Today's the day...

...the day that will make or break this P90X motivation scale - Yoga X day. In the past (like, the last THREE times I've tried to start up P90X again) I always seem to miss yoga day. Then I say to myself, 'Oh, I'll just double it up with Kenpo on Saturday, no big deal' - WRONG. And it has been every time I've tried restarting! A little ridiculous...

BUT - I am feeling much better/more motivated this time around. And my sociology class was canceled today...so I have a lot more time. haha. The biggest problem I've had with talking myself up to do yoga is that it is just so dang long! I mean, an hour and a half - and a good 45 minutes at least are downward dogs. Which, I will say, hasn't bothered me as much after my first round of P90X. But still, 1.5 hours....a good chunk out of a busy day, right? I find that if I will just focus on what I'm doing it actually goes by a lot faster. 

If you don't have the time....I would just say don't skip the whole thing. Maybe don't do all of the many downward dogs or warriors (or, if you're not an advanced yoga-er, skip some of the more difficult poses). One other thing you could take out (if you did Ab Ripper X the day before...which normally you would if you had a strength day), is the Yoga Belly part...remember - you shouldn't work your abs (really hard) every day. So if you're short on time, I wouldn't stress over that part. 

Ok here are the before pictures I took on Monday (and I haven't missed a workout thus far. yay!)

Have a wonderful day everyone! Work hard, take breaks when you need to, and do NOT overdo it. 

Be good to your body, and I've learned that it will return the favor.

-Court

DAY 1. success!

Just a short post tonight. Day 1 was a total success! It was SO so good!

And we are getting serious this time. I even took before pictures and measurements. woot woot! I will post those pictures in tomorrow's post....it is time for bed!! I am burnt out already. haha. I'll survive.

HAVE A GOOD NIGHT/DAY whatever you're doing!

-Court

I'm still here...promise!!

Ok, so I disappeared for a while (if you wanna call it that...a Long while). Truth: I got lazy. I'm not superhuman or perfect. The summer made me SO lazy. And then I wonder - 'WHY?' Why do I ever stop? Why do I just snack all of the time sometimes? Why do I seem to just NOT care at times?

It was rough over the spring and summer. I didn't have a job, I was in school but only taking one class (that I didn't even need to go to..so, I didn't really go at all), and so I was left with Nothing to do most of my days...besides my chores that I do all of the time, reading, movies, etc. ok I maybe worked out 10 times total over the 'summer' time period. TERRIBLE. 

I am extremely happy to say, however, that I am back in school (full time), with a lot of homework to do most every day,  looking for a job, dancing, doing choreography and lots of makeup, making earrings, AND have been going to the gym almost every day for the past month. It's definitely better (for me) to get in a workout every day when I have a schedule and things that need to get done every day. I really enjoy having packed days - during the week - and then being able to mostly relax over the weekend. It helps me stay on track, get all of my good meals in, and work out daily.

Starting tomorrow (Monday) I am starting (AND FINISHING) P90X again. It's got to be a part of life. No more laziness. No more excuses. It's time to suck it up and P90X it up. I have lost so much more muscle over the past 6 months (+) than I'd like to admit, and it is driving me Insane! I know I can finish the 90 days. and I will have a plan for the time after I finish. I have been doing pretty well with the eating most days, but now it's time to kick it up a notch. 

This past year has been really rough on me...emotionally and financially, and I have so much drive right now, that I need to put all of my anger/stress/sad/crazy INTO this next 90 days. It will be hard. I won't want to work out some days. But I am going to do it. and I will come out stronger on the other side of this 90 days! 

If you're sitting on the couch right now, drinking a pop, just being lazy, thinking about 'why don't I do something to help myself?' ..... then get up. put the junk food down. and DO something. anything. I know I've said it before and have sort of failed in a sense, but I am BACK. with a vengeance (against my gained fat and past laziness). TIME. TO. BRING. IT. WHO'S WITH ME!?

- Court

Day....5!

I missed a few days of blogging! so now we are done with day 5! i actually missed my Yoga X yesterday, but i'm going to double it up with Kenpo, today's workout. 

So today was Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X. i'm gonna be totally honest here...legs & back has never been my favorite (i think it's partly because you do this one EVERY week - except recovery week). but the thing is, my legs are always needing the most butt kicking! after i finished this time, however, i just felt so awesome! i was focused and got into it and i was just there. and i made my workout count! woo hoo! 

PS - i usually do ab ripper x BEFORE i do my big workout. why? i am just so much more exhausted after i finish the main workout, and a lot of the time it's easier to talk myself out of doing ab ripper altogether. so i do it before. and man it gets me warm! then i get into the main workout of the day....just a little FYI

OK - so i promised some motivational helps a few days ago! here they are finally! this can get kinda tricky, staying motivated. but, here are some of the things that help me...

1 - set goals. in my case, i create a table with all of my stats (measurements, including my weight and BMI) and i have a "Before" and "After" section on that table. i record all of my measurements on day 1 and then i have the 'after' section blank - until i finish the 90 days. it helps me want to work so i will see a change in those numbers from before to after. (i also have 2 'checkpoint' measurement days to record...to help keep me on track...ya know 'if i can make a whole month, i can make two....and now that i've made it two months, i can finish this sucker!!' )

2 - USE YOUR WORKSHEETS (if you're doing P90X....if not, you could still do something similar...). i find the worksheets help me to stay motivated. i get to see the progress that i make throughout the weeks, and....it can be kinda fun! (even though, i know, it can seem tedious at the time....DO IT!)

3 - work out with a buddy....now, my workout partner has given up (hahaha it's just my sister....ha). so i haven't really had a workout partner for a while. but i just pretend Tony is my workout buddy, and i make it through! it can be a lot easier to get your workout in each day if you are motivating each other and having fun working out together, seeing each other's progress, trying to beat each other....you see where this is going...? 

4 - make a calendar. with all of your workouts on it. TYPE THEM IN. you can also write them in, but i feel like it's more...permanent...when it's typed up all nice. non-negotiable -- it's on the calendar, gotta do it!! then, once you finish the workout, cross it out somehow. this time around, i decided to black out the entire calendar day when i finish. whether you know it now or not, once that calendar is fully crossed out, you feel SO awesome. seriously, if you don't have a calendar, MAKE ONE. now. go do it. 

i hope these help you guys out a little bit, and wherever you are, whatever kind of shape you are in, remember to take care of your body. and it will be good to you in return. :) now.....GO KICK SOME TRASH! 

until next time X lovers......Court

Day 2: Plyometrics

DAY 2 in finished! yay

The 'X' in P90X - as Tony calls it....and indeed. he is correct. all of the workouts push your muscles to the breaking point and beyond, but this one - oh...total leg exhaustion (including your gluteus maximus too). this one is not for the lazy workout-er. you're either in it, or you aren't. but if you're up for it, it will help you achieve amazing heights. (literally)

In this workout, there are (i think) 5 rounds, and a bonus (sports) round. each round is made up of three 30-second exercises and one 1-minute exercise. once you complete the round, you repeat it. (with the exception of the bonus round. that one is just a little bit longer than the other rounds and is only done once through)

THIS IS A TOUGH WORKOUT. especially if you are first starting out. if you don't feel that you are ready, try Cardio X first. it is a combination of yoga, kenpo, plyo and core synergistics. it will help ease you into it, as well as give you a taste of what the program is about. it is also a little shorter than the other workouts (it's about 45 minutes rather than 1 hour). not, by any means, am i saying it's an easy workout. it isn't. but it gives you small snippets of each type of workout - giving you a taste of plyo rather than a full plate all at once. 

The other thing to think about if you ARE doing plyo - MODIFICATION. important. know that IT'S HARD. and it's alright if you need to take it down a notch or go a little slower than Tony and the gang. Pam performs a majority of the exercises in a modified way. and Tony helps show you the changes she makes to the original moves. you're still working, just in a slightly different, less intense way. DO NOT OVERDO IT. there is a difference between struggling and failing...this time, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY (unless it's telling you to just give up and take a nap)... :)

OH i almost forgot! don't do plyo until at least an hour has passed once you've eaten your last meal. you reeeaaally don't want to get a sideache in the middle of the workout - that's no fun. it's happened to me before. ALSO, make sure to fill your body with a good meal After the workout. the first hour after you've finished is when your body is ready to take in lots and lots of nutrients. take advantage. don't eat a donut. or drink a mountain dew or something. drink your water!! if you've got the P90X results and recovery formula, you'll want to drink that within the hour. or Shakeology. or a whey protein drink (the powder and either skim milk or water - that's what i usually do when i'm out of recovery drink). you can also slip some recovery drink into your water DURING the workout. i always forget to do that.

PLEASE don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have!....i know i can be brief on some of these things in my posts, but please ask!! -suggestions are also helpful....i'm not perfect! :)

P.S. - OH NO! i was going to do motivation helps today! darn it, i will get that in tomorrow! 

Until day 3 all you X-ers.......Court

Day 1: Done.

What did i learn from day 1 (Chest & Back +Ab Ripper X) of P90X?.....

Today was a struggle...if that's what we want to call it....it was rough. i have found that P90X should be more like P[lifetime]X. taking time off...i mean, A LOT of time off...NOT GOOD. (in combination with throwing diet out the window...even if it was just for 10 days). trust me on this one.

this is my personal opinion: working out (plus eating healthy) needs to be a part of life. a priority. in your schedule. on the calendar. non-negotiable. even if it isn't P90X, just SOMETHING. excuses and procrastination are deadly. don't listen to your body's tiredness (not all of the time, sometimes you should). think about it. what are your goals? why did you even start doing this? Tony Horton says something like "this ain't some silly little thing you start onto. this is serious".

whenever possible, fit your workout into your early day. (sometimes, finishing a workout earlier in the day somehow feels like i accomplished more...which i suppose is possible - i'm probably more tired later at night. that makes sense, right?)

another thing - CONSISTENCY. a lot of the time i get frustrated with my body. 'why am i still looking the same?' and 'i've been eating pretty well lately' - 'shouldn't i be seeing more of a change?'
when you ask these things, think about: 

• have i actually completed all of my workouts throughout the past month? (how to stay motivated? coming up in the next post!!)
• have i been focused during my workouts? (YES, it matters if you're just going through the motions)
• am i drinking enough water? EVERY DAY. (this one, important. remember, the majority of our bodies is made up of water!! get those 8-8 oz. glasses per day - AT LEAST)
• am i getting enough GOOD sleep? (that one, i struggle with. but do your best to get a good 8 hours each night. you'll be more energetic and productive throughout your day - sleep time should also be on a consistent schedule)

ALL of these factors should be considered when looking at your progress. and if you do realize you've struggled in a few areas, stop. reflect. revamp and really think about your body as you go though the next month. you get out of your body what you put into and give it.

i was thinking that this would be more of a review of the actual workout, but this happened instead. had some thoughts...figured it would be best and most productive to at least share them with you all :) however, i will do reviews of the day throughout the next few weeks (PLUS yummy recipes!) so keep an eye out!!

until next time P90X lovers.....Court

And so it begins...once again.

Hey everyone!

So today is the day. the day that i will start P90X once again, and finish ALL 90 days. it has definitely been a while since i finished my first round. since finishing round 1, i have started and done the workouts on and off, as well as trying other workout series (ie Insanity and THE ASYLUM). but i am ready to bring it again and bust my butt back into shape these next 90 days - and i CANNOT wait!!  just need to get my calendar and worksheets printed off and i am ready to go! feel free to join me... :) 

P90X has always been my favorite... Court