Diggin It!

So...last time we talked, I was telling y'all about the Insanity Fit Test (that was on Wednesday). Thurday I did the Plyo workout after my class at the gym! Whew!! That was EXHAUSTING! I took some pictures of myself while I was POURING sweat...I know that's just what y'all are dyin' to see...so I'll try to download them and post asap! (hee hee)
Yesterday I did the Cardio Resistance workout while Matt watched from the recliner saying "that doesn't look too hard". HA!!! He had worked the previous 24 hours and was zombie-tired...so he couldn't do it with me...but I seriously considered flipping him off (haha) while he was sitting there commenting on how it didn't look THAT hard. (so easy to say when you're just a spectator!) I knew he was TOTALLY just giving me a hard time--and it was all in good fun--but I'm really not in that much of a jovial mood when my heart is beating at 189 beats per minute and I can't even see for all the sweat running into my eyes. Something about that takes the funny out of things just a bit. :-)
Today was Cardio Recovery which was still very hard...but way less jumpy. I decided do P90X Chest, Shoulders & Triceps today also so I can keep my muscle tone where I want it (not sure how much Insanity is going to do for building/toning arm, back & shoulder muscles???) Anyway, Matt joined me for today's workouts and he's really pumped about doing the Insanity program. Several of you guys have asked what he thinks about it---and so far---he is just as excited about it as I am. It's a very nice (and due) change from Tony Horton. The energy level (and music) is just so exciting and energizing! So far, there is nothing I DON'T like about it. And Kandy, you asked about the lengths of the work outs....well...that is the BEST part! The shorter routines are just over 30 minutes...and the longer ones are about 45. It's SO NICE to be done in UNDER an hour...and...no ab ripper to do afterwards either!
Man...I feel like I'm doggin' on P90X. I am SO NOT. I think it's just that I've been doing P90X now for over a year and it was time to mix things up a bit. Even still, I am totally planning on throwing in some of the strengthening/weights dvd's with the Insanity program.
Also, I don't know that I would have the endurance or stamina to do Insanity if I hadn't already completed P90X.
The time seems to pass so much faster with this program. (hooray! I hate watching the clock!)
The real proof will be when I weigh in next week!
Matt and I took our Insanity "Before" pictures last night. We were a tad bit disgusted with them...but I guess that's good since we're well on our way to losing the blubber!
Eating has been good. Not perfect, but very healthy and comfortable. Even though we've been eating out a little bit, we are being careful and concientious which is a big improvement for me. I usually go hog-wild when we go to a restaurant. It's like I think I'm on vacation because I'm not slaving over the stove in my kitchen! ha ha
I am so glad I didn't wait until we were done with this Round 3 of P90X to order Insanity. I think I might have burned out...but not now! We are on FI-YAH!!!
I also have to give a SHOUT OUT to my newest team member Coach Michelle!! YAY! Congratuations on becoming a Beachbody Coach! You are SUCH an inspiration!

Like Nothin' You've Eva Seen!

I hate to start a post with the letters OMG---but O.M.G!!!!!!!
Matt and I just did the Insanity Fit Test.
Let me just put this in terms you might understand:
The warm up was like my high-intensity boot camp classes at the gym--the WARM UP!
Then we began the actual "work out". It was (I think) 8 different moves--all for 1 minute each. Peice of cake, right? Uh...if you like eating brick-cake. Hard doesn't even begin to describe it. It's not that the moves are hard or complicated....it's that you're trying to do it as fast as you can--as many as you can get in durng that 60 seconds. I would always start out thinking "this isn't so bad" and then after about 30 seconds in...I'd be shaking and coughing and huffing with each breath! Good Lordy I am not nearly as fit as I thought!
I'm not sure how this information I've just discovered makes me feel about beginning the actual program. I know it's gonna whip me into shape--and that is AWESOME. I also know it's gonna be an ENORMOUS challenge for me to conquer the mental aspect of this.
I love my cardio---but I like it at the gym---surrounded by all my girlfriends.
Doing this at home--dodging dogs, toys and kids---on my living room carpet---ugh---not so fun! Of course, you all know I'm 'onetoughgirl' who is CERTAINLY not going to wimp out---NOR---am I going to let my money go to waste. If I shelled out the $$ to buy this program, you can bet I'm gonna do it and make every cent count.
I guess I just never realized, after 5 1/2 years of consistantly working out, that there are still moves out there that I haven't seen---and workouts that I can't do! I really thought "I can do anything" but after watching the "Dig Deeper" video and doing the fit test, I'm beginning to question my actual fit-level. The good thing is: There is always room for improvement!
I think I'm just rambling...
One thing I learned for SURE---DO NOT EAT for at LEAST 2 or more hours before doing any of these work outs. We ate about 1 1/2 hr. before and we nearly puked. Yuk! I still feel like my dinner is sitting in my throat. Gross!
Also, on the positive side---I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Nutrition Guide in this program. It is a million times easier to me than the P90X Nutrition Guide (but of course that is just my opinion). I am also thinking back to when I first started P90X and I didn't know how to cook/eat ANY of those foods. Now I eat very healthy anyway...so maybe that's why this new eating plan seems so easy. Either way, I am MORE THAN HAPPY to share the recipes with you all!
For any of you who are considering ordering Insanity...of course, I have a lot more to learn...but from what I've seen so far---I DEFINITELY recommend it. (maybe even over P90X!!!???) I can't believe I'm saying that because I NEVER thought I could love ANYTHING more than P90X....but....I also NEVER thought I could love my 2nd child as much as I loved my 1st--and then he came along and of course, I do! Well, it's kind of the same situation. P90X is my 1st baby---but Insanity is my 2nd baby and I am in LOVE already!
oh boy..have I gone off the deep end or what? ha ha ha
Give me a little bit of a break...I got my monthly visitor today, I have a huge zit on my chin, I'm moody and to top it all off, I peed my pants during the jump-knee-tucks in the fit test. Nice, huh?
I'm sure you all really wanted to know that about me. I am way too honest. Why am I still talking?
Okay...I really need a shower...really. Later y'all!

Biggest Loser....made personal

So at church Sunday, our pastor announced that Danny, our very large guitar player has been gone for some time. That is because he has been competing on this season of The Biggest Loser!!!

Since they tape the show ahead of time (and then the finalists get a couple of months to take off more weight while the show airs)...we already know that he makes it to the finals! So far, he has lost 150 pounds!

At one point during the taping of the show, he was running on the treadmill listening to praise & worship music when Jillian walked up to him and said "Jesus ain't gonna help you here buddy--it's just ME and YOU!"

HA! (what a DUMB thing to say and how WRONG she is!)

We (at our church) are excited for the show to air so we can watch Danny go through this amazing transformation week by week. Please believe with us that he will win the BIG prize and be this season's Biggest Loser!

(Our pastor mentioned that he really hopes Danny remembers to tithe on that prize too! ha ha)

click on this link to see his photos and read his bio!

http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/contestants/current_cast/danny/index.shtml

The new season of the show airs Tuesday, September 15th!~

Interruptions!!!

Don't you just hate interruptions? I think the most annoying time to get interrupted is during a work out. For me anyway, it takes total concentration to be sure my form is spot-on and that I am really pushing myself. I work as hard mentally when I'm doing an intense workout as I do physically.
Well, since last Thursday when we did Shoulders & Arms, I have had massive interruptions. Not that they were bad things...just things that prevented me from being able to do my workouts. As a matter of fact, one of the interruptions was a visit from Matt's little brother and his wife--and that was a very fun and relaxing interruption, but nevertheless, I couldn't desert my company for an hour and a half every day they were here to do a workout.
Another good interruption is that I finally got my transcription job back and when the doctor decided to start sending me work again...he sent 5 days worth all at once! I was on a strike from the rest of my life until I could get that work caught back up.
Anyway, the rest of my excuses interruptions are just piddly that maybe could have been over-looked, but weren't.

ON THE FLIP SIDE:

Guess what the UPS man delivered to my house about 30 minutes ago???????

INSANITY!

I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's like the feeling you have in your stomach when you're about to go on a rollercoaster. Adrenaline rush coupled with anxiety and a dose of fear. I know this is going to push me 'past my limits' so-to-speak. It is going to be the most intense, most extreme, most Insane thing I have ever done and while that is scary, it's also totally THRILLING because I know what this is going to do for my body!

So for any of you who wondered exactly what you get with this program....here it is:
It comes in this really cool old-school looking hard-back textbook. When you open it, each page (which is thick board) has 2 DVD's in it. At the back tucked away neatly in a special pocket is the Nutrition Guide (YAY! New Recipes!!), the calander and other papers and info that I haven't really looked at yet. This picture is of the big poster/calandar that you use to see what workout is on each day! Cool huh!?

You might have also noticed in that top picture that we also ordered some of the Men's Strength and Muscle Formula. Matt is really trying to increase his muscle mass (and not lose any more weight) so we decided to try this special "recovery drink" for men that includes creatine for muscle building! I'll definitely let you know how he likes it! (thanks Demi for the recommendation!)

Here is what he looks like right now. Not too shabby!! He's got great tone and definition--he just wants to be BIGGER. I think this supplement is going to be the answer. I'll post more pics as he progresses!

So..........What does this mean for our Round 3 of P90X??????????

I'm not really sure. I know that tonight we are planning on skipping church (bad, I know) and doing a work out. We are about to be committing to church every Wednesday night starting on September 9th so the kids can attend the Awana's program and Matt and I are going to be running the Ice Cream and Soda Shoppe at our church on Wednesday nights...so since that hasn't started yet...we are going to play hookey this time. I am VERY anxious to get started with Insanity and see what it's all about...but I know for SURE that we aren't going to abandon P90X either...so....until further notice, I guess you'll just have to be surprised with us each day on which program we do! ha ha

If any of you want to jump on the Insanity bandwagon with me (and you KNOW you do!) then click here to order!

P90X/D11/R3

Day 11--Shoulders & Arms. Yum!
Started the day out with a step aerobics class and then an interval class at the gym. I HATE it that the chest strap to my heart rate monitor broke because now I don't ever know how many calories I burned. I really should look into getting a new strap!
After Matt got home from work, we sat down at the computer to log onto WOWY and started looking at the other products Beachbody has to offer. I reminded him of how I have been wanting to order P90X+ for, like, EVER and he said "get it". So I clicked "add to cart". Then we browsed through the supplements because our Recovery Drink is almost gone. We (he) decided to try the Performance Men's Formula this time instead. There is enough Recovery Drink left for me for a while if I'm the only one using it and he is really wanting to start taking something with some creatine so that he can start bulking up more.
That was when he saw the little picture/blurb about Insanity. I'd told him about it before...but you know how that goes...until men are ready to hear about something...until they are interested in it themSELVES...it just goes in one ear, circles around once, and then flies out the other ear. Anyway, he said, click on that and let's check that out. So...I did. Long story short, he talked me into deleting the P90X+ off the order for now and getting Insanity instead. His reason was "I'm sick of looking at Tony Horton." All I can think is "oh my gosh can I handle this??" AUGH!
So...in about a week or so, our Insanity journey will begin! I think we will probably still throw some weight-training in too JUST because Matt is REALLY trying to get some major muscle mass right now and neither of us is convinced that you can do that by just cardio alone and no weight-lifting. (do any of you object?)
Anyhow, after our order, we rocked out Shoulders & Arms. That is one of our favorite work outs because #1: There is no jumping #2: There are no pull ups #3: Watching yourself in the mirror is completely self-motivating!
Eating was pretty good. Not gonna list it all out for the sake of time, but I'd give us a 7 on a scale of 1-10.

P90X/D8-9-10/R3

Have you been wondering where my daily P90X posts have gone? I kinda "quit" blogging them there for a bit but I remember that if I don't blog about my workouts/eating--no one holds me accountable, so it's time to get back on board.
Monday was Day 8. The bottom line is this: I cleaned house all morning, had a hair appointment at 1 pm, went to my parents house at 4 pm to pick up kids, mom had dinner fixed, ate smoked sausage, potatoes and green beans with cornbread and then carrot cake for dessert, came home and got kids in bed, went to bed. Yes, you read that right...no workout whatsoever on Monday. My excuse: didn't want to mess up my hair. Lame, I know.

Tuesday was Day 9 and would normally have been Plyo but since we missed Chest & Back on Monday...we did it on Tuesday night. I figured if we skip Yoga like we always end up doing...by Thursday we'll be back on schedule. I went to the gym Tues. morning as always and did my 2 classes there. Had that awful roasted chicken sandwich from Arby's for lunch and then ate baked fish and veggies for dinner. Did Chest & Back and Ab Ripper before bed.

Wednesday was Day 10. We skipped out on church and instead did Plyometrics, ate dinner (turkey&veggie spaghetti with salad) and then watched The Race to Witch Moutain. For those of you who don't know anything about this movie (like I was before we watched it)--it has NOTHING to do with a witch anywhere in the movie for even 1 second. That is just the name of the particular mountain they are climbing. It is kind of a sci-fi movie which I HATE...but I really got into this movie and enjoyed it. It's quite unrealistic...but still very intersting and on-the-edge-of-my-seat. Grant liked it too. (Brooklyn went to church with my dad so she missed it).
Anyway, glad I got Plyo in since I ate kind of crazy. Did good for breakast and lunch (had my Progresso Light soup) but then ate left over carrot cake and ice cream for dessert. Regretted it--but thankfully, it's all gone now. I need to make a mental note to QUIT making or buying desserts! If they aren't in the house..I have no choice. If they are in the house...I can't resist.

Today is Thursday, Day 12, when I'm typing this. I am about to go to the gym for my 2 classes and then tonight when Matt gets home we will do Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper. I am not going to look ahead further than today---but for today---I am going to do my best to improve my eating. Ya'll ask me about it tomorrow and see if I stuck to my guns! K?!!

Unbelievably True!

So, I saw this on a friend's blog and I LOVED it! I hope she doesn't mind that I copied!! She has a fabulous blog and a phenomenol following...go check her out if ya wanna!

More than I bargained for!

So, thinking I would be money-smart and nutritionally-smart, I went to Arby's and redeemed a coupon I had. It was for a Free Roast Chicken Club Sandwich with the purchase of any size drink. Seeing as how a small soft drink was .99 cents--AND--nothing on this sandwhich is fried, I really thought I was getting a great BARGAIN.
Well---lunch for $1.16 is pretty cheap, I'll admit. But LOOK at what I consumed in JUST this single sandwich! AUGH!! (thankfully it was all I ate with my Diet Dr Pepper--I didn't get the combo as pictured above)
Arby's Roast Chicken Club (contains bun, roasted chicken breast, 2 slices bacon, lettuce, tomato, mystery sauce)
Calories: 500
Total Fat: 17
Carbohydrates: 46
Protien: 30
The only thing that was good was the 30 grams of protien! (well, and the sandwich itself was VERY yummy). Anyway, had I known this info beforehand, I would have NEVER eaten this. So here is your word of warning: LOOK UP THE NUTRITIONAL INFO BEFORE YOU GO! Or, at least ASK when you get there if they have a pamplet you can look at. Don't be fooled by words like "grilled" and "roasted" and "salad". Many times they are just disguing the ugly truth! Maybe your chicken isn't fried...but there are much healthier choices if you do your homework!

On The Flip Side:

I am LOVING this soup! It is Progresso Light Zesty Santa Fe Style Chicken. It tastes just like Chicken Tortilla Soup (but very brothy). The can claims to have 2 servings, but I can easily eat the whole can as my lunch.

Nutrition info as follows for ONE serving (so double the numbers if you eat the whole can)

Calories: 80

Total Fat: 1

Carbohydrate: 10

Protein: 6

1 Weight Watchers Point (if you're into that)

It is DELICIOUS! I crushed up 3 (yes, ONLY 3) tortilla chips on top and some fresh cilantro but you can eat it right from the can and it is fabulous! Everything about this soup is yummy!

Put weight on = Take weight off

Kind of an oxymoron isn't it?
(ps. An oxymoron is 2 words that mean the opposite used together-for instance 'pretty ugly' or 'stinkin' awesome'.)
Anyway....the point is...it's time to start putting some weight on! On your barbell that is. You girls that are out there with a little 5 pounder on the ends of your barbell, it's time for graduation. I promise you--you can handle a little more weight. I think we all get a little too comfy and cozy with our weights sometimes and forget that the goal is to keep moving forward. I'm not saying us women need to be lifting 50 pound barbells, but 20 or 30 is actually very doable--and you'd be surprised at how strong you really are. I remember when I made the jump from 7 1/2 pounds on either side of my barbell to 10's. It wasn't even noticable. So the next time I jumped up to 12 1/2 pounds on either side and wow! I could still do just as many reps as always! Granted, I am SHOT at the end of the set, but still, look at how much harder I worked! People have been commenting on the definition and cut-ness of my arms, shoulders and back here recently and I really attribute this new more-defined look to going up on my weights. Even at home with P90X, I have begun to increase my weights and I am now using Matt's 20 lb. dumbells for several of the exercises. A few (like lawn mowers and congdon locomotive) I think I could even go up to 25's for.
I think that some of us have a little pride in this area and don't want to have to stop before everyone else does. So, to be safe, we grab a lighter weight. But the best case scenario (for ultimate results) is to grab a weight that pushes you to your limit. Ultimately you should NOT be able to (or barely able to) finish the last rep.
You may be saying right now--but I don't want to bulk up. Well, it's like this ladies-you don't have enough testosterone in your body to bulk up like a guy. We are just not built like men and we won't end up looking like one (unless we take some kind of crazy supplements). There are times when more reps at a lighter weight is good---but I'm more of the belief that 15 reps at your highest weight is BEST. If I can do more than 15 without crying for mercy---then it's time to go heavier.
By the way---you do remember that MUSCLE BURNS FAT right? The more of it you have, the more efficiently your metabolism is going to work for you--AND--the more effective your cardio sessions are going to be--THE MORE WEIGHT YOU'RE GONNA TAKE OFF!
Over the years, women have neglected weight training in their fitness and many have attributed weights as a "man's work out" but it's not. Girls, we have to sculpt and tone our bodies if we want to have curves in the RIGHT places. Skinny does NOT equal fit. But a girl who balances her cardio with weight training will have the healthiest, fittest possible body she can have! How many of you will graduate with me? Let's all agree to take it to the next level and see what happens!

Okay--I searched all over the web for a picture of a girl weight-lifting a barbell. I found plenty--but they all cost money to download. So....I ran up stairs, stuck my camera on auto and snapped few of myself. They aren't professonal (like Demi's) THAT's for SURE...but hey...it's redneck photography at it's best! ha ha

P90X/D6&D7/R3

Like I mentioned in my last post, we had friends over Friday night and didn't get in bed until 1 am, so we SLEPT IN on Saturday. Normally when I "sleep in" I get up around 7. Today though, it was 5 after 9! wowsers! It was like being a teenager again--except I felt "hung over" all day (and there was no drinking involved, I promise!)
Anyhow, I spent a good portion of the day outside with Matt helping him put up shelving in his shop building. By the time we came in the house to work out, it was 5 pm and we were SO hungry. I told him "let's eat dinner first and then in a couple of hours, do the work out."
Ya, right. We ate, cleaned up the dishes, took showers and realized that we HAD to make a trip into town to Wal-Mart for something we needed to bring to church early the next morning. It was nearly 10 pm when we got home and I think it was like 10:15 and we were all already in bed! (exhausting day-what can I say!?) So..no work out.
Sunday was busy too. I was scheduled to teach the 5-yr-old class so Matt went to service by himself. Then we came home from church, had lunch, cleaned up the dishes and headed out to the pool with the kids for some swimming. Came in at 3:30 and did CardioX before we had to shower and leave for the Ice Cream Social at church. I TOTALLY meant to eat before we left so I wouldn't be tempted by the free hot dogs and ice cream...but I ran out of time and it was either eat first and get there late---or leave now and be hungry there. I ended up eating 1 hot dog and 2 small bowls of icecream. They have like 15 different flavors of BlueBell to choose from and it's all free. They give out small scoops in little bowls so you can try lots of kinds so I got a bowl of Cookies-N-Cream (my fav) and then I tried a bowl of Southern Hospitality (my NEW fav). YUM!
Working out and eating was not very good but I am pretty sure I have learned my lesson. I am typing this on Monday morning and I have been paying for that kind of eating all morning long...if you know what I mean. Ugh. When you feed your body natural, healthy foods for 5 days and then JUNK all of a sudden, it sorta freaks out on you---just a word of warning! :o)
I'm glad today is Monday and we can get back into our schedule of workouts and eating.

P90X/D5/R3

Friday's are always tough. It seems like I have a million things I want to get done 'before the weekend' and the workout seems to get pushed to the bottom of the list. This time since I knew we were having friends over for dinner at 6:30, I was busy cleaning house and preparing food and I saved the workout to do until Matt got home at 4:30. I had it all planned out in my head that we would workout immediately when he got home at 4:30. Get finished at 5:30 and get right into the shower and be ready by 6 so we could start cooking the food.
Ha!
If there were no traffic/kids/animals/phone to deal with, that maybe could have happened, but as it was, we didn't get started on the workout until 5. It was 5:55 when I got in the shower and I think I had been in the kitchen for maybe 30 seconds when our company rang the doorbell! Whew!
Today's workout was Legs & Back and I thoroughly enjoyed that routine this time. Not that it was easy by any means, but I have pretty strong legs and I felt like I got a great workout and did a great job at it. The pull ups on the other hand...ugh. Our workout room is upstairs but our pullup bar is downstairs, so we have to run UP and DOWN over and over throughout these videos. I figured it would be great--an extra little cardio boost every so often. What it ends up being is me doing pullups as FAST as I can and then running up the stairs 2 at a time to get up there in time for the next exercise with my heart POUNDING. If I hadn't been in such a hurry, I could have paused it, but there wasn't time.
Anyway, eating started out o.k. and then got worse and worse as the day/night wore on.
We had the above pancakes for breakfast.
I had apples, grapes and pistachios for lunch.
I ate a turkey sandwhich (2 slices of whole wheat light bread, mustard, turkey) at around 3.
For dinner we had grilled turkey tenderloin, fried squash & zucchini, sweet potato fries and rolls.
Then at like 11:30 pm--while playing cards and getting sleepy--we ate dessert to celebrate our friend's b-day and had low-fat brownies with vanilla icecream, fresh sliced strawberries and hot fudge sauce! EEEEEeeeeek!
We ended up staying up till 1 am! That is a record for me. I don't think I've been up that late in YEARS! Whew!
Matt and I both went to bed saying, "WHY did we eat like that???" I had already made up my mind (earlier in the day) that this was going to be a cheat day for me. But, I did regret it later. I could have at LEAST done without the fried veggies and the dessert. Oh well...I'll do better next time.
**I just want to say to those of you who are doing P90X for the first time and are thinking to yourself that maybe it's not so bad to cheat since I keep doing it---don't do it!
When we did P90X the first time, I NEVER would have cheated like I did yesterday. I also had a lot more weight to lose then,than I do now. I probably won't get very good results if I keep cheating on my eating like this. You guys who are doing this for the first time really need to be STRICT about your eating. Once you reach your goal weight, you'll be able to have "cheat" days like me occasionally and it won't affect you too much...but right now you have to stay focused and keep your eye on the goal! I hope that doesn't sound hypocritical of me..I'm just tryin' to keep it real!

Healthy Pancakes

So, this morning instead of having egg whites again, I decided to make this Healthy Pancakes recipe from the Thin Kitchen's cookbook that I got from Beachbody. I don't know why I've never tried this before, but they were pretty good. After tasting the first one, I decided to add a little cinnamon to them, which I liked better. Just FYI: This recipe makes about ten 5"diameter pancakes. (enough for 3-4 people)

Healthy Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. wheat germ

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 c. canola oil

2 c. milk

Directions:

In bowl, mix eggs with oil and milk. Stir in baking soda, wheat germ and flour; mix until blended. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Pour the batter onto the griddle. Brown on both sides, turning once.

*Use fresh fruit and a small amount of real maple syrup or honey as a topping.

***I used Sugar Free Maple syrup because I haven't gotten to the store to get any "Real" maple syrup yet. The bad thing about these "pancake syrups" is that they contain corn syrup and other processed sugars that you want to avoid.

Approximate nutritional values (depending on what kind of milk you use)

Serving size: 3 pancakes

Calories: 210 (made with low-fat milk)

Total Fat: 9g

Saturated Fat: 1g

Carbs: 24g

Fiber: 4g

Protein: 8g

P90X/D4/R3

EXERCISE OVERLOAD! Today has been nuts! I got up this morning and practiced my routine for my class I was teaching at the gym (so got a light work out there). Went to the gym and did a 45 minute step class. Then taught a 45 minute interval class. Came home, put on my swimsuit and push-mowed (hardest work of the day!) the front, back and side yards. Then I hopped on the riding mower and mowed the rest of the acreage. Next Matt got home from work and we did Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper.
It's been non-stop movement since I opened my eyes at 5:15 this morning!
To counter-balance all that calorie-burning, I ate like a PIG today.
Really guys, I am hiding my face in shame right now.
Here's the list, in no particular order:
egg white veggie scramble with 1 peice turkey sausage
3 apple slices/10 grapes
20 pistachios
3 bites of Grant's ham sandwich
2 Doritos
Salad with tomatos, bell peppers and ham (my lunch)
handful of carmel corn
1/2 Recovery drink
Moutain Dew Icee from Kum-n-Go
Sweet & Spicy Chicken pasta stuff (frozen dinner-light on calories)
3 cherries
1 bite of Grant's Snickers bar
See....so. not. healthy.
I will say this at least: all the bad stuff, I ate just a LITTLE bitty bit of. My big meals were the eggs for breakfast, the salad for lunch and the chicken pasta stuff for dinner.
Still, my sweet little P90X team-mates who are looking to me for inspiration....this is a case of DO AS I SAY--NOT AS I DO!!!
I love you guys! I'm glad you all love me!

P90X/D3/R3

ohhh....well....it's like this. We have decided to make Wednesday's our skip day. It's just impossible to get a work out in AND make it to church. I wish I could say we'd do it after church, but I'd be lying. I know that when we get home from church, we're ready to change into jammies and hit the sack. So...today was rest day from P90X. I did go to the H.S. track with my buddy Rene and we walked during the hour the kids are at gymnastics. I think she said we burned 148 calories. hmmm...not much, but better than what it would have been if we'd sat and talked.
Eating today was not great but not horrible.
We started out with egg white scramble with FF mozerella for breakfast with 2 slices of turkey bacon.
Lunch was a salad and 2 small slices of left-over Kashi thin crust margarhita pizza. That probably wasn't the BEST choice, but it was quick and I was hungry and it was all I could do to take time to make a salad to go with the pizza.
Snack was celery with 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter.
Dinner was SOOOO yummy! I baked some flounder as our meat. Then I boiled 1. cup of whole wheat spirally noodles (can't remember what they're called). I sliced up a squash, red bell pepper and green bell pepper and layed them out on a large cookie sheet. I drizzled with EVOO and sprinkled with garlic salt and some Mrs. Dash. Then I baked with the fish for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. After I took the fish out, I turned the oven to "Broil" for about 3 minutes till the veggies started to get a little dark around the edges. I drained the noodles, dumped the roasted veggies on top and mixed up. That is all we had with our fish and it was DELICIOUS! I will definintely make that again!
Then for "dessert" we each ate a couple cherries and a few bites of watermelon.
Man I am STUFFED!

P90X/D2/R3

Day 2-Plyometrics. I can sum that up in one word---OUCH! Man! When you're not used to an hour of jumping, this workout is KILLER! But what's EVEN worse is how you feel the day after and the day after that! Thankfully I do quite a bit of jumping in my workouts at the gym so it wasn't sooooo painful for me (as it has been before) BUT my poor neice and SIL who are doing the program for the first time are having a hard time even walking!
Eating was pretty good.
Had veggie egg-white scramble for breakfast with turkey sausage again (matt with milk and toast, me with water)
For lunch I had the Chef salad from the nutrition guide with 1 tbsp. light ranch dressing. I also had a couple bites of some left over catfish (fried) but it was cold and old-tasting so I just threw away the rest.
For "snack" at about 3:30 pm I had a baggie full of celery with 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter.
For dinner I went to a fellowship at church. Luckily I hit the serving line after everyone else and there wasn't much left other than some salad (with no dressing) and some fresh fruit. I did have a small 2"x2" peice of some kind of mexican casserole. They also served some special jewish cookies "Haman's Ears" as part of our Bible study on Esther. (it was the last night). I had 2 of the cookies. They were soooo good and they had fruit filling so that counts for a little bit healthy, right? ha ha
Besides doing Plyo, I also did my hour of Core at the gym followed by 3o minutes of Bootcamp, so I'm pretty sure I burned plenty of calories to cover my 2 cookies!

P90X/D1/R3

Matt and I are at it again....P90X. We have several friends who were planning to start today, so we decided to join them and begin the program again. I am calling it "Round 3" because although I've started several times and do the workouts intermittantly, I've only actually COMPLETED the entire 90-day program twice. This is the beginning of my 3rd time. I REALLY REALLY want to get P90X+ and add in those workouts this round, but I have about 3-4 really pressing things that I need money for right now..and I just have to take it one thing at a time.
So, today was Chest & Back with Ab Ripper. We saved doing the work out for later in the day because I had a dr. appointment to get a new IUD put in today. For most women, getting one is not that big of a deal...but for me it is a BIG deal. Many of you don't know that I had cervical dysplasia (the beginnings of cervical cancer) during my pregnancy with Grant. They had to monitor it closely and do biopsies every other month until I gave birth. Then as soon as I had him and healed up from delivery, they took me to surgery to remove the "bad cells." Now I have a ridiculous amount of scar tissue that makes it nearly impossible to insert an IUD. To say it is very painful for me is like saying cutting your arm off hurts a tiny bit. It is everything I can do to lay still on that table. Sweat beads up all over my body and tears drip out of the corners of my eyes all the while I'm WILLING myself to be strong and not have that reaction. I just kept reminding myself that I am One Tough Girl (my Beachbody coach name) and that if I can give birth to 2 children, endure kidney stones 3 times and do 100 push ups in one workout---SURELY I can take this pain. Matt came with me to the appointment and bless his heart, he nearly faints when he sees me in that much agony. I heard him praying in the Spirit while she was working on me and it immediately calmed my pounding heart. What a blessing it is to be married to such a mighty man of God! I could go on and on and on...but it just astounds me at how God has worked in his life in the recent years. He has become the most thoughtful, caring, gentle, affectionate man. (traits I thought he was incapable of in our early years of marriage). It really is a testimony to what the Bible says about marriage and if a woman will show respect to her husband (as unto the Lord--not just because her husband does or doesn't deserve it)--how God will use her obedience to turn the heart of her husband. Don't get me wrong--Matt has always been a WONDERFUL man and husband, but there were areas that I wished he was a little more attentive to...and I believe that through my obedience to God's word...he has turned into my "dream" husband!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAnnnnnyway....sorry about that little bunny trail I went off on. As I was saying, we saved the work out until a little later in the day because after my procedure, I was pretty crampy and having considerable low-back achiness. We went out for lunch at Red Lobster and did very well. He ordered grilled chicken and shrimp over brown rice and I had the grilled shrimp skewers with steamed broccoli and a small (maybe 1/2 c.) serving of brown rice. We did both "flub up" and have ONE biscuit...but...that was my ONLY bread/carb of the entire
day so I'm not beating myself up about it.
For breakfast we had egg white scrambles with fresh tomatoes, onions and peppers from our garden mixed in, with 1 peice of Turkey sausage. (Matt drinks skim milk and has 1 slice of whole wheat toast. I drink water and skip having any bread).
For lunch: Red Lobster as above.
For dinner: We decided to eat dinner right after doing the work out and neither of us felt very hungry. I had a salad (with no dressing--just LOTS of fresh garden tomatoes) and I made us up a Chocolate Peanut Butter Protien shake as our "dinner."
The work out was tough but it felt GREAT to be at it again. I wish Tony didn't spend so much time chatting though. I think if they left out all his little comments and quips, we could be done 10 minutes sooner. However, I think I only feel this way because this is the 3rd time we are doing this program and I practically have these videos memorized. The first time we did the program, I thoroughly enjoyed all the talking. I think next time I'll choose the "Silence and Cues" option and maybe just put on my own music. I decided to go up on my weights this round of the "X" and see what I can do. I used 20 lbs. for all the exercises (except back flys where I did 15 lbs.) and I surprised myself that I could do almost as many reps with 20 lbs as I used to with 15 lbs. Hmmm....maybe I'll think about going up to 25 lbs next time we do this work out. I mean...if I can still do 15-17 reps with 20 lbs...I should probably keep upping my weight to where #12-15 are hard, right?! I think so.
Okay, so that's it for Day 1. Next is Plyo. I'm not sure how I am going to handle Tuesdays since I already go to the gym for 2 classes on that day (and we do a LOT of plyo in those classes). I know it will be REALLY hard for Matt to do it all by himself...so I mighit join him but just ease off of the intensity if I'm feeling bonked already. We'll see. For now, I'm going to give it my all and see what that gets me!
I hope you are all pushing play and doing well!!

You don't know SQUAT

None of us are strangers to the squat, but did you know that with incorrect form, you can do your body some serious damage rather than good?

I attended a new group fitness class on Monday at a different gym than I normally go to. There were probably 30-40 people in the class, all or most of which were not new to exercising. When we got to the portion of the class where we were doing squats, I was SHOCKED at what they were doing! I SOOOO wish I knew how to make and upload a video and put it on here because I'd love to SHOW you what they were doing...but use your imagination and go with me here: About half of them were doing their "squat" by bending at the waist (with just a slight bend in the knees) and bending over--bringing their chest down (parallel with the floor) and then back up straight. Down and up, down and up with the chest not the butt. Now if you can't picture that...hop up from your chair and try it. You'll see that it doesn't work your legs AT ALL. It may stretch your hamstrings just a teensy bit, but for the most part, all that up and down with the head just makes you dizzy after a while. Then you've got the other half of the people--actually bending their knees--but as they lower--looking more like a frog than a person sitting in an invisible chair (which is what you want). It was like there was a string attached to their butts that was pulling them straight down towards their heels rather than back like into a chair. Again----try it if you need to. You'll find that doing "squats" that way will stretch your calf muscle and strain your shin but not give you the good quad workout that you're after. Also, by that, you are putting way too much pressure on the knee joint and are opening the door for injury.

A correct squat uses these rules:

• Toes and heels the same distance apart (unless you're working inner thighs).


• Keep your weight in your heels.


• Lower down to a sitting-in-an-invisible chair position.


• Can see knees at all times--they should NOT go out past your toes.


• Upper half of body remains up, looking straight out in front of you.


• Don't let butt drop lower than your knees.


• At the top of the movement, do not lock your knees--keep a slight bend.


• Keep abs tight and pulled in towards spine during move.

2 ways you can check your squat--Hold a medicine ball (or any object) in your hands. As you come down to squat, extend your arms straight out, holding the object in front of you. The weight of the ball will force your hips to sit back and perform a proper squat.
You can also stand facing a wall with your toes about 6 in. from the wall. Squat down. If your knees or your head hits the wall---you need to sit further back in your heels and keep your top half more erect.
A slight tilt forward of your upper body is fine, but you should not be leaning so far over that you are looking straight down at the floor. Keep your eyes out in front of you.

Lastly, to get the Beachbody scoop on squats, go check out the TRAINER TIPS with TONY and scroll over (about 5 clicks) to the video labeled "Squats". If for no other reason, check it out to see what Tony Horton looked like in the way early days! (so glad he decided to cut that hair!!!) ***You have to be a Team Beachbody club member to access Trainer Tips.

Bargain Swimwear

Hey girls!
If you were ever thinking about ordering a swimsuit from Athleta--now is the time! They have almost ALL their stuff on sale up to 70% off. (including my new suit-dang it!) They are still fairly pricey but a lot of them are down from $59 a peice to $24 and even some $19. I browsed through their work out clothes and casual wear and found a few things I liked but overall, they're still just too expensive for me. I did find a watch (the Slice watch in green) that I might order because I have a $10 gift certificate and it's half price right now. Anyway, just had to pass on that little tid-bit of info to you! Can't pass up a sale! :o)
Here's the LINK.
Also, you may have remembered me mentioning the MOST AWESOME SPORTS BRA in the WORLD...the Moving Comfort Maia bra. Well, Athleta carries it and they have it marked down from $46 to $29. It comes in blue, white and black. I would LOVE to have a black one but...again....stinkin' money issues. Oh well.... Anyway, I have YET to find a single woman who doesn't think this bra "hung the moon" where sports bras are concerned. Your girlies won't be swingin' to-and-fro in this!

$4 a day for 30 days

If I said "I have something that will change your life--that will enable you to get healthy and fit FAST--and will add years and vibrancy to your life--and all it will cost you is $4 a day for 30 days." Would you buy it? Is your health--your life--your future worth that?
Have you been telling yourself you'll join a gym or start an exercise program just as soon as you can afford it? (I know several of you have told me this.)
Could you give up your daily cappuccino for it? Maybe down-grade your Dish subscription for a month? Eat out a few less times for a month?

Well, I do have this thing. It's P90X. I know, I know...you've heard me go on and on about this for over a year now...but I'm telling you people...you need it in your life. It is SUCH a minimal cost for such a HUGE investment.

WORST case scenario is this: You buy it, you try it, you quit, you sell it on Craig's list.
MORE LIKELY scenario is this: You buy it, you try it, you see that you CAN do it and you lose some weight and get in better shape.
BEST case scenario is this: You buy it, you try it. You find a sense of determination deep inside you that you didn't even know you had. You dedicate yourself to it (no cheating) for the full 90 days and have phenomenal results that shock everyone who sees you.
BESTEST case scenario: Best case scenario PLUS you decide to become a Beachbody Coach and help others have the same success you have had.

Even with the worst case scenario, you've lost a whole lot less than many of us do in one month on eating out alone. Not only is eating out expensive, but (most times) it is also unhealthy. Or, maybe you're one of the ones who could cut back on cable. What kinds of return or payout do you get from investing your time in front of the TV?
Whether you realize it or not--one of your most precious assets is your TIME. What you do with it is an investment. Maybe you invest your time into your job. Maybe you spend it investing into your children's lives. Maybe you invest your time in a hobby. (all good things) but MAYBE you invest (too much of) your time in things that don't offer ANY kind of a pay out--or even worse--a BAD pay out. (tv? video games? fictional reading?) I am NOT saying that those are bad things..I am just saying that from my experience, no one ever said "I am so glad I spend 3 hours a night watching tv...that has just enriched my life in so many ways!"
But...what if you could take just an hour of your time each day and invest it into something that WILL give you a good pay out and enrich your life and change your future? And...we're only talking about a 90 day commitment here folks.
90 days from today is Nov. 3rd.

I know several people right now who are about to start P90X who, despite the tough economy and being out of shape, have decided that THEY ARE WORTH IT. They definitely "didn't have the money" and they definitely didn't wait until they were in "better physical condition" (which I've also heard a lot of you say). They picked NOW to start. Hooray!

I remember back when I got my laser eye surgery. The only thing I regretted about it is that I didn't do it sooner. I kept waiting until I had the money. Eventually I realized that I was never going to have such an excess of money and that if I was ever going to get it done, I was going to have to just MAKE a way. Looking back, I am SO GLAD I did it...but I just wish I hadn't waited all those years. All that time I spent fidgeting with contacts and struggling with glasses.
You're health is the same way. Don't waste more and more time being out-of-shape, breathless after climbing a set of stairs, exhausted by everything and uncomfortable, unconfident and unhappy. Make today the beginning of your new life.

I'm not saying P90X is the only way, but if you're not currently doing something that is paying you out amazing dividends on your investment...then consider making a change. This program comes with a guarantee of success--and all you have to do is DO IT. Click HERE if you're ready to make one of the best decisions of your life!