Wow, I am done with P90X. I hoped to complete the final week of Recovery. I was able to do 5 out of the 6 days. The last day was absolutely packed, so I wasn't able to do it. But I am so glad to say I completed all 12 weeks of P90X. Here's what I accomplished in 12 weeks. I can do 25 sit ups from the ground, 10-15 pulls ups with a chair, I can lift 15 lb dumb bells and I can do 30 push ups on my knees and 3-4 without my knees.I lost 9 pounds, 2.5 inches on my waist, an inch on each thigh and an inch on each arm. ALL my clothes fit better and some of them are a little big. I am sorry to not have posted pictures, but I just couldn't do it. It was too personal.
I learned A LOT with P90X. I learned how hard I can push my body. I learned that exercise can be done in an hour and be effective. I learned how to make the most of my workouts and how to make time for it as best I can. I am so grateful for my husband for pushing me to do it. I whined and moaned, but in the end he was right and my body is better for it. At 33 and having carried 6 children, I am glad to know my body will get back to normal. My back doesn't hurt anymore and I feel so much better inside and out.
Thank you to all my family and friends who cheered me on and encouraged me through this process. I am excited to get back in the gym and try some new exercises. I plan to start this up again in the fall when my kiddos are back in school. For anyone out there wondering if they should do P90X, I would say go for it. Even if you can't do any of it in the beginning, know you will get stronger and it will teach you many things about yourself. I'm just so glad that 12 weeks is done and I survived.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
WEEK12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh my gosh it's here. It's finally here. At this point I am 9 pounds down from when I started, a total of 4 inches on my body has come off. I am not swim suit ready like I thought I would be, but I am in clothes that I had shoved in the back of my closet from 3 years ago. My surrogate twins turned 2 last week. I was a little depressed that it's been 2 years since they're birth and I still can't get in the swim suit I bought before they were conceived. I do however have to remember that there pregnancy was no easy task, they were big babies AND I had a c-section with them. And many women can vouch for me on this who've experienced both types of births, getting over a vaginal delivery is cake compared to a Cesarean delivery. (sorry boys, tmi, I know) I am enjoying the fact that my back aches are almost virtually gone. My stomach only looks 2-3 months pregnant, not 6 and I can fit in a size 10 jean very well. An 8 will take another 10 lbs to get into.
This week has been off to a great start. I am doing just a few more of everything, but still can't do any pull ups without the chair. I'll get there someday. On Memorial Day and I went to my parents house and forgot to bring the dvd and my dad does not have all the weights I need, so he and I went on a 3.2 mile run. He is 64 and can still out run me. =) My legs were actually doing awesome, but my lungs were dying. I think part of that is due to the fact that with P90 you do more strength than cardio and the elevation I was running in was 3000 ft higher than I am used to. But it was fun and it was the first time in years that I was in shape enough to even run along side my dad. As our parents get older we realize we aren't going to have those opportunities all the time like when we were younger. So, I am so grateful I was able to say, "Hey dad, let's go for a run."
The rest of my week of week 12 was pretty crazy. Trying to fit in P90 is really difficult being a single parent for the time being, tons of activities for the kids as baseball ends and school ends for the summer.But I don't think it ever is easy to put exercise first, especially for someone who would rather be cleaning, baking or being social. I have one more week after this, the recovery week. I am totally nervous how my end result will be. All I can say at this moment in time is I feel good.
This week has been off to a great start. I am doing just a few more of everything, but still can't do any pull ups without the chair. I'll get there someday. On Memorial Day and I went to my parents house and forgot to bring the dvd and my dad does not have all the weights I need, so he and I went on a 3.2 mile run. He is 64 and can still out run me. =) My legs were actually doing awesome, but my lungs were dying. I think part of that is due to the fact that with P90 you do more strength than cardio and the elevation I was running in was 3000 ft higher than I am used to. But it was fun and it was the first time in years that I was in shape enough to even run along side my dad. As our parents get older we realize we aren't going to have those opportunities all the time like when we were younger. So, I am so grateful I was able to say, "Hey dad, let's go for a run."
The rest of my week of week 12 was pretty crazy. Trying to fit in P90 is really difficult being a single parent for the time being, tons of activities for the kids as baseball ends and school ends for the summer.But I don't think it ever is easy to put exercise first, especially for someone who would rather be cleaning, baking or being social. I have one more week after this, the recovery week. I am totally nervous how my end result will be. All I can say at this moment in time is I feel good.
Monday, May 28, 2012
WEEK 11:Day 1-6
Wow, I really don't know how the time is flying this fast. The first 2 months felt like an eternity and the last 3 weeks have been going so fast. Part of it is school is coming close to an end, so we are busier as a family and my husband is still in Australia. Also not having a recovery week has made the last 4 weeks more fun. I did the Cinch cleanse for 2 days out of the 5. I totally forgot that I had 2 dinner's planned out that week with friends and it is a cleanse that you really need to do it uninterrupted. So, in the 2 days that I did it I lost 3 pounds. And it's still off and I feel great. The only hiccup I had in week 11 was that on my 6th day, which is Kenpo I did not have time to do it. It's an hour video. I had A hour, so I chose to run for 30 minutes which still allowed me time to shower and get ready. Like I've said before, before P90 I would have said, "Oh, well, no time today" and not done anything. But I knew I had to do something and now I know that if I just do something 5 to 6 days a week I will NEVER get back to where I was 6 months ago.
I am amazed though how much nutrition is a part of losing weight and keeping it off. The minute I think I can coast, is when I either gain, or remain the same. So until I am at my goal weight (145 would be amazing) then I have to keep doing better. I think cheating once in awhile keeps you sane. For myself and my body, I should not be consuming anymore than 1500-1800 calories a day ever. So eating crappy doesn't fit into that number very well-at least large amounts of crappy, and it shouldn't. How I feel when I eat greasy foods, or stuff myself at dinner (sometimes I go for one bite too many mindlessly) is not worth how I feel the next morning. Last week when I ate at my friends, they had a BBQ, and I ate an entire turkey burger, chips, baked beans, salad and smores. I should have only had half a burger, a bigger salad and skipped the baked beans altogether or the smores, but instead I ate all of it and the next day I felt pretty crummy. My main point is, that eating healthier (you will never get me to eat buckwheat pancakes) can be hard, but doing what I'm doing right now; desperately trying to lose 20 pounds is harder. And it's not worth maintaining bad eating habits just because it tastes good. It will continue to be a challenge for me to eat well because I have a major sweet tooth and my husband and I are foodies. But at least I am at a place where I know I will never allow myself to slide back as far as I did; even if I get pregnant again. =)
I am amazed though how much nutrition is a part of losing weight and keeping it off. The minute I think I can coast, is when I either gain, or remain the same. So until I am at my goal weight (145 would be amazing) then I have to keep doing better. I think cheating once in awhile keeps you sane. For myself and my body, I should not be consuming anymore than 1500-1800 calories a day ever. So eating crappy doesn't fit into that number very well-at least large amounts of crappy, and it shouldn't. How I feel when I eat greasy foods, or stuff myself at dinner (sometimes I go for one bite too many mindlessly) is not worth how I feel the next morning. Last week when I ate at my friends, they had a BBQ, and I ate an entire turkey burger, chips, baked beans, salad and smores. I should have only had half a burger, a bigger salad and skipped the baked beans altogether or the smores, but instead I ate all of it and the next day I felt pretty crummy. My main point is, that eating healthier (you will never get me to eat buckwheat pancakes) can be hard, but doing what I'm doing right now; desperately trying to lose 20 pounds is harder. And it's not worth maintaining bad eating habits just because it tastes good. It will continue to be a challenge for me to eat well because I have a major sweet tooth and my husband and I are foodies. But at least I am at a place where I know I will never allow myself to slide back as far as I did; even if I get pregnant again. =)
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Week 10: Day 6
Tomorrow is rest. Oh yes. I am down a pound, so good news is, the eating better is paying off. Kind of bummed I slacked. I thought I was holding on ok, but I guess not. I also noticed a little muscle definition on my arms today. I was doing something in the bathroom, my hair or opening my mascara and I got this glimpse of a defined muscle. My tricep is definitely getting there. Just need to be able to lift more.
I'm a little excited for next week. I am going to do a cleanse. It's called the 5-day Fast from a book called Cinch by Cynthia Sass. I've done it before, but never on this strenuous of an exercise regimen. I am mainly doing it to "reset" my body and my eating habits. I did it a year ago and it not only helped me lose weight, but also helped me not crave bad food so much. It's a great book in general on healthy eating and having a healthy relationship with food. I forgot about it, hence why I have gotten back to my old habits. so I'm a little hesitant. But I found my journal of the 5 day process and I remembered how good I felt. At the time I read the book and did the "cleanse" I was training for my triathlon and in 5 days lost 7 pounds. I feel like it's the boost I need to get to 155. I miss that number. I wish I had remembered to do it in the beginning of the P90. I don't know if it breaks any P90 rules, if you will. It's a balanced diet of protein, veggies, fruit, healthy fats and spices. I may have to squeeze a protein drink in there once a day to keep up on my protein and to help sustain me during my workout. But I am excited to see how it goes. At this point I have nothing to lose. No pun intended.
I feel like my blogs are getting shorter and shorter. I think it's because at this point it is really kind of monotonous. And if I could stand here and tote 5 pounds down every month it would be a different story. But, this girl had a long way to go, longer than I thought. That's for sure.
I'm a little excited for next week. I am going to do a cleanse. It's called the 5-day Fast from a book called Cinch by Cynthia Sass. I've done it before, but never on this strenuous of an exercise regimen. I am mainly doing it to "reset" my body and my eating habits. I did it a year ago and it not only helped me lose weight, but also helped me not crave bad food so much. It's a great book in general on healthy eating and having a healthy relationship with food. I forgot about it, hence why I have gotten back to my old habits. so I'm a little hesitant. But I found my journal of the 5 day process and I remembered how good I felt. At the time I read the book and did the "cleanse" I was training for my triathlon and in 5 days lost 7 pounds. I feel like it's the boost I need to get to 155. I miss that number. I wish I had remembered to do it in the beginning of the P90. I don't know if it breaks any P90 rules, if you will. It's a balanced diet of protein, veggies, fruit, healthy fats and spices. I may have to squeeze a protein drink in there once a day to keep up on my protein and to help sustain me during my workout. But I am excited to see how it goes. At this point I have nothing to lose. No pun intended.
I feel like my blogs are getting shorter and shorter. I think it's because at this point it is really kind of monotonous. And if I could stand here and tote 5 pounds down every month it would be a different story. But, this girl had a long way to go, longer than I thought. That's for sure.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Week 10: Day 4
I swear I have not fallen off the band wagon!!!! I have been too busy to blog. My husband went to Australia for 3 weeks, so I've been doing the single parent thing for a week. Last week we had something every single night. I did workout, just didn't get to document it very well. =(
I am already half way through week 10. Wowsa. I'm a little glad and a little sad. Still the same weight as my 4th week. And the inches are not coming off anymore. I still feel good in my clothes, but nothing extra. I really think it's my diet. Over the last 2 weeks I honestly can't say if I've eaten under 1800 calories a day. We've gone out to eat quite a bit which makes eating anything low fat, low sodium or low calories a challenge. The good news is I am getting strong. Like, I really, really am. For example, I was telling some friends at dinner the other night that for the past 2 years (since the twin pregnancy) my back is in utter pain after I've spent a day of vacuuming, changing bed sheets or scrubbing bathrooms. (I sound like a maid, but these are my normal chores at home.) Last week, I was working really hard changing all the linens and vacuuming and at the end of the day I realized, my back did not hurt. And I mean not one little bit! Plus, this past Saturday during the ab video I did a wide-leg sit up. For the past ten weeks, when asked to do this exercise, I had to start sitting up and just lean back as far as I could go. Every week I attempt to start from a lying down position, but nothin. This week, I did it! Talk about feeling like stuff is happening. I will say my back hurts now, but it's only because of yesterday's Back and Biceps.
I am committing to myself (and have been following suit as of this week) to eat better and be more aware of how much I consume. I eat pretty well and balanced, but I tend to sneak in bad things; like a cookie, or a piece of cake or even a Starbucks Frappacino (they were half off last week) =) I am daily reminding myself as I read on facebook a girl posted, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny does" Sometimes that's true and sometimes that totally isn't. I have the working hard thing down, it's just a matter of working hard and not sabotaging my efforts.
If any of you have stuck with me I appreciate it. I am sorry I have not been more consistent. I will power through and finish strong.
I am already half way through week 10. Wowsa. I'm a little glad and a little sad. Still the same weight as my 4th week. And the inches are not coming off anymore. I still feel good in my clothes, but nothing extra. I really think it's my diet. Over the last 2 weeks I honestly can't say if I've eaten under 1800 calories a day. We've gone out to eat quite a bit which makes eating anything low fat, low sodium or low calories a challenge. The good news is I am getting strong. Like, I really, really am. For example, I was telling some friends at dinner the other night that for the past 2 years (since the twin pregnancy) my back is in utter pain after I've spent a day of vacuuming, changing bed sheets or scrubbing bathrooms. (I sound like a maid, but these are my normal chores at home.) Last week, I was working really hard changing all the linens and vacuuming and at the end of the day I realized, my back did not hurt. And I mean not one little bit! Plus, this past Saturday during the ab video I did a wide-leg sit up. For the past ten weeks, when asked to do this exercise, I had to start sitting up and just lean back as far as I could go. Every week I attempt to start from a lying down position, but nothin. This week, I did it! Talk about feeling like stuff is happening. I will say my back hurts now, but it's only because of yesterday's Back and Biceps.
I am committing to myself (and have been following suit as of this week) to eat better and be more aware of how much I consume. I eat pretty well and balanced, but I tend to sneak in bad things; like a cookie, or a piece of cake or even a Starbucks Frappacino (they were half off last week) =) I am daily reminding myself as I read on facebook a girl posted, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny does" Sometimes that's true and sometimes that totally isn't. I have the working hard thing down, it's just a matter of working hard and not sabotaging my efforts.
If any of you have stuck with me I appreciate it. I am sorry I have not been more consistent. I will power through and finish strong.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Week 9: Day 1,2,3 and 4
Here I am in week 9 and I am wishing for life to just stop for a bit, please?? Wow, I did not have time once to blog last week. So, here I am in day 4 of week 9 and just getting back to blogging. This week has been tough. All the exercises for this week I have not done since the first month of P90. So, my body is having trouble doing them. Not as bad as when I first began, but I noticed in my pull ups I could do 12 pull ups with a chair when I ended the first 3 weeks, now in my 9th week I can still only do 12-15 pull ups. So, nothing earth shattering, but I at least haven't lost ground. When I did Chest and Back this week I could do a fair number of pull ups, but my push ups were really bad. I still have to do them on my knees, but even then, I did about as many a I could on my first day. I pushed myself really hard though, so hard that I burned over 500 calories and felt quite nauseous at the end. It is is such a different thought process with P90X. All my life I've exercised to get more energy, to feel energized to go on with my day. But on the weight training days when I'm done I just want to sit down and recover.
On my 2nd day of this week (Week 9) I took my family to the park because we had gorgeous weather here and I thought, "I'll do my plyo in the park" Well, my computer crashed a few months back, which in turn caused me to get a new hard drive. For some reason it would not play the P90 dvd. Man, was I frustrated. I couldn't make the family leave, they were enjoying themselves. So, I just went for a run and sprinted telephone poles. I burned a little over 400 calories in 30 minutes. I was trying to go for a lot of calories in a short amount of time because time had been wasted trying to get my computer up and running. I felt good, worked hard and had fun doing something a little different. Day 3 was shoulders and arms. I like that workout and I was able to burn over 560 calories in an hour and 15 minutes. My triceps were really sore today. Today was yoga. I still hate it, but I'm definitely getting stronger.
I want to say "Whoo hoo, I'm only 4 weeks from the end!" But in reality, I'm 4 weeks from starting it all over again. Ha ha ha. I really am going to do it again, so I have to just keep telling myself to continue to give it my all in these next 4 weeks because the harder I work now, the better my results will be in round 2. I want to give myself of a goal to lose 10 lbs over the next 5 weeks ( 5 weeks because after week 12, I do the recovery week then I'm done). I am a little timid to give myself a weight goal becuase it seems like it doesn't work that way with P90. But so many people lose 20, 30, or 40 pounds total. I would like to walk away having lost at least 15 pounds. So I am going to have to really be conscious of what goes in my mouth, work hard and be consistent.
On my 2nd day of this week (Week 9) I took my family to the park because we had gorgeous weather here and I thought, "I'll do my plyo in the park" Well, my computer crashed a few months back, which in turn caused me to get a new hard drive. For some reason it would not play the P90 dvd. Man, was I frustrated. I couldn't make the family leave, they were enjoying themselves. So, I just went for a run and sprinted telephone poles. I burned a little over 400 calories in 30 minutes. I was trying to go for a lot of calories in a short amount of time because time had been wasted trying to get my computer up and running. I felt good, worked hard and had fun doing something a little different. Day 3 was shoulders and arms. I like that workout and I was able to burn over 560 calories in an hour and 15 minutes. My triceps were really sore today. Today was yoga. I still hate it, but I'm definitely getting stronger.
I want to say "Whoo hoo, I'm only 4 weeks from the end!" But in reality, I'm 4 weeks from starting it all over again. Ha ha ha. I really am going to do it again, so I have to just keep telling myself to continue to give it my all in these next 4 weeks because the harder I work now, the better my results will be in round 2. I want to give myself of a goal to lose 10 lbs over the next 5 weeks ( 5 weeks because after week 12, I do the recovery week then I'm done). I am a little timid to give myself a weight goal becuase it seems like it doesn't work that way with P90. But so many people lose 20, 30, or 40 pounds total. I would like to walk away having lost at least 15 pounds. So I am going to have to really be conscious of what goes in my mouth, work hard and be consistent.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Week 8: Day 1,2,and 3
Oh boy, week 8 is not off to a great start. I am in recovery week, but did not get to workout Friday-Day one. Our middle daughter turned 10 this week. So we threw her a slumber party. Let's just say that consumed my Friday; cleaning, cooking, planning...there just was literally no time to fit it in. Saturday-Day2, I woke up and fed 6 little girls Swedish Pancakes, then we went to my son's baseball game where I had to run the snack bar. My mother in law was in town, so she and I thought it would be fun to take my girls to get their nails done. What was supposed to be an hour, turned into 2 hours. I had barely enough time to get home and change for my husband and I to head out to dinner and an Ingrid Michaelson concert. All that to say, I didn't work out Saturday either.
Friday would have been Yoga and Saturday would have been Core Synergistics. Since I missed those 2 days I thought about starting with day one today, but then it would mess up my day off and I am kind of in a rhythm with that. I thought about doubling up today and tomorrow, but I just knew there wasn't going to be time. Our weekend was pretty packed with family activities. So, I conceded to do today was and not sweat it. I did my Kenpo workout. I even did it at 6pm, which is late for me. I just told myself not matter what happened today I would make sure I left time for P90. Honestly, since my revelation that this is going to be an ongoing process it helps take the pressure off. Not in the sense that I'm going to be lazy and slacking, but in the sense that just because I couldn't fit it in doesn't mean I have to quit. In the past I would have gotten out of sync and then stopped for a few months, or even years.
At the end of this week I weigh in and measure. I am nervous and excited. I am pretty sure I lost inches, but not sure if I have lost much weight and I definitely don't know if I look any different from my first week photos. Well, lets hope the rest of the week stays on track.
Friday would have been Yoga and Saturday would have been Core Synergistics. Since I missed those 2 days I thought about starting with day one today, but then it would mess up my day off and I am kind of in a rhythm with that. I thought about doubling up today and tomorrow, but I just knew there wasn't going to be time. Our weekend was pretty packed with family activities. So, I conceded to do today was and not sweat it. I did my Kenpo workout. I even did it at 6pm, which is late for me. I just told myself not matter what happened today I would make sure I left time for P90. Honestly, since my revelation that this is going to be an ongoing process it helps take the pressure off. Not in the sense that I'm going to be lazy and slacking, but in the sense that just because I couldn't fit it in doesn't mean I have to quit. In the past I would have gotten out of sync and then stopped for a few months, or even years.
At the end of this week I weigh in and measure. I am nervous and excited. I am pretty sure I lost inches, but not sure if I have lost much weight and I definitely don't know if I look any different from my first week photos. Well, lets hope the rest of the week stays on track.
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