DAY THIRTY SEVEN

37? Already?

We're getting high in the numbers now... 37. Pretty impressive. And I'm still enjoying it... I'm writing today RIGHT after my Plyo workout because my computer is still having difficulties connecting to my airport (wireless). I shouldn't have brought it to the coffee shop...

Anyway, today's plyo was ON. I brought it. For sure! The amount a sweat running off my hair still is a good indication.

Alright - off to the shower we go.

DAY THIRTYSIX

Tri harder...

Ha! This just made me think of B1X when he was finishing high school and one of the first in our area to jump on to the triathlon bandwagon... I was his trainer. :) And everything became a "tri" something...

Today was chest, back and triceps. Man. I can do push-ups. No doubts. I am still doing modified ones, but I want to make sure I'm getting through every set. Next Monday will be time to step it up...

I could definitely feel where I worked out later in the day. My shoulders were reminding me of what I'd done...

But all in all...it feels good.

DAY THIRTYFIVE

Best intentions...

I totally thought I would work in StretchyX today...but no. I even gave it some thought to do it before I went to bed, but I got caught up in an arts and crafts project and now I'm rushing to get to bed...

I was worried I had wrecked my computer...I went to a coffee shop with a friend today and the internet connection was all screwy. Then I got home and tried to connect to do my post, and it was timing out on me... But alas, everything seems fine now. Thank goodness!

So, tomorrow starts my next week. I LOVE the fact that I just completed a full week without any hiccups or ailments! Let's have another one like this!

Bring it.

DAY THIRTYFOUR

KenpoX

This morning I slept in a little bit - but still managed to do Kenpo before I started my busy morning. Even on the weekends - I like doing my workout first thing. I'm a changed woman.

I did really well at Kenpo today. I know that I can say that with a lot of confidence since I was the only one there to evaluate my performance, but from all my sightlines - I was kicking pretty high consistently. I'm getting much better at the punches/jabs/blocks now that I am more confident in the routine and moves. Good times.

I really deserved and enjoyed my nap later in the afternoon...

DAY THIRTYTHREE

Hit my hand! Hit my hand!

Slowly, you will all feel like you know Tony (good ol' Tony) like I do... One of the "themes" woven through different videos is Tony yelling out "Hit my hand!" or in one video - "Don't hit my hand!"

All day long I have had Tony yelling that replaying in my head - over and over - like "Tom's diner" by what's her name... Suzanne Vega?? Yes...I just checked my work, the folks at Wikipedia agree... Interestingly enough - Tom's Diner is actually the SAME diner that they dubbed as "Monk's Diner" in Seinfeld...What?? How crazy is that?

Anyway - my legs and back work out really worked me. I had pretty stiff legs this afternoon. And then...I decided to go for the first bike ride of the year with my sister... It totally reminded me of every muscle I worked this morning...

DAY THIRTYTWO

Ommmmmmmmmm

This morning was Yoga day. It was a good session. I was really proud of myself - I did all the extra push-ups in the vinyahsas.

At the end of the video, Tony (good ol' Tony) does "oms". After we've finished the cool down we end by doing a short meditative chant - om. This guy is SO impressive! He can hold one note for SOOO long! I am amazed. I used to sing a lot and I had pretty good breath capacity. But now, it takes two breaths at least to get through one of his. I guess I have a new goal... See, there are somethings I'd like to be more like Tony at.

I would like to extend a public congratulations to my brother, B2X. He has reached some major milestones in the Yoga workout. He can now do everything without the assistance of a yoga block - and - he can add a yoga block past his feet when doing his hamstring stretches. Very impressive. I'm proud of him!!

DAY THIRTYONE

Do you have a ticket?

At the end of the Back and Bicep workout - which I rocked this morning with my resistance bands - Tony (good ol' Tony) asked me (yes, I'm the only viewer) if I had a ticket - a ticket to the show... And then in the most tacky way - flexes his biceps and says "The iron show" or something like that. Ladies and gentlemen, there have been moments of eye-rollingness through this - but that takes the cake. No wonder this video isn't until Phase 2. If it was in Phase 1, people wouldn't have taken Tony, the fearless leader, seriously.

Luckily enough, I'm in Phase 2, and I feel like I know the guy. I know that we could never live together. He is way to anal and over organized. He has this vision of perfection that he views the world through and probably spends more on beauty products than I do in a year. And, he's super competitive. But, I respect him for all these things, because I know it's totally not me and I'll never be able to live that life. Go for it Tony.

Anyway - the video was good. I did it with resistance bands because I don't have heavy enough weights. That was alright for today, but I think I'm going to have to get at least 12lbs in weights. I want the challenge, and I find with the bands, it's too easy to let up with your personal resistance... I had put the hardest band through the stair railing for my pull-ups, but that would have been the better band to use today. Maybe next week I'll switch it up.

In other, non-related news, something quite wonderful happened today. I guessed the final Jeopardy answer knowing only the category. Authors. As soon as I saw it, I guessed Lewis Carroll and I was right. Hello??? Before it even came back from commercial, I guessed the correct response. Genius.

P90X is making me smarter. You heard it here first.

P.S. By reading that link on Wikipedia - or at least skimming it - I learned that Lewis Carroll invented Scrabble! Nix, B2X - are you reading this??

DAY THIRTY

Plyo baby

Although there are still a couple of things I don't like in the Plyometrix workout - overall - it's a favourite.

I'll tell you this though - I'm already feeling it in my gluteus maximus

I was just about to go to bed when I realized I hadn't done my research yet - since this is a new phase, the workouts are different. So, I need to figure out what I'm doing tomorrow. If I don't look it up now, it will just be one more valid reason to stay in my warm bed for an extra 90 minutes...Very valid reason. I feel like I'm relearning how to get up early. I am trying to make better choices this time. Like going to bed earlier. The thing that sucks is that as I'm writing this - time is ticking by. When I should be sleeping... But first - I MUST look up my workout. Actually, B2X is online. Maybe he'll just tell me the answer...

DAY TWENTYNINE

Day 1 of Phase 2. Bring it.

So, after my series of illnesses, I am now totally ready to bring it for the second phase, along with a promise to myself that I'll get more sleep.

This morning it was Chest, shoulders and biceps/triceps. I thought that knowing 10 types of push-ups was enough...well, now that I know another 15, I feel like I'm just beginning... Ha! I can't believe how many different variations there are! There wasn't a single variety in today's video that was in the back video during the first phase. Outrageous.

The first time through a video is a trial and error deal. I learned a couple of small things today that I'll hopefully remember next week. And, it was a little challenging getting back into all the strength moves, but I'm ready. Bring it.

DAY TWENTYEIGHT

..........

You couldn't really expect us to be able to keep it up for 3 days in a row and still keep a house of 12 organized, did you?

We didn't workout, but we did get to spend a great day with the fam.

DAY TWENTYSEVEN

What was that? An earthquake? Is someone hitting the house with a wrecking ball? ...

These were some of the comments we heard once the troops got up on Saturday morning. Along with B1X and B2X visiting - so were the rest of the fam. There were 12 of us in total here over the weekend. And 9 of them were warmly woken to the house shaking... Apparently when one person is working out in the living room it's no big deal, but add two other peeps and that's it...earthquakes.

Regardless of them and how they were woken. We had a great time doing Core. Ok, "great" isn't really the term I would have used while I was actually in the midst of the video... There are some REALLY hard moves in there! It was a very challenging workout. And since it was the first time I was doing it, it was difficult to keep up with. I think my favourite part was when we kept having to move a piece of furniture out of the living room about every 3 or 4 exercises because we didn't have enough room... We had to move a whole couch out! But, since we're super strong now, it was a cinch to move it out and back in. At one point in the video, Tony, the lead guy, says you can use a couch if your weight isn't challenging enough - I thought for a sec that B2X was going to take Tony up on his offer...

Once again - super enjoyable to have the brothers there to workout with!

DAY TWENTYSIX

Dreams do come true...

B1X, B2X and I all got up just after 5 this morning and did YogaX. Together. In the living room of The Fortress. It was AWESOME. B2X commented that it goes a lot faster when there are other people in the room. I felt it was more challenging because each move had to meet the standards of the brothersX. Now, that being said, they don't really have standards, nor did they have any expectations, but obviously, I doubt I would have gotten away with sitting through the whole thing... It was a great time though. I really enjoyed doing it with them. Tomorrow morning - Core SynergistiX. This is the one I missed earlier this week when I was still recuperating. I'm looking forward to trying it.

DAY TWENTYFIVE

...oops...

Yesterday, I figured I'd do Stretchy X after I got home from work... But with four extra people in the house, it was way too exciting... I have a hard time working out when I feel I could be missing out on something... Lesson learned.

That being said - I know that B1X AND B2X didn't do the video either. I feel better knowing that.

DAY TWENTYFOUR

What's going on??

My routine has been completely wrecked.

I missed today too.

That being said - I don't know if I'm ready for a full cardio session (KenpoX). Tomorrow I'll do my stretch video. No matter what, by the start of Phase 2 on Monday, I'll be set to jet.

Honest.

DAY TWENTYTHREE

My first cop out

This was the first time I could have worked out and I didn't. But - I have a very good reason...

B1X is coming to visit. And, since I was sick all weekend, I wasn't able to clean for his arrival. I'm still recovering from this cold, so getting up in the mornings is very hard. I just want to savour all the sleep I can!

I returned home after going to see the homeopath and then attending a meeting for an event I'm helping plan to clean, and I wasn't able to squeeze in a workout too.

Sorry.

DAY TWENTYTWO

Welcome to Recovery Week!

(Convenient, right?)

I finally did a video again! YogaX. This is the first time I've done a video after work. But there was NO way I was sacrificing precious sleep time this morning.

It was funny - I decided to do the video in my room, since you only need enough room for a mat to do the entire video - so I was using my iBook, unplugged. When I started it said I had over 2 hours of power. But, I guess when you're running a full screen video, it's not really 2 hours... I was on like the second last move and the power ran out. I was laughing.

And - the second funny thing - the whole time I was working out - my nose wasn't stuffed or runny... It was really strange. So, now that I'm sitting in bed, getting ready to go to bed - I'm thinking that I should do yoga again so my right nostril clears...

OK, off to my fitful sleep after my YogaX experience! I'm planning on waking up cured.

DAY TWENTYONE

.....and the illness continues....

It has barely let up at all. I feel just as bad as yesterday. Thankfully enough it's Stretchy X day - which means I can do the stretch video or just have a rest day. So, I'm calling this a rest day. Wahoo.

DAY TWENTY

.........still sick.........

My throat is still SOOO sore. And my head hurts. I'm not even trying to do this today. Kenpo No.

DAY NINETEEN

Cured...?

Not a chance. I did make it to work, only because I knew I'd have WAY too much of a backlog if I didn't. In my mind, I figured I'd only stay for half a day, but I made it through the whole thing.

The big question is - did I manage to workout today? Nope. Sorry. I stayed in bed as long as I could this morning. I didn't even shower. Gross. I know, right? (I can envision B2X reading this and nodding his head to that - but with pride and respect.)

My throat is a little less sore. Like 5% less. I am going to bed and hoping, once again, to wake up cured.

Please.

DAY EIGHTEEN

Yoga no-go

Yesterday morning was rough! My throat was SOOO sore. So, I stayed in bed. It's as simple as that. Well, in true "me" fashion - I got dressed, put the video in, started Yoga, paused Yoga to go take my morning installment of supplements - and assessed that I was too sick to be up and that having an extra 90 mins of sleep would do me good. So, I went back to bed. Where my sister found me propped up - and sleeping three hours later... I stayed home from work and slept another hour and a half. Got up, watched some TV, ate some soup. And then got cleaned up for my best friend to visit. Good times. After which, I watched one hour of television before going to bed. It was an uneventful day. But I was VERY hopeful I'd wake and find myself cured. Completely.

DAY SEVENTEEN

Shoulders and arms - oh my!

I am still keeping this virus at bay. I will not surrender. But, this also means, it's 8:22pm and I'm ready to go to bed. ;) Life of the party, I know.

I really challenged myself this morning with the shoulders and arms workout. The last time I did it with my 5lbs hand weights, but today I used my two resistance bands. Wow. It really upped the ante. I can't wait until I get new hand weights, then I'll be able to track my progress even better.

My arms and shoulders are already stiffening up. Hopefully they're not too bad tomorrow when I'm doing Yoga.

OK, I'm really going to bed.

DAY SIXTEEN

Plyometrix

With the time change, I'm not up at the crack of dawn - I beat dawn by an hour!

This morning seemed extra early. I know, it's no earlier than any other wake up, but I was exhausted. Still, I was working out by 5:15, jumping my little heart out.

I did tons of jumping. I was like a little frog. There are still a couple of moves that I'm working on. I get a little light-headed in the exercises that make you change direction over and over. And, I don't think I'm ever going to be a rock star. They make you do "rock star jumps" at the end - jump straight up, with your feet going to your butt and doing a big arm circle strum on an air guitar. Over and over. Yeah, I am not a star. Maybe next week.

I saw my homeopath this morning again - and by the time I arrived there, I knew why it was so hard for me to get up this morning - I am coming down with something. My throat is a little sore and I'm really tired. So, my homeopath hooked me up with some immune boosters and I had a nap when I got home. Hopefully tomorrow I feel much better, I'm not stopping my program again, so my body better catch up... ;)

DAY FIFTEEN

Chest and back

Ta da!!! I made it to week three. Ha! It was made a little bit "easier" with my health issues last week, but nonetheless, here I am.

I totally brought it this morning. I picked up some push-up stands a couple weekends ago, and this was my first time using them. Wow. They make a BIG difference - the range you can get is huge. And I'm still doing modified push-ups (from my knees).

There are "decline" push-ups in the workout. You put your feet on a chair and then do your push-ups. They are HARD. So, I quickly learned that the more of my leg I placed on the chair (I was actually using the couch) the easier it became. Even then - they are still hard.

Then there are these other ones "dive bomber" push-ups that are EVEN HARDER. I know, right? You didn't think it could get worse from even doing standard push-ups... Anyway, these ones, you have wide arms AND wide legs and you start with your butt in the air, and then go low towards the ground like you're trying to get under a fence... and then you push yourself back up... The whole thing is like you're in a smooth motion getting under a fence, and then coming back through... Tom Cruise probably used this move in Mission Impossible... H.A.R.D. When I am totally rockin' them, I'll be sure to share. But for right now, I was impressed that I finished 10 of them this morning!

With Daylight Savings Time coming in effect yesterday, I am really feeling it today. It will be an early night tonight, boys and girls. And tomorrow will be an even earlier session so I can visit my homeopath before work!

DAY FOURTEEN

The day of rest...

Today I could have done Stretchy X - however - it's like eating eggs... since it was the last thing I ate before my "attack" last week, I was very nervous consuming it for the first time yesterday... Well, Stretchy X was the last session I had, so I had the same feeling of nervousness, compiled with the fact that I chose to do a fast from Saturday to Sunday, I skipped it and just had a day of rest.

Yes, in all this craziness, I decided to join my mom and do a fast. I figured my body wouldn't mind having 24 hours off from processing anything, after all it's been through this week. She and her church have been having a rough time getting their new building completed, so they were having a fast and prayer vigil. So, I joined in. I didn't stay up all night, I didn't even consider it. But, I did think about their church building a fair bit and how all projects can get way off track. Sometimes it makes me wonder why we bother with project management, when I don't think I've ever had a project plan that has been followed perfectly... I hate project plans. I have things organized in my head and I just want to get it done. Following up on all these plans just seems to get in my way... One day this will either be my downfall or my natural genius. We'll have to see who wins.

Tomorrow morning is the start to week 3! There are 4 weeks in each phase. So, I'm half way done my first phase. Yay! Tomorrow morning I also weigh myself. After my lack of eating all week, I don't even think I'll be able to muster a chuckle if I've gained...

DAY THIRTEEN

KENPO X

This morning I had the pleasure of doing KenpoX with BX2. Good times. It was fun being home and doing the video with him. Especially when he has a broken toe... Well, we think it's broken. In the very least, it's super bruised and swollen. We were talking about the "natural" amount of force that we exert when doing regular things - like walking into a room. He was walking into a living room and misjudged how much space he had and slammed three toes into the doorway. Poor guy.

This was my first cardio session since my "episode" and it was all good. It seems like I'm really returning to normal. Thank goodness!

A lot of sweat was shed this morning. B2X and I were born with the extra sweat genes from our dad's side of the family. Good times. It's so funny to see both of us mopping up all this sweat.

We finally did our "before" shots today. We can't wait for these pictures to be a great demonstration of how far we've come. ;)

DAY TWELVE

LEGS & BACK

Yay! I'm back in the game. And yes, I brought it! I did the entire legs & back workout, but I did cut myself some slack in Ab Ripper X. Really though - it has "ripper" in the title... even on a good day, it's freaking hard.

It makes such a difference to know how to work the DVD player. I'm SO glad I didn't have to re-do a workout.

I am feeling a lot better. I'm probably an 8/10. Much better than Sunday's 1/10 rating! Phew!!!

It's a delicate science though, taking all of my homeopathic remedies at the right times... I had to go take my tonic between Legs and ARX in order to have it 30 mins before my recovery drink...

X baby.

DAY ELEVEN

Tomorrow...?

This morning I didn't do Yoga. I was really tired. Taking a day and half of work really set me back, so I had brought work home last night and it was also LOST night... Anyway, I think I'm ready to BRING IT again.

After work tonight I did do a Body Flow class to get me warmed up. It was good to stretch everything.

So, it will be an early night in preparation of my big return. Brace yourself.

DAY TEN

....missed again....

Each morning this week, I've woken up, got my gear on and attempted the warm-up. The first day, I did the warm-up with the video and then decided I wasn't ready to do the workout. Yesterday and today, I get my gear on, do the first couple of moves of the warm-up - assess my pain level and then go back to bed. Hopefully tomorrow, I'll get up, do the warm-up moves and head downstairs to do Yoga. This should be the one out of the whole week that I'll be able to do.

My chest still has pain after I swallow or eat something. And, currently, laying 1/2 propped up in my bed, also not helpful. I went to see a homeopathic doctor today, she did muscle testing on me. It was pretty cool. I had read about it before, but didn't know how it could really be used in action. Now I do... She had me lay down and put my right arm up (just my forearm up in the air, elbow to shoulder on the bed) and then she asked a series of questions (in her head) and by the resistance my arm provided, she received a yes or no response. (You can read about this in the book, Power vs. Force). So, from this assessment she learned that there's a battle going on between my pancreas and my gall bladder. At times only the secretions from my pancreas are able to get through, and other times only the secretions from my gall bladder... These are causing my stomach to be unsettled - and at times - violently ill. So, she gave me a whole slew of things for me to try out and we'll go from there. I start my remedy tomorrow.

I also told her about this program and about how I am on track to lose 60lbs. And she then told me about the weight loss program she runs. It's based totally on each person's body and looking after the 7 metabolism systems in the body. Ideally, you get all of these on track, and your body will maintain your weight for you... Similarly to those out there who don't really have to watch what they eat. Hello? Nirvana? What? I told her that I would continue with P90X and the diet I got from "The Last 15" by Dr. Joey Shulman, and if I get stuck, I'll definitely come to see her. I gotta give what I started a decent try. Definitely something to keep in mind though. I know of at least one other friend who is having success from the diet her homeopath (or naturopath) set up for her. So, the option is there...

DAY NINE

No X for me today.

I am still really sore. I am surprised that I am this sore. Since I started getting flushed this afternoon, I decided to go to the Urgent Care centre at the hospital. After giving blood, doing an ECG, going for a chest X-ray and happily contributing a urine sample, the nice doctor told me that my results were "pristine." So, don't worry, I'm not dying. But we still don't really know where my pain is coming from. Apparently I'd need an ultrasound to really know. So, in the meantime, I've decided to see a homeopath tomorrow. It will be interesting to hear what she has to say. And what her diagnosis is.

So, I missed PlyometriX this morning. One of my favourites of the week. :( I'll REALLY enjoy it next week!

DAY EIGHT

Chest & back

Ok - after Day Seven - you must be curious about my current state.

I am feeling better - but I am terribly sore across my abdomen and back. I got up to start my video at 5:30 this morning and started the warm-up. I couldn't do the warm-up, my stomach was too tender. So, I didn't even bother trying the rest of the video. I just shut it down and went back to bed. I even decided to stay home from work today because of it.

Yes, I am going to seek out a medical opinion.

So, if by the evening I'm feeling better, I'll do the chest & back video. But otherwise, I'll just really bring it to PlyometriX tomorrow.

DAY SEVEN

Stretchy X

This is MUCH easier than the other videos - but it still wasn't the cake walk I was expecting.

I slept in until 8:30 and then did Stretchy X. Then I deviated from my usual breakfast (smoothie) and I had an egg white omelet (with some light cheddar inside) and dry toast along with my usual green tea. I tucked myself into the couch to get caught up on all my PVR shows and after the first episode of Ugly Betty, I began to feel a tightness in my upper abdomen. I had a very similar feeling last month. And, this feeling followed the same path as the last time... It got tighter and tighter until I started vomiting - only to get even stronger after that. It ended up being just over an hour of super pain (9/10 on a pain scale) and then slowly it ebbed off over the next four hours. It was not nice.

So, it's a good thing I did my workout as soon as I got up, I never would have done it after this big event.