Day 85 - P90X Shoulders & Arms/ARX

This was a neat workout because I haven't done it in over a month, so it was great to see numbers up. The main difference I saw was in bicep exercises. I was able to use heavier weights and do more reps. Great combo!

Ab Ripper was tough. It was nice to just use my kids' playmat today. Much cushier. I probably could've pushed myself more, but I plan on going for a 3 mile run when the kids are napping. Five months until the Lincoln 1/2 Marathon and over 50 degrees on the last day of the year. That's the recipe for a run!

Day 84 – P90X Kenpo X

Tomorrow officially starts my last week! I love ending a week with Kenpo. Good way to break a sweat and have fun. I can’t believe this round is almost over. And I’m so looking forward to starting P90X2. That extra day off per week also sounds pretty sweet!

Day 83 – P90X Cardio X

I love the length of this workout… I think I mention that every time. This week I’ve decided to focus more on the full body and/or cardio routines, hence there haven’t been any upper body workouts. I realize this takes away from the muscle confusion bit, but I really feel that the cardio is where I need to focus for weight loss. Next week (starting Sat) will be the last week of P90X and I plan on sticking with the schedule for that (though I may substitute P90X2 for One on One routines).

One thing about this routine makes me feel like a major slacker: when Tony says that if you’re doing the P90X Slimming this is your second workout of the day. I don’t think this has ever been my second workout of the day. Though I suppose if it were there would be some major slimming going on.

Day 82 – One on One Yoga

You’d think that I’d be able to do chaturanga since I did last week. But no. Came close every time. And I’m sure my shoulders will feel it tomorrow. As of today I’m just feeling the stretches in my legs. When I started the workout I was so stiff it was unreal. By the end I felt all stretched out and happy. One of the things I love about yoga. Also, I got to use my new yoga mat and yoga towel today!

Day 81 – P90X2 Core

Not called Core Synergistics this time around but most moves still seem to work multiple muscle areas. Lots of work on the stability ball. A fair number of moves using the medicine ball. The DVD listed weights as needed, but we never actually used them. Weird; you think someone would’ve caught that. Or perhaps they were used by a modifier and I missed that part. I saw bands and towels used for modifying, but no weights.

Sure enough, my core is sore. But, my arms and legs also felt worked out. And there was sweat, lots of sweat and heavy breathing. The sign of a good workout, right?

My only complaint is that there were a lot of moves in sphinx (plank on elbows). This tends to make my elbows hurt and my left elbow (the one that’s been bothering me) was especially unhappy with the moves. I did find that I could modify at least one of the moves by being in plank. I believe plank is actually harder on the core than sphinx, so I may end up getting more than I bargain for with this modification, but at least my elbows won’t hurt. I was a little surprised that there was never a modifier in plank. But then, modifiers then to make the moves easier rather than harder.

Day 80 – Rest Day

Whoops! Didn’t wake up early. So, another rest day. Or as much as one can rest with two little kids under 2. It’s a 4 day work week, so I’ll just plan on working out on Friday to make up for today.

Ten days left of this P90X round… funny thing is I’m leaning more toward P90X2 at this point. When I started this hybrid routine it was mostly P90X but then as the weeks went on it shifted to more of the One on One workouts. And then P90X2 arrived and it’s so much more polished than the One on Ones that I’ve been doing mostly P90X2 anymore. Once I hit day 90 I’ll take ‘after’ pictures, do the P90X2 fit test, and start my actual P90X2 round. Looking that the schedule for that I’m pretty excited to see that we get two days off each week! I only have to work out 5 days per week!! Whooo hooo!!! Of course, if I were really motivated I could use one of those days to do Kenpo or go for a run… but I have a feeling P90X2 is going to put me in a position where I need those two off days

Day 79 – P90X2 Plyocide

I love how this one kills me while I’m having fun! Woke up early and by the time cinnamon rolls were cooked and others were ready for presents I had already gotten sweaty and showered. What a great way to start the morning! Almost forgot that I had worked out, but every once in a while my legs/glutes felt the need to remind me. I have to say that I enjoy the muscle soreness after a good workout. Nice to know that I am making a change. In the new year my husband and I plan on working more on the eating right portion of health. That should help the scale agree that I’m making a change.

Day 78 – Rest Day

I had planned on Christmas being rest day, but today got away from me. Then once I had the opportunity to work out my stomach was really unhappy and I went to bed

Day 77 – P90X2 Shoulders & Arms/ARX2

Wowzers! What a fun and hard workout. So many thoughts. It’s a great finished product of what One on One was trying to do. I don’t have the P90X2 workout sheets printed, so I didn’t keep track of my reps, weights, etc. It’ll be good to do that in the future.

Great use of stability ball and foam roller. When P90X2 arrived I wondered why the foam roller was so long. Roller angels are one reason; a very awesome reason. You lay on the roller with it under your spine (head to butt) and then make motions with your arms kind of like making a snow angel. Feels oh so good on the shoulder blades! The move is repeated during the cool down on a stability ball – more of a stretch, less massage.

There are some number of moves (see, no printed sheets yet) which you repeat 3 times. The workout is just over 50 minutes but I’ll be feeling my shoulders all day. There’s one move where Tony suggests light weights of none to 8 lbs. I opted for none and still felt the move. Hoping to move up to 3 lbs at some point. A lot of the moves are done on one leg, with the option to keep your other foot on a stability ball. Nice was to sneak in a little balance and leg work.

Ab Ripper X2 is nuts! It’s 15 minutes and I felt every move. Not every move is 25 reps this time. I don’t know that I did any move as many reps as suggested. This one is going to take some getting used to. Much more oblique focus. I could see it being good to alternate this and the original Ab Ripper for more variety. They definitely work different muscle groups.

Day 76 – P90X Kenpo X

I feel like I just did this one. But then I also feel like I’m always doing Plyo. Funny how that works. Some other workouts feel like ages between. Maybe it’s the frequency of the particular workout. Anyhow, this was a fun workout as always…though it is a little more fun (?) when working out frustrations.

Shoulders are still sore from the yoga and it turns out you use your shoulders a lot for blocks and some punching.

Tomorrow won’t be a rest day, as I plan to rest on Sunday for Christmas.

Day 75 – Cardio X

I found myself going off the schedule today. I was supposed to do Back & Legs but needed a shorter workout due to time constraints. I also figured I could use the cardio. There’s a reason the workouts are in the order they’re in. After yesterday’s yoga the fronts of my shoulders and upper biceps (think that area where flu shots go) are super sore. Glutes are still feeling the Plyocide from Sunday.

So the yoga portion today was rough. No accomplished chatarangas today. The Kenpo was fun. The plyo was fun and hard. The core was fun. I modified some of the core moves by using a basketball like Tony does in the One on One series. My sides are feeling that decision. And my mind is thinking that it’ll be awesome to use a medicine ball for those moves someday! When something gets easier it’s time to make it harder!

Day 74 – One on One Yoga

I really thought about doing P90X2 Yoga today. But, I know I like the One on One Yoga and it’s a good length. My only qualm is the lack of verbal direction, which isn’t bad now that I’ve done it multiple times. Anyhow, I still enjoy this one. And today I did chaturanga!! Only once, though I was close several more times. Felt awesome to push through on that.

I’ve really missed yoga. It hasn’t been included in the schedule for the previous 3 weeks and prior to that I had my week off for being sick. My body really thanked me today. I was worried going in since I’m still sore from Plyocide. But the stretching felt so great. My shoulders are now aching and there were times during it that I thought my legs were done… but overall such a great feeling to get all stretched out and whatnot.

The first time we did chair pose I thought “wow, this is easy when you’re not running or jumping at the same time.” But by the 6^th time I thought “okay it’s hard again, especially on one leg.” Then again I remember when I first did this disk and thought it was impossible to do chair on one leg.

Another move I was able to do today: downward dog with hand touching opposite leg and then lifting the same leg as hand. Hard to picture? Hard to do.

I love seeing obvious progress!

Day 73 – One on One V-Sculpt/ARX

I had no idea what to expect from this one. I was hoping for a core routine. I was wrong. This was Back & Biceps (which, I guess, form a V). I was really hoping to not have arm work, as my left elbow has been angry about all the weights for some time. It’s not getting any worse but it’s also not improving. I did what I could and generally found that I was done with a move when my elbow decided I was done, rather than my back or biceps making the call. I did like that this routine used a lot of band in more unique ways.

P90X2 came with a V-Sculpt routine that isn’t in the regular rotation, so now that I know what V-Sculpt is I’ll probably try that one next week.

Felt better with Ab Ripper today. I’m up to 20 side V-ups per side now; only 5 away from what I’m supposed to be doing per Tony.

By the time I finished today’s workout my legs started reminding me that I did Plyocide yesterday. I have a feeling they may be sore for the rest of the day.

Day 72 - P90X2 Plyocide

That's right, I did a P90X2 workout. It is indeed extreme. Has the hard moves of One on One with the intensity of a polished program. It killed me. And I loved it. I'm so excited to start P90X2 when I finish my current 90 days.

Plyocide has a ton of fun moves. Felt like I was playing for a lot of it. Out of breath and sweating profusely, but having a lot of fun. I also really liked the warm up, which included moves with the stability ball and roller. And afterward there were great leg stretches. I really have nothing bad to say about today's workout.

Day 71 - Shoulders & Arms/ARX

Today's workout is one of the reasons I think/know my body is changing despite the scale not moving near as much as I would like. Shoulder area is killing me now and arms are showing definition. Not much cardio involved... but feeling changes. And my weights/reps are all up. Plus I did the pike push ups with my legs elevated and it does greatly increase the difficulty.

Ab Ripper was so hard. But I mostly kept up. I was even doing good on the side up v-ups until my hair got caught on the Velcro part of my mat (whoops!).

Day 70 - Rest Day

Ah, rest. Yesterday I played with the medicine balls that came with P90X2. My back/sides are killing me today. Guess holding the 8 lb ball and swinging my arms side to side was a bad idea. Also tried a push up on the medicine balls... I could do plank, but the bending of elbows was a little impossible.

Day 69 – P90X Kenpo X

I decided that after my frustrating day yesterday I was in need of some Kenpo this morning. I was right. Man, it felt great to kick and punch for a while. I will definitely have to look at the schedule for the next three weeks and figure out what I can replace with this routine. Today also made me see a big difference between P90X and the One on One DVDs: the moves in One on One are harder but P90X has the intensity. P90X is a finished product and when you workout for an hour you’re actively working for an hour. One on One has a lot of “do this impossibly hard move, then listen to Tony gab for 3 minutes.”

P90X2 came in the mail yesterday and I looked through some of the items it came with. I’m intimidated. I think it’ll have the intensity of P90X with the impossibly hard moves of One on One. That being said, I may start to substitute some of those workouts for the One on Ones where I feel there is too much talking. I could do P90X2 Plyocide and not have to hear about Tony’s black eye! Though, with increased intensity, I may want to give him a new one.

The only thing that made me sad about the P90X2 box is the lack of a Kenpo workout. It’s clearly meant to be done after completing P90X, so I guess anyone doing it would have Kenpo… but I was hoping for the next step in the kickboxing world.

Another note on the P90X2: I’m glad we got free shipping. That box weighed 26 lbs… which stands to reason since it had two 8 lb medicine balls in it.

Day 68 – One on One Upper Body / ARX

Only my second time doing this workout, but it looks like this will also be the last time… the schedule for the next 3 weeks doesn’t include it. Last time I was in the basement working out with the kiddos, so I didn’t write anything down. Consequently I don’t know if I really improved this week, though I suspect that I did. Happily my arms were okay to do push-ups today. Shoulders sure are tight now. Like most of the One on One workouts I found myself modifying, typically leaving out the balls.

And I made myself do Ab Ripper. Definitely need to be doing that more. Pregnancy was obviously hardest on my core section and I have a way to go to get back where I want to be. On the plus side, I did do the side v-ups today! Not all 25 of them, but 15 per side.

I hope the next three weeks have more cardio based workouts. I feel like that’s what I really need in order to lose the weight. I know I’m building muscle and that’s a good feeling… but I’d like the muscle to show! If the next three weeks don’t have much cardio I may have to exchange some routines. I’m thinking Plyocide and Plyometrics both need to be included. Maybe Kenpo X… I miss that one!

Day 67 – One on One P.A.P

Last night was too late and this morning was too early. I don’t know if it was related to that, but my arms did not want to work this morning. The warm up and leg complex were fine. Then I got to the upper body complex and my arms just stopped working. I attempted the push-ups on my knees and still had a hard time making my arms do anything. They weren’t necessarily sore but they sure didn’t want to hold any weight. Each complex is done 4 times. By the third I laid on my mat and did some ab work. At least my core was working. And this routine has a super stretch section at the end.

One of Tony’s sayings that I really like is not saying “I can’t” but saying “I presently struggle with.” Today I presently struggled with a lot of arm issues. But next time I’ll be able to bear weight on my arms and I can struggle with something else. I’m not really sure if the saying sticks out to me because I like its positive foresight (I’ll someday be able to do the things I can’t today) or because I like the idea of a struggle. Working out isn’t easy. And it shouldn’t be. Struggling, to me, implies that you’re overcoming something to improve yourself. And I want to improve myself. Who doesn’t want to be a better version of themselves?

Day 66 – One on One Chest, Back & Balls

Ah, the title always makes me chuckle. Should really be “Chest & Back on balls” …course my modifications seldom use balls. My numbers on this one were much higher than last week. Felt nice to see that I was pushing more reps out. It’s so easy to get discouraged, I love that Tony suggests writing stuff down. I know that my life is far too busy to remember how I did on any particular move the day before, much less last week. Seeing numbers on the paper gives me the strength to push out a couple more reps or the excitement of knowing that I was able to do more without exerting too much more effort.

Day 65 – One on One Plyocide

I wish I could will myself to get out of bed early on the weekends. I just stay up way too late and then have no motivation to get up before the family. I’m so thankful that my husband will watch the girl if she isn’t in bed and I need to work out. Still a late night, but workout got done. Yay for a supportive family. I think I like this one a little more every time I do it. And it kicks my butt every time. Really, this workout is what I need more of. I love the strength days but they’re not going to burn that fat that I need to shed in order to see results. The sweat that pours off me in this one tells me that progress will be made.

The one downside is Tony’s excessive talking about his black eye and the silly stories he makes up to explain it. The more I do this work out the more I want to give him a second black eye. Course, P90X2 should be here soon. Presumably it will include Plyocide and I can substitute that routine. Or this will drive me to go back to P90X Plyometrics, which I tend not to enjoy. I wonder which really gets me the best workout? These moves are harder, but I think there’s more rest time.

Day 64 – One on One Shoulders & Arms

Happily this one no longer makes my triceps hurt for days on end. It is still hard though. And I still laugh every time Tony pulls out his 85lb dumbbell for a tricep move; that thing looks so comically large you’d expect that it’s made of rubber. I do enjoy this workout and shoulders/arms are the first area that I feel like I’m seeing improvement.

Day 63 – Rest Day

I actually rested on a rest day! The day it was supposed to occur. Yay for this week going mostly as planned, despite some lack of sleep. On Day 62 I actually ended up doing about 25 mins of One on One Stretch and Recovery. My son seemed to think it was fun when I worked out the other day, so yesterday he was pointing at the TV and jumping around. I popped Tony in the DVD and the boy got a big smile. Did some stretches with me and played around my stretches. Maybe we’ll do some more of that tonight. A good, deep stretch almost feels as good the next day as a massage or chiropractic appointment.

Day 62- One on One Back & Base

I actually got 8 hours of sleep and was ready to go this morning. Awesome!!! Since I did yesterday’s workout in the evening my arms haven’t had the chance to start hurting yet, which was good since there are tons of pull ups in this. We’ll see if I can move my arms later today. One excitement (besides the sleep) was that I’m seeing bigger numbers for the plyo moves and my legs are feeling better doing them. Yay!

One disappointment: my back has been super stiff to where upward dog is nearly impossible for me. I thought that it was caused by the two nights of little sleep and lots of holding/bouncing/walking with the 18lb girl. Today I’m still stiff. I still think that’s the cause. I think I just need some time of stretching and getting back to regular schedule.

Day 61- One on One Upper Body

After two nights with very little sleep this one didn't happen this morning. But, the kiddos were nice enough to play around me while I worked out after dinner! Lots of tricep work; I imagine I'll be sore tomorrow.

Now if the boy would go to bed...I could too...

Day 60! – One on One P.A.P.

Hard to believe it’s day 60. In some ways I still feel like I’m just getting started. In other ways I feel like I’ve been at this forever. I’m not sure that I feel I have ‘day 60’ results just yet, but then I really haven’t been doing anything regarding diet. I should. I know that was part of my awesome results last time. I think mentally I’ll be better at thinking ‘healthy food’ once the holidays are over. And when we start feeding my daughter homemade baby food. We’re doing pretty good with healthy food and snacks for my son but somehow I haven’t transferred that to me lately. I should really do some 60 day pictures. They’ll either be a wake-up call that exercise isn’t enough or they’ll show me that I really do look better than my ‘before’ picture. Or both.

Anyway, today was P.A.P. again. The weird thing with this one is that while it’s 70 minutes long the first 20mins or so are warm up and the last 15 minutes are cool down/stretches. Some of the warm up has me sweating more than the arm portion, but the arm portion has me shakier. Should be interesting how my arms handled tomorrow’s upper body workout.

The milestone of ‘day 60’ was a lifesaver today. My daughter was totally out of routine last night and I had to walk/bounce her from 8pm-11pm. Way too long and late for the 4:30 wake up. And she got up with me! Not sure what her deal is. Glad she’s usually a good sleeper. Guess we have to have nights/days like this to appreciate how easy we have it most of the time. Anyhow, it didn’t seem right to skip day 60… so I sucked it up and worked it out.

Here’s hoping for an early bedtime tonight.

Day 59 – One on One Back, Chest, & Balls/ARX

I have to admit I didn’t use the balls much this workout. This is a lot like the P90X Chest & Back, only Tony makes the moves harder by having you balancing on either medicine or stability balls for most moves (well, push up moves… he hasn’t found a way to incorporate balls into pull ups). Whenever he used the stability ball I did also, though sometimes this made me drop to my knees for push ups. I never once used a medicine ball or basketball; for these moves I did make myself stay on my feet (rather than dropping for knee based push ups). I know I’m not doing as much as the guy on the TV, but I’m doing more than I could’ve 59 days ago. I have a feeling when P90X2 comes out it’ll have ball options available for the extreme and modifications will look like what I’ve been doing.

Speaking of what I’ve been doing, it occurred to me this morning that I haven’t done Ab Ripper in a long time. One of the hazards of my hybrid routine. I was good at doing it when the schedule called for P90X strength days, but when my strength days came from One on One I didn’t even think of doing Ab Ripper. The schedules calls for me to do the One on One Vol 1 ab routine, but I’m doing Vol 3. The volume I have contains a 42 minute ab routine and I sure wasn’t going to add that onto the end of another exercise. Today I pulled out Ab Ripper X and it killed me! Need to get back into doing that. I think, based on yesterday’s thoughts, it would be wise to get the ab routine from One on One Vol 1. Maybe even the ab routine from Vol 2 also. Can’t hurt to learn more ab moves.

Day 58 – One on One Plyocide

My first time through Plyocide. It’s as hard as it sounds and looks. And yet I kind of liked it. Specifically, I liked that there are no repeats. Once you’ve done a move you’re done with it. That’s a nice change! Especially since I ate way too close to beginning this workout. Really happy I never hurled.

The idea of needing medicine balls and weights for plyo work is just nuts, but it works. Granted, I was using 3lb weights and my ‘medicine ball’ was a basketball. I could clearly make this workout harder in the future. At least I’m not scared of it anymore!

I actually found myself liking some of the moves. There were a couple of moves where what you’re doing is based on what’s called out. Example: You get in the yoga pose chair; then either ‘run’ or ‘jump’ is called out and you do that while in chair. Challenging and an extremely long 60 seconds. But fun to just not even watch the TV and follow the directions you hear.

One thing I’ve decided with these One on One workouts is that they give good variety for something you may or may not like. For instance, I’m not a big fan of Plyometrics, but doing Plyocide is the same idea with different moves and that’s nice. If I’m going to be doing something that is super hard variety is beneficial. Or the One on One Yoga is harder, but shorter.

Day 57 Take 2 - One on One Shoulders & Arms

Alright, so I'm picking back up on Day 57. This is the one day I'm totally redoing. It was nice doing this workout for the second time. I knew the moves and was able to do a set and skip to the next group when Tony got too long winded. The workout could've been a lot shorter, but my wonderful hubby joined me and it was his first time through this one.

Last time I did this my triceps hurt for like 3 days. I'm not sure if it was because I worked it that hard or I was getting sick and my body couldn't take the time to mend. We'll see how I do this time.

Tomorrow's Plyocide for real.

Sick Day #4 / Rest Day

The alarm went off at 4:30 to work out and I decided to take the easy route and reset for 6am. Didn’t have a good night of sleep and the girl was being super cuddly. Tomorrow is a scheduled rest day and my son will be having surgery. So, I’ve decided that I just need to restart this week. Saturday I’m going to redo Day 57 and we’ll pick up where we left off.

 

And, I twisted my ankle this morning at work...didn't think it was bothering me. But tonight I'm finding it hard to walk!

Sick Day 3

Should've gotten up and worked out today... will tomorrow.

Sick Day #2

Maybe I could have gotten up and worked out. But, I set the alarm for 6 and slept amazing. So, no regrets. Today was to be cardio and that would probably be the best option if I decide to sneak it in tonight… but I have a suspicion that I will just want to go to bed as soon as possible. When I start back up I guess I’ll just start where I left off.

It’ll be nice to be able to breathe again.

Sick Day

I’m giving in and taking a sick day from P90X. Working out isn’t going to be beneficial if I end up sicker or in bed the rest of the day. I awoke before the 4:30 alarm and moved it back to 6am. When the alarm went off it still seemed early, though my sleep was anything but good. Today was supposed to be One on One Back, Biceps, and Balls. I’m assuming the balls reference is to medicine balls (which I don’t have) and/or stability balls.

Maybe I’ll pop in the DVD and watch it just for the heads up on what I’ll be doing next week. Or maybe the second the kids are asleep I will be too.

I’ve actually been doing pretty good with avoiding sweets over the holidays. Though with the cold I’ve been making myself eat when I’m not hungry just to have something in my belly besides various vitamins and herbal supplements.

Day 58 - One on One Plyocide

This routine has scared me ever since I heard the title. I reasoned that nothing good could end in 'cide' ... think of all the words you know that end in those four letters. None of them are good. Plus, I haven't been overly fond of things that begin with the letters 'plyo.'

So, I cheated today. Didn't wake up early because my head is fighting a cold. Napped while my son did, and longer than my daughter. Finally stuck the DVD in once my son was asleep... but my daughter wasn't. I'm not going to lie; I did very little of the routine. The first 15 minutes were spend on a balance ball with my beautiful 18lb weight. Once she was asleep I joined in for some moves. But, not all and none for their intended length.

Obviously most of the moves in the routine are plyo. Some are isometric. Seems like there are more iso moves in the first part and more plyo toward the end. Seems like that set up just makes it harder. Plus for some moves you're doing plyo while holding a medicine ball or dumbells.

Chair while running and jumping killed me. I think this whole routine will have that effect next time, when I actually attempt to do all of it!

Day 57 - One on One Shoulders & Arms

This routine could go much faster than the clocked 60ish minutes. Tony talks a lot. There are 10 moves done in sets of two and repeated three times. My least favorite is seated flys; I always hate those. But they're paired with my favorite: a move where you lift your arms straight in front of you to shoulder height, rotate them to fly position and lower; then do in reverse.

Arms are exhausted. I foresee triceps hurting tomorrow.

Day 56 - One on One Stretch and Recovery

Not thrilled that this was over an hour. Otherwise it was a pretty good routine. Certainly a good "day off" exercise. Didn't break a sweat, but didn't expect to. Muscles are sore.

I would have liked more neck/shoulder stretches. Those are my favorite on the X Stretch but almost non-existent here. Tons of hamstring/leg stretches. An amazing amount of side stretches; those were nice.

I decided today to work out while the kiddos were awake and in the room. My son thought it was awesome. He jumped and ran with me to warm up. Did forward bends with me. And ran/crawled all around me when I was doing any downward dog stretches or stretches with my legs separated. Apparently I make good tunnels. My daughter was happy in her bouncy seat until the last 10 minutes and then I was to the sitting on the mat stretches, so she joined me on the mat and made faces at me. Yay for the kiddos being entertained during my workout. Don't know that I could expect that if I were jumping around; I'd be too paranoid about running over them.

Four weeks left!

Day 55 - Cardio X

Ah, Thanksgiving day! I was magically able to get up and get this quick 40 min workout in before the guests or daughter woke up. Hallelujah! Glad it was a short workout today... but probably ate waaay too much to break even.

My favorite part was that not all the squats involved jumping.  That being said, I totally broke a sweat early and worked hard. I don't know if it was the promise of food or what, but I put more in than usual. Felt great!

One downside was that I was working out in the basement and didn't have a mat. Not horrible for the yoga portion. But I had to skip the Dreya Rolls... didn't think that would feel good on a wood floor. Superman Banana was modified to Banana Crunches.

Day 54 – One on One Core Synergistics

I was really curious how today’s workout was going to be different from the P90X Core Synergistics that I did earlier in the week. Answer: It was harder, but much like most One on One workouts it was less organized. Total running time was 67 minutes; I was sad to see that as I hit the alarm more than I should have. There was a section that he called the Bonus Section, so I skipped past that and eliminated about 10 minutes. It was enough to give me time for a shower.

The regular workout was hard enough, not sure that I could’ve done any of the bonus moves anyway.

There were some moves that I really liked… Dreya Roll with medicine ball: I don’t have a medicine ball yet (ordered one with P90X2) and didn’t feel like going to the basement to get a basketball; so I used a stuffed dog. Tony says that the heavier the medicine ball the more momentum and balance you have, so it actually makes the move easier. The stuffed dog wasn’t very heavy, so I didn’t see if that was really a benefit. It did keep me from using my hands during the rolling portion and I liked that. Rolling Boat: I liked the contrast of rolling (massaging the back) and holding the boat pose; the rolling was a nice break and felt great. Plyo Runner’s Stretch: Basically in plank and jumping feet to lunges with the front foot to the outside of your hands.

There were some moves that I couldn’t decide on… The whole first section after warm up uses a stability ball essentially as a weight. So, you’re doing leg moves but your arms are killing you because you keep lifting the giant ball. These moves were really hard on my arms despite looking like they should be easy. The other move that falls into this category was Banana Ball Crunches (the ‘dessert’ for a Dreya Roll meal): Holding the stability ball (or medicine ball) in your hands you crunch up and grab the ball with your legs/feet and return to banana, then move the ball back to hands, back to legs, etc. I’ve done this move before, though I can’t recall where. Possibly an ab class I took years ago at a gym. It was hard then and it’s hard now. I like the challenge but it kills my core. Which I guess is the point of today’s workout.

There were some moves that I hated (basically because they were impossible for me)… The two that stick out most were very similar and left me doing the same modification for each. One was standing on one foot, touching the ground and jumping legs back to plank only touching down the one foot, doing a push-up, and jumping back up to one leg. The other was holding a stability ball above your head, touching it down to the ground and jumping feet back to plank, doing push-up on stability ball, and jumping back up to raise the ball above your head. Jumping feet back while holding the stability ball made me super afraid that I was going to somehow slip and smash my face. It also made me think that I probably need to add more air to my ball. For both of these moves my modification was standing, jumping back to plank, push-up, jumping back up. And my modified moves wore me out.

Day 53 – One on One Total Body

Today was not an easy 4:30. Last week I started getting hopeful that the kids’ bedtimes would allow me to work out in the evenings again. Last night reminded me why that doesn’t work. I had them more or less in bed at the normal time but my daughter decided that she wasn’t going to be happy unless I was by her side. So, she woke up crying at 8 and 9; each time waking up big brother, who joined in the crying.

So this morning I hit snooze more than I should have. But the workout was mercifully 40 minutes. A hard 40 minutes, but still short.

One thing I’ve decided with workout DVDs is that I might as well put my all into it. Once I hit play I’m going to be working out until the timer reads 0:00. And if my workout is going to take a set amount of time I might as well make the most of the time. If I do a half-hearted workout for 40 minutes I’ve wasted the same amount of time as if I put my all into it and get a good 40 minute workout.

Much as it did last time this workout really made me excited for P90X2 since it’s done on the set. It’ll be fun to see how Tony takes elements from these One on One workouts to create something more intense.

Day 52 – One on One Yoga

I was amazed at how good 4:30 felt this morning. After a busy weekend and late evening I expected the alarm to go off way too early. Instead, I was awake, feeling refreshed 20 mins before the alarm. Course, I did crawl back into bed for the extra cuddle time with my daughter. But, I was ready to go when the alarm sounded!

It was really nice to return to this short 60 min yoga routine after three weeks of Yoga X. There are still moves I am unable to do, but I found myself enjoying much more of the routine.

I feel like I’m oh so close to chaturanga. I think I should have it in the next week or so… even if it’s getting it once during a routine. I’ve been here before, and that’s how I assume I’ll start. I’ll be a good month before I can consistently push through chaturanga. My left ankle/leg area was a little unsure of some of the stretches and I’m not sure what to think of that. It’s been feeling fine otherwise. Guess I’ll continue to stretch it to the feels good point and watch for any signs of it not feeling right.

One thing I’d forgotten was how much Tony loves the chair pose. When I got to work this morning I thought, “ I have a limit on how many chair poses I can do before climbing three flights of stairs; I have surpassed that.” On the other hand, I love that this is a yoga workout that makes me shake. It’s so nice to be challenged on a regular basis.

Day 51 - Rest Day

Okay, so I just had a rest day two days ago. But, it was a busy day. Fun except for the daughter screaming/crying the whole trip home from Omaha. Yoga may have been a good call after that. But, I just wanted to get everyone, including myself, quiet and sleeping. So, I'll resume working out tomorrow and work out on my next rest day. That means X Stretch on Friday.

Day 50 - Core Synergistics

The funny thing about recovery week is that I always think how nice it will be. Then I do the first workout and am reminded that while the workouts aren't as intense or weight based they are in no way easy.

And Core Synergistics always reminds me how far my core has to go. But, I'm getting there. I was able t do the Dreya Roll for 45 of 60 minutes today and did the 'extreme' jump at the top method. Guess this plyo stuff is rubbing off on me!

The last workout this week is the One on One Core Synergistics. Haven't done that one yet; it'll be interesting to see how it's different from today.

Day 49 – Rest Day

It’s amazing how excited I get about setting the alarm for 6am. Sleeping in! It wasn’t all that long ago that I considered 6am an early morning.

My legs don’t hurt as much today as I thought they would. Probably hurt less than yesterday. But I’m feeling my shoulders/triceps today. So glad that next week is a recovery week. My body needs that. One of the things I love about Beachbody routines is that they build in things like recovery weeks. It’s nice to know that a fitness expert feels a recovery is needed at this point, rather than just feeling like I’m being a wimp. When I leave my schedule up to me I know I alternate between pushing myself too hard and refusing to take breaks, to choosing easy routines and becoming apathetic about if I’m feeling any improvement.

Tomorrow’s day 50… only 40 more to go!! On Sunday my daughter is 3 months old. When I had my son he was 3 months before I started P90X. So, I guess I’m ahead of the game. I have to keep reminding myself of that. Today I’m wearing non-preggo jeans and it feels great! Except that I felt like the stereotypical girl lying down to button her jeans and I have an awesome muffin top. Hooray for a big polo shirt.

Day 48 – One on One P.A.P.

Having put in the DVD last night, I decided that I needed to actually try this P.A.P. thing today. The thought scared me. Putting in the DVD and seeing the clock start at 1hr 9min didn’t help. But, I can’t put it off forever.

So, what is P.A.P. ? Copying from another person’s blog: “P.A.P. stands for Post-Activation Potentiation. Sounds a little “sciency” uh? That’s because it is. It is an idea developed by Dr. Marcus Elliott at his Santa Barbara training facility for high profile athletes called “P3“. In the most laymen terms, Post-Activation Potentiation is a training routine that involves complexes of heavy strength movements followed by explosive exercises that is said to fire your muscles so that they are more activated to help you perform better.”

In other words, bearing weight, then doing plyo moves. Because I need more plyo! Apparently so. My legs were aching from yesterday before I even began. But, I was locked in once I pushed play. There’s a warm up section. Then some lower body moves which are repeated four times. Then some upper body moves repeated four times. Then an awesome cool down stretch section.

The warm up was jumping and salutations. I hate when he does salutations for a warm up; specifically because I don’t like wearing my shoes and being on the mat. But, I also don’t want to wait and stop to put on shoes after the warm up. And I don’t like doing salutations on the hard floor. I usually just end up having my shoes on the mat. Or my hand on the mat and feet on the floor, but that causes slipping more often than not. If we had carpet this probably wouldn’t be an issue. But, no carpet here.

Throughout this routine I had issues with space. Where to put the mat so I had both mat space and floor space? How to alternate between weights and jumping? The hardest for me was doing weighted lunges followed by plyo lunges. Weighted push-ups followed by plyo push-ups had me on my knees sooner than I would have liked. There was a cool wrist/elbow stretch after each push-up segment.

The stretches at the end were great. Tony took stretches that we’ve done before and inserted variations to work smaller more specific muscles. Very cool. Felt amazing. My legs especially needed all the attention after today.

I was sweating so much, one of the problems with the heater kicking into morning mode when it does. But, by the end stretches I was freezing… due to the sweat and no longer moving all around.

Time actually flew by once I got going. The workout won’t scare me as much when it comes up again. I believe next week is a recovery week, so not sure what routines that will hold. Then this last part seems to be heavier on the One on One routines and lighter on the P90X.

Here’s hoping I can walk tomorrow! Yowzers!! (Or is it Wowzers? Is there a difference between those words? Spell check doesn’t seem to think that either is actually a word. Something to google…)

Day 47 – One on One Base & Back/ARX

I’ve kind of given up looking for the Legs & Back DVD. Either it’ll turn up at some point or my son threw it away (he likes putting things in the trashcan these days). May have to order a replacement disk at some point.

This workout was as killer as last week. I kind of like the idea of doing plyo moves to exhaustion/counting rather than for a certain amount of time. Not sure if this makes me push myself more or slack off a little, but I feel like I can do more moves, just at a slower pace and over more time.

Last time (Monday) I had a workout that involved pull-ups I started using the green band (the tightest band we have, a step up from the red one I had been using). I did that again today. It makes it a little harder to see improvement since I can’t do as many moves as I did with the red band. But I like that fewer moves give me a better burn. And presumably the harder pull is a good stepping stone for eventually doing an actual pull-up. I think I mentioned last time, but it’s odd using the bands to modify when there’s not a modifier on the screen. It’s just Tony doing his crazy pull-ups, while I try to mimic the movement using my bands. I really look forward to seeing some of the modified moves in P90X2.

On today’s plyo moves I also found myself occasionally thinking “how would Pam be modifying this?” Course, with plyo the answer is jumping less high, or not at all. I’ve really been making a point to get myself off the ground. The one exception being the leaping lunge/runner’s pose; I’ve been stepping through my the end of this move as it wears on my back to bend between jumps while lunging. I’m guessing that sentence was hard to visualize. It’s also hard to do.

One plyo move that I actually like better, despite believing it’s harder, is the jack-in-the-box knee tuck jumps. Basically you squat down, touching the ground, then jump up and try to get your knees to touch your hands. It kills my legs but I feel like I can actually get better jumps with this method. Maybe I have momentum from coming out of the squat, or maybe my hands aren’t as high. Either way, it’s nice to feel like I’m getting the move correct for the first couple of jumps. Then, my legs begin to shake and I’m happy to get my feet off the ground. I’m done with my feet no longer can move, or my squat turns into a sit.

Overall, one of my favorite things about my 90 days of P90X/One on One hybrid is that I’m getting to try new routines. P90X is great and has muscle confusion built in, but it’s nice to get the additional challenge. The key to seeing a change is really mixing it up. You won’t get that from doing the same routine every day.

Day 46 – Yoga X

Wow! Was it ever hard to get out of bed today. I probably stayed up a little later than I should have. Then I got the girl up to eat at 12:30 and 4:30, consequently getting out of bed didn’t seem as pressing an issue. Of course, once I made it downstairs and started the morning routine I felt ready to go. Unfortunately there was no way I was going to have time to do the full 90 minutes. I thought about doing One on One Yoga or a cardio routine, but decided to stick with the Yoga X that was already in the DVD player. (I put the DVD in the night before so it’s one less step in the morning.) I made it through the sun salutations and one balance move, about 50 minutes worth.

Disappointed that I didn’t get the last 40 minutes done. But, 50 minutes of working out is still nearly an hour. And, if the kiddos go to bed early tonight I have the easier balance and stretch sections left, which would actually be a pretty good pre-bedtime workout.

I’m getting so close to doing the chaturanga move. I can get down now, but the pushing through motion just isn’t happening. The oddest part about today was that my right ankle was fairly unhappy. I’ll need to work on stretching that area more. It’s the muscle just in front of the Achilles, which I injured by overuse about 4 years ago when training for a marathon.

Time limitations and pain aside, I’m feeling good. I pushed my limits and I broke a sweat.

Day 45 – Shoulders, Chest, & Triceps/ARX

After staying up later than I should have I was pleasantly surprised at how good 4:30 felt. It really helped that my daughter slept through the night. This is only the second time that has happened, though I suspect that often times I’m the one who wakes her. Co-sleeping definitely intertwines our sleeping patterns. Anyhow, I was amazingly refreshed after 6 solid hours of sleep.

Today I was finally smart enough to figure out a way to have both my hands on my thick squishy mat for push-ups (which I’m still primarily doing on my knees). I got a thin pillow to place me knees on. You think I would have thought of that sooner! The only slight problem with my plan is that the pillow slid on the floor somewhat, so my core section got more of a workout than usual; which probably isn’t a bad thing.

Today had some moves where I was able to surpass my past performance and my goals for the day. It also had moves where I was surprised at how hard it was to crank out what I did last time. Perhaps the ones where I pushed myself made others harder too. It was definitely a day where I was glad for my sheet telling me how I’d done in the past.

Yay for a good workout, a yummy Shakeology breakfast, and a beautiful fall morning.

Day 44 - Plyometrics

Another Sunday, another day of jumping around. I didn't even attempt to wake up this morning but got the workout done in the afternoon while both kiddos slept. Not much new to say about Plyo this week.

On the plus side, tomorrow I'm halfway done!!

Day 43 - Back & Biceps/ARX

In what has become a typical weekend day, I awoke early, pumped, and got back into bed to feed the girl. Then awoke for the second time with my family. A little frustrating that I have a hard time getting the workout done when I'm awake early. But, at the same time, I really value the cuddle time with my daughter.

Today I decided that rather than putting in the DVD I would just use the workout sheets to complete the workout. This allowed me to complete it a little faster. Each move is done to the point of exhaustion of the specific muscle and I can never make it the whole time. Plus, my hubby was able to be watching TV and I didn't have to lug all the weights to the basement. This method worked out pretty well. Yay for the workout tracking sheets. Realistically I didn't warm up/cool down as much and my stretching was probably subject. Hopefully the Recovery Drink will keep my muscles from hurting too much tomorrow.

Day 42- Rest Day

Yay, rest day! Plus, thanks to Veteran's Day I don't have to work so I can truly sleep in. Nothing better than being able to sleep in without the guilt of not working out.

Day 41 – Cardio Intervals

I had planned on trying the P.A.P. today, but after yesterday’s insane One on One workout I was scared. So, I went with one of the P90X bonus disks: Cardio Intervals. I didn’t realize that it was going to be a Power 90 routine. Funny seeing a slightly younger Tony and Dreya. Interesting workout. There were 11 moves that are repeated. Each move is done for a total of 1 minute, with 20 seconds at each intensity. The hardest intensity for each is generally the plyo version. Apparently this is the week of plyo for me!

I’d say I got a good workout. I was a little surprised by the length of warm-up, cool-down, and stretch. When the intervals ended and we still had so much time left I was a little worried that Tony was going to add in some ab stuff. But he didn’t.

The workout was obviously a pre-curser to P90X. But I guess the joy of the Power 90 workouts still being available is that they are a good stepping stone for someone who’s afraid to try P90X. Much like I hear P90X will be a stepping stone to P90X2. Here’s hoping I’m ready come January!!

Day 40 – One on One Base & Back/ARX

Haven’t found the Back & Biceps disk, so I substituted for the One on One Base & Back. Works the same muscles, but in crazy mode! I actually really liked the routine despite its craziness. I can’t count the number of times Tony said that it was the hardest workout he’s done a in a long time. The first time he said it I thought “well, that’s not a good sign.”

The pull ups and chin ups he did were insane. I was modifying for the bands, so I know I didn’t get the same intensity Tony did. But, I was physically able to do approximations of the moves this way. By the end of each set my arms were burning. And I’m guessing they’ll be sore tomorrow.

The “Base” part was legs… in plyo style. Every move was a combination squat-jump. My least favorite part of Plyometrics is when Tony incorporates squats. Yet, I actually found myself liking most of these moves today. Super challenging. But pretty fun.

I like the Base/Leg and Back combo for alternating totally different body parts. And the leg parts are almost cardio (especially in this routine) so the heart rate gets up… and that’s a good thing!

I look forward to doing this routine again. And now that I know what the moves look like I can forward past some of the talking. One minor downside to the One on One DVDs is the amount of talking. But, I’d rather forward through some talking and feel like I got a killer workout.

Sadly, I didn’t make it through Ab Ripper today. Started it, though the first four moves killed my already tired legs. With two moves left I hit stop. Felt too much like I was going to hurl and didn’t thing that would make my morning any better. Maybe yogurt was a bad choice before working out. In my defense, Tony almost hurled at the end of Base & Back.

Day 39 – Yoga X

Ah, the 90 minute routine. I think I would really enjoy this if it was 60 or even 70 minutes. It’s hard to get in a yoga mindset when the routine is so long and I’m thinking about if I’m going to have enough time to get ready and be on time to work. Just like last time, I found that I had to skip moves here and there to cut down on time. I tried not to skip only the moves that I hate, as I know those are the ones I need most. But, I did skip past about 10 minutes… course, the relaxation at the end was 5 minutes of that.

One thing that made me sad was that during the first chaturanga move my right shoulder felt funny and after we did it the second time I decided that I didn’t want to risk injury. So, as much as I need to practice chaturanga, I changed the move to decrease motion on my shoulders. Ultimately I think that was the right choice. But sad.

Oh, and my triceps are killing me from yesterday’s workout!

Day 38 – Shoulders, Biceps, & Triceps/ARX

Interesting workout today. First of all, because I didn’t do Plyo until my son was in bed last night; then I got up at 4:30 to do this workout. Always odd when I get two workouts done during the time my son is sleeping. I much prefer to work out the same time each day, rather than do what seems like back-to-back workouts. Also disrupting routine was the fact that my palm/wrist bone as bothering me on my left hand. Usually it’s my right hand that gets unhappy during tons of push-ups. I used my thickest mat, but still had to stop a couple of times due to hand pain. Really don’t know what to do about that. Maybe hold my hands differently? Or get push-up stands?

Push-up stands seem like a wise purchase at some point. We have some cheapo ones we got, but they rotate and that doesn’t work. My husband has found that he can use his 40lb weights as push-up stands. But he generally works out in the basement and keeps them down there. I don’t foresee myself carrying 80lbs upstairs to use. I’ll likely keep doing what I am and then if it turns out the push-up stands are necessary for P90X2 I’ll get them then.

I recently wrote on my calendar the day of P90X that I’m on. Turns out my last day (day 90) will be on 12/29. So, I’ll have a couple of days off before starting P90X2 on 1/1. Or, maybe I’ll have to start on 12/31 if I want to keep my day off as Friday. That’s something I’ll have to decide based on my daughter’s sleep patterns and if/how they change between now and then.

I felt bad for my husband this morning because apparently my daughter wanted to get up with me. Being the wonderful person he is, he let me work out while he tried to figure out what she needed. By the time I was done with working out they were both sleeping on the couch. And I had about 18 hours until I get to sleep again.

Day 37 - Plyometrics

Another Sunday. Another Plyo day. sigh.

On the plus side, I'm finding that I like more of the moves than I used to. Especially the sports section; that's just fun. My real "yay, I'm making progress" moment today was while doing jump knee tucks. I actually did 2-3 that looked like the people on the TV! I've never been able to do that before. Granted, the people on TV do them consistently for 30 seconds. But I did like three! And that makes me happy.

Day 36 - Back & Biceps/ARX

Second time doing this workout. In less than a week. I like it. I've probably mentioned it before, but I love how these DVDs give me so many different moves to work the same muscles. The variety is nice. And presumably each move works slightly different muscles. Like today there were a ton of different curl ups. The slightly annoying thing about today's workout is that for pull ups I use the red band. But for the other arm moves I had to get out the purple band, 10 lb weights, and 5 lb weights. Not a workout I'd want to do in the basement... too much stuff to carry down from the living room.

Happily today I woke up at 7:30 and was able to get my workouts in before anyone else awoke.

For whatever reason Ab Ripper killed the hip flexors today. I didn't even try the side v-ups. On the other hand I did great with the sit up v-up combo move and it's back to being my favorite!

Day 35 – Cardio X

My schedule said to do Super Cardio. This was one of those days where I had a hard time equating the routine from One on One Vol 1 to anything from One on One Vol 3. I think P.A.P. may have been a good substitution, but I opted to do a routine that I’m familiar with and I know is relatively short. Perhaps next week I’ll try the P.A.P. It sounds like an interesting concept; apparently it mixes weight lifting with cardio.

The exciting part of today’s workout was that I was able to do the Dreya Roll. This used to be one of my favorite moves. You start standing, roll back and push your feet/heels toward the ceiling, then roll back to standing, preferably without using your hands. My last round I loved this move and thought it was a lot of fun. This time it’s frustrated me. The first time I tried it I ended up on my back and thought ‘now what?’ Prior to today I had gotten to where I could usually get one solid roll without using my hands. Today I was able to do it repeatedly! And I continued for 40 of the 60 seconds. Next time I’m shooting for the full minute.

On a side note, whenever I hear ‘Dreya Roll’ I think “that should be sushi.” I think it could have a solid core and come up on either end. Maybe with tempura shrimp sticking out?

Day 34 – Rest Day

It’s rest day. Wasn’t supposed to be. But it is. Oddly my son was up for like two hours last night and when he was back asleep there was only about 45 minutes until the 4:30 alarm. That didn’t sound pleasant to me and I didn’t want to risk waking him up again. So, the alarm was reset for 6am and I enjoyed the cuddly time with my daughter.

Tomorrow will be the early morning of cardio.

Day 33 – Back & Biceps/ARX

Today was supposed to be Legs & Back, but I couldn’t find the disk anywhere. Hopefully I can locate it by next Wednesday. I figured that since I didn’t do Back & Biceps on Saturday and these workouts work one of the same areas it would be a good substitution. If nothing else it was a good workout. I like that this one is only 50 minutes long. And my arms are burning by the end. Course, my arms were also burning during arm circles in the warm up. You think I’d get used to those as often as they show up in the warm up. But, every time my arms are screaming at me by the end.

The exciting thing for me today is that during Ab Ripper I was able to climb my legs by just reaching up. I’d been stuck on one grab for a while. When I first tried this after having my daughter I was doing several grabs and actually climbing my leg; I had never needed that before. Today was a huge “I’m getting back to where I want to be” moment. Yay for that! Not that my belly is starting to resemble abs… but I’m gaining strength.

It’s hard to not compare where I am now to where I was last time I did P90X. Or where I want to be. I’m 33 days in, but that means I’m 6 weeks + 33 days post baby. Last time I did P90X I was 6 weeks + Slim in 6 + 33 days at this point. So, I jumped in a lot quicker this time… but it’s hard to remember that. I want to be lifting the weight I was last time. I want to be pushing the lunges, etc. My main barrier this time is definitely my hip flexors. I know that once those muscles are stronger a lot of the core work and leg work will be easier. And the only way to strengthen them is to keep at this. So, I’m trudging through the mental frustrations of where I am, knowing that up ahead is where I want to be. Where I’ve been. Where I’ll return to.

One day at a time.

Day 32 – Yoga X

The problem with this workout is that it’s 90 minutes long. Hard to fit into an early morning. I got out of bed when the alarm went off at 4:30 and went through my morning routine, but this workout left me with five minutes until I needed to walk out the door. It’s hard to get all you should from yoga when you’re feeling like you should be rushing. In the interest of time (and admittedly, frustration) I skipped crane pose and all the relaxation/corpse pose/’om’s at the end. I rarely can balance crane for any amount of time, so I didn’t see the point in trying for 60 seconds today. Nor did I need to relax when the workout was over; I needed to get out the door.

I generally have a hard time with not feeling drawn to multitasking when I workout and the length of yoga made it that much harder. Today I found myself folding blankets instead of doing mountain pose between salutations. Clearly the spirit of yoga was not in me this morning.

I know this routine is on the schedule for the next two weeks and I refuse to get up earlier than 4:30. So, we’ll see how my Tuesdays pan out. I haven’t looked past this 3 week segment to see if there is more Yoga X in my future. If there is I may just switch back to One on One Yoga; the poses are harder and the time is shorter.

All that negative stuff aside, I do enjoy the flexibility segment of this workout. It’s like adding stretch after doing One on One Yoga. Some of the balance moves are also nice. I think one of the things I prefer with the One on One Yoga is the balance moves are more mixed in with the sun salutations.

I look forward to seeing what P90X2 has in store for Yoga. No doubt that it’ll be a challenge. I’m hoping it’s an under-an-hour challenge.

Day 31 – Chest, Shoulders,& Triceps

Hey! I made it past my first 30 days! Guess I should take the next set of pictures. Don’t know that I’m ready to share results just yet. Way too much candy floating around lately. I think that may be the true curse of Halloween. We did do really good at not buying candy this year. But now we have kids who trick or treat despite being too young to eat the candy. Drat!

Happily, while I’m not seeing all the results I’d like to see, I am feeling more results. Today had a lot of push-ups and I was feeling pretty good about what I was able to do. One thing I really liked about today’s routine is that each exercise is done only once. No repeating sections. And there are many more moves for these areas that I would ever think up. It’s nice to have the variety; I never really felt there was this much variety when I did routines at the gym. Maybe the trainers I got were just not that creative. One of my favorite tricep moves from today uses a weight to do a throwing motion starting at the shoulder with the elbow up. One of those fun “pretending to play a sport” moves. Sometimes my imaginary throws even hit their target.

Another result I’m feeling is that my legs are sore today. I guess back to back days of Cardio X followed by Plyo will do that. Sometime I’ll have to get out for a run and see how all this is improving my abilities. Maybe a Turkey Trot?

Amazingly 4:30 didn’t seem that early today. We’ll see how tomorrow is after the trick of treating tonight. Could be a later night than any of us want.

Day 30 - Plyometrics

Woke up this morning thinking I could workout before everyone else got out of bed. Then I fed the girl, the phone rang sending hubby downstairs, and the boy awoke crying. I guess my hopes were too high for 8am!

Happily this afternoon both kids were down for naps, the hubby out mowing, and I got to start. Then the boy woke up and the hubby came in. Got about 20 minutes in and the girl woke up. Fed her, then wonderful hubby took the kiddos to Target. That always makes everyone happy. And I was able to finish the workout.

Plyo is interesting to do in segments. It's broken into groups of about four moves each, which you repeat. So, it kind of has natural breaking points, but distractions don't necessarily fall when the breaks do. I think it's a much more intense workout to do straight through; really gets the heart going. On the other hand, seems like getting my heart rate up multiple times over a long period of time probably works well too.

And I'm hating Plyo only about 50-60% of the time now. So, that's good.

Day 29 - Back & Biceps...or not

Today was one of those Saturdays when I should have stayed up and worked out after feeding my daughter. Somehow the bed sucked me back in. I ended up getting my workout in late at night, after a Halloween party playing at a gymnastics gym. It was a late, tiring night.

The workout I got done wasn't Back & Biceps. After Friday's party where I carried a 16lb Yoda around for two hours my left arm was pretty sore and I thought Back & Biceps might be a little on the pointless and painful side. With the late hour I went with Cardio X again. The 43 minutes was much more realistic. Didn't really get any "muscle confusion" doing the same routine two days in a row. But, I did something.

Day 28 - Cardio X

I was so happy to see the countdown clock start at under 45 minutes this morning! I had forgotten that this was a shorter workout. Plus it’s pretty fun. It’s like 10 minutes each of Yoga, Kenpo, Plyo, and Core. Plus warm up and cool down. Same struggles as other workouts. I’m starting to think that having natural childbirth means it’ll take longer for the hip area to settle back into a routine and start to gain strength. I guess that shouldn’t surprise me. Today’s discovery was that Wacky Jacks are tough on the hips. But oh so fun!

Day 27 – Rest day

Maybe you’re thinking “27 isn’t divisible by 7; how is this a rest day?” Tomorrow is the official rest day, but after a late evening and multiple night wakings I decided it would be better to sleep in until 6 and get up early tomorrow. After all, if I’m tired tomorrow I only have to work 4 hours before I can come home for a nap (or fun family time, whatever). So, this morning I enjoyed the extra hour and a half of sleep. Tomorrow will be Cardio X.

Day 26 – Core Synergistics

Really, it’s not fair to have to do this routine twice this week. Just another reminder of how far I have to go. Amazingly the time did go quicker, as it tends to once you remember/are acquainted with a routine. I don’t know that I did any better at any of the moves but I attempted them all. I think if it weren’t for the hip flexor and hip area I would feel better about this workout, though it also reminded me that my arms have a ways to go. There’s a whole lot of plank in this workout. And of course the chaturanga that I can’t do just yet.

After yesterday’s stretching my body still has that good-sore feeling. Kinda like after a massage or chiropractor session. Not as relaxing as either of those methods, but much cheaper!

Hopefully it’ll be many more weeks before Core Synergistics returns to the schedule. And hopefully I’ll be more ready for it then.

Day 25 – X Stretch

Today was, by far, the hardest day yet to get out of bed. Last night was later than I had wanted, I didn’t sleep well, and 4:30 came really early. It didn’t help that I knew the workout was X Stretch. A great workout, but not what one would consider energizing.

I really do like this workout. I used to like it because I was flexible. Now I like it because I’d like to be flexible again. Plus it just feels great to stretch all the muscles. As I was walking to work I was thinking how funny it is to be sore after ‘just stretching’ rather than ‘really working out.’ It’s a workout that is easy to skip. It’s also an alternative to taking a rest day every 7 days. Whenever I do this workout I think ‘I really should do this on my day off’ but then I get a day off and choose to do nothing instead.

One of the things that’s fun is that I always forget how many ways there are to stretch your neck. I used to think neck rolls were it and found them pointless. But the plethora of neck stretches presented here can actually be felt. I like to think they help me lose some of the tension I carry in my neck/shoulder area. Either way they feel fabulous.

Day 24 - One on One Total Body

I was pleasantly surprised to find that today's workout was only 40 minutes long. I'm actually having time to blog in the morning!

Total Body is the last disk in One on One Vol 3. And it's a pretty sweet preview of P90X2. Made me excited and scared for the new series. Tony said several times that if you can't do P90X you shouldn't try P90X2. He highly recommended doing the One on Ones first also. Now, part of me thinks "well, duh. He wants to make money." But, based on today's workout he probably has a point. I really hope I'm doing more real push ups (not on knees) and a pull up or two by the end of this round of P90X. Otherwise I think P90X2 is going to be killer!

Better not slack off these next 66 days.

Day 23 - One on One Yoga

This one is definitely getting better. Unfortunately I'm finding that I fall back on working out at night on the weekends. Yesterday, doing Core Synergistics and night probably didn't help me. Doing yoga at night today just reminded me that I have another workout as soon as I wake up tomorrow. Funny thing is that I prefer to workout at night but have come to frustration when I have to wait until night now to work out. Perhaps that's because I've also come to value sleep more with a 2 month old.

Anyhow, Yoga is a nice one at night. Yoga has always made me want to go to sleep afterward. Whether taking classes or doing DVDs, there's something about ending in relaxation pose that makes me crawl into bed. This routine doesn't even end in relaxation and I'm ready to crawl under the covers.

Another nice thing about tonight is that my hubby joined me. Well, for the first half, until our daughter needed him. (This is why I choose not to workout in the evenings when it's just me and the kiddos.) The hubby has always hated yoga. I thought about saying 'disliked' but it really has been a hate. And he was kicking my butt in the strength moves tonight. We recently got yoga blocks and they have helped him with the flexibility. It was really nice to see him sorta enjoying yoga.

Day 22 - Core Synergistics

Wow. and Ugh. I have SO FAR to go! This workout totally emphasized all my weak areas. I've always kind of liked this one because the moves work so many muscles. Today I just found myself floundering on move after move. My hip flexors and hips are clearly my weakest points. Other workouts have shown me this, but today I was flattened by the realization.

After my last baby I blamed the c-section for the hip flexor pain. Apparently that was slightly misplaced. I don't think it helped any, but I also started working out with Slim in 6 before moving to P90X last time. This time I jumped right back to P90X. Not sure that was the best move for the hip flexor/hip areas. On the other hand, it's nice to be working hard on arms/shoulders/back as those aren't used much for Slim in 6. Leg work is probably about the same; at least at the intensity I'm able to work at right now. Love that P90X can be adapted to meet you where your needs are.

I sure have a lot of needs!

Day 21 – Rest Day

Friday’s are great. Sleeping in. Short work day. Lots of time with family.

Some people think it’s nuts to only have one day off from working out per week. But I think that’s part of what makes it a way of life. The days off are appreciated this way. I think if you work out less days than you work out it’s too easy to let it slip. For me, working out 4 days per week can easily be 3 days per week. Then 2. Before I know it I’m feeling accomplished if I break a sweat. I know that for people who are currently doing nothing, one workout per week can be beneficial. I think we all need to start somewhere. But, if the frequency of your workouts changes make sure it’s changing in the right direction. Makes me think of the old adage, “There is no standing still. If you’re not moving forward, you’re slipping behind.”

Day 20 – Kenpo X

My favorite workout. Though I definitely noticed today that when I do this workout without having frustrations to work through I don’t get the same cardio level. Not that I want any frustrations to work through.

So, today is the end of week 3! Technically I guess tomorrow is, but that’s rest day. It was tempting to stay in bed this morning, despite being awake. Cuddling is always alluring. I’m pretty happy that my last early morning of the week coincides with the most fun workout.

Next week, being week 4, is a ‘recovery week’ with no strength training. There’s cardio and yoga and stretching. Sounds nice to take a break from the push-ups and squats. I think my muscles will be happy for the little break before stepping up the game in week 5. On the other hand, I wonder if it will be more challenging to get up so early when the routine is something like stretching. I guess we’ll see!

Day 19 – Legs & Back/ARX

Again I found myself awake when the alarm went off. Today because my daughter was eating. So, when she finished I started my day and that left me a little pressed for time. I really thought I would have to put off Ab Ripper until the evening, but I was able to get it done and grab my Shakeology for breakfast on my way out the door.

I really like how this workout pairs two totally different areas of the body. Just when legs are getting sore you get to take a break and do some pull-ups. However I think doing Ab Ripper after a leg workout is just mean.

 

I really look forward to when the kiddos are older and I can do the workout when they’re awake and nearby (without too much fussy or interruptions). I love the idea of them seeing Mom working out and knowing that fitness is important. I want us to be an active family as they grow and keeping my energy level up will help with that. There was one evening early in this P90X round where I attempted to work out while the kiddos were up. Didn’t pan out for me, but it was sure cute watching my 18mo old son try to do jumping jacks with me. He got the arm motions down and tried to bounce his legs. He kept looking between me and the TV; probably trying to figure out why I was doing (or trying to do) what the people on the TV were doing. Hopefully the lesson he learns is to be active, not to imitate everything he sees on TV…

Day 18 – One on One Yoga

Far from where I want to be with this one. But it is getting somewhat easier. At least I’m getting used to the order of things. And my arms are bending somewhat before dropping my weight when I try to push into upward dog. The exciting part was that I was able to do the part where you touch/hold your opposite ankle while in downward dog. Progress is progress.

I’ve been struggling with which mat to use. I have a regular (though fairly old) purple yoga mat. When I purchased it yoga mats only came in purple and you had to go to a specialty store to get them. I like this mat, but it’s not as cushy as I would like. My right palm specifically prefers more cushioning. I also have a really cushy pilates mat. I used that one today. Sure made the balance moves more difficult. Really anytime I had to hold a position I found myself getting wobbly. Clearly pilates mats are not made for yoga. My hubby has a thick yoga mat and I really like that. I feel like Goldilocks. This mat is too firm. This mat is too soft. This mat is just riiiight. So, do I just use his mat? Or should I retire the old mat and get myself a thicker yoga mat to replace both my current ones?

Another plus today: I think I’m getting used to this 4:30 thing. The last two days I’ve been lying in bed awake when the alarm went off. Who would have thought my body would get used to something like getting up ridiculously early? I suppose people are adaptable. After all, if we couldn’t change the little things we’d never be able to change the big things.

Day 17 – Shoulders & Arms/ARX

My first 4:30 Monday morning. Today wasn’t bad. I think if this affects me it’ll be noticed on Thursday. I did let the snooze get hit once, but still had time for all aspects of my morning. As I’ve said/written before, I totally get how people prioritize working out so that it gets placed on the back burner and eventually falls off the stove altogether. I think as I start week three this is now a pretty firm part of my day. Not to say I don’t struggle sometimes. Clearly I do. But I see the alternative as being a frumpy mom with no energy. I don’t want that for me or for my kids.

I want to reclaim myself as a person whose inner health is reflected in an external sense as well. Being fit and healthy goes beyond just working out. It encompasses the food choices I make and the supplements I take. But, the most important thing to me is that being fit and healthy gives me the self-confidence and energy to enjoy my days and give of myself to those I love. Being a mom of two just means that I have two more people in my life to love than I used to. And I love them beyond what I could have imagined. I want them to know that I want to be around for them as long as possible.

So, working out has to be a priority for me. In the same way that time with family is important. The first hopefully ensures that the second will be possible for longer.

(Workouts went well today. Shoulders are a little sore. Nothing new with the Ab Ripper.)

Day 16 – Plyometrics

I was smart enough to get up and do this in the morning. Perhaps not early enough, but got most of the workout done before others awoke. Had 20 mins left when I shut it off. So, later in the afternoon when the boy was napping and the girl was with Grandma I got the last 20 mins done. Amazing how sweaty you can get in such a short time. Splitting any workout isn’t ideal, but this one led to an extra shower and cool down period.

There are some moves that I’m starting to enjoy. Sometimes jumping is fun. But, sometimes it’s not. So, I try not to focus on the not fun parts. Leaping imaginary rivers is pretty cool. And the potential for running faster/better is pretty sweet. The Lincoln Half Marathon is only like seven months away.

Day 15 – Chest & Back/ARX

Ugh, woke up at 4:30 to feed the girl and pump. Then allowed myself to go back to sleep, thinking that I would be able to get up before everyone else and squeeze in the workout. Didn’t happen. I got out of bed at 8:30 along with the rest of the family. Should’ve worked out when I was up and then crawled back into bed. Live and learn.

So, at the end of a fun, but too long day, I headed to the basement and got in my workout. Chest & Back is a shorter workout (50mins) so it wasn’t too miserable at the end of the day. Plus since you do every move to exhaustion there are times where the clock has like 40 secs left and I can’t go on, so I push the next chapter button and start the next move. Not sure if I should be doing that or if I should take the time to stretch. I’ve made myself take the breaks in the program and I stick with all the warm-ups, cool-downs, and stretches. I think I’m good.

Grandma was in town, so while she cuddled the girl my hubby joined me for Ab Ripper. I think we both do better this way. Having another person is a pretty good motivator. I still feel like a failing fish during the side-v move though.

Day 14 – Rest

As I predicted, different results this week. No weight loss. So, I’m back to reminding myself that health and fitness are not dependent on the numbers the scale shows me. They are expressed in how I feel and what I can do. Almost every workout this week saw improvements in reps, weights, or intensity.  Plus, it’s getting easier to get up at 4:30am. It really helps that I’ve had the past two Mondays off work, so I just had three 4:30 mornings per week. Guess we’ll see what I’m thinking next week.

Day 13 – Kenpo X

Love, love this workout. Is that what I said last week? Really is a great one. Last time I did P90X I had a lot of stressors in my life and I eagerly anticipated this workout every week so that I could punch and kick out my aggressions. This time I don’t have that aspect, but it’s still really nice to work up a sweat while doing fun moves that don’t require excessive amounts of coordination.

In college I did a Kickbutt workout video that introduced me to the idea of kickboxing as cardio. Then we got into a popular martial arts DVD series for a while. And Kenpo X is kind of the next level for me. There are aspects of the other videos that I found challenging, but last time I went back to do a DVD led by Billy (during my last round of P90X) I was surprised at what I used to find challenging. Can’t wait to see how P90X2 steps this style up again.

Day 12 – Legs & Back/ARX

Not sure who came up with one legged wall squats, but I’m not a big fan of them. At least not yet. Last time I went through P90X I was pretty impressed with the difference in my legs. I’ve always had a hard time buying pants that aren’t too big for my waist and can still fit over my thighs; this problem amazingly went away last time. It’s the only workout I’ve found that yielded that result for me. I would say I’m hoping for the same results this time, but first I need to lose the baby belly. Hopefully I’m working on both at the same time.

Ab Ripper was a little better. Still don’t like doing it after leg workouts. I’m pretty happy that each time it is a little better. I know I’m building muscles back under the flab.

It’d be so nice if results could be seen right away, but then health is what this is really all about. Being fit and healthy, so that I can be here for my family and myself.

Day 11 – One on One Yoga

Back to the 4:30 am alarm clock. Today was easier. Maybe it’s the long weekend speaking. Or the tired Mommy trying to make herself feel better.

Hard to believe I used to like this workout. But, I know I will again someday when I can do more of it. It was already better than last week. Time seemed to go faster. A slight annoyance with this workout is that Tony doesn’t always say what he’s doing, so until you’ve done it a couple of times you don’t always hear the transitions, and since it’s yoga you’re rarely looking at the TV.

I’ve discovered that when I arrive to work after doing this workout my legs are pretty tired. Somehow I never notice that until I climb the three flights of stairs to my office.

Day 10 - Shoulders & Arms/ARX

Luckily today was Columbus Day, so I didn’t have to work. Got up around 6:30 and started my day with Plyo. My least favorite workout, which I managed to avoid yesterday. When I finished the family was still asleep, so I decided to put in Shoulders & Arms and do as much as possible before everyone woke up. And I got everything done! Almost 2 ½ hours of working out. There’s a good reason you’re not scheduled to do Ab Ripper on the same day as Plyo. Legs were burning for that.

Did better on Shoulders & Arms this week. It was probably the best workout to have to do after Plyo, as they work totally different muscles. And, with a silent house, I was able to get the bonus round done also.

I have to say that I felt pretty accomplished by the time everyone else got up and we started our day.

Day 9 – Plyometrics

Whoops! Didn’t get this workout done today. Couldn’t find the motivation to get out of bed and then the day got away from me. I plan on getting up tomorrow morning for it. It’s a state holiday, so I won’t be working. Guess I’ll be doing Plyo in the morning and Shoulders & Arms later in the day.

I did manage to sneak in Ab Ripper this morning since I didn’t do it yesterday. The kids were up and my son seemed to think it was pretty funny watching me try to do what the people on the TV were doing. On the plus side, I was tickling my son through the beginning part, which forced me to do the moves with my arms up, which is the harder way. So, seeing improvement there.

Tomorrow may be a very long day.

Day 8 – Chest & Back/ARX

Woke up before the family to get the workout done. Since it’s Saturday I got up after 7 and still got a workout and shower in before anyone else was out of bed. Little jealous of their sleep, but felt great about my accomplishment. But, I skipped Ab Ripper due to the family awakening.
                               
Did more push-ups and pull-ups then last week. So, that’s nice. I really enjoy how P90X has the workout sheets where you write down what you do. Gives me an idea of how I did last week and a push to do better this week. I’m too busy and tired to hope I’d remember any of these numbers without them written down. This week I did more of the push-ups regular before dropping to my knees to finish. Hopefully this will keep improving every week. I’m looking forward to seeing where I am with push-ups by the end of the 90 days.

I’m really hoping that at the end of this I can do a pull-up. Thus far I’ve been using bands to stimulate the pull-up move. Last time I finished P90X I could almost do a pull-up, though I was pregnant and didn’t like the pulling on my side muscles when I tried. This time I want to do a pull-up. Or two. I’m doing a higher number with the bands and thinking about stepping up to the next strength band.

Day 7 – Rest

And on the 7^th day, Joyful rested.

I think I’m going to like Fridays. My first week of P90X/One on One is done!! Today is rest day, so I got to sleep in until 6am. And it’s my short day at work so I only had to work 7-11. Then I got to meet up with my family at the Children’s Museum and play for a while. Seriously good deal.

And my scale says that I lost 6 lbs in week 1. Pretty excited about that, though I know those results won’t be a consistent thing.

Day 6 – Kenpo X

What a great routine to end the workout week on! This is a martial arts type workout that’s just a lot of fun. Makes getting up at 4:30 not so bad. Plus there’s no Ab Ripper. After the hour workout and shower I’m refreshed and ready to start my day.

Day 5 – Legs & Back/ARX

4:30 comes early. Especially since the baby wakes at night. Happily, with co-sleeping I don’t really count the number of times I get up. I just take the opportunity to pee, get her attached to eat, and go back to sleep. My wonderful hubby does the get out of bed to change her diaper part. I don’t really feel like I’m missing out on sleep, though my occasional short temper may say otherwise.

4:30 works. It’s early. But I was able to get the 75 minute workout and shower in. Guess this is my new morning routine for awhile. At least until I can figure out getting the girl to sleep without our cuddling.

After the leg stuff yesterday Legs & Back was pretty killer. How many ways to do chair pose? And how many days in a row? Things to not dwell on. Ab Ripper isn’t getting any easier. I can do more of the moves, but the hip flexors have a long way to go. And it’s always harder after a leg routine.

Day 4 – One on One Yoga

Back to work today. So, I wisely awoke early to workout. I thought 5 am would be good. I work at 7 and have generally gotten up at 6 on workdays. 5 am was not early enough. I made it to work on time, but was really pushing it and didn’t eat like I wanted. Turns out that waking up, feeding my daughter and/or pumping, and an hour workout take more than an hour. Who knew? Tomorrow I’ll try 4:30. Ugh, that sounds early.

I was thrilled to see that One on One Yoga replaced P90X Yoga. 60 minutes instead of 90. Plus, when I did it before I loved the One on One Yoga. Turns out that I’m not in the same shape I was before. The 90 minute yoga would’ve (obviously) taken longer, but overall it’s an easier and more balanced routine. The One on One Yoga is primarily sun salutations and triangles. Moves I love, but moves that take strength I don’t really have. Case in point: I can’t do vinyasa/chaturanga. This is when you move from plank through a push-up move into upward dog. Whenever I’ve taken a break from working out and then resumed this has been a struggle and I know I’m doing well when I can push through without my body touching down. Presumably repetition paired with the arm routines will help me get this move back. We’ll see how many weeks that takes.

Day 3 – Shoulders & Arms/ARX

Monday and my last day home on maternity. We all had dental appts today, so the workout was left for the evening. My hubby went off to work. My son went to sleep. My daughter did not. I got the routine done, but it was broken into 15 minute increments. So, it took place over the course of three hours and I was awake later in the evening than I wanted to be. I think I’m going to have to get up early to workout. I’m not a morning person…

Shoulders & Arms plus Ab Ripper is at least something it was possible to do in increments. It’s set up so that you work shoulders, biceps, triceps. You do each muscle group then repeat, change the move, and repeat. Over and Over. So, there were natural break times built in. It didn’t allow me to keep warm or have an elevated heart rate the whole time, but I was able to do all the moves. I did bypass the ‘bonus section’ this time. Hopefully I can find a time for this that doesn’t involve juggling a baby that may or may not be happy. I did Ab Ripper; it sucked… especially since I had my baby as an additional weight for some of it. Think 15 lb medicine ball.

Day 2 – Plyometrics

This hybrid schedule starts out heavy on P90X. Only one One on One routine per week for the first three weeks. As time goes on it seems like it evolves to be heavier on the One on One routines. I was hoping this workout would be replaced, but alas, here it is. Plyometrics is my least favorite of the P90X routines, likely because it’s what I need the most. When I’m doing this I spend a lot of time reminding myself that this will make me a better runner. Plyo is jump training. Lots of jumping; lots of squatting; lots of pain.

It’s going to be difficult to figure out when to fit in my workouts. People always say that they don’t have time to work out. I get that more than ever. Having two kids under two years of age is busy. And somewhat of a workout in and of itself. But, I don’t want to have this new ‘just had a baby’ body anymore. So, not working out isn’t an option. Last week I got two runs in once my son was asleep. I initially thought that’s when I’d be doing these workouts. But, my daughter doesn’t tend to go to sleep until I do. And, as of Monday, my hubby and I will be working opposite shifts. So, when I’m home with the kids I’m there for both of them and they will be all my time. Unless I can get them to sleep at the same time… hmmm.

Day 1 – Chest & Back/ARX

For this round of P90X I’ve chosen to do a P90X/One on One hybrid schedule. The One on One series is an awesome set f DVDs that are Tony Horton doing various workouts by himself. Like P90X there is a countdown clock, though it doesn’t have count downs for every move. Some have music but most don’t. I really like that they’re just him running through a routine, so they’re not polished and he makes mistakes.

One mistake that I made was that there are three series of One on One workouts. I have Vol 3. The P90X/One on One workout schedule is for Vol 1. Luckily I was able to deduce from the titles of workouts what would be similar in Vol 3 and have come up with a slightly altered hybrid of my own. I don’t know if this will end up being easier or harder than the intended hybrid. I don’t know if this will be easier or harder than straight P90X.

So, today is Day 1. It’s a Saturday. I chose a Saturday so that I could be halfway done my workout week when I go in to work on Monday (this assuming I workout in the morning). I also chose this schedule so that my day off could be Friday; a nice end to the workweek and start to the weekend. Plus, it’s Oct 1^st. This workout will (obviously) take 90 days, ending around the end of the year. I’ve preordered P90X2 and it delivers in time for Christmas… so I’ll start that for the New Year. Hopefully this will get me in good enough shape to do so!

Chest & Back is a nice workout. All pull-ups and push-ups. You just do each move to exhaustion. The first time I did this I remember being surprised at all the variations. This time my main thought was surprise that my arms aren’t in better shape. I mean, I lift a 15 lb baby ALL the time! But my arms were shaking when I was done.

ARX is Ab Ripper X. It’s a 15 minute routine of various ab/core exercises. Yikes! I used to love this one. I’ve a long way to go. I actually did this routine several days ago to see where I was. Today wasn’t really any better than that attempt. Turns out pregnancy does a number on the core muscles. My hip flexors are especially sore. It might be a while before I can complete the whole routine without stopping.

I'm back!

As I'm sitting on the couch watching my little girl squirm, seemingly going to awake soon, I'm thinking that it's going to be harder to keep up the ole blog this time. Case in point: Today is day 2 of week 3 of my second round of P90X.
My first round of P90X was about a year ago. My son was a baby and I had completed Slim in 6. It was challanging and fun and I got great results. I also got pregnant.
Now, as I start round two, my son is 19 months old and my daughter almost 2 months old. It's busy around here. Hence, this is the first entry to my story. I've been taking notes and I hope to get those put on here under the days they occured. It just might take a little while. I find myself typing with one hand often, once the boy is in bed and the girl is sleeping on me. Moving her tends to wake her.
And there's the background. Let's bring it!