I am still alive!

Well a lot has happened since my last post. Mostly because of injury and lack of time. On Sunday the 10th I was playing in our flag football league. While chasing an opposing player I slipped on the turf and rubbed my leg against it. It felt much like a rug burn at the time. It didn't seem to be that bad until the end of the game when it was bleeding down to my ankle. I knew that I was in for round two.

I had the exact same injury in the EXACT same spot one year ago while playing softball. Last year I ended up with a Staph infection that had me down and out for over a month. Luckily this time wasn't as bad. I never ended up going to the hospital but I did get an infection out of the deal. My leg was really swollen and my joints were like cement. I did the smart thing this time and kept it elevated and rested as much as possible. Within three days the infection was gone and my cold was gone too!

The injury made almost every workout impossible so I had to take a week off. The one thing I learned through this process is that it is OK to take days off, but STICK TO THE DIET! Just because you are injured and can't workout doesn't mean you can continue to eat right. That was part of my problem during the last week. I didnt eat anything really bad, but I ate at the wrong times, bad portions, and by the weekend I had chalked the week up to a fun/recovery week.

Monday the 19th was the start of my final "leg" (No pun intended:) of the P90X program. I really wanted to hit my 175 mark by the end of the first round so I knew I had to buckle down and work hard. My leg was feeling better at this point so I had no problem doing the workouts. This weeks routines are the same as the routines during your first week. It was nice to go back to these since I had not done them for quite some time. Because I was not working out for one week it gave my body time to recover.  I felt a lot stronger during my workouts and didn't feel so tired during the end of the workout. Some of the moves seemed almost too easy compared to week one. After all, over the past 60+ days I have not had more than 1-2 days off from workout. A one week break sure did help my muscles recover. I have been working hard this week on my workouts and I can definitely tell. Not only have the workouts been different because my muscles seem rested and stronger, but the day after leaves me sore from head to toe. I thought this phase was over but apparently NOT! It's Ok though, it gave me a sense of accomplishment, the same feeling that kept me going the first couple of weeks. Now I just need to keep it up and round out the last 3 weeks!

Getting on the scale on Monday was a scary thing because after having a week off I was sure to have gained 5 pounds! But to my disbelief I actually lost a couple of pounds! I am down to 180-181Lbs! I think this was because I probably lost some muscle mass without any workouts for a week but I was happy to see I didn't fall behind too much. I have now lost 25 pounds and I am looking for a least 5 more. The last couple weeks is going to be really tough but I hoping to reach my goal! I have posted the new pics for day 60.

A Reflection....

I got done with my workout tonight a little more burnt than usual. I worked over 13 hours yesterday, 11 hours today, came home took a short nap and went straight through the plyo workout.  It felt good to just get it done with how busy my days have been lately.

After my plyo workout I opened my patio door and stepped outside. I was covered in a sweat-soaked shirt and and there was a slight breeze outside. You know them moments that go by so fast and you swear you just experienced deja vous? Well it happened to me tonight. I was on my deck and the feeling of that dry crisp air shot into my lungs and immediately reminded me of winter. Christmas more specifically.  I have lived in the upper Midwest my entire life and as much as I hate the wind, I do like the winter. I grew up with nasty winters and have never known anything different. In them 2 seconds I could see the houses covered in lights, the 5-6 inch ruts in the roads where cars had drove through freshly dropped snow, and the smell of freshly baked Christmas food. Some of the best memories of my life are from Christmas with my family and even though it is a couple months away, I felt I was in that moment tonight...

Day 45 Results

It is nice to look at these pics and know what hard work can do. It is also great motivation to keep going and see how far I can "Bring  It". The 45 day pics were taken after my morning workout today.

I had to put this one in for comedic value. That first pick is horrible. The second one is showing off my Kenpo skills:) haha

I am half way....or am I?

It has been a while since the last time I posted, mostly because I have not had anything to blog about. I tailer most of this blog to my P90X training and recently I have taken a few days off. NO, I am not quiting. I decided to take Friday and Saturday off this past weekend and just relax. I ended up taking Monday off too, but more about that later.

Well today is the half way point, 45 days! It feels good to know that I have stuck with it up to this point. In the past I probably would have just canned it altogether. The consistency has put me into a routine and it has also been long enough for my body to conform to the changes. I know what I need to do, day in and day out to achieve results at this point. That is why I wasn't afraid to take Friday and Saturday off.  I was able to stay away from bad food but I didn't eat at the right times. I think Friday and Saturday I only ate twice each day. My body starts to growl when that happens because usually I am eating 4-5 times a day.

Over the weekend I did some IT work on the side for a company out of Hillsboro. It took nearly 8 hours to complete and shortly after we were done we went to the comedy club. Leaving no time for my workout. Oh well:) I did not plan to skip Monday but with a crazy day at work and the first night of pool league, I was forced too. On Monday, Wednesdays and Friday's I need at least 1:30 from startup to cool down because of the long programs. So, what happens next? I had taken three days off and had no real workout since Thursday. I had stuck to the plan so well and  it slipped a little this week. 

To get back on track and make sure I am not cutting any corners, I decided that I was going to do last week over. I am just moving my schedule in P90X back one week to compensate for last week. Instead of being done November 22nd I will be done the 27th:) After all, I like the program and love the results so why not? I plan on doing this all over again when I am done anyway:) I will have to do ti over again when I gorge on my mom's DELISH snacks at Christmas!

To stay consistent I will post my pics in my next post. I lost another couple pounds but nothing too spectacular. I even threw in my 'UFC' pose:) I will also include some other Before and After photos.

The Numbers (These are the only numbers I have consistently recorded because I am lazy:)

Day 1

Weight: 205lbs

Waist: 37.5in

Day 45

Wieght: 183lbs

Waist: 32in

Another day of Plyo and new energy remedy

After I got home from work yesertday I was thinking about the Plyo workout that was upon me. I love the workout and know that it had to be done but I could barely stay awake. I was just so exhausted for NO reason. I am not sure if it is the high protein diet, intense workouts, not sleeping well...? It could be sleep but I would never know because I never wake up at night. That doesn't necessarily mean I am sleeping well. I am not consuming a lot of carbs so I think that may be part of my energy problem.  I just can't seem to get the energy I need for my workouts every night. It doesn't happen every day but 3 times a week I have to nap after work before even thinking about doing my workout. I seem to have the unfortunate 3PM crash. I wanted to try and fix this so I made a visit to GNC.  When I got there a nice meat-head greeted me and asked if I needed any help. Sorry for the stereotype:) I said no and began to roam about the store. After about 5 minutes of looking at different products with no real education on what I needed, I decided to ask meat-head for some assistance. He came over and was actually a really nice guy. He asked what I was looking for. I told him that I was lacking energy throughout the day and my workouts were suffering because of it. He started to ask me questions about my diet. I told him I was doing an almost all protein diet. I then proceeded to tell him that I was doing P90X. He said "Really! That is awesome, how do you like it?" I told him that I love it! He asked "How far into the program are you?" I responded, "Six 1/2 weeks." He said, "You will finish no problem then if you have made it this far, I have some friends who are doing the same thing." He showed me a vitamin/supplement called Mega Men Sport. He explained the entire product in full detail and I was quite impressed. It is designed to have a delayed release into your system to last all day long. It contained 30 packets of 7 pills. Each packet was taken once a day in the morning with breakfast and liquids. He mentioned that his friends that are doing P90X are using the same stuff. I decided to get a box and try it out since I was looking for anything at this point. Thanks Meat-Head! haha. Ok, I guess he is worth his salt now, so lets just call him, Jon? I took my first packet this morning and can already feel the energy kicking in. What I am feeling is probably just the anticipation, but oh well. I also went online and checked the reviews. This stuff is all natural and get amazing reviews. The only bad reviews is that some people get itchy and break out in hives because of an allergy to one of the ingredients. Hopefully that is not me!


Well Plyo kicked my butt again last night as always. I don't think you can ever get good enough to say this workout is a piece of cake. I decided to keep my sweats on and my sweatshirt to really get the sweat rolling and after about 25 minutes I had to lose the sweatshirt. I didn't want to have a heatstroke! It felt really good though, felt like I was burning twice the calories. I love working up a sweat. I feel much better when I am warmed up and the sweat is rolling!

Tonight I have Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. This is a huge jump from "Chest & Back" which is done during Phase I of the program. The workout, like all the rest, is 60 minutes long. I put the excerises below to give you an idea of what it entails. Some of the names are fairly cryptic but now ya know!

01 Slow-Motion 3-in-1 Push-Ups

02 In & Out Shoulder Flys

03 Chairs Dips

04 Plange Push-Ups

05 Pike Presses

06 Side Tri-Rises

07 Floor Flys

08 Scarecrows

09 Overhead Tricep Extensions

10 Two-Twitch Speed Push-Ups

11 Y-Presses

12 Lying Tricep Extensions

13 Side-To-Side Push-Ups

14 Pour Flys

15 Side-Leaning Tricep Extensions

16 One-Arm Push-Ups

17 Weighted Circles

18 Throw the Bomb

19 Clap or Plyo Push-Ups

20 Slo-Mo Throws

21 Front-To Back Tricep Extensions

22 One-Arm Balance Push-Ups

23 Fly-Row Presses

24 Dumbbell Cross-Body Blows

OOOchikapeska!

Well tonight was a great workout but before I begin, I will say it was really hard. The intensity of the program is what you make of it. If you "Bring It" day in and day out you will undoubtedly feel the results and see the results. Over the past week I have noticed the workouts getting less intense. Tonight I figured out it wasn't the programs fault, it was mine. After work lately,  I cannot seem to get the energy I need to push it during my workouts. Don't get me wrong, I work hard, but when I have no energy my workouts suffer. On certain days it is different and I can't seem to pinpoint the reason yet. My guess is the food I am eating. I am eating healthy but something isn't giving me the energy and pep that I want!

Since the beginning of the program I have always been looking for physical results from P90X. Although these are probably the most notable to anyone when working out day in and day out they are not necessarily the most beneficial.  I took a look at my progress on my overall condition tonight and it has increased dramatically. My stress level is down, I feel great and I am seeing results all around.

During my workout today (Back and Biceps) I took a look at my heart monitor to see what my heart rate was. At  minute 20 of this intense workout on week on (1) I was at 84% of my maximum heart rate! Out of shape!!! (165bpm)/(220-Age(24)=196bpm)=84%. Today when I checked I was at 132bpm which is 67% of my maximum heart rate. That was nice to see. These are the things I don't usually notice but it felt nice to know I am becoming more conditioned. Also, during week 2 and 3 of P90X I started playing flag football for a league I am in. After one hour of playing I was usually very tired. One hour of all running will take it out of you! We had our first game last night and I went the whole game without being exhausted. Not much to gage this obviously but I could tell it was much easier than before. We also won our first game!! We have a great group of guys and I can't wait for the short but fun season ahead!

Jump, Jump, Jump around

Well another day of Plyo. This one gets me every time. It is such a calorie burner! I can tell that I didn't do it last week. One hour later and I was drenched through my shirt and very tired. Not much today. Tonight is supposed to be Cardio X or Yoga X but I am substituting that with Tennis.

I can feel the burn!!!

What sets P90X apart from others is that P90X introduces 'muscle confusion' into the program. This is where other programs fail. When your body becomes used to the workout, you eventually reach plateau. Your body/workouts have too much rhythm and consistency to achieve better results. P90X is always changing things on you and after day 30 there is perfect evidence! I was getting through the workouts much easier on weeks 2,3 and 4 but when week 5 (Phase 2) hit is was a different story. The intensity has grown and the difficulty has increased. I feel the same burn and exhaustion I did on day one. I woke up today with VERY sore arms and back. It felt great knowing that my body is still getting the workout it needs. It is also nice to see the plan WORK! It is amazing how on day 2 of phase 2 I can already feel the change in pace and muscle 'confusion' that P90X is putting me through. My energy today is higher than it has been in a while because I get to ramp up my carb intake a bit and I am loving every second of it. Can't wait to see what is in store for me tonight:).........

Week 5 - Phase 2

Week 5 is a bunch of new workouts and exercises. I never did look ahead in teh program to see what I was getting into but it definetly gets harder as you go. I spent most of Sunday evening driving home from the citites and basically had to use one hand to hold my eyes open and the other to drive because I was so tired. I ended up going to work an hour late so I could sleep an extra hour but that didn't help much. I went home after work to get my P90X in but did not have the energy. So, I took a short 30 minute nap to try and boost myself into P90X mode.

I started the new DVD called Chest, Arms and Triceps. It is a step up from the week 1 Chest and Back excerises. There are a lot more push up moves and combinations and the intesity of the moves has increased. I was all 'there' during my workout and feel that I only gave it about a 7 out of 10 on the 'Bring It' scale. Thats Ok to me though. I will build up as the week progresses. Tonight is Biceps and Shoulders.

Last night was day 31 so I took some before and after pics again. I can tell from the pictures that I getting more bulk than weight loss at this point but that is ok too. I am only 1/3 of the way through the program and have a long way to go. I am at 185LbS right now and want to get down to 175 or 170 optimally. Check out the pics. 20Lbs so far!

Core Synergistics

Well all I can tell you is that the Core workout it right up there with Plyometrics. I almost want to try them both on the same day, back-to-back. That would be 2 hours of immense pain!!! Should be fun right? It is nice to start rotating in new workouts. The variety is great and keeps it interesting. I learned some new push-up moves during this workout that are a lot of fun and incorporate some new muscles for balance.

At the beginning of this program I was only able to do 3-4 push ups consistently. I could do more consecutively but I had to build up my reps towards the end of the routine. I am now able to pump out 10-20 multiple times during a workout. It is nice to see progress. Because thee is sooo much variety and flexibility in P90X, it gives you the opportunity to see the results that you want. I have been tailoring this program to fit my needs since day one and I wouldn't do it differently.  The results+flexibility keeps you motivated to do even better!

Well I have one more workout today and then it is off to the cities I go. I think there is going to be a lot of cheating this weekend. Especially being away from home.

Busy Day

Yesterday was crazy busy. These are the days that can really throw you off but fortunately I was able to get everything done. I worked from 8-5, had to mow my lawn before the lawn company came over to get it ready for Fall, had to get my Legs and Bacl (Awesome) workout in, and then went and played tennis until 11PM. Needless to say my legs are a little like Bambi today.

X Stretch

Having an off day yesterday because of football meant that I had to make up yesterday's workout this morning. So being the morning person that I am (NOT), I got up at 6:00AM and completed the X Stretch routine. This is the first time that this routine has been introduced to the program so I was excited to try something new.  Because it was a stretch workout it was nice to have it in the morning. It made me feel I was accomplishing something early and it felt great after I was done.

A lot of the moves are from the Yoga X routine but a lot are different too. It was a lot of fun and I actually was working up a sweat. Who would have thought that 57 minutes of stretching would break sweat. Not ONLY the sweat but I could have made Gumby look the Tin man after I was done:) Not really, but Tony said I could!

Tonight I get to a try another new routine called Core Synergistics. It involves your neck to your waist. It is a mild yet tough routine from what I have read. I look forward to it! The fun part is trying to fit in another hour today to get it done. I have to fit it in somewhere between Mowing lawn, tennis, pool and supper;) Wish me luck!

Recovery Week

This week is scheduled to be a recovery week on the P90X calendar.  With that comes some cardio and a lot of stretching. This includes a little Yoga and a program called Stretch X. I have not finished a full routine of Yoga yet but I think this week I will try since I am not suppose to be doing the usual routines.

Last night was supposed to be Cardio X but I substituted it for the Chest and Back exercise. I did that because I have 'flag football' practice tonight which it ALL cardio.  However, over the past week I have noticed a decline in energy and daily stamina at work. I have been waking up feeling like I had a few too many to drink the night prior, which is NOT the case.

I spent a little time thinking about why this is happening.  I was kind of bummed because since the start of this program I have had more energy than ever and have been feeling really good. Reading through the support at beachbody.com and the book that is provided to you, you will find out that there are 3 phases to P90X. The first phase is 50% Protein, 30% Carb, and 20% fat. The Second Phase is 30% Protein, 50% Carb and 20% fat and so on. Because of that I think I am lacking in energy because of my carb intake. I am in the recovery week AND just about to get into the second phase of the plan and I think my body's metabolism is starting to kick into gear. My body feels like it looking for more during the day which causes my energy level to suffer. I am going to ramp up my carb intake for next week and see if that helps.  I did start taking a supplement called Avesil yesterday and it has green tea which includes caffeine. It seems to give me that extra boost that I need during my workouts. It is way to expensive to keep taking so I think I am going to switch to Acai Berry pills. The GF is using them and she seems to like them:)

Overall I am very satisfied with the results I have seen so far. I saw an immediate shed in weight and I can see the tone starting to come through. My energy level has been up most of the time and I can see progress in my strength during my workouts. I know that I won't see the same results in week 4-6 as I did in 1-3 so I need to stick with it and keep working hard. My next weigh in and 'photo op' it on Sunday this week. This kind of scares me since I will be out of town all weekend AND going to a Twin's game! haha Should be fun, can't wait.

Adios for now;)

It is a beautiful Saturday!

Well so far the weekend has started out great! We had the threat of a tornado yesterday but that came and passed pretty quickly. Last night we went to the opening of the Comedy club and it was a great first show as expected. Jay Wendell walker was the headliner and he put on a really good show.

I woke up this morning and decided to get my workout in and go for a run. I flew through my legs and back workout and ran 3 miles outside. It was muggy and gray out and by the time I finished running it was blue sky's and sunny which was awesome. Turned out to be a beautiful day for a run.

Now I need to get in the shower and get ready for my friend Bill's wedding. Should be a blast!!

Friday. Woot!

This week has been pretty much a cardio week. I got off track on Monday having teh day off and all and used it as a day off. I did arms and back on Tuesday and Plyo on Wednesday. Along with all of that I have been playing tennis almost every night and football on Thursday so I have had a little strength training and a lot of cardio.

I hope to get my back and arms dones tonight and run a few times this weekend for cardio I am using this week to try and cut weight rather than build muscle. Next week is the recovery week so it will be a bit lighter than previous weeks.

Here are the results!

So I waited two full weeks before looking at the scale so that I wasn't 'chasing' my weight. Turns out the hard work paid off because I lost 15 pounds. That is 7.5 per week. I know that it won't come off this much each week but it feels good to know that I am getting results.

It was nice to have a long weekend. I actually got out and got a nice 3 mile run in which I haven't done in a while. I went through the entire run not feeling that winded and when I was done I felt like I could do it again. It is a great feeling to know that my body it getting into better condition.

I had my Chest and back exercises last night which worked me like none other AGAIN!  I took it a little easy on the push ups in fear of further injuring my shoulder. I keep a log of the number of push ups ad chin ups that I do for each week and I am noticing that my reps are increasing. I was never a big fan of taking before and after pictures (Because I don't like the before pics), taking notes on reps, weights, bands, etc. But after doing it for a couple of weeks I can see the benefit of doing so.  I really helps me gauge my workouts and push myself to do better.

I have posted my Day 1 - Day 14 pics below. I have Plyometrics tonight and can't wait! I want to go for a run afterwards but I think my legs may be a bit wasted by that point.

It's Friday!

Well that was quite a week. I had a bad workout on Monday which left my shoulder in pain by so far it has healed pretty well. Tuesday evening we had football practice for a new flag football team we are putting together. It was a lot of cardio which felt really good.  The next day was OAR!!! I woke up early and got a morning workout.

I have been wanting to go to OAR for the last couple of years and now the time has come. I wanted to watch my eating and things like that but I was not going to beat myself up over it because this was an 'off' day for me. We ate well until about 11:30PM that evening when walking back to the car. We had been craving a corn dog all night so we got one and shared it. We didn't get enough so we hit up the next corn dog stand and shared another by the car. It was great:) All in all I checked my calorie intake for today in my journal on www.myfitnesspal.com (Check it out! It rocks) and I still came in under my 2000 and it wasn't all that bad.  I have legs and back tonight so it will give my shoulder another day of rest. Thank god.

The beer put me over, imagine that...

Morning workout!

Well last night we had our first practice for our newly formed flag football league. Because that was basically a two hour cardio workout, so I skipped my plyometrics yesterday. But wait! I love that workout so I woke up this morning and knocked it out in about 70 minutes. Needed a couple of breaks, the legs were a little tight this morning.

This workout is described as the 'Mother of all workouts' by Tony Horton of all the P90X routines.  I can understand why but I also think it is the most fun, besides Kenpo Karate. I had to take a few breaks when my heart went beyond my 'Zone'.

It felt great to wake up and get a good workout in and a nice breakfast. Great start to what should be an awesome night!!! I am going to the OAR concert in Minneapolis tonight:)

Probably the worst workout yet....

About two months ago I separated my left shoulder from my AC joint. It was really painful but I continued to play the rest of our softball season before going into the doctor.  After going to the doctor he confirmed that it was still separated and that both of my shoulders suffer from rotator cuff tendinitis. I am not sure what this meant but I knew it was painful. Over the next few weeks I was suppose to have several physical therapy sessions but decided to skip them and work my shoulder on my own. I have been through these sessions in the past and it was not worth paying another $350 again.  

After all this time the pain has always been in my left shoulder, the shoulder I dislocated when I was younger.  When he told me it was in both of my shoulders I thought he was crazy! I played softball all season and I throw with my right arm. My arm felt stronger than it ever has this season and I never had a bit of pain in my right shoulder. If I even tried to lift my left shoulder I was in pain, so I was confused.  The confusion was put to rest last night after my second set of military push ups when I heard a slight 'pop' in my right shoulder. Not feeling any pain I kept going. I finished my set and moved onto chin-ups. When I got to my next set of push ups (diamond push ups) I could barely do one without my shoulder throbbing in pain. I tried to pretend it didn't hurt and just sipped that set and moved onto the next. Nope! Anything with downwards resistance on my shoulder felt impossible. Meanwhile, Tony(The trainer) is yelling, "It is suppose to hurt! That's how you get results!" I knew this wasn't the hurt he was talking about and I had to call it quits for the shoulder and back routine. I finished the night with my core and ab ripper workouts and then went on a nice 5 mile bike ride.

After last night I am super disappointed about my shoulder. This is my throwing shoulder and I am supposed to start flag football league in a couple of weeks. I am not the person to sit on the sidelines for an injury. I WANT TO PLAY! Looks like the next week or so will be a series of shoulder ice and resistance bands...

Monday Monday!

One week down, 11 more to go! I feel great after a good week of workouts and fun weekend without the use of alcohol. I was able to eat right all weekend but did have my 'cheat' meal on Sunday, my day off.  I have chest and back tonight again so I am trying to pump myself up for one hour of grueling push ups and pull ups. After that routine is done I have the Ab Ripper X to do as well. Should be a good night:) I hope to have enough energy after that to go for 10 miles bike ride this evening.

It's Friday!!!!

Boy am I glad that it is Friday.  P90X has had me beat all week. All in a all I think it has been a good week though. I have legs and back today and I am leaving work around 3PM to get it done. I struggled with Yoga yesterday and had to switch over to cardio x. I was able to do the Yoga moves(probably not perfect) but I don't yet have the endurance to keep up with long routines. Wow. Yoga can really get your muscles twitching and your racing thats for sure!

One thing is for sure. I feel better this week than I have in a while. No smoking, no caffeine, healthy diet and hardcore workouts! Feels great. It really keeps me motivated to stay on track.

With the weekend here I am going to have a couple of beers, do my core x tomorrow and enjoy my Sunday off.

Day 3 Complete - Soreness to follow

Ouch!! That is about all I can say. Tonight was Shoulders and Back. More of a lifting/strengthining routine than a cardio/plyo workout. I was thinking that maybe I was going to get a bit of break for tonight but as soon as I started I could see that I was wrong!!! Even when the workouts consist of weight lifting you are still getting a cardio workout. All of the routine are one right after another with a short 30 second break every 10 minutes or so.  Tony (Trainer) has you sweating just in the warm-up, so you can imagine how the actual workout is. I have stayed on track with my diet to a T. I have actually came in under my target calorie intake of 2000/day so I need to ramp that up a bit. My fitness goal was to slim down and the programs calls for 2500-2700 calories but I dropped it down to help with the slim down. I am thinking that I have to crank it up a bit because I have had no energy the past fews days.  It is probably going to take me a couple weeks to find that magic number.

I have promised myself that I am only going to weigh myself every other week. I am doing this because I don't want to be chasing my weight.  In the past when I begin a steady workout routine I am checking the scale every other day which can be discouraging.  I will focus on the diet and exercise and let the rest come with time.

I did a LOT of research on this program prior to and after I started the program. I continue to read about it daily. One common misconception that I have seen is that you are going to dramatically drop weight the first couple weeks.  The program tells you that this will most likely not happen. This is an extreme workout and people who are not used to it (such as myself) your body goes into recovery/shock mode. It recruits all the water is can to repair your damaged muscle which will result in a few extra pounds on the scale. After your body catches up to you you will start to shed the pounds. That is what I am looking forward to!!

Day 2: Plyometrics

I can definetly tell that this program is what it says it is. I never know what to expect and it is a great workout!!! I haven't had that kind of workout since HS basketball! I can tell that Plyo will be one of favorite routines. It is hard, but my lower body is my strong point so it makes itfun. Especially when I can almost keep up with everyone on the first day:)  I am sure that I will be unable to walk tomorrow becuase of it though. I think I may have pushed a little hard. Well, I going to make some high protien supper and relax. With my whole body now sore tomorrow should be interesting.

Day 1 Workout

WOW!!! I knew that it would be tough but that was crazy. There was now way that I was keeping up the trainers! The Chest and Back along with Ab ripper took about 1hr 20min to complete. I am really sore today but looking forward to the next workout!

Day 1: Healthy Eating - Chest and Back

Well today is the first day and I am really excited to dedicate my time to this program. There is so much to learn when talking about diet, appropriate caloric intake, recovery, sleep, aahhh!!! Some of the tasks can be daunting but I have come up with a good plan. I used the P90X custom meal plan to create a meal plan that fit my likes in the food department. After all, I am a picky eater. I am on the slim down (lean) plan that consists of 50% Protein, 30% Carb, 20% Fat. The meals they suggest are great. They tell you what you can eat and the program will even print off a grocery list for you.

I plan on having all my workouts after work between 6-7PM. I will have my high protein meal directly after my workout to maximize my muscle recovery. After looking through the posts online about the first week, I am going to be really sore.

First Day Meal Plan:

I am not going to post every meal I have, but I will post a few to give an idea of what it consists of.

Breakfast:

7:00 am

Bran Cereal 1 1/2 Cup

1 Cup Orange Juice

Snack:

10:00 am

1 1/2 Cup Celery

4 Tbps Peanut Butter

Lunch:

12:00pm

4 Oz. Turkey Ham

2 Lettuce Leaves

2 Slices Tomato

Onion

2 Slices Whole Grain Bread

Snack:

3:00pm

1 Orange

Walnuts

Workout: 6:00PM - Chest and Back 65 Minutes

Supper:

7:00pm

4 Oz. Peppered Salmon

Romain Lettuce

Tomato

Italian Dressing

Asparagus

My Challenge

Well here I go! My P90X program arrived last week. Starting with a solid plan and knowledge of what I am getting into is key for me. I want to be able to read through the material, develop a diet plan, and workout plan. I need a good, organized structure to be successful.


Getting back into shape, eating healthy and increasing my overall quality of life is my ultimate goal.

To reach this goal I will have to first attain my intermediate goals. These include no smoking, cutting out caffine, eating correctly and staying motivited. If I can do that I think I can attain my main goal.

Intermediate Goals - Quit Smoking, Healthy Diet, Consistency
Over the past several years I have been an on and off smoker. I smoke the most when I drink but I tend to also have my "Routine" cigarettes. I have quit a few times cold turkey but haven't stayed consistent. As everyone knows that when you quit smoking people usually put on a few pounds. I think this is because you tend to look towards food when you want a cigarette. I wanted this to be one of my intermediate goals during my P90X Challenge.

Eating healthly is something that I have always had a tough time doing. When I was younger (12-18) I could basically eat anything I wanted. I was active in sports 6 days a week and didn't ever touch alcohol. During my college days of partying and eating like a pig it really made quick work of my metabolism. I wanted to get on a track of healthy meals and also have the occasional "treat" meal. Along with eating healthy is my caffine and soda intake. I usually have 1-2 a day at work and this just needs to end. It is the worst thing I can do while sitting at my desk at work.

I have always been told that it takes 12 weeks to "re-train" your metabolism to work efficiently. This includes good excericise and proper eating. My goal of consistency will hopefully be fulfilled with the help of P90X transforming my workout and diet plan. I am looking forward to working hard and seeing some results.

In the past, having the satisfaction of a good workout felt so good that I would stay on it for a couple of weeks but eventually I would taper off. I want to create a plan that fits my lifestyle and that gives me the most opportunity to succeed. So far from my reading of the P90X program you have that flexibility. I watched the first half of the Chest anf Back routing which will happen on my first day and it looks hard!!! But I love a challenge!


Check back for more updates. I will be putting my workout plan, "before" images, and overall progess here including updates.