P90X Day 5: Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X

So now that I'm paying more attention, the part of this new routine that I'm the worst at is getting enough sleep. This is due to getting up at a certain hour, which is based on being at work at a certain hour and working out beforehand.

This would all be fine, except that I'm a bit more open-ended about when I go to sleep. There are often very good reasons for staying up late, and the aim is to normally have a surplus, if anything, of sleep so that I can absorb the bumps a little better. That's not how I've been operating. I busted by alarm today by half an hour and now my day is shifted. One way that we're poor at negotiating with ourselves is that you can always think "I'll catch up later." Catch up now. Be clear about your priorities and stick to them.

If you're overloaded, you're going to drop something whether you want to or not (often in the form of "catching up later"). Be mindful of your load and make a conscious decision of what to drop. Unfortunately, I think I'll have to drop my participation in Coursera's Parallel Programming course during this cycle.

As usual, the start of the workout was the hardest part. By the time I was done I felt great. I stuck with lighter weights than last time I did it because I didn't want to make it too difficult to continue. Opportunities to push yourself when you realize you have a bit more gas than you thought you did are great, but committing to a certain burn that you might not be able to back up on that day could cause problems. Working out harder one day doesn't mean your week's routine will be more effective.

Late to work, time to go.

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.