day: lost it...

I'm not sure what happened, but I turned a corner and came home and felt super over p90x. 

 I'm trying to figure out how to do exclusively cardio workouts. I hated the yoga. I hated the strength training. And I didn't mind the cardio. 

I'm a p90x failure.

Verdict: I made it through 2.5 weeks? I guess that's better than nothing...

day 16: mixed bag

Cardio X.

I would categorize today as a wash. My energy level was medium, which was a nice surprise. But right in the middle of the yoga part of cardio x (which is like, a solid 15 minutes of the 40 minutes), I got a muscle cramp in my left foot and had to stop. Then start. Then stop. Then start. I can't decide if I'm doing yoga wrong, if my feet are just stupid or if maybe my shoes are bad? Besides that, all went well, I almost did the video in its entirety, with the exception of the dreya rolls and some of the tires & steam engines. My hip/upper thigh muscles cramp up super bad during the tires/steam engine, so I just march in place for a bit. Getting better every time, but still tough.

Verdict: cramped but sweaty finish.

16 down, 74 to go.

day 15: i'm still here

Core Synergistics.

I felt super low energy again today and a little frustrated that I'm not getting all that much better at this stuff. But it's still true that I'm improving a little - I did more push ups today than last time (but still no where near what I should be). I kind of managed to do two dreya rolls. Kind of. Mostly getting to standing is really difficult...

Verdict: I'm still in it but I need to get some kind of energy infusion

15 down, 75 to go.

day 13: lacking energy

Kenpo X.

It was a rough one today. The music and no Tony Horton didn't help me at all, I was so lackluster that at one point instead of back-kicking I kicked my own leg. That's embarrassing. But I did the whole video; I made it through. And that means I'm done with my second week. Fantastic.

Before I get to the verdict, I'd like to overshare: my bra has officially started chafing me during my workouts. This is something of a right of passage for me (perhaps for all people with large boobs?) when I start to work out a lot suddenly and I feel proud. But also, OUCH. Punching a bunch while my bra is rubbing me raw? UGH.

Verdict: raw underarm fat + no energy = rotten last day of week 2.

13 (14) down, 77 (76) to go.

Tomorrow's my rest day, so I'll see you again on Saturday.

day 12: SO MUCH BETTER

Perhaps a slightly misleading title, because the workout itself and my muscle performance? Probably not any better. But I turned off the p90x music and did cues only, then pumped in my own spotify soundtrack and holy shit, my workout was so much better. Boredom cured when you can sing along to someone. Also I don't have to listen to Tony Horton's incessant chatter and flirting with Dreya. Improved times one million.

Legs & Back. Ab Ripper X.

All in all, not a terrible workout. I'm still trying to figure out if the bands are working since I can't do a pull up. I think I need to use the more resistant band next time. But I definitely got a great leg workout and did more exercises for my back (fake band pullups) than last time. Ab ripper X was still a crap shoot. I did maybe 8 of most of the exercises. Some of them my body just won't do with regularity so I try to just go with it. 

Verdict: A good workout full of dance music and muscles.

12 down, 78 to go.

day 11: twisting gut fat

Yoga X again.

I only made it half an hour in again. The good news? I wasn't bored. I'll say that's because of the lunch workout (loving it!). The bad news? I start to get frustrated about my feet (is it normal for your feet to cramp up?), my gut getting in the way of twists and it all explodes on me at the twisting triangle pose when I quit in a rage. So next week? I'm just going to skip that pose and stay in some kind of warrior-esque pose. And maybe i'll make it to 45 minutes.

Verdict: stupid gut and lazy muscles.

11 down, 79 to go.

day 10: new weights!

I am home from work sick today because of an...issue I had this morning. I could go into further detail, but over-sharing doesn't seem wise on the internet. I just didn't want to have this issue at work and since I couldn't be sure it was a one time issue, I stayed home.

And I've already done Shoulders & Arms for my p90x day. I started to do Ab Ripper X, got two exercises in and decided it was not a good idea today.

Over the weekend I was lucky enough to receive a borrowed set of dumbbells in weights 3, 5 and 8. I said last time I did these exercises that 3 was too light on some of them - and boy was I right. On some of them, 5 is even still too light. I'll try most at 8 next week. However, 5 definitely worked my muscles better than last time. I'm actually a little surprised that I might need a 10lb dumbbell fairly shortly. I never would have thought that I had any arm muscle at all. Maybe lifting my huge and heavy computer bag for work has helped...

Verdict: still figuring out weights, but a better workout for my arms than last time.

10 down, 80 to go.

day....none

So I'm kind of a quitter today? My desire to work out is zero. So I'm not. But here's the thing, I didn't feel horror at working out the other days this week, and I like the lunch work out. So I've retooled my whole p90x schedule. I'm rejoining the schedule already in progress on Monday. I'll then have my rest day on Friday. I think this will make so much more sense than Tuesday rest day. On Tuesday I can work out at lunch. On Friday I'm exhausted.

So today I failed. But I'm trying to take that failure and learn from it. I think this will be good. I want to do the whole p90x lean to see what happens. But I also have to listen to my base reaction to this shit.

Verdict: epic fail, new schedule.

9 still down, 81 still to go.

day 9: sweaty lunch

I think Cardio X is my favorite. Or maybe it's the timing of it, working out at lunch. Either way, I barely got bored today. And I'm a sweaty mess. Still can't do a single dreya roll, still stink at push ups, but i'm getting better at everything at snail speed. By week 13, I might be keeping up? And maybe I'll have done 1 dreya roll.

Verdict: lunch sweats are my thing.

9 down, 81 to go.

day 8: i did it?

I feel like it is a victory that I did not lose my steam with that rest day - I actually worked out again today. That means I'm officially in week two of p90x lean.

Today was Core Synergistics.

Push ups are still insanely sad. But I probably did a few more this week than I did last, so that means I basically doubled my performance. I also told loml that I think I'm an infinitesimal fraction more flexible than I was last week. During the hamstring stretches and side skater my fingers were much easier to get to touch the ground than before. But yeah, hands on the ground? Not sure that's going to happen for me, ever.

Verdict: I'm still in it.

day six: umba + jab cross hook uppercut

Mixing it up today because I got my umba box! I know, I stopped sharing my umba items...but since I'm here to tell you about working out, I might as well share this:

I got this really lovely lumbar pillow. It's much more blue than it appears in the image. But I'm kind of into it. Not sure it fits in the house, but it's a good month for umba. Visit Basik 855 to see some other pillows.

p90x. Kenpo X today. I punched and kicked a bunch of imaginary people while also blocking their attempts to attack me. My motivation to continue is pretty near rock bottom and I don't know how to resuscitate it. The fact that I've worked out six days in a row is a minor miracle. But how do I keep on doing it? Tomorrow is my rest day, so maybe I'll find some motivation then.

Here's my whine list:

• I am fatter than I was when I started. Like uncomfortably so. My body ballooned. Apparently that's normal but it SUCKS.
• My body hurts quite a bit which is making sleeping really tough. I wake up a lot.
• I am bored while I do it for quite some time.

Verdict: good workout, I managed to do it all but I'm adrift in a sea of hate and I can't find motivation island. Yeah, I just typed that.

6 down, 84 to go. Except really, 7 down, 83 to go. Tomorrow is a rest day so you won't hear from me.

day five: why am i doing this?

Legs & Back. Ab Ripper X.

I found myself a bit bored again today - I think this might be a weekend issue? Either way, I stuck it out. With Legs & Back, it strangely involved a lot of pull-ups, which I can't do. It took me about half the video to figure out a system to use the band in a sort of pull-up way. I think the tension is not enough, so that part of this workout was a fairly large fail. The leg stuff was rough and I think I'll be hobbling tomorrow.

Ab Ripper - again, I laid around after failure for a significant part of this. I did a tiny bit better than on Friday, but only a tiny bit. I found that my spare tire belly was getting in the way and that was totally depressing.

I am definitely feeling some muscle changes...but if I continue to be bored for an hour of these workouts, how am I going to keep going?

Verdict: powered through but need to find a new kind of motivation...

5 down, 85 to go.

day four: low motivation

Yoga X.

I was a quitter this morning. I only made it through half an hour of yoga. I have tried yoga in the past and find that it's not my thing - I don't know if I have a weird body shape or super low flexibility (or both) but I often find that my boobs get in the way of my arms and that my arms can never reach where they are supposed to. So I only did 1/3 of the Yoga X video. Next week I'll try to make it 45 minutes. I just....don't love yoga.

Truthfully, 30 minutes is much better than 0 minutes of workout, so I don't feel too too bad. Birthday present to self: no guilt about quitter attitude.

Verdict: No motivation + birthday = quit after 30 minutes. Goal is to make it to 45 next week.

4 down, 86 to go.

day three: ROUGH fading in to low key

Shoulders & Arms. Ab Ripper X.

Here's the thing - I was so stiff last night that I slept terribly. I woke up and walked around like an 200 year old woman. I specifically changed part of my daily routine so that I would not have to climb stairs. I was tired, in pain and not happy. Work was a bit less fun than usual as well. So coming home to work out was at the bottom of the things I wanted to do.

But I did it. And miraculously my legs feel less sore after working out. I feel better. Thoughts on the workout? I think my dumbbells were too light and the band is still scary to me. So the arm/shoulder workout was kind of breezy (most of it. parts of it were still really tough). Ab Ripper X was a 15 minute proof of my lack of fitness. I did between 0-10 reps of most of the exercises. I was supposed to do 25. I probably averaged 3. Honestly, there were some exercises that my body just wouldn't DO. I laid on the ground a lot feeling pretty worthless. loml came downstairs at one point and asked if I was spending my evening napping.

Verdict: horrible start to the day, but I miraculously made myself work out and it was kind of a good thing for me. exceeded expectations.

3 down, 87 to go.

day two: sore

Cardio X.

I worked out on my lunch break and here I sit, sweaty, waiting for code to compile, not wasting any time so that I can go shower.

I am sore today, I was sore before I worked out and now I'm just a bit more sore. It's mostly my butt and my abs and honestly, it's a nice/not too painful sore. I was less impressive today - I was again, a weird straw doll but this time I also was a really poorly trained boxer and rockette. A bystander would be confused.

I can't do dreya rolls and am not sure I will ever be able to. But I was already better at the superman banana. My abs screamed during it, but that just means something is happening.

Verdict: hate for Tony Horton growing, not because of his workouts but because of his chatter. I'm alive and I have muscles which I can point to due to the soreness.

Edited to add, two hours later: the sore has moved from good sore to "oh god, i can't stand up" sore. I hobble.