Day 55...Yoga X

Another day of Yoga X and it was much needed after my crappy day at work. 8 and 1/2 hours felt like 15 today...I was DYING of boredom! If there is one thing that makes Yoga X therapeutic it's the fact that I can come home feeling like total shit and a hour and a half later I am relaxed. Yoga X is definitely my favorite workout which is a surprise considering I had never done Yoga before and had no idea that it would be so rewarding. 

As always, unless I wake up early I probably won't do X Stretch tomorrow. If that's the case then that means I am two phases down...one to go! 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Wheat English Muffin with peanut butter. With juice and coffee black

Snack: PB&J Sandwich

Lunch: Lean Cuisine Lasagna

Snack: 2 pieces of string cheese

Dinner: 2 Tuna Sandwiches with pickles

Friday starts Phase 2 and that means the triumphant return of Chest/Back! Diamond push up...I'm going to destroy you!! Later!

Day 50...Yoga X

Another day of Yoga today and the start of my second recovery week. The Half Moons are the only part of the Vinyasa sequence that I can't complete without stepping out of the move. However I held Crane for 20 seconds...a new best! And I was actually able to perform wheel for a few seconds. Of all the P90X workouts I find that Yoga X is the most rewarding. After a terrible day of work I used to come home and have some beers (Unhealthy I know). Now I can lock myself into the room for an hour and a half with Yoga and come out feeling calm and relaxed. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Wheat Bagel with peanut butter and apple juice. Coffee black

Snack: 2 pieces of string cheese

Lunch: 2 PB&J sandwiches with skim milk

Dinner: Chicken and peas

After a 3 week break I have Core Synergistics tomorrow. My goal is to conquer the Plank/Chaturanga Run and ISO Plank/Chaturanga since they gave me the most problems last time. Later!

Day 46...Yoga X

I'm going to make this post quick because I have to wake up early tomorrow for jury duty! Bastards finally got me after a decade of having a drivers license! The nice thing is I don't have work tomorrow, the not nice thing is that I get paid a whopping $25...BIG MONEY!! I think I'm going to spend the hours in the jury room writing my wedding vows. I know, that's not a very romantically inspired place to do that but it needs to get done and I will have a lot of time to sit and write. 

Yoga today...Lot's of fun actually. Except for the Half Moons but that's neither here nor there. When I have bad days at work my Yoga sessions tend to be amazing...it's a great stress reliever! I sucked at Crane today and my Wheel aspirations are still pretty lofty and unattainable, but I went through the Warriors with no problems and even the Right Angle poses were better today. I will say this...there is no relief sweeter than when you finish the Right Angle Pose section and go back to plank...if my quads could talk they would say "Ohhh YESSSS!!! I don't have to support this bastards weight anymore!!" Relief...thy name is plank.

Today's Meals

Breakfast: 2 Wheat waffles with juice. Coffee black.

Snack: Wheat thins and an apple

Lunch: Chicken Burrito

Snack: No 2nd snack, I need to go grocery shopping again

Dinner: 2 slices of pizza. See above.

One more day of resistance for Phase 2 and then I get a break. Tomorrow is Legs/Back/ARX and I will be trying hard to get those rep counts as high as possible for the pull ups. Also I will let you know how jury duty went...civil service at it's finest. Later! 

Day 39...Yoga X

I have to catch up on two days of posts here so bear with me. 

I was MUCH happier with my Yoga session yesterday compared to the previous week. When I last did Yoga I felt too rushed and my mind was not focused on the task at hand. Consequently I struggled through a lot of the first half, which is the toughest part. So yesterday I actually had a Monday off of work and I did my Yoga around noon. I made sure to set aside time for the session, with no immediate plans afterwards, and the results were much better! I held strong through all the Warriors and finally, after many weeks of trying, I held through the Right Angle pose...even with the grab! That was a great accomplishment for me because Yoga has been such a rewarding workout and I've felt improvements here and there but the Right Angle Pose and Half Moons still thwarted my best efforts. Well I conquered one hurdle but the Half Moons still defy me...but they won't forever!

Yesterday's Meals

Breakfast: Wheat Bagel with Peanut Butter and juice. Coffee.

Snack: Apple

Lunch: 2 PB&J sandwiches with skim milk

Snack: Accelerade

Dinner: Grilled chicken...I finally went grocery shopping.

I forgot to mention....I held Crane for about 15 seconds yesterday with no toes! Another small victory.

Day 32...Yoga X

As the days go on I find it harder to come up with witty and insightful comments to make on the same workouts I've been doing for the last 5 weeks. The only thing that differentiates some of these workouts are how I handle them...like the fact that Yoga was unusually hard last night. 

I guess my body is still feeling it from the last few days because I was struggling through a lot of the moves, including some of the warriors. Right Angle poses and Half Moons REALLY sucked yesterday...I just couldn't hold them for any long period of time. I held the Crane for about 5 seconds at a time which is the longest yet so I saw improvement there. Overall I just didn't feel entirely "there" for Yoga. This week is proving to be quite the challenge.

Today's Meal's

Breakfast: Wheat bagel with peanut butter. Juice and coffee black.

Snack: Protein shake

Lunch: Turkey Sandwich with an orange

Snack: Baby carrots with hummus

Dinner: Chicken burrito

Even though this week has been tough I feel like I want to push myself more. I was toying with the idea of doing a week of Doubles during week 3 of this Phase. Week 3 of Phase 1 was a great week for me.....I had a lot of energy and I was plowing through my workouts with no problems. I want to see what the Cardio X option does to my energy for the regular workouts. Whether I do this or not, my next round of P90X will be intensified and the Doubles option may be the next step. We shall see. 

I missed posting yesterday because I was watching 24, so I shall talk to you later tonight after Legs/Back/ARX. Later!

Day 27...Yoga X

Phase 1...complete!

I am very happy to have come this far...P90X is definitely one of the most challenging things I have ever done and with Phase 1 completed I can step back and admire the fact that I've come this far. But being 1/3 of the way is no real victory, so come Friday it is back to the grind. 

Today I had one hell of a trying day at work. I had to wake up at the butt crack of dawn for inventory, deal with a shit load of customer complaints, and deal with the stress of my first real wedding planning snag. Basically the cake place told us that they over booked for on our wedding day so they would not be able to deliver it. You would think that a place that SPECIALIZES in a particular wedding service would be able to pull their heads out of their asses to make a customer happy...but I guess I thought wrong. 

So after such a shit day it was great to come home, lock myself in my room, forget about the outside world for an hour and a half, and whip out some Vinyasa's and Downward Dogs. The first half an hour went better than any previous but I still struggled with the Right Angle Poses and Half Moons. One day I will overcome the challenge but they are so hard on the quads. I actually performed the Crane a little bit today...I figure that if I keep trying it I will eventually be able to hold it for 4 seconds. I loved the fact that during my Corpse pose as I was breathing deeply, the lovely smell of spaghetti and garlic bread was wafting into the room. Perfect timing after my workout! 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Wheat Bagel with peanut butter

Snack: String Cheese

Lunch: Turkey Sandwich

Snack: Accelerade

Dinner: Wheat Spaghetti with Tomato Basil sauce and garlic bread...wonderful dinner!

So that's that! Tomorrow I will take my Phase 1 pictures and post my Phase 1 Recap...I may even post a video if I'm feeling sprite. Have a good night!  

Day 22...Yoga X

Hello! It is an absolutely beautiful day outside...the first time this year I was able to wear shorts comfortably and do some yard work. Unfortunately I also had to clean the gutters which is gross. Nonetheless, our yard looks nice again and I received my first sunburn of the year...yayy! 

Today I started my recovery week with Yoga X and I really felt good after this session. No major hiccups during the Warriors and I even grit my teeth through most of the Right Angle Poses...but the Half Moons, twisting half moons, and crane still elude my abilities. Those moves are the hardest in the entire workout so once I am able to do those cleanly, I will pat myself on the back and tell you guys how happy I will be...but that won't be any time soon. With Yoga it's about small improvements.....an inch further on a stretch, 5 seconds longer on a hold, breathing through the fire pain in my quads, ATTEMPTING the Crane, etc. It will be a great day when I can complete Yoga X cleanly...just like it will be a great day to complete all 340 reps of Ab Ripper. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Cheese Scrambler with turkey bacon, juice, coffee black.

Snack: Protein Shake (Whey, Skim Milk, Berries)

Lunch: Lean Sirloin Burger on the grill!!!! Awesome! It was on a wheat bun with low fat cheese, ketchup, mustard, and served with peas. I haven't had a burger since before I started the nutrition plan so this was delicious!

Snack: Accelerade

Dinner: Tuna or Turkey sandwich...I haven't decided yet.

So tomorrow is Core Synergistics and I'm ready to Superman Banana like there's no tomorrow! It's exciting to do a new workout and I will keep you posted. Later!

Day 18...Yoga X

...And I'm back. I forgot to post last night because I was very tired. Yoga sapped me of all my energy I guess. Plus I tried to insert a new template into my Blogger account and when it didn't work, I switched back only to realize that I lost my 90 Day Countdown. Very annoying.

Yoga went better this week. My form during the Vinyasa's has improved a lot but I'm still struggling with a few of the moves. The half moons are killer as are the side leg extensions. Getting through all the Warrior's is quite a chore considering my legs are on FIRE...I guess I've neglected my legs in my workouts over the years. I actually tried Crane and was able to hold it for 3 seconds at a time with a little toe for balance. The pillow in front of my face came into play once. It will be a long time before I'm able to hold that position...probably sometime in Phase 2. 

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Cereal with skim milk. Coffee black.

Snack: 2 pieces of string cheese.

Lunch: Turkey sandwich and Vegetarian Garden Veggie Soup from Panera Bread. 

Snack: Protein bar.

Dinner: Salmon fillet with corn.

As challenging as it is, I've come to enjoy Yoga. Pushing yourself to hold those moves and breathe through the, sometimes, intolerable pain is hard but rewarding.  I will have Leg's/Back/ARX again today which means that I am 2 workouts away from Recovery Week! Phase 1 is almost done!! Time is flying by and my workouts are part of my daily routine now, rather than a special chore. It's funny now, to think that I can't see myself NOT doing P90X...at this point it would feel weird to not workout. Have a good day and I will see you tonight!

Day 11...Yoga X

Namaste everyone! You can call me Dhalsim tonight, if you wish, because I completed my first full Yoga X workout! I find it amusing that every time I post on here it seems like I'm always saying "Tonight's workout was hard...I'm exhausted." Which leads me to believe that an "Easy" day of P90X doesn't really exist. 

Yoga X is an amazing workout! Serious willpower and determination needed to get through all the Downward dogs and Half moons...it was tough. When I did Yoga last week, I had to cut the workout short because Steph asked me to go with her and her parents to Olive Garden, and you know how that ended. So tonight was my first full Yoga x workout and I loved it! Of course I stumbled more than a few times and my legs were absolutely BURNING during the Half Moon's, but I felt very refreshed afterwards. This is an intense, sweaty, somewhat uncomfortable workout that doesn't pull any punches until the last 15 minutes or so. All the moves flow into one another with little to no break, and it took a lot out of me. Nonetheless, it was a nice change of pace from the resistance training and the manic action of Plyo. Tomorrow is Legs/Back again and that makes me sad...I really despise it. Oh well.

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Whole Wheat bagel with peanut butter and a glass of Juicy juice berry.

Snack: Activia Raspberry yogurt and a cup of diced peaches.

Lunch: Chicken Salad (Romaine, Spinach, Tomato, Cucumber, Dressing) with an apple.

Snack: Baby carrots and hummus. Accelerade after Yoga.

Dinner: Broiled Salmon with peas.

Salmon has become one of my favorite meals after starting the Nutrition plan. All I do is buy the 3-4 oz. fillets and broil them in my toaster oven for about 12-14 minutes. I put a tbsp. of Olive Oil on it and season it with Cajun rub and a little garlic powder. It is delicious! I will usually eat it with brown rice or peas, and possibly my Sun Dried Tomato Dressing as a dipping sauce if I need more flavor. Great protein and Omega 3's in the dish and it very easy to make. Highly recommended if you are doing these workouts!

My legs will take another beating tomorrow, but maybe I'll do better after the workout they've been receiving through Plyo and Yoga. We'll see. Good night!

Day 4...Yoga X

Another day, another workout. Today was Yoga X and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I've never done Yoga before so this was new to me, but I felt very invigorated after doing it. 

The hardest part for me was just understanding the moves and how each one flowed into the other. Once I figured out the overall pattern I could stop watching the TV and just concentrate on my breathing and the move itself. And I sweat...A LOT! Yes folks, this is quite a workout. For the muscle heads who think that Yoga doesn't fit into their workout plans, I say NAY!! Learning to control your body and breathing is essential for ANY workout and Yoga gives you the discipline to maintain proper form for any exercise. Needless to say I had a lot of fun with it. And then I had dinner...

Today's Meals

Breakfast: Protein Shake (Whey, Berries, Skim Milk, Ice)

Snack: PB&J Samich on wheat

Lunch: Chicken Salad with apple

Snack: Activia Yogurt and cup of diced peaches. Recovery drink before and after Yoga.

...Dinner was a mistake. Shouldn't have done it and am now regretting it a lot. Steph's parents took us out to Olive Garden. That in itself is not bad because there are healthier things on their menu, but what I choose was not one of them. I only ate one bread stick and a bowl of minestrone. Not too bad. My entree was Shrimp Caprese. I only ate half of the serving because I subconsciously knew that it probably wasn't good for me. I searched the nutrition guides for the dish and this was the result....

Calories: 1533  (Ouch! That was a kick to the nuts)

Calories from fat: 430 (Not good)

Total Fat: 47.9g (WTF?!)

Saturated Fat: 22.9g (Olive Garden just lost me as a customer)

Cholesterol: 437mg (You're only supposed to have less than 300 per day...Fuck Shrimp Caprese!!)

Sodium: 1249g  (Was someone hosting Salt Fest 2009 when this dish was created?!)

Carbs: 193.5g  (I suspected it was bad...Olive Garden is a pasta place after all)

Okay, that sucked. I'm just glad I had the foresight to only eat half that entree and cut those totals in half as well. But seriously, WTF?!?!?! Are all restaurants like this? Treating yourself is one thing, eating your entire daily amount of Calories for the day in one sitting is another. That's it, I'm done. I simply cannot eat out anymore. The next time I do will be for my bachelor party but that's all! I cannot flush all this hard work down the toilet for one stupid, over-priced meal at a chain restaurant. I'm sorry Tony! I have sinned!!!

Anyways, tomorrow is Legs/Back/Ab Ripper X. You better believe I'm going to BRING IT to make up for this sorry ass entree choice. And my leftovers from tonight? Already in the trash.