On the way back to the top

I worked out tonight for the second time since the accident, and it went surprisingly well. I had to take a break around the half-mile mark when I was running because my shoulder started to tense up pretty badly, but I started back up and made it to 1.2 miles. I took another break for a tenth of a mile and finished at the 2-mile mark. Other than the breaks for some tense muscles and a little bit of pain, it went well.

I also tried a couple of workouts for my lats and shoulders. I only did 30 pounds on the lat pull-down machine, which was a piece of cake. I don't think it really did much, but I've got to start somewhere. I used 20 pounds on the shoulder machine because it had a little more resistance and targeted one of the main areas that was injured. I wanted to take it really slow with that area because getting back up to speed too quickly can definitely hurt you in the long-run.

Just wanted to write this quick update... I'm on the way back to where I was, and I can't wait!

It's going to be longer than 1 week...unfortunately

I'd originally thought that I would only be out for one week for my injury from the car accident. Well, I though wrong.

Before today, I hadn't been able to work out since the night of the accident. My shoulder, neck, and back have been so sore that I really haven't been able to do too much. I decided, though, that I had to start back exercising tonight, so I went to my local gym to try it out. It was kind of odd to be there because so much has changed since I started P90X. Anyway, though, I made a B-line to the treadmill to run as long as I could.

My original goal was to do at least 2 miles, but I barely made it to 1 mile. My shoulder was bothering me so badly that I almost didn't even make it to the .90 mile mark, but I kept going anyway. I think I drank too much water after I stopped running because I felt like I was going to throw up. It could have been a combination of the water and my shoulder aching, too. Who knows?

So now, my focus has shifted from starting back P90X pronto to working myself back up to P90X status. I've got to get my strength back in my shoulder, neck, and back before I can start the program again or I'd end up hurting myself even worsea and would be out longer. Not a good thing when I'm trying to get fit!

In the mean time, though, I'm going to post helpful articles on fitness, weight loss, and exercise information. Hopefully it will help all of us reach our goals! :)

Minor setback... well, for 1 week

Well, I had to go to my chiropractor (big thanks Dr. Alonzo Borja in Buford!) today to get my neck/shoulder/back checked out. I've got to stay off of the P90X workouts for 1 week to let myself heal and get appropriate treatment during that time. I really hate that this setback has occurred, but everything happens for a reason. I'm going to be sure to "bring it" big time when I start back next Wednesday, though. I'm going to pick up where I left off and get back on track at that point. Hopefully after this injury, I won't have anymore... at least for a long time!

Day 23: An Unexpected Happening

Well, this week has been full of unexpected happenings... Having to wear my glasses makes me feel like I'm super tired, but that's not the major event that kind of put a kink in my plans.

I was rear-ended today when I was heading home from work. Joy.

It wasn't bad (thank the Good Lord), but it still was a hassle. I was sitting on the off ramp from the interstate waiting to turn left, and this guy hit me from behind. It didn't really do much damage, but it popped out this plastic piece on my car and broke a couple of plastic pieces. It bent my bumper, too, but I've still got to get it checked out just to make sure that nothing else is wrong with it, though. That's a pretty tough Equinox, and I'm glad that the bumper and safety system actually did it's job. Anyway, though, I was looking left when the jolt came, so my neck/back/shoulder will probably be sore tomorrow. My neck feels a little tight, but I'm just going to hope that will be the worst of it. I just hope that this doesn't interfere too much with my 90 days...

I couldn't really eat much tonight because A) it was almost 100 degrees outside and we'd been standing out there for a little while (the cops took 30 minutes to get there... ridiculous!) and B) the accident kind of screwed up my appetite. I'm sitting here trying to drink my Recovery drink, but it's just not jiving with me right now either.

Anyway, though, I had my first experience with the Core Synergistics session. It was pretty awesome, and I was pleased with the workout. I didn't do all of the workouts because my shoulder area was feeling kind of weird, but the other workouts were really cool. I liked the Superman-Banana workout. I'm not gonna lie - I laughed out loud when Tony was like, "Superman! Banana! Superman! Banana!" really fast. It was hilarious!

So, here's my workout data from my HRM:

6/15/10
Total Time: 58.20
Calories Burned: 402.95
Fat: 60%
Maximum BPM: 171
Average BPM: 134

That's pretty good considering I didn't go 100% tonight. Tomorrow is Kenpo (suh-weet!), so I'm definitely looking forward to that. Let's just hope I'm not sore from the accident so I can actually do the entire exercise!

Day 22: Tired but accomplished

Today has been a tiring day. Let me just start off by saying that I went to my optometrist this morning and found out that I can't wear my contacts for almost a week because of an eye allergy. The allergy has caused my left eye to be super dooper dry, so it's glasses for me right now. I really don't mind wearing my glasses because they're pretty awesome, but they make my eyes really tired... especially since I haven't worn them in quite some time. My eyes being tired makes my body think it's tired, too, so I really had to push it to get through Yoga X tonight.

I will say, though, that tonight's Yoga X session was one of my best sessions to date. I actually got through the Crane for 10 seconds! It was awesome! When I realized I actually was doing the crane, I lost my balance, but at least I got that far. That's such an improvement from just staring at the television thinking, "There's no way..."

This week is the fourth week in my series, which means that I'm starting a new rotation. I get to do Yoga X twice (yaay...not.), Kenpo, Core Synergistics twice, and X Stretch. Then, it will be on to another set for 3 weeks or so. I love muscle confusion!

Here's my HRM info for tonight's workout:

6/14/10
Total Time: 1.27.24
Calories Burned: 402.74
Fat: 60% (still confused by this one)
Maximum BPM: 222 (that number is so not right...)
Average BPM: 107

I think my calories burned for tonight's workout was slightly more than my previous Yoga X sessions. I really pushed myself since I felt like I was tired, but I'm definitely going to keep working at this level of intensity and keep pushing myself more and more every day. I'm still eating a lot of fruit, one protein bar per day, and one Recovery drink per day. I'm running low on my Recovery drink, so I hope the refill comes in pretty quickly.

Later taters - talk to y'all tomorrow!

Week 3 Review: VERY pleased

So, I'm super pumped...

I've lost a TOTAl of 6 INCHES all over my body!

I'm very pleased with this workout system and the nutritional guide. Also, talking to other P90X-ers and people who are simply trying to start working out regularly keeps me consistently motivated.

This week was great because I got back into the rhythm of things. I didn't really lose any weight, but obviously my fat is decreasing steadily. That's exactly what I want... even if I don't get to my weight goal. As long as my body fat percentage is small, I'll be happy.

On to week 4! This week is the "resting" period, so we shall see how it goes.

Day 20: I love me some Kenpo

Kenpo has to be my favorite cardio workout because it is SO much fun! I feel like I can just knock out someone every time I finish this workout. Not that I need to, but it's good to feel confident in my ninja abilities just in case of emergency.

I've noticed that my balance is WAY better than it was the first week I started this workout. I've always had better balance on my left foot, but my right foot is starting to equal out. My kicks are higher because my balance is better. Suh-weet.

I'm kind of rushed today, so here's my HRM info:

6/12/10
Total Time: 57.45
Calories Burned: 413.69
Fat: 55%
Maximum BPM: 162
Average BPM: 137

I think my calories burned number is getting lower each time I do these workouts because my body is getting used to the moves. People always say that beginners for any sport or workout burn more calories than professionals, so I guess I'm getting to the point where I need to push myself even harder. Although next week's plan is more of a resting period (even though Yoga is on there twice...gah), I'll still need to stay motivated to keep my heart rate up.

On a positive note, though, my fat percentage went down from 60% to 55%. Not really sure what that means on this HRM, but it sounds good to me! :)

Have a great day!

Day 19: My favorite weights workout

I've come to the realization that the legs and back workout is by far my favorite. I love the fact that the only duplication is with the pull-ups, which keeps the entire hour workout really interesting. It also keeps me majorly motivated because I see that everyone in the video is doing a high number of reps. I can't be outdone by those people (even if they are P90X graduates)!

Today's been kind of a "lazy" day for me. I got off work at noon (every Friday is like that during the summer) and just chilled out until dinner. It was really relaxing to just sit down and process this week's craziness and do my favorite workout after dinner.

Here's my HRM info for the workout tonight:

6/11/10
Total Time: 1.17.24
Calories Burned: 519.62
Fat: 60%
Maximum BPM: 167
Average BPM: 133

I love seeing high numbers for my calories burned! It continues to motivate me when I see my hard work paying off with these numbers. I hope everyone else has the same luck during this process, too! :)

Have a awesome night!

Day 18: I half-way did the crane!

So, let me just say that I thoroughly enjoyed my Yoga X session tonight. It has been a really hectic week, so I think this workout helped me clear my mind and not think about my normal responsibilities. Even though this workout is way long (an hour and thirty-two minutes), it didn't seem as if it went by slowly like it usually does. I even was able to half-way do the crane position without busting my face! That's always a good sign.

I noticed that I had 5 different fruits today along with 7 different veggies. That's a ton! I don't think you can overload on fruits and veggies (as long as you eat them in moderation, of course), so hopefully that will help me with my weight loss progress. I had some tuna and grouper today (for two different meals), which definitely gave me appropriate protein amounts for the day. The protein bars also help that situation, so I got extra helpings today.

Here's my HRM info for my workout:

6/10/10
Total Time: 1.27.12
Calories Burned: 378.78
Fat: 60%
Maximum BPM: 141
Average BPM: 105

Not as many calories burned as I'd hoped, but it's better than nothing. I KNOW I worked out hard today, so I'm sure I'll feel the burn tomorrow when I can barely move from my soreness. That's a good - scratch that, GREAT - issue to have, though!

Well, I've almost officially made it a week back into my P90X routine, so that means there's 72 days to go until the end of the program. Or maybe that's just the beginning? I'm not sure, but either way, I'll be a changed person at that point, both physically and mentally! That's definitely something to look forward to.

Day 17: Feeling the burn

Man, am I sore! I'm not as bad as I was the first week, but those workouts are killer if you do them correctly. I also bumped up my intensity and increased or changed my weights, so that helped a lot. I'm also super pumped that there's only one exercise that I absolutely haven't been able to finish in the abs exercise: the scissors move. I completely loathe that workout, but it works. I feel it in my lower abs every day, so I guess that's enough motivation for me to not quit in the middle of that exercise.

I tried to do a fancy video log today, but for some reason, YouTube is taking FOR-EV-ER to upload it. If it uploads in time, I'll post it; if not, it's going in my "Videos" file just for future reference. Stupid video.

Well, I'm exhausted from tonight's workout, so I'm going to cut this entry short. Here's my HRM info:

6/9/10
Total Time: 1.20.11
Calories Burned: 474.75
Fat: 60%
Maximum BPM: 205 (?)
Average BPM: 125

If that Maximum BPM is correct, that's WAAAAAY too high. I don't think my heart rate got up that high, but I'll definitely continue to keep a close watch.

Have a great night everyone, and I'll talk to ya tomorrow! :)

Day 16: "Nobody said it would be easy"

It's so awesome to be able to make it through the entire Plyometrics DVD without having major difficulty. It was really tough the first week, got easier the second week, and it's even better this week. Now, let me say that it's not easy by any means... I'm just getting more used to it. Tony says in the video, "Nobody said it would be easy," and that's exactly right. Nothing you do will improve without some sort of effort. That's especially true with fitness - you've got to make an effort to do the workouts and follow the nutritional guide if you want results. Believe me, it's not easy to turn down cookie dough ice cream or brownie pie, but if I want to look and feel my best, I HAVE to in order to achieve my goal.

I really got my fill of protein today. Egg and ham scramble for breakfast, a wood-grilled chicken and shrimp platter from Red Lobster for lunch, and samon for dinner. I had a ton of other veggies and fruit to go along with it, so overall, it was a great nutritional day.

Here's my HRM info for tonight's workout:

6/8/10
Total Time: 58.54
Calories Burned: 518.60
Fat: 60%
Maximum BPM: 176
Average BPM: 152

I pushed myself a little harder than I did the last time I completed this exercise, so that helped me gain almost 10 more calories burned. My average BPM was up by 6, so I'm sure that helped, too.

I love getting up every morning and feeling good about my health. I can only imagine what it's going to be like after I finish this program if I'm feeling so awesome after just 2 complete weeks!

On to Day 17...

Awesome video... See how Tony helps our Troops

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to share this link with you all. It's a video of Tony Horton talking about his trip overseas to help our troops get into even better shape. Check it out:

Video Link

Day 14 and 15... Back on track

So, I ended up not doing any of my P90X workouts last week. I got off-track with my vacation schedule, but it was a much-needed vacation from reality. I had totally planned on doing the workouts, but I forgot my recovery drink formula at home. And... I couldn't use the pull-up bar. I know those are all just excuses, but I won't have any other distractions and don't plan on skipping any other time. I didn't eat too terribly bad, though, so I don't think it messed me up too much. I'm not even going to count last week as part of the program because I plan on doing the Week 3 workout this week. I've started back doing everything today (supplements, protein bars, etc.), and it's on now.

Well, the workout tonight wasn't too terribly bad. It was actually refreshing to get back into my home-gym and do some much-needed reps. I was very pleased to see that my number of reps is increasing, where needed. When I started the program a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't even think about doing a pull-up. I'm now almost to the point where I can get 3/4 of one, so that's definitely some improvement. Whoot whoot!

My abs workout is getting a ton better, too. There are only 3 workouts that I simply cannot do 25 reps, which is better than where I started! By the 2nd workout when I did the video the first time, I was already out of breath and my abs were absolutely killer. It's much different now, though.

Here's my HRM info for today's workout:

6/7/10
Total Time: 1.11.43
Calories Burned: 427.22
Fat: 60%
Maximum BPM: 158
Average BPM: 128

My calories burned is a little bit more than the last time I did this workout, so that's a plus. I worked out with the 15s for a couple of times and did a few more push-ups than normally. Gah, I can't wait to see what I'll be able to do at the end of this program!

I've already gotten some compliments about how I look like I've lost weight or that my shoulders are beginning to look more defined. That kind of feedback from people is really what I feed off of, especially with fitness. It's continuous motivation, even if it's from people you see every day.

Til next time...