Day 3: a sweaty success! the workout was Back to Core, and i LOVED it! not so much a cardio day, but still a MAJOR sweat day. i kind of love the days that i don't have to wear shoes for my workout :). 

The only jumping was in the warm-up, with several different types of jumping jacks (which i really enjoyed) to warm up your shoulders, back, core, and calves. the main workout was made up of moves with a resistance band and yoga mat, or simply just squeezing and engaging your muscles on your own. 

SUCH a back burner! my favorite move...this is a tough one today. but......i really love the hip-ups. there are so many different variations that you do! and they are KILLER. absolutely awesome. LEAST favorite? hm...ya know, today i really don't think i had one that i didn't like. YAY! haha

As always, Shaun is AMAZINGly motivating throughout the whole workout. that's one of the major inspiration factors that gets me to push play each day (so far). hm...a quote from today...oh. simply, during the warm-up: "act like my hand is right here in your back and you're tryin to squeeze off my fingers"

We're onto Vertical Plyo for day 4, and i am a little scared! gotta push through whatever comes, though!

Remember...YOU CAN DO IT! 

your MIND is SO much stronger than your body wants you to believe. dig deep, push through. you can achieve all that you believe. i'm here with ya!! (i didn't mean for that to rhyme...cheesy. haha) 

LOVES - Court 

Blogger mishaps, asylum, and SUNSHINE

Alright, i am a whole day behind in my workout posts! blogger was down basically ALL day yesterday and this morning. and once i was able to get on, i found that my latest post had been deleted and my old layout was back! needless to say, i was not a happy camper. a few hours later...the post is back, BUT my layout is still the same. so i did my best to remember what i changed and got it back to normal again. took a few tries to get it right, but i think it's pretty close now :)

Today was such a crazy/good day. woke up (BEFORE my alarm - way before - which never happens). had my meal 1 (i will post more about the meal plan soon). sprayed myself crazy with sunscreen. got the jungle of a lawn mowed! OH and it was so beautiful and sunshine-y today!!! FINALLY! then i had a snack. colored my hair (just a touch up). had meal 2. showered. did my workout. meal 3. went to dance. meal 4. another snack. grocery shopping for 'courtney foods' with my little sister (oh boy that's always an adventure...). annndd, meal 5. and now here i am blogging away happily...although i should be going to sleep.......eh, soon enough. 

OK - so, i have now completed the Asylum fit test, speed & agility, and strength! WHEW. toughest workouts i have ever done in my life, but it feels SO dang good once you finish that last move and go into the cooldown/stretch! 

First - speed & agility: this was ROUGH. i tweaked my ankle at dance earlier that night, but i was so determined to not miss my first day!! so i did it anyway...the majority of it wasn't too bad. ANYWAYS...the agility ladder. i absolutely love it. BUT. boy did it get stepped on and thrown around (literally) last night! 

My favorite move by far is the agility bear crawl. it is the most awkward looking move ever. but i really really enjoy it. maybe someday i'll post a video of me actually working out......hm. we'll see! i may look like a fool, but hey, everyone's gotta look like a fool at some point...right? right. 

Least favorite move (well...maybe not least favorite...just the one i have a seriously hard time with) - IN & OUT AB PROGRESSIONS. holy crap. sooo much harder than it looks. alright there is another one......i can't remember the exact name...you basically go straight from plank (push-up) position to jumping up into a squat, feet replacing hands. ya...that was probably a hilarious sight...BUT. it will get better! 

After that, i was the most sweaty that i have ever been. (remember that phrase for just a few minutes)

Second! STRENGTH: how would i describe this workout....? hm...i would call it insanity times 100. THEN add weights to the subject. mhmm. you got that right. just about every move was a struggle, but i LOVE weights! so i was in it to freakin win it! it is really a lot more about your mindset than what you're actually doing with your body. i used mostly 8-lb. weights (i had to use 5's for just a couple). all in all....i seriously loved this workout from start to the grunting sweating finish line. 

Ok, so remember when i said i hadn't ever sweat so much before? this workout BLEW that out of the water completely. i was dripping halfway into the warm-up all the way through my recovery drink after the workout. can i just say, though, that i LOVE the feeling of a 'tear' of sweat running down my nose. (this was a TAD excessive, though. several running down my nose and sides of my face. beads all over my forehead. GAH but i LOVE it!!

In closing for the night, i LOVE love love the motivation that Shaun brings to his workouts. he gets into your mind and just pushes that thought of failure away! (for me anyway, and well obviously he can't make me think anything...haha) OH on a random note, last night i had a dream that i met Shaun and was just hangin out and talking. hahaha. maybe one day!! 

Woah that got a LITTLE long.....off to watch my workout for tomorrow and get some sleeeeeeeeeeep! 

Have an amazing night, morning, afternoon, or whatever time of day you're at! Happy insanity everyone :)

Court