Have been off of p90x since the beginning of April and it feels really good to give my body this break. I'm not sure that my right forearm is ever going to be fully healed... not sure exactly what is wrong with it, but the tweakiness of it hasn't gone away with this extended rest.
So I started out with the intention of doing pushups on my non running days. After doing that twice, I had to give that up, too. I did 200 the first day, 250 the second day. And started experiencing some soreness in both of my rotator cuffs. I'm an idiot - I just push too hard and too much. So I gave that up and my shoulders have recovered just fine.
I also really got into the mindset of eating the number of calories for maintenance of my goal weight. This is doing wonders for me in so many ways. I feel like I'm a completely new person in regards to how I feel about workouts, calories, etc.
So now I eat 1976 every single day - whether I work out or not. That is the maintenance number for my goal weight of 119lbs with a moderately active workout schedule (3-5 days/week). On the days that I run, I have a significant deficit from the 1976. On the non-running days - when I do yoga - I still have a slight deficit.
This has done amazing things for me, mentally. I no longer feel like I have to workout 6 days/week or I suck. I no longer feel compelled to increase my duration, frequency, or intensity of my workouts. I no longer pay attention to how many calories I burn during my workout. I no longer feel guilty on days that I don't workout. I am enjoying myself for the first time in a really long time. I am not obsessed with miles, time, pace, heart rate while I run (okay, I pay attention to it only because its always high and I'm going to a cardiologist in 2 weeks). I run because I enjoy it. I enjoy it while I'm doing it. I don't worry when I have to stop to walk or even to tie my shoe or take a drink (previously that would bother me because my heart rate would slow down, which would pull down my average HR and thus decrease my calories burned). I don't flip out on days that I do yoga and am not burning many calories, which means I'm enjoying the yoga more than before.
And... I have not gained weight by increasing my calories from 1200/day to 1976/day. I was 127+ when I started this, and now I'm below 125, which is a comfortable weight for me (it fluctuates between 123-126 on any given day, but that is comfortable for me).
I am loving everything about this.
We start p90x again on Monday and then I'll increase my calories to a highly active level (workout 6 days/week).
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Tuesday April 3, 2012
Workout: Plyometrix
My last Plyometrix for a while - thank goodness. I really had to fight myself to not go back to bed this morning because I was sooooo dreading the workout. I didn't have another time during the day to workout, though, so I gave in and did it. Very crabby about it though. And as usual, I was happy that I did. It is so hard, but feels so good when I'm done.
I'm ready to take a break for a while and am looking forward to this week of p90x being over. My muscles and my tendons need a serious break. But I'm going to feel kind of lost for a while, I think. Tony and p90x has been a part of our daily lives for 180 days now - 6 months! I'm going to miss him:)
My last Plyometrix for a while - thank goodness. I really had to fight myself to not go back to bed this morning because I was sooooo dreading the workout. I didn't have another time during the day to workout, though, so I gave in and did it. Very crabby about it though. And as usual, I was happy that I did. It is so hard, but feels so good when I'm done.
I'm ready to take a break for a while and am looking forward to this week of p90x being over. My muscles and my tendons need a serious break. But I'm going to feel kind of lost for a while, I think. Tony and p90x has been a part of our daily lives for 180 days now - 6 months! I'm going to miss him:)
Monday, April 2, 2012
Monday April 2, 2012
Lots of catching up to do...
I have maintained my p90x workouts since my last post. Dave and I are seeing huge strength gains and big changes in our bodies. He is looking awesome and is down to 196 pounds. He's been 196 pounds before, but he's never looked like this before. I got down as low as 122 before we left for Mexico. My arms are ripped and I feel really good about the way I look. I gained 5lbs in Mexico and have had a rough time getting back on track since coming home, due to going out or eating with my in-laws. I am also injured everywhere - dealing with tendinitis everywhere... left ankle and achilles, right ACL & MCL, and right elbow. My shoulders are also beginning to hurt. Its my fault - I always push too hard and now I'm hurting because of it... pretty bad, too. So I sat down last week and formulated a plan for the next month.
I'm gradually going to increase my calories/day. I had been eating around 1200 (net) and then was beginning to bump it up just before Mexico and lost 4 pounds pretty quickly. I haven't been super great or disciplined since we came back so I'm going to do this gradually. I think I need to eat between 1200-1700 cal/day (net, meaning that number + my exercise cal) but I don't want to go crazy and increase 500/day right away. Also, I need to take a pretty significant break from p90x (although that scares me because I'm seeing such great results) and give my body a break. I definitely think I'm overtrained right now. We only have 1 more week of it so I'm going to finish that out and then back off. So here is my plan:
April 1-8
* Finish last week of p90x
* 1400 cal/day (eat)
April 8-15
* Yoga 3x/week + pushups
* Run 3x/week
* 1500 cal/day (eat)
April 16-22
* Yoga 3x/week + pushups
* Run 3x/week
* 1600 cal/day (eat)
April 23-29
* Yoga 3x/week + pushups
* Run 3x/week
* 1700 cal/day (eat)
Yesterday I weighed 127 I think.
I will reevaluate after the month is done and see how my elbow/shoulders & knees feel.
Also, on just a general health front: Tomorrow I am having an echocardiogram to ensure that my heart is functioning properly. I talked to my doctor about my high heart rate and when he listened carefully he heard a murmur. I had an EKG done immediately and other than a resting heart rate in the 50's (awesome), there was no concern (and no concern about that because he knows I run). So he just wants to check it out and make sure the murmur is nothing to worry about... and he wants me to be reassured that my high heart rate is okay, although he agrees with my decision to back my pace down so I can run at a sustainable heart rate.
On Thursday I will be having a consultation with a hand surgeon to discuss whether or not I should have carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand. I had an EMG done a couple of weeks ago (excruciating) and the results showed a mild case of CTS in my right hand. I'm thinking that we may go the route of surgery just to deal with the issue before it gets worse and truthfully, after 7-10 years of it, I'm just sick of dealing with it and working around it all the time. So we'll see. I'm not excited about it, but recognize that I should try to take care of it before my nerve gets permanently damaged. However, I have not spoken to the surgeon yet so maybe he will prefer to go the route of occupational therapy instead.
I have maintained my p90x workouts since my last post. Dave and I are seeing huge strength gains and big changes in our bodies. He is looking awesome and is down to 196 pounds. He's been 196 pounds before, but he's never looked like this before. I got down as low as 122 before we left for Mexico. My arms are ripped and I feel really good about the way I look. I gained 5lbs in Mexico and have had a rough time getting back on track since coming home, due to going out or eating with my in-laws. I am also injured everywhere - dealing with tendinitis everywhere... left ankle and achilles, right ACL & MCL, and right elbow. My shoulders are also beginning to hurt. Its my fault - I always push too hard and now I'm hurting because of it... pretty bad, too. So I sat down last week and formulated a plan for the next month.
I'm gradually going to increase my calories/day. I had been eating around 1200 (net) and then was beginning to bump it up just before Mexico and lost 4 pounds pretty quickly. I haven't been super great or disciplined since we came back so I'm going to do this gradually. I think I need to eat between 1200-1700 cal/day (net, meaning that number + my exercise cal) but I don't want to go crazy and increase 500/day right away. Also, I need to take a pretty significant break from p90x (although that scares me because I'm seeing such great results) and give my body a break. I definitely think I'm overtrained right now. We only have 1 more week of it so I'm going to finish that out and then back off. So here is my plan:
April 1-8
* Finish last week of p90x
* 1400 cal/day (eat)
April 8-15
* Yoga 3x/week + pushups
* Run 3x/week
* 1500 cal/day (eat)
April 16-22
* Yoga 3x/week + pushups
* Run 3x/week
* 1600 cal/day (eat)
April 23-29
* Yoga 3x/week + pushups
* Run 3x/week
* 1700 cal/day (eat)
Yesterday I weighed 127 I think.
I will reevaluate after the month is done and see how my elbow/shoulders & knees feel.
Also, on just a general health front: Tomorrow I am having an echocardiogram to ensure that my heart is functioning properly. I talked to my doctor about my high heart rate and when he listened carefully he heard a murmur. I had an EKG done immediately and other than a resting heart rate in the 50's (awesome), there was no concern (and no concern about that because he knows I run). So he just wants to check it out and make sure the murmur is nothing to worry about... and he wants me to be reassured that my high heart rate is okay, although he agrees with my decision to back my pace down so I can run at a sustainable heart rate.
On Thursday I will be having a consultation with a hand surgeon to discuss whether or not I should have carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand. I had an EMG done a couple of weeks ago (excruciating) and the results showed a mild case of CTS in my right hand. I'm thinking that we may go the route of surgery just to deal with the issue before it gets worse and truthfully, after 7-10 years of it, I'm just sick of dealing with it and working around it all the time. So we'll see. I'm not excited about it, but recognize that I should try to take care of it before my nerve gets permanently damaged. However, I have not spoken to the surgeon yet so maybe he will prefer to go the route of occupational therapy instead.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Monday February 13, 2012
Workout: P90x Chest/Shoulders/Tris
Avg HR: 111
I think I despise this workout. I've decided it is the absolute worst of them all - it is so difficult and the people are so boring. By 3/4 of the way through, my arms are absolute jello and I can barely do any of the moves. I guess thats a good thing - rather than completely mastering everything and being able to get through it all, its probably better to get to the point of failure. But man, my arms are toast for the whole day. I also think this workout has the most ridiculous exercises of all of the workouts: 1 arm pushups, clapping pushups, pike presses, fly pushups. Ugh. But I get through it every time - and that is success.
I took Saturday and Sunday as rest days and it felt good. Right now I'm struggling, though, because I have a weird knee issue going on and I can't figure out how to figure out what it is. It is not joint related - in other words, the pain is not in the joint. The pain is in the ligaments next to the knee on the inside of my right leg. And I don't know how to heal that - it hurts every time I stand or bear weight on that leg. If I stand too long the outside ligaments hurt too. I also have this same feeling on the inside of my right elbow. I'm not sure what to do about it or if anything can be done.
Avg HR: 111
I think I despise this workout. I've decided it is the absolute worst of them all - it is so difficult and the people are so boring. By 3/4 of the way through, my arms are absolute jello and I can barely do any of the moves. I guess thats a good thing - rather than completely mastering everything and being able to get through it all, its probably better to get to the point of failure. But man, my arms are toast for the whole day. I also think this workout has the most ridiculous exercises of all of the workouts: 1 arm pushups, clapping pushups, pike presses, fly pushups. Ugh. But I get through it every time - and that is success.
I took Saturday and Sunday as rest days and it felt good. Right now I'm struggling, though, because I have a weird knee issue going on and I can't figure out how to figure out what it is. It is not joint related - in other words, the pain is not in the joint. The pain is in the ligaments next to the knee on the inside of my right leg. And I don't know how to heal that - it hurts every time I stand or bear weight on that leg. If I stand too long the outside ligaments hurt too. I also have this same feeling on the inside of my right elbow. I'm not sure what to do about it or if anything can be done.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Friday February 10, 2012
Tuesday - p90x core synergistics
Ugh. I'm better at this and don't hate it as much as the last round, but its still horrible. I would actually choose plyometrix before this... I really hate working core. I'm fortunate that I don't carry my weight in my stomach (I carry it in my hips/thighs), so I'm not as worried about core/ab work as many women. And because of that minor blessing, I don't care if I have a small little pooch... I actually think that it is a very feminine thing to have. BUT, I do recognize that I'm unusual in this regard.
Wednesday - p90x KenPo
I enjoy this workout, it just doesn't feel like a workout that raises my heart rate enough. It goes fast and is kind of fun, its just not difficult and doesn't feel like I'm working hard enough. So I think its a great recovery week workout.
Thursday - run on the treadmill
Ran for 2 miles, which ended up being about 22:00. I had to fit it in between some stuff, so I ran for 1 episode of Arrested Development, which worked out perfectly to 2 miles. It was good - I'm so meant to be running slower and working myself up.
Friday - p90x CardioX
The schedule for today was supposed to be yoga, but I did not want to get up at 5:15 to do a 90 minute workout. We opted for CardioX. Neither of us have done this workout before - its nice. It is only 45 minutes, which feels so short compared to all the rest of the workouts. It was kind of fun - its a mix of all of the non-strength workouts: yoga, kenpo & plyo. It was definitely enjoyable and went fast. It was also not terribly difficult, which makes it a great recovery week workout.
My body feels like it needs a break. I'm considering taking an extra rest day tomorrow. Either that or I'm going to do yoga... I just feel sore and fatigued, so i want to rest. I think, though, that it would feel really good to do all of the yoga, so I'll wait and find out what Dave wants to do.
Ugh. I'm better at this and don't hate it as much as the last round, but its still horrible. I would actually choose plyometrix before this... I really hate working core. I'm fortunate that I don't carry my weight in my stomach (I carry it in my hips/thighs), so I'm not as worried about core/ab work as many women. And because of that minor blessing, I don't care if I have a small little pooch... I actually think that it is a very feminine thing to have. BUT, I do recognize that I'm unusual in this regard.
Wednesday - p90x KenPo
I enjoy this workout, it just doesn't feel like a workout that raises my heart rate enough. It goes fast and is kind of fun, its just not difficult and doesn't feel like I'm working hard enough. So I think its a great recovery week workout.
Thursday - run on the treadmill
Ran for 2 miles, which ended up being about 22:00. I had to fit it in between some stuff, so I ran for 1 episode of Arrested Development, which worked out perfectly to 2 miles. It was good - I'm so meant to be running slower and working myself up.
Friday - p90x CardioX
The schedule for today was supposed to be yoga, but I did not want to get up at 5:15 to do a 90 minute workout. We opted for CardioX. Neither of us have done this workout before - its nice. It is only 45 minutes, which feels so short compared to all the rest of the workouts. It was kind of fun - its a mix of all of the non-strength workouts: yoga, kenpo & plyo. It was definitely enjoyable and went fast. It was also not terribly difficult, which makes it a great recovery week workout.
My body feels like it needs a break. I'm considering taking an extra rest day tomorrow. Either that or I'm going to do yoga... I just feel sore and fatigued, so i want to rest. I think, though, that it would feel really good to do all of the yoga, so I'll wait and find out what Dave wants to do.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Monday February 6, 2012
Saturday - Run 6 miles on the treadmill
I swallowed my pride and ran at a slower pace to find out if I could keep my heart rate lower and if so, if running would feel easier for me. I ran between 5.5-5.8 (11:00 -10:40) and was able to keep my heart rate below 165 the entire time. I ran while watching Arrested Development on netflix, which meant that I wasn't trying to keep pace with any music. The run was so much easier than any that I've done recently. I wasn't laboring or sucking wind, I didn't feel like I needed to mentally keep myself from jumping off throughout the whole thing. I just ran. And I enjoyed it. This is what I need to be doing.
Monday - Recovery week!
YogaX is on the schedule for today, however, I opted to run instead. I like yoga and all, but it is 90 minutes and it doesn't elevate my heart rate enough for my satisfaction. So I ran 4 miles while watching Arrested Development again this morning. I stayed at a 5.5 (11:00) pace for almost the entire time... I think I upped it for the last 3/4 of a mile just to get the 4 miles in on time. My average HR for today's run was 155. This was an easily sustainable heart rate and again, I enjoyed it and didn't feel miserable the entire time. This is definitely what I need to be doing.
I swallowed my pride and ran at a slower pace to find out if I could keep my heart rate lower and if so, if running would feel easier for me. I ran between 5.5-5.8 (11:00 -10:40) and was able to keep my heart rate below 165 the entire time. I ran while watching Arrested Development on netflix, which meant that I wasn't trying to keep pace with any music. The run was so much easier than any that I've done recently. I wasn't laboring or sucking wind, I didn't feel like I needed to mentally keep myself from jumping off throughout the whole thing. I just ran. And I enjoyed it. This is what I need to be doing.
Monday - Recovery week!
YogaX is on the schedule for today, however, I opted to run instead. I like yoga and all, but it is 90 minutes and it doesn't elevate my heart rate enough for my satisfaction. So I ran 4 miles while watching Arrested Development again this morning. I stayed at a 5.5 (11:00) pace for almost the entire time... I think I upped it for the last 3/4 of a mile just to get the 4 miles in on time. My average HR for today's run was 155. This was an easily sustainable heart rate and again, I enjoyed it and didn't feel miserable the entire time. This is definitely what I need to be doing.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Friday February 3, 2012
Wednesday - p90x Shoulders/Arms
I'm gaining a lot of strength and my arms are really defined, but my muscles are gigantic in proportion to the short length they have to fill between joints. I may start lowering the weights a bit and doing a few more reps.
Thursday - run on the treadmill 3 miles
It was a horrible run. I quickly needed to fit it in between things and I was hurried and a little stressed. I jumped off after every song to get a drink of water. I just wasn't into it. After reading the most recent Runners World, I'm going to focus more on running at an appropriate heart rate, but for longer. I'm never going to get my mileage up with a heart rate of 170. I'm going to have to slow down to probably an 11:00 mile and increase my pace when I can regularly keep my heart rate in the 150's/160's at that pace. I read many things in this recent issue about not getting hung up on pace, and I totally have - it has become a pride thing. I used to be able to run faster than a 10:00 mile... I had been running at a 9:40 mile with a 2% incline on the treadmill, but I have not run regularly for over a year and I can't expect myself to be at that pace any more. If I want to continue running and enjoy it, I need to slow down and keep my heart rate in check. How many times do I have to excuse my crappy performance by saying: Its just too difficult to sustain a heart rate of 170+ for that long? I'm smarter than that - I know what I have to do, I just need to get over myself and swallow my pride and slow down.
Have to decide if I want to do a long, slow run tomorrow or do intervals again. I want to continue doing intervals every week, but I need to figure out which day I want to do them.
Friday - p90x Back/Legs
I always enjoy this workout. I'm seeing major strength gains in my pullups. I did 2 reverse grip chinups without using the chair! Thats awesome! And I'm proud of myself! However, I do need to think about what my goals are with this... I tried on a sleeveless shirt yesterday and I was kind of grossed out by how muscular my arms are... again, the distance between my joints is short and my muscles are big, so my arms don't really look toned and defined, they just look big. Oh well, not sure what to do about it.
My weight was down to 124.4 this morning. Loss of 1/2 pound this week. I was kind of disappointed, but then realized - hey, its still a 1/2 pound! I'm happy with that.
I'm gaining a lot of strength and my arms are really defined, but my muscles are gigantic in proportion to the short length they have to fill between joints. I may start lowering the weights a bit and doing a few more reps.
Thursday - run on the treadmill 3 miles
It was a horrible run. I quickly needed to fit it in between things and I was hurried and a little stressed. I jumped off after every song to get a drink of water. I just wasn't into it. After reading the most recent Runners World, I'm going to focus more on running at an appropriate heart rate, but for longer. I'm never going to get my mileage up with a heart rate of 170. I'm going to have to slow down to probably an 11:00 mile and increase my pace when I can regularly keep my heart rate in the 150's/160's at that pace. I read many things in this recent issue about not getting hung up on pace, and I totally have - it has become a pride thing. I used to be able to run faster than a 10:00 mile... I had been running at a 9:40 mile with a 2% incline on the treadmill, but I have not run regularly for over a year and I can't expect myself to be at that pace any more. If I want to continue running and enjoy it, I need to slow down and keep my heart rate in check. How many times do I have to excuse my crappy performance by saying: Its just too difficult to sustain a heart rate of 170+ for that long? I'm smarter than that - I know what I have to do, I just need to get over myself and swallow my pride and slow down.
Have to decide if I want to do a long, slow run tomorrow or do intervals again. I want to continue doing intervals every week, but I need to figure out which day I want to do them.
Friday - p90x Back/Legs
I always enjoy this workout. I'm seeing major strength gains in my pullups. I did 2 reverse grip chinups without using the chair! Thats awesome! And I'm proud of myself! However, I do need to think about what my goals are with this... I tried on a sleeveless shirt yesterday and I was kind of grossed out by how muscular my arms are... again, the distance between my joints is short and my muscles are big, so my arms don't really look toned and defined, they just look big. Oh well, not sure what to do about it.
My weight was down to 124.4 this morning. Loss of 1/2 pound this week. I was kind of disappointed, but then realized - hey, its still a 1/2 pound! I'm happy with that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)