Days 18, 19, & 20

Whoa....I've been such a slacker!  I didn't do Yoga X on Wednesday, skipped Back & Legs X AND Ab Ripper X yesterday, and even today I "ran out of time" to do Kenpo X.  Kenpo (kickboxing type) is my favorite and I even 'enjoy' the ab ripper.  I keep finding excuses why not to work out.  Time, time, time.  There is never enough.
On the bright side, I am maintaining will power for not eat after 7:30pm.  Pretty soon I'll move it up to 7pm, and keep creeping it earlier.  I am also doing really good (for me) at not eating junk food.  There is still a huge bucket of candy in my grad office that calls my name every minute I'm in there.  The other day I went out to eat with a friend.  She ordered a wonderfully moist brownie as dessert, offered me some, I declined, but then the server brought 2 forks!  It was so tempting!!  My will did well that meal.  I had no chocolate deliciousness. 
Tomorrow is a gathering of friends from high school.  I'm very excited for it.  I'll be leaving in the morning and getting there in just enough time to organize, then relax and have spend time with the gals.  Saturdays are normally our day of rest, but I've been resting all week.  I feel bad skipping the workout tomorrow again, but it was planned that I would not exercise tomorrow, so not too bad.  Sunday is a new fitness week, we'll see how it goes Day 22 and beyond.

Day 17

Aside from working out, overall today was a good day.  I was chipper and happy, well, I was kind of annoying and irritating with all my random noises (binga binga).  Lately, I seem to have been getting down with classes starting and things already falling behind.  Woke up on the right side of the bed today.
Today's workout was Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper X.  I only did Ab Ripper X.  I'm a slacker in the workout category lately.  I didn't do the warm-up for the cardio yesterday, now today I skipped an entire hour's worth of biceps, triceps, and whatever other muscles are in one's upper arm.  I figured that since I wasn't working out beforehand, that I would rock Ab Ripper X.  Well, I still had to take 'tiny vacations,' as he calls them.  It's okay, we're only two weeks into it and I've got a lot of flab to work off.  I guess doing anything is better than nothing at all.

Day 16

It was Cardio X day today.  I was beat when I got home from school and my internship later than usual tonight, so I didn't go extreme this evening.  The cardio routine warms up with some yoga moves which include a lot of the downward dog and push-ups.  I don't do well with either of those.  I skipped the first 15 minutes, but went hardcore during the kickboxing stuff and tried to finish strong.  My knee seemed to pop out of place when I was doing jumping jacks.  It scared me a lot.  I had twisted it and hurt it real bad January 3, 2007 doing cardio kickboxing in Eau Claire.  I couldn't run for about a year.  I got physical therapy and worked with it and now I can run and do all that stuff.  However, after tonight, I'll take the jumps a little easier on my knee.  Surprisingly, even though I heard it "pop," it didn't hurt much and I was able to continue with the rest of the workout tonight.  I think it scared me more than it actually reverted to damage.  That's a good thing though, better to be fearful of something than to actually have it happen.  Maybe I'll wear my old knee brace during some of the routines....

Day 15

Day 15 was the first day of week 3.  That means it was back to Core Synergistics for the last time in this sequence.  There is a lot of push-ups and neat variations of them in this workout.  I am NOT good at push-ups, then add the variations and I'm spent.  I tried my best, but could not do all the moves they did on screen.  I tried to keep moving around and I continually checked my heart rate monitor to make sure I was at least moving around enough.  I woke up pretty sore from yesterday, so that may have impacted my workout today.  I'm very sore now, just sitting here.  That must mean I worked out well today too.

Day 14

I came home from Heidi's house in Oakdale this morning, ate lunch, then worked out.  Kenpo X was today.  I really noticed not having worked out for only two days.  I was a little stiff and slow to get going.  However, as this is my favorite workout, I was able to go all the way to the end without faking the moves.  Now it's time to work on school stuff.

Day 12-13

Well, I hit a bump.  I did not work out yesterday or today! Grrr.  Maybe I'll do two workouts tomorrow (which is actually supposed to be the day of rest). 
Yesterday was a long day.  This first week of classes, waking up early, and staying up late really got to me yesterday and I could not get off the couch after watching NBC's The Office last night.  Today, I was going to workout early in the day before I went the Cities for an appt.  Then I decided I would have time to do it after I got home this evening, so I didn't work out before I left.  There is a winter storm watch for northern Minnesota tonight and tomorrow.  I was actually considering cancelling my appointment today because I wasn't sure if I could make it through the storm.  The storm didn't come yet, but after a nice dinner with Heidi and good bonding, I decided I didn't feel like driving 2 1/2 hours in the dark back to Duluth.  Hence, I missed my workout for today too.  Mike informed me this evening, after I had decided to stay the night and hang with my sister, that the storm will hit tomorrow while I'm driving back so to "leave early."  Geesh, I really should have just gone home tonight.  Then I could have worked out and I wouldn't have had to drive through a snow storm. 
Maybe the storm won't be that bad, or maybe the roads will be plowed, salted, and gravelled before I make the trip.  Hmmm, I guess we'll see.  On the other side, either way, I did enjoy my time with Heidi.  We don't see each other as much as we used to.

Day 11

Today is Yoga X.  I haven't done it yet, but am looking forward to it.  Things are going well.  I am going to watch Law & Order: SVU right now, then workout, then shower and go to bed.  Nighty night!

Day 10

Today was Arms & Shoulders and Ab Ripper X. I completed both of them. I use 3-pound weights for the arm exercises, so I don't get as tired as they do on the video (they use between 15-30 lbs each hand). Ab Ripper X was intense for me today. My back hurt. I tried to eat healthy though. It was the first day of classes, maybe I was stressed...

Day 9

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! This was the last day before spring classes started again. That means lots of running errands and getting things ready for school. I finished a couple more loads of laundry. Mike and I went to Best Buy to buy a new desktop computer (with our student loan moola). It's a pretty fancy HP with 20" widescreen HD monitor. I don't know what else I did on Day 9, it feels like there wasn't much to do but I kept busy all day long. I even stayed up super late even though I have to get up super early the next morning.
Now, back to focus on P90X. Today was Cardio X. I worked it hard and brought it all the way. I have also decided to implement a personal rule of not eating after 7:30pm. I have been doing that already lately by simply eating healthy. I haven't had the urge to snack late at night anymore. Nevertheless, I have to make an official rule for myself so I can't get lazy and develop bad habits again. Eventually, I'll change my cut-off time to 7pm and 6:30pm; I have to start later though to get myself used to not eating late at night.
Mike is very happy so far with his home fitness. He's lost 5 pounds in 1 week. If he keeps this up he'll lose 20 lbs a month and in 90 days he'll have lost 60 pounds. Crazy! When I step on the scale the numbers are different every time. Some days it'll say I lost a couple pounds, while other days it'll still be at 187.

Day 8

We drove back from Marshfield this morning, unpacked, and completed some odds-and-ends around the house. I put in a load of laundry and then completed Yoga X. That's right, completed. Last week I could only get 1/2 an hour into it (it's an hour and a half long). My feet were still hurting, but I worked around it. I didn't do so many Downward Dogs as the rest of the people in the video, but kept going and worked hard. I am sore, but it's a good sore. There is a section in the yoga routine focused on balance. I wasn't very good at that. I kept tipping over and needing to use both my legs. That's an area that needs much improvement. There was another section called Yoga Belly X. It really works your core and abs. I did it though! After yoga, I had a protein shake and dinner (leftover oriental salad from last night and radishes with ranch dressing). Then I put in a couple more loads of laundry and did the dishes. I've completed a lot today, yet I still feel like I'm already behind (classes start again the day after tomorrow!).

Day 7

Day seven is day of rest. Guess where we rested today.....at Derrick & Brynn's house in Marshfield!! We ate yogurt, fresh fruit, and granola for breakfast. Doing good. Then we ate at El Mezcal for lunch. I had a burrito ala carte. Not too bad. Then for dinner we ate at Applebee's. The meal plan was out the door at that point. I did have the oriental chicken salad, but the chicken was breaded and we ate appetizers first. It was okay though, I took leftovers home in a box, at least. Mike and I are both very sore from our workouts all week. Tomorrow is Yoga X. Not looking forward to that.... We're having lots of fun with my brother and Brynn!!

Day 6

This morning I woke up early enough to workout and shower before a meeting with my professor at 9am. I did Kenpo X this morning. It's a form of kickboxing and other techniques. Mike said this was his favorite so far. I really enjoyed it too. We were both able to complete this one with little difficulty. Then we drove 5+ hours to see Derrick & Brynn's new house. It's really only 4 hours away, but we took an "alternate" route and learned that the freeway is best for the ride home. We ate whole wheat spaghetti & meatballs with corn and garlic toast for dinner. It was a little heavy on the carbs, but very delicious! Tomorrow is our day of rest from exercising. Good night!!

Day 5

This morning Mike made my breakfast of egg whites and turkey bacon--very high in protein. I ate lunch at NERCC today but only finished half of it, so that's portion control. I had a protein bar this afternoon. Then Mike had dinner waiting for me when I got home from work, a shrimp stir fry--so yummy and healthy, and what a wonderful man! I didn't eat dinner right away, but I did my fitness routine for the night: Legs & Back X and Ab Ripper X. It is a combo workout, like the arms and shoulders with the abs. I was able to do both and keep up till the end of both. Very proud of myself! Mike is too. He told me to mention that he's already lost 4 pounds in the 5 days we've been "bringing it."
I have to admit that I had a little problem tonight. I began the Legs & Back X with terrible pain in my feet. My toes and balls have such pain that it brought me to tears. I openly howled in pain and sat down during the fitness routine. Mike comforted me, let me cry, then I began the routine again and babied my feet. But, as you know, I finished. I've been having problems with my toes and feet (both) since day one. I can't remember if I've mentioned it yet. But, they hurt!! It's so weird. It's not that the feet and toes are fatigued or that I've pulled a muscle in my feet (is that even possible?), it begins with the very first exercises. It's frustrating!!

Day 4

Today's routine was Yoga X. This is 1 and 1/2 hours long and I only gave myself an hour to do the routine this morning before work/internship. Unfortunately, I didn't even make it an hour through yoga. For some reason, my feet were hurting really bad, again. And for yoga, you go BAREFOOT. Grrr. I'm not as flexible as I once was, so it was quite challenging, the little that I did.
I told myself I'd do the ab ripper routine later night after I got home, to make up for what I didn't do yesterday and for cutting yoga short. But, I got home late, then I ate dinner (a wonderful, low-fat, no-carb meal that Mike prepared for me--such a sweetheart), then I wrote my daily internship logs (I forgot to do it yesterday, so I wrote 2), checked email, and by then it was time for Law & Order: SVU. So, I got my workout clothes on with the intentions of maybe doing it after the show. Well, then Mike informed me that we have Ab Ripper X tomorrow after our legs and butt workout (similar to the arms and shoulders addition). So, I used that as an excuse to not workout tonight and just start fresh tomorrow again. At least I ate well today! I only had 1 rice cake as a snack today.
Mike also did not do well with the yoga today. He has decided that yoga isn't for fat people because it gets in the way when we are supposed to bend and lean and whatnot. So, he's going to substitute Cardio X for Yoga X from now on. He is also happy to report that he's already lost 2 pounds. The scale this morning told me the same thing it did a few days ago, no loss here....yet.

Day 3

I woke up as planned today (only hit snooze 3 times), completed Arms and Shoulders X, showered, drank a protein shake, and went to work at my internship. There were actually two fitness routines to do today, I was supposed to do Extreme Abs in addition to Arms and Shoulders X. The abs exercise was only 20 minutes, but the arms and shoulders exercise was the full hour and I didn't have enough time to add in abs this morning. I had only given myself one hour. In the future, I'll remember to plan for that.
I arrived on time for emergency procedures training at 10am this morning. I proceeded to sit-in on new intake orientation, then begin working on my IRB application for my Master's research until a theater company performed at NERCC tonight. The performance of Stones in His Pockets by Ten Thousand Things Theater Co was amazing. I didn't get home from "work" until after 10pm this evening. It was a long day but very productive! Oh, and while I was there, I denied the dessert and bread options in the chow line. I only ate salad, hot vegetables, and (most of) the main entree. No sweets and few carbs. Yay me!

Day 2

Ok, so after I blogged about what I ate for the day, I started getting hungry and craving snacks. Well, I then ate a Jello cup and continually munched on Quaker Oats Rice Cake Snacks (ranch flavored) the rest of the evening. Bad me! But, I redeemed myself by completing the second workout this morning: Cardio X. I assumed all the fitness routines were 1 hour long, but the cardio one is only 43 minutes. It makes sense because it is so intense and all the other routines have some cardio in them anyway. I was able to follow along pretty well with this one, I actually surprised myself.
The thing that was bothering me throughout the video turned out to be my feet. The balls and arch (or where an arch would be if I had one) hurt so bad by the middle of the routine I had to stop and tighten my shoe strings (hoping that would solve the feet soreness problem). Nope. I think I just need better shoes. The shoes I had yesterday were brand new but not made for fitness because they kept sliding off when I would have my feet/legs at a certain angle. There are just not enough shoe laces to go up high enough to keep my foot in the shoe. Today I wore my older everyday shoes, but I guess there's not enough support in those either. I'll have to put some money into strong support shoes.
I'm going strong with eating right, drinking a protein shake everyday, and trying to limit my snacking. Well, strong enough for me considering my most recent eating habits. Things are good!

Day 1

Day 1 begins P90X doing "core synergistics" which does not include crunches. It mixes a bunch of workouts at once to maximize movement and tone multiple body parts. I took it slow and had to stop before the people in the video did on a bunch (okay, almost every one) of the specific routines. I feel very sore in my arms, calves, and thighs. I did well with the weights, resistance tube, and lunges but not so much holding in my tummy. If my core doesn't feel sore like the rest of my body, that tells me I must tighten it more next workout session.
I did my workout first thing this morning, then had a protein shake and brunch (egg whites and leftovers from last night--veges and chicken bake) immediately after. Next, I took a shower and went on with my daily living. I did have some nonfat yogurt and a protein bar between lunch and dinner. For dinner I made myself a turkey bacon ranch sandwich (mmm mmm) and had grapes on the side. I'm very tempted to munch on some rice cakes or pudding still tonight. Hopefully I can hold off until tomorrow. But, now that I'm talking about food, I'm getting hungrier. I do have a glass of water sitting next to the laptop as I write this. I must stay hydrated. Water also is supposed to curb hunger...we'll see.

Day 0 Again

I worked out for the first time today, but it was not P90X. I have a DVD that I ordered for free from the back of a Kellogg's Special K box of cereal. I completed two 10-minute workouts this morning: workout dance mix and kickboxing bootcamp. I sure sweated a lot, but was able to keep up better than I expected. I had cereal for breakfast, bacon-wrapped scallops and a cottage cheese pineapple salad for lunch, a protein bar in the afternoon, and right now there is a chicken veggie bake in the oven. We're trying to have a high-protein diet and work on portion control. So far, it hasn't been too bad.

Day 0 1/2

I was very tired all day today, for some reason. When I got home from work (my internship) I was just drained and wanted to sleep. Mike had did the first exercise and expressed he was very sore. He also had the idea of starting on a day that would make our Day 7 always fall on a weekend. Day 7 is a day of rest, no workout. We decided that day would be Sundays. Hence, we can't have Day 1 on Friday. We'll just do some other workouts at home over the weekend to prepare for the real extreme workouts on Monday (Day 1). Thus, because of my tiredness and changing our start date, I did not workout tonight. :-( We are trying to eat healthy though.

Day 0

Hello all! This is a blog about Mike's and my journey through 90 days of P90X Extreme Home Workout program by Tony Horton of BeachBody. Our beginning weights are Mike at 220 lbs (5'11") and me at 187 lbs (5'3 1/2"). Both are the highest weights we've ever been. I have to admit, I am a little scared of this high impact workout, but am excited for the results. We went shopping today for high-protein and whole grains. When we got home, we watched the introductory video called "How to Bring It." Turns out we need to purchase a pull-up bar and/or some Resistance bands (they were an extra cost when I ordered, so I didn't at the time). They should have indicated that when I ordered it to begin with, but oh well. Tomorrow we will begin our first actual work out and eating in a healthy manner. Before we went grocery shopping today, we splurged and at a Chinese buffet (Mike's favorite) and this afternoon we got a Take 5 McFlurry from McDonald's (one of my favorites). No more junk food for at least 90 days!