Day 52

Day 52 is YogaX.

Yoga three times this week! All goes well. I have noticed I seem to stand up much straighter after this workout! I do all the pushups in the Asana series, but don't attempt Crane today (feeling fatigued)

I'm getting SOOO frustrated with the scale! My number hasn't budged in two weeks! I feel better, my clothes fit better, but I am so fixated on that stupid number! I REALLY wish I had done a body fat percentage before I started this program.

Day 51

Day 51 for me is Core Synergistics.

The workout goes well, though feeling really tired this morning. I use 5 pounders for all the weight exercises, but think I should move up to 8 for the lunge, kickback, curl, press, reverse curl series. I struggle a bit with the Plank to Chataronga stuff, so for most of them I just stay in Plank. And for the Dreya rolls, I'm actually able to do them this time without pushing off the floor with my hands, yehaw!

Off to get a facial to celebrate my halfway point :)

Day 50

Day 50 for me is the start of my Recovery week for Phase 2. I have to juggle the workouts a bit based on my work schedule, so the first day of Recovery week, for me, is Yoga X.

The workout goes well and I work up a great sweat during the first 45 minutes of the moving asanas. I seem to get better at this workout every time I do it, and I love the fact that I stand up straighter after and feel so loosey goosey!

Day 49

Day 49 for me should be Yoga, but alas, I again have to tweak my schedule. As I am not able to get to a workout today, I am forced to make this my rest day for NEXT week (which starts tomorrow for me) and on what should be my rest day next week, I will supplement with a Yoga workout. Make sense? This also means I will workout for 13 days in a row before my next rest day :)

Day 48

Day 48 is Kenpo day for me to make up for Thursday. Normally it would be my rest day.

I'm going to amaze you all by keeping this very short and sweet because I have to work both jobs today and won't be home til very late. Workout went great. I heart Kenpo.

I discovered the channel FitTV while surfing channels last night. Needless to say, I ended up staying up way too late because I loved all of the stuff I was watching. I learned some things even. I think it may be my new favorite channel!

Happy Saturday :)

Day 47

Day 47 is Legs and Back and Ab Ripper X. It is also my last muscle workout of Phase 2! Next week is Recovery week, then I start Phase 3.

My goal at the start of the workout is to get all of my pull up reps to 10 or above. Last week, I had a few 8 and 9's. Success!! 10's in both rounds of reverse grip, switch grip, and closed grip overhand, and 12's in both rounds of wide front. For a total of 84 pull ups (all with the chair assist mind you). Also noted that balance lunges go much better, so next time I do this workout, I will add weights to this. And I up all my weights to 8 pounds for the weighted things.

Ab Ripper goes great, and I am again able to add hands up in in and outs and bicycles. And cross leg on wide leg sit ups. Woohoo!

I found out today there is a new program called P90XPlus It states Tony amps up the Muscle Confusion with BRAND-NEW MOVES and never-before-seen workouts all set to hot music created exclusively for P90X Plus by Jason Scheff, lead singer of the band Chicago! I'm going to have to check this out for sure!

Day 46

Day 46 for me should be Kenpo day. But I have once again had to make and adjustment, so today will be my rest day for the week, and Kenpo will be Saturday.

So, I'll take advantage of that to share something I read on Tony's blog, which inspired me to respond. I just thought it was so well said!!

He wrote
"It's not your mother or your father. Not your sister or your brother. It's not your God or your Government. It's not the high school bully or your eighth grade home room teacher. It's not your therapist or your wife or your boyfriend. It's not luck or even circumstance. It's not your height, weight or age that makes life great, or not. It's You! It's you that makes you happy or sad. It's you that makes you smart or stupid. It's you that eats right or not. It's you that chooses to exercise or to sit on your ass. It's you who puts the cigarette in your mouth. It's you that yells at your 3 year old daughter. It's you that doesn't have patience when you need it. Your parents created you, but it's you that decides to make something of yourself. Point the finger in the mirror because that image before you is the only creature on earth that can guarantee happiness, fitness, health, love, joy, purpose and a state of well being. Hoping and wishing that everyone and everything else is going to bring you a better life is a farce and a fantasy."

And I was compelled to add my super sappy heartfelt response.

"Amen!
I don't even really know where to start.
Thank you! For helping me change my life.
Thank you! For encouraging me every single day to bring it.
Thank you! For reminding me that no matter what other people in my life may say to encourage me to fail (because they are too weak or too scared to succeed and change themselves) that I can succeed with your support.
Thank you! For making me dig deep, want to quit, and realize that I am too strong, and my health is too important to quit.
Thank you! For inspiring me to start my own blog for other 30+ year old moms like me, in the same boat as me, ready to change like me, and keeping me pushing play every day!
Thank you! For more than my words can ever say. I feel strong, I feel like a new person, I feel 20 years old at age 34, I feel like I can take on the world.
And most important.....my five year old sees me work out every day, sees me strong, sees me healthy, understands why it's important, and now shares this knowledge with others.
If only my parent's had taught me such lessons so early on...
Thank you! For helping me be better person, a better role model, a better therapist, and most importantly, a better Momma!!"

DAY 45!!!

Day 45 for me is Back and Biceps with Ab Ripper. But its also more than that. It marks a milestone for me. Today is officially my

HALFWAY POINT BABY!!

And more good news, I "just" about complete a grown up pull up yesterday. It's true, my husband even witnessed it! Reverse grip, I get almost all the way up to the bar before I collapse back down. Big change from 45 days ago when I couldn't even move upward at all! So I won't yet say I can do a grown up pullup, but I will say I almost can!

I'm turning a corner, I can't believe it! Honestly, feels like I just started yesterday. Well, in my head anyway, my body certainly doesn't feel like I just started yesterday, or I would have trouble typing this. This has been a journey for me in so many ways, but I won't start waxing philosophical on you yet (and trust me, I'm a sappy sap, so it's coming). Now I don't know if I push myself extra hard today because of my milestone or what, but I had SUCH a good workout today and made lots of changes.

So I start my workout. First off, I finally remembered to buy my 10 pound weights, as I've noticed the previous two times I did this workout, I really needed heavier weights. Holy Cow! What a difference. I am able to use 10 pound weights for all exercises and still maintain 15 reps of each, difference is I SOOO feel the burn on the last three of everything. The only exception is the Crouching Cohen Curls. I use 10's, but only complete 13 reps. Pull ups are good. Reps are up there. For the strip set at the end, I use the 10's for the first two sets, then 8's, then 5's. Killer workout today, what a difference, I'm pouring sweat by the end. Sure wish I had those 10's last week!

And Ab Ripper! I finally add my arms to the ceiling in the bicycle series. Then, in the Wide Leg situps, I finally change to cross leg and am able to complete them all (I remember I tried it the first time I did the workout and couldn't even get up off the floor!) I keep up to their tempo in all of the Crunchy Frogs. And Mason Twists? Well, I can still only do 35-40 with legs off the floor, yet on the first day I could barely do 1 or 2.

Great Day, Great Day. God Bless Tony Horton for changing my life!

Day 44

Day 44 for me is Plyo day.

I wake up feeling really tired and find myself looking for excuses to skip this workout and push it to Saturday. Just when I almost have myself talked in to it, I realize that this kind of thinking just won't do, and I know from experience that 10-15 minutes in to the workout I will feel better, and also will feel better for the rest of the day if I just do it. So I push play....

This may sound strange, but I have realized on the days I am REALLY tired and dragging and think the workout is going to be awful, somehow I dig down deep and find myself working extra hard. I actually think that sometimes my workouts are better on "tired" days then on days I feel good. I don't know if it's all in my head, if I truly am working harder because I have to push myself to do it, or what.

Anyway, Plyo goes great. I finish everything. I can do the tuck jumps now, but when they start doing them double time, I can't do that. I just continue to do them with the little pause (and I add a hop) in between. Rock Star jumps I can do, but not quite as fast as they do.

Guess what tomorrow is?????????

Day 43

Day 43 is Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps and Ab Ripper.

The workout goes well. I am able to use 8 lb weights with all exercises except for Scarecrows, Pour Flys, Weighted Circles, Slow mo throws, and Fly row presses. I use 5's on Y-presses, but make a note that next time I should move to 8.

Aren't those frickin fracken Weighted circles KILLER!! I struggle badly with them with 5 pound weights, I can't imagine those of you doing it with more. OUCH. I also noted that in push ups, all my reps go up, some only by 1, but still......

I bonk myself in the head with the dumbbell during the Lying Tricep Extensions. Teehehe. Luckily it was a soft boink. Dingy.

Ab Ripper goes really well, stronger every time, love it!

Day 42

Day 42 is YogaX.

I'm also a football addict, so I just love Sundays this time or year! Luckily, I make the very wise decision to do the workout before the 1:00 games start. Good thing because after that poor performance by the Pats, I may have been to depressed to do it after! Anyway, the workout goes great, I seriously get better each time. I am able to hold Crane for the whole 60 seconds, but I did have to keep my big toe from one foot on the floor. I did lift it a couple times, but not for long. The thing I seem to struggle with the most are anything that involves Crescent pose, especially the twisting prayer ones. I lose my balance every time.
Oh, and I do a pushup in every Vinyosa except the last two.

I feel stretched out and wonderful~

P.S. Rex Ryan can suck it.

Day 41

Day 41 for me is Kenpo day, to make up for Tuesday when I had technical difficulties.

I've already gone on and on in previous posts about how much I love this workout. So instead, I pose a question. In the beginning stretch series, you know the part right after you go in to prayer squat, then you kick one leg out, and rise up on the other toe? And then you turn and stretch your body over the straight leg? Does anyone else struggle in this series? I'm very flexible, and I feel my legs are quite strong, yet I can't for the life of me get that leg out straight! So I struggle here until we go in to runner's pose. From there on out I'm fine.

Looking forward to Yoga tomorrow, my piriformis and glutes are SO tight from Legs and Back yesterday!

Day 40

Day 40, Legs and Back and Ab Ripper. To recap, all pull ups, lunges, squats, and calf raises.

This workout really gets me sweating!! I up my weights on everything to 8 pounders, except for the balance lunges at the start, and the the toeroll lunges. I don't have the best balance (chalk that up to only having one eye) so as it is these are an extra challenge to me. That being said, I've already noticed improvements in my balance, so maybe soon I can add the weight on these. I even add the curls to the step back lunges. Woohoo...

Ab Ripper goes well. Have I mentioned that pain in my lower ab is completely gone?? So thankful for that.

Have you noticed all the clapping at the end of this one? Is there a studio audience? Do they all have this clapping at the end and I've just never noticed it before??

Day 39

Day 39 for me is Plyo.

GUESS WHAT!!!! I am finally able to do the tuck jumps and the rock star jumps. I can't do the super fast ones, because I still need a little hop in between, but the point is, when I started this program, I couldn't even do one!! I'm feeling much stronger and seeing results.

One thing that is bugging me though, I'm not losing a ton of weight. I would think with the amount and intensity I am working out and how great I am about my diet, weight should be falling off. It's frustrating!! I know my body is changing, and that's great. But almost 40 days in I've only dropped about 7 pounds. Just doesn't seem right.

Day 38

Day 38 is Back and Biceps and Ab Ripper.

This is my second time doing Back and Biceps, and I realize when I pull out my sheet to record weight/reps that I had meant to purchase 10 pound weights before this workout, because I noted last time I needed to up my weight on almost all exercises. Oops. I will buy them before next workout. So I try and sneak in extra reps (beyond the 15 I already do) on everything. The only ones I feel 8 is enough for now are Reverse Grip Bent over Rows, Open Arm Curls, Congdon Locomotives, and Crouching Cohen Curls. I also need to pick up some 12 pounders for the strip set at the end (and also for later in the program as I progress.) All of my pull up reps go up, but alas, I still cannot do a grown up pull up :(

Anyway, yet another funny from this workout. Midway through during some sort of Bicep curl, Tony yells out "I like to squeeze em out!" Again, I find myself in my house, alone, laughing out loud. The lengths I go to amuse myself....

Ab Ripper is good, after about 20 Mason twists with legs up, I tell myself I think I can do all 50 without dropping my legs. At about rep 33, I prove myself wrong.

Day 37

Day 37 for me is Plyo day.

HOWEVER!! Due to technical difficulties I can't play my workout. BALLS!! I call my husband at work and even with him trying to coach me through it, I can't fix the problem. Which gives me two options, do the workout after work, not ideal for me, or to tack it on to Saturday which is my rest day. I think I will go with this option, because I am not working the double shift I normally work on Saturday. So today will be my rest day.

So, I take this break to share some things. A lot of people have been asking me what I will do after p90x is over. Initially, I thought I would probably do it again, do the lean version, or go for it with doubles. However, I actually think I am going to try the Insanity Workout which is described as the hardest workout series ever put on DVD. Looks like fun!

Yesterday I started tracking my food with Sparkpeople I really like it because it breaks down everything for me like Fat/carbs/Protein. Also tells me where the bulk of my calories and nutrients come from. Very helpful!

Day 36

Day 36 is Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps.

I'm still terribly sore in the glutes and thighs from Friday. Guess I brought it!

So an hour of push ups, flys, and tricep moves. Fun! All of my numbers are up from last week, so that is good. I move to 8 pound weights on Lying Tricep Extensions and Side Leaning Tricep Extensions. I also do 8 of the bonus slow motion 3 in 1 pushups. Overall, it was a great workout.

Also Ab Ripper X. I hesitate to even utter this aloud, but I have not had that pain in my ab at all in over a week. Maybe I worked through it?? I hope so!

Day 36 is done :)

Day 35

Day 35 should be Yoga day for me to round off my first week of Phase 2.

However, due to some unforseen circumstances, I am not able to get to my workout. Now if you have been following my blog, you know how dedicated and downright anal I am about getting my workouts in. I'm afraid people around me are probably getting sick of it actually, I plan EVERYTHING around my workouts. So this is a first for me, and honestly, I'm not quite sure how to handle it.

As you can imagine, I lay in bed obsessing about it, and think I have one of two options. I either tack an extra day on to the 90 days, or when I have my next recovery week, instead of taking the rest or X Stretch, I do Yoga. That is what I am leaning towards. Opinions??

Day 34

Day 34 for me is Kenpo and Ab Ripper X. This is not a usual combination, but as you read in earlier posts, I had to modify things this week.

Kenpo goes great! I absolutely love this workout, and always at the end the sweat is pouring. I then go in to Ab Ripper X, and I realize why in the regular program, you never do Ab Ripper X within a day or two of doing Legs and Back. My arse is so sore from yesterday, I have a hard time with it. So I do my best.

I also realize I have been making the right decision on days I have muscle workouts and Ab Ripper on the same day. On those days, I do the muscle workout in the morning, and the Ab Ripper in the evening. Today I do AR right after Kenpo, and I am so wasted from the Kenpo, that between that and my hiney, I just don't do as well as I have the rest of this week.

Yoga tomorrow! Woohoo!

Day 33

Day 33, Legs and Back.

To recap, legs and back is all pull ups and variations of squats, lunges, and other forms of leg and butt torture. The only workout that makes me sweat more than this one is Plyo. I work damn hard to squat and lunge as low as I can for every exercise. I may not be able to do a grown up pull up yet, but damn do I have strong legs!

So as I stated, yes, I still need the chair for pull ups, but for what its worth, I truly notice that I am barely using it, and all my reps are more than the last time. For some I even drop one leg down and just use the slightest toe of my other. When I try and do one single pull up (which I try at least once on a daily basis, as my husband will tell you every night when he hears me call from the hallway "nope, still can't do one!") I can actually get about halfway up. Elbows to 90 degrees kind of thing. So I'm making progress.

Anyway, no time for Ab Ripper today, as I have work and a family BBQ to get to. So tomorrow when I do Kenpo, I will just add Ab Ripper. Tony knows I have a life! Right? I figure as long as I get all the required workouts in during my week, and I never do Ab Ripper two days in a row, its ok if I have to be creative :)


P.S. Yes, I like and use run on sentences!

Day 32

Day 32 is supposed to be Kenpo day today. However, when I woke up in the morning, I realize that the two new muscle workouts I did this week (Chest, Triceps, Shoulders on Monday, and Back and Biceps on Wednesday) have caught up with me. I can barely move my arms, my right shoulder is KILLING me, and I can't even reach behind me.

Kenpo is all about kicking and punching. Following the workout, I then have to go massage for the day. I make the decision that I will switch out today with Saturday, make today my rest day, and do the Kenpo on Saturday. I know my clients will thank me.

So Day 32 for me ends up being a rest day :)

Day 31

Day 31 is Back and Biceps (a new workout, YAY!!) and Ab Ripper.

Back and Biceps (52 Mins): If Popeye had a favorite P90X workout it would be this one. Loaded with pull-ups and curls to add definition and toning to the arms. Additionally, this workout also provides great definition to the back.

First off, my crack up of the day. Somewhere during an early set of curls, Tony utters the word "BANG" as he hits the top of the curl. Then he says "That is my first bang of the day" and in my sweat induced workout delirium, I blurt out to my empty living room "that's what she said" and proceed to crack myself up. I rewind, and start the set over.

Anyway, so the workout is mostly curls, some flys, and lots of pull-up variations. Ummm....yeah. Corn Cob pull-ups may be the hardest thing ever. But I manage to get six of them (with the chair). I also realize I need to buy some 10 pound weights, because the 8's just don't cut it for most of these for me. I put a mark next to the ones I want to up next workout.

Ab Ripper X, no pain at all...and I complete every rep of every exercise EXCEPT those *#@!* Mason Twists!! I probably do 35-40, then feet hit the floor. Maybe Friday I will get it!

Day 30

Day 30 is Plyo day.

My chest, shoulders , and arms are very sore from yesterday's workout, so I'm happy that Plyo is mostly legs. The workout goes well, still can't do the tuck jumps or rock start jumps, so I just jump and try lifting my knees a bit.

Tomorrow I get to do another new workout! Hooray!

Day 29 (Start of Phase 2)

Day 29 for me is my first day doing the Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps workout and Ab Ripper.

Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps: This is an intense upper body blowout. This routine offers a variety of fun and challenging moves that will hit new muscles to build up your strength and definition. Pushups, dips, flys and tricep kickbacks constitute the majority of these exercises.

The workout goes well. I use 5 pounders for all the weight exercises, and this seems to be a good choice. The only ones I will move up to 8 pounds next time are the Lying Tricep Extensions and Side leaning Tricep Extensions. I still have to do all the push up exercises on my knees, due to the Ab pain, but they are still all a challenge. I laugh out loud when he announces we will be doing Clap pushups, so imagine my surprise when I complete 9 of them!

Ab Ripper goes well, though I still have to take that 10 count break during the Mason twists.

I have DH take my 30 day photos.

Phase 2 has begun!

Day 28

Day 28 is Yoga X.

It is also my last day of Phase 1!!!! I did it, I made it through the first phase, and I never once skipped one workout. Tomorrow, I will take pictures and begin Phase 2. I'm so excited because it means I get two new workouts, YAY! Tonight, I previewed tomorrow's workout, Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps. Yes, that is how addicted I am!

Anyway, back to Yoga. I completed the workout, and it felt good. I was able to do all the upward dogs with only mild pain in the lower ab, so that was a bonus! My arms are really sore from the Core Synergistic workout yesterday, so I struggle a bit with some of the poses at first, but as I warm up, it gets better.

Sooo...Day 28 and Phase 1.....DONE!!!

Day 27

Day 27 for me is Core Synergistics.

I'll start by saying I think I have finally figured out what the pain is in my left lower ab. It's been really sore since yesterday, and I've mentioned before, I notice it the most when I do any ab move where I have to lift my legs slightly from the floor (such as banana or scissor moves) and also any push up moves where I don't bend my knees, or any kind of plank to chaturanga switch. I mentioned it to a friend yesterday who is a nurse because I was wondering about a hernia. She said its not a common area for a woman to have a hernia, and then asked me how close to my C-section scar it is. I told her its right above the scar. She said I may have adhesions from scar tissue. Why didn't I think of that?! So I looked it up and found this

Pelvic or abdominal pain is a common result of surgical adhesions. About 38% of women who experience pelvic pain are actually suffering from adhesions. Adhesions cause pain because they limit the movement of internal organs. Since adhesions "tie down" organs, as you move or become active you may experience quite severe pain. Adhesions (scar tissue that forms as a result of the incision) can cause internal organs to become fused together. *In fact, 93% of patients undergoing major abdominal surgery will develop adhesions, with 53% of those people developing (at some point in their lives) a problematic condition known as adhesion related disorder (ARD).

Not to self diagnose, but yeah, I think that sounds right. The bummer? It seems surgery is the best way to relieve them. However, I did find there is a massage technique called Wurn Technique® to unravel the bonds between the fibers that comprise adhesions. Since I am a therapist, I'm going to look in to this.....

So anyway, the workout goes well, I do work up copious amounts of sweat, but I just don't like that I can't do all the moves exactly as I should!

Tomorrow is my last day in Phase 1. Then I move to Phase 2! YAY!!!

Day 26

Day 26 for me is Yoga X.

Ah...the workout I have dreaded so much in the beginning, I am starting to really look forward to.

My personal goal today was to try harder, push harder, really kick it up a notch. I think I succeeded because by the time I got through the first 45 minute movement pose/Vinyosa series, I was POURING sweat. I mean like I do during Plyo. I discovered recently that I have been doing upward dog wrong. I was more doing Cobra. I didn't realize you were supposed to have your legs off the floor. Oops. So I corrected that today. Unfortunately, that caused that pain in my lower left Ab to flare up. I'm starting to wonder if maybe its a hernia? So I adjust as needed while still working as hard as possible. I am able to hold all poses for the full counts, though I stumble a few times with the prayer twists in crescent pose.

And as a bonus today, since nobody is home, I did the Ohms at the end. I feel grounded and wonderful! And also, like Gumby!

Day 25

Day 25 for me is Kenpo day.

Still feeling that odd dizziness from yesterday. But regardless, the workout goes well. Who would of thought that I, having never been in one fight in my entire life, would love punching and kicking so much!! I find it intensely satisfying.

I have to admit though, I'm not loving recovery week. I miss the muscle workouts, and I find myself worrying that I'm going to lose everything I've done by not doing them this week. But I'm sure my muscles need the break. I'm looking forward to the new chest and back workout Monday.

Day 24

Day 24 should be Yoga X for me. But plans have changed....

Today, I sent my baby boy off to Kindergarten. Unexpectedly, I spent two hours crying myself to sleep last night, and woke up with this terrible dizziness that made it hard to even walk straight. Not sure what that is about, but the Yoga poses can be hard enough without feeling like this. On top of that, I have a two hour assembly at the school, and then meeting with some friends....all in all it seems a change needs to be made to the schedule.

Soooo...I will make today my rest day, and will just have to fit in a workout Saturday morning before I go to work. Modify modify!!

Day 23

Day 23 is X Stretch.

X Stretch (58 minutes): Achieve a higher level of athleticism over a longer period of time, plus prevent injuries and avoid plateaus. Keeping limber and loose is vital to the success of any fitness program.

Well, thats what it is, an hour of stretching. Feels good, I know its important, but I'd rather be sweating!