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...