Deborah Cavanagh is 58, but she hasn’t slowed down. She recently completed her 1000th Insanity workout session. It’s a feat that people half her age would be hard pressed to accomplish.
Cavanagh isn’t new to working out, though. She’s a former synchronized swimmer and triathlete who happened to see a commercial for Insanity one night. The DVD workouts were created by celebrity trainer Shaun T and provide a variety of intense fitness programs.
“The idea of trying to do something very challenging really appealed to me,” she told Women’s Health.
She wasn’t disappointed either. The workouts were just as challenging as advertised. Cavanagh said the first couple weeks were so tough that she wanted to throw up. However, the workouts gradually became more manageable.
She was hooked.
The results of the hard training started to become more noticeable. Her core and upper body were stronger and the “little bit of flab” in her midsection had been toned.
“I thought, ‘I’ve accomplished so much, why would I ever stop?'” she said.
Cavanagh actually recorded each workout on a chart. It was only meant to track 60 days, but she kept going. Starting every weekday with a workout provided her with a goal that she could accomplish and feel good about. It was instrumental in helping her roll out of bed at 4:30 a.m. Fortunately, she’s a morning person anyway.
“No matter how difficult my day is at work, it’s nice to know that it will never be as hard as my morning workout,” she says.
For the last three years, Cavanagh has worked out pretty much everywhere with Insanity: on business trips, vacations, and in her driveway after Hurricane Sandy. Finishing 1,000 workouts is impressive, but Cavanagh said the most rewarding thing is the sense of confidence she has gained.
“After this, I feel like there’s nothing that can scare me in work or in life,” she said. “By doing this workout routine, I’ve learned that you can break down a really big challenge and just do it. “