Tiny in 90

WorkTravel Boot Camp

2010-03-01T01:46:00.000-08:00

I'm on the road again, and this time I've decided to be even more structured about my workout plan. I've come a long way since my first few trips over a year ago, and have since realized that while I'm here in Cyprus editing I don't have any of the normal every day distractions that I do back home: no errands to run, no shopping to do, no cooking for myself, no house cleaning, no social distractions (well, hardly any)... You get my drift. It's just working, eating and taking care of myself.

I realized that while I could force myself to just plow through entire days of work, I am much more productive when I take breaks mentally and take care of myself physically. In fact, this work-travel scenario is ideal for a boot camp: I can make myself workout twice a day! As I mentioned in the past, I've been limiting myself to workouts that don't involve any equipment. So I loaded up my laptop with my P90X videos (the ones that didn't call for weights), Podcasts and my running buddy, the Nike+ enhanced iPod.

Here I am one third of the way through my trip and so far, it's going swimmingly:

Day 1:

Woke up far too early (jetlag)
Morning (pre-breakfast): Did 24 minute pilates routine from a podcast (Fit for Duty: Pilates is the podcast) - Verdict: could feel it wake up my body, could feel my core working, not my favourite workout though... Will keep searching for another good pilates podcast. Suggestions greatly appreciated!!
Evening (pre-Dinner): Did Yogamazing podcast: 25 minutes of Yoga for Back and Shoulders. It was a decent one, not brutally hard but made for a first day of jetlagged working out.

Day 2:

Woke up far too early (still jetlagged!)
Morning (pre-breakfast): Yogamazing Podcast: 25 minutes of Yoga for Abs. This was good, could feel the results, that super satisfying ab burn. whoo!
Evening: Kenpo X (from P90X). Good tiring sweat-producing workout. YAH!

Day 3:

Still woke up a bit on the early side despite having stayed out till 1am. Soooo tired :(
Morning (pre-breakfast): 15 minutes of Yogamazing Podcast: Heart Openers. Just going for stretching here. Since it was Sunday, I decided it would be my day off from working out since it's usually our most productive edit day (what with my director being stuck with me all day) but felt I needed a bit of a stretch from my many hours spent at the computer.

Day 4:

Early morning: Back on track! Got to bed a bit earlier and had a pretty solid night sleep.
Morning (Pre-breakfast): Cardio X (from P90X). I was FIRED UP! I love this workout! I felt all worked out and awesome afterwards and absolutely scarfed down my breakfast. (which by the way is the typical Cypriot Breakfast: tomato, halloumi cheese, olives first, then a slice of toast with some homemade fruit preserves and a slice of Anari* cheese on top. Yum!)
Midday (pre-lunch) - 8 minute Office Stress Relief yoga session from Yoga Today Podcast. Feels good... My neck, shoulders and back were getting a bit pissy from all this editing.
Evening (pre-dinner) - Yogamazing 17 minute yoga for neck and shoulders & Yoga Today Deep Core Strengthening for 10 minutes.

My plan for tomorrow is to go for a run (ideally about 40 minutes) in the morning and do yoga workout (this time with an upper body strength focus) in the evening.

So the working out is going according to plan. Meanwhile, the eating part is pretty much going as expected: I mean clearly, it's a great thing to have a fabulous Cypriot cook (my director's mother) preparing meals for us all the time, but everything is so yummy, I seem to be eating quite a lot. At least her style of Cypriot cuisine is chock full of veggies and salads and is generally quite healthful. Or at least, that's what I keep telling myself.

*God, I wish we had Anari in the states. It's basically the leftover whey water from making Halloumi (which gets all the fat), so it's kind of like a super fresh ricotta, a bit softer with slightly bigger curds, very low fat, pretty high protein, which makes it an awesome healthy breakfast cheese.

EA Active - Over and Out!

2010-02-26T02:13:00.000-08:00

Well, I made it through the 30-day challenge for the EA Active Wii game and... it was OK. Towards the end of the challenge, I'd primarily done workouts in the Advanced category, with only a few Intermediates snuck in when I didn't have time for a fuller workout.

The four main elements that every workout uses are:

Cardio: there were several things that were slipped into this category.
- My favorite was the boxing (no surprise here): alternating between punching targets, punching the bag and standing on the balance board and kicking the bag. Good stuff, always raises my heart rate and gets me sweating. Also good for getting out that aggressive energy.
- Also quite good: the track running, high knees, and kick backs. The track workouts were surprisingly good for what is essentially just running in place. The high knee and kick back intervals particularly really got my heart pumping and I'd be sweating by the end. The visuals were fun and having other people run on the track actually worked to make me speed up to pass them. No interval was ever longer than 6 minutes, but as long as I don't use EA Active as my primary source of cardio workouts, that's just fine.
- My least favorite here was the Dance. So lame. It was basically a much less exciting version of DDR (either just upper body with the Wiimotes or upper and lower using the balance board). Sorry, it was just super lame and no matter how vigorously I tried to do the moves, I still didn't feel particularly worked out.
Upper body strength: a variety of the standard either isolated or combined strength moves using the band. They were pretty good, I've definitely felt a difference in my upper body but the band isn't great for all the moves. Also, I think it would have been a smart move to add some pushups or something along those lines which I feel is much better for ramping up the upper body strength. One thing I really didn't like here was that with two workouts in a row, 2 days back to back, it had me do one workout that focussed on upper body the first day, but then still had me doing upper body strength the second day, instead of resting it. Not cool.
Lower body strength: decent array of squats, lunges, with some interesting challenging moves thrown in, like the jump squats, the stationary squats and stuff like that. In general, this focus felt effective. I definitely had days when I was brutally sore after a lower body focus workout.
Sports: Now this part is just fun. I really enjoyed all the sports (tennis, basketball, volleyball, baseball and skating) and they typically felt like a good distraction from the focus of the workout while still doing something of a workout.

Having completed the challenge though, I don't know that I would do it again, since it doesn't seem to scale to my ability level. One of the things I liked about Maya and Yourself! Fitness (aka My Fitness Coach), was that there was a check in each workout to see how it was and if it was too easy, the program would adjust to make it harder. There were also fitness tests every certain number of workouts to gauge my improvement. With Wii Fit, while the workouts aren't as challenging as EA Active can be, I can both track my ability to do certain moves and see improvement, as well as track my weight.

In the end, that kind of interaction with the program makes it something that's worth going back to (and ultimately owning). With EA Active, I'm only likely to do one of those workouts every once in a blue moon, if I'm bored with whatever else I have going on. The awards that the program gives me aren't interesting enough for me to come back for more. The only thing that keeps me coming back is being able to track my progress.

Where Fashion Meets Fits

2010-02-24T17:32:00.000-08:00

Not really a fitness-related post, but once Sara, Big E and I saw this ad, we've been wondering who has been smoking what at Bloomie's. All I can imagine happened here is:

The same great folks who infiltrated Mattel and produced "Magic Earring" Ken have infiltrated the ad agency for Bloomingdale's and brought us Slightly Pissed-Off Hernando (in navy mélange linen and micro-houndstooth).
The ad director decided the look trend of urban woodsman included Latino fluff-muffin.
Theory (fashion by) is headed by someone who freakishly channels Sonny Crockett.

Since this ad's publication in the February 8 issue of New York Magazine, one can only imagine this model has made a fast break for the Tiger Woods Clinic for Torpedoed Careers.

Your Body's Return Policy

2010-02-20T17:46:00.000-08:00

Thank you for purchasing your male or female body. We hope you're satisfied with your purchase!

Proper maintenance of your body is key to its proper performance and longevity. Here are a few tips to keep your body happy and functioning for a long time:

You must fuel your body! Yes, it's true, your body will cease to function properly if you neglect this step. The best fuels for your body are lean proteins, complex carbohydrates including whole grains and unsaturated fats.
Your body must be watered several times a day. You will release the fluids several times a day, which may seem odd at first, but keeping your body happily saturated makes it function at the high levels for which it was designed.
Your body loves to move. Take it for walks, runs and periods of energetic play. If you can make your body sweat a few times a week, your body will reward you with strength, flexibility and a nice frame for tailored cloth.
Your body also loves a good rest. Be sure to give it enough time to regenerate. Should you not give your body long periods of rest, it will become cranky and irritable. This is not a design flaw.

It's possible that after several years, your body may become bloated and unable to perform the duties for which it was designed. This is most likely to occur if you do not follow the four steps above for proper maintenance. Remember, you can return to proper maintenance at any point as long as you own your body, and reverse the disfunction.

However, should you decide not to follow proper maintenance steps, we must advise you that there is no return policy for this product. For a list of disposal options, please consult your local medical clinics and waste maintenance and dumpster companies. Please note: you will likely not be able to complete the disposal yourself; please assign these tasks to someone close to you, and warn them of the likely obscene expense of the process.

We strongly recommend proper maintenance of your purchase. Really.

The Mental Starting Point

2010-02-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

I guess I'm pretty smart. I've been telling everyone for months that the New York Times proposed paywall (paying for online content) won't work because no one will go from "this is free" to "OK I'm willing to pay for this." The even smarter folks at Techdirt picked up a quote from an equally smart guy named Dan Ariely, who is a behavioral economist:

The main problem of this approach is that over the years of free access, the New York Times has trained its readers for years that the right price (or the Anchor) is $0 -- and since this is the starting point it is very hard to change it...

First point: It's tough to change established thought patterns. It's something akin to fixing a gear on a bike that's buried in mud beneath a sunken boat in a sea filled with really hungry sharks.

Dan-the-behavioral-economist (cool geek job title, Dan) goes on to point out that if the NYT decided to offer something unique and desireable, the paywall might pay off. But that's not part of their plan. The Grey Lady appears to be submerged in that fixed state mentality of What Was Once Proven To Be True Will Always Be True. In this case, it's "We're the New York Times; we're the preferred source." When print was king, that was true. Now fast, first and accessible rules our news worlds.

Second point: Fixie is good for a bike, not so good for a mind.

The battle against fixed state mentality is ubiquitous and forever, so it's good to practice fluid thinking. Certain professionals - scientists, I'm thinking - know better than to trust static ideas, so they try not to take anything for granted. Is the world round? Yes, but it's also flat. Questioning even proven truths can bring illuminating results.

A mentality I constantly question is "I'm not the athletic type." As a kid I was lousy in gym, crap on the playground, last to be picked for any team. Lots of kids were like that, but I actually trained myself to fail on the field so that I could quit and go do something else. I'd run slow and get tagged, get hit by the ball I was supposed to dodge, etc. It was an insanely successful device - I suffered far less humiliation than my fellow stumblers, who stuck with it and endured the pain of public failure.

It had a nasty backlash, though. I had created a truth for myself, so that's who I was - the non-athlete, non-competitor, bleacher kid. So in high school, when I discovered that I was really good at running hurdles, my interest hit a brick wall - I couldn't get the gym coaches to take me seriously. Changing someone's fixed idea of me - the idea I created - wasn't going to happen. Not in high school, anyway.

It took a marathon training program, a world-class fitness guru, a couple of kick-ass programs (Jim's Performance Max and Tony's P90X) and lots of brain-bending therapy over many years to finally rid myself of that programming. I still battle it, but I think I should always battle it. Now that I've finally pried that bike loose, it's a really sweet ride.

Sickness and Fitness

2010-02-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

If you've gotten out of your own way and are working toward a personal fitness goal, you still have a couple of significant road blocks ahead. They are:

People at work
Everyone else

This time of year, it seems like everyone's sole mission is to get you sick; and people, dammit, are kind of unavoidable, unless you are that rare brand of hermit with a six-pack. Now that we've gotten past the H1N1 wig-out, the battleground centers on those nasty upper-respiratory maladies, transmitted with demonic speed by either a co-worker with one seriously inflated aura of self-importance (stay home, you selfish snotwad), or an adorable little spawn of your very own making (sorry, no escape).

Since I technically work from home, it was someone's adorable spawn that laid me out. I knew she was sick - sick kid snot spreads out like a nasal Mississippi River, just green - so I kept my distance, but she got me anyway. I was one week into Phase II of P90X Lean, which is the hardest phase to stick with*, and suddenly all my Bring It was brung.

(*I swear, Phase II of anything is the hardest to stick with. Phase I, there's a motivating sense of accomplishment then a wee bit of rest. Phase II starts with a schedule that feels like habit, but isn't. You think you know what to expect and start to relax. For a P90Xer, this is where that wacky robot from "Lost in Space" should roll into your head, flailing his flex duct arms, yelling, "Superman! Banana! Superman! Banana!")

Or...not. Did I mention I've been sick?

Anyway, when I miss workouts, I lose momentum - actually, I lose a wheel and go flying into the gutter. My solution, as much it sounds obsessive/compulsive/lady-you-are-a-freakoid, tends to keep my head in the game: I do a placeholder workout.

Nah, it's not zone 4 cardio or anything, it's a fake with purpose. I'm in my jammies, my head feels like it's filled with concrete, my nose needs cotton plugs and I wheeze like a dying hair dryer, so I focus on little stuff. One of my focus areas is balance, so I do a little non-inverted yoga, some barre exercises from ballet, or I'll just stand on one leg, fling the other one around and see what kind of trouble I can get into. Squats, static lunges, stretching where I don't have to bend over (trouble) or be on the floor (cold) or even some bicep and tricep curls with light weights. 10-15 minutes and I'm back in bed, a sick but proud freakoid.

I'm a week behind my goal, but I'm fine with that. I recovered quickly by getting lots of rest and staying home: I am a conscientious snotwad.

EA Active - Week 2 Down

2010-01-20T13:58:00.000-08:00

Having completed the second week of training, I just wanted to check in briefly and give you a little update. I'm still enjoying the workouts, they're still working me out well and keeping me entertained. I upgraded one of my days to the advanced level, which had me complete a solid 37 minute, very effective workout. The track sessions were longer and harder (3 full minutes of knees!!!), I had to hold several stationary squats at longer than a minute each. By the end of the workout, I thought my legs were gonna give out on me! Awesome!

After two full weeks of this program, I do also have a sense of what I'm missing now. As I mentioned before, the plan is low on cardio. It has many cardio bursts but they're typically only several minutes at a time. Not a problem, I can easily supplement that by complementing the workout with running.

The second thing I realized this past week I was really missing was ab and core work. Nothing: no situps, pushups, planks... All those things that strengthen the core and really pull the whole body together. I've decided my solution for that is to add a couple of Ab Rippers a week (either with Big E or Tamsen as they do their P90X plans).

The third thing I'm missing is stretching and yoga. Neither of those are included in the plan (though to be fair, they do mention at some point that stretching is important. I think. Did I just make that up?) I definitely want to keep doing yoga, so I'm going to have to figure out a schedule to fit it all in, but for now, I'd like to try to sneak one monster yoga session in a week by doing the P90X Yoga X and then possibly a few shorter session from the Yogamazing* podcast or something like that.

Two weeks into this program, I don't feel dramatically different. I know two weeks isn't that long, but I'm still motivated to workout harder, so let's see how the next two weeks go with these new additions.

*Yogamazing: It's free! It's awesome! You can choose 20 minute workouts that specifically target your body's needs! Wheee!

The Great Millet Mash Fiasco of 2010

2010-01-13T14:26:00.000-08:00

Here we are again, Big E and I, both working our little hearts out, trying to get back into better shape. For me, it's the launch of my running year. For Big E, it's his build-up to Paga. And as always, as we start to throw all of our efforts into working out more, and start feeling better and stronger, I start to ponder our nutrition again.

We generally eat pretty well, pretty healthfully. I cook fairly often, we get a fabulous veggie box that I've gotten better and better at using up, and I do tons of research and reading on the best nutrition for athletes for my hopefully upcoming cookbook.

The key things I work on improving whenever I'm paying attention are increasing the variety of vegetables, relying on leaner proteins (and eating a vegetarian diet more frequently) and incorporating more whole grains.

The last of those options took me on a bit of a wild goose chase yesterday. I had a lovely head of green cauliflower and decided to check out a recipe I'd seen in The New Whole Grain Cookbook, a millet and cauliflower mash that pretended to be mashed potatoes. Now, I'd like to point out for the record that while I love mashed potatoes, I'm also quite fond of puréed cauliflower and don't think it needs to disguise itself as anything else. Cauliflower purée is definitely better for you that most mashed potatoes and the texture is silky smooth and the flavour is delicately delicious. So there.

That being said, I love millet and thought doing this blend could take a good thing (cauliflower purée) and make it even better by adding the whole graininess, little bit of protein and loads of nutrients that millet contains.

That didn't really happen. I started out by following the recipe to the word: 1/2 cup of millet (rinsed) to 4 oz of cauliflower (roughly chopped) to 2 1/2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. After I cooked and puréed it, it was terribly thick and gluey. A horrible texture and the lovely delicate cauliflower taste was gone. It didn't resemble mashed potatoes either.

I tried and tried to salvage the recipe (adding more liquid, adding some butter, add some cream...) None of things worked - it was just a big porridgey sticky mess. I'll probably try again, my guess is the ratio of millet to cauliflower was off, so I think I would try halving the amount of millet next time. I'll keep you posted.

The thought I'd like to leave you with is this: whole grains like millet, quinoa and amaranth are fabulous things to swap into your diet if you're on a fitness kick. They're packed with nutrients, much better for you than rice or pasta and they can really taste delicious. I've been swapping them into all kinds of recipes with much better success than this story. I think the key is using them in situations where you'd normally use rice or couscous, boiled or steamed as a side dish or under a lovely sauce. As for the more advanced moves, like trying to sneak grains in odd places and have them masquerade as other creatures (barley chocolate mousse, anyone?), maybe it's good to hold off until some really solid recipes are found. I'm a bit skeptical about the whole grain book, but am not giving up yet! As I experiment, I'll definitely tell you about the winners.

EA Active Challenge - Week 1 in review

2010-01-12T15:49:00.000-08:00

I've been all fired up (probably a result of no longer feeling weak and crappy), so my kick-off week to the EA Active 30 day challenge was great!

When you first select the EA Active in your Wii homepage, be prepared for BLASTING ENTHUSIASTIC music. (Sorry for the caps, it's just the only way I can properly prepare you for the auditory assault that you have to bear through every time you start this thing. I've learned to start by turning down the volume, then selecting the program.)

Now you get the option of either creating a new profile, selecting a pre-existing one or using a guest pass. First step in creating a new profile is selecting gender, age, height and weight. Now, please someone tell me if you've figured this out, or if you have different starting stats, but the system seems to come automatically set with female, age thirty, and my exact height and weight - 5'9", 159lbs, which as far as I know, isn't really representative of the average woman. At first, I thought it was sneaking the info from my Wii Fit stats, but then you'd figure it would get the age right, no?

Anyway, you can then standardize your body type. I tried to make mine look like me by choosing level 3 out of 4 (on the curvier side) but that automatically gave me a double chin! So I scaled down to 2, cuz clearly it's more important for me not to have a double chin (which I don't, thank you very much) than it is for my body type to be at all accurately representative.

You then get a few more features you can mess with, a number of hairstyles, 6 hair colours (sadly nothing that strays from the "natural") and then about a gazillion workout outfits, hats, shades and shoes. This is all clearly very important.

Now you're ready to start! The next screen you get is the welcome screen you see whenever you log in from here on out. The options on this screen are: Journal, Fitness Profile, 30-Day Challenge, Preset & Custom Workouts, Help & Settings and Info.

The Journal invites you to "Start here," so I did. This screen looks like an open notebook, and is where you're supposed to fill out what you've done each day. For each day, you have the option to complete an EA Sports Active workout (it gets automatically checked once you workout), fill in a lifestyle and nutrition survey, and fill in the "Other Activity Survey." Once you start checking off these three items, you can track your progress in the lower left corner where you see the percentage of your daily requirements count up. On the opposite page, you see the trainer feedback for the things you've done, as well as a place to go check on your goals, edit your profile and view your upcoming calendar.

Now time to get started! I selected the 30-Day challenge program. There are a bunch of videos as you're getting started about the program, the challenge, the workouts. Most can be skipped but I decided to watch them all to see if there was anything really important I needed to know. There wasn't really in most of them. The only useful videos were the leg strap one and some of the demo moves ones, but even then, they were often intuitive. (Plus skipping these videos does allow you to skip some cheesy "LookForwardToANewYou!" moments)

Still more choices to make! I had to select a male or female trainer, how much of a workout I wanted: low, medium or high intensity, whether or not I have a Wii balance board, and then musical type (about 7 options). I selected Medium intensity because I figured I was still recovering from being ill, but I still don't think that the Low option would be enough of a challenge.

Finally, I made it past the questions. For every workout, the program shows a projected amount of calories burnt (it seems like the low intensity aims for around 100, the medium 130 and the high 170 or so).

I completed the first week at medium intensity, figuring I could upgrade if they were too easy. The first workout wasn't all that challenging but the trainer did explain that the purpose of the first workout was to ease me in and teach me how to use the program, so I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and see if it got harder.

More importantly, it was really fun! There was a track workout section that alternated between slow and fast running (in place, but cool to see the little avatar moving as I moved, but along the track and passing people), inline skating on the balance board (which consisted of holding a squat position then lifting one leg or the other to go over obstacles - whooo did that burn!), boxing at changing targets... Good stuff for the short-attention spans amongst us.

In general, the format was a sort of circuit training. After several minutes of warm-ups (either running on the track or squats and side lunges), the workouts seem to have 2 or 3 strength moves, then a sport (like boxing or tennis), then back again to the strength moves, etc. They switched up frequently enough that it was fun. The moves were difficult enough that I felt my muscles burn and was sweating and tired by the end.

The challenge setup is 2 days in a row (generally one that focuses on upper body, one that focuses on lower body) and then a rest day. So far I have yet to encounter a workout longer than 25 minutes, but when I combine this with my running schedule, it's perfect because unlike P90X, I can do these workouts in addition to my running - they're just enough of a workout without wiping me out completely.

Week 1 was good - all completed at medium intensity except for Sunday's which I did at low intensity because I ran my first really long run since before Thanksgiving earlier that day and I could hardly move anymore. What is even more exciting is that I've barely even scratched the surface of types of moves this program has to offer! Looking forward to Week 2!

(I'll have screenshots to upload by then - my camera was on a little extended vacation - and I also will review the custom workout options.)

Challenge is the New Resolution

2010-01-05T17:44:00.001-08:00

Happy new year, folks! And what a fine new year it is! Do I really know that? No. But I do really truly hope that it's better than 2009. Now let's get down to business. I don't like resolutions. I find them boring. Every year, it's Iresolvetoeatbetterworkoutmoreloseweight... This could go on forever and gets a bit repetitive, in my mind.

Even if you're one the few, the proud, who actually do manage to follow through on their resolutions, it becomes what? I resolve to keep it up? That's also lackluster. So whatever your new year goals may be, if some form of better health and fitness is something you wouldn't mind achieving, I propose a new New Year's tradition: The Challenge.

The challenge is a great way to tackle the new year. What better way of coming off several weeks of eating a little bit too much or too richly or sitting around or having travel thwart your workout plans than to set yourself a fitness challenge?

The best part is, there are tons of them for you to choose from! Whether you're a workout beginner, an ultra-marathoner, a gym rat or a homebody, there are challenges out there that can fit your style. You can find 30-day challenges to 3-month challenges. Some are crazy expensive and some are practically free.

If you prefer working out outdoor in groups, with someone yelling at you, there are boot camps (like this one or this one in SF). If you're a loner who just loves pull-ups and hard-core kick ass training plans, you could try P90x (You may have heard us mention it before...)

Perhaps you'd prefer a method that is less intense and more fun or social? There seem to be a plethora of challenges out to satisfy your needs. This one seems fun. This is one is bit more more low-tech.

Then there are all the Wii fitness game: The Biggest Loser game has you compete against characters based on competitors in the reality TV show of the same name. Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 just sounds like a challenge, doesn't it?

Point being, I have a new challenge to kick off my new year. For Christmas, my brother very kindly got me one of the new Wii fitness programs: EA Sports Active. This past Sunday, now that I'm finally recovered from various ailments, surgery and whatnot, I finally started the 30-day challenge that came with the program. So far, I've done four days of workout, and I'm very excited to tell you all about it... So tune in this month for a week by week review of EA Active as well as some other fun useful stuff, like some Athlete Gourmet food and nutrition tips. (Also, rumour has it Tamsen's also kicked off a new year challenge!)

The Wall and the Moment

2010-01-05T16:17:00.000-08:00

In any strenuous endurance event - triathalon, marathon, holidays with the family - two significant internal conversations can arise. I call them The Wall and The Moment. The Wall is the feeling that you cannot go one step further, and The Moment is the decision that you will not give up. I find that they usually go hand-in-hand, and can have different meanings, but don't always happen in the same order.

Ten years ago I experienced a significant Moment: I tried to put on a small necklace that I adored and it wouldn't fit around my neck. It was a shock - I...had a fat NECK?! I'd noticed I was gaining weight, but I hadn't had The Moment: I was pudgy, and I didn't want to go down like that. I decided to dramatically shift gears.

So I trained for a marathon! And I gained 10 lbs! No, it wasn't muscle. (I love it when people suggest weight gain is muscle. I know our culture of denial flourishes like mold in a damp corner, but ten pounds of muscle feels great, and ten pounds of fat feels like weight gain.)

Anyway, I was profanely disgusted. After researching why I had gained after six months of training (in short, it was high-glygemic post-run foods, the myth of "I ran 10 miles, I can eat anything!" and no interval training), I joined an endurance training program, living its lessons and using its tools for the next five years. The Moment had happened, I giddily realized, and I would never go back: I was dedicated to a lifetime of fitness.

Doesn't that just scream "CHANGE COURSE! WALL APPROACHING!"?

This is what The Wall looked like: My life was wrapped around hours and hours of training and suddenly I really, really just wanted to drink beer and eat potato chips without having to calculate the pace, distance and Borg level of exertion I'd need in order to burn it off. So I pushed the "Pause" button and wandered off.

Bad idea. Three years later, I was in worse shape than I was before my fat-neck ephiphany. I wasn't just heavier and older, I was beginning to experience a kind of weakness that whispers to you like The Ghost of Feebleness to Come.

I needed another Moment, and it came from an odd place - it came from the same Wall that I'd hit years before. Musing to a friend about what had changed me from rabid workout freak to couch potato, I suddenly realized what had built The Wall. I had been committed to the classes, programs, events and teams of my training, but - careful, Oprah moment approaching - I had abandoned my commitment to myself. I'd lost a wheel and careened off the path of Doing This For Me into the mud hole of Doing This To Do It.

Seth and Amy might as well have performed a "Really?!" skit in my face: "Really. You thought personal fitness was just about fixing a fat neck. Really. You did all that work, learned all that crap about V02, BMI, RMR, heart rate zones and memorized the glycemic index because your chin had quintuplets...Really?!"

No. I trained because it felt great to climb mountains I didn't know I could climb, because I could run from my office to the Golden Gate Bridge just to watch the sun set, because it was exciting to challenge and test and care for this incredible machine that was mine and only mine.

That was what it took. Two days later I was cranking through the first week of P90X Lean, sore, crawling up stairs, weary and kinda happy. Revelatory gift of The Moment? Life is an endurance event too (duh) and walls are only there to be busted through. Really.

The Inspirational Power of New Gear

2009-12-03T18:25:00.000-08:00

Somehow here we are again, December. The year's winding to a finish. The weather's getting cold. One overeating holiday is setting up the next.

Now is the time we need our inspiration more than ever.
We need the inspiration to watch our diets.
We need the inspiration to get out the door despite the cold and hit the pavement.
We need the inspiration to fight for time to squeak in our workouts between holiday parties and shopping.

Not to mention the colds, the flus, the stressful travel and houses full of relatives... all these things vying for your time and trying to squeeze out your precious few moments of exercise.

Enter the power of new gear.
Maybe it's just me, but when I have an awesome new running jacket or a hot new yoga top, I get a bit psyched about when I can wear them for my next workout. Even though I have plenty of workout clothes, there's something particularly seductive about shiny new workout things.
Last year, for Christmas, my mother-in-law gave me a runner's hat with a blinky light on the back of it. I never used to be one to run in a hat, unless it was cold, in which case I'd run in a beanie. But never an actual runner's hat... I loved it! I still wear it all the time and I definitely enjoyed heading out into the rain last January and watching the rain drop off of my hat's rim.

As we head into the holiday season, I'd like to reflect (read: drool) on the fitness-oriented loot that might make me more likely to break a sweat. Even if you don't celebrate any gift-giving holidays, consider a small purchase as a kick-off to your fitness new year's resolution. (And no, I'm not being paid by The Sports Basement to write this post).

Lululemon: Yoga-inspired sports clothing for men and women. Incredibly cute stuff, though mostly geared towards yoga, they do have things for runners and general workout clothing. Also, rumour has it, their pants give "good butt."

Skins Compression Gear: I recently bought some of the Compression tights which I ran my last half marathon in. They were amazing! I'd run a half marathon the previous week in my normal running tights, and my knee was hurting me on all the downhills. The following week, with equally steep downhills, my knees felt great! And protected. I highly recommend these - the tights are supposed to increase strength and endurance as well as help with a faster recovery and less muscle soreness. I also bought some of their recovery socks, which have a double purpose of helping your recovery post race but also serve for reducing swelling when flying. (Other brands out there making compression gear include 2xu and Sugoi, but I haven't tried them. Yet.)

While I'm at it, I love Sugoi. Their fits are great and flattering, and they have fun style, like these awesome tattoo arm sleeves. Hot.

This list isn't just reserved for things you wear. As far as I'm concerned, anything that's likely to make you workout more counts. For example, my new favourite Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board(which I'll be reviewing soon!). Not really a serious tool for most athletes, but a solid and, more importantly, a fun supplement to a more serious workout routine. Along the same lines, there's a whole slew of other fitness games for the Wii Fit board that look interesting: EA Sports Active, Gold's Gym Cardio Workout, and a few others.

A good heart rate monitor - especially if it's as cute as the Polar FT40 Women's Heart Rate Monitor Watch

Well, those are a few of the things I'd recommend for your "Holiday Gift Guide for Runners" or Athletes, or the fitness-conscious. I'd love to hear from you about what tangible gifts might help inspire you to combat the winter blahs and get out there and workout.

I have a new Wii Coach!

2009-11-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

I have a new coach, but she's a whole lot like my old coach. Her name is Maya, sound familiar? I recently (two months ago is recently, right?) got My Fitness Coach for Wii.

Back when I used to train with Maya, under the guise of Yourself! Fitness, she kicked me into pretty good shape. This was before my first round of P90X, but I definitely had very noticeable results - which was awesome! Then I moved on to other 90 day plans, some better than others, then I settled into the most brutal year of professional and emotional stress, and I finally started to come around the mountain, seeking a new goal/routine/trainer to kick my softened bootay back into shape.

That's when Maya showed up again. My Fitness Coach looks almost identical to Yourself! Fitness, the initial test is almost identical: Weight, Resting heart rate, Heart rate after 2 minutes of jumping jacks, then push ups, squats, crunches and a flexibility test.

This time, however, Maya allows you to also track a different and better gauge of fitness than mere weight, measurements (waist, bust, hips, biceps, thighs). I did relatively well in my initial evaluation. While I haven't been doing much in terms of full-on workout plans, I have been running tons, training for a fall full of half marathons. I maxed out the squats and crunches and had good healthy heart rates and flexibility. However, my push up skillz were LAMENTABLE! I'm not even going to tell you how few I was able to do, Tony Horton might actually hunt me down and kick my ass.

Anyway, the options after that were fairly similar. Maya recommended a workout program focusing on improving my upper body strength. I agreed. Then I had the option of selecting my workout.

Here are the changes/improvements that My Fitness Coach offer over Yourself! Fitness:

You can get credit for non-Maya workouts, retroactively up to one week back. This is a HUUUUUUGE improvement. It always frustrated me that none of my running counted towards my goals and that Maya would reprimand me for hardly ever showing up. (I know she's not real. It still bothered me.)

The new cooldown moves include more options and seem better suited to the workout you did, not just hamstring and quad stretches EVERY SINGLE TIME (which is how it used to be.) The only odd part about this improvement is that they clearly just recorded new audio for these moves but didn't bother trying to make it match the old audio, so all of a sudden, Maya booms at you in a slightly muffled but really loud voice "BUTTERFLY STRETCH!"*

Group workouts - Since Big E and I like to workout together, this feature is really cool, because it allows us both to get credit for doing the workout in our own profiles, yet workout at the same time. Although when Maya checks in about how the workout was, it's odd that only one of that gets to answer that question. Would it really be that hard to ask each of us individually to track and adjust the workouts for us? Not very sure how that part works...

There seems to be slight changes here and there to sequencing of workouts and stuff, but it's only a vague impression, I can't give you specifics there.

Anyway, I've been doing it for about a month or so now, and have already had my 2nd evaluation, but can't say there's been much change yet... Just 3 more push ups. Tony would still be disappointed. But overall, I still like Maya and think it's a decent home workout plan for me.

*It's possible that this only really stands out to me because this is my line of work? Maybe not though... it was pretty egregious.

Dodging the Wrench

2009-06-02T23:03:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite film training scenes of all time is when O'Houlihan says to the dodgeball wannabees: "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." and proceeds to throw wrenches at them. Up until that point in the film, I wasn't barely even cracking a smile. When that happened, I lost it. What can I say, throwing wrenches at people is HILARIOUS!

So then, life decided to throw some wrenches at me. Less funny. When last I posted, I was doing great! I'd just completed my first week of Project: Cyprus - I worked out 6 days of that first week, with 4 Nike Training Club cardio workouts, 3 runs and 20 minutes of Yogamazing podcasts daily.

I was feeling amazing! I was working a ton, true... In front of the computer roughly 12 hours a day, but with 2 workouts a day, and 3 healthy meals (tons of fresh fruits and veg in Cyprus), I was feeling great. And then the wrench came hurdling at me, outta nowhere!

I went for a run on that 8th day, the beginning of week two of Project: Cyprus, and noticed little flashy lights out of the corners of my eyes. Almost like there were reflective bits on the ground where I was running. When I tried to look straight at them, there was nothing there. Odd, I thought, but decided to ignore that and keep going. The run went quite well after that, and when I came home and showered, I felt amazing! Talk about runner's high.

A few hours later that evening, after dinner, it went rapidly downhill from there. Incredibly bad nausea, intense photophobia and pain that basically kept me up till 2am or so. Long story short, my first full blown migraine. I've had hints of them a few times in my life, over the past 4 years, but nothing that developed into this monster. For the remaining week and a half that I was in Cyprus, it became a game of dodging the headache and trying to make it through the last days I had to edit this film without killing myself. Working out sank far into the background.

Since then, I've returned home, had a slew of medical tests and doctors visits, recuperated a bit after almost 2.5 weeks of lingering headache, slowly gotten back to working out and then returned to Cyprus. I've been here a day now, and have already done two 20-min yoga sessions and one Nike Training Club Core workout, but haven't managed to talk myself into a run yet.

Here's where my struggle is: I feel terrible. I've basically been barely doing anything physical over the past 3 weeks in the attempt to feel "normal" again, but I know that I won't feel well until I start really working out again. I'm in Cyprus for another two weeks and really want to take advantage of the lack of other life distractions and tackle working out to balance out my work. That's the beauty of Project: Cyprus - When I'm here, I could fit in workouts, stretching, yoga twice a day if I wanted to. And I know that no matter how much I try to take it easy, not push myself too hard and relax, this work that I'm doing is incredibly taxing and the next two weeks won't be all that easy.

But I need to work out and I'm dying to get back on track with my running... I have a 10k several days after I get back to the U.S. What to do? Will a run trigger my migraine again? I feel a touch shakey at this point, but that's to be expected given the jetlag, the crazy travel schedule and the first long day at a computer. I can't tell if the pressure I feel in my head, around my eyes is just exhaustion or more. The 90º weather probably wouldn't be that great for running either.

So for today, I've decided to give myself one more day of "taking it easy" - which in this case means Yoga for headaches in the morning and another yogamazing podcast this evening - and then to go for a short run tomorrow to begin easing my way into a better training schedule.

In the interim, I'd love advice! Any of you folks out there suffer migraines? Do you have workout advice? Prevention tips? What do you for your fitness when life throws a wrench at you?

Know the Shape You're In

2009-04-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Different folks have different ways of gauging what shape they're in, whether it's weight, how fast they can run a mile, what pants they fit into, or how many gelatos they can scarf without having to come up for air...

As I mentioned in the Nike Training Club post, when I went to choose my workout level, I decided on "Intense." And while I've been complaining about how out of shape I am, it's all relative. I actually have a pretty good cardio base and some good strength. I mean, in my current shape, I can head out and run for over an hour fairly easily. My mile pace isn't the best it has been, but it's certainly not bad for the start of my running season. Certainly better than when I have started training in previous years. And while my current weight is hovering around the highest it's been, that isn't really a good gauge, since the weight does include muscle mass, which is heavier than fat.

(Don't get me wrong, I do want to bring that weight down... However, in previous years, at my lowest fitness point I weighed about as much and at that time, it sure wasn't muscle that was adding the pound! And on the flip side of that, the thinnest I've been was my senior year in college, when my diet was severely restricted due to a mismanaged budget. Yeah, I wouldn't recommend that... I can't say it was actually healthful.)

I feel pretty confident that choosing the Intense plan for the NTC and supplementing it with my own additional workouts is a perfectly good, challenging but not defeating, goal for myself. But how should one really gauge how they're doing and create a good workout plan for themselves? It's really important to find an accurate way to determine if you're ready for the plan you're choosing, otherwise you may injure yourself, or burn out quickly and not be able to complete the plan.

If you start working with a personal trainer, she'll make you complete some sort of evaluation in order to determine what you already can do and what you should aim for. Many workout plans have an evaluation test before you begin. In P90X, for example, there's a Fit Test that includes monitoring your heart rate, push-ups, pull-ups, and other tests. If you can't finish the test, it recommends you don't start P90X but build up to it by completing a cycle of P90 first.

In general, determining what factors to use to gauge your current fitness level should also depend on what your goals are. If all you want to do is lose weight, look better and be fit, your fitness test could probably be pretty generic. You might want to check out the President's Challenge, developed by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (part of the Department of Health and Human Services).

It has four sections:

An Aerobic Fitness Test (Time yourself for a 1-Mile walk or a 1.5-Mile run)
A Muscle Strength and Endurance Test (Based on Sit-ups and Push-ups)
A Flexibility Test (Sit-and-reach test)
A Body Composition Test (BMI & Waist circumference measurements)

These are the four areas that (at least according to the DHHS) determine your general health and fitness.

Beyond basic fitness, the data you track should depend on your goals. If you're an endurance athlete, ultimate player, tight rope walker, dancer, or if you want to complete your first 10k, you need to determine what is a good gauge of fitness for your goal, and then track that as you move through your training cycle.

For me, my short term goal is to prepare myself to run a 12k at a faster pace than I'm accustomed to. Clearly, my running pace is an important gauge. My long-term goal is to complete 8* half marathons and one full marathon this year. I think a general good health test such as the President's Challenge would suit my purpose quite well. I would add to that monitoring my heart rate, the same way the P90X heart rate monitoring test does it.

Now all I need to do is find myself a track or some way of measuring out 1.5 miles for my run test here in Cyprus...

*This number may change, depending on my travel schedule this year. All this time spent in Cyprus has already made me miss two the races I usually run. I'll have to see if I can find replacements for them.

Nike Training Club - Dubious Beginnings

2009-04-23T22:40:00.000-07:00

I hinted at this workout over a month ago - you'd have thought that I would have tried it out and written about it already, right? Well, my radio silence is less a sign of laziness (I have been working out) and more a sign of disappointment. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you all about it.

As you may know, I'm a Nike super-fan. Not so much the gear (which I like well enough but not more than other sportswear brands) but the Nike+ - I adore my Nike+... For those of you who don't know, Nike+ is a kit that attaches to your iPod Nano, that has a sensor that goes in your shoe and tracks your mileage, pace, even calories for your running. When you finish a run, you plug your nano into your computer and it uploads your workout to the Nike+ website where you can see all your runs listed, get training plans, join challenges, all kinds of cool stuff. It's the one training tool I use consistently (to the point where I almost won't run without it. It's true. I'm ashamed to admit it but I have been known to back out of a run if I've forgotten my iPod.)

The Nike+ site is so well designed that when I got the invitation to check out Nike Training Club, I was psyched! I've been looking for a new workout plan and this one seemed great because of its portability (since I'm still traveling far too much). So I immediately signed up, logged in, created myself a mini... (The mini here is actually my second mini, since when I originally signed up for this, my hair was purple and it was much colder so I had a jacket on. Ah, the fun useless details!)

I had the choice of three workout programs: Core, Strength and Cardio. Each program shows you the balance of the different areas of focus it offers. The five areas are Balance, Core, Strength, Cardio and Flexibility.

I decided to start with Cardio since I feel that I've fallen quite out of shape, and figured I'd just cycle through the three programs: Cardio first, then Core, then Strength.

Then I selected a start date (back in mid-March), and an intensity level: Casual (2 workouts a week for 2 weeks), Committed (3 workouts a week for 3 weeks) and Intense (4 workouts a week for 4 weeks). Naturally I chose Intense, cuz I like to think I'm badass. I wonder if I'd chosen Casual, things would have turned out better?

Lastly, I got to invite friends, so I added Tamsen. Not a bad start, the website seemed pretty cool. It had a little radio that popped out and played some motivating music. It was fun watching my little mini jog along on the screen and stretch and whatnot.

So - D-day comes, and I go to check out my workout. This is what I see:
A series of workouts, starting with a 3 min cardio warmup. The titles of the workouts look good (2 Min Squat Switch, Power Row, High Knee Switch) and each one has a little clickable video by the name. Great! I'm all set, decked out in my non-Nike gear. Click on the warmup video.
The lady proceeds to describe four different move, tells me to do each of them for 45 seconds, for a total of three minutes, then the video stops. My jaw drops in disbelief, I stand there staring at the screen. I look around for a "start workout" button, but all there is is a "back to my list" button. I look around the room for something to use as a timer. Nothing. I click back to the list, then quickly scan through the rest of the videos in my workout... They're all short 30 or so second demos of the move, leaving me to figure out the timing.

So I do the only reasonable thing I can think of at that time: close the browser, grab my iPod and go for a run.

I know, I know, pretty lame. But here's the thing: if I just need instructions on what moves to do for a workout, I'd use any of the number of workout books, magazines, or websites out there. I've just found that I workout hardest when someone's yelling at me to keep going, repeat the moves, music's playing and I don't have to look for a clock or a timer to see if I'm done yet. It's just the way I am.

I mean, come on! They've got their trainer and their athletes all decked out in their Nike gear, jumping around demonstrating a move, with pumping music, for a 45 second video. They really couldn't just extend it a touch and make it the full 3 minute or 2 minute move? Shouldn't Nike have the bandwidth for full length videos?

So that was the last time I logged in to the Nike Training Club. Now, in Nike's defense, it is clearly marked that this site is still a beta, so they're still working out the kinks. But all these (too short) pre-recorded videos seem more like an overall design flaw than a mere kink. But who knows? Maybe they'll rethink this design.

Today, a month later, I decided to give the Club a second chance. Mainly because I'm back in Cyprus for a 2.5 week work stint, and while Tamsen and I work out the details of the new 90-min plan we're working, I needed a little kick in the @#^ss, a boot camp if you will. Working in Cyprus seems to be the perfect set-up for boot camps for me, since all I do is work and eat, I manage to fit in one or two workout time slots a day.

So this morning, my jetlag helped wake my up at 7am, and I signed up for NTC again (with new blonde Mini but same Cardio Intense workout plan as last time) and I did the first workout. I found a timer online, that I set to countdown the time that I needed for each move, watched each video then set the timer and started.

The format was kind of annoying, since it was a lot of starting and stopping. We'll see in the next few days, if they repeat enough of the moves, I may not need to watch the videos anymore. I also didn't have music, which kind of sucked, but I wasn't be able to hear the instructor when I played music. The timer I found was OK, it had a visual bar that I could mostly see from a distance as it counted down, but it was not the best... I might have to keep hunting around online for a better one.

The workout itself was actually pretty good. The warmup was fine, but by the 3rd move in, I was sweating. And now, several hours later, I have that awesome warm tingly "I worked out this morning" feeling. It was a short workout though, actual workout time only added up to 20 minutes, including 3 minute warmup and 3 minutes of stretching at the end. But for my Cyprus plan, that's fine, since I plan on running this evening. I'll keep you posted as my week progresses.

Embarking on a New 90-day Plan!

2009-03-16T01:51:00.000-07:00

Tamsen and I are yet again challenging ourselves and each other to a new 90-plan.
We're challenging you as well!

I think I know what mine's gonna be - here's a hint, though I'm going to leave the specifics to later.

In the interim, tell us what you look for in a workout plan: workout types, variety, length, focus, general goals, etc...

A Creature of Whim

2009-03-05T01:50:00.000-08:00

What's the opposite of habit? I looked everywhere and couldn't find a good antonym. What I'm trying to say is I'm not a creature of habit. Repetition bores me. Which is why I keep swapping out workout plans. ALL the time!

The only thing I seem to be able to do repetitively is run. So my workout routine will always have a certain amount of running. But it helps that it's usually training for a specific goal, like a marathon.

These days, since I'm in travel-mode (Again! Still!) I've been limited yet again to workouts that are portable and equipment-free.

Here's what I've been doing: 3 days a week, I run. Twice, I run for about 4 miles, then on the weekend I do a longer run (I'm currently working my way back up again, so I just did 7 miles this past sunday and plan to do 8 or 9 this coming sunday). I keep meaning to add a 20 minute interval run, but I've yet to work that in. Maybe today will be the day...

In addition to that, I've been intermittently (about 3 times a week) doing the Nike Yoga for Runners, which I bought on iTunes, by Kimberly Fowler - a 15-20 minute yoga stretching routine.

I usually also do a core workout: P90X Core Synergistics or Yogamazing podcast for example. An upper body workout, often also from Yogamazing. And then I through in P90X Cardio X or Kenpo X for good measure. Other than the running, I usually let my mood, work schedule and the way my body's feeling dictate what I'll do that day. And I've been pretty good at keeping it to 6 workout days a week.

So, any of you folks out there the "non-habit" types? How do you switch up your routine?
Or if you're doing P90X or P90X+, do you ever stray and create your own workout combo? What do you like to do?

Reality hits the mat with you

2009-02-18T15:49:00.000-08:00

Starting over is not the easiest thing. I've moved from an apartment to a room, I'm thinking of leaving a fairly secure job, family may require me to leave my favorite city for one that's blech in comparison. Why is it all of those seem easier than putting my mind to dropping pounds and increasing fitness?

My demons chasing the reality of rebuilding fitness:

This feels like hell > > > Hey, guess what feels like hell? Being older, stiffer and losing capability.

I used to be able to do all this stuff so easily > > > So get there already.

This is silly, all this effort. "No one dies of physical fitness"! > > > Shut up and Spin, dummy.

That chick on the machine next to me...she's working harder. She thinks I'm lame. > > > You are lame, right up to the moment you kick it into a higher gear. Cut your own path.

The reality is: It is harder, fitness wanders off unless you keep it close, and yeah, pretty much anyone could kick your ass if they wanted to.

But do it because it's harder. Keep it close because your body is a damn good friend. And cheer on any woman you see sweating it up - the other unfortunate reality is, bouncing off the Fat Wall happens more often to us than it needs to. Be the change....be the change...

I heart Jay Blahnik!

2009-02-12T13:15:00.000-08:00

A while back, I participated in the Nike+ world race 10k, where you run from wherever you are. I happened to join a friend and go to our local Niketown where they had a course laid out from there, although you could really just run wherever you wanted.

It was well worth going to Niketown, they had all kinds of treats, gave out goody bags and had snacks at the finish!! All the things I love in a race :)

Best of all, as a reward for signing, you got a nike audio training mix, a 40 minute training workout that got you prepped for the 10k. I didn't actually download it till way after the race, but then when I was in Cyprus, I loaded up my ipod & tested it out for the first time.

It totally rocks!!! A 40 minute interval workout, hosted by Jay Blahnik. He starts you off with a 5 minute warmup (where he doesn't talk much, just tells you what to do then lets the music help set the pace), then a 10 minute sustained pace run, then one minute on, one minute off intervals with corresponding music. The music is great! And varied! And different!

And the workout isn't easy, though of course it really depends on how hard you push yourself for those intervals. Though I for one am much better at pushing myself harder if someone's telling me when to start and stop, to keep going, etc.

I looooove this workout and have since done it many time! Around the same time I also got a 20 minute quick run from the same folks. While Big E says it's great, I don't usually go out for 20 minute runs. But who knows, maybe I'll try it one day.

Move It and/or Lose It

2009-01-18T15:41:00.000-08:00

Surely, when they update definitions in the Oxford Dictionary, this one should be added:

Desk Job/faet' aess/ (n)

Work that involves long hours at a desk.
An involuntary method of adding flab and increasing one's BMI.

As I sit here typing this, I can grab my gut with one hand, squish it like kneaded dough, lift it off my thighs, and swing it around like Jeter at home plate.

Homer said it best: "Wu-HOO! Lookit that blubber fly!!" (that's a direct quote from The Iliad.) I've been in this uncomfortable place before, misquoting ancient Greeks and playing with my belly fat. The last time was 8 years ago, just before I decided to take action by joining a marathon training program...which resulted the gain of an additional ten pounds.

Yeeeaaaah.

Now, of course, I know better - it's a balance between food and activity, one dependent upon the other. And I know why every fitness and health magazine cover has at least one blaring-red tease touting flatter stomachs and faster weight loss: The real formula for having the body you want - you, individually - is unique, somewhat complex, and a real PITA to figure out.

There are some decent solutions you can throw at the yoga mat to see if they stick, and we've investigated some of them here. But if you're anything like me, you really, really get into it for a while and then after the 100th mile, the 150th salad or the millionth sit-up, you hit the wall. Suddenly, you want every future Sunday morning to be snuggles and lolling instead of heart rate and Clif shot.

I thought that was OK for a while, and enjoyed not measuring my life by zones and tempos. But it wasn't worth the trade - I grow older, and my fitness declines faster with each year. There's no pause button on this machine, you either keep it moving or lose the ability.

So here I am, starting over, as I said I would over the past months but took no action until now. A motivating desire for fitness is just another wall you have to hit. The wall that is sprayed with tags: "The longer you wait, the longer it takes;" "Aging = Stiffness" and "Nothing changes until you change your mind." It's not inspiration, it's reality. The wall says You Do Not Want To Be That Person.

I've been that person. I love my Sunday mornings. But my Saturday mornings are about miles, supplements, sweat and rediscovered joy.

P90X+ Kenpo Cardio Plus

2009-01-06T12:36:00.000-08:00

I know I've mentioned before my love for Kenpo X. The punching, the kicking, the grunting... good stuff. I really do love it. So naturally it follows that once Big E and I came whimpering back out of the cave we've been hiding in ever since we tried (and failed) at P90X+ first attempted workout: Total Body Plus, Kenpo Cardio + seemed like a better first pick.

And it was: The workout was shorter than the Kenpo X (probably because Tony takes longer to explain the moves in the first one. In this one, he flips through them pretty quickly) but still action-packed with loads of fun kicking and punching. And this time, it comes with flashy new names, like The Gladiator and Spinning Swords. So much fun!

Overall, I don't feel that I was sweating as much as I was in Kenpo X, though I'm not sure why and part of me did wonder if it had anything to do with the fact that I'm not in as good shape as I was when I last did Kenpo X, thus not quite as capable of pushing myself as hard. It could also be that having to understand new moves for the first time kept me from working out as hard.

Regardless, it's a keeper! I loved it and it'll definitely jump into my workout repertoire.

What I did on My Trip to Cyprus...

2008-12-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned a while back, I went to Cyprus for work for several weeks and was debating how to work out while I was there. Several of you had some very handy suggestions... Some of them were totally doable, others were maybe more applicable to traveling in the US and staying in hotels. (I'm just guessing here... I don't do that for work very often.)

So here's how the fitness game played out for me. I went to Cyprus to start editing a documentary. I knew I had a ton of work to do and limited time in which to do it. This translated to many many long hours spend sitting at my computer, for days on end.

The first several weeks, my working out was intermittent. No matter what I told myself at the start of the trip, heading into it, once on the ground nothing could pull me away from the looming mountain of work that needed sorting through. I'd get to the computer in the morning and work straight through till 1:30pm when my director showed up. We'd have lunch together and then edit until 8:30pm or so, when it was time for dinner. Occasionally, we'd go back to work after dinner. The working out wasn't really happening. I'd squeak in a run maybe in the morning, but that only happened 2 or 3 times those first couple of weeks.

In addition to that, I was being fed 3 meals a day by a fantastic cook (the director's mother) who was intent on teaching me about Cypriot cuisine. Which is delicious. This didn't help me stay in shape though.

My last 10 days there, my aching, stiff, tensed up body finally caused me so much pain (and actually threatened me with a gun) that I figured out a way to make the working out and working work out for me. (Was that too much work? I thought so. My apologies)

Here's what I did:
Every evening, if it got to be 7pm and I hadn't done a workout yet that day, I would tell my director that no matter what, I had to go get a workout in an hour before dinner was served. That resolved the timing issue. She was understanding.

The next issue was what workout to do. The obvious easy answer was running. There was a lovely trail right near my house that was beautiful and filled with other walkers, runners, bikers and mysteriously, kittens. Lots of kittens. They occasionally attacked but not in any seriously harmful way. So I ran about every other day, but I wanted a more balanced workout regimen.

I didn't have weights: couldn't bring them with me and didn't really have the knowledge or flexibility or frankly the desire to spend euros on weights I would abandon at the end of the trip. Unfortunately, this eliminated a lot of the P90X workouts. The other limitation was time: I really didn't have the luxury of doing Yoga X, while I would have loved to, for 2 reasons: one was that it's an hour and a half and that was just too long for me to take during our joint workout time. (Also, please don't tell me I should have gotten up in the morning and done it before work. I'm not a morning person at the best of times and given the difficulty of the topic I was working, I wasn't really sleeping well, so that made waking up all the more difficult).
The other was that the intensity of my work schedule was messing up my wrists again and I didn't have my Push up bars for all the downward dogs. Ouch!

The only plausible P90X that really left me was Cardio X (well, Core Synergistics was also an option but that also had too many push ups for my wrists). So I started my 10 day program with that. The next day was a long run. So far though, that doesn't leave too much variety if I just alternate the two.

That's when I discovered this new concept, something I'd never done before. It solved all my basic problems: variety to keep the workouts interesting, variety to also shift the focus on different parts of my body, flexible timing so that I could fit in a workout in the amount of time that I had, something that I could do from my living room in Cyprus without having to purchase or bring something with me...

The answer was Podcasts! I browsed around in iTunes and discovered that there are tons of workout podcasts out there... It's amazing! While I was there, I found two yoga podcasts and a pilates one. The workouts are as long as 30 minutes or so and as short as 3 minutes: just one move. You can find workouts to stretch your body post run, workouts to strengthen your core, release your office stress, sleep better, upper body, lower body, morning wake up (yeah right!)... The options are endless.

So now, on alternating days, when I wasn't running or doing CardioX (which I still love), I selected around 30-50 minutes worth of yoga and pilates to satisfy whatever I felt my body was missing, workout-wise. It was fantastic.

The podcasts I enjoyed were:
* Yogamazing: This is the one I used the most.
* Yoga Today: Liked Adi, not so much Sarah Kline, or at least not her workout for walkers and hikers.
* Pilates on Fifth: Pretty good 30-min workout, though they occasionally say "do the same on the other side," so you have to hop up and pause it to do that, which sucks.

These are just quick first impressions. I'm going through the workouts and will have more details on them soon. But on the whole: great resource, greatly varied, can access it from anywhere and doesn't need equipment (well, I did have a borrowed yoga mat, but could do it without).

What about y'all? Any workout podcasts I should know about?

Goop, Gunk & Gristle

2008-11-02T01:43:00.000-07:00

Yet again, I show up with a sheepish "I haven't been here in a while" tale. Hopefully, this time the aftermath will change. It's funny how unless your career involves fitness, fitness so very often goes out the door when your career is sky-rocketing (at least that's a fun excuse this time, right?). For me recently, not only did my fitness (and fitness blogging) disappear completely, but so did cooking (and food blogging), my sewing, my singing, my social life... The only side thing to (sort of) survive was my non-themed intermittent blogging; in this case, I was able to write a touch about the food in Cyprus.

Three weeks in Cyprus editing an intense documentary film left me with little energy every day beyond the occasional easy run and some recovery stress reducing yoga. That's not a whole hell of a lot, especially when you consider that my lovely host family was intent on feeding me three fabulous and filling meals a day. So three weeks (and likely a few extra pounds) later, I headed home for a couple of weeks, during which time I ran a half marathon (yay!!! 5 of 8)

Which all leads to an interesting (albeit challenging) way to head into the holiday season: already intent on getting back in shape and losing some of the "gristle". Should be fun!

Blog Action Day: Poverty Awareness

2008-10-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

Once upon a writing time, I was telling a friend who's pretty high on the media chain about an idea I had for a book: a plan to help low-income and underpriviledged families incorporate fitness into their lives.

She said something that both shocked me and made me feel immediately stupid: Fitness is a middle-class issue.

Now, she didn't say health, and she didn't say obesity. She said "fitness." And she was right. Put finding (or maintaining) shelter and food at the top of the day-to-day priority list, and suddenly having sweet abs just doesn't make the cut.

This doesn't have as much to do with solving poverty as it has to do with awareness of it. Poverty is best known as starving people living in unhealthy conditions, but in this current economic state, it could mean a head-of-household losing a job, a single parent being threatened with eviction, a person already on the edge getting pushed over by something as simple as a bill from a child's doctor.

At the moment, I consider myself unfit in a aerobic, base-fitness, V02-type way. Today I'm realizing I'm unfit in other ways: I haven't reached out enough, helped out enough, or given up any of my luxurious time to help package, distribute or even find food for people who don't have enough. (Nothing will cure my "I'm 10 lbs overweight!" whine faster than handing food to people who don't have enough to eat.)

My next 90-day fitness test will have to include that kind of fitness as well: Fit for humanity.

The Travel Question - Expanded

2008-09-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

Well, work's gotten in the way again and I've let the P90x and other general workouts slip by the wayside. Not so much a lack of motivation at this point, as a sheer exhaustion and a complete lack of time. The best I could muster, yet again, was getting out the door and hitting the road for a run.

Work has been inspiring and exhilarating lately, not just exhausting: I've been working my wrists into a frenzy on the fantastic documentary See What I'm Saying, directed by none other than the lovely Ms. Gabrielle Mullem. I'm also getting an amazing opportunity to travel with work to Cyprus to edit another documentary - truly a rare thing... most film editors don't get to travel much for work.

Which leads me to the topic of this post. I've written about travel workout schedules in the past, but that was related to vacation travel. Work travel is quite different, and I've never done it for quite this long... I'll be in Cyprus for almost a full month. So what is my strategy here?

My first tactic was to figure out my running options. I did that by looking for a Hash House Harriers group in Lefkosia which is where I'll be staying. Sure enough, there's a group that runs every Tuesday. First success! That should help me learn the running in Cyprus ropes, and give me some running buddies to boot.

Secondly, I've made sure my computer is loaded up with P90X workouts. However, I needed something else to supplement that. I don't really know how difficult my work schedule is going to be. So Big E helped me find a DVD set of Yoga workouts that have shorter workouts, relaxing workouts, stress-relieving workouts... the works. Good Stuff.

I'll let you know how it goes and hopefully some cool photos of Cyprus while I'm at it.

Any of you P90Xers out there big work travellers?

Tandem training begins NOW!

2008-08-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

Actually, it really begins on Monday. Or if you're using my runner's schedule, it begins on Tuesday. But I digress. What begins now? Why, our new side-by-side P90X training comparisons!

Tamsen and I realized that while we've both reviewed various workouts, we've never done the same workout programs at the same time. But we're both at the phase where we could use the extra motivation of having someone else going through the same thing you are to keep you going. Or at least that's my theory.

On my side of things, life has gone crazy: I've been editing like a fiend, trying to finish a documentary while doing full-time editing of a corporate video project. It's been sending me home a bit frittled (fried and frazzled) every night and over the past month, it's been a struggle to just get my running done, the bare minimum, let alone complete my P90X-enhanced runner's schedule.

Now, work isn't going to get any less intense, but my motivation seems to be fired up again, so I'm going to get back onto my runner's schedule, and work on fine-tuning it even more!

One of the cool things that I've found that ramped up my motivation was this article about a professional athlete getting fantastic results from P90X training - E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles! (I promised Big E I'd sneak in an Eagles cheer). I've been recommending P90X to my various athlete friends (Ultimate frisbee players, runners and more) and it's cool to have a recognized professional athlete equally fired about about this program.

First things first: I'm going to retake the P90X fitness this Sunday. You in, Tamsen?

And, a quick question for you readers out there: How do you remotivate yourself when life gets in the way? Any good tricks?

How to P90X When You're Not Sure You Can P90X

2008-08-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

I've been out of it for a while. I think my last post was about getting back, planning a new strategy.

Eh.

Jim-the-Amazing-Trainer once told our group that you have to fight the body sometimes, because it's programmed to save energy, avoid pain and take rest. So when you're pedaling up a 6-degree hill, dying, you have to talk it out with your body: "Sorry, I'm ignoring you for now, since parts of me aren't ripping apart and I'm still breathing..."

I'm afraid that's a little of what I'm having to do now. "Sorry, body. I know you like potato chips more than you did a year ago. I know you like naps. I know you like beer. A lot. But I really need to get back up that hill."

The hill is this:
- ridding myself of 8+ months off of any focused training
- ridding myself of 15 lbs of beer 'n' chips blob
- changing an overwhelming desire to not do anything

The overwhelming desire is just a matter of habit, the 15 lb blob can be dumped in, what, 90 days??? What a coincidence. And the 8+ months off...well, I don't want it to be 10+

So what does an underfit person do with P90X, our old kickass friend? She does this:

- Take on the Lean program. It's still tough, just not as tough.
- RELAX into the Lean program, but don't avoid the hard parts.
- Set a goal that has nothing to do with weight, guilt or fear.
- No excuses, no rationales: do the damn thing.

It's a new month, so I may as well start Monday. August 4. Goal: At least 5 of the 6 weekly sessions. If I miss one segment one week, I can't miss the same one again in that month.

Sigh. Guess I'd better put down my beer.

And for anyone else who isn't sure they can handle P90X, just remember there's a return policy. Which is not the case with your body, so are you sure you can't do at least part of it?

Check out the Fitness Test first, if you're still not convinced: http://www.beachbody.com/text/products/programs/p90x/p90xFitTest.pdf

A P90X Runner's Schedule

2008-06-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to do this for a while, but things kept getting in the way (a trip to NYC to meet with an agent about my cookbook-The Athlete Gourmet, then Mono and Strep... you know: the usual.)

So here it is, now that I'm feeling well enough to begin testing it out: A runner's schedule that incorporates P90X. Actually, it can also double as an ultimate frisbee player's schedule that incorporates P90X, since that's what Big E is doing.

The main issues are that it is very difficult to incorporate all 6 days of workouts from the P90X schedule if you're also running 30-40 miles a week. Ditto if you're having two ultimate practices and a track training day. I mean, we do have jobs!
So I'm taking my standard running schedule (possibly toned down just a touch) and supplementing it with P90X workouts. I'm leaning more towards P90X Lean because I'm more interested in lean tone than bulking up. Also, as I'm recovering from illness, I want to ease into it.

Here is what I'm doing this week (haven't quite ramped up my running yet):

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	Core Synergistics
Wednesday	4 mile run
Thursday	Chest & Shoulders
Friday	Yoga X & 5 mile run
Saturday	10k run
Sunday	5-7mile run

Then, the following week, switch out the Chest & Shoulder for Legs and back and then keep alternating. This is the introduction phase, as I'm ramping my running back up and getting the rest of myself into shape as well.

For Big E, his monday-friday schedule is the same, but then he has ultimate frisbee practice (or a tournament) on the weekends. I'll keep you posted on how it goes!

Already I can tell you, it's amazing how quickly one falls behind and Core Synergistics was *so* hard today! Though part of that could be just because I'm still illin'.

Wii Fit: A Flyby Review

2008-05-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

Well, what can I say. You get sick, fight for a while, disappear from your fitness blog for a while, then finally find out you have mono. Go figure.

So yeah, that's my excuse. I do have some fun stuff to write about though. The second week of my mysterious sore throat and general meh-iness found me on the East coast, visiting my mom, who had just the day before received Wii Fit. Since I wasn't feeling too great anyway, I decided to replace my regularly scheduled workouts that week with Wii Fit ones, for review purposes of course.

The Wii Fit is a game for Wii that uses, instead of the wiimotes, a 4-paneled panel that you step on. First thing that happens is you create your character (your Mii), enter some information and get weighed. You are then told where your BMI falls (the panel is equipped with, among other things, a scale). I fell into the normal BMI range (around 23).

Then it does its first diagnostic test. This consists of testing your balance and your ability to rapidly adjust your balance, keeping both feet squarely on the board, based on what the screen tells you. I didn't do too well in this. For starters, my balance is definitely shifted towards my right hip (not surprising given my ongoing left hamstring issues). Then, apparently, I'm not so great at shifting my balance smoothly and quickly. My Wii age was determined to be 41. Bleh. That's quite a bit older than I really am.

Not defeated, I went on to sample the exercises Wii Fit had to offer. They're divided into 4 categories: Balance Games, Yoga, Aerobics and Strength training. Each section has a number of immediately available moves (all about 1-2 minutes) and then you unlock more as you complete more and more exercises. Over the next three days, I tried every single move that was available to me or consequently unlocked.

I started with the balance games, figuring it's where I needed most work. The first game was the soccer ball head butting. Man, was that tough! Standing on the board, you see soccer balls flying towards your Mii's head and have to mimic a head butt to send the ball back. To further complicate things, sometimes they fool you by throwing a soccer cleat, or worse yet a panda, which you have to dodge. This one was really fun, but I wasn't very good at it. Other options in this section were slalom skiing (I sucked), Ski jumping (really fun - I'm good at squatting), and tight-rope walking (super fun!)

Next was the yoga. Now this one's brilliant. I do yoga all the time, but it's great to be able to get a sense of whether my weight is evenly distributed in my Warrior pose (it wasn't) or if my Tree pose was unwavering (also not... at first.) The beauty is that you can see where you failing and adjust while you're doing it. It wasn't a bad collection of yoga moves either. I did reasonably well, here and was even named Yoga Master in a couple of them.

The aerobics, unsurprisingly, didn't do much of anything for me, with the exception of the hula hooping. I mean, really, a two-minute jog in place (while your Mii jogs through a little park with a finish line, other runners... even dogs) isn't really going to do much. There was also a 2-minute step session (really basic) and a buddy walk. Of course, the sessions go a bit longer as you progress and pass the various levels - but still. Even in my sick stage, it didn't even make me break a sweat. The only one that got my heart beat the slightest bit elevated was the hula hooping. That was fun: you got to catch hoops by leaning to the side, go faster and slower to lower or raise the hoop.

Finally, the strength training. This one surprised me - it wasn't really easy! I mean, it wasn't hard (Well, I have been doing P90X and all) but it was surprisingly challenging considering the base level that the other sections started with. One of the moves was a Push-up/Side Plank combo, where you started doing 1 push-up, then right side plank, 2nd push-up, right side plank, then repeat the whole thing several more times! If people are starting the Wii Fit as an actual beginner's workout (with a 2-minute jog in place), that can't be an easy first strength move. Other moves included Torso and Waist Twists, Jackknife, Lunge, Rowing Squat, and more. I was actually even a bit sore after going through all of these moves during my brief stay.

Overall, here's my analysis: As a game to play with friends around taking turns on the different moves, it was very fun.

As a way to evaluate how you're doing (a supplement, not a replacement of, your normal workout plan), not a bad way go: The balance games particularly are a great way to tune into how your body is doing and where your strengths and weaknesses lie.

I think for someone like my mother, who's in her sixties and not terribly fit, it's a great way for her to get in a bit better shape. I've been trying to get her to do yoga for ages and I think the balance moves are generally useful.

For someone who's already an athlete, or has done P90X, don't bother. It's just a game. (But it is a fun one!)

P90X+ Total Body Plus

2008-05-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

To quote Tamsen, HOLY MOTHER OF TONY HORTON! The first workout from the P90X+ was so brutal, it made Big E and me realize that we should probably build up to the Plus workouts with a refresher cycle of the good ol' standard P90X.

This workout was HARD. In fact, so hard that we spent a good deal of time just watching Tony and his peeps go, with our jaws down by our feet. For example, take your standard pull-up workout: Now, after the Lean cycle, I was able to do several modified pull-ups (with one foot leaning against a stool). I still can't do a full-on real pull-up though. This workout has you pull up, hold that pose, and then crunch your knees up to your chest as many times as you could. I could not do that. At all.

So Big E helped me up to the pull-up start position and then from there, I crunched my knees up to my chest as many times as I could (maybe 5?). Made me feel pretty pathetic. And that was merely the beginning. By the time we finished the workout, I felt like we hadn't done anything, since we kept skipping moves or barely doing any reps at all. It was a tad demoralizing.

What's crazy though, is that despite feeling like we hadn't done anything, both of us were sore for days afterwards. Unfortunately, it did scare me off of the + for now. I feel that I should maybe do the regular plan until I can complete at least one solid 100% real pull-up and then tackle it again.

That doesn't mean that I won't attempt each of the P90X+ workouts till that time. I need to know what I'm building towards. So I'll keep the P90X+ individual workout reviews coming, just slowly. I don't know that I can muster the gumption for more than one every other week or so. But I do promise that it will happen.

In the meantime, I'm going to work on building the perfect Running+P90X workout combo for distance runners doing a minimum of 30 miles a week.

Motivation

2008-05-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

Motivation can be so hard to find sometimes, especially when recovering from the flu. That extra bit of tiredness doesn't help with the flagging mental motivation. But the trick is doing what you can to push yourself.

Having pre-set goals doesn't hurt. Two weeks after being sucker punched by the monster flu, I found myself waking up at 6am, putting on my running shoes and piling in a van to head to the start of The Relay. Not only did I have to run through the night, three legs about 5 miles each, but I also had to captain the team - help make sure things run smoothly and everyone is where they need to be and whatnot. And of course, it was fantastic.

Sure, it was a bit harder than it's been in the past. And yeah, I did come out of the weekend with a renewed sore throat and a shiny new cough... But also I came out with renewed motivation. I was fired. I came home, and started researching what 6 other races (half marathon plus) I could do to fulfill my Eight in '08 plan and even registered for a few of them.

Then there was my other fitness goals. Last week, I wasn't quite prepared to start the new P90X+ yet, despite it sitting around and taunting me for the past few weeks. But I was ready to ease back into a plan of some sort, that included more than just running. So I decided to revisit my old friend, Maya. It had been quite a while since I last visited with her and while I was looking forward showing her my improvement, I was also worried she was going to lecture me about missing months of workouts.

Fortunately, she didn't lecture me any longer than when I missed one workout - I'm not sure those virtual people have much of a sense of time... Anyway, the workout was decent. It was definitely out of touch with the changes in my abilities: The upper body strength workout was far too easy. Bu it was a great way to ease my way back. And it prepared me for psyching myself up - nay, motivating myself - to tackle Tony's new plan.

Unfortunately, Tony's new plan tackled me... but I'll tell you more about that shortly. In the interim, I'll leave you with this thought: Women's Health Magazine recently published an article about the power of your head to overcome your body's whining and motivate you. So when your body is feeling down and out, what motivates you to keep going?

The P90X Manifesto

2008-04-28T08:19:00.001-07:00

Sara and I are both about to dive back into regular, dedicated workout programs. As it stands, we're both heading back into P90X, tweaked here and there for various reasons (but gearing back up so we can check out Plus!). Whenever I start something like this, 90 days of concerted effort, I try to establish a theme for the duration, something like a manifesto.

Manifestos abound: I recently read an interview with Michael Pollen, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and the more recent In Defense of Food. In the latter, he states his food manifesto: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

"Eat food" seems silly, but when you think about it, food has become hard to define. What he's saying is simple: eat stuff you know is food. Anything with more than three ingredients, he says, isn't food – and he's right. I've been one of those people who feels like they can't do with out the convenience of energy bars, gels, water additives and supplements. All that "manufactured" food serves a decent purpose, but come on – how did Steve Prefontaine fuel up and recover?

Not to go off on a food tangent, because I leave all that to my brilliant foodie blog partner Sara. But it did make me think about manifestos – simple guides for everyday life, based on knowledge, principles or sense. It's all about shifting back to what is true, what is real, and what works.

I burned out on p90x last year, and after a long period of inactivity it's tough to gear back up for another rotation. What will keep me pushing the physical envelope? Losing weight, while an admirable goal, never has and never will sustain this kind of effort. Why am I going extreme when all I really need to do is a few runs and maybe a spin class or two? Because it's concentrated, well-planned, and because I had already unconsciously created a P90X manifesto.

It's not a catch phrase; "Bring it" doesn't do it for me (although I like and appreciate the less-touted "Decide. Commit. Succeed"). But I think each of us has a manifesto for any planned workout program. Here's mine for this next 90 days:

Dedicate yourself. Crave the effort more than the results. Value all achievements.

Got one? Want to create one? We'd love to see them.

And we're back!

2008-04-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

I know I disappeared for a bit, but it was all for good reason (and not just me whimpering in a corner because of my stupid hamstring.)

First, I had two weeks of intensive work - getting two films finished in time for the film festival deadline (haven't heard if either made it in yet) and then a mere 24 hours after finishing the second one, I had to pack my bags and head to Italy for about a week and then to Tunisia for another week.

The good news is having done the Italy part for six years now, I knew what to expect. Long gone are the days of packing resistance bands and expecting to ever get any strength training done while I'm there. Now, I just focus on my running - and to great effect: I ran pretty much every day that I was there and on Sunday, I did two runs (a 6 then a 4-miler).

Tunisia, on the other hand, didn't work out quite as well. And by "quite as well", I mean at all. Now that I'm home, the past week of no working out has built up my enthusiasm (and a good bit of bottled up energy) to get right back into my workout routine... As soon as I kick this jet lag. Don't worry, I know the exercise will help the jet lag, I'm just going to start out lightly: today, I'll go for a 40 minute run.

The great news is that while I was gone, a little package arrived for us! The lovely folks at extremebeachbody sent us a review copy of P90X+ - the newest Tony Horton workout. I'm so excited, I just glanced through the dvds and the workout plan and hope to start my schedule this coming week! So stay tuned for some P90X+ excitement and new workout reviews. We'll also be giving away a P90X+ package sometime soon, so be sure to check back or subscribe to our feed.

The Injury Blehs

2008-02-26T11:40:00.000-08:00

I know I've been MIA for a while now - as it turns out, a couple of weeks ago, my hamstring started bothering me. It was cramping up, felt worse when I was sitting down and didn't seem to recover over night (ie. something about the position I slept in wasn't helping it either).

Now while I was able to keep up my running, I pared it down quite a bit - shorter runs and not as fast. As for the rest of my P90X, I cut out all squats and lunges (so no Legs and Back, and no Plyo. *sniff*) and I trimmed down all the left-legged warriors in Yoga X. (ha! those left-legged warriors... so sneaky!)

While that still left a reasonable amount of working out - and I'm still doing something pretty much 5 days a week, it's been a bit frustrating and I haven't been able to talk myself into writing about the workouts, much less write about the Recovery Drink Showdown and the Runner's P90X plan I've promised I would. Don't worry - I haven't forgotten.

In the meantime, I've been trying to do my best and treat myself like a pro-athlete: Numerous massages, icing, heating, wrapping... the works. It's just frustrating that it doesn't seem to be getting better. I know that my sitting at a desk isn't helping it, but there's not that much I can do about that - it's my work!

So sorry to keep you all hanging - I promise I'll do my best to get back on track and hopefully this pain will go away soon enough.

(As to what caused it, I'm not sure, but I think I may have strained it in a plyo squat jumping move perhaps?)

P90X Bottom - Week 1

2008-02-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

Well, week one's out of the way - the only workout I missed was Sunday's Kenpo X but I have a decent excuse: I ran the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon yesterday and was too tired to do Kenpo X on top of that.

How did it go, you ask? Not that well. For starters, it has been becoming clear to me these past few weeks that while P90X has been great for getting my body into general shape, it hasn't been helping my running much. Not because it isn't a good supplement to my running, but because when working out 6 days a week for this plan, it's hard to fit in as many running days as I used to.

In addition to the P90X, I'd only be running 2-3 days in each week and really only started doing 3 days once I'd figured out that my running was getting the shaft.

So to begin with, I wasn't quite in the same running shape I was in last year. And then, on top of that, it sleeted on us. Literally. Possibly hailed too. Freezing cold rain nailing us in the face between miles 9.5 and 11.5. We had to run bending over so as not to get it all in the face. And then my hip started hurting. It was a great race, really.

So enough with my whining. Here's what I'm going to do about it: My training schedule for the Relay is out and that's when I want to do my best time this year, so my plan for P90X is to continue with the lower body and core focus and make sure I run 3-4 times a week. My week should look a bit like this:

Tuesday: Legs & Back (instead of on the night before my long run)
Wednesday: Plyo in the morning, short run in the afternoon
Thursday: Longer run with hills or sprints
Friday: Yoga X
Saturday: Whichever upper body it happens to be in the morning followed by a short run
Sunday: Long run, Kenpo X optional (I think most of the time, I'll do both, it'll just depend on how hard the run was.
Monday : Rest

On the plus side, the first of my 8 in '08 is completed. Now I just have to find the next 7 half-marathon+ races... I'm hoping to do Dublin in the fall.

John Cleese Was A Plyo Superstar!

2008-01-31T21:27:00.000-08:00

I mean he must have been! Doing our first plyometrics the morning after our first Legs and Back out of the gate was an... interesting idea. I still have trouble walking up and down stairs. And early on in the workout, when we reached the silly walk segment, I thought "Oh, this isn't going to be too tough!" Ha! I was a bit wrong.

Four silly strides into our silly walks and I was definitely feeling it. And that was quite early on in the workout, too. Nonetheless, it was a great workout. We both really enjoyed it, and felt we got a great full body workout, with perhaps a tad more of an emphasis on the legs - quite suitable for our goals.

I'd also recommend this workout as an all purpose stand alone video - can be combined with any other type of workout program you're doing and especially great if you play sports... keeps you quick on your toes, like a cat! Good stuff.

Out with the Old, In with the New!

2008-01-25T12:21:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know I didn't say much about finishing up the P90X Lean program, but we really did get all the way through. Well, almost. We didn't do much that last recovery week, but that's OK, because we were just mentally gearing up to properly attack our new program... P90X Classic!

Although, it's really more like P90X-Lower Body. I've shuffled the program around a bit to include more Legs and Back and more Core Synergistics, and less upper body. So it's going to go a little something like this:

Week 1:

Tues: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper
Weds: Plyo (can't wait!)
Thurs: Shoulders & Arms + Ab Ripper
Fri: Yoga X
Sat: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper
Sun: Kenpo X

Then the next week, we'll swap out the first Legs and Back with Core Synergistics and the Shoulders & Arms with Chest and Back.

Why are we doing this, you might ask? Because while we appreciate how important building our upper body strength is, both of us have much more need of leg strength and core strength... Me for my running, Big E for his ultimate. We discussed this at length and figured that the P90X program seemed a bit more geared towards having a pretty, beach-ready body with huge guns and sexy triceps, which is great and all. But we really care more about having really strong abs, strong legs and while looking good in a bathing suit would be great, it's more of an added bonus and less our goal.

When do we start our P90X-Lower? This coming Tuesday. And yes I'll be attempting a nutrition plan again (but remind me to tell you later about the awesome healthy energy cookies I made last week!). We'll also be measuring our results this Sunday so we'll keep you posted!

And The Winner Is...

2008-01-22T20:27:00.000-08:00

Drumroll please...

Brad, with all correct answers and fantabulous spelling of Tony's favourite word, "Gawwgeous!"

We'd like to give an honorable mention to Matthew, who did respond in time for our first deadline but just didn't have the third answer correctly.

Please tune in again in a month for another opportunity to win some more awesome free stuff from our friends at Extreme Body Workout.

PS. Brad, please contact us at through the blog to get us your mailing information so we can send you the goods. Congrats!

P90Expert Contest Deadline Extended

2008-01-18T14:45:00.000-08:00

Oh no! It seems our contest was a bit too tough... Here, we're going to change the rules a bit.
You don't have to get all the answers correctly, just post your best guess. If no one gets all three right, we'll just do a drawing of all the comments received.

New deadline is Monday January 21st at 5pm P.S.T.

Hope to hear from you!

First Ever P90Xpert Contest

2008-01-14T21:09:00.000-08:00

"Tony cracks me up - like the part where he caws and acts like a Pterodactyl..."

"Man, that Eric is something else. Every time I want to whine, I think of him..."

"Joe. Chair Dips. BAStard!"

Are you so tight with P90X that you know what those comments mean, and what workouts they refer to? Do you sometimes think you should get a prize for the moment-to-moment knowledge of P90X you have earned?

Funny, so do we.

Announcing the First Tiny in 90 P90Xpert Contest, produced in happy conjunction with our friends at Extreme Body Workout. We thought it would be fun to test your knowledge, develop our passion for Tony Moments and to help you expand your understanding of the right tools for the job.

The prize this time is a fantabulous Men's or Women's three resistance band set.

Without further ado, here are your P90Xpert Contest Questions
(entry instructions below):

1. What "soup" does Phil stir that makes Tony jealous of his line?

2. What does Sophia do in the Step Back Lunges to add more intensity?

3. Fill in the blank - Tony: "When you're a P90X grad,
it's _______!"

Your Contest Official-ness:

To enter this contest, please answer all three questions accurately in the comments of this post. (Sorry everyone, this time the contest is US or Canada only!)

Please, only one comment per person per giveaway post.

Anonymous comments will not qualify (how will we know who you are?!)

We will randomly draw the winner from the correct answers in 3 days time - Friday Jan. 18th at 5pm and announce the winner the following day-ish.

Since we can't notify the winner, please keep an eye out for our announcement, and email us your info if you do win. This is made easier for you if you subscribe to this blog so you don't have to keep checking back, although it's always great to have you pop-in for a read!!

A Sweepstakes winner's failure to respond to the prize notification within three business days - Wednesday, January 23 at 5p.m. - will be considered such Sweepstakes winner's forfeiture of the prize and an alternate winner will be selected from the pool of eligible entries.

Bring it! See you soon...

I hate it, but I... still hate it.

2008-01-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

We have several Tony-isms that we love to repeat but one of our favourites is from the intro to Ab Ripper X, when Tony says: "I hate it, but I love it" as he looks knowingly (evilly?) into the camera.

Well, lately, I've just been hating it. Normally, if I'm not feeling psyched about my workout, I just start it and some time into the thing, my adrenaline kicks in and I start feeling great: pumped, psyched, motivated... Lately, I've noticed that I've just been grumpy all the way through the workout. Even in Kenpo X! Shocking, I know.

This doesn't mean that I haven't been bringing it though. I've just been really pissy while doing so. I still show up. I still press play. Hell, I've even started adding jumps at the end of my Dreya roll (14 of them today!) Who knows what's driving me through these workouts at this point. I'm like a robot: Show up, Press play... Show up, Press play... repeats itself like a mantra in my brain. I think it's Tamsen's voice saying it.

Part of me wonders if I'm not just a bit worn out, overtired, since I have been ramping up my running distance lately (I did a 12-miler after Kenpo X on Sunday). But another part of me just doesn't care. We're reaching the end of our P90X Lean - next week is a recovery week anyway. And then we'll take the following week off from Tony completely. Who knows, maybe I'll even give Maya a visit?! She might be shocked to see how well I'm doing, and it'll definitely be an easier workout.

Pay no attention to me, I'm just grumpy. If you're looking for tasty healthful breakfast suggestions, check out my latest article for Fitfare. And if you like free stuff, don't forget to tune in next week for our cool free Extreme Beach Body giveaway!

The Rightness of the Right Tools

2008-01-06T19:46:00.000-08:00

I'm with the bands. Resistance bands, that is. I used to have a full set of weights, but I also have a small apartment. At some point, when trying to find some dark corner to stash 100lbs worth of weights so my mom didn't trip on them and do a header into the computer table, it dawned on me that my small home was not (just) a gym. So I sold them and got bands.

But I only bought four of them, thinking that I'd gotten the general equivalent of my weights. I had to fake my way through several segments, where I either had too much weight and had to do some goofy compensation or accept the fact that I was never going to realize the full effect of the segment (pull-ups were a joke with the band I was using). Then Extreme Body Workout woke my ass up. They sent me a full set of bands, with such a range of weight resistance that my workouts shifted into high gear immediately.

Yeah, I did feel like someone had just pointed out that I had a nose, thanks for snarking that up for me.

So very much like the fact that going a half-inch deeper into a move, straightening your legs a little more or kicking with a little more precision, using the proper equipment will increase the quality of your P90X experience. Oh, and the sexy curve of your bicep. But you probably already know that...look, it has nostrils, too!

Free Stuff for Youuuuu!

2008-01-02T22:10:00.000-08:00

Great news! The lovely folks at Extreme Body Workout have offered to sponsor some tasty giveaways for us. What this means is that we connive to come up with tricky tests of your P90X knowledge and you can win cool free stuff like gear and whatnot!

Check back on January 15th for our first quiz. We'll pool the correct responses and draw a winner at random. So in the meantime, be sure to study up on your P90X workouts (in other words, just show up and press play).

New Year's Ponderings

2008-01-01T16:17:00.000-08:00

Happy new year everyone! Hope you're looking forward to the new year as much as I am...

Well, the holidays and holiday traveling wreaked havoc on our little P90X workout schedule. We started out doing pretty well... We decided to postpone our Yoga X before our flight on Friday till our rest day, but then we did our Core Synergistics the next day, at Big E's parents house and Kenpo X the next day. Then it began to fall apart a bit. On Christmas eve, we did the Yoga X as planned but dropped out the corpse and oms. Then came Christmas and between hustling back and forth between both families, we decided to skip the Chest Shoulder & Triceps.

The next day should have had us right back on track with Cardio X, but somehow we were so wiped out from all the hustling about and merry-making, we mutually agreed to skip it. By the 27th, we decided this week was a bust and skipped the Back & Biceps. Given that we've never missed more than one workout this entire time, that week was unprecedented. The next day we were traveling back, and next thing you know, the week is over. Oh well. At least I managed to get in a 10 miler in on Sunday and Big E played beach ulti on Saturday, so we didn't completely end the year as lazy lumps.

Yesterday was the rest day and in theory, today we start up again, as strong as ever to make up for our failings last week. Today's workout is Chest & Back and Ab Ripper and we're off!

We've been discussing the P90X lean and the P90x schedule, as I've begun setting up our calendar for the next cycle, when we move up to the standard P90x plan, and we've come to the conclusion that the beachbody concept isn't exactly what either of us is going for. The focus on upper body, while useful in many ways, isn't our main interest. We don't so much want to look good as want to be strong and supported in our chosen sports (and it wouldn't hurt to look good while doing it). For example, we'd be more interested in more Legs & Back workouts, but not quite as many Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, Biceps, etc. variations. We also feel that we could use more Core Synergistics than are offered in the standard P90X plan, where they only show up in the rest week.

So I've decided I'm going to revisit the plan before we begin it on January 22nd, and cater it a bit more to our shared interests. Along those same lines, I've spoken to many friends who are interested in checking out the P90X workouts but don't necessarily have the 6 days a week to give to it. While I'd agree that in order to maximize your benefits from the plan, it's best to try to adhere to its guidelines as closely as possible, I think it's also important to also be realistic. Doing Ab Ripper 5 days a week isn't going to to much for you, but doing 3-4 workouts a week can still give very good results, especially if the workouts are carefully selected to be complimentary and balanced. So over the next few weeks, I plan to put together some alternative schedules that will offer a variety of timing options as well as slightly different focus depending on what the end goal might be.

Tamsen and I also have some exciting news coming up for you guys, our lovely readers, so tune in soon for our upcoming announcement!

My New Favourite Pre-workout Snack

2007-12-19T22:48:00.000-08:00

It's actually a bit more of a mid-afternoon snack, so about an hour or so before we generally workout, but I've found that I definitely need a bit of a boost before the daily workout, or I just can't quite Bring It.

My current favourite snack has been plain Greek nonfat yogurt (apparently, Greek yogurt is much higher in protein than normal, and happens to taste totally creamy and delicious, even when it's nonfat!) mixed with a small handful of walnuts, a drizzle of agave nectar and a small amount of chopped fruit (most recently a deliciously ripe persimmon).

So delicious, so quick, and completely healthful! Yum.

P90X Lean - Halfway Point

2007-12-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

Well, we've made it half way through the program. Phase II is not really all that different from Phase I, the only difference is the Shoulders & Arms workout got replaced by Chest, Shoulders and Triceps. This workout is quite a bit harder for me, because I am not so great with the pushups, but it's good to see that one of the people does them on her knees, so I don't feel so guilty about doing that as well.

The rest of the week is the same: Monday is our day off - and I love it! Tuesday is Core Synergistics, which I am still very fond of: it's challenging enough but satisfying at the same time. Wednesday is Cardio X, which is a bit too easy to me, but I've started supplementing it with a good hard short run beforehand and that really makes a difference.

Thursday and Saturday are the strength workouts, upper body and then Legs and Back, respectively. Friday is Yoga X, which is always daunting with its 40 minutes of Vinyasa in the beginning but ends quite nicely. I usually supplement Fridays with another short run, unless I manage to sneak one in on another day. And then Sunday, which has become Monster Sunday, with my long run or crazy sprint repeats followed by the beloved Kenpo X.

So here we are, halfway through the program, and I have to say, E and I both love it! E's arms and back are looking fantastic and we both feel great!! The nutrition plan has completely gone by the wayside now, and we've just been doing our best to eat a balanced diet, with enough protein, much less saturated fat and a decent amount of carbs.

Yay P90X! Can't wait to see the results photos...

Results - Post Self Challenge and Yourself! Fitness

2007-11-27T22:47:00.001-08:00

Well, this is a bit out of date, but since I just got these photos, I thought I'd show you a bit of before and after. The first photo is from last February's Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon, before I began my first 90 day challenge. The second is from the SF half marathon in July, after I'd done the Self challenge, the Women's Health cycle and a whole bunch of Maya/Yourself! Fitness workouts. It helps that I'm wearing pretty much the same outfit.

Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon - Feb '07

SF Marathon - July '07

P90X Lean - Done with Phase I

2007-11-18T22:43:00.000-08:00

Well, we've survived Phase I - the last workout (Yoga X) was today. I'm still not doing the optional Stretching on Mondays because I still maintain I need the day completely off for sanity purposes. Also, it's optional.

Here's what I've determined this first month:

* Core synergistics is always harder than I think it'll be
* Cardio X is always easier than I think it will be
* Yoga X always has about 5 or 6 more Vinyasa/warrior etc. than I ever remember
* My core is pretty strong
* My upper body is really weak

This recovery week wasn't so bad and it was actually pretty timely, because I just looked at a calendar and realized that if I'm really running the Kaiser Permanente half marathon in early '08, I'd better start seriously running again. So today, before my Yoga X session, I went for an 8-mile run... It wasn't too bad, but it's all uphill from here! Next week, I have to do a 9-miler before my Kenpo X. That'll be fun.

Next week, not only do we begin Phase II, but we begin it while travelling. We've determined that we're going to need to take our bands (to replace the dumbbells we normally use), my push-up handles, and load the workouts onto my laptop. I almost feel like we need to take our yoga mats and blocks too. As well as the recovery drink and snack bars. Man, good thing we aren't checking any luggage!

I heart Kenpo X

2007-11-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

It's true. Sundays have become my favourite workout day. It's not just that it's the last day of the week. If anything, that makes my body sorer and more exhausted by the time it rolls around. Having Kenpo X the day after Legs and Back is even harder because my shoulders and arms are killing me during the punching and blocking sequences and my legs and butt (oh, my poor butt) are so sore during the kicking.

I think what it comes down to is this workout is so much fun and so distracting. I mean, 5-7 minute blocks of punching or kicking with 2 minute jumping jack and other stuff interludes keep things varied enough that the workout is over before I know it. The 30-minute run we do pre-workout feels awesome! We get to the Kenpo and at first it feels like you're not gonna make it through the workout, with the run... but then next thing you know, it's over and you're pumped!

I spend the rest of the afternoon bouncing around the house, getting things done, super energized and kicking things.

OK. I'll admit it. I thing the main reason I love Kenpo X so much is all the punching and kicking. I love kicking combos. I love the hundred+ jabs at the end. But more than anything, I love Knuckles-Front Kick-Back Kick. I imagine that I'm fighting off two attackers at once, in the front and one in the back. *thwack* *thwack* *thwack* (OK... maybe that doesn't sound so tough to you, but it's lightning fast.)

Back when I was in college, I took Tai Kwon Do and it took years and years after I had stopped to stop kicking, blocking and punching around the house. Poor Big E... I'm once again a feisty ninja.

P90X and The Runner

2007-11-06T21:05:00.000-08:00

Having reached week three of the P90X Lean, I'm starting to get a hang of it and figure out how it's working out for me. The workouts are great - there isn't one that doesn't leave my whole body burning that good burn. The only thing that seems to be missing is maintaining my aerobic endurance. Now, normally, I don't get enough anaerobic exercise, so the P90X is a great change in that sense. It also is a great recovery phase in my running off-season.

However, now that it's been four weeks since my last race, I decided I was about ready to get back to some additional cardio. The workouts were satisfying but not quite scratching that running itch. It was time to work the running back in.

The main question was how frequently and what workouts to double up with. I am adamant about maintaining the sanctity of my rest day (for mental sanity purposes), so I first ran for a 30-min run before Kenpo X on Sunday. That worked out quite well, I felt great but definitely found that I'm losing a bit of my cardio endurance.

Monday is then off, and today we began our third week. (I'm thrilled to report that we were able to complete almost all of the moves this time and even added the bonus round! Yippeee!!) But I didn't think it would be a good day to double up. Tomorrow seems like a much better day. While I love Cardio X, and it gets my heart rate nice and high, it's not quite the same as a good hard run. So Tamsen and I are going for a run tomorrow afternoon, before Cardio X. Good times.

What other days would be good doubles days? Yoga X?

New for P90X Lean: PlaChatQua

2007-11-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

For all you fans of Core Synergistics, I'd like to present a new enhancement I created this week for Plank Chaturanga Run. Basically, you place yourself in plank position, begin the run, and just before you lower yourself into chaturanga, have a 5.6 earthquake throw you on your ass, make you wonder if you're drunk, and send you squealing like a weasel toward some uselessly perceived protection, like a doorway. Technically, it's called Plank Chaturanga Run-Like-Hell-It's-A-Quake!, but PlaChatQua is much more user-friendly.

For those of you not living in a quake zone, use this work-around:
- begin the exercise
- have a significant other or large pet kick you to the floor mid-plank
- play a pre-recorded message to yourself that proclaims you're going to die horribly OR will be subjected from this point forward to hourly updates on how Brangelina and the kids are doing, which will make you WANT to die
- spike your workout drink with Ex-lax so you crap yourself

Please note that this is not a Beachbody endorsed enhancement to the routine.

God, I miss tornado country.

There's No Crying in P90X

2007-10-31T09:13:00.000-07:00

Really, there isn't. Especially not in Legs and Back. It doesn't matter how hard you've been working all week, or how difficult pull-ups are for your weak little arms.

Especially since you were doing the pull-ups with your legs at an angle to make them easier.
And you were working hard, and not doing too badly, even if they were wussier pull-ups. You still pulled your way through 7.5 reverse grip ones. You were pretty psyched about that, weren't you?

And ten Wide Front Pull-ups! and then five more closed grip overhand pull-ups. Sure, those were pretty tough, but you did do five of them.

And the leg stuff was a piece of cake! I mean, sure your whole body was trembling in those wall squats, but you felt you could go on holding, didn't you?

So when you then got to your third Switch Grip Pull-Up, as you were lifting that last little bit to get your chin up to the bar, why did you feel your whole face pucker up into a cry? What's up with that? Of course you didn't cry - there's no crying in P90X!

But you almost did, didn't you? What's up with that? You still pushed your way through till the end of the workout. You still did a decent amount of good solid (though wussier) pull-ups. And you never did cry... but you felt it, didn't you? The whole rest of the workout you felt that part of you that wanted to cry lurking.

But you didn't give in. The only time you've ever given in to that was when you'd gotten to the end of your marathon and had been running since mile 7 with a pain in your hip. Or on your first relay, when you blew your legs out in the first 6-mile leg and then started running your third leg at 4am, in the pitch black on a deserted road, and your legs hurt so badly, you had to shuffle run until you finished. Then you may have cried a little.

But not in P90X. Not on your first week! What's up with that?!

Yoga and Your Wrists

2007-10-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a lovely little recovery, with Yoga X. Don't go thinking that that means it was easy though. It wasn't! The first 20 minutes were a monster with the plank-downward dog-warrior combos again and again. Those were killing me, although not just because of how difficult they were.

My main problem is my intermittent carpel tunnel syndrome which has been flared up lately (because of too much video editing). How can one do yoga with this kind of a problem? For push-ups, I use push-up handles. But I haven't tried them with yoga. Has anyone had any experience with this before? Any advice would highly appreciated!

The rest of the workout was fantastic and much needed. The held poses for the second part of the workout were challenging without being too painful. And the third part, the stretching, was much needed! Now I feel ready to move on to tackle today's plan, Lower body and Ab ripper again. Hopefully this will give my wrists a break.

P90X Lean - Calling All Carbs!

2007-10-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

OK, I made it through all of 2 full days of the nutrition plan before I failed. Though, again, given how I feel about the low carb thing, I'm not really sure I feel that I've failed. I went to work, editing with my lovely friend Jess, who is a fantastic chef. I spent an entire morning watching and cutting footage of the women in Italy cooking delicious looking meals. Lunchtime arrived, and Jess served up what I'd normally consider to be an incredibly healthful and quite tasty meal: fluffy baby brown rice* with a garbanzo beans salad. Now, I see it as more than my one-carb allotment in just one meal. Later afternoon, we had gluten-free crackers with peanut butter. Yet another carb. And what about those nuts? I still haven't figured that one out. I'll go look right now.

Oh right - they're a snack... it's probably alright then.

So while this meal did not represent a full on failure, it did bring me back to reconsidering what I'm doing with this meal plan and with this entire workout. I've spent most of my time lately researching how best to eat for ultimate performance and recovery (for my cookbook, The Athlete Gourmet). While I think it's important to try out different nutrition plans as part of my research, I don't know that adhering to something I strongly feel is wrong is a good way to go about my research. That being said, I'm moving on to Phase Two of the nutrition plan: Energy Booster. Big E is going to stick with Phase One a while longer, so we'll get a side by side comparison.

Meanwhile, we both continue to love the workouts! Cardio X, the second workout we did, might be my favourite thus far. It wasn't however what I expected: it was a lot more anaerobic workout than aerobic. (Which leads me to believe that I'm going to have to supplement this workout plan with some running, in order to maintain my cardio endurance) But I really loved all the kenpo moves, the kicking and whatnot. And then, Tony pulled out the Dreya Roll again. Good fun.

The next day was the Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper X. The first wasn't too tough for me, I think I've been doing enough lifting with Maya to find that workout manageable. Ab Ripper was a brute though, and I've always considered myself an ab machine! So far so good - Looking forward to this weekend!

Superman Banana

2007-10-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

Day 1 is down and it took me completely by surprise. The first surprise was the diet: it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be but that doesn't mean that I'm enjoying the one-carb thing. In fact, I discovered new carb-restricting-diet anger at the fact that my one carb a day includes beans and lentils! That's just terrible. I tend to eat a mostly vegetarian diet and rely upon those guys to complete my protein intake. A girl simply can't be expected to eat 7 servings of tofu a day!

So, I started my day with a tofu veggie scramble, hold the whole wheat toast (sniff). I thought my body would revolt right away, but it didn't. I felt fine. By 11am I was hungry again, so I had my cottage cheese (less than the 8oz serving size they recommend). It got tricky around lunchtime: I knew that Big E was having his one carb for lunch, and that I should do the same but couldn't decide between giving my carb slot to a bread or to beans. After much internal struggle (I *love* my bread), I opted for the latter. I got a mixed green salad with white beans, peas and nuts. Come to think of it, I don't really know where nuts belong in the portion chart. I'll have to go find my nutrition guide.

Our post workout drink was Clif Recovery drink... I just can't bring myself to use any of the P90x formulas because they don't use recognizable, organic ingredients. I prefer to stock up on Clif products and Hammer Bars. For dinner, I made boneless, skinless chicken breasts with a yogurt curry sauce and steamed green beans. I wasn't ever hungry, but didn't really use up all my portions for the day, as far as I could keep track.

The first workout, Core Synergistics, was the second surprise... It was tough! We had the bright idea of taking our fitness test right before our workout and that pretty much used up what I had in the way of push-ups. As for pull-ups, I was heartened to see that I could even include fractions of a pull-up in my fitness chart, so got set up at the bar and prepared to pull as hard as I can and maybe manage a quarter or third of a pull-up. No such luck. I pulled and I pulled and I pulled, Big E cheering me on, and I just hung there. At least I hang very nicely, according to Big E. Nice big zero in my chart.

Going through the core synergistics workout, we found ourselves giggling at Tony very often. Not just cause he's a goofball (which he is), not just cause some of the workout cues he gives are hilarious ("Superman... Banana... Superman... Banana..."), but mainly because of the absurdity of thinking that we can complete any more reps and yet he keeps going!

We did our best though, tried to complete as many reps as possible. I have to admit though, when we got to the bonus round, we quickly agreed we should probably just skip it till next time around. We were wiped out by our day 1 program.

P90X Lean and The Dreya Roll

2007-10-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

If you're one of the kind and thoughtful readers who's checking this blog out for the first time, and

You've seen the ads, and you're really intrigued
You want to put down the dough and go for it
You're unsure/scared/worried it's too hard/don't believe the claims

then this is the post for you.

My last post here was in July, when, after 180 days of P90X (the latter 90 doing Doubles), I decided I was going to back out of the San Francisco Half Marathon I had been training for. I'd never backed out of a run before. I was a necessary decision, but it felt like hell. Since then, I've barely managed to keep any training up. Worse: P90X became a thing I kept moving around my house from place to place, because without being used daily, it had no place to be.

So today, as Sara and I start the third program in the P90 package, P90X Lean, I'm almost right back where I started. Weak upper body, chunky waist, a bit listless. Still fit - I ran the Nike Women's Half on Sunday - but, like before, not as fit as I thought.

I'm almost back where I started. This time, I know what I'll be at the end of 90 days: physically changed and freaking amazed.

Example: today, Day One, we did Core Synergistics, a sweet little focus program for the core (think body without arms or legs. Think the character Randian in Tod Browning's 1932 movie "Freaks" - yes I took you there, stop whining). There's this move at the end called the Dreya Roll which just made me laugh. You stand; you bend your legs, roll onto your butt, roll up on your back and let your legs go straight into the air. Then pull your legs back down and roll yourself - you laughing yet? - back onto your feet, and a standing position.

I couldn't do it. By the end of 90 days, I will have it aced. And this is why I love having this program in my life: what seems impossible now is my trophy in 90 days. I wish everything was like that.

Countdown to Lean - 4!

2007-10-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

So I actually spent more time yesterday reading the P90x nutrition plan yesterday and I realized I may have overreacted a bit... (shocking, I know!)

It seems that I would only have to try the 1-carb/day plan as long as it worked for me. If I found myself not doing well with only one carb portion a day, I could transition over to the next phase. Apparently the third phase is very high carb, for the endurance athlete. They explain that if you are already somewhat athletic when you begin, the first phase might not work, and as long as you try it for a day or two, you can move onto the next phase.

Well, I'll get off my high horse now and give this nutrition plan a serious whirl. In the meantime, since my horse is still right here and all saddled up, I'll get right back on it to bitch about this: what is up with Dean K and his neanderthal diet?!?!?! OK, some of the stuff he says makes sense to me, the whole eating organic, fresh fruits and veggies and lean meat. Avoiding refined sugars and simple carbs makes sense too. However, perhaps Dean was unaware of this, but there actually already is a neanderthal diet that was around a couple of years ago, near the height of the Atkins craze. It goes by many names, Paleolithic diet, Neanderthin, Eat like a Caveman... These diets promote completely avoiding grains, beans and dairy.

It's the reasoning that kills me! That cavemen didn't suffer from the plethora of ailments that plague modern woman. "Long live Neanderthal Man!" says Dean in his post. Well, guess what?! The average Neanderthal didn't really make it past his twenties, so it's no wonder he didn't get heart disease.

Bah. Anyway, I'm getting psyched to start the P90x - and not only is Tamsen doing it with me, but so is my husband, Big E. I created a google calendar for us (in red) and as Big E said when he saw it, that's a lot of red!

Today, Tamsen and I went for a little lunch hour run downtown, which was really fun, and then I had my tasty leftovers for lunch: butternut squash soup, a lettuce, garbanzo & sweet corn salad*, a carrot, and an apple. Delicious!

*can you believe we're still getting corn in our CSA box?!?

PS. Thank you, Dr. Weil!

Countdown to Lean - 7!

2007-10-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

Seven days to go! Tamsen and I went on a 9 mile run (the beginning of our taper) during which we hit 3 of the 4 monster hills the Nike Women's Marathon has to offer. It went pretty well and I feel just fine today.

I started doing some reading up on the P90x nutrition plan. Now I know I've mentioned this somewhere before, but I really don't get diets. I like to focus on healthful, balanced nutrition that's tasty without being excessive (which is why I'm working on a cookbook for athletes). But that's not really the point here: I'm supposed to give this thing an honest evaluation, and I guess I can't just evaluate the workout plan without checking out its diet plan.

Right off the bat, I can tell you what will not work for me: the first week's carb plan. JUST ONE CARB UNIT A DAY?!? Are they kidding me? OK, I know that the low carb is still (sadly) all the rage and that it's a proven (albeit perhaps unhealthy) weight loss technique. Athletes however need their carbs, or at least, that's what I firmly believe. My stomach does as well. When I'm working out regularly and don't get any carbs at all, I feel ill most of the time. My stomach has trouble digesting my meals and I'm usually low energy. Of course, that doesn't mean that just any carbs will do... I make sure to have the best possible carbs in my diet, low on the glycemic index, as whole grain as possible.

Now I know some of you out there are die-hard believers in low-carb diets, but I just don't see this working for me. I'll have to check out this plan and look into possible substitutions, because I think it's highly unlikely I'd make it through phase one otherwise.

Countdown to My Next Challenge

2007-10-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

Nine days!! woohoo!

Ok, I have to apologize... I've completely disappeared for quite a while. So I decided to do the P90x Lean, and kept trying to figure out when to start it. I was able to recover enough from my cough two weeks before the Portland marathon to go for a medium long run and try to recover my training loss, when WHOMP! Smacked again, this time by a stomach virus. And it took me out of the game for over a week.

Sometimes, I feel like my body is sending me messages: don't do it! You need rest! But of course, I ignore it. After a while, my body gets fed up with all the ignoring, and shuts my system down completely, leaving me no choice but to hide in bed, with a fever, incapable of moving.

Ok, fine, I get it. So I rested for a whole two weeks, and then I bailed on my full marathon (on strict doctor's orders) and only ran the last 14 miles to keep my running buddy company. The good news is, it went pretty well. I didn't feel so ill anymore and it actually made me truly hungry for the first time in a while!

So I'm back to working out - still easing my way - and with the Nike Women's Half Marathon next week, I've finally set a start date for the P90x Lean: two days after that race (one full day of recovery from the run, then begin my Cardio X on Tuesday the 23rd). And even better, both Tamsen and I are doing it at the same time, and will compare notes on our respective experiences.

To ease my way back into working out, with my system as weakened as it's been, I started with just an easy 30 minute run, here and there. I also did a couple of ab workouts and lower body workouts with Maya. Those have been more interesting lately because we bought a step and that's expanded the range of new workout moves that I've been able to do. I also got a heart rate monitor for my birthday, and learning to use this has been fun. Then lately, I've added some hill training and have a 10 mile run tomorrow.

Well, anyway - nine days to go! I plan on spending some time this week figuring out my schedule and examining the eating plan. Who knows how closely I'll follow that though...

Posts by Sara

2007-09-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

Coming soon!!!

Posts by Tamsen

2007-09-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

Where Fashion Meets Fits - February 24, 2010
The Mental Starting Point - February 15, 2010
Sickness and Fitness - February 10, 2010
Reality Hits the Mat With You - February 18, 2009
Move It and/or Lose It - January 18, 2009
The Wall and The Moment - January 5, 2010
Blog Action Day - Poverty Awareness - October 15, 2008
How to P90X When You're Not Sure You Can P90X - August 2, 2008
The P90X Manifesto - April 28, 2008
First Ever P90Xpert Contest - January 14, 2008
The Rightness of the Right Tools - January 6, 2008
New for P90X Lean: PlaChatQua - November 1, 2007
P90X Lean and The Dreya Roll - October 23, 2007
So Slacking - July 31, 2007
Switch it Out - July 12, 2007
P90X Food - July 5, 2007
Where to Find P90X - July 5, 2007
In Praise of Chest and Back - June 23, 2007
p.p.s. - June 11, 2007
p.s. - June 7, 2007
P90X in Balance - June 7, 2007
P90X: Lessons, Progress and The One Thing - May 27, 2007
Mistake of Enthusiasm - May 18, 2007
The SickFreak Thing - May 4, 2007
Ups and Downs of Upper and Lower - May 3, 2007
The X Files - April 26, 2007
80% of 90 is Showing Up - April 8, 2007
Om-Ow-Om-Ow - March 25, 2007
Failure, the P90X Way - March 19, 2007
P90X - Week 1 in Review - March 9, 2007
Sick to Fit - February 23, 2007
Damn the box - February 8, 2007

Cough Cough Cough

2007-09-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

I finally made my decision last week about my next 90: P90X Lean! I figured with the intensive running I'm doing, gearing up for the Portland Marathon on October 7th and the Nike Women's half a few weeks later, I should stick to a less intensive start. Plus, the Lean program seems to have more cardio that I can easily add or swap in my running for.

There it was - was happy with my decision, planning the best day to begin. Then I ran my 20 mile training run two sundays ago... It went pretty well, considering this was a jump up from 16 and the longest I'd run in a long time. Then I went to Oakland for a concert (Pink Martini... fabulous!!) and came home with a strange warmth in my chest, not brought on by the greatness of the show. A little bit of a wheeze, a tad of a dry hacking cough. Not good.

Sure my immune system was a bit low (I really need to start taking multi-vitamins and immune boosters after my really long runs). But I blame Oakland! Rumour has it a cough has been "going around" there, whereas all my SF friends have been cough free.

So I took a few days off, figuring it'd be best to take it easy with this, what with the marathon coming up so soon, and another 20 miler due this past sunday. But by sunday, the cough was not only still there, it was worse. And I'd been so good, too! Taking my expectorant regularly, drinking lots of liquids... So finally today, a week later, I called to make a doctor's appointment. And I haven't run, let alone started my P90X Lean at all. I feel terrible.

*cough cough*

Getting Back On Track

2007-08-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

I've been gone for so long and completely lost my second 90 day set finale...
What can I say, despite my unwillingness to believe it, weddings really do swallow up your life. From the Sunday before our wedding (when the family members showed up) till two and a half weeks later when I got back from the wedding continuation trip (no honeymoon for us), all I did was two runs: one hard angry 30-min run on rehearsal day (can I just say I run harder and quieter when dealing with family wedding-related crazies?*) and one lovely sunny hour long run on the day of the wedding.

That's it. No strength and no cardio even once the initial wedding dust settled. OK, there was one night of regular dancing, one night of belly dancing lessons and a full night of obligatory belly dancing as part of my second wedding celebration. There was also some frisbee throwing in the sea and some recreational swimming. But that's it!

So now I'm back in town, ready to get back on track, feeling a bit heavier after 2 weeks of feasting and the lighter workout load. My main question is what do I do? For the rest of this week, I'll just ease my way back into working out with a run here and there and some visits with Maya (hopefully she'll be understanding). But then what? I dropped the ball on the Women's Health Magazine plan, but aside from the one week kick off, that workout plan didn't do much for me.

People who've noticed that I lost weight this past year keep attributing it to the fact that I was getting married, either as in "When I was a bride, I was so stressed I hardly ever ate!" or "Trying to get in shape for the wedding, eh?" Which is totally fine, if that's what my motivator was. But it wasn't. My motivation stemmed from a number of things, but primarily developing a good research foundation for the athletic cookbook I've been working on.

My goal for 2008 is to run 8 races (half marathon and up). And for that, I'd like to be in as good shape as I can be. So I will continue to ponder what my next workout plan will be...

So Slacking

2007-07-31T20:19:00.001-07:00

sara ran the san francisco half on sunday. I. DID. NOT.

knees. 'nuf said.

this is my first run blow-off. can i just say that wandering haight street with a hot coffee spiked with bourbon just after 8:00 a.m. was delightfully wicked? too late for your approval, i just said it.

and in case you were wondering, this is completely and utterly in line with the P90X recovery week program that gleefully resides in a parallel universe.

Switch it Out

2007-07-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

Two things crossed my path this week, both promoting the ever-increasing acknowledgement that Different is More: one was an article in the July 2007 issue of Harper's Bazaar about a one-month makeover; the other was a post to a blog my friend Stacie sent me about fat marathoners (see top left of this blogsite for the reason we started Ti90).

The article was by a writer who had taken an assignment from HB to do a month of training with one of Madonna's trainers, using an idea that's familiar to anyone bouncing around in the P90X world: be consistent, but switch it out. The writer's training called for a new routine every 10 sessions. By the end of the month she'd dropped four dress sizes and 10 lbs. (I'd like to hear about her in six months to see if she maintained.)

The blog post is by a fabulous fitness fanatic girl geek who calls herself Skwigg. She analyzes the paradox of running distances and gaining weight. She describes some of the theories that abound on the subject, but concludes with the one that got me here in the first place: muscles have memory; train them using only one method and they will plateau. (Her "If they'd just...throw up a lung for 20 minutes" comment is priceless, and right on point.)

Yeahbut.

These cosmic pings all happened during the same week I decided to mess with Phase Two of Doubles. Instead of three weeks of crazy upper body and pounding cardio, I'm doing four weeks so that my "rest" week falls immediately before the San Francisco Half Marathon. Yeah, it went through my mind: I'm defeating the purpose of the "muscle confusion" plan. But if I had stayed on track...well, here's the complicated algorithm: 6 solid days of lower body stress + 13.1 miles = Cranky Bitch at Finish Line.

Conclusion: Switch it out, but don't bitch it out.

P90X Food

2007-07-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

Just before I started P90X, I wrote about what Sara just referred to, the EGGPOUNDER 4000 portion of the meal plan. Basically, the P90X program includes a food plan to ensure maximum results, and one approach offered is a weekly menu plan.

Aside from the enormous (for me) amount of food I would have eaten if I'd gone by the menu, I would also have gone broke. Here's a sample shopping list from the first two days of the program:

----------------------
Fat-free turkey, Extra lean ham, Salmon, Fat-free chicken broth, shrimp,
Cottage Cheese, fat-free mozarella, fat-free milk, string cheese, 8 eggs
Wild rice
Roma tomatoes, mushrooms, strawberries, romaine lettuce, hearts of palm, avocado, asparagus, red onion, red and yellow bell peppers, celery, garlic, bananas, blueberries, ginger, broccoli, snow peas, mushrooms, water chestnuts, green beans, shallots, butternut squash
Low-fat dressing, tomato paste
2 Protein Bars, 2 Recovery Drink, Soy Nuts, Protein powder, sesame seeds, cashews
White wine
----------------------

For me and my happy-slappy singletude, this is about $80 of groceries that ordinarily would be enough food for over a week, not just two days. The rest of the week's menu tacks on, among other items: steak, chicken breast, quinoa, turkey bacon, soy sausage, spinach, grapefruit, pork, tuna, cantaloupe, swordfish...and 24 more eggs.

I moo now.

I abandoned the meal plan quickly, although I used some of the recipes. Fortunately, the program includes a portion control approach, which breaks down each day's meals into blocks of proteins, carbs, dairy, fruits, vegetables, fats, snacks and condiments. There's also a guide to what plan-positive foods fall into those blocks, and and what serving sizes they should be. That worked for me, even though - as the plan clearly warns against - I tended to undereat.

What the portion control guide allows for is small portions all day long; what it doesn't allow for is when someone gets so fed up and bored thinking about what to eat when, she opts for a dinner of edamame, a PowerBar and water with Emergen-C.

Eh. So I don't get it right every time. The next day I open the nutrition plan book and look for a day of food I think I can handle financially, physically and, strange to say, emotionally. Maybe salmon with lemon-dill sauce, asparagus, rice and soup is a dandy dinner, but I have enough PowerBars just in case.

Where to Find P90X

2007-07-05T15:50:00.000-07:00

A reader recently left a comment asking where to find the virtual purchase point for P90X: it's on http://www.beachbody.com. You'll find it, among several other programs (like Yoga Booty Ballet, which sounds so girly I want to grab balls I don't have and vocalize in monosyllabic grunts) under "Best Sellers."

*grunt*...X goooood...*grunt*

Booty Boot Camp - Month One

2007-07-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

I've transitioned into month two of the Women's Health Deadline Diet (aka the booty bootcamp) and have found it only somewhat satisfying thus far. For starters, after the week 1 intensive, the next three weeks are a bit too easy for my taste: They only include two 30-45 min cardio
workouts per week, two upper body workouts, two lower body and only one core workout.
That just doesn't feel like it's enough.

So of course, I've been ignoring that and doing more than the bare minimum. I've been doing 3-4 cardio workouts a week - usually one long training run, two 30-45 minute runs and one cardio session with Maya.

The Strength workouts have been varied: whenever possible, I've done the WH ones. Sometimes, however, that hasn't been possible due to a lack of equipment. Often, I've felt that the workout wasn't challenging enough and ended up doing an additional Maya workout. I have found some of the WH workouts interesting though, and have occasionally tossed one in the middle of a longer Maya workout. This Core #5 one, for example, is great: I really enjoy having the change of pace from all floor core moves. I don't know that it is quite enough on its own though and felt the need to supplement the workout.

By the time I finished the fourth week, I found that I was beginning to slack a bit. The fourth week found me barely completing 3 cardio workouts and hardly finishing the second sets of upper body and lower body strength workouts. But that's where the structure of this series comes in handy. By the end of week 4, I found myself feeling guilty for having slacked off and highly motivated to get back on track... just in time for a new Booty Boot camp intensive week.

Week one of the second month, while not quite as intense as the first time around, is once again challenging with two strength workouts a day for the first three days. Sets you right back on track.

In Praise of Chest and Back

2007-06-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

After I moved on to Phase Two this time around, I realized I was going to regret losing one segment: Chest and Back. Hey, it's all about muscle confusion, so even the good friends have to go by the wayside for now.

Not that its replacement, Shoulders, Chest and Torture - er, Triceps - is anything to sneeze at, but there's something fundamentally satisfying about C+B: the pull-ups. C+B has six sets of them, more than any other segment.

I don't know many women who can honestly pull off a pull-up, not even one full-effort pull. I'm not sure I even managed one when I was a kid hanging from my paws on the jungle gym in elementary school (all I remember is dangling like a sock monkey, wondering how to move to the next rung). At my gym, Club One, I have only been able to do pull-ups on those weight-balanced thingies (yeah. spent so much time on that machine I got to know it by name).

Back in April during my X-Files reverie, I noted two important things about pull-ups: one, that bands will get you part-way there, but not all the way; and two, the closer I was getting to doing pull-ups on a bar, the more motivated I was to conquer them. Both still true sentiments, except that I never got to the gym to take my pull-ups to the next level. When push came to shove (which was gathering myself and my gear after the Sunday long run and jumping in the car) I usually declined and just pressed Play. For the entire first phase I wondered why I made this decision every week and now that I'm a week out of it I just figured it out: I never really believed I could do a pull-up on a bar.

Hey, flailing and grunting at home is one thing; doing it in public around a bunch of fit people is another.

I'm not worried that much about it. I increased the tension tenfold on my band pull-ups, and have gained that strength. During the second phase I'm working different muscle combinations; in the third I'll have two more shots at C+B pull-ups, six times each. If there's a test for the overall success of P90X for me, that is what it will be: taking my elementary school self to Club One on July 22 (Day 1 of week 9) and seeing (or deciding) whether I can pull my chin over a metal bar, in public, for all to see. If I can't...then I'll try again on August 5, week 11.

After all, a girl can only go so long before pulling herself up and testing the stuff she's made of.

I'm No Eggpounder

2007-06-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

Back when we first started these challenges, Tamsen and I called the PX90 the "Eggpounder 4000" because of its meal plan which is highly dependent on egg whites. Lots of them. So when I baked a cake to take up to our landlord's last night and the recipe called only for egg yolks, I packed up the four remaining whites into a tupperware and stashed them in the fridge, deciding I'd use them for my breakfast today.

In the past, whenever I've kept white after using the yolks (or vice versa), inevitably, I'd find the unwanted egg remnants a couple of weeks later when I go searching for the cause of a foul stench in my fridge. This time, I decided things would be different. I often have an egg or two (preferably soft cooked) for breakfast and figured I'd go for the healthy scramble: 1 full egg + a couple of whites.

I chopped up an red potato (courtesy of my CSA box), drizzled it with olive oil and sprinkled it with rosemary salt and baked them in the oven for half an hour. I scrambled up my eggpounder scramble (albeit somewhat light on the pounder... I believe the PX90 plan calls for 4 egg whites and I decided to only use half that amount with 1 full egg.)

The result? I'm really not a fan. I can't imagine having used all four of those. I really believe the egg is perfect just the way it is and I don't need to go messing with its benefits by separating out the poor innocent (and so tasty) yolks.

On the plus side, maybe my 2-full-eggs for breakfast plan isn't so bad after all. I mean, I just had my fitting for my wedding dress and it turns out I've lost two inches since I was last there in April. So my Self Challenge combined with my own normal eating plan (ie. can't follow a diet) seems to be working out alright. And now I have to go back in July for another fitting.

p.p.s.

2007-06-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

thank you, david chase. that man knows a good song.

p.s.

2007-06-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

am i the only one who thinks that BOOTY BOOT CAMP is a great title for a porn movie?

P90X in Balance

2007-06-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

I'm toward the end of my second week of P90X Doubles. Technically, I'm only supposed to start doubles after 4 weeks, but Running Abides (three repeats of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" did the speed trick today. What...you don't run to Steve Perry scaling the vocal heights? Pshaw.)

The first 4-week phase is exactly like regular P90X:
1. Chest and Back with Ab Ripper
2. Plyometrics
3. Shoulders and Arms with Ab Ripper
4. Yoga X
5. Legs and Back, Ab Ripper
6. Kenpo
7. Rest or X Stretch

Last time my P90 week started on Monday, but that required I skip a cardio because the 7th day was always a 5+ mile run. This time, and once again going against Dr. Horton's orders, I'm doubling ahead of time (remind me I'm a dumbass if I crash again). And now Sunday is Day 1:

Sunday: Long run; chest/back/abs
Monday: Plyometrics
Tuesday: Short run; shoulders/arms/abs
Wednesday: Yoga X
Thursday: Short run; legs/back/abs
Friday: Kenpo
Saturday: Rest AND X stretch

That's precisely what doubles is: adding 3 cardio sessions to the regular P-routine. Sunday it's magic as well as Tuesday and Thursday. But the day from hell is Monday.

See, the Plyo workout is fun, I mean REAL fun, like the kind of fun you have with a bunch of friends on a soccer field or basketball court: lots of variety, backs and forths, ups and downs. It's the only workout where I'm not checking to see how much longer I have.

Fun, yes. Easy? HELL no. And now it's scheduled for the day after a long run, and daaaymn gettin all bouncy the day after that is - well, let's just say if I could audition for a russian babushka from the knees down I'd get all the parts: my ankles look like sausages from Satriale's (had to get my Sopranos reference in before Sunday). Glucosamine is my friend.

I'd move Plyo to Saturday and make Monday a rest, but rest on a workday, where I'm ass-planted all day, is a bad start to the week. Instead I'll switch out Yoga and Plyo .

Anyway, the point is that I realized P90X in all its manifestations is not for fitness rookies. P90X is a really good program, but I doubt anyone starting out gets through it without a hitch. Balancing upper and lower body workouts, knowing what time of day works for an intense effort, knowing how to supplement and fuel, and most importantly knowing when to back off, are all things I learned through endurance training (and I don't mean run/walk marathons, although that's how this entire saga began) and am putting to constant use with P90X, when I'm smart enough to remember them.

Now if I can just get through Kenpo without looking like an octopus in a blender, I'll be just fine.

The Booty Boot Camp - The Rest of Week 1

2007-06-03T22:15:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, this first week did nothing but get harder. After the first two days, Day 3 showed another cardio workout (30 minutes this time) and Lower Body Strength workout #1. For cardio, I did a 30 minute run at a pretty good clip and then did the Lower Body workout.

This was actually a bit more challenging for me than the previous two strength workouts: It consisted of two sets of ten 1 & 1/4 squat. Challenging enough. Next, a band crossover. I ditched this move because I didn't have the proper equipment. Then I did the Half Frog - two sets of 12 reps. And lastly, the wobble board balance and sit. I happened to have a wobble board because Big E had bought one for some ankle rehab, and this move was VERY challenging. Since I dropped one of the moves, I did some of the Maya lower body squats and lunges to make up for the missing move, however, since yet again they didn't tell me what my target muscle groups were, I didn't really know what I could do instead.

The next day, Thursday, brought another 30 minute cardio workout and Core Workout #2. For the cardio, I was back with a cardio session with Maya. The Core workout only featured 3 moves and two of them, I could not do because of a lack of equipment (the Ball and the Bosu) so after doing two sets of 12 reps of the 60º sit ups, I added a couple of other good core moves: some V-Ups and some other pilates favourites.

Friday came with a 35 minute cardio workout (a lovely run with Tamsen) and Upper Body #2 workout. This was a good and straight forward one... well, mostly. I did three sets of 12 bench presses (could not do these at an incline since I did not have a bench that can incline), could not do the lat pulldowns due to a lack of equipment, did three sets of 10 lateral raises with 8lb weights (that was really tough for me!), three sets of ten hammer bicep curls and three sets of 12 tricep dips.

By the time Saturday rolled around, I was exhausted and it took everything I had to make myself do a workout. I really just wanted a day off at this point (being somewhat hungover probably didn't help my motivation). But thanks to a huge amount of moral support from Big E, I talked myself into doing my 40 minutes of cardio (a good session with Maya) and my Lower Body #2 workout: two sets of 12 Plié Squats, two sets of 12 Bar Bridges (I don't have a bar, so used 2 8lb weights), two sets of 12 side kicks and two sets of 10 ankle bounces. This workout was not nearly as challenging as the last lower body workout, but I didn't mind at all since I was exhausted and had a long run set for the next day.

I was a bit worried about this long run. I'd set out to do about 8-10 miles (as a bit of a taper before next week's half marathon) but having it come at the tail end of this full week of workouts, I wasn't sure how I'd do. For the Booty Boot camp, I only had to complete 30-45 minutes of cardio today (Sunday). That was not going to be a problem. However, the run was very difficult and I've been exhausted all day since then. I ended up only running 7.5 miles but decided that was fine. The fun part is that Paula Radcliffe then came on and congratulated me on completing my first 500 kilometres since I'd begun running with my Nike+ ipod on January 24th this year. So despite being exhausted and thoroughly worn out, I was proud of myself for not only completing this week of intensive working out and for having run so much this year.

The workout goes on to sketch out the next three weeks of workouts but does allow for 1-2 days of rest. I'll be taking one of those tomorrow. I can't wait!

The Booty Boot Camp - The beginning (days 1&2)

2007-05-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

The Deadline Diet begins with an intensive first week - 7 days of working out in a row. The cardio starts at 20 minutes and builds up until day seven, when I'm supposed to do up to 45 minutes of moderate-maximum intensity cardio.

The first problem I've encountered is that I don't have a heart rate monitor. Yesterday's 20 minutes of moderate cardio (60-70% MHR*) seemed easy: Schleef and I headed out for a 14 mile run starting in Crissy field and had gotten past Fisherman's Wharf, and a ways down the Embarcadero (4+ miles or 44 minutes according to my Nike+) when my girlie woes hit a new low. I had a few cramps when I started running, but had always heard that exercise was supposed to lessen the pain, so I ran. When I was doubled over in pain after 44 minutes of running, nauseous and barely capable of walking, I decided that another 10 miles weren't going to help. We took a cab back to our car at the start. It's funny - I'd sometimes joked about taking a cab back to the start but never actually thought I would do it.

Regardless, my 44 minutes of running definitely seemed to cover the 20 minutes of moderate intensity cardio, so after I'd taken some ibuprofin and a 2 hour nap, I decided to tackle the rest of my requirements of the day: Core Workout #1.

First, the workouts are not available in the magazine, only online. I wasn't too crazy about that, but they were fairly easy to find and were available in slide show format (no audio or video downloads, but then again, Self didn't exactly do that part right either).

So what was Core Workout #1? Three core exercises:

#1 - Prone Plank: One of my favourites. They say to hold for 20-60 seconds each rep. No problem. How many reps? 2 sets of 10-12. Huh??? That's how many sets of push ups I'd expect to do, not of planks! I only held each for 30 seconds because I knew so many were coming, and I had a hard time completing the first set, let alone the second. But first thought is that this was a mistake, but then again, there were only three moves in this workout, so it is possible that it was intentional.

#2 - Locust: Holding each for 5-10 breaths. Again, 2 sets of 10-12 reps. Wah! Exhausting, but I did 2 sets of 10, holding each for 5 breaths. Almost.

#3 - Seated Ball Stabilizer. Sadly, I don't have a ball I could sit on, so I sat on the wobbliest of my bed and tried the move, but don't feel like I was getting anything from it. Also, it didn't say how many reps I should complete for this move, so I was assumed it was the standard 2 sets of 10-12.

Overall, the workout did not feel all that challenging.

Today, I had to do 25 minutes of moderate intensity cardio and Upper-Body Workout #1. For the cardio, I chose to do the Yourself! 30 minute cardio workout. It turned out to be only 22 minutes of cardio, so I paused the program and did an additional 3 minutes of jumping jacks to finish up. I don't know if it was actually moderate intensity or not but it was a higher intensity than the run yesterday.

I then finished the last few minutes of the Yourself! workout: some squats, pliés and the evil squat-lunges with bicep curls and flies. Then I moved onto the Upper-Body workout:

#1 - Bench Press with Dumbells: Straight forward enough - 2 sets of 15 reps with 8 lb weights, using foam roller as a bench (adds a bit of core work to the movement since you need to stabilize on the roller).

#2 - Standing V-Pull: This move required a machine, which I don't have, and since the workout doesn't specify an alternate or which muscles this move targets, I decided to do overhead presses - 2 sets of 15 reps with the 8lb weights.

#3 - Stability Ball Chest Press - Aside from the stability ball (which I still don't have), this move doesn't seem any different from the previous bench press, so I just did another two sets of 15 on the foam roller: it doesn't require as much core work, but 4 sets of intermediate core stabilizing is better than none.

#4 - Biceps Curls - 2 sets of 15 reps with 8lb weights. Nothing new here.

#5 - Rotating Triceps Kickbacks - Same as the usual kickbacks that I do, but with an arm twist at the end to turn the palms facing the ceiling. 2 sets of 15 reps with 8lb weights.

This workout felt more effective than yesterday's core workout.

Tiny 90 - Phase Two: WH's Deadline Diet

2007-05-27T23:06:00.000-07:00

For my second round of Tiny 90 challenging, I've decided to stick with the magazine theme and try out a plan in this month's Women's Health. The plan, called the deadline diet, is actually scalable to work for 1 week, 1 month or 60 days.

The Deadline Diet includes a workout plan and, as the name might indicate, a day to day meal plan. If you've paid any attention to my efforts with the Self Challenge you know that I am not so good with the meal plans, but I'll at least give it a shot. I will have to scale it up a bit though, since it is only 1400 calories, and I'll be running far too much to be eating that little.

I tend not to be fond of diets as it is, and don't really like this plan's name, but the first week is called the booty boot camp, so I think from now on, that will be what I call this thing.

So to get started, here are my current statistics:

Height: 5'9"
Weight: 157lbs
Waist circumference:30in
Hip circumference: 44in
Left thigh: 24in
Right thigh: 25.5in
Run/walk a mile in: 9:16 min.
Can max the Self Challenge tests for squats (50 in a row) and for crunches (60 in a row) and can do 20 pushups (bent knee. Hey, when I started, I could only do 10!!!)

Ready to go! My first day is Monday the 28th of May!

P90X: Lessons, Progress and The One Thing

2007-05-27T18:21:00.000-07:00

Friday, May 25 was the end of our first 90-day trial for our two or three programs (Note: Sara's Self Magazine Challenge was less than challenging, so she added on Yourself! Fitness' kickass cyber-training with Maya, the virtual cutie pie of screaming musculature). I followed P90X with enthusiasm until around the sixth week. I got another four to five weeks in before my shoulders threatened to secede. We start our second 90 days tomorrow; I'm taking on P90X Doubles (the regular program but two workouts a day - I was almost doing that with my running + P90). I thought it would help to remind myself of what just went on...

Regardless of time missed, I did have progress:

- Definte improvement in upper body strength
- A greater overall fitness in just a few weeks
- An advancement in certain abilities (push-ups, flexibility, balance)
- A much better understanding of how to make the program work

On that last one, understanding how to make it work, I had to be taught a few lessons:

- Ignoring recovery weeks was a rookie mistake.

- Sometimes less is more: I really didn't need the heavier weights on some of those moves.

- The menu plans, while appearing to be an awful lot of food (Confession: I never fully subscribed to the EGGPOUNDER 4000 plan. Who the hell wants to eat 18 egg whites every week?) were on target for the most part. It requires a lot more cardio, at least for me, to justify those quantities. While I was running alongside the P90X plan, I was running long, slow miles, which doesn't really kick in the afterburners. In this next 90 days I'll know how to use those calories.

- Supplement, supplement, supplement. I didn't go for any of the Beachbody products because they inexcuseably leave ingredient lists to our imagination on their products page. (Do they really think we don't care? Mui stupido.) I used Clif Recovery and Electrolite powders, Clif protein bars and Hammer Nutrition's Perpetuem and yummy energy bars (I tried and rapidly discarded Hammer's recovery formula; the Xylitol sweetener, while natural and low-glycemic, is too cloying for me). But those balancing, endurance and recovery solutions made a huge difference.

And the one thing? Another re-learned lesson: it doesn't work if your head isn't in the game until way past overtime.

p.s. even after 90 days I still say "P90X" like the dude from Monster Jam

Mistake of Enthusiasm

2007-05-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

My Tiny90 partner, Sara, is in her last week of her Self (non) Challenge; because I re-did that week a month ago, I technically have one more week.

However, I made one serious error, a very common one. As you can tell from these posts, I'm an enthusiastic supporter of P90X. It's well-planned, well-executed, fun and produces visible results. So I got all excited about my progress, how it felt, how fit and strong I was becoming and how I was progressing. A few weeks ago I went to my favorite place in San Francisco, SportsBasement (we heathens who sweat call it Church) and bought heavier bands for the last weeks of the program. It's time, I thought, I can take this on! I'm doing so well! URRRRRG. I quickly had a flare-up of bursitis in both shoulders and could barely push myself up out of bed in the morning.

Such a rookie mistake, but an easy one to make. Enthusiasm, while good for the long haul, is dangerous in the short-term. It's easy to trick yourself into pushing harder than you should - a classic lesson I learned in marathon training was "Don't let the excitement of the event push your pace." Different scenario, same mistake. I decided not to "make up" the lost time, which has ended up being two weeks. Instead I'll take the end of my program at the same time as Sara and start over...doing P90X Doubles.

Hey, it was a rookie mistake, but I haven't lost the enthusiasm. Lesson learned; no backing down. I still have a finish line ahead of me, 90 days from...uh, whenever Sara says :-).

Last Call for the Self (non) Challenge

2007-05-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the final week... How did the Self Challenge hold up? It didn't seem to be nearly as challenging as it was in previous years. The workout requirements were all very manageable (when I wasn't both sick and travelling at the same time).

I finished up quite strongly (well, it's not over yet, but this week is looking good thus far).
I'm still doing way more cardio than required and I've taken to doing one Yourself! Maya cardio session with my 3 or 4 runs each week. The strength training portion is the hardest but with Maya yelling at me each time I miss a session, I've been doing alright.

I seem to have settled roughly around 157 pounds, which is fine for now although I'd be happy if I lost another 5 pounds or so.

The best result of all came during the relay last week: I ran my fastest pace yet - a 9'16" minute mile. Wheee... I'm hoping my continued training will move me along further along in that arena.

Most interesting is that although my upper body is noticeably thinner, my lower body is now larger. My hip and thigh measurements are both bigger than before, and while many pairs of slacks are quite a bit looser around the waist, some pairs are tighter around the bootay. Can that just be the muscle from all the training?

I'm trying to decide whether to give myself a challenge-free week between this program and my next (still secret) 90 day plan. I might just play it by ear this weekend. I'm already back on running training track: I have two half marathons coming up very shortly, so it's not really like I can back off of my training. Maybe it's time for me to try out the p90x???

The SickFreak Thing

2007-05-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

Got a guy a know, I've mentioned him before: Jim Karanas. Club One trainer extraordinaire and their NorCal fitness director. Savvy, knowledgeable, motiviated, enthusiastic. Resident SickFreak.

You know what I mean if you're involved with P90X at all - Tony Horton doing Plyo Push-ups. That's what I'm talking about. Don't take it like it's a bad thing; it's the "I have this body, WHAT CAN IT DO?" thing. Push it. Tweak it. Where is the edge and what does it look like? Where is the space before the space where I break? Being the Chuck Yeager of physical development.

Jim Karanas is a respected trainer partially because he sets the challenges high and trains with the team. I have watched dozens of people take on events they would have laughed at without Jim Karanas: Indoor Rowing competitions, The Davis Double, even climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. The true SickFreak event here in California is The Death Ride. Watching someone get through that is an experience in itself.

I bring this up because Matthew, an X-er who has commented here a few times, confessed to his very own SickFreak moment inspired by his new P90X level of fitness: he decided it would be fun to go down a flight of stairs doing push-ups (Matthew it's official, per me: you're now a registered member of the SickFreak club).

This is what I love most about the X: work the program, see the physical change then feel the mental shift. Suddenly, your body is part of your playtime arsenal; you scan the web for cool triathlons, Ultimate Frisbee becomes a passtime, you choose a vacation spot for the free climbing - if it's challenging, it's fun. Instead of thinking you're not fit enough to ride a 129 mile-long course with 15,000 feet of climbing in under 14 hours (that's why they call it The Death Ride), you think, "Huh. I could do that. That sounds cool." The mental shift is profound, life-changing. As Jim told us in Performance Max, his endurance strength program, "This program will change your life because it will change the way you think." Damn straight it did. So does P90X.

If you're wondering if you have a SickFreak in you, here's what to look for, using the Death Ride comment above: the "I could do that" portion is a logical progression for the physically fit; the "...that sounds cool," however, makes you a SickFreak. Own it.

What Does A Girl Need?

2007-05-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking, ever since my latest Yourself! fitness evaluation, about what I need really.
According to Maya, it's upper body strength. According to my own changing body image, I need to lose about 5 pounds, an inch or so each around my waist and my hips.

Looking back at when I first started the Self Challenge, I entered my measurements:

Height: 5'9"

Weight:	161lbs
Waist circumference:	30in
Hip circumference:	41in
Left thigh:	25in
Right thigh:	25in
Run/walk a mile in:	10 min.

So let's see where I am now, after two and a half months of the challenge.

Weight: 158lbs
Waist circumference:30in
Hip circumference: 44in (um... huh? did I mismeasure this the first time?!?!)
Left thigh: 24in
Right thigh: 25.5in
Run/walk a mile in: 9:26 min.

Well now... I don't know if that qualifies as "improvement." I try to not count weight loss as improvement since it's really hard to tell, and muscle weighs more than fat. Normally I'd go with measurements, but I'm pretty sure my increased thigh size is due to all the running, since I'm a bit right-legged and that one seems to be getting bigger. My legs definitely don't look fatter - they look pretty toned and muscled.

As for the hips - who knows what's going on there?!
The only clear improvement is the faster mile. Now that's something I'm proud of.

So in the meantime, while I'm deciding what to focus my workouts on, I'm still unsure what to pick. Maya still thinks I need a stronger upper body, which may be true, but I am inclined to think I need more cardio. What to do, what to do...

Ups and Downs of Upper and Lower

2007-05-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

The balancing act of late has been akin to the side plank (from the Shoulders, Chest and Triceps* set - Yoga Journal online has a picture of this pose). How to balance sudden shoulder irritation with lower fatigue? Tricky.

Bursitis in both shoulders lept into my world last week, so this week I stepped back and gave *SCT a rest, which I have grown to love (my shoulders have great definition, my triceps are trimming up and Push-ups Are My Friends), as well as Back and Biceps, just in case. Alas, it also eliminated Yoga X from the process so I was left with Plyometrics (also a favorite), AbRipper and Legs and Back.

But.

The Relay is this weekend. My race segments (#5, 17 and 29) are not terribly challenging, but Plyo and Legs and Back have utterly kicked my lower body during this second phase, leaving my running legs - uh - irritable. Cranky. Bitchy. "Why are we running?? You just worked us, COW!"

Never listen to your legs. (Well, until you hear the "SCHK!" sound of the switchblade.)

Ideally, this week would have been about water - easy laps in the pool, perhaps a bit of water running. But water takes time, time I didn't have. So I've spent the week doing relatively nothing in the P90X set, and taking on a tapered week of running. I missed the X, it left a void...all week I have had this odd sense of having left the gas on (ref: Eddie Izzard on squirrel reflections, about 1:13 in).

Gratefully, my shoulders are aching for a workout, so it will be back to the routine on Monday. It was an easy week physically, a tough week mentally. Unbalanced. I kept looking for something that wasn't there.

Monkeys thin on the ground, folks.

Creeping Along The Self-Challenge Way

2007-05-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

So first, I'd like to complain some more about this so-called Self "Challenge". Month 3's workout requirements are no more than Month 2's! What's up with that?
I'm still required to do one 45-min and two 35-min Cardio workouts per week, and three 25-min strength workouts. Am I missing something? The old Self Challenges used to continue to ramp up your requirements each month.

Don't even get me started on Month 3's Eating Plan - Food on the go: how to get healthful meals from McDonald's and Wendy's. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure that's useful for a lot of people, but I'm looking for more useful advice.

Now that that's out of the way, I had my third physical evaluation by Maya last night. Now, I have to admit, I wasn't really sure I was up to it. I'd just had a little bike accident on the way home. Nothing big at all, but it had me all shaken up and I wasn't in the best of mind frames.

I couldn't do the kneeling pushups she has me do for the evaluation (because I landed on my knee and it hurt), so I could only do 12 regular pushups. For the situps and squats, I could still do the maximum, so no obvious improvement there.

The only part I realized I clearly don't understand is the resting and elevated heart rate analysis. The way it works is she has me take my resting pulse then do a full two minutes of jumping jacks then measure again. This time my elevated heart rate was higher. Now is that good? Does that mean that my cardio fitness is improving? I'll have to do some more reading about that.

Our big race is coming up this weekend and I'll be tapering down my workouts this week, though should still be able to get all the Self requirements done. Soon, oh so soon, the whole thing will be over and I'll move onto my next 90 challenge. Hopefully the next one will be more interesting and possibly yield more substantial results. I guess it may have helped if I paid any attention to the food plan section, but it really just didn't suit me or my lifestyle.

Time Flies When You're... Um...

2007-04-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

Don't how it happened, but I've done 6 weekly reviews and find that I'm actually on week 9!!! How did that happen?

Here's a speedy catch up on what happened since I last left you:
After week 6, while still travelling, I also caught some mean flu-y thing.
So, week 7 was the first week that I was not truly not able to complete my requirements.
I only logged 4 workouts that week: 2 cardio and 2 strength. Wah! I guess it isn't really *that* bad, since it means I only dropped one cardio and one strength, but it feels really bad.

Then came week 8, back home, fighting off the end of the nasty cold. That one was much more typical, I managed to finish all the requirements with a bit extra to spare. It was good to be back on track.

The best news of all is that I've finally lost some weight! When travelling, I had at least three family members that I haven't seen in a while point out that I've lost weight, and when I got home, I found that I was actually 5 pounds lighter than when I started. Crazy. Especially since the first month I didn't lose any weight, which I chalked up to muscle gain.

Well, there it is. And now I'm officially in the last quarter of the plan. The best part is, I already know what I'm doing next... but I won't give it away yet. Sorry!

At this point - I'm happy with my personal progress, though unsatisfied with the Self Challenge workout plan. I feel that it's too easy for me. Maya, on the other hand, is still quite capable of kicking my ass. And she still yells at me for missing workouts. I still haven't figured out how to tell her that I'm actually running at least 3 additional days a week. Ah well, so it goes...

The X Files

2007-04-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry about that title, I couldn't resist.

I'm currently on week 8 - but not really. Technically it's week 9, but remember I crashed. And restarted. Sometimes that's just what it takes.

Miscellany from the past 7+ weeks...

- Running replaced Kenpo for this 90 day period, so Kenpo will have to wait until 90².

- Hell yes there's a 90². I want to realize absolute potential. AbPotX.

- I've been using resistance bands rather than weights. Being no stranger to weight training, at first I thought this would be the wimp approach. Not so, not so. Despite the few occasions where the starting movement involves a slightly slack band to enable full resistance at the peak of the exercise, the bands are muscle-shredding torture monkeys.

- Muscle. Shredding. Torture. Monkeys. And today I just bought one more, a heavyweight one (max 72 lb resistance).

- Hell no I'm not going to 72 lbs. But at this stage it's going to make a world of difference simulating pull-ups.

- I know from the Beachbody message boards that I am not the only woman who wants to kick serious ass in pull-ups. I also know that there is no band that can replace the next step: I'm going to have to get my ass to the gym and pull up for real.

- The other day during a rainy run, my buddy and I came up on an Erie-sized puddle. My buddy circumvented it through the squishy grass. I lept over it with ease. Plyometrics: God love 'em.

- Still, after 12+ Ab Ripper sessions, that V-Up kills me. And I hate every person on that DVD who does it with ease.

- (I love every person on those DVDs. Can you say Dreya Weber?)

- Tony Horton's airborne plyometric push-ups are psychotic and riveting. After finishing my lame-ass 8 or 10, I'll back up to the start of the sequence just to watch him. Oh, and I just got a clap in for the first time last week.

- The greatest change has been in my strength, especially in my upper body. A little muscle definition ("Hey," I said to the mirror the other day, "I don't remember seeing that before...coooooool...") goes a long way toward re-committing to the process.

- Re-commitment had to happen every week. This is not one of those "once you've done it for 30 days it's habit." There is no habit to this, I had to church it up every single Day One.

Finally, I must be employed by Beachbody in a parallel universe because I have been talking this program up left and right. It's not a permanent approach - nothing can replace the cameraderie of a team of people sweating and screaming in pain simultaneously (ahhh, good times, my Performance Max friends, good times). As long as I keep setting physical goals, I'll be showing up and pressing PLAY.

Self Challenge -Week 6 in Review

2007-04-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

Now the complications begin. This week, on tuesday, I left for a 9-day trip to Italy for an ultimate frisbee tournament. I've been to this tournament before (many times) so I was quite familiar with what to expect. I knew that I could get plenty of running in but that the strength workouts were going to be the tough part. So I crammed as much on Maya as I could in the beginning of the week and then took a resistence band with me to do the third.

As it turns out, I didn't use it and this is the first week that I don't complete all of my requirements.

Requirements:
2 x 30 minute cardio workouts
1 x 45 minute cardio workouts
3 x 25 minute strength workouts

What I actually did:
6 x cardio workouts: 5 x 45 minutes of running (three of those were in one day - I'm in relay training mode) and 35 minutes of aerobics with Maya

2 x Yourself Fitness workouts: 30 minutes of pilates & 30 minutes of weight training

Food-Wise:
Yeah. I was in Italy. I don't believe the piadine sandwiches, plates of risotto and strozzapreti really translate into "2 grain-carbs". Delicious!

Self Challenge -Week 5 in Review

2007-04-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, Month 2 - there are a few changes to the routine. I'm still required to do 3 cardio workouts a week, but one of them is now 45 minutes long instead of 30. That was not a problem: I was already doing much more than the required minimum.

As for the strength requirements, they added one more 25 min session a week. Not that huge of a difference but a bit trickier for me, especially when travelling.

The food requirements however took a dramatic turn: they switched to a units plan, where for breakfast, for example, you should eat 2 grain-carbs; 2 fruit-carbs; 1 dairy-protein; and 2 fats. And they provide a chart telling you what your options are for each of those. Doesn't sound too terrible, does it?

So here's what happened that first week into Month 2:

Requirements:
2 x 30 minute cardio workouts
1 x 45 minute cardio workouts
3 x 25 minute strength workouts

What I actually did:
4 x cardio workouts: 160, 30 & 120 minutes of all running and 30 minutes of aerobics with Maya

4 x Yourself Fitness workouts: 45 minutes of upper body, 45 minutes of core & 45 minutes of lower body & 15 minutes of yoga

Food-Wise:
While I did check out the table, and see what my options were for each meal, I didn't really follow the plan beyond that.

This week wasn't too difficult to keep up with, I seem to be on a roll!

Challengin' while Travellin'

2007-04-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned previously, this is not the first year I've embarked upon the Self challenge. In fact, I have at the very least signed up for it and completed the first month or so for the past four years. What happens around the one month marker that makes me stop, you may ask?

Travel. Every year, right around the same time, I head off for the very same trip: nine days or so in Rimini, Italy for a Beach Ultimate tournament (Big E's team goes every year. I myself don't play).

The travelling lifestyle isn't very conducive to working out. Sure, this really depends on where you go and what options are available to you. In some cases, you may stay in a hotel that has a gym. Or perhaps you've gone to a beach resort, with a tennis court, horseback riding, etc. etc. You shouldn't have a tough time keeping up with your workouts in this case.

For me, it was always the same stumbling block: Strength. It is usually around the time of the challenge where I'm required to do three 25 minute strength workouts a week. In Rimini, I have plenty of cardio options available to me, and they're usually quite easy to fit in. No gyms, however, are available and my bedroom is tiny. I decided this year to set myself up to not fail the strength requirements. I brought an exercise band with me, as well as three pages ripped from an old Self Magazine of an exercise band full body strength workout.

Then, in addition to this, I crammed in two workouts on monday and tuesday (upper body and then lower body), since we weren't leaving until noon on tuesday. Two down, one to go.

We arrived in Rimini on Thursday, the weather was gorgeous. While the team warmed up and practised, I went for a 45 minute jog. I debated doing some pilates on the beach while I waited... perhaps some pushups, a plank or two, ab work... but for some reason, decided against this.

The next day, again gorgeous, I decided it would be my day of rest and didn't workout at all. Saturday came along and I talked myself into a run, another 45 minute jog down the beach. I didn't consider doing any other stuff at this point. Then Sunday, I had a plan - for my relay training, I decided to do my first multiple training run. I went for three 4-5 mile runs, and then I collapsed.

Sunday night, we all drank far too much wine, and I spent monday lying delicately on the sideline. Working out was out of the question. Tuesday, we had to get up early to head back to Bologna and then of course get up even earlier on Wednesday to fly back to San Francisco. When I got home, I managed to talk myself into a Maya workout, the first for this past week, and got some core strength in. However, I also seem to have acquired an illness either on the plane or from the other teammates, and when I got up the next morning to fly to the East Coast, I was feeling even worse.

So with two weeks of travel under my belt, I've come to the following conclusion:

Travel + Cardio = success - at least for me. I love running in new locations, it's a great way to see the town, people watch, get a different perspective. Old Italian men seem to enjoy it too.

Travel + Strength = Not so hot. I can't seem to make myself do a workout in my hotel room and am not likely to do it out on the beach in public. I guess I'm just a wuss that way.

Travel + Flu + any workout = barely happenin'. More on that after the next week in review.

80% of 90 is Showing Up

2007-04-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

Crash. Seriously. It's now Easter Sunday and I can confidently say that I have completed precisely two of my P90X DVD workouts over the last 10 days.

Perhaps I wasn't prepared for the commitment - not exactly a revelation. Maybe I wasn't prepared for the intensity - understatement. None of this matters, however, because the breaking point for a program like this is usually week 4 or 5, and I dutifully obliged. P90X even acknowledges this and makes week 5 a recovery week (not exactly sluffing off, but backing off just enough to let the body heal a bit). I was foolish enough to think that I did not need a recovery week and proceeded with the same workout I had just finished in week 4.

Big mistake.

Another big mistake was not taking the food portion of the program seriously enough (or possibly taking it too seriously). The Eggpounder 4000 put me off, mainly because the food portions were way more than I was accustomed to, and involved ~shudder!~ cooking. I don't cook. After four weeks of trying to cookie-cut the program, trying to eat within the protein, carb, fat blocks listed and/or using the menu plans, food was suddenly a mysterious burden: how do I fuel, when do I fuel, can I eat this? do I have time to fuel, I forgot to fuel and I need to fuel but I don't have time to fuel and suddenly, not surprisingly, I lost all interest in food whatsoever, and stopped caring. No doubt part of that comes from thinking of food solely as FUEL.

Anyway. Time for Plan B: Ignore the lost week, send it off to that bloody island and let The Others sort it out. I'm backing up the program to start week six over again, which isn't going to keep me apace of Sara and her dynamic adjustments to the Self Challenge, but I think that's what this was all about - looking at what it really takes to make a physical goal happen.

Hint: Get out of your head; press PLAY.

With a Squawk!

2007-04-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

So after my month 1 evaluation, having surpassed all the exercise requirements but failed the eating ones, I decided that I wasn't happy with my progress. And since I decided I'm still unlikely to follow the meal plan (although month 2's meal plan is much more reasonable - more on that soon), my solution was to switch up and supplement my cardio load.

Ever since I'd gotten the Nike+ attachment for my iPod, my only cardio has been running. But since my running rarely involves sprints or cardio bursts, I've decided that it isn't enough to make me lose weight. So where did I turn in this time of need? To Maya, of course.

Instead of skipping her cardio workouts now, I've decided that I will supplement my 4-5 days of running a week with one intense 45-minute cardio workout with Maya. (This actually ends up being around 35-40 minutes of cardio, because she always adds some weight work at the end).

Maya tiptoes me into the workout with some really easy stuff: step touching, marching in place... Fortunately, this part only lasts about 3 minutes, then she moves into alternating sequences with jumping jacks, fast shuffles (I used to have to do those for tennis lessons) and various squat jacks, kick jacks, double jacks... any kind of jumping jack you could possibly desire, and then my favourite: The Karate Kick with Squat. Except that whenever she says it, it sounds like she's saying "with squawk" and having done a couple of years of Tae Kwon Do, I'm just dying to let loose and squawk out loud with each kick. But then I might disturb our neighbors and we really do love our new house...

I had my second Yourself! evaluation today and found that nothing had really changed, except that I was now able to do 20 pushups without stopping (compared to 15 when I started) and while Maya thinks that my focus should still be upper body strength, I decided to ignore her and switch my focus to cardio.

Now let's watch that kick my fitness plans into shape.

Oh, and then I leave for almost two weeks of travel tomorrow so that completely changes everything in my workout routine anyway. So much for that plan. My new focus will be: how to remain on target even while travelling. I'll let you know how that goes.

Self Challenge - Week 4 in Review

2007-03-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the end of Month 1... I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed in the month overall. While I've managed to complete the minimum amount of required workouts, I only had one really good week. I'm falling behind on my two Nike+ goals that I'd set for myself: one was to run 16 times this month and the other was to run 5 runs at a faster pace than I normally do.
I actually still have 3 days to try and finish these goals, but it's looking a bit unlikely that I'll manage.

So, here we go:

Requirements:
3 x 30 minute cardio workouts
2 x 25 minute strength workouts

What I actually did:
3 x cardio workouts: 45, 30, & 35 minutes, all running (booo! that's even less than last week!)
3 x Yourself Fitness workouts: 45 minutes of lower-body, 45 minutes of core & 45 minutes of flexibility

Food-Wise:
Yeah, nothing new here.

So where does that leave me after one month? Pretty much nowhere. I weigh exactly the same, my measurements are identical... I don't really have a tangible success meter. Oh well, time to keep on trucking.

I thought it was interesting that I've found this article that says that a well known NYC fitness guru has been recommending the Self Challenge to his clients. Well, that's interesting, but I guess it's possible that it would help if I followed the eating plan. Although I must admit, the eating plan seems to be very restrictive in terms of calories! I'm pretty certain (and Tamsen even more so) that I need more than 1600 calories a day.

Well, here we go, onto Month 2 and its new and improved diet plan!

Bring it, now!

2007-03-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

Having said it to the tune of "y'all come back, now!", Maya just didn't really inspire the bringing it feeling I was hoping for. Not that that didn't mean she was doing all she could to take it from me, whether I'd brought it or not.

Much like Teetering Tamsen, Maya had me doing some yoga moves for my core workout this week that had me flailing about, grabbing on to the nearest bit of furniture and desperately trying to keep my balance. Tamsen and I were complaining to each other and realized that we were having trouble with the very same move (the half moon pose, I believe) - which was fascinating, because that meant that our very different workout programs seem to have quite a bit of overlap.

It would be interesting once our 90 days are through to swap workouts for a week and see how we do on the other.

Om-Ow-Om-Ow

2007-03-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

i do try very hard to clear my mind when i'm doing Yoga X. i do try very hard not to laugh when i'm wobbling uncontrollably in a terribly advanced pose. i do try very hard not to fall in such a way that i will smash something valuable - like my head. i try even harder to jump back into the pose for the remaining time after i've narrowly avoided careening into a wall.

it ain't pretty, but it sticks with me all day. i can feel my muscles just a wee bit stronger, my chest lifted a wee bit higher. can't say i've gotten that from any other yoga i've taken in studio - bikram, hatha or iyengar. but then again, i've never gone for the more advanced classes. i am known for not pushing myself hard enough, this program forces me to take that issue more seriously.

don't expect to see me in studio doing advanced ashtanga, though - one false move and i'd take out about neighboring students like they were a row of harleys.

Self Challenge - Week 3 in Review

2007-03-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

Well, after last week's über-motivated working out, week three was back to the bare minimum... This time, my excuse was travel. I had to fly to NYC on thursday and knew I wouldn't be able to do any strength workouts, so I crammed them all in the beginning of the week. And by all, I mean I only got two strength workouts down. *bows head in shame*

Requirements:
3 x 30 minute cardio workouts
2 x 25 minute strength workouts

What I actually did:
3 x cardio workouts: 45, 45, & 45 minutes, all running (the last two on the treadmill in our hotel)
2 x Yourself Fitness workouts: 45 minutes of upper-body, 45 minutes of core

Food-Wise:
Still no journal. I do hope next month has a better food plan, because this month's just isn't doing it for me!

Not too happy about this week, but I guess I still did more than the base Self Challenge requirements. That still doesn't make it satisfying though.

Self Challenge - Week 2 in Review

2007-03-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

Requirements:
3 x 30 minute cardio workouts
2 x 25 minute strength workouts

What I actually did:
3 x cardio workouts: 125, 40, 45 & 152 minutes, all running.
3 x Yourself Fitness workouts: 45 minutes of upper-body, 30 minutes of lower body, 45 minutes of core and 30 minutes of flexibility

Food-Wise:
Didn't keep the journal - again. I've been researching how to create healthful balanced meals, and writing about it for fitfare.net, but that's about it.

My workouts were quite over the basic requirements. For the cardio, that was merely because I couldn't complete my long run over the weekend and had to do it on Monday, but then kept my next 13-miler on Sunday, so that adds a lot of extra time that would normally have been broken up over two weeks.

As for the strength, having Maya to push me through my workouts has been much more interesting than the Self strength workouts, so it's kept me showing up again and again. Clearly, this is great when I'm home, but when I'm travelling, which I'll be doing a lot of this spring, things get a bit trickier.

How am I doing? I'm not having trouble completing the basic requirements, don't think I've lost any weight (nor would I expect to this soon), I still can't complete one of those blasted narrow-arm push ups, and Maya tells me the session after next is going to be a fitness evaluation. Oh my!

Failure, the P90X Way

2007-03-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

I've learned a lot about fitness in the past five years - how to eat, how to balance, what works, what doesn't. What has surprised me about P90X is what it's teaching me about failure.

I'm not just talking about pushing to failure, that muscle-tension mantra that we shoot for when we're taking on more weight for our triceps or whatever. I'm also referring to the entire concept of Bloody Hell, I Just Can't Do This. Now, I am no athlete, although I have tried to adopt that mentality; but there are parts of the P90 workout that I just can't do. And I am learning more about my physical self, my mental approach and my spirit from those exercises than I am from the others.

Case in point: there is this ratbastard push-up in the Chest and Back workout called a Dive Bomber. It has some origins in yoga, but essentially it entails scooping your chest low from a Downward Dog through a push-up position, then reversing it. Not just lowering your chest, scooping it, like you're trying to get under a low fence. Push-ups are tough for me anyway, the upper body focus of P90X was what made me click the buy button. But HOLY Mother of Tony Horton, this thing...I can't even pretend to fake it, can't get close to it, can't even whisper to its future self, I Can't Do It.

And I love that.

Mind you, I have had to fake and stumble through many of the sets during this first three weeks. This is no pussy workout, any of it, even the yoga busts my ass. But the Dive Bomber is telling me stories, like:

- I am not where I thought I was physically
- How I frame this is going to shape the entire 90-day result
- The Dive Bomber is the Signpost

The first is self explanatory - I knew I wasn't an Olympian but I have been able to hop in and out of my concept of "fit" pretty easily. Dive Bomber tells me I am nowhere near the true value of the term fit.

The second, the framing part, comes from an incredibly influencial article written by Alan Deutschman (an article he expanded into a book) for Fast Company magazine, called "Change or Die." Essentially, "I can't do Dive Bomber" will inevitably ensure that I won't ever be able to do Dive Bomber. Instead, I change the frame. The new one is "I'm coming after you, DB, and I will not stop until I have you." This is something that Tony Horton and the P90 program promotes from the beginning - "you're not taking a 'before' picture, you're taking a 'goodbye!' picture." Might seem like simple semantics, but baby, that shit matters. Boy, does it matter.

The last? Dive Bomber is the Signpost. Fear is a famous Signpost; avoidance is one too. You know the Signpost - it points the way to the right road, so you follow it. I may not end this 90 days in the best shape of my life, but Dive Bomber, that fabulous slap in my fitness face, will tell me precisely how many miles I have to go, and what direction to take to get there.

So: How I fail now will determine how I succeed later. (Oh, yeah, NOW it makes sense...)

All this being said, I have wanted to post this for days and wish I had posted it every day: I flipped the switch about day 10 - I can't get P90X out of my head. I plan my day around the workout, and slightly obsess about the food program (I had to have an intervention because it's Girl Scout Cookie season. I did not lose the faith, just followed the shiny thing for a bit) and I - seriously - look forward to the workouts, I do. I have a workout partner. He's a hard-driving bastard who won't let me off the hook. I flail all over the place but he keeps me solid. And every day I see him I thank GOD he can't see me.

You Sound Like My Date Last Night...

2007-03-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

That's what Maya said to me last night, when I told her (or rather selected as a response when she asked how I was doing) "You're lucky I'm here." Maya, my personal trainer. My Playstation2 virtual personal trainer.

Yourself! Fitness has been the perfect solution to the lack of inspiration provided to me by the Self Challenge. The way I see it, the Self Challenge offers a great log to keep track of the number of workouts I've been doing, and some good preliminary motivation with its requirements: keeping me on track for at least two 25-min strength workouts a week and three 30-min cardio. However, its offerings in terms of strength workouts are quite slim. In fact, just one offering really: one measly confusing little 25 minutes strength workout. And not a very good one, at that.

But I digress. When you first put on Maya, she greets you and puts you through a personal fitness evaluation. This consists of entering all the general stats, height, weight, age, gender and resting heart rate, then a fitness test: 2 minutes of jumping jacks (waaaay harder than I thought it would be! My calves started cramping a bit at 30 seconds!), take your heart rate again, then as many as you can do (up to a set maximum) of the following: Sit ups, push ups, and squats.

I was able to complete the maximum of sit ups (60) and squats (50) but only 15 out of the 40 max push ups. Finally, there was a little flexibility test, where sitting on the ground with your legs out in front of you, you walk your hands towards your feet on the floor and see how far you can go. I'm pretty flexible.

Once this is done, Maya gives you her suggestion for what your focus could be. For me, she shockingly suggested an Upper Body Strength focus, but I then had the option to change, if I so desired, to Weight Loss, Cardio, Core Strength, Lower Body Strength or Flexibility. I decided to go with her suggestion.

Next, she showed me the week plan, and suggested I work out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for 45 minutes at a time. However, this part too was completely customizable. Again, I stayed with her suggestions. Finally, she offers you a full meal plan for a suggested daily calorie total.

Once this phase is done, you can go to your workout or you can go visit the meditation garden (a lovely garden scene where Maya leads you through a 20-minute or so yoga routine). On any given day, you can go with the recommended workout for that day or change it to any other type. You also get to choose your music and workout space and whether or not you have any equipment available (your choices are free weights, balance ball, step and something else that I can't seem to recall).

I have yet to try the yoga, but I've done several workouts with Maya: Core, Lower Body, Upper Body and Flexibility. They're great! They change frequently, and Maya is tough! Although she always asks how difficult a workout was and I've definitely noticed a fine tuning process. After I bitched about how hard the military narrow armed push ups were (as in, I couldn't even complete one), she has me back at regular positioned girlie push-ups. And that's about all I can handle... For now, at least.

Coming up next: Week 2 in review!

P90X - Week 1 in Review

2007-03-09T13:01:00.000-08:00

i was not prepared.

the buzzphrase for this program is BRING IT, which at first i scoffed at then realized i perhaps had packed it then left it at home. this is typical of me, on most issues of commitment, dedication and discipline. i am fantastically skilled at sliding strong into second base then remaining there, curled up in a nap. (one of my favorite episodes of "invader zim": zim drives his easily-distracted robot gir into a movitational frenzy, whereupon gir launches into a fierce run that ends twenty steps later in a deep snooze.)

so i am no longer permitted to scoff at cheesy motivational declarations.

however, when i did manage to BRING IT, i got my ass kicked in a good way. you know that wobbly feeling you get when you've worked muscles that have been lounging by the pool for years? ahhhyeah, that.

P90 in general: It's fast, furious and funny - Tony Horton is one of those charismatic and passionate trainers, using a charming, energy-infused, take-no-prisoners style. He reminds me a lot of the fantastic Jim Karanas, a fitness coach based at Club One in San Francisco, who justifiably has a passionate following. Most of the P90 workouts are about an hour long; the Ab Ripper is 15 minutes (of pure hell). since i'll be doing these workouts for rest of march, i'll only go over a couple at a time.

Chest & Back and the Ab Ripper X
Chest and Back, like the rest of the weight-based programs, is constructed to work alternating muscle sets, something i tried to do with freeweights but wasn't really sure i was doing. It's approximately 22 sets, some repeats, of weight lifting (i used bands) and nasty-ass push-ups. my upper body is my weakest spot (tri- and biceps having lounged by that pool with mai tais for far too long). i did not manage as many reps as i thought i should in some parts, and managed far too many (meaning i wasn't using enough weight) in others. but i learned a lot about my capacity and i know i'll easily be able to mark my progress. if i can do a single, decent military push-up at any point before the 90 days is up, it will be a lifetime first.

Ab Ripper: 13 rapid exercises of 25 reps each, 325 reps total. no, i couldn't do them all, and most of them left me laughing in weak surrender. can you say OW?

Shoulders and Arms (also with Ab Ripper)
hello, my dear. i am called a tricep. we apparently have never met before, although i think you imagine we had. i do believe i will make my presence known to you for days at a time now. when you push up from your side using only me, that is our greatest moment of intimacy.

triceps, did you just call me biyatch? oh yes you did. and my shoulders called me filthy names that cannot be repeated here. suffice it to say that there were a lot more lounge chairs by that pool than i had pretended to know. still: wobbly, sore, cranky and profane though they are, these muscles are mine and i am their master...if i do what i'm told. quite the paradox.

more soon...

Self Challenge - Week 1 in Review

2007-03-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

I finished week 1 of 12 of the Self Challenge, and I have to admit, I'm still a bit meh about it.

Requirements:
3 x 30 minute cardio workouts
2 x 25 minute strength workouts

What I actually did:
3 x 30 minute cardio workouts (only because I flaked out on my 2 hour Sunday run, which means that this week will be off the charts, since I did it on Monday instead)
2 x 25 minute strength workouts (the self challenge one)
1 x 60 minute Pilates session
1 x 30 minute Yourself Fitness upper body workout

Food-Wise:
Didn't keep the journal - My "food plan" has me eating: about 450 calories for breakfast, 400 calories for lunch, a calcium snack of 100 calories, another 550 calories for dinner and a 120-calorie treat - so 1620 a day, which doesn't seem like enough to me.

I tried to make sure I had about 450 for breakfast, then the rest of my day is usually a mystery, though I have been cutting down on the amount of alcohol in the evenings (to cut those unnecessary calories... except for when they were necessary, and then I didn't cut them.)

My second attempt at the Self Challenge Month 1 Strength Workout was only slightly less frustrating. I did make it through the entire thing this time, but was still a bit annoyed at it. I also tried to do the mp3 walkthrough this time but I'm pretty sure it miscounted the reps and it also wouldn't let me pause it. Which was annoying.

I'm not sure I'll do it again since I have my Yourself! fitness program now and therefore have someone to walk me through all my exercises and count down for me. I'm lazy that way.