So, after talking to a few people I know and the limited amount of research that I've done on the topic, it seems that week 3 is a magical week. Apparently, many people with great intentions tend to fizzle out around week 3. I'm not sure what that's all about, but I do know that I felt it too. The beginning of the week was pretty sluggish for me. Each day was tough getting out of bed and the beginning of each workout was more difficult than last week. Whew...if that was a hump/hurdle, I'm glad I passed over it. I'd love to hear feedback from readers on how they maintained a positive attitude towards exercise when they hit a slump. For me, knowing that each day I exercised, I'd feel better right after the workout and know that my body was improved from the day before...even if I didn't notice the changes. Now, after week 3, I feel like I've accomplished something. Week 4 is what Tony refers to as "recovery week" which I'm told could be even more difficult than the first 2 weeks. We'll see!
Oh...tomorrow is "weigh-in day". It'll be another quick post, but I have some exciting differences to talk about...until then...have a great night!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Gravity...I thought you were my friend!?!?
"Gravity, oh gravity, why have you forsaken me? Every time I try to escape your grasp, you pull me back...let me be free to ascend towards the stars...let me return to your loving arms with a soft welcome reception...gravity, oh gravity, why have you forsaken me!" -Rizzo, 2010
Well...today was Plyometrics day and as I've mentioned before, it is also referred to as jump training. That means that you spend about an hour trying to "defy gravity". This would be an inaccurate blog if I said that things were always all sunshine and roses. This morning was the hardest day for me so far. My plan to get out of bed at 5:00 AM failed miserably...I hit the snooze about 10 times before rolling out of bed (literally rolling since I'm still kinda shaped like a ball!), trying not to let gravity take hold of me and bring me to the floor...I "pressed play" at 6:00 AM and began my workout. The warm-up period caused me to start sweating bucket loads...sorry for that vision. Then...the workout...well, I'm not the most nimble man weighing in at over 280 pounds, so landing was anything but soft. I cringed before, during, and after each exercise...I had a thought that this must be similar to what Jimmy Hoffa must have experienced!
Around 25 minutes into the workout, things loosened up a bit and I felt better...but still not what I would have considered a great effort at working out. I DID press play and I DID work up a pretty good sweat with an "in the zone" heart rate...so I DID definitely gain from doing the workout...
My biggest problem, I think, was that I lost the mental battle. My head wasn't in it and it was a struggle for the entire hour. Amazing how that makes a difference. On days when I am "amped" to workout, the sweat and the burn feel great. Today, the pain and sweat were no different, but the burn almost took my breath away. I have to say that I'm learning what it means when Tony says to "Bring It". I've heard that phrase many times before and, quite honestly, I get tired of hearing it. HOWEVER, I also should say that it really does encapsulate exactly the mentality to get the results you want/need. I'd like to say that my whole attitude will change tomorrow...right now, I feel like I'm going to be really excited. Tomorrow morning...another story...
I was very fortunate to be part of an endeavor to bring the Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps to my high school for the last 2 days. I think, while being dropped in my lap at the last minute, there was a bigger plan here. Their show theme was "Toy Soldier". Pretty amazing stuff and the Indiana community and school district really rose to the task, making it a very memorable evening. Anyway, their main "character" was a male dancer acting the role of a 10 year old boy excited to be a soldier. As I watched this young man play the role, I was amazed at how much and how easily he "defied gravity". He jumped, seemingly to fly, with great ease. All I could think about was what I would look like if I tried to do that!! I saw Plyometrics all over his choreography. Now...I don't plan to dance around a marching band field, but the thought of being able to leap effortlessly is pretty exciting, I guess.
So...tomorrow, I will attack the workout with a better attitude...even though it involves Ab Ripper X!! Thanks for reading! Have a great evening!
Well...today was Plyometrics day and as I've mentioned before, it is also referred to as jump training. That means that you spend about an hour trying to "defy gravity". This would be an inaccurate blog if I said that things were always all sunshine and roses. This morning was the hardest day for me so far. My plan to get out of bed at 5:00 AM failed miserably...I hit the snooze about 10 times before rolling out of bed (literally rolling since I'm still kinda shaped like a ball!), trying not to let gravity take hold of me and bring me to the floor...I "pressed play" at 6:00 AM and began my workout. The warm-up period caused me to start sweating bucket loads...sorry for that vision. Then...the workout...well, I'm not the most nimble man weighing in at over 280 pounds, so landing was anything but soft. I cringed before, during, and after each exercise...I had a thought that this must be similar to what Jimmy Hoffa must have experienced!
Around 25 minutes into the workout, things loosened up a bit and I felt better...but still not what I would have considered a great effort at working out. I DID press play and I DID work up a pretty good sweat with an "in the zone" heart rate...so I DID definitely gain from doing the workout...
My biggest problem, I think, was that I lost the mental battle. My head wasn't in it and it was a struggle for the entire hour. Amazing how that makes a difference. On days when I am "amped" to workout, the sweat and the burn feel great. Today, the pain and sweat were no different, but the burn almost took my breath away. I have to say that I'm learning what it means when Tony says to "Bring It". I've heard that phrase many times before and, quite honestly, I get tired of hearing it. HOWEVER, I also should say that it really does encapsulate exactly the mentality to get the results you want/need. I'd like to say that my whole attitude will change tomorrow...right now, I feel like I'm going to be really excited. Tomorrow morning...another story...
I was very fortunate to be part of an endeavor to bring the Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps to my high school for the last 2 days. I think, while being dropped in my lap at the last minute, there was a bigger plan here. Their show theme was "Toy Soldier". Pretty amazing stuff and the Indiana community and school district really rose to the task, making it a very memorable evening. Anyway, their main "character" was a male dancer acting the role of a 10 year old boy excited to be a soldier. As I watched this young man play the role, I was amazed at how much and how easily he "defied gravity". He jumped, seemingly to fly, with great ease. All I could think about was what I would look like if I tried to do that!! I saw Plyometrics all over his choreography. Now...I don't plan to dance around a marching band field, but the thought of being able to leap effortlessly is pretty exciting, I guess.
So...tomorrow, I will attack the workout with a better attitude...even though it involves Ab Ripper X!! Thanks for reading! Have a great evening!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
So nice to meet you, Kenpo X!
So...I just finished my 2nd week of P90X. I, again, deviated from the plan. Instead of having my "rest day" today, I took it yesterday and "pressed play" for the Kenpo X workout at 5:15 AM today. I am now making the shift from afternoon workouts to "stupid early" workouts. Depending on the workout I will need to start by 5:00 AM on the average. Since Tony suggests 7 hours of sleep, I guess an earlier bedtime is probably called for...another sign that summer is over and I am on my way back to work!
Tomorrow starts week 3 which is the last "push hard" week before what Tony refers to as the "recovery week." Not sure what that entails, but I don't think I'll get to sit around and eat bon-bons all day.
Back to Kenpo X...what a great time that was!! There is a learning curve involved for sure. Tony is pretty good about explaining the various types of kicks/punches/blocks, but when done in certain combinations, it took me a while to "get the rhythm". It is a cardio workout with an opportunity to develop some basic self-defense skills. I HAD FUN!! I still got my butt kicked (not literally)...no doubt of that, but I had fun and the time went by so fast. I feel like I missed something by not doing that last week...oh well...with 76 days left in my first time through the program, I'll most likely get plenty more of it!
Results: I talked last week about the weight loss I experienced during the 1st 10 days. Today, my wife said that she could see it in my face. I feel different (slightly), but don't see a difference..not yet anyway. I have to wonder about how this is going. Since I'm relatively new at "living the good life", I'm not sure where the 1st 10 pounds came from...was it 10 pounds of water weight, fat burning, etc...OR was it 15 pounds of fat burning and 5 pounds of muscle development? These questions need answers...if you know, help! I'm not sure how quickly the muscles in the body recover and begin to grow in size and strength...
One last note about weight loss. I was talking to 2 very close friends of mine and I was asked how I measure weight loss...to me that was an odd question...I answered...a scale. But when he explained further, I knew what he meant...he meant, how do you "visualize" your weight loss. For some, it is the holes in their belts. Others may do other things. I choose a rather unconventional way to visualize how much weight I lost. Here's the quick and skinny of it: I measure my weight loss by comparing weight loss to my children. For example, my youngest daughter, Sophia, weights about 8.5 pounds. So far...I have lost "Sophia" from my body. Next would be Sarah. She's coming in around 25-30 pounds. When I lose that much, I'll say that I lost "Sarah". The next level would be Sarah and Sophia combined...a which point I would respond that I lost my youngest 2 children. The twins are about 50 pounds each...so, with combinations of children, I can "see" exactly what I've lost in my body. The other thing that I do is when I lose a child, I'll carry that child around the house for a while and see what it felt like when I weighed that much...Sophia didn't mark too much of a difference, but when I get to Sarah, I'm betting it'll be pretty significant. Ultimately, I may end up losing most of my wife...she's a petite little thing, but not knowing how much weight I will end up losing due to muscle gain, etc. I can't predict what percentage of her that I can lose?!? Did I drive that point home? I know...pretty boring, but it makes me smile!
Have a great night and unless things get crazy...I'll post again! I hope you all had a great weekend and are off to a great start preparing for your work week!
Take care!
Tomorrow starts week 3 which is the last "push hard" week before what Tony refers to as the "recovery week." Not sure what that entails, but I don't think I'll get to sit around and eat bon-bons all day.
Back to Kenpo X...what a great time that was!! There is a learning curve involved for sure. Tony is pretty good about explaining the various types of kicks/punches/blocks, but when done in certain combinations, it took me a while to "get the rhythm". It is a cardio workout with an opportunity to develop some basic self-defense skills. I HAD FUN!! I still got my butt kicked (not literally)...no doubt of that, but I had fun and the time went by so fast. I feel like I missed something by not doing that last week...oh well...with 76 days left in my first time through the program, I'll most likely get plenty more of it!
Results: I talked last week about the weight loss I experienced during the 1st 10 days. Today, my wife said that she could see it in my face. I feel different (slightly), but don't see a difference..not yet anyway. I have to wonder about how this is going. Since I'm relatively new at "living the good life", I'm not sure where the 1st 10 pounds came from...was it 10 pounds of water weight, fat burning, etc...OR was it 15 pounds of fat burning and 5 pounds of muscle development? These questions need answers...if you know, help! I'm not sure how quickly the muscles in the body recover and begin to grow in size and strength...
One last note about weight loss. I was talking to 2 very close friends of mine and I was asked how I measure weight loss...to me that was an odd question...I answered...a scale. But when he explained further, I knew what he meant...he meant, how do you "visualize" your weight loss. For some, it is the holes in their belts. Others may do other things. I choose a rather unconventional way to visualize how much weight I lost. Here's the quick and skinny of it: I measure my weight loss by comparing weight loss to my children. For example, my youngest daughter, Sophia, weights about 8.5 pounds. So far...I have lost "Sophia" from my body. Next would be Sarah. She's coming in around 25-30 pounds. When I lose that much, I'll say that I lost "Sarah". The next level would be Sarah and Sophia combined...a which point I would respond that I lost my youngest 2 children. The twins are about 50 pounds each...so, with combinations of children, I can "see" exactly what I've lost in my body. The other thing that I do is when I lose a child, I'll carry that child around the house for a while and see what it felt like when I weighed that much...Sophia didn't mark too much of a difference, but when I get to Sarah, I'm betting it'll be pretty significant. Ultimately, I may end up losing most of my wife...she's a petite little thing, but not knowing how much weight I will end up losing due to muscle gain, etc. I can't predict what percentage of her that I can lose?!? Did I drive that point home? I know...pretty boring, but it makes me smile!
Have a great night and unless things get crazy...I'll post again! I hope you all had a great weekend and are off to a great start preparing for your work week!
Take care!
Friday, August 6, 2010
The Results Are In!!
So....weigh-in day! When I started blogging, I weighed 293...that was on July 14th. When I started P90X on July 26th, I weighed 290.6 pounds. This morning I weighed in at 285, that means that I lost 5.6 pounds on the P90X program or 8 pounds overall. I'm certainly happy about the weight loss but it's like taking a teaspoon of water out of a gallon. It's less, but not noticeable...or at least I don't see a difference, not that I was expecting to. It is definitely a great start and had I not started the program, I'd probably weigh more...so...here's to moving in a positive direction. (I'm raising a glass of water to the computer!)
Now...I've done weight loss programs with great success for a while, but never with a weight lifting/exercising regime included. I'm curious to see the effects of working out and following fairly strict dietary guidelines. I'm told that I'll lose weight slower, but will see differences rapidly. We'll see...
Yoga X! Not much to say about it. It's really difficult...BUT I was able to make it through the entire hour and a half. Some things were very much improved as well. I felt more balanced and was able to execute the poses better than last week. I guess that's the theme so far this week. Overall, I feel much better and can see results in the amount of reps and the weight/resistance that I use. Pretty cool!
So...I'm looking forward to my next workout session....really! I'm excited to see what I can push myself to accomplish...I'll let you know!
For now....sleep well, and for the fitness novices that might be reading this...press play!
'Night!!
Now...I've done weight loss programs with great success for a while, but never with a weight lifting/exercising regime included. I'm curious to see the effects of working out and following fairly strict dietary guidelines. I'm told that I'll lose weight slower, but will see differences rapidly. We'll see...
Yoga X! Not much to say about it. It's really difficult...BUT I was able to make it through the entire hour and a half. Some things were very much improved as well. I felt more balanced and was able to execute the poses better than last week. I guess that's the theme so far this week. Overall, I feel much better and can see results in the amount of reps and the weight/resistance that I use. Pretty cool!
So...I'm looking forward to my next workout session....really! I'm excited to see what I can push myself to accomplish...I'll let you know!
For now....sleep well, and for the fitness novices that might be reading this...press play!
'Night!!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
"Just Press Play" - Tony Horton
So to explain the title, if you've ever watched a P90X workout DVD, no doubt you would have heard Tony Horton make comments like "Do your best...and...forget the rest" and "Come back and just press play". He is obviously referencing the DVD clients in an effort to motivate them to come back, regardless of how low their level of motivation is. Today was one of those days where I actually heard his voice telling me to press play.
Bekah, my wife, has been pretty amazing about supporting me through this whole thing in light of the fact that we have a 3 week old in our house that still has nights and days confused. I offer every night to get up and help, but her comment to me is always "why should we both be tired...I can handle it". Pretty amazing for her to feel that way...so much so that I feel like a "dead beat dad" from time to time. Well, last night, Bekah awakened me at about 4:00 AM asking me to take Sophia because she needed to sleep. She even went so far as to say that if she didn't fall asleep in 10 minutes to wake her and she'd take over. Well, it did take more than 10 minutes but I didn't wake her...she looked so peaceful while sleeping and I figured it wouldn't be a long time anyway so I pressed on doing all the daddy tricks I knew to sooth a child to sleep. In the hospital, there are the powerful 5 "S's" (Swaddle, Side Position, Shushing Sounds, Swinging, and Sucking). I did all but the Sucking one and she just had her pretty little eyes fixed in my direction the entire time...very cute moment, but enjoyed much more at a later time of the day. Anyway, it took about an hour to get her to sleep. So here we are, 5:00 AM and I'm thinking...bed time! BUT the other kids awaken around 7:00 so there would only be about 2 hours of rest left in the evening...so as I considered my options...I head the ethereal voice beckoning me....press play...press play...press play...so I did. 5:15 AM, I am pressing play and working out with Tony Horton. As it turns out...my body is MUCH MORE stiff at 5:00 AM than it is in the early afternoon (which is when I've been scheduling the workout). Man...I was not into it at all! I had to take a break during the warm-up time! Pretty sad!! I trudged forward for the 1st 10 minutes of the workout and then, it happened! I got into it and was pushing myself hard; doing more reps with more weight than the week before!! By the end of the workout, I felt great. This is kinda how this has gone. When I look ahead to the workout, I do so with a bit of reservation mixed with a tiny bit of excitement, but as I go through the workout I get more into it and usually feel great (mentally and physically) when I'm done. Sometimes, I even respond to the 2-dimensional version of Tony on the screen when he tells us to say something...of course, feeling pretty silly afterwards, but I just get caught up in the moment!!
So...in short...not much more to add, but rather something to consider if you're thinking about doing this or any workout. Do it...if you aren't feeling good about it before, you will afterwards if you're invested in it!
Tomorrow, I post the weight difference from last Monday to tomorrow...we'll see...stay tuned!!
Bekah, my wife, has been pretty amazing about supporting me through this whole thing in light of the fact that we have a 3 week old in our house that still has nights and days confused. I offer every night to get up and help, but her comment to me is always "why should we both be tired...I can handle it". Pretty amazing for her to feel that way...so much so that I feel like a "dead beat dad" from time to time. Well, last night, Bekah awakened me at about 4:00 AM asking me to take Sophia because she needed to sleep. She even went so far as to say that if she didn't fall asleep in 10 minutes to wake her and she'd take over. Well, it did take more than 10 minutes but I didn't wake her...she looked so peaceful while sleeping and I figured it wouldn't be a long time anyway so I pressed on doing all the daddy tricks I knew to sooth a child to sleep. In the hospital, there are the powerful 5 "S's" (Swaddle, Side Position, Shushing Sounds, Swinging, and Sucking). I did all but the Sucking one and she just had her pretty little eyes fixed in my direction the entire time...very cute moment, but enjoyed much more at a later time of the day. Anyway, it took about an hour to get her to sleep. So here we are, 5:00 AM and I'm thinking...bed time! BUT the other kids awaken around 7:00 so there would only be about 2 hours of rest left in the evening...so as I considered my options...I head the ethereal voice beckoning me....press play...press play...press play...so I did. 5:15 AM, I am pressing play and working out with Tony Horton. As it turns out...my body is MUCH MORE stiff at 5:00 AM than it is in the early afternoon (which is when I've been scheduling the workout). Man...I was not into it at all! I had to take a break during the warm-up time! Pretty sad!! I trudged forward for the 1st 10 minutes of the workout and then, it happened! I got into it and was pushing myself hard; doing more reps with more weight than the week before!! By the end of the workout, I felt great. This is kinda how this has gone. When I look ahead to the workout, I do so with a bit of reservation mixed with a tiny bit of excitement, but as I go through the workout I get more into it and usually feel great (mentally and physically) when I'm done. Sometimes, I even respond to the 2-dimensional version of Tony on the screen when he tells us to say something...of course, feeling pretty silly afterwards, but I just get caught up in the moment!!
So...in short...not much more to add, but rather something to consider if you're thinking about doing this or any workout. Do it...if you aren't feeling good about it before, you will afterwards if you're invested in it!
Tomorrow, I post the weight difference from last Monday to tomorrow...we'll see...stay tuned!!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Back In The Saddle Again!
Alright, so after a long 2-day break, I hit play on the DVD player on Monday and Tuesday! Monday was another round of push-ups, pull-ups, and Ab Ripper X. Tuesday was my 2nd round of Plyometrics (jump training). So far, week 2 has gone much better than week one. I have more energy and don't feel nearly as fatigued as I was last week. What I thought was pretty cool was that I was actually able to do more of the exercises than before!! I'm getting past the "learning curve" of week one also. Since I wasn't familiar with the exercises last week, I had to take some time figuring out exactly what Tony wanted in terms of form, weight, repetitions, etc. This week, while still relatively new to me, flowed much better. I'm not going to go so far as to say that I'm seeing and feeling any major differences yet, but I can truthfully say that I was able to do more and I'm guessing that's progress.
My biggest issue to date really seems to be the food thing. Today was, as usual, a crazy day that just flew by...at dinner time I had eaten 1 carb, 1 condiment, 1 recovery drink, and 1 protein bar (see below for daily allotment). I planned on "beefing up" on proteins and vegetables at dinner, BUT my kids came in the house after playing outside looking like they were dancing around in soot!! I couldn't let them run through the house like that and my wife was feeding our youngest, so I gave them their 2nd shower of the day, got them dinner, and had just enough time to go to a meeting that I had tonight. I did eat my 2 fruit servings at the meeting, but when I came home, I had some major catching up to do. THIS IS NOT THE WAY TONY SUGGESTS WE EAT!! I have to make a conscious decision to stop what I'm doing and eat. This is new to me and I'm still getting adjusted. Water isn't a problem...it's taking time to make the food. I have to start thinking ahead a bit more. For a late dinner, I had my 10 egg white scramble with 3 ozs. of chicken, 2 tbsp of ranch dressing, a dash of hot sauce, 1/4 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, and a side of turkey bacon. I washed all that down with 16 ozs. of skim milk and one scoop of 100% Whey...essentially, chocolate milk. Then I topped that off with an "all fruit" frozen treat (which I've come to really look forward to!!). I was pretty full. I guess my biggest question is that if I find myself in this position again, which is the lesser of 2 evils...eating a bunch to get caught up or not? I have to fuel my body, but eating that much 3 hours before bed can't be a great thing either?!? Advice anyone?
BTW...I mentioned about Proteins, Carbs, etc. To explain a bit more clearly, I have been given an allotment of servings for the day based on my weight. I am currently on a 3000 calorie a day diet. The calories consist of the following:
9 servings Protein
4 servings Vegetables
4 servings Dairy
2 servings Fruit
1 serving Fat
1 serving Carbohydrates
2 servings of double snacks (or 4 singles)
2 servings Condiments
1 serving Protein Bar
1 serving Recovery Drink
I have a lot of flexibility based on the list of approved foods. That is a lot of eating!! To give you some perspective, 1 serving of protein is 3 ozs. of any lean meat...you do the math!
Oh....I wanted to post the protein shake that I've been eating. It's pretty good....
1 Cup of skim milk
1 Cup of berries (any kind)
1 Cup of ice cubes
1 Medium banana
2 Rounded scoops of Protein Mix. (I use 100% Whey from Costco)
Blend all ingredients together and enjoy...which, quite frankly, is quite filling. Give it a shot...it'll fill you up!!
More tomorrow...AND on Thursday, I do an "official" 10-day weigh-in so I'll post the results. I know...you can't wait...BUT you're gonna have to!! Have a great day tomorrow everyone!!
My biggest issue to date really seems to be the food thing. Today was, as usual, a crazy day that just flew by...at dinner time I had eaten 1 carb, 1 condiment, 1 recovery drink, and 1 protein bar (see below for daily allotment). I planned on "beefing up" on proteins and vegetables at dinner, BUT my kids came in the house after playing outside looking like they were dancing around in soot!! I couldn't let them run through the house like that and my wife was feeding our youngest, so I gave them their 2nd shower of the day, got them dinner, and had just enough time to go to a meeting that I had tonight. I did eat my 2 fruit servings at the meeting, but when I came home, I had some major catching up to do. THIS IS NOT THE WAY TONY SUGGESTS WE EAT!! I have to make a conscious decision to stop what I'm doing and eat. This is new to me and I'm still getting adjusted. Water isn't a problem...it's taking time to make the food. I have to start thinking ahead a bit more. For a late dinner, I had my 10 egg white scramble with 3 ozs. of chicken, 2 tbsp of ranch dressing, a dash of hot sauce, 1/4 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, and a side of turkey bacon. I washed all that down with 16 ozs. of skim milk and one scoop of 100% Whey...essentially, chocolate milk. Then I topped that off with an "all fruit" frozen treat (which I've come to really look forward to!!). I was pretty full. I guess my biggest question is that if I find myself in this position again, which is the lesser of 2 evils...eating a bunch to get caught up or not? I have to fuel my body, but eating that much 3 hours before bed can't be a great thing either?!? Advice anyone?
BTW...I mentioned about Proteins, Carbs, etc. To explain a bit more clearly, I have been given an allotment of servings for the day based on my weight. I am currently on a 3000 calorie a day diet. The calories consist of the following:
9 servings Protein
4 servings Vegetables
4 servings Dairy
2 servings Fruit
1 serving Fat
1 serving Carbohydrates
2 servings of double snacks (or 4 singles)
2 servings Condiments
1 serving Protein Bar
1 serving Recovery Drink
I have a lot of flexibility based on the list of approved foods. That is a lot of eating!! To give you some perspective, 1 serving of protein is 3 ozs. of any lean meat...you do the math!
Oh....I wanted to post the protein shake that I've been eating. It's pretty good....
1 Cup of skim milk
1 Cup of berries (any kind)
1 Cup of ice cubes
1 Medium banana
2 Rounded scoops of Protein Mix. (I use 100% Whey from Costco)
Blend all ingredients together and enjoy...which, quite frankly, is quite filling. Give it a shot...it'll fill you up!!
More tomorrow...AND on Thursday, I do an "official" 10-day weigh-in so I'll post the results. I know...you can't wait...BUT you're gonna have to!! Have a great day tomorrow everyone!!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Well...not a P90X weekend for sure...
Forgive me faithful followers...I didn't do Kenpo yesterday or today. We had a wedding to go to and with my parents coming to babysit 3 of our 4 kids (Sophia, the newborn, went with us), we had a lot of preparation to take care of. I actually spent a lot of time kicking myself for not doing it...probably more time kicking myself than if I'd have just actually done it! I'm choosing to look at the positives here. I went to a wedding where there were tons of cookies and cake. I didn't eat any of it. I only took the "P90X" conscious food from the buffet and drank a ton of water instead of the other beverages that were available. All-in-all, I really felt good about staying on track nutritionally. Kenpo will have to wait until Saturday. I don't imagine it'll have a huge impact as long as I "press play" as Tony requests of his "clients". So...I start week 2 tomorrow.
Now...for any of you that have ever started a workout program after leading a fairly sedentary lifestyle...let's talk PAIN. From the day after I did the fitness test last Sunday until about Friday morning, I really felt like I was run over by a small Volkswagen. Not only was I in pain, but I just felt like I couldn't control my legs. My wife (Bekah) asked me how I felt and the best way I could describe it was a "good pain". I don't know if you can understand that or not, but it was the burning sensation you feel in your muscles when you push your body beyond what it is used to. On Thursday evening, I felt like I was on the "upswing" and by Friday morning I started feeling pretty good even through the Friday workout. The pain was still there, but I was able to push through it and functional rather normally.
I suppose my question is...can I expect (as a man striving for a fit physique) to always feel that pain? Does your body ever get used to it or do you always feel the pain when you push hard, but not as intense? Not that it matters...I set a goal for myself and I intend to achieve it...any comments on this would be greatly appreciated!!
So, after week 1, here's my summary. I could not do everything that Tony and his proteges could do. I did what I could, pushed myself to do more than I felt I could handle and took breaks. Sometimes, I paced with them and took a longer break after the exercise, sometimes I did the exercise at 1/2 the pace of Tony...regardless, I kept moving and believe that I kept my heart rate elevated. The way I see it, I can't possibly be expected to perform as well as Tony yet....BUT...as I lose weight and gain muscle mass, I'll be stronger and handling less body weight. This should be a recipe for quick improvement, right?!?
Anyway...I should have more for you tomorrow as I begin week 2. Thanks for reading...more later!
Now...for any of you that have ever started a workout program after leading a fairly sedentary lifestyle...let's talk PAIN. From the day after I did the fitness test last Sunday until about Friday morning, I really felt like I was run over by a small Volkswagen. Not only was I in pain, but I just felt like I couldn't control my legs. My wife (Bekah) asked me how I felt and the best way I could describe it was a "good pain". I don't know if you can understand that or not, but it was the burning sensation you feel in your muscles when you push your body beyond what it is used to. On Thursday evening, I felt like I was on the "upswing" and by Friday morning I started feeling pretty good even through the Friday workout. The pain was still there, but I was able to push through it and functional rather normally.
I suppose my question is...can I expect (as a man striving for a fit physique) to always feel that pain? Does your body ever get used to it or do you always feel the pain when you push hard, but not as intense? Not that it matters...I set a goal for myself and I intend to achieve it...any comments on this would be greatly appreciated!!
So, after week 1, here's my summary. I could not do everything that Tony and his proteges could do. I did what I could, pushed myself to do more than I felt I could handle and took breaks. Sometimes, I paced with them and took a longer break after the exercise, sometimes I did the exercise at 1/2 the pace of Tony...regardless, I kept moving and believe that I kept my heart rate elevated. The way I see it, I can't possibly be expected to perform as well as Tony yet....BUT...as I lose weight and gain muscle mass, I'll be stronger and handling less body weight. This should be a recipe for quick improvement, right?!?
Anyway...I should have more for you tomorrow as I begin week 2. Thanks for reading...more later!
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