P90x Week 12: Day 6 - Kenpo x

Last workout of this round!! We made it.

P90x Week 12: Day 5 - Legs and Back

I thought this workout was going to be easier since we are near the end of the program... it wasn't! I'm guessing it is because my muscles are confused and were expecting a recovery week. I felt low in energy too.

We endured even with kids climbing all over us while we did the exercises:


One more workout to go!!

P90x Week 12: Day 4 - Yoga

It isn't good to miss yoga days - I missed last Thursday's and think that was the reason I felt really stiff today. I think I said it before, if I could find more time, I think x-stretch would be beneficial for me. I am more flexible than I was at the beginning of P90x, but I could stand to improve a lot more.

Here we are again, stretching and breathing for the last yoga routine of this round of P90x:

P90x Week 12: Day 3 - Back and Biceps

Since it is our last bicep workout for the program, we went hard today to see if we could beat our previous week's records... and we are feeling it! It was a tough workout. I always feel like crying (it's ok, I'm in touch with my feminine side) during the last exercise - the bicep curls strip-sets. I don't think I've ever got to 8 reps on each set - my arms are dead by the end of this workout.

Half-way done the week - looking forward to a good yoga stretch tomorrow.

P90x Week 12: Day 2: Plyometrics

With a late night workout yesterday and our regular 10am workout this morning, it didn't feel like there was much rest in between. I was sweating so bad I had to put a head-band on - it looks dorky, but it was a necessity. My daughter thought it was her hair-band, so I had to share with her... kind of disgusting (for her), but true. See for yourself:

P90x Week 12: Day 1 - Chest Shoulders Triceps

This is our Easter Turkey Dinner workout ... we got back from a family dinner tonight and squeezed in the first workout of the last week. It was pretty intense and the food overdose didn't help. We are happy to be in the last week, and look forward to measuring the results at the end of the week... unless we keep eating like we did today (we may need to do another round of P90x to work that off).

P90x Week 11: Day 6 - Kenpo x

Have you ever noticed one of the hardest parts of Yoga X is the warm-up! After doing legs the previous day, it is difficult to get motivated to do yoga moves. The punches and kicks are expected, but for some reason I forget that I have to do a bit of yoga before the cardio starts. Maybe that's my problem; I'm not mentally prepared - I need to get psyched for not only the kicks and punches, but for the warm-up too!

Here we are, doing our last workout of week 11:

P90x Week 11: Day 5 - Legs and Back

Feels good to be back at it after missing yoga yesterday. I felt pretty sore after doing physical labor all day yesterday. My work is usually computer related, so I don't get to do much physical work (this was another reason we are doing P90x). I am sure I am less sore because I have been working out, but I am still sore.

Here's legs and back:

P90x Week 11: Day 4 - Yoga x

No video today - I was tied up doing some emergency work and Shilleen did Yoga x by herself. It's too bad, we were hoping to have a video of every workout . I suppose, if you really want to see us workout, you can have a look at last Thursday's video - it should be the same (minus any improvements we would have made in the past week).

We still have to plan how we are going to celebrate Easter and still do our workouts. We should be able to work it in our schedule even though we are going to be away for a couple days... stay tuned.

Comments from Shilleen: Didn't feel like doing yoga today....I woke up with a massive headache so bad it was extra hard to open the eyelids today.....Interestingly, enough when I was done Yoga...I thought to myself...wow! I actually feel considerly better, I may just be able to get through the day.

P90x Week 11: Day 3 - Shoulders and Arms

We have filled up our workout sheet for Shoulders and Arms - we won't be doing this routine again... for this round of p90x anyway.

A funny thing happened during the workout today - my (almost) 2 year old daughter tried to help me during the Crouching Cohen Curls - she has never done that before. I guess I looked like I was struggling and needed a spot.

P90x Week 11: Day 2 - Plyometrics

I noticed today Tony recommended slipping some recovery drink into the water you would drink during the exercises - we tried this when we played in a volleyball tournament a few weeks ago. We both highly recommend NOT doing this! I don't know what it is about the recovery drink, but if it gets warm, or sits out at room temperature for awhile it tastes way too sweet - it's nasty! There is only one way to drink it - put in half the recommended water, dump in a whole tray of ice, blend it, and drink it immediately. It tastes really good if you do it that way, and gives us something to look forward to at the end of the workout.

I felt good today doing the workout. I went a bit over on the carbs last night and I think that helped with my energy level during the workout. I was still sweating up a storm though.

P90x Week 11: Day 1 - Chest and Back

We're back at it - feels like we have worked out back a lot, but the amount of reps we can now do is the payoff.

I've been slacking on the diet portion of the workouts. I get busy in the mornings and don't get enough to eat before the workouts - as a result, I can feel my energy level is lower. I'd love to have a chief to prep all the food and make sure we are eating proper portions. If there is anywhere I can improve, it would be diet. Maybe if we video taped our meals I would be more consistent in eating according to the plan... who would watch that?

No complaints about the program through - we are both seeing results from being consistent in our workouts, but there is always room for improvement.

P90x Week 10: Day 6 - Kenpo x

We didn't get back until late tonight from visiting family, so this was the first time we had to do our workout in the evening... which one do we prefer? For me, it is nice to get the workout out of the way in the morning. Actually, we usually do our workouts at 10am 6 days a week; to accommodate this break in my workday I start work early; it turns out that this is a nice break about mid-way through my workday.

Shilleen noticed tonight that she was getting stomach cramps - it was most likely from the food that we ate an hour earlier. So, working out in the evening didn't work well with our eating schedule. We would have to adjust some things if we wanted to continue working out in the evening.

I think we are both happy continuing to workout in the morning - we may try something different after we complete the P90x program.

Here is today's work:

P90x Week 10: Day 5 - Legs and Back

Wow, you'd think this workout would be getting easier on week 10... I don't think so. This is the first time I've had a stomach cramp in any P90x workout. It could be diet issues, but I have another theory. The better you get at doing these exercises, the less rest-time you have between exercise. For example, on week one if someone was able to do 5 pull-ups, and now is able to do 20... there is a lot less time to stand around and watch Tony and the crew finish up their last reps (or the majority of their reps). The workout becomes more demanding!

See what I mean here:

P90x Week 10: Day 4 - Yoga x

Our fat calipers and our body tape measurer finally arrived today! We expected to take a bit longer than usual to arrive up here in the Great White North - Amazon was only a week off in their estimate:) So, we will be able to do some measurements soon and post some results.

Yoga felt good today. It seems to go by faster now since we have almost memorized all the moves. I still struggle with the last move of the moving options, but all the others seem to be coming along fine. I didn't feel like I sweat as much as last time, although as my son was climbing my back during the exercises he mentioned that it was wet...

P90x Week 10: Day 3 - Back and Biceps

The real challenge with this workout is keeping pace with Tony and the gang - it some parts it seems like I barely have enough time to record what I did and then adjust the weight for the next exercise. I try to keep my reps between 8-10 which does give me a bit more time to make adjustments.

Today was pretty intense - I sure didn't feel like doing Ab Ripper; but I was happy when it was all over! See for yourself:

P90x Week 10: Day 2 - Plyometrics

We still sweat like crazy on this workout and the heart gets pounding pretty good. Thanks to muscle confusion, I don't think this workout is going to get any easier in the next couple weeks.

P90x Week 10: Day 1 - Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

What a workout! I don't know what it was, but my triceps were dead today - I was really feeling them in the first few exercises. It was a real struggle to match what I did last time we did this workout. It may be that I was using the pushup bars for most of pushup exercises... does that put more stress on the triceps? Anyway, it was a good workout.

P90x Week 9: Day 6 - Kenpo x

Here we are end of week 9 - kenpo is a great workout to end the week with. Some are wondering if we are seeing any results - we have both lost some weight and have lost body fat and inches, but we are waiting to get our fat calipers and measuring tape that we ordered from amazon some time ago... We expect to have it by the end of week 12 at the latest; at that time we will do comparison measurements and post them... whether we like it or not :)

P90x Week 9: Day 5 - Legs and Back

I'm beginning to think this is the "mother of all workouts" - legs are dead, heart is racing, and it ends with the ab ripper... happy to be through it!

P90x Week 9: Day 4 - Yoga x

We decided to give in today and let the kids watch a video while we worked out - we don't usually do that, but it is so much easier doing yoga not having an extra 50lbs on your back or a monkey swinging from your neck. Our son did return for vocal oms at then end - he loves that part.

I not sure why today's workout made us sweat so bad - I remember this being a bit easier last week... my triceps were pretty sore for the first 20min or so; must have been from the other exercises this week.

P90x Week 9: Day 3 - Shoulders and Arms

The kids seem to realize we are tied up when we workout and are not able to watch them as close as we do at other times. Today, for example, they pulled a box of corn flakes from the cupboard, took it to their room, and dumped it all over the floor... the whole box! By the time we realized it, there was corn flakes all over the bedroom and into the hallway... lovely.

We're still feeling it from the weekend volleyball tournament, especially in the warm-up.

P90x Week 9: Day 2 - Plyometrics

This workout came a bit too soon after our volleyball weekend - it worked the same leg muscles that were still in pain. We made it through with as much sweat and tears as ever. During the workout Shilleen asked if this workout ever gets easier... I think if we could remember the first time we did this workout we would see that it's actually getting better. But it is still a tough one as it should be; it is the MOTHER OF ALL P90X WORKOUTS!!

P90x Week 9: Day 1 - Chest and Back

Sweet Ibuprofen!
As mentioned on Friday's post - Shilleen and I were involved in a volleyball tournament on Saturday. We played about 14 games in 6 hours... it was a long day! We both felt better about our performance compared to six months ago when we competed in a similar tournament - we are chalking that up to being fairly consistent in our P90x workouts. We thought our workouts would help the soreness, but the next day we both had to dope up on the Advil to help with the the moaning and groaning each time we moved.

I think the workout will help with the soreness and hopefully we will get back to feeling good in the next day or so.

P90x Week 8 Day 5 - Rest day

No workout again today. We both decided to lay low and rest for tomorrow - we hope to be well enough to play in a volleyball tournament... we'll let you know how it goes.

P90x Week 8 Day 4 - X Stretch

Shilleen Goes Solo
After yesterday's workout experience, I'm still not feeling up to doing a workout -even if it was the easiest p90x workout there is. I will be back at it tomorrow. In the mean time, enjoy Shilleen's first solo workout (on tape anyways):

P90x Week 8 Day 3 - Kenpo x

We were both feeling fairly good this morning, so we decided to do the Kenpo workout... not sure if that was such a good idea. We now feel very tired and sore all over. The sore throat is back in full force too. This may be the way we would have felt later in the day. Oh well, we did it and we'll see how we feel tomorrow.

Here is us giving it our best while being under the weather:

P90x Week 8 Day 2 - Sick Day :(

Sick or Using Banned Substance?
It's official, Shilleen and I both have strep throat. We thought we were going to sneak by without catching it from our kids, but didn't quite workout. We took a sick day today and went to the doctor and got the necessary antibiotics - we should be good to go in a few days... we'll play it by ear.

P90x Week 8 Day 1 - Yoga x

Sweet recovery week! We are all a bit sick with colds, but recovering. Yoga felt good today.

P90x Week 7 Day 6 - Kenpo x

Last workout of the week!! It has been a rough week with the flu spreading through the house, but we made it! We are both looking forward to the recovery week next week - time to confuse those muscles again before they get too used to the program.

The key to making this workout work is to learn the proper techniques - I am still learning, but it seems to get more intense each workout. If you are just starting out, don't toss this routine away (like I wanted to), be patient and you will feel it.

P90x Week 7 Day 5 - Legs and Back

Couching from the couch
The kids have been hit with some nasty bug that has zapped most of their energy from them - they really aren't themselves (as you will notice in the video they aren't climbing all over us today); it is really strange to see. They went to the doctor today and got the antibiotics that they need, so it should clear up soon.

It was funny to observe how even though my son, who barely has enough energy to move, he was still able to give us pointers on our technique as he laid on the couch in a daze. He was telling me that I was doing some of the exercises wrong, or that I needed to do them like "mommy" - he must get that from the other side of the family :)

Needless to say it has been a rough couple days for the kids, and some long nights for their parents.

Here is today's performance - please excuse my technique imperfections. I hope to have them mastered with my "coach's" help soon...

P90x Week 7 Day 4 - Yoga

I felt pretty sore today after yesterday's workout. Yoga is exactly what I needed to get loosened up. Shilleen is back in action today too.

Week 7: Day 3 - P90x Back and Biceps

Ugh, I can't bend my arms... That was pretty intense. I think my form suffered quite a bit. I tried to do an extra rep or increase the weight on almost all exercises, and I'm feeling it.

Shilleen had to bail on this workout - she was up all night with sick kids, and she isn't feeling to hot today.

Here's my solo effort:

Amazon.com Fat Calipers purchase

Last week I had to return the borrowed fat calipers, so today I decided I would buy some of our own. Since there isn't a fitness store nearby, I looked online to see if I could get them there. Since currently live in Canada, I was hoping to find a seller this side of the border to save on duty and currency exchange (even though the CDN dollar is currently worth $0.97 USD, and there probably wouldn't be duty on an item like this). I found a couple Canadian sites, but their prices seemed unrealistic compared to what I found on USA sites; sometimes 3 times as much! I finally found what I was looking for on Amazon.com; Amazon.ca is pretty weak in the variety of items they sell - they don't even have a health and wellness section on their web site.

I have purchased from Amazon.com/ca and I like purchasing from them for a number of reasons:
1. they have the ordering and delivery system mastered - smooth transactions and quick shipping
2. their guarantee - if there is a defect or it was damaged in shipping, they will replace it! You don't have to pay extra for insurance as some other online stores do
3. quick customer service - I was able to talk to a customer rep today in a matter of 2 minutes... a live customer rep who spoke great English... that is rare in customer service today

Something I learned from today's Amazon purchase
One thing to note - as I was looking for the fat calipers I noticed that there were several sellers selling the same product for different prices. Naturally, I chose the lowest priced and went to checkout. I then found out that they didn't ship to Canada (a bit annoying). I was a bit confused as to why they didn't ship to Canada, so I called the Amazon customer service rep and they pointed out that I need to read some of the small print on the item description that spells out who they ship to - this was a great help.

Eventually, I found an Amazon vendor that ships to Canada, but when I went to checkout - the shipping was twice as much as the product! That was unacceptable for me; I could have bought it from a Canadian vendor for that much.

After a bit more searching I found a vendor that cost a bit more for the product, but shipped to Canada for $2.95 USD. The total price for product and shipping: $14.90 - done deal! If you are interested, here is a link to the calipers and measuring tape.

What did I learn?
Amazon is still a great reliable place to purchase product, but you need to check the fine print to find those that will sell and ship for a reasonable amount; shipping and handling can kill any bargain price!

P90x Week 7 Day 2 - Plyometrics

Still on of our favorites - Plyo x is going well. Sill makes us sweat!

p90x Week 7 Day 1 - Chest Shoulders Triceps

Weighted circles are a killer - I am only using 10lbs, but it brings a tear to my eye every time I do them.

This program has been good for my shoulders though. I had been suffering from bicep tendinitis for the past 5 years or so - the pain has seemed to go away since doing these exercises. I don't know if it is this workout that has helped, or if it is yoga or x stretch - regardless, I can now sleep though the night on my shoulders!

P90x Week 6 Day 6 - Kenpo x

Done for the week, and half-way to completing P90x workout program (for this round anyway)!! We are both feeling a bit more use to the exercises which helps in the workout's effectiveness (we're feeling it). Here is our latest:

Stiff Neck from Pull-ups

Yesterday during the legs and back exercises, I could feel my neck starting to get tense; this morning it felt worse. I think it was caused by two reasons: poor warm up, and I was trying to squeeze in a couple more pull-up reps. I didn't get a good warm-up because I was tending to my daughter, who seems to need a diaper change every time we start exercising. Squeezing in a couple extra reps caused my form to suffer and put the tension in my neck instead of my back. I did some looking around to see what I could do better, and found some good advice and demos.

For now, I am going to enjoy my recovery day tomorrow and use a few basic techniques for relieving neck pain, such as soaking in a hot bath and getting a massage.

P90x Week 6 Day 5 - Legs and Back

It's static and ballistic... it's Stablatic!!
This workout felt pretty good - we had to cut out a few times to help the kids, but we prevailed again! Feels good to be almost done another week.

Here's today's work:

Download P90x Workout for Free!

I have a friend that is trying out the P90x program, but he doesn't have the videos. He has somehow picked up the text version of the program and is reading that as a guide through the program. If you want to save $130, this is the way to do it, but I don't think it is worth it.

Here are some of the reasons for purchasing a program:

Timing of exercises
One of the reasons why this program is so good, is because it's fast paced. You don't have to watch the stopwatch to know how long to work out and how long to rest... it is done for you. I barely have enough time to record what I did and get ready for the next exercise - I can't imagine having to read it!

Complexity of moves
Some of these workouts are not for those who lack in coordination... like myself. It takes a few times watching and trying to look somewhat like the demos, and we are still trying to master them. Yoga and Kenpo especially are difficult to follow and master; I couldn't imagine trying to figure out those moves from written text.

Investment helps commitment
What do you think is easier: quitting a program you didn't pay for or one you did pay for? The more you invest in something (time and money), the hard it is to ditch it. Do you remember when your mom put you in piano lessons and you said you were going to quit? She made you finish because she had already paid didn't she? No one likes to waste money. You will be more likely to see the program to the end if you make a financial investment. If you take the time to study the program and see the testimonials from others, chances of program completion increase even more.

Ease conscious
I don't know where my friend got the text version of the program, it may very well be legit. I do know there are pirated copies of this program out there that are readily downloaded. So let me ask this, if you do get a pirate version and have great results, who are you going to tell? What if they ask you where you got your program? I may be a bit anal about this since I work in the software industry, but I don't think $130 is worth the cost to someone's integrity.

Make the investment!
So decide to do the program and make the investment; go pickup bottles/cans and cash them in - the exercise you do in the process may even help you get ready for the program!

P90x Week 6 Day 4 - Yoga X

This workout seems to be getting easier... either that or I am slacking it :) I didn't sweat as much today as I remember in the past. This doesn't mean that I didn't sweat, and I was able to do all the exercises; I still struggle with the last exercise of the moving option.

The kids were rowdy today, so we gave in a put a movie on for them partway through the workout... maybe that's why it was easier for me today...

P90x Week 6 Day 3 - Back and Biceps

It was pointed out on the YouTube posting that I seem to be slacking off on the Mason Twist part of the Ab Ripper X workout. Just to explain, this exercise seems to injure my lower back. I can feel it during the workout and it usually take a few days to feel better. I feel the same pain when I do those frog exercises - basically any of the ab exercises where I sit on the floor with legs off the ground and no support for the back. I don't know why it does that, but I haven't been able to get past it. Anyway, I will try again when it feels better, but this has happened several times now... any suggestions?

Here's the latest:

p90x Week 6 Day 2 - Plyometrics

Ahhhhhhhh... sweet cardio. You know what I like best about cardio days? No Ab Ripper X!! Out of all the cardio routeins, this one is the best. It changes up every 1 min or so; you don't get bored!

Here we are acting like frogs and doing our best Airborne Heismans:

P90x Week 5 Day 6 Kenpo and Week 6 Day 1 - Chest Shoulders Triceps

I've been a bit delinquent on my posts, but don't worry, no workouts were missed (I know you were worried). So here are two new videos: Kenpo x from Saturday, and Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps from today. Shilleem missed Saturday's workout due to illness. Luckily I was sick on Sunday which allowed to recover enough for Monday's workout.

P90x Legs and Back - Week 5: Day 5

Have you ever noticed that the back stretches take an unusually long time - I thought it was because Tony gets side-tracked in introducing Sophia; talking about her "chicklet" teeth. If you watch Sophia's arms, you will notice that the video has been edited. At first she has her arms behind, then in-front for the close-up and then behind again. It is just a little quirk we noticed doing these workouts over and over - not a big deal, just something interesting... to me anyway :)

P90x Yoga X - Week 5: Day 4

Feeling it today - ugh! We are both pretty sore from previous workouts this week. It was good to get a good stretch though. Shilleen was a trooper today - she came down with a head-cold last night, but decided to do the workout anyways; Good job SHILLEEN!!

P90x Back and Biceps - Week 5: Day 3 - Corncob Pullups

Once again, it seems like we haven't done pullups for a long time, but felt good to do a few. Those "Corncob Pullups" though are tough! As for biceps, I thought I was doing ok until the strip set... those are killer! I think I will be feeling this tomorrow.

P90x Plyometrics - Week 5: Day 2

Feels like we haven't done this one for awhile... actually, it's been a couple weeks! Once again, I think this is part of the "muscle confusion" strategy. Needless to say, it felt more difficult than I remember it. We muscled through it and survived.



As far as meals go, we are off the Fat Shredder phase now, but we haven't had time to do our measurements yet; we may need to go back on it. This past week has been a difficult week to keep to the diet plan. With Shilleen going away for a couple days and Valentine's Day festivities... we slacked off.. a lot! Hopefully we will get back into it.

P90x Chest, Shoulders, Triceps - Week 5: Day 1

Did Tony say there was some trick to the "One Arm Pushup"... cuz I think I missed it if he did. Those are very hard. I was able to do some on my knees, but I think it will take some time to get up to proper form.

Feels good to be back to doing some weights. I think I'm going to feel it tomorrow due to the recovery week. I think that is the idea though - don't let the muscles get into a routine; it will stunt their growth.

My old friend "Ab Ripper" is back too... I didn't miss him much; he's still a pain in the side...

P90x Yoga X - Week 4: Day 6 - Sugar crack for kids!

We made a mistake this morning - after the kids had breakfast, they found the Valentine's Day sugar cookies... the ones we are (of course) going to give away. They both got away with eating one each. The youngest also got into the chocolates... big mistake. As you can see in the video, they were bouncing off the walls during Yoga. I think I missed a good 10 min of the workout trying to settle them down and mitigating damage.

We made it through week 4 - 1/3 down, 2/3 to go. We were hoping for some good results; we will do the measurements and progress pics on Monday.



We started to watch the Vancouver 2010 Olympics - if you're looking for inspiration of how to keep going and breaking through the obstacles of success, watch the Olympics! Most Olympic athletes have a great story to tell of the adversity they had to face to make it.

Speaking of the Olympics, we were shocked to watch the accident footage of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the slider from Borjomi, Georgia - what a difficult start to the Olympics. He was only 21. It is sad to see how much effort is put into getting to the Olympics only to have it end in a practice run.

Week 04: Day 05 - Core Synergistics - Engaged!

This is the second time we are doing this workout this week, but it is one of my favorites. Not that I can do everything perfectly, but it really works you with rapid intense exercises. It's true, if my mind isn't in it I can slack off and not get the core workout that is intended... stick to the tip of the day: "ENGAGE".

Week 04: Day 04 - X Stretch - Making Gumby look like the Tin Man

This is something that I really need to do more often. It's too bad X Stretch is usually on the 7th day... the day we usually take off. A lot of the stretches are the same as what is done is the 2nd half of Yoga x, but you don't have to go through all the pain of the first part of Yoga X :)

Shilleen is much more flexible than me... I wonder if in general woman are more flexible than men? Although when you watch the p90x X Stretch video and others too, the men do really well... freaks of nature.

Week 04: Day 03 - Kenpo x - She's baaak...

After two days off, I am happy to report Shilleen has rejoined the workout recordings. Actually, she only missed Monday's workout since she was able to borrow the core synergisitics DVD while away. But did she actually "bring it"?? We'll never know since we don't have the video proof and there were no witnesses :)

Here is the latest video:

Week 04: Day 02: Core Synergistics... Ouch!

I guess I don't have much of a core... yet. That was pretty painful and exhausting. I especially felt it in the shoulders; they were burning! Maybe I'm doing something wrong. I like the routine though - it works everything!

Shilleen will be back tomorrow, so we can get back to our regular schedule of workout and diet... the diet has been less-effective for the past 3 days.

P90x Week 04: Day 01 - Yoga X - What happened to Shilleen?

I wish I had a better story to tell about why Shilleen didn't do Yoga X with me today; she actually had a legit excuse. She went to look after her grandma who lives about an hour away from us. Family needs will always come before any workout or goal. She'll be back with a vengeance on Wednesday.

What's it like without a workout buddy?
Is it harder to work out without Shilleen doing the exercises with me? I would imagine that 80-90% of people that do this workout do it solo, so my one day experience is probably lacking. Here's what I noticed:
- I had to consciously decide if I was going to workout today. I had to do all the setup, and push "play", Shilleen usually does all of that for me so I don't have to take time out of my work to do it
- once I started, I had to work at keeping discouraging thoughts out; like knowing that she probably isn't doing the exercises today, so why should I have to go all out?
- it was also a bit easier to slack off on some of the moves because she wasn't there to encourage me (aka watch me like a hawk so I cheat)

So what's my preference?
Do I prefer working out alone? Definitely not! Those of you that have to workout alone and stick to it, you are a better person than me. If you can find someone to workout with, I highly recommend it... so far :) I'll give an update in the end.

Here I am going solo for the first time:

Week 3: Day 5 - P90X Kenpo x - Starring Mr. Grump

Saturdays are a bit different from the rest of the week. We tend to stay up a bit later on Friday night and sleep in on Saturday morning. Getting a late start doesn't always allow for a proper breakfast before working out, so for the last couple weeks we have been doing Kenpo x before we eat anything... is this a good thing to do? I have read some that say yes, and some that say no; here's what I have noticed:

I am starving!
During this "fat shredder" phase I notice when I wake up, I am ready to eat, immediately! If I ignore the hunger pains, shortly after I start working out the hunger pains seem to go away.

Where's the energy?
I don't know if it is because it is the last workout of the week, or if it is because I miss breakfast, but I seem to have less energy and feel a bit more fatigued during Kenpo. I don't even have it in me to do the "CHEEA!" yells... that's pretty weak.

Who's the grump?
From the time I wake up in the morning to when we are ready to workout, I am pretty irritable (if you don't believe it, just ask my family... they will tell you in great detail). I seem to have this issue when I'm hungry. You'd think because I recognize the problem I would realize when I'm in that situation and remedy it quickly with a snack... but I don't. I don't want to let my hunger win, so I make everyone else pay for it! Isn't it good for my body to go through a bit of starvation to get some results, or do I need therapy?

Conclusions
For the sake of my family having to be around Mr.Grump on Saturday mornings - I am going to eat before I workout, even if I have to get up a couple hours earlier to eat breakfast and then go back to bed. I suspect I will have more energy too... I'll let you know how it goes.

ENJOY THE STINKIN VIDEO!!! (sorry, I'd better eat something):

Week 3: Day 5 - P90X Legs and Back - Oops, I think I ripped my pants!

Another solid P90x workout - Legs and Back, and of course the old favorite: Ab Ripper X! The exercises seem to get tougher at the end of the week, but we made it through despite an abnormal amount of distractions from the kids.

One thing I wish I had done before starting these exercise is to modify the Legs and Back workout sheet found in the back of the p90x Fitness Guide. It only has spots to record how many pull-ups/chin-ups; nothing for recording how much weight you did for legs or a spot to record what you thought of that exercise to help for next time. When I get some time I will modify it in an excel spreadsheet and post it here for everyone to use.

Week 3: Day 4 - P90X Yoga X -Shrinking yoga block?

A few people I know who have tried yoga x complain that at about the 30-40 min mark they have had enough pain for one day and shut the operation down. I must admit I felt the same way when we first did this.

The reason for the impulse to quit is how the moving options build up to advanced moves, which I have yet to make it through; these moves involve balancing on one leg while touching your toe with one hand and the other straight up over your head... sound complicated? Trust me, it doesn't look any better in the video below (you'd better buy the videos yourself if you want to see how it's supposed to be done). If you can't touch your toes with two legs on the floor (like myself), the last moves are very hard. A yoga block is needed, although even with a yoga block I have difficulty. The block seems much smaller at the end of the moving options. I wish they made them taller... much taller... like waist-height!

If you are just starting out, I'll let you in on a little secret: you should know that the moving options only last for the first half of Yoga X (about 45min) - the rest is stretching and some balance postures which aren't as intense as the moving options. So, if you can struggle through the first half, the second half is more bearable.

Here is our best effort for today:

Week 3: Day 3 - P90x Shoulders and Arms - Doin it like a Teradactyl

First, I should probably explain the title... there's an amusing part in this workout during reverse arm-circle warm-up, where Tony compares the movement to a Teradactyl backing out of trouble - good for a laugh the first couple times you hear it and diverts your mind off the burning shoulders... Thanks Tony! (Now that we are in week three we are on a first-name basis)

About the workout - mid-week and feeling pretty good. We did some measurements this morning that were encouaging... not a ton of progress, but there was some and it was measureable. I think measuring progress helps to keep going - that is probably true for any goal.

Today, I actually did all the ab ripper exercises too - not in perfect form, but I was trying/struggling the whole time - no breaks! This is a huge for a guy that detests that workout! I'm taming the beast...

Enjoy:

Week 3: Day 2 - p90x Plyometrics - The MOTHER of all P90x Workouts!

I assuming what Tony means by the Mother of all P90x workouts is that this one is the hardest... personally, I would rather do this one over yoga and ab-ripper. Yoga x is slow torture for 1.5 hours, and Ab-Ripper is extreme torture for 16 minutes... at least Plyo x is a reasonable length of time although it keeps you hoppin. Having said that, I may sing a different tune in a few weeks time - if I can just get through those seemingly impossible exercises.

Here's today's work:

Week 3: Day 1: Fat Shredder: Portion Approach

Breakfast: P90X protein shake

Lunch: Leftover Steak...with salad and for Mike, he added some cottage cheese and pecans.



Supper: Oven baked Potatoes, scrambled egg whites with green pepper, green onion, garlic and tomato, and turkey bacon.

P90x Chest and Back 03/01 - German Potato Soup??

Shilleen and I have noticed there are some interesting/funny one-liners in these videos. Some of them are cheesy, but they give us something to talk about and take our mind off the pain. We will try to post a daily workout quote for the rest of the workouts

As for the workout - feeling a bit stronger and am able to do a couple more reps on the exercises (ok, not all the exercises and maybe just one more rep... but that is progress!). Here's the proof:

Week 2: Day 7: Fat Shredder: Portion Approach

This is our rest day and didn't take any pictures of our food.....

Breakfast: we had the P90X protein shake.

snack: protein bar

In the afternoon we mutually agreed that it would be nice to have a little indulgence since we have been so good for two weeks so we had:
steak, guacamole with tortilla chips (yes we idulged a bit), baked potato with sourcream (yes full fat and no we didn't load it just enough for a taste), caesar salad with croutons. I had a couple handfuls of chocolate chips...I know gross but it was the only chocolate I had in the house....I got rid of all the dark chocolate I had before we started.

Week 2: Day 6: Fat Shredder: Portion Approach

Breakfast: P90X protein shake

afterworkout snack: P90X recovery drink and protein bar.

Lunch:
"Bonk!" It was bonk day, we both didn't have much energy to get through Kenpo so we had a carb at lunch a piece of toast with the yummy mushroom omelet. just a side note....the 4oz of cheese that the recipe calls for is way too much cheese....an ounce or two would be plenty and than you could have a glass of milk with it as well.






Supper: chicken, wild rice medley, spaghetti squash, and P90X coleslaw.

Week 2: Day 6 - Kenpo X - KARATE CHOP!!

Last workout of the week - we are looking forward to the rest day tomorrow. Kenpo is starting to feel more like a workout and coordination seems to be improving now that we have a bit more practice under our belt... practice makes perfect, but we still have a ways to go.

Week 2: Day 5: Fat Shredder: Portion Approach

Breakfast: P90X protein shake

Lunch: greek salad with chicken

Supper: groun turkey tacos

P90x: Legs and Back - Week 2: Day 05 - Starting to "bonk"

This one was tough - I was feeling a bit low in the energy and tired, or as the p90xers call it "bonking". Shilleen informed me that I may need to add a carb to my meal plan. I'm grateful she understands that part of the program; I think it's the hardest part of P90x. What to eat, when to eat, and how much of what... that's way too much thinking for me. I'm much better at just eating what's put in front of me :)

Week 2: Day 4: Fat Shredder: Portion Approach

Breakfast: P90X Protein Shake

Lunch: Spinach Salad: tomato, cucumber, egg, shredded carrots, mushrooms, turkey bacon, scrambled eggs whites, green onion, fat-free ranch dressing with Louisiana sauce added to it and don't forget the fresh ground pepper. Next time I think I'll add some light cheddar to it too.
Afterworkout snack: P90X recovery drink, later on P90X protein bar.

Supper: chicken breast, quinoa, pecans,spaghetti squash, and carrots.

P90x Week 2: Day 04 Yoga x - Clear Your Mind...

Tony's tip of the day was to "clear your mind" of any stresses or concerns and focus on the exercises and movements... that is a good suggestion, but when there are two toddlers running around, it is easier said than done.

So why don't we do something about it? We could lock them in a room, or maybe get a babysitter? Here's our rationale: we both feel that we would like to have our children get into a habit of exercising daily. We don't know of a better time to instill that practice (or any good practice) than while they are young. Wouldn't it be great if they grew up thinking everyone exercised daily and it was a part of normal daily life? To make this goal a reality, we hope that we will be able to put up with a bit more distractions than what most experience - it is a price we are willing to pay for the team.

I must admit, their participation in the exercises has been sporadic, and they are limited in their coordination to do most of the exercises, but they often will attempt the exercises with encouragement from us and even on their own. We aren't out to create the next "Little Hercules", just active healthy kids that will grow up to be active healthy adults.

I was surprised while reviewing the latest video (below) to see our youngest attempting several of the exercises on her own. The exercise both kids like best from yoga x is the last exercise: yoga oms (a vocal hum/chant to "massage the central nervous system") - a little hokey, but the kids never miss it and hum right along.

Week 2: Day 3: Fat Shredder: Portion Approach

Breakfast: Oh yummy, it is what you see. I went all out this morning. The kids love waffles so I made them and yes they are 100% whole wheat waffles. I was raised on theis delicious healthy breakfast wonder. One 100% whole wheat waffle topped with yogurt and 1 fruit portion for the day. So I measured 1/2 C berries and 1/2 banana. No sugar was added and yes it was still delicious. Mike had the same.
Part II of breakfast: We need some portein. So I had two servings of protein. Turkey bacon and cottage cheese since I'm not really into eggs that often and when I am it's usually the P90X mushroom omelet. Mike had a mushroom scramble with turkey bacon to get his protein in for the day.

Afterworkout recovery: Still enjoying the P90X recovery drink.

Here's Lunch: It's called Clean out the fridge salad. Romaine lettuce, leftover coleslaw which served two purposes: one for the veggie content and two for the dressing. I didn't have to add any extra dressing to it. Last, the leftover cooked meat... there was a little of chicken and a little of tenderloin pork. I topped it off with a handful of chopped almonds and it was pretty good. However, I didn't really like mixing the chicken and pork together. They don't really belong together.... oh yes and I always top it off with fresh ground pepper.

Snacks: Well, Mike loves his 30 pistachios and I love cottage cheese, and oh yes the mandatory P90X protein bar....I'm looking for other options because I'm not liking them at all please somebody help??????? What's the best protein bar????

Supper: P90X Mango-Ginger Sauce (mango, tomato, red onion, ginger, lime juice, brown sugar, and vinegar), chicken, asparagus, and brown basmati rice. So this sauce was meant for fish...but I used chicken instead. I sprinkled cilantro on top since this mango-ginger sauce really needed some green added to it. It definitely would taste good on fish and I'm going to modify this sauce next time and use a jalepeno (instead of ginger) to make it a salsa for the chicken. Mike is missing his butter. Tonight at supper, he mentioned that he'd like some butter on his asparagus. Too bad honey, we are fat shredding the fat. No butter.!


Oh what will we eat tomorrow??!!!! I was thinking ground turkey tacos.....with homemade salsa that I've made. yum yum yum!

P90x Week 2: Day 03 Shoulders and Arms

Another day done! We noticed the camera was shaky again during the warm-up, so we had to do a warm-up re-do. This means we actually burned a few more calories on this work out than normal... good work Shilleen!

This workout is a favorite because it doesn't exhaust with cardio - it is "shoulder - bi - tri, shoulder - bi - tri"... although it is followed by the Ab Ripper which drains any strength left... I HATE IT!... still no love.

Fat Shredder Week 2: Day 2 Portion Approach Method

The Portion Approach Method:hip, hip hooray. Now I will pick and choose what and when we'll have our food.

Breakfast: P90X protein shake (1 dairy, 1 fruit, and protein requirement) I tried it with unflavored whey powder and added vanilla. It wasn't that good but I didn't get a headache so I'm on the search for an economical whey powder that tastes good and that doesn't have Acesulfame Potassium artificial sweetener, as it gives me headaches.

After workout recovery drink: Of course the P90X recovery drink. This time we tried putting it in the blender and adding lots of ice..It was yummy if you're up for a super cold drink.

Lunch: BBQ chicken salad (protein, 2 servings of veggies lettuce, tomato, cucumber). Mike had a glass of milk (1 dairy) and I had a yogurt (1 dairy). Last night we had lemon chicken thighs so I took out an extra package of chicken thighs for lunch and put bbq sauce for marinating. This morning I cooked them and they cooled while were working out. We chose to use fat-free caesar dressing and the dressing was not good. It definitely was missing some flavor...so I added extra pepper to my salad to make it somewhat palatable.

Mid afternoon snacks: P90X protein bar. Later on, mike goes for his 30 pistashios and me for a handful of almonds.

Supper: P90X Beef and Broccoli Stirfry ( soy sauce, red onion, garlic, beef, broccoli, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger, and noodles). I didn't have soba noodles, something I still can't find but I did a little research and found out soba noodles are made from whole wheat flour so voila whole wheat spagetti was a great substitute. I would decrease the rice vinegar down to 1 tablespoon and add some sesame seeds to top it off. I really liked it with noodles. Even the kids gobbled it down like crazy. For me, the taste wasn't spectacular and my taste buds were finding that there was something missing, perhaps fat-free beef broth would give it a bit more umph.....and let us not forget, bring out the crushed red chili peppers. How about Hoisin sauce????hmmm not sure, it might be ladened with sugar.
What food will tomorrow bring???? I know for me..........can you say waffles, it's on the list and I'm going to have one!

P90x Week 2: Day 02 Plyometrics

I apologize for the shaky camera in this video - we had some issues with our makeshift tripod (remember the one made from a 6ft lamp) - it couldn't handle the shockwaves we made on our carpeted concrete floor :( I guess we weren't doing it "like a cat". We didn't notice it was moving until we had finished, and both decided there was no way we were going to do another take! Actually, we had to make some adjustments to the makeshift tripod since we almost had a fire with it (somehow the lamp got turned on with the box on top), so we hope to refine it shortly.

Week 2: Day 1 Fat Shredder Phase Meal Menu Approach

Breakfast: P90X Spinach Scramble, with a cup of milk and 6oz of orange juice. Just a quick note: cook the spinach first then toss the tomatoes just to warm (I added just a pinch of garlic powder) then take them out and make the scrambled eggs then add the veggie mixture and feta last. In the pic below the tomatoes were cooked too long. It had a nice flavor. I just find that most of the recipes have to be tweaked but that's okay. Everyone tends to have their own taste for things.

After workout: P90X Recovery Drink and protein bar.

Lunch: P90X Tuna Salad (shredded carrot, lemon juice, lemon rind, celery, low-fat mayo, green onion, a couple sprinkles of celery seed)and a yogurt. Make sure to add some crushed red pepper to add some heat. The recipe called for too much lemon so try fresh lemon juice to taste. I will make a tweaked version of this tuna salad again because I love tuna salad.

Snacks: My favorite cottage cheese. I had some whole almonds at a different time.

Supper: P90X Lemon-Garlic Chicken, Bok Choy, Carrots and a blend of wild rices. Once again, the lemon recipes seems a little too lemony for my liking, but I have to say I love chicken thighs and Mike and I were a little surprised that they were in this recipe. OH yum, yum, yum!

Week 2: Day 1 - Chest and Back

We were eager to get back to our workout today after a day off. We both felt a bit weak, but made it through. It really helps to have a partner to workout with - especially a wife who will tell you what she really thinks and helps push through when you want to call it a day :)

Here is our latest work - enjoy!

Week 1: Day 7: Fat Shredder Phase: Menu Plan Approach

I'll be glad when we are finished with the Menu Plan Approach. There is just way to much prep and so I'm looking forward to making double the meat at night so we can use it in a salad during the day.

Breakfast: We started off with the P90X protein shake. I had noticed yesterday when I had a protein shake I had a headache probably a couple hours later and the same thing happened to me today. So next time we have a shake I'm going to use the unflavoured protein powder and see if the same thing happens. I have a funny feeling that my body doesn't like the artificial flavoring agent in the chocolate protein powder that we have been using.

Lunch: We decided we wanted breakfast for lunch. So here it is, the P90X Cheese Scramble and turkey bacon I didn't like the cheese scramble. The amount of cheese that it called for in comparison to the number of egg whites, it came out of the pan like a cheese blob, not fluffly eggs and also, it lacked in flavor. So personally if I was to make a cheese scramble I would use a little of low-fat cheddar and parmesan, add a little green onion and salt (probably wouldn't need it because of the cheese) and pepper to those egg whites and voila! yumminess! I'll let you know when I've tried this. Picture of Mike's lunch (1C milk, 1C low sodium v8 juice, 4 slices of turkey bacon and the cheese scramble).

Snacks: I had yogurt with sliced almonds in it. I will definitely have that again. We didn't have any recovery drinks because it's our rest day from exercising.

Supper: P90X Turkey Burgers with P90X coleslaw and leftover quinoa. I like the turkey burgers (ground turkey, bread crumbs, buttermilk, green onions, parsley, dijon mustard, worcestershire and pepper). When I was pan frying them, I noticed they browned quite quickly so be advised to cook them at the highest medium in a pan because it browned quicker then it cooked. They were good though. We will definitely have them again, but the non-fat swiss cheese slices were not good and Mike ended up scraping his off (shown below) and having a glass of milk instead. Then when I cooked my burger I just left the cheese off. The P90X coleslaw (green and red cabbage, jicama, red onion, apple. dressing: fat-free mayo, vinegar, fructose, dijon mustard, salt, pepper and suppose to be caraway seed)was very good..unfortunately I had to use celery seeds instead of caraway seeds. I will definitely make it again!

Well one more day to go with the Menu Plan Approach and then I'll be going to the Portion Approach.

Week 1: Day 6: Fat Shredder Phase: Menu Plan Approach

It's Day 6 to date since we have started exercising and we are on our 5th day of the Fat Shredder Phase. So here it is:

Breakfast: P90X protein Shake.

Afterworkout: P90X Recovery Drink and protein bar.

Lunch: Steak and Arugula Salad. We skipped the Arugula and used Romaine lettuce instead. There's tomatoes, artichokes, steak strips, and balsamic vinaigrette. We both found that the vinaigrette had too much balsamic vinegar in it. All we could taste was the balsamic vinegar and there were other ingredients like dijon, shallots, basil that would have been nice to taste. We will try this again though and modify the vinaigrette.

Supper: Chicken Breast, P90X Honey-Chile Sauce, quinoa, and snap peas with a little corn since I didn't have enough peas. This is the first time I've had quinoa and thoroughly enjoyed it and it cooks so quickly (under 15 minutes). The honey-chile sauce is great and I prefer it warm then cold. We used a little of the sauce on the quinoa and we will definitely make it again. This is Mike's Supper here. This is my leftovers: I'm still noticing I'm not able to finish everything at dinner time. I started off with 6-7oz of chicken, 1c of quinoa and 1 C of veggies. Too much, but delicious!

P90x Week 1: Day 06 Kenpo X

Ready to see some super-sonic kicks and punches that would be feared in any ring or cage? Check out our last workout of week 1: KENPO-X.



This workout consists of fast-paced kenpo kicks, punches and some funky stretch warm-up. Although it isn't the favorite workout for the uncoordinated and rigid (such as myself) - it did make me sweat! It is a much better alternative to riding a boring stationary bike - this one keeps you on your toes.

P90x Week 1: Day 05 Legs and Back

This is an intense leg workout - especially if you add some weight. Some of the exercises feel like cardio - it moves quick. Pull ups are a bit easier (seem to be able to do more of them) than Chest and Back (see day 01) workout. The killer for me is Ab Ripper X - if I am ever going to be able to keep up with Tony, Adam, Audra, and Jason it is not going to be on a legs day! When the legs are dead tired Ab Ripper X performance suffers; the video speaks for itself:

Caliper lesson 101 for Shilleen

So I totally used the calipers wrong when we were measuring the body fat. I wasn't looking at the right guide and surprise I'm actually 30% body fat instead of 35% which I'm a bit happier about but still...I've got a long ways to go.!!!! Hip Hip HOoray!
Bring it! ~Shilleen

Week 1: Day 5: Fat Shredder Phase Menu Plan Approach

Breakfast: We opted for the protein shake. Mike stuck with his berry and banana and I went for the peanut butter chocolate banana. Yes it was good and then I had a side of raspberries.

After workout: 12oz Recovery Drink and 1 P90X protein bar.

Lunch: Island Pork Tenderloin Salad: This was a pleasant surprise. Very colourful and it had a little heat to it accompanied by a cumin vinagrette. Yes we will make this again!

Supper: I had leftover pork tenderloin from lunch so I wanted to use it up. We had tenderloin, potato, turnips and beans. Sorry no picture!

Week 1: Day 04 Speed YogaX

Here it is, 1.5 hours of yoga-x in under 10 min - looks more like cardio!



Good thing you can't hear the sound - there was a lot of painful moans and grunts. As you can see, even in fast forward, we have a ways to go before mastering this workout... ouch!

PS - this video contains an unrehearsed sword fight... Viewer discretion is advised.