Day 97 - The end!

This is it - my final post. I'm not ready to say goodbye!

Today I did Fountain of Youth. I have no idea what I was supposed to do, but I love the yoga so much I wanted to do it! I can't BELIEVE my flexibility. My hamstring stretches are so much better now than they were, even a few weeks ago! Sitting, I can reach around a yoga block at my feet. That's so crazy; I never dreamed I'd be able to do that. The results show it, too: a staggering 11 inch increase in my toe touch. I am so happy with my results I could cry. I posted my before and after photos yesterday, and as promised, I'm posting my final measurements today.

So, I guess this is it! For anyone interested, I'll be keeping a general life blog, which you can find here. To the strangers that have been reading and commenting on this blog, thank you. It's great to know that I am an inspiration for others, and the fact that I do inspires ME. To my friends and family who followed me through these 90 97 days, thank you. Your words and encouragement really did keep me going. I appreciate your support, so much. And to Christopher: my best friend, my motivation, my support and my rock.. THANK YOU. If it weren't for you, honestly, I wouldn't have had the results I have now. I loved your patience, and your gentle but firm reminders to keep pushing through. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

And that's all from me. I'm officially an X grad! Thank you, Tony! Goodbye, P90Xers, and keep bringing it!

--------------------------------------------------

Weight
Day 0: 124 lb
Day 30: 123 lb
Day 60: 123 lb
Day 90: 123 lb

Chest
Day 0: 32"
Day 30: 31"
Day 60: 32"
Day 90: 32"

Waist
Day 0: 27"
Day 30: 27"
Day 60: 26"
Day 90: 27"

Hips
Day 0: 34"
Day 30: 33.5"
Day 60: 34"
Day 90: 33"

Right thigh
Day 0: 19"
Day 30: 19"
Day 60: 19"
Day 90: 20"

Left thigh
Day 0: 18"
Day 30: 19"
Day 60: 19"
Day 90: 20"

Right arm
Day 0: 10.5"
Day 30: 10.5"
Day 60: 10.75"
Day 90: 10.5"

Left arm
Day 0: 11"
Day 30: 10.5"
Day 60: 10.5"
Day 90: 10.5"

Pushups
Day 0: 7
Day 30: 11
Day 60: 20
Day 90: 21

Wide-grip pull-ups
Day 0: 1/2
Day 30: 3/4
Day 60: 3/4
Day 90: 1

Toe touch
Day 0: -5" (5" away from touching toes)
Day 30: +2" (2" past toes)
Day 60: +4" (4" past toes)
Day 90: +6" (6" past toes)

Wall squat
Day 0: 1 minute 3 seconds
Day 90: 1 minute 25 seconds

Chin-ups
Day 0: 1/2
Day 90: 2 1/2

Bicep curls
Day 0: 23 with 10 lbs
Day 90: 20 with 15 lbs

In and outs (the ab test)
Day 0: 21
Day 90: 50

Day 96 - Before and after pics

So! Today, as reported yesterday, was supposed to be Core Synergistics. Instead, we did a workout from Insanity called Max Recovery, and later, a workout from P90X+ called Total Body Plus. Max Recovery started out like fast-paced yoga, and I was really enjoying it. Then it got hard. Everything felt great though, and the 45 minutes went by in a flash. I was shocked when he said "time for the cool down!" It felt like 20 minutes. The Total Body Plus workout was a bit of everything; lots of push ups, squats and lunges. It also flew by. It doesn't feel like I did two workouts today, I feel great!

And on that note, Chris took my 90 day photos today, and I compiled my Day 0, 30, 60 and 90 day photos into one. And voila - before and after pictures! I'm so happy with my progress. I love my abs, and I'm definitely going to work to make them better. My arms and shoulders are so toned it's ridiculous, and I actually have calf muscle definition! Loving it!! We'll be doing measurements and weights tomorrow, so I will post those tomorrow - my last post!! I can't believe it!

Hooray!!

Day 95 - New Years Day

Happy 2010!

Chris and I rung in the new year by going to my sister's party. She had a bunch of friends and neighbours over, and we had so much food it was unreal. I had "my drink", raspberry flavoured vodka and club soda, and a delicious white beer to ring in the new year. We had a great time, and this morning was even better - sitting around in our pyjamas watching movies. Love the holidays!

When we got home, I did Tony's Fountain of Youth yoga. I still love the yoga. Tomorrow is Core Syn. Chris is going to take my "after" photos tomorrow as well. He did his today, and they look incredible!! He's lost 15 pounds over the last 90 days, and the abs that appeared are unreal. I'm so proud of him, for finishing, for getting the body he wanted, and for keeping me motivated. Congratulations, we're almost done!! <3

Amazing transformation!

Day 93 - Crazy crazy

First half of Kenpo, followed by Kenpo Cardio Plus from P90X+. Whew! I was throwing punches a lot faster than Tony and his friends were - and it showed, because I was in a lather and panting like crazy by the time it was over. I could hardly throw any punches toward the end, I was so tired. But, now that it's over, I feel great, as usual!

Tomorrow is New Years Eve. We are going to my sister and brother-in-law's place for their NYE party. I can't wait! Tomorrow also happens to be a rest day, but we're going to do something to help cancel out the drinks and munchies. Not sure what, maybe an Insanity workout? (Unlikely, since I hate them. We'll see.)

In any event, we have FOUR DAYS of P90X left. I'm still thrown off course from Christmas, and I wish we had started a week earlier. But we're back on track now and it's starting to wind down for us. Hard to believe. I get to tell people now that I finished P90X! Crazy crazy :)

Day 91 - Back to the grind

And by grind, I mean workouts that feel amazing after many days of overeating and underexercising.

Day 1 of our last week was Core Synergistics, and it was great. Definitely a little harder, given the 5-day lapse in workouts, but it felt really great to get moving again. I can't believe the change in my attitude, even from half a year ago. I used to go weeks without working out. Now I don't think I could go a couple days without missing the burn.

Christmas was fantastic, wonderful, and relaxing, everything a good Christmas should be. Chris and I had a great time traveling around between families, get-togethers, dinners and present openings. It sure is nice to be home, though. Sometimes you're on the go for so long, you don't realize it until you stop. That happened to me, and only today did I realize how busy we were over the holidays. So nice to lay around our own home and really relax together.

So, I guess this blog will end up being 97 days instead of 90. But that's alright. Tony will just have to rename it P97X. ;)

Day 88 & 89 - It's official

Christmas ruined P90X!

Real bacon and whole eggs for breakfast? Don't think that's in the meal plan! What a truly awful time to be finishing this program. But, there's hope - Chris said that, when he gets home, he plans on doing the last week over again. Or rather, doing it properly. I'm going to join him. I don't want these last few days to ruin the momentum of P90X, so I guess I'll have more than 90 posts when I'm all done! I'll also be joining Chris for some Insanity workouts to get some cardio and get my heart going.

It's amazing how crappy I've felt at the end of the day, with not working out and eating like this. I'm not used to it, my body isn't used to it, and my muscles feel like they're wasting away! I miss working out! Hahah I never thought I'd say that, but it's true. I miss it!

We're heading back home today, then back to Mom's tomorrow, and back home the next day. So that day, which would be the 28th, we'll restart the last week. I can't let these 90 days end like this!

Day 83 - Pouring on the Pounds

Today, I did absolutely nothing. For the first time in months, I didn't leave the house, I had no homework, chores or errands to do, and I didn't even get dressed. And I loved it! It was so great to have a day to do nothing. Mind you, one day is about all I could handle. If I didn't have to leave the house tomorrow, I still would. I'd find something to do. I can't sit around for too long, I get shack whacky.

Chris and I did our Kenpo workout tonight, and we learned why Tony didn't have Kenpo following Back & Biceps. Both of us were grunting and groaning because our biceps were so sore (that may be a slight exaggeration). We did the usual mix, the first half of Kenpo X and the first half (or so) of Kenpo Cardio +. Followed by Ab Ripper. Oh, Ab Ripper. I thought I could master you in 90 days... I thought wrong. I only have one more Ab Ripper workout!!! This means that I either have to a) master it in one go, or b) accept the fact that I won't master it this time around. I'm leaning toward b.

So, my step-mother works for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She (and many others) developed this ad campaign describing the negative effects that soda has on peoples' health. They have a website, a Facebook group, a YouTube video and mass transit posters, and they're causing a stir in New York, in the States and around the world. I highly recommend checking it out (especially the YouTube video!) and passing it along to friends.

Day 81 - Total slackers

Today, we slacked. Big time. Not only did we skip our workout (bad!) we also had some not-so-good snacks this evening. Corn chips (reduced salt) and salsa, shrimp, meatloaf, squares.. Yeah. I'm definitely losing the solid discipline I had when I first started out. Where did it go?!

But, tomorrow's a big day. Yoga (Fountain of Youth) in the morning, and Back & Biceps and Ab Ripper (which was actually tonights workout) tomorrow night. I won't feel so bad once we're caught up.

Day 80 - Christmas is coming..

With Christmas a mere 8 days away, treats and temptations are extra-hard to resist. A friend of mine brought by some homemade Bits & Bites and peppermint-chocolate cookies. My mom is in a baking frenzy at her house, having completed three full days of cooking and baking. And it is all sooo tempting! Starting P90X, Chris and I gave ourselves three "eating occasions": Thanksgiving, his birthday, and Christmas. For our Christmas dinner I'm not going to worry, but it's the appetizers and snacks and treats leading up to Christmas that I'm worried about! I'm really proud of myself for passing up snacks and treats for the last 80 days, and I know I won't let that all go to hell by pigging out every day around Christmastime. But still, something inside is telling me that something's gotta give.

I think the best thing is going to be moderation. It's unfortunate, but Christmas celebrations are a lot about eating, and the last thing I want is to a) come off as rude or b) feel like I missed out on the celebrating. So here's my plan: I'll have some Christmas treats, but in moderation. Far, far, far less than I would normally have. I figure that this way, I can relax more and enjoy my vacation, and at the same time, not doom my health and body and my hard-earned abs. (Plus, we're doing another round of P90X after Christmas - back on the wagon I go!)

We made tonight our rest day. Tomorrow will be Back & Biceps and Ab Ripper, followed by Yoga the next day (which will be the NEW Fountain of Youth disc that we received!). So, off I go to rest! :)

Seriously. How could you pass that up??

Day 79 - New protein!

Today's workout was simple, plain ol' Cardio X. I hardly broke a sweat during the yoga and kenpo exercises, I was thinking I was doing great! Then came the plyo section.. I started sweating like hell. But! I enjoyed every single exercise this time around (whereas, in the past, there's always been one that I hated). It's a great workout because it's nice and short - 45 minutes - and it covers everything, from yoga to core syn.

Last night we had a catastrophic incident. We ran out of PROTEIN!!! Okay, it wasn't that bad. But there was only enough for one shake, so we split it, each had half, and shared a protein bar. We were using this professional kind called , but it was a wee bit on the pricey side. So Chris went out this afternoon to WalMart and got a new kind, . I was skeptical because my sister uses protein from WalMart in a vanilla flavour, and when I tried hers, I nearly choked, it was so sweet. But Chris got chocolate (the last kind was chocolate fudge), so I was cautiously optimistic. I had some after my Cardio workout today, and it was tasty! I have to say, I'm very impressed, WalMart. Very impressed.

 

Old protein vs. new protein

Day 78 - Stuffed peppers mmmmm

Our last Chest, Shoulders and Triceps exercise was today! Chris says it's his favourite, and it's definitely one of mine. I'm sad that we won't do it again! Ab Ripper was particularly awesome, with both myself and Chris doing ALL of Fifer Scissors with no breaks! That exercise is brutal, and we finally conquered it! Ab Ripper is slowly, slowly getting easier. Yippee!

A few days ago we found a delicious looking recipe in one of my Women's Health magazines for stuffed red peppers. Chris was determined to make them, so he did! And they were delicious! Red peppers stuffed with lean ground turkey, rice, raisins, green olives and garlic. YUM!!

Mmmmm so tasty!

Day 77 - Kenpo +

Since it was a Kenpo day, Chris and I started out doing the regular Kenpo disc. We stopped once the kick sequences were over, and we switched to Kenpo + from the P90X+ workouts. It's a lot more involved, and a lot more fun. My only qualm is that Tony doesn't really explain the moves, he just kind of.. starts doing them. But I got the hang of it! We only do Kenpo two more times (eeep!) so I'll definitely be doing the Kenpo + workout for those!

Last night for supper I made a fierce pork tenderloin. Chris was MMMM-ing the entire time, so it got his approval, too! I browned the tenderloin in a pan for a few minutes first, then I put it on tin foil and twisted up each corner of the foil so it made a bowl shape. Then I poured in a mixture of chicken broth (1/2c), ketchup (2tbsp), brown sugar (2tbsp), Worcestershire sauce (1tsp), and 4 cloves of garlic. Then I folded over the edge to seal it, put it on a cookie sheet and baked it at 350 for about an hour and a half. And my god. The tenderloin was so tender, it was stringy and falling apart! Delicious! I'll be making that recipe again, for sure.

Next up: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps!

Day 76 - The countdown begins

T-minus 14 days! Two weeks! Eeeek!

We just finished up Legs & Back and Ab Ripper. I feel like we do that workout all the damn time! Good thing I like it. I had a hard time this time around, because for some reason I was really dizzy after each exercise. Like the kind of dizzy from standing up too fast. It usually passed within 10 seconds or so, so I kept going. Odd though. Chris said it could be from lack of water, which is true, but I didn't have any less water than I do on most days. Hmm.

I'm changing my diet tomorrow, shifting back to Phase Two. More protein, less carbs. I miss my protein! Namely, chicken bacon. Tony says that once you're in Phase Three, you can either stay in the Phase Three nutrition phase or go back to Phase Two, whichever works best for you. If the dizziness is from a lack of enough food, hopefully this nutrition shift will help with that.

On a totally different note, my abs are coming along nicely.. Still have a little ways to go to get to where I want to be: like her!

I will look like this!

Day 75 - Christmas shopping

Yesterdays workout lost to Christmas shopping and gift wrapping. I hate skipping workouts, but on the other hand, I'm done shopping and everything is wrapped, so I still feel like I accomplished something. Since yesterday was our rest day, we're going to do yesterdays workout (Legs and Back) today, and today's workout (Kenpo) tomorrow.

While at the mall, Chris and I got chicken wraps for supper. One of our favourite pastimes is to people-watch, and mall food courts are prime people-watching areas. I love watching people order from Taco Bell when they really shouldn't be ordering from Taco Bell, or watching them shove a whole tray of donair meat down their throat before I finish my wrap. People are so entertaining and they don't even know it. :)

Spotted this at the Chinese food place, and I snuck in line to get a photo.

Yes, that's right. Deep fried cheesecake. Sigh..

Day 74 - 82% done!

Tonight was Yoga X, and I felt great doing it throughout the whole workout! The only part I struggle with now is that damn Warrior 3 sequence. I can't - for the life of me - balance during those poses! Maybe someday I'll get them..

Before Yoga though, we went for supper at Chris's grandparents. It was his Nanny's birthday today, so we went and spent time with the fam jam. We had haddock (the best I've ever had, hands down), carrots, broccoli, and potatoes, followed by a (little) piece of cake and ice cream. It was a great time!

As I'm sure I've said before, I have a subscription to Women's Health magazine. I saw this photo online today, about Men's Health magazine, and I was embarassed for them. Sooo humiliating.. Bet they thought no one would notice!!

D'oh!

Day 73 - Plyo, plyo, plyo

Oh, how I've missed Plyo! I love it (I know I say that about every workout)! It's definitely in my top 5 favourite workouts. During the Hot Foot exercise, I always used to switch feet every 15 seconds instead of every 30 like Tony does. My calf and foot hurt too much, and I couldn't stand it. But today I managed to do the whole 30 seconds per foot, both times! I was so excited! Nothing else has changed - I still have to take mini-breaks near the end of most workouts - but I'm still feeling great, and I'm still impressed that I can do both 1-minute sessions of the Swing Kicks. Love those!

A few days ago during Legs and Back, Chris took a video of me doing Lawnmowers.. Check it out, I look like such a gym buff!

During my workout, Chris was busy in the kitchen.. When I came out, I was served this: chicken breast with honey chili sauce on stir-fried veggies with walnuts sprinkled on top. Heaven!!!

Mmmmmm tastyyy

Day 71 - Dive bombers

I have a confession: I love dive bomber push-ups. Sure, I do the more easy 'modified' version, but they're still awesome. I did 15 my first set and 11 my second set (in contrast, I did 13 then 5 diamond push-ups). I actually enjoy the dive bombers!

We had a friend over for supper last night, and she loved the Island Pork Tenderloin that Chris made. We got a little cherry cheesecake as a treat, and we each had a little piece. Now we have five pieces of cheesecake in the freezer. I'm thinking we might have to give that away so it won't get eaten! Maybe I'll take a few pieces into school. Everyone loves cheesecake!

Hard to believe we're so far into the program. I was looking at our schedule yesterday. We X off every day that's gone by, and they're almost all marked off... Getting there!

Next up: plyometrics!

Day 69 - Losing motivation

Lately, I've had a hard time finding the energy and motivation to do these workouts. Today, I just didn't.

When I'm stressed from school, I find working out to be a great outlet. I sweat and I burn my negative energy off by exercising, and I come out of it feeling more focused and more able to tackle everything on my to-do list. However, with family, friend or boyfriend stress, it's a different story. My post from a few days ago still rings true, and that issue is still going on. At first I pushed through it and found strength to work out, but I couldn't do that tonight. I'm mentally, emotionally and spiritually exhausted from this fight. Chris talked with me earlier about doing Kenpo together, and I confessed that I didn't have it in me. We had a long talk that ended with me crying, and deciding to forgo the workout and prepare lunches for tomorrow instead. It's funny. School stress vs. life stress.

I'm still a wreck. I had to stop typing halfway through that paragraph to shed some more tears. Now, not only am I tired from the fighting, I'm frustrated that I let it get to me. I was annoyed at myself for not being able to suck it up and get it over with. I felt like a failure. Thank goodness for Chris. He was very reassuring and supportive which was exactly what I needed. But I still have this nagging feeling of defeat, of failure.

After all of this, in the back of my mind, I promised myself that I would do my best for the next 20 days. I really am proud of how much I've achieved and what I've learned, and I know in my heart that I won't let that go to waste. Still, it's hard when I've been rocked so hard. Tomorrow's a new day, though, and we'll see what it brings.

Day 68 - 22 more days!

Chris just had this epiphany - 22 more days of P90X!!

I think, when we're finished, I'm going to have some sort of crisis. I won't know what to do with myself! We had planned to start it over in preparation for our trip to the Dominican in March, so that's an option.. Hmm. At least we have 22 days to decide.

And we'll be taking a few days off for Christmas. ;)

So we just finished legs and back, and even though it hurts like hell, it remains one of my top 3 favourite workouts. Then we did Ab Ripper, which I've come to hate. Even though I've been doing it for 68 days now (not consecutively, but still), I still struggle with every single exercise and I can only finish about two of them without stopping for a mini break. That's kind of frustrating. Still, I keep trying, and that's all I can do.

I got a message today from a girl I went to high school with. I closed it before I had a chance to save it (dammit!), but she basically said that she reads my blog and that, because of me, she and her boyfriend started doing Power 90. She said they want to do P90X but thought they'd start with Power 90 and see how things went. Then she congratulated me on my progress and called me an inspiration! I was so happy. I really appreciate messages like that. I'm doing this program for ME, but if I can motivate and inspire people along the way, it makes my experience that much better. So, thank you for that message!

And now, I have to go.. Pork tenderloin is calling :)

Day 67 - Feeling lazy

I'm skipping my workout tonight. I have no excuse really. I was home all day, and waiting for Chris so we could do Yoga together. Then, we went shopping and when we got home it was 9:00 and I was too pooped to think about Yoga. Kudos to Christopher though, who's doing it as I type this.

So, since I have nothing to write about, I'll post this video. Chris found it somewhere online, and it just goes to show how fun can motivate people to exercise. Great video!

Check it out here!