Doubles/ Phase 3/ Week 2/ Day 7: Rest or XStretch
Good morning,
I did Janis Saffel's StrikeZone yesterday. I liked the first half of combos quite well. Next time I'll put more intensity into it, since I'll know the moves better. The second section with the paddles didn't do it for me at all, primarily because the breaks were too long. The third section was good, but not as hard as I was anticipating. I would do them again. I feel my hamstrings today, which surprises me, because I didn't think I'd worked overly hard. Must have been all those hook-kicks, which are new to me. I like Janice. How come every kickboxing workout that came out 10 years ago uses the same music, and always includes a big black guy? I have nothing against the guy; it's just rather conspicuous that those are the ONLY home videos they appear in, and they do so with great frequency! Is there a stereotype being perpetuated here?
TraciX - I love the sound of your girls' weekend! Feels so good to catch up on sleep, doesn't it? You've never heard of Girl Guides?! I know they exist in the US as well as Canada. It's the next level up from Brownies. You wear blue outfits. Is Brand-New Butt a cardio workout? I like Janis. She seems more natural, relaxed, and confident than Amy does in APX. Maybe she's had more experience. Janis needs to get a better set coordinator, though. Too bright!!! My eyes! My eyes! My afternoon was busy, but I wouldn't say delightful. Had a house full of kids who went through each room like tornados. When there wasn't a spot left in this house to destroy, they started pleading to go to the neighbour's house. I told them, quite firmly, that they were not going to be allowed to go do this to the unsuspecting neighbours, whom I like. Mind you, one of the mini-tornadoes was *their* kid....Anyway, I sat down at least 5 times to write a second post to the group, and got interrupted each time, so gave up in frustration. How did you like doing Kenpo shoeless? You want a day like I had on Friday? Really?? I have days like that all the dang time. I wish for just the opposite! All this talk about people never cleaning their homes - I wouldn't dare let it get too bad because odds are good people will be visiting at any given point! I think people are more likely to make "friend couples" when you have small children. We are much more restricted in our socialization options right now, so this is how we do it. This afternoon my friend is having a b-day party for her daughter, and I will go and help out (it's a swim party) just because I want to socialize with a couple of the other moms. Same thing for next weekend. I look forward to childrens' b-day parties, just so I can have someone to play with for a bit. Very different than my childless days!!!!
DebraX - You sound like me, yesterday! "How come I never get to sleep??" I had to stay up late again this week, to play "Toothfairy", and still get up early with the kids! They're sending us to an early grave, there's no doubt! I'm glad you and DD had a good nap in the afternoon. Is she feeling better today? That was a creative way to use SJP/SB! Those two are sooo good together. My favourite 45 min workout using those: SJP Step followed by SB Blast Challenge.
LeaX - Do you say it along with him, too? Ab...Ripper...X! One of the best lines in the whole series. Huh. That's what we should have had written across the middle of our shirts! I read a while back that people tend to have a natural biorhythm that makes exercise feel easier later in the day. I notice the same thing myself. 4pm is dynamite time for me; just not practical.
TracyX - Oh my goodness!!! Sweet potato cinnamon rolls! That sounds beyond delicious!! Did you eat one yourself, or do you have the self-restraint of a saint? Yay! The dust is gone!! I agree that's a dreadful job. It needs to be done here, too. Come on over, bring your SPC rolls, and a dustmop! We can have fun! Thank heavens you're at least seeing improvement with your injury. My eating plan didn't work at all for me last week; just made me feel terrible about how much excess I was knowingly eating. Sometimes I long for the days when I never knew what a calorie was. I need long, gentle warm ups these days, too. Maybe, as you say, it's an age thing. I dislike any warm up that has high impact in it, whatsoever.
JeanetteX - Isn't it amazing to look back on the old workouts and how hard they used to feel? I remember when Step Works was my "intense" cardio day workout! I'm so sorry you had such a horrid birth experience. That sounds so wretched. My first DD's birth was rough like that. Her shoulder got stuck under my pelvic bone just as she began to emerge. It's called Shoulder Dystocia, and is an emergency. I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say there wasn't time to give me any kind of pain medication. I was very worried about it happening with DD#2, but I guess not enough to dissuade me from getting pregnant again. It's amazing how strong the urge to reproduce can be. I guess that's a good thing, for the perpetuation of the human species. Yes, StrikeZone is the one with the red pants.
Wendy - The pics of DS in NYC are great! He looks like he's having a blast! It's on my Wish List to visit NYC someday, but I always hear about how expensive it is. So we go backpacking instead. Did you manage to get around to doing SA? So that makes today's workout....yoga? Will you be doing YogaX?
Amy - Yes, I've noticed how little Dreya seems to lift, too. I think she's just meant to be the Lean Rotation participant for that workout. I mean, she can lift her own body weight easily enough, as she twirls on her ropes and such. She does look awesome, and I personally have never been overly bothered by her. I think the flirting that goes on with Tony is mildly amusing, and since Dreya's husband is the one operating the camera, it's either harmless flirting, or they all have a special arrangement and I don't consider it my business to know more
I'm so glad you're finally committing to a full P90X rotation! Change is good!
Speaking of childbirth - I hope I didn't sound like I was on my high-horse about non-medicated births. I completely support the use of epidurals for women who want them; no one should be "forced" to choose non-medicated births, and there is a genuine need for pain relief in many births, especially when complications occur. However, I think our society does women a huge disservice by not providing them the means and the support to give birth without them. It's such an empowering experience for a woman to have a baby the old-fashioned way; all women should be at least offered the option to do so, and it should be actively supported by the medical and the social community.
Another Newbie Tip to add to Traci's Friday list:
* ARX is tacked onto the end of the workouts on the weight dvds (CB, SA, CST, BB, LB). Apparently a number of people didn't notice that around here, until almost done the whole rotation! So, feel free to lend that extra ARX dvd to your friend, neighbour, milkman...
Okay, I need some advice. I started this second round to help reduce body fat and increase muscle definition. I had one month until my trip to Ontario, and that was my goal for looking buffed. Week 1 went great. I ate very well, and by the end of the week was feeling trimmer (I haven't weighed and measured; just going by appearance and feeling). Week 2 was a disaster. I ate excess calories most days, a lot of it from sugar and simple carbs. Of course, the reason for this was because I allowed myself to indulge in the easter dinners, and that set off the chain reaction for the week - I should have thrown out all the leftovers, too. I now feel like I've gotten fat all over, especially my stomach. I'm very discouraged about this, and am thinking, what good can I do in only 2 weeks? Because once I go to Ontario, it will be all crap food again. There are going to be lots of parties and social events, and trust me, tofu will not be part of the menus! Of course, my initial thought is to stop the heavy weight rotation, and go all-cardio, light weights for the next two weeks. Funny how I can identify the problem as being bad eating, but want the solution to be changing my workouts!!! This train is going off the track!! Please help me get back on track! Any words of support you might have are welcome. Despite every impulse in my body wanting me to go cardio-crazy, I don't think my workouts are the problem. P90X should work just fine for my goals, if I can just keep the food in check!
Okay, time to go. Have a great day!
SandraX
