Tomorrow starts recovery week. I have to admit that I’m a bit nervous about not lifting for a whole week. The general consensus is that you should take a break from your routine every couple of months or so, but it seems a little early since we’ve only been doing P90X for 3 weeks.
I snuck a peek at my measurements this morning — down an inch of my hips and an inch and a half of my waist. I don’t do my “official” P90X pictures until next week though. I’m not sure how much of a difference there will be since the program is designed to see results after the second month, but not so much after the first. When I look at Jason, I see a difference, but I can’t really tell any physical changes in myself yet. I’m down almost 7 lbs, I think, and some inches, but I don’t really look different. Maybe I’ll wake up on Day 90 with rippling muscles. Ha! Of course, I started the program with a good chunk of weight to lose whereas Jason only has about 10 lbs or so. At least my muscles will be chiseled by the time I lose 50 lbs or so.
My eating has been a gazillion times better than it was a month ago. I’ve reigned in my sweet tooth and we haven’t been eating out nearly as much. I had a Milky Way yesterday (which I was eating pretty much daily after Harper was born) and it tasted weird… way too sweet. I’ve been eating chocolate, but when I do, it’s higher quality dark chocolate. It’s a nice (and strange) change not to be craving sweets ALL the time. Now, to kick my Red Bull addiction. When we moved a few months ago, I went three weeks without a drop touching my lips, but I’ve really been relying on caffeine since we came home from the hospital. I wonder if I’ll ever sleep more than 3 hours at a time again.
I’ve also decided not to sign up for the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon. First, Jason starts 60-84 hour work weeks in April, and there’s almost no way for him to fit a long run into his schedule. I could always run it without him, but I really want him by my side. Then, I have to admit, I’m nervous. I’m pretty sure I could go from my current 0 miles a week to running a marathon in less than 7 months, but I’m worried about my time. It’s stupid because first time marathoners aren’t supposed to have a number in their head. The goal is supposed to be just to finish.
But I don’t want my first marathon time to suck.
Yeah, I’m letting my ego get in the way here, but I can’t help it. Plus, I’m planning on running the 2011 Kansas Marathon in Lawrence. I haven’t been back “home” since I moved to Virginia a couple of years ago. I’m dying to see my friends and some of my former professors. Also, Lawrence has some of the most kick-ass food I’ve ever had. I plan on taking a week of vacation and enjoying the town.
Showing posts with label weight lifting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight lifting. Show all posts
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
P90X - Day 10
Day 10 finished! Woooo! Only 80 more to go.
I did get my Plyo workout in last night, although I did have to hit pause a couple times to calm down Harper. She’s dealing with a cold and she’s been very fussy this past week. I could tell I wasn’t as in to it as last week, though. I had to stop some of the exercises early, take longer breaks and I don’t think I was working as intensely as I could have been. Oh well; at least I did it.
Shoulders and arms again today… definitely my favorite workout of the week. I moved up in weight and reps so I know I’m sloooowly making progress, even if I can’t see it yet. Jason, on the other hand, is already bursting with new muscle. I can’t wait until our 30 day measurements and pictures!
I did get my Plyo workout in last night, although I did have to hit pause a couple times to calm down Harper. She’s dealing with a cold and she’s been very fussy this past week. I could tell I wasn’t as in to it as last week, though. I had to stop some of the exercises early, take longer breaks and I don’t think I was working as intensely as I could have been. Oh well; at least I did it.
Shoulders and arms again today… definitely my favorite workout of the week. I moved up in weight and reps so I know I’m sloooowly making progress, even if I can’t see it yet. Jason, on the other hand, is already bursting with new muscle. I can’t wait until our 30 day measurements and pictures!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
P90X - Days 3 through 7
I’m still with P90X; it’s just been a hectic couple of days and computer time has been eluding me.
A quick rundown of my week:
Day 3 was shoulders and arms. By far, it’s been my favorite workout, but probably just because it is pretty similar to my gym workouts. For once, I didn’t feel completely weak. Unfortunately, I don’t have a huge selection of dumbbells so I used heavier weights than I should have on some exercises and lighter weights on others. At some point, I’ll be able to afford more dumbbells, but for now, it will have to do.
Day 4 was yoga. Um, about yoga… well, I haven’t done that yet. Not to make an excuse, but the baby came down with a cold and decided she wasn’t going to sleep. If baby doesn’t sleep, mom doesn’t sleep. If mom doesn’t sleep, mom sits comatose watching tv instead of working out. We were planning on getting it in on rest day, but after a week of P90X, we really needed the rest.
Day 5 was legs and back. The back stuff was pretty comparable to Day 1 — all pull-ups (or bands in my case.) The leg work consisted of lots of lunges and squats. I HATE lunges and Jason HATES squats so it was pretty much an hour of complaining. I have knee issues, so I didn’t go as deep as the people on tv, but that’s the great thing about P90X… you do what you can. I did enjoy the variety of exercises and Tony really did hit the muscles from different angles.
Day 6 was kenpo. Kenpo is basically Tae-bo with a cooler name. I’m sure I’m going to love this workout later, but for now, it sucks. The moves are complicated and Tony changes the tempo a lot. I’m not the most coordinated person so remembering 4 different punches while trying to kick without falling over is a challenge.
Day 7 was rest. Yay rest. My legs hurt. My butt hurts. My triceps hurt.
Anyways, it’s been an interesting week, and I know that it’s too early to see any changes, but I would still recommend P90X to anyone.
A quick rundown of my week:
Day 3 was shoulders and arms. By far, it’s been my favorite workout, but probably just because it is pretty similar to my gym workouts. For once, I didn’t feel completely weak. Unfortunately, I don’t have a huge selection of dumbbells so I used heavier weights than I should have on some exercises and lighter weights on others. At some point, I’ll be able to afford more dumbbells, but for now, it will have to do.
Day 4 was yoga. Um, about yoga… well, I haven’t done that yet. Not to make an excuse, but the baby came down with a cold and decided she wasn’t going to sleep. If baby doesn’t sleep, mom doesn’t sleep. If mom doesn’t sleep, mom sits comatose watching tv instead of working out. We were planning on getting it in on rest day, but after a week of P90X, we really needed the rest.
Day 5 was legs and back. The back stuff was pretty comparable to Day 1 — all pull-ups (or bands in my case.) The leg work consisted of lots of lunges and squats. I HATE lunges and Jason HATES squats so it was pretty much an hour of complaining. I have knee issues, so I didn’t go as deep as the people on tv, but that’s the great thing about P90X… you do what you can. I did enjoy the variety of exercises and Tony really did hit the muscles from different angles.
Day 6 was kenpo. Kenpo is basically Tae-bo with a cooler name. I’m sure I’m going to love this workout later, but for now, it sucks. The moves are complicated and Tony changes the tempo a lot. I’m not the most coordinated person so remembering 4 different punches while trying to kick without falling over is a challenge.
Day 7 was rest. Yay rest. My legs hurt. My butt hurts. My triceps hurt.
Anyways, it’s been an interesting week, and I know that it’s too early to see any changes, but I would still recommend P90X to anyone.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
32 Weeks
Eight weeks to go — which, if you know anything about birthing babies, could be as soon as five or as long as 10. I’m hoping it’s not the latter, but given my history of late babies and my aversion to induction for non-medical reasons, I could very well be pregnant at the end of February. Yikes! I’m still going to the gym, but my quantity and intensity has really gone down. Plus, I’ve had two bouts of bronchitis over the last three months, so I’ve missed almost a month of workouts from that.
I switched doctors a couple of weeks ago and was given the typical stack of papers explaining what I can and can’t do, medicines not to take, food not to eat, etc. There was also a sheet about staying physically active during pregnancy. Yay, I thought. Then, I actually read it. They encourage walking for 30 mins 3-4 times a week. Ok, yes, walking is good exercise. I’ll agree with that. No biking, skating, skiing, rock-climbing, etc. Um, ok. Yes, I don’t think someone who is 9 months pregnant wants to be balancing on inline skates, and obviously sedentary women probably shouldn’t pick up rock-climbing as a hobby. I’m not biking right now because my stomach gets in the way, but I imagine that most healthy, fit women wouldn’t have an issue.
No weight lifting. Do not lift anything more than 10 pounds.
…
Really?
Again, someone who has never lifted a weight before probably doesn’t want to pick up a barbell and rack up 80 lbs and start benching, but no weight lifting at all? I think weight lifting is an excellent workout for pregnant women, even if they are beginners. Of course, as you get bigger you have to make modifications, but what’s with this nothing heavier than 1o lbs thing? Sorry, ladies. Don’t pick up that crying toddler of yours. Let your husbands carry in the groceries. Be careful lifting that gallon of milk — it’s eight pounds!
Weight lifting really has gotten me through this pregnancy. I define myself as a runner, but between the pressure on my bladder and the pain in my pelvis, I haven’t run since October. Honestly, I haven’t really run since I got pregnant because I was just so danged tired during the first few months. It’s amazing how quickly your cardiovascular endurance goes out the window when you aren’t using it. Anyways, weight lifting is great. You get to sit down and resting is encouraged! I haven’t been taking bodyfat measurements, but I’m sure that I would have lost a lot more muscle tone that I have had I just been doing cardio. Recently, I’ve had to lighten the load, but I’m still lifting a lot more than 10 lbs.
Maybe in the next month or two, I’ll be confined to the cardio room walking, REALLY REALLY SLOWLY on the treadmill (the retired chief with an amputated leg walks faster than me), but for the time being, I’ll be trying to maintain what fitness I can.
I switched doctors a couple of weeks ago and was given the typical stack of papers explaining what I can and can’t do, medicines not to take, food not to eat, etc. There was also a sheet about staying physically active during pregnancy. Yay, I thought. Then, I actually read it. They encourage walking for 30 mins 3-4 times a week. Ok, yes, walking is good exercise. I’ll agree with that. No biking, skating, skiing, rock-climbing, etc. Um, ok. Yes, I don’t think someone who is 9 months pregnant wants to be balancing on inline skates, and obviously sedentary women probably shouldn’t pick up rock-climbing as a hobby. I’m not biking right now because my stomach gets in the way, but I imagine that most healthy, fit women wouldn’t have an issue.
No weight lifting. Do not lift anything more than 10 pounds.
…
Really?
Again, someone who has never lifted a weight before probably doesn’t want to pick up a barbell and rack up 80 lbs and start benching, but no weight lifting at all? I think weight lifting is an excellent workout for pregnant women, even if they are beginners. Of course, as you get bigger you have to make modifications, but what’s with this nothing heavier than 1o lbs thing? Sorry, ladies. Don’t pick up that crying toddler of yours. Let your husbands carry in the groceries. Be careful lifting that gallon of milk — it’s eight pounds!
Weight lifting really has gotten me through this pregnancy. I define myself as a runner, but between the pressure on my bladder and the pain in my pelvis, I haven’t run since October. Honestly, I haven’t really run since I got pregnant because I was just so danged tired during the first few months. It’s amazing how quickly your cardiovascular endurance goes out the window when you aren’t using it. Anyways, weight lifting is great. You get to sit down and resting is encouraged! I haven’t been taking bodyfat measurements, but I’m sure that I would have lost a lot more muscle tone that I have had I just been doing cardio. Recently, I’ve had to lighten the load, but I’m still lifting a lot more than 10 lbs.
Maybe in the next month or two, I’ll be confined to the cardio room walking, REALLY REALLY SLOWLY on the treadmill (the retired chief with an amputated leg walks faster than me), but for the time being, I’ll be trying to maintain what fitness I can.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Bedrest
Four days and no gym.
I love the gym.
Ok, well, I love the gym when people aren’t commenting on how much weight I’ve gained or how I shouldn’t be doing certain things in my “condition.”
For those of us who have spent years or even decades watching the number on the scale or fixating on our pant size, pregnancy can make you feel lost and out of control. Yes, yes, we all know that you have to get bigger and that the end product makes the torture of getting dressed a little easier, but it’s still hard to look in the mirror everyday and know that what you’ve spent the past year working towards is slowly unraveling.
I’m a runner. It took me a long time to be able to say that. Sure, I’ve been running since high school, but it was only last year that I decided I was going to be a “runner.” I ran my first half-marathon one week before I got married and two weeks before we conceived. I tried to keep running through the first trimester, but between fatigue and nausea, it didn’t work out so well. I didn’t make it back to the gym until August and by then, I had lost a lot of stamina. Running was no longer fun and even bordered on painful. I have bad knees anyways, and you can’t take most supplements while pregnant. Plus, pregnancy relaxes your joints — all of them, even your toes. Yeah, it helps when the baby is trying to push his big head out of your tiny pelvis, but it really sucks if you try to run more than a few feet.
It’s also really hard to run when you have to pee every three minutes.
So, my running has gone the way of my size 4 jeans.
I still run on occasion, but it’s usually only a few minutes along with a lot of walking. I’ve also slowed way down. I had imagined myself being one of those amazing pregnant women who ran up until the day they went into labor. You know, the ones who only gain weight in their stomach and maintain perfectly sculpted muscles everywhere else while wearing the most adorable maternity running clothes. (Ok, so I’m not sure where these muscles were going to come from on me, but shut up… it’s my fantasy.)
Yeah, that didn’t happen. I’m pretty sure that when I do run, it’s pretty unflattering. I have a Kim Kardashian butt when I’m not gestating, and I think it’s gotten even bigger. I’m not sure since I can’t bend back far enough to look. Plus, I had a hard time keeping the girls in check before and now with an extra cup size or two, not even the best sports bra can hold them down. Thank God there aren’t mirrors in the cardio room.
Did I mention that I was supposed to be running the Marine Corps Marathon Saturday?
At this point, you might be asking, “Well, if you can’t run, why do you love the gym so much?” And I would respond, “Well, if you are only doing cardio at the gym, you are missing out.”
I <3 weight lifting.
I started weight lifting after I had my first daughter, and I love it. Nothing changes your body like lifting heavy weights repeatedly. I am sure that if I was consistent in my workouts (ie, stopped taking six month long workout breaks every seven months), I would be in fitness model land. That is, if fitness models had stretch marks and cellulite. Weight lifting is also the perfect exercise for pregnant women. You even get to sit down most of the time! I’ve been lifting again for 2 months now (after a three month break, aka the trimester of doom) and I really look forward to it. Sometimes I feel awkward because I go to a military gym and about 99% of the other lifters are men. Very big, muscley, strong men. With lots of tattoos. But now, they accept me with a nod and we all go back to our own business. Plus, I keep a workout log (if you don’t have one, you should start one… trust me) and it’s great to look back to August and see that I’m pressing double the weight that I was then and that I’m benching twenty more pounds. In a time of chaos and hormones, it’s nice to know that my body isn’t losing everything I have been working towards, at least yet.
It’s hard for women to build muscle. We just don’t have the testosterone levels that men do and testosterone is what builds muscle. Pregnant women have even smaller amounts of testosterone than their non-gestating counterparts. So, it’s really, really hard for pregnant women to build muscle. Hell, it’s hard for us just to maintain our muscle mass so the gains in strength that I’m seeing make me pretty happy. I’m anticipating losing some muscle when I have the baby and can’t go to the gym for 6 weeks and during the third trimester when I have no energy to go to the gym.
I think that’s what is bothering me about being put on bedrest.
I’m on “modified” bedrest which means I can get up to go pee (which I do a lot), I can make myself something to eat, and I can drive Kaelin to school. I’m not supposed to be doing housework, taking the dog for a walk, or going grocery shopping. I’m now sedentary — doing only what I need to for basic survival. In addition to not burning my normal three to four hundred calories at the gym, I’m not burning the 100 calories by vacuuming the house or the 50 calories by doing laundry. Those little activities add up. I’m very interested to see how my weigh-in goes this week, since I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster since this weekend and living off of chocolate, pasta, and fast food.
Plus, daytime TV really sucks and the weather is perfect outside to take the dog for a walk.
I love the gym.
Ok, well, I love the gym when people aren’t commenting on how much weight I’ve gained or how I shouldn’t be doing certain things in my “condition.”
For those of us who have spent years or even decades watching the number on the scale or fixating on our pant size, pregnancy can make you feel lost and out of control. Yes, yes, we all know that you have to get bigger and that the end product makes the torture of getting dressed a little easier, but it’s still hard to look in the mirror everyday and know that what you’ve spent the past year working towards is slowly unraveling.
I’m a runner. It took me a long time to be able to say that. Sure, I’ve been running since high school, but it was only last year that I decided I was going to be a “runner.” I ran my first half-marathon one week before I got married and two weeks before we conceived. I tried to keep running through the first trimester, but between fatigue and nausea, it didn’t work out so well. I didn’t make it back to the gym until August and by then, I had lost a lot of stamina. Running was no longer fun and even bordered on painful. I have bad knees anyways, and you can’t take most supplements while pregnant. Plus, pregnancy relaxes your joints — all of them, even your toes. Yeah, it helps when the baby is trying to push his big head out of your tiny pelvis, but it really sucks if you try to run more than a few feet.
It’s also really hard to run when you have to pee every three minutes.
So, my running has gone the way of my size 4 jeans.
I still run on occasion, but it’s usually only a few minutes along with a lot of walking. I’ve also slowed way down. I had imagined myself being one of those amazing pregnant women who ran up until the day they went into labor. You know, the ones who only gain weight in their stomach and maintain perfectly sculpted muscles everywhere else while wearing the most adorable maternity running clothes. (Ok, so I’m not sure where these muscles were going to come from on me, but shut up… it’s my fantasy.)
Yeah, that didn’t happen. I’m pretty sure that when I do run, it’s pretty unflattering. I have a Kim Kardashian butt when I’m not gestating, and I think it’s gotten even bigger. I’m not sure since I can’t bend back far enough to look. Plus, I had a hard time keeping the girls in check before and now with an extra cup size or two, not even the best sports bra can hold them down. Thank God there aren’t mirrors in the cardio room.
Did I mention that I was supposed to be running the Marine Corps Marathon Saturday?
At this point, you might be asking, “Well, if you can’t run, why do you love the gym so much?” And I would respond, “Well, if you are only doing cardio at the gym, you are missing out.”
I <3 weight lifting.
I started weight lifting after I had my first daughter, and I love it. Nothing changes your body like lifting heavy weights repeatedly. I am sure that if I was consistent in my workouts (ie, stopped taking six month long workout breaks every seven months), I would be in fitness model land. That is, if fitness models had stretch marks and cellulite. Weight lifting is also the perfect exercise for pregnant women. You even get to sit down most of the time! I’ve been lifting again for 2 months now (after a three month break, aka the trimester of doom) and I really look forward to it. Sometimes I feel awkward because I go to a military gym and about 99% of the other lifters are men. Very big, muscley, strong men. With lots of tattoos. But now, they accept me with a nod and we all go back to our own business. Plus, I keep a workout log (if you don’t have one, you should start one… trust me) and it’s great to look back to August and see that I’m pressing double the weight that I was then and that I’m benching twenty more pounds. In a time of chaos and hormones, it’s nice to know that my body isn’t losing everything I have been working towards, at least yet.
It’s hard for women to build muscle. We just don’t have the testosterone levels that men do and testosterone is what builds muscle. Pregnant women have even smaller amounts of testosterone than their non-gestating counterparts. So, it’s really, really hard for pregnant women to build muscle. Hell, it’s hard for us just to maintain our muscle mass so the gains in strength that I’m seeing make me pretty happy. I’m anticipating losing some muscle when I have the baby and can’t go to the gym for 6 weeks and during the third trimester when I have no energy to go to the gym.
I think that’s what is bothering me about being put on bedrest.
I’m on “modified” bedrest which means I can get up to go pee (which I do a lot), I can make myself something to eat, and I can drive Kaelin to school. I’m not supposed to be doing housework, taking the dog for a walk, or going grocery shopping. I’m now sedentary — doing only what I need to for basic survival. In addition to not burning my normal three to four hundred calories at the gym, I’m not burning the 100 calories by vacuuming the house or the 50 calories by doing laundry. Those little activities add up. I’m very interested to see how my weigh-in goes this week, since I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster since this weekend and living off of chocolate, pasta, and fast food.
Plus, daytime TV really sucks and the weather is perfect outside to take the dog for a walk.
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