Saturday Sweat Session

I've received quite a bit of questions about what my workouts look like so thought I'd dedicate a post to recap the workouts for the week or focus on one intense session I had.  

Introducing Saturday Sweat Sessions.  

This week, that intense session would be my workout today, with Trainer E: an upper body KILLER.

Warm up:  2-min jog, 2 min-skipping

Warm up:  12 push-ups, 15 squats, 15 arm circles x 3

assisted pull-ups   3x15

bear crawl + push-ups   3x15

(source)

one-arm dumbbell row   3x10

walking lunges   3x20

medicine ball rotational throw   3x15

(source)

jump pull-ups   3x15

one-arm TRX plyo row   3x15

Valslide hand crawl   3x15

(source)

Costco vs. Sam's

Happy Monday!  Hope you guys had a great weekend.  Mine was spent working out, hanging out, going shopping and cooking up a freakin storm on Sunday.  On the menu for this week:

• Jamie Eason's turkey muffins - SO YUMS!
• Jamie Eason's cinnamon swirl protein bread
• pork and squash soup
• hard boiled eggs
• shredded baked chicken breast
• enough lettuce to last three weeks - or in my case, several days

Working out
Remember I mentioned the boyfriend and I were checking out a new training facility and possibly a new trainer?  Well, we did on Saturday.

Anthony and I got to EC Fitness and my first thoughts:  I love the space!!  It's floor-to-ceiling windows, roomy, CLEAN, and since they limit the amount of people training to 3 max... it really is personal training.  Anthony and I had the entire facility to ourselves!

Basically, everything I hate about training with a trainer at the gym is gone - no waiting for machines/equipment, no feeling intimidated about who might be watching me - and everything I love about training with a trainer is still there - one-on-one attention, motivation, customized program, the wealth of knowledge.

Since Trainer E used to work with my current trainer, Trainer L, at the gym, E knows his style of training and can compliment the training or do something totally different... it's completely up to me.

Well, I'm sure I don't have to tell you guys, but I signed up... for an intro price of 5 sessions for $100,  you TOTALLY can't beat that.  And the best part... Anthony bought a trainer package as well!!!  YAY!

Shopping

Why do we - Anthony and I, a household of two people - need membership to Costco AND Sam's Club?

9 lbs. of chicken breast, egg whites, almond milk...

... 5 dozen eggs (!!!)...

... 5 lbs. of blueberries...

Tip: rinse them in a 1:10 ration white vinegar to water.  No mold!

... bananas, clementines...

... spinach, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, strawberries, Greek yogurt and even more blue berries.

That's why!

Weigh-in Wednesday: Wow!

Starting weight: 176.4 

Last week weight: 131.4

Current weight: 133.0

Current loss: +1.6

TOTAL LOSS:  -43.4

Not surprising considering my weekend of cheat days but it was what I expected.  Back to it this week since Super Bowl Sunday will put a small bump in the road, too.

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Yesterday's trainer session was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. 

PR's hit in both squat and chest press: 140 lbs. and 85 lbs. respectively.

I also got introduced (and fell in love) with this:

(source)

If you don't know, education yourself about TRX suspension training.
So good our ARMY uses it to train.

SUPER excited to start using this with my personal trainer (PT) and even though it's not strength training like powerlifting, it's definitely something I want to continue with.

Weigh-in Wednesday: !!!!!

Starting weight: 176.4
Last week weight: 138.6

Current weigh: 135.2

Current loss: -3.4

TOTAL LOSS: -41.2

Don't freak out... it's not a true 3.4 lbs lost.  Remember I had a tough couple of days before weigh-in last week?  Well, today's weight puts me right on track (1-1.5 lbs. a week) from two weeks ago when I was at 137.6.  Hard work, right nutrition, and consistency pays off, people!!

Speaking of hard work, remember I started power lifting/training with a barbell several weeks ago? My PT sessions have been going awesome and every week we would work on my form and adding weight to four major moves: squat, chest press, shoulder press and deadlift.  Today I back squated 145 lbs. for 8 reps!! May not be a lot but for me that was a huge NSV! I still suck at chest and shoulder press (which is why one of my Dec. goals is to work my upper body) and deadlift is getting there.

Hmmm... now to join a power lifting team so I can train all week long (vs. once a week)?  That is the question!

(source)

Weigh-in Wednesday: Yay!

Starting weight: 176.4
Last week weight: 143.5
Current weight: 142.5
Current loss:-1.0

TOTAL LOSS: -33.9

This week I'm sticking to my goals extra hard because my personal trainer (PT) is gone for three weeks.  Which means he probably thinks I'll maintain or gain weight.  He never said that to me but I can't blame him if he thinks it because he's just basing this on past experiences.  The last time he was gone for about a month, I did this "Surprise the PT" challenge with myself, and didn't do too well.

So this time I'm out to show him I can do this... with or without him! =) 

That's a wall!

Yesterday I had my last PT session till August and it was crazy! Not just crazy... C.R.A.Z.Y!

I had a long day at work and pretty much only ate lunch (meant to make breakfast when I got to work but you know how it gets) so by the time the afternoon rolled around, I was ready to call it a day but NOOOOOO... had to go to the gym still.

Started out with a nice 20 minute brisk walk on the treadmill as my warm up, then headed to see my PT.

60 minutes of full body conditioning + plyo + not enough energy = hitting the wall harrd

This is the first time I really experience what you Beachbody veterans call boinking (or is it bonking - I can't remember). About halfway through my workout, right in the middle of my vertical jumps/skaters/plyo lunge sequence, I hit it.... the wall. It's like someone literally flipped a switch and I was out! I just coudln't move my body how I wanted to and there went my form and execution on all my exercises. Even my PT asked what' s up. After taking it down a notch, the 60 minutes were up BUT the boyfriend picked up a shift yesterday so I had to walk home from the gym. It's a short walk, about 30 minutes, but I was just so drained I seriously didn't think I could. Luckily it was raining a little bit so that kept me "refreshed".

Never again will I attempt a serious workout with not enough fuel in me.

But on the plus side, I've been back at nutrition and exercise for the last several days and we all know that for me, that's amazing!! Keep it up! KEEP IT UP!!!

I'm not flaky, I PROMISE!

No surprise here but I have once again changed things up with my exercise. Yesterday I had my PT session at the gym and when we were done, I talked to the gym manager and put a freeze on my account for three months!

That's right, no gym, no PT, no outside accountability (except you guys!), and no monthly membership dues from May 1 - Aug. 1!
Between this and my sweet tax returns, I think I smell Vegas again!

I'm not flaky or indecisive, I PROMISE!

Constantly changing things up is what works for me so I roll with it. Anyway, I have several trips/weddings this summer so figured it might not be worth paying that monthly membership when I might only be here for half the summer. Plus, summer in Hawaii = get moving outside! So that's the plan for now. I'll still continue the BFL program until the end of May, when my 84 days are up and will jump into something new again. I'm really excited about this summer and I'm not sure why...

Nutrition wise I'll be changing things up a little... will still focus on the BFL program but make it a point to be more consistent with nutrition. Last night Anthony and I ordered a family meal from Pizza hut: 2 large specialty pizzas, 5 bread sticks, and cinnamon bread. We polished the bread sticks and cinnamon bread, and almost ate one entire pizza. Thankfully we couldn't eat any more. Yup... that's so not part of my nutrition plan but what are you gonna do? It's a done deal so moving on.

In other news, I jumped on the scale this morning and not surprisingly it was the same as last week: 137. That's a bona fide gain of about 2 lbs. in the last month which isn't bad, but considering how hard it is for me to even lose 5 lbs., it's kinda bad. Not beating myself up cause I know exactly why it happened and I'm okay with it cause I knew it would happen. I'm not "okay" as in I'm cool with it, but I'm "okay" in the sense that I accept it. I just gotta get back on track... it really is that simple. Now to just do it...

Have my goals set

Remember my homework assignment from my PT? Well I did it and I think these are pretty good goals for all around fitness.

1. Body fat percentage - Probably my most important goal... to shed this layer of fat! I don't mind weighing 135 for the rest of my life but I want it to be mostly muscle, damn it!
   
2. Drop some pounds - In 8 weeks I would like to be down 8 lbs... that's not asking for much. A pound a weeks is something totally doable if I stick to being consistent with my nutrition and exercise.
   
3. Calorie deficit - I was so torn about this goal. I wanted to stay away from counting calories but I can't ignore what's always worked for me when I need to stay on track. I'm aiming for at least a 500 calorie deficit 6 days a week over the next 8 weeks.
   
4. Increase my 1-mile time - This one is gonna be really interesting! Whenever I do cardio, I usually do it just to get the calorie burn. I've never aimed for a goal as far as cardio goes so I like this one a lot. Will be running my first timed 1-mile run over the weekend to know where I stand.
   
5. Increase amount of weight I lift - In every exercise I do. With the BFL program, I've been using the same couple of exercises for each body part so keeping tabs on what I started with and where I am now should be easy. Will make it a point to increase all the weight next week.

If anyone can think of some better ones, please let me know! This is just what I came up with but would love advice...

Huge disappointment!!

Four weeks down in the BFL program and these are my results?!?!

It has nothing to do with the program cause I still think it's a really sound plan, it has to do with me! ME! ME! ME! I'm not even gonna get into excuses on why the measurments are the way they are, even though there are MANY factors that can easily skew the data... the point is... 30 days is most definitely enough time to make all those numbers go down. It's a huge disappointment especially because I was feeling smaller in the pants... but it's also a huge motivator! Only 54 more days until summer is here! It's really time for me put up and shut up.

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Because of my crappy on-again-off-again attitude with exercise and nutrition, my PT gave me homework to do: come back next week with five tangible, attainable, and measurable goals to achieve in 8 weeks. And two of those goals have to be weight and body fat related. PT wants me to start focusing on short-term goals rather than only what I want in the very end (goal weight of about 120ish).

I've never set physical goals for my body, only weight goals and usually exercise/calorie goals so this was a great idea. I really wanna set these goals up to include all areas of the words "fit" and "healthy" so think it'll be a spread of different things I want to accomplish. Will get those posted when I come up with them.

Not saying goodbye yet...

So remember the other day I was thinking about what to do about my personal trainer sessions? Well I've decided to get more.

And yes, it does cost about $1200 for 20 sessions which breaks down to $60/session (he's also a certified dietitian), but these 20 sessions will last me about half a year. I'm planning on seeing him only once a week but I know it's a good investment. My PT gives me a different kind of motivation and I noticed he makes me push myself more than I would just on my own.

Anyway, so that's the plan! I'm excited to start working out on my own again, as far as lifting, and will be starting this weekend!! My P90X/CLX hybrid is going to be so much fun and this is what I plan to do:

• CLX weight workouts
  
• P90X Ab Ripper X workout
• P90X Stretch X
  
• P90X Yoga X
  
• P90X/CLX cardio workouts
• plyo workouts with my PT
• extra cardio on my own
  

If you're unfamiliar with either P90X or CLX, read more about them here. Anyway, I'll be following the CLX 3x/week weight-lifting workout schedule but since the workouts are only 35 - 45 minutes, I'm doing each workout twice in a row which comes out to about 60 mins a day (minus the warm-up/cool down from one round). Throw on P90X Ab Ripper X (ARX) after that and that's a decent worktout!

So three days of weights and ab work. One day a week will be plyo, one day reserved strictly for cardio, one day for P90X Stretch X/Yoga X and one OFF day. Of course if/when I can, I'll be adding on short cardio sessions here and there.

I'm sooooo ready to 'get extreme' and 'BRING IT'!!

If you're joining me, you better be too!

Another challenge!! Am I CRAZY?!

No... not crazy... but damned determined!!

This past Tuesday was my last personal trainer session until October 23 - my PT is getting married and going on vacation for 3 weeks! And since I only see him on Tuesdays and Fridays, to me he's actually going to be gone for a month... 30 days EXACTLY!

So I'm proposing a challenge to myself:

30-day "Surprise-the-PT-when-he-gets-back" Challenge!
or the 30-day Surprise PT Challenge for short.

What is the Challenge: Technically, this 30-day challenge started on Wednesday, the 23rd (I'm only writing about it now), but for the next 30 days I will be personal-trainer-free so I wanted to take this opportunity to change up my workout and try new healthy recipes. And of course lose some weight while I'm at it!

Why am I doing it: For the last 4 months I've done most of my exercise at the gym and it's been the same thing every week...

Cardio on Monday.
Personal trainer on Tuesday.
Cardio on Wednesday.
Off on Thursday.
Personal trainer on Friday.
Cardio on Saturday.
Cardio and weights on Sunday.

It's about time for a change, don't you think?

Plus, with the accountability of a personal trainer and having scheduled sessions, I feel like I've lost a little of my own accountability and motivation so I wanna get that back! Eating right and exercising are ways of life for me, but recently I feel like I've been in a rut... just putting in the hours at the gym because I'm suppose to, eating oatmeal and fruit because I'm suppose to, drinking a ton of water because I'm suppose to. I want to enjoy eating healthy and working out again.

When does it happen: This challenge started Wednesday, Sept. 23 and will run exactly 30 days until Thursday, Oct. 22.

How will I do it: Do workouts that I haven't done in a R.E.A.L.L.Y. long time and try new recipes every week. As far as exercise, here are some of my weapons of choice:

For strength training I'm gonna rotate through a 5-day split and switch between P90X workouts and Jillian Michaels' "The Biggest Winner" series.

For cardio, I'm gonna get in more runs outside (not on the treadmill) and I'm gonna start running stairs again. If/when I go to the gym I'll rotate between machines I don't normally use, like the bike and rowing machine.

Goals for the challenge:

• cardio miles: at least 3 miles/day, 6 days/week = 78 miles
  
• weight train: 3 days/week = 15 days
  
• calories: stay between 1300 - 1600
• water: at least 72 oz/day = 2160 oz.
  
• weight: lose 6+ lbs. = -1.5 lbs./week
  

Updates, updates, and more updates

50 followers?! WOW!! Where did you all come from? Thank you so much for your support! I hope that what I'm doing here can inspire others in any way!

This post is going to be all about updates: PT session updates, calorie counting (or not-counting) updates, and my promise to myself updates.

PT session updates

I started my personal trainer sessions in the beginning of June, mainly to get proper form/execution of exercises down, so this makes about 2.5 months since I've been seeing him. I actually just started my second round of sessions a couple of weeks ago (the first round of 20 sessions FLEW BY!) and this time I bought 30 sessions total. Currently I've been seeing my PT 3x/week on M, W, and F, but after next week that all changes.

Next week I start to see him only 2x/week on Tu and F because he believes my form and execution of the exercises are pretty damn near to perfect - yea! So Tu and F will be our regular weight training sessions and Sunday's I'll do a 60-min weight training session on my own - this is on top of the six days of cardio I do too. I'm so excited! Does this mean I can get back to P90X? Or at least alternate between some of the dvd's? HOPE SO!

Anyway, the sessions are still going really good... just last week my PT turned the intensity up a notch (or 10!!) and we are now doing full-blown circuit/boot camp style training and I love it!!

I'll try to get up a sampling of the pain workout he puts me through in the next couple of weeks. I used to play sports back in the day, which my PT knows about and is taking advantage of, so he's putting me through a mix of all the different types of sports conditionings: burpees, volleyball blocks, tires, ladders, jump squats, suicides, shuffles, back-pedals, and even jump roping. Alternate those 1-minute moves with a weight resistance move and repeat for 60 minutes and that = T.O.U.G.H!

Welcome to good hurt!

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Calorie counting update

Still not counting calories as I eat them (rather logging them after a week of just measuring out food) and this is how I did for the past week:

M, 8/10: 1527 kcals, 19% fat, 53% carbs, 28% protein

T, 8/11: 1382 kcals, 17% fat, 51% carbs, 32% protein

W, 8/12: 2055 kcals, 29% fat, 47% carbs, 24% protein

Th, 8/13: 1483 kcals, 16% fat, 64% carbs, 20% protein

F, 8/14: 1557 kcals, 24% fat, 60% carbs, 17% protein

S, 8/15: 1573 kcals, 36% fat, 46% carbs, 18% protein

Su, 8/16: 1080 kcals, 18% fat, 62% carbs, 20% protein

Looks like I need to watch the carbs and up the protein by a lot. Good to know and we'll see how this week goes.

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Promise to myself update

Still bringing it just like I promised! And with the higher intensity of my PT sessions, it should keep me in the 130's! Cross them fingers for me 'cause tomorrow is Weigh-in Wednesday!

Mon: 30 min run after my PT session 1/1

Tue: 55 min interval run on the treadmill 2/2

Wed: 60 min PT session + 15 min run home 3/3

Thu: OFF 3/4

Fri: 60 min PT session + 15 min elliptical 4/5

Sat: 75 min elliptical 5/6

Sun: 25 min stairmill + 20 min elliptical 6/7

Mon: 60 min PT session + 20 min walk home + 15 min elliptical 7/8

Tue: 25 min elliptical + 30 min elliptical HIIT 8/9

Wed: 60 min PT session + 20 min run home

Thu: OFF

Fri: 60 min PT session + 30 min elliptical

Sat: 60 min run

Sun: 60 min hike

No more counting calories!

Counting calories has gotten me to where I am today... 35 lbs. lighter and 4 sizes smaller. Sure, the first month or two of tracking were the hardest and counting calories was like the most tedious thing in the world, but it works! For me, it's almost been a year since I started tracking my daily caloric intake and it's actually become a part of my lifestyle. If someone told me that counting calories for the rest of my life would give me my dream body, I probably could do it... But 'could do it' is different than 'would do it'.

When I first started out losing weight, I knew I wouldn't want to count calories for the rest of my life so I thought now would be good time to see how well I do without logging my food into a calorie counter. I'm still going to write down what I eat everyday but after a couple of days of not counting the calories as I eat them, I'll log them into MFD to see how on it (or off it) I am.

It just so happens that my PT wants me to do this too!

Because he knows I'm working hard at the gym, he thinks I may be under estimating my calorie intake on days I eat out or burn off a lot of calories, because my fat-loss has come to a screeching halt.

Besides possibly logging my food incorrectly, I figured this is good practice to see how well I do with my guesstimated portion sizes. Will be back tomorrow to report how well I did with the calorie estimations.

Wish me luck!

PT session updates

So I've just realized it's been FOREVER since I gave an update on my PT sessions. Well they're still going A-W-E-S-O-M-E!! So much so, that I think I'm going to buy 30 more sessions after the ones I have now.

For anyone who's thinking about it, I highly recommend investing in a trainer. Their knowledge of of executing exercises with proper form is worth it for me, but they also provide a completely new form of motivation and inspiration. I can almost guarantee that the majority of people out there are either using bad/improper form of the body or the actual execution of the exercise... things like tensing up or using some of the wrong muscle groups, misplacement of feet, bending over too little or too much, keeping elbows and knees "soft" but wrists straight and locked, executing the exercise at a slightly wrong angle or plane to the muscle you're trying to work, flexing or curling of the toes for balancing exercises, alignment of neck and spine, chest up and back straight, etc.

Of course there are people out there getting awesome results without ever speaking to a certified personal trainer, but what I'm learning with my PT will make my future weight-trainings so much more effective.

And yes, a PT is all good and worth it, IF (and this is a big if!) they are good at their job and you like them!

Being good at their job means they make you feel comfortable working with them, they motivate you and push you just beyond your comfort limit, they pay attention to YOU when it's your time with them, they listen to what your goals are and they make an exercise plan to help you reach that goal. Don't settle for a trainer who's too busy looking at themselves in the mirror when you're working out or a trainer who has all his or her clients doing the same routine or who pushes what they think you should be doing, not what you want to do.

I was really lucky to find a trainer I liked on the first try because I have heard some horror stories from my friends who have tried a PT. But because my PT works really well for me, the reason why I'm thinking of getting more sessions is mainly because I don't feel comfortable with my form yet. I've come a really long way, but there are still areas I really need help with. My initial plan was to only get a trainer for one group of sessions to learn the basics then redo CLX and P90X on my own, but... the motivation I get from my PT is way different than anything I could get off of a dvd. Don't get me wrong, I love my Beachbody products, but until I know what I'm capable of doing beyond my limits (rep/weight wise) I don't think I will get the full benefit out of the dvds. My PT pushes me hard to get out the last reps that I thought I couldn't do and to me, this is just as important as improving my form.

After 30 more sessions with my PT, I can't wait to see what I can do!

Personal Trainer Sessions getting intense... me likey!

I had my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th PT sessions and L-O-V-E-D them all!

2nd session, June 10: So after taking off from ALL exercise for 5 days (on order from my PT), getting back in the gym felt so good! I was actually worried that I would get comfortable with not exercising, but I wasn't! How crazy is that?! Anyway, good to know my body craves being active now! So in my second session, I learned how to do more stretches and started the weight resistance training with 3 new, simple exercises:

1.) Swiss ball glute extension and arm raise

2.) Swiss ball crunch

3.) Dumbbell chest fly

The exercises this session were short and sweet because my PT wanted to go over the meal plan he made for me. It's following the lines of a 50/30/20 carb/protein/fat ratio but he said he'll probably change up the ratios after a couple of weeks. Because I was doing such a low carb diet before (I was sticking with P90X's fat burner meal plan) he wanted me to up my carbs for now. I'm still having trouble reaching the 2000 calories/day amount but have consistently been hitting 1650 - 1800.

3rd session, June 12: PT wants me to up my cardio to 3 - 5 days a week and I couldn't be happier! I love my cardio! This session was all weight resistance and we got through 6 exercises:

1.) Swiss ball crunch

2.) 1-leg toe touch

3.) cable chest fly

4.) Swiss ball glute extension and arm raise

5.) bent over arm raise hold - same thing as the chair pose from yoga

6.) dumbbell delt row

PT was super impressed with how long I could hold the chair pose and you know what I told him? It's all thanks to P90X!! Legs and Back and Yoga X already trained me for it! Nutrition wise still consistent with the 1650 - 1800 calorie range so need to bring that up but everything else is still great!

4th session, June 17: Yesterday was my 4th session... quarter of a way done with my sessions already... BOO!!! Today was more weight resistance training and PT is getting stricter and tougher but I love it! He's a major stickler for proper form and that is the main reason why I wanted a PT to make sure I'm getting the most out of my exercises and of course, to not get injured. Six exercises today:

1.) Swiss ball oblique crunch - this one burns!

2.) Flexibility squat

3.) cable chest press - my form is all over the place with this one. I tend to naturally do a chest fly instead of press

4.) standing cable row

5.) Swiss ball lower back and glute extension

6.) dumbbell delt fly

So after todays session, PT is really please with how well I'm doing as far as form and balance with all the exercises so he's going to move my sessions along a little quicker so I can start bringing some major intensity to my workouts. I see him again tomorrow so I can't wait to see what he has me doing.

Overall, the sessions so far have been great and I don't have any regrets about getting a PT... so much so that I think I'm going to save up so I can get more sessions after my 20 are over this time. I still cannot believe how much I love the gym! Don't get me wrong... I love working out at home by myself but the gym environment is a completely different vibe or energy. Getting to know the workers and some other members really keeps me motivated to do my best and being in an environment with other people who have the same goals as me really makes me push for the extra 15 minutes on the treadmill or the extra 2 or 3 reps. Like I said before... the competitive side of me loves having fitter, stronger, faster people around me when I workout because unconsciously it turns up my exercise intensity for my entire workout!

Saying good-bye to P90X... only for a little while!

So it looks like I will be postponing Phase 3 of P90X due to my Personal Trainer (PT) sessions. Hmmm... sounds like deja vu! Yes, yes... for those of you who are following me, I stopped CLX in the last phase also. Let me reassure you that I AM NOT A QUITTER! The next rounds of CLX and P90X will be completed... FOR SURE! This, I promise!!! But anyway, it's a pretty bitter-sweet goodbye for me because I love P90X, but on the other hand, I do want to take full advantage of my PT's routine and advice. And this isn't really a goodbye, more of a "see you later" to P90X... I'm sure I'm going to sneak in some of the cardio/yoga/stretch stuff into my routine, but Tony and "the kids" will be sadly missed!

So here's a recap of what my first PT session included:

It was mostly questions and letting my PT get a good sense of what I have been doing so far and where I want to go from here... things like what I've done so far, how often do I exercise now, what do I eat, what are my physical goals, what are my fitness goals, what are my nutrition/health goals, etc. It was pretty comprehensive (even asking about TOM to see if fitness/nutrition can help with any PMS). We took even more stats and measurements and went over my two-weeks worth of food journaling. I really liked it and know my money has been well spent. My PT really likes my level of exercise and nutrition knowledge, so he thinks we can move along much faster than most of his clients.

Didn't get around to much exercise, but he gave me a run down of what to expect for his program. He starts off all his clients (no matter what your fitness level) with stabilization stretching exercises for the first week. He introduced me to a foam roller and had me only roll my left leg: calf, quad, hamstring, and ITB. Then he had me perform a squat. It was amazing how different my left leg felt from my right leg... my left side felt completely stretched out and I could have definitely gone deeper into the squat if my right side wasn't tight. My PT had my roll out my right side after that. The next couple of days my leg muscles felt like I had a deep tissue massage! It felt so good!! Anyway, on his orders, I have taken this entire weekend, as well as up to today, off from exercise since I have been going non-stop for the last 9 months... well not non-stop per se because I do take at least one rest day a week, but I haven't taken more than 2 days off in row since I started exercising back in September. So he wants me to "reset" my body and give it a good rest until I meet with him again tomorrow. After the first week, my PT will introduce me to the cardio/weight training parts of the program... THIS is what I'm waiting for. It looks like he'll have me doing HIIT a couple times a week, some other cardio the other days, and weight training three times a week. I hope it's a good mix of machines/free weights/outdoor activities to really keep my body in "shock mode". Cross-training is the key for his program.

The diet part of the session was really good and I have to say... to all you P90Xer's who kept telling me to eat more... you guys are 100% right. He wants me to up my calories from 1500 to 1900 - 2100 calories a day. Seems like a lot of food but he's also devising a food plan for me to help me with that. I was really impressed with the fact that he wanted this program to be tailored to my needs and likes. I guess I went into this thinking most PT's want it their way or nothing. But he made a list of the foods that I want to incorporate into my diet and he couldn't be happier that I want to keep my diet clean. I can imagine most of his clients struggle with changing their diets the most.

Anyway, I see him again tomorrow and we're suppose to go around the gym and he'll assess my fitness level by evaluating my performance on different cardio machines as well as weight-resistance machines and free weights. As much as I hate putting P90X on hold, I think having a PT at this stage in my weight-loss battle is key and couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Joining a gym and having a PT has completely re-motivated me and is giving me the little extra push I needed to continue in the right direction. I'm very competitive by nature, so the gym setting is perfect! Can't let the "skinny" people out exercise me, you know?! And having someone who keeps me accountable and excited about exercise is the most important job for my PT... and not to mention that my sessions cost more than my monthly mortgage... but that alone is going to push me to take full advantage of my PT and follow his advice.

On a side note, this week was suppose to start Phase 3 of P90X (uhh... so close to finishing!) so I'll have my 60-day stats up by the end of the week. Dang I'm gonna miss P90X!

P90X day 50 and 51/90; diet: EXCELLENT

So yesterday was day 50 of P90X. Yoga was scheduled, however I switched it out for 2 sessions of Stretch X. I went to the gym in the evening and did some HIIT then came home to Stretch. I absolutely love how it makes my body feel... wish I had discovered this a long time ago.

Today was day 51 and Core Synergistic will be done when I get home, no matter what my workout is at the gym. Today is my first session with my PT so I don't know what's on the agenda but I know we're going over nutrition (my PT is a dietitian) and some stretches but don't know what else. I think this being the first time, he'll probably walk me around and introduce me to all the machines - both cardio and weight resistance. I can't wait!!

Now on to the diet part of today. My PT had me print out 2 weeks worth of food journaling and I was shocked. I log, weigh, and measure all my food religiously and I'm usually in the calorie range I should be in, but looking at the days lined up one after the other for two weeks was a huge eye opener. In two weeks, I had eaten FOUR cheat meals! FOUR!!!!!! That's how much I'm allowed in a month! I guess because I log my food, I feel like if I'm over on fat today, I'll eat less tomorrow, but then I forget the next day and just eat crappy again. But seriously seeing my logs and charts lined up together really put things into perspective. So today, I rated my diet as "excellent" because it was! I had my Shakeology for breakfast with 1 cup of oj, flaxseeds, wheat germ, and 1 cup of strawberries and kiwi. My mid-morning snack was a P90X protein bar and 1 cup of fresh blueberries. Lunch was 1/2 cup oatmeal with a little stevia, cinnamon, flaxseeds and wheat germ, 2 cups of romaine with basalmic vinegar and a little olive oil, and 3.5 oz of grilled salmon. Mid-afternoon snack was 1 cup of cantalope, 1 kiwi, and a slice of whole wheat, fiber bread. And dinner will be 5 oz grilled chicken cooked with tomato, a little lemon, 2 cups of romaine and half a sweet potato. (I know that looks like a lot of fruit but the cantaloupe is over ripe so I'm trying to eat it before it goes bad.)

This is probably the cleanest I've eaten in a really long time. So glad I took a look at my journal... need to add that to my list of daily things to do to keep me on track. Or I'll just create a challenge for myself to see how many days in a row I can eat clean. We'll see.

Speaking of challenges... I totally have not given an update on the Ice Cream Challenge! If I calculate it correctly, this is day 37 of being ICE CREAM F-R-E-E!!! Awesome!

And the results are in...

... and I'm fat! But I knew that! Yesterday I had my consultation at my gym and it took about an hour. I really liked the trainer I was paired up with because he's also a dietitian (which is why the gym gave me a "he" instead of a "she" like I asked) . We went over my current diet and exercise routine and then did the body fat testing. It was a four-spot caliper reading and it came out to 37%. Yup... you read that right! But I wasn't expecting anything lower so I'm okay with it.

Anyway, after doing the calculations, he figured out that if I kept the lean muscle I have now without gaining any muscle, but only lost body fat, I would be at 19% body fat at my goal weight of 120. THAT'S LEAN, BABY! Back in high school, all 8 years ago, no way was I ever that lean. I weighed 115 - 120 lbs. in h.s. but I still had the fat on me. I can't wait to see what my "new" body will look like when I get there.

So 37% body fat... that means I have:
51.8 lbs. of fat and 88.2 lbs. of everything else

51.8 lbs. of fat is a huge amount! I don't even want to know how many pounds it was before I lost weight and started weight lifting. That really put things in perspective. I can't wait to get started taking advantage of everything the gym has to offer!

UPDATE TO THIS POST: I have a personal trainer for 20 sessions starting tomorrow! This may interfere with P90X a little but my trainer knows that I'm doing the program so he wants me to bring in the fitness guide and see if we can work something out as far tailoring my workouts to follow P90X. I didn't want to give up P90X completely but I really wanted to take advantage of the first-time-gym-member personal trainer fees. I wanted to get a trainer to learn proper form for weight lifting to avoid injury and get the most benefit out of lifting. I can't wait to start!