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 :)
Showing posts with label Kenpo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kenpo. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
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!
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!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
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..
Monday, November 30, 2009
Day 63 - Sighhh
Unfortunately, due to inevitable, anticipated familial conflict, I skipped my Kenpo workout tonight. Stress usually motivates me to do better. This time it sucked out my life force and I retreated to the couch.
Tomorrow is Chest, Shoulders & Triceps and Ab Ripper. Tomorrow will be a better day.
Tomorrow is Chest, Shoulders & Triceps and Ab Ripper. Tomorrow will be a better day.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Day 40 - Pomegranates and hip flexors
My flu is almost gone! Hooray!! All that remains is a deep, productive chest cough, which my nurse mother says will stick around for a while. But I can deal with a measley little cough, if it means the rest of my symptoms are gone!
Naturally, I celebrated this victory with some P90X. Chris and I did Legs & Back, and we started Ab Ripper, but we couldn't do it. Well, I'm sure Chris could have, but he gave in to my incessant whining, and we decided to do it tomorrow morning. The leg exercises are mostly lunge-based, which works your hip flexors in a major way. Then, to have to do Ab Ripper is near torture. A lot of the ab moves are in a seated, reclined position with the legs in the air, which translates into major hip flexor work. Mine were just too tired from the leg exercises, they wouldn't stop cramping, and my workout was suffering as a result. So we said "screw it, we'll do it tomorrow morning."
Also, Kenpo is scheduled for tomorrow, so we're going to swap it out for Intervals from P90X+. Intervals is a much better (read: waayyy harder) cardio workout, so I'm pretty stoked since I've been out of the loop for a few days. It feels great to be back.
And, I got three of four of my pomegranates prepped and portioned! Poms aren't in the nutrition guide, so I'm assuming they count as a fruit. One fruit serving is 100 calories, which is roughly 2/3 cup of pomegranate. I'm sure Tony won't mind.. Poms are incredibly good for you, they're full of antioxidants and fibre, and they're freakin' delicious - what's not to love?
Naturally, I celebrated this victory with some P90X. Chris and I did Legs & Back, and we started Ab Ripper, but we couldn't do it. Well, I'm sure Chris could have, but he gave in to my incessant whining, and we decided to do it tomorrow morning. The leg exercises are mostly lunge-based, which works your hip flexors in a major way. Then, to have to do Ab Ripper is near torture. A lot of the ab moves are in a seated, reclined position with the legs in the air, which translates into major hip flexor work. Mine were just too tired from the leg exercises, they wouldn't stop cramping, and my workout was suffering as a result. So we said "screw it, we'll do it tomorrow morning."
Also, Kenpo is scheduled for tomorrow, so we're going to swap it out for Intervals from P90X+. Intervals is a much better (read: waayyy harder) cardio workout, so I'm pretty stoked since I've been out of the loop for a few days. It feels great to be back.
And, I got three of four of my pomegranates prepped and portioned! Poms aren't in the nutrition guide, so I'm assuming they count as a fruit. One fruit serving is 100 calories, which is roughly 2/3 cup of pomegranate. I'm sure Tony won't mind.. Poms are incredibly good for you, they're full of antioxidants and fibre, and they're freakin' delicious - what's not to love?
Pom preparation, and the final result: perfect snack packs!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Day 34 - Making up for lost time
Today is Sunday, which means I wasn't in school. It's also Daylight Savings today, which means we gained an hour in the day. I woke up at 7:30, kind of by accident thinking it was 8:30, but stayed up and did two loads of laundry, dishes and the Intervals workout before noon (more on that later). Then I went to the mall with Chris, had a chicken hummus wrap for lunch, got groceries, came home, had slow-cooker pork chops, then did Kenpo X followed by Ab Ripper. I'd call that a productive day!
Today I kind of made my own workout schedule. As I was saying yesterday, Chris got P90X+. He did the Intervals workout yesterday and loved them, so we did them together this morning. I loved it! Well, I loved it when it was over and I felt awesome.. Getting through the actual workout was pretty brutal. It's based on interval training, and you do 10 seconds of low-intensity, then 10 seconds of medium-intensity, and finally, 10 seconds of high-intensity. This kind of pattern carries on through the whole workout for every exercise. The first 10 seconds of every exercise were my saving grace from the exercise prior. Intervals is definitely a fantastic cardio workout and I'll be doing it again soon!
We were actually scheduled for Kenpo tonight, and I was thinking about switching that up, but we decided to stick with it. We skipped through the blocks, but we did everything else. And when that was over, I stuck the Ab Ripper disc in and did the entirety of that. So, in total, I guess I did about 2 hours of exercise today! I felt like I had to make up for the last two days, since I was feeling so rotten about missing my workouts. I felt incredible after Intervals, and tired but accomplished after Kenpo and Ab Ripper.
I got my flu shots two days ago (and you should, too!) and the H1N1 vaccine made my arm really tender, like someone punched me in the arm. Because of this, all of my left-handed punches in Kenpo were a little sloppy. I'm surprised at how much it aches. I still can't sleep on it. But it was worth it!
Chris had slow-cooker pork chops cooking all day, and they turned out to be delicious. He says it was more of an experiment than anything, throwing potatoes, garlic, diced tomatoes, ketchup, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce and chicken broth in with the pork chops. I'm telling you, slow-cooked is the best way to eat pork chops. They were so tender we didn't even use knives to eat them; they fell right apart. Right after supper we prepped a small chicken by stuffing it with limes and onions (there wasn't much to choose from for stuffing ingredients), soaking him with white wine and chicken broth, and seasoning him with garlic powder, dehydrated onion and oregano. He'll spend all day being cooked and will provide a delicious supper for us tomorrow. We are absolutely obsessed with our slow cooker, can you tell?
I'm heading to bed. Here is a quick photo of me from the Ab Ripper workout - check out them abs! :)
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Today I kind of made my own workout schedule. As I was saying yesterday, Chris got P90X+. He did the Intervals workout yesterday and loved them, so we did them together this morning. I loved it! Well, I loved it when it was over and I felt awesome.. Getting through the actual workout was pretty brutal. It's based on interval training, and you do 10 seconds of low-intensity, then 10 seconds of medium-intensity, and finally, 10 seconds of high-intensity. This kind of pattern carries on through the whole workout for every exercise. The first 10 seconds of every exercise were my saving grace from the exercise prior. Intervals is definitely a fantastic cardio workout and I'll be doing it again soon!
We were actually scheduled for Kenpo tonight, and I was thinking about switching that up, but we decided to stick with it. We skipped through the blocks, but we did everything else. And when that was over, I stuck the Ab Ripper disc in and did the entirety of that. So, in total, I guess I did about 2 hours of exercise today! I felt like I had to make up for the last two days, since I was feeling so rotten about missing my workouts. I felt incredible after Intervals, and tired but accomplished after Kenpo and Ab Ripper.
I got my flu shots two days ago (and you should, too!) and the H1N1 vaccine made my arm really tender, like someone punched me in the arm. Because of this, all of my left-handed punches in Kenpo were a little sloppy. I'm surprised at how much it aches. I still can't sleep on it. But it was worth it!
Chris had slow-cooker pork chops cooking all day, and they turned out to be delicious. He says it was more of an experiment than anything, throwing potatoes, garlic, diced tomatoes, ketchup, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce and chicken broth in with the pork chops. I'm telling you, slow-cooked is the best way to eat pork chops. They were so tender we didn't even use knives to eat them; they fell right apart. Right after supper we prepped a small chicken by stuffing it with limes and onions (there wasn't much to choose from for stuffing ingredients), soaking him with white wine and chicken broth, and seasoning him with garlic powder, dehydrated onion and oregano. He'll spend all day being cooked and will provide a delicious supper for us tomorrow. We are absolutely obsessed with our slow cooker, can you tell?
I'm heading to bed. Here is a quick photo of me from the Ab Ripper workout - check out them abs! :)
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They're coming along nicely!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Day 24 - A lot about food
In contrast to yesterday, I feel magnificent today. I'm surprised at this, because I've barely drank any water at all, when I usually try to drink 2-3 litres a day. But I'm not complaining! We just finished Kenpo X, and as usual, it made me sweat like hell. Starting out, my right shoulder was sore, but that seemed to dissipate once I threw some punches and got moving.
About a week ago Chris bought some weighted gloves, and I thought I'd never see the day when I wanted a pair for myself, but.. I want a pair for myself! I did the workout holding 1lb weights, and I found that it improved my form drastically. My punches and blocks were much more fluent with the extra weight, so that's added to my "To Buy" list (along with a second yoga mat, so we can stop having to share ours).
I have a pretty solid routine going with my nutrition plan. A normal day would be as follows:
Breakfast - Scrambled egg whites, three slices of chicken bacon, half an English muffin and a coffee later
Snack - Two yogurts and my fruit
Lunch - Whatever I packed (usually a chicken breast sandwich on an English muffin) and a veggie serving
Snack - A delicious chocolatey protein bar
Supper - Varies
Snack - Protein shake post-workout, and frozen yogurt for blog posting
From a nutritional perspective, I hate when the weekend comes. It completely throws off my routine. The biggest issue is breakfast; I'm used to eating at 6:00, and on weekends that gets bumped to 9:00 or 10:00, which is usually the time I'd be eating my first snack. So, long story short, I dread weekends because it feels like I'm stuffing myself and eating all day. Yes, it could easily be solved by getting up at my normal weekday time, but honestly.. I'd rather have the extra sleep!
Tomorrow and Saturday I'll be at a conference, where there is food provided. I'll do my best to stay on track, as far as portions go. And tomorrow is X Stretch day, hooray! The easy one! :)
About a week ago Chris bought some weighted gloves, and I thought I'd never see the day when I wanted a pair for myself, but.. I want a pair for myself! I did the workout holding 1lb weights, and I found that it improved my form drastically. My punches and blocks were much more fluent with the extra weight, so that's added to my "To Buy" list (along with a second yoga mat, so we can stop having to share ours).
I have a pretty solid routine going with my nutrition plan. A normal day would be as follows:
Breakfast - Scrambled egg whites, three slices of chicken bacon, half an English muffin and a coffee later
Snack - Two yogurts and my fruit
Lunch - Whatever I packed (usually a chicken breast sandwich on an English muffin) and a veggie serving
Snack - A delicious chocolatey protein bar
Supper - Varies
Snack - Protein shake post-workout, and frozen yogurt for blog posting
From a nutritional perspective, I hate when the weekend comes. It completely throws off my routine. The biggest issue is breakfast; I'm used to eating at 6:00, and on weekends that gets bumped to 9:00 or 10:00, which is usually the time I'd be eating my first snack. So, long story short, I dread weekends because it feels like I'm stuffing myself and eating all day. Yes, it could easily be solved by getting up at my normal weekday time, but honestly.. I'd rather have the extra sleep!
Tomorrow and Saturday I'll be at a conference, where there is food provided. I'll do my best to stay on track, as far as portions go. And tomorrow is X Stretch day, hooray! The easy one! :)
This is our serving charts, made by yours truly. This way we
can keep track of what we've eaten as the day goes on. It
works incredibly well! Chris's is on the left, mine on the right.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Day 21 - Three weeks!
Because of our schedule switcheroo, we did Kenpo today instead of taking our rest day. I'm still on the fence with Kenpo. I noticed today that Tony takes a lot of breaks, where he gives you five seconds to get some water, then gets you running, doing jumping jacks and X's. Cardio, cardio, cardio. I suspect that this is to get our hearts pumping, since the Kenpo doesn't really do that. Well, I shouldn't say that.. It just doesn't do it as well as jumping jacks. I strained my neck too, which has settled a little. Chris bought weighted gloves that he used during the workout, and he found they made a huge difference. I might look into that down the road, when I get a little better at my punches. As far as my opinion on Kenpo goes... Meh. It's not looking good, but it still has time to win me over.
We have chili made up to put in the slow cooker tomorrow morning. Lean ground beef, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, and other spices. Pretty simple! We tried to get ground turkey, but there wasn't any at the grocery store today for some reason. I'm really excited to come home tomorrow and smell it cooking.. Mmm-mmm!
So, today marks 21 days! That means Phase 1 is almost complete! This week is rest week, which hardly constitutes "rest". Yoga, Core Synergistics, Kenpo, Stretch, Core Synergistics, Yoga, Stretch. Intense! Tomorrow is Yoga again, seems like I just did Yoga. Oh wait, I did! Looking forward to it though, still. I only wish I didn't have to do so many damn downward dogs.
Also, my cat found my yoga block (silly me for leaving it on the floor), and he decided to use it to sharpen his claws. I wasn't mad, because really, it still serves its purpose. This is what I have to contend with. Who could be mad at that face?
We have chili made up to put in the slow cooker tomorrow morning. Lean ground beef, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, and other spices. Pretty simple! We tried to get ground turkey, but there wasn't any at the grocery store today for some reason. I'm really excited to come home tomorrow and smell it cooking.. Mmm-mmm!
So, today marks 21 days! That means Phase 1 is almost complete! This week is rest week, which hardly constitutes "rest". Yoga, Core Synergistics, Kenpo, Stretch, Core Synergistics, Yoga, Stretch. Intense! Tomorrow is Yoga again, seems like I just did Yoga. Oh wait, I did! Looking forward to it though, still. I only wish I didn't have to do so many damn downward dogs.
Also, my cat found my yoga block (silly me for leaving it on the floor), and he decided to use it to sharpen his claws. I wasn't mad, because really, it still serves its purpose. This is what I have to contend with. Who could be mad at that face?
A face only a mother could love.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Day 16 - Getting curious about Plyometrics
Life is starting to slow down a little right now, enough that I can at least think clearly. This is a change from earlier in the week, where I was so busy I could hardly see straight. I'm very happy that it's a little more calm, especially for this Friday when Yoga comes around again. Maybe this time I can actually enjoy it!
Today I did Cardio, and as usual, it felt great. My abs are still sore from Core yesterday, which made today's Superman-Banana pretty tough and my form definitely wasn't as good as yesterday. As far as the Kenpo kicks go, I must look like a total goof because I can NOT kick well and keep my form; I don't know how those guys do it. (Chris also makes fun of my punches, but I tell him it's because I'm a lover, not a fighter.) I managed to finish both sets of swing kicks at the same pace as Tony, which is very fast, I assure you. I'm kind of sad that I never get to do Plyo, but I'm thinking that one of these weeks I'll switch my Cardio with a Plyo and do it with Chris. I'm conveniently never home when Chris does his Plyo workouts, so I've never seen how intense they are. I'll have to spy on him during his next Plyo day and feel it out.
I have some great news: my sister and her fiance have just started P90X! They're getting married in March or April (still waiting on a date!), so their goal is to get more lean in time for their wedding. They're both in good shape and they both eat well, a lot like Chris and me. My sister said that her first Core workout felt like it worked everything but her core, and I remember that because I was walking around like I had been horseback riding for four days after my first Core workout. I'm REALLY excited that they're doing the program.
Well, another early morning tomorrow, so off to bed I go!
Today I did Cardio, and as usual, it felt great. My abs are still sore from Core yesterday, which made today's Superman-Banana pretty tough and my form definitely wasn't as good as yesterday. As far as the Kenpo kicks go, I must look like a total goof because I can NOT kick well and keep my form; I don't know how those guys do it. (Chris also makes fun of my punches, but I tell him it's because I'm a lover, not a fighter.) I managed to finish both sets of swing kicks at the same pace as Tony, which is very fast, I assure you. I'm kind of sad that I never get to do Plyo, but I'm thinking that one of these weeks I'll switch my Cardio with a Plyo and do it with Chris. I'm conveniently never home when Chris does his Plyo workouts, so I've never seen how intense they are. I'll have to spy on him during his next Plyo day and feel it out.
I have some great news: my sister and her fiance have just started P90X! They're getting married in March or April (still waiting on a date!), so their goal is to get more lean in time for their wedding. They're both in good shape and they both eat well, a lot like Chris and me. My sister said that her first Core workout felt like it worked everything but her core, and I remember that because I was walking around like I had been horseback riding for four days after my first Core workout. I'm REALLY excited that they're doing the program.
Well, another early morning tomorrow, so off to bed I go!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Day 13 - Working out with a (very!) full belly
Tonight, we had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with family. Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, cranberries, gravy, pumpkin pie, pecan tarts and tea. It was absolutely delicious, and I feel no remorse for breaking the diet today because a) it's Thanksgiving and b) I planned for this. Once we got home, we started right in with Kenpo. Seriously, how many people stuff themselves with Thanksgiving dinner, then go home and work out for an hour? Some people think we're crazy (and I think so too, sometimes) but I feel really great right now. There are still beads of sweat running down my back, because I just had to blog before I showered. Niiice!
I can't decide what I think about Kenpo. It's a great workout, IF I maintain my form and really push it. If I slack in the least, or don't give it my all, I'm just punching the air and looking foolish. Versus, for example, Ab Ripper, which leaves no room for slacking. So you can see how it would be easy to say "oh yeah, I did Kenpo tonight" and to not have done much of anything.
But! I'm not a slacker and I really do push myself to my limit. I see no point in maintaining the diet and scheduling the time to exercise, then doing a half-assed workout. No results will come of that.
I weighed myself this morning. Again, another disclaimer: I'm not doing this to lose weight, I'm doing it to become more fit. Starting out, I weighed 124 lbs. This morning I weighed 123 lbs (at the same time of day and on the same scale). Then - get this - I weighed myself after Thanksgiving dinner, and I clocked in at 128 lbs! I actually gained 5 lbs throughout the day, and after my massive meal. This gave a little insight as to why some people get so upset with numbers - consistency is key. Like my grandmother used to say, weigh yourself first thing in the morning, after you empty your bladder and your bowels, and once you're stripped completely naked. Only then will you get your true weight. I think she was onto something there.
So don't fret about numbers. Monitor how you feel, physically and mentally. And remember: muscle is heavier by volume than fat!
I found this quote online: "A woman weighing 150 pounds with 19% fat will look much smaller (and be much healthier) than a woman at 150 pounds with 35% fat. They weigh the same, yet the composition is different. Because muscle is more dense than fat the person with less fat and more muscle will look smaller." Gaining 5 lbs in a month doesn't mean your exercise isn't working; it likely means that you've lost fat and gained muscle. I bet you look and feel better, so forget the numbers! Those muscles have to grow before they start showing.
I can't decide what I think about Kenpo. It's a great workout, IF I maintain my form and really push it. If I slack in the least, or don't give it my all, I'm just punching the air and looking foolish. Versus, for example, Ab Ripper, which leaves no room for slacking. So you can see how it would be easy to say "oh yeah, I did Kenpo tonight" and to not have done much of anything.
But! I'm not a slacker and I really do push myself to my limit. I see no point in maintaining the diet and scheduling the time to exercise, then doing a half-assed workout. No results will come of that.
I weighed myself this morning. Again, another disclaimer: I'm not doing this to lose weight, I'm doing it to become more fit. Starting out, I weighed 124 lbs. This morning I weighed 123 lbs (at the same time of day and on the same scale). Then - get this - I weighed myself after Thanksgiving dinner, and I clocked in at 128 lbs! I actually gained 5 lbs throughout the day, and after my massive meal. This gave a little insight as to why some people get so upset with numbers - consistency is key. Like my grandmother used to say, weigh yourself first thing in the morning, after you empty your bladder and your bowels, and once you're stripped completely naked. Only then will you get your true weight. I think she was onto something there.
So don't fret about numbers. Monitor how you feel, physically and mentally. And remember: muscle is heavier by volume than fat!
I found this quote online: "A woman weighing 150 pounds with 19% fat will look much smaller (and be much healthier) than a woman at 150 pounds with 35% fat. They weigh the same, yet the composition is different. Because muscle is more dense than fat the person with less fat and more muscle will look smaller." Gaining 5 lbs in a month doesn't mean your exercise isn't working; it likely means that you've lost fat and gained muscle. I bet you look and feel better, so forget the numbers! Those muscles have to grow before they start showing.
Doesn't the muscle look so much more appealing?
Monday, October 5, 2009
Day 7 - Only 83 days to go!
Mondays are my rest days. I use the word "rest" loosely here, because there certainly wasn't any rest in my day. We did the X Stretch workout tonight, which felt really good. Chris found it boring, I found it relaxing.. To each their own. (He's the one out running 5k while I eat frozen yogurt!)
As much as I tease him, it's really great to be doing this program with Chris. First of all, we live together so it's ultra-convenient. Secondly, it's a huge bonding experience since we're supporting and encouraging each other. And third, he's great at motivating me; when I feel like I can't possibly do any more in's and out's, he just says "good job sweetie", and I can magically push out five or 10 more.
Plus, he's a great cook, which comes in handy when I'm feeling lazy. :)
I'm still in love with the Kenpo workout, and I can definitely feel which muscles I worked and where. My biceps and my forearms near my elbows, for example, are very sore. This is because in Kenpo you're not supposed to snap your joints straight, but keep them supported and a bit flexed. Obviously, I was doing that correctly.
So today marks SEVEN DAYS! Seven days of strict diet and exercise every day! I'm definitely keeping this up, I've never been so determined to finish something as I am with P90X. And, I can now touch the floor during hamstring stretches! This is big news because I'm very inflexible. I'm also close to touching my toes in a seated hamstring stretch, but it's not quite there yet. Almost. Stay with me!
As much as I tease him, it's really great to be doing this program with Chris. First of all, we live together so it's ultra-convenient. Secondly, it's a huge bonding experience since we're supporting and encouraging each other. And third, he's great at motivating me; when I feel like I can't possibly do any more in's and out's, he just says "good job sweetie", and I can magically push out five or 10 more.
Plus, he's a great cook, which comes in handy when I'm feeling lazy. :)
I'm still in love with the Kenpo workout, and I can definitely feel which muscles I worked and where. My biceps and my forearms near my elbows, for example, are very sore. This is because in Kenpo you're not supposed to snap your joints straight, but keep them supported and a bit flexed. Obviously, I was doing that correctly.
So today marks SEVEN DAYS! Seven days of strict diet and exercise every day! I'm definitely keeping this up, I've never been so determined to finish something as I am with P90X. And, I can now touch the floor during hamstring stretches! This is big news because I'm very inflexible. I'm also close to touching my toes in a seated hamstring stretch, but it's not quite there yet. Almost. Stay with me!
Someday!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Day 6 - Kenpo, whoa!
Of all the workouts in the Lean program, Kenpo takes the cake for making me sweat the most. Ho-ly cow. Kenpo X is based on a form of martial arts, and, according to the fitness guide, is "a raw streetfighting style" that gives "a high-intensity cardiovascular workout". Before we started, we were reading all these discussion threads with people saying it doesn't work, they didn't feel anything from it, it hardly got them sweating, etc etc etc, so we didn't know what to expect.
Well, I'm pretty sure that a constant stream of sweat in your eyes and a heart rate of 160 means it's working. I loved it! It felt great, I felt great, and I can still feel it in my upper arms. It definitely is a high-intensity workout.
Earlier, despite the pouring rain, Chris and I headed to the grocery store since he failed to tell me that we were out of eggs. You really can't run out of eggs when following the nutrition plan, so off to Superstore we went. Chris mentioned a few days back that we should compare prices of a dozen eggs versus a carton of egg whites, since we throw away the yolks anyway. Turns out, 500ml of egg whites (which is equivalent to 16 egg whites) was $2.69, which was a little cheaper than a dozen eggs, plus, we got 16 instead of 12. So we bought two cartons.
On that same food tangent, Chris made supper tonight - turkey meatloaf! I don't know why, but I'm crazy about meatloaf. I love it, and turkey meatloaf was no different. It was delicious! The recipe is in the nutrition guide that comes with the program, so if anyone has it, I recommend it. Along with the Island Pork Tenderloin. Mmmm..
It's hard to believe I'm on day six already. Tomorrow is rest day, which means I can either rest and not work out, or do the Stretch X workout. I think I'd feel like I was failing Tony if I didn't do ANYTHING, so I'm going to do the Stretch workout. I hope it feels as good as it sounds, because this sore body could use a good stretch.
And now, a picture of me, immediately post-Kenpo workout:
Well, I'm pretty sure that a constant stream of sweat in your eyes and a heart rate of 160 means it's working. I loved it! It felt great, I felt great, and I can still feel it in my upper arms. It definitely is a high-intensity workout.
Earlier, despite the pouring rain, Chris and I headed to the grocery store since he failed to tell me that we were out of eggs. You really can't run out of eggs when following the nutrition plan, so off to Superstore we went. Chris mentioned a few days back that we should compare prices of a dozen eggs versus a carton of egg whites, since we throw away the yolks anyway. Turns out, 500ml of egg whites (which is equivalent to 16 egg whites) was $2.69, which was a little cheaper than a dozen eggs, plus, we got 16 instead of 12. So we bought two cartons.
On that same food tangent, Chris made supper tonight - turkey meatloaf! I don't know why, but I'm crazy about meatloaf. I love it, and turkey meatloaf was no different. It was delicious! The recipe is in the nutrition guide that comes with the program, so if anyone has it, I recommend it. Along with the Island Pork Tenderloin. Mmmm..
It's hard to believe I'm on day six already. Tomorrow is rest day, which means I can either rest and not work out, or do the Stretch X workout. I think I'd feel like I was failing Tony if I didn't do ANYTHING, so I'm going to do the Stretch workout. I hope it feels as good as it sounds, because this sore body could use a good stretch.
And now, a picture of me, immediately post-Kenpo workout:
Beautiful, glorious sweat!
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