Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Day 15! WHAT A DAY!

Wow had a crazy good workout today. I was really not feeling up to working out today. I was even thinking about using today as the rest day, but a birdie told me to stick it out. ;-) I am so thankful that I did. I surpassed so many goals today. I was able to do at least half of all my push-ups unaided; even the military push-ups which I seem to struggle with a lot! haha. Pull-ups still used the chair, but pushed it farther away so I was less dependent AND was even able to bang out more the second set than the first a few times.

Abs was serious. I really enjoy how my body still isn't used to those killers. Wow, I still completed the 349 sit-ups right along with Tony, but it was such a killer. Sheesh. I felt really great and strong today. Drank my recovery drink.

Trying to build up the nerve to make dinner at the moment. Breakfast was tasty, and light: 1 serving of eggs, and a fruit smoothie. The snacks were tasty as well. Lunch was a veggie burger with cheese and ketchup on a bagel. It was great, only my office mate decided to eat a killer steak for lunch. THAT smelled mouth-watering. haha. I need to go buy some steaks.

How about I managed to find a FAT FREE fruit sorbet. Its on the list people! I got the blood orange flavor. Yummm. I cannot wait for that snack. Will have to taste for sure. Maybe after dinner.

All in all today just ended up being wonderful. It feels good to be really banging it out during the home-stretch week of the phase 1 resistance training. Week 4 will be the recovery week for this phase. I can't believe the first phase is almost up. I promise I will post the pics. Not ready to bare all, but whatever. My body is transforming into the Greek Goddess that I am on the inside. haha. Today is truly a testament of not letting outside things, issues, etc influence your inner goals; what you are trying to accomplish. I was really ready to let my personal issues get in the way of this wonderful and courageous journey. P90X baby!

BRINGING IT!

Day 14 - Down 6 LBS!!

So folks. I am down 6 entire pounds. The scale said 144.0. Yeeeeessss!!! I am seeing results. My legs are starting to get some of that ole definition again. The arms...umm, lets just say they look better than before.

Day 14 was Kenpo...so I see Ive been misspelling that poor word for the past two weeks. haha. Oops.

It was tough in places, and not so bad in others. I really felt a lot stronger doing the moves than I did the first week. I could actually do all 100 of the hammer punches. Yaay! Progress.

Day 15, start of week 3! Seriously?! Wowzers. That means chest and back...push-ups and pull-ups. Nooot cool. This will hurt for shizzle. haha.

The diet on Day 14 was cool. I don't think I got in that last portion of protein though. But I had a humongous lunch which really set the middle of the day off quite nicely. My turkey burgers were great and the wonderful whole cereal I found was excellent for breakfast. Maybe next time I eat the cereal, I will pair it with some eggs or something. I was definitely starving after the cereal and fruit breakfast.

Week 3! Yaaay!!!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Day 13 - Legs, Back & AAAAABBBS!!!

Wowzers so my Day 13 workout didn't begin until 12:30am. haha. Yea it was a crazy busy Sunday. But can I say that it was an AWESOME workout. I even managed to do exactly 1 full pull-up. My entire chest hurt afterward, and I felt like I was going to throw-up, buuut I did it. Tonite's workout felt so good. That ab workout was crazy. Big accomplishment here kids: I did all 50 Mason Twists without stopping, and finished a mere 2 reps behind Tony! OH YEA! Now if only I could start seeing those washboard abs poke through. haha.

After the workout I was able to drink the wonderful recovery drink. It WAS tasty. Only thing is 2 scoops was soo much for me. I blended it, which probably made it less dense, so I ended up drinking two cup fulls of the blend even though I used 12 0z of water. Anyways, I won't do that again. Good old fashioned spoon should do it. haha. And I totally felt great in the morning. I wasn't in pain, my muscles didn't feel like someone ripped them apart. haha. I also tried the Cafe Mocha protein bars. Nice stuff. I must say those were tasty too.

My diet was okay. I say that because I missed an entire meal. I totally didn't recognize it, until this morning as I was logging my portions from yesterday. That is soooo not good people. I was a bit upset with myself for not recognizing that I totally skipped lunch. Grrr!

Okay so on to the next one...Kempo. I am not a complete fan yet, maybe because last week I did not have the cardiovascular ability to do it without dying. haha. This week should be better I think. I am definitely going to need the recovery drink afterward.

I am really liking this P90X stuff. Feel free to comment or ask any questions. Pics in the morning. My body shouldn't look that bad first thing. haha!!

BRING IT BAYBEE!!!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Days 11 & 12

Okay so I missed Day 10 again...Something about those Friday workouts. I find if I don't wake up early enough in the morning, Friday workouts are a no-go. I usually get home extreeeemely late on Fridays. Friday is the new rest day. haha. Okay so we will try again during week 3.

Friday is yoga day, so I ended up doing yoga on Saturday. I can see why people hate it. Ugh! Its 1.5 hours of serious yoga. The first 45 minutes are straight up warrior poses. Noooot my cup of tea. It was rough for me. I definitely wanted to give up midway through. But the second half were balance poses and yoga belly (straight up ab ripper X type stuff, yowza). This was definitely the best part of it. So the first half went terribly slow, and the second was more to my liking so it went really well. Minus the crane joint. WHAT?! I can totally see the benefit of doing this yoga X. It works every bit of muscle you use throughout the other DVDs: shoulders, arms, quads, hammies, back, and especially core. Very nice. It will be cool to see how well I improve over the weeks. Will I get to hold a crane pose for say 10 seconds? Time will tell. haha.

Sooo people, almost at the end of week 2. Cannot believe it. 12 days in already. I bought a digital scale, finally, and weighed myself. I couldn't help it. haha. Ive lost 5 pounds already!!! Its not even a month in yet. Wow. I am so pumped. I will be taking pics after my kempo day on Day 14 (that's Monday). I cannot wait to do the comparison. I need to commandeer a tape measure so I can take all the body measurements as well. I am getting excited. 80-pack abs here I come!

The diet is really cool. I treated myself to a serving of non-fat fro-yo (frozen yogurt people), with pecan toppings. Yummm. It was rather tasty AND its on the list of snacks. I even asked for the store clerk to serve me less than the small cup serving size (which is 5-oz), since I'm only allotted 4-oz of fro-yo per the program. Nice right...haha. I have been doing really well with the diet. I have been keeping up with the portions. I think I finally ate the total 7 portions of protein the other day, for the first time. That's just sooo much friggin protein. But I am literally starving every 2-3 hours or so. I love that feeling now. It means my metabolism is working it out! BRING IT BABY!

P90X is really becoming a way of life...I can see it slowly engulfing me and all that I do. I actually inquire about how foods are prepared at restaurants. Nice. The test will be when I get to the Penn Relays in two weeks. I will be surrounded by fluffy fried fish sandwiches, Jamaican beef patties, and yummy greasy cheesesteaks. O-M-G! I am racking up my list of binge foods for when I complete the 90 days. Trust...cheesesteaks and ice cream are INDEED on the list. haha. Fried Chicken too. haha.

Okay people, on to the next one...Day 13! Legs and Back. I did enjoy the leg portion of this workout, not the friggin back : pull-ups. Blah! Gonna bring it anyways! LETS GO!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Day 10 - Felt Sooo Good!

Wow...so I felt so strong today doing the Shoulders and Arms exercises. I increased my reps and/or weight. I mean I was killing it. I actually felt the burn during those last 3 reps of every set. I mean EVERY set I pushed until I felt the burn. AND NO DAGGON PUSH UPS OR PULL UPS! Love it. haha. I just felt like the energizer bunny today. And the abs...wow. So ummm while I did feel super strong, I almost died during those frog hugger thingees. My hip flexors said ..uh excuuuse me?! haha. Yea. I totally wanted to stop at that point, but stuck it through and ended up finishing really strong. One of these days I will do the advance version of each exercise. Gotta push it.

The diet today was so on point. Okay so ran out of egg whites, seriously that stuff goes waay too quickly. Had to improvise, so created a lovely fruit smoothie with vanilla soy milk and a 1/3 of egg whites. Nice! Very nice. Veeery filling. Bought more egg whites so I will definitely be back to the egg scramble that I adore. Also bought these portobello veggie burgers from Harris Teeter. I cannot wait to try those. Yummm.

So for dinner tonite, I am going to stir-fry salmon with ... yes... sesame oil. I caught a whiff of it and boy does it smell so good. Yumm. I am thinking of adding a bit of honey and apple vinegar...should make for a great sauce. Nice. Looking forward to this dinner. Especially since I still have 3 servings of protein to scarf down for the day. I love it when I have an excuse to eat! Haha!

I cant wait to check my weight. I wonder if I've lost anything. I definitely feel more fit, tighter if you will. That's really what I want. Just tighten everything up. A 6-pack would be awesome. I haven't had one of those since I was in college, and that was with a good sucking in of the belly. haha.

I am loving how pumped I am about the healthy eating and the working out. I am just feeling good about it. Actually wanting to cook and enjoying it. I even woke up 7:30 two days in a row. haha. And actually got out of bed. Yes that is serious people.

Until tomorrow...YOOOOOOGAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! .

STILL BRINGING IT!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Day 9 - So Inspired!

Wow Day 9 was Plyo. Eh...I was able to complete it without feeling like I needed an oxygen mask, which is a feat within itself.

Man just let me say how I am so inspired after reading through a fellow P90Xer's blog. Her blog was so real, and her transformation so honest. She was a regular female, 2 children; so her transformation wasn't crazy like you see on TV (80-pack abs, etc). But it was still awesome! I am so inspired. Her entire way of thinking has changed; her diet, her exercise mentality. I cannot wait!

I think I may start posting update-pics every two weeks. I still need to post my before pics. Not so nice, trust. haha.

My diet was nice today. Ate a good filling breakfast, tried out a pretty tasty protein bar (Cliff Bar...still waiting for the P90X bars), and getting ready to prepare dinner. Its late I know. OMG I am still sitting here hours after my workout. DINNER TIME!

Tomorrow...Day 10. COME ON!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Day 8 - Week 2 Begin!

So Ive made it to week 2, and I can honestly say this P90X workout does get just a wee bit better; not easier. haha. I had a few small victories today: I was able to do part of each push-up exercise with no knees. YAAAY! Now next time, the goal will be to match the second set reps to the first set reps. Nice. I was also able to match if not better my week 1 rep numbers. :-D

Those pull-ups, its just not good. That situation is just crazy. The chair is my savior, but I am learning to use the chair in a way that allows me to do more work. So hopefully by the end of week 3, I will have graduated to doing a portion of the pull-up exercises with no chair. ;-)

Killed the ab workout. I was definitely making those ugly girl faces. Sheesh. Those frog hugger joints, RIGHT AFTER the in-outs and bicycles. Wowzers. My legs are on fire midway through the 2nd exercise. haha. I usually have to pause the DVD during those exercises. I find myself to be a little bit slower than the ab rippers. haha. In due time...

Today I did pretty awesome with the nutrition I must say. It wasn't bad. I found myself hungry by the time the next meal came about; even with all the daggon protein I have to eat. I am even learning how to cook without the usual butter and olive oil. I used soy sauce to saute my stir fry tonite. Yummy. Now the carb issue is the kicker. One serving of carbohydrates a day. Geez, that's unheard of. haha. WHO DOES THAT?! haha. I am starting to regret eating the bread with my sandwich during lunch. Rice sure sounds tasty with my stir fry, but gotta just kill it by itself. I know better now; save the carb for dinner. haha.

I need to get my hands on some frozen yogurt for sure; fat free of course. That treat sounds yummy right about now.

Tomorrow...plyo part deux...BRING IT!

Days 6 and 7

Yes finished one complete week!

I ended up swapping Days 6 and 7 due to schedule constraints on Easter. That Kempo day was no joke. Definitely not as intense as Plyo day (which is tomorrow), but still a hefty cardio workout.

I have actually started to incorporate the nutrition plan. Day 7 was the first strict adherence to the nutrition plan. I must say that I would normally enjoy having an excuse to eat myself into a tizzy, but this phase 1 nutrition has me eating 7 servings of protein in 1 day! Geez. I never realized how tough that is. The fun part is finding tasty goodies at fast food restaurants. Example: went to Fuddruckers and got the salmon burger, no cheese, used one side of the bun, lettuce, tomato, and BBQ sauce. Wonderfully tasty. Yummm.

I like the interesting options there are for each food group. My favorites include: frozen yogurt (Seriously?! Oh yes. And 8 ounces of it too! haha. Of course non-fat, but whatev.), frozen fruit pops (Oh yes. As soon as I find forreal fruit pops, I'm on it.), and the oh so yummy chocolate soy milk. Of course, the plan just simply says "soy milk", no preference for flavor. Yaay! I'm drinking chocolate milk (although fake) and I'm loving that. haha.

I feel a lot better while doing the workouts, stronger. I cannot wait to feel the difference doing the nutrition will make on week 2. That's right! Week 2 and counting. Nice. Only missed 1 day in week 1; yoga day. Bummer. Minor speed bump. There wont be any future bumps as long as I can help it. I am also getting well acquainted with the handy dandy P90X excel spreadsheet. Nice. It does everything for you, calculates everything and its pretty cool for tracking progress as you input your daily workout numbers. Best of all it keeps good track of your daily and weekly nutrition. Loving this.

So my goal for this week is to use less 'assistance' with the push-ups and pull-up exercises. I am going to die, literally. My arms will be numb all the way until next week. haha.

Lets work! X!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Days 4 and 5

So...I uh missed Day 4. Yoga day. I was actually looking forward to it. It just didnt work out in the schedule, BUT I am continuing on. I did Day 5. BEAST of a day. Legs and backs and that crazy ab routine. Yowza! I am a leg fanatic, my fave part of the body...so I definitely thrive on beast leg routines.

So legs and back are straight up lunges and wall squats...all day. So rough, but it felt so good. Back is all pull ups. Tony Horton's favorite. Grrr...I am going to graduate from pull ups with the chair to just straight up pull ups one of these days. For now, its the chair. haha.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! I was able to COMPLETE the entire ab workout. I did all the reps...25 for each exercise. Okay so 1 exercise I did a little less than 25, but that's still big. This is the first time I've been able to complete it without stopping. Yes! I'm getting stronger and its only been 5 days. Yaay!!!

As far as the friggin diet goes. Yesterday I did it again; ate maybe two complete meals. Well maybe 3 if you count the bowl of cereal. I didn't drink any alcohol, even though it was a Friday. That's saying a lot people, especially since I was out all day and nite. I did have pancakes (only 2) and turkey sausage. Water, very little juice; 1 cup. Much better. Muuuch better. I need those daggon protein bars.

I'm definitely going to suck up missing Day 4, chuck it as a loss. I'm glad I didn't do terrible with the diet. I am still going strong peeps. Thanks for the encouragement.

Keep it coming!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Day 3 - Shoulders and Arms

Now this routine I like. I can actually get through this one, without wanting to call the ambulance. A very nice break from that torturous plyo workout yesterday. This felt like a breather, but not a nice deep breath; definitely a short breath ridden with asthmatic symptoms. haha.

20 workouts for the shoulders, tris and bis. I didn't know I could curl more than 5lbs. haha. I have such weak arms, but my shoulders are the greatest. I'm gonna be so sculpted. Greek Goddess-like.

I am looking forward to ordering that recovery drink and the protein bars. I find that in the middle of the day I need a boost of energy or just a good meal. I figure the bar would allow me to be a bit lazy and not have to prepare a gazillion meals a day. I don't normally do the protein bars, but I am up for new things.

I got a chance to watch someone work through P90X and it was a very cool experience. I got a glimpse of how I probably looked, struggling through. Only this person definitely didn't struggle like I did. He was a champ. (Get it babe!) It was definitely motivation to keep it going and to keep up the intensity of working out. It feels good to be challenged like this physically and mentally again. I kind of missed it. That's the inner competitive athlete in me. She's definitely planning a spectacular return....GRRRR!!!

On to yoga...Lets go!