Not much has changed... Still pushing play, still suck at blogging!!!

That pretty much sums it up!  I missed 2 workouts this weekend, so I am feeling bad about that, but I think I'm going to do phase 2 for an extra week to make up for my slackness.  Workouts in Phase 2 are kicking my ass for some reason.  I always feel sore and feel like I'm not getting as much from the workouts.  Plyo nearly killed me last night, but I finally got through Hot Foot.  It's baby steps in this program and a rollercoaster of emotions.  I can't say that at least once a day I don't think about just not continuing on, but that quickly fades and I know I MUST continue on.  This program has brought me so far in 37 short days... I am almost halfway there!  No turning back now... no matter how much it hurts, no matter how much I dread it sometimes... I will keep pushing play, and keep bringing it.  I will do my best and forget the rest.  And all of those quirky little things TonyHorton says!!!

A few of my 30 day pics...

First of all... my day 1 pictures are mortifying!!!  Even my 30 days make me wince, and I can't believe I'm posting them, but I'm staying accountable.  I'm looking forward to really pushing myself in this next phase and seeing even more dramatic results... Total results for the first 30 days.  13.75 inches and 6.5 pounds.  They SAY that women start seeing great results from 45-60 days, so I'm ready!!!

So... it turns out, I'm not a very good blogger.

A week since my last entry huh?  Okay, I suck at blogging!!!

Where to begin?  First, dad is doing better day by day, but I'm still in the office alone so it has been hectic and I've been finding creative ways to get my workouts in.  Today is day 30!!!  Sunday was the end of Phase 1, so I am 1/3 of the way there!  Last night was Chest/Shoulders/Triceps and it nearly killed me... seriously, I thought I would die.  WAY too many pushups for my bum wrist, but I pushed through it.  By far the toughest workout for me, and it doesn't help that it came on the heels of a recovery week.

Eating... well, that's not been so great, but I'm doing the best I can.  I have to get to the grocery store but finding the time hasn't been easy.

I'm taking day 30 pictures tomorrow morning... in preparation, I downloaded Day 1 pics.  My sister had them, I had not wanted to see them and OUCH... many, how did I get so out of shape?  It was mortifying to see them, so I'm hoping to see some changes in the day 30 pics... and really looking forward to kicking some ass over the next 30 days.  Talk about inspiration... gag.  Here is a pic I snapped the other night... starting to see a little muscle!!

I'm getting a lot of compliments these days, and I'm not so sure it's due to results.  My confidence level is higher... My posture is improving, I am feeling stronger... I think that shows more than anything.  Confidence is a funny thing.  My first 30 days was a test of my physical strength, emotional strength and willpower.  I think I get a 95 out of 100 for bringing it, considering everything that was thrown at me... I'm proud of what I accomplished, and I'm looking forward to the next 30 days.

Oh yeah... Recovery week sucks.  Not much recovering, but enough that by the time the following week starts, you feel like you are starting fresh.  I'm sure that is all part of the master plan, but the first day back on resistance exercises SUCKS!!!!!!!

Plyo tonight... can't believe I'm excited about Plyo.  THAT is how much I disliked last night's workout!!!!!  Last night's workout included "Plyo pushups"?  REALLY?  I'm just getting the hang of doing real pushups and you want me to go airborne and clap?  Not if I plan to still have a face...

The night I broke my ass...

Yesterday, I knew all day I had Core Synergistics waiting at home for me... and I was good with it.  I had a ton of energy and was really ready to push myself for a good workout.  Got home, pushed play and got going.  It doesn't get easier... if anything, sometimes it SEEMS harder, but I think that is because each time you can push yourself a little more.  There are still 3 exercises I don't even attempt... primarily because of my wrist, but also my upper body strength is still pretty weak right now.  During those exercises, I do push ups (which by the way, I can now bang out about 20 REAL pushups as opposed to the 6 or 7 I could do 3 weeks ago).  I try my best not to stop and just do something else challenging during those exercises, and I know someday soon I will be able to do them.  I get through the workout and I'm a sweaty mess, gasping to catch my breath and I'm ready for the cool down... at some point in the cool down I feel something in my ass pull and not a good pull... OH SHIT, I DONE BROKE MY ASS!!!!  I mean to tell you, it hurt SO bad last night.  I did some more stretching throughout the evening trying to work it out and this morning it seems to be fine... I guess I will see during Yoga.

Today is Day 23. Almost a third of the way there and while things have not been exactly easy, not for one second have I regretted starting P90X.  It has challenged me in every way and I am looking forward to Phase 2 when my body will be more adapted to the program and I can start seeing more results.  They say that women tend to start seeing results around day 45-60... we just don't develop as quickly as men.  However, I am already seeing some changes so it is exciting to think about what things might be like 30 days down the road.  For now, it's one day at a time... I just keep pushing play, and doing my best.  For the first time in a long time, I'm pretty darn proud of myself.  Of course, Yoga tends to dash that pride when I'm fumbling and stumbling all over the place... but at least I'm putting forth the effort right? Right...

If you want to do it, all you have to do is do it...

It really is just that simple.  I will have my regular update later, but a friend of mine posted a link to this and I wanted to put it here... if for nothing else, to inspire me on the days I don't feel like "pushing play" and doing my workout.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SbXgQqbOoU

The week time stood still....

So I haven't written in a while... no, I haven't quit!!  Sunday, September 12th I had a football party.  We were all having a great time and drinking entirely too much when my mom called to inform me she was taking dad to the emergency room.  He had been having quite a bit of pain and stomach troubles, but it had turned pretty bad.  After a cat scan revealed that he had diverticuli pouches that had burst and perforated his bowels, he was being taken into emergency surgery.  Peritonitis had set in and this was serious... everything sort of stood still in my world at that moment.  I had never been faced with the possibility of losing my dad, and now I was faced with it, head on.  We spent the evening waiting with mom in the ICU waiting room... long story short, he is okay, and while he has a long road ahead of him to recovery, he is here to talk about it.  He is finally being released from the hospital today and we, as a family, are elated to get him home.

So, where did that leave me in terms of P90X?  Well, I skipped my Monday workout... I just didn't have the energy, nor did I even care.  I was coming down with a cold and wasn't allowed to see dad and I was just pissed at the world.  Tuesday, I started back with Core Syn... it was tough but I did it.  Wednesday I did Plyometrics, it kicked my butt.  Thursday I had shoulders/arms, and I rocked it... it's one of my favorites because I can do the entire workout and not feel like I'm dying.  Friday, things fell apart... was supposed to do Yoga but didn't really feel like it so I did legs/back, but ate and drank too much Friday night.  Saturday, I got about 40 minutes into Yoga and gave up... I was hungover, dizzy and just wanted to sleep.  Sunday, KenpoX, again, I got about 30 minutes in and stopped.  So while I wasn't a complete slacker, I really feel like the last 2 days were pretty useless.  I didn't care about what I was eating really... i didn't eat too much, I just ate all the wrong things.

Mentally I beat myself up a little bit this morning, but now, I'm okay with it.  I stuck with it the best I could considering everything I was dealing with... I'm back on track this morning and will make this week count, and then some.  I might be slightly behind in my progress, and that's okay... I've made it 3 weeks in, I'm 25% done... and that is an accomplishment I'm proud of.

Day 12... DONE!

Last night was Yoga-X, such a long workout... and for the extremely non-flexible, a very challenging, at times... depressing workout.  I made it all the way through, and set up mini goals throughout, it's a workout that challenges me to my very core... mentally and physically.  I sweat like a cow in that workout (do cows sweat?  Or is it pigs?).  There are times when my mind is telling me to quit, but that is when you have to dig deep and find the motivation to continue.

And 12 hours later I'm doing Legs and Back.  I decided to break up the legs/back routine from the ab ripper x so that I might get more out of ARX... my legs are SO spent after l/b that it makes ARX nearly impossible to finish.  So I will do ARX this evening and THEN day 12 will be officially in the books.  Tomorrow in KenpoX, then rest day on Sunday.  I'm thinking about adding Core Syn tomorrow as well because I REALLY miss that workout.  That is the workout I do miss from my brief experience with the LEAN program.  Plus, Sunday is football party day and I could probably use all the pre-calorie burning I can get!!  I'm going to enjoy my Sunday the best I can and not worry too much about what I'm eating or drinking... but it will be in the back of my head.  Monday will be the beginning of week 3, and the last week in phase 1 before recovery week, so I really need to be able to BRING IT on Monday, so I'm going to try not to overindulge.

Now it's time to munch on some string cheese and a double protein shake (chocolate cheesecake, yum :))

Day 11 and I think I'm getting the hang of this thing...

So Tuesday came, and it was time for Plyometrics... I kept a bucket nearby, and the pure fear I had of this workout had me nauseated before I even started.  I had already watched it, and I knew it looked easier than it was going to be, but I threw caution to the wind and pushed play.

The warm up is enough to make you keel over... but I fought through it.  The whole time thinking "I wonder if that turkey sandwich I ate 2 hours ago is going to make a reappearance??".  I added 2 extra 30 second breaks, both times I was feeling a little lightheaded, so I walked around and then went back to it.  Hot foot was tough for me... so I did as much as I could and then jumped rope through the rest.  Other than that, I finished... and the "bucket" was put back up, unused... THANK GOD.  It took about an hour for my heartrate to really come down and the following day, I was a sore puppy... but I ripped through shoulders and arms last night!!

Tonight is Yoga... ugh.  It's not that I hate the workout... it's a sweat like I've never known, but it's NINETY minutes long.  It eats up so much of my evening.  Going to try to do legs and back in the morning, and save ab ripper for the evening.  Doing them back to back is a killer, so I'm going to see if breaking them up helps.  I'm getting closer and closer to being 2 weeks in, and halfway through the first phase!!  I am feeling stronger already and noticing small changes in my body.  I wish I could fast forward to the 90 day mark and see what this program is going to really do for me... patience, I know... I need more of it!!!!

Week 1 results, and a weekend of pure gluttony...

So, first things first... I finished up my first week on Sunday.  Friday was Legs and Back, plus Ab Ripper X.  I loved legs and back, the wall squats and 1 legged wall squats were a killer, but WOW it felt great!  I DON'T like ARX after legs however... your legs are spent by the end of the workout, which makes doing many of the ARX moves very difficult.  I guess it's part of the plan, but it sucks... pure sucks.

Saturday was Kenpo-X and I half assed it.  I didn't even finish it.  Some personal issues at home kept me from being able to put my whole heart into it.  Sunday was Stretch and I did SO enjoy that.

Results from week 1... 6.5" inches GONE forever!  Including 1.5" from my waist and 1" from my hips.  Needless to say I was very pleased.  I had chest and back yesterday, which was my first attempt at this workout and I really liked it, but I'm still unable to be effective with the pull up bar (in other words, I can't do a damn pullup, but I try).  Tonight will be my first shot at Plyometrics... I'm excited and nervous at the same time.

My "nutrition" suffered over the weekend... I could have done worse, but it wasn't great.  I drank WAY too much.  I had a jr cheeseburger for dinner one night... I had BBQ Sunday... although I didn't eat very much.  Just really didn't care very much this weekend about what I ate, which isn't good.  So this week I will be playing catch up... I haven't been sleeping well either, which doesn't help.  I really can feel it the next day and my energy level just isn't there.

All in all, I'm only on day 9... the first week took a lot out of me and my body is still adjusting, and obviously rebelling just a little, and I'm ok with that... this is a major lifestyle change and commitment so I have to ease into it.  This week will be easier, and next week even easier.  I will be into double digits tomorrow!!  I am 10% done so far... and I am 6% to my goal for the 90 days as far as measurements... so while these are all baby steps, they are all steps forward and that's all that counts.  I push play every day, even on days when I don't want to, I push play.  I bring everything I have to the workouts, and in the end it will all pay off.  This program is a test of your endurance, strength, willpower and mind... it has been a very challenging 9 days mentally and physically but it has made me look at things in a different way.  I don't have to be as good as anyone in the videos, I have to be as good as I can be on that day, and try to be better the next day... I may not be exactly where I want to be 81 days from now, but I will be much further along than I am right now, or than I was 9 days ago.  For the first time I am starting to ease up on myself just a little... it's time to be the best I can be, and that's good enough for me.

I thought Yoga was supposed to be relaxing???

Well apparently not YOGA X!!  I was sweating like a whore in church... I got through an hour of it, it completely defeated me... temporarily!  I'm going to give it another shot on Sunday instead of StretchX.  I surprised myself on many of the moves, I apparently have better balance than I thought!!!

Today's injury report... sore elbow and tight neck, otherwise feeling groovy.

Got my pull up bar installed last night!  Managed to do... okay, we won't discuss that.

It's FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Just finished up a western egg white sammich from Subway (which rocked my socks off!!!!) and ready to make this day my bitch!  Legs, back and ab ripper tonight!!

Looking for 2 tickets to the gun show....

Well last night was Shoulders and Arms, followed by Ab Ripper X... if that name sounds scary, well, it's nothing compared to the actual workout. 16 minutes of pure hell. LOVED the shoulder and arms workout however... I couldn't lift my arms for most of the night, but feeling great today. I'm convinced that the recovery drink makes all the difference in the world. I drink a little during my workout and I find that I have more strength and endurance.

Ab Ripper X can kiss my booty. That was a tough workout... I pushed through it, but there are some moves that are going to take me a while. The key is to keep going and pushing yourself, so they say... so I will :)

And I haven't puked yet... YET.

I'm a little stressed because I haven't made it to the grocery store yet... so I'm out of some of my favorite staples. I downed 2 protein shakes this morning and I've got my eye on a sweet little pear ;) Spicy black bean patty for lunch, pork tenderloin and asparagus for dinner... but I'm severely lacking on my snacks. I have found that eating regularly is VERY important on this program. You start to act like a crazy person when you get hungry and find yourself looking at the clock saying "holy crap, I haven't eaten in almost 2 and a half HOURS!!!!", but the body needs the fuel, so I'm steady fueling. Another thing that has helped me is a good multi, and I take a liquid B complex that has several B's, but 1000mcg of B12.

Phil is installing a pull up bar for me tonight!!!! Yes, I just got excited about a pull up bar! He is hooking me up with an entire little workout station... Wanna guess who else wants to do P90X now? LOL...

86 more days!!!!!

Anyone get the tag number of that truck???

WOW, was I SORE this morning!! Hell, I was sore last night... come to think of it, I'm sore all the time! But I love it! I sound like an old woman half the time with my moans and groans, either that or a porn star... okay, I'm going with porn star. Got through CardioX, ALL the way through it with only a few speedbumps. Tonight is shoulders and arms, along with the ab ripper x. BRING IT! I'm feeling great today and really looking forward to working it out tonight!!! Now, I'm already dreading Yoga tomorrow but I'm not a yoga girl... I WILL BE a yoga girl soon enough, but for right now, I don't dig the downward dog. I'm far too high strung to be "calm", but I'm willing to give it my all!!!! Hey, a little extra flexibility never hurt anyone ;)

Oh, I ate a cookie last night. Bite me. Hey, it doesn't happen overnight ya know ;)

Only 87 more days to go!!!!

Day 1 is in the books!!

So Monday came, and I had to come into the office early so no morning workout... after work of course I didn't feel much like working out, but pushed through it, put in the DVD and knocked out Core Synergistics. WOW. There were a few moves I couldn't do because my wrist was hurting, but I substituted something else in it's place. I was weak in areas, and surprisingly strong in others. But above all else, I FINISHED THE WORKOUT! I started feeling sore almost immediately, LOL! Drank my recovery drink and felt completely energized the rest of the evening. WOOHOOO!!!

The nutrition plan is taking some getting used to. They want me to eat a little over 2K calories a day!!! I've been lucky to hit 1400, and I feel like I am eating A LOT! So I guess as I progress, I will find it easier.

Tonight is Cardio X, which is apparently the easiest in the series, which I'm not thrilled about but I will take it. I started with the lean program primarily because I don't have a pull up bar or the right bands for the modifications... so I may pick it up this weekend and start next week on the Classic... can't hurt right? We'll see... for now, the important thing is pressing play every day :)

It's HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!!!!!!

I almost mowed everyone including the UPS guy down as I saw him walking up to the office... "excuse me, pardon me... outta my way suckas!!!"

It has arrived... the eagle has landed!!! I immediately tore open the box thinking "hmmmm... this box is awfully small considering it's contents are going to change my life"... I swear, when I opened it, golden rays of light shot out of the box and I heard angels singing in harmony. It is time!!!

I don't know if I can wait til Monday to start!!!!!!

Holy leg cramps Batman!!!!

So in my anger at QVC yesterday, I neglected to mention that I couldn't have started P90X yesterday anyway. Wednesday night, at about 4am, I woke up with one of those HORRIBLE calf cramps. I mean the "O M G this is the big one" cramps. Trying not to wake any of the bed mates I tried to work it out myself, but it wasn't going away so I hopped on the floor (my bed is almost as high as I am so it's not as easy as I make it sound). Finally it started easing so I stepped on the stool to get back in bed and BAM! The other leg started!!!! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? At this point I am sobbing uncontrollably and it wakes Phil (and Romeo)... now he wakes up to me laying in the fetal position sobbing, unable to get words out. In the distance I hear him asking me what is going on, but I am unable to get anything out but WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! I finally manage to scream out "leg cramp" and he's on it. He grabs my leg and rubs my calf a bit, and then tries to start moving my foot. At this point I am ready to kick him in the face (you know when the leg cramp comes moving your foot is probably close to the pain of childbirth I would imagine). Meanwhile I'm sobbing, he's barking at me to do something with my foot... so what do I do? Jump off the *&^%&(* bed again! I finally get it to start easing but both calves are now POUNDING... and here I sit, leaning over the bed, fearful to get back in it (you KNOW as soon as I step on that stool it's starting again). So now my sobs are "whaaaa I can't get back in the bed!!!!", at which point I am pretty sure Phil wanted to shake me and tell me to snap out of it. I finally get into bed and calm down but it took an hour for my calves to stop spasming. Yesterday, I could barely walk! This morning I'm still feeling the pinching... so, there couldn't have been P90X for me yesterday, nor today...

However, it's ON THE TRUCK FOR DELIVERY!!!! WOOHOOOO!!!!

QVC can bite me...

So I placed my order on Tuesday, at 9am (consequently my debit card was charged at 9:12am), and paid extra for overnight shipping. I received an email that I would receive my product on 8/25 (YAAAAYYYY!), as of this morning, nothing has shipped. So when I called (in my most pleasant, sweet voice) and asked where the *&^% my P90X was, I was told that they sent out a letter on the 24th letting me know it was on backorder.



So, a customer orders something, and pays for overnight shipping... wouldn't you ASSUME they need it quickly? Hence the uh, request for overnight freaking shipping? Yet you send a LETTER, through the POST OFFICE, to inform them of the backorder??? Fa'real?

But anyway... apparently it is IN stock now (convenient) and shipping today (hopefully) and I MIGHT receive it tomorrow, at which time I can call and get the credit for the shipping.

FTLOG, I just want my *&^% P90X dammit!!!!!!!

Okay, so after months of busting my ass in the gym, sometimes several times a day, 7 days a week... I decided I needed a change of pace. Having seen (and subsequently ignored) the obnoxious P90X infomercials countless times at 3am, apparently I had JUST enough alcohol in my system one night... and I ordered it.

WTF?

Okay, you've seen the commercials... and you've seen me. Again I ask, WTF? Am I SERIOUSLY considering doing this? I've heard the stories about Plyometrics making you puke, I'm SEEN the people doing 1 handed pushups (disregarding completely that I'm one year off a broken arm... sweet). Yeah... I ordered it. No pain no gain right? I'm actually pretty excited about what the next 90 days may bring. Sure, there will be vomit, lots of sweat, mornings I can't get out of bed much less brush my teeth, but it will all pay off right? (Come on, this is where I need you telling me "YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!"... fine, what good are ya???)

I've spent a lot of time doing my research... it turns out that it's not just muscle heads that do P90X and I have yet to find one recorded "death by P90X" story out there (this would NOT be a good time to point one out to me if you find one however). I need a change of pace, I love my gym but I really can't afford a trainer, and apparently I'm doing something horribly wrong, since each day another pocket of blob seems to appear on my body. 4.5 months til the big 4-0... I'm hoping to make it be not SUCH a BIG 4-0. I don't know that I will ever find my "skinny" again, but I'd like to LOOK as fit as I FEEL. I don't LOOK like someone that spends hours and hours in the gym each week, I'd like to look like that, and I have a little bit of confidence that this program will help me on that journey.

Yeah... I have to eat like a bird for the next 90 days, so what... I feel like I do that anyway. I will have to significantly reduce my alcohol content (blech, I hate that part!!!). But it's 90 DAYS!!! That's nuthin.

So, my journey starts Friday (thanks to a missed delivery, sigh). So by Saturday I should be posting my last post here, I'm just assuming that the simple act of moving my fingers on the keys will be painful... but I will update when I can ;) I'm assuming that I will EVER send this out to anyone, but maybe I will... maybe it will be a blog to just keep me accountable. I even ordered recovery drinks, which I'm guessing will taste just SWELL. Heading out this weekend to buy a pull up bar... I hope I can get through the purchase without laughing my ass off. This could get humorous. I have trouble lifting my boobs in the shower, and I expect I'm going to lift my bodyweight... on purpose???

Now, for the "before" pictures....

ROFLMAO!!!! Did you really think they were coming? HAHAHAHAHAHA!! That's freaking HILARIOUS! No WAY!! I MIGHT, just MIGHT post them when I can look back and say "look at my fat ass then and look at how good I look now!!!", but for now, let's just leave pictures out of this...