Getting fit isn’t a walk in the park, and yes, nothing comes easy and all. I am aware of all the pain that comes with sports and exercise, but the 60-day Insanity home workout is taking it to a whole new level. Just two days into the program and I am already unable to sit down without using my arms to support me — and I won’t even begin to describe the horrors of climbing up stairs.

I can safely say every muscle in me is sore. I do like that feeling of sore muscles; it means the exercise is actually working. But I also like to be able to walk up a flight of stairs without having to cling onto the handrail.

Now don’t smile smugly and think it will be easy because you’re fit and have played sports all your life. That's  exactly what I thought. I was running four kilometers daily for about two months before starting this program; and I've been slaving away in the gym, aerobics classes and track for hours on end throughout my life. So no, I am not unfit; I'd have to say I am average.

My friends and I were due to begin Insanity — very accurately named by the way — on Saturday. One of them fell out and never started, while the other safely, but painfully, continued the first session. 

So day one, all hopeful and enthusiastic, I put on my sports shoes, pulled my hair back and shooed my dog out of the room. With a smile on my face, I put in the DVD to start the fit test. Ten minutes later, my hair was disheveled, my face white, and I was nauseous and desperately drinking juice to replenish my faltering blood sugar levels. So I stopped and tried again next day.

My first tips: Do not start Insanity very late at night after you’ve already spent all your energy; do make sure you have an energy-boosting snack before starting. If you’re working out in the morning, don’t do it after a heavy breakfast, instead make sure you have an apple or a banana before you exercise. The following day, after my failed attempt, I had one teaspoon of honey right before the workout and it worked wonders. Honey, as well as several other energy snacks, releases energy slowly so it gives you a boost without weighing you down like heavy meals.

The first session is the fit test, just 25 minutes of jumping jacks, jumps, pushups and basic cardio insanity. It is a series of eight different tests, each performed in around a minute.You’re asked to write down how many reps you achieved during the period given. The point is to keep this score, along with your measurements, and compare it every two weeks into the program to see your progress. The workout kit provides an the excel sheet for your records, and it is motivating to see how much fitter you’re becoming as the weeks pass.

My second tip: Do not get discouraged if your scores aren’t as high as the models in the video. Remember, they’ve been doing this for far longer than you have. You might be running daily like I was, but when you shift exercise routines, your body takes time to adapt to the new routine. So if you’re fit doing one exercise, you’re not necessarily going to be fit doing every exercise. But the good thing is it changes exercise routines regularly to work out different core muscles we usually miss in our regular workouts.

The second session, lasting 40 minutes, was harder, but amazingly, my body has already started adapting. I was already able to go through it far more smoothly than the first one. The second session is also based on cardio and jumping but incorporates a lot of pushups to work out upper and lower body muscles.

My third tip: Wear comfortable shoes for this and as a friend suggests, quite rightly, make sure you know how to land properly so you don’t hurt your knees when you jump.

Until next week’s update; keep fit and wish us luck.et