Day 85 - Curse Half Moon!

We have another fun-filled day today, so our workouts had to be squeezed in in the morning. Legs and Back was scheduled, but I have a really hard time doing strength or cardio workouts in the morning. So, I did Fountain of Youth. It felt great to do it in the morning first of all, and secondly, I did it alone since Chris did Legs & Back, so I found I could concentrate more and I definitely got a better workout from it. I was dripping sweat onto the yoga mat! I also love the hamstring stretches. They feel incredible. I'm falling more and more in love with yoga every time I do it. Except...

Half Moon!! I hate the balance poses! I don't know why, I love Tree pose, but for some reason I have a really hard time balancing in the Half Moon poses. I tumble and stumble and fall all over the place. It's a little ridiculous. But I keep trying! I want to join a yoga class, I think, so I want to try to master these poses before I do that.

Anyhoo, we're on our way out the door to my friends' place. Love Christmas and the get-togethers it brings!

Damn you Half Moon!

Day 62 - I touched the floor!

When I started this program 62 days ago, I couldn't do a sitting toe-touch. Now I can reach 4" past my toes. When I started, I could hardly bend past 90 degrees at the waist. Now, just tonight, I finally did it - I touched the ground while standing with straight knees. I can't believe that I can actually touch the floor. That my hamstrings actually allowed it! I'm not trying to lost weight, nor am I trying to bulk up, but I'm definitely aiming to become more flexible.. And I've come a long way. And I have the photo to prove it!

That's me! Touching the floor!!

Day 27 - Internet FAIL

I'm so sad. This is the first time in 27 days that I missed a day posting. And it's not even my fault - my internet was out all evening last night!! Booo... So, this is yesterday's post, today. Still moping about it. :(

Day 27 was Yoga day, and I must say that I'm seeing huge improvements in my yoga form. My balance is definitely getting better, but there's one move that I still can't master, and it's because we're in a deep lunge for about two minutes and my leg burns too much. I'm really hoping that will get better with time, because it's really disappointing to have to come out of a yoga pose!

Depending on how well I do at the end of the 90 days with the Yoga, I might join a yoga class in the city. I can see how it builds strength and tone, which is what I want, and it helps with flexibility, too. Speaking of flexibility, I can do my standing hamstring stretch now with my palms on the floor (!!!), and I can touch both toes sitting down!! I was something like five or six inches away when I first started P90X, and now I can reach past my toes! I'm SO excited about this!

Also along those lines, today is X Stretch day, which I'm looking forward to. I'll be back later today to post about that!

P.S. Phase Two is almost here...!

I can reach further than he can! :)

Day 18 - Beef stew, Yoga and sulking

Because today was Friday, I was exhausted. Added on top of spending my whole week studying for and writing midterms, writing papers and going to meetings, I had a long stressful day today. This is why I was curled up in bed at 6:00 this evening, whining about how I couldn't possibly do Yoga and that I was sooooo tired. I was so warm and comfortable in my pajamas. I really didn't want to work out tonight. But then my determination kicked in, and I found myself up and changing out of my cozy pajamas. I was tired, and cranky, but I managed to finish the hour and a half of Yoga. By the end of it, I was laughing with Chris, who stuck it out with me.

I know I posted about this before, but it really is amazing how exercise can change my mood. And not just my mood; my entire energy level. Laying in bed, I wanted to just stay there and watch movies all night. But after I got moving, I got a workout done and we spent the evening with family playing Scene It. Which was a much better option than sulking in bed. So, this will help motivate me when I don't feel like working out. I just have to remember how great I feel post-workout, and how much it elevates my mood. It makes such a difference. If it didn't happen to me, I would never believe it.

So, Yoga. I love it and I hate it. I love it because it's challenging, it's effective, and it's helping with my balance and flexibility. I hate it because it's an hour and a half, and because I can't do half the poses with perfect form. Maybe that will come at the end of the 90 days, who knows. All I know is that Yoga is not "relaxing", "soothing" or "calming". It makes your muscles shake, and it makes you sweat like hell. It also makes you realize just how inflexible you are. Although, my flexibility is still improving, as I can sit with my feet straight out in front of me and touch my toes with both hands. I could NEVER do that, ever! I'm so proud of myself. And my hamstrings. :)

Chris made a tasty beef stew for supper tonight. We invested in a slow cooker (I use the term "invested" loosely here, since it was $18 from WalMart), and we've made a whole slew of meals in it since. Mainly pork tenderloin, and now this stew. Slow cookers are a godsend. Literally, you throw in meat, some veggies, some sauce or marinade of some kind, and turn it on. Then you leave all day, and when you come back, it smells like someone's cooking you supper. It's wonderful! No idea what to make for the next few nights. We have to do some grocery shopping. Maybe I'll look up some more slow cooker recipes.. If I find any tasty ones, I'll be sure to post them.

That's it for now! I can't wait to take Day 30 measurements and pictures... Eeeeee!

This looks exactly like the stew Chris made.. Yum!