Day 22 and Day 23- P90X-Core Synergistics

Okay, I put these two together because I did not do Day 22. That is right, I skipped Day 22 because it was the yoga. I did not do my workout on Saturday or Sunday. And today I wondered would I do it or not. Because, I was scheduled to meet the movers at my mother's house at 8:00 a.m. But I got up, and I did it. Or shall I say I attempted it. Tough workout!! and when Tony said that we could quit or go on with him? what do you think I did? That's right.. today I quit! That banana roll.. oh my gosh.. banana, superman, banana, superman, ban, sup, he went so fast, he almost didn't finish the word. I was doing all that rolling and just a grunting. And then the one where you roll back and then come back and pop up on your feet... no way. I am so bad at this. I had to push myself with my hands to try to get up, and by the time I was struggling to get up, they were already on their way back down. Anyone watching me today would have really had a good laugh, or maybe a good cry because they would have laughed so hard they would have been crying. I don't even know what tomorrow is because in the morning, I don't plan on doing anything. I did not finish with the moving until after 6:00 p.m. and I had to come home and take three Advil and soak in Epson Salts. My legs, my feet, my back, my butt, all of it ached. I am so tired, and I have to work tomorrow.... so, it is off to bed for me!!!

Day 21-P90X- Ab Ripper X

Yes, Day 21 is supposed to be a stretch or rest day. But I do about 2-3 rest days a week, and I am not doing the AbRipper X like I supposed to. I know I should be more on course with this, but surely doing it my way is still good, right? So this morning I knew I had another full day of moving boxes; therefore, I opted to do the Ab Ripper X instead of starting week 4 with the yoga. And like I said... an hour of yoga... please.. someone help me. I am going to try to do yoga tomorrow since tomorrow will be Day 22 and that means the start of my recovery week. So I have a few yoga DVDs that are probably 40-60 minutes long. I am going to do one of those tomorrow. And then I supposed to do the Core Synergistics on Sunday. That looks tough!!! And then I think it is Kenpo X. I must say that today when I was doing the Ab Ripper, I struggled because my quadriceps were so sore.. you know where you have to keep your legs up. I think that kick-boxing really made me sore. And then it is yoga again and kenpo X again. And Sunday for me will also be making sure everything is ready for the movers to come. Monday is moving day. So, I will just have to see how I hold up. And about the diet... Dr. Peppers have been very stimulating for me to get through all this. I think when I settle down a little, I might go back to Spark people. I just seem to do so much better with tracking my calories this way. I do like drinking the protein shakes and the recovery drinks though. My weight kinda went back up. So since June 1... I have only lost 6 lbs. It was 8 lbs. But I have not measured, and I really think I am losing inches. I may not be posting those "after photos" until a couple of P90X semesters. Okay... yoga.. tomorrow!!

60th Birthday Party

One of the photos of dh opening one of his 60 gifts. He got some nice gifts too.

My daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.

All my kids- son-26, son-21, grandaughter-6 mos, daughter-28, and son-in law-28

My sister-in-law is included in this photo.

So here is how the birthday party played out. First let me just say that my husband does not like being the center of attention. He does not like giving gifts, nor does he like getting them. He would just as soon all birthdays just breeze on by. So when his 60th birthday was approaching, I asked him if he would like to have it with friends, and he said no. Usually for birthdays, we always either go out to eat or he fries catfish for everyone. He is the best fish fryer in the whole wide world. But we couldn't have him cook on his birthday. So we decided that it would just be family, but I did ask his sister and her husband to come. He did not want them to go to all that trouble to make the trip from north Texas. But they were thrilled to come. My mother who lives here in town also joined us. I told him that I knew he did not care about this birthday party, but I was not doing it just for him... I was doing it for our kids. Each time I told this story.. whether it was to him, one of the kids or a friend, I would choke up.... I said, " listen, I am not just doing this for Daddy, I am doing it for all of you. I remember my daddy's 60th birthday, and it is a great memory that I have of him. And when your daddy is gone from this world, I want you to have this cherished memory too." So my daughter came up with the 60 gift ideas. We knew this would rock his world since he hates opening gifts. So we all laid out one gift on the coffee table. After he opened those gifts, I had kept asking him how old he was. And so I said, " how old are you?" He just gave me this puzzled look, like what have you been smokin'? I said, " I don't think that is all... you are 60... and then we walked in with a big box of gifts. He was saying, " Dee.. no.. Dee... uhuh... no... quit... no." But we were all relentless with him, and made him get with it. Pretty soon, he got into the spirit of it all. There were joke gifts.. fake look-a-like Viagra ( blue M&Ms), wipes, fleet enemas... and then some good gifts- athletic shorts, T-shirts, polo shirts, lawn chair, fishing stuff, hunting stuff, cigars, etc. We then went to the meal

Since we were not going out, I decided to do the meal like we WERE going out to a very nice restaurant. Now, this country girl has never cooked beef tenderloin. But have no fear, I have a great friend in the catering business, and she came through for me. She told me how to prepare it. I had my youngest son be the waiter. The first course was salad and bread. Then they had baked potato casserole, Italian green beans, and the beef tenderloin cooked in wine sauce with mushrooms. It was all delicious. We have dimmed lights, pretty china, candles, and flowers. I forgot to mention the appetizers before dinner- hummus dip and brie cheese with homemade blueberry sauce, and red and white wine. We finished the dinner with a Marble Slab strawberry cake. We had the Hawaiian theme mainly to just dress Hawaiian. That will be our Christmas card photo. My husband told me and then emailed everyone and told them, " This was the best birthday I ever had." I think it might be the best birthday dinner I have ever been to... but then I am quite biased... I had my family here and we all had a wonderful evening!

Family photo for the Christmas card.

This is a photo of the poster my daughter and my sister-in-law did with a tour of dh's life of 60 years.

Day 20- P90X- Kenpo X

I am so tired right this minute, but I did want to get this post done. I got up early this morning.. at 5:00 a.m. I went ahead and did two days of Bible study, and then I got busy with my Kenpo X. I really do like doing this. Am I cheating if I skip the break.. only the break is not really a break.. it is jumping rope, running in place, and doing those jumping jacks on the ground and jumping in the air doing jumping jacks. Yes, I fast forward through that. But I really like the blocking, the punching, and the kicking. It is over before you know it, and you are doing the cool down. I am still not doing too well with being consistent with the Ab Ripper X. And in case you haven't noticed, I have not been posting my meals. I am not doing well.. why? because you must plan better with your meals, and right now I don't know if I am coming or going. I have spent the days I am off packing and getting my mother ready to move. Today I got her clothes ( a massive amount) moved along with boxes of dishes. I packed up more boxes. I may move them tomorrow. I just don't want them to be in the way when the movers move the furniture on Monday. I may just move her paintings and lamps tomorrow. The plumbers and the air-conditioning man is coming to do the amendment work for the buyer. I still have to call and get her cable changed to the new address. Details.. details...like I said... I am sooooooooooo tired. But I am still working to get my P90X in. And soon I will be more focused with my eating. I think I will go and take a couple of Advil. GOOD NIGHT!!!!

Day 19-P90X- Legs and Back

Yea!!! I got up early (5:15) this morning. I was doing my leg and back routine at 5:30. I am doing most of the exercises.. only a few I still struggle with. I planned to do the ab ripper X when I got home, but I had friends over for a spur of the moment dinner. I still need to get busy with the Ab ripper. I have two more days and then I start the recovery week. I did a preview of Core synergistics, and it looks really tough. I am also thinking that I might forego Tony's yoga, and do one of my yoga DVD's. The P90X yoga is just too long. I still want to blog about the birthday this weekend, but not tonight. I am on my way to a hot bath and going to bed.

Day 18- P90X- Yoga

I will talk about today before I post about the weekend. Or I guess you will be reading about the weekend first since this post will appear below the Weekend post. Okay.. this is Day 18, almost 3 weeks into this program even though I have been at it almost 4 weeks. I knew when I began that I was not going to finish in 90 days. I just hoped that I would FINISH!!! And yes.. I certainly plan to. Today began with the sluggishness that overcame me when I awoke due to ... you guessed it... lack of sleep. Last night, I don't know if it was all the excitement of the weekend, the fact that I kept dozing in the afternoon, or the pressing thoughts that crowded my mind. You see... last night I was thinking about a certain young man.. he is 22, one year older than my youngest son. Since I began having children, I have worked two days per week as a dental hygienist. My youngest has had a few child caretakers, but the last one was the one my older two had. One of the children there was this certain young man. He came to my son's birthday parties and played baseball with ds. Last August this young man decided with two of his buddies that it would be really cool to rob this person closing down a local restaurant. Long story short.. the other two robbed the woman.. shot her in the foot.. her boyfriend was with her and he had a gun.. more gunfire, and the boyfriend was dead. A robbery is now a murder. And this young man is now going to prison... sentenced for 35 years and not eligible for parole for half of that time. Oh I am not excusing him. I wanted to.. but as my co-workers admonished me.. you don't go in a robbery with a loaded gun unless you are planning on shooting someone if need be. So last night.. I just kept thinking about him and so I prayed for him, his family- mother, father, sister, aunt, grandmother.. I knew all of them. And then I just had to get up and write a note to the mom. So I know I am chasing rabbits, but I probably went to sleep around 2:00 a.m. I woke up at 6:30, and I really intended to skip the yoga and do the legs and back routine. But by the time I was dressed and ready at 7:00, I knew I would not have enough time to meet my mother at her house to take her to the doctor. I had even told her to go alone. Yes, she can drive and go alone, but my mother's problem is her hearing. She absolutely cannot hear what the doctor has to say to her, and then she is still not clear what the doctor means. So.. I skipped my workout, got to her house, went to the doctor, went by her new living facility, went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and then back to her house where I stayed ALL DAY LONG packing up boxes. I got home at 5:15. I needed to get the back part of the house cool so that I could do the workout. But boy was I hungry. I went ahead and ate my dinner (leftovers), fixed dh a big salad, washed and folded clothes, and decided somewhere along the way to do the yoga instead. The yoga is not exhausting.. it is hard.. I cannot do all the poses.. I fall sometimes.. but, I am seeing improvement. I really think that I am stretching myself further. Forget the crane.. I don't think I will ever be able to lift myself off the ground like that . I did fast forward a couple of repetitive poses, but all in all, I did the routine. Yes.. an hour and a half. I do not like doing yoga for that long. But one thing I did learn is that I do like to do it in the evening. I was not feeling as anxious to finish as I was the day I did it before work. I did not start it until close to 7:30. I finished it, and went and had a snack, soaked in a hot tub, and now here I am typing this post. So now tomorrow the plan is to do the legs and back. I am also seriously considering ordering the chinup bar. Okay, it is after 10:00, so my weekend post will have to wait..... stay tuned.

In Memory of Randy

I cannot figure out how to get this photo larger. This was taken in 1969 when we were in the 9th grade. This was me with my first boyfriend, Randy. He was the cutest boy in the whole wide world. We were on our way to a country club dance. When we were much younger... like in the fourth grade, he was so shy. He wore a baseball cap and would practically pull it down over his whole face when he had to talk to my father. It was so endearing. Last month I found out that Randy was very ill. I knew that he had a respiratory condition, but I did not know it was that serious. It had been several years since I had seen Randy. But whenever we got together we shared our fondness for each other... good friends... old friends... childhood friends. I had just read the email from a prayer chain telling of how ill Randy was, and I got a phone call from his best friend from our hometown telling me that Randy had died. I was unable to make his funeral service in Marshall. So in a way, it still seems like he is not gone. But when we have our next class reunion, it will certainly become real to me then. I will not see Randy again here on this earth. I just had to make a special post dedicated to my dear childhood friend.

Day 17- P90X- Shoulders and Arms

Did you notice that I did not post yesterday. I got up all ready to do the P90X, and like always a million things to do here at home. So.. I got busy with laundry and working in the house and cleaning up the garage... I was so tired. I missed my workout. And you know I really should have done it because to me shoulders and arms is one of the easier workouts. So today I got busy again around the house. Here is another problem. It is either get busy and do the workout right when I get up, or I am going to have to wait a couple of hours. Why? Because if I wait for 30 minutes or an hour, I am going to be hungry. And if I eat, I am going to have to wait to do the workout. I don't get hungry immediately when I wake up, but in that first hour I do. I guess it was about 8:45 when I began my workout. I also wanted to hurry up and get done so I could go to Sam's and H.E.B. before the afternoon. Those places start getting too busy and crowded for me. But it was a great workout. I completed everything that Tony asked me to do. I don't know if I am doing that side tricep pushup correctly. I am going to increase some of my weights next time. I really really like doing this workout. Maybe that is a sure sign that I do need to challenge myself and increase my weights. I am already doing 15 reps of everything. And I am doing all 16 when he asks us to do 16. Oh I forgot... I could only do 10 of the tricep chair dips. I would try to go as low as I could too. Well I don't know if I will be doing my workout tomorrow or not. I have my daughter, sil, and little granddaughter coming tonight. The birthday party is tomorrow. I will post about the menu later. And yes today I was bad again. I have this obsession... I almost HAVE to have a Dr. Pepper when I go to Sam's. So here is what I had:

Before workout- I had a few sips of a protein shake that was my son's. Maybe 1/4 c.

Breakfast- Kinda like a hamburger without the bun- grilled meat, dill pickles, tomatoes, and WW cheddar cheese with mustard, Diet Green Tea

Lunch- I snacked at Sam's- piece of roast beef, chicken salad on a cracker, bite of steakfinger, two baked French fries and.... Dr. Pepper

Dinner- Sheperd's Pie- ground meat, light sour cream, cr of mushroom soup, carrots, green beans, onions, celery, mashed potatoes- about 1 1/2 cupfuls and salad, skim milk

So I leave you with a photo of my little granddaughter because yesterday she was 6 months old.

Day 16- P90X- Plyometrics

Yea!!! Once again I got up at 5:15 a.m. and I got my workout started about 5:30. Plyometrics.....what can I say??? It is tough!! Like Tony says it is the mother of P90X. That could be why some of he stuff I definitely have to modify. I do not do those jumps where you bend your knees and jump high. I do a single leg lift..right..left..right. Jumping like that hurts me. And then I modified the jump where you turned 1/2 way around. I had to put a foot down as I was doing that. I try to do more low impact rather than high impact. Nevertheless...... I was still sweating, had a red face, and totally out of breath. I think I did most everything else. I know I am improving. I continue to work out hard. I go to the finish. I know before the 90 days is up, I am going to be so improved. Today was so busy for me... and you know what that means.... don't do well with the eating. Actually I would say that there has never been one day I have really followed the plan. Hmmm....could that be why I am not seeing weight loss? Here is how it looked today:

Breakfast- scrambled one egg with three egg whites, protein shake with scoop of protein powder, frozen banana, and skim milk.... still was not enough to eat.. I was still hungry.. so I added about 2 oz. of turkey

Lunch- Popeyes- chicken wrap with rice, and then a side order of dirty rice.. and a Dr. Pepper

Dinner- mozarella cheese stick, crackers

Not alot of calories, but definitely not very nuitritious. But all of it hit the spot as far as I am concerned.

Okay, tomorrow is another busy day for me. Getting ready for my dh's 60th birthday. OMG.... that is just sounding too wierd. To think I am married to a 60 year old!!! Hey kids... you'll be there quicker than you think. He is still handsome though. I will post photos later.

Day 15-P90X- Chest and Back

Well, I am beginning my third week. This is my last week before recovery week. I woke up at about 5:10 a.m... right before my alarm went off. So I just laid there and waited for the alarm to go off. I got out of bed, used the bathroom, put on my workout clothes, washed my face and put my contacs in, pulled my bangs back, and I was ready to go!! I got the strap fixed to the door for my cable pullups. I must say that I continue to get better at the chest and back workout. Today the first go round, I did 15 regular pushups, and ended with 10 girl pushups. The second go round I did 12/8. On the bands, I did 25 the first go round, and 20 the second. My biggest struggle is the decline pushups which I think I only did 4 the first time and skipped the second time. I also continue to have a hard time with the dive bombers. I did about 8 of those each time. But let me tell you... they are not pretty. I am having no trouble with the bands. When I finish these 90 days, and I decide to do it again, I am going to get the chin-up bar. But right now, I think this is still fine for me. Also today when I started I was sore. My shoulders are sore from the punching in the kenpo. I also fast forwarded through the water break. On some of the exercises, I would start before Tony gave us the go ahead. I just did not want to waste time. I would skip some of the ballistic stretches. After all, I had to go to work today. So I finished before 6:30, and I was able to get a shower, get to work early, do my Bible study and then put on my makeup there at work. I like to do it that way. I am the only one in the office, and I have no interruptions, and I am not at home to be distracted by all the things that need to be done at home. But right now, it is almost 8:00 p.m., and I am tired. I am about to take a loooooooooooooong bath and relax before I get in the bed. Here is what my food looked like today:

Breakfast- 3/4 c granola and decaf coffee

Snack- 2 T peanuts

Lunch- grilled chicken and broccoli (leftovers from Sunday)

Dinner- 3/4 c leftover chicken enchiladas, mixed green salad, 5 oz. grilled sirloin

Snack- 1/2 c granola, 1 c skim milk

I am still drinking on the milk. I was starving when I got home. When I was about to leave work, my co-worker noticed that my tire was low. After she left, and I got outside, the boss and another co-worker and I all agreed.. my tire was low. We used the air pump, and put some air in it. I called my "tire man" and they told me to come on even though it was closing time. I am so thankful that they got to my tire. I had a nail in it, and they had it taken care of quickly. It is great to live in a small (30,000) town. I got home around 6:00, and ds was cooking the steaks. So tomorrow is plyometrics. Good night!!

Day 13, 14-P90X-Rest

Okay, let me clarify. I have had more than 2 days of rest on P90X, but I forgot to include them as a day. So that is why I am playing catch-up. Yes, I did have to take another day of rest today. Why? ..... well, same ole story. I got busy this morning... I had plenty of time to get my workout in, but I fiddle-faddled around doing laundry, picking up around the house, etc. I had to be somewhere at 11:00, and it takes me more than 20 minutes to be on time. I ended up having to do more errands regarding my mother's move, so I did not get home until after 4:00. I said to myself I would make sure the back part of the house was cool. I would begin supper while my workout space was getting cool. Then I would do the workout. NOT!!!! I got home and dh was shoveling dirt. We just had some great concrete block raised beds made. I have an older raised bed that I had made several years ago. It had lots of weeds in it, and he said if I would pull those weeds up, he would shovel some of the new soil into that bed. Ugh!! But of course I wanted a new bed. He already had the seeds for the fall garden. And this is where the spinach would grow. So, I worked pulling weeds and smoothing dirt for about an hour and a half. Then it was time to get supper ready. Normally, I would not cook.. he doesn't mind a sandwich or a salad, but remember... my youngest son is here for a few weeks, and I really want to have a meal for him. However... if I had known he was not going to eat the enchiladas but instead just have the bean tostados, I could have whipped that out in a hurry. But dh did like the chicken enchiladas. So, by the time I cooked, ate, cleaned the kitchen, and worked the new garden, I was tired!! But... I said to myself, I will at least do the Ab Ripper X. So I got it done. So tomorrow is the beginning of my third week, because tomorrow is Chest and Back. So tomorrow is officially Day 15. I know it should be about Day 18 or 19 or 22... I don't know. And I am still eating too many carbs... I just can't seem to help it. So here is what I had today:

Breakfast- one whole egg and 2 eggs whites cooked like a fried egg in Pam- I couldn't help it, I just had to have a change.

Snack- really it was right after breakfast... about a half of cup of dry granola

Lunch- I was not prepared... I had no food with me and was in town longer than I planned- Taco Casa- bean tostado- tortilla, beans, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream.

Snack- got home at 4:00 and had about an ounce of grilled chicken

Dinner- Chicken enchiladas- about a cupful.. chicken, cr of chick soup, corn tortillas, cheese and a bean tostado (only about 2 T) and fat free refried beans, romaine lettuce, mozarella cheese -1 T, homemade salsa.

Snack- about 6 mini rice cakes and 1 1/2 c of skim milk

So Coach Jen... what do you think? Too many carbs? Not enough calories? More protein? The weight is bouncing around the same as it has been since June. I have lost 6 lbs, I gain, I lose, I gain, I lose... the most has been 7 lb. So, you really think no carbs will do it. But hey... no Dr. Pepper for me yesterday or today.

Day 12-P90X-Kenpo

Today was totally awesome at our church. We had Phil Cross and the Crossings as our guest musicians. I am not very familiar with his career, but he has been around for awhile. He can sing like nobody's business. And tonight was fantastic!! Yes, I was in a Baptist Church, but I wanted to jump up and down. The message this morning was also great. I will have to post about it on another day.

So today after church, going to Sam's, preparing and eating lunch, cleaning up the kitchen, and relaxing for a bit.. I decided to do my workout. It was almost 4:30, and I had to be ready to be at church at 6:00. Actually I could have done it earlier, but I kept putting it off. And why do I do that? I always seem to dread exercise BEFORE I do it. And I think the reason why is because it takes so much time. I know that it is going to be an hour. So anyway, I jumped in there and got started. I really kept up great. The only thing I did not do is during a couple of the breaks when he is doing the jumping rope, jumping jacks, and X-jumps, I fast forward and get right back to the punching and kicking. And the horse stance with the punches is really not a problem for me. Is my core in good shape, or is that easy for everyone? Anyway.. it was a good workout because I definitely got my heart rate up. I was sweating and my face was red. I have to say... Kenpo is my favorite workout. When I finished I rushed in the bathroom and wiped my face, brushed my teeth, changed my clothes, and jumped in the car and was on my way. I don't even know what the workout is for tomorrow. But I do plan to get up early and get my workout done. If tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, then I will skip it because I had one yesterday. And here is how I did with my eating today:

Breakfast- I could not sleep last night so I was up until 3:00 a.m. and did not get up until right before church started. So I had coffee and a protein bar.

Snack- well, it was after 12:00, but we were at Sam's.. had some samples including a 4 oz container of yogurt

Lunch- grilled chicken, mock mash potatoes (cauliflower), was too full to eat steamed broccoli

Snack- lots of pistachios

After workout- my version of recovery drink with frozen banana and skim milk

Dinner- 1/2 c granola dry... and a 1 1/2 c of skim milk that I drank. For some reason I like it better this way.

Saturday

Well, it is almost Sunday. I keep telling myself... go to bed... you gotta get up to do P90X. I really am enjoying the workout when I do it. But I continue to have that problem of discipline. A friend of mine told me today that I am the most disciplined person she knows. I hope it was not a rude thing for me to say when I said, " Well you don't know very many disciplined people." I really should have said thank you. And you know when someone gives you a compliment... it just makes you want to do better. Today began with me picking up around the house. I say picking up because I really need to clean my house. I did get the kitchen and dining room mopped yesterday along with vacuuming my family room rug and dining room rug. I have NO carpet in my house. I really think it has been so much better for allergies- no trapped dust at all. But now... you can actually see any dirt that is in this house. I headed over to my mother's house to load up the box springs that are going to my son's house. He and his gf took the king mattress in the back of his truck.. yes. he was laying on it holding it in the bed of the truck while she drove. But I was afraid the two twin box springs might fly out of the truck. So I said let me bring those to you in my suburban. The headboard was heavy to load, but I got it in along with the box springs and all the bedding. Have I mentioned it more than once that my mother is going to a retirement community? She will be in a two bedroom apartment; therefore, we are calling on family members to get furniture, paintings, appliances, dishes, etc. Her new place is going to be great. She presently lives in a patio home on a beautiful golf course. She and my father both played golf when they moved there 22 years ago. He has been gone for 14 years, and she no longer plays golf. Some recent health issues have lead her to the decision to move. We had no idea though that after listing her home two weeks ago that it would sell so soon!!!! She is moving August 31, and we must have the house cleaned out before October 1. So... like I said... P90X... well... who knows what P it will be.

But back to my day. I got the bedding unloaded and had to do some shopping... getting ready to celebrate dh's 60th birthday. Whoa... that is sounding so old. But if you look back through my blog of the photos of him, you will also see that he does not look 60. It is a great thing not to get gray hair. His mother was the same way. She was over 90,and she still had brown in her hair. Okay, side-tracked again.... I got home and got on the computer and did 3 hours of continuing education so I can get my license renewed. I still have 3 hours to go... actually, I may have more because every three years I have to do a jurisprudence in addition to the 12 hours I need annually. And I also need to get busy to have my CPR renewed. Well, after getting those CEU's, I put on grungy clothes and shoes and began working in the yard. I pulled weeds out of another flowerbed as well as around the sidewalk and the patio. Then I went out to this pile in our yard that previously had been a burning pile. Well, we have not burned in quite sometime. DH takes the trash to his work. I got a shovel, an axe, and a rake. I had to bust the ground up with the axe, rake up the old soil with weeds and old ashes, and shoveled it all into a wheel barrel. I made two heavy loads. I was sweating and grunting and getting hot. But the work felt good. I looked at my arms and I think I could tell that my arms looked more toned. I felt good with this workout. Not tired like I would have been. I think this P90X is working. My eating is still not what it should be. But I am still not eating fastfood, fried food, cookies, cakes, or ice cream or anthing like that. The worst I do is the Dr. Pepper and wine. And tonight, I did have one beer. It just seems like nothing will quench your thirst like a beer poured into a frozen mug. Well, I don't know what time I will get my workout in tomorrow, but I sure hope to do it. HOWEVER.... I still have more yardwork to do!!!

Day 11- P90X- Legs and Back

Well, I again stayed up too late. I got an early morning call from my sister- 6:00 a.m. Yes, I normally would be up at this time. But if I had been doing my P90X, I might not have answered the phone. So, after our conversation, I dozed for a little while. My husband got up and got ready for work. I debated putting off my exercise until later. Hmm.... what did I post on my previous post? If I put it off, I most likely will not do it. So, I did not even wait for him to leave. I got busy. I think I pretty much did the entire workout. I still do not have the workout sheets yet so I have not been writing it down how many reps and how much weight. I must get those soon. I have some trouble with balancing when we are on one leg. I decided that I would kinda "cheat". I figured it would be better to do the exercise, and if I have to touch something every now and then to keep from falling, then so be it... I would still be doing the squat on one leg or whatever. I also have trouble when we do anything where we work calves because of my left foot problem. I do try the calf raises, but maybe not as high on the left leg as I should. But I did not do the lunges on my toes wher we have to keep on our toes the entire time. I just did the regular lunges. I really do like Tony. He keeps you going. I listen to him. When he tells me to watch my form or ask me how many.. I just pretend he is there with me, and he is talking to me. I am seeing that circumstances will keep me from following the program verbatim, but that does not mean that I will vary away from the plan too much. I may just have more rest days thrown in. I will not beat myself up about that. I will do like Tony says, " Do you best and forget the rest."

Yesterday

Well, did you notice that I did not do my P90X yesterday. It always happens this way. If I do not do my workout early in the morning, most likely it is not going to get done. I had a hair appointment yesterday, and my mother wants to go with me. She wanted a pedicure. It takes me 30 minutes to get from my house to my hairdresser's shop. I live in a community outside of town, and she does too. And then my mother lives on the opposite end of town. So, to get to my mother's house, pick her up, and get to the Beauty Shop, it was going to take me close to an hour. I overslept and just did not feel like doing it. It turned out to be okay though because I got out in the yard after 6:00 and worked for two hours cleaning out very neglected flower beds. If I had done my P90X workout, I might not have done that. But you know what I am realizing... and I hope this will encourage others.... even when you don't feel like it or want to to do it... just make yourself get started. Once I was outside, yanking and pulling, and sweating and get nasty, but I saw how good the beds were looking and I felt that sense of accomplishment, I was thrilled to have it done. And to top it off.. making it even harder.. I had cooked supper and partially cleaned the dishes, and my husband was lying on the sofa watching TV.

Okay... so about my eating yesterday... I just need to cut those carbs out altogether... but here is what I had:

Breakfast- egg whites scrambled with bell pepper, onions and mozarella cheese

No Snack

Lunch- Ate at Cotton Patch with my youngest son and mother- meatloaf, corn casserole, and yes.... a piece of bread - yes, I can count that was 2 carbs.

Snack- I only ate half of my meatloaf and corn casserole, so I ate the other half around 3:30

Dinner- Venison taco meat, green salad, squash cooked with Rotel tomatoes and a little cheddar cheese.

Snack- Granola mix from Sams, and fruity yogurt- another carb and too much sugar in the yogurt

So it is like always, I do pretty good with my exercise, but I definitely need to be more disciplined with the diet. I will keep trying. Okay, I am going to write about today in another post.

Lunch in Brenham- July 2009

Mimosas at Lake Sam Rayburn Park- June 2009

A fun time with my Unomes in Midland, Texas- July 2009

Galveston- old friends in our classic Charlie's Angel Pose

Magic Carpet Golf in Galveston, Texas- July 2009

Okay, I have finally taken the time to upload these photos from some of my little weekend vacation trips with friends. In June we stayed in a friend's RV. The water felt great. There was a breeze coming off the lake because it was on a point. My friends brought their little Honda Metropolitan Scooters. I took my bicycle. They wanted me to buy a scooter but dh is not in favor of the idea. We had a deck boat there too and took a boat ride to an island. We had grilled burgers one night and taco salad another night. I only spent one night, but stayed through dinner the second night. That is us that morning having mimosas.

I went to visit my very good friend from elementary, junior high, high school, and beyond. We were each others maid of honor/ matron of honor in our weddings. One of the friends was my friend's college friend. She and I became friends after going on trips together 30 years ago. And then an old hs friend who recently moved back in town joined us. We toured a winery, shopped in the beautiful quaint little town of Brenham, listened to a concert on mainstreet, and ate at a cute little tearoom. I enclosed the photo from lunch. My friend has recently relocated her parents from our hometown to Brenham. They both have Parkinson's Disease. So since now she has no ties here, I did not know when I would see her again. Little did I know I would see her in three weeks when I met up again with them in Galveston.

So we (the older Charlie's Angels) got together in Galveston. We joined my friend's husband, daughter, and her friend. I haven't played minature golf in quite awhile. I did not do bad, but nevertheless.. I was next to the last. We ate at Shrimp and Stuff for lunch and The Spot for dinner. It was a great time.

Then we have the photo of my trip to visit one of my Unome friends. We are a group of friends who all went to high school together. We have been meeting together twice a year now since February 2004 when we celebrated turning 50. Our friend from Midland has been traveling to east Texas or Houston to see us, so we decided to go to her. There were only 5 of us that made the trip, but we had a great time. We spent most of the time lounging in her pool. We did get to tour George W. Bush's childhood home before we headed home on that Sunday.

And then last weekend was when I went with friends to the Woodlands. I posted those photos already. Summer is winding down. My college son is here for a few weeks after completing summer school. We are celebrating my husband's 60th birthday next weekend. No big party for him.. just family. And then it will be hunting season and Friday night football. Okay, I gotta wind this up. P90X comes awful early in the morning.

Day 10-P90X- Yoga

Okay, are you surprized? I said that I was not going to do the yoga because it took so long. But I thought that the next day was Kenpo, but I was wrong. So, I decided before I went to bed last night to do the yoga.... if I got up in time. I set the alarm for 5:00 a.m. I actually got a really good night's sleep. The alarm was blaring and blaring waking me up. So of course... I hit snooze... and then I turned it off. I layed there thinking... I think I will skip today... I am tired... I don't have time to get it in today.... blah...blah..blah.. So I jumped up, went to the bathroom, got my clothes changed, popped in the DVD, had two fans turned on, and got busy. What is it about P90X that makes me nauseated when I am doing it? Yes, even the yoga will get me feeling sick. And there is something to this stretching just like when you get a massage... my mouth became very dry and my nose was stopped up. It must get those toxins moving or something just like a massage. I did not gulp my water, but I did sip it. I tried almost every exercise until they did that crane... how does anyone do that? I am wondering if I will ever be able to accomplish that. I did make myself try to stretch just a little further each time. I was kinda bored with this.. it just goes on for soooooooooooooo lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng. So slow, so repetitive, so boring, so much time. But I kept on. I got finished a little after 7:00 a.m. I was not really sweaty so I did not take a shower afterward. I had taken one last night. Oh I forgot to mention though, I did have to wet my head when I was feeling nauseated and having a hot flash. I got my lunch packed for work and headed out the door. I put my makeup on when I got to work. I like to get to work early (7:30) before getting started at 8:00. So tomorrow I am thinking it is legs and back. I have a hair appointment tomorrow so I have to get this in early in the morning. Okay, I am still doing pretty weak with the food... not bad.. just not so great. Here is what I had:

Breakfast- Protein shake- protein powder, skim milk, and banana
A 2 oz piece of chicken on a 1/3 sub bread bun

Snack- 2 T of peanuts

Lunch- Mixed vegetables (carrots, cauliflour, broccoli) and wild rice
A gluten-free Cliff Protein bar

Dinner- Ate with my unome friends- WW taco soup, green salad with FF catlina dressing, 2 T guacamole, 6 chips, taquito, 1 T cheese, 2 oz FF angel food cake with strawberries and FF cool whip; diet green tea

Snack- 25 Cocoa almonds with 1 c skim milk

Hmmm....now that I am reading this it does not sound so bad.

Day 9- P90X-Shoulders and Arms

Well I did it. I crawled out of bed and got started about 5:45. And I had such a hard time sleeping last night. I woke up at 2:30 and was awake until 3:30. Then I just kinda dozed off and on until my alarm went off. I had no caffeine today.. so I am hoping that I will sleep better tonight. Okay, tomorrow is supposed to be yoga. But that would mean I would have to start about 5:00. I may do the Kenpo tomorrow. I am having dinner with friends tomorrow night, so tomorrow when I get off work will not work for doing any exercise.

Okay today's workout went pretty well. I would increase the weight on a few exercises, and then have to decrease on some. The only exercise I truly sucked at was those side triceps raises. I just kinda bent my legs up and leaned down on my triceps and maybe moved a few inches. And then when it came to doing it the second time, I skipped it. It was the last exercise, I did poorly on it feeling that I was not accomplishing much, and I was running out of time. I would say my eating was fair. Here is the way it looked:

Breakfast-(7:00) egg whites scrambled with fresh spinach

Snack-(8:00) Protein drink (water not milk) right when I got to work... just needed an extra boost

Snack- (11:30)- 1/2 banana

Lunch-(1:00)- Cafe Del Rio- beef chalupa with lots of lettuce, small amount cheese, hot sauce... oh and chips and hot sauce.... not so good

Snack- (3:30)- other 1/2 of banana

Dinner- (6:00)- Wild rice, chicken from crockpot, small corn on the cob, and mixed vegetables

Snack-( 8:00)- Cocoa covered almonds... just kinda needed a dessert

I am still having too many carbs probably. I am only supposed to be having one serving a day. I had the chips at lunch, and the rice and corn at dinner. I would say I had at least 3 servings.. at least!!! and I should have only had one. So, my weight loss is probably not going to happen if I don't change this. I guess I just love having the carbs... makes me feel better. So tomorrow...hmmmm.... haven't decided what DVD I will do... I just know I gotta bring it!!!

Day 8-P90X-Plyometrics

Last night I had trouble going to sleep. It was probably close to 1:00 a.m. when I finally did go to sleep. I was quite surprised to see it was almost 9:00 when I woke up. I got me a glass of water and ate a half of banana. I got my workout clothes on and my fan going and began the plyometrics. I would say that on a scale of 1-10, I did a 5. I was able to do some of the exercises, but some of that jumping just hurts my foot, I feel like my whole "trunk" is still moving up while I am on my way down. I did try to do them all. I did have to pause the DVD player several times. I even went and made a bed one time, and then another time put my laundry in the dryer. So I was still moving. Toward the end, I did not do the second go round. The part that is right before the cooldown. I still did probably 53 minutes of workout.. just took me about an hour because of the pauses. I am thinking that the plyometrics may be the hardest workout, but then I have not done the core workout but once when I was just practicing before I really started the program. And tonight I did the Ab ripper X. I won't say that I did it well. Those backward bicycles and climbing the legs are hard. I just did what Tony says, " Do your best and forget the rest." Tomorrow will be a big challenge... my first day to try to do the workout before work. I just have to MAKE myself get up in the morning.

Here is my food intake:

Breakfast- the 1/2 banana

After workout- a drink from HEB with carbs and protein that I will call my recovery drink,

5 egg white omelet with spinach, onion, Laughing Cow cheese, and bell pepper

Snack-lots of pistachios

Lunch- Dr. Pepper from Sam's .....oops

Snack- chicken drumstick

Dinner- deer sausage with wild rice and steamed vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, edamame, and carrots

Snack- other 1/2 of banana

Okay, I have to show you before I end this the cutest smile in the entire world. Now I mean it... and it is not because this is my granddaughter...

The Woodlands Resort

Eating Dessert at the Cheesecake Factory- none for me though, I had a Jambo Juice.. or whatever it was called- a blueberry, strawberry, sugar-free, 180 calorie smoothie.

Walking along Market Street.... lots of shopping

A late evening swim with Caddyshack playing on the big screen right there at the pool.

Can you say... relax... just chilling by the pool reading a book.

Okay... as you can see... no title called Day ?- P90X. That's right, I not only took 2 days rest, but it turned into 3 days rest. And right now it is almost midnight, and I cannot sleep. My friends and I had a great time. We crammed in lots of things in the time we had together. We got to the Woodlands about 7:30 Thursday night and got checked in. We went on down to Market Street and ate at a Baja Cafe. I decided to get out of the box and try some foods that I don't find the sound of to be apetizing. Fish tacos? I don't know... that has just never sounded good to me. Well, I did not have the fish taco because it was fried, so I opted for the shrimp taco. I had some chips with salsa and the boiled shrimp in a flour tortilla. Oh... and I also had a chicken tamale.. tasted great, but not exactly P90X approved. We ventured down Market Street and mainly just window shopped.

Friday morning we had breakfast in the room- I had peanut butter with banana, some grapes and fresh pineapple, and decaf coffee. No muffin or scone for me. Too many fruits according to P90X, but too bad. We made it shopping to Steinmart, Sam Moon, and Charmin' Charlies. And I purchased a pair of denum capris that were ....ta da.... a size smaller. Now they weren't loose, but nevertheless, I could get them zipped and they did not look bad, and they are going to be my "incentive" clothes. Yes, I will keep these as the pants that I soon hope to be baggy. But it will not happen if I eat like I did at lunch on Friday. We went to Bucco de Peppos and we had chicken fettucine, lasagne, and salad. No bread for me. And I might add that we shared these so there was not alot of food. However, there was fettucine left over to take back to the room. That evening I had my first taste of sushi. I had told my unome friends when we were in Midland that I had no desire to eat this, but I thought that I needed to venture out of my comfort zone. Not bad, but certainly not something I loved. That evening we did make it to the pool and watched the outdoor movie. When we got back we had spa night. Facials, massage chair, foot bath.

Saturday morning was a 1.25 hour kayak adventure. We worked our way down the Woodlands Waterway to the Lake Woodlands where we saw the million dollar homes. It was a gorgeous breezy day. I have a kayak, but most of my friends experienced kayaking for the first time. They had all canoed before, but not kayaked. We got back to the room and then made it back out to the pool. There were two big tube slides. Of course we all had to do this, some more than once. I just enjoyed sitting in the shade and reading and relaxing. We snacked for lunch that day so we went out for dinner. We went to Landry's Seafood. We decided to share. We had two apetizers- crab and spinach fondue, and shrimp and crab fondue, a great salad with honey mustard vinegarette, and then a grilled/broiled seafood platter with shrimp and fish. It was not quite enough for me so I did eat some of the bread. I knew they all wanted cheesecake, and I did not want the temptation so while we walked around before dessert, I had the smoothie. They all had the cheesecake which looked delicious.

Sunday morning three of us hit the trail and walked for a little over an hour. We all splurged and went to the dining room for the breakfast buffet. I had an egg-white omelet, some bacon, sausage, turkey sausage, and some small ricotta-filled crepe (forgot what it is called) with strawberry sauce. No bread,muffin, waffle, or French toast for me. But... I have failed to mention that over the weekend I did have wine, and I did have some Dr. Pepper. I can't say that I went totally crazy with my eating, but I also can't say I did good. I will just say that in all my food intake, and the fact that I was on vacation, I was moderate.

If you get the chance to go to the Woodlands Resort, it is really geared to families. They had an internet room, ping pong (which I played and won... I have not played in probably 20 years), and shuffle board. The grounds are beautiful. Just a beautiful place. One of my friends that I was with has a son who works for the Woodlands Resort, so we got our room at a very, very low fare.

I have had quite a busy summer. I need to post the photos from Sam Rayburn Park, Brenham, Midland, and Galveston. I hope to do that soon. My summer is coming to a close, and my time will be spent on getting my mother moved to the independent senior living facility. I hope that I can go to bed in the morning because tomorrow is Day 8 of P90X.

Day 7-P90X-Chest and Back

I am going out of order with my workout today, but I have a very good reason. I am going on a trip to the Woodlands Resort with 5 friends. I have never been there before so I am excited. I only decided to go this morning because I have had lots to do. I was going to work on a T-shirt quilt for my youngest son, but I ran out of the stabalizer, and there was not a place in town that carried it. I had to order it off the internet. This will be the first of 3 T-shirt quilts because my daughter and oldest son will get one too. I know how to piece and quilt, but this is my first attempt at this. The blocks are odd-sized and I am having to design it; therefore, even the plannning stage has taken some time.

Okay, back to my workout. Today is supposed to be my rest/stretch day. Well, since I will be out of town, I do not know how I will be feeling or if I will have time, or I can hook up my DVD player... well you know... all those "ifs". So... I figured... go ahead and skip your rest day. You will have Friday and Saturday to either do a rest day and a workout or two rest days. I don't want to get too anal with this, but after all it is a 90 day workout. Today was probably the first day that I truly enjoyed the workout. One reason was I was able to perform so much better. I did the pushups from the feet 8 times, and then dropped to the knees for 7. That is except for the decline pushups. I tried it the first round and did about 3. So the second round I did regular pushups (8/7). I increased the weight when using dumbbells to 10 lbs instead of 8. I think I could have gone to 12 or 15, but I am being careful. I had no problem at all with the bands. I was not exhausted when I finished my workout. After finishing which was about 15 minutes ago, I had protein powder with milk in the blender (no fruit and no ice). I drank it fast. I thought I would take my DVD player and also the plyometrics DVD since all I have to have is a mat which I won't take. I am not promising anything.. I may do it, and I may not. I still need to do the Ab ripper X, but my groin is still sore from the stretching.

So my food intake today has been small, but I have had lots of water.

Breakfast- Banana and real peanut butter

Snack- protein scoop with milk

Lunch- I plan to have a mixed green salad with deli turkey

Snack- probably a protein bar

Dinner- I am not sure if we are eating when we get there or if I am to eat before leaving at 5:00. But either way it will be lean meat, vegetables and maybe a carb.

Everyone keep leaving me comments. I am not having trouble getting in there to do my workout like I thought I might have. And seeing that I am becoming stronger and able to do this easier is such an acomplishment. I recommend if you are not doing anything, do something.... walk, ride a bike, swim, use some bands or light weights, do some squats and lunges, yoga or pilates. You will never be any better than you are today if you don't make some changes. Just start small and work your way up to doing more. That is what I have been doing for 6 years. It is not too late. You are not behind. Only compare yourself to yourself... see how good you can be!!!!!

Day 6-P90X- Kenpo X

I actually did make it a little earlier today in my workout. I think I started around 7:00. But next week, I am going to have to make it earlier if I expect to do it before work. So today was the Kenpo, or what you would say is punching and kicking. The punching is a front punch, a cross punch, an upper cut, and a hook shot. Then the kicks are front, back, and side. Also there is blocks which you do while you are in a squat position. And then when you are on a "break".. I say that with quotations because the break is a break from the punching and kicking, but you are doing jumping jacks, coming off the ground in an "X", and pretending you are jumping rope. I did some of the jumping jacks, but the X and the jump rope I adapted to low impact. I have to say that I think I did better at this than any other workout. I credit being able to do that horse stance (squat) position for so long because of my synergy fitness fusion class and the core workouts I did. I never thought of myself as being uncoordinated, but Tony has almost proved me wrong. I had to really concentrate when we put the front punch, hook, and uppercuts together. I do get so hot, and I guess my heart rate really gets up there so once in awhile I have to push pause and go put water on my head and my face so I am not on fire. But I did enjoy this workout and was able to keep up. I felt so good that I said to myself I could go ahead and do the Ab Ripper, but when I tried... my legs were so weak from yesterday. I could not lift them up. It was mainly in the hip area. So instead of tearing more muscle, I opted to let my body rebuild today and maybe tomorrow or Friday I will attempt Ab Ripper again. I know I can do this. And I love it when I can get in there and get my workout done and have the rest of the day free. So here is what I have had to eat today:

Breakfast- immediately after my workout, I drank a shake with vanilla protein powder, milk, and strawberries. Decaf coffee

Snack- Protein bar and I have to admit... a Dr. Pepper (I know..I know.. I know, but it was the first one in about a week.)

Lunch- Ate lunch at Cotton Patch with friends and had chopped steak with mushrooms, (raked off the gravy), mixed vegetables, and green beans and water with lemon to drink

Snack- Stranded at my mother's house- had a fiber one bar

Dinner- Venison sausage sauteed with onions, celery, and cabbage. It was mainly cabbage and sausage. It might not sound good, but it was delicious. Also had some pinto beans that I had added some rotel tomatoes to. And for my dessert.....some pistachios-about 1/2 cup and 4 oz peach yogurt

End of the Day

Okay, it is the end of the day for me and I did not make it to do the Ab Ripper X. I am just wondering how I am going to be able to keep this pace when I go back to work. I only work two days a week, but usually I am always tired when I get home from work. The past two days I have tried to get in there and do my workout early early. But yesterday I did not make it until the afternoon and today was 8:30 a.m.. Like I said, this may take me more than 90 days. If it does, I am not going to consider that as a failure. I WILL continue to do this, it just may not be every day. I did pretty good today on my eating. Here is what I had:

Breakfast-5 egg whites with asparagus and about one ounce of venison sausage
decaf coffee

Lunch- 1/2 c pinto beans with WW cheese and green onions

Snack- pistachios ( a bunch); a banana; about an ounce of smoked turkey

Dinner- 1 cup of pinto beans with about 6 saltine crackers

Snack- 4 ou. of Activia

I am wondering if I am tired because of not getting enough carbohydrates. I don't know if I can go a month with having so few. I can tell you another thing. I have slight soreness in my arms and legs, but where I am really sore is my hip joints. I think it is from that yoga. When I was working legs today I could feel that soreness. I really am enjoying the workouts although they are very hard. I just wish that my energy was not all drained for the rest of the day. I don't know... this does not seem right. I am about to get ready for bed.

Day 5-P90X- Legs and Back

Yea!! I did pretty well through this. I thought it was going to really tough at first when they started off with the lunges on the chair. I think I did almost all the exercises. I do have a problem with the running on the tiptoes because I am not supposed to do that with my foot problem. I did do the calf-lifts though even though my PT told me not to ever stand on my tiptoes. All of the back exercises I could do- I am thinking I had better get some stronger bands because I need more resistance... I am not getting to exhaustion on these. At one point though, I did get a little light-headed. I had to push pause. Jen, you keep saying push play, and I keep telling myself to push pause. I did make it through the workout, and the leg workout was quite a workout. Those wall squats.... oh my gosh.. they were tough!!Okay, I am supposed to do Ab ripper X later today. I will post what I eat then. I am about to view my Bible study video... I need to be more diligent with it.

90 Minutes in Heaven

I just finished reading the book "90 Minutes in Heaven". I was not crazy about how the book was written because sometimes it seemed quite redundant. However, there was lots that I took from this book. It is about a man, Don Piper, who had a terrible car crash and was pronounced dead. However, 90 minutes later he had a pulse. He tells of going to Heaven during this time. Not only does he tell about his experience during those 90 minutes, but he relates all he went through to in his recovery. I found the book very inspirational on how we should live our lives. It is very fast reading... check it out.

Day 4-P90X- Ab ripper X

Whoa!!!!I finally did the ab ripper X. I could do some of it, and then some of it I tried very hard and could only do a couple. I would have to stop and rest before I reached the 25. Sometimes I had to stop more than once. I would go down for maybe two counts and then pick right back up. I really think that overtime I will be able to do all 350 or 390... how ever many there are. I am glad that I had not eaten anything or had nothing to drink. Otherwise, I know I would have been throwing up. I don't know if it was ab ripper or what, but tonight I have not hardly been hungry. I made a big salad with all sorts of great things- mixed greens, spinach, strawberries, carrots, celery, avocado, feta cheese. I used some honey mustard spray dressing and a little LF ranch. I could not eat hardly any of it. I had a small container of activia and a small handful of nuts. But I am so full. I am not eating as many calories as P90X wants me to eat, but it is just hard to get alot of calories unless you eat lots of fat too. Well, I guess I had two servings of carbs because this morning I had the bread and tonight I had the yogurt. I am thinking that I really need to order those recovery drinks. I was feeling good this morning, but after that ab workout, I am feeling kinda nauseated. I am also feeling tired and sleepy. I hope to go to bed early tonight so that I can "bring it" with the leg workout tomorrow!!

Day 4-P90X- Yoga

How many of you think yoga is easy? Think again.. think P90X yoga. For one thing, it just lasts for too long.. I mean my complaint is doing anything for an hour and a half. I was getting bored and also tired and hot. I quit somewhere around having 50 minutes left, and I just watched for about 10 minutes. I wanted to quit, but I remembered what those "before" photos of me looked like that I took right before. So, I jumped back in and pressed on. I absolutely positively could not do the crane. Who besides a very lightweight person or a dancer or a muscle man could lift themselves onto their forearms? I can't see that after 180 days of P90X ever being able to do that. But it did not stop me from trying. I did like the ab yoga, but it was hard. I know that as time goes on I will get better at these poses. I just need to relax and not think about how much time the yoga is taking. This is one of the problems I am encountering that I have to work through- a much longer workout than my fitness fusion class was. I was used to going from 7:15 to 8:00 a.m. Now all of these workouts are an hour. I still have yet to the the Ab ripper. Maybe I will do that later today. I am about to go to Sam's and Walmart to get more vegetables to eat and maybe some salmon which I forgot to get the other day. So here is my breakfast and lunch for today:

Breakfast- 1/2 hoagie roll with deli turkey meat with dijon mustard
Yes, this is my carb for the day.

Lunch- grilled chicken with asparagus and edamame with a small amount of LF Ranch dressing. I was out of lettuce. I plan to get that today at Sam's.

Okay, I was supposed to weigh in today. I think I gained because of eating all those pistachios and they are so high in sodium. But I am still going to keep doing the best I can. I hope this soon becomes a habit with me.

Day 3- P90X- Shoulders and Arms

Today my workout was good. Let me say first though I was rested. I went to bed at 11:30 and did not get out of bed until 8:10. I woke up off and on, and had to get up to go to the bathroom, but I would just lay down and drift back to sleep. No benadryl, no Tylenol P.M., no sleeping pills... just lavender lotion on my temples. I did my workout about 1:30. I had not had lunch, just a protein bar. This workout was exclusively shoulders and biceps and triceps. I used 8 lb. dumbbells on everything except the shoulder flyes. I had to drop down to 5 lb. on those. I really even think that I could have made it on the other exercises with 10 lb. The only part I just could not do was the tricep one arm side pushup. I maybe did two of those. And I had to bend my knees when I did the tricep dips with the chair. But overall, I think I did well. I even did the longer version of the workout. I must say though, I am needing to reread the manual. I did not do the ab ripper on the first day nor have I done it today. I just noticed I am supposed to be doing that every other day. I still have time to do it before I go to bed. I may do it today, or I may just wait until Tuesday. I am really liking Tony instructing me. I like seeing the other members of the class and the modifications they are making. I thought at first that Tony was going to try to act too funny and be corny, but so far he is somewhat professional, but very natural. I know I am not pushing myself to total exhaustion, but I know me... and that means this has to be a workout I can live with. I mean.. I am 55 years old... I think that if I was younger I would really rock with this workout. I am gonna keep plugging away and maybe as time goes on I will work harder. One of my main problems is those darn HOT FLASHES. A younger person or a male just does not have any idea how this is when you are sitting watching a movie, and how absolutely uncomfortable it is to be doing a workout and have these. You are on FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Breakfast- 5 egg whites with 5 olives and green onions scrambled
decaf coffee
3/4 c 2% milk with 5 strawberries

Snack- protein bar

Lunch- Green salad (romaine lettuce from Sam's) with green onion, small amt cheddar cheese(maybe a T), and 1/2 c taco meat ( venison), LF ranch dressing mixed with picante sauce (hereafter to be called LF southwest dressing)

Dinner- 2 corn tortillas, 3 oz grilled chicken, 1 T cheddar cheese, 4 asparagus spears (fresh and steamed), cranberry juice (from concentrate with stevia)

Snack- dh made a smoothie from strawberries, milk, blueberries, banana, and ice. I have not had mine yet.

Posting Late Today

Well, I am posting late today because I kept thinking that maybe I would feel up to doing Day 3 of P90X. But I have just felt tired all day. I got home around 2:00 p.m. I left early today, but I made a few stops on the way home. Yesterday was a fun day of being with out-of-town friends. I first met one friend at Shrimp and Stuff. I did great- boiled shrimp and a few crackers with red sauce and a small amount of Romalaude sauce. I also had eaten some nuts on the three hour drive to Galveston. After lunch we made it to the beach. Although it rained on me all the way to Houston, Galveston was hot and sunny and great weather. So, I got too much sun. We had dinner at The Spot and I weakened... stuffed shrimp, fries, and cole slaw with a glass of wine. Then we went on to minature golf (we had two teenagers with us). I had not played this course since my kids were young. We had fun. We made it back to the condo, and since there were two of us that piled up with my friend and her husband, daughter and her friend, I made a pallet on the floor while the other friend slept on the couch. I had a great "bed", but I still had trouble sleeping. It is just one of those menopausal symptoms. So today.. I was tired.. sleepy... sore from my workout.. a little sunburn. I came home and took about a 2 hour nap which I NEVER do. Like I said, I kept thinking I will go in there and do my workout, but I didn't. Yes, I do need to push myself. I am not giving in, but I am not going full force today.

Here is what I had to eat today:
Breakfast- at the breakfast buffet at the condo
about 3/4 cup of scrambled eggs
2 sausage patties
1/2 c milk
1/2 c granola
decaf coffee

Snack- my own concoction of mixed nuts- about 1/4 c
pstachios, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, and craisins

lunch- 2 left over stuffed shrimp

Dinner at 3-
green salad with grilled chicken

Snack- pstachios- a whole bunch

I had a vanilla diet coke from Sonic when I left Galveston, I drank water when I got home and I made my own version of cranberry juice- filtered water with cranberry concentrate and stevia.

So I won't say I did good, but I won't say I did bad. Tomorrow I will do Day 3. I am thinking that I may have to retitle my workout to P120X because I don't know that I will be doing it 6 days a week. I will keep plugging away.