Take 2: DAY 13

KENPO X:

Even though I procrastinated and did not complete this work out this morning before work (I was a little sore and I lot tired from all of yesterday's activities), this was still a great workout!  I finally pushed play after the weather on the 5:00 news (I'm hoping for a cold delay for school tomorrow :) ) and the workout flew by.  It seemed there were only 14 minutes left before I even knew it.  This is a fairly intense workout (I mean, when your BREAKS are jogging, jump roping, jumping jacks, and X jumps you know it's non-stop!), but just when I think I can't punch (or kick, or block) anymore, a *break* comes and we move on.  I must say though, I AM very much looking forward to my day off tomorrow (though I plan to do aerobics w/the crowd at work after school tomorrow for a bonus workout...hope I'm not regretting that on Thursday!)!!!  Maybe next Kenpo day I'll actually remember to wear my HR monitor...

Take 2: DAY 12

Legs & Back; Ab Ripper X:

I did NOT want to do today's workout!  My husband and I enjoyed a leisurely morning in the hot tub and the last thing I wanted to do was Legs & Chest (esp knowing we were cross country skiing later in the day).  However, I hate quitting, so I did it.  This workout is never as bad as I think it's going to be.  As hard as the leg exercises are, I kind of like them!  AND, I LOVE that you do not repeat any of the leg exercises (though you do do 15-30 reps of each at a clip)!  I did NOT add any weights today and the pull ups were not my best effort, I admit...

My back is still annoying sore from shoveling, but I'm popping anti-inflammatories AND using Icy Hot medicated pads, so relief should be in sight.  My husband and I just returned from a 3 mile cross country ski (my first real time skiing) so combine that w/today's P90X workout and I am not looking forward to how I'm going to feel when I wake up tomorrow...

I have not yet done Ab Ripper X today, but I plan to do it after dinner!

Take 2: DAY 11

YogUGH X:

I'm not going to lie to you:

A.  This SUCKED, and

B.  I did not give the best effort...

I was crazy sore and tired from all of my extra-P90X activity yesterday (cross country skiing and shoveling) and this was just flat out hard.  I made it a little over 30 minutes and then I stopped.  HOWEVER, I did come back to it and finished the remaining hour a little later in the evening.  While I'm glad I did it; I still know it wasn't my best effort and I hate that.  That being said, I don't know how much more I had to give!  My lower back is very sore from shoveling and I don't want to push it to the point where I have to stop again...

Bottom line:  I DID IT!  

Take 2: DAY 10

ARMS & SHOULDERS, AB RIPPER X:

I am very proud of myself for completing todays workouts.  My husband and I woke up early to travel to pick up our cross country skis and then went cross country skiing (my first time).  I didn't last very long (apparently ice underneath the snow doesn't make for prime conditions), but did get in a solid 25 minutes of some semblance of cross country skiing...and it's def all the workout it's hyped to be!  

We got home from skiing and the last thing I wanted to do was P90X, but I was not going to type that I missed a day, so I pushed play and took off.  Luckily, I think this is one of the *easier* workouts (though my shoulders were already on fire from my attempts to ski).  I made it through, though, after the first round, I prob didn't use the weights I should have; I'll have to up them next time.

Ab Ripper went well; I replaced the 2 that hurt w/ab exercises of my own and even did the bonus round.  

Finished working out and headed back out into the frozen tundra to shovel.  NOT looking forward to Yoga tomorrow (today)....

Take 2-DAY 9

(Before I get to today, I'd like to point out that I did manage to make myself do Ab Ripper X last night after I got home from my long day and ate dinner! I skipped the 2 that are hurting my back, but I didn't do fillers as I was cutting it close to the BCS "championship" kickoff...I did, however, do the BONUS!)

Today was the mother of all P90X workouts: Plyo! I did not wear my heart rate monitor, as it was in my car and I was too lazy (and it was too cold out) for me to go get it. Even w/out my heart rate monitor, I can safely say this was an excellent cardio workout as I was drenched in sweat! As much as I didn't feel like pushing play, this was a great workout for me today. I really pushed myself and felt good. I found it helps the workout go by for me if I count the sets (there are 5 sets and you do 2 reps of each exercise: 30 sec, 30 sec, 30 sec, 1 min...I counted 1...1.5....2....2.5, etc). I would have even done the bonus round (maybe) if I had had enough time.

My back and abs were sore today, but my chest not as much, letting me know I need to go deeper/further w/my push ups next week. I also have a slight twinge in my lower back, but I'm fairly certain it's a result of shoveling ice on Wed and sitting in a metal folding chair for 3 hours scoring a swim meet yesterday, NOT the program.

P90X-Take 2: Days 1-8

Days 1-8 are complete and it hasn't been bad! I started the program on a Thursday and I like the timing of my new schedule a little better. My day off falls on Wednesday, which is a nice mid week break and Yoga falls on Sunday, which makes it much easier to fit in the 90 minute marathon!

It's amazing how much strength & flexibility I've lost since my last go round! I could barely do 1 pull up on SOME of the varieties, where as I ended being able to do TWO of each before adding the cheater chair last time.

A quick recap, day by day:

Day 1: Chest & Back, Ab Ripper:
This was tough. It was very evident I'd lost strength, both in the push ups AND the pull ups. I'd forgotten just how difficult the Diamond Push Ups and the Under the Fence (I forget their real name) Push Ups are! I found there were 2 exercises in Ab Ripper where I felt strain in my lower back (Wide Leg Cross Leg and Roll Up V-Up) so I did NOT do them (but did add another ab exercise of my own in their places). I also forgot how much I hate the opening 4 exercises; they kill my hip flexors!

Day 2: Plyometrics:
Sore already; I love this feeling! Plyo wasn't bad because I found I didn't remember all of the exercises, so I didn't know when the end was near.

Day 3: Arms & Shoulders, Ab Ripper:
Still the easiest day, in my book, but did have cramping in my hands/fingers again. I still also find myself slacking a little because I'm too lazy to take the Selectorize dumbells back to their base to switch weight (hey, look at the title "admittedly lazy..."). Ab Ripper was burning!

Day 4: Yoga:
This is tough! I really need to keep my core tight and watch my form, as I do tend to feel a little tugging in my lower back on some of these moves. The opening 45 minutes is tough and then it gets a little easier. I am glad this now falls on a Sunday!

Day 5: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper:
Ugh, legs and pull ups, what a crappy combo! The legs weren't as bad as I thought (but I also didn't add any extra weights, next week!), but I still hate pull ups! I even did ALL of the calf exercises! My husband and I did Ab Ripper together, so I got a bonus ab workout from laughing so hard!

Day 6: Kenpo X:
I don't mind this one, other the yoga positions warm up. Just when I'm ready to quit, we move onto blocks and they're a little easier for me the the rest of the stuff, so it's good timing.

Day 7: REST :)
Sadly, this fell on a SNOW DAY, so while it was nice to rest, it would have been an easy day for me to fit a work out in (I did shovel ice though, so that counts for something). I almost did some other workout, but decided there's a planned rest day for a reason, and I was very tired so my body must be telling me something.

Day 8: Back to Chest & Back, Ab Ripper:
As much as I just wanted to sleep on the couch or watch Top Chef, I made myself do this this morning and I'm so glad I did! I already feel stronger. My pull ups feel better, as did the push ups. I'm already sore (just 5 hours later) which is a good sign! I'll do Ab Ripper when I get home tonight before watching the BCS title, oops, I mean championship, sorry Utes, game!

P90X-Take 2

So, apparently once you hit 30 it's not so easy to maintain a 20-something body...especially when you eat and drink like a 17 year old boy-who knew? I've decided to give P90X another go, including blogging about my experience.

I'm a little late to the game is starting the blog because....well, honestly because I wasn't sure I'd stick w/it! I'm already on Day 8, so my second-first post will be a recap of Days 1-8. Last time I attempted P90X I hurt my back during the very first day (because I am an idiot. No really, I am. I had the chair set BEHIND me during pull ups, so I was hyperextending each rep. The worst part was, I didn't even realize it throughout the whole workout, until I watched my husband do his and noticed the girl on the DVD!) and while I made it almost 3 weeks, I was in a considerable amount of pain and knew I needed to give it some rest. I still continued to work out (an assortment of running, Wii Fit, walking, lifting, Tae Bo, etc), but no P90X.

Fat (that WAS a typo, but it's pretty fitting, so I'll leave it) forward to now and I am S-O-F-T soft. Gross. I am the fattest I've ever been in my whole life. I don't use scales, so I can't give you a number, but I've seen pics and it ain't pretty...even my face is fat! So, I decided it's time to give P90X another go (w/the cheater chair correctly placed, this time...) because this is not the me I want to be (and last time I lost a couple of inches in just the first 2 weeks!)...