Okay...

Yes, I've missed many posts. I've actually been doing the workouts some though. I've missed... six workouts I believe. This was not totally my fault though (I'm just full of excuses, you'd think the faster I used them, the faster they'd be used up... ha!), I ended up working about 15 hours of overtime in the past week or so... which is not fun. I've missed the past two days of work due to snow (and the fact that I have so much overtime I'm being forced to use some). Which has been a nice break and all, but without the daily grind, I'm not as good at keeping up with... well... anything except my WoW account (don't judge me). It feels good to do the legs and back, I missed the first new workout in this section, which I regret, alas, I'll get to do it later I'm sure.

I'm going to write more later, I just wanted to get some thoughts down just after finishing.

Yoga X

Oh... yoga... you cruel, stretchy b*tch... I didn't sweat as much today, that's a positive, and I did more of the vinyasas, which is also a positive. Oh my, my shoulders were so sore today though, I couldn't flex them as much as I would like, which is weird and new. My balance is also improving which is good.

Whew... anything associated with the "moon" in this workout is insane as well.

Not too much else to say... sorry about that one.

Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X

So... my "extreme" core (read: pelvic area) has been excessively sore all day due to the leg workout mixed with the Core Synergistics and Cardio (which includes core work). My legs are somewhat sore depending on how I use them... and now, my arms are totally weak. Which is really pretty funny. I did the bonus round on the workout today because I'm using bands instead of weights right now.

Just in case I haven't mentioned it (which I'm almost certain I have), the weights I got to work out with are a little too close together for my ginormous mitts, and they rub against the edges of my hand, rubbing them raw, or worse. So I'm using bands for now. I really want to save up for the selectech ones I mentioned before. Just the 552 ones. I figure that being able to curl 52lbs would be a damn good ways along into being rather strong. I'm not really feeling being "outright freakish" you know? (I would apologize to all those people curling 90lbs, but... seriously guys... in what situation is that necessary?)

Oh man, I sleep so well after an evening of working out like this. The problem is... I really want to sleep even more after working out like this... heh.

Well, on a work related note. I apparently did well enough last year that I was rewarded with an extra day off. That's pretty cool. It'll be there waiting when I reward myself for surviving P90x or something? Right? On another work related note. My goals for next year have been shifted in such a way that I fear what will be expected of me. There has been some shifting in the office, and now I'm going to do two different kinds of work, instead of specializing in one. That kind of terrifies me. It also doesn't help that another guy in my office (who was the one that started this kind of dual work like I'm doing now) did it for a very short time before he jumped ship (and never looked back, and I'm rather jealous of the position he has now, but oh well). The sad part is, I feel a deep loyalty to the people in my office... definitely not to my employer, they don't have much loyalty to return, but those that I directly work with are supportive of me, and I work really hard to be supportive as well.

Okay, that was unnecessary, I realize this, but... there we are.

Cardio X

I think that one thing that I have no trouble doing is "taking in enough calories." I'm trying to work on portion control while I'm doing this. I do fairly well most of the time with it, but there are times, when the food is good, or plentiful, or I'm just feeling "off," that I'll eat quite a bit more than I should.

Whew... Cardio is quite the workout. My goodness. After doing two workouts yesterday, my body has been screaming all day. I'm impressed I could do what I did... honestly though, as soon as I was warmed up and stretched, it didn't feel so bad anymore. I know, that's pretty much the point of stretching and warming up, but it is nice to see an effect.

The Dreya Roll is the devil! I'm just saying. I'm still not up to trying, my arms can't take the shock of my large body dropping on them. I hope I get strong enough or lose enough weight to work some out toward the end.

Core Synergistics

What do you mean two workouts in one day?! Who does that stuff? Well. Like I've said before. I've really got a good reward system here... and I think I'm really wanting to add some exercise to my life.

I don't know if the two workouts I did today were the best of ideas... oh man, my legs feel like jelly, and even though the only thing that hasn't gone all the way through my system is water, I still feel like it wants to reintroduce itself. That was a LOT of lunges... I'm not even kidding.

I did a bit more... which is good. I think that... if I can complete 100% of each workout by the end of this... no matter how I look or what the scale says, I'll still know I've accomplished something. Whew... I think that the Core work out makes me sweat more than the rest of the workouts... which is really saying something, because I'm hefty, and I sweat easily.

Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X

So... I finally did the missed workout from Thursday. I'm still behind a day, but I plan to do catch up this weekend. I don't know if the results will be the same, and I know I'm going to hurt, doubling up all weekend like this, but I feel like I cheated, even if missing the workout wasn't totally my fault. I completed the Legs/Back workout pretty easily. I need something like a stronger band, because I don't have the ability to do chin ups, or even the space for something like that, and the bands I do have (Gold's Gym from Wal-Mart) just aren't up to the challenge. I pull the hardest one so tightly already it feels like it is going to snap.

Oh my. I'm not sure what it was, although I think I improved my form somewhat, but the Ab Ripper was killer this morning. I did about 36 fewer exercises, but it totally hurt soooo much more. I'm glad I survived... heh. Whew. Well, I'm getting about four hours of rest, and then I'm throwing in the Core Synergistics DVD. I hope I survive this... if I do, I'll definitely be stronger for it.

Day 12 & 13 - Missed & Kenpo X

Sadly. I was not able to do my Legs & Back and Ab Ripper x yesterday. I had to work late and ended up eating while I was out, then I just got home and was worn out. It was decided that tomorrow I will do the stuff I missed yesterday and perhaps slide the Stretch X in the same day or on Saturday.

Oh man! I love Kenpo X! I was working even faster than they were tonight, and really getting my kicks up there! I really look forward to one day actually learning a martial art, this is just so much fun! This is my second attempt at a blog for the night. The power went out the first time around. That was more than annoying.

I'm not going to get down on myself for missing last night. I know that, due to my job, there will be some nights I'll be working late instead of exercising... one of the issues having a job that is technically 24/7 (according to a previous regional supervisor). I'm just glad that I didn't use that as an excuse to stop completely.

I was doing a lot of driving for work today, and on NPR, there was a guy that lost a bunch of weight on "The Biggest Loser" talking about the program. I was listening to his recommendations on how to lose weight, and can think of one thing that I don't really feel I have. That would be accountability. There isn't anyone that can really keep me honest in this. My wife is working really hard to do it, but I don't know what it would take to keep me completely accountable... no system of rewards has been 100% effective thus far (though the current one is almost there... missed one day after all). I think something that kept me motivated in college was to have a workout partner. There are some really strict guidelines for this though. I mentioned before that my wife and I are doing this together, the thing is... we're at completely different levels of fitness. I think that if I were even 35% as fit as she is, that I would feel pretty comfortable. In a perfect world, I would be working out with a friend who is totally "in the trenches" with me. So that I could compete with them and share victories and defeats with them. I don't know if I've ever actually described it this way before. I always thought that it was just that I needed a friend so that I could talk to them, but that isn't it. Even my best friend (sorry dude) is so much more fit than me that I would be discouraged, not encouraged, to keep going. I need a fat friend that's wanting to change as much as me, or at least would respond to constant harassment to workout with me.

Enough of that negativity though! This is working! I'm more flexible, able to work out more, all the repetitions have been going up each and every time I've worked out! I'd like to eventually buy some good weights so I can get back into them. Actually, a gentleman's blog that I am following on facebook now had pictures of those "smart weights" or whatever, where the weights have adjustable weights with the turn of a dial. I think to find a pair of those would be awesome.

Anyway. I feel better having gotten back to the "grind" as it were. Later all.