Get the Abs of a Ballerina

I tried out another one of Acacia's ballet-inspired "BalletBody"workouts this morning. This one was the Core Workout which promises to flatten your midsection and develop core strength with its Pilates-type workout. It started a little shaky with standing balance exercises and I had to laugh out loud thinking about how silly I must have looked. I couldn't help but to be grateful that I was alone in my house rather than in a public class making a fool of myself. Like I mentioned in my previous Ballet Workout Review, a ballerina I am not.

Luckily I didn't let my bad balance get in the way and discourage me. And I'm happy I didn't give up because sooner or later my yoga experience came to the rescue and I actually impressed myself with some of the one legged moves. There is no doubt that this is the type of video that will get easier with repeated use.

I did pretty good with all the standing exercises and found them all doable - both in technique (as long as I wasn't being graded) and difficulty. The movement sequences progressed into various moves to be done on the mat. That's when things got a bit more challenging. Not sure if it was because those moves were actually harder or it was simply due to the fact that I had already been working for 15-20 minutes at that point.

I loved that this workout included so many new moves for me. After being a workout junkie for more years that I care to admit it almost seems impossible for me to experience brand new moves and techniques. I think that is what got me so intrigued by the whole "ballet workout." This is a foreign thing to me and dancing workout moves are so very different than the typical routines. For this reason the video flew by and kept me constantly engaged. Well, my core muscles were constantly engaged, that's for sure, but this also kept my mind engaged just from the newness of it all. I think most people will normally except hundreds of boring crunch-type moves in a ab or core workout, but what you'll find here is an assortment of fresh new moves that you have likely never seen before (unless of course you really are a ballerina).

The routine ends with some back exercises and some deep stretches for flexibility. I'm hoping those deep stretches will save me from some of the inevitable soreness I'll be feeling tomorrow. I'm excited to try it again soon.

The video is approximately 45 minutes long and will be available for purchase through the Acacia catalog.

Who Doesn't Want a Ballet Body?

A ballerina I am not. Not even close. I don't have much poise and grace, my balance hasn't been very good lately due to my lack of yoga, and my strength is at an all-time low. But I wasn't going to let that stop me from trying out this new Ballet Body Workout.

This new series is a set of three videos: Upper Body, Lower Body, and Core. It was hard to decide where to begin, but I finally settled on testing out the Lower Body one. I should have known right off the bat that a workout that includes what's referred to as the "barre technique" would be deadly. The muscle-sculpting moves are supposed to lengthen the thighs, lift the backside, and sculpt the backs of the legs for sleek definition and a slim figure. The amazing part is how little you actually move. If you just sat back and watched this video you would think it's very easy, but you would be amazed to find out how challenging those little movements are. The greatest words you'll hear are, "Time to put those heels down." There's a whole lot of burning muscles involved, but the good news is that I was able to do all of it, even with no ballet experience at all. The moves are all simply enough (as in  . . . not complicated) that any non-dancer can do it.

The video moved right along pretty quickly. Despite the fact that the entire video is about 55 minutes, the last 13 minutes is yoga-type stretching and believe me, you won't want to skip that part after what they put your legs through. You'll need every minute of it. I don't think I ever appreciated stretching so much.

I am very much looking forward to trying out the other two videos and will be posting my experiences soon.

If you are interested in checking out this Ballet Body™ series the DVDs will be available from Acacia on April 2, 2012 and will cost just $16.99 each.

Yoga Challenge on Hold

Well, so much for my 108-day yoga challenge. I got two days into it and I already need to halt. Not sure what I was thinking when I decided to take on this challenge as my first post-surgery exercise, but I certainly wasn't thinking very clearly. I got a little too wrapped up in all the excitement surrounding stepping foot back onto a yoga mat.

The first day of the challenge called for the DVD named "Cross - Train" and I was able to do as many modifications as needed to get through it. I woke up the next morning sore, but it was a good sore - a muscle soreness that reminded me I worked out the day before. I love that sore. The second day, however, called for the DVD entitled "Cardio" and I wondered how they would pull off cardio in a yoga program. I was very much looking forward to getting my cardio back, but in my mind that involved rigorous hiking, running, or even some biking (if the New England weather cooperated). What I entered into with this video was not at all what I had in mind.

Looking back to the torture known as P90X Yoga, it seemed not-so-bad after seeing this program. I managed to muddle my way through about half of it before I had to call it quits. There was simply no way of modifying 20 high speed repetitious vinyasas and I just don't have the upper body strength for that right now. I thought I was being smart and I thought I stopped early enough to avoid any risk of doing stupid things, but after a sleepless night of shooting pains in the back of my neck and more bad (bone) pains this morning I decide that enough was enough. My head was filled visions of the possibility of wrecking my fragile vertebrae and ruining whatever bone fusion has already started. That fear is what kept me awake all night and I couldn't believe that I took that risk so soon.

So I'm sorry to say that I'll need a little more time before getting back to this Ultimate Yogi Challenge. I am so far from being an Ulimate Yogi right now that I had no right thinking I could do it.

Yoga is Like Riding a Bicycle

Yesterday was Day 1 of my Ultimate Yogi 108 Day Yoga Challenge and I'm happy to report that I survived! Of course, this morning it might have felt like I crashed my bike and fell down a ditch, but I'm still proud and excited by the fact that I got through my first class (with lots of modifications, of course). My first thoughts and impressions were as follows . . .

First, yoga is similar to riding a bicycle. You really don't forget how to do it and it comes back pretty quickly. It's been nearly one year since I did any real yoga. My neck was in terrible shape for most of last year and not only did that cause me to get very weak, but my flexibility also went down the tubes. Most of my yoga session last night was a bit of a roller coaster, going from, "Oh my goodness, I can't even touch my toes" to "Hey, this isn't so bad. It's coming back quickly (as my fingers were wrapped under my feet in standing bend). There were times when I felt good, like I knew the strength was still there, just maybe dormant and needing to be awaken. That excited me. Then 5 minutes later my arms and/or legs were shaking so bad I thought I would collapse. I constantly bounced back and fourth between feeling good and feeling bad, but I'm well accustomed to riding a bike and I know that you have to be strong, more mentally than physically, to go the distance.

So far I'm impressed with the overall "program" that the Ultimate Yogi offers. Now granted, I only completed one day, but yesterday was the first day that I opened the package. The included DVDs have me intrigued and excited to try all of them. Each DVD is labeled with things like: Cross-Train, Cardio, Vitality, Flexibility, Hard Core, etc. It reminds me so much of P90X in that every day concentrates on a different aspect of fitness. And it's set up similarly in that it calls for the Ab work (Hard Core) 3 times per week, in addition to the yoga class. It's also reminiscent of P90X because I'm curious and eager to see what tomorrow will bring. That is the best part of it - the newness of it all. I love not knowing what to expect during each class and that is also just like riding a bike. Every time I ride a brand new route I find the entire trip to be easy and enjoyable. But, as soon as that same route becomes routine and I start to know every pothole, every hill, every gear I should be in, what time it should take, etc. it suddenly loses its enjoyment. It suddenly becomes a difficult chore. I have a feeling that it's going to take months for this Ultimate Yogi to become routine.

I'm excited to get home to begin my Day 2 challenge.

108 Day Yoga Challenge

I think I found my answer to getting back into yoga shape. It's been a very long time since I've taught or even practiced yoga. For the past several months I haven't been able to do any upper body conditioning at all and it's completely destroyed all the strength that I've worked so hard to build over the years. So here I am, in the weakest condition I've ever been in and I've been looking for a place to start. I think I found something to get me back to my old yogi self.

The Ultimate Yoga Challenge promises to be the most comprehensive yoga DVD set on the market. It was created and is led by Travis Eliot, a yoga instructor that says he will push your physical limits and beyond during the 108-Day Journey. The program consists of 14 thematic classes and they say that the sequences that will challenge the expert yogi, as well as encourage the beginner. I think at this point I fall back into the beginner category. This will my first time reviewing an exercise program from the perspective of a beginner and I look forward to the new experience.

According to the propaganda, The Ultimate Yogi is more than just a fitness program. They claim it to be a transformational experience guaranteed to improve your quality of life with the addition of meditation and diet instruction. Just like P90X, this is not a quick-fix easy solution to whipping yourself back into shape. I would never believe any program that claims that. Instead this program requires a 108 day commitment and I am very excited about making that commitment. I have spent this first week of my "post surgery recovery period" just trying to get my body moving – simple stretching and light resistance. I am almost afraid to attempt my first down dog, side plank, or even to lift some real dumbbells so I need to be cautious and take this slowly. With any luck I'll be taking this Ultimate Yogi for a test drive next week and I plan to share my experiences with you. Please stay tuned.

And, if you yourself have ever tried this program, please leave me a comment to let me know what you think of it. Or better yet, let me know if you don't think I should be attempting it as my first workout after neck surgery!

Day 3 of My 30-Day Yoga Challenge

I have some mixed emotions about yesterday's 30 Day Yoga Sculpt Challenge workout. The first half of it was all upper body yoga moves and although just 3 short days ago I was struggling with the upper body challenges, yesterday I felt like I really made some improvements. I was strong throughout the whole first series. I notice this often with yoga. Consistency is key. No matter how hard the routine, if you do it consistently (preferably every day – or even every other day) it's get so much easier, so much quicker. I was shocked at how different I felt in just a two day span of time.

But things changed quickly. The second half of yesterday's workout was ab work, which I am notoriously very strong at. I was eagerly looking forward to it . . . and it didn't take long to regret those feelings. I am just stunned at the moves these guys come up with. After years of consistent exercise and trying every workout video known to man, I have never run across anything like this. Where did they dream up these moves? I could barely do them and there's no doubt I did my fair share of cheating (which I NEVER do). I even sort of pulled a muscle in my thigh . . . doing ab work! Unreal. I am really eager and curious to have that workout come up again in the rotation, just to see if I am any better at it next time. Now I'm challenged. Bring it on!

Training Status

I'm struggling to decide if I should report that I'm experiencing some tough road blocks or smashing success. I guess it's a little bit of both. I've been extremely diligent (as I always am) about my workout schedule this Winter. Although I'm not following any one specific and rigid program, I am mixing it up and doing some great cross training. I find that this flexibility in my schedule and the freedom to make my own choices about what I will do each day really helps with the boredom and monotony associated with sticking to just one strict program. I have decided to commit to posing for photos on my birthday in July for no other reason but to compare them to the photos I had taken after my first completion of P90X. That will be four years ago so it will be tough to compare. Not only was I four years younger then, but that was the year that I followed P90X the most strictly. I guess I'm lightening up in my old age!

Some of my road blocks have included me overdoing it and getting hurt. It never fails. I can't seem to accept the fact that

1. I'm no spring chicken anymore, and 
2. I'm still somewhat injured with a neck problem. 

I may have gotten just a little too bit excited with just the fact that I was back in a gym and as a result I've hurt myself no less than 3 times. Two times I re-hurt my neck and once I hurt my notoriously bad knee. As if getting back into shape isn't challenging enough without having to deal with injuries. It may have slowed me down a bit, but it hasn't stopped me. I am continually getting stronger and having the doctor tell me that I have the "efficient heart of an athlete" just makes my day.

My normal weekly routine has been consisting of a minimum of 3 Brazilian Butt lift videos. Bum Bum, High & Tight, and Sculpt are absolute neccessities. I also try to squeeze in one session of the Ab routine. The Cardio Axe has already gotten a little boring and unchallenging so I've been substituting with my new favorite indoor work-out – Wii Zumba 2. What a hoot that is and I love that you can just "take a class" which automatically plays the songs continuously so you don't have to fiddle with the control after every dance. I'm also lifting 3 times a week (upper body only) and I'm doing a combination of hiking and/or running 2 - 3 times a week. During the week I keep the runs to 30 minutes and the hikes to 1 hour and on the weekends I extend the runs to one hour and the hikes to 2+ hours. I have to say, the hiking is making the running seem too easy so now I'm starting to do some trail running. I think that will be the best possible training for my dream of doing a half marathon this year. If I can just keep myself from getting injured over and over I think I'll be well on my way. Less than 5 months till my birthday photos . . . and counting.

Fit in 5 DVD Review

I’ve been testing out a lot of new work out DVDs lately and unfortunately I’ve been finding more that I don’t like than those that I do. But at last I found a winner. I just love DVDs workouts that are broken into multiple shorter segments. It seems I never have time to spend an entire hour working out and these shorter segments are the perfect lunchtime office routine for me. Actually, they are the perfect anytime routine (morning, after work, hotel room sessions) and getting multiple sessions in one DVD always seems like a good value.

This particular video, Fit in 5: Total Body Tone, by Acacia is a very nice well-rounded workout. It includes five 20 minute workouts: Strength, Yoga, Pilates, Abs, and Cardio. No matter what you’re in the mood for, there’s something to suite you. Sometimes I only do one of the 5, but on days that I have more time I combine two. The only one of the five that I’m not terribly thrilled with is the Strength one and I feel compelled to mention why. The moves are all great, but the pace is very fast. Normally I love a fast paced video. Nothing annoys me more than feeling like I’m wasting time. But when it comes to lifting weights and doing squats, form is very important. I felt like this video just moved a little too quickly to allow you to get a good form. I tried it twice and two times it left me with a sore knee so I’m going to caution you on being careful when doing this segment. Just be careful of your form. My tip would be to do all the moves (they are great), but don’t worry so much about keeping up with the reps. Just concentrate on your form and don’t worry about how many reps you did.

The Yoga session is done by Shiva Rea and it is one of the best combinations of relaxing and challenging yoga that I’ve encountered. Seems like most every yoga DVD is either very challenging (and not relaxing at all) or very relaxing, with not much challenge. This routine is my favorite “after work” one. The music and flowing movement just relaxes me, but yet the moves are just the right amount of challenge so my legs can burn while I’m feeling the stress melt away. I don’t know how she does it, but Shiva found the perfect combination.

The couple that leads the Abs session, Fred DeVito and Elisabeth Halfpapp, have become my favorite duo. I reviewed and raved about another one of their DVD workouts and they continue their style with this Ab workout. Some of the things I love about this couple is their no frills approach. They get right down to business. I like the fact that they are not 20 years old. They impress the heck out of me with their strength. I guess this is just the living proof that yoga works and that is always motivation to push harder. And push harder you must do. I have yet to find an Ab workout that I can’t do. I sailed through P90X Ab Ripper X, but this one . . . this one got me. Holy cow it’s challenging and I love the fact that I need to keep at it to get better each time. Totally motivates me to want to do more.

The Cardio session is just plain fun. I always loved cardio kickboxing and this routine is nice and easy to follow. Overly complicated routines just serve to discourage. I don’t want my brain having to work overtime when I’m trying to work out my muscles. Violet Zaki makes this one so much fun that the time feels too short. This is a great one to use a warm up for the others.

The Pilates session is a pure pleasure. I don’t have much experience with Pilates and was pleasantly surprised by how gentle and calming the entire experience was. Kristin McGee has such a soothing and pleasant voice. I could see that it’s a sneaky way of working out your entire core, but yet you feel so relaxed that you don’t even realize your working. This is a perfect session to couple with any of the others. I like to use it as my ending.

I think this DVD would make a perfect gift for somebody wanting to get back into shape for the New Year. I know I’m thrilled to have my copy. I will surely put it to good use throughout the year. You can find more info on the workout and purchase a copy for yourself here.

Free Hip Hop Dance Workout Today

I just stumbled across the free daily workout on the Acacia web site. Today looks like a fun 20 minute hip hop routine. I can't wait to get home to try this! Check it out here.

Why Do I Do P90X?

This is a question I often get asked. When friends see my commitment to this work-out routine, in the midst of all my other obligations that make my life one big time crunch, they often wonder why on earth I do it. I manage to stay the exact same weight, and look fit, whether I really am or not. So why bother with all this work and effort?

And today I may even have questioned it myself. I was upstairs, alone . . . diligently working out with Tony while my husband was outside in the 70 degree Spring temps, playing with our dogs. I have to admit, it ain't easy. And sometimes I hate it. But I trudge on. And here's why . . .

As bikers, the first voyage of the season is always bittersweet, especially living in a cold climate. The Spring air brings both excitement and dread. On one hand we can't wait to dust off the bikes and jump back on. But on the other hand we dread the slap of reality when we realize just how cold and long the winter has been. The routes that we tackled with ease at the end of one riding season suddenly pose a much bigger challenge. The legs start off feeling like bricks, the lungs seem so much smaller, and the muscles that were once there have slipped into hibernation. The bike rides that we once knew and loved become a dreadful chore and no biker likes that.

So this weekend was our maiden voyage and it was great. I jumped on my bike and tackled the ride like there was no winter off. I hit the ground running–and running fast–and rode just about the whole route in my top ring. It felt wonderful and that, my friends, is why I do P90X.

Acacia Rocks

I just love Acacia . . . everything about them. I love their beautiful catalogs and I find that I covet them like my favorite (yoga) magazines. I can't bring myself to throw them away. I keep them nearby and look at them over and over. Just looking at all their lovely products makes me happy.

But now I have a new reason to love them. Their web site just rocks. They recently started (or maybe it hasn't been recently, but I recently discovered) their daily work-outs. They put a new work out on their site every day and they are absolutely free to anyone that visits the site. These workouts are professional, diverse, and a surprise as to what you're going to get on any given day. These guys are just top notch. Thanks Acacia for offering such wonderful things to the fitness community.

Check out the workouts here.

The Netflix Gym

A few months ago I discovered a great free sublemental training resource. I, like many, subcribe to Netflix movies in the mail. For years my husband and I have enjoyed the DVDs showing up in our mailbox every week. I knew that you could rent workout DVDs but I rarely did that as it took away from our weekend movie watching. But I recently discovered the Watch Instantly tab along the top of the Netflix page. After clicking on that you are presented with a long drop-down list of Genres, one of which is Sports. And inside that Sports category you will find another header called Workouts. Wait a minute, does that mean I can instantly stream workout vidoes right in my office? Upon further investigation I found even the Workouts section to be broken down into the following categories:

This was too good to be true. For the past 3 months I've been using Netflix approximately 3 times a week during my lunch break. Within just a few minutes I can natigate straight to my choice of workout. I shut my office door and have a great little workout. Sometimes I'll watch the full video, but other times I'll just pick my favorite parts. The more I do the different workouts the more familiar I'm getting, allowing me to scrub right to the section that I want to do. These have been a great supplement to my P90X evening workouts. And I have to say, and I'm not sure if I'm embarrassed to admit this, some of those Crunch workouts leave me sore every time. I'm hooked. For $8 a month I watch a current movie every weekend, I stream older movies and some TV shows at home, and now I'm doing free yoga, pilates, and more in my office. I love it and I highly recommend checking out Netflix for an inexpensive gym alternative.

My Last Core Routine

Yesterday was my last P90X Core routine. I swear I used to like that video. It’s been 4 weeks since I last saw it and I was actually looking forward to revisiting it. Here I was, thinking that I’m 4 weeks further along and therefore much stronger than the last time I tackled Core. Well, I was wrong. It wasn’t any easier at all. Maybe I’m getting a little too over confident. Sigh.

Or maybe I’m just not as good at doing Cardio routines first thing in the morning with no food in me. This morning was my last Kenpo X and I always liked Kenpo. But yet I still dragged through, unenthusiastically . . . watching the clock, dreaming about a bowl of cereal. Today was highly unusual. I never attempted weekday morning workouts and doing them at 6 AM just stinks. But I don’t have to worry about that anymore. Three more little days and I am done. Yiiippeeee!

P90X is Getting Harder

Not physically harder, but mentally harder. When we got out of work today it was 70 degrees and sunny. We both sat in silence during the commute home, dreading the fact that we had to go home and work-out indoors when our bicycles are just hanging in the garage, begging to be ridden. This stinks!

And I'm pretty sure that our poor dogs HATE P90X. If they could get to the DVDs they would chew them up — or at the very least, pee on them. The hounds have been neglected for the past couple of months and we are all getting sick of it. We used to come home and take the dogs for a hike. Now they just watch us disappear upstairs and come back down too hungry and tired to give them any attention.

Today was the last day of Phase 3, Week 1. It was Kenpo and I usually really enjoy Kenpo. But today I was a bit tired and sore from my disaster of a P90X schedule and my heart wasn't in it. I found myself thinking, "OK, only 4 more Kenpos to go . . ."

P90X Lean Version

Or not. As I have said many times before, our “Lean version” is not exactly what it appears. We added Plyometrics to the routine, and still continue our afternoon weight lifting sessions. If anything, our own custom Lean version is tougher than the P90X classic version. Take today for example. Friday is “Rest day” and this is what our rest day looks like:



This is what we call our Bicep Blast. That first set went on longer, but since I was getting bored filming it, I didn’t want to you bore you with too much of it. Karlo sets me up with enough weight to make me want to cry and then we stand facing each other and I match him set for set. By the time we are done, picking up my glass of water is usually a challenge. NOTHING in the P90X videos gets my heart exploding out of my chest like these biceps blasts. I always have to roll my eyes a bit when I see and hear the over-acting of the buff athletes on the videos, grimacing in pain and moaning up a storm. Come on, you can’t look that buff and be THAT challenged with the little dumbbells. I give them all an A for their acting. Spend 15 minutes in the gym with my husband. Now THAT will make you grunt and moan and THAT I’ll believe!

I Love Kenpo X

I said this last week and I’ll say it again. Kenpo is my favorite of all the P90X videos (so far). It really is fun. I feel like I’m a boxer or some sort of fighter training in a real gym. I’m familiar with all the moves and that helps out a lot. The just hour flies by.

This P90X journal has already inspired a few of my friends. So far three of them are seriously considering joining me with this new training routine, one being my cousin (actually cousins – husband and wife). The biggest reason for starting this whole thing was that I thought it would be fun to do it with my husband. The two coworkers that got us into it, both trained with their spouses and had a ball. Now, I’ve been training with my husband for years, but that has been different. He has been my trainer, being mean, pushing me too hard, yelling at me. That’s not fun at all. I wanted something that we could both do together – equally. I know just having him there would motivate me. I’m not so great at pushing myself all alone. If nobody is looking, it’s too easy to cheat. But having each other there motivates us both.

So last night we were side by side kicking and punching our hearts out. Karlo is very intense, in everything he does. He works like a machine and breathes like one too. I was listening to his mechanical breathing with every punch and kick and thought, “Wow, he’s so serious.” Then I imagined how much fun it would be to work out with my cousin. This guy is a riot – always cracking jokes. I was imagining all the funny things he would say at all these moves we were doing. I was cracking myself up just thinking about it. Jamie, if you and Eileen start this program, you will have to video tape yourselves so I can watch. That could be the best P90X video journal ever.

Tonight is our rest night and this completes week two. I feel great. I have a little soreness in my neck (from the original neck pull in week one) and my butt is still sore for the Legs night. I may do the stretching video tonight, mostly because I’ll feel guilty as Karlo spends hours outside shoveling snow on his “rest” night.

Day Three of P90X

Today we concentrated on Shoulders and Arms. I didn't do any lifting at lunch time and instead went to my Zumba class. I find Zumba to be just plain fun. It's not very hard and I really don't feel like I'm getting a real workout, but at least it gets my heart-rate up for 45 minutes or so.

This was the first P90X video that required equipment. I wasn't sure we were totally prepared as I didn't know what sort of dumbbell weight increments we would need. The sad part is that we had over 800 lbs of free weights that we practically gave away last year because we didn't want to move them to our new house. Seems pretty lazy for folks so interested in staying in good shape. And as a result, we only have one set of 10 lb and one set of pathetic girly 3 lb dumbbells, along with some heavy duty resistance bands. My husband used the bands for the entire work-out and I used the 10 lb dumbbells.

I have to say, I was extremely proud of myself. I'm fairly certain that the super buff chick on the video used mostly 10 pounders and I kept right up with her in every single exercise. The video leads you through every set and asks you to record how many reps you did and what weight you did them at. This is to track your own progress as you make your way through the 90 days. Day one, an hour of lifting with weights, and I'm already keeping up with the super girl on the video. This was a huge high for me! I am much stronger in my upper body than I ever gave myself credit for. I guess my husband's militant weight lifting sessions have really paid off. As a matter of fact, I never really got hot during the entire workout. The folks on the video are sweating up a storm and I literally still had goosebumps. I should add a footnote here for those of you that don't know me. I am always, always cold and almost never sweat. Plus our heat is turned way down and we live in CT so the room was pretty chilly. But STILL, I would have thought I would have been working harder.

So it looks like I'm off to the store to buy some 15 lb dumbbells. If day one of weights didn't challenge me, it's time to increase the weight. I can't wait to see how sore I'll be tomorrow. One this is for sure, no matter how sore I am, it will be NOTHING compared to the pain I've suffered under my husband's coaching rein. I'm ready for the pain. That's one thing I've grown very accustomed to. Bring it on.

My Journey Through The P90X Work-out

I am about to begin the P90X work-out and I intend to document my journey through the next 90 days of what just might be Hell. Making the decision to commit to this very rigid work out routine was not an easy one. I have been fairly diligent with my every-day routine of either lifting weights or doing yoga at lunch time, and either trail running or doing one of my many exercise videos, (including Zumba dancing and MyFitness PS2 game) in the late afternoons. All of these things have been doing just great. I feel like my cardio is coming back and my strength has definitely been improving rapidly.

I have to thank my personal trainer for all my strength training. He happens to be my husband and we just happen to work together at a company that offers us a full gym. This is a huge perk that I'm very grateful for, and it wasn't like I felt unfulfilled and desired some different kind of routine. I just sort of got sucked into the excitement of it all. Some friends at work had started this program and just hearing about it every day ignited my curiosity and my desire to see if I could do it too. Now, I learned many years ago that I can't keep up with these nutcases that I work with. Several of them have done Ironman triathlons and they also enjoy biking up Mt. Washington. They are a bit out of my league, but still their enthusiasm is infectious. So here I am , hoping that I don't kill myself.

After the initial hurt and resentment that my husband felt when I informed him that I wanted to try this program, he agreed to attempt it with me. It took a while to explain to him that I wasn't seeking a better personal trainer and that I didn’t think he wasn't doing a good enough job. To further appease him, I decided to do this program in the "lean" version, which is just less upper-body strengthening than the "classic" version. We plan to continue our lunch time weight lifting sessions while doing this P90X program. Our ultimate goal is to jump on our bikes in the Spring as if this long cold winter never happened. Nothing is worse than that first ride of the season. The hills seem like mountains and your lungs feel like grapes. I hate it.

I'm sorry if this blog turns into a P90X journal for the next 90 instead of a place to turn for yoga inspiration and tidbits. I hope my journey through this enduring ordeal does inspire you in whatever form of exercise you do.