Week 2, Day 4 The Challenge is done. I increased my numbers a bit and was able to hit those number for the first 2 rotations, which is half the workout. I did need to modify the military pushups as my triceps just aren't that strong yet.
On the second 2 rotations I had to decrease my pullup number by 5(I use the bands) but was engaging that isometric hold with each one. I also find that if you fully extend the arms, you get a much better burn on your lats. The reason I say this is I found I had a tendency to not extend fully and continued to maintain constant muscle contraction. When you do that, you don't allow the muscle to stretch fully and get the best workout on that muscle possible. This goes for all resistance exercises not just on a pullup/lat pull down.
The Challenge is a straight up push/pull workout and the only slight amount of anything different is the warm up and cool down, but that amounts to a little over 4 mins of the workout. The burnout section at the end of the 4 rotations went better for me and I was able to do more cycles of the pullup/pushup sets. I changed it up a bit as a single pullup and 3 pushups go with one cycle and you continue this pattern for the entire 2.25 mins. I decided to do 3 pull downs with the bands because 1 is not enough, so I did 3 on the pull downs and 3 on the pushups for the burnout. It felt good not to be able to do pushups at the end.
I enjoy the soreness of a good workout. I have to say as a guy, The Challenge will probably always be my favorite workout. CVX tomorrow, so watch out shoulders you are next.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Day 20
As I sit here posting my accountability for today's workout, which by the way was: Week 2, Day 3 X3 Yoga done. Phew! I had to get that out. Anyway, I sit here and watch the Today Show and all the segments about the new year, one in particular just caught my attention. The idea that having resolutions is pipe dream for most.
We set our resolutions before midnight on the 31st, then after recovering from our holiday experience we set out with the best intentions to follow through. 365 days is a long time and most usually throw in the towel after 14 days or so. Some study done in 2012 (sorry I can't source the study) stated that around 45% of people fail by the end of 2 weeks after the new year and 88% fail before the end of the year. That means that only 12% actually follow through with their resolutions to the end of the year. Why is that? Are the resolutions too tough? Are we just too lazy or full of apathy that we can't do it? I don't know what every person's reasons are for not staying committed on their own resolutions. I only know why I don't follow through with things including resolutions.
The reason I started down this path was the Today Show segment about keeping resolutions. The guest said something he has people doing including himself and his family is choose a word. Instead of trying to remember all these many things you want to change within yourself, just choose a word that best describes what you need to do for you. It takes some personal insight and probably some time to really sit down and think about what you really want to change about yourself. Examples of words were: Focus, Pray, Believe and Present(ie: being in the present not a gift). The idea is that you pick a word that best describes what you really need to do and just focus on that word. Now I am sure you can expand this to multiple words if you're great at doing resolutions. One word is good for me because it affects so many things.
Change. That will be my one word for the year. I don't necessarily mean change in occupation or residence, but that is a form of change. I mean more of a change internally. Changing your attitude, your outlook, the way you treat yourself and others for a start. Change is a word that we throw around but to affect REAL change, you have to commit to it. If you want to change the way you are perceived by others, you have to change the way you treat them. Old saying time, "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar". I feel that for my personal growth this year, I will have to change.
I have started my change by eating better and exercising. I am reinforcing my change by posting about it daily. I have no idea who if anyone reads it. I don't do it for others, but rather for me. It is my personal accountability to myself. I also post for accountability within a group of people that are looking for my support as I am for theirs. We all need accountability on some level for all our changes that we are trying to make. I suggest you find a way to keep yourself accountable and remember if you lie about it, you are only lying to yourself and you will only let yourself down in the end.
I think the line from Bruce Almighty at the end of the movie sums it up well. "Be the miracle!" No matter what, YOU will have the most affect on how your resolutions will end up this year. Whether you pick a word or have a list, it's up to you to, "Be the change you want to become." You want to be positive, then be positive. You want to be healthy, then be healthy. You want to stop smoking, then be a nonsmoker.
Today is a new day, so be the change you want to become.
We set our resolutions before midnight on the 31st, then after recovering from our holiday experience we set out with the best intentions to follow through. 365 days is a long time and most usually throw in the towel after 14 days or so. Some study done in 2012 (sorry I can't source the study) stated that around 45% of people fail by the end of 2 weeks after the new year and 88% fail before the end of the year. That means that only 12% actually follow through with their resolutions to the end of the year. Why is that? Are the resolutions too tough? Are we just too lazy or full of apathy that we can't do it? I don't know what every person's reasons are for not staying committed on their own resolutions. I only know why I don't follow through with things including resolutions.
The reason I started down this path was the Today Show segment about keeping resolutions. The guest said something he has people doing including himself and his family is choose a word. Instead of trying to remember all these many things you want to change within yourself, just choose a word that best describes what you need to do for you. It takes some personal insight and probably some time to really sit down and think about what you really want to change about yourself. Examples of words were: Focus, Pray, Believe and Present(ie: being in the present not a gift). The idea is that you pick a word that best describes what you really need to do and just focus on that word. Now I am sure you can expand this to multiple words if you're great at doing resolutions. One word is good for me because it affects so many things.
Change. That will be my one word for the year. I don't necessarily mean change in occupation or residence, but that is a form of change. I mean more of a change internally. Changing your attitude, your outlook, the way you treat yourself and others for a start. Change is a word that we throw around but to affect REAL change, you have to commit to it. If you want to change the way you are perceived by others, you have to change the way you treat them. Old saying time, "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar". I feel that for my personal growth this year, I will have to change.
I have started my change by eating better and exercising. I am reinforcing my change by posting about it daily. I have no idea who if anyone reads it. I don't do it for others, but rather for me. It is my personal accountability to myself. I also post for accountability within a group of people that are looking for my support as I am for theirs. We all need accountability on some level for all our changes that we are trying to make. I suggest you find a way to keep yourself accountable and remember if you lie about it, you are only lying to yourself and you will only let yourself down in the end.
I think the line from Bruce Almighty at the end of the movie sums it up well. "Be the miracle!" No matter what, YOU will have the most affect on how your resolutions will end up this year. Whether you pick a word or have a list, it's up to you to, "Be the change you want to become." You want to be positive, then be positive. You want to be healthy, then be healthy. You want to stop smoking, then be a nonsmoker.
Today is a new day, so be the change you want to become.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Day 19
Today is day 2 of week 2 which means Agility X was the workout. I find that the change in sequence of what we knew from P90X to P90X3 was nice. You expect chest and back on day 1 but you don't get that. You might expect a workout like Plyo X on day and again you don't get that.
Agility X is a good workout, but it is heavy leg and cardio with a hint of upper body near the end. When I did it last week, I could hardly keep up. Maybe again for the reason of looking more than working to get the moves right or the side right etc. No matter the reason, today I was much more in line with the workout in progress on my TV. I was able to keep going throughout each exercise. I may not have looked as proficient or did as much, but I did continue to work for the entire time. It's nice to feel like you did something and you are getting better at it.
Small victories in your daily life lead to winning battles for a lifetime. So as long as you can manage some little victories here and there in your workouts or your eating habits, you will have the momentum to win the battle for health and fitness for your entire life. When you become a better you, everyone else will notice and maybe they will strive to be a better person for themselves as well. That may not be the definition of humanity, but it's good plan to start with.
Now I do not celebrate New Year's Eve/Day except for watching football games. I also don't usually make resolutions for the new year as well. I think those are just ways to set us up for disappointing ourselves and usually reinforcing bad habits or lifestyles. That statement, however, is a negative outlook and one thing I know is that negativity breeds more negativity. As easy as it is to succumb to the "holiday blues" or the anti-holiday feeling when your life isn't where you think it should be or want it to be, I challenge any and every one to look toward 2014 as a year that you can make positive changes in your life. They don't have to be major changes, but they should be positive ones. As negativity will breed negativity so will positivity breed more positivity. Maybe start with a smile as you greet people. Smiles are infectious and the power of the smile is greater than you may think. Once you see how that affects others, work on other things.
I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year's Eve, have fun and stay safe.
Agility X is a good workout, but it is heavy leg and cardio with a hint of upper body near the end. When I did it last week, I could hardly keep up. Maybe again for the reason of looking more than working to get the moves right or the side right etc. No matter the reason, today I was much more in line with the workout in progress on my TV. I was able to keep going throughout each exercise. I may not have looked as proficient or did as much, but I did continue to work for the entire time. It's nice to feel like you did something and you are getting better at it.
Small victories in your daily life lead to winning battles for a lifetime. So as long as you can manage some little victories here and there in your workouts or your eating habits, you will have the momentum to win the battle for health and fitness for your entire life. When you become a better you, everyone else will notice and maybe they will strive to be a better person for themselves as well. That may not be the definition of humanity, but it's good plan to start with.
Now I do not celebrate New Year's Eve/Day except for watching football games. I also don't usually make resolutions for the new year as well. I think those are just ways to set us up for disappointing ourselves and usually reinforcing bad habits or lifestyles. That statement, however, is a negative outlook and one thing I know is that negativity breeds more negativity. As easy as it is to succumb to the "holiday blues" or the anti-holiday feeling when your life isn't where you think it should be or want it to be, I challenge any and every one to look toward 2014 as a year that you can make positive changes in your life. They don't have to be major changes, but they should be positive ones. As negativity will breed negativity so will positivity breed more positivity. Maybe start with a smile as you greet people. Smiles are infectious and the power of the smile is greater than you may think. Once you see how that affects others, work on other things.
I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year's Eve, have fun and stay safe.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Day 18
I tossed around the idea of actually posting today or not. The reason to post is for the accountability of the workouts and diet. The reason not to would be for the simple fact that I am not really giving any new information. I remember what someone said to me about my blog and they were reading it. Nice to know that in some small way I can help or motivate someone.
Today is day 1 of week 2 and Total Synergistics was the workout. I feel that I made some improvements over week 1. I was able to do some of the exercises better and increase what I could do. Some of this may just be that I have done them before and there is less time now figuring out what and how to do what they are doing, and some may be that I actually feel a bit stronger and more coordinated within that exercise. Let's face it, if you are doing the workouts to the best you can and eating correctly which means as clean as possible, then you should be losing weight which will in turn allow you to do more and better.
I am really digging my breakfast everyday now. I wish it were Shakeology, but right now it is not. I am using Body Fortress whey protein powder, some water, ice a banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter. That makes a pretty tasty shake and a good meal to replace. The protein powder is chocolate flavor as well (forgot to mention that). I usually do a morning snack of hard boiled egg whites and or some Yoplait Greek yogurt. The key thing was removing the cereal meals and the unwanted carbs out of the diet.
I think this is the week that people might quit their workouts if they were to quit. They get a week in and feel "eh" about it all. They don't like that they can't do what they thought they could and use that as a blockade for moving forward. They think that I will never be able to do that. One thing is for sure, if you quit now you never will. People need to see that the daily struggle is what makes the journey worth it in the end. They know what it took when they look back, and they give it a greater value because of the journey and what they were able to accomplish during that journey.
Keep pushing play and always Bring It!!!
Today is day 1 of week 2 and Total Synergistics was the workout. I feel that I made some improvements over week 1. I was able to do some of the exercises better and increase what I could do. Some of this may just be that I have done them before and there is less time now figuring out what and how to do what they are doing, and some may be that I actually feel a bit stronger and more coordinated within that exercise. Let's face it, if you are doing the workouts to the best you can and eating correctly which means as clean as possible, then you should be losing weight which will in turn allow you to do more and better.
I am really digging my breakfast everyday now. I wish it were Shakeology, but right now it is not. I am using Body Fortress whey protein powder, some water, ice a banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter. That makes a pretty tasty shake and a good meal to replace. The protein powder is chocolate flavor as well (forgot to mention that). I usually do a morning snack of hard boiled egg whites and or some Yoplait Greek yogurt. The key thing was removing the cereal meals and the unwanted carbs out of the diet.
I think this is the week that people might quit their workouts if they were to quit. They get a week in and feel "eh" about it all. They don't like that they can't do what they thought they could and use that as a blockade for moving forward. They think that I will never be able to do that. One thing is for sure, if you quit now you never will. People need to see that the daily struggle is what makes the journey worth it in the end. They know what it took when they look back, and they give it a greater value because of the journey and what they were able to accomplish during that journey.
Keep pushing play and always Bring It!!!
Sunday, December 29, 2013
The Glycemic Index: Oh How Puzzling It Is.
We have heard all about the glycemic index, but do we really understand it. I for one have an idea how it works and how it works in relation to weight loss/gain in a person. That doesn't mean I have mastered the finer points and can recite all the true chemical processes going on, but I do have a good idea of how foods affect it in me and what that means long term.
First we should get a little technical, but not so much you don't understand it. The glycemic index provides a measure of how quickly blood sugar levels rise after eating a particular type of food. That is straight from Wikipedia(for the reference). What does that really mean to us. We all know that there are different types of foods, but the main break down is protein, carbohydrate and fat.
Proteins and fats don't really register on the glycemic index. Why? They do not cause a spike in blood sugar levels after eating. The glycemic index estimates how much each gram of available carbohydrate (total carbohydrate minus fiber) in a food raises a person's blood glucose level following consumption of the food, relative to consumption of pure glucose. Glucose has a glycemic index of 100. So what does that mean? If glucose is 100 everything else will be less and have less effect on blood sugar.
Low glycemic index foods are 55 and lower these foods will be most vegetables, beans, whole grains and most fruits. Medium glycemic index foods are between 56 and 69 which will include raisins, bananas, pita bread and basmati rice to name a few. High glycemic index foods are over 70 which is all white rice, white bread, potatoes, pretzels and bagels for instance. Now what does all this mean?
Ok, so we have an idea what glycemic index is and an idea of what foods are where and how they affect our blood sugar levels. How does this affect weight? When you eat something with a high glycemic index your blood sugars spike up but the body doesn't want your blood sugar high. Now we do need sugar as our main source of energy, but we don't need what we might take in when we eat let's say a Big Mac with fries and a coke. We get way more sugar in our blood than we need from the break down of carbs into sugar that our body uses. So what happens? The pancreas secretes insulin which lowers your blood sugar. The way it lowers the blood sugar is to causes sugar to enter the cells, but the excess will be converted into glycogen. Now our body needs to do something with the glycogen, so its stored in fat cells. Rinse and repeat for years and you are obese.
This process is slow and you don't notice it all. This process of blood sugar spikes repeatedly over the years wears out the pancreas and then it fails. Guess what? You are now diabetic. It is not a certainty that your pancreas will all out fail or you become full fledged diabetic, and when I say diabetic I am referring to type II diabetes. It can be controlled with diet ie: low glycemic index foods and/or oral meds. The extreme of this would be taking insulin routinely obviously. This is totally preventable, no matter of your current issues and/or family history.
When you consume low glycemic index foods you have a lower more sustained increase in blood sugar levels and you typically don't need the insulin and therefore the pancreas isn't stressed. Conversely, you will need to convert glycogen to useable sugar for the cells and brain. This process, glycogenolysis, is the how glycogen is broken down into glucose for use in the body. The main stores in the body of glycogen are found in adipose tissue or what we like to call fat.
Let's ball this up in one cohesive thought here. When you take in high glycemic index foods, you create high blood sugar levels which in turn cause insulin to be secreted and force glucose to be made into glycogen which is then stored as fat. When you take in low glycemic index foods, you do not create high blood sugar levels which in turn will cause glucagon to be secreted and cause the break down of glycogen into glucose (sugar) for use in the body, which is stored in body fat. Simply put high glycemic index foods = weight gain and low glycemic index foods = weight loss(if you have body fat to lose). It really is a lot more complex than that, but most of us can't really follow all the C6H12O6 molecules floating around the body going into glycolysis, glycogenesis, glycogenolysis and any other glyco-whatever process happening the in the body.
The body is not really that complicated. Eat whole foods, exercise and get rest and you will be fine. Stay away from processed foods and eat 5 to 6 smaller meals a day. This process of eating smaller meals over the day keeps your metabolism high and more efficient.
If you have any questions about glycemic index, be sure to post them in the comments. Also remember that Google and Bing are your friends and can help you find things you may be looking for. You should always remember that the source of the information is important as anyone can put anything on the internet, always fact check before taking anyone at their word.
Good luck!
First we should get a little technical, but not so much you don't understand it. The glycemic index provides a measure of how quickly blood sugar levels rise after eating a particular type of food. That is straight from Wikipedia(for the reference). What does that really mean to us. We all know that there are different types of foods, but the main break down is protein, carbohydrate and fat.
Proteins and fats don't really register on the glycemic index. Why? They do not cause a spike in blood sugar levels after eating. The glycemic index estimates how much each gram of available carbohydrate (total carbohydrate minus fiber) in a food raises a person's blood glucose level following consumption of the food, relative to consumption of pure glucose. Glucose has a glycemic index of 100. So what does that mean? If glucose is 100 everything else will be less and have less effect on blood sugar.
Low glycemic index foods are 55 and lower these foods will be most vegetables, beans, whole grains and most fruits. Medium glycemic index foods are between 56 and 69 which will include raisins, bananas, pita bread and basmati rice to name a few. High glycemic index foods are over 70 which is all white rice, white bread, potatoes, pretzels and bagels for instance. Now what does all this mean?
Ok, so we have an idea what glycemic index is and an idea of what foods are where and how they affect our blood sugar levels. How does this affect weight? When you eat something with a high glycemic index your blood sugars spike up but the body doesn't want your blood sugar high. Now we do need sugar as our main source of energy, but we don't need what we might take in when we eat let's say a Big Mac with fries and a coke. We get way more sugar in our blood than we need from the break down of carbs into sugar that our body uses. So what happens? The pancreas secretes insulin which lowers your blood sugar. The way it lowers the blood sugar is to causes sugar to enter the cells, but the excess will be converted into glycogen. Now our body needs to do something with the glycogen, so its stored in fat cells. Rinse and repeat for years and you are obese.
This process is slow and you don't notice it all. This process of blood sugar spikes repeatedly over the years wears out the pancreas and then it fails. Guess what? You are now diabetic. It is not a certainty that your pancreas will all out fail or you become full fledged diabetic, and when I say diabetic I am referring to type II diabetes. It can be controlled with diet ie: low glycemic index foods and/or oral meds. The extreme of this would be taking insulin routinely obviously. This is totally preventable, no matter of your current issues and/or family history.
When you consume low glycemic index foods you have a lower more sustained increase in blood sugar levels and you typically don't need the insulin and therefore the pancreas isn't stressed. Conversely, you will need to convert glycogen to useable sugar for the cells and brain. This process, glycogenolysis, is the how glycogen is broken down into glucose for use in the body. The main stores in the body of glycogen are found in adipose tissue or what we like to call fat.
Let's ball this up in one cohesive thought here. When you take in high glycemic index foods, you create high blood sugar levels which in turn cause insulin to be secreted and force glucose to be made into glycogen which is then stored as fat. When you take in low glycemic index foods, you do not create high blood sugar levels which in turn will cause glucagon to be secreted and cause the break down of glycogen into glucose (sugar) for use in the body, which is stored in body fat. Simply put high glycemic index foods = weight gain and low glycemic index foods = weight loss(if you have body fat to lose). It really is a lot more complex than that, but most of us can't really follow all the C6H12O6 molecules floating around the body going into glycolysis, glycogenesis, glycogenolysis and any other glyco-whatever process happening the in the body.
The body is not really that complicated. Eat whole foods, exercise and get rest and you will be fine. Stay away from processed foods and eat 5 to 6 smaller meals a day. This process of eating smaller meals over the day keeps your metabolism high and more efficient.
If you have any questions about glycemic index, be sure to post them in the comments. Also remember that Google and Bing are your friends and can help you find things you may be looking for. You should always remember that the source of the information is important as anyone can put anything on the internet, always fact check before taking anyone at their word.
Good luck!
Day 17
Today is day 7 of the first week of P90X3. This day is what you would call an option day. You can take the option of rest and do nothing or maybe incorporate something you like to do ie: mountain biking, hiking, jogging, walking or some other activity no matter how intensive it is. You also have the option of doing the Dynamix workout. Today I rose around 815am, rolled around, turned on the TV and thought about what I wanted to do. My back was sore and not from the workouts but rather from the car accident in 1995 (SSDD if you don't know it Google is your friend). I took the option of doing the Dynamix workout.
Knowing from P90X program that day 7 was a stretch option and was not any where near as vigorous as the other workouts but more vigorous than just laying around and stretching. What I didn't know is how it worked fully and how intense it really was. The Stretch X I think it was called was only 15 or 20 minutes if I remember correctly, but I could be wrong. With Dynamix, as with all the workouts in P90X3, is 30 minutes as well.
When I got the P90X3 program I opened the boxes and buzzed through some of the materials right away. I also started popping in discs to see what was what. One of the discs I started was the Dynamix disc, but after watching the first series of exercise/stretching moves, I put in another thinking I had a pretty good grasp of what that one was all about. I was wrong.
Although we do a lot of upper body work throughout the program or at least through week 1, Dynamix really focused more from the core to the floor.... Huh, a rhyme. What I mean is that there are a lot of core involved and lower body involved movements and exercises. They are designed to stretch but so is yoga and you work in yoga. You will work a little in this workout, not to the extent of the other workouts, but don't think this is just laying around and stretching all relaxed. I was really surprised to see all the lunge work in this one as well. Sadly surprised as lunges are my least favorite and probably the most effective or they wouldn't be there.
One thing I really enjoyed was the increased involvement of the lower back and sneaky way in which it was stretched. The movements seemed to focus on lower body, but with the lower back getting in the mix it really does help with the stretching and increased core ability. Remember that the core is not just abs, but the back is in there as well, and it's always been said to have strong abs you have to have a strong lower back. With this entire set of workouts you notice how all muscle groups get involved at the same time to increase the burn, work and amount of calories expended.
Week 1 summary:
The workouts were good. I am still sore in many places, but not to the point where I can't move. I feel good about how it progressed and yes I can definitely improve in a lot of areas. I can already feel my chest gaining strength, but let's see how I do tomorrow. I know I need to focus in on some areas when doing those workouts, especially getting my calves burning. With a week in, I should be upping my intensity level every week as I gain confidence in the moves and conditioning.
My diet was, I will say pretty good. My weight today by the scale is at 330 lbs. I know I started around 350 lbs 2 weeks ago, but I didn't actually weigh the first day. This week was Christmas week and the diet suffered a couple of days in there. I am back on track and have been replacing breakfast with a shake every day since starting P90X3 last Monday. I am looking forward to the week coming up and seeing how I respond with a full week of clean eating while doing X3.
One week down 13 weeks to go.
Knowing from P90X program that day 7 was a stretch option and was not any where near as vigorous as the other workouts but more vigorous than just laying around and stretching. What I didn't know is how it worked fully and how intense it really was. The Stretch X I think it was called was only 15 or 20 minutes if I remember correctly, but I could be wrong. With Dynamix, as with all the workouts in P90X3, is 30 minutes as well.
When I got the P90X3 program I opened the boxes and buzzed through some of the materials right away. I also started popping in discs to see what was what. One of the discs I started was the Dynamix disc, but after watching the first series of exercise/stretching moves, I put in another thinking I had a pretty good grasp of what that one was all about. I was wrong.
Although we do a lot of upper body work throughout the program or at least through week 1, Dynamix really focused more from the core to the floor.... Huh, a rhyme. What I mean is that there are a lot of core involved and lower body involved movements and exercises. They are designed to stretch but so is yoga and you work in yoga. You will work a little in this workout, not to the extent of the other workouts, but don't think this is just laying around and stretching all relaxed. I was really surprised to see all the lunge work in this one as well. Sadly surprised as lunges are my least favorite and probably the most effective or they wouldn't be there.
One thing I really enjoyed was the increased involvement of the lower back and sneaky way in which it was stretched. The movements seemed to focus on lower body, but with the lower back getting in the mix it really does help with the stretching and increased core ability. Remember that the core is not just abs, but the back is in there as well, and it's always been said to have strong abs you have to have a strong lower back. With this entire set of workouts you notice how all muscle groups get involved at the same time to increase the burn, work and amount of calories expended.
Week 1 summary:
The workouts were good. I am still sore in many places, but not to the point where I can't move. I feel good about how it progressed and yes I can definitely improve in a lot of areas. I can already feel my chest gaining strength, but let's see how I do tomorrow. I know I need to focus in on some areas when doing those workouts, especially getting my calves burning. With a week in, I should be upping my intensity level every week as I gain confidence in the moves and conditioning.
My diet was, I will say pretty good. My weight today by the scale is at 330 lbs. I know I started around 350 lbs 2 weeks ago, but I didn't actually weigh the first day. This week was Christmas week and the diet suffered a couple of days in there. I am back on track and have been replacing breakfast with a shake every day since starting P90X3 last Monday. I am looking forward to the week coming up and seeing how I respond with a full week of clean eating while doing X3.
One week down 13 weeks to go.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Day 16
If I were posting this on the Beachbody message board it would read.... "Week 1, Day 6 The Warrior done....", and so is the situation. The first week of P90X3 is done for all intents and purposes. Tomorrow is day 7 and I have the option to rest or do Dynamax which is an intense stretching routine. P90X had the same option and I did it about half the time. I think I will do it since the workouts are only 30 mins and it can't hurt and most likely will help with soreness.
First week in and how do I feel. Well I feel pretty good. I knew I would not be able to do all the workouts 100% and with 100% intensity as my personal fitness level is no where near where it needs to be. I also knew that this program is designed for people of all levels of fitness and you can increase your intensity many ways within the workouts. So as you get better at the workouts, your fitness increases and your agility grows you will be able to increase your intensity and difficulty as you like.
I definitely feel soreness where I figured I would in my upper body. My shoulders and chest mostly, but also some in the arms mostly triceps (from all the pushups). While I am sitting here typing this, I feel really no soreness or fatigue in my legs. Then I stand and take a few steps. My legs turn to jello and I feel the soreness in my thighs and butt with each step. My calves have always been the best feature on my legs and they don't feel taxed, so I must focus more when the moves involve as I want to get them burning as well.
My core... That really is sad. It's like a Greek Tragedy when I look at my "core", laugh a little and cry more. Feel pity and remorse, you know how it got that way and you feel there is no real hope in sight. As I do the workouts and most involve the core, I wince a little each time. I know that it is in such disarray, but the only way to fix it is to work it. So I keep trying and maybe with each upcoming workout I will notice improvements no matter how small.
My eating over the week has been pretty good. I did eat whatever I wanted and as much as I wanted on Christmas day. This one thing is not a killer, but rather repeating this everyday. I have been doing a shake after my workouts and that is my breakfast. That has been a good way to start my day and it kick starts my day off right. I workout then have my shake and sometimes jump in the hot tub right after. That is where I am going after I post this.
I weighed a few days back and I think I will weigh officially on Sunday mornings before I do the Dynamax. I started on this scale reading close to 350. The last time I was on the scale it was under 340. Weight, as I have said time and time again, is only a number. Obviously when you are overweight you say that, but when trying to lose "weight" and what we really mean is fat and you are doing resistance work, you have to understand the difference. What I mean is that you do resistance work you are building muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat and there fore has a greater weight. So although you are losing fat, you are building muscle and therefore your net weight loss will be less. If you are in the morbidly obese range, you will still see greater losses if you are eating right and exercising. The leaner you are, the less likely you will show greater losses. Instead you will find your clothes fitting differently and also the definition of your muscles will show more.
All I really know is that I have completed my first week, one of many to go. I will not get anywhere in one week. I will have to string together several weeks to notice any true changes in appearance. I know that after 16 days of eating better or for the most part really good and doing exercise that I am pretty sure I have lost close to 15 lbs. The number I am not exactly sure of, but I will be monitoring it much closer as time goes on. I feel confident I will reach my goal of getting under 300 lbs before the end of this 90 day program. I am excited to see what I can accomplish in 90 days and beyond. I am excited to see what others will do and hope that if you read this and you are kind of close to me, that you might join me in a Tough Mudder in the future as that is one of my goals for either this upcoming year, or the year after.
Until tomorrow.... Keep Bringing It!!!!
First week in and how do I feel. Well I feel pretty good. I knew I would not be able to do all the workouts 100% and with 100% intensity as my personal fitness level is no where near where it needs to be. I also knew that this program is designed for people of all levels of fitness and you can increase your intensity many ways within the workouts. So as you get better at the workouts, your fitness increases and your agility grows you will be able to increase your intensity and difficulty as you like.
I definitely feel soreness where I figured I would in my upper body. My shoulders and chest mostly, but also some in the arms mostly triceps (from all the pushups). While I am sitting here typing this, I feel really no soreness or fatigue in my legs. Then I stand and take a few steps. My legs turn to jello and I feel the soreness in my thighs and butt with each step. My calves have always been the best feature on my legs and they don't feel taxed, so I must focus more when the moves involve as I want to get them burning as well.
My core... That really is sad. It's like a Greek Tragedy when I look at my "core", laugh a little and cry more. Feel pity and remorse, you know how it got that way and you feel there is no real hope in sight. As I do the workouts and most involve the core, I wince a little each time. I know that it is in such disarray, but the only way to fix it is to work it. So I keep trying and maybe with each upcoming workout I will notice improvements no matter how small.
My eating over the week has been pretty good. I did eat whatever I wanted and as much as I wanted on Christmas day. This one thing is not a killer, but rather repeating this everyday. I have been doing a shake after my workouts and that is my breakfast. That has been a good way to start my day and it kick starts my day off right. I workout then have my shake and sometimes jump in the hot tub right after. That is where I am going after I post this.
I weighed a few days back and I think I will weigh officially on Sunday mornings before I do the Dynamax. I started on this scale reading close to 350. The last time I was on the scale it was under 340. Weight, as I have said time and time again, is only a number. Obviously when you are overweight you say that, but when trying to lose "weight" and what we really mean is fat and you are doing resistance work, you have to understand the difference. What I mean is that you do resistance work you are building muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat and there fore has a greater weight. So although you are losing fat, you are building muscle and therefore your net weight loss will be less. If you are in the morbidly obese range, you will still see greater losses if you are eating right and exercising. The leaner you are, the less likely you will show greater losses. Instead you will find your clothes fitting differently and also the definition of your muscles will show more.
All I really know is that I have completed my first week, one of many to go. I will not get anywhere in one week. I will have to string together several weeks to notice any true changes in appearance. I know that after 16 days of eating better or for the most part really good and doing exercise that I am pretty sure I have lost close to 15 lbs. The number I am not exactly sure of, but I will be monitoring it much closer as time goes on. I feel confident I will reach my goal of getting under 300 lbs before the end of this 90 day program. I am excited to see what I can accomplish in 90 days and beyond. I am excited to see what others will do and hope that if you read this and you are kind of close to me, that you might join me in a Tough Mudder in the future as that is one of my goals for either this upcoming year, or the year after.
Until tomorrow.... Keep Bringing It!!!!
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