P90X, Day 17

Tonight was shoulders and arms. OUCH! I up'd my weights to 10 lbs. and used 7 lbs. for the tricep exercises. My arms were on fire by the end of the workout. It was the normal 3 girls tonight and then Steph brought her neighbor, John. He was a really nice guy, retired Army, and it was fun to workout with a guy for a change. He kept us going.
Before the workout I ran a mile outside then headed in - it was freezing! Seriously, my car said it was 33 degrees when I got to the track by the gym. I had long sleeves and pants on with a vest, but I needed a heavier jacket. I'll be better prepared for Friday's run. The wind was going right through my running gloves...I think I know why people cover them with mittens now. When I went into the gym I did 15 minutes on the bike (not the cozy one with the seat that has a back, but the one that looks like a road bike), and every 2 minutes I alternated the resistance. Then I chilled for 5 minutes before Zumba was over so we could start our workout.
Tomorrow is Kenpo - should be fun. It's supposed to be Yoga, but we don't have enough time at the gym during the week to get it in so we do it Saturday's (but I've probably said that a million times already).

P90X, Day 16 - PLYO

Whoo-hoo! Plyo! I love it! I was drenched tonight. This workout always gets my heart pumping and makes me feel so good.
I did well with my goals last week. I completed all 6 workouts and I logged my food every day except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So my goals for this week are:
Exercise Goal: To complete all 6 P90X workouts and to run at least twice.
Food Goal: To continue logging my food and clean up my snacking habits.
Tomorrow will be my first run since getting my cortisone shot (as long as it's not raining...I hate running in the rain and will only do it if its race day...so yea, I don't run in the rain - LOL) then it's shoulders and arms with the girls.

Day 15, P90X

We knocked out Shoulders and back followed by some ab ripper X tonight. It felt good to be burning some calories again. It was also nice to get together with the girls and just relax...I was slightly paranoid that no one was going to show up because of what that guy was accusing me of and all the drama I created by posting something on facebook. Seriously the guy is missing a few marbles. I posted a question asking how to reserve the gym so it wouldn't happen again and he took this to mean that I was racist and slandering him. It's a crazy World full of lots of wackos.
So anyway, I've wasted enough of my life thinking about him lately, back to the workout. The gym was closed so we had to workout at one of the fitness centers in the housing areas tonight...it was only a few minutes from the house so I walked. It was a nice walk there, but really cold on the way home. The walk was a nice way to clear out my mind...no distractions from the kiddos or anything else.
Food today was good! I'm proud of myself. The hubby really loves me! He bought me not one, but TWO Tosca Reno cookbooks, and 75 ways to love your oatmeal. We made a pumpkin maple oatmeal in the oven for breakfast this morning - YUMMY!!!! It was so good. I got him the Arnold Schwarzenegger Encyclopedia of Modern Weightlifting. He loves it and I can't wait to read it too. We're making a commitment to each other to do this together and do it right. Tonight (when I can drag myself away from the computer) we're going to write out our New Year's Resolutions! I'll share tomorrow. :)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!! No workouts today, it's a rest day. I thoroughly enjoyed my Holiday and break today, and probably ate a little too much. Tomorrow it's back to the grind with P90X.
I've got more news on that guy from the gym 2 Saturday's ago. He came back and posted on the facebook page...it's completely absurd, but he made me cry. Here is what he had to say...

Angela, it is very disturbing that you would mislead people about what happened in the aerobic room. Lets' set the record straight. You had not begun your workout. I explained the reason why the group did not meet the week prior(family emergency). We did not tell you to leave the room. Moreover, you asked me if the other side of the room was available and if you would be in the way. I acknowledged that the space was available at all times because we make sure to leave that space for others to perform their workouts. You even said thank you and proceeded to do your workout(By the way, that P90X Yoga DVD is one and a half hours long to which you and the two other ladies did not complete). I even explained to you in a professional manner to contact Mr. Carr who could give you all the particulars about how long we have been using that time slot(well over a year). So until you speak with the appropriate individuals, you should reserve you incidious comments. Also, don't you come in @ 8:O'clock at night. No on else in a year and a half has complained. They even join our insanity group. You look like you could benfit from it. I wonder if I was another ethnicity would you have complained and tell lies. Come join us so you can get in some real shape!!! You and "your group" are welcomed. Check my results. One individual has lost 62 pounds. He even works at Murphy gym. Another has lost 30 pounds. One that have lost 102 pounds, her last 40 pounds with us. If you had a problem then you should have addressed them with me instead of lying in such a manner. Witnesses were there to confirm my side of the story and they could not believe the coward approach taken on your behalf. The staff has said that when you come in after Zumba, you complain about not having enough time to workout. I guess the closing time nine O'clock does not register with you. If you want catering, there are plenty of services would accommodate you. It looks like you have used them frequently.

Then the jerk sent me an e-mail and threatened to sue me for slander. He's crazy and full of crap. Got me all worked up and upset. Ruined my perfectly good day...that'll teach me to log onto facebook on Christmas day. Now that I've calmed down I filed an official complaint with the base and we shall see where this goes.

Day 12 of P90X

Tonight was Legs and Back followed by some Ab Ripper X. I love this routine. My legs were feeling the burn today...and so were my abs. There were only 3 of us tonight, but it was still good. The gym was a ghost town. I thought there would be a lot of people trying to get their workouts in before the crazy weekend, but no. I guess everyone was on the road going somewhere. We went and did some shopping today and the traffic was INSANE!
We took my bike to Princeton Sports to make sure it was good for the triathlon...of course it is...better be, I paid $900 for it (it's a Trek road bike). I bought it with our tax return last year, then found out I was pregnant so I never got to ride it. It's a beautiful bike. I've only ever road mountain-type bikes, so I'm nervous to ride it. I'm sure I'll fall over at some point - LOL. The guy that I was talking to was super helpful and told us about all these programs in the area for triathletes. I can't wait to start looking into them.
Tomorrow morning is Yoga then Christmas day is my rest day! Worked out really well...in fact, New Year's day is our rest day as well. :)

Day 11 of P90X

We did Kenpo X tonight (supposed to be Yoga X, but it takes too long for the amount of time we have in the gym). This is normally one of my favorite routines (probably because it's the easiest). I must say that my shoulders were definitely feeling it tonight. Kenpo is a little harder when done in the P90X program and not just randomly for fit clubs...you certainly feel it more. I didn't realize how much I needed the opening stretch until we started doing it - boy did it feel good to move my arms around.
The girls and I were talking tonight about our weight. I've been 182 for 3 weeks now. I feel lighter and happier then I have in quite some time, and it bothers me that the scale is not budging. I love when people say it's because muscle weighs more then fat, but seriously people how much muscle do you really think your body builds in one week? I know P90X is more for toning then weight loss - I could certainly stand to do both. With the right diet I should be able to still lose weight and tone, so, I've started tracking again. I'm already starting to see problems areas. I'm snacking when I shouldn't be and I'm not making the best choices. It's time to plan out meals and snacks again. I always do better when it's all right in front of me rather then being left up to my own devices.
Tomorrow is Legs and Back and then our schedule might get a little out of whack for a few days, but we'll be back on a roll come Tuesday. Happy Holiday's everyone!

P90X, Day 10

Tonight was Shoulders and Arms and boy am I feeling it. I did Zumba first, and then we all did our P90X workout. Overall it was a good workout; there were 5 of us tonight. I used 8 lb dumbbells for the entire set - even the tricep kickbacks - YEA Me! We didn't get Ab Ripper X in...just not enough time before the gym closes.
On a side note I went to the dermatologist today and the spot on the top of my head that's been bothering me for awhile (at least 6 weeks now) is actually a skin cancer spot, so they removed it. I should get the results back in 1 to 2 weeks. Plus all my acne flair up lately are more then likely due to having an IUD. Just lovely. I spent my teenage years with acne, I had hoped by this stage of the game it would be gone instead of getting worse. We are going to try acutane (spelling). It's a very serious drug, and I'm still on the fence about it. All I have to say is it better work!
So, anyway, it made me all depressed. I ate 4 cookies tonight and even though I worked out I still wasn't fully into it. Hoping the results are normal and that this funk doesn't last long. My foot feels better - that's something right?!

P90X, Day 9

Day 9 of P90X was Plyo. I love this workout, but boy was it tough tonight. My foot felt awesome, but by the end I was really starting to feel it, so I slowed down a bit. I felt amazing afterwards though! So glad that I stuck with it tonight.
I went back through my old blog posts today - boy have I come a long way in the past 11 months! My posts have really changed too. I used to put up a goal every week, so I think I might go back to that. I liked seeing all my old goals. So, here are my goals.
My big goal for 2012 is to complete a triathlon. The TriColumbia's Celebrating Heroes sprint Triathlon on June 24th is my goal. It's a sprint so it's only half the distances: 0.62mi Swim - 17.5mi Bike - 3.4mi Run. It also costs around $125 so it's a hefty investment that if I pay to do it then I'm going to do it, I'll have to! Chris will also more then likely be deployed at the time so he won't be there to cheer me on...although he's promised to help me train! I'm so excited about it!
My exercise goal for the week is to take it easy on my foot (so no running), and to get all my P90X workouts in this week (2 down, 4 more to go).
My food goal for the week is to track. When I do it, it works. I logged all my food today, and I hope to do it the rest of the week too. I was actually thinking about wearing my bodybugg again so I can see how many calories I'm burning. That'll be a goal this week too - see if I can find it AND see how much it'll cost me to activate it.

P90X, Day 8

Okay, I'm starting with an update on the jerk at the gym on Saturday. Today I got two responses to my facebook posts about him. Here is the first: 
From Lauren Williams, Gaffney Fitness Center: This group has been meeting for over a year in the aerobics room every Saturday. They are doing a P90X video workout. We have not advertised this in the past because it is not an instructed class, but I think we are going to add to the flyer as a video followed workout (no instructor), so we do not run into this issue again. You are correct that we do not reserve the rooms or equipment for personal issue. The room is first-come, first-serve when there are not scheduled programs. By advertising, we will have the room reserved for the ongoing workout. The group workout is from 9 to 10 a.m. and is open to anyone to join.
My response (I still wasn't happy, but at least they are trying to correct the problem:
Thank you Ft. Meade for letting me know. We were confused since on Saturday the 10th we worked out at 9am and there was no one there, so when we came back on Saturday the 17th and set-up and started our workout we were very upset to be told to leave due to a group that meets there every Saturday - when obviously they don't. We as well are doing the P90X workout - although that is not the program they were doing or we would've just joined in. Glad to know they will be done at 10, we will just come in at that time. I appreciate your assistance - Thank you!
Then on the MWR facebook page (they run the gym):  Ms. Gillen is correct that our policy is first come, first serve on the rooms when there is not a scheduled program being held. I would like to apologize to Ms. Gillen for the treatment she received at the fitness center from another customer. He did not have the authority to request she leave the room. I will be speaking with our staff and refresh them on the policy of first come first serve for the rooms.
This class is a re-occurring program that has been offered for over a year. Going forward we will be advertising it with our aerobics classes as a video instructed P90X class for anyone that would like to join.

YEAH - an apology. Now if only the jerk would apologize. We're going to work out our schedule and see if we can get the room "reserved for video workout" as well. I don't see why not!

Okay, today was day 8, the start of week 2. My arms are burning from all those push-ups and my shoulders are feeling the burn from using the bands. I don't feel like as big of a wimp using the bands this time because all 6 of us used them tonight. I still wish I had my pull-up bar, but I'll take the bands for now. I hung the bar up in my bedroom today and attempted one, I can still get half-way up so that's good! Hopefully soon I'll be able to do one all by myself!
On another note I went to the Podiatrist today about my heel. They took x-rays and it turns out that most people when they have inflammation have a level 2 or 3, but I was more at 9-10. Hmmm...no wonder it hurts. There is also the start of a small heel spur. It's growing out horizontal though, so I guess that's good. She gave me some exercises to try - just a stretch for every time I'm sitting for awhile and then get up. I also got a cortisone shot. It wasn't horrible, but wasn't great either. My foot is so sore right now. She said that it will feel better in another day or so, but not to go crazy because it is still injured - always will be. Funny thing about it is afterwards I was walking around and my left foot felt fine, but my right foot was hurting. Guess you can tell I was really overcompensating for my left foot hurting. She said that's probably why my hips have been hurting as well.
I've got plyo tomorrow - might not go so well for me, but we'll see! 

P90X Yoga, Day 7

Yoga X. It's supposed to be a relaxing type workout - if you can get your mind right. My group of workout buddies and I get to the gym yesterday right at 9am when it opens, we go down to the aerobic room, put in our DVD, set up our mats, and start the video. Then all hell breaks out. This guy comes in with another women and tells us that it's his space and that it's reserved for his group. They do Insanity EVERY Saturday at 9am and EVERYONE knows that so we need to leave because his group of at least 15 to 20 people will be meeting there. OH REALLY?! Well, Mr. Crazy then why were we here last Saturday at 9am and had the whole place to ourselves? Apparently he was out of town...so I guess that means if he's not there his giant group of 15-20 people just don't show up? Okay, well it's first come first serve and we are here and we've started so we're going to do our workout. Well then Mr. Crazy gets in my face and tells me that it's place and he reserved it and they've been using it for weeks and weeks and if I had a problem with it to take it up with the facility manager (who just happens to be off on weekends).
So, me being me, and not liking to create drama, the 3 of us moved our mats and hooked up our DVD player - because unlike Mr. Crazy WE have a back-up plan for when someone is where we want to be and we still want to workout out. We were 20 minutes into Yoga before he even started AND there were only about 6 of them. Then our DVD player died. We packed up and went upstairs to the desk. I asked them how we can reserve the room too. They said they don't reserve the room...and again they told us to talk to the facility manager. APPARENTLY he is the ONLY person in the gym who can handle a situation like this.
I was SO TICKED OFF. I called and left a nasty message on his machine. Steph called and left him a message. My hubby is going to go in and talk to him as well.
HOW RUDE! We could've worked something out, but no this guy was a total jerk and all angry and in my face. I hate people like that.
And honestly, we are a small group, and we are perfectly fine with doing our Yoga in the corner with a DVD player or laptop. It's the whole we reserved this space and everyone knows that we do this every Saturday at 9am, and then the whole lack of cooperation from the gym that pissed me off. Pick your battles people and I just picked one.
I spent weeks calling around base trying to find another location for us to do our workouts and you can't reserve any of the spaces. The workout centers in the communities all have tv's and no vcr's and then their workout areas aren't very big so if we have more then 3 it's a tight squeeze. The best place to workout is in the aerobic room at the gym. If this guy can reserve it, then I want to too. And if we can't then it's going to be whomever can get to the tv first, and I don't like that. There is another gym on base with an aerobic room. I want a tv/vcr installed in it. That's my goal. Mr. Crazy isn't winning this battle Ladies!
Oh, and this morning there were 2 of us, so we went to the community center and used the kids room (it's only big enough for 2, maybe 3 Yoga mats). We were able to get the whole 90 minutes in without someone bringing their kids to the center. We got lucky. :)

P90X, Day 5

Tonight was legs and back and it rocked! What an awesome, yet tough workout. My legs were screaming by the time we were finished. I wish I could say the same for my back, but the center we work out in doesn't have a door frame that fits my pull-up bar so we used bands.
What I'm seriously thinking about doing is hanging the bar upstairs and then doing some when I walk past it since I can't get them in during my workouts. The bands work fine, but I like using an actual bar (with a chair of course...I'm not that good! LOL).
We did Ab Ripper X again. My abs were screaming. 2 days in a row. I thought, hmm I'm not sore, that's good. Until we did the V-up's - OUCH! Oh yea, those things work!
Yoga X is on tap for tomorrow morning. It's probably my least favorite P90X workout...although it is growing on me.

P90X, Day 4

Tonight we did Kenpo. Normally I love Kenpo, but tonight I just wasn't feeling it. I felt like I half-assed all of it and I'm not happy about it. We followed it with Ab Ripper X (first time this week that we were able to get it in). I did okay, but fizzled out by the end.
Everything about today was just off for me. I really need to figure out my food, I know that was a big part of my problems today. I was hungry all day...I know it has everything to do with running 2.25 miles, 30 minutes of Zumba, and P90X Shoulders and Arms yesterday. I had an idea it was going to be one of those days when I chugged my Shakeology this morning and then was still hungry. First time since I've started drinking it that it didn't fill me up. I was out of coffee filters this morning - no good!
I still got to put a star on my chart, 4 days down. I'm ready for a run and some legs and back tomorrow! Should be better. Do your best, and forget the rest.

P90X, Day 3

Shoulders and Arms are done! It was a good workout last night. I like working out at the gym. I was able to use 6 and 8 lb dumbbells instead of just the 5 lb ones I have at home. I'm thinking of going to 10 and maybe 12 for some of the exercises though. 8 was too light for some.
We haven't managed to do Ab Ripper X yet this week because the workouts are taking too long. Gonna try and squeeze it in after Kenpo tonight (we moved Yoga to Saturday since it takes too long). We'll get all the kinks worked out in no time.
Meals went okay yesterday:
Breakfast: Shakeology with peanut butter, frozen strawberries, and 2% milk (hubby bought wrong one...aw well).
Snack: Starbuck's Grande Caramel Soy Latte
Lunch: Panera Apple Chicken Fuiji Salad, bread, Iced Green Tea
Snack: Gingerbread man cookie split between the 4 of us
Dinner: Asparagus pizza - YUMMY!
Snack after workout: Recovery drink, protein bar
Late snack while watching Christmas Vacation: popcorn and water

P90X, Day 2 - Plyo!

Tonight was Plyo! Nothing gets the heart pumping faster then some plyometrics. It's a fun, fast workout, and I love it! It was a lot more fun with 4 other Ladies too.
Today my left foot was bothering me again. I was hobbling all over the house, and my hip bones hurt too. I don't know what's going on. I don't like it. I don't think it was my run last night that did it. I honestly think it's the Yoga X. Can you do Yoga with shoes on? I might have too. I think the lack of support is bothering my foot. It actually hurts enough that I broke down and called the foot doctor. :(
Tomorrow is my run followed by Arms and Shoulders. I'm going to take some Ibuprofen and just keep going until my appointment. Do your best, and forget the rest!!

Day 1, P90X

Day 1, P90X. Wow! I forgot about all these crazy push-ups and pull-ups. We couldn't find a chair for my pull-up bar tonight so we all just used bands. They worked just fine. If we really wanted too we could jog upstairs and across the gym and use the assisted pull-up, but seeing as how we had to stop the DVD every time we did pull-ups it was already taking us longer then expected - it would just add way too much time. The bands work just fine for us.
It was a great workout and a good turnout - 6 of us total! I did my jog before hand - 1.5 miles. It was a good run. A cool 40 degrees outside so my lungs were burning. I need to invest in one of those mask things if I keep running at night.
Plyo tomorrow!
Shakeology is going well too. In fact the hubby has decided that he likes it too so now I'll have to buy 2 bags of it. LOL!
Starting weight: 182
Chest: 39"
Waist 38.5"
Hips: 45"
L. Thigh: 28.5"
R. Thigh: 29"
L. Arm: 13.5"
R. Arm: 14"
Here are 2 photos from tonight. I'll take the "official" ones tomorrow.

 

Here we go again, same old...

Tomorrow is the big day! I'm starting P90X all over again. I just KNOW that I'm going to finish this time too! I have a wonderful group of workout buddies on base that are going to be doing it with me...I hope. I organized all of it - got a schedule together, found a location...now let's hope people show up - LOL!
I found a really cool idea on Pinterest...

so, I went to Wal-mart and bought a bunch of supplies. I made 9 of these - 1 for me and 8 extras. I'm pretty sure that'll be enough.
P90X starts tomorrow, 30 days later Dump your Plump challenge starts (they both end at the same time) and we have 2 teams of 4. The Lady Xer's (my team) and Flabby Four (he, he). I'm not sure if anyone other then the people on the teams will show tomorrow, but I think they can make their own books. Right?!
I'm such a dork, I also bought a package of 750 gold stars, and I hung up the P90X calendar on my wall...yep, a gold star for every workout I complete. I might even get a little crazy and give my self a star for eating clean that day.
I'm super excited and hoping that I finish this time around. We'll just take it one day at a time. Look for daily blogs again, and I'll update photo and stats tomorrow!

New Goals

I've been MIA for awhile...sorry about that. Things kind of went crazy once the hubby came home. My workouts were pretty sporadic there for awhile. I stumbled upon a group of ladies on base who are fantastic! Thanks to them I worked out 3 days in a row...and I have the photos to prove it!
Yep that's me up front in the blue. I think my calves look good...I might have to wear those pants more often.

Ab Ripper X, and all sweaty because we just finished Kenpo X.

I think this one was HIIT 15.

I started working out with these ladies and then Chris went away for a week. I did 2 workouts at home, and then I fell off the bandwagon again. I have a future challenge coming up though!!
Starting December 12th we are starting a P90X group on base! We are going to meet every night (Mon-Fri) at the gym and in the morning on Saturday. 30 days after we start P90X, the base Dump your Plump challenge starts, and 60 days after that both P90X and the Dump your Plump challenge will be over. I'm hoping to stick with it this time. I'm planning on cleaning up my diet. I'm going to try and go cold turkey - straight into only clean foods. My Shakeology arrives soon so that will be part of it too.
I'm printing out this quote and putting it on my mirror throughout the challenge, "Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory." General George S. Patton.