Day 3: Shoulders/Arms

OMG YES.

I got through shoulders and arms pretty well. I can't pull as much weight as I thought, but no worries, I'll increase it over time. I used 15s for the fewer rep exercises and 10s for straight arm lifts and the sets of 16s. I definitely felt a burn so I now I'm in the right place, even if it's a tiny amount of weight for my tiny little arms!

Ab ripper! I figured out all the moves. The ones that didn't make sense started to work and I got at least 15 reps on each thing. I felt a good ab burn on everything, yessssss! On many I got 20-25, so I'm pleased. I just sucked it up and kept going. Woo hoo!

Still getting used to the taste of this recovery drink. At least I'm having burgers later :D See you around.

Food:
Breakfast: 3/4 c eggbeaters, 1 cup strawberries
Lunch: 6 oz chicken, 1 c raw carrots, 1 string cheese
Snack 1: 1 cup cottage cheese
Snack 2: CLIF builder bar before/recovery drink after
dinner: 2 3oz burgers in 2 toasted whole wheat english muffins, 1 tbsp mustard, 1 cup cooked green beans
later: 1 cup 0% greek yogurt, red zinger tea

Day 2: Plyo!

So I JUST finished plyo and I'm sipping on my recovery drink.

HOLY CRAP THAT WAS HARD, but I ROCKED it. Cardio (and jumping--woo former varsity volleyball!) is my forte, so I actually got through it all without a problem. I love the way you feel after cardio! None of this lactic acid torn muscle burning that everyone seems to dig.

However, I KNOW I'll be feeling a burn in my upper legs and quads after all those jumps and squats!

So 1 plyo down... next up: Shoulder & Arms, AB Ripper X. Let's hope my muscles can recover at least a LITTLE before then!

today's menu:
breakfast: 3/4 c eggbeaters, 1 cup cantaloupe
snack 1: 1 cup cottage cheese
lunch: 6 oz baked chicken, 1 cup raw carrots, 1 string cheese
snack 2: protein bar an hour before the workout, recovery drink right after
dinner: 3 oz ham, 1/3 cup whey, 1 cup whole wheat couscous, 1 cup cooked green beans
after rehearsal: 1 cup skim milk

More day 1 reflections.

Well, I made it through the concert. Chest and back is sore but my abs aren't--I really think I was doing it wrong! My sister's coming down this weekend so I'll have her check it out. And who knows? Maybe it'll burn tomorrow. We'll see. Here's some ramblings:

So I'm encouraged/discouraged. I know what to do now--don't overdo it in the first half. I was TOTALLY WIPED when unbeknownst to me, we were doing it all over again! I did discover that 15 pounds is also a little on the light side--the lifting portions were the easiest by FAR. I'm really baffled by how you get low on diamond pushups.

I guess I'm used to videos where you do easy little workouts in exactly the number of reps that they prescribe. I was upset at first when I wasn't getting 35 deep military pushups, but I'm really not expected to right now.

Plyo tomorrow, woo hoo!

Nutrition:

breakfast: 3/4c eggbeaters, 1/2 c cottage cheese
meal 2: 3oz chicken, 1/3c whey, 1 c raw carrots, 1/2 c cottage cheese
meal 3: 3oz chicken, 1/3 c whey, 1 c cooked green beans, 2 slices wheat berry bread, 1 string cheese
meal 4: protein bar/recovery drink
meal 5: 1 c yogurt, 1c cantaloupe, 1 tsp honey

OMG!

I can't move at alllllllllllllll.

I just finished chest and back. I think I was doing the pullups wrong because I tried to put a band around the pullup bar. Halfway through I paused the dvd and threw the resistance band door thing on and pulled the resistance band instead, which explains the random increase in numbers for pullups.

When I switched to ab ripper x, I was so wasted that I was shrieking in pain trying to do a lot of the workouts. They kept doing 25--I kept doing 10. I was fine with the in-outs and a few others, but there were some where it felt physically impossible to imitate what they were doing, for example, the one where you lift your arm and legs while your body is to the side. HOW DO YOU DO THAT?!

Well, at least I kept going. I'm totally wiped and I hope this recovery drink will fix me up a little before I have to hold up a music folder for 2 hours tonight.

Anyway, I'll update this later with my numbers.

Day 1 photos

Here they are! Prepare to bask at my skinny white glory:



And of course it's the obligatory flexing one. Let's hope this looks less stupid in days to come.

I've already had 95 grams of protein today and I only had 2 meals so far! That's ridiculous.

Anyway, time to go do my first workout. I'll let you know how it goes.

Almost time to bring it!

Got my powerblocks! 316 dollars poorer, but they're beautiful and they'll serve me well!

On the final grocery store run I did manage to find huge containers of 0% greek yogurt which rules! I'm stocked to the gills and ready to go.

Now all I have to do is press play! See you on the other side.

(By the way, stay tuned for day 1 pics tomorrow :D)

Just for fun...

Today's food list will be skewed because I'm finishing all the cookies from last week's cookie exchange and a raft of diet coke in my house, but otherwise it's pretty normal fare for me. I thought I'd list a before list as far as food for a comparison later.

Breakfast:
2 whole eggs
1 low-cal string cheese
1 chocolate chip cookie
1/2 d'ann cookie
1 diet coke

10am snack:
1 low-cal string cheese
1/2 plain bagel with cream cheese

Lunch:
1 cup mezze penne with bolognese sauce (I think she added sausage AND ground beef. This tasted fatty. Oh Laura's grandmother! <3)
1 cup raw carrots
1 diet coke

I have a 4oz low-cal yogurt, 1 medium apple, and 1/2 sundried tomato bagel half with cream cheese for snack 2. Dinner tonight is up to Tom so we'll see.

I'll update when it's all in. The carbs to proteins situation is better than I expected, actually!

Good news: the tax return came today! I'm going to go buy my powerblocks this weekend!

Protein bar recipes

I was perusing many recipes for homemade protein bars and this one seemed to have very good nutritionals so I thought I'd share. I double-checked them and found that the nutrition info was different than what was listed on the recipe. These are the most accurate as far as I can tell.

The nutrition breakdown:
EACH (1/6) SERVING
248.7 calories
6.5g fat
54.8mg cholesterol
132.7mg sodium
24g carbohydrates
3g sugar
3.5g fiber
24.7g protein

1 Packet Instant Sugar Free Vanilla Pudding (Or chocolate)
1 C. Oatmeal (like Quaker 1-minute)
2 Tbsp. Natural PB
5 Scoops Vanilla Whey (Or chocolate)
3/5-4/5 C. Skim Milk

Mix the dry ingredients together then add the PB. Mix it as much as you can with just the peanut butter. It should end up as a dry mixture with an even distribution of the peanut butter. Slowly add the milk (1/5 cup at a time) until you get a moist mixture. How moist you let it get will depend on how you plan on finishing it somewhere between 3/5 and 4/5 is the sweet spot.

Refrigerate / freeze these and cut and eat them that way.

As some may know, I'm really sticking to a budget, and so a little research shows me that these bars will cost around 50-60 cents each before any discounts or sale prices.

These are good bars due to the whey and nut butter proteins and fat, the low sodium, low sugar, and high fiber compared to most commercially made bars, and a nice split of 24/24 carbs and protein. The carbs are oats, which have a relatively low GI.

I haven't made them yet, but many people attested to them tasting great. If you try a batch, let me know how you liked it!

------

Here's another one:

• 1 lb of no fat cottage cheese
• 4 tablespoons of natural peanut butter
• 2 cups of whole oats
• 3 scoops of chocolate-flavored pure whey protein powder

Calories = 245
Fat = 8 g
— Sat. Fat = 2 g
— Trans Fat = 0
Cholesterol = 23 mg
Sodium = 40 mg
Carbs = 25 g
— Fiber = 4 g
— Sugar = 4 g
Protein =27 g
Servings: 6

This one is really protein mush, but it apparently tastes really good. I'd probably opt for the top bar since I already am planning on having cottage cheese regularly, but who knows? It's nice to have the option available.

Checklist: almost complete!

1 week before go-time! I'm getting a little impatient!

Anyway, I'm still in the midst of assembling everything but I'm near finish. Here's the list of all my beefcake supplements and workout equipment:

• 5lb EAS Whey Protein concentrate, chocolate
• 300 capsules fish oil tablets (for my daily omega-3's. I don't like fish, so this is a must)
• CLIF Builder bars, chocolate (The most expensive product by FAR that I'll be buying, but it tastes great, helps calm the sweettooth, and gets me primes without feeling too full before a workout, so it's there)
• 10lbs post-workout recovery drink (read the previous post. This is the 4:1 carbs to protein beverage with creatine that I need to drink right after working out. Thanks to my friends who helped me discover trueprotein.com!)
• Iron Gym chinup bar (Versatile, lightweight, and 7 dollars after 25 bucks in giftcards.)
• yoga mat and 2 yoga blocks
• 1 medium, 1 heavy, 1 very heavy resistance bands (Got these and the mat/blocks for 20 bucks when I signed up for an Amazon credit card.)

Whew! So what do I need still? I want a good multivitamin and a scale for my meat and supplement portions. We'll shop around for these this week. The only other thing I'm getting is a set of powerblock dumbbells. They're expensive but less so than a full set of dumbbells. I'm feeling like this is a good investment and the tax return this year can take care of it.

I'm pumped, people!

I love trueprotein.com.

So I discovered a site called www.trueprotein.com and they do custom mixes with all kinds of supplements. Guess what I made! *dance* An orange cream flavored homemade P90X supplement with VERY similar ingredients and nutrition info. It cost WAY less (I paid the same amount as 1 1/2 p90x 3lb tub) so I bought enough to last the whole program!

Check out these stats:

Serving Size 60 grams
Total Calories 212.4
Calories from Fat 0.56
Total Fat 0.08g
Saturated Fat 0.08g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 0mg
Carbohydrates 40.2g
Dietary Fiber 0g
Sugar 1.68g
Protein 11.28g

Here's the P90X post-workout recovery drink's stats:

Serving Size 60 g
Calories 220
Calories from Fat 15
Total Fat 2 g
Saturated Fat 0.5 g
Cholesterol 30 g
Total Carbohydrate 39 g
Dietary Fiber < 1 g
Sugars 36 g
Protein 10 g

Good stuff, eh? I even got the creatine in there.

Whew, nice to have that dealt with. What next? Ah yes, perhaps I need dumbbells... hm.

The official grocery list:

This is all I can eat! Behold:

chicken
fat free ham slices (do they mean lunch meat? I don't get it.)
ground beef, lean
whey protein powder
eggbeaters

whole wheat/pumpernickel/wheat berry bread
english muffins
whole wheat flour
potatoes
whole grain pasta
brown or wild rice
whole wheat bagels

cottage cheese
skim milk
nonfat plain yogurt
string cheese

apples
bananas
pears
strawberries
blueberries
grapes
cantaloupe

green beans
peas
carrots
celery
broccoli
peppers
vegetable soup
marinara sauce

fat free italian dressing
mustard
honey
sugar free preserves
bbq sauce

chocolate syrup
CLIF Builder protein bars
peanut butter
(creatine?)
(almonds?)

And that's it--not straying at all unless I decide to make a recipe from the nutrition guide here or there (which is inevitable).

Concerns over post-workout beverages

So I'm having some issues with a specific part of my daily routine.

For the P90X program you're supposed to consume a recovery drink 20 minutes after exercising. According to the program, it must be a drink that has a ratio of 4:1 carbs to protein for best results.

Well, I've been researching alternatives to the P90X Post Recovery beverage because 1 tub is 40 dollars for only 25 servings. That's around 1.60 per drink. Whew.

A lot of websites say that chocolate milk is a perfect replacement--many sources and studies have said that it works, and chocolate milk does retain the 4:1 carbs to protein ratio.

Well, the more I ask about it, the more complicated the answers I receive. Apparently this 4:1 ratio doesn't matter too much. You can apparently get excellent results by simply putting a serving of whey protein into low fat milk. This would break the 4:1 thing but apparently that's what practically everyone is saying now. Even better would be to get some grape juice, add whey protein and creatine.

Either way, whey protein and chocolate milk are way better for the wallet. I'm really going to have to research and get good answers before I can decide which to use.

A little history and my Weight Watchers before/afters.

So I thought it might be helpful to tell you a little about where I came from and where I'm headed with this program. (This will be obvious for most of you who already know me; sorry.)

As far as my goals are concerned, I'm actually approaching this in a different way than most people. I lost a lot of weight a few years back on Weight Watchers (85 pounds, to be exact) and now I'm 138 pounds and "skinny-fat", if you know what I mean. Fitness-wise, I'm very good at doing cardio because it's just about running for a certain amount of time, but the reps and breaks and rotations involved in resistance training have always baffled me and so I've unfortunately neglected it entirely. I want to change that! Fortunately it seems like the program will tell me exactly what to do which is what I need. I hope to gain some weight in muscle and lose some body fat (17% on a 140-pounder seems REALLY high, no?) and learn some ways to effectively do resistance training in the process.

I'm an elementary school music teacher, so I do a lot of moving around and dancing. I rarely sit at my desk! I would say that I'm quite active. Part of my job is moving, so I dance and move for several hours a day. After P90X I hope that I'll have more stamina and strength and have a large palette of resistance exercises to draw from so I can stay that way.

Below you'll see before/after photos from when I changed my diet and exercise lifestyle though calorie-counting. It took a lot a discipline and I feel like if I can do this, P90X will be a breeze!















WHEW... what a difference!

Fitness test results

Okay, so I did the fit test. It went alright, I suppose. I could do 8 of the easier pullups (hands perpendicular to the doorframe) but barely one of the ones they wanted me to do (the standard wide pullups). Here goes:

1) PULLUPS (minimum for men is 3): 1 (1/2, 1/2) How sad!

2) VERTICAL LEAP: 13 inches

3) PUSHUPS: 23 good ones!

4) TOE TOUCH: -6, the minimum. I thought I was more flexible than this!

5) WALL SQUAT: 1:36. I felt like I could've done better, but no worries I guess; almost double the minimum.

6) BICEP CURLS: We did a 20-25 pound resistance band for this one. I got 31.

7) INS AND OUTS: A floor ab exercise; I got 36 but I was going slow. If I went faster I could've gotten more of course, but my 36 were really good before I collapsed.

8) HEART RATE MAXIMIZER: I don't have a heart rate monitor so these are estimates based on comparing my pulse to the stopwatch.
right after: 150-160
after 1 minute: 120-130
after 2 minutes: ~90

I feel like I should get prepared for pullups in the meantime so I'm going to do some resistance band exercises before March 29th. I'll keep reviewing the DVDs and spending more ridiculous money on protein-rich foods.

Body fat/weight concerns.

My yoga mat and blocks came today! They're bright purple and totally awesome. Now all I need is the resistance bands and we're in business.

So here's what the internet says as far as what my body fat percentage is:

You have 17% body fat.

You have 23.5 Pounds of fat and 114.5 Pounds of lean (muscle, bone, body water).

Normal thin people are 15% or below. I'm aiming for the athletic range which is lower than that.

I'm quite afraid that I'll lose some more weight before I gain back in muscle and everyone will be concerned that I'm anorexic (again). If I start losing like crazy, I'll need a gameplan. Where's my fitness coach when I need him/her?!

Getting ready...

So I haven't done the fit test yet, but I'm getting the nutrition stuff in order.

At this point, it seems a tad ridiculous to cook all the foods on their daily menu thing. That totally overwhelms me. I'm going to stick with the portion plan because I already know how to eat healthily. All I need is to know how to get the proper portions of protein vs. carbs vs. fat.

I decided I'd figure out the food part first. It's MADNESS regarding protein. 1 day will look like this:

6 egg whites
3 oz sandwich meat
6 oz chicken
2 slices turkey bacon

1 cup cottage cheese
8 oz yogurt

1 CLIF Builder protein bar
1 cup chocolate milk
1 string cheese

2 whole english muffins

1 medium apple

1 cup green beans
1 cup carrots

1 tsbp olive oil
48 oz water

So basically I'm a beefcake. Yaaaaaay. I had no idea that I eat a ton of carbs every day until I looked at this protein-heavy diet plan.

Welcome!

This is where I'll be posting my progress with a new fitness regime that interests me. Many friends and coworkers have had great success with it and I'd like to see what it can do for me!

I'm going to be doing the P90X system soon and I'd really like to have someone do it with me. As it is now, my sister isn't interested and my boyfriend has a gym fee that he's obligated to pay.

If you don't know, P90X is a very intense workout and nutrition regime. The program includes a 13-disc set of varied exercises, a calendar and fitness plan, and a nutrition plan.



From the website:

P90X is a revolutionary system of 12 sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping workouts, designed to transform your body from regular to ripped in just 90 days. You'll also receive a comprehensive 3-phase nutrition plan, specially designed supplement options, a detailed fitness guide, a calendar to track your progress, online peer support, and much more. Your personal trainer, Tony Horton, will keep you engaged every step of the way, and you won't believe your results!

Why is P90X so effective?

The secret behind the P90X system is an advanced training technique called "Muscle Confusion," which accelerates the results process by constantly introducing new moves and routines so your body never plateaus, and you never get bored! Whether you want to get lean, bulk up, or just plain get ripped, there's an endless variety of ways to mix and match the routines to keep you motivated the full 90 days and beyond!

In order to complete the program, you need some things:

1) Chin-up bar
2) Some type of resistance with varying weights not to exceed 70 pounds (barbells, resistance bands)
3) Yoga mat and blocks
optional: heart rate monitor, push-up stands

Before you start, you need to be in pretty good shape already. The first video is a 40-minute fitness test where you are required to keep up. If you can't do it, they recommend that you get in shape more before starting. This is hardcore and can really mess you up if your body isn't ready for it. However, it apparently really works well. You can see a billion before/after shots on Google or YouTube.

ANYWAY, I'm planning on starting the program on the week that includes April 01 (starting Sunday, March 29). Does anyone want to do it with me?