I don't wear jeans, but I bought these at the thrift store to serve as my fitness gauge since I don't weigh myself, either. They are a size 8, according to the price tag, but there is no tag inside the jeans so the tag could have been lying...but they are pretty small. They fit me. I can't remember if I have ever worn a size 8 in my life, and in fact I would be perfectly happy to remain a size 8. But they could definitely fit and look better, and seeing how they do fit and look each week will tell me what's happening from the waist down. I am already seeing very good results in my upper back, and my whole back from the shoulders down is actually my target area, so I am happy ;-)
Next week is week 4, the first "recovery week" in P90X. I don't know why they call it a recovery week, since it still has 6 days of workouts, one of which looks very tough. It is called Core Synergistics and has all kinds of scary looking exercises for your entire core area, which includes your mid to lower back, which I hate to work...it's really hard! I hate even a simple back extension exercise. And I have to do that DVD twice! Then I have to do Yoga X twice! ACK! I am also supposed to do Kenpo twice, but since I removed it from the rotation I will either do Leslie on those days or take two extra days off, except for my evening 2 mile+ walk. I think I may need 3 days off before I barrel into week 5.
What I have found really interesting about working out is that you'd think the exercises would get easier as you become accustomed to them, but that is not always the case. It's true that after a while you will need to pick up a heavier weight to keep certain exercises challenging, but some exercises are so much about form that you actually feel them more as you become more proficient. The various forms of squats and lunges have been that way for me. I am a lot more sore after doing Legs and Back yesterday than I was in either of the previous weeks, and I think that is because I am finally using the right muscles because I am getting the form down.
I had noticed this same thing before I started P90x, with the various barre workouts. The movements in those are very small and various exercises can almost look the same if you are looking at them being performed, but there are small changes in how you position the body that shift the work from, for example, one of the gluteal or buns muscles to another. It's the same with pushups and pullups, as I have learned from Tony. Just a minor change in how you place your hands relative to your shoulders and chest (in pushups), and small changes in the width of your arms or the facing position of your hands (in pullups) shift the focus of the work.
I first thought of becoming a personal trainer when I realized that I was actually INTERESTED in which muscles were working when I did various exercises! After I make it through this P90X rotation I am going to send away for the materials and start studying. I'm sure it will take me quite some time, and I am still not sure how I would like to go about the whole thing. I would really like to simply get women (especially women at home with children, like myself) started in exercise and then introduce them to the wonderful world of fitness DVDs. I don't know if anyone does anything like that, and I think I may just start something eclectic and odd - we'll just have to see.
Right now I am so tired the thought of studying anything or ever picking up another weight is not appealing! The Moppets seem to have picked up yet another cold and I'm going to get to bed befor it get really late, as Moppet 4 especially does not sleep well when he is ill, and I expect to be up a lot.
Good night!
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