Day 6- Kenpo X

Kenpo X was a great workout.  I was sweating and had to wipe my brow about halfway into it.  It takes a lot of coordination, and in my case, concentration to keep up with the moves, but a great cardio workout nonetheless. 

I did good with the nutrition plan today, managing to eat all my portions once again.  We went out to lunch today to Chilis. Although we were tempted upon arrival to order chips and salsa and an ice cold beer, we decided to stay committed to the program.  I ordered the grilled chicken platter with broccoli from the kid's menu and a side salad with low-fat ranch on the side.  I managed to get 1 protein, 2 vegetables and a fat out of that meal alone!  Altogether my lunch was no more than 400 calories.  I left the restaurant feeling satisfied and not stuffed, which usually doesn't happen when I go to Chilis. :)

Day 6 is done.  I am choosing to rest tomorrow and I encourage all of you to do the same.  You've done great this week.  Reward yourself with a day off from exercise, but just remember to stick with the nutrition plan. We are finished with week 1 and one more week closer to Phase II.  I hope you have a great weekend.  I'll be checking back in on Monday.

Day 5- Legs, Back, Abs

Wow! 1343 calories with this workout.   That's more than what I did with the cardio x workout!  I think the wall sits got my heart pumping today.  It's been a very long time since I've done that kind of leg conditioning.  I'm talking 10 years+.  For back,  I used the light resistance band over the pull up bar.  I'm so worried about bulking up so I want to do the lightest resistance as possible, but I still felt it.  I did better with the ab workout today and was able to keep up with more of it.  I'm looking forward to Kenpo X tomorrow morning when Damien and I can do that one together.  Good luck with Day 5!

Day 4- Yoga

So, another successful day with the P90X nutrition plan.  I managed to eat all my portions, making sure I ate something every 2 hours. I didn't feel full at all today, and I actually got hungry and ready for my snack at one point.  Maybe my metabolism is kicking up?  Let's hope so!

Yoga was good, long, but good.  Damien and I were in a crunch for time tonight. So, we played the DVD in 1.2x speed.  We completed the full 90 minute workout in just 60 minutes at that speed.  I'm sure we would have reaped more benefits from the workout had we done it at regular speed, but given our time crunch, we'd rather do it that way than skip out altogether.  How did everyone else do?  Good luck tomorrow with Day 5!

Interesting Reads

Just wanted to share some interesting articles with you all.  When you get a chance, check them out. It might help you with your program.

7 Key Foods to Help You Get the Most out of Your Workout

Eat More, Lose More.(Really?)

Day 3- Shoulders, Arms, Abs

Day 3 went by fast.  I started my workout relatively early, chugged down a protein shake after my workout and worked on eating breakfast by 10:30. (I know, kind of late for breakfast, but I had other things I was trying to get done in the morning). Then I set a timer to remind myself to eat every 2 hours just so I would get in all the food for the day.  And, I am happy to say, that today I actually finished all the portions on my plan.

My arm and shoulder workout was great.  Even though I'm only using 1 lb. weights, I could definitely feel the resistance in my shoulders, and my triceps got a good workout with the chair dips.  I could probably go up to 3 lb. weights next time without building too much muscle. The ab ripper kicked my butt!  You want me to do what, Tony?  Come up from a supine position to touch my toes without using my arms to help me up?  Yeah right!  I’m just not there yet. I didn't realize how sore I was from yesterday's workout (or maybe it was still from Day 1J ), but I struggled to keep up with the routines.  I took Damien's suggestion and removed my shoes about 2 sets in, and I took a lot of breaks, substituting crunches where I could.

Tomorrow, Damien and I will do our Yoga workout together, so I won’t be posting until late tomorrow night. Good luck everyone with Day 4!  We’re almost through with week one!

Day two, Plyometrics!

Plyometrics, the mother of all P90X workouts and if you have completed it you will know it is a kick in the butt!

I completed every exercise and even hung in on the “double time” jumps. I did modify on some of the switch exercises because my knees and feet were not quite loose enough. I have been done with the workout for about 4 hours and my legs are still rubber. But I love the feeling of knowing I completed another day.

For those of you who are in your first week ever doing P90X, I know you are extremely sore. Pace yourself. Do not be a hero your first week. There is no shame in taking the breaks when you need them or modifying the workouts. That doesn’t mean do nothing. That means keep moving and do what you can. You will improve, I am still improving and I have been doing Plyometrics since September!

How is the diet going for you? I know it can be overwhelming at first. But in a few weeks it will be old hat. I try to get my proteins in early. Breakfast can be tricky because I know sometimes when you get up on these cold mornings it hard to get started then we end up having to rush out the door. Here is what works for me: I have a frozen Boca sausage link with a piece of string cheese in a single slice of whole wheat bread and a protein shake in my Magic Bullet blender cup. I can take that with me in the car and it takes a total of 3 minutes to put together. That combination (if you are doing the portion plan) is 2 proteins, 1 diary, & ½ a carb (because 2 slices of whole wheat bread = 1 carb).

I want to hear from you guys. Let me know what you are eating. How are you feeling? Do you have any questions? Again, I am not an expert but I want to help. I also want to see us all improve and complete this thing!

Keep bringing it!

Damien

Day 2- Cardio X

I love Cardio X!  It has its tough moments, but I love doing it.  It gets my heart pumping and I actually sweat (something I don't usually do).  I wore my heart monitor and was shocked to see that I had burned 710 calories during that workout.  710 calories!  Now that makes me feel good.  I still don't have much of an appetite, so pushing down my breakfast was difficult.  But, I did get creative with it today and managed to get 2 proteins, a vegetable, and 2 dairy servings out of it.  What was it you ask?  Well, I made a 6 egg white scramble with 2 chopped roma tomatoes (about a cup), a chopped Boca patty, 1/4 c. of reduced fat shredded cheese, and a cup of coffee with 1 c. skim milk instead of creamer.  It was actually pretty tasty!    If you  have made something tasty, please share your recipes, experiences or suggestions with us.  Good luck with Day 2!

The longest journey starts with the first step

So how did you all do?

Well I gotta admit something. Going into this my second time I thought it would be a piece of cake and I would hit the ground running …not so much. This morning I pushed play and remembered that this is hard work and I have a lot of work to do!

I did all my push ups regular except for the Diamond Push ups. When I got to the Diamond Push ups I did 15 regular and then another 10 from my knees per set. I remember my first week I struggled to do 10 to 15 per set on all the push ups. Today my average was around 25 push ups per set. So I am improving still.

Pull ups are still not my strong suit. I still use the chair to help me. To do this amount of reps I think it would be tough to do it with out the help.

Then there is Ab Ripper X. For those of you who did it today, I will say it for you…OUCH!! But I made it! Believe me it will get easier and you will do more with each passing week. Here is a tip I have learned. Do the Ab Ripper with your shoes off! It might not sound like much but your feet feel much lighter without shoes on. Maybe it is just a mental edge but it helps me.

Tomorrow is Plyometrics. For those of you who do your workouts in the evening or after work it is best to NOT eat an hour before the workout. With all the jumping and leaping you will not want food sloshing around in your stomach. The work out is hard enough!

Leave your feedback. Let us know how you guys are doing? We are all in this together. We are one day closer to better health. Remember, do not let what you cannot do get in the way of what you can!

Damien

Day 1- Core Synergistics

Day 1 of P90X is down.   This diet might honestly be the toughest part of the program for me, and it's not because of a lack of food.  I am struggling with eating enough during the day, especially with proteins. I am going to seriously have to rethink my normal toast and yogurt breakfast.  Having a cold and not having much of an appetite isn't helping either.  But, I will have to get creative with my daily menu to make sure I am eating enough of every food group.  If you are stumped on how much you should be eating, click this link to find a great tool to record your daily meals.  I printed mine and put it in a page protector so I can erase it daily and reuse it.

So, I just completed my first workout and WOW!  Core Synergistics kicked my butt!  I know I'm out of shape, but I never realized just how out of shape my abs, shoulders and core are.  I struggled with the push-ups.  And I'm going to be honest, I probably did one push-up for every 3 that the video models did.  But, I know that the more I do this workout the better I will get at it, and by the end of the program I know I'll be able to keep up with the push-ups.  Bow to Boat also was very difficult for me as I struggled to keep my legs straight and my back in line.  And I only managed about 3 Dreya Rolls! 

I surprised myself in some areas though, like squat presses, lunges, and superman to banana pose.  I wore my heart rate monitor and was pleased to see that I stayed within my range for most of the workout.  By the end of the workout, I passed on the optional extra plank to chataranga run, but picked up again with the table dips and cool down. 

I feel good.  I know I did my best and modified my workout according to the needs of my body.  There is nothing wrong with modifying your workout.  You know your body and your limits and no one needs and injury. We are going to slip up every now and then and this blog might be the only thing to get you back on track. I can tell you that I am much more motivated to keep this up after having heard other people's first experiences today.  Don't give up yet! We are in this together. So with that said, please share your experience with your first day, successes, failures and all.  

Getting Ready

Tomorrow is the big day, the beginning of a total body transformation and Day 1 of P90X.  I have chosen to do the lean program, since I'm more interested in losing weight and toning rather than building muscle.  Damien will be doing the classic program, again.  Diet is a huge part of the program.

So how do we begin? Well, begin by calculating your percent body fat and recording it. You’ll want to recalculate that number after you’ve completed the program. I've calculated my percent body fat, and am currently estimated to be 24% fat!  That sure sounds like a lot to me! If yours is higher or lower than mine, don't worry.  It's not a competition.  Just strive to improve your own body fat percentage.

Next, calculate your resting metabolic rate (RMR).  Take your weight and multiply it by 10.  That will give you the amount of calories your body needs to just be (breathe, blink, pump blood, etc.).  Then multiply that number by 0.2.  This is your daily activity burn (the number of calories required for daily movement aside from exercise).   Add together the calories needed to breathe, plus the calories needed for daily movement, plus 600 calories for the P90X workouts and you get your total energy amount.  This number will tell you where to begin with your nutrition level.  I will be following the Level I nutrition program.   Here’s how I calculated my numbers. 

Your Body Weight		RMR (in calories)
143 lbs	x10	= 1430

Your RMR	x 20%	Daily Activity Burn
1430	x 0.20	286

Your RMR	Daily Activity Burn	P90X calorie burn	Energy Amount
1430	+ 286	+ 600	= 2316

Your Energy Amount	Nutrition Level
1800-2399	1800 calories/day	Level I
2400-2999	2400 calories/day	Level II
3000+	3000 calories/day	Level III

Now plan out your meals for the day based on calorie count or portions. Use the P90X nutrition program guidelines.   If you have the time, plan your meals for the entire week, or make your lunch the night before. I am choosing to keep it simple and stick with portions. I will be writing out my meals for the day and marking off the portions as I eat them.

I have chosen to prepare myself for the workouts by writing out my schedule on a wall calendar and marking off each day as I go.  I will be working out 6 days a week, following the lean program and choosing to rest on the 7^th day.  Here is my schedule for the first week.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Core synergistics	Cardio X	Shoulders & arms, and ab ripper	Yoga	Legs & Back and ab ripper	Kenpo X	rest

Now, take your body measurements and record them.  Measure your chest (across the nipple), waist (around your belly button), hips (through widest part), right thigh, left thigh, right bicep, left bicep. Take the fitness test to measure your strength and stamina and record your scores. 

Finally take pictures of yourself! Take one standing with arms at sides, one flexing both biceps, one from the side and one from behind (flexing or not). Remember, these will only be seen by you (and whoever is taking them of you).  It is good to take pictures before you begin the program to document your progress, to compare the shape you are in before and after the program and also to serve as a motivator after the first 30 days.  If you stick to the program, you will see results.  Taking pictures before and after each 30 day interval will motivate you to continue with the program and finish it.

Good luck in preparing for Day 1! Remember, we will all be doing this together.  If at any time you have questions or need support please comment and post your questions.   Damien, I, or other participants might have the answers you are looking for.  We are our own support group.  Now, let’s get on with the P90X Fest!

So this is round 2.

Many of you have probably seen the infomercials and wondered if this program was all that. I wondered too. In September I was given the DVDs by a co-worker, although I thought I was in “OK” shape I wanted a challenge.

So off I went. I quickly learned it is more than a workout routine but a lifestyle change and a total fitness/ healthy lifestyle program.

The first few days were extremely tough and I did wonder if I had bitten off more than I could chew. But I decided I would commit to the program and just do my best. In a matter of weeks I began seeing results and the hard work everyday became something I looked forward to. The workouts still challenging but I found that with each passing week and the more I challenged my body the more I was capable of. Before I knew it, it was Day 10, then Day 30, then Day 60, then Day 90. I had made it and I felt great! I had a new self confidence and my body had changed! Why stop now?! I could not wait to start the program again!

Having Sara’s support through this journey has made all the difference. Having that support system at home and her encouragement helped me to keep getting up everyday and keep pushing play, even on the days when I honestly wanted to skip a day. So that is why I am so happy to have Sara and others join me in the P90X journey I am hoping we can all lean on each other for advice, tips and encouragement and achieve better fitness and health.

So join us! Jump in! I won’t tell you it will be easy but you CAN do it and you will not regret it! Decide and commit! We would love to have your company on our P90X adventure.

Damien