P90X - Week 12 - Friday

I did my final Ab Ripper X and Legs & Back workouts today. I can't believe the hard part is over. Well, I am not a fan of Recovery Week and I still have to get through that and another Fit Test. But for the most part, it's over. Now I get to be Math Geek and play with numbers to see what I've done. I already calculated how many ARX reps I've done - 10470. And I am pleased to say I did break through my goal of 100 pull ups - I did 108 today.

I still need to figure out what I'm going to do about my horrible eating. I know all the strategies for not making bad choices. I have goals and can picture what I want my body to look like. And I still fail. I really do want to continue with Weight Watchers. Like I've said before - the eating plan itself is not the problem. The whole "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels" saying is bunk. Nothing tastes as good as Death By Chocolate ice cream on a double chocolate brownie. Or a spicy chicken pizza with double mozzarella. So that strategy just won't work for me. I don't buy into it at all. So I need to figure out what I do buy into.

P90X - Week 12 - Wednesday

Ab Ripper X and Back & Biceps today. I totally rocked my workout. I was up in weights or reps, and even pulled a few unassisted towel pull ups out of my ass.

Food is not going well. I just can't stop eating crap. I don't know why I can't eat the way I work out. It's pissing me off, to be honest.

P90X - Week 12 - Monday

It's the return of Ab Ripper X. It was nice not to have to do it last week (since I did it during the previous Recovery Week). I also did Chest, Shoulders & Triceps. I'll be honest - I did not work as hard as I could have. I was absolutely uninterested in doing P90X today. The only reason I pushed through is because it's the last week of weights. So the light at the end of the tunnel is what keeps me going.

I'm also ravenous today! Seriously, I ate twice before I even worked out. It's going to be a crappy week, food-wise. I've already got it in my head that Thanksgiving (and the lack of extra, proper cardio this week) is messing me up. So, I'll have fewer activity points, different food options (more about my menu in a minute), and a lack of motivation. In my head, that's all permission to just screw it, but in reality, it should be all the more reason for me to buckle down and eat well. This is the battle I'll be facing the next 5 weeks. This week, I'm not even going to bother with keeping track of points. I'm going to try to be good, but I'm not sure I even want to be.

My menu! We're just staying home for Thanksgiving, and my husband actually won't even be here. He's going hunting, and won't get home until way after dark. We discussed it and decided we did not want a traditional Thanksgiving feast. After lots of back and forth and many menu changes, I've decided to make it a Hell's Kitchen Thanksgiving. We're huge fans of Gordon Ramsay and his shows, so I picked some items off the menu from the Hell's Kitchen competition. So far, I have risotto, wellington (venison, not beef), and chocolate souffle. The only thing on that list I have ever made is risotto, and I don't even make true risotto - I make an easy version. But anyway, I'm going to give that all a shot. I'd like to have one more dish, but I'm not sure what. It's hard finding the menus from the show.

Banana Nut Cheerios w/ skim milk, banana

apple & cottage cheese

omelet w/ onions, green pepper, cheese & salsa, light English muffin w/ jelly

salad w/ sliced turkey, green peppers & light ranch dressing

whole grain spaghetti w/ venison meatballs & onion gravy, homemade garlic bread, half a cookie (I won't say how big the cookie was)

garden vegetable medley; Okay, the cookie was a bad idea. All I wanted after I ate it was more junk.

Two cups of coffee and 80 ounces of water.

P90X - Week 10 - Wednesday

It's my last crazy workout day. This morning, I did Kenpo, Jillian's Cardio Kickbox & Turbo Jam 20 Minute Workout (613 calories burned). Just after noon, I did Ab Ripper and Chest, Shoulders & Triceps. I had to get it all done today because I'm not allowed to drink water in the morning. This morning's craziness earned me 8 Activity Points.

A huge challenge today was the need to be on a clear liquid diet after lunch. I ate my last meal around 2 PM. As the hours went on, I go crankier and crankier. I'm so used to eating frequently that even just an hour or two past my "scheduled" time really bothers me. I am going to have to take a sleeping pill and go to bed early so I don't a) realize I'm hungry and b) toss and turn all night trying to sleep but not sleeping because I'm too anxious about the surgery. I am scared to death of the anesthesia. I've been under before with no real problems, but for some reason it's really bothering me this time around.

apple & cottage cheese [4 pts]

turkey sandwich, carrot sticks, black bean & corn salad w/ avocado lime vinaigrette [7 pts]

crustless pumpkin pie [3 pts]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, multigrain English muffin w/ light cream cheese & jelly [5 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

20 points today, with 0 weekly and 17 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 10 - Tuesday

I suck. I suck so hard I make my Dyson look weak. After I blogged last night, I ate so much crap - candy corn, chocolate chips, pretzels, pumpkin pie. I might be overestimating, but I'm going to take away all my weekly points. I am completely disgusted with my inability to control these impulses for more than a week. I don't know if it's the stress of Thursday's surgery or what. It may be, but that doesn't excuse my other binges. Hell, it doesn't even excuse this one. I felt like total crap (physically) as I was eating the junk!! Why the hell do I do this to myself???? GAHHHHHHH!!!

Ab Ripper & a 4 mile walk this morning (266 calories burned, earned 2 Activity Points). I did Legs & Back (2 Activity Points) later in the morning. My pull ups are increasing each week, which is good, but for some reason I can't match Week 7's unassisted chin up count. Must have been a fluke. Still, I'm up quite a bit overall. I wish I would have done some chin ups in the fit test, which calls for wide grip pull ups. It would have been interesting to see some real progress, because I think my final fit test pull up count is going to be the same as my initial. I just can't do wide grip pull ups. I can do 1 close grip pull up at a time, and I can do chin ups. But no wide grip. For one thing, my arms are way too short to reach even the closest "wide" grip on my bar (comfortably anyway). And I still don't (and probably will never) have the upper body strength to haul 130 pounds straight up.

cereal w/ skim milk [4 pts]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper, avocado & salsa, multigrain English muffin w/ jelly [7 pts]

sliced turkey w/ mustard, carrot sticks, sliced green peppers, pickle [3 pts]

banana [1 pt]

turkey sandwich [4 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

20 points today. 0 weekly and 9 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 9 - Sunday

Technically, it's the end of week 9 but I'm starting Week 10's workouts today. Well, yesterday's cardio was to get a jump on next week's cardio. Oh, never mind.

This morning, I did ARX, Cardio Kickbox (153 calories) & Turbo 20 Minute Workout (139 calories). This evening, Back & Biceps. No regression on this one. I made improvements in several places. It was a good workout - I felt really good, and strong. Energized, even. I gave myself 5 Activity Points for all of it.

Banana Nut Cheerios w/ skim milk [3 pts]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, turkey bacon, multigrain English muffin w/ reduced sugar jam [8 pts]

banana [1 pt]

carrot sticks & green pepper slices [0 pts]

baked tilapia & sweet potato [7 pts]

pumpkin pie [5 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [6 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

31 points today. 0 weekly and 0 activity points remaining. I busted my ass this week and I wasn't letting a single AP go to waste.

P90X - Week 9 - Friday

Crazy exercise day. Things start doubling up and shifting around as I try to get everything out of the way before my tubal on Thursday. I know I should probably just suck it up and take an extra week but I am SO OVER this program. Don't get me wrong - I love it, I think it's fantastic, and I see myself doing it again some day, but right now, I just need to get away from Tony Horton. I just want it to be over.

This morning was Ab Ripper X and Legs & Back (2 Activity Points). I didn't get as many unassisted chin ups as I did the last time I did this workout (2 weeks ago). I don't know if it's my mental state or I'm just tired. This whole week, I haven't been satisfied with my performance. I'm improving in some areas and not in others - sometimes even going backwards. I'm sure it's just mental. I know I haven't been nearly as excited about Phase 3 as I was about the first two. Plus, decided to try to squeeze in all the extra stuff is stressing me out. Too late now. I just need to get through the next 6 days.

It's marathon weekend here on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I knew there was an annual marathon but I did not realize there was also a half-marathon, an 8K, and a 5K. So, in honor of this weekend, today's Doubles cardio was a 5K walk (50 minutes 224 calories, 2 Activity Points). I did this immediately after Legs & Back. Don't ask me what I was thinking. I wasn't. But it gets worse.

After my 5K, I grabbed some food and sat down for 45 minutes to watch Friday Night Lights. It's a little light on the Riggins so far this season, which is disappointing. Man, Taylor Kitsch is one fine hunk of meat. What is it with guys named Taylor and total hot? Taylor Lautner's body is even better than Taylor Kitsch's, but since TL is only 17 (18 in 4 months), I can't really comment further. But I digress. After my quick break, I got a head start and did tomorrow's Kenpo X workout (323 calories and 3 Activity Points). I will admit, it was rough because my legs were tired. I have never been so happy to do blocks in all my life. Needless to say, I am exhausted!!! But, I'm hoping my legs will be well enough to do Plyo tomorrow. I know I should rest them more, but this crazy situation I've put myself in really is a one-time thing. I can handle all the regular workouts being scrunched together. It's this Doubles stuff that has me stressed, trying to fit in FOUR extra cardio workouts a week (instead of the three from the last phase). Those three and a half days of rest I'll be getting after my surgery next week are going to be bliss!

Banana Nut Cheerios w/ skim milk [3 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

chicken breast, green pepper slices & avocado hummus [4 pts]

venison sausage patty w/ cheese on multigrain English muffin [6 pts]

green pepper slices [0 pts]

venison tenderloin, corn & black bean salad w/ avocado lime vinaigrette dressing [8 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

25 points today. 0 weekly and 19 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 9 - Wednesday

Ab Ripper & Turbo this morning (353 calories - 3 Activity Points). I got through the Fifer Scissors without a break!! I really dislike ARX. Really. I did Shoulders & Arms in the afternoon (2 Activity Points). I wanted to skip the workout so badly. My head was killing me and my gut felt like someone ran into me with a battering ram (side effect from ibuprofen is the only thing I can think of, even though I've never had a problem with the stuff before). I half-assed the warm up and took lots of breaks (usually after every 3 sets). It sucked. My performance was good, until the end - that last set of Congdon curls (or maybe it was the crouching Cohens) didn't go as far as I would have liked. Oh well. I am, for damn sure, doing Legs & Back first on Friday (well, after ARX) and saving the cardio for later in the day.

Total cereal w/ skim milk, banana [3 pts]

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa. light English muffin w/ light cream cheese & jelly [5 pts]

grilled chicken breast, baked sweet potato fries, green pepper slices, avocado hummus [5 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [4 pts]

ground venison & cauliflower casserole [5 pts]

yogurt [3 pts]

protein granola bar [4 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

30 points today. 18 weekly and 13 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 9 - Monday

When I woke up this morning, I couldn't decide whether I wanted to do Cardio X or Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3. On one hand, Cardio X is part of the program. On the other, I burn more calories and have more fun with Turbo. I went with Turbo, but I didn't get nearly the burn I usually do (only 366 calories - I gave myself 3 Activity Points). I think it's because it was 5 AM and I was afraid of waking the guys up. Next time, I won't care. I did Ab Ripper before Turbo. Then, as I'm supposed to, I did Chest & Back (2 Activity Points) way later in the day. I did it after I picked Sebastian up from school. For some reason, I really struggled with the pull ups today. My push ups were great though - lots of improvement there!

I've decided that I am going to celebrate the completion of this round of P90X by going to see New Moon. I haven't been to a movie by myself in a while, though I keep meaning to go. I definitely think becoming a P90X grad deserves a little reward. And I sure as hell need the motivation to get through the next 5 weeks. So, as soon as I finish my fit test on December 6, I am off to the theater.

The next two to three weeks are going to be a little hectic. This week will be normal until Sunday. I need to start next week's workouts on that day, then move a few things around in order to get everything in by that Thursday morning. I'm having a tubal ligation (cut & burned!) on November 12, and I did not want to get behind. I should be able to get everything in, and that will leave me the afternoon of surgery, and Friday through Sunday to recuperate. And since I did 3 Ab Ripper workouts last week when they weren't scheduled, I'll have the entire week after the tubal free of any ab work. I am pretty sure I can handle the weights & cardio, but I wanted to give my abs more time to heal.

I've mentioned a few times that I bought myself a small bag of dark chocolate M&Ms, but wouldn't eat them unless I had a plan. They are still in my freezer. And I have a plan. I bought the bag on November 12, 2008. My surgery is exactly one year later. Since I can't eat anything after midnight, and only a very light dinner - they actually prefer a clear liquid diet after noon on the 11th (surgery is at 9:30 AM, and I do have a workout that morning before I head to the hospital), I am going to eat the whole bag on the way home from the hospital. It's not much of a plan, but I'm just going with it.

Yikes! Sorry for the novel.

banana [1 pt]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, light English muffin w/ light cream cheese & jelly [5 pts]

grilled chicken breast, green pepper slices w/ avocado hummus [4 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

roased Bambi, mixed vegetables & jasmine rice [6 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

20 points today. 35 weekly and 5 activity points remaining. After this weekend fiasco, I'm afraid to dip in to any of my extras. Fortunately, I wasn't all that hungry today.

P90X - Week 8 - Saturday

ARX & Yoga this morning (2 Activity Points) and Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3 (429 calories and 4 Activity Points). I did ARX first, then the first half of yoga, then TJ, then the second half of yoga. I was still hot and sweaty from TJ by the time I finished the yoga. And I had a hell of a time with yoga belly today because I did Ab Ripper. It was harder to stay in the pose, but I did it, damn it. I fell out and went right back into it. I completely rocked yoga today, though. All the poses I'd been having trouble with (like the twisting half moon crap), I was able to do. And crane. I did it. Not for the whole time, but long enough (several times). My hamstring stretches kicked total but - I wish I had a yoga block because I was practically kissing my knees. I knew if I kept working at these poses, I'd get them down. Yay for perseverance! Great workout today. I may not Turbo tomorrow like I'd planned. We'll see.

Total cereal w/ skim milk, banana [3 pts]

Halloween cookies [10 pts]

hot dog mummies & Halloween soup [12 pts]; I used turkey dogs. They are wrapped in refrigerated bread dough and baked. Very cute. The soup is just tomato soup (homemade, thanks) with a spooky cheese cut out on top. I did ghosts. Add some fruit punch with ginger ale (all diet) in a skull goblet and you have a party!

cauldron of chili & spider bread rolls [6 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

Actually, I'm going to go get my annual drunk on. Assume I ate everything in sight, and that tomorrow will be an X Stretch only day, eating nothing but my 20 measly daily points.

P90X - Week 8 - Thursday

I got up early and did ARX, then X Stretch. This is the last time I am going to use the dvd. Tony talks too damn much. I could get done much faster if I wrote all the stretches down and just did them on my own. After I took Sebastian to school, I did Turbo Jam Cardio Party 3 (386 calories, earning 4 Activity Points).

Total cereal w/ skim milk, banana [3 pts]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, light English muffin w/ light cream cheese & jelly [5 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

toaster strudel [5 pts]

green pepper slices [0 pts]

tilapia w/ black beans, corn, avocado & lime vinaigrette dressing [9 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

26 points today (damn toaster strudel!!). 27 weekly and 16 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 8 - Tuesday

I did ARX this morning. For some reason, it is actually getting harder to do the oblique v-ups. I hate doing abs. The bone at the bottom of my spine hurts during some of the moves - I use a yoga mat and a folded up kindergarten nap mat. I don't know what else to do other than try a couch cushion, but I worry that it will not work the abs as well.

Core Synergistics is always interesting. I really, really enjoy the push ups. I didn't do a single push up on my knees today. I was very pleased with that. I also managed to complete the plank-to-chaturanga ISO (but not the run). Oh, for prison cell push ups, I didn't do the part where they jump up. I just pulled my knees in and kept doing reps. I actually forgot about the jump part but wanted to stay consistent. I'll make sure to hit it Friday. Also on Friday, I'll be increasing my weights for all the weighted work. I really should wear my heart rate monitor during this workout. I am drenched and my heart is racing throughout. I can't decide if I earned 2 or 3 Activity Points for this one. I'm leaning toward 2, but every point is going to count this week since a) I have fewer daily points, b) there's not as much exercise on the schedule and c) Friday & Saturday are going to be chock full of Halloween goodness. I have a very scary menu planned for me and the kid.

I wanted to do Turbo Jam again today but I was too lazy. I'm kind of disappointed in myself. It's such a fun workout, but exhausting. Still, I feel like I'm slacking off. Just because it's Recovery Week doesn't mean I shouldn't work hard. So, I loaded up a back pack with fruit cups and boxed milk and ramen noodles and walked to the library to drop that off at the food bank collection they have going. I have a trunk half-full of stuff to donate but I can never get to the actual food bank when it's open. I could at least carry the lighter stuff in my bag. I'll make another trip tomorrow with the boxes of pasta. The canned goods are just going to have to wait until Friday when I can be lazy and drive to the regular location, since Sebastian doesn't have school.

Speaking of Sebastian, I am so proud of MYSELF for being a good fitness influence on him. He's always coming to me with new exercises he's invented, and most days, he jumps in when I'm doing a P90X workout. He loves yoga & stretch, and sneaky lunges. Since Sam & I started doing Weight Watchers, Sebastian is also more mindful of what he eats. He reaches for fruit and pretzels (and doesn't ask for junk all that much - and when he does, a quick "no" does the job). He has a treat every other day or so. With Halloween coming, I'm trying to hold back a bit. We're going to be making some chocolate gremlins & meringue ghosts on Friday. He's been asking to make them now, but I know if we did that, we'd both eat the whole batch before the weekend, then we'd have to make more. You can find the recipes for those in Pillsbury's Halloween ebook. We're making those on Friday afternoon, then on Saturday, we are eating hot dog mummies & Halloween soup for lunch, and a cauldron of chili with spider breads for dinner. I'm very excited. I love Halloween, and I think I'm going to really start playing it up. It's too bad no one around here goes trick-or-treating the way we did as kids. In the decade that I've lived in this house, I've had fewer than 10 trick-or-treaters. Bummer.

Total cereal w/ skim milk [2 pts]

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, light cream cheese & salsa, light English muffin w/ jelly [5 pts]

tuna salad w/ black bean, corn, avocado & light balsamic vinaigrette [5 pts]

raw red pepper slices & steamed broccoli [1 pt]

the crust from my son's grilled ham & cheese sandwich [1 pt]; I don't know if I really ate that much, but I'd feel guilty if I didn't count it as something.

chicken breast & whole wheat pasta w/ red peppers & onions [7 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

22 points today. 33 weekly and 8 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 7 - Friday

Today was Legs & Back. I did Ab Ripper first, because I'm always toast after doing this workout. I totally rocked it. All my chin ups were unassisted. I also managed 2 close grip pull ups, unassisted. Hell yeah! Then after taking the child to school, I did Cardio X (246 calories burned - I earned 2 Activity Points here, and 2 from Legs & Back). I was tired but I made sure I put in some good effort. I really need to wait until afternoon to do my cardio. I could probably do something more hardcore than Cardio X if I did.

Ugh - I just looked at the schedule. Phase 3 Doubles has Cardio X four times a week, instead of 3, with the extra being on Plyo day!!! There is no f'ing way I am doing ANYTHING on Plyo day. I may move it to Sundays and do it before X Stretch.

Total cereal w/ skim milk, banana [3 pts]

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper, broccoli & salsa, light English muffin w/ jelly [5 pts]

chicken salad w/ light sour cream & salsa [5 pts]

grilled hamburger on homemade bread w/ roasted vegetables [12 pts]; Totally not worth it. Extra lean burgers taste like ass.

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

26 points today. 1 weekly and 18 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 7 - Wednesday

I woke up at 4 freaking AM and couldn't get back to sleep. I sure as hell wasn't getting up at that time to exercise, so I snuggled under the blankets until 4:45. Then I got up and did my warm up for Back & Biceps, did ARX, then proceeded with the weights. I improved in most areas. My chin ups went from 1 unassisted and 11 assisted last week to 3 unassisted and 6 assisted today. I'm not sure if that's improvement or not. Oh, and my towel pull ups sucked because toward the end, my chair slipped off the mat (that keeps it from sliding - go figure) and I couldn't get as many as I wanted in. Anyway, I earned 2 Activity Points from Back & Biceps, and 2 more from Cardio X (208 calories burned). I would really rather do a different cardio on my Doubles days. I get a better burn from Turbo Jam.

At the halfway point, I've lost 0 pounds. That's fine, I didn't expect to. I did my measurements and lost 3/4 of an inch around my chest. Everything else, including body fat, either stayed the same or went up. I gained 1 3/4 inches around my waist AND my abdomen, and 1 1/2 inches around my hips. I don't know what to think. My eating has not been so horrible to warrant such a gain. Most days, I eat pretty well, and I know my body well enough to know that the days I didn't eat so great, shouldn't have had this much of a gain in inches. I'm pretty pissed and upset. On the one hand, I know I need to be patient and see where things stand at the end. I know my food choices could be better, but I am freaking starving all the time and I really don't think I'm eating enough - I think that's why I end up grabbing crap on occasion. I don't know what to do. I can't go back to obsessing about calories, so I do plan to stick with the WW points. This is where I desperately try to fight the urge to cut calories. I am absolutely NOT going to eat less. I'm barely functioning as it is.

I know I can't have it all. I can't enjoy treats and really expect to lose weight. But at the same time, I can't cut them out, eat super clean, then binge. I just can't. I have to make a sacrifice somewhere. I just don't know what I want to give up. I don't have a lot to lose - I am in my healthy weight range. My fitness level is pretty darn good. I'm certainly no athlete but I have made some very good progress across the board, and I'm happy about that. But some visual results would be nice. "They" say that most of the progress comes in the second half, especially for women. We'll see. Days like this, though, they make me want to throw away all my hard work.

The only explanation I can think of that is even remotely possible is that, since I'm doing real ab/core work for the first time (ever), I may have built up some muscle underneath all the fat, none of which has burned off. Still, the numbers are pretty high and I wouldn't have built that much muscle. And 45 days into the routine, my muscles shouldn't still be retaining lots of water to make them all puffy like they do when you first start. I don't know. I am very confident in my measurements. Ugh, this is just so frustrating.

I did take pictures, and I'll have them online some time tomorrow. I'll post the link with tomorrow's blog entry. I'm too tired to fight my crappy computer to get them ready.

I will say that I am super proud of myself for going to the store with every intention of buying junk food, then not buying it.

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa; light English muffin w/ jelly [5 pts]

venison tenderloin w/ raw broccoli & cauliflower, baby carrots & green pepper slices [4 pts]

yogurt [2 pts]

baked tilapia on homemade bread w/ romaine lettuce, tomato & pepper jack cheese [8 pts]; Even after eating this, I'm still very hungry. I can't possibly stuff more vegetables down my throat. I'm still gagging over lunch's veggies. I'm already over my daily points, and I estimate that I may have hit 1300 calories - and that's being generous. No way in hell is that enough. No way.

almonds & mandarin oranges [5 pts]; I felt a little better after eating these.

strawberry mini wheats & mozzarella string cheese [5 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

33 points today. 17 weekly and 12 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 7 - Monday

I am so, so freaking mad at myself! After I blogged, I ate tons of crap: cookies, a hot dog, Toaster Strudel, and a bowl of cereal. I wasn't hungry. Damn it. I didn't even try to avoid it. GRRRR!!!

Today's joyful workout was Chest, Shoulders & Triceps (earning 2 Activity Points). I had a rough time with push up for some reason. I still did most of them on my toes but my arms were so shaky. Even when I did ARX after, my arms were still quivering. I think I either stayed the same or improved on last week's numbers. I also did Cardio X this morning (232 calories, earning 2 Activity Points). I was really motivated to do well, because I remembered that next week is Recovery Week - no doubles!!

I did reach an important point in my food weirdness today. I accidentally bought bread flour instead of whole wheat. At first, I was a little bothered, but then I said, "Screw it! I'm going to make a normal bread and I'm going to eat it." So, I made a plain old loaf of white bread, out of my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. I haven't had any yet (maybe tomorrow) but I've decided that I'm just going to stop freaking stressing about food! A little white bread isn't going to kill me. Overindulging now and then isn't going to do any long-term damage. Last night's incident is all but forgotten. I'm not worried about the little binges (not right now anyway - after they happen, I am upset). I'm generally happy with my food. I do still need to work on some things. I'm pretty good about portions - I have to get a little better control over food choices, and stopping myself when I know I'm making bad choices (like last night). But overall, I am content with how I eat, using points as a guide.

Kashi cereal w/ skim milk [5 pts]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, light English muffin w/ jelly [4 pts]

chicken breast, black beans, avocado & salsa [6 pts]

green pepper slices & baby carrots [1 pt]

chicken & dumplings (completely from scratch) [5 pts]

yogurt [2 pts]

toast w/ jelly [3 pts]; I used a new bread recipe today and had to try it. I forgot the s

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

27 points today. 29 weekly and 4 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 6 - Friday

For some reason, I was absolutely dreading my workout today. I woke up around 4 and dozed on and off until 4:45. At 4:59, I turned my alarm off and intended to try to get back to sleep. At 5:01, I got up because I heard my text alert going off on my cell phone. It was - my sister sent me a message late last night, and it beeped all night. I found out out later that it kept my husband awake until after midnight. Why he didn't check the message to stop the noise or at least bring the phone in is beyond me. Anyway, thanks to my sister and a new call phone that I didn't know would keep beeping if a message didn't get read, I did my workout.

And as always, I'm glad I did. I totally rocked Legs & Back today (earned 2 Activity Points)!! I did my first set of reverse grip chin ups as unassisted as possible. I got 5 unassisted chin ups in, and 1 assisted pull up, before I ran out of time. I've been trying to figure out a better workout because pull ups is something I really want to focus on and improve. Doing them with the chair, even with it as far out as my legs will reach, I don't always feel it in my back and arms. So I was going to go completely without the chair - just do the pull up, lower, re-grip, pull up, and so on. For chin ups, that is feasible, but for overhand grips, not so much. Well, unassisted wide-grip pull ups are probably a pipe dream for me, but I can do close grip pull ups (1 at a time). I posted on the Beachbody.com message boards about this, and it was suggested that I throw some negatives into the mix (get up with the assist and slowly lower down without). So that is the route I am going to take with the overhand grips. I think I can manage unassisted chin ups now, though. I did a total of 14 unassisted pull ups today, compared to 4 in week 1.

And as usual, I did ARX and Cardio X (229 calories, 2 Activity Points).

banana & cottage cheese [4 pts]

Kashi cereal w/ skim milk [5 pts]

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, toast w/ jelly [6 pts]

chicken breast & black beans w/ salsa [4 pts]

Special K snack bar [2 pts]

roasted chicken w/ mixed vegetables, onions & toasted sesame seeds [7 pts]

apple & cottage cheese [4 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

33 points today. 9 weekly and 18 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 6 - Wednesday

This woman is my new hero. I just discovered her blog today. I'm fascinated and insanely jealous. She is on Round #4 of P90X, and is mixing it with Insanity, sometimes doing 3 workouts a day. I have a lot more of her blog to read but holy hell, I am impressed. And sad to know that I could never do what she's doing.

I think I need a new transmitter strap for my heart rate monitor. This is the second day in a row I've had problems keeping a reading. I am positive the strap was clean and moist enough. I did Cardio X and burned 206 calories (earning 2 Activity Points). I really did not want to get up at 5 AM to do it - that first 5 minutes is really rough. Today's workout sucked even more because I think I pulled something in my glute last night. I couldn't do strong kicks with my left leg and bending over is somewhat uncomfortable. After cardio, I spent some time stretching my lower body, but it still aches. I'm glad it's not Legs & Back day! I did ARX after cardio, took my son to school, then came home to do Back & Biceps (2 more APs). I really, really need to force myself to split the workouts up properly. Doing them both in the morning (especially less than 2 hours apart) leaves me completely drained.

I didn't have huge improvements with Back & Biceps. Last week's weights were so challenging that I stuck with them, and still struggled. I am having problems with the corn cob pull ups and towel pull ups. With the corn cobs, you're supposed to move your body from side to side when you're up, but my pull up bar has rounded handles sticking out right where your body would to on those sides, so I can't really do them properly. I'm not sure how to get around that. I can fix the issue I'm having with towel pull ups though - I was using a regular hand towel, and it's just too thick for my little hands to grip. So next week I am going to try one of my microfiber dust rags. I am pretty sure that will be better for me. (Actually, I just tried it with the dust rag and it's perfect! I actually did one unassisted). The one bright spot in today's workout was during the switch grip pull ups - I managed one unassisted chin up and one unassisted pull up!

apple & cottage cheese [5 pts]

scrambled eggs w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, toast w/ reduced-sugar jelly [5 pts]

pudding [1 pt]

chicken breast, baked sweet potato fries [4 pts]

chicken breast, baby carrots & green pepper slices [3 pts]

yogurt [2 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

21 points today. 23 weekly points and 12 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 6 - Monday

Sometimes I wake up in the morning and question my sanity regarding the P90X Doubles program. I almost skipped (or at least put off) Cardio X this morning when the alarm went off at 5 AM. I'd been awake on and off for a good hour, trying to get back into a dream involving John Mayer (not THAT kind of dream!!). I got up and put myself to work. I hate doing jumping jacks as part of a warm up, but I love doing them well into the cardio. It was a good workout (215 calories, so I earned 2 Activity Points here), and I followed up with ARX. I continue to make progress with this one, as well. I can probably do half the exercises without having to pause. I fear I will never be able to do all the Fifer scissors in one shot. Ugh, those things are killer.

My weight workout today was Chest, Shoulders & Triceps. Holy hell, I do like this one a lot. I'm getting to be a pretty good pusher-upper! I am having a problem with the Pour Flys. I can get the fly part down, but when it comes to tipping the hands forward ina pouring motion, my wrists just won't cooperate. I can pour backwards, but not forward. If I use a lighter weight, I can almost get the pour motion, but then my shoulders are not challenged at all. I would much rather lift a weight that challenges my muscles and do an isometric hold at the top, than be able to do the pouring motion. The guy in the video who uses the bands doesn't do the pour move, so I'm figuring I can do the iso move like he does and it will be fine.

I'm doing more and more of them on my toes, and today, I even used the push up part of my Iron Gym. I must get some separate push up bars because the ones on the Iron Gym are fixed, and I can't do wide stance push ups. Push ups on the bars are a lot more challenging than the floor! I didn't use the gym for all the push ups but a few, and I can tell the difference already. My entire upper body is just shot right now, and it feels great! I was sweating my butt off and really, really worked to failure. I'll give myself 2 Activity Points for this, also.

Oh! I got some of those interlocking exercise mats, the ones that are the hardish foamy stuff? LOL My brother had an almost complete set (it's missing two squares) and it's really going to help with plyometrics and kenpo. My landings are softer and I can twist my legs easier. The thing is filthy from being in his truck but whatever.

apple & cottage cheese [4 pts - it was a bigger apple]

omelet w/ onion, green pepper & salsa, multigrain English muffin w/ reduced sugar jelly [4 pts]

banana [1 pt]

green pepper slices & baby carrots [1 pt]

chicken breast w/ black beans, corn & salsa [5 pts]

Special K Protein Plus cereal w/ skim milk [2 pts]

chicken breast w/ romaine lettuce & light ranch dressing [8 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] & 80 ounces of water

26 points today. 29 weekly points, 4 activity points remaining.

P90X - Week 5 - Friday

I got up at 5 AM and did Legs & Back, followed by ARX. I tried to use the chair less for the assisted pull ups. As a result, I did fewer reps than I did the last time I did this work out, but I felt like it worked me better. Crazy me did Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2 (43 minutes and 320 calories) less than 2 hours after finishing my workout and it was rough. I probably could have handled Cardio X that close to the other workout, but TJ was tough as hell with wasted legs.

My son was a riot today. I was cooking dinner and he yelled, "Mommy, I'm doing sneaky lunges!" I walked out to the living room and sure enough, he was sneaky lunging across the room just like Tony Horton and the gang. Then Sebastian wanted to learn more exercises, so I picked out some of the funnier stuff - wacky jacks, Groucho walk, leap frog. Then he wanted to try some yoga. He's pretty good with the vinyasa. He does a fantastic downward dog, too! Child's pose - nails it ;p Then for good measure, he threw in my favorite Turbo Jam move - the Twist. Fun kid. I'm pooped.

Food sucked today, and I'm really disappointed in myself. I bought some candy corn and ate most of the damn bag. I'm completely out of weekly points, and I'm down to 3 activity points (I'll earn 2 more tomorrow) to get me through Sunday. Bummer.

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

chocolate milk & banana [4 pts]; I definitely needed a pick me after my P90X workouts this morning.

eggs & toast w/ light cream cheese [7 pts]

green pepper slices, chicken breast on romaine lettuce wraps [5 pts]

candy corn [12 points]; Yeah. Really.

banana [1 pt]

pita pizza [7 points]; We made pizzas with whole wheat pitas, onions, green peppers, turkey bacon, Canadian bacon & mozzarella cheese. They were delicious.

Two cups of coffee [0 points] and 80 ounces of water.

41 points today. Damn it. I can't even be sure of my math.

P90X - Week 5 - Tuesday

I survived my second Doubles day. I got up at 5 AM to do Cardio X (43 minutes and 234 calories) and ARX. A couple hours later, I did Back & Biceps. I'd normally wait longer than 90 minutes between workouts but I had tons of stuff to do today. This workout is nuts! I used 25 pound weights for lawnmowers and 10-15 pounders for the rest of the exercises. There were some interesting pull ups (corn cob and towel) that were challenging. The strip set curls at the end were a bitch. I only have 2 pairs of dumbbell handles and one needs 4 different sets of weights for the exercise. I had to stop after each set of 8 reps to pull weights off. I am going to get another set of dumbbell handles to make it easier. I know I talk about doing that all the time, but I am really going to do it now. I also think I was a little ambitious with the starting weight for the strip set (17.5 pounds). It was hard!!!!!!!!! I was so glad when I got down to my last set, with 10 pounds. This exercise being at the very end sucks.

Here is the exercise list for Back & Biceps:
wide front pull up
lawnmowers
twenty-ones
one-arm cross-body curl
switch grip pull up
elbows out lawnmowers
standing bicep curl
one-arm concentration curl
corn cob pull up
reverse grip bend over row
open arm curl
static arm curl
towel pull up
Congdon locomotive
crouching Cohen curl
one-arm corkscrew curl
chin up
seated bent over back fly
curl up hammer down
hammer curl
max rep pull up
Superman
in-out hammer curl
strip set curl

apple & cottage cheese [3 pts]

Special K protein cereal w/ skim milk, banana [4 pts]

omelet w/ cheese, onion, green pepper & picante sauce, multigrain English muffin [6 pts]

catfish w/ light sour cream, picante sauce, romaine lettuce & green peppers [6 pts]

roasted chicken & mixed vegetables & EVOO [6 pts]

yogurt [2 pts]

Four cups of coffee [1 pt] and 80 ounces of water.

28 points today. I'm down to 17 weekly points and 6 activity points. I'll earn a few more APs this week, thankfully.