P90X again?

In the last six months or so my good friends, Karen and Arleen have been making an effort to get together for girls night's once or twice each month, which has been really great.  Our conversation seemed to often turn to weight loss and getting in shape and being healthier.  We talked about doing P90X, and after putting it off for a few months, Arleen and I decided to give it a try.  I was going to start the week before holidays, and did 2 or 3 of the workouts then got busy with work and getting ready to go on holidays (or maybe those are just excuses....).  While I was on holidays, Arleen started her first week and I texted her each day to see how the workouts were going.  I was very lazy and ate WAY too much on holidays, so decided that I need to come home and get down to business!

I am proud to say that I worked out 6 times last week!  The only things I sort of slacked on was only doing about 40 minutes of Yoga X (it's 90 minutes long!) and I skipped out on my Friday Ab Ripper because I needed to get supper on the go.  I should say on top of all of that I treated 14 clients last week! 

This morning I did my Chest and Back and Ab Ripper.  I was pleased that the pushups are getting easier.  I felt like when I first did Chest and Back after not having done it for months that the pushups almost made it feel like I was straining my pecs in a way that felt almost like an injury.  But now it just feels like normal fatigue when I do them.  And the next couple of days I am sore, but it is not that 'ow it hurts to take my shirt off over my head' for a week sort of pain.  Week 2 and I can already feel myself getting stronger!  That is what I love about this program.  It doesn't get easier, you just get stronger, then you can do a little more each time.

My goal for this round is to lose some inches of my waist/hips/thighs.  I have noticed in the last couple of months that my pants have been getting snugger and I don't like that.  I have also noticed my weight creeping up a little bit, which I also don't like.  I think it would be cool if I needed to buy some 20lb dumbbells for doing back exercises, and maybe get to the point where I can do bicep curls with the 15lb weights.  I am hoping with Arleen to spur me on (and vice versa) that we will kick some butt and get into great shape :)

Gym? What's a gym?

Back in February I got a three month membership for World Gym in the mail because my sweet hubby, unbeknownst to me, entered my name in a draw and I won!

I decided to wait until I am working at home to activate the membership because I have a bit of spare time now, and more flexibility with my time.  I went on Tuesday and signed up and went in the evening for the first time.  I always feel a bit aimless when I go to a gym.  I am fine going and doing some cardio, but when it comes to a resistance training plan I feel a bit lost.  I asked my sister if she would be willing to set up a bit of a plan for me, and she agreed.  Sometime in the next week or so she will come with me to the gym and show me some routines so I can make the most of time time at the gym.

Another interest of mine has been to try some group fitness classes.  This is a fairly major source of anxiety for me.  Who isn't a little apprehensive about making a fool of yourself in front of other people.  I am curious to try some yoga, step aerobics, Zumba, etc.  Today I decided that I need to get over my anxiety and just do it.  I looked at what was available this morning and my options were either Physique or a Spin class.  I have done spin before so decided to try something different.  Physique is a class that uses some weights as well as body weight exercises and a lot of isometric exercises to work the full body.

I arrived about 15 minutes early because I thought that was the thing to do.  When I got into the room there were a lot of mats and weights set up in stations around the room.  Probably at least 30-40 of them.  I assumed since they were set up, but that there were few people in the room that you just pick a station and that's where you work.  I chose a station and sat down waiting for the class to start.  A few minutes later someone came over and said, oh, I think you are in my spot.  I apologized and said I was new and didn't realize that she had set it up.  She was very nice and took me and showed me what I needed for the class and helped me set up a spot.  By then they were out of bars for the hand weights so I ended up having to just hold on to two weight disks which was kind of awkward but was okay.

I sat and waited for the class to start when these two women (maybe in their early to mid 40s) came up to me and said "you are in our spot!"  I said "no, I set up this spot".  At this point I was beginning to wonder if I had made a mistake and was on the verge of tears.  They then realized that they were set up on either side of me, and I had set my spot up in between their two spots because there had been plenty of space to do so.  At this point the class started.

Once we got going everything was fine.  The class was definitely challenging but it was fun and the instructor was great.  I couldn't believe how much my butt was burning by the end of the class and I don't know if I will be able to walk tomorrow, probably just waddle :P

I will definitely go back to this class, and will try others.  I know there is a learning curve when you go to classes and I really appreciate how kind the girl was who helped me when I first got there as well as how helpful the instructor was.  I will do my best to not let the ones who aren't so nice get to me.

Retirement

I know I still have quite a ways to go before I retire from working.  However, I was thinking this morning that I might retire from running.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Mogathon, and I have enjoyed training and running the events that I did last summer as well.  I went for a run this morning and my knee/IT band is bothering me again.  I think that I would rather not have ongoing pain, so for now I am going to give running a rest.  I will probably go occasionally.  I don't want to entirely lose the endurance I have gained, but it wasn't too difficult to pick it up again this spring after taking last winter off. 

Now comes the hard part.  I don't know what to do for exercise.  Honestly, in the last number of months, running has been my sole form of exercise.  I did do a tiny bit of weight training, and occasional ab exercises when I was going to the Field House regularly.  I know that I have lost most of the strength I gained from P90X last spring/summer, but thankfully, I have not put on weight.  I think I will start to try incorporate some of my P90X workouts and some of my Jillian Michaels DVDs.  Try to find some of the motivation/dedication that I seemed to be full of last summer and can't dredge up for anything this summer. 

I did have a thought of joining my sister for the MS Bike Tour this September.  However, my bike is so old and kind of crappy.....plus I feel terrified at the thought of riding my bike in the city.  I just don't trust cars....plus, not to sound entirely selfish, but I HATE fundraising.  I can't stand asking people for money, even if it is for a super good cause.  So, I don't think I will be doing the MS Bike Tour, but I did briefly think about it while I was running this morning.

Fitness Goals and being a Penguin

I believe it is important to have goals. Mentally it is easier to be motivated to work if you know you are working toward a goal. I am wondering if my lack of exercising motivation has been due to a lack of goals. What am I working toward? I feel right now like I am hoping to just maintain what I have acheived in the last year. I am fairly happy with the way I look, I know I have lost some of my endurance/strength and wouldn't mind building it back up, but I haven't had any specific goals.

My sister has been throwing around the idea of running a half marathon at the Mogathon in June. She called me last night to say she has signed up for it, and will be starting an 18 week training program on Tuesday. I was suddenly hit with a wave of anticipation and thinking it might be fun/challenging/down right tough/exciting to join her. I think it would be easier to train with another person, and even though it is still cold out, I am thinking of getting a city leisure pass for a few months so I could run at the Field House if weather does not permit. The more I think about it, the more I am leaning toward it.

TWENTY - ONE KILOMETERS! CRAZY!

As I have been thinking about this, I have looked at a few training schedules online. I also have come across some websites with training tips. I found this one site that had a group of articles about 'penguin runners'. It caught my attention so I started to read some of them. I felt that I could identify with them, from my experiences last summer. I am going to copy a couple of exerpts:

"Why a penguin? Because metaphors usually used to describe runners–fleet-footed gazelles, cheetahs and winged-footed Mercury–don’t have much to do with my running style. I tend to resemble a penguin waddling across the frozen tundra more than a thoroughbred in the homestretch.

If you’ve seen a penguin run or walk, you know what I mean. Penguins walk as if their feet are killing them. Penguins, waddling and scurrying, are the ultimate expression of will over form. Their feet move as fast as possible, but their bodies are barely propelled forward at all."

AND

"What is often misunderstood about those of us struggling to reach the front of the back of the pack is that we really are trying. We really are, at whatever our pace, doing the best we can. Some runners, and even well meaning non-runners, interpret our position in the pack as a measure of our effort. Nothing could be further from the truth.

We — the few, the proud, the plodding — very often train as much as, or more than, faster runners. At a blistering 12-minute pace, a 20-mile week represents a major time commitment. I do speed work and tempo runs. I do long, slow runs. I just do them very slowly.

It's not a matter of trying. It's not a matter of motivation. It's just a matter of speed. A fast runner friend of mine put it succinctly when I asked him what he thought was the limiting factor in my running future. His answer was as insightful as it was concise: "Maybe you're just slow!"

And slow I may be. But I am the best athlete I know how to be. I am the best runner I know how to be. Every day is an opportunity to improve. Every time I run, I try to be better. I have given in to my running instinct. I have given in to this passion to uncover the primal joy in running. And I hope you will, too."

After reading these articles and identifying with the idea of being a 'penguin' I had some flashbacks to grade seven and eight, where I got picked on, on a daily basis, at school for the way I walked. The boys would call me penguin then they would quack at me. Haha...silly boys didn't even know that penguins don't quack ;) I will wear that title proudly. I am not in it to win, I am in it to finish. What an accomplishment to cross that finish line, and maybe it will lead to greater and even more seemingly CRAZY goals.......like a triathlon, or a full marathon......we shall see!

One cool mom!

Last summer when I was doing P90X, I spent quite a bit of time reading and commenting on the Facebook P90X page. I found it motivating, and informative. In doing that, I connected with a few people that I didn't know, but who were also doing P90X at the same time. I added them as friends and not that I know these people well, but it has been neat to sort of 'get to know' people over Facebook.

One of the people who friended me is a lady from Texas who is a group fitness instructor at her gym. She is a mom of three teenagers, or preteens, something like that and she is super fit! As you may have heard, last week there was a big storm in the USA that started in Texas with a bad bout of freezing rain and ice. Because they are ill equipped to deal with such situations, their schools, and the gym were shut down for three or four days. Out of despiration, Adrienne created a half hour kick boxing workout. I watched it and it is awesome (I will try it at some point). Then yesterday she uploaded another home workout video of hip hop dance. Another awesome looking workout that I am looking forward to trying.

If you would like a couple of unique workout options I will post the links to the videos for you to check out.

Choices

I have felt super uninspired to work out lately. Maybe it's lack of motivation....I don't know what it is. All I know is that I haven't worked out since last Wednesday. Well I guess I did go for a run Friday evening. Okay, I guess that counts. But each morning I wake up and just have a hard time dragging my butt out of bed. It's not even that I am so tired. I am finding it easier to wake up when my alarm goes off. I don't find myself waking up to my alarm going and look at the clock and realizing that I have slept through the alarm for twenty minutes so much anymore. It's just that I would rather crawl back into bed after I get up and use the washroom, than throw on my workout clothes and go downstairs.

I don't think it's just the motivation to work out. I think I am getting a little bit bored with my work out options. I do like P90X and I definitely think that it is a program that you can continue with and still see plenty of results, I think I am just getting tired of listening to the same old DVDs over and over again. I do enjoy lifting weights, and I have tried to just use the work out sheets and do the exercises as listed, rather than watching the DVDs, but I find it really boring. I give kudos to the people that I read about on Facebook that are in their 10th round of P90X. I just don't think I could do it over and over and over again for years straight. I don't regret buying it, and I think I will come back to it sometimes, but I don't think it will be the only work out program I use for the rest of my life.

I have been thinking of a few options for other workouts. Some days I wish I had a workout buddy. I just don't think it's realistic. I don't know that I have any friends that are interested in joining me, and my schedule can be pretty erratic and hard to have a set time to work out.

I have toyed with the idea of a City of Saskatoon leisure pass. I like the idea of it because it is probably the most affordable gym option in the city. It allows access to all of the leisure centres which includes pools, weight rooms, group fitness classes and the track at the Field House AND you don't have to sign a contract. In fact, it gets cheaper each month the more months you sign up for. And you can sign up for one month to try it out and if you want to renew the membership before the end of the month you get the cheaper rate you would have gotten if you signed up for 2 months right off the bat. And it goes on like that. I think if you were to buy a full year's membership it would work out to something like $30-40/month. The only drawback I can think of, is that there are no leisure centres really close to our house. I think that I would be much more likely to take full advantage of a membership if there was a facility down the street from us.

I have also thought about investing in another workout program similar to P90X. The company that made it, Beachbody, has a number of other home work out programs that set out a 5 or 6 day/week workout plan with DVDs the way P90X does. I thought maybe if I switched it up a little that I might not feel so bored. I do like working out in the privacy of my own home, with bed head and morning breath and no one to judge me. I have been looking at a program called Brazil Butt Lift, which targets your abs, hips and butt, which I feel are my 'problem areas'. But I have also looked a little at Turbo Fire and Insanity as well. Those two are intense interval cardio based programs. I do think, though, that a person is more likely to push themselves harder when you work out with or in front of other people. When I am doing P90X Plyo and stop doing the exercise with 3 or 4 seconds left in the 30 second interval, there is no one there to judge me. Not that exercising in public is done for show, but I really do think that you are more likely to give it your all when there are other people around, possibly watching you.

The other option I have toyed with is joining a typical gym, probably the World Gym down the street from us. I think that the location would be ideal to run over there in the morning to do a work out, or to stop on the way home from work without having to go out of my way. I don't think the overall cost would be too much more than the city leisure pass, but when you sign up you have to sign a one or two year contract that you can't get out of. You are committed to paying them, whether you use the membership or not. I heard somewhere a while back that gyms make a huge percentage of their yearly income from people who don't use their memberships. I don't want to be one of those people. I think I have proven to myself that I am able to commit to working out. I have just never worked out at a gym. I think it might be neat to have a couple of sessions with a personal trainer to get a program set up, or I could probably pick my sister's brain about what would be a good program for me, since she seems pretty knowledgeable.

Not sure which direction to take, and not going to jump into anything without a good amount of thought first.

Good Shoes

In my career as a massage therapist, I have told more than one client that "you can't go wrong spending money on a good mattress or good shoes"and I really do believe that. I tend to be the type of person who loves a good deal. I love getting clothes for half price or less. I choke a little bit when I have to spend more than $15-20 for a shirt. Or more than $40 for pants. I have learned in the last few years though that it really pays to invest in good shoes. I am not a shoe fanatic. I can't believe that some women own 80 pairs of shoes. I think that I own maybe 10 pairs, which does sound excessive. But a person needs dress shoes, and winter boots, and sandals, and casual shoes, and yard work shoes and athletic shoes. I would say out of my shoes, I wear three or four pairs on a regular basis.

Since I started running I have read a bunch of articles on the importance of having good running shoes. I invested in a nice pair in January of this year when I made my New Year's resolution to exercise more. They are a pair of Adidas Supernova running shoes and have served me well. I wore them for my 10k on Sunday and noticed around the 7 or 8k mark that my one knee started to hurt a little. Nothing major, and it actually felt better when I was running than when I stopped to walk and it seems to be resolved now. However, I went for a run (or tried to...) after work today and by the time I did my 45 minute walk/run my knees were starting to ache. I felt like it was a tough run because it was warm out today and for some reason my body really doesn't seem to handle heat and running well. If it was +12C or a little warmer I think I could run forever. Well until my body gave out on me, but my heart and lungs are happy to run when it's cooler.

I have been thinking of going to a running store to get fitted for shoes. I hear that they are very thorough and will analyze your gait and posture and choose shoes that meet your needs. I think I did pretty well picking out my current running shoes but I did not choose them with the knowledge that I would be running in them. I expected to wear them mainly to do aerobics and other workouts. I have heard that running stores tend to be pricier for most shoes, but I think in this case, for the sake of my knees and hips and the rest of my body I should take my own advice and consider it an investment. If I am going to keep running I need to make sure I don't hurt myself. I have read that running shoes should be replaced every 6-12 months. That sort of goes against my policy for clothing items. I tend to wear my clothes to death. My shoes, when I am done wearing them I will retire them to yard shoes. My runners still look like they are in good shape, but I think the all important cushioning is wearing out. I think I could still wear them for working out at home, just not for running.

Stretching

I think stretching is underrated. I know in the last few years that yoga has become a very popular form of exercise, and it incorporates a lot of stretching and increases flexibility, but I like good old fashioned stretching.

Today I felt all day like my quads were tight like rubber bands. It wasn't making my knees hurt, but they almost felt like they had pressure on them, just from the tension in my quads. My legs almost felt heavy. I don't think I have been doing enough stretching. Sure I do my 5 minute cool down with Jillian at the end of her videos, but that's not really enough stretching. I usually try to do a little more than she does, or I just hold the stretches longer.

I went through a one hour stretching routine this evening that stretched all the major muscles from head to toe. It felt good. Some of the stretches were a little painful (not in a bad way, just uncomfortable), because my muscles are so inflexible. My quads, hamstrings, calves, glutes are some of my worst inflexible muscles.

I made a new fitness goal as I stretched tonight. By some point, I would like to be able to do a proper downward dog yoga pose. I know it's a pretty basic pose, and most people can do it, but I cannot. I have to bend my knees, my back is arched and I have overstretch pain in my hamstrings and calves when I try to do it, oh and my heels don't touch the ground. I am hoping to keep working on stretching, because it is soothing and relaxing.

I like to sweat during my workouts, but I think that stretching is a VERY important part of exercising and well being really. I am sure if everyone spent half an hour each day stretching, my job would at some point become obsolete. I doubt that will ever happen though, so I think my job is safe, for now anyway.