p90x End of Round 1 Measurements

Sunday marked the last day of my Round 1.  I'll be honest, it ended with a fizzle.  The workout wasn't a fizzle.  I did legs and back and it was an AMAZING workout.  I just feel like I didn't do as well as I should or could have during the last 30 days.  I know I got injured but I feel like I should/could have done more.

In any case here are the final results:

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Day	1	8	30	60	90	TOTAL LOST
Waist	41	38.5	36.5	35.25	36	5
Chest	43	43	42	41.5	42	1
Left Arm	14	13.5	13.5	13	13.5	0.5
Neck	n/a	13.5	13	13	13	0.5
Rib	n/a	35	34.5	35	34	1
Belly Button	n/a	42.5	40	37.25	38	4.5
Hip	n/a	46	45	43	46	0
Left Leg-Knee	n/a	19	18.5	19	18.75	0.25
Left Leg-Upper	n/a	26.25	25.75	25.75	26	0.25
						13

I'm overall pleased.  There's no denying that I got some results.  I'm not sure what happened to my hips between days 60 and 90.  Measuring is a little hard when you're doing it by yourself but maybe it was also just a fluke.


I ordered a new measuring tape that looks like this: 

It's supposed to help out when you're measuring by yourself.  I'm going to retake my measurements tonight (if it gets here in time) and use those numbers for round 2.   Hopefully it will be a little easier.  We'll see.

As for weight, according to the scale I gained 4.2 pounds.

According to my body fat % numbers:  I gained 4.5 pounds of lean mass and lost 0.3 pounds of fat. Not exactly what I wanted but it's better than gaining 4.2 pounds of fat!!

But please keep in mind those numbers were taken with a handheld body fat analyzer so while they're probably not crazy accurate at least I was getting a downward trend.

I start Round 2 today.  I'm having to modify it due to my arm but that just involves the strength training days.  I'm also switching back to the lean schedule (4 days cardio/2 days strength) for this round to make things easier on the old elbow.

This is Phase 1 of the lean schedule:

Weeks 1-3:

Day 1 – Core Synergistics
Day 2 – Cardio X
Day 3 – Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 - Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

Week 4:

Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Cardio X
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch


As for my modifications, so far I know I'll have to switch out Shoulders and Arms (obviously) most likely with another lower body strength workout (I have tons at home) or just do Legs and Back twice.  I'll also have to modify any move that doesn't look so good for my elbow (ie push-ups, planks, body bearing exercising using my arms) by substituting walking in place or jumping jacks etc.

I'm hoping by the end of this phase, I'll have some sort of progress on my elbow.  If I don't, I'm REALLY going to have to suck it up and go to the doctor.
Also, today I ordered Shakeology.  I've been debating doing this since I started the last round.  I keep reading reviews and I figured I might as well try it for myself.  It's a bit on the pricey side but I figure if it helps get me healthier then really it's worth the price.

Today's Menu:
B:  egg + ww english muffin + ham + goat cheese
S:  protein bar
L:  chicken and apple sausage + ww bun + kale salad + red peppers + cucumbers + dressing
D:  ??

p90x Week 12

I'm on week 12.  It doesn't feel like it.  I started it off yesterday with a great day of eating and a great workout.  I had to modify my workout greatly due to my injury BUT I managed to get in a few pushups.  I was so happy that I hadn't lost all my strength.

I also made a discovery last week.  Trying to do Insanity and p90x at the same time just wasn't happening.  It's too much.  So, I'm just replacing my p90x cardio with Insanity workouts this week.  Easy fix.

And my knees are ever so thankful.

Speaking of broken body parts.  I think I have self diagnosed myself.  I am pretty sure my elbow pain is tricep tendonitis.  No, I am not a doctor but I've read a lot about it and I have the symptoms.  I've also read up on the other 5 things it could be.  I'm not too worried about misdiagnosing myself because they all have the same treatment.  I was pretty excited to narrow it down.  Now, if the stupid thing would just hurry up and magically get better.  I have no patience.  It's a fact.  It IS getting ever so slightly better so that's good.

Since it's my last week of round #1 I'm going to level with you about this entire program.  Honestly, it was awesome.  I do not regret a single moment of any of it.  I finished workouts that I never thought I could do.  I gained strength, I gained confidence, and I gained some muscle.  Did I lose all the weight I wanted?  Nope.  In fact, I lost not a single scale pound (so far).  I did lose inches.  And just watching those measurements change over the weeks was extremely encouraging.  The last 30 days were rough and I didn't get out of it what I had intended but that was due to the twists and turns of life.  However, I managed to see the light at the end of the tunnel and keep up the fight.  I've always known strength training was important.  I've read the research on paper, but this is the first time I saw the results first hand.  In fact, I've never been a big fan of strength training.  I was always a cardio girl.  Now, I'm waiting with baited breath for my arm to get completely better so I can get right back into it hard core.  In fact, as soon as this week ends, I'm just going to keep on keeping on.

So, I guess that means Round #2 starts next Monday. 


Today's Menu:
B:  2 eggs + 1 slice ww toast + chicken and apple sausage +
S:  1/2 Protein Bar + Coffee
L:  Cottage Cheese + Apple
S:  1/2 Bagel + Almond Butter + 1/2 Protein Bar
D:  Zucchini + Eggplant + Tomato/Ground Turkey Sauce + WW Angel Hair

p90 Week 11 / Insanity Week 1

I had to put off my workouts for a few days due to a minor sickness but no big deal.  I began everything on Sunday and so far so good.

First, p90x:

Week 11:  This is proving to be a little trickier than I thought because of the elbow but I think it's just more due to my own frustration than anything.  It gets frustrating not being able to use an entire body part.  I'm doing 2 strength workouts this week: Shoulders and Arms and Legs and Back.  I know continuing as best I can is what is most important but my pride or whatever you want to call it is having an incredibly hard time not going full force.  It truly is a sheer act of will that I don't say "screw it" and just go full force.  Someone should totally applaud me for showing some restraint ;)  Honestly, I just want to get through this week and next.  I want to finish out p90x and post my results and bask in the glory of it all.  It won't be the way I had planned on finishing but by God, I'm going to FINISH!

Insanity:  I'm on day 3.  Wow.  It's incredibly difficult.  That's really all I can say about it.  My body hurts pretty bad today.  I'm actually thankful I did p90x first because I have a REALLY good base to start with.  Especially my legs.  They are much stronger due to p90x and I think that is incredibly important for Insanity due to all the jumping/jarring motions.  My bad knee was ever so slightly achy this morning due to last night's killer workout.  I can't imagine how bad it would have been if I had jumped right into this thing.  It's definitely doable but crazy difficult.  I'm both excited and scared to continue.  Excited because these are great workouts and sticking to them will probably definitely show results.  And I'm a little scared because the workouts are INTENSE and I don't want to injure myself.  I have to remind myself to modify when needed and take breaks when necessary.  Other than that I'm sure everything will be fine. 

Speaking of injuries, my elbow is slowly getting better.  I'm being very strict about stretching, icing and wrapping it after workouts and hopefully that is helping.  I did a few modified pushups last night during my Insanity workout and it ached so I immediately quit.  Thankfully when I woke up this morning there was no sign of pain.  I would give anything to have this thing get better.

Here's hoping it happens soon.


Today's menu:

B:  2 Eggs + English Muffin + Mozzarella Cheese + Tomato
L:  Salmon Sushi + CA Roll + Miso Soup + Salad
D:  probably Sirloin + Steamed Broccoli + Sweet Potato

p90x Lives!

My elbow is definitely getting better but very far from perfect.  I'm also pretty sure I'm out of the woods as far as needing a doctor is concerned.  Here's the thing, I know my elbow needs to rest but I've very agitated with the standing around waiting to see when it will be fully operational so I've decided to move on. 

Here is my 2-part plan:

First, today is my official first day of Insanity.  Hoorah!!! New program, new start which means new measurements and pictures will be taken this evening before my Fit Test!!!  9 weeks of hell lie before me.

Second, I'm going to finish p90x.  True, I can't do anything that involves my left elbow but I CAN workout my lower body AND my right arm.  This will severely limit my workout time and which workouts I can do so I figure I can try to handle both for the next 2 weeks so that I can finish weeks 11 and 12 thus completing p90x with my head held high.  There is a week 13 but it's a recovery week so I'll just do a week of Insanity and call it even.

I could not just sit by and watch my 10 hard weeks of p90x fall by the wayside.  I figure if I have good, working parts then I should be working them out!

So this week will be my week 11 which calls for:  Chest and Back, Shoulders and Arms, and Legs and Back.  I will only be doing Shoulders and Arms (right side only) and Legs and Back (no pull-ups).  Chest and Back is 99% push-ups and pull-ups which are definitely out. 



I've actually read several places that continuing to train unilaterally while injured actually helps.   I found this study.  Long story short, participants wore a cast on their non-dominant arm and continued to do strength training exercise with their free arm.  The findings showed that continuing to strength train the "free arm" reduced the loss in strength during the period of immobilization.

Thanks research!!

Today's Menu:

B:  2 eggs + coffee
S:  Turkey + Swiss Sandwich
L:  Chicken Breasts + Barley
D:  Maybe a Caprese Salad, maybe Spaghetti with Meat Sauce - Yes, I'm feeling Italian today!

p90x Week 11 = canceled

I did Insanity in lieu of p90x Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday due to my elbows.  I'm pleased to report that my right one will most likely be good to go in the next day or two.  However, it has become apparent my left one is going to take some time.  I tried to test it out last night.  I tried one push-up  during my workout and it wasn't happening.  I felt all kinds of pain.  I then tried bending my arm while resisting and while it wasn't as much pain I could definitely tell something wasn't right.

I'm pretty bummed out.  More so than I thought I would be.  I even thought about just pushing thru the pain and figuring it out later.  I know that's the worst idea ever but it was a little shocking to me how at the time I thought it was a GREAT idea.

I finished my workout but had to modify it to take out push-ups.  I held planks instead of push-ups which seemed to work ok, no pain there.  I immediately iced and took advil afterward and will continue to do so for at least the next 4 days.  I'm going to give it 7 full days of rest (meaning no p90x) then go from there.

Sigh.

I will continue this Insanity route until Sunday and then decide if a doctor needs to get involved.  Yuck.  Oh please, dear elbow, please get better.

Today's Menu:

B:  2 eggs + 1/2 WW English Muffin + Coffee
S:  Turkey Sandwich on lite whole wheat bread
L:  Fish + Rice + Veggies
S:  Yogurt
D:  Maybe some bruschetta and salad

Week 11 P90x

I can't believe I'm coming down to my final weeks.  Hopefully I'll be able to finish out my workouts strong because I had a little accident yesterday.  I fell down the steps in my apartment and decided to catch myself with my right elbow and hip.  They took quite the beating.  I had just started Chest and Back, got through the first exercise of push-ups, ran down my steps to get water and BOOM!  I fell.  Hard.  It hurt.

I grabbed an ice pack for my elbow and sat on the couch for a second debating whether or not to go back up and finish the workout.  It was nothing but push-ups and pull-ups and I knew I needed my elbow for both.  I waited a few minutes, went back upstairs, did one set of pull-ups then immediately stopped.  Wasn't happening.  So, I popped in an insanity workout and did that instead.  I'm glad I chose to stop the Chest and Back workout because during my insanity workout, my whole right arm decided to swell and become stiff.  It hurt to just bend.  I did some major icing, elevating and ibuprofen and it got a little better by the end of the day.

It's still sore and pretty bruised today so I'm putting off Chest and Back for at least another day and hitting the cardio hard.  I figure it's better to be safe than sorry.  I'm already having issues with my left elbow.  For the past week or so my left elbow has been very tender when I place it on hard surfaces.  I googled some stuff and saw a lot of "overuse injury" stuff but who knows what it really is.  Rest and ice are usually always a good bet so that's what I'm going to do to save both my elbows.

Apparently I'm falling apart.

Hopefully things will be right as rain by tomorrow.  It would be a shame to get this close to the final weeks and have to switch things up but I don't really mind.  I really enjoy these strength workouts and really feel like I'll be incorporating them into future workouts so I don't feel like I'm abandoning it.  I was going to do the Insanity program next anyway so if I have to start that early, no big deal.  Honestly, I have had too many times where I ignored minor injuries.  I wouldn't give them proper rest and sure enough, they became major injuries.  Totally not worth it. 


In other diet and exercise news I have come to the conclusion that my doctor is right.  I definitely need more cardio.  I used to hate weight lifting but now I LOVE it.  I love how strong I've gotten and I especially love how I can feel my muscles.  Unfortunately, I remembered recently why I didn't like it so much.  I get better physical results with cardio.  I'm a fortunate woman who actually builds muscle.  Quite a lot.  I know they say that women can't without steroids but that's not entirely true.  No, I don't look like a body builder but I definitely have more muscle than the average woman.  My mom is the same way.  The thing is, once I get the fat down, I just look really, really athletic.  Exactly how I want to look actually but cardio is the only thing that gets fat off for me.  This is one of the reasons why I'm excited to start Insanity.  I figure as long as I do my cardio and watch my calorie intake, then I'm going to have pretty amazing results.   Especially since I have all this glorious muscle now.

Today's Diet:

B:  scrambled eggs + whole wheat english muffin + coffee
S:  apple
L:  salad + thai chicken w/ rice noodles
S:  yogurt
D:  beef and broccoli + stir fry veggies

p90x Day 60 Results

I was wrong about my measurements:

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Day	1	8	18	26	60	TOTAL LOST
Waist	41"	38.5"	37.25"	36.5"	35.25"	5.75"
Chest	43"	43"	43"	42"	41.5"	1.5"
Left Arm	14"	13.5"	13.5"	13.5"	13"	1"
Neck	-	13.5"	13"	13"	13"	0.5"
Rib	-	35"	34.5"	34.5"	35"	0.0"
Belly Button	-	42.5"	42.5"	40"	37.25"	5.25"
Hip	-	46"	45.5"	45"	43	3"
Left Leg-Knee	-	19"	19.5"	18.5"	19"	0.0"
Left Leg-Upper	-	26.25"	25.25"	25.25"	25.75"	0.5"
						17.5"

I improved on more than chest and arms.  My waist and hip area went down nicely as well.  I honestly can't tell when I look at myself in the mirror.  I definitely feel stronger and can lift more and do pushups so I know I've gained muscle.  I also FEEL firmer in almost every area of my body but in full disclosure I see MINIMAL changes in the mirror.  Also, I have no change in pants size yet.  I find that very, very strange seeing as how in my waist area I've lost around 5 inches or so.  However, traditionally, I don't change pants sizes til I drop 20-25 pounds.  Seriously, one pant size for 20 pounds.  So I'm HOPING that's why.  I did put on a pair of "just out of the dryer" jeans this morning and they feel a little looser in the butt area.  Maybe that's something.

Anyway, not to take anything away from the work I've done, I must say these numbers are not too shabby.  And to put it in scale perspective, at 60 days I was also up 3 pounds from my beginning weight.

I have the feeling that as long as I continue there will be a breakthrough.  Maybe it just takes my body longer to adapt but whatever it is I'm not discouraged and am, in fact, excited to finish this round and begin a new one!

Well, here's to the last 30 days.  Who knows what will happen!!

Today's menu:

B:  1 egg + 1 egg white + bacon + ww english muffin + coffee
S:  string cheese x 2 + blackberries
L:  spring mix + roasted turkey + carrots + baby zucchini + cottage cheese + asiago dressing
D:  hhhmmmmm ......