Week 3: Kenpo X

Alright, guys, sorry I couldn't post last week, but work was fairly crazy! But I somehow managed to keep through the fitness schedule (although the diet went amok).

Given that, that's probably why I didn't lose any weight.

BUT

I have lost inches all over, which is very exciting! Even places that I was starting to feel were hopeless (my humps, my humps, my lovely lady lumps).

This week I am going to be uber strict about the diet, and will post recipes as I find them successful!

As I have now missed Saturday workouts two days in a row, I decided to do Kenpo today instead of Core Synergistics, and will somehow do both Core and Cardio tomorrow.

Kenpo is more challenging than I remember, but maybe now my body has activated to working out (meaning I'm sweating twice as much in every workout!).

I do keep thinking that there ought to be a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" workout video. I'd be all over that.

Day 8: Core Synergistics Week 2

Phew. That was a tough one. But it felt great.

I added the bands in this week, and I definitely feel like I got so much more out of the workout (we'll see what my body says tomorrow morning...) Everything was easier this week, even the dreaded pushups. Still find the Dreya Rolls impossible, but that's probably due to tiredness at the end of the workout.

I said in my last post that Core Synergistics is my least favorite of the workouts, but I also believe it's the most essential. Since it's full body, it lets you measure your progress week after week in a more useful way; if you are able to do more reps, then you have gotten stronger through the week.

But that doesn't mean I wouldn't rather be doing Cardio X (tomorrow, hooray!).

To maintain motivation for something, you have to keep your eyes on the prize.

My original intent was to look good for my wedding, but that's not strong enough for me, not competitive enough.

This occurred to me when I was out on Saturday night, breaking all the P90x rules that could possibly be broken (I will do my penance to the gods of body pain this week, I promise!) and there was an acrobatic rope climber. At first I joined in the chorus of "ooohs" and "aaahs" but then I got really irritated. For some reason my mind went back to the kindergarten playground, where mini-me was twice as competitive as I am now.

All the other kids could climb poles, but I couldn't do it. I don't know why I couldn't do it, I was stronger and more athletic at that age than anyone else, but I couldn't. And it would frustrate the hell out of me. Monkey bars, same thing. I just did not have the arm strength!

So in a roundabout way, this brings me to my driving force. I don't want to look good for a special occasion; I want to be more fit and more athletic than I've ever been in my life. I want to be able to climb a damned pole.

And so off I go, into my least favorite workout: core synergistics.

Day 2: Cardio

Another day, another workout. Or in today's case, another place you didn't know could possibly hurt. Another search for an excuse, any excuse at all, not to do my P90x today. But sanity prevailed. This time, even after I put my veggie burgers in the oven, I came around. It was the thought of hey, I have to wait for the food anyway, may as well do the workout and earn it.

Day One

Day One: 73K

Alright alright, I made my resolution, and against my very strong desire to wait another day (and then a week, and then a month) I forced myself to get started today. I wasn't feeling 100% this morning, but I knew if I didn't even make an attempt then I would hate myself.

So Day One! With core synergistics. I didn't make it all the way through, but that's alright. It's the attempt that's important. And now my muscles feel like they've locked up, so we'll see how tomorrow goes! I decided to go without weights or bands just for this week, so I can get my momentum up and then build from there. It was a good decision; I'm still in pain.

I've lost a lot of arm strength since last time I attempted the program, so the pushup variations were especially tough. But I'd still manage to do 10-12 on each round, which isn't terrible.

Breakfast: Mushroom Omelette (does anyone else feel bad throwing away the egg yolks? But I have to say the omelette was so much lighter and more delicious without them)

Lunch: Dal and Rice

Dinner: TBD

New Resolution

Alright guys, after two false starts last year, it's time to take on P90X with a vengeance! This time I'm not going in blind; I know what the program demands of me, and I'm ready to meet it head on.

So as of tomorrow, I am beginning the P90x lean routine; no cheating, no excuses, no giving up. I know it's going to be grueling in week one, but I'm motivated, and I'm excited. I've only got two months until my wedding (the horror!) which I know isn't enough time to complete the program, but I'm going to get what I can out of it, and then keep going afterwards.

As I go, I hope to share inspiration for vegetarian cooking and other lifestyle changes that might help (or possibly hinder).

I think the biggest adjustment for me is going to be discipline; no more eating at random times, no more staying up until all hours of the night (but my Kindle beckons!), and most painfully, no partying for a while.

But like I said I'm going in eyes open. I wanna be a lean, mean, pacifist machine.

Song of Inspiration: Azure Ray - New Resolution