Yeah, I look great. Yeah, I feel great and yeah, my heart is not in trouble anymore! Blah, blah, blah! – Monica Geller (Friends)

After a lot of hard work and a LOT of grilled chicken and lettuce – I am finally seeing some results! I was feeling a bit frustrated the first moth or so of P90X because I was sore, hungry and not loosing any weight. But now I’m starting to feel better, not be as hungry and loosing some weight and inches. Finally!

Not much different to report on the P90X workouts this week. We will be doing the same routine for another week before switching it up again. Yesterday was supposed to be plyometrics day, but Kyle’s knee was hurting him a little (he had knee surgery a few years ago) and since we still had volleyball games to play we decided to just go run with the dogs instead. I love the weather right now! My only complaint is the wind – but as long as it stays below 30 miles an hour it should just be like any other day in the panhandle. Right? Another problem I have is when it’s windy but otherwise nice and I’m outside running I tend to get a bit winded and have to take several deep breaths –then I get an AWEFUL flash back to high school track workouts. It makes me want to throw up! But anyway, we’re still going strong with the workouts and all the message boards say that between days 30-60 is when you loose the most weight so I’m glad I’m starting to see results!
5 weeks down – 8 to go
Bring it on!

Chuck Norris kills anyone that asks, "You want fries with that" because by now everyone should know that Chuck doesn't want fries with anything. Ever!

No fries, no chips, no cokes, no candy, no-thing good!!! It’s killing me - I’m no Chuck Norris!!

Well, we started week 5 of p90x. The workout for Monday was a different DVD than we have done so far – so of course I’m super sore, again! I feel like I’m back in week one with this amount of soreness. Oh well, it will pass. One good thing is that I can definitely tell I’m in much better shape than I was 4 weeks ago. I feel better, I’ve lost a little weight and the best thing so far is I’ve lost over an inch on my waist! So I’m definitely seeing results.
Last week (the week of spring break) was the hardest to fit all the work outs in, but we did our best and it was a “recovery” week so the workouts weren’t too bad. Kyle went on his Man-cation for Michael’s bachelor party so he didn’t get the workouts in, but that’s ok. We also went skiing with the youth group the first weekend of spring break. The good thing is that skiing is a great workout (especially when you accidentally go on a double black diamond at the end of day 2) bad thing was the diet plan did not go so well. I could have taken my own food on the trip but it seemed like too much – so I just ate what everyone else did. I packed some healthy snacks and tried not to over eat, so I did the best I could considering the circumstances.
So now that spring break week is over and we are back to our normal routine things are back on track!
4 weeks down – 9 weeks to go!
Bring it on!

Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't. – Elle Woods (Legally Blond)

I’m still waiting on the endorphins to make me happy. I’m positive I won’t go shooting Kyle any time soon, but I just might throw something at Tony Horton during the ab/core exercises. It just makes me angry – not happy! For now I’ll just continue to yell “I hate you” at the TV during the impossible workouts.

Well, week 3 is almost over and to my surprise I am sorer this week than last week. I’m not exactly sure why. Kyle and I are going to have a very hard time fitting in the exercises this weekend and next week. We are going with the youth group skiing and there is no way I’m taking p90x with me. We don’t leave until Saturday and get back Monday so we’ll wake up early and exercise Saturday morning and just postpone Sunday and Monday’s workout. Well, actually its just Monday’s workout that will be postponed. I’ll just move everything back a day and not use Sunday as a “break” day the next week. Kyle is going to have a harder time because he is leaving again on Thursday for the highly anticipated Man-cation. Michael’s bachelor party is going to be in Arizona for a weekend of watching spring training games so Kyle won’t be doing any working out. The good thing is that week 4 is kind of a recovery week so it’s mostly cardio. Anyway, I hope we can make it through the next week and stay on track.

Not much to report on the food situation, everything is going well. This weekend will be the first time I’ll be out of town while trying to stay on the diet so I hope I stick with it!
18 days down – 72 to go
Bring it on!

Corn chowder? That's an interesting choice. You do know that cellulite is one of the main ingredients in corn chowder. – Nigel (The Devil Wears Prada)

Why is it that everything that tastes so good is so bad for you? How come our taste buds can’t be wired so that asparagus and okra taste as good as cheesecake and snicker doodles? Is that too much to ask?

Week 3 of p90x has started. It’s starting to get harder to fit the workout in everyday but I think we will be able to manage the rest of spring. I had to miss a workout on Friday but made it up on Sunday when we usually have a break. The workouts are getting easier but I’m still not close to keeping up with Tony on the DVD’s. The first 3 weeks are exactly the same so not much different to report. For me, one of the hardest workouts is on Tuesday of the week. It’s plyometrics – and it may not be that bad if that was all I had to do for the evening, but Kyle and I play on a Volleyball team Tuesday nights so we are pretty tired by the end of the day. I’m kind of ready to get this week over with so we can start a new routine for a few weeks. Also, we’re going skiing with the youth group this weekend so I’m super pumped about that.

So, food for the weekend was not as good as it could have been. I caved in on Saturday at lunch and had a burger but resisted the fries. That has been my only slip up so far so I’m still doing ok. I’m ready for days 30-60 of the program, because that is when most people said they lost the most weight - so we’ll see.
15 days down – 75 to go
Bring it on!

You’ll still be you, but think of it as a thinner, more attractive, better you than you could ever become without us. –White Goodman (Dodgeball)

I often think that Tony Horton (DVD instructor) is a complete tool….but I knew he reminded me of someone – I just couldn’t put my finger on who. Then Kyle quoted something from White Goodman in Dodgeball and there you go! Tony and White could be brothers. I can only imagine that Tony is very much like White in real life and might say stuff like “Nobody makes me bleed my own blood” and “turn that Frankenstein into a FrankenFine”. So now that I have a new vision of what I think Tony is actually like, maybe he will not be as annoying and just kind of funny now!

So, things are going well with the workouts. Week two is a repeat of week one so I knew what to expect. I am not near as sore as I was last week so I’m feeling pretty good. Even though some of the workouts are geared towards cardio I still don’t feel like I’m getting enough so Kyle and I decided that when the weather is nice we’ll just wake up early go run a mile or 2 before work. That should give us plenty of time between running and doing the DVD’s. Today’s workout is Yoga which I have mentioned before is my least favorite work out so far. I just can’t seem to get all that fired up about 1 ½ hrs. of downward dogs and planks and worrier poses. Also, I think it makes it worse that it’s on Thursday nights. All I want to do is sit in my chair with my dogs and watch the baby arriving on The Office. Oh well, I guess that’s what the DVR is for, right?
Diet is still going strong! I’m actually pretty impressed with myself for not giving up on the diet. The weekend is coming up so I’ll need a little extra will power but I can do it!
11 days down – 79 to go.
Bring it on!

I see you're drinking 1%. Is that 'cause you think you're fat? 'Cause you're not. You could be drinking whole if you wanted to. - Napoleon Dynamite

I was sitting in my living room chair with a big glass of milk and a half eaten box of girl scout cookies, watching something funny on TV….and then I wake up. It was a dream, a great dream – but back to reality…

Well, it’s been a few days since I’ve sat down at my computer so I guess it’s time for an update. Day 5 was legs and back – this was a pretty hard workout but I liked it just fine. A lot of lunges squats and wall sits. Oh my, the wall sits! They were awful. About half way through the second round of wall sits I was having a flashback to volleyball with Coach Vessels – who frequently made us do wall sits. About the time our legs were on fire she would make us sing the Oscar Mayer song – I never quite understood why. Anyway, I had an overwhelming urge to break out into song (which I did of course) and it made the wall sits a little more bearable. So, great workout and I’m not feeling as sore so things are starting to feel normal again.

Day 6 – Kempo (kickboxing) – This was the best DVD so far! Mind you, I’m not flexible enough to kick like Tony does but I really like pretending like I’m either punching or kicking an attacker. After feeling great about my workout (like I could take on any attacker, any time) Kyle and I decided if I was ever to be attacked my best form of action would be a swift kick between the legs and make a run for it. Not that I’m ever likely to be attacked, but one should always be prepared – Unagi – ha! Well, I didn’t mean to get on a self defense tangent because this was kempo not self defense. It was a very fun DVD – cardio, legs, arms, and core – everything working at once! My kind of work out.

We’re about to start week 2 and we’re still going strong! I made it through the weekend while still maintaining my diet – even when we ate out. We even ate at Ruby Tequilas and I didn’t touch a single chip! Go me!
So I week down, about 12 to go
Bring it on!

If God wanted us to bend over he'd put diamonds on the floor. -Joan Rivers

And even if diamonds were on the floor I still don’t think I could bend over (with my knees straight) and pick any up.

Day 3 was Yoga – and I did not like the workout one bit! It has been the longest DVD so far, about 1 ½ hrs. Now let me start this by letting you know I am probably the least flexible person in the world – and so is Kyle. I’ve never been able to touch my toes. I remember in elementary school we would do the “Presidential Fitness Tests” every year and I would sit with my legs out in front of me and barley get my fingers to the line to pass the test. Anyway, Kyle is in the same boat – so if neither of us could touch our toes when we were 10 how are we expected to do it now?
The first 1/3 of the DVD is serious yoga! It was really hard and my legs, arms and shoulders were on fire. Most of the positions were hard for me and I couldn’t really keep up with Tony so I took a lot of breaks. Also, I didn’t like that it was basically 45 minutes of doing the exact same thing again and again just adding an extra position at the end. The middle section was the easiest for me. It was just holding poses instead of transitioning from one to another. My balance on my right leg is much better, and my right side of my body is much stronger, but my left side is much more flexible. So, we made it trough this section without any breaks and kept up with Tony. The last part was yoga abs. These would not have been so bad except my abs were still so sore from day 1 and day 3. My abs hurt all over! But the yoga stretched me out and I felt much better at the end of the DVD than I did before I started it. So, I guess this is a good workout, not exactly my style of working out, but I’m going to keep an open mind and keep doing it!
Still, food intake is good. I haven’t had any brake downs yet, so all is good. Since the weekend is coming up I’m going to have to work extra hard to keep my self in check, but I can do it.
4 days down 86 to go
Bring it on!

Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. – Kate Moss

Well, obviously Kate has never been to Jorge’s Tacos Garcia. I can handle the incredible soreness from working out, but wow, it’s really hard not to cave in for some Mexican food! More specifically chips and salsa! But, I can do it – I have will power. Plus, I’m not trying to get Kate Moss skinny, that would be impossible; I’m trying to get in shape. So, who the crap cares what Kate Moss says – she’s a freak!

Day 3 is done! It was shoulders, arms and abs. The shoulders and arms part was a hard workout, but Kyle and I kept up with the video. There was only one section on triceps that I couldn’t do at the very end – but I did another tricep workout instead. Now, the ab workout killed me – again. I am so very sore from the first 2 days of workout I didn’t think I could even do 1 sit up. But after warming up a bit, I was able to at least follow the video. If I had a compliant about the workouts so far (other than Tony being super annoying) it would be the lack of stretching before you start working out – so I guess that’s something I’ll just do before hand on my own.

Food intake again was good. This is the part I’m struggling with the most. Man, it’s hard to change your eating habits. But I’ve made it 3 days – and hopefully by the end of the 90 days my actual habits will have changed so that I want to eat healthy. That’s the goal!
3 days down, 87 to go
Bring it on!

I'm in no shape to workout!

My arms hurt so bad – it even hurt to put my seat belt on in the car! I was walking around all day with Tyrannosaurus Rex arms (pulled up at the elbows) because it hurt too bad to straighten them out. On top of being sore we had volleyball games last night and I didn’t think I was even going to be able to get a serve over the net, much less put my hand above my head to set. Luckily Mariah was there so I didn’t have to do that much! Eventually I warmed up enough that it didn’t hurt that bad.

Day 2 work out is in the books! It was a plyometrics day which I was thankful for because we didn’t really use our arms except for jumping jacks. This work out was much easier for me. It is basically an hour of jumping, squatting, and lunging. My legs were pretty tired and I was definitely winded, but it actually hurt my feet more than anything. Tony tells you to “land soft” so I was trying to do that but it just ended up killing the balls of my feet. Anyway, Kyle and I both were able to finish all the sections and only take breaks when Tony did. Of course my squats and lunges were not as deep as theirs and my jumps were not as high of fast, but I think I did the best I could.

Again, food intake was good for the day. It’s only day 2 and I’m already craving chips and salsa – so it’s going to be a long 90 days!
On a side note, I’m sleeping really well but feel awful when I get up in the mornings. I’m not a morning person, but I feel like I’ve been hit by a train during the night – mornings are the worst!

2 days down 88 to go
Bring it on!

"I can't stand the sight of kids getting emotional, unless it's from physical exhaustion." - Sue Sylvester (gLee)

Well, Sue wouldn't have minded the sight of me today while attempting day 1 of p90x. In the about 75th minute of the workout I'm pretty sure I was about to cry...

So day 1 of P90x is in the books! IT WAS HARD!! Today was back, chest and abs. Basically it was ALOT of push ups and chin ups. I didn't make it all the way through any of the push up sections. I would do 3-5 on my toes and then drop down to my knees, but it still kicked my butt! I did not do any chin ups on the bar (kyle did) instead I used resistance bands and will work my way up to chin ups. All in all it wasn't horrible just difficult! On a side note, Tony (the DVD instructor) has got to be one of the most annoying people ever! Trust me - as soon as we have been through the DVD's once we will mute him and have some music! I can not handle him much longer.
The "Ab Ripper X" is what almost did me in! It was the hardest ab workout I've ever done - and you don't get any breaks. About 1/3 of the way through I wanted to curl up in the fetal position and wait for death. It owned me! I think next time I'll do 20 sets of everything until I'm in better shape.
Food intake for the day was good - but I need to figure out a way to get all the protein in that I need (not too big on protein bars) so maybe a supplement I can mix in a drink will work for me.
Anyway, 1 day down 89 to go-
Bring it on!!

BTW - I think I'll post every day this week because it's the first week, then maybe just 2 times a week after that - I don't want to start getting annoying!

Starting P90X

So, Kyle and I are going to start doing P90X on Monday (Feb. 22) and thought it would be a good idea for me to blog about my(our) progress/struggles/accomplishments. After more than 4 years of marriage and a few extra pounds it's time for the both of us to get serious about getting back in shape! (Also, my 10 year high school reunion is this summer so there's a little extra motivation for me). 5 years ago Kyle and I were in much better shape than we are in now, and it would be nice to get back there - so p90x is the way we decided to go.
We have heard many different reviews of p90x, some good some bad, and still feel like this is the best way to go for both of us. The biggest drawback is the amount of time per day you have to dedicate to this program - but sad to say, we have plenty of free time so this shouldn't be a problem. I have also been warned that this workout program will, without a doubt, kick my butt!! So, I'm prepared to be in extreme pain the first few weeks - I can deal with that.
The biggest hurdle for me will be changing my eating habits. That is why I decided to blog. I need to keep a journal of what I'm eating and my progress.
So, come Monday - it's on!!
I'll keep you posted!