Yoga X-cited I Was Able to Do More!!

Because of my bizarre sleeping schedule (and inability to get to sleep at a decent time), I did Yoga X last night as soon as I got home from work (11:10pm). I wasn’t dreading Yoga X as much as I had been in the first round, but I wasn’t all too excited about it. This time, however, I was determined to at least try what I know I couldn’t do last time. So, I did and I got AMAZING results!!

Let me first start out by saying that I wasn’t able to get today’s workout in this morning either because of some feet issues I was having that kept me up till about 5:00AM. I slept all the way until it was time to get ready for work but I am determined to get Legs and Back in tonight as well. So, that’s that.

The first time I ever tried Yoga was about the first week in January. Needless to say, I was in less than peak physical condition and wasn’t able to do much. (I’m still in less than peak physical condition, but 40-something pounds of weight makes a huge difference in how flexible and balanced you become.) It was one hour and thirty-two minutes of Yoga X, which seems horrible when you put it to exercise that is more relaxed than the other workouts you’ve done. Well, it was horrible, but at least I tried it.

I was stumbling, fumbling, falling, and groaning, of course, because yoga is like one big stretch!! After that first time, I tried it a second time and got a horrible headache because of all the downward movements (I’m thinking too much pressure and blood gave me this bad headache.) Anyway, from that moment on, I decided to skip past the first part and just go to the balance postures (which gave me 42 minutes left of the video.) I was able to do these a lot better than the first half, but I still fell down quite a bit.

Ok, I admitted it. Let me now highlight the hardest moves that I encountered during Yoga X. I will try my best to include pictures because it’s a little hard to describe the positions in words. For the first half of Yoga, you go into a number of “warrior” positions. Things like Warrior 1, Warrior 2, Warrior 3 (1), Reverse Warrior (2), yeah, a lot of Warriors. But, you start out in Downward Dog (3). From Downward Dog, you put one leg in the air (4) and swing it through to Runner’s Pose (5). Got me so far?? After each leg goes through the warrior poses, you get to plank, chaturunga <<which I can’t do, and then downward dog again, only to repeat on the other side or to go to a different warrior pose. Well folks, that first round of P90X was tough because I couldn’t even swing my leg through to Runner’s Pose!! I never had enough momentum to get my leg in between my hands. It would always land somewhere by my knees. But, NOW I CAN SWING MY LEG IN BETWEEN MY HANDS!!!!! <<Warm Fuzzy!! (the only move that I had trouble with was the Warrior 3. I still need to work on my balance a good deal and having one leg in the air and one arm in the air is kind of tricky.)

 ^(1)Warrior 1, 2, and 3

                                                   <<(2) Reverse Warrior

<<(3) Downward Dog

<<(4) Leg in The Air

<<(5) Runner's Pose

After that very exhausting, yet deeply fulfilling 45 minutes of work, my thighs were on fire! But I was so ready for the last 45 minutes of Yoga. These were the balance moves and although there were quite a few, I will highlight the ones that I made the most improvement on.

While this first move isn’t horribly difficult, it can become such if your balance isn’t good, like mine when I first started. Tree (6) and Royal Dancer (7). When I first started doing them , I was losing my balance and as above mentioned, actually fell. <<haha! When I did them last night, I was able to get my balance with only minimal teetering and keep it for the time (30 seconds on each leg). So, that was a nice improvement!!

<<(6) Tree

<<(7) Royal Dancer

Now, here comes the most amazing change that I’ve seen so far: Plough (8) to Shoulder Stand (9). I tried these a few times but I couldn’t control my back. It had a “kink” in it, as TH says. So, I wasn’t able to do that correctly. (And, my legs weighed so much, I couldn’t put them in the air.) Then, TH told us to stay in the Shoulder Stand but to scissor our legs (10). Haha, yeah right!! So, I just skipped that part and went onto the next one that I could do. Last night, I was able to do all of those poses!!! Blew my mind!!! (And, I was able to hold it for the allotted amount of time, which was a little more than one minute!!)<<I was as calm as a cucumber too!!

<<(8) Plough

 

<(9) Shoulder Stand

<(10) Shoulder Stand with Scissored Legs

One of the things that I was also able to control more was my mind. In Yoga X, TH tells us to relax our mind and to simply not think about anything. (Haha, he’s not a woman, so he has no idea!!) But, I was able to rid myself of the To-Do Lists that I would fill my mind with the last time. In fact, the only thing I was actually thinking about was “Holy Batman!! I can do this now!!” It was an intense feeling of self-pride (the good kind) because my body was getting even better and stronger!!

So, folks, what started out as horribly dreadful is now not so bad. I’m actually very excited that I can do the entire video now!! It’s just a testimony to how much the body is able to do when you keep exercising and stretching! So, for all of you out there that are doing exercises and find that you can’t do much now, if you stick with it, you’ll be able to do what once was practically impossible!!

I promise I’m almost done. Before I had actually done my yoga, I was thinking something…”Dedication is a PM workout.” (Not to say that dedication isn’t an AM workout.) But, most of the time, at the end of the night, it’s kind of hard to get yourself up to do exercise. Before Ab Ripper X the other night, I really didn’t want to have to stay up to do it, but doing it made me see that I really am dedicated. I could have given an excuse, but I didn’t, I just did it. Besides, day or night, if you choose to workout, you’re still improving your body and your life.

Here’s something that I saw on Pinterest. I didn’t Pin it but it goes something like this: “No matter how slow you run, you’re still beating everyone on the couch.” <<Love it!!

Signing Out,

It’s Possible!!



Whacked Out Schedule

As you might have guessed, this week has been extremely crazy. The first crazy scheduling I have to deal with is my work schedule. Two nights of 3-11, then Audit three nights in a row, then 3-11 the next three nights in a row makes for a very tiring week. Not to mention, because I’ve needed more sleep than is humanly possible (for some strange reason) my “wake up and workout” schedule has suffered. I honestly did set my alarm for enough time to do the hour and a half of yoga today. As it turns out, setting an alarm while half asleep may not be the best idea. I ended up setting my alarm for 11:20PM instead of AM and ended up waking up an hour later that I wanted to. I got up at that time but as soon as I got up, it was headache central!! (Doing Yoga X with a headache is not good because I usually get a headache just doing it.) So, I went back to sleep hoping that my headache would be gone when I woke up. Luckily, it was, but I still have and hour and a half to do once I get home.

Once my schedule gets back to normal, it will be a lot easier on me to fit my workouts in before I have to go to work. :D

And, to prove that I am determined (and slightly crazy), I did the “vicious dog” workout as soon as I got home from work last night. It was funny too because I was talking to TH telling him how crazy he was. I was groaning in pain too. But, I was able to do even more than I could on Monday!! <<warm fuzzy! Thankfully, my body isn’t as sore today, but I still have 3 more workouts until Week 1 is officially over.

At the end of this week, if my weight hasn’t dropped to either 170 or 169.something, I’m gonna have to fine tune my diet again. I tell ya what, trying to figure out how many calories you need to burn fat is HARD!! As a coach on teambeachbody.com told me: it’s like there are 3 floors to how calories work. If you eat too few calories (Floor 1), your body will go in survival mode and you’ll start storing it up. If you eat too many calories (Floor 3), your body will gain weight, if you eat just enough (Floor 2) you’ll burn fat. So, it’s just a matter of trying to find how many calories your body needs in order to burn dat fat!!!

Alright, I’m done. This was obviously a short post because I wasn’t able to do anything today. I shall talk more about Yoga X and Legs and Back (my favorite workout) tomorrow.

Signing Out,

It’s Possible

Shirt On, Body Sore, Not Done!!

Today was kind of a repeat of yesterday’s post. At least the title part. I got whipped…by my braid… again…and it hurt even more this time around. It was during the warm-up, we were doing jumping jacks and the tip of my braid kept piercing my flesh (or at least, it felt like it). Thankfully, it was over soon because today was a weight lifting today!! No jumping around like an Insane person ( ;) ), time to beef up the Shoulder and Arms.

If you didn’t pick up on that little hint, today’s workout was directed at the shoulder and arm muscles. My arms were still quite sore from Monday’s workout. (My abs are really sore, and my legs are just kind of sore. Surprisingly, they aren’t as bad as I thought it would be.) Anywho, shoulders and arms.

Let me first start off by telling you that I could have had a perfectly reasonable excuse NOT to do my workout. But, so as not to disappoint the very few readers that I have, to make myself feel better, and to get in a good arm workout, I pushed that “play” button!! (I worked Audit last night, meaning that I got home at 7am. Then, at 3pm, I had to come back to work until 11pm. So, not the best schedule. Like I said, it ruins Wednesday for me, but oh well, I’m a trooper, a tired one. I decided to go to sleep when I got home, wake up at 12:45pm, do the workout and at 2pm, get ready for work.) It worked well, but I still have that “vicious dog” workout (Ab Ripper X) to do tonight. I’m very determined to get that one in even though it makes me want to vomit!!

Again I say, Shoulders and Arms. As TH puts it, the exercises go in this order “Shoulders, Bi, Tri.” Pretty straight forward if you ask me. You do one set of “SBT” then “repeato.” <<TH doesn’t say that in this workout, but hey, might as well use his words from yesterday…So, we start with…well, crap, what did we start with? (forgive the brain lapse…I’ll think of it soon)… Ah yes, Alternating Shoulder Press, In and Out Bicep Curls, and Two-Arm Tricep Kickbacks. (I had to cheat and look on the internet because I just could remember. That nasty water Protein Shake must have temporarily fried my brain.) Don’t fret, I’m not going to tell you the entire routine cuz that would just be boring and it would take a long time.

I shall talk to you about the exercise that I really really like! Today, this made my triceps burn like FIRE!! But, I like it nonetheless! This move would be Lying Down Tricep Extension. You lie on your back with arms straight above your face, with the weight of your choosing. Then, bring your arms down behind your head. I like this a lot because 1.) you get to lie down, 2.) It works! 3.) you get to lie down, and 4.) TH and Dreya Weber have some funny things to say about this one, including “Tip of the Day: Don’t Smash Your Face.”- TH. Makes me LOL every time. And, 5.) you get to lie down. :D

Onto the warm fuzzy section. The warm fuzzy for me today was the fact that I was able to do side Tri Rises relatively well. With the exception of my bulging hips and uncomfortable bone pressure, I was able to whip quite a few of this out. With Side Tri Rise, you lie on one side of your body, put the arm closest to the floor on your shoulder and with the other hand, push yourself up about ½-1 foot off the ground. I couldn’t do this in the first round (and therefore skipped that 1-minute [X2 bc of repeat] section of tricep work). Now, I’m proud to say that I can do it!!

Below, I have included a picture of the Side Tri Rise. (It’s actually a creepy drawing, but you get the idea.) Also, below, is a picture of Lying Down Tricep Extensions (once again, creepy picture. The muscle-y drawing is using a different kind of weight [I think that is called a barbell??] and he's on a bench, but we used individual dumbbells and lie on the floor [<<best part] with P90X.  Correct me if I’m wrong.)

Ok, folks, time to wrap it up. I hope that this blog in general has helped someone…(I’d love to hear about it if it has!!)

Signing Out,

It’s Possible!!

 P.S...today I worked out with my shirt ON!! (I don't sweat very much during the weight lifting exercises and therefore, am able to wear a shirt and be comfortable. :D) Just though I'd tell you :D

Whipped By My Own Braid

Today was another “get out of bed late” days. I blame it on the fact that as soon as I get out of this place tomorrow at 7am, I have to come right back at 3pm, thus, ruining Wednesday for me completely. (More on that tomorrow.) I told my husband, as he tried to get me to wake up several times that I was getting prepared for tomorrow and trying to get as much sleep as I can. (Which really doesn’t make any sense because it’s not like I can harness the energy that I got today and apply it to tomorrow. I guess I gave that excuse so that he wouldn’t try to get me to wake up again. Lol, it worked.)

Anyway, I got up at 3pm, yes, I know, very late. (I seriously have to get a different schedule going for me.) PJ and I goofed around for about 45 minutes and then I got hard core serious about the workout that I have been dreading since deciding to do another round of P90X: Plyometrics. (BTW, we recently acquired a sparring gear set with a uniform in it. PJ held it up this evening and read the tag, “size 3, 170lbs.” Hmm, I thought, I don’t weight 170 yet, but I should try it on just because. I did and he took pictures of me. Then, he put his jiujitsu uniform on and it was a photo shoot!! We had so much fun for like I said, about 45 minutes and then it was back to business.)

I tried to tie my braid up (which later fell down, so I just said “whatever” and let it continuously hit me), got my chair, my water and prepared for pain. (If any workout makes your body hurt, it’s Plyometrics. It involves muscles almost entirely below the waist and you definitely feel it in the morning.) So, the warm-up began. No big deal, I got a nice glaze and was ready for TH to get all crazy on us.

In this workout, you do 3 exercises for 30 seconds each and then one for 60 seconds. Then, “repeato!!” as TH says. So, you repeat and then go on to a different set. The first set, and really all of the sets, weren’t bad. They hurt, oh yes, they hurt, but I was able to do them. (Yee!!) Just as a very brief overview, I’ll tell you about 3 of the moves we had to do…

1.)    Mary Katherines (picture and link below)

Now, these, I’m not very good at. I had to modify this move. It always gets a little too intense for me. Basically, you put your hands straight up in the air, lunge with your right leg, then jump into a left lunge. I step into the lunges because that’s all I can seem to handle. (Do your best and forget the rest.)<<This is the motto of P90X 

BTW, this move reminds me of the movie Superstar at 1:56 (The trailer made me blush cuz it’s kind of OUT THERE, so I advise you to just skip ahead :D)

2

.)    Frog Squats

I actually like these. They make me think my thighs are actually in better shape than they look. (which actually could be the case, I dunno.) Anyway, you get in a looooow squat, so low that it hurts.Then, you jump front 2x and back 2x. Do this for 30 seconds and your thighs will be screaming at you!! :D

3.)    Jump Knee Tucks

With the first round of P90X, I didn’t even attempt these. I was in no shape to even try to jump in the air and bring my knees up to my waist whilst in mid air. But, I decided to see what I could do today. Well, I wasn’t able to get my knees all the way to my waist, but I was able to get them up a lot farther than I thought I would be able to. I did this move in front of a mirror and as soon as I lose some more thigh weight, I think I’ll be able to do this with relatively no problem. (Once again, the warm fuzzies.)

The only problem with this move is that, for me, I “Hulk stomp” the ground with both feet because I haven’t mastered “jump like a cat,” as TH says. Either way, the force at which I was hitting the ground made my braid jump as well and then land with a “SLAP” on my back! Ouch! I managed to endure it, but it still hurt!

After the hour of Plyometrics was over, I felt a lot better about doing it again next week. I also ended up drinking 2 Liters of water and sweating like “pig” <<even though they don’t sweat. I’m pretty sure I will feel it tomorrow, but bring it on!!

I suppose that is it for today’s blog post. I’ve added some pictures of our photo shoot (to show that I’m not too serious), plus some of how much I sweat. Enjoy!!

Signing Out,

It’s Possible!!

Falling on Your Face

As most of my lovely readers know, today was the first day of another journey I have chosen to take: the journey of P90X for the second time. This first day was absolutely fabulous!! Read more if you want to know why.

Well, I came home from Audit, wasn’t feeling so hot, so I decided to sleep for quite a while. I knew that once I woke up, I’d P90X it up and my first day would be completed. Well, I didn’t wake up until 3pm. I was partially tired and partially hesitant about going through another round of TH wise cracks (as previously mentioned in Day 62 of Insanity.) Anyway, once I got out of bed, I was ready.

It took me about ten minutes to get my workout gear on, haul the chair into the bedroom, get my 8lb weights set up (more about this later) and put the resistance bands on the back of the door.<<picture down below. Plus, I had to get my trusty 32-oz water cup, arrange my hair so that it wouldn’t come undone and of course, make the bed so that while I was working out, I wouldn’t have to stop in the middle of some Push-ups and do it. Lol. (The bed always has to be made if I do a workout in the bedroom. The room has to be clean too. J)

Anyway, I pushed play and it began. In all the P90X videos, you see TH in lighting that shows every detail of his muscles…he talks for a little bit about what’s to come and then it goes to the video. This first section seems kind of silly to me because he’s being serious when the rest of the video is TH making wise cracks. Again I say, this gets annoying after 90 days. I had to laugh.

The workout started with the warm up of course, which I had actually forgotten a lot about. The warm-up only lasts about 5-6 minutes (nothing compared to Insanity, let me tell you!!) But, you work up a “nice” sticky film and then proceed with about 7 minutes of stretching. In just the first portion alone (warm-up) I had noticed that I was able to do SO much more than when I first started. For one, I was able to go from exercise to exercise without stopping. I did jumping jacks for 50+ seconds and didn’t really feel exhausted, and I was able to do run lunges like they were nothing!! (I had a horrible time doing run lunges when I first started out.) This time, it was like I was a pro!! It put a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart to know that I had come that far in just a matter of months.

Ok, enough about warm fuzzies. The workout: Chest and Back. (and Ab Ripper X) I bet you can’t guess which muscle groups we worked on today. Lol. This workout was basically a 2-set deal. We did 2 sets of 12 different exercises. This workout includes a lot of push-ups, pull-ups, and a few exercises involving weights. I’ve come to like this workout simply because it works the flab off of my arms!!

About the weights. In the first round, I could only handle 5lbs neoprene dumbbells (neoprene simply means that it’s covered in a rough rubbery substance so that they are easier to grip.) Today, I started with 8lbs, and it really didn’t seem all that heavy. Boy, I thought I was just dying with the 5lb ones. Haha!! Even that made me all warm and fuzzy inside.

One of my favorite exercises is Reverse Grip Pull-Ups. They hurt like the dickens if you do a lot of reps, but looking at my muscles as I pull down makes me oh so happy. (I wasn’t able to see any kind of definition when starting the first time.)

Another move that I have to mention, simply because it’s the reason for the title today, is the good ole Divebomber Push-Ups. Seriously, the name alone makes me giggle inside even though the move itself almost gave me a rug burn!! Lol. This is how it went.

I can’t do push-ups yet. So, I modify. I do push-ups on my knees (which doesn’t do as much for your body as the old fashioned ones do, but if you can’t do em, you gotta modify. So, I do.) The same goes for these Divebomber thingamabobs. You kind of start out in an upward dog yoga pose except your hands and feet are spread out like a X. Then, you move your face down like you are trying to crawl underneath a fence without touching the floor with your knees. So, since I was doing this move on my knees, I only allowed my arms and back to go “under the fence.” It’s amazing how much pressure is applied to your arms when you’re actually putting practically all of your weight on them…just to go “under a fence,” I might add. So, I was going “under the fence” and I got way to low to push myself back up. And, BAM! Face hit the floor and I just had to laugh at myself. (Note: if you go down too far, you might not be able to get back up…) From that moment on, I paid more attention to how my arms were feeling and came back “under the fence” when I felt like I was about to headbutt the carpet again. That was probably the highlight of my day.

Ok, so that sums up a good portion of Chest and Back. Now, on to Ab Ripper X. (Excluding the “ab” part, this could be a name for a really vicious dog…at least that’s what I think about when I have to do this 15-minute ab killer!!) Not even four minutes in, I was lying on the floor feeling like I wanted to vomit on the newly made bed. But, like a trooper, I gritted my teeth through the rest of what I could do and that vomit feeling left me. Yay! In that workout, I got warm fuzzies because I was able to do about 50% more of what I could the first go round. Exciting and painful!! But, awesome!!

I guess that’s enough for this post. But, before I go, I weighed myself this morning and Simon said 173. I weighed myself before coming to work and Simon said 171.6. So, folks, I believe Sweet “16” is just around the corner!! We should celebrate once I get there…with like a really big cake…haha…no…how about a stalk of celery (yeah!!)

Signing Out,

It’s Possible!!

Below are some pictures that I hurriedly took on one of the water breaks (oh yeah, we get more water breaks in P90X!!) My cute green toesies that I shot while preparing for more pull-ups, the pull-up bar, and my neoprene dumbbells. :D

Day 63: The Last Insanity Fit Test

I have to admit, this last week has been kind of confusing. Confusing for the fact that I got the schedule all kinds of messed up (somehow) and couldn’t figure out what the heck went wrong.

The week started out with Max Interval Plyo…well, and this is my fault completely, I only read the first two words and assumed it was Max Interval Circuit. So, even though I strongly dislike MIC, I did it. After that workout, I looked ahead and the schedule to brace myself for what Tuesday had in store. I didn’t catch this mistake until I saw that Wednesday was MIC. (Crap!) To myself, I though, “Surely they wouldn’t have the same workouts just a day apart from each other.” So, I looked back at Monday and found my error!

I found that Friday was Max Interval Plyo. In my head, I decide that I would do MIP in Wednesday’s place and that should fix it.

Tuesday was Max Conditioning and Cardio Abs. I did that with no problem. Looked at the schedule and SAW that the next workout was Core Cardio and Balance. So, on Wednesday I did CCB. (If you read properly, I was supposed to do MIC and was going to sub that with MIP, but did CCB instead.) On Thursday, I caught my error and decided to do MIP. Friday came and I was actually supposed to do MIP that day. (Man!!) So, I did MC&CA…which, if you guessed right, was actually supposed to be for Saturday. Saturday morning, I was at a loss and I pondered for a while how in the heck I got so messed up and confused. I did CCB that day and once that was over, I thoroughly checked the schedule that I had completely screwed up and found my major error!!

The major error is the way the schedule is created. At a glance, the middle of the chart makes me “That must be Wednesday.” So, I did that workout in that middle box that I saw. On the schedule, the days of the week are so far up the page and so tiny that it’s hard to tell which day is actually which (unless you squint real hard…lol). So, that is how I got all messed up.

On a completely different subject, I blew my first Fit Test scores out of the water!! I’m very happy with those results, not so happy with the Weigh Day results. I’m so ready for P90X to knock some pounds off of this body!! Anyway, the results. (Mind you, these exercises last a minute each and you have to do as many reps as possible.)

1.)    Switch Kicks [2 kicks = 1 rep]

Started With: 21 (and dropped out early because I couldn’t catch my breath!!)

Ended With: 50 (did it the entire way through!!)

2.)    Power Jacks

Started With: 28

Ended With: 54

3.)    Power Knees

Started With: 42

Ended With: 98

4.)    Power Jumps

Started With: 18

Ended With: 30

5.)    Globe Jumps [4 jumps = 1 rep]

Started With: 4

Ended With: 9

6.)    Suicide Jumps

Started With: 8

Ended With: 12

7.)    Push-Up Jacks

Started With: 1 (can’t do a full Push-Up though)

Ended With: 12 (still can’t do a full Push-Up though) <<probably going to be a goal of mine by the end of P90X

8.)    Low Plank Oblique

Started With: 24

Ended With: 44

If you recall, that first day, I was drenched in sweat and “I was huffing and puffing like no one’s business!” << actual quote from Day 1. Even on Day 63 though, the same thing applies. I was very sweaty and huffing and puffing even MORE than the first day (maybe, can’t remember too well.) But, I was able to keep going!! That’s the point. I’d definitely say that insanity was a success as far as building my cardio…but not so much of the weight part.

Speaking of which, I weighed in today and Simon said : 174 <<blach!! I started out at 176. So, a WHOPPING 2 pound weigh loss, (woohoo!! <sarcasm, much?) As far as I am concerned, I’d only go to Insanity to increase my cardio. I’ll save P90X for weight loss…which exactly what I’m going to do…tomorrow. Wish me luck!!

Signing Out,

It’s Possible!!

Click on the Links below...

This is the Insanity Schedule...Look at it and see if you don't get confused just by looking at it...lol

This is the Insanity Fit Test...there are pictures of the moves if you'd like to see how to do them...

Day 62: The Last Day of Insanity!!

Wow! It feels like only a short while since I started my Insane Journey and now, I’m officially done with it. I’ve got mixed feelings about the results, but I am very proud of myself for starting something and then finishing it.

So, about these mixed feelings. I won’t know my official ending weight until tomorrow, but overall, I’m kind of disappointed about only losing 6-10 pounds. But, at least they are lost. I’ve still got roughly 4.5 months left and 43 more pounds to lose. So, I am okay with that since the year is far from over. I am, however, very excited about the fact that I have a higher level of endurance. The Fit Test scores will be posted tomorrow and I just know that I’ve completely demolished the first Fit Test scores.

As I was working out this morning, the word “muscle confusion” came to mind. If you don’t know what this is, it’s basically doing different workouts from day to day that utilize different muscle groups. This way, you’re body doesn’t get used to doing the same thing every day and therefore, doesn’t plateau as quickly because it constantly has to “get used” to something else. P90X is built on the idea of “muscle confusion.” Results are better when you confuse your muscles. I think that might be why I really only lost weight in the first few weeks of Insanity. My body got used to doing the same kinds of things and working the same areas that it didn’t respond to them like it did with P90X. That is my theory.

Anyway, the Fit Test is tomorrow and then I jump right into P90X on Monday. This may sound odd, but I am very excited that I’m gonna be in so much pain that I will hardly be able to walk next week. It’s gonna be great! My only reservations about going through another round of P90X are that the workouts are so much longer than in Insanity and hearing Tony Horton’s wise cracks about different exercises gets OLD! Lord knows that an hour and one-half of Yoga X is horrible enough, but with the added jokes of Tony Horton, OMGSH!! (Wise cracks wouldn’t be AS bad if Tony injected his workout with some enthusiasm and motivational yelling like Shaun T does.) I guess I will just try to ignore all the flaws as best as possible and focus on my main goal for P90X, which is to tone, tone tone, and lose, lose, lose!!

Speaking of toning, again I thought to myself, “Maybe I should make some short-term goals to strive for that are a part of my long-term goal.” My arms, for one. I really really really want to be able to wear a shirt with no sleeves without having to wear a jacket over it by the end of P90X! (Of course, I probably won’t be doing that much because it will be November…but I want to be ABLE to do that!!) No joke, but I want my arms to be RIPPED! That’s my only short-term goal that I’ve thought of for the moment but I am going to set aside some time to making up more short-term goals. (These will be posted later as well.)

Anyway, I figured I’d let you know what was going on. I’m excited to see the results from tomorrows Fit Test!!

Signing Out,

It’s Possible!!

Day 60: Here's a Thought...

So, I'm not sure if this is correct or not...but as I was doing some push ups today, I had a thought...

Perhaps the reason I'm not losing much weight from Insanity is because it's ALL cardio. I know that by doing cardio, you can lose weight...especially after seeing the results that some people have had...BUT!! Maybe my body needs more strength training with some cardio. I mean, obviously, I've been eating about the same amount of calories with both P90X and Insanity and I lost about 32 pounds with Tony Horton. Sean T is great, but I haven't lost much weight with him. I'm thinking I just need another dose of Tony.

With Tony comes strength training!! That means weights!! I'm excited about weighs because they help shape stuff. What I'm most excited to see shaped is my arms, thighs and stomach!! And, I believe that in the next 90 days (well, 93 to be exact) I will see those kinds of results. 

Not to mention, Insanity has been a little rough on me. I had to stop my workout early today because of some sharp pain I was experiencing in my back. I don't want another episode like I had two weeks ago and I really want to finish Insanity strong, so I skipped to the Cool Down and here I am now!! I don't recall having any kind of difficulty with P90X other than extremely sore muscles. (I'm excited for those in the NEAR future though.)

Funny thing, I didn't used to like muscle pain!! haha! I used to moan and groan after a day of physical exertion because my muscles would always hurt. Now, I relish the fact that my muscles will be hurting!! It means they are growing stronger!! And, I'm all for that!!

Anyway, I've also realized that with this post alone, I've used a lot of exclamation points. :D Can't help if I'm excited!!

So, that's it for today. I think I'm going to take it easy, catch up on my Big Brother 14, clean the house and try to put the finishing touches on my craft area. (See, I have a life outside of exercising :D)

Signing Out, 
It's Possible!!

For your viewing pleasure....

 5th Grade....don't make any wise cracks about the hair. When my hair is cut short, it decides to Fro!

 6th Grade...in a new state...KY!!...call me chubsybunny

 7th Grade...I don't remember ever looking like that...my face takes up 75% of the page...lol

 8th Grade...a little better...not a lot though :D

 9th Grade...High School!! 

 10th Grade...the first 2 high school pictures aren't so bad...ya know...I was in Band, I was exercising and stuff..

 11th Grade...still not that bad...

 Senior Year!! Not liking this photo!! I wish she (photographer) could have told me to push my arm against the tree branch so that it wouldn't look like my arm was so big!! lol

Me...last week...in my messy craft area...I promise it doesn't look like this now...

Day 57: Simon Still Ain't Movin'

As suggested by the title, Simon didn't move today. I'm still in the 170's, 173 to be exact. Well, around there. When I weighed before I came to work, Simon said 172.4. So, I'll let you decided what I weigh. Lol. I'm going with 172.4 tough.

Anyway, if all goes according to plan, I'll be starting P90X next Monday. Hopefully that will jump start another weight loss "season" so I can finally get to see Sweet "16."

I know this is a short one, but I figured you'd like to be updated.

Signing Out,
It's Possible!!

Day 55: Another One of “Those” Days and An Inspirational Lady!!

As you may have already assumed, some days are good, some days are bad, and some are just plain blah! The blah days are the ones where you know you could get out of bed but you just don’t want to. Well, folks, these blah days count in your overall fitness and you just have to get over it. That’s what I have to do every time my flesh wants to keep me from doing my work outs. Blah days are a test of the flesh. Are you “man” enough to deny your flesh, get out of bed (or off the couch), and do what you know you need to?

Yes, I know. You had a rough night. You didn’t get enough sleep (because you chose to stay on Facebook all night long or surf eBay.) You don’t feel like working out today. You are sore from yesterday’s workout. Blah, Blah, blah. Whatever the excuse, it’s not good enough to deny your body the right to be healthy. Unless you are seriously injured and can’t workout, just get up and do it! I promise; it will be to your benefit. Sitting around and doing nothing will be to your detriment. (You’ve seen pictures of me from January and before, right? See what being lazy does!!)

Anyway, I hope you don’t think I’m being too harsh. I just know that once you get your mind right, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING!! You’d be surprised at what you can do once you just decide to do it. I have an awesome little story to share with you!!

When we first started going to GraceChurch International (now known as World Harvest Church of Paducah) back in 2001, there was a children’s minister who I came to ADORE! She was so nice, willing to do just about anything for anybody, and is an amazing woman of God! I absolutely love her! At this time in my life, I was VERY BIG! There is a very mortifying picture of me down below if you’d like to take a gander (and then throw up…lol..JK!!) Anyway, she was also a heavy set lady like me, even though I was only 11 years old. That didn’t matter though. She had a smile that could light up the entire room (or sanctuary), her voice is so soothing, and she had a voice like an angel. (To this day, I remember her singing one of my all-time favorite songs that I sing to myself when I “can’t find the words to say.” You may know it: “Say the Name.”)

I can’t remember what year it was, but to pursue their calling from God, they moved away from Paducah.  It was a lot different once they left!

Just recently, we became friends on Facebook and come to find out, she’s been on the same kind of journey as me!! I’m not sure when she started hers, but I know she’s been doing a great job. So far, she’s lost 50 pounds! The thing that inspires me so much from her is that she hasn’t given up on herself!! Sometimes, when people get overweight, or obese, or even morbidly obese, they give up on themselves. They think they are too far gone to correct the situation, when in fact, they are NOT!! For little while there, I was almost at that point. I didn’t feel like I could do anything to “save” myself.

Well, this lady is a trooper, still sweet as ever and an inspiration to a LOT of people and me as well (even if it’s only through the internet!) She’s taught me so much and continues to uplift me in my journey with her posts and comments. Ms. Regina, I applaud you for being committed to your decision and for not giving up on yourself. We know that God is walking with us to our destination even though it’s very hard at times! Thanks for being such a wonderful example and a motivation to me and many others!

Signing Out,

It’s Possible!!

I'm sure you can guess which one is me...haha!

Day 54: Muscle in the Making!!

When I first started this entire weight-loss journey, my primary focus was to lose weight!! I just wanted to rid myself of all the fat that had been plaguing me for such a long time. (Yes, a very long time!! I revisited my 5^th-12^th grade pictures yesterday and boy, was I fat!!) << I’ll post those at a later date!! Anyway, yes, I wanted to lose fat. And, not just 10 or 15 pounds like some of my blessed family members. >>>kristie barriger<<<  But, a serious amount of FAT!!!!

What I didn’t wasn’t expecting was to gain muscle! I never even thought about the possibility that I would gain some muscle. I was just hoping to be like some of the thin people I went to school with that never had to work out. (So not fair!)

Today was a realization point for me though. (I apparently have many of these.) I was doing a move called Squat Hooks and as I was “hooking” <<horrible term if you ask me…the light shone down on my arms and I could see the beautiful curves of MUSCLE!!! You read it folks, MUSCLE!! My arms are not the muscley beauties that you’d see at the Olympics, but I am on my way!! Once I get rid of the jiggle down below, my arms will be awesome!! (I am so PUMPED to see what they are gonna look like!!)

As I was adoring what once used to be a huge blob, I thought to myself “P90X is really gonna tone those puppies up!” <<ok, well, I didn’t think it in exactly those words, but you understand, right? So, even though the Yoga, Kenpo X and Plyometrics portions are going to be very NOT fun, I am excited to see how my body will be shaped in the long 90 days after I complete Insanity. I am much more motivated to see this official second round of P90X come to completion because it will bring me right up November 25^th!! (3 days after Thanksgiving and One month before Christimas!!) Hmm, I wonder what else I can fit into that last month of the year??

Hopefully, by that time, I will be a studly woman…lol. And, I’ll be able to eat food (in moderation) and won’t gain weight because my massive muscles (haha) will burn off those calories. Lol, no. For real though. I am very excited to see this year come to an end because I know I’ve worked hard for the progress I have made thus far and will continue to make. I am determined to change that gruesome picture from last Christmas! (I’ve talked about this before. But, to refresh your memory: my sister got a new camera last year and just HAD to take a picture with me :D Needless to say, the picture of me looked like someone had stuffed me and NOT the turkey!! Lol.)

Well, anyway. If you are still wanting to lose weight, start now!! There’s no time like the present!! Commit yourself to be a better you!! You can do it!! Soon, you will see the muscles!! (You’ll feel them the first day though :D)

Signing Out,

It’s Possible!!

Day 51: A BIG Difference…

For some reason, the scale refuses to move. Even though this is the case though, I KNOW that my body has gotten stronger. Maybe not smaller or lighter, but definitely stronger!! I know this because of the Fit Test that we do every two weeks with Insanity. So, as mentioned before, I’m not too focused anymore of the number that presents itself on the scale but more with how my body has changed DRAMATICALLY since starting this entire thing.

As I was working out today, I decided to take a moment and look at my tummy. I did what, I guess, the normal girl would do and pulled here and there, tried to flatten and shape my stomach to what I was hoping to see with the next few rounds of butt-kicking workout videos. There was also a second where I just stopped and stared at myself (without the pulling and pushing) and just noticed the DIFFERENCE compared to what I used to look and feel like.

To get a better idea of the difference, once my workout was over, I pulled up the before pictures of me. I didn’t have any workout clothing at the time and ended up taking pictures in my under clothes; therefore, a lot was revealed to me in that sense. Literally, my stomach hung over about three inches (if I had to guess.) It was absolutely astonishing to see that I actually looked like that! (It still boggles me now because I never thought I was that bad off.)

I also noticed a drastic difference in the way my face looks. It’s hard to think that people can actually recognize me now because of how much I was packing on my face alone!! I can’t even believe that my face used to look like that!!

Before I close this post, I’d like to share a little bit of what I was thinking about on the very short drive home from work this morning. We have a road that we turn down that probably takes a maximum of two minutes (if you drive slow) and it’s nicely shaded and very peaceful. For some reason, I usually go down memory lane while driving down this road. Anyway, today I was looking back at when I started with P90X. I remember how I just committed to it. I kind of let loose and hoped for the best. And, while I was doing the program, I remember feeling and thinking that I wasn’t getting anywhere. I didn’t feel like I was losing anything or transforming myself in any way. Even though I noticed that clothes were looser, I just didn’t feel like I was getting smaller. Still, I continued to devote myself to the FREEZING cold workouts in the garage during the winter (I literally had to wear gloves and find a space heater because it was just so cold!!) and the STIFLING hot workouts when it got warmer (luckily there was a fan in the garage and I tried my best to stay underneath that for the duration). I kept a really good track of my food intake; I just went for it! (What did I have to lose, right, expect a ton of weight!!)

As I went down this memory lane, I realized that once you become fully devoted to something, going through it doesn’t seem that bad. A lot of people have agonized over the thought of going through P90X and some have even said that it was TOUGH TOUGH TOUGH, but for me it wasn’t like that at all. I was so committed to that program that it was just something that I was determined to do; and it really wasn’t all that hard. Yes, my muscles hurt a lot throughout the program and yes, a lot of the moves challenge you, but I never thought it was so horrible that I just wanted to quit. Being determined to do something or see something through makes the thing that you are going through not as bad. Looking back at it all, it wasn’t hard for me to change my eating habits, it was something that I needed to do and once I did it, it became second nature.

I think some people think that it is going to be SO HARD to change their lifestyle, to input exercise where it never existed, to change food decisions from unhealthy to healthy. I can imagine that some people are so afraid that they won’t be able to do it that they just don’t. Sometimes, you have to dive in, not knowing what the outcome will be, but only knowing that it change your life! And, when time passes by and you’ve lost 43 pounds like I have, it will seem like the easiest thing you ever did!!

So, for all of you who want to work out and get in shape, let this little memory lane trip be of some encouragement for you. All it takes is commitment to a healthier lifestyle. Once you fully commit, the rest gets so much easier!!

Signing Out, ‘

It’s Poissible!!