Down into the final 2 weeks of this round.  Pretty excited to be wrapping this one up.  Things are shaping up pretty nice. Still not as far along as I'd like, but it takes time and takes even more dedication than you can imagine to keep the food side of things on track.  I can handle the workout side without issue, but still dip some on the food.  Follow-up blog entry coming tomorrow about 'temptations'.  Don't miss it. Anyways, it is a work in progress, and a million times better than when I started back in January, 6 months ago.  

What this tells me, is that anyone can do it, willing to make it a lifestyle change and dedicated to getting themselves fit, healthy and a better outlook in life.  It just takes you getting up and moving.  I don't care what it is, just anything.  Something can turn into an amazing thing if you just give it a chance.

• P90x Plus Interval X Plus, 50 minutes 681 Calories 

So I am sure that I’ve seen this concept hashed out a few times on various forums as well as the http://www.beachbody.com forums that I’ve followed over the past 6 months since that is the program that I’ve followed for the majority of the time. 

To give some background, when I first started the P90x program in January 2009, the entire first month I used a couple cans to simulate weight.  I was so unsure of my motivation to keep up with it, I wasn’t willing to sacrifice any money at the time outside the program.  So after a month, I knew that I would continue. So I bought a set of bands from http://www.ripcords.com.   I will have to say that I’ve not once had a problem with these bands in anyway shape or form.  Not once has one broke and still using to this day. I can’t speak to any other brand at this time.  So from this point on, in order to simulate a pull up, I continued to use the bands by attaching to the door in my office. This has worked for the better part of 6 months.  

Now, after six months, I was finally able to get a pull up bar, The iron gym Total upper body extreme edition.  Big thanks to the sister and brother in law for getting that for my upcoming birthday.  I’ve been talking about it for a while now and was and still am very happy to have gotten one.  They drove me up to one of the local sporting goods stores and let me grab.  So, tonight was my scheduled Upper Plus workout and I knew that I would need/like to use it. So first I spent some 40 minutes tinkering with putting this thing together, as you can from the picture.  Success!.   So the spot/doorway in the house that I thought I could use it, wasn’t happening.  Then had to go looking around the house for a proper door frame that would support thing.  Found one in the kitchen to basement entrance.  Slapped the laptop down in the kitchen, loaded up the DVD and away we went.

So to kind of get to the main point about this topic, which one do I think or you for that matter is better for you in the long run?  Using bands or the real deal. Let’s just say the real deal kicked my ARSE this evening and there were only a few exercises in this routine that were pull up’s.  I was toast.  But I was HAPPY as can be that I was because I was never getting that way with the bands.  I just couldn’t get enough tension to make me feel like it was working enough.  I’m excited to see the results in another month or two. I will say, that I have a lot of work to do in getting the strength up to doing a large amount of reps.  Because right now, it was pretty lacking!

The one good thing is that I know I will get there.  Power of the X! Bring it!!!

 This week was a good week of workouts. I went a bit heavy on the Cardio this week.  Was feeling good, so went with it.  I love having such a variety to choose from.  Moving into the final 3 weeks of this round of P90x.  Feeling good and glad to see another round completing. 

• Monday (Day 57)
  • Tony Horton, One on One Super Cardio, 39 minutes 458 calories
  • P90x Plus Upper Plus  (P90x Plus)
• Tuesday (Day 58)
  • Tony Horton, One on One Medicine Ball Cardio (one on one) 428 calories
  • Grass cutting 1.5 hours, 737 calories
  • P90x Plus Interval X (P90x Plus) 1/2 cycle only  301 calories, 27 minutes
• Wednesday (Day 59)
  • P90x Plus Total Body Plus
• Thursday (Day 60)
  • Shaun T, Insanity Cardio Preview, 27 minutes, 413 Calories (first 2 sequences)
  • Tony Horton - One on One super Cardio  39 minutes, 400 calories
• Friday  (Day Off) (Day 61)
• Saturday (Day 62) 
  • P90x Plus Internval X  43 minutes, 630 Calories
• Sunday (Day 63) 
  • Shaun T, Insanity Cardio Preview, 42 minutes 617 Calories
  • Tony Horton One on One Super Cardio, 41 minutes 516 calories

So had a chance to workout with someone on Saturday.  I was at a birthday party at my mom’s for the stepdad (turned 72 this week, happy Birthday!).  So the brother in Law Bob was able to muster waking up early with me and doing a bit of P90x Plus Interval X Plus.    We brought it hard and you definitely come to realize that you push yourself further, at least I had, working out with someone than alone.  You got that extra push to step up your own game. Which really is a nice feeling. 

Was great! Enjoyed Bob, thanks. 

Picture below of Bob the brother in law and an extra one from my daughter bringing it herself. :)

This was the wrap up week to phase 2, AKA, recovery week.  Had some difficulties but I kept moving through them. Had to take two days off due to some headaches and just over tiredness I think. But got in most of the week.  Feels good going into the last Phase starting Monday (today actually when this is posted) and ready to wrap up another good round of P90x Hybrid. 

Monday - Chest and Back
Tuesday - Core synergistics
Wednesday - Off day
Thursday - Interval X Plus (first sequence only. was still recovering from something.)
Friday - Interval X Plus (570 calories) - substituted my legs and back workout. 
Saturday - Kenpo Cardio Plus (527 calories)
Sunday - Insanity (52 minutes, repeated first part of warmup, 818 calories)

Things to work on in Phase 3: consistency and intensity.  I've got a challenge of sorts to reach a particular goal by first week of August. So need to start stepping things up a bit to see if I can do it. 

So right now, for my own personal ACCOUNTABILITY, I have been tracking what I eat each day. At least most days. Sometimes I do miss.  For me, this is my way of forcing me to THINK about the food I am putting into my mouth each and everyday. Forces me to REALIZE the effects that food has on our fitness levels, our energy levels and overall health.  I don't' necessarily watch the calories I eat each day, I watch the type of foods and the quantity.  I personally don't think counting calories is really a necessity if you are eating correctly. Lots of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, good sources of proteins, etc. are the key ingredients.

One nice thing about these tracking sites, I'll list some below, is that depending on your goals or needs you can customize them pretty good. And they all have pretty deep databases of food's and their values.  Some workout programs, such as P90x or Insanity have you stick to certain percentages/ratios of carbs/protein  through out the program.  With these tools, you can adjust it accordingly so you can see how well you are sticking within those goals from your program. You may not follow their routines to the letter, I certainly don't, but it does let you know how you are doing in relationship. 

Anyways, I plan to keep trying to post my daily journal each day, but you can also follow my directly on the site I am using currently at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/kprice.

Here are some others that I've seen mentioned, I can't speak to their capabilities yet, but I've read some other reviews that they work pretty similar to myfitnesspal.com.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com
http://www.fitday.com
http://dailyburn.com/
http://www.myfooddiary.com (pay site)
http://www.google.com/webmasters/igoogle/calorie.html
http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/
http://www.dietagenda.com/

http://www.nutritiondata.com/ (for label information)

If you know of any others, let me know and I will update my list.  Give me some of your impressions of these sites and your thoughts on food accountability and tracking. If anything it makes you think before you take a bite, at least that is what I hope.

Alright, another week has been completed.  Seems like it was just last week actually. But this week went very quickly for me. I went into work 3 days, so it changed up my routine a bit or at least made me feel like I was rushed. Who knows. I did get my workouts in, but shifted things by one day when I had to take my rest day mid-week when the step-dad went home from the hospital.  So check it out below.  I am going to try and add in some calorie information when I remember to track it during the cardio workout's.  More for my own purposes, but helps me see how things progress.

Day 1 - Upper Plus
Day 2- Rest Day
Day 3- Total Plus
Day 4- Medicine Ball Cardio (470 Calories)
Day 5-Insanity Cardio Preview (675 Calories)
Day 6-Kenpo Cardio Plus (480)
Day 7- Interval X Plus (570 Calories), Grass cutting(2 hours 774 Calories), Bike ride (49 minutes 486 Calories)

This upcoming week is my 2nd phase recovery week. I am looking forward to doing some of the original P90x routines (Chest and Back, Core synergistic, Shoulders and Arms, Legs and Back.  I will probably switch up some of the one-on-one's that i fill with.  Try the recovery one on the rest day.  Will throw in Insanity cardio somewhere in there, maybe even 2 days.  Who knows.  Will have to see.

So we all have this love/hate relationship with doing crunches. But do we really know what the importance of having good abs/core area is for? What does it affect in our lives?

I was reading this article the other day and I thought that it hammered home the truth behind getting a solid core, good abs, and overall health.
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thehumancondition/archive/2009/06/03/stop-doing-sit-ups-why-crunches-don-t-work.aspx

From the rounds that I've done with P90x/P90x Plus and such, the core work that they provide is awesome. because they aren't focusing just on abs, but on the 'core'. As Tony Horton describes it as the section between your nipples and your knees. You have to work on the entire area to ensure you are properly working the muscle groups in the entire region. The routine as a whole works all the various muscle groups and using muscle confusion, helps the body not get use to the same thing. The vareity not only helps you keep from getting bored, but keeps the muscles as well from getting to relaxed to the same o' routine.

So the next time someone says keep doing your sit ups to remove the fat around the midsection, make sure to correct them that it is much better to work the entire core area, and start eating properly and you'll start to see the definition as the body fat melts away from doing the right thing. It takes work and effort to lose the remaining bodyfat around the midsection. It is usually the last to go. So keep up the good work. It will pay off in the end.

THoughts?

Kept up good form and decent eating and felt good about the workouts.  Going to see what we can do to continue finding ways to increase intensity and tkae things to the next level.  Keep pressing play!

Day 1 - Upper body Plus
Day 2 - Plyo Legs - One on One / Ab ripper X
Day 3 - Insanity Cardio Preview AHR 170, Calories burned 672 (morning) / Total body Plus (evening)
Day 4 - Medicine ball Cardio - One on One
Day 5 - Upper Plus
Day 6 - Kenpo Cardio Plus / ab ripper plus
Day 7 - Insanity Cardio Preview

Last week I did the below routines. Felt good. Got my first try with the new insanity workout. In a previous post, I discussed how that went. I liked it. Still moving along with my current Round of p90x hybrid. Its going well. My biggest struggle is still the food. I am doing alright, but feel not taking advantage of what I could be. So will try to focus during these last 2 months with some help from the boards I think on it. There's a ton of great information floating around there and people with a lot of experience. So will float it out there and see. Day 1 - Upper body Plus Day 2 - Plyo Legs - One on One / Abs core plus Day 3 - Insanity Cardio Preview morning / Total body Plus Evening Day 4 - Fountain of Youth Yoga - One on One Day 5 - Upper Plus Day 6 - Kenpo Cardio Plus / Ab ripper / Cut the grass Day 7 - Did the warm up and stretch from the Insanity cardio Preview (17 minutes)

Day 1 - Upper body Plus
Day 2 - Plyo Legs - One on One / Ab ripper X
Day 3 - Insanity Cardio Preview AHR 170, Calories burned 680ish (morning) / Total body Plus (evening)
Day 4 - Fountain of Youth Yoga - One on One
Day 5 - Upper Plus
Day 6 - Kenpo Cardio Plus / Ab ripper X / Grass cutting
Day 7 - Insanity Cardio Preview  - Warmup and Stretch (~17 minutes)