If the shoe fits...

Remember my issue with the foot cramping on my early review of Focus T25 here? Well, here's a quick update.  I found this blog post on the Shaun T website that hit what I was feeling on the head. -->  http://shauntfitness.com/insanity-shoes/ 

Reading this article and some of the comments reminded me that a few years ago, when I first started running (for the first time ever) and got to the 5+ mile range, my knee and foot started hurting.  Long story short, running in the wrong shoes caused me to get plantar fasciitis.  As it turns out, I learned in my late 30s that I have flat feet.  What? They certainly don't look flat.  In fact, by looking at my feet, I'd say I have a high arch! I don't know how I forgot all those weeks of rehabbing, taping, ultrasound treatment and massages to help my condition but I guess when the pain resurfaces, so do the memories.  My doctor had me fitted for orthotics (which I never wore after spending a fortune on them) and I remember the diagnosis was something with a "fallen arch".  It appears to be a high arch until my foot hits the ground.  There, my arch does too.  When I switched out the shoes, the problem was solved.  (and poof, the memory of how I got there too, apparently).

This whole foot cramping during high impact exercise brought it all to light. It makes sense that my arches would cramp when I am jumping for a solid half hour on my toes.  The first thing I did was take my shoes OFF.  I was wearing New Balance Minimus because I knew that running shoes would be a bad idea and because I have no other cross training shoes.  These are pretty close to not wearing anything as the name implies and I usually love knocking around in them.  However, T25, them and me were not a good combo.  I didn't need more days of torture to figure that out.

Days 3 through 5 of T25 were fantastic...great work outs and minimal if no cramping.  My husband noticed on day 5 (when we worked out together again) and thought I was nuts to be doing it all barefoot.  I'll admit, the hardest things are: Jump Squats (the landing is hard on my feet...some cushion would be nice) and Mountain Climbers (Alternating leg lifts while in plank position...my feet kept slipping with fast repetition).  Also, those days were not as high impact as the first two so apples and apples they were not.

Over the weekend, we did the Cardio DVD again (from Day 1) and we started the rotation again last night (Cardio Back to back!).  I did them both barefoot and my feet did cramp but not as severely.  I am not certain if it's that I am strengthening those little muscles in my feet and it's helping the situation or if it's because I'm just getting use to it.  Nevertheless, I will say that I still need some support for the landings and grip so I'll look to find alternatives to the minimus in a cross training shoe.

The search is not over but I am hopeful that those muscles ARE indeed getting stronger and relieving the tension from the fascia during all those jumps.  We'll see...I will update any findings, in the mean time I'll be "Focusing" barefooted!

~V


P.S - an update to the T25 review, I'll just say this...I have done Cardio 3x now and it's getting easier.  So much so that I went for a run immediately after the 2nd time.  My thumper is getting stronger already! :)

A new era has begun.

Or not. After years of spot work outs with Tony (Horton, from P90X, we are on a first name basis) my hubby and I have decided to mix it up and include Shaun T in our lives.  We borrowed an Insanity video recently that included the "Fit Test".  After watching from the couch in its entirety first (because "Insanity" is admittedly a scary term), we jumped in and did the test.  I was mighty proud of myself for getting the amount of reps that I did for some of those exercises! My biggest concern was the cramping that occurs in my feet when I do that level of jumping in most cardio exercises but I managed to make it through the fit test relatively unscathed. (I dealt with the cramps i.e. sucked it up).

We (meaning, HE) decided to do some research on some other Shaun T workout programs and came upon Focus T 25. It's also by Beachbody and it's a shorter version of Insanity. Lesser time per workout, 5 days a week rather than 6 but NO breaks between exercises.  We like the idea of a shorter work out with the same intensity which is also what P90X3, who just came out to market, is touting.  He compared the two programs and was leaning towards T25.  The foot cramp thing made me uneasy so I leaned the other way to P90X3 and because it also has a variety of workouts that I enjoy like Yoga, Pilates and some circuit weight training.  I seemed to have swayed him.  He pulled the trigger on P90X3 but somehow inadvertently, T25 showed up on our doorstep at the same time that he completed his order. Whoopsie! I guess during his initial research, he got trigger happy! Ha!  Rather than return it we decided to keep it and give it a go since it was IN. MY. HANDS! 

Monday (yesterday) was our first day.  My two biggest concerns were the foot cramps I mentioned and the other was whether 25 minutes would seem like a full workout. When I got home, my hubby had just completed it.  He was dripping in sweat (but alive) so I quickly changed and took my turn.  My initial thoughts:

OW, MY FEET!  Ugh.  I pushed and got it done but honestly, nothing, not my quads, calves or heart for that matter felt the pain like my feet did.  I'll have a separate post on this because upon googling late last night, I found it's a common issue and I am determined to figure this thing out.

After the heat in my feet subsided I felt like I could go for a run.  It went by very quick and like an intense warm up.  I'm thinking that they start you off "easy" so they can give you a one, two sucker punch later in the week to make you take back anything you ever said about the first couple of days. (so I'll tread lightly...:) )

It felt good to have so much extra time in the evening to work on yoga stretches and the challenge I'm currently working on (of course I am).  I also like that Shaun T is no nonsense.  He just cuts to the chase and before you know it you are jumping around the room with sweat dripping from your nose.  There is a short cool down after the 25 minute workout is complete to help stretch out those big muscles but that is not included within the workout time so you get a SOLID 25 minutes of GO.

Today, Houston is in the middle of a "Snowpocalypse",  meaning the whole city shuts down with the smallest threat of snow or ice on the roads.  Schools are closed and work is on a "if you have to come in" basis. So, I figured I'd get day 2 out of the way while hubby and I swapped half days for work.  I did "Speed 1.0" and I went for it barefooted.  Seemed crazy but surprisingly, much less cramping.  The jump squat landings were a bit hard on my feet but I sucked it up as best I could.

Again, before you can even want a sip of water, it's over.  The last 7 minutes were the hardest only because the baby who was watching me from the bouncer and had been laughing at my antics the whole time, was getting tired.  I had to add extra acrobatics to keep him entertained through to the end.

I should mention that my legs were sore when I woke up this morning so last night's workout was effective. And now, a few hours after day 2's workout, my legs feel pretty solid.  THIS is a step in the right direction!
My take away so far is that I have got to find a solution for the foot arch cramp issue.  Until then, I will continue to push through as long as I can. At the very least until the next shipment arrives on my doorstep! Stay tuned for a follow up review at the end of week 1.

Happy Snow Day all...stay warm!

~V