1/3 Complete
I haven’t updated all of my blog buddies in awhile so here it goes!
I’m just a couple days away from the 30 day milestone since I started P90X. At this point it is looking like it’s going to beP97X for me. I decided to repeat a week, since I was only able to workout three days one of the weeks. So far so good and I am actually starting to see some minor results. I am starting to get a tiny muscle in my biceps, which is a huge improvement over my Olive Oyl arms and starting to see a little more definition in my abs. I continue to make smart choices on my food, but still allow a splurge for dessert or a glass of wine. I have actually gained about two pounds- which I’m hoping is all muscle. In order to get enough protein to keep up with the workouts I am eating a Pria, Balance or Kashi bar every day. Pria Mint Chocolate Cookie bars taste the best, hands down.
Last week we got our first home delivery of organic fruits and vegetables from Absolute Organics. We signed up for $30 worth of fruits and veggies every other week. I was very impressed with what we got: Four bananas, five nectaries, six apples, a head of lettuce, a ton of green beans, white mushrooms, green onions and celery. My only concern now is eating it before it all goes bad.
P90X – One Week Down
I’m proud to say that I have completed the first week of P90X. I give myself a solid B. Not bad for the first week, but definitely room for improvement.
That's not me... yet.
Day 1: Chest, Back & Ab Ripper- Had a great workout on chest and back, but silly me, didn’t realize ab ripper was on the same DVD and thought I lost it already. Opps.
Day 2: Plyometrics – I’d heard this was the toughest of all workouts, but I liked it the best so far. I love high-impact cardio so this one is a great fit for me.
Day 3: Shoulders & Arms – I could still feel the burn from days one and two, but still did ok.
Day 4: Yoga X- I thought I was going to pass out during this one. I really stink at Yoga and only made it through about 45 minutes of this 90 minute workout.
Day 5: Legs, Back & Ab Ripper – I upgraded to some better resistance bands and had a great workout.
Day 6: Kenpo- Skipped, but hiked about 7 miles in place of.
Day 7: Rest or StretchX – I did Stretch X and felt pretty good after.
All in all, I am loving the program. This week I need to make a few adjustments including eating more. I don’t think my current diet gives me enough protein to keep up with the physical requirements of the workout program. The nutrition guide says I should be getting five servings of protein a day. This week I will be focusing on the diet, while continuing my daily commitment to the DVDs.
Ice Cream Cake?
Following the nutrition guide is a very important part of P90X. Unfortunately I cannot seem to find the beer, brownies and pizza pages of the guide… Hmmm…. maybe they’re in a separate booklet?
Because of the pink box, Dave calls it "Woman Cereal."
Although definitely NOT recommended for maximum results, I have decided to take it easy on the nutrition portion. I already eat fairly healthy and my diet consists mostly of a ton of veggies and fruit, whole grain pasta, fish, eggs, english muffins with peanut butter, tortilla shells, Special K Red Berries and cheese. I love cheese – smoked gouda, gorgonzola, provolone, kraft singles, cheddar – yum. While I am not going full on with the nutrition guide, I am trying to cut back on the weeknight beers and occasional purges on junk food and unnecessary apps (appetizers) at restaurants.
Day three was quite a challenge. I had two social gatherings at night so got right to the Shoulders & Back DVD in the morning. Not bad, but I am definitely feeling the exercises all over my body. In the afternoon there was cake for a few birthdays in the office. Who can turn down ice cream cake? Not me – I had a small(ish) slice. The real challenge came after work. First, drinks with my co-workers meant two beers and fried ravioli at a local watering hole, boy was it good. Next, girls night with some local friends led to some delish cucumber sandwiches, pita bread and dip and little bruschettas with cheese. And you know what… I’m ok with it. I spent some great time with friends, had great food and I know I’ll be working out like crazy over the next several days.
My sister-in-law writes a great blog with some killer healthy recipes. I will definitely be trying this crustless quiche soon for a yummy, rich and healthy treat!
Only 88 Days to Go…
So with the mercury rising above 90 degrees most days here in Charlotte, it has been tough to get out on the bike. Plain and simple, I just don’t enjoy riding in that kind of heat. So with no recent bike rides in sight, but lots of mexican food, sushi, pizza, margaritas, chips and salsa and apps (that’s appetizers) with full control over my diet these days I needed a plan fast.
My friend Jess became my instant inspiration to try the P90X fitness plan. Her results speak for themselves and I had heard first hand from a few others that it was a solid, yet intense fitness regime. One reason I was drawn to it is because it is geared toward people who already have a somewhat respectable level of fitness. Although I definitely have a lot to work on, I didn’t necessarily feel like I needed to start from scratch or that I had a completely weak fitness level. I got the DVDs and today is day 2, of 90.
The first day was the shoulder and back DVD. I think I did more push-ups than I have ever done in my whole life during that hour-long workout. I was dying and some sets I only did four or five push-ups, brutal. I woke up this morning and had some trouble lifting my arms. Ouch!
Day two (today) was the Plyometrics DVD. For those of you who don’t know what Plyometrics is… it is jumping… up and down, side to side – pick your poison. I can completely see how this DVD will help get me in shape for ski season down the road. It kicked my butt.
I have a feeling “butt kicking” is going to be a theme over the next three months!
Performance
This video was tweeted by Lance Armstrong the other day… I thought it had some funny parts, even though I didn’t drop 2K on my bike, nor I am a hipster/bike messenger. :)
Fore!
Sunday afternoon, rain threatening all day, some drizzle. Biking, no. Tennis, no. Golf, no. <Insert Dave begging.> Fine, driving range. Actually it was quite an enjoyable experience and for the first time in a long time I didn’t totally stink up the place with my wiffs, grounders and 15-foot t-shots. I only brought three clubs: a 7 wood, 7 iron and pitching wedge. I mostly just hit the 7 iron and had a solid string of straight shots go 100 yards or so.
Still hoping that our very short string of drizzle ends by tomorrow so I can hop on the bike, even if it’s just for a quick ride.
Later on in the afternoon I did my Billy Blanks Tae-Bo DVD. I am going to start the P90X fitness plan soon and I thought Billy would at least give me a good cardio workout… and a ton of laughs from the ridiculous workout gear he and his workout team sport. Ahhh the 90′s.
Rolling with the Lack of Permits
Two weekends ago our little family headed out for another overnight adventure in Linville Gorge. Our last-minute planning left us packing up and scrambling to head out the door by 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. We had neglected one important part of backcountry camping in Linville Gorge – you have to have a permit. Our first stop was the Visitor Information Center on the western side of the gorge. Now maybe it’s just me, but when I go to a visitor center I expect to find a park ranger or other park employee or volunteer who is very knowledgeable on the area and enthusiastic about helping visitors (and wearing a Smokey the Bear hat). Not only were they out of permits, but the person working there, although very nice was no help at all. She was able to show us where the visitor center was on our map. (No kidding… we got there using the map didn’t we?!)
Turing around on a log.
So with no permit and a small daypack with water and snacks we did end up finding a great trail with killer views and then a nice long hike to the bottom of the gorge so Greylock could enjoy a swim. We were debating most of the afternoon if we should stay overnight at one of the campsites just off the road that runs along the top of the gorge (you don’t need a permit for them). But since we had left all of our car camping luxuries like our 4-person tent, cooler and chairs at home we decided to just head back for the night. We picked up the s’mores ingredients and enjoyed that luxury of car camping, right on our back deck.
Sometimes s'mores at home beats sleeping on a rock in the woods.
