Cheer
I can SEE progress, really! It’s like a being a kid and getting the most amazing Christmas present. Shoulders, arms, legs, abs, just about everywhere. Woohoo!
Jeer
I skipped legs and back this week
Cheer
I replaced legs and back with a “brick” of 30 mile bike and 7 mile run, it was an amazing day here in Iowa!
Jeer
I had 3 terrible nights of snacking! I often have sleep problems, when I get up I often eat a few hundred cal’s at precisely the WORST time possible!
Cheer
Lost another inch on waist and hips, as well as another 1lb on weigth! Woohoo, I have been in a plateau and finally seems like I am breaking through!
Jeer
I still am eating too many carbs… aaaargh. Time to get super-focused on diet again.
Cheer
I am going “crazy” with the cardio workouts so I added handweights to Kenpo and need to find a way to supersize Plyo too. Starting to command the ARX, I can do every set now, but need to work on straight legs during scissors (darn that’s tough!).
Jeer
I have soooo long to go on nailing all of the strength workouts!
Cheer
First time ever, I did the entire YogaX and LIKED it! I finally did this after work when I have more time and less pressure on the clock. So, my cute little 5yo daughter joined me and we had a blast!
Jeer
My 5 year old daughter is hooked on Barry Manilow, doing repeats of “I made it through the rain” Aaargh!
Cheer
I did 150 miles of cycling this week, thank God for great weather!
Well, that’s the up’s and down’s of week 6. I have 2 more weeks to the check-in and I WILL be 220 lbs. That means about 6-7 stubborn lbs that simply must go. Their day’s are numbered. God bless everyone!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Week 5 Uncovering the athlete
There was a series of posts last week in P90X blog-land referring to the athlete in all of us doing the program. At first glance I did not think that much of it, but pondered the thought of us working, sweating, and of course, making ourselves better. Somehow there was a deeper message intended for me as the athlete theme began to pop up in work conversations and few other unexpected places. That is usually when God is trying to get some deeper message into my incredibly dense head.
This led me to a deep thought, what is the true purpose of P90X for me? The shallow answer was health, fitness, happiness, and all the usual “my body is a temple” conclusions that are enough good reasons to dedicate the daily timeslot. When I dug deep, and studied my heart, I could not help but find part of my motivation rooted in vanity and a simple desire to look better and be noticed. Perhaps not the most grave of all thoughts, but it certainly is a short term motivation that will eventually die off once I feel satisfied with a new me.
I realize great things come when we align our hearts with God’s will. That’s what I truly want, great things, the desires that only God can provide (Psalm 37, 3-4). I decided to replace any part of my P90X journey focused on appearance with crazy athletic goals. I have learned first hand that anything is truly possible in Christ. That led me to open the race calendar and pick an insane challenge that has eluded me the past several years. It’s time to get busy!
Getting back to the workouts, I mixed up the routine towards the end of week 5 due to weekend travel plans with the family. I decided to replace my Friday Kenpo with a 14 mile run which was a great butt kickin. I hit Monday with Chest, Back, and Tri followed by a hard 55 mile bike ride with my cycling buds. It was great to be lighter and stronger on the ride allowing me to dump them all on the big climb and drag them home into a headwind. Hopefully there will be more of that coming all summer.
This post may be more transparent than usual but discovered adding athletic goals into my P90X journey to be nothing short of invigorating. Now I have a big goal out there to help drive the decision to do one more rep, hold the mayo, and forget the snooze button when the 5 bell rings each day. No sense of comfort now, I have a long, long way to go, literally.
This led me to a deep thought, what is the true purpose of P90X for me? The shallow answer was health, fitness, happiness, and all the usual “my body is a temple” conclusions that are enough good reasons to dedicate the daily timeslot. When I dug deep, and studied my heart, I could not help but find part of my motivation rooted in vanity and a simple desire to look better and be noticed. Perhaps not the most grave of all thoughts, but it certainly is a short term motivation that will eventually die off once I feel satisfied with a new me.
I realize great things come when we align our hearts with God’s will. That’s what I truly want, great things, the desires that only God can provide (Psalm 37, 3-4). I decided to replace any part of my P90X journey focused on appearance with crazy athletic goals. I have learned first hand that anything is truly possible in Christ. That led me to open the race calendar and pick an insane challenge that has eluded me the past several years. It’s time to get busy!
Getting back to the workouts, I mixed up the routine towards the end of week 5 due to weekend travel plans with the family. I decided to replace my Friday Kenpo with a 14 mile run which was a great butt kickin. I hit Monday with Chest, Back, and Tri followed by a hard 55 mile bike ride with my cycling buds. It was great to be lighter and stronger on the ride allowing me to dump them all on the big climb and drag them home into a headwind. Hopefully there will be more of that coming all summer.
This post may be more transparent than usual but discovered adding athletic goals into my P90X journey to be nothing short of invigorating. Now I have a big goal out there to help drive the decision to do one more rep, hold the mayo, and forget the snooze button when the 5 bell rings each day. No sense of comfort now, I have a long, long way to go, literally.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Week 4 Les Privelage
I spent the week in France nestled in one of the few major cities inside the Alps. Although I have been coming to this place for nearly a decade I never grow tired of snow peaked mountains, the coffee, the bread, and my favorite restaurant Les Privelage. It’s a stark contrast from the wide open spaces of the midwest and enjoy immersing myself into the culture and French way of life.
After nearly 24 hours of planes, trains, and automobiles I arrived about 7:00 Sunday night wary from the journey and ready to have a beer and a few thousand calories of du pain. Instead, I reluctantly pressed play on the Kenpo X that eluded me Friday and squeezed in ARX too. I struggled each step digging deep into energy reserves knowing that it would be a defining moment in my P90X journey. I wrapped up the night with a protein shake and the lo-cal oatmeal I had packed. It was perfect, and made certain to get in a quick prayer that night thanking God for strength that was clearly beyond my own.
The rest of the week was spent sleeping, working, and working out. Each day started with P90X breakfast and ended with running about 7 miles gazing into a majestic mountain landscape. I even skipped my ritual of eating at Les Privelage, which I have done on every visit since my first. They have the most amazing calzone in the world, but you have to ask for it "sons oeuf", or you will have a yolk filled surprise when you get half way (yes, in France it is common to have an egg in the middle of a pizza!).
With very little to eat beside my protein shakes and low-cal oatmeal I was well under my calorie targets each day, which explains why my pants became very loose by end of week. This helped me to wrap up my 30 day review with over 2 inches off my waist and roughly 12 to 15 lbs lost.
That leads me into this mornings phase 2 workout of chest, back, tri, or should I say try. What fun I had slamming each lift trying to “bring it” to the next level. That was until Tony went medieval asking for a round of applause in a pushup drill then acting like you only need one arm!! I am a right and left team player when it comes to push-ups! I am excited and anxious to get enough strength to master this workout.
The 30-day review is too short to become reflective about experiences and progress, other than I am here, pressing play, and seeing results. The biggest feat is that I am equally pumped to start Phase 2 as I was on day 1. That is the difference when you defy your comforts and make a defining decision to press play when you have a 1,000 reasons why it’s OK not to. This was a wonderful “God moment” and feel incredibly blessed knowing His strength is always there when mine has run out.
After nearly 24 hours of planes, trains, and automobiles I arrived about 7:00 Sunday night wary from the journey and ready to have a beer and a few thousand calories of du pain. Instead, I reluctantly pressed play on the Kenpo X that eluded me Friday and squeezed in ARX too. I struggled each step digging deep into energy reserves knowing that it would be a defining moment in my P90X journey. I wrapped up the night with a protein shake and the lo-cal oatmeal I had packed. It was perfect, and made certain to get in a quick prayer that night thanking God for strength that was clearly beyond my own.
The rest of the week was spent sleeping, working, and working out. Each day started with P90X breakfast and ended with running about 7 miles gazing into a majestic mountain landscape. I even skipped my ritual of eating at Les Privelage, which I have done on every visit since my first. They have the most amazing calzone in the world, but you have to ask for it "sons oeuf", or you will have a yolk filled surprise when you get half way (yes, in France it is common to have an egg in the middle of a pizza!).
With very little to eat beside my protein shakes and low-cal oatmeal I was well under my calorie targets each day, which explains why my pants became very loose by end of week. This helped me to wrap up my 30 day review with over 2 inches off my waist and roughly 12 to 15 lbs lost.
That leads me into this mornings phase 2 workout of chest, back, tri, or should I say try. What fun I had slamming each lift trying to “bring it” to the next level. That was until Tony went medieval asking for a round of applause in a pushup drill then acting like you only need one arm!! I am a right and left team player when it comes to push-ups! I am excited and anxious to get enough strength to master this workout.
The 30-day review is too short to become reflective about experiences and progress, other than I am here, pressing play, and seeing results. The biggest feat is that I am equally pumped to start Phase 2 as I was on day 1. That is the difference when you defy your comforts and make a defining decision to press play when you have a 1,000 reasons why it’s OK not to. This was a wonderful “God moment” and feel incredibly blessed knowing His strength is always there when mine has run out.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Week 3 P90ish
My Mom always told me…. wait, I should leave her out of this, after all, it is her special weekend. Her general guidance usually directed us towards “happy is good”. Literally translated, the easy way can often be the best way. Sorry Momma, that’s just not the P90X way, or life in that matter. It’s hard work, dedication, and did I mention hard work?
Since I may have not followed all the advice of my Mom, the Mother of my kids does a much better job at setting a great example. So, we will start with honesty. I missed Yoga, 2 sessions of ARX, and Kenpo which is one of my favorite workouts! I worked roughly 14 hours each day this week with family gigs almost every night. It is the way my job works and had an additional challenge preparing for a trip to Europe this weekend. The precious few hours I had each day were spent with my wife and kids.
Does this mean I go back to the easy life Momma taught me? No way! Since I am traveling alone I have a week away from the kids, in the alps, with P90X, running shoes, and some ground to make up. I finally worked on the scale and ticked down roughly 12-15 lbs so far and feel great. I should lean down a few more lbs this week and am looking forward to the 30 day report.
I am very thankful for this program and that I don’t foster guilt or consider hitting the drive thru on a bad streak. It’s a 90 day program! Not every day will be great, but keep going. No worries my friends, it’s a great “off” week that allows me to run, and run, and run with the French Alps in my backdrop and time on my side. God Speed everyone!
Happy Mothers day, what a blessing Mom’s are!
Since I may have not followed all the advice of my Mom, the Mother of my kids does a much better job at setting a great example. So, we will start with honesty. I missed Yoga, 2 sessions of ARX, and Kenpo which is one of my favorite workouts! I worked roughly 14 hours each day this week with family gigs almost every night. It is the way my job works and had an additional challenge preparing for a trip to Europe this weekend. The precious few hours I had each day were spent with my wife and kids.
Does this mean I go back to the easy life Momma taught me? No way! Since I am traveling alone I have a week away from the kids, in the alps, with P90X, running shoes, and some ground to make up. I finally worked on the scale and ticked down roughly 12-15 lbs so far and feel great. I should lean down a few more lbs this week and am looking forward to the 30 day report.
I am very thankful for this program and that I don’t foster guilt or consider hitting the drive thru on a bad streak. It’s a 90 day program! Not every day will be great, but keep going. No worries my friends, it’s a great “off” week that allows me to run, and run, and run with the French Alps in my backdrop and time on my side. God Speed everyone!
Happy Mothers day, what a blessing Mom’s are!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Week 2 Retirement Party
Retirement, right! That’s decades to go, however, it does seem like my wide girth wardrobe is rapidly approaching it’s own retirement party. The nutrition plan and sneaking in some double workouts has chewed up belt notches, which is nothing short of exhilarating. I am trying to stay in the fat shredder zone and keep everything consistent. I am targeting the 30-day check up as my short term goal, which is a big deal for me.
Workout’s have been great this week as each movement becomes a bit more natural, allowing me to push even harder. Running and cycling are also a bit easier with the lower weight. I push play everyday and just keep trying to do more reps each time.
Everything else, well, it’s extreme chaos with work and activities. It seems we have found every night intermixed with church and kids activities. It is great fun, but we can’t wait until some of these programs take a reprieve for summer. I will be in Europe again in a week for executive reviews of the project I manage. I am fighting some credit fraud cases, and of course, have fit in some shopping time for Mother’s Day (I love surprising her!). It seems P90X is a big, yet, small part of everything going on lately.
That’s enough whining… (at least I can admit it) and am eternally grateful for God’s strength, wisdom, and blessing everytime I seek it. That helps me handle stressful times as “he will bring the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37 4,5) with each belt notch I can claim. Only a few weeks left until the 30-day check up.
Workout’s have been great this week as each movement becomes a bit more natural, allowing me to push even harder. Running and cycling are also a bit easier with the lower weight. I push play everyday and just keep trying to do more reps each time.
Everything else, well, it’s extreme chaos with work and activities. It seems we have found every night intermixed with church and kids activities. It is great fun, but we can’t wait until some of these programs take a reprieve for summer. I will be in Europe again in a week for executive reviews of the project I manage. I am fighting some credit fraud cases, and of course, have fit in some shopping time for Mother’s Day (I love surprising her!). It seems P90X is a big, yet, small part of everything going on lately.
That’s enough whining… (at least I can admit it) and am eternally grateful for God’s strength, wisdom, and blessing everytime I seek it. That helps me handle stressful times as “he will bring the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37 4,5) with each belt notch I can claim. Only a few weeks left until the 30-day check up.
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