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...