week 1

I did it! All right, we did it! My boyfriend and I, and maybe even some of you out there reading this. We made it through Week 1 of P90X. It wasn't easy..and there were adjustments along the way, but I ate right and did every work out.

Monday's video was Core Synergistics. This 60 minute workout engages your core muscle group, basically your abs and back. A strong core helps you in everyday life to support your spine when bending over, lifting heavy objects, or just keeping your body stable. It also protects your internal organs. I can tell you now that my core is fairly weak because my abs in general are weak. Exercises like "superman" and "banana", which can only be done really well with an engaged, strong core are quite difficult for me. But even this first week I've seen improvement in my ability to do some of the more challenging moves.

Tuesday's video was Cardio X. Using bits of yoga, kenpo, and other of the videos, here the goal is to get your heart rate up and keep your moves accelerated. This is a shorter workout at 45 minutes, but it still gives you a complete and hard-core routine. I have a hard time keeping up at certain intervals, but I'm confident that will change moving forward.

Wednesday's video was Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper X. During the test week I accidentally did the Shoulders, Chest & Triceps video. Why? Long story. So the Shoulders & Arms video was totally new to me. I decided to incorporate the bands for this one. They work pretty well in giving you great resistance for some of the moves, but for others they seem to get in the way too much. The handles can hit, rub and irritate you, and sometimes between the slack and tension you get jerky rather than smooth motions. My boyfriend and I figured we should use free weights for the exercises that aren't band-friendly. This video really does a number on your arms and in the LEAN program its all about maximum repetitions and lighter weights, so it can be a long, tiring workout. Then you add on the 15 minute Ab Ripper X and you are beat! Ab Ripper is exactly that. The exercises are extremely challenging, but doable with some modifications. Already, I have seen improvement in my ability to do more of the moves.

Thursday's video was Yoga X. I have a love/hate relationship with Yoga. I've always enjoyed it for the meditation aspect, but I'm one of the most inflexible people in the world. I can't even touch my toes. And Yoga relies heavily on a strong core and muscle stamina, both of which I'm lacking. I have high hopes for Tony Horton's frequent use of Yoga throughout the program. This video was tough. At 90 minutes, it's long. A little too long in my opinion. I think some of the repetitions are overdone. And I found my wrists aching after just 30 minutes. But like the other videos I've already seen improvement.

Friday, my boyfriend had his landscaping done and with his friend and friend's kids over to help install a drip system, the house was overrun. Meaning I wasn't able to workout. Saturday, ended up much like Friday and then we decided to have a nice meal and a margarita. Alcohol isn't conducive to exercise so I decided to double on the workouts on Sunday.

Sunday was Legs & Back and Ab Ripper X in the morning. Legs & Back has to be my favorite video so far. My legs and butt are my best features, so I enjoy working those out. It's a very intense workout and I can feel every muscle working and getting tight. The video lasts about 6o minutes. I used some light free weights when instructed and it made a big difference. I am noticing that my left side is severely lacking, so I'm making up for it by doing a few more reps each time when working the left side. In the evening, I made up for my days off with a second and last workout, Kenpo X. Kenpo X is fun and upbeat. It uses kickboxing, karate, and other Asian fighting moves to create a fast, heartbeat increasing workout. 50 minutes goes by quickly with Tony building on simple punches, kicks and blocks to more complex ones. Besides being inflexible, I'm also uncoordinated. But after some time, I began to get the hang of the movements.

All in all, the week was a good one. My goal was to complete every workout no matter what..and I did, even with some modifications. We kept our meals healthy and I make sure to snack on healthy food every couple of hours to get all the calories necessary to keep up with the workouts. We had our special meal on Saturday. I had shrimp scampi and a margarita and Mark had fish and chips. We also started drinking on protein drink once a day. We researched the best tasting drink and the best price and chose Gold Standard Whey Protein Powder. The double chocolate flavor tastes just like hot chocolate. We blend it with rice milk for a healthy treat to end the day.

My next post will feature our second week and a few extras.

Health Tip of the Day:

True life is lived when tiny changes occur.

- Leo Tolstoy

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