Day 81: Rest/Stretch

I was not able to get a work out in today since it was the day of our engagement party. We had an amazing brunch with all of our best friends and family there to celebrate with us and then we headed back to Scott's mom's house to open gifts and spend more time with our families. We didn't get home until late and I was so tired so there was just no way that I was going to be able to get Yoga in today.

I am going to use today as my rest day and do Yoga X tomorrow instead so that I can finish strong without missing a single work out! Only 9 days left....

Day 80: Back and Biceps

Another early morning work out during my vacation - what was I thinking?! I have a hair appointment since my engagement party is tomorrow and I don't want to get all sweaty once my hair is looking nice.

I used 12 pounds for more of the bicep exercises than I did last week and I used 10 pounds for almost everything else. I love feeling stronger and stronger each week and I am pretty sure that I am going to be very sore tomorrow!

Day 79: Plyometrics

I saved Plyometrics for the end of the day today and so I was worried that I was not going to have enough energy to really bring it like I have the past few weeks. That was not a problem though today and was I got started I got a second wind. I repeated some of the sections, but not all this time since it was already late and I was concerned about burning too many calories and then having to eat all of them before bed. I still ended up burning 540 calories and so I better go eat before I totally crash!

This is my last time doing plyometrics this round and I am sad because it is by far my favorite work out! I have already decided that I am doing another round anyway so I guess I shouldn't be too sad :)

Day 78: Chest, Shoulders, Tris, ARX

I think this is the hardest work out of the weight lifting routines. Scott and I have our engagement photos today and I have a hair and a make up trial today too so I had to get up really early to knock out this work out. Despite the early hour, I was still able to get in a very tough work out and I used 10 pounds for almost all of the tricep moves. The push ups in this work out are still the hardest for me and I did regular push ups during the one arm variety because I keep feeling like my arm is just gonna pop out of the socket when I do those!

In all, I burnt 500 calories during this work out and I am feeling wiped out so making it through this very long day should be interesting...

Day 77: Rest/Stretch X

No stretching for me today. I am on vacation this week and I am off to spend the day relaxing!

Day 76: Legs and Back X, Ab Ripper X

Today was the first day of my 4 day vacation from work and it was so nice to have the whole day to take care of stuff and take my time on my work out. I am glad that I waited until today to do Legs and Back X because my legs really needed that extra day to heal and it allowed me to push myself during this work out since I was back to 100% after the race.

I continued with my modified Ab Ripper X - listening to music instead of the video, adding in extra reps and doing planks instead of leg climbers. It took my about 20 minutes and I burnt over 100 calories during this portion of my work out alone! Then during legs and back I used 10's and 12 pounders for almost all of the moves and got a low as I could in my squats and lunges. Even though this is the only weight training work out that you do every week on the program, I still feel like I am getting a great work out and my legs were like jell-o afterwards! I burnt 522 calories total during my work out and now I need to go drink my muscle milk and eat some dinner!

Day 75: Kenpo X

Today should be Legs and Back X but I switched it with Kenpo to give my legs a rest. I really kicked ass in Kenpo today and did an extended version where I repeated several of the sections to increase the length and intensity. I pushed myself to my limit and was so tired afterwards that I got back in bed and went to sleep for another hour and half haha! I burnt 622 calories during my crazy Kenpo X work out and I feel great! I am almost done the program and it is such a good feeling to see how far I have come.

Day 74: Yoga X

Today was a very exciting day for me - I ran my first 5K this morning with my fabulous future sister in law Robin. Once again I had to wake up at the crack of dawn (6:00am) since the race started at 8:30am. The event was great and run well and since all proceeds benefit ovarian cancer research and survivors, it definitely was all for a good cause.

Since this was my very first 5K and I have not run outside in a very long time, I was not sure how I was going to do and how to pace myself but let me just say - I kicked ass! Robin and I stayed together until the very last mile when she had a pain in her shoulder and needed to walk, but I kept going and ran hard all the way through to the end. Once I was about 100 yards from the finish line I sprinted as fast as I could and I finished in 29 minutes and 30 seconds! I am so proud of myself for how well I did and for finishing in under 30 minutes and Robin did amazing too, finishing in 31 minutes. During the run I burnt 314 calories and I came home ate brunch and then took a long nap so I could be ready for Yoga X since I refuse to miss a work out!

Yoga X went well, though there were some issues with the DVD and had to pause for a second to sort that out. It was a good work out to follow up my run since I got to stretch out, but my achilles tendon on my left foot is sore - OUCH! I am going to ice it and hopefully it will go away.

Day 73: Arms and Shoulders X, Ab Ripper X

Today was another very early morning work out! I had to leave for a B'Nai Mitzvah in New Jersey at 7:30am, so I woke up at 5:15am to get in my P90Xing since I knew I would be gone for the entire day. Despite the time on the clock, I still got in a great work out, pushed myself hard and burnt 400 calories in the process. I used 10 pounds for all of the shoulder exercises and for most of the triceps too and I may be able to start using 12 pounds of my shoulders next round!

Now that my arms are getting stronger, I think this may be my new favorite work out!

Day 72: Plyometrics

Waking up at 5:50am on a Friday morning right before a holiday weekend and my week of vacation was not easy this morning, but I did it! Plyometrics is hard but I pushed myself to the max and repeated every single set 3 times instead of twice and did 2 minutes of football heros instead of 1. 600 calories burnt and a muscle milk light and now I am off to work. I am going to be SO tired tonight!

Also, I should mention that my chest and back as SO SO SO sore today! Eeek!

Day 71: Chest and Back X, Ab Ripper X

I got a late start on my work out tonight and didn't finish until almost 9:00pm, but that did not stop me from really giving it my all. I paid a lot of attention to my form for the various push ups and sat farther back for lat pull downs with the blue band. I burnt 450 calories and I am pretty sure that I am going to be veeeery sore tomorrow.

This is my last time doing Chest and Back X during this round of P90X. I will probably do another round though so I guess I shouldn't say goodbye just yet!

Day 70: Rest/Stretch

Well, today is the end of week 10 - only 3 more weeks to go!! This rest day could not come at a better time since my foot is hurting and begging for some rest. I will ice it tonight and hopefully I will be ok for plyo on Friday.

Day 69: Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X

After a long day and a sore foot, I was not really feeling ready to get started on my work out today but I pushed through and did it anyway. After really pushing myself through ARX, I had already burnt 100 calories and was determined to get in a good work out for my legs. I bought a gel pad to put in my shoe to give my extra cushion where my foot has been hurting, but I still had to modify the sneaky lunges because it was painful to put so much pressure on my right foot.

During the work out I burnt a total of 473 calories and then I kind of pigged out afterwards...OOPS. I need to get my diet more under control in the evenings when I seem to be the most likely to shove my face.

Day 68: Kenpo X

This week I am switching Kenpo X and Legs and Back X because my legs are sore from running and I want to give them another day of rest before working out those muscles again. I really brought it during Kenpo, did extra reps, used weights and repeated on portion of the work out and I ended up burning 453 calories. Considering I started the work out so late because I went to the grocer store after work, I was proud of myself for still giving the work out my all.

Unforuntately, now that I am done the work out, I am experiencing some more pain in the ball of my left foot again. This time it is worse than it was before and I am having trouble walking on it. I am going to ice it and pray that it makes the pain go away because I am so close to the end and really not willing to stop at this point.

Day 67: Yoga X

I did Yoga X this morning by playing it off of my lap top and doing it on floor of my hotel room with no yoga mat or yoga block, so that definitely was a challenge. I am VERY proud of myself though for not using my surroundings as an excuse and pushign through anyway. I did all of the moving postures, some stretching and then yoga belly 7 and then I headed down to the hotel's gym for a 30 minute run. I felt great during yoga and during my run, though I am a little sore from running yesterday since it has been a while. I think during round 2 of P90X I will try to incorporate running into my routine a bit because I do like it.

No HRM again so I have no clue how many calories I burnt, which is frustrating and making it difficult to make sure my caloric deficit is correct. I went so long without a HRM, how did I do that??

Day 66: Back and Biceps, ARX

I woke up super early today to get in Back and Biceps before leaving for Virginia with my parents. I used my 12 pound weights more than last weeks bicep exercises and barely had to drop down to 8 pounds at all. For both types of lawnmowers I was also using 12 pounds and it is so exciting to see myself getting stronger. I burnt 450 calories during my work out, 100 of which I burnt during ARX alone!

After sitting in the car with my parents all day and feeling ansy, I went to the gym at our hotel in Virginia and ran for 40 minutes. I haven't run since starting P90x and it was great to see that I am still able to run for as long as I was before. I didn't bring my HRM so I don't know how many calories I burnt during my run but I am guestimating around 350.

Day 65: Plyometrics

Ahh the Friday night work out...for some reason when I work out on Friday nights after a long week, I actually push myself as hard as I possibly can. For plyometrics today, instead of repeating each set of exercises twice, I repeated each set 3 times (except for the last 1 with Hot Foot because I just plain old ran out of steam).

After 1 hour and 20 minutes of plyo I was sweaty and tired and I burnt 600 calories so I got to really eat well that night! I am off to Virginia tomorrow to see my sister-in-law Isabel in a play so I will be doing my work out tomorrow before I leave and then bringing my computer and DVDs with me for Sundays work out.

Day 64: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps X, Ab Ripper X

Today I reeeally brought it! I pushed myself hard during ARX first and did increased reps for pretty much every move and burned 100 calories during that portion of my work out alone! I also gave my all to the work out and did each move to my max and burned 516 calories total today. WAHOO! I can already tell that my triceps are going to be very, very sore tomorrow since I can barely lift my arms tonight.

Day 63: Rest/Stretch X

Today I am definitely not going to be stretching - instead I am going out to dinner with Scott to celebrate the completion of his first year of law school. Hooray for having my fiance back for the summer!

Day 62: Kenpo X

I woke up at 6:00am this morning to do Kenpo X before work since I have to get fitted for my engagement party dress tonight. I had a hard time getting out of bed, but once I did I really pushed myself and was sweating like crazy. I repeated the same segment as I did last time and used 3 pound weights whenever I could and I burnt 463 calories.

As of yesterday, I am officially switching from Weight Watchers to tracking calories via the Daily Plate. After plugging in my 19 points plus my 4.5 activity points from yesterday, it came to a net caloric intake in the low 800's. That is just not enough for how hard I am working my body and I have a feeling this is why my body is holding on to fat for dear life. The Daily Plate allows you to really see the kind of caloric deficit you are creating and helps to monitor your fat, carbs and protein intake too. I am going to try TDP out for a week and see how it goes! Hopefully it doesn't make me get fatter before the e-party!

Day 61: Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X

As usual, Legs and Back X was a great work out and I am sure that I will be feeling it tomorrow! I did ARX first, with music and adding more reps where I could, and I burned about 80 calories during those 20 minutes alone! Then I jumped right into Legs and Back X and really pushed myself, even though I wasn't feeling 100%. I used the 12 pound weights for calf raises this time to challenge myself and I had no problem there. It is great to see how much I can increase my weight on each of these work outs!

Overall I burnt 450 calories and I am pretty sure that this is still my favorite work out (even though I hate wall squates).

Day 60: Yoga X

As of today, I am officially 2/3 of the way done my first round of P90x - hooray! I had Scott take pictures of me this morning before my work out, and I will get them posted in a day or so, but I am feeling pretty disappointed with the changes in my stomach since I don't really see a difference there at all. My arms definitely look more toned, but I wish my stomach had less fat covering the muscles that I am working hard to build.

Today I did Cardio X again followed by the moving postures of Yoga X and yoga belly 7. I worked out for an hour and a half, but like this combo to up the intensity a bit. I burnt 500 calories in 1.5 hours, which is good since I am going to 2 bbqs today for Mother's Day and am going to give myself today as a cheat day to reward myself for making it this far in P90X.

Day 59: Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X

Woke up bright and early to get started on this work out and I was excited to use my brand new 12 pound weights for bicep exercises. I was doing most shoulder exercises with 10 pounds which I was excited about and used 8 pounds for triceps. The 12 pounders were definitely tough for me and after about 6 reps I had to down grade to the 10 pounds, but it still felt good to be able to use them, especially since I started with 8 pounds for biceps the first several times I did this work out.

I listened to music and did ARX without the video again - I find that it really allows me to push myself better this way and it makes it a little more fun too! Now I just need to keep my iTunes filled with good music and I will be ready to go.

Day 58: Plyometrics

After a long week, I was feeling a little tired before getting started but I really brought it anyway. I kept up well, paused a few times in order to keep my heart rate in the zone, and burned 500 calories by the time I finished. This work out is hard and not getting much easier no matter how many times I do it, but still one of my favorites!

Day 57: Chest and Back X, Ab Ripper X

Welcome to phase 3! It has been about a week since doing ARX and over a month since doing Chest and Back X so I was ready to bring it today. For ARX, I still did it without the video so I could add in extra reps and I played music while I worked out which made it more enjoyable for me - I will definitely continue to do that throughout the third phase.

For Chest and Back X, I have to say I was EXTREMELY proud of myself today. When I first started the work out, this was the very first video I did - I was using the purple band for modified pull ups (which is the easiest one) and could do MAYBE 8 girlie push ups if I really pushed myself. Today I was able to use the blue and hardest band for modified pull ups and for the push up series I started out doing about 5 regular push ups before going to my knees to do 15 more. I really am so proud of how far I have come in the past 2 months and this work out really showed me how much stronger I am then when I started. I can barely contain my excitement :o)

Also, I know it is lame but I ordered a P90X t-shirt today from the Beachbody website - I hope it fits!

Day 56: Rest/Stretch X

I have to admit, I did not stretch at all today...I just kind of forgot and I had some errands to run. I am having some pain the ball of my left foot but I am chosing to ignore it. I am reeeeeally looking forward to getting started on phase 3 tomorrow - this rest week was super boring for me.

Day 55: Yoga X

I had a horrible day today and just didn't feel ready to be calm and do yoga, so I started my work out with Cardio X to get out some of the frustration. After Cardio X I did the moving postures of Yoga X, bridge, table, yoga belly 7 and then some stretching of my own. I actually liked the combination of cardio and yoga and may try it in the upcoming weeks when I feel up to it. I burned 485 calories in 1 hour and a half and I felt a lot more relaxed after my work out.

One more rest day and on to phase 3! I will be taking pictures in just a few days and am looking forward to seeing the difference. I know my arms are a lot stronger than before but I still have some body fat that I am dying to get rid of.

Day 54: Rest/Stretch X

As I mentioned yesterday, I switched out my rest day so that I would not have to work out today. Today was a very, very sad day since I had to attend the funeral of Scott's cousin who was tragically killed by a courier on the street in NYC. Working out was the last thing on my mind and I didn't eat very well either, but today was about family and remembering someone that was taken from the world much too soon. I will be back to my work outs tomorrow and I am looking forward to it.

Day 53: Core Synergistics

Today was supposed to be the first of two rest days during recovery week, but since I will not be able to work out tomorrow I am switching todays rest day for tomorrows work out. Core was very hard for me again, but not quite as hard as last time. I paused the DVD a few times to keep my heart rate in my zone and this is really the only work out that I have had to do that in. I burned about 450 calories and I'm pretty glad that I got it over with!

Day 52: Kenpo X

I woke up early again on a Saturday to get my work out in, since our brand new cleaning lady is coming today and I wanted to be done before she got here at 10:00am. I repeated one whole section like I did last time and jogged in place during a quick phone call to keep my heart rate up. I used m 3 pounders again for a lot of the punching moves and my shoulders were definitely burning at several parts throughout the work out! I burnt 456 calories, which I am going to need because we are celebrating my brother's birthday tonight by ordering in some pizza/

Day 51: Core Synergistics

I was dreading this work out all week since last time it was so hard for me and it was just as hard this time! I felt like I might fall over or puke or both at a couple of points in this exercise, but I just paused it, brought my heart rate down and went right back at it. I am proud of myself for completing it and doing real push ups, instead of the girlie kind throughout the work out (except for staggered hand/stacked feet).

I burnt 434 calories and now I am officially exhausted. Best of all, I get to do this twice this week - oh boy, I can't wait!