This pregnancy has been the absolute WORST as far as my commitment to exercise! I spent the first trimester feeling nauseated and extremely exhausted...not to mention it was COLD outside, making me less than excited about opening the door to go for a walk, let alone a run (which I did frequently in the early stages of past pregnancies). Before the end of the first trimester, we began a new diet, which made me even more exhausted because of all the work involved, but at least my nausea disappeared.
The cold weather, however, lingered. And while I attempted to do P90X Yoga with Ted now and then, I found getting up so early to be so much more difficult than it had been in the past. I finally gave up and resigned myself to a flabby pregnancy, hoping that our new diet would help offset my lack of exercise.
Well. I have now become part of the Varicose Veins club, and the discomfort behind my right knee drove me to do a bit of research. Surprise! Exercise is supposed to help. Sigh. I just couldn't bring myself to get up and do a DVD or Wii workout, though. And days upon days of rain meant going outside happened only out of necessity.
Early this week I began thinking about the few mornings the week before Ted left for training that I had gotten out for a morning walk. (He was on leave, and we were taking it easy with school, so I didn't have to get up at a ridiculous hour; plus, I didn't have to worry about what was happening with the kids.) I really, REALLY enjoyed being outside in the fresh air, seeing the sun rise and some early signs of spring (which didn't seem to last long, as the cold weather and rains came roaring back...thank you, La Nina). It made me feel energetic again, even if I wasn't running--and I found I really was missing being able to run! It's not so wise to take up running at this point in one's pregnancy, however, so I gave it some thought and prayed that the Lord might help me do SOMETHING in the way of exercise. I know I need to take care of myself...it's going to be a looooong year ahead of us, and I have to stay healthy and sane!
So, yesterday and today both I got up at my usual time--and that's the kicker! I've been waking at 5 a.m., but somehow "haven't had time" to exercise! I decided it would be too depressing to wander around the neighborhood in the dark, so I did my usual hot-tea-and-quiet-time routine and THEN headed out. Yesterday I walked about 15 minutes, then poked my head inside the house to make sure all was still quiet, then went back outside for another 15 minute walk. Today I just stayed out for 30 minutes.
The walks were wonderful! I'm hooked! Best of all, the Holy Spirit prompted me to bring the little spiral note book I got for the purpose of Scripture memory. I had written out Psalm 145 at the beginning of the year, intending to memorize it, but as life became more complicated, I set aside that project. However, I have now discovered a wonderful way to exercise my body, mind, AND spirit...I've been working on memorizing the verses as I walk. I'm already about halfway through the Psalm! Praise the Lord!
"I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name forever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
And extol your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise;
His greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend your works to another;
They will tell of your mighty acts.
They will speak of your glorious splendor,
And I will meditate on your wonderful works.
They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
And I will proclaim your great deeds.
They will celebrate your abundant goodness
And joyfully sing of your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord .... [?? Forgot this line! Arg! And it was one I didn't think I'd forget.]
He has compassion on all He has made.
All you have made will praise you, o Lord,
Your saints will extol you.
They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
And speak of your might,
So that all men might hear of your mighty acts
And the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom;
Your dominion endures through all generations."
That's as far as I've gotten to this point, and I typed it from memory after not having reviewed it since this morning. :-) Check me and see how I did!
Showing posts with label Exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exercise. Show all posts
May 11, 2011
July 19, 2010
P90X Assessment
Lots of people have asked, so I figured it would be a good idea to go ahead and post my thoughts on the P90X program now that I've finished one 90-day round. I guess I should caveat this by saying that during the last 3-4 weeks, I probably missed a total of maybe 8 or 9 workouts, though I did go running a few times in place of the DVD I was supposed to be doing. Between having Ted gone, traveling to Wisconsin, and then having guests visit, I just was not able to keep the every-day momentum toward the end that I started with. Still, I was WAY more consistent with this than I've ever been with any other exercise program!
Another disclaimer, I guess, is that while I started out with the best of intentions regarding my nutritional intake--and did quite well for 3-4 weeks--the reality is I simply ate normally during the majority of the 90-day period. "Normal" eating for me is a pretty healthy diet overall, but let's face it, I have kids, and I enjoy cooking and baking. We have desserts. A lot. And I like desserts! So, I did not follow the P90X nutritional recommendations, and honestly, I feel as if that really did make a difference. My results undoubtedly would have been much more marked if I had followed both the diet AND the exercise program. (Note: I say this as a 35-year-old. I'm fairly certain that if I had done this program a decade ago and ate the way I normally eat, I'd still be ridiculously ripped!)
OK, now that the confession time is over, let's talk numbers! I'm sorry, but I simply don't feel comfortable posting before and after pictures...honestly, I haven't even taken the "after" pictures yet, sorry, Jen! (Jen D is my Beachbody rep!) But here are the numbers, and I'll give them from 2 dates, the P90X period as well as since January. The beginning of 2010 is when I got off the couch after being a couch potato for several months and really started getting back into an exercise routine. As you can see, my January through April workouts really helped prepare me for P90X, and I feel that my overall results are attributable to changing my lifestyle, not simply the last 90 days. But undoubtedly I am much stronger and have more muscle mass than I would have if I had simply continued doing my own thing--I definitely needed the focus on muscle training that P90X provided!
Pounds lost: 5 during P90X; 13 since January. (Taking into account that muscle weighs more than fat, and I definitely have attained more muscle mass, the fact that I still lost 5 pounds during P90X is GREAT!)
Inches lost:
Waist-- 1/2" during P90X; 1 1/2" since January.
Hips--1" during P90X; 2" since January.
Thighs--1 1/2" on one side and 1 1/4" on the other during P90X. I didn't measure in January.
All in all, I've definitely noticed a difference physically! My arms are much more toned, I now am sporting a "two-pack," LOL, and I've had to buy smaller waisted shorts. Woohoo! I'm not sure a 6-pack is actually possible given the fact that I've had 5 children, but actually seeing that there ARE abdominal muscles under there is encouraging!
Other improvements that can't really be measured:
* My back is SO much stronger! I really haven't had any major issues with it. Sometimes I would tweak it during yoga (go figure), but my chiropractor has helped tremendously, and I can tell that between the chiro treatments and the exercise, I am definitely in much better shape in this area.
* Self-esteem! I feel like I can do anything now that I've completed this! Well, maybe not run a marathon this calendar year, but some depression I was feeling before the holidays is definitely a thing of the past.
* Flexibility--yoga and the stretching DVD were good for me. I don't always take care of myself this way. This probably goes along with the back strengthening that happened for me.
So, there you have it! Feel free to ask any questions if you have any.
Oh, one last thing, since some may be wondering, I AM continuing with the exercise program, just modified a bit. I want to run the Air Force 5K in September, so I've started running 3 times a week. I plan to continue the Ab Ripper 3 days a week and continue with the order of the strength training DVDs, since that is typically an area I ignore. When the weather gets bad, I will probably do another "official" round of P90X, either the Classic (which I just completed) or else the Lean.
Another disclaimer, I guess, is that while I started out with the best of intentions regarding my nutritional intake--and did quite well for 3-4 weeks--the reality is I simply ate normally during the majority of the 90-day period. "Normal" eating for me is a pretty healthy diet overall, but let's face it, I have kids, and I enjoy cooking and baking. We have desserts. A lot. And I like desserts! So, I did not follow the P90X nutritional recommendations, and honestly, I feel as if that really did make a difference. My results undoubtedly would have been much more marked if I had followed both the diet AND the exercise program. (Note: I say this as a 35-year-old. I'm fairly certain that if I had done this program a decade ago and ate the way I normally eat, I'd still be ridiculously ripped!)
OK, now that the confession time is over, let's talk numbers! I'm sorry, but I simply don't feel comfortable posting before and after pictures...honestly, I haven't even taken the "after" pictures yet, sorry, Jen! (Jen D is my Beachbody rep!) But here are the numbers, and I'll give them from 2 dates, the P90X period as well as since January. The beginning of 2010 is when I got off the couch after being a couch potato for several months and really started getting back into an exercise routine. As you can see, my January through April workouts really helped prepare me for P90X, and I feel that my overall results are attributable to changing my lifestyle, not simply the last 90 days. But undoubtedly I am much stronger and have more muscle mass than I would have if I had simply continued doing my own thing--I definitely needed the focus on muscle training that P90X provided!
Pounds lost: 5 during P90X; 13 since January. (Taking into account that muscle weighs more than fat, and I definitely have attained more muscle mass, the fact that I still lost 5 pounds during P90X is GREAT!)
Inches lost:
Waist-- 1/2" during P90X; 1 1/2" since January.
Hips--1" during P90X; 2" since January.
Thighs--1 1/2" on one side and 1 1/4" on the other during P90X. I didn't measure in January.
All in all, I've definitely noticed a difference physically! My arms are much more toned, I now am sporting a "two-pack," LOL, and I've had to buy smaller waisted shorts. Woohoo! I'm not sure a 6-pack is actually possible given the fact that I've had 5 children, but actually seeing that there ARE abdominal muscles under there is encouraging!
Other improvements that can't really be measured:
* My back is SO much stronger! I really haven't had any major issues with it. Sometimes I would tweak it during yoga (go figure), but my chiropractor has helped tremendously, and I can tell that between the chiro treatments and the exercise, I am definitely in much better shape in this area.
* Self-esteem! I feel like I can do anything now that I've completed this! Well, maybe not run a marathon this calendar year, but some depression I was feeling before the holidays is definitely a thing of the past.
* Flexibility--yoga and the stretching DVD were good for me. I don't always take care of myself this way. This probably goes along with the back strengthening that happened for me.
So, there you have it! Feel free to ask any questions if you have any.
Oh, one last thing, since some may be wondering, I AM continuing with the exercise program, just modified a bit. I want to run the Air Force 5K in September, so I've started running 3 times a week. I plan to continue the Ab Ripper 3 days a week and continue with the order of the strength training DVDs, since that is typically an area I ignore. When the weather gets bad, I will probably do another "official" round of P90X, either the Classic (which I just completed) or else the Lean.
May 03, 2010
P90X
I've had enough people ask me about this program--what I think about it, etc.--that I figured it would be easier to do a blog post and refer people to it rather than answer the same questions multiple times. So, since inquiring minds want to know, here's the lowdown on our involvement with this exercise program.
First, a little background--I had not done much of anything in the way of exercising since we all got hit with the flu in October, and then I injured my knee trying to run in November and my back in December. But after the holidays were over, I was feeling lethargic, doughy, and a little depressed. My friend and neighbor Chris encouraged me to borrow any of her DVDs to try out, since it was too cold to go running outside. So in January I started working out using 3 different fitness DVDs that I borrowed from Chris. Two of those were produced by Beachbody, which is where P90X comes from as well.
Shortly after I began getting back into the exercise routine, my friend Jen sent an email noting her new email address. I noticed one of her web sites listed at the end was a Beachbody web site, so I checked it out on a whim and saw P90X featured, but didn't really look at it. Soon after this, Chris asked me if I had heard of P90X, and I started to feel like maybe I should be checking this program out!
So after investigating, talking with Jennifer, praying about it, and discussing it with Ted, I placed our order. I started on April 16 as my Day One and haven't looked back! I guess I should clarify that I've been doing the fitness part of the program. I have to confess I haven't even cracked open the nutrition guide, but since there are 7 of us in our family, I really don't feel like cooking separate meals. We eat pretty healthy, so I've opted to focus on the exercise and just make sure I'm avoiding stuff that I know is bad for me anyway.
Before I get to the Q&A section, I want to make clear that I am NOT profiting in any way from the sale of Beachbody products. If you would like to purchase any, I would love to recommend that you do so through Jennifer's web site and support a godly woman who is a wife, mother, and Christian songwriter.
And now for some FAQs...if your question isn't answered here, leave me a comment or shoot me an email. :-)
Q: How much did you have to purchase to start the program?
A: I ended up only purchasing the 12 DVDs ($119.95) and a set of resistance bands ($39.95). I have 3-pound and 5-pound weights but knew I'd need something more.
Q: Did you find you needed to purchase anything else?
A: I'm fortunate to have a neighbor loaning me a pull-up bar, which is one that hooks over any door frame, so I did not spend the $60 to buy that. However, it's a vital part of the program, so I intend to check out the stash at Walmart, since I saw one recently for $20, I think. (Should have bought it then!) I don't actually do pull-ups YET, but I loop the resistance band around the bar, kneel down a ways away, and can imitate the motion quite well. The DVDs show one person using the bands, so you can always adapt using either bands, weights, or the pull-up bar, depending on your exercise.
Q: Any other products that might be helpful?
A: After trying yoga with me today, Ted thinks that he should use the yoga blocks if he's going to do that again! When I workout in the basement on the berber carpet, I think about maybe getting a yoga mat, but upstairs on the cushy carpet, I don't really need it. I'm starting to wonder if I might want to order the push-up bars to ease the strain on my wrist--yesterday my wrist was in considerable pain after Friday's routine and then doing arms yesterday morning. However, after icing it a couple of times yesterday, it was fine this morning.
Q: How is it going so far?
A: At the time of this posting, I've made it 18 days straight!
Q: How does the program work?
A: If you don't know anything about it, I recommend checking out the description on the web site. But a quick rundown is this: There are a total of 12 DVDs, and you follow the program of your choosing. (I'm doing P90X Classic.) The first 3 weeks you do the same thing--meaning each Friday I'm doing chest and back, Saturdays are Plyometrics, etc. Then there will be a recovery week with different assigned workouts. Then weeks 5-7 the same rotation (but different from weeks 1-3), followed by a recovery week, and so on. It's all about muscle confusion.
Q: Do you get any days off?
A: There is one rest day scheduled, but so far I have opted to do the X Stretch DVD. Believe it or not, it's a full hour of STRETCHING! I didn't know you could possibly stretch that many body parts!
Q: How much time commitment is there?
A: I went into this thinking it would be an hour a day, and that's roughly correct. Every other day, however, you do the Ab Ripper, which adds another 16 minutes. Yoga is 1 1/2 hours, but if you were pressed, you could get away with doing the first 49 minutes (the latter half is balance and stretching poses with a bit of core work as well).
Q: Do you think I should try this?
A: It totally depends on your current fitness level and amount of activity. If you are already pretty active and in relatively good shape, you'll probably do fine. If I had started this in January after my few months of couch potato-dom, I would have had a VERY hard time. But since I had established a fairly regular routine of getting up early and working out several times a week, I was better able to make the adjustment.
Q: Any suggestions for getting started?
A: I highly recommend a partner or at least someone to hold you accountable. Ted is both a workout and accountability partner; however, he can only work out with me on the days he does not have mandatory PT on base, which typically is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. But he has done every other workout with me (at least partial workouts on weekdays, full workouts on weekends). And on the days he has his own thing going, he still helps me roll out of bed at 4:30 a.m. to do my thing. I would NOT have made it even this far if it weren't for his help!! Also, I do post on Facebook what day I'm on, so there is accountability there as well.
Q: Can you notice a difference yet?
A: I feel as if I should look in the mirror and totally see a P90X poster-worthy body, LOL. Honestly, if I focus on appearance, it's hard for me to really tell a difference at this point. However, the reason it seems reasonable to even expect to see a visible difference is because I truly CAN tell I have improved a lot in my strength and endurance. It's amazing how far I've come with the Ab Ripper, for example! Stuff I couldn't even do the first time around I'm able to hang in there and complete all the reps for.
Q: Anything else to note?
A: Yes--I have to give a great big caveat to my recommendation. Because while I do like the program so far, and I'm excited to continue, I must give a warning about the fact that there IS some language thrown around in the DVDs that really is unnecessary. I was actually shocked the first time I heard Tony Horton throwing around swear words! I had never heard that on any other workout DVD and just never thought it would be an issue. As our kids get older, there is a good chance they'll join us during workout time, and it's disappointing that we have to deal with that issue.
Also, I just have to say I'm not a big Tony Horton fan. He's awfully pleased with himself, LOL. I have to say I enjoyed Debbie Siebers as a workout instructor much more! But still, he's making me work, so I'll give him that. :-)
First, a little background--I had not done much of anything in the way of exercising since we all got hit with the flu in October, and then I injured my knee trying to run in November and my back in December. But after the holidays were over, I was feeling lethargic, doughy, and a little depressed. My friend and neighbor Chris encouraged me to borrow any of her DVDs to try out, since it was too cold to go running outside. So in January I started working out using 3 different fitness DVDs that I borrowed from Chris. Two of those were produced by Beachbody, which is where P90X comes from as well.
Shortly after I began getting back into the exercise routine, my friend Jen sent an email noting her new email address. I noticed one of her web sites listed at the end was a Beachbody web site, so I checked it out on a whim and saw P90X featured, but didn't really look at it. Soon after this, Chris asked me if I had heard of P90X, and I started to feel like maybe I should be checking this program out!
So after investigating, talking with Jennifer, praying about it, and discussing it with Ted, I placed our order. I started on April 16 as my Day One and haven't looked back! I guess I should clarify that I've been doing the fitness part of the program. I have to confess I haven't even cracked open the nutrition guide, but since there are 7 of us in our family, I really don't feel like cooking separate meals. We eat pretty healthy, so I've opted to focus on the exercise and just make sure I'm avoiding stuff that I know is bad for me anyway.
Before I get to the Q&A section, I want to make clear that I am NOT profiting in any way from the sale of Beachbody products. If you would like to purchase any, I would love to recommend that you do so through Jennifer's web site and support a godly woman who is a wife, mother, and Christian songwriter.
And now for some FAQs...if your question isn't answered here, leave me a comment or shoot me an email. :-)
Q: How much did you have to purchase to start the program?
A: I ended up only purchasing the 12 DVDs ($119.95) and a set of resistance bands ($39.95). I have 3-pound and 5-pound weights but knew I'd need something more.
Q: Did you find you needed to purchase anything else?
A: I'm fortunate to have a neighbor loaning me a pull-up bar, which is one that hooks over any door frame, so I did not spend the $60 to buy that. However, it's a vital part of the program, so I intend to check out the stash at Walmart, since I saw one recently for $20, I think. (Should have bought it then!) I don't actually do pull-ups YET, but I loop the resistance band around the bar, kneel down a ways away, and can imitate the motion quite well. The DVDs show one person using the bands, so you can always adapt using either bands, weights, or the pull-up bar, depending on your exercise.
Q: Any other products that might be helpful?
A: After trying yoga with me today, Ted thinks that he should use the yoga blocks if he's going to do that again! When I workout in the basement on the berber carpet, I think about maybe getting a yoga mat, but upstairs on the cushy carpet, I don't really need it. I'm starting to wonder if I might want to order the push-up bars to ease the strain on my wrist--yesterday my wrist was in considerable pain after Friday's routine and then doing arms yesterday morning. However, after icing it a couple of times yesterday, it was fine this morning.
Q: How is it going so far?
A: At the time of this posting, I've made it 18 days straight!
Q: How does the program work?
A: If you don't know anything about it, I recommend checking out the description on the web site. But a quick rundown is this: There are a total of 12 DVDs, and you follow the program of your choosing. (I'm doing P90X Classic.) The first 3 weeks you do the same thing--meaning each Friday I'm doing chest and back, Saturdays are Plyometrics, etc. Then there will be a recovery week with different assigned workouts. Then weeks 5-7 the same rotation (but different from weeks 1-3), followed by a recovery week, and so on. It's all about muscle confusion.
Q: Do you get any days off?
A: There is one rest day scheduled, but so far I have opted to do the X Stretch DVD. Believe it or not, it's a full hour of STRETCHING! I didn't know you could possibly stretch that many body parts!
Q: How much time commitment is there?
A: I went into this thinking it would be an hour a day, and that's roughly correct. Every other day, however, you do the Ab Ripper, which adds another 16 minutes. Yoga is 1 1/2 hours, but if you were pressed, you could get away with doing the first 49 minutes (the latter half is balance and stretching poses with a bit of core work as well).
Q: Do you think I should try this?
A: It totally depends on your current fitness level and amount of activity. If you are already pretty active and in relatively good shape, you'll probably do fine. If I had started this in January after my few months of couch potato-dom, I would have had a VERY hard time. But since I had established a fairly regular routine of getting up early and working out several times a week, I was better able to make the adjustment.
Q: Any suggestions for getting started?
A: I highly recommend a partner or at least someone to hold you accountable. Ted is both a workout and accountability partner; however, he can only work out with me on the days he does not have mandatory PT on base, which typically is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. But he has done every other workout with me (at least partial workouts on weekdays, full workouts on weekends). And on the days he has his own thing going, he still helps me roll out of bed at 4:30 a.m. to do my thing. I would NOT have made it even this far if it weren't for his help!! Also, I do post on Facebook what day I'm on, so there is accountability there as well.
Q: Can you notice a difference yet?
A: I feel as if I should look in the mirror and totally see a P90X poster-worthy body, LOL. Honestly, if I focus on appearance, it's hard for me to really tell a difference at this point. However, the reason it seems reasonable to even expect to see a visible difference is because I truly CAN tell I have improved a lot in my strength and endurance. It's amazing how far I've come with the Ab Ripper, for example! Stuff I couldn't even do the first time around I'm able to hang in there and complete all the reps for.
Q: Anything else to note?
A: Yes--I have to give a great big caveat to my recommendation. Because while I do like the program so far, and I'm excited to continue, I must give a warning about the fact that there IS some language thrown around in the DVDs that really is unnecessary. I was actually shocked the first time I heard Tony Horton throwing around swear words! I had never heard that on any other workout DVD and just never thought it would be an issue. As our kids get older, there is a good chance they'll join us during workout time, and it's disappointing that we have to deal with that issue.
Also, I just have to say I'm not a big Tony Horton fan. He's awfully pleased with himself, LOL. I have to say I enjoyed Debbie Siebers as a workout instructor much more! But still, he's making me work, so I'll give him that. :-)
August 13, 2008
Thus Endeth the Streak
Well, I made it 27 days! Amazingly, I exercised every day we were in Salt Lake City except Sunday, our travel-home day. I had hoped to walk on the treadmill at home, but despite Ted's herculean efforts to maneuver the treadmill into the family room, we realized that the "key" to make it work is MIA. By that point it was too late for me to consider doing anything else, so I gave up. I haven't been exercising every single day since then, but perhaps I can give a streak another shot later. :-)
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