Fitness?

I haven't posted here in almost two months, which makes me wonder if I should even continue. I used to have so many things to talk about (ok, complain about) when I still worked in retail, but I haven't for almost a year now. I don't come in contact with people who get my goat on a regular basis, and I don't have to deal with back-to-school shoppers or the Christmas rush. Some part of my brain misses sharing all that with you, but I certainly don't miss it enough to ever work in retail again. Thankfully, I've been at a job I love where the people are terrific, and I get paid a lot more and put up with little to no bull crap for almost a year, and I don't plan on ever giving that up.

My main focus has been on fitness since the beginning of February when I started this journey with P90X. I never dreamed that I'd get so involved with it when I started. I remember writing that blog and feeling fed-up with feeling tired and not wanting to eat. I was falling in and out of anorexia and therefore, my weight was going up and down, up and down. On top of that, I wasn't happy going to the gym. Even though I was underweight, I still was embarrassed to lift in front of anyone. You would expect those feelings to come from someone who was obese and ashamed of their body. Well, I wasn't obese, but I still felt like I was. It was like talking to a brick wall to convince me otherwise. Sometimes you just have to figure things out for yourself or be lucky enough to have something speak to you. P90X was it for me.

Now I've been spending a lot of my time trying to get other people involved. I became a coach on Beachbody a couple months ago, and I've been able to meet some people through that and sell products. However, I still want more. I've been milling over what to do fitness-wise with any extra time I have. Summer is quickly coming to an end, and people are going to end up in their fitness slump. Not many people want to work out until January 1st comes around. I'm especially having a hard time finding people that like to work out in Erie, Pennsylvania (if that's you, let me know). I think there are a lot of people who are unhappy with how they look and feel, but they'd rather do the quick fix of a diet pill and not put some real effort into it. I don't have a success story where I went from fat to thin, but I know of people who have doing these programs, and it's inspiring.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to start up some P90X classes or something along those lines. Finding people around here would be difficult, but I think if they really wanted to get in shape for next summer, now would be the time to start. If you do want to get involved, please let me know. I'm having the worst time finding any fitness-minded people in this area. Anyone that may know of a way I could get these classes going, please let me know. I sort of feel like I'm stuck.

More P90X/Beachbody News...and I'm Still Alive

I know it's been an incredibly long time since I've written on here, but my blogging has gone by the wayside lately, and something else has replaced it. I think it's kind of obvious what that thing may be...*cough*P90X*cough* I'm already about halfway through my second round of it, and I've become really engrossed in the whole program and the community of people I've able to meet through it.

Over the past month or so, I'd really been considering taking it a step further. Heck, I already have the license plate, and people are sending me messages almost on a daily basis to ask exercise/health-related questions. I'd been thinking about becoming a coach on the Beachbody website. I had been asked several times by random people if I was already a coach, so it made me think about it a little more. I kept questioning myself on whether or not I could do it, but I guess I didn't need to ask that because I've already been doing that for free the past month or two without even thinking about it. So yesterday I took the plunge and signed up to be a coach, and I'm now waiting for my little start-up kit to show up in the mail. I don't really care so much about making money through this, but I thought it would be a nice opportunity to share what I'm passionate about and help other people at the same time. It sounds kind of cheesy, but that's really where I am with this. All due thanks need to go to one guy for giving me that extra push to sign up: Jason "Puckhead" Diebold. Check out his site because he's an awesome coach and person.

Also, I was contacted a couple weeks ago by someone from Beachbody, and he put a cool opportunity on the table for me that I couldn't pass up. Nothing is official so far, but I'm supposed to find out the final word in a couple weeks, and I couldn't be more anxious. If it goes through successfully, it's going to be one of the biggest events to happen in my life. I am just looking forward to the wheels it's going to give to me to spread this whole program around this area because--as you can see--I'm extremely passionate about it, and most people in Erie haven't a clue what P90X is. I'm just praying all goes well. If not, I still have the coaching, and I'm more than happy to have a voice through that.

I'll keep you guys updated with the news when I receive it. I don't want to explain in detail what it is right now, but I'll just say that it's BIG (as in national). I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

You can visit my site here. It needs updated badly, but I'll be getting to that this week.

First 90 Days Gone...

I suppose I should update you guys on the fact that I hit my 90 day mark for P90X, and I've already started my second round. I hit the mark while my husband and I were out in Marienville, PA for a little celebration of our anniversary. We got a cabin out there, and it was really nice to get away even though the weather was cool and very rainy. We still got a lot of indoor time though, which is not bad at all.

Anyway, I got some progress pictures while we were out there, and I'm happy that I finally got the right lighting so you can actually see my definition for once. More motivation to keep pressing on (or pressing play, I should say):





Don't be afraid to try it if you're considering it. If you have questions, feel free to ask me.

Day 75

Thanks for all the great comments you guys have been leaving. I'm starting to get a little more attention the past few weeks, and people are noticing and asking questions about the program. I sort of like being the walking advertisement because I really endorse P90X. In fact, I'm getting a personalized plate for my car so I can advertise on my way to work or wherever I go. Sounds kind of cheesy, but I don't care. I feel a lot better than I did before I started, and I look better too.

In fact, we just had a Wellness Day at work on Wednesday, and we took a fitness test during that. The women were supposed to do modified push-ups and the men just regular ones, but I hate doing push-ups on my knees, so I asked if I could do the other instead. After consulting with another Hamot employee, they said it was alright, but my numbers wouldn't come back very accurately. I didn't care. I was competing against my boss (who won anyway). I managed to crank out 28 military-style push-ups in 30 seconds (my boss did 38 wide push-ups). I was hoping to get to 35, but I should have had my hands wider, and I might have.

We also had our BMI and body fat percentage measured. I had around 8.7% body fat, which is awesome (target range for women is 20-32%; men is 12-24%, but lower is better). My BMI, I believe, was around 19, which is just above underweight (18.5 and under is too low). I imagine I was a little lower last year when I was still struggling with my eating disorder, but who knows. I was really satisfied with my numbers, overall.

Yesterday, I just completed day 75 (of 90), so it was a picture day. My husband took a picture the day before while I was doing Yoga X, and it seems to be getting some attention, so it makes me feel like I've made progress:



Here are some regular shots from yesterday. I'm even more flustered than last time because this was Core Synergistics. Forgot to flex my stomach for the first one:







And an ab shot from today since I didn't get any decent ones yesterday:



So there they are. I managed to find one other person in Erie that's doing this program, and it was by accident Monday night. If anyone else is or if you want to join in, I'm starting my second round (classic this time) on May 5th. Just let me know.

Sixty Days and Counting

I'm so happy I've been sticking with this program. If I look a little flustered, it's because I had just finished doing an hour and a half of Yoga X about 5 minutes before these pictures were taken:

Front shot


Back shot


Obligatory ab shot

I'm Taking the Dive

Hey, there, folks, and a happy Good Thursday to all of you. Ok, there's no such thing, but it's going to have to suffice for tonight for the sake of my blog. I'm a day too early to say Good Friday. Anyway, I spent--you know--a week out in Tennessee (a sort of faux, early wedding anniversary get-away) and Florida (for the space shuttle launch) last week, and I haven't yet blogged about it. Well, you're going to have to wait another day. I don't really have the time or motivation to go ahead and do that tonight, but I will tomorrow since I have a nice, long, 4-day weekend for Easter [Work for Catholics...you get lots of holidays off.].

Instead, I'd like to talk more about my P90X progress. I've found a couple people (not many) that have shown some interest in my journey, and I feel like entertaining that right now. First, I'd like to say I get a kick out of all the people I encounter that laugh when I turn down candy/donuts/popcorn/etc. and say I'm on a diet: "You don't need to be on a diet, skinny bones! Now eat some sugar!" Yes, I'm thin and have--at times--been quite a bit underweight, but that doesn't mean I can't be on a diet. Many people automatically associate the word "diet" with "LOSE WEIGHT!!" How about a diet that's meant to keep you healthy and in shape? It exists, you know. Isn't that essentially what a diet is supposed to do anyway?

I can't say I don't cheat on occasion (nothing over-the-top though) because I do. I try to slim it down to once a month because if there's one thing I've learned from my very fitness-conscious husband, cheating isn't all bad. In fact, you should do it every so often (in moderation, of course). That doesn't mean I grab a double whopper from Burger King or a dozen Krispy Kremes; just things in the not-so-good-for-you-but-acceptable-in-moderation category.
So do those of you who laugh and/or scoff at my dieting understand now? I'm not trying to lose weight. In fact, I haven't really lost weight at all since I've been doing this program. Well, I dropped some fat weight and replaced it with muscle weight. Really, I'm hanging in the same range; perhaps a little higher.

With that said, let's move on to my progress. I just hit my halfway point of my first round of P90X on Wednesday, and I took some pictures. Now I think I just may be brave enough to show the world my 45-day progress--all in the name of exercise. Unfortunately, I didn't really get any good comparative pictures from the first day, so I grabbed a day 3 photo to throw next to yesterday's. I've been taking pictures mainly of my abs because that's the area I want to see the most progress [Join the club, right?]. My arms and shoulders are generally at the level I want them because I used to work them all the time at the gym; perhaps too much (they don't call me Trizilla for nothing). My goal is to get Dreya Weber abs by next summer (or at least something comparable). Now I know some of you think that's a fleeting motivation, but that's not the entire reason I'm doing this program. I do it because it makes me feel good and gives me more energy. It's all interconnected with my goal. Naysayers, wise up. Anyway, check it out below (unfortunately, the camera seems to wash out the definition):


Constructive criticism is welcome. Creepy and/or sexist comments are not.

P90X...You There?

So some of you are wondering how the heck I'm doing with the P90X program. Did I still stick with it? If you've seen me on Facebook or MySpace or have talked to me in the past week (you know who you are...Tam and ron), you know the answer to that question. Yes, I have stuck with it, and I am losing fat and some weight; not a lot of weight, of course, because I didn't weigh much to begin with, and some is being replaced by muscle weight.

As some of you may know, my husband, sister-in-law, and I are heading out to Tennessee for the weekend and Florida through Thursday so we can watch the shuttle launch Monday night. I've never been to Florida, so this should be exciting, and I'm definitely looking forward to getting away from all this snow and cold for a while. It's starting to wear on me. This leaves the question, "Am I sticking with P90X during my vacation?" Heck, yeah. Tony Horton is vacationing with me. There's no way I'm giving it up for a week. Can you say "waste of time"? The whole month I've been doing this would practically go down the drain if I did that. So Mr. Bowflex, check out my dedication and discipline [I know, I'm going link-crazy here, so I apologize.].

Along with this exercise, I've been getting pretty strict with my diet--much to the amusement of my coworkers since they connect diet with someone who is overweight. Just because I'm not fat doesn't mean I don't have to eat healthy. It would still catch up to me. In fact, I'm pretty sure all that Burger King and Taco Bell was starting to take its toll. I don't need Dunlop Disease: my belly done-lop over (props to my father-in-law for that diamond).

Anyway, I'm sure I've bored you all with my exercise talk, but it excites me and has made me feel good about myself for the first time in my life. I can't say that's a bad feeling. I hope to have a fairly drastic change from when I started last month to when this lean program ends in May. I know I've already seen some changes. I've been taking progress pictures, so if you've seen them on my profiles, then you know. If not...well, we'll see if you're not too creepy to show them to.

Exercise and Another Blogger Get-Together

Ok, I know it's been quite a while since I last blogged, but ever since I've been doing this workout program, I've been on a completely different plane, and most of my time has been wrapped up in that. I'm finding foods that are better for me to eat, so I'm working on my diet, as well...but you guys don't want to hear about all this anymore, I'm sure.
I will say this though: It is coming along really well, and I'm already starting to see some definition in my abs. Can't say I'm at all unsatisfied thus far.

Anyway, it's time for yet another blogger meeting tomorrow evening. This time we'll be at Borders starting at 7:00pm. Even if you don't want to hang out with us, you can sit in a corner with your book and stare while you sip your mochachino. Whatever works for you...but we would like you to get to know us all. We're a fun bunch.

Maybe I'll pick up some "delicious" baja chicken soup from Moe's to sip on while I read Dostoevsky...

More P90X...

Oy, this is a sorry sight to see: I'm sitting here singing to Barbra Streisand. Please tell me that one of you is belting out Backstreet Boys right now.

Anyway, I'm still sticking with the P90X program, and--man--it's kickin' my butt royally. Today was my third day, and it was a cardio workout, which was quite a break from the first two days. It had some yoga [I can now see why people lose weight doing that.], Kenpō, plyometrics, and core work.
I started on the classic program for the first day and decided to switch to lean since it entails a lot of cardio and shoulder/arm exercises with some legs and back thrown in. That's what I really want to focus on. Yesterday was core synergistics, and I didn't realize how truly weak my core was until I was trying to do those exercises. I held out a lot better than I thought I would and was even able to do the bonus exercises without too much trouble, but that workout was killer. I think I've finally found myself a real challenge. My entire body is writhing in muscle-soreness, but as they say: No pain; no gain.

Come May/June I want to be able to have the strength and physique to do some drawn-out bike rides and runs. I want to be able to get out to the Peninsula more often to keep this up because--let's face it--I'm not getting any younger, and that just makes it that much harder to keep weight off and stay in shape. I'm already starting to feel it, and I'm not quite 24 yet. I hate to see what I'd be like at 30 without exercising and dieting.

Keep me motivated, guys!

A Little Late for Resolutions But...

I think I've finally decided to push myself into better health. My husband has been trying to get me to actively go to the gym on a weekly basis for several years now. It’s been extremely frustrating for him, I can imagine. Working out is something that he enjoys doing, and it’s a healthy hobby. I’ve tried to adopt that into my lifestyle, and I’ve gone in and out of it for the past four years. I guess I just feel a little uncomfortable and somewhat distracted when I work out in the presence of a bunch of people.
When I was a teenager, I was a lot better about exercising. My diet wasn’t necessarily in check, but I went outside and did a lot of cardio-based exercises. I rode my bike practically everywhere [This tends to explain why my calves are bigger than a lot of women’s.]. Once the weather started to get even a tiny bit warmer, I would bust it out and ride it to school over taking the bus or hitching a ride from a friend. As an added challenge, I would race the school bus home, which proved to be difficult, but I managed to do it a couple times. It’s the little things that get me excited and happy.

Now I’m finding that winter is taking a toll on me more and more every year. I see myself getting more senile and depressed each time it comes around. I do less and less, and I never feel like going out. Going to the gym is at the bottom of my list, which sucks because I want to be active. Bottom line: I just don’t want to go out. I do have the motivation to do something but no means of doing it at home (i.e. a decent weight set/resistance bands, curl bars/straight bars, benches, etc.). It makes me wish we had our own gym set.

I know a lot of people say, “I’m going to start working out but rather than getting a gym membership, I’m going to buy a Bowflex and work out at home! I’ll have washboard abs in no time!” Cut to two days after they’ve received the product, and it’s already catching dust. They never really had the true incentive to stick to a workout.
I don’t want to spend money on a Bowflex or Coreliminator (or whatever it's called). I don’t weigh 500 pounds and think I need to lose weight to get that beach body this summer. I just need weights, bars, bands, etc. to get myself going so I can be active again. Being bottled up in a house without being able to exercise for the duration of winter is no fun; especially for someone who loves being outdoors when it’s warm [Well—let’s face it—who doesn’t?].

Over the course of almost a year, I’ve seen these P90X infomercials running on occasion. The first time I saw one was when I couldn’t fall asleep one night and was up coughing, hacking, sneezing, and anything and everything else you want to throw in there (nice timing, right?). After having watched a few minutes of it, I was actually kind of impressed that they had a fairly legit workout program out there. You don’t know how sick I am of seeing ads for aerobic exercises, new machines to help you do crunches “more efficiently”, L.A. Weight Loss, and the like. They’re all a joke, and if they’re exercise DVDs, they make no mention of changing your diet; if they’re diet programs, they make no mention of exercise. Everyone is looking for the easy way to lose weight or be in shape without having to do any (or much) work.

Now, I obviously don’t need to lose weight because if you’ve ever seen me, I’m a stick compared to some people, so that’s not my motivation for wanting to get exercise. I just want to be in shape so I can feel better about myself and possibly have some more energy. That’s why I think I’m going to try P90X to see if it works for me. I’ve watched a lot of the different workouts they have in this series, and that’s enough to wear you out and make you work for everything you want. It’s better because the people they have on there aren’t just standing there smiling without a drop of sweat while they do these exercises. They’re actually struggling to get reps out. To me, that makes more sense and gives people a more realistic view of exercise instead of false hopes. Plus, they give you a diet guide, so it’s not just delving into the exercise aspect of it and completely ignoring the fact that you can’t drink Coke and eat Fritos while you’re doing this. Also, the fact that it contains pure weightlifting (with more than dinky, 1-pound dumbbells, mind you) doesn’t hurt.

I think the nicest thing about this program is that you don’t need tons of equipment to do the exercises. You just need dumbbells and a pull-up bar, basically, and if you don’t have the bar, then resistance bands with a door anchor can do the trick. It’s not exactly the same as doing a pull-up, but I guess faux pull-ups will have to be my workout for the time being.

I think this is a program I’m going to stick out and go through for 90 days (at least), and we’ll see how I look after that. I’ll get my diet in check and do these workouts relentlessly. My husband said he might even do a few with me, which would be cool. It’s nice to have a partner. Don’t expect any progress photos to be displayed on here. I’ll probably take some, but I can’t see myself showing the “interwebs” my midriff, so you’ll have to take a cold shower and forget about it…ha…ha…and ha.