Week One - P90X3

Week One Done!  12 more weeks to go! 

I was definitely too hasty to judge the program after the first workout.  I felt extremely uncoordinated and weak, but boy what a difference a week makes.  My initial thoughts were that this program was really not for a beginner, but as I went through the workouts this week I discovered I was wrong.  Tony Horton is so great and tells you over and over again to go at your own speed.  He enforces the fact that just being there and trying is better than sitting on the couch.  Although I was so use to the 21 Day Fix and missed Autumn at first that has passed.  The adjustment period of getting the hang of the differences with P90X3 is over.  Tony is just as motivating and inspiring as Autumn and is a little quirky to boot.  And can you believe that guy is 55 years old?!

This week presented some challenges that would make it very easy to get back into old habits.  For work I had three business related lunches.  This meant I had to eat out!  Ugh!  Even when ordering a salad it is difficult to keep portion control in mind.  In hopes of making the best choices possible I did order a salad with grilled chicken and would only eat about half.  For the dressing I ordered a Balsamic Vinaigrette and requested it on the side and did not even eat much of it.  Although, I am sure it was not as healthy as eating a salad I prepare on my own I did not indulge in any of the temptations that restaurants have.  Additionally, I was extremely busy at work so I was not eating all the food I should of or drank the proper amount of water.  I know not eating enough can hold up weight loss and also reduces your energy so that you can't put 110% into your workouts.  Luckily, I drink my Shakeology everyday which gives me the nourishment I need and curbs those craving making it easy to say NO to the bread on the table.

I felt a bit stressed this week as well and when I am stressed I like to unwind with a glass of wine or two.  I am trying not to drink at all right now so I did not allow this to be a way to deal. 

It was also soooooo hot this week!  It is absolutely draining.  It zaps all your energy and all I wanted to do was lay on the couch under a fan when I would get home.

You know what all the above sounds like to me though?  Excuses!  I am sure I could come up with more of why I did not want to work out or stick to my healthy eating.  Instead I made a conscience decision each and everyday to do my workouts and not "cheat" on my diet.  After all, I would only be cheating myself.  Every time I committed to doing the workout I felt so much better afterward.  I was proud that I have kept my fitness such a priority even when life gets in the way.

As a result of never wavering I lost two pounds.  I am stronger, more flexible, and have increased my endurance and stamina.  I have made more progress and seen better results in these seven weeks of working out and sticking to the programs than I did in one year with a trainer.  Ever day is something new and different challenging myself a little more.  As the days went on I liked the workouts more and more.  I would say they are even fun. 


The Workouts

Day 1 - Total Synergistics

A complete body workout including push-ups, pull-ups, weights, and your own body for resistance. This was my least favorite of all the days, but again it was the first day so I am eager to see what I think of it this week.  I feel stronger already so I am betting on great progress compared to week one.

Day 2 - Agility X

Again this was a full body workout focusing on precision, power, flexibility, balance and strength.  In order to do this routine all you needed were two 4 feet strips of tape four feet apart with an X on each end and in the middle.  Each exercise had you target a specific mark on the tape.  This way you know you were extending your leg or jumping the same distance every time.  For example, one move was a Y lunges.  I stood in the middle and each time I lunged forward I would hit the front X on the piece of tape.  I really enjoyed this workout and definitely built up quite the sweat.


Day 3 - X3 Yoga

Yoga was part of the 21 Day Fix program as well, but this was a little tougher.  Incorporating moves like Warrior 3 and Tree Pose extreme flexibility and balance is required.  While I have built up some of these elements it was still very challenging.  I love yoga and am so excited to see how much I have improved.

Day 4 - The Challenge

If you love push-up and pull-ups then this is the workout for you.  The challenge is to pick a number of pull-ups and a number of push-ups you can do and  try to reach that number each time.  The entire routine is alternating between various types of pull-ups and push-ups.  As I have mentioned my upper body strength is my weakness, literally.  No need to worry though I was able to modify pull-ups with a resistance band and do "girl" push-ups.  I picked 30 for pull-ups and 15 for push-ups and willed myself to reach that goal each round. 

Day 5 - CVX

This was a full cardio exercise session with a light weight (I used 5 pounds).  Jumping jacks, hops, twists, and more helps to increase endurance and core strength.  I felt this one the next day.

Day 6 - The Warrior

I felt like a Warrior for sure after completing this workout.  Tony has developed this program while working with the US Armed Forces.  There are no weights or equipment needed just your own body for resistance.  It focused on every part of the body, lunges, squats, burpees, leg extensions and so on.  I believe this was my favorite workout so far. 

Day 7 - Rest or Dynamix

I chose to rest since I could.  I have been working out everyday for the last 7 weeks so felt like I could use one day off to let my body recover.  I may try to do the Dynamix routine every other week.  After all, it is only 30 minutes and my day off so I could easily get it in and I want to get the most out of this. 

Final thoughts of this week are that anyone can do this program and should if they want to get results in only 30 minutes a day.  I can't imagine going to the gym and jumping on a treadmill or elliptical for an hour since I know I am getting better results in 30 minutes.  Not to mention I am not just working on cardio, but strength, flexibility, and balance.  I will do two more rounds of this week before moving onto a transition week.  After the fourth week I will take pictures and measurements again.  Although I am anxious to be there already to see my results I will take one day at a time.  I know that each day I stay committed is one step closer to my goals.

Phenomenal!

The Beachbody coach training I have been participating in focuses primarily on personal development and building relationships.  Day one the below video was posted and I have to say it inspired me to get out of my comfort zone and push myself a little more.  I feel like I have been going through a bit of a transformation in my life anyhow so I think I was presented with this opportunity at the perfect time in my life.  I WANT TO BE PHENOMENAL!

Beachbody

I have focused on why I wanted to start a blog in the first place, but there are more questions I have
and there is a WHY involved in everything we do.  This is something I want to examine more as I go.  WHY I do what I do.  I want to really think about my WHY and put that into words.

Why am I tracking my fitness progression with P90X3?  Why am I not using some other program I could do at home, why not use a trainer or just track what I do at the gym?

My answer is nothing else works!!!  That is, it does not work for me.  I have had trainers and they have been great don't get me wrong.  However, all they are really concerned about is what you do for that 30mins to an hour that you are with them.  I was never told exactly what I should be doing every other day of the week.  I need someone to tell me that I should work-out for a certain number of minutes doing a certain exercise for a specified number of days per week.  I need structure! If I am left to my own devices I will never do enough to get the results I want.  I will not push myself outside of what feels comfortable, I will make excuses and inevitably I stop all together. 

Also, nutrition is only briefly discussed.  I know I should not eat fast food, sugary treats, or all that other junk food.  So what I would do is go to the extreme and not eat enough, which really is just as bad.

I know that there are a ton of ways to get in shape and a million different diets that can help people reach their goals.  I am not going to say they don't work and if you have a method that works for you then wonderful.  All I am saying is none of it works for me, at least long term.

I have tried every new diet fad out there to lose weight fast:  Green tea coffee extract, Garcina Cambogia, all sorts of diet pills, and even went to the extreme and did the HCG diet.  If you are not familiar with that diet it is basically eating 500 calories a day and injecting yourself with HCG everyday for 3 weeks.  Crazy, right?!  Yeah, I got great results and lost about 10 pounds, but that was not sustainable.  After that I gained the weight back plus more and had a hard time getting any weight off for about a year.  It was not healthy and I felt terrible while I did it.

I was willing to try anything to reach my goals and get off this dieting roller coaster once and for all.  That is when I was introduce to the 21 Day Fix Program.  There were ads and infomercials everywhere showing great results from the program and even a friend posted that she was going to try it.  So I just did it and placed my order.  Little did I know that this one decision would lead me on an incredible path of self discovery.

Before I even received my program I was contacted by a Beachbody coach.  She let me know that she was there to help and support me and I could ask her whatever questions I may I have.  It took me a few days to respond to her, but I though hey I might as well write her back.  For some reason I felt compelled to tell her my entire back story, about the programs I've done, the difficulties I've had, and so on.  She responded with nothing but great excitement, motivation, and understanding.  She told me a bit about herself and asked if I wanted to join a Challenge group.  I agreed not really knowing what that meant.

I learned that a Challenge group is an online Facebook group that was created by my coach.  It consists of members that are also participating in the 21 Day Fix program.  At first I was very skeptical and did not want to share.  However, as I read what others posted I realized they were just like me dealing with the same issues as me, good and bad.  I couldn't help but want to respond and post myself.  What I found in the group was encouragement, accountability, and a place to be honest about what I was dealing with throughout the program.  With the Challenge group and my coach I felt like I had my own little cheering squad rooting me on to succeed.  I believe this support was key in me completing the program not only once by twice.  The days I did not want to work out, and there were plenty, I just thought about the group and knew I would prefer to explain how I overcame all my excuses and did the workout anyway. I never wanted to say that I skipped a workout one day because  (enter excuse here).



Not only was I provided with great workouts and support, the nutrition guide included made it easy for me to eat properly.  I  simply  fill the color coded containers with the corresponding food and eat.  I am eating "real food" and getting a proper well-rounded diet.  I know I am eating all the fruits, veggies, protein, fats, and even carbs that are required.  Better yet I do not feel like I am starving myself at all.  I am eating plenty and even too full at times to eat everything recommended.  It is also suggested to add Shakeology to this plan which I did and it has curbed my cravings, given me energy, and tastes great.  It is my little treat after my workouts. 

Basically with the Fitness, Nutrition, and Support I have all the tools I need to have the success I want.  Although, even with all this I still have to want it and put all the excuses aside and go after it.  I still have to commit to follow the work-out and the diet plan.  I have to take full advantage of the support systems in place.  I am still ultimately responsible for the choices I make everyday about my fitness and nutrition.  The programs also make it clear that "if you want results you have to do the work".  There is not "magic pill". There is no promise of results for just buying the program and not putting all your effort into it.  And although I have many times committed myself to diet and exercise I always slip.  I start with the best intentions, but easily slide back into bad habits.  With the support I receive now there is always someone telling me to keep going and that accountability has made such a difference for me.

I really believe that the coaching system Beachbody had put in place was an amazing concept.  They have the most well know products in the market already, but with the coaching in place it helps people to actually complete the programs,  ultimately leading to great results.  In fact I appreciated the help of my coach so much that I too became a coach.  One to keep myself motivated and two to help others reach their goals. 

I have received very mixed reactions about my choice to become a coach.  Some encourage and support me, others say I am a sales person trying to push a product.  Unfortunately, it is always the negative comments that you FEEL the most.  This is one situation where one of my whys to blog comes into play, my Personal Development.  Typically even the thought of receiving a negative reaction makes me so self-conscience and uncomfortable that I won't even try.  I am too worried about others judging me.   I knew going into this not everyone was going to understand my choice or agree with it.  Despite that I have put myself out there and did what I wanted.  All, I know is that I found something that works for me and I want to share that with others.    I have no intentions of sounding like a sales person or  in it for financial gain.  I really want to touch someones life for the better and help them achieve their own goals.  I want to encourage and not judge while others transform themselves.  It is really as simple as that.  I would hope that if you hear me talk or read what I write about my experiences so far with the programs and coaching you see I am genuinely excited and believe in them. I may be successful with this I may not, but either way I am willing to try. 

Day 0 - P90X3

Ok.  Here we go!  Day 0.  Tomorrow I start P90X3, 90 days of intense workouts.  But, today was all about the fitness test, taking measurements and pictures.  Here are my results:

Measurements:
Weight = 138 - 11 pound loss from when I started the Fix
Chest = 31.5  (this always shrinks first which is the place I would not want to shrink at all)
Waist = 30.5
Hips = 39.75 (yes I have some curves)
Thighs = 19
Arms = 11

Fit Test:
1. Warm-Up  - I did Yoga from the 21 Day Fix (my last day of my second round).

2. Pull-ups - I don't have a pull-up bar yet.  Getting it tomorrow, but I am pretty sure I can do exactly
zero.  You are allowed to put 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 so I will see where I really am tomorrow.  Here is to getting to 1/2.  LOL!

3. Vertical Leap - This is how I can jump.  Not sure why I care about this, but I am sure I will find out.  Anyhow, I can jump 11".  It says you should at least be able to jump 3" if you are a female.

4. Push-ups - Ok I hate push-ups, I can't do them, I don't want to do them.  But, luckily you can do modified girl push-up and count those and I can do a whopping 15.  For a female that is exactly how many you should be able to do to start with according to the program.

5. Toe Touch/Flexibility Test - Touch your toes.  My score was a +4.  This means I was able to extend my fingers past my feet by four inches. Should be no less than a -6, meaning six inches away from touching your toes.

6.  Wall Squats - Should be able to do a minute.  I did 46 seconds.  I am sure I can really do more if I pushed a little harder.

7. Bicep Curls - I did 19 with 10lb weights.  Should be able to do 10 with 8lbs.

8. In and Outs - Sitting on the floor you bring your knees toward chest.  Should be able to do 25 I did 31.

9. Heart Rate - Had to do jumping jacks for 2 mins, then do them as fast as I can for the final 30 secs and check your heart rate immediately after and every minute until 4 mins. after.  Once I reached 1min and 30sec there was no way I could even go faster than I was going.
Immediately Following - 150
1 Min After - 100
2 Min After - 80
3 Min After - 76
4 Min After - 76

I am excited to get going and hope I can keep my motivation up to get through the 90 Days.

Day 1 - P90X3

Day One Done!  Only 89 more!

Initial thoughts:  LOL!  Are you kidding me?  Seriously, you expect me to do that?  I miss Autumn from the 21 Day Fix.

With the 21 Day Fix Autumn explains and then demonstrates each move.  With X3 Tony explains it while you are supposed to be doing the exercise.  That is going to take some getting used to.  It does not seem to be a program for beginners so I am so glad that I did the FIX twice.  I at least have built some strength, flexibility and balance to help with this program.  He also kept saying to write down the weights you used and the number of each move you could do.  I did not write it down because I don't even feel like I did anything correctly.  Next week I will record what I do and know it will be better than what I did today.


The P90X3 program has four different schedules.  Classic, Lean, Mass and Doubles.  I decided on the Classic Schedule.  This meant that for my first day I was scheduled to complete the Total Synergistics workout consisting of 16 different moves (not going to review each one). 

I did not think that they would  start  Day 1 off needing to use the Pull-up bar, but I was WRONG!  I  did not get the bar yet since I thought I had some time before I actually needed it. I figured it was something you would build up to do, but no you really jump right in to the program.  I don't think it matters though since I can't do one anyway.  There was a modified version of  the pull-up exercises that used the resistance band so I tried to do them that way.  I will be getting a pull-up bar ASAP and a P90X Chin-up Max.  It is designed to help you work up your strength to be able to do an unassisted pull-up or chin-up.  I am going to say right now that if I will be able to do a pull-up by the end of this program I will be seriously impressed!






 My upper body strength is almost non-existent.  So when one of the moves was to do a push up and then twist and prop yourself on one side and lift your arm in the air I basically looked like a fish out of water flopping all over the ground.  Since I can't even do a regular push-up I did a modified one, which made it difficult to twist to my side.

The other move that was so difficult was the Crawly Plyo Push-up.  Basically, in a plank position with one knee up toward your elbow you explode your entire body off the ground then switch legs.  There was no way I could do that so I just jumped off my feet.

Total Synergistics also focuses on a lot of balance exercises.  This is very difficult on my left leg since I had surgery on my left ankle and it is very weak.  I think I will need to wear some sort of brace going forward to prevent injury.

Overall, the 30 minutes went very fast.  That is probably because I was spending so much time to just figure out the moves.  Since, I could not perform every exercise properly and was doing modified versions I felt like I did not work hard enough. Hopefully,  I will build up  to do everything correctly and feel like I really pushed myself and am getting everything out of the program.

Until tomorrow!  Day 2 Agility X.

MY WHY

I will start by saying that I honestly have no idea what I am doing.  I have never blogged before and do not typically even share all that much on Facebook or social media sites.  I follow a few food blogs, a couple of friends and occasionally read a blog here and there I happen to come across.  Since I don't know much about blogging I wanted to do a little research.  What I discovered is that there are millions of blogs, and of those millions, countless fitness blogs.  In my search I found one too many sites telling me what I should do and should not do if I want to have a successful blog.  


This lead to many questions: Do I even want my blog to be successful?  Can I  do this when apparently so many fail at it?  With all these blogs out there why does mine matter?  What will make mine different?  What do I really have to share with people?  In other words all my research about blogging lead to self doubt, extreme anxiety, apprehension, fear, FEAR, FEAR.  Fear of disapproval, fear that I have nothing to say, fear of FAILURE. 


All of these negative thoughts were reasons why I never started a blog before now.  They were thoughts that have held me back from a lot of things.  So, you know what I did?  I closed all those sites that told me what and what not to do and got back to my own reasons for pursuing this goal I set for myself.

The reality is I had no intention of having a "successful" blog that was never even a thought in my mind.  I have my own reasons and if the only difference between my blog and millions of others is ME than that is enough.  I have my own thoughts, my own struggles, my own perspectives.  And you know what that is good enough!  It is enough  for me to push pass any brief hesitations and continue with what I set out to do. 

That brings me to why I wanted to do blog in the first place.

Why I want to blog:

• Track Fitness - The main reason I want to blog is to track my fitness journey.  More specifically my results as I aspire to complete P90X3.  I have struggled with my weight most of my life and want to record my mindset throughout the process.
• Stay Motivated - I hope that documenting the next 90 days will keep me motivated to reach my goals.  I always go back to my "old ways" that do not include exercise after I have some success with dieting.  I never get to where I want to be, but I am hoping this time will be different.
• Personal Development - During the process I want to learn more about myself and grow as a person.  I feel that writing down my thoughts will help me delve more into who I am and help me become the person I want to be.
• Step Outside My Comfort Zone - In general I am trying to do something everyday that is outside of my comfort zone.  It is amazing the possibilities there are when you push yourself past what you typically do.  Who knows what the outcome will be, but that is kind of exciting!
• Inspire Others - Although I am doing this blog primarily for myself I do hope that others will read it and follow along with me. It would be extremely rewarding if it inspired even one person to start their own fitness journey.  To realize that they too can reach any goal they set for themselves.

After figuring out my reasons and deciding that I was actually going to create a blog I wanted to come up with a name. I bounced around names that had fitness in the title, but really this is about a lot more than that.  It was about a process, about moving forward and going after goals.  What better word to describe that than PROGRESS.


Finally,  I pondered WHAT I want this blog  to be.  Essentially, what I want is honesty.  I want to be honest with myself and honest with anyone that may read it.  I want to write as if no one is even gong to read what I post.  This is a little easier said than done.  I don't want to think about what I am suppose to write or what people expect me to write.  I spend too much time worrying about what others think as it is.  I want to write about what inspires and motivates me. I just want to be me and be comfortable with that regardless of the response. I want to be FREE to write whatever I want and not set limits on myself. 

Well here is to getting started.  It is a little scary, but I can't turn back now.  Let's do this thing!