Shoulder, Arms and ARX with Wonder Woman

Good FRIDAY morning everyone! What a glorious morning it is here in this beautiful region this morning. The sun is shining bright and the air is cool and crisp (-18)... a perfect morning for a Winter run (not that I did one or anything). Nope, this morning I found myself doing the same thing that I have done for four other mornings this week... I slept in! I am going to be doing Base and Back, ARX and Yoga on Sunday...



it may sound like a lot but I feel good about it.










Tonight I am BOOKED solid... pick up Skylie from swimming, go to the arena and decorate for the tournament this weekend followed by Bubba's first hockey game of the tournament tonight. It is going to be nuts, especially since Skylie and Bear want to go to the winter carnival tonight... not sure how I am going to work that out!!>>! But I will figure it out ;)

Saturday is much the same story as Friday night... more volunteering and watching at the arena. FUN, FUN! I actually do love watching Bubba play hockey... but this weekend is tiring.

Anyway, on to my last night's workout... it was GREAT! I invited Wonder Woman over to workout with me at 8pm and it was great to have company. I find I push myself harder when I have someone to "compete" with. We did great, completed all exercises and I figure that by tonight I won't be able to lift Bubba's hockey bag! My least favorite exercise of the night was Six-directional shoulder fly and my favorite was anything that required laying on the stability ball... they were great! They included the overhead tricep pull and the Y-T Fly, loved those. We finished the night with a little ARX2 and took a moment to savor the 635 calories that we burned! With no cardio and mainly weights this was a much higher burn than I expected... but I will take it!

Here are the details of the workout:

Duration: 1:14:48
Calories: 635
Average HR: 135
Max HR: 162

On the diet front I made much better choices and felt stronger because of it. I kept it well under the goal and hopefully it will pay off for next week's weigh in. I did not weigh in again this week because the Dr weighed me and it is official, I lost 8 pounds in the first phase. The next Dr. appointment will be in another 6 weeks and hopefully I will have good news to share from that appointment.

So, have a great weekend and MAKE it a great day!

Death by Jumping... or at least my attempt :P

Good morning dear friends and blog readers! I blogged yesterday, very briefly, between shifts because Wednesday is my day to work all day and part of the night. I begin at 8 am and I finish work at 7:30 pm. Now, before you start feeling sorry for me... I have set this schedule because I LOVE having Friday afternoons off. At the same time I always make bad food choices on Wednesdays and it makes me feel terrible. All that to say, I still did not go over my calories for the day BUT they were not clean, good calories.

Anyway, I said before I left to go to work yesterday... that I didn't care what time I got home and how I was feeling I WAS going to push play, NO EXCUSES (working on the same theme of TBL this season). I got home tired, frustrated and maybe a little angry... but I went right to my room, got changed and finished up my children's homework with my workout attire on. I tucked them in, took a moment with the two youngest to say good night and then walked downstairs. I pushed play and struggled a bit because of the poor fuel that I consumed yesterday but I managed to get it done. I felt good about the workout and burned a whopping 512 calories before heading to bed. I am seeing progress!! Last night when I was doing the elevation change (you know the move with the "plyo-box") I stepped one side of the box and jumped on the other side! It increased my heart rate and I really felt great, like I could jump over the moon really! I use a rubbermaid step-stool like this:







So on the side with the step, I stepped and on the other side I jumped instead of stepping! Again this too was inspired by TBL, if they can jump on those steps, then I should be able to too!



Now I CAN'T wait for tonight's workout... Shoulders and Arms, my fave! I didn't get up with the alarm this morning because I am TIRED! I slept in until 6 and I feel great. I knew that I have no plans for tonight so I can really push out a great workout and not feel rushed tonight.

Make it a great day!!

Plyocide:
Calories: 512
Avg HR: 132
Max HR: 169

A Reward for Completion of Phase I

Do you treat yourself when you complete a target goal? My goals this year are not measured in pounds and they are not measured in inches. The pounds and the inches are simply rewards for reaching my goals. That being said, I promised myself a little extra reward for reaching the goals that I set out. Those goals are:
1) Finish P90X2, phase I
2) Finish P90X2, phase II
3) Finish P90X2, phase III
4) Create hybrid program of X and X2… goals are going to be small – one phase at a time
Once I completed the first phase I treated myself to some Lululemon to thank myself for a job well done. I LOVE my new gear and I thought that I would share some photos of me sporting the new outfit.




























I will update tomorrow with the workout information… loving this new phase and I have to come up with a new “reward” for completing this goal!
Make it a great day!

Isolation, Concentration and Extend-ination

Monday night I had planned to do the Chest, Back and Balance workout after the monthly municipal council meeting; however, after getting home at nearly 10:00 I just chose not to do it. I am not saying that I couldn't but I wanted to give it everything that I have so I took a deep breath, patted myself on the back for managing my calories so well and got a good night's sleep. This was a great example and reminder of why I must get to bed early and maintain my morning workout schedule.

So, the alarm went off at 4:45 this morning and I awoke, ready for the day! I put on my workout gear, tried to wake up Mr. WOnderful and invited him to join me but went downstairs alone to conquer the workout. I pushed play and didn't look back until I had burned 426 calories with an average HR of 112 and a maximum HR of 153. I really enjoyed the workout even though I am not great at it. My hands are calloused trying to get in those pull ups and my core will be sore tomorrow. I am LOVING this new phase of X2... love the challenge of new workouts.

Hope you are having an equally great day... if not, MAKE it a fabulous one!!

A Sunset + A Hockey Presentation + Visiting Relatives = A great Weekend BUT not a Productive One!

First off, I need to think of shorter titles for my entries! Sorry about that :P

So, Friday morning I slept in… I have been feeling sleep deprived and I want to blame it on Netflix (in our room) and more specifically, Dexter!! Damn serial killer that I can’t stop watching and wondering what is next! So, because of my lack of will power and my lack of sleep I was not in the position to push play Friday morning – but I thought, oh well… I will do it Friday night!
Onto Friday night. We get a call from Bubba’s head coach to let us know that he was asked to be present at the arena on Friday night because the Bantom team was going to introduce the TimBits to the audience. We arrived, a little late because I had to pick Skylie up from her swimming lessons, and watched as my little Son skated like a champ to the blue line and stopped like a pro on the sides of his blades. He is, by far, the best skater on the ice and his puck handling is coming along nicely too. It was so nice to see him standing beside a 6’XX” kid and imagining how quickly time will pass and some day that might be him introducing another future hockey player. Anyway, it was a touching moment for mommy and we stayed to watch the big kids play… although Bubba wanted to play too and he felt robbed when he was asked to leave the ice. Hehehe
So, Friday was a bust… but hey, it is a rest week. Onto Saturday… we woke up to a beautiful, COLD but beautiful, day. So, I called Wonder Woman (WW) and suggested that we head out for a snowshoe trek. She was cleaning stalls in the morning and I was cleaning my home so we planned it for the afternoon. I cleaned like a mad woman and got all my work done in 4 hours rather than the 8 it normally takes me. My shirt was soaked and I knew that I had burned some serious calories. Then I head over to WW’s house and headed out for my beating. Within the first minute she had me climbing a hill and jumping over a fence with my snowshoes on… and I knew that this was going to be a killer workout. WW did not disappoint! We trekked for about an hour, breaking trails and admiring the view. I snapped the following picture on our way home… we truly are blessed to live in such a beautiful area.














Sunday was much of the same non workouts. I had guests over for breakfast, hockey for lunch and guests again for supper. I did not log my food because I did not weigh my portions in front of everyone BUT I did watch my serving sizes and ate appropriately. For breakfast we had eight people and we served fourteen… it was a lovely day. Our guests are now on their way to Ontario and we are so happy to have hosted them. I love it when our family visits. I should say that Wonder Woman introduced me to Chocolate and Butterscotch fudge and I was very well behaved when she offered me a piece… BUT I went home and made a batch myself on Sunday (for my FIL’s birthday). It was a big hit but there are lots of pieces left… and I MUST find a home for them before I blow my progress. I am sure that I can convince someone to take them.

Anyway, we are beginning a new phase today and I am looking forward to some GOOD PAIN!

How was your weekend?

Make it a great day everyone! I will update tomorrow with the first two workouts of phase 2.

OMFreaking Goodness... I am S-O-R-E

So, as you know on Monday I woke up early to get my first taste of phase 2 of X2... it was AWESOME! I loved the challenge and the muscle work... but it caught up with me the next day! I woke up on Tuesday morning and rolled over to shut off the alarm and nearly cried in pain... I got up and went to the bathroom only to return to bed and try and sleep it off. I call this my first rest and recovery day of the week. Wednesday morning I wake up early and was on the road for work before seven AM so no workout on Wednesday neither... rest and recovery day two for the week. Now I am back on ... got up this morning not feeling nearly as sore (thank heavens) and crushed Cardio X. It was a great workout and I really do miss the cardio. I know that my balance has improved a great deal since completing the first phase of X2 because I do not even have to put my foot down when I am doing the three directional kicks. I am loving the fact that I see progress day to day.

I have been keeping my calories below 1200 or near 1200 because of my lack of exercise; however, I have not stepped on the scale yet. On Friday I will share my results of weight-loss or gain from phase one. I will also be doing my photos before moving into phase two. These photos will only be shared at the end of the round... and only if I feel confident to do so. In truth, I am loving the changes that I am seeing and feeling and I am certain that phase two will bring even more visible changes than the first phase.

So, today's workout results were:

Cardio X (I have missed you ;)

Calories: 478
Avg HR: 131
Max HR: 172

I feel great when I push play first thing in the morning... don't you!?!

Make it a great day!

Moving into a *REST* week

Sorry that I didn't post the pictures and stats on Saturday, like promised... but I was so busy with hockey, Bear's driver's education class and life in general. I did get one of the two planned workouts in and I could really count scrubbing the 3100 square feet of floors a workout too ;) I did Balance and Power and I felt so good about my general progress throughout the first phase. Can I get better... hell ya! Will I get better? You can be sure of it... but that will be following this first round when I give it another shot.

My move of the week is one that I had the worse time with at the beginning of the program. As I have said, countless time, my core is W-E-A-K and so this was a horrendous move for me. I struggled and persevered and finally I am proud of my effort and success with the dreaded Glute Bridge Roll-Out:


































Another thing that I wanted to share with you all about the weekend is a moment of weakness that I had. First let me preface by stating a fact, my Mr. Wonderful and I rarely do things for us as a couple. So, when Wonder Woman invited us to a date night we could not refuse! We gladly accepted the invitation and we treated ourselves to a sushi dinner. This was a first for us and we LOVED it... loved the company, loved the food, loved the wasabi and Sriracha sauce!! Oh, the bottle of wine was great too :) Then we left there and played some pool... and there I indulged on three Bailey's over ice... while Wonder Woman drank ice water... I could really learn something from her! In all we had a wonderful evening and I can't wait to do it again!!











The partially eaten plate of sushi!









Moving on to the workouts...

Balance and Power:

Calories: 478
Avg HR: 126
Max HR: 159

Chest, Back & Balance + ARX2

Calories: 538
My Avg and Max HR were OFF... there is no way my max HR was 224!!!! I think that I would have been DEAD.

Anyway, I struggled with many of the chin ups but did much better than I anticipated. I am pushing really hard to make some serious progress because my health depends on it. I must lose weight but more importantly I must feel stronger and better. I saw my family doctor on Friday and she is going to see me in another 2 months and I want to show her what I can accomplish on P90X2... I will post the results of my medical tests after phase 1 and after phase 3... when I get there. Things that are currently plaguing me are:

1) High Blood Pressure
2) Shocks in my brain (this one scared me and I am going for an MRI)
3) weight gain

I will take care of myself and see the physical changes both internally and externally over time. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

So, I am leaving you with a photo of my Bear after getting her passing grade from driver's ed on Sunday... we are taking our lunch to get her permit.

Make it a great day!!!