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!

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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 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 92 - I'm officially a Yogi

I. Love. Yoga.

I really can't stress that enough. I love it. I love the stretching, the holding, the pain and the willpower it takes to get through that pain. The shaking muscles, the huge increase in flexibility from start to finish. Love, love, love! I can't wait to start looking into yoga classes in town. I have no idea what it'd be like to do yoga with a room full of other people. Plus, I'm pretty stoked on learning new poses. P90X has turned me into a yogi! This is good since, according to Women's Health, yoga practitioners tend to eat mindfully, eating when hungry and stopping when full - they think it's because yoga teaches calmness in the face of discomfort, which might make it easier to cave in to cravings.

Speaking of Women's Health, their January issue has a few delicious looking soup recipes. I made one tonight, Savoury Moroccan, which has chicken stock, diced tomatoes, zucchini, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, couscous, parsley, raisins, scallions and spices. YUM! I added chicken myself, boiling it and cutting it into little pieces. The end result? To die for. We had it with a delicious Blue Menu whole-wheat baguette. WH says to make sure that whole wheat is the first ingredient (check), it has no trans fats (check), and it has at least 3 grams of fibre per serving (check!). This recipe definitely made the books. I can't wait to try the other four recipes - and I intend to!

This isn't my final result - I stole it from WH!

And a gratuitous photo of me in Warrior Two.

Day 87 - Christmas Eve!

Happy Christmas Eve day, everyone! We spent the day with the family again, and I showed Chris around town (not that there's much to see!). Tonight we're going to my step-dad's sisters house for dinner, which is a big tradition in their family. Lots of family to see!

As far as working out goes, well... No workout has happened yet. But, this morning I found out my Mom has a yoga mat, and I have a Women's Health yoga app on my iPhone. I'm thinking I'll attempt some yoga, at least 20 minutes, before bed tonight. Will keep you posted.

I feel like such a mega-slacker. Oh, gotta go, the sugar cookies are calling... ;)

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 82 - Fountain of Youth

Exciting news. Fountain of Youth is awesome!!! It's a little over 40 minutes, and has a lot less jibber jabber than the P90X Yoga. The poses are a lot more fluent and cohesive, and you never hold upward dog for more than 5 seconds (versus P90X Yoga where it's always at least 10). It felt more like a workout than the other Yoga. Needless to say, we're both very happy with it and I highly recommend it if Yoga is too long for you. It's $19.95 and you can get it here.

We did yoga in the morning, and Back & Biceps in the evening. It was quite late when we finished, so we postponed Ab Ripper to today. Usually in Back & Biceps I use 10 lb weights, but this time, since it was our second last resistance workouts, I upped it to 15 lb. Obviously my reps dropped a bit, but it felt great to use a heavier weight. So that's it - no more Back & Biceps workouts!

Our last resistance workout is on Monday, and it's Legs & Back. Then it's our last recovery week, and then we're done!

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 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 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!

Day 66 - Back and Biceps!

So, I did Back & Biceps for the first time! I loved it, of course, but I love all weight training exercises. My only issue with this workout is the stupid woman they have in the group - she's so annoying! "BRING THE PAIN, bring it!" "I'm upping my weight, Tony!" "What do you think, Tony?" Uggghhhh she couldn't suck up to him any more even if she tried. She was so irritating!

Anyway, the workout itself was great. I did the pull-ups using a chair, which I think I like better than negative pull-ups. Maybe because they're easier! Also, I love bicep exercises. I've said it before, but I love the workouts that make me feel like a huge manly gym-buff Hulk-type. Plus, I can lift heavier weights than I ever thought I could!

Yoga is next on the docket.. I love it when it's over, but I hate it at the time. It's so long! Oh, and speaking of that, Chris and I ordered Fountain of Youth, a 45-minute fast-yoga workout from Tony's One-On-One series. We figured the cost was worth having a shorter yoga workout, and it had been suggested on the P90X message boards. So whenever we get it and try it out, I'll keep you posted!

Day 54 - Forgot to post!

Oops. I went out last night for a friend's birthday, then came home and crashed. Totally forgot to post. I did a shortened Core Syn workout last night (due to time constraints). I felt bad not doing the whole thing but I did my best for the time I had. Tonight is Yoga!

In preparation for going out last night, my friend and I looked up calories in drinks. She had heard of someone drinking flavoured vodka and soda water, and she said it was really low-cal.. and it was! Only 69 calories in 1 oz of the vodka, and none in the soda water. We both ordered these at the bar, and they were tasty! I really hate sugary drinks, and this tasted like club soda with a hint of raspberry. We had three of them, and I didn't feel  guilty at all since it was so low-calorie and since I was staying hydrated with the soda water. I think I've found "my drink"!

Day 51 - Yooooga!

For the first time in 51 days, I held a pose in yoga that I never could before. I have no idea what it's called, but basically you're in a lunge, twisted, with one arm behind your back and the other reaching under your leg with your fingers intertwined. Sounds ridiculous, I know, and it is! It's soooo hard on the quads, by the end of it they're so hot it feels like they're on fire. But I love it.

There are still a lot of moves I can't do. Like the moves that follow warrior three, where they stand on one leg with the other leg extended in the air behind them for about 2 minutes per side. Huge balance and strength requirements for those poses, and I can't do it. But neither can Chris, so I don't feel so bad. ;)

Nothing to report diet-wise - just a standard day! Sorry to be boring! 

Day 50 - DAY 50!

I'm 55% done P90X!

I know I say this at every "milestone", but I really can't believe it's been that long. I'm going into my second rest week, starting today. Yoga was scheduled, but by the time I got home and we got ready, it was 8:30 and we didn't want to have to spend until 10:00 doing yoga. So we switched it with Intervals, the theory being there's probably a similar calorie burn between the two. Yoga is an hour and a half of relatively calm, isometric flexibility and strength exercises, whereas Intervals is 40 minutes of ballistic cardiovascular exercises. So, in theory, the calorie burn should be similar. If only I had a heart rate monitor, then I'd know for sure. Maybe someday!

Two days ago we did a yoga workout which I blogged about briefly, but was too into posting about breakfast to share my excitement... but I can't contain myself anymore... I HAVE A SIX PACK!!!

I was doing table and Chris walked in the room and was like, "Oh my god, where's your camera?!" So he snapped this picture of me, and there is literally a six pack there. Mind you, standing up and in different light it doesn't look that crazy, but in the bedroom light in table pose, I have friggen' six pack abs!!! And I'm obviously very excited about this!! SO proud! :)

!!!!!!

Day 39 - Yoga with a side of flu symptoms

I never thought I'd see the day that I actually loathed having a week off from everything. I would have killed for this mini-vacation as a kid! I left the house today for the first time since Wednesday (yes, that's only two days) and it felt so great. I am not one to stay indoors and feel sorry for myself, so the second I felt better, I was out the door. It also snowed here for the first time this fall, so we went on a little snow walk / grocery trip, and we rented a movie. It was cold and slushy and raining outside but I didn't care, because I was outside! Yesterday I checked the mail three times, just for the sake of leaving the apartment and walking down the stairs to the mailboxes. Literally going shack-whacky after two days.

I also ate better today. I am back on track with the diet plan, except I didn't have any fruit today. Counterintuitive really, when I'm ultimately trying to get over a virus. Anyway, I feel good about eating well today. I also did Yoga X, which makes me very proud. I was flip-flopping, trying to decide if I felt ready, and when it came time to do it, I figured that my fever and headache were gone, so why not? I did it all, minus the crazy Warrior Three poses.. which, honestly, I can't do well when I'm not sick. So I did the Yoga and I followed the diet guide. Life is good. :)

Tomorrow I have to prepare some pomegranate that I've been putting off preparing. I love pomegranate! I'll definitely have a serving of fruit if there's pomegranate around.

My poms :)

Day 38 - Feeling better, slowly but surely

Today was a good day. Instead of resting like the doctor ordered (literally), I wrote a paper, started a painting and scrubbed the bathroom from top to bottom. This is what I'm like now; full of energy that I have to get rid of in one form or another. It definitely wasn't going to be through P90X workouts.. I'm not feeling quite that good. My fever is gone, but my nose has turned into a running faucet and I'm sneezing like crazy. Plus headaches. I literally have a Kleenex burn mustache going on. Needless to say, I'm very attractive right about now.

I tried to eat a little more on-track with the diet, and I did better than yesterday. Cheerios for breakfast, a cup of coffee (I know better, but I love my coffee), two cups of orange juice, a yogurt, tomato soup, and a protein bar. For supper I made breakfast: egg whites, chicken bacon and two baby bagels. Chris went out for birthday dinner with his mom, so I had no one to impress. Also, I love having breakfast for supper. And now I'm drinking tea. Life is good.

Yoga is technically scheduled for tomorrow, and I would love to get back on track with the workouts. Yoga (at least the easy moves) seems like a good one to start back in with, but I'll have to play it by ear and see how I feel.

This is exactly what I've been doing for the last two days.

Except that's not me. I'm not that pretty laying sick in bed.

Day 32 - More time constraints

I'm posting early since I won't be home to post tonight. I'm unable to do my Yoga workout (again!), which I hate, but I spent the last hour and a half waiting for an influenza vaccine, so it was time well spent. In less than an hour I'm going out for the night, so I'm aiming to have my Yoga done tomorrow! Plus the other two workouts. We'll see how that goes.. I might just have to miss it. Sigghhh..

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 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?

 

A face only a mother could love.

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!