Tony Horton Abridged

The same information gurus who snagged me into buying P90X have succeeded again.  They succeeded mainly because I love Tony Horton.  I loved P90X, and, if I did nothing related to working or raising kids, I would have no problem doing P90X.  It just fatigued me after 45 days to the point of being nonfunctioning.

So, having consistently completed Zumba for a couple years and inconsistently running for the past 6 months, I decided to indulge in Tony's newest endeavor: 10 Minute Trainer.  Here are the tiers, according to JoLynn:

Tier 1: Complete a 2-minute warm up, a 10-minute activity, and a 2-minute cool down every day.
Tier 1.1: Complete a 2-minute warm up, 2 or 3 10-minute activities, and a 2-minute cool down every day.
Tier 2: Tier 1 plus Tony's eating suggestions (which include Shakeology...which literally made me sick to my stomach...)
Tier 3: Tier 2 plus add another 10-minute workout or two

Many things come with the program, but I will warn you: the salespeople on the phone are barracudas.  They try to sell you everything under the sun.  I hung up one time (and they called me back!) because they were so pushy.  I was nice and said I was hanging up, but she was ruthless, this gal.  Well trained at the art of the Beachbody sell.  But no means no, man.

With the informercial's offer, you get:

• Cardio
• Yoga Flex
• Total Body
• Lower Body
• Abs
• a tape measure
• an exercise band (I got the 20 lb one as I have many varieties of lighter bands at home)
• a cardio belt door set-up
• the 2-day jump start (Shakeology recommended... expensive and really gross...sorry Tony)
• a 4-week workout schedule
• Rapid Results Guide Book
• Measurement Tracker
• the Lean Jean plan (lose 1 jean size in 10 days claimed; eating plan + 2 workouts a day)
• Tony Horton's 10-Minute meals

Since I am still doing Zumba 3 to 4 times a week, I am starting with just a 10-Minute workout a day with warm up and cool down.  After the first 4 weeks, I will add another workout, if I feel it's necessary.

On Day 1, Tony recommends taking some photos.  I did, and they are locked in Al Capone's vault.  He also suggests measurements.  So, here goes blogland--->
Chest (sports bra on) 39 7/8"
Right arm 14 1/2"
Left arm 14 1/4"
Waist  33 7/8"
Hips 42 1/2"
Right Thigh 27 1/4"
Left Thigh 27"
Weight: 194.6 lbs (yeah, I posted it)

Tonight I did the Cardio workout with the Cardio Band.  Whew.  I was definitely sweating.  Is was not too hard or too easy.  And it really was just 10 minutes.  He has you do moves that work more than 1 muscle group at once, so you are maximizing the workout you are doing.  Could definitely feel Zumba helping with this one.  I felt pretty good about my ability to do the exercises.

I might try some of the recipes he offers, but food plan wise, I think I will just stick to what seems to work for me: a modified version of Weight Watchers. 

Onward!

Weight Watchers

The journey begins again! A few weeks back, I had some bloodwork done. Why? Well, I had gained a lot of weight in a little time period (without the womanly assistance of being pregnant), I was depressed (clinically, not just feeling sad), and I was fatigued to the point that getting out of bed was a Herculean activity. I went to see my doctor, fearing a "chronic fatigue syndrome" type of discussion. After bloodwork, I learned that my cholesterol is way out of whack, as are my triglycerides. The doctor prescribed medication, stating that just diet and exercise don't typically lower cholesterol when it is over 100 points higher than recommended.

It's good to know at this point that I HATE taking pills. I have a sucky gag reflex, and even the smallest pill is a chore, as opposed to my husband, who can swallow a mouthful of vitamins without water. The prospect of having to take a pill every day was, apparently, enough for me to take a GOOD, HARD look at what I was (and wasn't) eating, and what I was (and wasn't) doing. So, two weeks ago, I joined Weight Watchers Online... again.

Weight Watchers is a system I have used three times prior to this. It really does make sense, and when you do what you are supposed to do, you really do lose weight. It is the most realistic system I have used to manage my weight. Some may say, "Yeah, but look how many times you have started and stopped..." Well, there are some solid reasons about me that have very little to do with Weight Watchers that need to be taken in to account. So, I will not badmouth the program.

I have motivation issues as far as weight loss is concerned. I know what it takes. I have done it many times in my 40 years o' life, even when I clearly didn't need to be worrying about my weight... like when I was 12 for goodness sake. I typically see results, and then I slip. What is key with any program is that one needs to embrace a long journey, and it needs to be about behavior management/changes. Weight Watchers allows me to eat like a real human, as everything has a point value, even if it is 15 points a serving (BTW, that's a really high point value for those that may not know). It also accounts for days when you will eat more points than allotted (35 points a week are there for flexing), and it rewards activity efforts (activity points can be earned and used as flex points as well). WW has also recently started its Momentum program, which allows you to see and choose foods that may be more filling. That's where I liked Jenny Craig's program and the idea of Volumetrics... if you are eating a lot at a sitting, your body can convince your mind and stomach that you do not need to eat a lot of garbage. Anyway, the Momentum program relies on this principle as well.

I started taking a multivitamin with some trepidation. They have a tendency to upset my stomach. Without a whole lot of overthinking, I found One-A-Day Women's Active Mind and Body... and the difference was almost instantaneous. I have energy. The fatigue and lethargy is practically gone. I haven't taken my antidepressants in almost two weeks, and I have had NO physical setbacks from that at all. I attribute this in a large part to this vitamin. Yes, it has caffeine, but it's also loaded with B vitamins, as well as other vitamins. I will gladly take something like this every day, despite the gagging that may ensue.

I have also been trying to incorporate exercise into my week. I would be lying if I said I work out every day. However, I have been trying to not let two days go by without some type of formal exercise. I have taken to very much liking Zumba. It's a great time, and is based mainly on dancing... but you don't have to be a "dancer." You just go with the intention of having fun. It's typically a great cardio workout, and a good time to boot. I also try to incorporate some muscle-building in my week, as it can't be all about cardio. I mix in some Slim in 6 when I want to work out at home. When I am in a little better shape, I would like to incorporate P90X again, because I LOVED that workout for strength building. You cannot jump in to that program lightly, however, and I do not want to fatigue myself the way I did last spring when I tried following it to a T.

So there you have it! Counting points, trying to balance my week, and having energy that I did not have before. That's my story. In January, I have my bloodwork again. If changing all of this does not lower my cholesterol, then I will take the meds. Until then, let's try the old-fashioned way...

Ouchie wa wa!

OK, so I am obviously somewhat addicted to the P90X workout. At about 9:30 PM, I was feeling a little unsettled, as we had "skipped" Yoga tonight. Scott was really tired, and I had smashed my pinky toe into a kitchen chair, and it was wicked swollen. Yoga just didn't sound like our gig tonight.

I decided, with some cajoling from Karen, that I should give it a whirl. It's an hour and a half routine, and it kicks behind. I do most of the stretches, a lot with modifications, trying to keep the spirit of the stretch. I need to purchase some yoga bands to help with the lifting of my legs to where they need to go. Otherwise, I really like this particular workout.

Conclusion: When you don't want to do it, just do it. I am not always good about pushing myself.

I am glad I completed it, and am now thinking of running some bath water. The toe survived.

My legs finally stopped aching

Whew. I have let myself get out of shape, and this week, I have paid the price. The P90X workout has kicked my legs to a level they have not gone in a while. Cool. Heh heh.

I literally was grasping the railing at school while I went up and down the steps. Lots of quad work. Sprinkled in there was some yoga, which I think was a great thing for my legs at the time.

I am just having trouble getting in all the food I need to get in. Lots of protein. Lots of veggies. The protein is not a hard thing, but the veggies... yeesh. I am not a big fan.

So, as we wrap up week 1 of P90X this evening, in all, I really have liked it. We repeat this week next week and the week after. By then maybe I will feel comfortable doing a decent pull-up. We shall see.

Our gym membership also began (again) this week. I am not sure how much I want to do above the P90X workouts, but at least it's there if friends are going. I will definitely need it after I get this rear back in shape.

Fabo at 40 - The "I Hate You, Body" Workout

Sucked in by the land of infomercials, I found myself strangely attracted to the P90X exercise and nutrition program. Understand that I was the same person who was, a week prior, sucked in by the Malibu Pilates chair. I was poised and ready to order that when Scott said, "Have you read any reviews on that?" He's so logical. The reviews on the chair sucked.

So I thought before I approached him with, "Let's spend $150 on P90X!," I would research it. You know what? People LOVED it. It was crazy. I was a little wary because they all talked about how you had to be "in shape" already. It promises that, if you stay true to the program, you will have a "beach body" in 90 days. People were thrilled with their results.

The program works in three phases for each of the months of the workouts. After taking the Fitness Test and, well, kind of, sort of passing it, we thought, "why not?"

The best part of P90X is the power of choice. You can choose between three programs, Classic, Doubles, and Lean. It all depends on what you want to accomplish. The meal suggestions come in two options for each Phase (month), Portion Approach or Meal Approach. They give realistic calories and the food intake changes as your workout changes. We are prepping to start the "Fat Shredder" part of the program. I am using the Portion Approach (how many servings of what in a day... similar to WW), but get this... I need to eat double the calories of any weight loss program I have ever been on. Interesting, yes? It's not the calories, it's where the calories are coming from that is key.

Scott and I have participating in two workouts so far. Day 1 was Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X. This basically kicked both of our behinds because we just aren't as strong as we used to be. I fell in love with the individualization that Tony Horton stressed. Personal goals for each exercise. He tells you what the "extreme" goal is for reps, but the whole point is that you work to failure (you just can't physically do any more). Scott and I were so sore today, it was insane. Even though I did what I considered to be very few reps, it was the quality of what I was doing that was important. I also used muscles that I have let grow dormant. With a slight modification, touching my foot to a chair, I was able to do pull-ups. I haven't done even one pull-up in YEARS. I was so excited, now I really can't wait to do them without a chair. But that's wayyyyy down the road. :) We also were thinking we would use our Bowflex, but we really need to invest in some additional free weights unless we want to really elongate the workout (already a 50-60 minute workout). They also give you enough time on the DVD to transition, and they build in water breaks, unlike other DVDs I have done where they stop the camera, but at home, you just have to keep rolling right along while they look all refreshed.

Day 2 was Plyometrics. Oh my gosh. We were already so sore. This was... I can't even come up with a word... CRAZY? But in a good way. In their words, "Plyometrics are drills designed to connect strength with speed to produce power." It is supposed to help you, "run faster, jump higher, and maneuver in multidirectional sports." It reminded me a lot of volleyball camp. I believe tomorrow, I will feel the same way as I did on Day 2 of camp after we did a million suicides on Day 1. Wait... I'm 39, and I was 16 then, so... it will feel worse. :) What Scott and I both realized was that we have to do the low impact version of this. Scott has a leg that was weakened by a bad break in his teens, and I have strained, sprained, and stretched just about every joint in my legs and feet. The nice thing was, the program allows for these modifications. It's all about pushing yourself to your maximum. They had one person who was supposed to be showing lower impact, but I think she got overly excited and was hopping around way too much.

The program also stresses vitamin supplements and after-workout drinks (theirs, of course, and why not?). Scott and I already have a regimen of supplements (I have gotten a bit sloppy with taking them, but I will need all I can get now), and we bought an after-workout powder similar to what they were selling through P90X at a local store (ironically right by Krispy Kreme in Bloomington!).

So, that's our gig. I am trying to get home right after school so we can work out before picking up Max. He is not the most flexible child when we are working out together. We found that one out on Sunday! I'll keep the blog updated with our progress as we go. No photos, no weight postings. Just how we're doing and how we feel. Maybe some measurement stats. :)