Yoga X...not exactly what I was expecting!

Alright...so, my impression of Yoga was different that what Tony gave me. I guess, in the back of my mind, I thought that Yoga would be about stretching and relaxation. Since I'm actually a pretty flexible man, I didn't think that Yoga X would be too terribly difficult...BIG MISTAKE! I was partially right. Tony had us bend into very uncomfortable positions and hold them. Of course, while we are holding these positions, we are to be relaxed, have perfect form, and breath in a very controlled manner. Yeah, Right!! I have a new found respect for those that do Yoga regularly. The workout was a 90 minute workout...as I was expecting a shorter workout and my duties as a father took over, I only got in about an hour. I'll get through the whole thing next time, I promise!!

Protein Bars are next on my list of things to cover...

I don't have a ton to say about protein bars at this point, but I know they are expensive...no matter where you get them. I've perused several blogs and sites and it seems that you need to keep into account the amount of carbohydrates (sugar mainly) in the bar. Clif bars are pretty good as well as the Atkins Advantage bars. I've had the Atkins bars before...when I tried to lose weight that way!! The bars taste great...the diet didn't go so well. However, for the penny-pinching bigboyP90Xer, I opted for this recipe which seems to not only satisfy my tummy, but also the requirements of a decent protein bar. I got this recipe from AllRecipes.com. I'm not sure where the recipe came from originally, but I like knowing exactly what ingredients went into my bar as well as having all of them at my fingertips.

Here it is:

MagicPunt's MRB (Meal Replacement Bar):

3 cups oatmeal

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (I use Kirkland's organic peanut butter from Costco)

1 cup skim milk

4 scoops Protein Powder (I bought 100% Whey from the makers of Muscle Milk from Costco also...6 pound bag for about $28.00...best price I could find)

dash of cinnamon

1. Mix ingredients with a large spoon or knife until a sticky batter is formed
2. Use a spoon to spread the mixture in the bottom of a pam-sprayed glass or metal cooking tray evenly.
3. Top with 4-8 packs of Splenda (I've heard some not-so-good things about Splenda, so I used Stevia, which is 100% from a plant that you could grow in your garden).
4. Put it in the refridgerator overnight and cut into 8 equal bars (I used an 8"x8" pan and cut it into triangles...different shape from the store bought bars and geometrically easier to get even portion sizes...for me, at least!) that will yield:

11g fat (good monosaturated fats)
26g carbohydrates
21g protein
285 calories

They have a great taste and were "dirt cheap" to make.

Oh, and one more "tip of the day" as Tony would suggest: Recovery drinks are a good thing to drink within an hour after a workout. Beachbody.com recommends that you purchase their recovery drink, but what I've heard from several sources is that a glass of 1% chocolate milk is also a tremendous way to help your body recover. I've been doing that. Just for the sake of variety, I also bought some Gatorade G3 Recovery Drink. Tastes pretty good for about $1.70 a bottle (16 oz).

These tips are not what I would consider "expert advice", but I thought I'd include them so you can "chew on them" a bit and maybe do a bit of experimentation of your own.

Sorry I didn't post yesterday...busy day and night...tomorrow is the Kenpo workout so I'm sure I'll be in pain, but excited to report to you! Later!