Epilogue

PS - I can do a chinup. :)

DAY NINETY!!!

THE END.

(And for the record, I am never doing Yoga again.)
(By the way, due to...a lot of things...I did Yoga and Kenpo back to back today- 2.5 hours of exercise straight.)
(Well, actually, back to back but with a lot of breaks due to...a lot of things...which means I pretty much spent all day working out. From 12:30pm to 11:00pm to be exact. Like I said. A lot of breaks. Due to a lot of things.)

And even though I know it's sounds a bit too Grammys to have thank yous forever at the end, I really do have to give commendations to My Better Half. Though he may not have completed the P90X program as of yet, he really stepped it up to make sure I finished. He gave up TV time (so I could use the DVD's) and computer time (so I could blog) and cuddle time (so I could get all sweaty and stinky exercising) and couch time (in order to take on extra household duties - especially this past week - to give me the sixty, ninety, even one hundred fifty minutes I needed each day for the program.) He even did kitchen tasks! He also patiently endured the emotional rollercoaster as I made the rounds of determination ("I am not doing anything else til I'm done with my workout today!") exhaustion ("I'm too tired for...anything!") depression ("I'm so overwhelmed with everything I have to do!") exhileration ("I can do a pushup!") and aggression ("Leave me alone, I'm busy!"). I couldn't ask for a better husband.

Would I recommend P90X? Sure! I got more fit. (Though my pants still don't fit much better, but then, I took a lot of diet breaks. And a lot of workout breaks, too.) It was fun. (Except for the Yoga part, which was interesting, but fun?) It was affordable. (Though I may have croaked at the cost at the beginning, the equipment and DVD's can be used indefinately, so it still seems to be a good deal in the long run.) It had a lot of variety. (Though I would have preferred less variety, more Kenpo!) It was doable. (However, I would recommend a cancellation of any unecessary parts of your life during its duration. Like socializing. Especially around people who eat anything besides lettuce.)

And it was finishable.

Ninety days may seem like an eternity and a lifetime feels unlimited. But both come to an end. There is value to staying the course in both. "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day..." -2 Timothy 4:7-8
     ~Stick to it!

Day Eighty Nine

On the plus side, I had all day to workout. (In theory.) On the negative side, somehow I managed to end up doing Legs & Back/Ab Ripper a mere five hours before doing Core Synergystics. Not ideal. The two least favorites, practically back to back. Uggh! (No, you don't need to remind me that I brought it upon myself by waiting until the last minute to start. That is completely uncalled for.)
     On the plus side, the fact that I was even able to complete those two torture devices within that limited span is quite surprising to me. I must be more fit - I'm still alive after that! On the negative side, every muscle in my body is now reminding me of my age, my recent movements, and my insanity. "All I want for Christmas is my two...hour full-body massage." (I don't think that's quite how it goes.)
     On the plus side - only one more day!
~Stick to it!

Day Eighty Eight

Kenpo this morning and Yoga before bed. I am surprised that doing doubles every day isn't as bad as one might think. I suppose the human frame is much more capable than we give it credit for! However, I have discovered we are constantly out of food. Especially meat. I am always hungry! :) It's hard to find a steady, readily available stream of protein. Carbs are so much more handy: cold cereal, toast, pasta (Oh, the pasta. I love pasta.) rice, and so many other quick and easy foods. Meat requires deep freeze mining, defrosting, searing, baking, cooling, and cutting. By that time, I'm likely to have keeled over stone dead! Or as my college roomate was fond of saying: "My stomach is eating itself!" (Ok, slight exaggeration. Slight.)
      Side note - I am definately maybe ditching Yoga after Friday. My wrists are starting to hurt because of all the Downward Dog and other postures that basically settle all my body weight on two bent wrists and then stay there for "5 deep breaths" which basically means until you can't breathe anymore. But I'm a fan of the not-jumping part of Yoga, so I'm still undecided.
     ~Stick to it!

Day Eighty Seven

It's all downhill from here. At least I would certainly hope so! Up at 7am so I could get Core Synergystics (It has now surpassed Legs & Back/Ab Ripper as my least favorite workout.) in before work. Just finished Back & Biceps/Ab Ripper and it's eleven minutes the wrong side of midnight. And there was a whole lot of day in between. Do not call me early tomorrow morning. (I guess it would be this morning, since it's after midnight.) All relationship ties will be severed. :)
     ~Stick to it!

Day Eighty Six

The hardest step just might be the first one. Cardio this afternoon, but X Stretch this evening was an act of sheer will power. It's not that I don't like the routine, it was the thought of having to do another hour of anything mandatory. I even had to skip "King of Queens" to do it! (Which is probably good for me, as I am adamantly opposed to TV taking over life, but on occasion I forget this aversion.)
     In retrospect, I still think Tuesday will be the hardest day, but this one caught me by surprise. Cardio and Stretch? Piece of cake! Or not!
     ~Stick to it!
    

Day Eighty Five

The good news: I figured out how to mesh two weeks into one and finish at exactly ninety days. The bad news: To fit it all in, I had to do Yoga tonight instead of X Stretch. The worse news: I didn't sit down and graph this all out until ten pm, meaning it's nearly midnight and I just finished my workout.
     The better news: I did my last make-up Kenpo this afternoon, so all systems are go for the final lap. Now comes the challenging part - carrying through. Tuesday will be brutal. And Friday, I just might have to choose between seeing family and finishing. I hope they still know I love them!
     But I already have the homemade doughnut recipe picked out for Saturday. (Not that I ended up following the diet very closely anyway, but on Saturday I will no longer feel guilty for not following it more closely!)To be so close and not finish out would be crummy.
     We have friends divorcing after forty years together. I still love both of them, and it's not my place to address them. But inside my head, I'm pleading with them. "You're so close! Why give up now? There is so much to be gained by finishing!" What makes someone so tired that they choose to leave the track just as they begin the final lap? One thing I am sure of: it doesn't have to be that way. "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)
     ~Stick to it!

Day Eighty Four

It was a nice thought...

Day Eighty Three

In light of recent developments (I did nothing this week) I have decided to consider this week a catch up week. (As opposed to the lagging behind week it actually was.) I have two unrecovered Kenpo days I missed over the last twelve weeks. I did one today. Doing one tomorrow puts me where I need to be in order to finish P90X on time. I may throw in some X Stretches just for kicks, but I have reviewed the evidence (The last day of every week you can do X Stretch OR rest. So I'm not actually slacking off by not doing all of them that I had the option to do.) and no longer feel compelled to make up the stretching I didn't have to do in the first place.
     Of course, this approach will pressurize next week (I will be forced to do doubles every day in order to complete weeks twelve and thirteen by Day 90. A workout missed will guarantee failure as it is next to impossible to do three workouts in a day, as well as ineffective.) but it's the home stretch! Give it all you've got!
     ~Stick to it!

Day Eighty Two

Ever notice that some weeks just aren't it? You may have started with the best of intentions, then you find yourself staring at Friday with no possible hope of recovering lost time, lost ground, and lost muscle. I wish somehow I would have been a different kind of person this week. One who got up and exercised instead of sleeping in. One who went home and worked out instead of catching a movie. One who had self-control and walked past the piece of cake (and the second one, and the cupcake, and the PB M&M's) that made all the exercising necessary in the first place.
     Regret. (Not going to get that time back.) Disappointment. (This was my last chance too! The end is in sight!) Disgust. (I am such a glutton!) Intimidation. (How will I ever finish on time now?)
     P90X isn't the only arena for such emotions either. (I wish I would have memorized more Scripture as a kid.) (I will never get another chance to witness to her.) (Why am I still making the same wrong choices?) (I just can't keep my life together!)
       "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning..." (Lamentations 3:22-23) No matter how many times I fall short in multiple areas of my life, morning continues to come.
      "For physical training IS of some value..." and godly disicplines more so and both can be begun again with the sunrise. (Or any time thereafter!)
~Stick to it!

Day Eighty One

Very short-lived...

Day Eighty

Vengeance was short-lived....

Day Seventy Nine

Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps/Ab Ripper. Time to get back at it with a vengeance. Checked that one off for the last time! Yippee! Last lifting week of P90X! The end is in sight! (Whoa. Someone needs to lay off the exclamation points.)
~Stick to it!

Day Seventy Eight

If yesterday was "Need to skip", today was "Want to skip." Too much good food, leaving me getting home and not watching a productive video.

Day Seventy Seven

Did I mention earlier how hard it is to keep a workout schedule when you're away from home? What kind of a guest borrows the DVD player for an hour so they can exercise in the middle of the party? "Hi! Beautiful house, great party, do you mind moving to the garage? I need to use your living room for my workout." Not thinking that Miss Manners would approve.

Day Seventy Six

Kenpo down, only one more day this week!

Day Seventy Five

It's beginning to look promising! With Legs & Back/Ab Ripper out of the way this afternoon, I just might actually for once during this whole ninety days - get all my workouts in on the right days! (Maybe I got it right the very first week, but other than that, I think I've always been off somewhere in the week.) Part of it has to do with my schedule: M/W/F I have more time available, so they make better lifting days. Tuesday I have to "hop to" in order to even have a mere hour open for Cardio.
     I think post-P90X I will lift M/W/F and do Cardio or walking Tu/Th/Sat. This would put my day of rest/X Stretch on Sunday (instead of Saturday, as currently) which is probably more theologically correct anyway! :) Of course, the other reason why I've been off-schedule most of the time is that life tends to get in the way of plans. Sometimes you're sick, or away from home, or have company, or discover different priorities. Pretty sure that won't change in a week or two. Although my goal is to keep exercising six days a week, I doubt it will happen very often. But, in a couple weeks, it won't matter! "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are...off P90X." (Romans 8:1, paraphrased)
     In fifteen days, my life may look fairly similar to what it does now. I still plan to exercise daily and watch what I eat. (At least as much as I do now!) But the motivation will be different. No longer the law of a program, but the grace of a desire to do what's good for me and those around me. My spiritual life may look the same as that of one who lives by the "rules" of Christianity, but the motivation is different. I don't have to earn God's favor, or my place in heaven - I'm free to follow what God says is good for me and for those around me. What a blessing to not have to "get it right."
~Stick to it!

Day Seventy Four

As the end approaches, I begin contemplating if I will continue with the DVD's once the 90 days is over. Fortunately, I still have sixteen days remaining to contemplate. Some days, I could see this becoming a routine (slightly adjusted for real life, of course!) Others, like today (Yoga X) I swear I'm gonna be done and never look back.
     However, I do have to admit, even Yoga has proven more practical than I expected. For example, our washing machine needs some remedial attention. So today I pulled it out (Thanks to Back & Biceps that I could even move the beast in the first place!) to look things over. (Do we really need to call a repairman? Really?) Of course, the laundry corner is such that (without unhooking all the water, etc) I have to climb over the top and behind the washer to access the back panel. But it was disgusting back there. Dirt, dead spiders, random round no-longer-indentifiable candies...nasty. No way am I climbing back there without cleaning it first.
     Problem. Can't clean back there without climbing back there. Can't climb back there without cleaning it first. Yoga X to the rescue! There's about a foot of space between the washer and dryer. A little standing splits/half moon pose bends me double in the gap so I can scrub the floor!
     (Actually, it was quite a process. First, I had to sweep from the top down to purge all spiderwebs and dust bunnies. Then scrub all the hoses and panels with a hot rag and vinegar so that I could even THINK about putting my face anywhere near them. Third, resweep everything the rag knocked down. Then scrub as much of the floor as I could reach by doing X Stretch through the washer/dryer gap while seated on the floor. Did I mention I also had to move everything else out of the laundry/storage corner so I even had room to move the washer out in the first place? Why do I have so much stuff?)
     Next, to climb back there (Multiple times, I might add. It's like squats, only with hoses and cords in the way.) and analyze the situation!
~Stick to it!

Day Seventy Three

Ok, this may sound a little strange, but I hate to see Shoulders & Arms/Ab Ripper go. When I started, I had decent triceps, acceptable biceps, and wimpy shoulders. The combo meant each exercise found me switching weight plates. Eleven weeks later, I've finally gotten them evened out so I use the same poundage (Is that a word? I doubt it!) for most of the exercises. (Upon reflection, apparently that means that my shoulders have improved a lot, my biceps a little, and triceps...not so much. Win some, lose some.) And now, I'm done with that particular routine.
     On a more encouraging note, whereas Dreya (gal on the DVD) was using 10 pounds for one exercise (see Day Ten post) I am now using about 12.5 pounds! Boo yah!
     ~Stick to it!

Day Seventy Two

Dogging it with Cardio today. Between a poor diet over the weekend (Monday, Monday, Monday...) inadequate breakfast, and just general lack of motivation/willpower, it wasn't a stellar performance. However, I did finish it. I am still alive. There aren't as many ladybugs on my ceiling today. It's a beautiful afternoon. I got the laundry done before the washing machine began losing parts. The car doesn't need an oil change yet. My blessing are many. Count yours!
     Stick to it!

Day Seventy One

Last day EVER to do Chest and Back/Ab Ripper! (At least until I decide how to continue to use P90X as an ongiong fitness program.) To honor it's passing, I went back and read the blog entry from the first time I did it. I can clearly state that things have changed since seventy one days ago. Back then, I was using the chair to help with pullups. (This allows you to use your legs to get up, making it much easier.) Now I am down to a one loop band assist. I suspect that in another twenty days, I just might be able to do a whole chinup without any help at all. Back then, Ab Ripper had eleven moves, twenty five reps each. I could do eleven moves, about ten reps each, taking a break every three reps! Now, I can do the whole workout, start to finish, even doing the advanced version of some of the moves. Never thought I'd get there!
      Back then, I was constantly thinking about the diet. Now, I occasionally think about trying to eat somewhat close to the diet. This change would not be considered an improvement. I was discussing my lack of spare tire loss with my pro bono personal trainer (brother.) Unfortunately for my argument, he also reads this blog. His comment? "There were an awful lot of cheat days in that blog!" Which is true, to my embarassment. Although I have gotten stronger, fat loss requires not only higher metabolism, but also lower empty caloric intake. I only have the first part down.
     Still, I'm encouraged to be able to start closing off workouts. My Better Half asked me if I am still enjoying P90X. My answer is yes - I'm glad we did it. But it is nice to see the end in sight.
~Stick to it!

Day Seventy

Easy day today. X Stretch is so relaxing! Systematically working out all the muscles from the neck down. I suppose for the best results a person should be stretching three times a week. The downside to lifting is that it tightens the muscles, reducing range of motion and flexibility. Stretching regularly can offset that, but it's hard to devote an hour a day to lifting, plus an hour for stretching.
      Speaking of stretching, pretty sure that is what my belly will be doing this afternoon. Headed over to my parents for lasagna and apple crisp!
~Stick to it!

Day Sixty Nine

I think I'm obsessing. I did Legs and Back/Ab Ripper this morning, Kenpo in the evening, allowing myself "King of Queens" when it came on halfway through Kenpo. (My new favorite TV show. Actually, it's my only TV show. I have a pretty low tolerance for sitcoms. For TV in general, really. To the point of rudeness - just ask my friends. I'm that person that will turn someone else's TV off in their own house if I can't leave the room.) I was pondering adding an X Stretch before bed, but age won out and I just went to sleep. I am bound and determined to add in all the workouts I missed. My Better Half says I'm crazy (which is true) but I'm enjoying the challenge. I only have one extra Kenpo remaining. (And several X Stretch, but those are easy to add in because they are low-impact and just an hour. Doing one before bed seems to help me sleep better, too.)
     I still like the leg routine the least, but I am improving. I can survive the whole routine! I even add a few of the extras, like a knee raise on the deadlift squats. Jumping jacks are no longer hard, something which has dumbfounded me. I can't say I hate them anymore!
~Stick to it!
    

Day Sixty Eight

"I've said it before and I'll say it again..." (Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World?) The worst part of Yoga is holding each pose for five breaths. Makes the ninety minute session seem much longer than it is. Didn't help that I got interrupted three times. Long interruptions. Don't get me wrong, they were good interruptions. I wouldn't trade those conversations for a quicker workout. But the task-focused part of me had planned an hour and a half for Yoga and no extra! Serves me right for thinking life would follow my schedule!
     There's something to be said for enjoying the moments. Relax a little. It'll be easier on yourself - and everyone around you!
~Stick to it!

Day Sixty Seven

Woke up feeling "like poo" as my old college roomie would say, so I opted for Kenpo, low-impact version. I took all the moves and de-intensified them. Open hand instead of fist, low kicks instead of high, fluid movements instead of sharp. It worked so well that I started thinking about the possibilities. One of the downsides of P90X is that it is designed for those already fairly fit. You pay the $100+ cost for a 90 day boost to an already solid foundation. Theoretically, those who need it can't use it, and those who can use it don't need it. (If you don't have an existing workout plan, and are not currently in good shape, the program as designed is too hard for you. If you have a workout background, then you are certainly capable of continuing your previous habits. Though I have enjoyed the DVD's, I could have just started going to the YMCA again and still seen results.)
     But what if you could spread that cost out? What if you could enlarge the target group, using the same DVD's for multiple levels of fitness? Beginners would still need a coach to help them figure out to scale down/alter the exercises, but there are easily five or more levels of intensity. The concepts of muscle confusion and variety are solid and attractive. I think someone at a very low level of fitness could invest in these DVD's and use them progressively for a long time. That's the theory anyway. Now all I need is a guinea pig...
     The upside to the day was that Back and Biceps/Ab Ripper went really well tonight. Not sure if I've gotten that much tougher, or if the ibuprofen I've been taking all day just isn't out of my system yet! My goal is to be able to do one unassisted pullup or chinup after the 90 days. I'm down to a one-loop assistance band, with three weeks to go.
~Stick to it! 

Day Sixty Six

Two unfortunate items of note: My daily task list now includes "vacuum ladybugs." This Debbie-Downer is compounded by the fact that, at last, I have searched Google and found it wanting. Apparently there is no better advice in the world for ridding oneself of the pests than "vacuum them up every day and use candles and room freshener to mask their unpleasant smell." (The smell, by the way, turns out to be the scent of their blood, which is also the yellow stuff they leave behind when you move them.It's the bug version of wetting yourself when you're scared. Interesting bit of scientific information, but ultimately useless.) Other ever-so-helpful hints included covering all your windows with black trash bags (what's the point of windows, then?) and burying your home in a certain type of expensive dirt. (If I wanted to live underground, I would be.)
      The second: I have just killed the largest spider I have ever seen. It was in my house. Running across my living room floor. I have left the carcass out for My Better Half to survey when he returns from work. Why don't vermin come out when he's home? The good news? If ever there is a burglar, I will say to him, like David: "I have vanquished the spider and the snake and you will be like one of them!" (1 Samuel 17, paraphrased)
     After Cardio this morning and X Stretch tonight, I suppose the day would have been too easy without some kind of excitement. Or something like that.
~Stick to it!

Day Sixty Five

When the going gets tough, the tough get going! (The rest of us fall over and eat dirt.) Kenpo this morning and Chest/Shoulders/Triceps/Ab Ripper tonight after work. Talk about sheer force of will power! (At least I have finally found a good use for all my stubborness!) This is where the rubber meets the road. (Right now, I feel like I'm BETWEEN the rubber and the road. Can someone else please brush my teeth for me tonight? My arms hurt too much!)
     But at some point, you have to stand up and say enough. No more. The end. I will finish this if it kills me. (I think the chances of that are fairly high. I would write out a will, but I don't anticipate people fighting over my quirky car and imitation jewelry.) There is no time like the present to take steps to fulfill your resolutions. (Plus, the way things stand, I'll be doing doubles from now until November as it is. Any further behind and I'll have to change P90X to P90-days-plus-a-lot-more-because-I'm-a-slackerX. Don't want to do that. It is very important that I be done with this before Thanksgiving pies and Christmas candy!)
     "Way too many people quit way before they should." -Tony Horton.
     Not just at P90X, but on life, on other people, and on themselves. You always have a choice.
~Stick to it!

Day Sixty Four

Beginning of week ten. (Or ending of week nine, depending on how you look at it.) Finally did Legs and Back/Ab Ripper at 9:30 tonight because I couldn't stand the thought of going into another work week and being four days behind on workouts. Would have been cool to start week ten on 10/10/10 but no such luck. (Or no such discipline!)
~Stick to it!

Day Sixty Three

Nada.
First week in P90X history when I haven't finished at least all the lifting days in their allotted week. In my defense, we've had company four of the seven days. Still, it's going to make next week a tough one.
~Stick to it!

Day Sixty Two

Nope.

Day Sixty One

Don't ask. :)

Day Sixty One

The good news - I can almost get close to doing the whole right angle pose in Yoga. The bad news - the nutrition plan has definately not become habit yet. (That's an understatement.)
~Stick to it!

Day Sixty

Two thirds done and nothing to report today. Slacker!

Day Fifty Nine

I have discovered a dangerous error in the P90X program. Not only can the actual exercises be hazardous to your health, so can the results of said training. For example, did Shoulders and Arms/Ab Ripper this morning. Spiffed up for work, drove into town. Stopped to get fuel, paid inside and added a raspberry tea to my total. (Tea is healthy, right? The lack of carbonation makes up for the sugar?) As I left the store, I was contemplating how much better my upper arms are looking. (P90X: Good for the body, bad for the character.) My healthy self-esteem was quickly rising to an unhealthy level. The sun was shining, I was dressed to impress, and my biceps said I could do it, too. Confident, eyes straight ahead, I swaggered to the car, slid in effortlessly and...
     Shut the door on my foot. Smooth. Very smooth. "Pride goes before a fall..."
~Stick to it!

Day Fifty Eight

Worst day of Cardio ever. I started out so tired that I wasn't planning on making it through the whole workout. But I thought, "I'll start it and I can always finish tonight." (Of course, that was not appealing at all, but I am determined not to get behind again.) And, what do you know, by the middle of the workout, I was doing better. Got a bit of the fabled "second wind." (Of course, then the sails deflated and by the end I was calling Tony Horton lots of nasty names!)
     Good news is, I'm still on track for Shoulders and Arms/Ab Ripper tomorrow. Just take it a day at a time and do more than you think you should have to for the day.
~Stick to it!

Day Fifty Seven

We're on the home stretch now! Four more weeks of lifting, one more recovery week, and it's finished. (Either that or we're finished. One of the two.) The motto for this month is "Leave it all on the mat." Push to the limit. All my muscles should be conditioned and stretched by now. (Plus, I am now used to being sore all the time. I hardly notice it!)
     Revisiting Chest and Back/Ab Ripper today. I now have my arms in the air for the first two ab exercises. (Which means I'm back to rolling all over the place trying to keep my balance. How do they do it?) I can also do a few straight leg ("guy") pushups before going to my knees to complete the set. The weight amount I'm lifting has gotten a little better, though not as much as I was hoping for. Oh well - maybe this last month is where it really kicks in. :)
~Stick to it!

Day Fifty Six

Note to self: do not do Yoga and X Stretch on the same day either. Again, some serious duplication. Not that I minded this time - since I had already stretched out earlier, I was more flexible than usual. Would have made Gumby jealous. (Ok, not really. Gumby was ridiculous. And his donkey or horse or whatever that orange critter was...I think even it was more flexible than me. Of course, they don't have bones.)
     I was contemplating gender again. Men are naturally stronger in their arms. They also tend to favor weightlifting, which increases upper body strength. Women typically have stronger legs. They tend to favor exercises such as Yoga, which strengthens the lower body and core. Both groups gravitate toward developing the areas of their body which begin genetically stronger. When in reality, maybe guys should do a greater proportion of Yoga; gals, more weights. Not saying ditch the other, but flip-flop the ratio for a more balanced body. Hmmm? (Of course, part of that theory stems from the number of muscled-up dudes with chicken legs. Makes me wonder what would happen if you pushed them over...like those little egg-shaped people toys, only upside down.)
      Of course, "Welcome to the Leg-Gun show" doesn't have the same ring to it. (Reminds me of Legos, whose body parts detach. Don't want that!) And I don't want to have to slit my sleeves just so that they don't bind my biceps.
     Anyway, apparently I am on a historical toy kick tonight. Gumby, Legos, the little egg-people. (Now, sonny, back in MY day they had real toys that fostered imagination and creativity, like Lincoln Logs. After I trudged three miles home from school, uphill in the snowdrifts, me and Billy, who was Jack's second cousin after he married the third-oldest Jensen girl who died of the flu which is why you should always get your flu shot even though now I have this awful creak in my left elbow, would always build forts out of Lincoln Logs.) I should probably go to bed.
~Stick to it!
PS-Disclaimer: I truly enjoy the opportunity to be around my elders, so the above was in no way meant as a personal slam on their conversation skills. It was meant to be a random, late-night conceived, rabbit trail. Any similarity to actual discussions is completely coincidental. :)

Day Fifty Five

Core Synergystics might be an all-around great workout, but that is precisely what I don't like about it! Too much work! Never using more than a 2.5 pound weight, my arms still felt like lead by the end of it. At least, that's how the saying goes. I haven't ever lifted a solid block of lead before, so I'm not sure exactly how heavy that is. If I were to compare it to something more within the realm of my experience, I might say that my arms felt like they were pianos. My brothers, who have moved pianos (mostly mine) enough to know, would say that is heavy indeed. The last time they moved mine, I had to bake them EACH a pie in payment.
     After all that work resulting in so much exhaustion, it's always nice to watch a movie. One I enjoyed recently (courtesy of Netflix) was "The Tooth Fairy" starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. It was funny! Decently clean. A hockey player who had his childhood dreams quashed is passing on the cynicism to the next generation. This results in big trouble with the Tooth Fairy squad, the end of which is his two week assignment as a tooth fairy for some attitude rehabilitation. HIs new career takes some...getting used to, even once he receives his proper uniform. (Not the pink tutu one!) Major challenges, but some perks, too. Shrinking paste, dog bark mints, Cat-Away, and amnesia dust, which causes recipients to forget the last few minutes of their life. Very handy. Fortunately, the movie doesn't get too caught up in the bling. After he completely ruins his relationship with his girlfriend and her kids, he has to get them back the normal way - by apologizing. I was waiting for the amnesia dust! Side note - pretty sure Dwayne wouldn't have much trouble with Core Synergystics. So maybe someday I won't either. It's a nice dream! (Except that I never want to be that huge. It looks uncomfortable!)
~Stick to it!

Day Fifty Four

Not much to write today. You've already heard about Kenpo with my mother-in-law, so anything else is a step down. I am getting better at it, and feeling more confident, but after fifty four days, you'd hope I'd have made some kind of progress! We did get in on the homemade ice cream (mint with Andes chips on top!) but you shouldn't hear about that. (Having begun to slide on the diet, I'm finding it's getting harder to get back. I miss sugar! Still!) Therefore...til next time!
~Stick to it!

Day Fifty Three

Note to self: do not do Core Synergystics and Cardio on the same day again. They share several exercises, so you work the exact same muscles twice in one day. Bad idea. Pretty sure it isn't as productive either because it doesn't allow for much muscle building/recovery in between. In brief - not fun. (However, I have now done all the Cardio I was assigned to do up to this point. My Better Half thinks I'm crazy to make up the workouts I've missed, and he's probably right, but he, at least, is still in the honeymoon phase and hasn't grasped how incredibly stubborn I am.)
     By the way (if you are only interested in reading about P90X, you have my permission to skip this long, and completely unrelated, next section) I have this theory about right-of-way at four-way intersections. You know, those hazards they have in towns (not cities, which is one defining characteristic of a city) where all four directions have a stop sign because the town design committee thought only one car would be arriving at the said intersection at a time. Anyway, in towns large enough to have multiple drivers, the road rules occasionally need a little interpretation and explanation. Technically, there are two rules which, in the mind of the D.O.T., should cover all circumstances: 1) The cars procede in the order they arrived. 2) In the event of multiple cars arriving at the same time, the one on the right has precedence.
     After years of driving, I have come up with my own appendix to further explain the proper protocol. Based on observation, right-of-way is actually granted on a point system.
      A driver receives one point (per sentance) if they:
*Clearly arrived first
*Are on the right and seem to actually know that gives them the right-of-way
*Receive the "wave of courtesy"
*Don't make eye contact
*Have tinted windows so they cannot communicate with the other driver at all
*Are female while the other driver is male
*Are a teenage male
*Are older and smiling
*Are older and can't see over the steering wheel
*Drive an older vehicle that appears destined for scrap anyway
*Drive a larger vehicle that could squish all others
*Are attentive to opportunity, while the other driver is distracted by their McDonalds
     Certain characteristics carry a maximum number of points and supersede all others:
*Having a bad day and determined to "get their way" on at least one thing today
*Have a selfish and aggressive complex and always go first no matter what
*View "Stop" signs as "Pause" signs and never quit moving long enough to check for other traffic

*Are singing passionately, eyes closed, to the radio and don't see the stop sign
     Drivers procede in the order of points, highest awarded to lowest.
Maybe I should print up the addendum for the next driver's ed textbook. Or maybe not. Some people might get so wrapped up in studying the book, they would forget to watch the road!
~Stick to it!

Day Fifty Two

(Finished off the brownies.)

Day Fifty One

If there is one thing I feel fairly confident in, it is my ability to give my muscles ample time to recover from any possible, real, imagined, or slightly likely strain. It's only day two of recovery week two and I feel well rested. :) I did do Yoga this morning, but my plans to make up a Cardio this evening went askew due to the pressing need to make My Better Half (MBH) his birthday brownie.
     I know - brownie is decidedly NOT on the P90X food list, however, special occasions call for special exceptions. (We believe in having lots of special occasions in this family! At least two per week, I think!) Also, I compromised by making only a half batch. Growing up in a large family, I don't think I have ever made a half batch of anything. I have seldom made a single batch. It's always double or nothing. (And very seldom nothing!) This is also in part to the difficulty of dividing versus multiplying. What's half of 1 1/4? Who even knows where to locate the 1/8 measuring cup! It's probably long lost due to uselessness! Doubled is easy - measure 1 1/4 out, then do it again! :)
     By the way, best brownies ever. Food Network's Alton Brown's Cocoa Brownies with brown sugar and butter. I used a little less sugar and it tasted like dark chocolate! (MBH prefers milk chocolate, but can I help it if I halved the sugar wrong? I think I'll do it the same way next time. On purpose. In November, of course.) Fortunately for the diet, the grocery was closed by the time I got home from work, so we had to forego the ice cream. Fortunately for us, a little bird told me that my brothers plan to make homemade ice cream later this week - and we're invited. Pretty sure that's another special occasion. :)
~Stick to it!

Day Fifty

You might be a redneck if...you have an annual neighborhood potluck and burn party where the purpose is to fill an entire silage pit with flames and sit around in lawn chairs watching it burn. (For those of you who find this thought horrifying and dangerous, rest easy, it had spent all morning pouring rain, so nothing was burning that we hadn't planned on burning. In fact, we had quite a time burning what we HAD planned on burning, but that's another story.) Then you swap stories, swap food, contemplate aging, consider football scores, scoot close and roast your face, then back away and freeze your fanny.
     I can't tell you what all we burned because if I did, I'd have to kill you. (As the saying goes!) Plus, I'm not even sure what all it was. Included: lists of faults (ours and others!), formerly-fitting clothes, and a wooden chair that we decided to keep just as someone else tossed it in. (Go figure.) I found out My Better Half is the biggest "pyro" in his whole family and that at some point you just have to quit screaming and trust that he's an adult who knows how close he can get without falling in, even if you don't tell him repeatedly. (As I'm writing this, I realize that our generation has adapted several extreme words to use as slang for their less-extreme counterparts. For example, MBH isn't really a pyro. He just likes fire. And who doesn't? I mean, everybody enjoys a nice campfire now and then!)
     I can't tell you what all we ate either, because some of it is best left unmentioned on a blog about P90X. :) But the cake (I mean, food) was good, the coffee was good, and the company was good.
     This week begins our second recovery week. I'm cutting back to four servings of protein a day and increasing to two carbs a day. Pretty exciting stuff! I can almost do a half a chinup unassisted and my stomach still makes quite a saggy frowning face when I do a shoulder stand. Win some, lose some!
     Keep at it, and if life gets you down, have a little fun. :) Go burn something! (In a safe and controlled environment, burning only that which is legal to burn and healthy for the ozone, and setting up a clear and large perimeter protecting all pets, small or not so small children, and expensive vehicles. I am not responsible or liable for any accidents or incidents which result from your personal pursuit of any suggestion in this blog. See even smaller print for details.)
~Stick to it!

Day Forty Nine

P90X on the road! Not sure I should be doing this, since every time I rope family into doing a workout with me they are sore for a week and hate me for a month. :) This time it was my mother-in-law (MIL.) Now I am blessed with a peach of a MIL, and she proved it by being a good sport about Kenpo. She kept up, too. (At least most of the way!) Kenpo seems to get my heart rate up higher than Cardio, so it isn't for the faint of heart or timid of spirit. You're working the whole time.
     Speaking of my in-laws...they are my example for "being there." Whether their sons, their daughters-in-law, their neighbors, or random misplaced teens, they consistantly show up. Physically if possible, in spirit if the car blows up. (Hypothetically speaking.) Know anybody in your life that has "shown up" for you? Stick a note in the mail. Ring 'em on the phone. Say "thanks." And then decide you'll show up for others.
~Stick to it! 

Day Forty Eight

Legs & Back/Ab Ripper. Blech. I am relieved to see that I have finally past the halfway point on the worksheet. Now I can begin the joyful task of counting down the number of times remaining on this detestable routine. I shouldn't complain. It's actually organized quite well, one set of pullups followed by two leg exercises and repeat. But my legs are burning by the time the warmup is over and it only gets worse from there. What kind of person thinks it's ok to put wall squats AND one-legged wall squats in the same sixty minutes?
     The up side? I think I see some definition in my back from all those pullups. (My Better Half looked too long before agreeing with me, earning himself a healthy glare!) So I'm pulling out the halter dress for tonight. But I gotta end this. I have a hot date! (If a somewhat blind one!) :)
~Stick to it!

Day Forty Seven

The plan was the piano tuner would come today at about eleven. After getting to sleep after midnight, and getting up with My Better Half to see him off to work at six, the plan was to sleep in til at least nine. I could get up, shower, wash the dishes, start some laundry, have a nice breakfast, maybe have coffee ready when he arrived. If it worked out, maybe we could discuss the logistics of piano tuning certification over a quick lunch. (I have a terrible time allowing people to leave my house without being fed.) Of course, that was the plan!
     Nature called before nine, and once I was up, I decided to try to fix the living room light. After four months of living here, it's never worked. There was no chain to turn the light on, and the switch only seemed to operate the fan. It finally occured to me that maybe the bulb was out. And the room was going to be a pretty dark workspace without the piano light or an overhead light. Ah well, plenty of time to tinker this morning. So I clamber on the stool and investigate. Turns out the light pull chain hangs inside the light cover for some odd reason. Jerry-rig it with a twisty tie, clean the globe, and put it all back together. (Dropping those little screws too many times - feels like I've done Legs & Back after climbing up and down that bar stool a zillion times.)
     This has taken so long, I'm thinking I should shower and then do the massive pile of dishes while my hair dries. But vacuuming the piano will be dusty, so I'll do that next. Haul the vacuum downstairs, clear off the piano top, take the piano apart, take the vacuum apart, clean up the spiderwebs, put the vacuum back together, put the piano back together, dust the piano...and the phone rings. Could he have directions to my house again? He'll be here in twenty minutes. I'm still running around in my pajamas!
     Dash upstairs, put on something decent, pull the hair back in a ponytail. Maybe he won't notice the grease and dandruff, cause there is no time to shower! Back downstairs, picking up errant possessions, opening curtains, turning on lights, adjusting the thermostat, plugging in the candle warmer, checking the bathroom appearance...massive pile of dishes in the sink! But I remember an old trick - hide them in the oven. I don't need it anyway, he'll be long gone by lunchtime. It takes some manuvering, but I get the loaded dishpan (and all the dishes that didn't fit in the dishpan) hidden away in the oven. The laundry pile is stuffed, unsorted, into the washer. I can't run it while he's tuning anyway.
     He arrives just before the rain and we have a wonderful visit while he tunes. He shows me his tools and I watch the red bars on the electric tuner stabilize as the strings find the perfect tension. He's been tuning forty-four years and has great stories of boys who thought a piano made a good piggybank and of the eighty-three year old pianist who threw two hapless tuners out of her house, threatening to tune her piano herself.
     I am racking my brain to think of what I can feed him. It's past noon, but I haven't had time to prepare a lunch. I haven't even had breakfast. Maybe something to send with him. Cornbread! He's nearly done, but I slip into the kitchen and turn on the oven to preheat as I hastily begin pulling out the ingredients. THE DISHES! So much for not using the oven! Fortunately, nothing has melted, though the Tupperware is getting rather warm to the touch. Unfortunately, I now have a massive pile of dirty dishes and nowhere to hide them. I peek around the corner. He's still engrossed in the final adjustments. The dishpan goes on the washer, pushed back to the corner, and I throw a dish towel over the top. Maybe he won't notice!
     The cornbread decides to be obstinate and is still baking as he leaves. (He no doubt considers me cruel, to be wafting that smell as he leaves to catch a late lunch in town.) I give him directions to his next stop and close the door.
     There are few things as inspiring to me as a newly tuned piano. The Yoga X can wait. The shower can wait.  The dishes can wait. The laundry can wait. I open the deck door, listening to the rain outside, and play and play and play. Life is good.
~Stick to it!
    
    

Day Forty Six

My Better Half (MBH) and I have a long-standing..."discussion" on the pros and cons of high school athletics. Being a high school athlete himself, he would be on the pro side. Not that I am completely opposite, but (not being a high school athlete) I am of the opinion that die-hards may occasionally overlook the con side. (One of my many soapboxes!) He is naturally athletic and has been trained in basketball, etc. I would have to say that I am...not so much. In fact, most would probably call me flat out uncoordinated. (We have a running joke about the number of times I have elbowed him in the face, completely by accident, just because I can't seem to keep track of my own body parts.)
     This last round was centered around the concept of determination. Perseverance. Stick-to-it-ness. What makes a person continue on a course that is difficult? Personality? Parenting? Motivation? Life experiences? (Which may or may not include organized athletics.) Why in the world would someone choose to do Back/Biceps/Ab Ripper week after week, when they could instead choose to get twelve other tasks accomplished in that ninety minutes?
      Maybe twelve tasks is an exaggeration. Even if I'm sure that something will "just take a couple minutes," it always takes longer is and is more involved than I expected. If I go to sweep the kitchen floor, by the time I'm done, I've swept the whole house, killed and disposed of five spiders, shook the rugs, scrubbed the sticky spots, picked up a few misplaced items, answered two phone calls, replaced a light bulb, planned lunch and set out the frozen chicken. And I still am only able to cross one item off my to-do list! (Unless I add all the things I did to my to-do list so that I can cross them off, which I frequently do because I feel more successful that way!) 
     Anyway, if high school athletics is where MBH learned to see a committment through to the end, then good for him. Unless my elbows somehow figure where they are in relation to my brain, he's going to need perseverance "Til death do us part!"
~Stick to it!
    

Day Forty Five

Halfway there! Isn't it funny that time can both speed by and drag out? Part of me can hardly wait to be done, eating more freely (of course, I've been doing some of that already!) and exercising less (though I don't see how I can get any less than the days I did nothing!) and no longer keeping track of the workouts I've missed. (My Better Half says I should let go of that particular obsession, but I'm being unsubmissive.) Next week is another recovery week, then we're on the home stretch.
     I did Cardio after work tonight. It's my new favorite workout. (To be honest, I like Kenpo pretty well also, but I'm more successful with the Cardio warmup.) The scale hasn't changed much, and there's still an extra roll around the waistline, but I am feeling better about my overall strength and fitness.
     P90X has three levels of diet: Fat Shredder, Energy Booster, and Endurance Maximizer. We've been on Fat Shredder since we started, so next week I think I'll try switching to Energy Booster. I haven't gotten rid of all the tummy jelly yet, but "they say" that too few calories can also result in the body storing fat. It's probably good to switch it up now and then anyway. Plus, I'm tired of "Protein and veggies" being the answer to every "What's to eat?" question.
~Stick to it!

Day Forty Four

Either I should start a sadistic blog entitled "My Life with Ancient and Decrepit Automobiles" or I should count my blessings that we have so many ancient and decrepit automobiles that we always have an ancient and decrepit automobile to drive even though one is constantly in the shop. Actually, I can't complain too much. (Well, I can, but it isn't justified!) We do have one high-class blue streak, but My Better Half (being the better half, the larger of us two, and having the least flexible job) gets to drive it, leaving me with the joys of our ancient and decrepit fleet. (Not that I would have it any other way, for those of you may be about to call him to account! I will stubbornly defend my right to drive the fleet as I have chosen. I just like complaining about it!)
     Anyway, the above paragraph is primarily a smoke screen in order to conceal the fact that, once again, I didn't exercise. (In my defense, it was due at least in small part to the malfunctioning fleet.) By the time I got home and put the groceries away, I was so tired, I went to bed. Besides, I like doing Cardio on Tuesdays better anyway!
~Stick to it!

Day Forty Three

Completely blew the diet out of the water. Cornbread, dumplings, pop, puppy chow, unmeasured gravy...I didn't hold back. Company can be good for the soul, bad for the health. :) What can I say? I'm a bit of a rebel, so I can usually hold my own with peer pressure. But I have a weakness for food (especially of the peanut butter and chocolate variety) so success is dependent more upon my resistance to the devil within than without. I could blame the "friends" (you know who you are, and that I still love you!) that brought the junk food and bailed on the accountability. I could blame the lack of a schedule, or the challenge of long-term entertaining with water and vegetables. Unfortunately, the accusatory finger faces only me. I was waiting for a chance to abandon principle, and when it came, I took it.  
     Is that how it always is? Is the truth of the matter that the primary reason I've avoided past temptations (of the non-food variety) was that they were not true enticements? A tumble to the dark side has dual causes: external availability and internal desire. A few philosophical equations of which you may ponder the veracity:

Availability + Desire = Dangerous Temptation.
Availability + Apathy = Illusory Temptation.
Scarcity + Desire = Imposed Resistance.
Scarcity + Apathy = Successful Resistance.

     I'm done thinking for the night, so I'll close. As penance for my non-diet, I made myself do Chest/Shoulders/Triceps tonight. First time in some time I've started the week on Sunday like I'm supposed to instead of opting to attempt a double on Monday. (Not that I often end up doing the intended Monday double, but on Sunday evening I convince myself I can pull it off.) What do you know? Went faster than I expected. And...for the very first time I DID THE WHOLE AB RIPPER X! This day, I was successful at something I've never accomplished before. And tomorrow, I'll even eat my protein for breakfast. :)
~Stick to it!

Day Forty Two

Company today. Went ahead and did Kenpo, much to their amusement. Much to their chagrin, there was no junk food in the house. They were game enough to try the protein bar - and even finished it!
~Stick to it!

Day Forty One

Two of my brothers popped over today for lunch and to play some Wii. Little did they know! :) Being the good sports they are, they let me talk them into doing Ab Ripper with me first. I figure, fair is fair. They should provide me with a little entertainment before they enjoy our entertainment center. :) Besides, I hadn't had time to do it earlier because I had been cleaning the house for them. (Well, them and my non-related weekend company.)
     And they were entertaining! Certain workouts are far more fun to do in a group. They had trouble balancing on their tush, too. They were cracking jokes and complaining good-naturedly - the laughing did make the actual exercising a bit harder however. Plus, by yourself, when muscles start cramping, it's easy to talk yourself into taking a break. But if HE isn't stopping, by gum, I ain't stopping!
     That's true in other areas as well. Knowing that I'm not the only wife who occasionally gets all bent out of shape about something obscure (or not so obscure!) is reassuring. Watching another couple still talking nicely to each other after being married forever means that it can be done. Nothing wrong with a little healthy (and positive) comparison either. My Better Half may hog the computer games when he's home, but he cleans the bathroom at least fifty percent of the time. And he's picked up pretty quick that if I'm cranky, the best thing to do is cuddle me and make me take a nap. (Guess I never quite grew out of that stage!) Since we're gonna be married til we keel over, might as well make it a positive experience!
~Stick to it!

Day Forty

Stand up. Take a large step forward with your right foot and bend the right knee, straightening the left leg out behind you. Bend at the waist and sink lower in the lunge until your chest touches your thigh. Twist your left arm behind your back, palm out, bending at the elbow until your left hand touches your right hip. Tuck your right hand under your right thigh and stretch until your two hands connect behind your right hip. Now hold that thought. (If you're me, you've already collapsed in a heap by the third sentance. Thanks for trying Yoga X though!)
     As I'm lying in a pile on the carpet ( It needs vacuuming since company is coming. The only time it gets attention, poor thing.) I'm thinking, "Why am I doing this?" Or maybe more correctly, "Why am I STILL doing this?" Cause it's good for me! Maybe not the frequent rug burn part, but the moving and healthy part. And I don't want to be a quitter - I'm not even halfway yet!
~Stick to it!
    

Day Thirty Nine

Just to shake things up a bit, I'm writing this as I do Back/Biceps/Ab Ripper. Real time! Heck, I have to hit the pause button between every exercise anyway to write down lifting info and change out the weights.
     Speaking of which, I think those of us at home who don't have a state-of-the-art complete dumbell set (or two) lying around our house should get extra credit. I lift most of the weights three times - once to load the plates, once when I'm lifting, and once as I switch the plates back off the hand bar thingy. We have the old-school set with two footlong bars and removable plates. Slide the proper plates on the bar, secure with washers and screws, do your lifting, reverse the process to change the weights for the next lift.
     Not only is this time-consuming and works the muscles above and beyond the call of duty, it's dangerous. The little screws stick out on the sides - I almost gouged my chin when I curled too high! Not to mention the constant threat of a washer coming loose and dropping twenty pounds on an unsuspecting toe. Years ago, I dropped a plate on a toe and the toenail still grows in two pieces. Very inconvienient for applying nail polish! The danger factor is especially apparent during Coehen Curls, a lovely lift that allows you to do wall squats while doing curls. What joy. Also, your face is right down by your knees, the perfect target for the rising weights.
     It's time for Ab Ripper and I'm so hungry I think about skipping. I haven't had supper yet because it's so blasted hard to properly space all the eating and exercising. How can you eat five times a day and exercise an hour or more each day if you have to wait an hour after eating to exercise? By the time your stomach is settled from breakfast, it's time for snack! But I get out the cushy mat. If I quit now, I'll have to add it back in somewhere anyway.
~Stick to it~

Day Thirty Eight

Cardio today. My current favorite workout. Ever notice how we tend to favor things we're good at? I like food because when I make it, it tastes good. (Except I don't make pancakes. They burn every time and I'm not a fan of charcoal even though I'm sure somewhere there's a study done by some research group that says that a certain amount of daily charcoal is good for.) I don't like raqquetball because I'm bad at it. (It's hard to hit the blasted little zingy ball when your primary focus is on ducking so it doesn't take you out. Not to mention raqquetball courts often are enclosed in glass so that everyone in the whole gym can stop to point and laugh as you run around in a crouch with raqquet held up as a protective umbrella.)
     Then, cause I was feeling good (and cause I was one behind from one of my sleep-in days) I did Ab Ripper after Cardio. I can actually complete the whole workout now. (If you allow for a few adjustments to make some of the moves easier. I figure I'll go for finishing first, then for finishing AND doing everything the way they do it!) It inflates my ego even more to know that when I tried to get my personal trainer brother to do some with me, HE was complaining about how hard it was! (Of course, I think mostly he just wanted to be difficult!)
~Stick to it!

Day Thirty Seven

     In case you ever wondered EXACTLY what I'm doing with all my time:
                                        CHEST/SHOULDER/TRICEPS/ABS
Slo-mo-3-in-1 pushups (three hand widths, all in a slow eight count so you can face plant more than normal)
In-Out Shoulder flys (In front, out to the side. Don't drop the weight and crush your toes.)
Chair dips (I do one of the hard versions: two chairs, leg length apart, lower yourself in-between. Slipping results in bruised calves, but you won't be able to feel it at first because of the concussion you get from hitting your head on the other chair.)
Plange pushups (No sweat. Just regular pushups. Oh, except your hands are by your ribcage instead of your shoulders. Guess you will sweat.)
Pike presses (Bend over upside down, lower your head to the floor. Ideally, you should then be able to straighten your arms back up. Ideally. Misspelled, this becomes Pie Pushups where you lower your face and take a bite of pie. Unfortunately, this version is not part of P90X.)
Side-Tri-Rises (Lay on your side, hand under shoulder and raise your body, balancing on your hip. The secondary challenge is not rolling over onto your face.)
Floor Flys (I don't actually remember what this is. I must have blocked it out. Oh well, I guess that's why I always use the DVD.)
Scarecrows (Supposedly you use weights for this. I have achieved the impressive number of 2.5 pounds. Elbows at shoulder height, hands dangle, then raise vertically, preferably without moving elbows.)
Overhead tricep extensions (One of the few things I had actually heard of before beginning P90X. Lower the weight behind your head and straight up. Don't drop the weight and crush your skull.)
Two-twitch speed pushup (Has nothing to do with uncontrollable muscle spasms as a result of working them too hard, though that may happen. Four fast, four slow. Repeat til you die.)
Y-Presses (Think doing the "YMCA" song with weights in your hands. And just do the "Y" part.)
Lying tricep extensions (Not lying like big fish stories. Not lying like taking a nap either, though it may be tempting. Don't drop the weight and crush your face.)
     Now do twelve MORE exercise with long, descriptive names and large amounts of pain and danger involved. Then, just because it's so fun, spend sixteen minutes doing every possible variation of situps, leg raises, and other wonderful trunk exercises.
     Feel inspired? I love company!
~Stick to it!

Day Thirty Six

"Also keep in mind that the body only builds muscle while at rest. So try to get at least seven hours of sleep - which should be easy, because this schedule will wipe you out." -P90X Fitness Guide (FG), p.24
     If workouts minus sleep equals muscle stagnancy and poor performance, then if no sleep, then what? Should I not workout because without sleep it won't do much good anyway? Apparently that's my current philosophy because this weekend was a good one for activities, not so much a good one for sleeping.  Anybody who thinks that it's easy to get seven plus hours of sleep for ninety nights in a row must not mind the life of a hermit for three months. Skipping socializing is not our style, however, so sleep suffered. The domino effect carried through to exercising. Although there were a few places where I had a time slot open, I was too worn out to work out. 
     My uncle asked, "What happens after the ninety days are up?" Some of the diet concepts we hope to retain. Low fat, low sugar, high protein, high veggie. But just not so consumed with how many servings of whatever we're getting. I plan to continue working out regularly. I've enjoyed semi-regular exercise most of my adult life. I miss the challenge when it's absent. But seven days a week, an hour and a half a day is not reasonable with our lifestyle. I'd like to aim for six days a week, between thirty and sixty minutes a day. And if I miss a day, I miss a day.
     "To maintain...you can do just the first round of the resistance programs, since you get eighty percent of the benefit...during the first set...This can cut the time...to under thirty minutes..." - FG, p. 34
~Stick to it!
    

Day Thirty Five

(Silence, broken only by awkward throat-clearing and uncomfortable coughing; eyes staring at the ceiling, the floor, anywhere but at the truth.)

Day Thirty Four

Nope. I'm not too embarrassed to admit it. I was wrong. Legs & Back/Ab Ripper is still my least favorite workout. Back & Biceps was close, but nothing can compare to turning your legs into jelly and burning up your back, then being required to hold legs and arms in the air while contracting your midsection until it feels like one large muscle spasm.
      Today was especially rough. First off, My Better Half (MBH) is a day behind, so he did Cardio this morning. Since that's one of the workouts I skipped, I jumped in, too. I'll fess up, I slacked off a little on the exercises requiring legs. But can you blame me? In the back of my mind, I'm thinking, "I should not be doing this first. Why am I doing this first? I gotta do Legs & Back today. I barely survive that when I'm rested and it's my only activity of the day!" But it feels more efficient to do it with someone else. Wise time usage, adds a little competition, and a little humor. (Side note - Too much laughing, however, can have a negative effect on productivity.) Plus, after my last Cardio experience, I knew I could "Bring it" - I just chose a milder form for today. But even the mild version works you over pretty good.
     Secondly, we still have half a container of soy miso in the fridge. It's expensive stuff. Even though we don't like it, I'm determined to use it til it's gone. Somehow. Therefore, lunch was a beef/pepper/onion stirfry with miso/arrowroot gravy. At first, I was all excited. The miso made a nice smooth gravy, adding a little flavor, but certainly nothing unpleasant. Miso has the benefit of being counted as a vegetable, not as a condiment or fat, which are restricted to two tablepoons a day. That meant that at supper, I could put both tablespoons of butter on my serving of butternut squash. Heaven on earth!
     Unfortunately, miso in our family has some...unpleasant soy side effects. (If you are easily disgusted, you may want to skip this paragraph!) During the warmup, I couldn't do the jumping jacks because shaking pent-up gases (and other pent-up, ummm... substances) was proving very uncomfortable. (Soy protein bars have a warning label about their laxative effect for a reason!) Then, during the lifting and lunges, I kept having to take short 'musical' breaks - and then move to the other side of the room! (Anyone who is under the delusion that women don't pass gas is in for a rude awakening upon marriage. We just don't tend to get as excited about it as guys!) All those breaks really cut in to my momentum. MBH is even more soy-sensitive than I, so at supper we agreed it may be a long night. (Gotta love those heart-to-heart dinner chats!)
     Ah well, live and learn. Who knows? Maybe I can have a group dinner sometime and serve miso gravy - that'd use it up fast! (Of couse, it might end the party fast, too!)
~Stick to it!
    

Day Thirty Three

Held the Yoga crane for two seconds today. (And for those of you who aren't impressed, you can try to best that feat next time I see you!) I don't mean to brag (well, actually I do, which is what usually follows that type of statement!) but I also did a pushup in the middle of each Vinyasa. (Ok, I'll admit it, once again, they were knee pushups, but still...a few weeks ago I couldn't even make it through all those nine-step torture-by-contortion punishments that were mandatory between every other experiment designed to exhaust every muscle I didn't know existed. Much less do the optional pushup in the middle.)
     Personally, I think "Practice makes perfect!" is a load of hooey. Perfection is a nice thought, but unobtainable this side of heaven. A person can crush the joy out of life by trying to do the impossible. (Note: there is a marked difference between the 'impossible' and the 'extremely difficult.' Humanity is capable of doing much more than they often think. By all means, aim for what has never been done before. Many accomplishments once thought impossible have proven merely extremely difficult. However, perfection is impossible, so give it up.)
     Therefore, I like to think, "Practice makes better." After four weeks of working on the guns, my triceps still flap like "grandma's seatbelt" but I've graduated to using two chairs for chair dips. I did succumb to a piece of dessert tonight (homemade caramel cream cheese flan, completely worth every illegal bite) but it's gotten easier to renounce the daily sugar of the past. And though I wander off into old patterns of thought or action, I understand that there is still work being done as I "press on to the goal, to the upward call."
~Stick to it!

Day Thirty Two

I may not be a fan of the whole reincarnation/"circle of life" bit, but there is something to be said for cyclical experiences. Today, I barely made it through Back & Biceps, my new least-favorite workout. (Especially since I haven't done Legs & Back yet this week!) Ever heard of Corn Cob pullups? You should be grateful. Haul your sorry tush up there (or in my case mostly up there with the assistance of a exercise band and a jump from the bottom) then hold yourself at top height while moving your face over to your right hand, back straight across to your left hand, coming back to center, pushing straight out from the bar, coming back in...now release and slowly lower your body to hang from the bar. Now repeat! If you excuse the poor form and lack of completely clearing the bar, I did about four. (Ok, barely made it to three, tried another and collapsed. Does that still count? I was afraid that's what you were going to say.)
     After the stellar work yesterday on Cardio, it was a bit of a deflation. Not only that but I skipped Ab Ripper and still barely made it to work on time. Then, a combination of a forgotten cell phone (don't ask), blown car fuse, stuck car windows, predicted downpour, and the temptation of a bonfire and hotdogs mean that I spent the night at my folks and never made it home to finish the workout. (Plus, I'm not even sure hotdogs have enough actual meat in them to count as a serving of protein.)
     When they say life has it's ups and downs, what they really mean is life goes up and down and up and down and up and down and up and...you get the picture. If you aren't headed toward something good, you're headed toward something bad. Which is logical, but sometimes unfortunate. Therefore, if you are in an Up, enjoy it! And if you are in a Down, take comfort in its limited life span. This, too, will pass.
~Stick to it!

Day Thirty One

Red letter day! First of all, I kicked tush on Cardio today. Even did an extra rep at the end of most of the exercises. Contemplated the idea of trying Plyometrics next time. (It was a fleeting contemplation. The thought of all that jumping around has no attraction for me outside of the fitness challenge. There's a reason I don't play any sport that requires vertical movement!)
     Second, I think I'm beginning to see some definition in the midsection. I put on twenty pounds within the first five months of getting married. When I ran screaming into the bedroom to blurt out the awful truth, My Better Half (being a calm and stable type) replied "I think that was to be expected. You're still hot!" (He's a keeper!) As my parents gifted me with a healthy body-esteem, it wasn't so much the amount as the placement that incensed me. I do not appreciate looking for jeans too big in the legs, so that they button over the gut. 
     Thirdly, first day back at work and it went well. I got up on time, did my workout, got all beautified, and still had time to eat before leaving. I wasn't sure how all the exercising, eating and working was going to work out. :) So far, so good!
~Stick to it!

Day Thirty

It's official! Thirty days done, only sixty more to go. Week five also brings a new routine: Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps. The good news - no pullups. The bad news - lots of pushups. The good news - I can do one arm pushups! The bad news - I'm still doing the knee variation. ("Girl" pushups for those of you still sexist enough to use the term.)
     This morning we didn't have enough time to do Ab Ripper after lifting (I know! Huge bummer, right?) so we popped it in this evening before supper. Tell you one thing - as a workout, it seemed harder starting it cold like that. But I'm not going to object to getting done in sixteen minutes. (Did I say the workout was twenty minutes long in an earlier post? That's because I thought it WAS twenty minutes. On the DVD, at ten minutes to go, Tony says "Halfway there!" Apparently, math isn't his strong suit either.)
     ~Stick to it!
    

Day Twenty Nine

Ummm...nope.

Day Twenty Eight

Hopefully you haven't been following the dates of these blogs too closely. I am running an average of 1.467 days behind. (Don't you just love those percentages? Like the ones where the average American family has 1.2 kids. It's a funny mental picture!) Still, I highly doubt that your life revolves so closely around the memorizing of every post here that reading about yesterday instead of today causes severe emotional trauma. (And if it does...) For those of you who may be wondering, I completely made the 1.467 number up. I'm sure I could use a mathematical formula to give you an exact figure, however, math was never my strong suit, so I reserve my use of it for things that matter.
     So this morning (and by that I mean the morning of day twenty eight even though, truth be told, it is currently the evening of day twenty nine) I did Core Synergistics again. (You'd think by now I would have double-checked the spelling.) The claim is that it may become the favorite workout, and I can see why. No repeating sets, works everything, keeps moving, etc. Not too shabby!
     X Stretch this evening, with My Better Half alternating between providing comic relief and the competive push to excel. I am determined to make up the non-vacation days I missed. Doubles isn't so bad, though I don't plan to ever do the actual P90X doubles program which requires two-a-days. Can you imagine how far and how fast I'd fall behind in that! Nope, I'll just concentrate on finishing this first. First month down, only two to go!
~Stick to it!

Day Twenty Seven

Another black mark for Wii - it DIScourages real exercise! Case in point: We finally got around to checking into redeeming our credit card points. Turns out you can get stuff or just free money! So we turned in most of our points, went to the store, and lucked out with a black Wii set. (I like that it matches our TV and other decor in the living room. Matching is good!) Never would have spent good money on expensive frivolities without a lot of discussion and saving otherwise. Came home, My Better Half (MBH) set it up, and we spent the rest of the day...not working out. :) Had the family over, indulged our self-absorbed side as we created our Mii, enjoyed a good supper (fed them all beans and sent them home!) and engaged in a week's worth of outdoor sports without leaving the comfort of our couch!
     Granted, it seems a bit harsh to blame an inanimate object for our moral failures. Especially considering that, though the Wii created the opportunity for socialization, it didn't monopolize all interaction. We turned it off over supper, discussed non-Wii-related topics, and MBH and I took the folks walking around town while the brothers played.
     Bottom line: I can berate myself for falling yet another day behind on P90X, or I can get up and make a different choice the next day. Made a mistake or multiple ones? You don't have to make the same choice today.
~Stick to it!

Day Twenty Six

"Practice makes perfect" may be a bit of a stretch, but there is something to be said for repetition typically assisting improvement. Yoga today, even without the added entertainment of My Better Half trying to manipulate his six foot six frame into a pretzel, seemed a tad easier. Whatdaya know!
     My other current challenge is trying to come up with recipes high in protein and veggies, low in carbs. I was raised to plan your meal based on a meat, a veggie, and a starch. Eliminate the sauces that turn a meat into a topping, and the problem is compounded. Multiply that by needing a whole lot, every day. (We eat a bag of frozen veggies and a pound of meat twice a day!) I thought I had it this evening. Two pounds ground venison, nearly three pounds ground beef, a bag of black beans, three large cans stewed tomatoes, onions, peppers, spices. It was only after I had cooked the beans that I looked in the manual and discovered that black beans are in the same category as rice. Blast! Oh well - I still think the meat/carb ratio is good enough to be healthy. :)
     ~Stick to it!

Day Twenty Five

I think my heart rate gets up higher with Kenpo than Cardio. In part, you just seem to move more. It's sort of like Ab Ripper for the heart...Heart Ripper? I can see why they didn't call it that! Plus, to quote My Better Half (MBH) "It's fun!" It's enjoyable, unoffensive aggression in a non-provocative way. :) It's Wii on steroids! (Ok, it's late, even for us, as I'm writing this, so pardon the dorkiness!)
     On a rabbit trail: I have nothing against Wii. In fact, we hope to get one soon. It's great. But c'mon - advertising it as an ACTIVE video game? That's a stretch. You don't even have to stand up to get a decent score on most of the games. You're moving your wrists AND fingers instead of just your fingers. Whoop dee do. Granted, any improvement is worth applauding. But maybe Junior should be required to walk outside or to a gym, or even just down to the basement to a real basketball hoop in order to generate the type of exercise excitement the promoters of Wii are trying to inspire. I don't object to the game, just the false advertising.
      Ok, enough ranting over Wii. Poor little electronic doesn't know what hit it. Besides, I sat down over supper and figured out that if I do two-a-days the next three days, I'll be caught up and ready for the real work to begin again. Can hardly wait. Makes me tired thinking about it! If I don't turn in soon, I won't get up early enough to fit in all my eating and exercising and eating and exercising and eating tomorrow before going to bed. Can't have that! :)
~Stick to it! 

Day Twenty Four

Core Synergistics...(or something like that, I'm not entirely sure as to the correct spelling, much less the proper way to execute all the exercises.) In a nutshell, working torso muscles (fortunately not just a fancier name for Ab Ripper!) and performing moves that work multiples muscle groups simultaneously (Yes! Now instead of isolated body parts in pain, they can hurt in unison! Isn't that nice.)
     In all fairness, it wasn't too bad. If someone wanted a regular workout to cover all the bases, but only take an hour three times a week, this could be it. First time we'd tried this routine, so I was dreading it - fearing another Yoga marathon. But I still had some energy at the end. (Of course, some of that was from smug-ness adrenaline - I was a smige better than My Better Half, quite a rarity!)
     Another first for today - hauled the miso soup out of the deep freezer. I hate to see expensive food go to waste. Even if I don't like it. And what do you know? Add some arrowroot powder to make a gravy, dump in some ground beef, pour it over rice and peas, and voila! Pretty edible. Still won't make the Top Ten Favorite Foods Ever list, but I would eat it again. (And I'll have to, cause there's still a half a bag of miso soup left. Plus the two-thirds can of miso paste still biding it's time in the bottom shelf of my fridge. Did I mention that 3 tablespoons of miso makes a GALLON of soup! Who knows? Maybe it will make the Top Ten by the time it's gone!) 
~Stick to it!

Day Twenty Three

So by now I can't even remember how far behind I am on my workouts. I'll pretty much have to do two-a-days the whole recovery week to recover from all the recovering I did the past three weeks. By then I'll be so exhausted from recovering that I'll be glad to return to the regular workouts so I don't have to recover anymore!
     The only way I know what day I'm supposed to be on is this blog - which I'm also behind on! That's why the posts have such boring titles. The only way to stay organized is to be boring. But, I am resolved to do my best to buckle down and catch up this week. I have to - next week I go back to work and will have even less time to do all the things I don't have time to do when I'm taking time off! Now that's what you call ironic! (Yep. Pirates again, it's compulsive!)
     On the bright side, My Better Half and I did Yoga together. A vast improvement over solo Yoga. Instead of being frustrated because I'm falling over all the time from trying to imitate a twisting triangle that's praying while standing on one leg, we can laugh it's impossibility.
~Stick to it!

Day Twenty Two

Recovery week! I was all excited about this until I realized what was on for today - Yoga. Ummm...think I have too many other things to do today. Plus, I'm still hobbling around from my last workout!
~Stick to it!

Day Twenty One

Legs & Back. I'm improving! Played softball this afternoon. Now so sore that I'm skipping the second workout that I had planned to make up for the other workout that I had skipped. Snowball effect, here I come.
~Stick to it!

Day Twenty

I'm beginning to realize that the decision to blog every day for 90 days was good in theory, but lacking in logic. So some of these may be short and sweet. Today - did nothing. Getting back on the wagon is harder than I realized. Once off, it's dang hard to get all the way back up there. Especially when the wagon is moving. And tall. And slippery-sided.
~Stick to it!

Day Nineteen

This is me polishing an imaginary medal on my jacket. "P90X Heroine" or something like that. :) This morning (well, our morning, which is afternoon to most of you) My Better Half (MBH) and I did Shoulders & Arms/Ab Ripper together. This in and of itself is worth noting, as our schedules seldom find us exercising together.
     Side note - It is a theory of mine that all good, long term relationships do (and should?) fall into habits of operation. For example, the one with a tendancy for "backseat driving" will probably do most of the actual driving. Some tasks are always completed together, others are better performed independantly. Division of labor is sometimes marked by preference (I enjoy cooking, and despise gardening, MBH the reverse) and sometimes decided by service. (We take turns cleaning the bathroom, I do most of the other cleaning, MBH does anything spidery-basement related.) The jury is still out on if we should exercise together!
     Then, I did Cardio to finish out my evening. Not too shabby! I almost didn't, as I French-tipped my nails while watching a movie before supper. And, as I had feared, the polish did smuge a bit. Oh well, I'll just wiggle my fingers all the time and maybe no one will notice! Cardio went better than I had expected. Kenpo tomorrow morning, but now maybe I won't dread the two-a-day again on Saturday as much. :) And next week is Recovery Week!
~Stick to it!  

Day Eighteen

Home for a grand total of forty-five minutes out of twenty-four hours. I'll have to do doubles twice this week to catch  up. Shoulders & Arms/ Ab Ripper plus evening Cardio tomorrow. (This is going to be my week to substitute Cardio for Yoga. Ain't doing no ninety minute hanging upside down stuff after doing sixty minutes of weights followed by twenty of hardcore gut squishing. That would be sick.)  Kenpo Friday. Legs & Back/Ab Ripper plus evening Cardio on Saturday. Blech!
~Stick to it!

Day Seventeen

Chest & Back: pushups, chinups, pushups, pullups, more pushups. Note - decline pushups should be done with your feet up on a NON-SLIP surface! Otherwise, halfway through the grunting, your feet slip, driving your knees down into the carpet. When you roll onto your side, you will leave some skin behind. Then, throughout the rest of the workout, the knee pushups are agony. (There is no point in attempting actual pushups as they become an exercise in making weird faces as you try to get cooked-spagetti arms to propel you up, then once up, you shake and collapse, crushing said spagetti and then lying there contemplating not ever getting up. Ever. Very unproductive.)
     Another note - eat breakfast. Even though that means postponing a workout til later. (Just not too much later. See Day Sixteen.) I was in a hurry and didn't think I had time to eat breakfast, and workout, and get everything done. Besides, I used to always workout before eating. No biggie. Right? Wrong! By the end of Chest & Back, I was dogging it. Worn out. Bonking. In fact, I skipped Ab Ripper because I just didn't have it in me. The plan was to do a double today, adding Cardio in the evening to catch up. But I ended up leaving town for an overnighter and, well...didn't take Cardio along. But - Chest & Back is checked off.
~Stick to it!
    
    

Day Sixteen

SLACKER! No other term so succinctly sums it up. I could talk about how late we got back from our trip, or how many loads of laundry we had to do, or the dire need to get groceries after cleaning out the fridge in preparation for a week-long absence.
     But all those things, true as they would be, would also be mere excuses. The truth of the matter is, we never quite got around to working out. We watched two movies, ate proper food, unpacked, ran errands - all good things - just NOT P90X!
     Our coversations went something like this: "We should work out."
"I agree. That would be a good thing to do."
"But we just ate. You don't want to work out too soon after eating!"
"Let's watch a movie while our food digests."
(Two hours later...)
"Good movie. We should work out now."
"Or we could do it later. I'm hungry again."
"And it's time to switch the laundry."
"The laundry is in the kitchen. Let's have a snack while we throw the clothes in the dryer."
(At this point, return to the beginning of the conversation and start over!)
      Though I could blame the fact that the laundry is in the kitchen for the demise of our discipline, truth be told, we just wussed out. Chest & Back wasn't something we were particularly excited to do - it's hard, parts of it we don't like, and there is always something else we could be doing.
     Ring a bell? Anything you tend to put off? We tried to avoid a workout (didn't work, it's still hanging over our heads, now accompanied by an uncomfortable guilty feeling!) and I'll admit I've tried to avoid apologizing to someone before. Maybe you've put off something more serious, like thinking about what happens after death. We have the option to quit P90X, but no one has the option to avoid death forever. Thinking through the possibilities is hard, parts of it I don't like, and I'd much rather do something else. But maybe it's worth the discipline to do.
~Stick to it!
    

Day Fifteen

The Grand Pause: A musical notation similar to " which indicates a temporary suspension of sound, used for emotional effect, the length of which is determined by the style of the piece and by the preference of the performer. (Do I sound like a Webster dictionary? That was my goal, becauses I've never actually looked up the official definition of a grand pause!)
     The past week was our "grand pause" in P90X. We took vacation time and went visiting friends, family, and forbidden foods. :) I'm counting yesterday as the official day of rest in week three, today should be Chest & Back, and we'll be back on schedule. Fallen off the wagon? Climb back on and start again.
~Stick to it!
    

Day Fourteen

Two weeks down, eleven to go. Tried having my carb for breakfast today. Worked great, except then I was full for so long, I didn't get to Kenpo til snacktime. I think I'm resigned to the fact that I never will be able to get in all the eating at the appropriate times. Once again, I was very glad no one was watching. It's downright appalling how uncoordinated I am! They started doing those combination punches and I was still trying to figure out which direction my foot turns. (It is actually only physically possible to turn it one direction, but that concept is difficult to convey to a brain apparently already overloaded with the responsibility of moving more than one body part at a time!) Part of the time, I was just waving my arms and legs around to keep my heart rate up. After all, if the main purpose is cardio, wild and random flailing probably just as effective as a well-coordinated series of moves, right?
     ~Stick to it!
    

Day Thirteen

I don't believe in the Fates - despite several compelling reasons to do so. For example, I go off the program for not even three days and now I have a cold sore, sore throat, earache, headache, neckache and nausea. One serving of ice cream and two iced mochas is asking for this much punishment? Instead of jumping back in with the eating plan and "crushing play" again today, I'm maxing out on echinachea and vitamin C and warming the couch while I wait for the aspirin to kick in. (I probably wouldn't have the earache except that I was trying to still be active, went swimming, and got water in my ears. Figures.)
     I was planning to do Kenpo like a good little girl, but out of spite (and complete lack of energy) I'm doing the weekly day of rest today, and Kenpo tomorrow. (Ironic how it's necessary to have a day of rest to recover from my days of rest!) The program is more like guidelines, anyway. (Pirates, again, of course!) My Better Half (MBH) has already substituted basketball and bike riding for a couple days of cardio. Does it sound like we're bailing on the plan all the time? Or just keeping it real?
     On a different track - With the portion approach to eating, you can pick when to eat your food groups, the main thing is that you eat them in their specified portions. So I'm thinking that I may try moving my carb portion from lunch to breakfast. I have this theory (one of many, about every subject under the sun!) that different people's bodies have different needs for food. My mom swears by eggs for a good morning start. When I eat protein first thing in the morning, I need an hour to recover. A small serving of carbs, on the other hand, gives me energy til lunchtime. MBH doesn't seem to need breakfast at all. (Although I originally believed that the description of a good wife included "Makes her husband a hearty breakfast every morning," I have come to realize that if he doesn't need breakfast, forcing it down his throat is overrated. And too much work first thing in the day!)
~Stick to it!

Day Twelve

Let's be practical. Ninety days may be a limited time, but I think I'll make it the ninety days I'm actually home. I did my Legs & Back/Ab Ripper, and ate according to plan until 3:30pm, then closed the door on the house and the program. I'll get back on the wagon when I return. Granted, I'm not going hogwild - eating every dessert on the menu, requesting a motorized cart to ride down the hall to my hotel room, demanding others lift even my pencil. But I already pack everything but the kitchen sink. I don't need to add protein drinks, protein bars, recovery drinks, food scale, chin-up bar, complete weight set, gym shoes, workout sheets, yoga mat, an extra chair, DVD player...you get the picture. I'd have to rent a U-Haul, just to leave for the weekend!
     By the way, before I left, we ventured into new territory of a different sort. The dinner we didn't recognize! Did you know that swordfish tastes like salmon-flavored pork loin? And quinoa (which is spelled so oddly that they have to print a pronunciation guide on the front of the packeage "Say: 'Keen-wah'") tastes like corn-flavored rice, only in little round bits instead of grains. Soba noodles are quite good, even though strands of hard winter wheat doesn't sound very appealing.
     Nevertheless, I made an educated decision to step out of P90X for a predetermined period of time. Without guilt, and no intention to repent afterwards. So when an opportunity for "Bunny Tracks" ice cream presented itself, I accepted. And when I was offered lasagna for supper, I ate it. (Some of the best lasagna I've ever had, by the way!) I have thirty-six more hours of freedom, then I'll buckle down again without regret. See you then!
~Stick to it!

Day Eleven

Seriously considered quitting. I may hate Ab Ripper, but it's twenty minutes of nonstop action. It may hurt, but you don't have time to stop and think about it. Yoga? Feels like a lifetime of hanging upside down in "Downward Dog" (hands/feet on floor, arms/legs straight, tush skyward, brain exploding and shoulders/hips threatening mutiny.) Not to mention the reason it's ninety minutes in the first place is because you hold each pose til you collapse, allowing for plenty of time to contemplate every possible meaning of the word insanity. (Yes, another "Pirates" paraphrase - I can't help it!)
     Three times I hit pause, drank water, and pondered getting on with the rest of my life minus Yoga X. My to-do list has about twenty things on it, it's already past noon, and I don't need this kind of stress in my  life. But, innate stubborness took over and I finished. Maybe not with the quality of last time, but it's done.
     Not only does the long haul require physical fortitude, it requires mental fortitude as well. Perhaps more so. And I just didn't have it today. It's tough to "Bring it" when half your energy is focused on reaming out someone for their faults. (Mentally, of course, as he's at work. Wise decision on his part!)
     My Better Half (MBH) and I may be perfect for each other, but we are not perfect. And the innate stubbornness that helps complete exercise becomes a hindrance in relationships. Most of the time, we agree that there really are two right ways to do things and it doesn't matter which way we do it. But sometimes my way is the BEST way, so why would we even consider doing it any other way? (Ok, so his way would work, too, but my way is still better. So there. Does that sound childish? Don't answer that.)
     Actually, better is probably a relative term. Depends on perspective, and goals, and values. And when it comes right down to it, my way is mostly better just because it would be better for me. So now I'm selfish and unhelpfully stubborn. I would eat to calm down (I have realized that I am an emotional eater, which is one of the reasons why I need P90X in the first place!) but I'm so full from breakfast and morning snack and second morning snack (it really does feel like you never stop eating!) that the thought of more food is depressing. (Which is ironic, and quite funny, come to think of it!)
     Resolved: I will apply my stubbornness to completing the formidable to-do list and banish the stubbornness that prevents character growth. And tonight, when MBH comes homes, I'll smile and be glad that we have decided to stubbornly stick together.
~Stick to it!       

Day Ten

Shoulders & Arms/Ab Ripper X - round two. The DVD's always have four people in them: Tony giving instructions and three others (some guys, some gals) demonstrating various levels of ability or different techniques. Today I caught sight of the number on the weight the gal was using - ten pounds! And I had 7.5's! I felt buff. :) Of course, she had better form and did more reps than I did, but still...
     I also had guests for lunch today. I LOVE having people over, even more so if I can feed them. (Which is probably why I need to exercise regularly - I love food in general!) But I was a little nervous about what menu would work for both the "normal" people, and myself. Overhyped! We had hambugers and fruit and veggies. Normal food. I kept track of what I ate so that I would know what not to eat for supper. Other than that, stress free.
     So now I have gone out to eat, entertained in, cooked for myself, and packed meals for My Better Half. Maybe this whole eating healthy thing is easier than I think!
~Stick to it!