Day 3--Shoulders & Arms/Ab Ripper X

I reallllllly did not want to work out today. I mean REALLLY did not want to.

But I did, and I'm proud of myself for it! I'm about to go "reward myself" with frozen yogurt from a new place that just opened up around here--Orange Tree. That stuff is great--completely nonfat, usually about 25 calories/oz and full of probiotic bacteria. Definitely not your old school TCBY!

Today was Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper X:

Shoulders & Arms

• I rocked this workout!
  

• Definitely the easiest workout of the three I've done so far.

• I need to invest is 8 lb and 12 lb weights--what I have isn't cutting it. Some exercises were far too easy for the weights I had.

• I don't really like the bands--they get in the way.

• I had to skip out on the tricep dips--they hurt my shoulders immediately. In the past, I would have pushed through the pain and probably hurt myself, but I've learned enough throughout the past year to know if I do, I'll be more likely to quit the whole program.
  

• I'm in mental competition with Dreya--in my mind she is the now known as "annoying blonde overachiever." Seriously--she is really annoying. She is just too dang perfect and Tony is all over her skipping around and proclaiming how amazing she is. Gag me.

• However, I was really happy that I did the same amount of weight as Dreya on one of the tricep moves without the constipated expression she had on her face. Take that, annoying blonde overachiever!

Ab Ripper X

Oh my freakin' gosh. This hurts. I probably did half the reps. I am going to be in major pain tomorrow. Thank goodness it is only twice a week!

Day 2--Cardio X

I have to say, I'm surprised how much I'm liking this! I thought I would be cursing my way through incredibly long videos, but so far, I'm able to do most of the moves (though I have to modify some and I don't make it through all of the reps) and it's almost...dare I say...fun?

Since I'm focusing on losing weight more than gaining muscle, I'm doing the lean version.

Day one was Core Synergistics--this workout was actually a lot of fun. I'm taking a Pilates class right now and I think having that background helps me engage the right muscles and get a little more out of the workout.

My back hurts like H-E-Double Hockey Sticks today, though.

Day two (today) was Cardio X. I was expecting something similar to an aerobics video--lots of jumping, spinning, stepping, and other crap. Instead, it was a combo of yoga, kenpo, plyo, and core. A lot of the moves were difficult, but definitely not all high-impact (which has been a major problem for me in the past). Plus, some of the moves were downright fun (the free throws). I really like the Dreyarolls too--but I don't recommend doing them in a sports bra on bare carpet...

All in all--it went by incredibly quickly and I was sweating pretty hard by the end--definitely a good workout.

As far as the food part of it all goes--I'm kind of flying blind. I don't have access to the food guide, so for now I'm cutting out all processed food and focusing on a high-protein diet of lean meat, vegetables, and minimal carbs. I bought a couple different protein bars to try out and I've been drinking a whey based protein shake after each workout. Both the bars and the protein shakes are pretty good!

Getting rid of sweets is going to be hard. I fell off the wagon today and indulged in cookies (darn you Allison!) and some chocolate. And I'm trying to decide whether or not nonfat chai tea lattes are acceptible. But tomorrow is a new day...

Day 1--Here we go!

Let's cut to the chase--here is the reason I'm doing this:

 

I'm getting hitched on June 12th, 2010...and I want to look good!

I've got the dress--yup that's me in it above--and I have to get it altered by March. I've been engaged for 1.5ish years and from the time the ring was on my finger, I knew I should be getting my booty in gear. In fact, that has been my goal for years--before Mr. Bridezilla was a part of my life.

However, this was the first time I've ever had a set deadline...and it got me moving...but not quite enough. Here's the stats:

--Joined Weight Watchers three times--third time was NOT the charm.

--Lost 15 pounds

--Gained 15 pounds back

--Worked up to running a 5k from barely being able to jog a mile

--Worked up to competing in sprint-distance triathlons

--Tried Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred twice--more on that later

So, while I've certainly attained a much higher level of fitness, I still weigh the same amount I did 1.5ish years ago, and unfortunately, I'm pretty much the same size.

So why P90x? There's a variety of reasons (the main being that I had access to the DVDs for free) that I will get into later. But the bottom line is consistency--I need something that will get me moving every day and keep me motivated along the way. Hopefully, this will be it!