Day 10 {FINALLY}

So, today, I woke up a little later than usual (730am). Matt had duty yesterday, but no watch, so he came home and slept in his own bed. He's feeling a bit under the weather, so he needed the rest. Well, he let me sleep in this morning, and when I woke up I made a decision. It has been too long since I've worked out. First injury {mine}, then illness {Matt's} has prevented me from continuing with this program. And I really want to finish the program. I need to lose body fat percent. That's my goal. With P90X, I was able to go from about 33% down to 25%, but I would really like to see it more in the 20% range. So, that is going to mean working out on my own if need be. I hope Matt doesn't mind, but I think he'll be ok. He'll just have to do the workouts with me when he can. I don't mind working out early in the mornings when he's here. But we just need to get back into a routine and get back at it!

Today was the Plyo Cardio Circuit. I feel like I did pretty well. In fact, I burned 419 calories! The gel that Matt got me for my heart rate monitor works like a champ. My HRM was getting a signal from the moment I put it on. I've had a lot of trouble in the past with that. Also, I used some sweat bands today, and boy did I need them! I got them for Matt for Christmas, and I got enough for the two of us. They work pretty well; I'm impressed.

Anyways, the breakfast this morning was a little different for me. I have never eaten cottage cheese before. When we would get it in school, they would pile it on top of a slice of pineapple. I always thought it was a waste of a perfectly good pineapple, and scrape it off :) But, I have decided to be adventurous. Not only have I {gasp} pierced my ears (I did that on Sunday) but I'm eating cottage cheese for breakfast. What is the world coming to? :) Just kidding. But seriously, I think it is time for me to leave some of my childish misgivings about food behind. Who knows? Maybe next I'll try.....mushrooms? Nah! Maybe not!

Days 7, 8, and 9

Ok, so day 7 was a much needed rest, which fell on Sunday. Monday, we were back at it, with Cardio Power and Resistance. It ended up being a good workout. A nice way to start the week. Tuesday, day 9, we woke up early to workout before Matt's duty. The workout was Pure Cardio, and let me tell you, that workout is a BEAST! You don't get a break, for about 40 minutes. Of course, I took breaks, but I HAD to. The intensity is insane. Well, today, when Matt got off duty, we should have done day 10, but he's tired, and I think it will be good to take a break, so we can BRING IT tomorrow. If we don't give 100% today, we won't be able to tomorrow, either. I'm starting to see some changes in my body. My abs are getting tighter. Still have a pooch, but that's ok. It will be gone, and then....belly button piercing? I dunno, we'll see. :)

Day 10 tomorrow, Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas to all!

~Pam

Day 6-Cardio Plyo Circuit

Just got done doing the workout today. It kicked my butt. Sweat pouring down my face. I kept with it, even though I had to take a few breaks. This is the third time doing this workout (b/c we had to restart and do it over again) and it doesn't get any easier, let me tell you. But I think I'm doing better, getting stronger. That's all I can ask. I suck at the ski abs and the in and out abs. The level 1 drills kick my butt, too, especially that third round of them. I like how it finishes off with jabs and punches and stuff like that. It is a good way to end. Well, need to shower, and let my muscles recover.

Peace out.
Pam

PS. Tomorrow = Rest Day. So excited! :)

Day 4-Cardio Recovery

And boy did I need a recovery. I don't think I'm eating enough. I was zonked at the end of the workout. I even took a little nap. Might have had something to do with the fact that I went to bed late and we woke up at 4am to workout. But that 30 minute workout was something else. A lot of stretching, but still challenging. I think my body is changing, but it is too soon to tell. Tomorrow, when Matt gets off work, and before we go to the Christmas party, we'll to Pure Cardio (which sounds like it will be challenging) and then another round of Plyometric Cardio Circuit on Friday. Saturday will be a glorious rest day-and my graduation day. I can't believe I'm graduating. It has come so fast. I got my grade for Student Teaching. It finally posted. After I caved in and submitted my portfolio on LiveText like I said I wasn't going to. Not like it was any good or anything. But, I don't think there is anything to hold me back now!

Anyways, this is more about the workouts than my real life. Feeling good, sore. Ready for another toughy tomorrow!

~Pam

Day 2 and 3 Again

So, I guess I pushed it a little too hard last week. My foot was killing me after the third workout. So, Matt and I decided to take a break and give my foot a rest. That was a good idea. I also got some new shoes; some cross trainers. I highly recommend the right pair of shoes for these workouts. There's a lot of jumping and running in place, quick direction changes. That kind of thing.

Let me tell you about the workouts. Yesterday, Monday, December 14, we did workout 2 again (remember that workout 1 is the fit test). This workout was crazy! We did it at about 4pm, after Matt got home from work. It is all about Plyometrics and Cardio. Lots of jumping and running. These workouts are very difficult! I try to push myself through the workouts, but I still have to take breaks. I'm ok with that, though. I know I'll just get better. Today, Tuesday, December 15, Matt and I woke up at 4:30am and did workout 3. This workout was just as challenging and crazy as workout 2. Cardio Power and Resistance. Lots of running, jumping, power squats, pushups. I already feel stronger; I didn't have to take as many breaks as the first time I did it. Once the warm-up was done, my body was on FIRE! Fun workout; I am glad Matt and I woke up for it.

Things I need to look out for:
Eating enough-I need to probably eat more, just to maintain my weight and have enough energy for the workouts.
My foot-I need to be on the lookout for injury.
My heart-rate- I need to stay in the zone so I'm getting the most bang for my buck.
Water-I need to drink a LOT more of it.

Well, I think I might go take a little nap. Because I can! :)

Another workout tomorrow morning. I can't wait!

~Pam

Day 2

Matt gave me the best Christmas gift ever...Insanity. A 60 day workout routine that is just ridiculous. And by ridiculous, I mean hard. Difficult. Insane. Yesterday, we took measurements and did the fit test. The fit test was hard! Then, this morning, we woke up and did the first official workout. I think it is called Plyometrics and Cardio (or something like that). Well, it was really, really challenging. I had to keep taking breaks. I think that might be mainly b/c my cardio is so bad right now. But I'm really glad we're getting back into it. I feel good, albeit sore as all hell. My calves, lower back, abs, arms, all sore. I have never sweated that much in a 41 minute workout! I'll try to get Matt to post some before pictures, so we can track some progress. Best thing about this? We take pics and measurements every 2 weeks, instead of 4 like P90X.

Anyways, I think I also want to start blogging on this again, so we'll see what happens. Did I mention that I'm glad I'm doing this?

~Pam

The End

Well, I think I've officially decided to end Round 2. Tomorrow morning Matthew will take pictures and measurements. I think that I didn't let my body rest enough between rounds, and I'm just now starting to see some real results. The best numbers I can give you right now are: 122.6 pounds and 23% body fat. Also, my metabolic age has plummeted from 49ish to 16 years old! That's a big decrease!

I'm really sorry that I didn't keep up with the blog. I did really well the first two months of this phase, and then I just haven't really wanted to go on the computer for the last month. I think I was sort of boycotting it. Or something like that. I think it also had to do with my schoolwork that was almost overwhelming.

So, what is next? Well, Matt and I are going to workout in our brand-spanking-new gym we have put together in our spare bedroom. It is AWESOME! Matt has figured out the workouts for us, and we're going to see about putting on some serious muscle. I can always fall back to P90X if I need to, but I am super excited about trying something new.

Well, I'll write more tomorrow, when I get my measurements in.

~Pam

Day 53-Stretch

Just what the doctor ordered-Stretch. I feel a gazillion times better. Yesterday Matt and I rode with the Penn. cyclists down to the bike shop in Chesapeake. Round trip-about 30 miles. !! So, needless to say, I am a little sore this morning. Or was. NOw, I feel much better. Matt is in the other room doing Back and Biceps and Abs. I feel sort of guilty, just doing stretch, but this is MY rest week, so I shouldn't feel guilty. I think I might have eaten too much yesterday....I hope I can work it out!

~Pam

Day 52-Kenpo

Ok, so I woke up this morning at 6:30, jumped out of bed, and was ready for some butt kicking Kenpo. SO much fun! I had a great workout and was done before Matt got home. Right before he got home from duty! Worked out nicely.

I love Kenpo. Have I mentioned that?

Pam

Day 51-Core Synergistics

When I woke up in the morning on Friday, I wasn't feeling it. I had planned to work out, but I ended up waiting until about 9:00pm to do it. Done by ten, and then shower and to bed. COre is so hard! It challenges all my muscles. I didn't end up doing the bonus at the end, but I still feel like I got an extremely good workout. :)

Day 50-Day one of rest week for phase 2

Wow. Am I already on rest week? I can't believe it. I had to pump myself up and get excited about Yoga this morning. Matt is not doing a rest week, he's doing some strength training this week. So I waited until he was gone to work to start my workout. I really pushed myself during the yoga, much more than I normally do. I tried to go deeper into the poses. I was SWEATING! I usually don't sweat that much during Yoga, but holy cow, some of those poses are really challenging when you go deep into them. I did the whole thing, ommss and all. I feel pretty darn good today.

Next week, I'm going to Penny's and I'm excited to bring my workouts and FORCE her to workout with me in the mornings. I already warned her that I was going to work out every morning, and she was going to do them with me. :)

Thank goodness for rest weeks...

Day 49-Rest

I was thinking about doing some stretch on my rest day, but I didn't end up doing it. It's ok, since I really needed the rest, anyways. :)

I feel pretty good....

Day 48-Kenpo X

So, I was in the worst, most horrible mood on Tuesday morning. I don't know why, but I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Well, instead of letting it ruin my whole day, I just kicked my butt in Kenpo. I had sweat dripping down my face, arms, and legs. Holy cow! It felt great! No more bad mood! Then, later that night, Matt and I took a long walk after dinner. That was awesome, too! How lucky am I to have a supportive husband?

Day 47-Memorial Day-Legs And Back

Holy cow. Matt and I wanted to work out together, but Matt had duty, so we had to be up EARLY. Like 330am early. CRAZY! But it was fun working out together. He definitely pushes me. I think I would probably be having even better results if he were there to push me to my limits every workout. Right now, I'm having OK results. My BF% keeps going down, and I need to remind myself that that is enough. It is hard when you place so much emphasis on what the scale says, you know? It is hard to get away from that mindset.

At least I feel results in my body, and by feel I mean strength. It is amazing how much stronger I am. Matt and I went for a bike ride Sunday night, and we rode really FAST down one particular street. I mean, we were doing almost 20mph for over a mile! It was great! But that's just one example of my increasing strength. Yesterday I picked up both Parker and Preston, one on my back, the other on my front, and boy were they HEAVY. But I still was able to hold them both, even if it was just for a little bit.

Chancy called last night. She's doing the fit test for P90X. :) I'm so excited for her. I hope she sticks with it and sees the results she's looking for. I think she's the perfect candidate for P90X. She's already in a little bit of shape and can definitely take it to the next level. Honestly, I think I was borderline when I started. As far as my beginning fitness goes, anyways.

Ok, well, I've gotta go, and think about when I'm going to do Kenpo this morning. I already ate breakfast, so it will probably be in a little bit....

~Pam

Day 46-Yoga

Matt didn't do Yoga with me, and I didn't feel like doing it, so he said, "Why don't you do just up to Yoga Belly 7". I was like, OK, but by the time I got there, I felt like I should just finish up. I even did the Oms. Yoga feels so good, it really does feel like it fills in the gaps. And it has been a little while since I've done it, so it felt REALLY good. I felt 100 times more flexible at the end, which was NICE!

Day 45-Back and Biceps

Woohoo! Today I got to work out with Matt. That was a lot of fun. We got up early enough, but not too early, and really enjoyed the workout. Lots of bicep curls, that's for sure. Plus a couple sets of pullups, and you can't go wrong. I worked on either heavying up my weight, or increasing reps on every exercise. My biceps were BULGING afterwards :)
Abs was hard, especially doing it with Matt. He pushes me so hard, I think I overdid it a little bit *shrug* It was WORTH it, though.

Day 44-Cardio X

I decided to do Cardio X today instead of Plyo, just because I didn't have the time I needed to get Plyo done. But still, Cardio X was awesome. And then, I was able to eat breakfast and head over to Kate's for a little bit of walking around the block with the kids. Fun, fun.

Day 43--Chest, Shoulders, Triceps +Abs

Ok, so now it is almost a week later and I don't really remember this workout. Sorry! I'll try to remember to blog more often, so I don't run into this problem...

Day 42-Rest/Stretch X

Ok, today (Wednesday) is my rest day. I haven't decided if I'm going to stretch or not. I probably will, it will be in the afternoon, though. I actually like the stretch in the afternoon. It is very relaxing, and energizing at the same time. Plus, my body THINKS I'm taking the day off, so it is happy. I just trick it by delaying the workout :)

Boy do I need a rest. My whole body is sore from my head down to my toes. All of my major muscle groups got a workout this last week. :)

Day 41-Kenpo

Ok, after doing Legs&Back on Monday, Kenpo was Tuesday. Who's idea was it to do all those kicks the day after working out the Legs? My whole body was sore. Matt and I determined Monday night that I probably need to eat more food. In fact, when I climbed on the scale and looked at my metabolic age (which I haven't checked in a long time and the last time I looked it said 39) the scale said.......



you ready for this......



19!!!!!

I couldn't believe it, and I still can't. In 4 and a half months I have lost 20 years, or actually, I have gained 20 years. The amazing thing is the scale tells me how many calories I need to consume to maintain my current weight. Before it would read right around 1400 or so. Now it says 2100! I know that before I used to think that I wasn't overeating. But I was just in denial. Now I think I'm in denial about how much food I need to eat to fuel my workouts. I've reached a sort of plateau with my weightloss. I don't expect to lose much more, but I have definitely leveled off, and my inches are about the same as well. It might be that my body is in starvation mode. So, Tuesday I tried to eat more, and I think I overdid it. I was shooting for 1800, but I overestimated and when I added it all up, I had eaten around 2000 by the end of dinner. I know that it isn't terrible, but I was shocked to find that I had eaten that much! Today, I'm going to keep a much closer eye on my calories, and make sure I don't go overboard with the snacks. It is nice to eat EVERY 4 hours, but I need to make sure that I drink water, too. I think that will help me to not be hungry as well.

Day 40-Legs and Back

I decided NOT to do Abs Monday, since I had done them the day before. But, holy cow! My legs are on FIRE! I missed out on Legs&Back last week b/c my hamstrings were a little injured, so I was missing this workout. It felt really good to do it, I worked up a ridiculous sweat! Then, my nephews came over to keep me company. How lucky am I?

Day 39-back and biceps & Abs, plus cardio x

Ok, I know what you're thinking. Day 39 is supposed to be Yoga, right? Well, since I skipped the workout on Saturday, I decided that I needed to do it on Sunday. Then I ended up eating a bunch of junk and needing to workout a second time. I chose cardio x for that purpose. Yes, I know. I'm crazy. But I felt so much better after working out :) BTW, my biceps were burning from this workout!

Day 38-Rest day for Test day

Ok, so Saturday, I had to take a break. I had to leave the house at 6am to get to Yorktown for all day testing, and I needed the little bit extra sleep. Then, by the time I made it home and struggled through all the traffic, I was beat! I decided to relax a little :( I'm kind of sad that I didn't at least attempt to work out. Oh, well, can't change the past, now, can we?

Day 37-Plyometrics

Yeah! for Plyometrics! This sweat-inducing workout always kicks my butt. But I stuck with it today, and I feel really good for it. I went to the hospital this morning to get that cystic mass checked out in my breast, so I didn't work out until after that. I got done with the workout (I did the whole thing, including bonus!) before lunch, and then I ate a yummy chicken salad sandwich. Yummy! So far, today I'm at 1043 calories. Right on target to keep it under 1800 calories.

Tomorrow morning I have to be in Yorktown, which is a little bit of a drive. I guess I should get studying a little for my test..... hmm.....

Day 36-Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

I love this workout. A LOT of pushups, but it is fun how there is so much variety, and it is so fast paced! I should have waited for Matt to get home to workout with him, but I was already 30 minutes into the workout before I remembered! Oops!

I also did abs. Holy cow are my abs sore today! I feel good-I can do pullups. Did I mention that? :)

My calories for Thursday were: 1748 calories. I avoided eating anything at the movie theater! So we didn't have to worry about those extra calories of popcorn or soda.

Day 35-Stretch

I decided to do stretch instead of resting. It felt really good, and I wanted to stretch out my hamstring again, just to help it along. I had my first class in the evening, and I had plenty of energy to make it home. I decided to keep track of all my calories, just to make sure I am getting enough calories to "feed" my workouts. Tuesday, I had a total of 1525 calories. Wednesday, I ate a total of 1647 calories.

:) I think I'm doing pretty well....

Day 30 pictures

Day 60-Round 1


Day 30-Round 2


What a difference, huh? I can see some VAST improvements :)

Day 32 & 33, 34-Kenpo X.

So, Sunday was Day 32, and we were supposed to do Yoga. Instead, Matt and I took a little bicycle tour. We rode a little over 17 miles and went camping at First Landing State Park. My hamstring was hurting a little when we started out, and it just got progressively worse. I tried stretching it, but it still hurt pretty bad. We had an amazing time camping, though. It was awesome to think that we could actually do it-take everything we need to survive, strap it to our bikes, and go. We were pretty comfortable, and had extra space in our paniers.

Day 33 dawned bright and early, and before we could get rained on, we headed home. My hamstring was still pretty sore, so we took it easy, and 13 miles later, got home. I knew I needed a workout, and it was supposed to be Legs and Back, but just thinking about that workout made my hamstring hurt! So, after a bath, I decided to do Stretch X. Good choice, I think. My hamstrings felt much better after, which leads me to believe that they are just tight, and not injured. Whew! I didn't want to have an injury set me back!

Anyways, awesome weekend. I'm glad Matt got the day off. Unfortunately, he will probably work late tonight. :( Something with the diesels, or something like that. Anyways, this morning I did some Kenpo. It felt really good to workout. I went pretty easy on the left side, where my hamstring is still a little sore, but not nearly as bad as the last two days. I sweated quite a bit. It felt great. I love knowing that I am doing something great for my body! ;)

Speaking of- the verdict on the scale this morning? 127.2 and 24% body fat! I almost can't believe it. I'm FINALLY in the "healthy" body fat range for women my age. (Yeah, I know. With all this weight loss, and I'm just NOW getting into the healthy range? Unbelievable, huh?)

~Pam

Day 31-Back and Biceps

Hey, so it took me a little longer to do my workout today. What is up with that? Matt got up early to go to Duty, and I fell back asleep after he left. I was planning on getting up at 8 to workout, but I woke up at 9 and that wasn't enough time to workout before the boys came over. So I worked out right now, just 12 hours later :)

Good workout, though. Lots of pullups. I thought about trying to do them unassisted but decided against it. Boy are my arms tired now!

Oh, btw, last night before going to bed, I was showing off by doing unassisted pullups, and Matt HAD to show me up. He did one-armed pullups! With both arms! I didn't even think that was possible, but there he was, doing one-armed pullups. Amazing!

Anyways, Ab Ripper X was really, really hard today. But I've been modifying some of the moves to make them more difficult, and that is probably why I couldn't do ALL of some of the exercises. That's ok, I feel like I got a ridiculously good workout today. I have a headache, tho. Maybe I'm dehydrated. I spent a lot of time outside today-first with the boys, then later to do some pruning and mowing. And clipping, and dragging, and all around having a good time in the sunshine :)

Yoga Tomorrow! Woohoo!

~Pam

Day 30-Plyometrics

Ok, so I'm drenched in sweat, and really, really, really tired after that workout. Oh, and starving! I waited a little bit longer than I normally do to workout this morning, and I'm paying the price :)

Plyo, with all the jumps, is just crazy. I think I did better in some exercises, worse in others. I can definitely tell a difference from when we started Round 1, tho. I'm so much stronger!

Ok, shower/breakfast time.

Pam

Day 29-Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

How much fun is that? It was a great workout. I did a bunch of pushups, and boy are my arms tired! I feel really proud of myself, even though I had to go to my knees for a lot of the pushup exercises, I still did tons of them!

Also, Matt took my measurements today. Do you want to know what the results are? I'm kind of excited....

Weight 127.2 (down 4.8 pounds from 4/1)
BF % 25.7% (down 1.5% from 4/1)
Chest 32.74 (no change)
Waist 30.5 (up .25 inches from 4/1)
Hips 38 (down .75 inches from 4/1)
Rt 22.25 (down .25 inches from 4/1)
Lt 22.5 (no change)
Ra 11.75 (up .25 inches from 4/1)
La 11.5 (down .25 inches from 4/1)

total for this round: down .75 inches total.
total for the beginning of the year: -19.2 pounds and -7.6% body fat and -18.75 inches! Incredible! :)

~Pam

Day 28-end of training block 1

Hey, how did this happen already? I can't believe that phase 1 is done! I decided to end the phase on a high note and do Stretch X. It was awesome. Actually, lately I've had some cramping in my quads and calves. So the Yoga yesterday and the Stretch today help out a lot.

Matt had duty yesterday, so I won't get any measurements or pictures until tomorrow morning. But I DID weigh myself this morning....127.6! AND 25.6% body fat! How great is that? Still losing weight and body fat. Even after all this time. :)

Enter Training Block 2 tomorrow. Get ready to BRING IT!

Day 27-Yoga

Hey, so I did yoga this morning. After riding 3 miles on my bike with Matt. That was AWESOME! We woke up really early, but it was so worth it (4am is early, isn't it?) I feel energized and ready for the day. I feel like I've already done so much! And it is only 9:20am! Incredible!

Anyways, I've kind of missed out on Yoga for the last little while. Doing the whole thing (minus the plough to shoulder stand and crane) felt really good. Tony says that Yoga fills in all the gaps in the training. I really believe that. I feel more flexible today, that's for sure.

Anyhoo, feeling great. Tomorrow is rest day, and I'm supposed to take some measurements. Matt has duty today, so I'll probably have to do measurements on Thursday. Matt's made a commitment to work out starting on Thursday. I'm going to do my best to hold him accountable for his workouts and help him accomplish his goal. :) He's done so much for me, now it is my turn to turn on the motivation and help him!

~Pam

Day 25 and 26

Yesterday, I had big plans to work out. But it didn't work out (see my normal blog for the reason). Needless to say, I was READY for a GOOD workout. Today, day 26, was supposed to be Core Synergistics. But I felt like something a little more.....physical. I sweated it up with KENPO X. It was a blast! I punched and kicked and sweated and had so much fun. I'm a little sore, but considering I haven't worked out in a while, I'm not surprised. I'm thinking that I'll work out again with Matt in the evening, if he's game. I also need to go grocery shopping. I'm going to take my pedometer. I'm curious to see how much I walk while grocery shopping. Hmm....

Anyways, feeling much better now. I think I just had a cold or something. Not the SWINE Flu, or anything scary like that. I'm still feeling it a little in my chest. But I'm glad I was able to work out today. I need my workouts! I never thought I would say that. I'm nervous for Thursday, when I take my measurements. Or Wednesday. I don't remember when I am supposed to measure. Soon, though :)

Pam

Day 23 & 24

Sick, sick, sick. All I can say is I didn't get much working out in. Friday (day 23) was spent miserably in bed. I was feeling better on Saturday (day 24) but Matt made me take it easy. We went for a drive to the Outer Banks, did some exploring, and got a LOT of fresh air. It sucks to be sick, but I'm glad it came during recovery week, and not the normal workout week. I would feel much further behind if that was the case....

~Pam

Day 22---Day 22? Really? Already?

Yep, that's right. Day one of Recovery Week. Crazy! I am soooooooooo sore right now. But I just did some Yoga, and feel slightly better. I'm almost thinking that I need to change up my diet a little. I don't know if I'm starting to get sick or what, but I've taken naps the last two days in the afternoon. Hmmm...maybe it is just my lack of things to do now that school is pretty much over for the semester. I don't know how I took three classes with no final exam :) That's pretty awesome, if you ask me.

Oh, about Yoga...hmmm...I like Yoga. I like the workout, it always makes me feel more "rooted". If that makes sense at all. Recovery week is always fun. All my favorite cardio workouts. :)

Ok, more tomorrow.

Pam

Day 21-should be rest, but instead...

Cardio X. After I got Matt off to work, I decided to burn some of the calories i racked up last night at my final class. I did Cardio X for fun. And it WAS fun. I'm a little sore at the moment, probably from running in the sand yesterday. But I feel good, I think. And now Kate and I are going to go take a walk with the kids. We're going to first landing-should be a lot of fun :)

Anyways, I need to get ready to go. Just thought I would share. Tomorrow is day 1 of week 4, and we all know what that means...REST WEEK! Yoga, core, kenpo, stretch, core, yoga, and then....measurements and pictures!! I'm nervous for the measurements and pictures, but I think I've made some improvements this month, so we'll see!

Ok, gotta go. Kate's on her way and I need to brush my teeth!

~Pam

Day 20-Well, I started to do Kenpo...

I got through the warmup, and Kate called and invited me to her "Health Challenge" down on the beach. I was skeptical that I would get a good workout, but I think I did. My heart rate monitor isn't working-I think I'm too skinny! So I didn't put it on. But we did several cardio exercises-and I did one of them twice. Our challenge was to run across the sand-about 50 yards, and pick up a flag, run back, and repeat 4 times-5 times total. So that was running for 500 yards. I did it twice, because the first time everyone ran, except one woman who was watching the kids. So that means I ran 1000 yards. Our next challenge was to go the same distance, but in a relay race, filling a sand bucket up with sand using coffee mugs. I am not sure how many times I ran, but I think at least 10 times. So that is another 2000 yards. Then we finished up with some yoga, and some cool down stretches. Add to that the 1 mile walk from the car to the beach and back, and I think we did pretty well, don't you? I mean, I ran about 1.7 miles, and walked another 1 mile. And boy was that 1.7 miles killer across the sand! Maybe it makes up for not doing Kenpo. Now I feel SLIGHTLY guilty for not waking up early enough to do Kenpo, but I CAN'T beat myself up over it. Things happen, I got some good cardio in for the day, and I'll make sure to park extra far away when I leave for class today. So I can get some extra mileage in :)

I'm excited b/c my pedometer is up and working. So I can keep better track of my walking around. It doesn't work too well around the house, with standing up, sitting down, and taking small steps. But that's ok. I'll use it for my long distance walks :)

Rest tomorrow. I'll probably do the "Stretch" just because I need to make up for no Kenpo or Yoga this week. It will make me feel better.

Day 19-Legs and Back plus Abs

Well, we were planning on getting up this morning and doing Legs and Back, but once again I kept Matt up late last night and he was tired. So I let him sleep in. After I got his lunch, dinner, breakfast, and lunch packed, I saw him out the door and got to working out. That is a crazy workout. I've been experimenting with the Pullups. This time I made it even more challenging. Like, I would do more, and make sure it was a good decline on the last rep of the set. Or I would do good declines on every other rep of the set. My numbers are going up, which is good b/c I've been doing the same number for so long. Like since the beginning. I think I really will be able to do an unassisted pullup. I have calluses on my hands, even though I wear the gloves. Maybe I should use more lotion on my hands?

My plan for today is to work on the back yard a bit before it gets hot. I don't know if Kate is going to bring the boys over; we'll see. I hope so. I like having them around! We have fun, especially if I've already worked out :)

Anyways, I feel great. I feel strong, and agile. Like my movements are easier. I also feel great b/c instead of going back to sleep like I normally would have, I got my workout out of the way. So now I just have the rest of the day to do anything I want!

Day 18- should be yoga

But instead we rode 21 miles on our bikes, averaging 14.5 mph and completing the ride in 1 hour 29 minutes. It was an incredible ride! Not only our speed, but the cause we were riding for. We rode in a group raising awareness for bicycles. A local cyclist was killed recently when he got hit by a car. I hope that we were able to make an impression on some of the motorists who saw all the cyclists. It was awesome to see a line of cyclists down Shore Drive. I think there were about 100 of us! Matt and I rode in the "C" pace group. We did fantastic! I was really impressed with how we were able to keep up.

Anyways, needless to say, we burned enough calories and didn't do the Yoga. I kinda missed it, but the ride was so awesome that it made up for it. The Lesner Bridge and W Great Neck Bridge were KILLER!

:)

Day 17-Shoulders and Arms+Abs

Ok, why do I like working out with Matt so much? Is it because he challenges me? Probably. I do like working out with him, though. Especially when his muscles are so bulging!

Shoulders and arms was a challenge today. I tweaked my right shoulder on one of the shoulder exercises, so I lightened up my weight for it. Other than that, I feel very worked out.

Abs was HARD! I did the Oblique V-ups, starting in the "up" position, and boy do my obliques hurt! :) In a good way :)

Anyways, that's about it. Yoga tomorrow. Yeah!

Day 16-Cardio X

Ok, so last week, Matt mentioned trying Cardio X instead of Plyo. Well, I gave it a go this morning. I woke up *gasp* at 6am and got working out! I actually liked the workout. It was short and sweet; I think it was about 45 minutes. But it was a constantly moving and challenging workout. There are elements from Yoga, Kenpo, Plyo, and Core Synergistics. Way cool, I think. I think I ended up burning 250 calories. Not too bad for a 45 minute workout. One thing Tony said during the workout was a reminder to EAT. Sometimes I get caught up in how many calories I'm eating, and forget that I NEED to eat for energy. I need to make sure that I'm not cutting out too many calories, and actually get in the calories I need for the day. I'm planning on making sure that I eat my snacks....:)

It is great to have the workout done in the morning. I feel good about myself, and I have so much more time to get stuff done. I wouldn't be doing anything in the morning anyways, except sleep, and where's the fun in that? Isn't it amazing how different my attitude has become? My goal is to get 8 hours of sleep a night. I do much better that way, and if my body gets used to it, well, that will be a good thing.
Looking forward to shoulders and arms tomorrow. That's probably one of my favorite workouts, and Matt should be able to do it with me.

Must Eat Lunch!! Hungry!!!!

:)

Day 15- Chest and Back Week 3

Just got done with chest and back. Pushups and pullups. I think I didn't wait long enough after lunch before I exercised. I was feeling kind of nauseated. No fun! But I made it through the workout. I even went up a bit on some of the exercises. I wish Matt was here to do it with me. Those pushups and pullups are so much more fun when he's doing it with me :)

I'll wait to do ABS until I get home from school this evening, before I eat dinner. I'm just too pooped right now. I should get more sleep at night...maybe once school is done for the semester it won't be so rough when Matt has duty!

Anyways, I'm going to take a shower and do something I've been meaning to do for the last couple of days-Shave!

Day 14-Break

Once again, the break comes at a perfect time. I got to sleep late, and Matt let me sleep in a little. But the most exciting thing....I woke up Wednesday morning, climbed on the scale, and it read..........wait for it...............128.6!!! I am in shock that my body is still getting smaller. I've had some people tell me I shouldn't be trying to lose any more weight. That I look great, I'm already skinny enough. I don't think they understand. I didn't do some sort of crash diet, or fad diet. I just got healthy. I watch what I eat. In fact, I eat more food (although not more calories) than I did before. I cut out the junk. I guess the way I look at it is this--If I am doing what I should, eating right, exercising, and still losing weight, then maybe I should be losing weight. Even though I've lost about 22 pounds this YEAR, that is 22 pounds in 113 days, which means about one pound every five days. That's not a whole lot. And my body fat percentage is still higher than it could be. I mean, 26-27 % is not unhealthy or low. I still have several percentages to go until I am in the "athlete" range, right?

OK, I'm going to stop ranting and raving now. I'm happy with my body and I'm excited to see the changes in it. I am also excited to continue to see the changes. Although, now that I have those awesome size 4 pants, I'll be sad to grow out of them ;)

~Pam

Day 13- KenpoX

Butt kicking, can I just say that? Woke up early, at 430am and tried to do it with Matt. But his back is still hurting, so he went for a run instead. I kept going, sweated a LOT, and had an overall good time. Matt says I'm looking really good. :)

Anyways, I have homework. I'm glad the workout is done with for the day. And tomorrow is Rest, although I will probably do StretchX with Matt, if I can talk him into it.

Later,
Pam

Day 12- Legs and Back plus Abs

Ok, so I've actually only done half the workout so far. But I'm going to finish up right after I finish this blog post. My nephews came over and didn't let me finish..*sigh* but I did have fun chasing them around. I woke up this morning and got on the scale. I've been a little frustrated lately, b/c my weight has plateaued and I haven't been able to break past the 130 pound mark. Well, this morning I broke that barrier in a big way! My weight is....


129.4!! And my BF percentage is 26%!

How cool is that! It is really exciting for me. I've been working hard, and it really pays off when I can see the results. I know I shouldn't obsess about the scale. And I've been trying not to. But since we started changing up the diet, I've been nervous. What if my weight starts going back up? Am I not eating enough? Too much? Well, I think I have my answer. Just keep at it, and the results will come.

Ok, I'm going to finish up my workout so I can eat some lunch and get some homework done.

Later!

Pam

Day 11- Yoga

So, yesterday I did yoga all by myself. There's something about getting into the asanas and feeling the movement of my body. I can definitely tell a difference between when I first started the program and now. Before, I would have to take breaks during the sun salutations. Now, I just flow with it. That isn't to say that it isn't still challenging. It is! But, my body is stronger and I'm able to do so much more!

I went shopping yesterday as well. For the first time in my LIFE I bought size four pants. And they fit me! They look damn good, if I do say so myself. I went over to Kate's to show her what I got, and Donna and Ester were there. They were really impressed with the two pairs of shorts and the pair of pants I picked up. The pants were normally $50, and I got them for $14.00. You can't beat that, now can you?

:) I feel so happy right now. I feel great, and I feel like I look great too. My body is still changing and making improvements. That's what it is all about!

~Pam

Day 10-Shoulders and Arms

This morning we did Shoulders and Arms. I tried really hard to push myself. Unfortunately, Matt aggravated a back/neck injury, so he wasn't able to finish. I pushed it out and finished strong. I upped my weight on some, but mainly concentrated on good form. :)

I'm making some popovers for breakfast. I should check on them. Maybe we'll do ABS later today. We've decided that our posture sucks, and we need to change it. So we're both going to work on better posture. I think it will make our quality of life better! That's going to be my real goal for this round. That, and losing at least 5 more pounds.

Later.
Pam

Day 9-supposed to be Plyo

So, yesterday was supposed to be Plyo. But when Matt got home, he wanted to go for a bike ride. He said to me, "Are you ready to ride fast and far?" Well, I was. And after a few hiccups with my bike, we got going. And boy did we go! We rode 12 miles in 55 minutes. I remember when we used to ride and we were lucky to get 10 miles in an hour. Now we were averaging 12 miles an hour. :) I can tell that my body is stronger. I felt much better riding than I have in a long time. And I wasn't overly working. I worked up a sweat, my heartrate was up, but it was nice. I wish I would have worn my heartrate monitor. That way I would have known for sure that I was working like I needed to. I think we did pretty well. And I feel good about the workout.

:)

Pam

Day 8--Week 2 Chest & Back

This morning I woke up with stomach pain. So I wasn't going to work out first thing. My sister visited for a couple hours, and by the time she left I felt ok. So I worked out before lunch. Pushups and pullups. What else can I say? I pushed myself really hard with the pushups AND pullups. I tried to pace myself and then push hard for the second round. I was able to do even more on the second round than the first. It was crazy! Of course, I can't do a whole lot of pushups, so I do about 10 regular, then do as many as I can on my knees. Seems to work for me. Those DiveBombers are killer, aren't they? With the pullups, I tried to give good declines at the end of every set. I have a feeling that my chest and back are going to be sore tomorrow. Good thing it is Plyo. I'm not sure if Matt's going to do it with me. We'll see. If that is the case, I'll do it later in the day.

Anyways, I'm going to do some measuring for the Helm Health Club challenge tomorrow morning. I'll probably post my numbers on here just as a reference.

I'll do Abs with Matt when he gets done with Chest & Back this evening. He's doing it right now :)

~Pam

Day 7

Thank goodness for rest days. Give my body some time to recover. It has been a rough week, but I climbed on the scale mid-morning and, I couldn't believe it, my body fat percentage was down to 25.4%!!!! And my weight is hovering around 130.5 lbs. Not too shabby, huh? Just one quarter of my weight is fat? Since when did that happen? Considering I started this thing at over 33% body fat. Holy cow! I'm feeling great. I'm glad to be back into the routine of working out. I love the fact that tomorrow I will start week 2. :)

Anyways, I think I'm gushing too much. I'm just excited. I was worried b/c we decided to branch out on our menus, and I wasn't sure how that would work out. Seems to be working. I'm almost into the 120s. !!!! Incredible!

~Pam

Day 6-Kenpo...I feel like I've been kicked in the butt, literally.

Woke up early to do Kenpo. I don't know if it was the rest week or what, but holy cow, my butt hurts so bad! My legs are sore, my butt is sore, and I had a great workout with Matt doing Kenpo. That's probably the most fun exercise that we have. I ran an extra mile yesterday, for the Helm Health Challenge. So on top of Legs & Back, plus Abs, I ran that mile. Crazy, crazy.

I feel pretty good. I'm glad I got the workout out of the way early. Now I am going chase my nephews around for a little bit.

Later,
Pam

Day 5-Legs & Back

Holy cow! My legs are sore! But the great thing about Legs & Back is that it is not only legs. It is also pullups. Today, I tried something a little different. First of all, when I did my pullups, I tried to do them faster. I realize I do them slowly and my arms get tired. So I did them quickly. Then, on my last rep for each exercise, I picked both legs up off the chair while I was at the top, and SLOWLY let myself down. I'm hoping that helps me get closer to my goal of doing an unassisted pullup. :) Let's cross our fingers, shall we?

My plan is to do Abs later this evening, with Matt when he gets home from work tonight.

~Pam

UPDATE: I did Abs with Matt, after running a mile for the Helm Health Challenge. How much fun is that? Anyways, I almost was able to do some of the Oblique V-ups. Those are so hard, but I think I've been doing them wrong. I haven't been using my legs enough. So, next time, I'll try something a little bit different. ~Pam

Day 4- Hooray for Yoga

Ok, yoga could not have come at a better time. My entire body is sore. But Yoga stretched me out, and I feel ready to face another strength day tomorrow. I even felt well enough to ride my bike with Matt over to Kate's for Easter dinner :) I feel great, but I have to keep this short b/c we're going to watch a movie together before we have to go to bed. My advice to anyone doing this program- get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Oh, and DRINK YOUR WATER, PEOPLE!

:)

~Pam

Day 3-Shoulders and Arms plus Abs

Ok, so I procrastinated a little this morning and didn't workout until starting at 10:30. But when I got up for the second time this morning at around 9am,I was preparing to workout, but realized I was STARVING. I decided to eat first, and then workout. So I worked on my blogs a little bit, and started the workout at 1030 instead. That's ok, it worked out for me. Now I'm done with the workout and it isn't even lunchtime yet. Matt has duty today, so we didn't workout together :( Tomorrow we'll do Yoga together.

Anyways, about the workout. Well, my arms are definitely feeling it. But I went up in weight on almost every exercise, which is exciting. I even got to try out Matt's new weights so I didn't have to keep switching the weights on my set so much. So between the three weights (mine, the 8 lb dumbbells, and Matt's) I was pretty efficient. The doorbell rang about halfway through, but I checked out who it was and decided not to bother answering it. It was probably proselyters. *Shrug* Don't know why they would bother here. I was undecided about whether to go ahead and do Abs after the workout. I didn't feel like it. I was pooped and wanted a break. But I went ahead and did it and now I'm glad b/c I'm all done for the day. Yeah!!!!

I feel great. I feel like my muscles are getting some definition. And that's what Matt told me yesterday. He has started to see my muscles sticking out! That's so awesome.

Well, Yoga tomorrow. Even though it is 1.5 hours long, I always feel great afterward. I'm going to work on a menu for next week. Now that we have those new cookbooks, I should be able to find some recipes that will work great.

So, tomorrow it is.

~Pam

Day 2-Plyometrics

So, today is day 2. Am I less motivated than yesterday? Nope. Not a bit. I mean, I did put off exercising until later in the morning than I had planned, but it worked out just right. And that was only because I picked up a good book (big mistake on my part.) I did Plyometrics today. Holy cow! Only thing I can say about that is...."You can do anything for 30 seconds!" I ended up burning 446 calories, probably more since I didn't put on the heart rate monitor until I had almost finished the warm-up. That's almost one complete meal's calories for me! I still need to drink my second recovery drink for my mid-morning snack. It amazes me how each time you do the exercise it gets harder. Shouldn't it get easier? No, and this is why. Because as you get stronger, you can do more of the exercises more correctly. So you end up working harder and harder as the time goes by. Pretty cool, if you ask me. My heart rate monitor won't fit me for too much longer if I lose any more inches around my ribs. It is as small as it can go.

I can't believe how much my body has changed. I am wearing the exercise pants Matt got me while I was on deployment. They were a little tight on me then, but they still fit. Now, they're loose and look great! It makes me feel so good knowing that I've been able to accomplish what I've done so far. And there is a whole lot more I could go with this. I'm EXCITED.

Anyways, enough rambling. Tomorrow is, I think, Shoulders and Arms, which should be good. That is always a good workout. I have to get used to the fact that Matt and I will probably not be working out together as much as we did in Round 1. I'm kind of on my own. But now it is up to me to Bring It all by myself. Can I do it?

I think so! In fact, I know so. I'm determined. Look out bathing suit! Look out beach! Here I come. And its going to be pretty!

~Pam

Round 2 Day 1

YEah!!! We started again! We woke up this morning at 5am and got this thing going. I'm so excited! I feel like I've gained something that has been missing for the past week. I never thought I would say that I miss working out, but I have. I feel fantastic this morning. We did Chest & Back, and I did Abs afterward. I'm pretty proud of myself for my ability to do so much more than I have before. That week of rest was essential. My body has been able to recover from Round 1 and now I'm ready to BRING IT!!!

I don't even know what my weight was this morning. I have decided that I'm not going to focus on weight this round. I'm just going to focus on improvement and inches/body fat %. I guess I should have had Matt measure me this morning too, so I could see my starting numbers. But I'll just have to go on my numbers from the end of last round, I guess.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Woohoo! I'm glad to be back in the game again. Let's get this going!

~Pam

PS. Breakfast for this morning will be: P90X shake with toast and jam. Lunch for today will be: Salad Nicoise Pita. Dinner will be: I think Fish with wild rice and salad or vegetable. I've already had my "Morning Snack" with my Recovery Drink, but my afternoon snack will be Ice Cream. :)

Countdown to Day 1

I can't tell you how excited I am to be starting the whole process over again. I thought that I would get to this point and not really want to do it. But I really liked the structure of having to workout every day. Right now, I feel like there is something missing in my life. During Round 1, I just took it for granted that I would workout every day. Then, if I did something physical on top of that, it was just bonus. Now I really need to watch what I eat every day and make sure I'm doing all that I should be doing. Once Round 2 starts up, life will get much simpler-there won't be any thought about it. There simply will be the morning workouts. My body is ready. My mind is ready. Is it Thursday yet????

~Pam

Welcome to the Spring P90X Challenge

This blog is here to help us all achieve our goals! When we start on the 9th of April, it will give a place to let everyone know that you did your work out for the day, to ask questions, and to hold your self accountable. Pam and I have included all of our old blog posts to help with any questions and maybe motivate everyone a little bit.

-Matt

Day 90 - Wow

All I can say is wow, lets look at Pam's progress from Day 0 to Day 90:



If you want her numbers they are amazing and they are in her post below, if you want to see all of her pictures you can Click Here!

-Matt
PS: I haven't gotten my pictures yet, maybe later!

Day 90-P90X is done?

Seriously? Can it be done? At least Round 1, that is. I'm kinda excited, but I also don't know what I'm going to do with myself for this week off. I can't imagine not working out tomorrow. That's just too weird. I'm really excited to post my results. Are you ready for this????? Well, here goes:


I'm actually really excited to see how much further I can go. Right now my motivation is pretty low, but I'm swamped with school, and I know that by next Thursday I'll be soooo ready to bring it! I just know that it is 100% possible to live your life the way you want and still get the results I've gotten. Its just that you have to change how you want to live your life. Now, THAT is change I can believe in!!! :)

Today is my official rest day, and I've been enjoying it. I'm still sticking to my diet, and that's what makes me feel so great! That, and the great numbers I pulled this morning. I'm really proud of myself. Hopefully Matt will work on my pictures and I can get them posted sometime today or tomorrow.

~Pam

Day 83-Kenpo X

Today was another butt kicking exercise. Last night we did Legs & Back, which was tough. But it has totally paid off. My legs are starting to look really good. Kenpo was fun, of course. It is still probably my favorite exercise out of all of them. Today I noticed something weird- my breasts have shrunk. In a totally good way. They no longer sag. I think that is awesome, and a totally unexpected result of this workout program.

I look at other people and think-gee, anyone could get into shape. I know the direction I was headed, and how much harder it would have been if I was further along that path. But I was able to change my life around, and now it is almost a game to see how much more I can lose/gain. Because while I'm losing body fat and weight, I'm actually gaining so much more. I'm gaining strength, endurance, confidence, and tone. I haven't looked this good, well, ever. I'm not exaggerating. I also haven't felt this good ever. And anyone can do it! There's no secret formula. Ok, well, there is. But it isn't secret. Exercise, eat right, get plenty of rest, and your body will take care of itself. One thing I've realized is that there is no right way to exercise. Just burn the calories, and your body will thank you. I'm glad we're doing the P90X though. Because I'm getting stronger in all the right places. This is the first year ever that I've been excited for swim suit season. Not that I've been shy in the past. I've put on a bikini every year for the past 5 or 6 years. But this year I'm excited to walk on the beach and show off my new body. I might even have to get a new suit. My old one was from my honeymoon, and I'm definitely smaller now than I was then. Even though stress had made me lose quite a bit right before....

Anyways, I should get some homework done. I'm teaching a couple lessons at school today. We'll see how that goes.

More later,
Pam

Day 82!!

Ok, so I haven't worked out yet today, but I thought I would give a quick update before I head off to school. Yesterday, day 81, was Yoga, and I did it myself at home while Matt did it at work. Day 80 was Back and Biceps, and I worked so hard on that exercise, knowing it would be the last one this round. My biceps are still sore today! Plyo on Friday was butt kicking! Holy cow! We were both sweating up a storm. It will be a completely different experience working out in the summer...

Speaking of summer, I'm already looking forward to Round 2. So far (since I measured myself for the Helm Health Challenge) I have lost almost 9 1/2 inches. (!!) It is hard to believe. But yesterday, when I put on a pair of jeans that used to fit me really well, I notices that the waist is way too big for me.

Oh, and the new sports bra I bought on Saturday is awesome! It works really well, is really supportive. Totally worth the money.

After school today I'm going to do the workout. I think it is legs and back. Oh, boy. I hope I'm ready for that. Give my arms a break, anyways, right?

Sorry the updates aren't coming too quickly. I kind of got off track, especially with going to London for a week. I'm just glad that I didn't gain any weight. I never thougth I would get down to 135 pounds again. Ever. I'm excited to see what round 2 will bring. Oh, and since we still have a week and a half of round 1, who knows what will happen.

I almost forgot. I'm running a 5K on Saturday. Eek! I am not sure how that will go. It has been a long time since I've run any distance. But I'll have a great time anyways.

Talk to you later. Gotta run.

Pam

Day 71 - Plyo

Plyometrics is the most evil idea of a work out any one has ever thought of. This work out is a true test of your ability to do cardio, but it is cardio on crack. I am so determined every time I start to finish it doing every last move, but goodness, it is so intense!!! I am still amazed that after each workout I feel way better then I did before the work out, it is amazing that all this working out is giving me so much more energy!

-Matt

P90X - Day 70 - Skinny boy taking on P90X

Ok so I am skinny, in fact incredibly skinny. I weighed in at some where just above 135 when I started and have a lot of trouble gaining weight. I am now hovering just about 10 pounds heavier, and don't have shred more body fat =) which BTW on my electronic scale is pegged at the low of 5% Now if you are rolling your eyes and wishing you had my problems stop reading this. I am just like every other person in the world, I want to be better then I am and for me that challenge is to put on weight, just like most people are trying to lose it I make up excuses why I can't gain and how I can't seem to put on any muscle or weight period but I can see now my fault.

My scale has a BMR calculator built in to it. It tells you what your "metabolic age" is and how many calories you need to maintain your weight. In case you did guess allready my metabolism is crazy high, for my entire life I have been a snacker, a person that constantly eats a lot of little things, never really eating a huge amount at any given time. Additionally I start every morning by eating a yogurt right away, which jump starts the metabolism (eating anything right away is good, but I love yogurt =) So my entire life I have been doing the "right" stuff to maintain a high metabolism.

So as a consequence my scale says I need 3700 calories to maintain my weight... While that isn't quite true, because I can eat much less then that and still function. I can also tell you that I can snack and eat anything I want and not gain a pound. Well my problem is that I never have eaten enough before to gain weight. And now that I am realizing that my scale is probably telling some what near the truth I am struggling to eat enough calories to put on some muscle.

Anyways, I guess I am trying to say that I realized just like most over weight people have delusions about how many calories they need to eat vs. how much they actually eat. If you are skinny and want to gain weight, you probably are just as delusional as the over weight people, just in the opposite way. It took me a long time to realize this about myself and try to over come it.

-Matt
PS: The progress is amazing, I feel like a new person and a strong person now, I love what this program has done for Pam and I, we are so much healthier, stronger, confident then we were just 70 days ago. Commit and you will make amazing gains!

Day 66- Matt

Wow, wow, wow. This has been an awesome experience P90X is working like nobodies business. If you stick to the plan, have a partner to keep you going, and push hard, I am pretty confident that you will feel better about yourself then you even have before.

-Matt

Day 62 - Kenpo X

Well Pam challenged me to do this workout and I am glad she did, I've been needing some help to keep my chin up work is beating me down pretty good, so it is so nice to have Pam push me and keep me doing what I know I should be even when it is hard.

P90X is hard, yesterdays leg and back is like our 8th time doing it and it still kicks my butt! But today's Kenpo X was almost invigorating, I pushed hard and feel good!!!!

Here's a picture, after I worked out so I am a little pumped, and with a nice overhead light to give nice shadows, but I am putting on some muscle =)



-Matt

Day 62- Kenpo alone

I was so sad to have to do Kenpo alone today. That's one of my favorite exercises to do with Matt. All the kicking and punching are really fun. I set the alarm this morning *gasp* I know. I ended up getting up at around 7:30, so I was done with the workout by 8:30. Can you believe it? It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I had a 4 page paper to get done, along with some other BS homework to do. Actually, that was part of it. The other part was that I wanted to prove to myself (and Matt) that I could actually do it myself. I think I've been proving that a lot lately. In fact, yesterday, Matt and I did Legs and Back, and didn't have time for Abs before he had to go to work. I picked a good time in the afternoon, after lunch, and did Denise Austin's Power Yoga/Pilates, which was an extra hour of abs. Then I did Ab Ripper X, which was insane after all that. So I got an extra hour of workout in this week. Are you proud of me? I am proud of myself, which in the end is probably all I can ask for.

Oh, and btw, I'm wearing pants right now that I bought for myself in between my Junior and Senior year of high school (I know, I know, why do I still have pants that old? Well, they're cute, and I actually didn't get a lot of use out of them. I grew out of them pretty quickly. Oh, and they were pretty expensive. I bought them in Alaska that summer). Anyways, they look great, I think. I'll have Matt give the final verdict when I get home this evening, if he's still awake. Tuesdays are not my favorite; getting home after 10:30pm sucks, especially if I haven't seen Matt since Monday morning. *sigh* Evening classes.

Ok, well, must get the rest of my BS homework done. Then head for class. I feel pretty great today, I feel like I look cute. My new haircut (just like my old one) is awesome!

TTYL!
Pam

PS. Matt better get some butt kicking Kenpo done this evening, or there will be punishment involved :)

Pam-We did so well in January, whatever happened to February?

So I was looking at how many posts we had for January, and I think we posted almost every day. Then February happened, and Phase 2. I think I was a little disillusioned when I didn't make as much progress during Phase 1 as I had hoped. So I didn't post on the blog for almost the entire Phas 2. Which is a shame, because maybe if I had been blogging, I would have forced myself to notice all the little changes that were going on in my body. The changes that I wasn't really noticing. Then, Day 60 came (ok, day 56) and we took measurements. It seems like overnight I went from a little pudgy to more and more trim. I can't believe how many inches I lost! And that Matt gained almost as many as I lost. That's amazing. And when I climbed on the scale this morning and my weight was 136.8 pounds, my heart almost stopped beating. I don't even remember the last time I weighed this little. But it isn't about weight. It is about my body's changes. The curves I didn't notice were there just last week. The fact that my waist is getting tiny. And that my legs and calves are shrinking. Matt felt some muscles on my back that haven't ever been there before. I never knew that your knees could get fat, and I didn't notice mine, until the fat started disappearing. I guess you never know what you have until you lose it, huh? :)
Anyways, my point is, I feel great. And I think I look great. And I have no idea how much further we can take this. We still have more than 4 weeks left in the program! Imagine how much better we are going to be after it is all said and done.

Oh, and btw, the spicy Chinese noodles we had for lunch were DELICIOUS! I was a little skeptical, until I read the recipe and realized peanut butter was involved. And it was so easy!

OK, I guess I should get back to my homework. I just wanted to blog, so that since it is the first day of March, I can try to get a lot more posts in this month than last. It helps that I'm liking my results. Hallelujah!

Pam

Matt - For the record

Our scale has this feature where it will tell you what you "metabolic age" is, it does some magic calculations and comes up with the equivalent age that your metabolism is running at. Well I have always loved that feature because my metabolism has always been read as that of a 12 year old (which is as low as the scale will go).

But Pam has always hated it, it has told her that she has the metabolism of a 29 - 30something year old. Today was an awesome day, the scale finally told her that she has a metabolic age of a 26 year old, which is way exciting because she is 27 =) I told her that she is looking like she is 26 and getting younger every day. She is just looking spectacular.

About P90X, it has been great, it continues to be great. Every morning I continue to think, I should be lazy and not work out, but I keep going. Its easy to keep going because the results are amazing, and the plan is so easy to follow!!! Anyways I gotta go convince Pam to east breakfast now =)

-Matt

Day 58

Wow, I can't believe how many gains I've made in the last 58 days. Yesterday was Back and Biceps, and I really impressed myself with all the pushups I was able to do. And the pullups. My ultimate goal would be to be able to do a pull up unassisted. I think that I'm on my way. I am definitely stronger than I have been in the past. And it just keeps getting more and more.

Have I mentioned how grateful I am that we started this program? It is probably the single most important thing that I could have done for myself this year. I shudder to think where I would be right now if we hadn't started it. Imagine this: I was on my way up into the 150s and who knows where it would have stopped, or IF it would have stopped. My teaching clothes that I bought in the fall for Practicum hours were starting to get smaller and smaller on me. As of right now, my clothes are HUGE! The shirts fit fine, but the pants...well, lets just say that I have quite a bit of room to breathe in them.

I know that I only have 5 more weeks of the program (round 1 anyways) and I am SO ready to bring it. I proved that yesterday, and boy am I sore today. I feel it in my, well, uh, my Back and Biceps :) Imagine that! I'm getting a little bit of studying done right now, some research, but I'm planning on getting a workout in early in the afternoon, or maybe right before lunch. Matt had duty yesterday, and I'm not sure when he's coming home, so I don't know if I should wait for him or not.

I'm so proud of Matt and the gains he has made. He's eating a whole lot more than me, but that is just fine with me. He needs it.

I'm a little scared of going on vacation for 10 days. What am I going to eat? How am I going to get my exercise in? Are my sister and my mom going to support me? Can I help them make a lifestyle change? Will they see how much better life can be if you add fitness and health into your long list of priorities?

Ok, well, speaking of homework, I need to get that studying done. I feel great, or have I mentioned that already?

~Pam

And the numbers are in-Day 56

Pam's Numbers
Day 1
Weight 146.6
BF % 33.3
Chest 36.5
Waist 34.75
Hips 41.5
R Thigh 24.75
L Thigh 24.75
R Bicep 13.0
L Bicep 12.75

Day 56
Weight 139.0-->-7.6 pounds
BF % 29.3-->-4
Chest 35.25-->-1.25 inches
Waist 33.25-->-1.5 inches
Hips 40.25 -->-1.25 inches
R Thigh 24.5-->-.25 inches
L Thigh 24.25 -->-.25 inches
R Bicep 12.75 -->-.25 inches
L Bicep 12.25 -->-.5 inches

Totals
Inches lost-->5.25 inches
Fat lost---> 8 pounds

And here are my 60 day pictures. Maybe I'll get Matt to do a side by side comparison, but I don't have access to the pictures right now. :)





Matt's Numbers
Day 1
Weight 137.2
BF % 5%
Chest 35
Waist 30
Hips 35.5
R Thigh 19.5
L Thigh 19
R Bicep 11.5
L Bicep 11.25

Day 60
Weight 143.2-->+6
BF % 5 % --> <->
Chest 36 ---->+1
Waist 31.25----->+1.25
Hips 36.25---->+.75
R Thigh 20.375 --->+.875
L Thigh 20---->+1
R Bicep 11.75--->+.25
L Bicep 12---->+.5
Totals
Inches Gained---->5.625 (or 5 5/8)

And here are Matt's 60 day pictures. I can really tell a difference!

Day 52 :)

Ok, I can't believe we've been doing this for 52 days. I have to admit that I had my doubts. But now I'm starting to see results. Right before we got the stomach flu, I started taking some fat burning pills. That, combined with the exercise has really made my results speed up. I'm actually starting to notice that my stomach is smaller, my legs are tighter, my arms are more toned. I feel better during most of the exercises. Today was Kenpo and it was butt kicking. I was punching and kicking like nothing else. And I think it is weird how as I get stronger, I work harder, so the exercises get harder, not easier. My weight has gone down quite a bit, almost 10 pounds,to 138.1 this morning, and my body fat is almost down to a more healthy 30%. I am anxious to see what my measurements are, but Matt won't let me measure early. I can stand in front of my "before" pictures and see a huge difference. My clothes fit differently. My pants that I bought that fit, then got tight, now fit and are almost loose on me (I'm not going to complain about that). And boy is Matt looking great. His bulging muscles are sooo.... well, anyways, you get the picture. I'm so proud of the work he's done. And for the first time since we've known each other, I weigh less than him!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Yes that deserves that many exclamation points.)

Ok, so I'm sorry I haven't blogged much this last month. In my defense, I've been sorta busy with school, and I was a little frustrated with my perceived lack of results. But not anymore :) Result city, here I come!
Speaking of heading out, I'm heading to England in just a couple weeks, and I'm looking forward to continuing my regiment there as well. It will be a challenge eating right, but I think I know what portions I can eat and I'm up for it. I'm going to work out every day while I'm there, and maybe get my sister interested :) We shall see. Maybe my mom will even do it with me. Hmmm...interesting proposition.
Alright, as you can probably tell, I'm a little tired. All I can say is, THANK YOU P90X! I am so happy with my body right now, and I haven't felt that way in a long time.

~Pam

ekkk long time no blog

Hey there, we have been pushing hard to recover from when we got sick last. And now we are on track for some awesome results. Pam has really started to show amazing results, it took a while and a lot of determination on her part but it certainly seems like the program is really kicking in for her. I am very happy with my results and I continue to look more defined and have larger muscles. Anyways I just wanted to make sure that we kept on writing on this! Almost time for some more measurements!

-Matt

Not sure the day-Plyo

Ok, so let me bring you up to speed. Yes, last week was rough. I felt a little overwhelmed because I felt like I was working my a** off and not seeing the results I thought I should. And then, just when I finally decided to suck it up and keep working at it, I got sick. With the stomach flu. That took me out for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (which was a rest day anyways). But then Thursday I started back up with Chest, Triceps, and Biceps and today with Plyo. I only made it through half of Plyo before I almost passed out. Holy cow, my energy is gone. But I'm determined to stick with it and get my energy back so that I can see more results. Amazingly, I seem to see differences every day. I wore a shirt today that I haven't worn in a long time, and it fit me better than it ever has. That made me feel pretty great.

Ok, that's about it. I'm going to try to get back to blogging as well. :)

Pam

day ??? -

Well it was a busy week for us last week and Pam is getting a little frustrated because the scale is not showing the results she is hoping for. She is kinda put off because she has only lost a couple of pounds and a 2 percent body fat, but I think that it is spectacular and that she is looking very good.

The workouts in phase two are nice, it is a good switch up and I can feel the targeted muscle groups exactly like I am supposed to. I am very pleased with the results of this program, it is making me feel like a much stronger & healthy person.

Today we have yoga and I am waiting on Pam to finish her homework so I can get it done. I am thrilled to be still doing this program and am even headed towards gaining some weight which is my ultimate goal.

-Matt

Day 31- Back and Biceps

Ok, so I realize I haven't blogged in quite a while. Yesterday, Matt came home from duty and was exhausted, so I ended up doing Plyo X by myself and burning 541 calories! This morning we did Back and Biceps together, and I burned 404 calories (with Ab Ripper X). My arms are pretty much dead.

One good thing about this week-we started to eat carbs again. It is so nice to have a BAGEL for breakfast, or a wrap tortilla for lunch. I feel like I have more energy. I think that is why I burned so many calories in Plyo last night-I was able to do more exercises than I could before.

Ok, well, Matt and I are going to hit the shower. If we keep this up, I'll be losing weight and feeling great in no time.

Matt - Day 30

Progress, there are defiantly small changes in definition on Pam =)

Matt - Day 30 - Was it what we needed?

So we just finished our recovery week, and maybe it was what we needed, but I can't spoil Pam's news for today. I'll just say that there is going to be a lot more progress this month!

Unfortunatly I was unable to work out today due to recovering from Duty, I had to basicly spend about 40 hours up with 3 hours of half sleep on a couch. So in the interest of recovering and not hurting my self I am skipping Plyo today. Which I am very sad about.

Here are the 30 day pictures, not as much change as we would hope but that is just going to make us push harder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Matt - Day 26 - Core Synergy and motivation

Ok, so first off let me lay down some quotes from other people to help Pam. She's a little worried because in her eyes there isn't very much progress at the 30 day point of P90X. I am excited to take her pictures though, I think that she will see some progress when we take the pictures. But to quote some other people on the world wide web:

from http://www.weightloss-hq.biz/exercise-reviews/top-20-p90x-questions-answered-here.html

16. I'm not seeing results after 30 days, what am I doing wrong?

Have some Patience - As I stated before, most people quit after the first month - I know this because I've seen it on our P90X forums. They get frustrated because they diet and workout very hard for 30 days after years of neglecting their body!?? Come on people! You must have some patience! I see the first 30 days as the "adjusting" period. Your body is in "shock" mode. Some people start to get good results after 30 days, some don't change at all...it really depends on the person. I started to see significant results 2 weeks after the second month. Once you past the 30 days mark, this is when you need to kick it up and really push yourself hard.

17. I'm gaining weight, what's wrong!

This may happen to you in the first 30 days. Like I posted earlier, the first 30 days your body is in shock mode. The second month is when you'll start to lose weight.

Second order of business is to say that I am very, very lucky to have an extremely low body fat percentage. It makes seeing the changes very easy for me. But I hate people that think it's some gift or super metabolism, let me share my secret... I am always hungry, but when I eat, I eat just enough to give me an hour or two reprieve from the hunger, and my meals tend to be small. The other thing is that I am a 6' 2" male, that means I am taller then average and require more calories. So please just don't roll your eyes and think that I can eat anything, because I bet that I only eat half of what a normal American eats at a meal. Instead I snack constantly with somewhat lower calorie snacks. But anyways here is a little preview pic I took =)



I had just finished a work out, and am flexing, but it's still crazy for me to see my abs having so much definition. No amount of crunches would ever do that to my abs... it was P90X that is teaching them how to be real abs =)

Today was the Core Synergistics which a cardio intense workout. I enjoy it a lot because it is fast paced and HARD! tomorrow is Yoga, not sure when I am going to get it done as it is a long one. Anyways, more later, Bring it!
-Matt

Pam Day 25- Stretch X

Today was my first day with Stretch X. I'm impressed. It is a nice workout. I should have been doing it before now :) Also, for the first day we get to eat CARBS! I had a muffin for breakfast, along with fruit and milk. Then for lunch, there was a tuna salad burrito. Ooooh, yummy! I had almost forgotten how good that kind of food tastes.

So, I'm not quite seeing the results that Matt is, yet. But I'm keeping an open mind. I feel better, that is for sure. And I think that I have probably lost inches. My goal for this week's Helm Health Challenge is to brush my teeth 2x and floss 1x daily. My "I think I can" goal is to work out every day, even on the rest day. I haven't done that yet, and it will be hard for me to work out on Wednesday morning, but "I Think I Can" :)

This Rest Week hasn't been very restful, so far. A lot of cardio. Core Synergistics is probably the most challenging workout so far. And it is up again tomorrow. I'll be doing it with Matt when he gets off work in the afternoon.

Ok, another goal of mine is to keep blogging every day. I hope I can keep it up!

Pam

Matt - Day 24 - KenpoW!

Ok today was Kenpo again, as Pam mentioned we are in our rest week right now, and it's not much rest =) It is really a cardio intense week and it is just as tough as the rest of the program. I am starting to see some intense results, I have a lot more definition and have gained a couple of pounds which is a huge challenge for me. But my abs are just getting crazy, I have never had definition like I am getting... anyways we are still working hard and going strong!

I am so excited because tomorrow we are starting phase 2 of the diet which is somewhat normal compare to phase 1 which was almost entirely protein... oh I am so craving some normal foods =)

-Matt