One Week Down, Twelve to Go!

Today I entered my second week of P90X. The only DVD I really didn't like was the Kenpo X, which is like kickboxing. I can't say if it is not a good kickboxing DVD or if it just confirms that I don't like kickboxing! I recently aquired a Turbo Jam DVD, which is kickboxing-ish , and if I don't like that (won't try it unil after P90X) I will know I've given kickboxing the ol' college try and accept that it's just not for me. I actually stopped this one about 15 minutes in (I really liked the warmup) and did a 30 minute Leslie instead.

Last Thursday, I managed to do all 90 minutes of Yoga X without breaking it up, and I enjoyed that a lot. It was more like power yoga than any yoga I have done in the past, which admittedly is not much. My whole body was sore the next day as if I had done a full body weight workout. My back ached from my shoulders all the way down - definitely caused by spending so much time in downward dog pose! The first 45 minutes of this workout consists of moving postures - you go from one yoga pose to another without much time spent holding each pose; maybe four breaths spent in each one. Then about 5 or 10 minutes of balance postures. I was very pleased to see that I have improved my very bad balance since I first did yoga last year. Now I have moderately bad balance. Then 25 or 30 minutes of floor poses - stretching and ab stuff. My body felt great after doing this one!

On Friday was Legs and Back, which I was dreading because I generally hate squats, lunges and other traditional leg work. But the exercises in this one, while definitely squat and lunge variations, were different than others I have tried. They actually got into my bun muscles like they are supposed to do, but which they never actually did for me until this DVD. My good ol' glutes were sore for three days! The leg work is interspersed with pullups of various kinds, and I used the bands like I did in the chest and back program.

Yesterday was a rest day when X Stretch was optional. I did most of it close to midnight last night. It was a good hour long stretch workout, but since Tony has excellent warmup stretching, I had already done most of these stretches during the week. There were also more yoga stretches than I like - after doing 90 minutes just a few days before, I didn't want any more! I think I will probably use Debbie Siebers' Cool It Off stretch instead of this one. That disc come from the Slim Series, also produced by Beachbody. I don't have that whole set, but I do like the stretch a lot. It's also a full hour, and there are not many yoga type stretches in that one - just good old fashioned athletic stretches that get to muscles I didn't know I had!

You are supposed to keep track of your repetitions and the amount of weight you use in each exercise in each strength DVD, and I didn't do that last week - but I used the form today when I did Chest and Back for the second time. I did a total of 151 pushups (6 different kinds) with 40 of those on my toes. I still don't go very deep when I'm on my toes but I am trusting that each week I will be able to get my chest closer to the floor. I am pleased to say that my stomach no longer gets to the floor first when I am doing them on my knees. When I first started exercising that's really what happened!

This afternoon 8 year old Moppet 2 did the first round of Chest and Back himself - he can actually do 2 real pullups, where I can't do any yet! I am glad that at least one member of my family actually shares my interest in exercise.

Another member of my family, 10 month old Moppet 4, has an awful cold and basically has laryngitis...so he is standing here pulling on me, attempting to cry, - but he just sounds like a tiny little lamb three miles away. It is sweet and pathetic...enough to get me to end this here!