Day 77 and 78

Monday was day 77. It was a succesful day, as Monday's usually are for me. It's at about 6:30 Monday morning when I realize...oh gee....I'm really gonna have to work hard today to try to make up for what I just did this weekend. What's sad...I say that EVERY Monday morning! (you'd think I'd learn a lesson eventually!)
Anyway, the work out was Chest, Shoulders & Triceps with Ab Ripper and I really brought it today. I pushed myself to do the pushups boy-style longer than usual. I'll tell you what I've really come to hate though...is slow push ups. Let me go at my pace and I can keep pounding them out...but slow me down to a 4-count push up and it's like torture!
Eating was alright but nothing like what I was about to begin on Tuesday morning!! During the day Monday, my buddy Kandy posted on her blog about some new eating habits she had adopted. I probed further and found out she was following a 21 day fat-loss plan out of the newext Oxygen magazine. After one week, she's already lost 4.4 pounds, so I knew it worked...so I said "sign me up!". I hadn't really planned on starting it IMMEDIATELY...but when I got up Tuesday morning..I figured the sooner the better!

Tuesday, Day 78
Cooked my first meal of the day: plain non-instant oatmeal with a banana. Bland..but bearable. I also prepared most of my food for the remainder of the day so I wouldn't be tempted to grab something more convenient....if it's already washed, cut up and in baggies, I'm about 99% more likely to eat it.
After breakfast it was off to the gym for my core class, which was great as usual. Shelley has definitely gotten a wild hair lately and just can't resist throwing in some cardio and plyo --which I love! One thing about her classes...you never know what you're gonna get!--and who doesn't LOVE that? I mean...variety is the spice of life, right? Tony Horton said it himself! One SURE thing is you won't ever leave her classes feeling like you just wasted your time...it's ALWAYS a good work out!
After class, I ran for a bit on the treadmill..but again...I got off mid-way through my run to figure out how to turn the attached TV on...and screwed up my display numbers. I had to start all the way back over after about 7 minutes...so I'm clueless as to how far/long I ran. Then Rene asked me to come over and try some of the new machines our gym got. They are sort of like an elliptical but way cooler! At first I was a little nervous, but I quickly got acquainted wtih the machine and now I love it! You can adjust your stride however you want--to either do stair stepper like movements, small step running motions or HUGE stride running motion. Also you pull on the bars with your arms which gives an upper body work out too...and with all that pulling and running, your core ends up doing a lot of twisting around too...so it's like a total body work out. Anyway, I did that thing for 25 minutes. In all, I worked out for 1:50 minutes.
As I mentioned, my eating yesterday was fabulous! This is what I had:

breakfast - 3/4 c. plain oatmeal with small banana
snack - apple
lunch - 4 oz. baked chicken breast, 1/2 c. brown rice, 1 c. carrots
snack - 2 c. celery, 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter
snack - Oh Yeah! protien bar and banana
dinner - 6 oz. baked flounder, 1 c. asparagus, 1 c. zucchini, 2 c. green salad

According to the meal plan...I shouldn't have had that protien bar and banana...but I got caught up grocery shopping and then going to Grant's T-ball practice and didn't get to have dinner at my scheduled time...and I felt like I was starving...so I ate the only thing I had in the car, which was the protien bar and banana. To make up for this...I skipped my last snack of the day which would have been 1 c. mixed berries.

This meal plan thing guarantees you to lose 10 pounds or more in 21 days!!! I am really only wanting to lose 8...but I'll take 10 or more! I weighed myself this morning to be sure of my starting weight and it was 133.4. My goal is 125. If anyone else is interested in following this plan, holler at me and I'll forward it to you--or better yet--you can pick up the Spring 2009 Oxygen magazine and read the whole article for yourself!

She's breaking my HEART

Last night as Matt and I began our work out, Brooklyn was bored as usual and she decided to use my lap top to put a new post on her blog. She wanted me to read it...but of course, I was in the middle of about a million push ups and couldn't just hop up and read something. Also as usual...after the work out I got busy with showering and dinner and everything else and forgot all about it. This morning I saw her link on my sidebar and thought I'd click over and see what she'd typed. It about broke my heart. I HATE it that my kids are growing up DESPISING our work outs. Something has to be done about this. I started out this whole eating heathy/working out thing so that they would have a good example and follow after us...but at this rate...she's probably going to do everything she can to stay far, far away from it all.
I'm sure there are hundreds of kids out there who have to "sit and wait" while their parents do at-home work outs like P90X. I wonder what everyone elses kids do...??? Any suggestions. I need to find a way to make that hour and fifteen minutes a FUN time for them and not the time that they dread each day.

So. Not. Fun.

I don't know if I've officially mentioned this on here or not...but on April 18th, I will be participating in my first "race." I am doing a 5K that our church holds/sponsors. I have several girlfriends running with me so I know it's gonna be a great time.
That being said...it just dawned on me that April is in 2 days! AUGH! I've been lollygagging around thinking that I've got puhhh-leennnnty of time to "train" for this run...and now I'm freaking out because I have less than 3 weeks until race day!
(on a side note...what the HECK is lollygagging? Where did that word come from? Anyone know? What a WEIRD word!!! -but it sounded like it belonged there in that sentence!)
So...today, in light of the upcoming race, I decided to take my butt outside and do some running. Luckily, our town has nice concrete sidewalks that run all along main street (and a little ways past the businesses). Also luckily, my parents own the land that the sidewalks actually start on...so I parked on our land and began my treck. All the way down to the Kum-n-Go and back. That was my course--approximately 2.3 miles according to the tripometer in my car. At first, it was easy peasy...downhill and the wind slamming against my back, pushing me forward. Eventually, though, the ground leveled off and it got a little harder but still...going strong. Woohoo---I made it to Kum-n-Go...now time to turn around and head back.
WHAT THE ??????
Okay...I've been told that running outside is quite differet than running on a treadmill and I believed that it was. But no one told me it was going to be like running in waist-deep water with your feet stuck in sand with a ginormous fan pointed right at your face! It was like--"I know my feet are moving but I'm not going anywhere!!"
I made decent time on my way there (about 10 minutes) but it took me like 15 minutes to get back and I was running faster and harder than I did for the first leg of the trip! Now my ears hurt and I can't quit coughing. I just checked our weather...currently it is overcast at 66 degrees with winds at 21 mph. All I know is that I am going to start right now praying for winds of 0 mph on race day. Dang--it's hard enough just running...but I sure don't want any added resistance!

Having said all that....I am going to attempt to run this course every day that my schedule permits from now until race day. Yes..it was miserable and I hated every second of it...but like I say "Pain is weakness leaving the body!"

Days 74, 75 and 76

Friday (Day 74) Did good for the first 3/4 of the day. Did Legs & Back and Ab Ripper and ate good until that night. (explanation later)
Saturday and Sunday (Days 75 and 76) acted like nothing mattered and ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and didn't work out one single bit.
Surprised?
Me too.
Check out my other blog for all the juicy info and pictures!

Day 73-Totally Bonked

So....I did it today. I think I officially "bonked." I have never heard or used that word before...but somehow it seems to acurately describe what has happened to me today. Besides the fact that I am suffering from the beginnings of a nasty cold (which I REBUKE in Jesus' Name!), I can tell that my body is aching from head to toe. My quads, which I work almost daily and hardly EVER get sore...hurt even when I just walk. Today instead of doing my normal step class at the gym, I buddied up with my friend Rene and we hit the treadmills instead. I did 10 minutes and then hopped off to put my hair in a pony tail and somehow lost all my data, so I don't know exactly how far I ended up running...but I was on there for about 35 minutes and I know I did somewhere around 3 miles. That was all good...but then was my interval class. I was feeling good and ready to go other than a pounding headache so I popped a couple Tylenol and got started. It was a mess from that point on. I gave it my all--110%--but my all wasn't enough today. I couldn't keep up. It totally sucked. I always stand in the very front right next to our instructor and I felt like such an embarassement. Here I am---Mrs. P90X---and I can't even keep up with a class I've been doing for YEARS! Oh...the stupid pride. Anyway...I hung in there and finished and then hightailed it out of there. Believe it or not when I got home I decided to pop in a Zumba video for one last FUN workout before I have to give these Zumba videos back to my friend who let me borrow them. (I'm taking them to her in about an hour.) I would LOVE to have them...but they are $60 for the set...and that's just a bit pricey for me right now. Besides, the next thing I'm buying is new tennis shoes and P90X+. Maybe I can check e-bay or craigs list for a used set (of Zumba videos-not shoes! ha ha)
Anyway, that's it for today. Grant has T-ball practice tonight and then I'm gonna catch up on American Idol while vegging on the couch tonight, giving my body some much needed and very deserved rest. Have a great day ya'll!!
***Thanks for all your WONDERFUL comments lately! I plan to stop at Academy asap and try on those shoes you girls recommended (Kandy & Kate).

Day 72

So...Wednesday's are typically my stay-at-home, keep-on-my-jammies, clean-the-house day. Before P90X, they were also my rest day or my day off from the gym. I miss those days sometimes. It became evident tonight (as it has so many other Wednesday nights) that it just isn't going to work out for us to do the work out, eat dinner, shower and get to church on time. Even if it is possible...it is VERY chaotic and there tends to be a lot of screaming and yelling and crying involved. The past few Wednesday's I've been SOOO determined to make it work that I have had dinner ready by 3 pm, the table set, our clothes for church layed out, the work out DVD in the player ready to go....everything that could be done was done. I would pick the kids up from school and immediately feed them a snack and get Brooklyn started on her homework. Technically, (on paper--like the way I have it scheduled out in my mind) it can actually work out--But--what that doesn't take into account is when someone falls down and gets hurt and needs cuddled by mommy but mommy doens't have 30 seconds to spare for something like that. Or if someone's homework is especially hard and they can't figure out how to do it--mommy doesn't have the time (or the patience) to explain it.
This realization came tonight when I was probably smoking from the ears because the kids KEPT needing me for something and I was TRYING to finish up all my preparations. I had it all worked out in my mind to the SECOND and there wasn't a moment to spare. I knew the ONLY way we would make it to church on time was if I could make everything go exactly as according to schedule. That is when I realized "This is just NOT worth it. Something's gotta give."
Anyway, today I did do a Zumba video earlier in the day (with weights) and then tonight we did Shoulder's & Arms and Ab Ripper.
I'm not exactly sure what next Wednesday and the weeks after that hold...but I know we can't pack all that stuff into the 2 hour time slot between when Matt gets home and when we leave for church anymore.

SHOES
I am needing to get a new pair of tennis shoes and I have NO IDEA what to get. I'm wondering if any of you have any suggestions...?? I want something that will work for all the different kinds of working out I do (Kick boxing, running, zumba, step, interval, weights). I know that's asking a lot....but I guess mostly what I want is good support through the middle of my foot. I want to be held securely...but not so restricting and tight that the shoe leaves indentions all over my foot. The shoes that I have right now are AWESOME, but they are going on a year old and I can tell that I have totally blown out the support in them. They are Asics gel Duomax (Gel-Kayano 14). They were featured in one of my fitness magazines as being the perfect work out shoe the month that I bought them. They were the most expensive shoes I've ever owned at $134.99!! (but I didn't pay that much because I had a gift card and they were on sale). Anyway, I'm not particular about the brand or the cost that much...but it has to be supportive and at least halfway cute. I know, I know....cute is the last thing I should be worried about......but hey...I AM a girl...and I like to look good EVEN when I'm working out! :o)
So please.....send me your suggestions!

On the subject of RUNNING:
Thanks to all of you who left me a comment about what to look at. I think tomorrow when I run, I will try the treadmills that are facing the mirrors. I think looking at myself, while somewhat vain, will definitly inspire me to keep going and push harder. (which is also why I am considering doing a whole wall in my upstairs in full length mirrors and making that my work out room!) I like to be able to see myself and check my form. Speaking of form, a couple of you mentioned you like to run looking at the mirror so you can check your form. I didn't know there was a right "form" for running....??? If there is, please let me in. Sometimes I feel like my stride is very "off" and uncomfortable. I even overheard an old guy at the gym once telling his friend "boy, that girl sure has a different looking stride". It wounded my pride. I thought, "WHAT does THAT mean?" So again...any suggestions you have are appreciated!!

Day 71

Today was about finding balance.
I started out with my core class at the gym. I love that class. (and the instructor!! :o) It never fails to challenge me, especially today. Using the big balls always makes things interesting and you find yourself using muscles you'd never use if you were sitting on the ground or standing. I was bummed that we did push ups for 30 seconds (x 3 sets) and I had to drop to my knees mid-way in each set. I think I could have done a LOT better if I hadn't JUST done Chest & Back yesterday. I am very sore today in my chest and shoulders and the minute I started doing push ups I could tell it was going to be a struggle. After my class, I decided to do a run on the treadmill. I have signed up for my first ever race---a 5K on April 18th. I know I can do it--as I've run 3 miles plenty of times recently. But...I'm not one to "just make it." It will drive me NUTS if I don't clock a decent time. I don't have to win 1st place by ANY means...I just don't want to be last either. Today I ran 2.6 miles and then decided to be done because I knew I had Plyometrics still to do later. Plus, we did a lot of squats in Core class and my legs were pretty much shot. And on top of that...it was one of those days where I was hating every minute of it. There was nothing to look at and I just canNOT read and run. I know if I had something to focus on while I was running, that would really help. So...I'm wondering...for you runners out there...what is your favorite thing to do/look at while you're running? The tv? A book or magazine? The mirror? The digital display on the treadmill? Do you listen to music?
Anyway, as for Plyo tonight...it just didn't happen. I was busy from the minute I got home until the minute we sat down to watch Biggest Loser tonight at 8. I had a terribly guilty feeling because I felt like I was letting myself (and you guys) down if I didn't do it...but I also knew that more importantly than that...was the fact that I would be letting my family down if I DID do it. They were all waiting on me to come sit down to watch "our show" together and it would have ruined the whole night if I had worked out. I got in a good 1 1/2 hours early in the day and that is good enough for me for today. I don't want to let this control my life. Being fit and healthy is important and it will always be a part of my day and my life...but it can't take precedence over me being a mom or a wife. First I am a Christian. Then I am a wife. Then I am a mother. Then I am a healthy, strong woman! Then I am EVERYTHING ELSE!!! ha ha ha
Ps. Any of you girls out there who are looking for a good read---Try this one:
Fight Like A Girl by Lisa Bevere. I just started it today and already I can tell it's gonna be GOOD!

Days 69 and 70

Sunday (Day 69) is always rest day for me. I plan to do the stretch video...and yet, in a year of P90X, have only done it ONCE! eeeeeeekk! Oh well...I guess that's why it says "stretch OR rest" on the schedule. I just have to have one day a week where I don't have to look at Tony Horton! :o)
Anyhow, I stuck to my guns about not eating bad on Sunday for the most part. The only mishap I had was that evening we decided to take the kids to the cheap movies to see Bedtime Stories. (Very cute movie by the way!) Anyway, I had promised Grant popcorn and he was NOT going to let me forget it. I only got a small...but it was still too much for him and I ended up digging into it a little. Not very much though...but still...just a little of that greasy, salty goodness and my stomach was turning! I was queasy all the rest of the evening and just as frustrated with myself for even tasting it.
Monday, today (Day 70). Oh what a day. I was jolted awake at 5:28 this morning by my bedroom door being flung open and the entire family telling me that Brooklyn had thrown up. On my way to the kids bathroom (crime scene) where the offense had occured, I was debriefed by Matt that she had "gotten some on the floor." THE UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR!
Let me tell you folks.....nothing could have compared me for what I was about to see when I walked into that room! It was like a bomb had went off. Every surface in that room had "evidence" on it. My new Pottery Barn Kids white linen embroidered shower curtain had been showered....my cute little matching rug was covered....the newly painted walls were splattered, the door, the sink, the toilet, the floor, the trash, the laundry hamper, the cabinets. You name it. I've never seen such a disaster. It seriously looked like she opened her mouth and projectiled the stuff while spinning in circles! (sorry, I'm probably totally grossing you out right about now). I actually ran out and grabbed my camera because I thought "no one is ever going to believe me when I tell this story about how bad it was unless I get this on camera as proof!" And I was planning on putting the picture on here for you all to witness but go ahead and take a moment to thank me that I didn't do it because I think if I had...you'd be losing YOUR lunch right about now. It was by far one of the nastiest things I have ever had to deal with. I won't describe it...but let me just say....I don't know if I will EVER eat a brownie again! EVER.
AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaanyway......after my 1 1/2 hour cleaning spree at the buttcrack of dawn, I got to wash about 5 loads of laundry and do the dishes before I finally took a break at about 8 a.m. Next, we took my car into the shop to be worked on. We knew it needed a few little things to be tuned up but we never expected them to say it was going to cost $1, 400.00!!! OUCH! Next, I decided to change into my gym clothes so I could do a Zumba video and then Chest & Back---sounds good....EXCEPT our STUPID tv in the living room STILL won't work and the kids were watching a movie using the other DVD player! GRRRRRR!!!! Talk about being frustrated! Eventually the kids movie got over and I did my work out in our master bedroom. Worked up a major sweat and worked my arms to the point of such exhaustion that I could hardly hold them up to wash my hair during my shower afterwards! Next we took Brooklyn to the doctor to see what's up with her. They gave her some anti-diarrheal meds and some anti-nausea and told us if she's not better by morning to bring her in for C-Diff testing (infection of the colon). Poor thing! She hasn't eaten anything of substance in DAYS! (well, except for those brownies on Sunday night! BLECHK!!!)
Tonight, after a dinner of salad and chicken vegetable soup, I did Ab Ripper X and then had a small bowl of my "light" banana pudding. YUM! I feel like it was a succesful day--despite all the set backs--I still managed to eat well and get in my work outs, plus, the kids bathroom is cleaner than it has been in YEARS! (and I'm CURED of my love for brownies!) Score!!!

Day 68

My big day at the gym = 1053 calories in 2:14. Not too shabby! Nothing kicks my tush like an hour of kickboxing followed by zumba and then abs. Perfectolicious!
Sucky that I ate "bad" tonight at the mexican resturant....but such is life. I vowed that I will NOT mess up again tomorrow. And I won't. :o)
Happy Saturday Night Y'all!

By the way...thanks for all the warnings on the Fiber One bars and the high fuctose corn syrup. Matt mentioned that maybe they are to blame for the very unusual break out on my skin. I never ever ever get zits and I have about 4 right now. The only thing I've changed is that I've been eating those bars--about 1 a day. So..no more Fiber One bars for me folks. I'll to get my fiber elsewhere. I'm all with you Demi---fresh, natural, organic---food the way GOD created it. That's what I'm striving for......:o)

Day 66 and 67

Thursday (day 66): Went to gym for my step class and interval class. Burned 722 calories and felt great! Didn't do YogaX like I should have but Matt had to work late and didn't get home till 1:30 am so I had the kids by myself... They'd already had to wait on me for 2 hours while I worked out at the gym so I didn't want to put them through another 1 1/2 hrs of boredome while I did Yoga. Maybe a crummy excuse...but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it! :o)

Friday, today (day 67): Busted my BUTT today! OH YAH!! I borrowed the real, actual ZUMBA dvd's from a friend of mine and did a 45 minute Zumba work out BEFORE I did Legs & Back and Ab Ripper X. First of all--let me just say--Zumba at the gym is about half as complicated as the routines on this video! MAN Latin people can MOVE! It's like their hips aren't even connected or something! I'm in LOVE! I want to be able to move like that---and I used to think it was genetic--either you could or you couldn't--but I've learned that it really can be learned. I never thought I could salsa, shimmy or do a body roll like I know I can now! It was a blast dancing the calories away...but it is SO MUCH MORE fun when I'm at the gym surrounded by a bunch of other girls! As for legs and back and ab ripper...they're the same as always. The scenery is getting a tad bit boring in the P90X videos. I mean...Pam the Blam and "Perfect" Dreya, Adam with his friggin o% body fat and Domi the leap frog. Blahhhh.... I think my favorite person in all of the videos is Andrea (studying to be a dentist) in the legs video because she's quiet and doesn't say much (and she's adorable!)
Anyway...that's my 2 cents for today. I am glad I got in such a great work out earlier, have had my shower and now can spend the evening chillaxin with the fam at the crib!
Later y'all!

Athleta

Here's a pic of one of the suits that I like!

Swim suits that ROCK!

Hey girls! If you're reading this blog, chances are you're a fitness fanatic and you like your stuff (your goodies) to stay put when you move around. Well...have I got a TREAT for you! Check out http://www.athleta.com/ for some of the coolest swimwear (and clothes)! They make stuff for people who are ACTIVE--(thus the name Athleta). I LOVE everything they sell and I don't know how I'm ever going to choose. If nothing else, at least go to their site and request a free catalog so you can browse through it at home.

These are a few of my favorite things:

I got camera happy in the kitchen the other day and thought I'd share a few pics of some of my favorite foods. The reason I even had my camera in there at all because I was going to tell you that the Great Value BeneFit bars are EXACTLY the same as the Fiber One bars but they are cheaper. Seriously, I cannot tell the difference and they have the exact same nutritional values too!

This is my favorite bread. As you can see...it's Sara Lee--100% whole wheat and only 45 calories per slice!! YAY!

Veggie Sausage patties....not exactly like real sausage...but when you're trying to eat healthy and want a "meat" to go with your breakfast...this one is really pretty good!You've already read my praises about the Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches...but I thought I'd include a pic of them in case you haven't went out and got yourself any yet. Do it! You deserve this amazing little treat! And...my instructor Shelley mentioned that she cuts hers in half and eats part early on in the day and then the other half at night for dessert. What a great idea and you're still only getting 140 calories total!Okay..I saved one of my FAVORITES for last. These Sunsweet Dark Chocolate covered Plums are AWESOME! They are just like eating raisinetts but better. They only have, I think, 140 calories in like 14 of them...and I can usually get satisfied with just 7. They are a definite NEED when it's that time and you're craving something RICH and chocolatey!! YUMM!

Day 65

Man...what a go-go-go day! We got an early start (me and my mom) and took the kids to a children's museum here in town this morning. Then we went out for lunch (pizza) and then to the mall for a teensy bit of shopping and playing (they have a great play area in the center of our mall). As I was leaving the mall, some passer-by's pointed out to me that I had a flat tire. Thankfully there was a Goodyear place in the same parking lot so I drove over there and they aired up my tire for me. That was at about 3:30. By 6:30 when we got ready to leave for church...it was completley flat again. I'm talking so flat that Matt said I couldn't even pull it into the garage. It's pretty much just sitting on the rim. BUMMER! So, we took my mom's car to church tonight and tomorrow I'll be driving her ride while mine sits and waits for Matt to have time to put on my spare. (not that I mind...she has a loaded out Toyota Forerunner! :o) Anyway after we got home from church and got the kids all tucked into bed, I decided to do Back & Biceps and Ab Ripper X. I really thought I probably wasn't going to end up getting a work out in today since we were so busy...but when we got home from church, for some reason I felt really energetic and not tired at all...so to work I went! Poor Matt though..I had to do it in our master bedroom tonight because our living room TV isn't working. It's the craziest thing. We just bought it--our first big plasma screen to hang on the wall--a couple of years ago, if even that long, and already it won't turn on. We have had the WORST luck in our 11 years of marraige with TV's. I think every TV we've ever owned has had some sort of malfunction with it!
Anyhow, I am really glad I did my work out. I could have very easily just curled up in bed and watched American Idol...but I didn't. I did the work and look--it's only ten after 10 right now...so its still early enough to watch a little TV before I doze off! yay! Goodnight Y'all!

Day 64

I went to the gym today for my core class. My sweet instructor, Shelley, decided to turn up the heat a little on us since it was Spring Break so she was throwing cardio blasts at us left and right. Talk about a work out! My heart rate monitor was beeping at me most of the time telling me I was over "the zone." (185+) Afterwards a friend talked me into trying out the stair stepper for the first time. She set me all up on it and then left saying that she usually does about 20 minutes. HA! I did a little over 10 and I was completely out of breath! Seriously someone tried to stand there and talk to me while I was doing it and I could NOT hold a conversation. I was like "I'm sorry but I can't talk--literally!" Wow...! I'm not sure that is the work out I would really want to do very often though as I get plenty of leg work already. Anyway, it was cool to try something new out. I burned 503 calories at the gym. When I got home I showered real quick and then rushed off to my hair appointment. Time to get those roots dyed! After that I cooked a quick dinner and then we ran off to Grant's first T-ball practice. By the time we got home it was about 8:30 and to make a long story short...I finally sat down for the first time at 9 pm and put on The Biggest Loser and that was it for me for the day. I had totally 100% planned on doing Plyometrics but it was like before I realized what was happening, I was sleeping and I had "missed it." I did do some floor work with my big ball while I was watching BL..if that counts for anything! :o)

Day 63--No You Dit Ent

Chest, Shoulders & Triceps with Ab Ripper X. I brought it today big time. I figured it's time to step it up a notch. We're on the home stretch now and there is still a lot of work to be done!
Speaking of...someone told me today that they couldn't really see much of a difference in my body since starting this 2nd round of the "X". At first I was ticked, then I was sad and full of self-pity and then all of a sudden I felt this "I'LL SHOW YOU" feeling come over me. It's ON now baby! Ain't no one gonna tell me after this 2nd round of the "X" that there is not a noticeable difference in my body. That was just fuel for the fire! I'm on a mission now! :o)

Anyway, on a different--less vengeful note--I have a question to ask all you fellow fitness freaks out there. I've heard different opinions about spot-training (targeting a specific area of your body). Some say you can't do it--it has to be a total body work out to get real benefits. Others claim you can do specific work outs and target only your abs (ie. Hip-Hop Abs) or maybe just heavy lifting to target the "glamour muscles." I have 3 areas on my body that I really want to target. That's not to say that the rest of my body is perfect...but these 3 spots are the places I most want to change. The places that I would consider my "trouble spots." They're common and probably the same places ALL women want to change...but I'm determined to do something about it!
They are:
1. Lower abs (and lower back-love handle area)
2. Flab under arm
3. Inner thighs
So...if anyone has any specific exercises I can do for these particular spots, I'd love to hear it. I do quite a bit of ab work and leg work already. And as anyone knows who has done P90X...we work our arms out in pretty much every dvd. It's kind of weird because there is a component of all 3 of these places that I feel I have GREAT muscle tone. For instance...my upper abs (above belly button) look really toned trim. My biceps and triceps are pretty impressive and my thighs are nearly solid muscle with the exception of that little inner thigh area. I'm not sure if I'm just spending too much time working the large muscle groups in those areas and not focusing enough on the smaller muscle groups or what. Anyway, like I said...please send me any tips you have. I'm all ears!

Days 60, 61, 62

Friday, Satuday and Sunday (60, 61, 62). If I could just be calorie-exempt on these days, all would be good! It's a shame that it doesn't matter how good you do and how hard you work Mon-Thur if you blow it Fri-Sun.
On Friday, I had a full day planned of housework and then a school party that afternoon where I was responsible for the cupcakes. I didn't end up getting to work out before I showered--which is always dangerous--as I am way less likely to want to workout AFTER I've already gotten "ready." Sure enough, when I got home from the party I got the kids and we had to go to town to meet a lady to sell her some of Grant's old 3T clothes (from Craig's List). She was supposed to meet us at 5:30. Well, since we were waiting on her and the kids were hungry, I decided to take them to Mazzios for dinner. (Matt was working late). I had already eaten a healthy taco salad at home earlier so I didn't think the pizza would be very tempting. I ended up having 1 1/2 slices. But right about the time we were leaving, Matt called and said he was on his way and was going to meet us there. So...I did a DUMB thing and ordered an Oreo dessert pizza--for the kids, of course! Except for that is probably my favorite "sweet" thing in the entire world...so...I had a piece of that too! (ARGH!) Long story short...this lady didn't end up showing up to meet us until 7:30 (2 hours late!!!) so we spent a LOT of time at Mazzios. By the time we got home, it was 8 and I had rented a movie for us (Major Valentine) and Matt was zonked from working all day and wasn't going to work out...so we decided to just relax and watch the movie. It was really cute-from what I saw of it..but I got super sleepy and slept through probably half of it.
Saturday, I did my classes at the gym (kickboxing, zumba and abs) and burned 1043 calories!! It is crazy to me that kickboxing is "dying out" somewhat in the fitness world. That work out is crazy-good! I LOVE punching and kicking the bag. Its like nothing else. Throwing all your weight and all your energy into something. My favorite is the roundhouse kick because I can literally thrust my entire body into that kick and really knock the day-lights out of the bag! Anyhow, Saturday night Matt and I went on a date. We had eaten a snack before we left the house and didn't think we were going to get hungry while we were out...but but the time we left the mall at 9 pm we were "starving." We ended up going to the Macaroni Grill where were going to just share an appetizer. But I found a coupon in my purse for $5 off 2 entrees so we each ordered our own plate. I got parmesan crusted sole. It was so so so so good. I saved half of it to take home but I still got pretty full. It was almost midnight by the time we got the kids home, put them in bed and got in bed ourselves.
Then just a few hours later at 3:30 am...Brooklyn comes running into our room yelling "Grant is puking everywhere." Sure enough...so I was up for about an hour washing sheets, bathing kids and re-making the bed. When we finally got back to bed, Matt and I were laying there talking and the phone rang. He was getting called out to go to work!! Anyway, when my alarm went off at 6:30 am to get up and get ready for church, I just turned it off and rolled over. I knew the kids were going to be extremely tired, plus I wasn't sure if Grant was sick or what. So we skipped church. I tried to do the Legs & Back work out that I had missed on Friday but during the balance lunges, Brooklyn hit my leg which threw my balance off and when I fell, my foot came down with my full weight on Grant's HEAD. He apparently was laying underneath me but I had been looking up at the TV and didn't know it. That kind of thing is SO FRUSTRATING to me. We are constantly telling them to stay away from us while we are working out. One day when we were doing Back & Biceps and Matt was curling 35 lb. weights...Grant had gotten beside/under his arm. He didn't know it and he brought that weight down, smacking Grant right in the head. It didn't really hurt him--just scared us all. It drives me crazy when they sneak up next to us when we're working out..but I guess that's just kids for ya. It's not so much that it makes me mad at them---but I just feel horrible for hurting them or running into them---especially when they've been told over and over and over to stay back. Grrr... Anyway, I went back to the work out and tried to do as much as I could but after I had to hit pause for like the 15th time, I just finally hit eject and said FORGET IT! Matt was trying to sleep as he had been out working all night and day and the kids needed more attention than I was giving them. Oh well. I tried.
Anyway, today is a new day. It's Monday of spring break. Usually I have a big "plan" all mapped out for our spring break week...but not this time. We are just playing it by ear--winging it. Hopefully we will have lots of fun and not drive each other crazy! :o)

Wanna know what I think?

For anyone who is on the fence about whether or not to try P90X--or for anyone who is just interested in what I have to say about it--read this post I wrote back in September of 2008. This was 9 days before we were done with our first round of P90X. I went back and read it this morning and I still feel exactly the same way about it. Since I've had several people ask me to give them my opinion on the program lately, I thought I'd post this link to that old post and give ya'll a chance to read it! Just click here: www.p90xourjourney.blogspot.com/2008/08/p90x-gets-2-thumbs-up.html

Jen's Taco Soup

This recipe is one of those that you can alter to your liking. The "key" ingredient is the Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning packet. If you don't have that...it's not going to work (trust me, I've tried it). Other than that you can use whatever beans, corn, tomatoes that you have on hand. Also, this recipe serves about 4 but you can certainly double it for a larger group.

TACO SOUP
Ingredients:
1 lb. (or more) lean ground turkey
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 can pinto beans (or black beans)
1 small can sliced black olives
1 cup chicken broth
1 can white shoe peg corn (or whatever corn you have)
1/2 a seasoning packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1/2 a seasoning packet of Taco seasoning
Directions:
Brown the meat with the onions. Drain any excess grease. Add in all other ingredients and heat.
Top with a spoon full of light sour cream, a sprinkle of fat free cheddar cheese and some cilantro if you like.

Serve over a bed of lettuce for a taco salad.
Serve with tortilla chips to eat as a soup.
Delicious served with guacamole (recipe below).

Jen's guacamole
1 ripe avocado
1 tbsp. chopped onion
1 tbsp. light sour cream
1 sprinkle garlic salt
1/3 c. hot salsa
chopped cilantro

To choose an avocado, look for one dark in color. Gently squeeze. If it feels hard as a rock--put it back. If your fingers squish right into it--put it back. You want to feel it squish just a teensy bit. Imagine the firmness of a perfect banana. That is what you're looking for.
To use an avocado, get a serrated knife. Cut avocado from top to bottom and all the way around. If you don't know...there is a huge pit in the center so you won't be able to slice all the way through. Pull the 2 halves apart and remove the pit. Using a large spoon, scoop out the avocado making sure to get it all off the insides of the skin.
Directions:
Dice avocado up into a bowl. Add all the other ingredients and stir briskly, somewhat mashing the avocado while you're mixing.

Healthier tortilla chips
Buy corn tortillas. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 1/4ths (little triangles). Spray a cookie sheet with Pam and place your "chips" on there in a single layer. Spray them again (on top) with Pam and sprinkle with salt. Bake in a 350 degree oven until crisp.

Day 59

It was one of those "something is wrong with this picture" days. I found myself walking into the gym wearing a t-shirt, short shorts and a light jacket---while it was SNOWING and SLEETING outside! What the HECK? I had no idea the forcast was for a "wintery mix." Oh well...nothing like making you get into the gym quickly! ha ha
I did my 45 minute step class and then my 45 minute interval class. That interval class is always tough...but after doing 45 minutes of step, it really wipes me out. I wish I could do them in opposite order sometime and see how hard I could push in interval before I'm already exhausted! Anyhow, eating was not great today. I started out good with my normal Kashi oatmeal. Then a protien bar and fruit after my work outs. Later in the day (2:30 pm) I had a slice of cheese with some Kashi crackers and a little bowl of fruit. For dinner I made taco soup. It's one of our faves and I usually make it with lean ground turkey...but I realized we were out of turkey so I had to get a pound of ground beef from my mom. Instead of eating it like a bowl of soup this time, I poured it over a big bowl of chopped up lettuce and ate it like a taco salad minus the shell. It was SOOOO yummy!! If anyone is interested in the recipe...just let me know! Anyhow, tonight for "dessert" I had a Fiber One Oats & Chocolate bar (140 calories). If you're a Biggest Loser watcher, then you would have seen where on this week's episode, Bob gives Aubrey and Mandi one to eat and tells them how good it is for helping supply their fiber. What they didn't say enough was how GOOD they are! I know I just went on and on about the Skinny Cow ice creams last night....but these Fiber One bars are just as good! They are so chewy and full of chocolate chips. (and they supply 1/3 of your daily recommended fiber--which helps to keep you feeling fuller longer!)
Today's work out was supposed to be yoga, and I when I got up this morning I told myself I was really going to try to do it...but once I came home from the gym and took a shower, put on my make up and did my hair and got all dressed...I just did NOT want to change again and get all sweaty. Lame excuse I know...but it was so nice to just eat dinner and then just go sit down and watch t.v. and not have a million things to do. I hardly ever relax....so I don't think one night will hurt anything. :o) Goodnight y'all!!

Days 57 and 58

Okay let's see... I got so excited about writing my "Shelley" post that I forgot to post about yesterday!

Tuesday, Day 57, I got up and went to core class at the gym. As always I got a great work out from that. Later that evening Matt and I did Plyo X. I ate decently although I've discovered a new love: the Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches! Oh. My. Gosh!!! Target had them on sale for $2.49 so I thought I'd try 'em. (I was always to cheap to try them before). Anyway...they only have 140 calories so they aren't too bad of a cheat....but the real delight was how GOOD they are. You'll just have to try them and see...but I'm telling you...you're gonna have trouble not feeling guilty eating it because it is THAT good!

Today, Wednesday, Day 58. I wanted to watch The Biggest Loser that I had dvr'd so I watched half of it while I ate lunch and then for the 2nd half, I hopped on my elliptical and got in some cardio while I watched. I ended up doing 45 minutes on there. After that I did Ab Ripper so I could get that out of the way for today. Since we started going to church on Wednesday nights, its hard to fit everything in between the time Matt gets home from work at 4:30 and when we leave for church at 6:30 (work out, shower, get ready, eat dinner) Today I was PREpared!! I had already cooked dinner ahead of time, set the table, layed out our clothes and bibles for church and had the Shoulders & Arms DVD loaded and ready to go. We ended up having plenty of time since everything was so ready...and that was nice. We actually made it there ON TIME for once!! yay!! I've done good on my eating all day and I got lots of good working out in...but...I'm REALLY wanting to have one of my Skinny Cow's right now while I watch American Idol. I did really good and skipped out on the Blue Bell icecream that EVERYONE else in my family ate after church at our ice cream shop...so surely a single Skinny Cow isn't that bad? right? ohhh...I know I probably shouldn't have it....but I'm gonna. Wow...did I just admit that to you all. See---you think I'm sooo strong...but put a dessert in front of my face and I'm like Sampson with his hair cut off....no strength left whatsoever!

Anyway, I want to leave you all with a verse that I saw tonight at church. We were reading in Colossians and somehow my eyes wandered across the page and this verse popped out at me and I couldn't help but giggle. I even wrote it on my hand so I wouldn't forget!

Colossians 2: 16

"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink...."

So THERE...don't ya'll be judgin' me for havin' a Skinny Cow....the Bible says so!! :o)

My Dearest Shelley

Okay, I got busted at class today. ;o) Not once have I mentioned my OUTSTANDING AMAZING AWESOME instructor at the gym on this blog. What Was I Thinking?????
Even though she did tell everyone in class today that I was cheating her of blog space...she really does deserve a LOT of credit for my physical fit-ness. For the past 2+ years, I have been taking her classes religiously every Tuesday and Thursday. I have gotten SO attached to her and this class that I will literally do almost anything to get there. I have missed my kids school parties, hair appointments, breakfast dates--you name it--all because I can't STAND to miss even one single one of her classes. If we are taking a family trip somewhere--I will secretly try to plan it where we leave AFTER class on Thursday and come back no later than Monday night JUST so I can be at her class. Yes, folks---it is THAT bad.
So..you might be wondering WHY is she SO great?
Well, let me tell you:
She pushes me like NO ONE else does. Besides the fact that she has my dream body (TINY and petite with defined, cut muscles) she also has a personality that is like mine---HARD CORE! She's like a stick of dynamite--small and POWERFUL! When I'm exhausted and feeling like quitting--she hollers out (in the microphone) "Come on Jen..You can do it! Just a few more!" and when I've pushed myself too hard, my face is blood red and I am about to puke, she's watching and will tell me "take a break Jen." She never fails to say hi to me (and everyone else) by name when we walk in. She treats us all like we are special and she shows us that she really does care about us and what's going on in our lives--even outside of the gym. She's passed on numerous food/eating tips to me (like the Honey Crisp apples! YUM!) She even once returned Grant to me at Wal-Mart when I had lost him!! Ya, I was looking at shampoos I think and he had went across the isle to look at the bikes. Next thing I know here she comes walking up to me with him holding her hand. He'd gotten lost and couldn't find me! Thank GOD she was there!
On top of all of this wonderful stuff....I haven't even told you the best thing about her yet! She is a CHRISTIAN! YAY! So on top of being able to talk about my physical wellness with her, we also get a chance every now and then to gab about God and what He's doing in our lives! That is really the icing on the cake---er---I mean on the protien bar! (what am I thinking---we don't eat CAKE!! :o) he he he
So...there you have it. While P90X has helped me take my body to the next level...it has been Shelley who got me to the point where I could even THINK about doing something so extreme as P90X. And don't let her tiny-ness fool you---she is every bit as BAD to the BONE as Tony Horton. As a matter of fact...she IS the female version of Tony! (but WAY cuter!)
Anyway, Shelley, if you're reading this..I mean every word of it! You are such an inspiration and I hope we have lots more sweaty workouts together in the years to come!!

Days 55 and 56

Yesterday--Sunday (Day 55) was rest day. We went out for lunch after church to Lone Star. I got a grilled chicken sandwich and boxed up half of it right away. Even though I only ate half my meal, I still got pretty full.
Today--Monday (Day 56) was the beginning of Phase 3 for us. HOORAY! I'm really ready to see some drastic results. I know that in order to get that, I'm gonna have to get stricter with my eating so out came the P90X nutrition guide again and we got to have "Italian Meatloaf" for dinner. Not our favorite...but it's healthy at least. I am going to try to make the veggie soup one day this week so we can have that as a "side" with all our meals. They really do need to put more recipes in there. There are only like 3 choices for dinner in Phase 3.
Anyway, Matt and I did the work out tonight after dinner. It was Chest & Back with Ab Ripper X. I was proud of myself because I really don't like working out at that time of the evening when I've just eaten and I'm exhausted from a long day...but I still gave it my all and kept right up with Maureen on almost everything (except the pull ups) and the dive bombers. I can do about 6 of them the right way---then I have to drop to my knees so I don't take a bite out of the carpet! I also upped my weights on the lawnmowers to 20 lb. tonight instead of my usual 15 lb. It felt good and I'm ready to get to bed now and wake up refreshed and ready for tomorrow (gym day AND plyometrics!!)

Day 54

Gym day for me: YAY! Not eating before an intense 2 hour work out: STUPID!
I got up early this morning (6:30 am) so I could get some of my work for the dr. office done before I left for the gym. I worked for about 45 minutes until I started getting really sleepy so I got up and made myself a big to-go mug of coffee and drank that until time to leave for the gym. I was full from so much coffee that I wasn't really hungry and plus, I've been wanting to give working out before eating a try anyway...so off I went. (for those who don't know--I am an avid breakfast eater--haven't missed a breakfast in probably 10 years)
Well, it became apparent about 30 minutes into kickboxing that I was WAY weak and shaky. In my mind..I was all there and totally wanting to kick some butt...but...when I threw a punch or kicked my leg it was like the energy behind the swing had been drained out and I barely hit the bag. The impact of my kicks nearly knocked ME over instead of me knocking the bag over! HA! Wouldn't that be something--the headlines would read..."Girl knocks HERSELF out at local kickboxing class!"
Anyway, I was zonked after the class was over and I really wanted to just call it a day....but....I was meeting a lady in the gym parking lot to sell something from Craigs list so I had to stay for another hour and a half!!! So I used the 15 min. between kickboxing and Zumba to try to get my heartrate back into normal #'s (it was up around 180-190 all throughout the kickboxing class!) and get rehydrated.
When time for Zumba came, I actually felt quite better and really did give it a good effort. What really SUCKED is that I hung around so I could meet that lady and then she decided she didn't want to buy the item after all! Grrrr.... Oh well..at least I burned 873 calories in those 2 1/4 hours!
When I got home, I 'inhaled' some Light Progresso Sante Fe Chicken soup (160 cal) and 1/2 of a grilled cheese sandwhich and then got very nauseated. (ate WAYYY too fast) I took a quick shower and then laid around ALL the rest of the day!
Tonight was the kids school carnval and I was scheduled to work at the jupiter jump almost the entire evening. It was fun but by the time it got over at 8 pm, we were all starving--so we went out for Mexican. Matt and I shared fajitas and I only ate 1 tortilla. The rest of the onions, peppers and meat I just ate by themselves. Still, I know I probably had too many chips and salsa. I hated it that I "messed up" all that work I had done earlier in the day.....
Anyway, in all today, I learned that I should definintely eat before working out...especially if I'm gonna be up for 3 hours before I work out. I also learned that if we don't PLAN out our meals, we end up going out for something unhealthy and I don't do nearly as well.

Day 53

Our weather was in the 80's today. Talk about a mood lifter!! I spent an hour outside in the morning pitching balls to grant and playing basketball with him. I think he was shocked that I gave him that much undivided attention! :( I definitely need to do that more. It's kind of ironic because people would think that stay-at-home-mom's spend so much time with their kids. Yes, I'm with them 24/7 but I'm hardly ever REALLY WITH them. I'm so busy all the time that many days go by and I realize I haven't hardly seen or spoken to them--we just all do our own things. I'm looking forward to changing that.
Anyway, today was Core Synergestics. Because it was so nice outside, I had the windows open and the ceiling fans on...but it was still 77 in the house while I was working out. Let me just tell you...when I got done doing that video...my hair was soaked! It felt GREAT to have worked SO HARD and really feel like I burned some "goo" off!
Eating went well today. I had an egg white scramble with ff mozerella, veggie sausage patty and 1 light ww toast for breakfast. I had a small baggie of fruit (apples and grapes) at 11 am and then a bowl of raisin bran at 2:30. Some things came up around dinner time and we didn't get to eat when we normally would, so I snacked on a protien bar (120 cal) at about 5:30. Finally, at 8 pm, we ran out for some pizza. I ordered the "wise guy" which is a total veggie pizza (no meat) and a big garden salad with FF ranch (35 cal). I had 2 slices of pizza with my salad and we drank water. Even though I'm sure I had too many calories/carbs for that late at night, I still practiced self-control because I could have easily eaten another slice. Then when we got home, I made everybody up a bowl of Edy's light vanilla icecream with crushed up oreo's on top---EXCEPT FOR ME! YAY! I resisted. I had 3 little nibbles out of Matt's bowl but that is all. I was really patting myself on the back for that because as you all know...that is my weakness! In all, it was a great day and I am really looking forward to going to the gym tomorrow morning and burning off some more "goo." :o)

Day 52

Today was good. Since we're in the Recovery Week, I think today was supposed to be Yoga...but since I did Yoga yesterday, I am skipping it for today and just doing my normal classes at the gym. (45 min. step & 45 min. interval training). For those 2 classes I burned 712 calories. It was SO hot in the gym today, as it always is when the temperatures around here start rising. Even though I hate being that hot, it does help me burn some extra calories, which is always a good thing! I ate pretty good all day. Started out with some Kashi oatmeal, had a protien bar and fruit on the way home from my work outs. Snacked on some left over steamed veggies and 1/2 a baked chicken breast at 3 pm and then for dinner Matt grilled turkey burgers. We didn't have any buns so we just at them like a steak with sauteed onions on top! YUM! I also made zuchhini fries and we had some applesauce with it all. Later in the evening everyone wanted an "oreo shake" again. This time I made mine seperate from everyone elses. I used crushed ice, 1/2 c. skim milk and my cookies-n-cream protien powder (1 scoop). Then instead of throwing in oreos, I took 1 oreo apart, took out all the cream, crushed up the 2 chocolate cookies and sprinkled that on top. It wasn't NEARLY as good as the other night...but still, I felt like I had a treat and it was probably more like 150 calories instead of like 350 the other night.

Day 51

Well, I'm proud of myself for today. Not only did I do YogaX (a huge feat for me) but I also skipped my normal BAD dessert after church tonight and shared a small yogurt cup with the kids. I probably ate half of it myself--but still that would only be 55 calories--so I'm happy. I was VERY tempted to get icecream from the icecream shop at church and actually walked a few steps in that direction before I imagined all of you there in my head shaking your finger at me and yelling NO!!!, so turned back around and headed for the car instead. One small victory--but a victory nonetheless! I think if I can get myself to look at this whole "not eating dessert" thing one day at a time instead of thinking "I should never have this yummy dessert again" then I'll do better. So from now on...it's just for "one day." Then the next day, I'll try to do it just for "one day" again...and on and on and on. I know it's kind of silly, but I'm no stranger to the game--when it comes to playing mind games with myself. Its how I convince myself of all the things I want to believe! :o)

The proof is in the pics!

So, I decided to make up for last night and do YogaX today. I called up my mom and told her I was bringing it and my mat over and we were going to do it together. Well...she lasted for about 3 sun salutations and 1 vinyasa before she got up and decided to do a photo shoot! Ha! I was concentrating and ignoring her (most of the time) so she just snapped away. Anyway, just to prove that I really did do it and suprisingly, my form isn't too awful either, I thought I'd post 'em for you all to see!

Ahhhh....Nameste!!!

Day 50

Imagine you're on Family Feud and you just got a strike. You know that really irritating buzzer sound it makes? Well...that's what I would get for this day, if I were on a game show.
Ya, I did bad.
I had an unusually large amount of work so I had to be up and at my desk working by 5 am.
Then I had a good breakfast (1 egg white, 1 light ww toast, 1 slice cheese, 2 turkey bacon).
Next I headed off to the gym for my core class. About halfway there, I realized how tired I was. That's not good. Even worse than BEING tired on the way to the gym is REALIZING it. Once I let my mind "go there" and believe that I was tired...there was no convincing it otherwise. I was doomed. I suddenly had a major lack of enthusiasm or energy. It's frustrating because honestly, I didn't feel nearly that zonked until I allowed my brain to tell me that I SHOULD be that tired. Grrr..
Anyway, so I went to my class...gave it about 90% effort and then, when I'd normally hop on the treadmill for a 3 mile run, instead I just left. I was telling myself "I'm doing yoga at home here in a little while anyway so it's okay." And HAD I done the Yoga..it would have been okay...but I didn't. I came home and had some Kashi crackers with a slice of cheddar cheese and a protien shake for lunch. Then the rest of the day is pretty much a blur. Nothing good to report and somewhere in there was a homemade oreo blizzard (chopped oreos mixed into a vanilla protien shake) and NO yoga. Here, I'll stick my hand out for you all to slap.
I seriously need someone to come clear my house out of all the sweets (and keep me from buying more!)

Day 49

Today was Core Synergestics. That has got to be one of the best workouts in P90X. There are push ups and weights and jumping and squatting. It's everything in one amazing hour! That's the one you need to do immediately prior to putting on your swimsuit because I guarantee you--that's as "tight" as you're ever gonna be in the core--after doing that!
Anyhow, eating was okay today. Not the best ever...but not bad. The only really "bad" thing we did was have a small brownie after dinner. When I have something like that I always feel like "I deserve it" because I worked out and ate right all day...but in reality...just having one small brownie (or other dessert) every night after dinner can make the difference in whether I do or don't ever lose this last 10 pounds. I know I'm going to have to give up my sugar addiction if the pounds are going to drop. Some people say "limit yourself to one treat a week" and that sounds good...but if you guys only knew. I feel like I'm doing GOOD if I limit myself to one treat a DAY! Auuughhhh....this is definitely my weakness!

Day 48

Day 48...I guess. I hate calling it a day "anything" when I didn't do anything "right" as far as my eating and workouts go. We woke up this morning, all ate a Krispy Kreme donut for breakfast. Then we cleaned house for a while before I made lunch (grilled chicken sausage, sweet potato fries, hard-boiled eggs, corn on the cob). Tonight was the volunteer banquet at church and as I said yesterday, they were serving us KFC. I think we did pretty good. We each got 1 piece of chicken and scraped all the skin off and just ate the meat. We also had a small serving of baked beans and potato salad and 1 biscuit. For dessert, we got a small cup of icecream. Both of us lefft still a little hungry...so I know we didn't over do it. (which is good). Today was our rest day or stretch and I had really wanted to do the stretch video...but never did get around to it, so "rest" it was. Tomorrow will start the beginning of week 8-recovery week. I'm looking forward to Core Syn. It's tough but it's one of those workouts that when it's over--you know you just left some poundage on the mat! (especially after those Dreya rolls!)
Bye Ya'll!!