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!

Switch

Due to the bravery of one Cathy Zielske, I decided to go ahead and take a self-shot in the mirror.  She does this regularly as part of her Move More Eat Less regimen. Though I was not brave enough to do a true "before" shot (I have some a la my P90X period, but I am not about to have those go viral, thank you), here is a "during" shot before my run this morning. 

Throwing all other caution out the window, and brainwashed by the seductive sunshine, I decided to be just plain CRAZY.  I changed my route AND I allowed my iPod to shuffle through my Top 25 Most Played playlist.  Yes, I had seemingly lost my mind.

You know what?  It was the best set of decisions ever.  I did not realize how Pavlovian my running had become.  I had certain cadences that went with my running playlist, even though I changed it up a couple times.  I knew that when "Lose Yourself" came on, that was my hardest stretch... between miles 2 and 3.  I knew that, in a typical 5K, "Where the Streets Have No Name" was my last stretch of the run, even though, when using just my iPod and Nike+, 3.1 came a bit before that.  Visually, I knew how far I had gone in my run by where in Tipton Park I was, and how much farther I needed to go.  Sometimes, I slowed to a crawl because of that.

The result of throwing caution to the wind: I clocked my fastest mile at 10'46".  I was not even trying to run faster or slower than usual, but the songs that flowed got me running just the right pace.  So, not worried about song order or where I was on my typical run, I thought about the music choices and how each one had a reason for being among my Most Played. 

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
I never thought to run to this song until my first Lake Run, when they had this blaring at the start of the race.  It was awesome, and perfect on that chilly may morning.  It still gets me running.

Fake It by Seether
The rhythm of the song is great for running, but it's the words of the song that give me what I need to trudge on.  Usually, I think of someone with whom I am particularly disgusted, and, sadly, that gives me the energy I need to get through the song.  Anger as a motivator. 

My Hero by Foo Fighters
The first time I ran to this, I could not believe my pace.  For whatever reason, I pick it up for this song.  I've always dug the lyrics.

Switch by Will Smith
How appropriate for today. "It ain't really that hard to do and..."  That's what I'm talkin' 'bout, too, Will.

Club Can't Handle Me by FloRida
I like how this song builds.  It gives me a little break to slow it down, and then forces me to not stay there long.

Let's Get It Started by The Black Eyed Peas
This was my very first song, and it was crazy how my body responded to it in the middle of the run (again, cue Pavlov).  I started becoming super conscious of my breathing, like I am when I first start out.  I do LOVE this song, though.

Only Girl (In the World) by Rhianna
Again, my body was reacting to our Zumba routine to this, which was a cardio-bitch, if I may say so.  My breathing is always a little labored, but it's such a great song!

Raise Your Glass by P!nk
'Nuff said. 

Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor) by Pitbull
Great pace.  Love this song. Something about Mr. Worldwide and T-Pain...makes this a great running song.

Lose Yourself by Eminem
I would have been the last person on Mother Earth to have an Eminem song on my iPod.  For a long time, I could not stand him.  I thought he was Vanilla Ice shaken and stirred for another generation.  However, this song has stood the test of time.  His little preface, "If you only had one shot... one opportunity...." is actually really motivating when I am jogging.

Where the Streets Have No Name by U2
Not sure I like keeping this one in the run.  It slows me WAY down, but I love the song.

OMG (featuring will.i.am) by Usher
"Honey got a booty like pow pow pow..."  That part of the song CRACKS me up.  The rest has a beat that is just awesome.

So there you have it.  I survived the Amazing Mix-up.  Tomorrow, I will be run/jogging Race for the Cure in Peoria, probably in the rain from what is predicted.  Always a moving run for a good cause.  But way too early in the AM!

Well allrighty then

This was the photo that made tonight's run happen:

Taken at the tail end of the CCHS 5K, when I was pushing myself beyond what I believed I had in me, I noticed something about my stride/stance.  I don't know if it's a common thing, but I was leaning way forward.  WAY forward.  For tonight's run, I tried to stay conscious of that, and when I felt the pull, I had a little chat with my core and my legs.  Core muscles tight, use the leg span and get the legs a bit forward.  Lo and behold!  I could have probably kept running...dare I say to the 10K level...this evening.  That's crazy, as I felt nauseous and migraine-ish off and on today.  The weather was perfect, the sun was setting, and I finally figured out how to keep myself from feeling like someone was trying to pull my lungs up through my throat.  Here's the exciting news from Nike (click on image for a larger view):

What About Your Friends?

Today, my friends and I ran a 5K.  It is 78 degrees and the winds are being clocked at 30 mph.  But we looked good, as we all had on our Zumbalicious Runners shirts that we had done some fancy craftwork to.

The additional cool part was that it was a fundraiser for Ignatius' future high school, Bloomington Central Catholic.  Much love to all of my Zumba pals for running with me. I did not run the entire thing as I had planned, but I ran more than I ever had before.  The wind was quite a contender to my breathing. :)

Pretending

As a child of the 70s, I did a great deal of pretending.  Even though many people judged TV as the harbinger of doom that would forever change our generation into a bunch of coach potatoes, most of my friends and I played outside or at each other's houses.  What did we do?  Pretend.

We were Luke, Han Solo, and Lea fighting Darth Vader.  We were the Hardy Boys solving a mystery.  We were the Pink Ladies.  We made snow angels and chad snow ball battles.  Recent WWF moves were re-enacted (most of the time with me as the guinea pig, but I digress).

No, this is not a walk down memory lane or an intro to a lecture about the evils of technology.  It is a reflection on something VERY challenging for children on the autsim spectrum: pretend play.

Ignatius would often be seen having many worlds going on inside his head.  He would walk down a store aisle with me as his fingers were going a mile a minute making some bizarre gestures.  He understood what he was doing.  In his pre-school years, I recall a chat with one of his teachers who presented this concern, "JoLynn, he just goes over to the corner and reads."  At the time, I chalked it up to yet another characteristic of introversion, and saw nothing atypical about it.  He was just making different choices than other kids.  That was allowable.

Max made similar choices for play.  He preferred repetitive things, like his ball table or spinning the wheels on a car, or lining up pieces of a puzzle.  He was not interested in engaging in pretend play.  I had been down this road before.  Although he pretended to be at his favorite thing---a car wash---his play was repetitive.  He often wants to do these things alone.

I have to add, this was one area in which I felt a little cheated.  I LOVED pretending as a child, I LOVE to act on a stage, and I believe I became a teacher because I LOVED playing make-believe with kids.  The incentive for many of these things were my own... not requiring adult micro-management.

This week, finally, after six years, Max gave me a little gift.  He typically plays with the little rubber edges to our workout mats (they become part of the car wash repetition).  This week, they became magic wands!  We turned his dad into a stone (that was particularly fun for me).  He has also had patches of make-believe here and there that I am sure have been building through his socialization at school.

So, what's the big deal?  My personal opinion is that pretending gets us ready for the big game.  I have watched both of my kids struggle to make social connections with others... to engage in play or show they did not wish to engage in play with others.  Pretending is practicing for the multiple social mergers we all do in life.  It's a risk-free time to try out conversation and see if we can get another to play along with the scenario we are creating.

Those with kids on the spectrum are not always given this opportunity.  I appreciate the blessing.  Carpe diem!

Spring has Sprung!

I just realized that the blizzard was the last thing I blogged about.  What a difference a month and a half makes!  Today was warm, windy, and a bit delightful here in Central IL.

It is finally Spring Break, much needed for all of the Plato family.  Yesterday and today, Ignatius and I ran/walked together.  Yesterday, we were outside.  Today, we went to 4 Seasons 1.  I ran the track, he walked the elliptical and treadmill.

The exciting part was that I REALLY ran.  I walked the first 5 minutes or so as a warm up (through the song, Dancing Queen), then I ran/jogged the rest through to the distance of a 5K (well, I stopped running at 3.2 miles).  It felt pretty good, I have to say.  I had been doing a run/walk for a while to save my foot, but I found today that just slowing my running pace was an OK thing as well.

The kids are great.  We had Max's IEP annual review.  That seemed to go well.  It's very difficult to plan goals when he changes so much within a year.  They are always willing to revisit his plan, which is nice.  I have to start gearing up for continuing his education throughout the summer months.  He's not always as receptive to mom wanting to do "academic" things with him.  He will be attending "Autism Camp" for 5 weeks.  That will work on social-emotional goals and maintaining social gains (I hope) that he has made this year. 

Ignatius registered for high school at Central Catholic.  He is really excited.  I find it hard to believe he is of age, but it's coming.  It hit me when we did not have to register for Holy Trinity for the first time in 9 years.

I am still crossing my fingers that the ministry at St. Pat's will catch on.  We had a meeting during "Blizzard Week," where myself and Ellen were the two participants.  We are trying again on April 9, this time offering child care and a bit lengthier blurb in the bulletin.  If that doesn't work, this just might not be the time.  But I can't say we didn't try.

So glad spring is here!  

Jack Frost Bites Hard

This week, we were visited by one of the biggest storms... ever.  See!

Now, do not get me wrong.  I love snow.  Truly.  You can't live in Illinois and hate it.  But when there's wind and ice, and snow, and subzero temps, my love is tested.

Without further adieu, here is a video compilation of the storm from here in Bloomington.  Enjoy the music, sit back with some cocoa, and be as glad as I am that it's part of history.