P90X Day 4: Yoga X

I feel very restored after Yoga X, but it didn't start that way. Coming back to this from P90X 3's X3 Yoga was a bit of a reminder of the difference between the two programs. X3 Yoga is basically a half-hour stretch. It goes by fast and there's only so much time for vinyasas. Yoga X is an hour of vinyasa stuff before it gets to the balance poses and stretching and all of that.

Had a call late last night. Was happy to take the call, but it did mean I had less sleep. Lucky for me, I didn't have the choice to skip my workout, so here I am! People are bad at negotiating with themselves. Sometimes the winning move is not to play.

P90X Day 3: Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X

I made the mistake last night of staying up past my bedtime reading. And before that, I was on my computer working on homework for the Parallel Programming course at Coursera. The consequences this morning were a round-trip of the snooze alarm (shameful!) and still being tired for my workout. Plus I was sore.

So today was a little tougher. Luckily, the workouts are aligned such that you're beating the crap out of different muscle groups every day, so my shoulders and arms were ready. The real challenge will come with Legs and Back day on Friday (thanks to Plyo + daily biking) and weeks 2 and 3.

Even though today was a little tougher, it wasn't nearly as tough as it seemed like it would be when I started the DVD. So just go for it. The routines are well-timed with breaks just when you need them, and even though you're working out for an hour, most of your muscles are resting most of the time. I really think that's why this program has gathered such a following (as far as routine design goes. There's a bunch of psychological/motivational stuff snuck in there, too).

I learned yesterday that BeachBody discontinued the old orange P90X recovery formula and that the new chocolate one tastes awful. I think this means more eggs in my future.

Tomorrow is yoga. Thank God for yoga. The first three days in the week really break you down, and yoga builds you right back up. It's a longer routine, so I'm getting up earlier.

P90X Day 2: Plyometrics

Had to cancel a JohnAir flight this morning due to low clouds--and so my workout schedule continues unabated. Had KPAE - 0S9 been VFR this morning, I would merely have moved today's workout to after work and prepared for a crunch tomorrow morning.

Date last night involving pub trivia. This would have been an excuse for the faint of heart to have a beer (because of the trivia tradition, not the date. She was great.)--and what are you supposed to eat at a pub if you're going way-ass healthy? Glad you asked! Unsweetened iced tea and a bunless/cheeseless burger. Extra tasty with caramelized onions and avocados. Believe me, that was a sacrifice. Not.

So, Plyo. Plyo appears every 3 out of every 4 weeks of P90X. It's there a lot. It's intense. I'm not at 100% of the motions, but it's good and I solidly made it through. It reminds me of the little muscles that have gotten slightly weaker in the last few months, some of which were surprising. Having heart rate data from my FitBit was nice, too. Compared to the first time I did P90X, I'm much better at keeping my landings soft and much more willing to compromise the range of a move in order to ensure a soft landing. It's good for the knees, and it's good for the muscles that are bringing you to a silent halt.

My weight has dropped below my never-exceed threshold, but we call that "water weight." And I like water. I have full confidence that I'll reestablish a set point at a weight comfortably below that threshold once more. You just gotta keep showing up.

P90X Day 1: Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X

Hello again, old friend. It's the original and best. It's P90X. And this time, it's quantified.

I've got my FitBit Charge HR to track heart rate during exercise, at rest, and while asleep (but not while showering). I've got my FitBit Aria scale to track my weight and body fat percentage(ish--it's obviously just the mediocre electric body composition thing). And finally, I've got daily progress photos from which I will spare all but the most genuinely curious in the world.

After I succumbed to allowing stress to flag my workout routine for several months in a row, I was horrified to have crept back over my never-exceed weight (set generously). I noticed similar patterns to before, long ago: thinking my weight was okay (as opposed to not thinking about weight at all), tighter clothes, polite but plausibly disappointed dates, and finally, a picture. Not the worst picture ever to exist of me, but an important reality check. The scale was a reminder that I've slacked off a little too long.

So here's a four-pronged counterattack:

First, a return to biking to work. That little bit went a long way. To hit the issue harder, today was Day 1 of a return to the original P90X.

Second, sleep. Sleep's huge. In order to wake up to work out at 6, I should be in bed, focusing on my breathing at 10.

Third, my eating habits. In an attempt to maximize in a crazy overcorrection fashion, I'll go paleo. This is less important than regular exercise, since mandatory exercise by itself is enough to encourage me to not overeat and to nudge me towards healthy, nourishing food. But let's go for broke and go full food hippy. This means I won't be accepting alcohol, cookies or cake.

Fourth, I'll write little blurbs after my post-workout showers, hopefully shorter than this one, for immediate publication. This will keep me accountable but also hopefully show a real record of what it's like to go this far. Why fall in the woods?

There are several challenges I expect along this front and several habits I will have to rewire quickly:

• P90X is over an hour of exercise daily. For this to work, the rest of my life will have to become more efficient. Will I really have enough time left in my day to enjoy life?
• Eating paleo means most food will be store bought and home-prepared. Amortization of food preparation will become critical.
• I'll be politely refusing most food offers, but discreetly. Nobody likes a fussy eater. 
• 10pm bed time will really make me seem like a party pooper. Luckily, I'm 30. PS--30 is great.
• Traveling: It's wedding season, and Seattle summertime means visitors. I can re-stack my workouts leading up to long weekends so I don't need to travel with weights.
• Lots of people fail at this. Why am I special? What will make me succeed? How did I succeed before? Last time I succeeded by not giving myself a choice. One folds so easily when negotiating with oneself. I expect it will be hard. I expect I will get drained. I expect there to be days when it will not be fun. And I await those days knowing that following through on days when it isn't easy is where success is made.

Day 1 was not easy. I've let my physical shape slip a bit, and I felt it. P90X is designed to take you from fit to super-fit, and I might need a reality check about where my fitness is right now. I'll check that later. First I'll try. Excuses come after the workout, not before.

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Re-reading this draft, I see I've identified the root cause of letting my fitness routine slip as succumbing to stress. On one hand, this is a choice, but on the other hand, replacing the fitness routine doesn't fix the sources of stress or the fact that I handled it with poor food, sleep, and activity choices. I'll certainly be revisiting this element of wellness this time around. 

Ready set go.