Days 69, 70, 71 - Kenpo, Stretch, and Chest, Back & Abs Ripper

This will be another quick post because I've gotten myself really behind again. My sciatic nerve is still bothering me, so exercising has been a bit difficult. But I managed to do the last 3 workouts pretty well, plus I played soccer on Friday night. I took a day off on Saturday too (unintentionally) because I had to work, then we were with friends for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

I really hope this nerve problem goes away soon. I'm finding it difficult to put my shoes and socks on and I limp for a bit every time I get up off a chair. Also, oddly enough, when I laugh, cough, sneeze, etc, it hurts my ass! (see previous post if you aren't sure what I'm talking about).

My massage therapist and fellow soccer player assessed me on Friday before my game and she can't figure out what's going on. She did a few tests on me to see where the pain originates, but they didn't really tell her anything. But she thinks the problem either originates from a tightness in my piriformis muscle in my bum, or from a known disc problem in my back...or both. So I'm not really sure what to do about it, aside from stretching the muscle. I'm going to try icing my back tonight instead of my bum and see if that helps. If it does, that will answer my question at least.

I shouldn't be having this many problems!!...back issues, sciatic nerve issues. The whole point of getting into shape was to get rid of these problems! I'm only 33! I can't imagine what I'll be like at 50 at this rate!

Day 66 & 67 - Back, Biceps, Abs & Yoga

This will just be a short post, because it's a nice day and I don't want to spend too much time on the computer!

Two days ago, I did back & biceps for the very first time, since I'm doing the Lean program. It was a good workout and I can feel my biceps getting stronger. I'm still not a fan of pull ups and I still need the chair for them, but I've moved to using one foot for support instead of both. The corn cob pull ups (or whatever they're called) are killers though. And I kept banging my elbow on the door frame while doing them...ow!

Yesterday I mowed the lawn and did a bunch of yard work, so I kind of ran out of time to do yoga. So I did it today and got it over with early. I can feel my legs getting stronger and I can go longer now without having to take a break and straighten my legs in the vinyasa series. I can actually do half moon pose now, but struggle with the reversed version. I still skip over crane though!

I weighed myself this morning and I was the lowest I've been since I started P90X! Mind you, it's not by much, but since I've been hovering at around 158-159 lbs for so long, it was nice to see 156.8 on the scales! I've stopped weighing myself every day and I'm trying to only do it every couple of weeks or so. And I know I really shouldn't focus on my weight and should focus in inches lost and body fat% instead. But it's still nice to see a drop, even if it's slight, in my weight. I've been taking Osolean for about a week now, so maybe that has something to do with it!

Day 64, 65 - Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Abs & Cardio

This picture doesn't really have anything to do with what I'm about to write, but I thought it was just so darned cute!

Yesterday was Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and Abs. I think this workout is the hardest for me. I can do all the moves (not necessarily a lot of reps), but it is really quite challenging. So many push ups!

Today was cardio. I'm not sure what was in my water today, but I had tonnes of energy! I really felt like I got a great workout and sweat buckets. I really like the cardio workout. It's great that it's only 45 min and I love the yoga at the beginning. The whole thing flies by so quickly and it's over before you know it.

This past weekend I didn't do very well with my nutrition. Today I'm getting back into it and did pretty well, except for a few Toffifee's someone at work brought in. I'm kind of thinking that I might need to adjust my nutrition plan. According to my weight, I should be in Level II of Fat Shredder, but I'm just barely in that level. When I'm following the plan properly, I feel like I'm eating too much and end up feeling like I do when I over eat. I'm not sure that I would get enough food if I move down to Level I, but if I pick something in between the two, I think I'll be alright. I'll play around with it and see how it goes.

I've also started taking a product called Osolean by Mannatech. My friend sells Mannatech products and suggested it to me when I asked for something to help me boost my weight loss just a little bit more. It is all natural and is supposed to help you lose fat, but not muscle, when you are following an exercise and nutrition plan. It's more about helping you to lose inches, rather than lbs. You mix it in a drink 2x per day, before breakfast and supper. The main components are whey protein and calcium, but apparently it's more than just taking protein and calcium. I don't really understand the chemistry behind it, but it has worked for others, so I'm willing to give it a go. So far I've noticed that it doesn't taste very good, but if you mix it with the right drink, it's ok. Chocolate milk hides the slightly bitter taste pretty well though. I've also noticed that it makes me feel full faster when I'm eating my meal, so I don't tend to eat as much....which is a good thing!

So I'll let you know how it goes with the Osolean. It will be hard to tell over the next phase of P90X, whether my inches lost will be from P90X, Osolean or the two combined. But if it can give me an extra inch or two off my waist, that would be great!

Day 57 - Chest and Back, Ab Ripper

Day one of phase 3! This is the first time I've done this workout and I found it was challenging but not too bad. I'm getting way better at push-ups and I've moved to using only one foot on the chair when I do pull-ups. With this workout, I'm going to have to get heavier weights though. So far, in other workouts, I've been fine with 8lb weights. I used 10lb ones last night for this workout and it wasn't enough. I was able to get to 20 reps and that's too many. I should be failing at 10-15. Maybe I'll try my resistance bands too and see how that goes.

I'm liking the change in routine in phase 3. I was getting a little bored because phase 1 and 2 were pretty similar. One thing I'm a little concerned about is the fact that I don't do a legs workout at all this month in the lean program. I'll still working my legs a lot in other workouts, but not totally focusing on them. But, I figure the creators know what they're doing, so I won't stress myself out about it too much!

I've been thinking recently of trying BeachBody's Shakeology. It's pretty expensive, but when you break it down, it's not too pricey on a per day basis...that is if you live in the States. I had finally decided that I would order it to give it a try, but I forgot that I need to add the shipping, taxes and exchange rate. What started at $119 USD per month, ended up being $172 CAD per month!!! I'm disappointed because I did want to try it, but I just can't justify paying that much for a 30 day supply.

Day 47 - Legs, Back and Ab Ripper

I skipped my P90X workout yesteday because I played soccer for close to 2 hours. I spent some time debating whether I should do the legs and back workout earlier in the day, but I'm glad I didn't. I think my legs would have been really sore. It was our first time outside this season and the weather was fantastic! It felt so good to be playing soccer outside after being couped up in the gym all winter!

Today I did Legs, Back and Ab Ripper...not in that order. I did ARX first, then the rest after that. There's nothing really exciting to report about the workout. Burned 483 cals.

I've been following the nutrition plan for a few days now and things are going really well. It's not nearly as difficult to follow as I had originally expected, but it is really hard to only have one carb a day. It takes some planning, that's for sure. So far so good though! I'm doing the Fat Shredder plan because I have a fair bit of weight that I'd like to lose (about 20-30lbs). A few years ago I weighed around 127lbs and I'd really like to get back to that weight. But for now, if I can get to 135-140, I would be really happy! I have muscley (is that a word?) legs, so I usually look smaller than I weigh.

Here's what I ate today:

• Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 slices of turkey bacon, 1c skim milk
• Snack: plain, fat free yogart with blueberries
• Lunch: Spinach salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegrette, 2 veggie dogs with WW buns, ketchup and mustard
• Snack: 12 mini rice cakes, protein bar
• Supper: Chicken breast, spinach salad with goat cheese and raspberry vinegrette, mushrooms and yellow peppers
• Snack: Low fat pudding

Summary:

• Protein: 6/7 (6 out of 7 recommended servings)
• Dairy: 3/3
• Fruits: 1/1
• Veggies: 4/4
• Fats: 1/1
• Carbs: 2/1
• Snacks: 3/3
• Condiments: 3/2
  

Days 45 & 46- Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Abs and Yoga

As of yesterday, I'm half-way done P90X! I'm still loving it and I'm still feeling great! Yesterday was Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and Abs. It's a tough workout, but I feel like I'm getting more used to it and doing better. I'm not going to write what I had to eat yesterday. I started off really well, but friends came over with treats, so it all went out the window. I tried my best though and had a veggie burger and veggie dog instead of the bad kind. I didn't do nearly as bad as I could have, but it wasn't great!

Today was yoga, but I didn't get to it until this evening. It was gorgeous out today (about 25C), so I spent a lot of time outside, not wanting to be couped up inside for 1 1/2 hr doing yoga! So I sat in the sun for a bit, cleaned my car, shoveled some snow and did some gardening....yep, you read right, I shoveled some snow! We still have a snow drift from where the plow guy piled it this winter. So, while wearing shorts, a tank top and flip flops, I shoveled snow onto the driveway so it would melt faster. The rest of the yard is clear of snow, except for this one pile. I hate looking at it and wanted it gone, but it's going to be there for a few more days at least.

Anyway, I did yoga later on this evening. I love that I'm half-way through the program, but I'm finding it's coming at a price. When I first started, I liked the yoga workout. I would happily go through the workout, doing my poses, and then BAM...yoga belly 7. I would keep forgetting that yoga belly 7 (which is worse than Ab Ripper X in my opinion), was at the end of the yoga workout. But NOW, I know what's coming at the end and I'm having a harder time enjoying the workout because I know there's torture at the end. Not my idea of a good way to finish up a yoga workout!

Here's what I ate today:

• Breakfast: Omelet made with 6 egg whites, 2 slices of turkey bacon, mushrooms, yellow peppers and cheese. Large milk
• Snack: Frozen fruit bar
• Lunch/Supper: Chicken breast wrap with honey mustard, lettuce, tomato, cheese
• Snacks: Protein shake with soy milk, workout drink, protein shake with water, fruit (mandarin oranges and peaches), can of V8 juice, a couple of handfuls of popcorn with melted butter.
  

Day 42 - Legs, Back and Ab Ripper

Last night I went out for supper with my cousin, so I wasn't able to do my workout right after work when I usually do it. It really makes a difference I find when I can't workout when I get home. Once I eat supper, I need to let it digest for a bit, making it even later before I get around to working out. I was REALLY tempted not to do my workout last night because it was after 8pm before I was able to start, plus, I had a headache. But I sucked it up and did it and I'm glad I did! I also thought that I might just skip Ab Ripper, but I ended up doing that too!

I did Ab Ripper first, as usual. I think if I had left it to the end, I probably would have skipped it. I know I've said this a lot, but I love doing ARX before the rest of the workout. It's such a nice feeling at the end of the longer workout, to know that I've already done it.

I felt a little sluggish during the whole workout last night. Maybe it was because I had a headache (which went away by the way!), or maybe it was because I didn't drink my "Endurance" drink to keep me going. I did the whole thing, but I just didn't feel into it.

As I said, my headache went away from working out. I had it most of the afternoon and evening and had taken meds for it, but that didn't work. Maybe working out got my blood flowing and that why it went away. Anyway, I'm glad it did and it's good to know for next time!

Before I wrap it up, I just wanted to say that I ordered P90X Plus and Chalean Extreme today from the beachbody.com website. Since I'm halfway through P90X, I thought I should plan ahead and be ready for when I'm done. I still haven't decided exactly what I'll do for the summer because I'll be playing soccer 2-3 times a week. I might just decide to go for runs or bike on my off days. I'll probably also do some weight lifting so I don't lose what muscle I've built so far. I don't know if I want to fully commit to a program over the summer because I'd like to be able to do it straight like the schedule suggests. I still have some time to decide I guess!

Meals:

• Breakfast: Corn Bran Squares cereal and skim milk
• Snack: Coffee
• Lunch: Part of a turkey breast and ham sub from Subway, a few chocolates
• Supper: Salmon with roasted red pepper and pecan sauce, roasted potatoes, veggies, and half a piece of chocolate cake.
• Snack: protein shake with skim milk

Day 38 - Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, and Ab Ripper

Just a very quick post today because I'm off to bed. I worked really hard this workout, lifted slightly heavier weights and did more reps...at least at the beginning. Because of this, my arms were dead by the end of it, so I had to go back to previous weights and reps to finish up.

This weekend I'm going to visit my parents in Moncton, so I'm going to modify my workout routine at bit. I won't get a chance to workout tomorrow because after work, I've got to drive almost 2 hours, and will be fed a meal once I get there. Saturday I plan on doing yoga and Sunday I'll do kenpo. That way I don't have to lug any weights home with me. I'm not going to take a rest day at the end of this week because I took yesterday off sick and tomorrow I won't be working out either.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Day 33 - Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X

I was bad today and had some chocolate bunny for Easter. You know how it is with chocolate, you only intend to have a little and you just keep going back for more!

As I've been in the habit of doing lately, I did Ab Ripper X first. The workout went just as well as last time. During Legs and Back though, I felt a little sluggish (this was before the chocolate).

Meals:

• Breakfast: 3 egg omelet (using only 1 yolk) with cheese and mushroom
• Snack: chocolate bunny
• Lunch: Caesar salad, coleslaw
• Snack: more chocolate bunny
• Supper: small bowl of maple curry chicken (there was a lot leftover!)

I really lacked in proteins today. Must do better tomorrow.

Day 31 - Chest, Shoulders & Triceps and Ab Ripper X

I started off my workout today with Ab Ripper X. Wow, having over a week off from this workout does wonders!! I was able to complete all 25 reps for all the exercises, and only needed a break with Crunchy Frog, Fifer Scissors (2 breaks), and Mason Twists. I used to only make it to 12 reps on the oblique V-ups before I needed a break, but today I was able to go right to 25 reps. Talk about progress!

Next was Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, which I hadn't done yet in this program. All I can say is holy push-ups! My arms are like jelly. I had to do all my push-ups on my knees and by the end of the workout, I almost collapsed because my arms were shaking so badly. Besides the push-ups, there are lots of other moves using weights. I'm definitely going to be sore tomorrow!

Meals for today:

• Breakfast: 2 pieces multigrain toast with honey, skim milk
• Snack: Banana, 2 rice cakes
• Lunch: Leftover maple curry chicken, apple
• Snack: Protein bar
• Supper: Turkey club bagel sandwich from Great Canadian Bagel
• Snack: Protein shake with water

Day 19 - Legs & Back and Ab Ripper X

I was a little late getting my workout done yesterday because we went out for supper with friends. So I didn't end up starting until around 9PM. I mixed it up a little bit last night by doing ARX before Legs and Back instead of after. I think I prefer it this way. It was good to get it out of the way so I didn't have to worry about it later. Plus, I had more energy to work my abs. I'm not saying I performed better at ARX this way, it was just less tiring.

As always, ARX is a killer for me, but at least it's short. I can manage to do 25 reps on the "in and outs" and on the "bicycle", but that's about it. For the rest of the moves, I can get to about 11-12 reps, then take a break and finish the last 5 or so with the group.

Legs and Back went well. I decided to use the stretch band for my pull-up moves. I think I prefer it this way. I feel like I have more control and that I'm getting a better workout that way. Eventually I'll go back to the pull-up bar, once I get stronger, but for now I'll stick with the band.

I think my favourite move on the Legs and Back DVD is the calf raises. Man they hurt, but I like them!

Day 17 - Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper X

I bought myself some new stretch bands to try instead of weights, but I'm not really sure I like them. For some of the moves, they were way more of a workout than using weights and made me realize that maybe I should increase my weight when using dumbells. Overall, I prefer using weights, but having bands adds variety, so I'll probably use them every once in a while.

Shoulders and arms went really well last night. As I said, I ended up lifting more weight than last week. Ab Ripper X didn't go quite as well. I wasn't able to do as many reps as normal before needing to take a break. I think it will be several weeks before I'm finally able to do all of this workout!

Day 12 - Legs & Back and Ab Ripper

I split up the two workouts today. I did Ab Ripper after I got home from work and before a group of us went out for supper. Then after supper, I did the Legs and Back workout. I should be off to bed now after I shower, but I'm stuck on the computer and feel the need to write about my workout first!

Today was the first day that I was able to do all of the ab ripper exercises without back pain!! Yay! I still can't do all 25 reps, but I can do more than before. I can feel my abs getting stronger and I think that is helping me from putting strain on my back. I love seeing progress! I was also able to get more of a workout doing legs and back and now my legs feel like jelly.

I'm also quite proud to say that since I started P90X on March 1st, I've exercised 15 out of 18 days, between playing soccer and my 12 days of P90X! One of my days off was because I ate too much on the 6th and the other two I took off to rest my back.

Now one last thing before I go to bed, I'm going to decorate my blog! I know...sad!

Day 10 - Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper

I felt I got a much better workout on my arms and shoulders this time around. Last time I only had 5lb weights and it didn't feel like enough, so I bought 8 and 10 lb weights. I'm not strong enough for the 10lb ones yet, but most of the moves I was able to lift 8lbs. I have to go to the 5lb weights for triceps though. I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow!

I'm still having some trouble with the Ab Ripper. A lot of the moves hurt my back, especially the ones where you start from lying down and have to roll all the way up to touch your toes. Ouch! So I've been doing a lot of modifications on this workout. I also think it will be a while before I'm able to do 25 of any of the exercises!

Day 5 - Legs & Back and Ab Ripper X

Just a quick note on today's workout because I'm off to bed in a minute. The leg and back workout felt good today and I finally got to try out the new chin-up bar. Couldn't do a chin-up without a chair mind you, but in my eyes, they were chin-ups none-the-less! I found the abs a bit harder today because of my back, so I modified and did my own ab moves for a lot of it.
Off to bed now - Kenpo X tomorrow.

Day 3 - Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper

Another really good workout. I really liked working the shoulders and arms, but I think I'll have to go buy another set of dumbells. The biggest I have is 5 lbs, and I found that it wasn't heavy enough for most of the moves. So it's off to Walmart today after work! The Ab Ripper DVD was a lot harder and I couldn't do a lot of the moves. I've got a bit of a sore back, so I'm skipping any moves that bother it. Hopefully once my core is strengthened a bit more, my back won't bother me.