30 Days into the P90X Journey

I have been sick for the last week and while I've been on antibiotics since last Friday, my throat is killing me, my body still feels like the entire Greyhound bus line ran over me - twice! - and now I have a lovely cough to add into the mix.  I think the doctor may have been off on her diagnosis. *insert eye-roll here*

Needless to say, it has made my daily P90X workouts impossible to do. I toughed it out most days, but I was "dogging it" for the most part, calling it quits way before I normally would have.  Yesterday was supposed to be Plyometrics, and there was absolutely NO way I was going to be doing any jump training. I felt like Death Warmed Over For the 5th Time This Week. I actually fell asleep on the sofa as Jeff was doing the work out, acupuncture needles in my hand and foot, trying to encourage this illness out of me. This morning is loads better than last night, but I am so ready to be well again.  

My current state of health aside, this morning I pulled on the same outfit I had on for my "BEFORE" photos and got Jeff to snap some of the half-way point.  All month long I was a little discouraged by the relative lack of inch-loss, even though I got constant comments from people telling me that they could see that I had lost weight. In actuality, I started at 196.8 lbs and on Sunday (my weigh & measure day) I was at 190.6.  To me, that's not a lot of weight-loss.  Add to that this past week of totally not Bringin' It, and I'd been feeling a bit down in the dumps.

Then I reminded myself that muscle weighs more than fat, and I have certainly been building some muscle. So, maybe these people have not just been trying to be nice. Not until I put the two pictures together did it really become clear to me just how much it is true! I'm stoked at the differences!!

     BEFORE P90X                          30 DAYS INTO P90X

The first thing that caught my attention is the fact that those leg bands are now loose on my thighs! For me, that is HUGE! You have to understand that even when I wore size 3 jeans, in comparison to the rest of my body, I had THUNDER THIGHS.  They were a "double blessing" from my biological father and my mother (according to my mom's own words).  Honestly, a blessing I wouldn't have missed not having, but alas ...

Still, as you can see in the two pictures, there really is something to this P90X thing. My face has slimmed down, my arms are not quite as flabby, my tummy and waist are a lot smaller and I've got less "cushiony-ness" across the top of my chest and shoulders. All in all, I'm pleased with what I'm seeing.  Tonight is Back and Biceps along with Ab Ripper X.  Even feeling the way I do right now my plan is to do my best to BRING IT!!

If you're interested in how you can achieve your own goal of personal health and fitness, click this link:
or visit my Team Beachbody site to read even more incredible stories of REAL people who did are are still doing P90X because for them (like me) it became a life change.

Why Search for a Substitute?

I have never been one to diet or go in for nutritional fads, protein drinks or anything like that, but I have always taken a daily multivitamin.  Needless to say, if you've read any of my previous posts, you'll have noticed that I am not big on fruit and veggie department, meaning, my diet could use improvement.

Enter Shakeology. I know I've mentioned it before, and lately, I have been raving about it to all of my friends and family members.  One thing I keep hearing is, "It's so expensive."  

Really? I know that it might sound expensive at first, but work with me here. First off, after breaking down the cost of a month's supply, it averages out to about $4 a shake. You can easily spend more than that at Starbucks or Peets.

Then there are the incomparable ingredients.  I'm talking about the more than 70 different ingredients that were chosen from around the world for their potency and bioavailability (the ability to deliver the nutrients your body needs). Things like yacon, sacha inchi, goji berries, green tea ... and on and on. If you are one of those people looking for a Shakeology alternative - it is time to think again. I have done a bunch of research online looking for possible substitutions, cheaper alternatives.  The products that I have found just cannot compete. Oh, there are plenty of meal replacement shakes that have very little vitamins, no protein, and contain either sugar or a sugar substitute. There are also were protein shakes only they have very few vitamins and contain sugar or sugar substitutes. None of the products contain any antioxidants. The only way you're going to come even close to getting everything that Shakeology gives you is to start combining several different products.  And believe me, that will get very expensive.  I defy you to find anything that comes even close to providing the nutritional and health benefits that you can get in Shakeology. Check out the ingredients list (pdf download here) and read everything you could possibly want to know about it right here.

Once you realize that Shakeology really is the healthiest meal of the day, I'd love to hear from you! Email me  branwen@beachbodycoach.com or leave a comment below.

It Doesn't Get Easier

I don't know what makes people say things like that; "It will get easier with time."  You know what? It doesn't.  It's been over three years since I left my kids in Kuwait and I miss them every single day and the ache of not being able to touch, hold, see, or speak to them is like a gaping hole in my heart that isn't going to heal.  There are days when I can talk about them and smile and laugh at the memories of fun times we had or silly things that we did together, but underneath that is always the raw, empty hurt.

I have tried to reach out to my oldest three with varying degrees of success.  The younger of the three wants nothing to do with me.  My eldest sent me an email telling me that she tried but just wasn't ready.  And the middle one, my eldest son - my baby who used to grab my feet and kiss them because he loved me so dearly - he's suddenly stopped communicating with me on Facebook.  Not that it was anything other than sporadic in the first place, but it was something.*heavy hearted sigh*

I know that I have been given blessings beyond measure in my son, Cernan, and his father, both of whom I love dearly. Still ... when is it finally going to be true? When is it going to be easier?

Day 23, Round 1, P90X

It's tough.  No, really, it has not been an easy 23 days by any stretch of the imagination.  And this is Day 2 of the RECOVERY week!! LOL  Well, that said, I feel amazing. I mean, my muscles ache.  They've been worked in ways that they haven't been worked in a really long time - at least since Boot Camp back in the late 80's. 

So, to update you on my latest achievements: I got a pair of body fat calipers and I used them.  On the 18th of this month, to be exact.  I was at 37% body fat then.  ONE WEEK LATER: 34.8% body fat! I don't know about you, but I'm impressed. I am looking forward to the 30 day mark, when I snap more pictures to compare to my starting ones.  I have no doubt there is going to be a rather amazing transformation.

One thing I will say is that I am actually sticking - mostly - to the eating plan.  Phase One is not my favorite part of it.  As a matter of fact, I hate it. I have always been a firm believer that I could survive on a couple loaves of bread and a pound of butter a week, but in Phase One of THE PLAN, that's not an option.  It's not even an afterthought.  In Phase One, you have to cut out almost all carbs and stick to high protein foods and lots of veggies.  I like a good steak as much as the next gal, but I sure do miss my side of baked potato (complete with all the other badness, like cheese and sour cream) followed by dessert. Seriously, no carbs. *pout* Did I mention lots of veggies? I'm not a fan. I've been told that most of the vegetables that I do like are actually the ones that I should eat less of. Go figure. *sigh*

BUT!! There is a bright spot in all of this and that is SHAKEOLOGY!

Click to read more about this awesome nutritional drink!

With this one shake, I feel better about not having a huge slab of chocolate mousse pie.  Seriously, it's deliciously yummy, even when I don't add in a tablespoon of all natural peanut butter or a few drops of pure vanilla or a banana or ... you can probably see where I'm going with this. It's versatile and really, really tastes great and pssst! It's good for me!! Who knew?

Anyway, I'm pretty excited about the changes I'm seeing in my body, both physically as well as emotionally. All in all, I have to say P90X is a rather awesome program. 

Day 9, P90X - Still "Bringin' It!"

I have to be honest; as I watched the infomercial for P90X, I thought to myself, "There is no WAY I would ever be able to do this." Let's face it, first of all, I am no spring chicken. I mean, yeah, I celebrated my 21st birthday (yet AGAIN) back in October, but, these people are jumping all over the place, doing pull-ups (!!!), push-ups and all sorts of other torturous looking exercises. I have asthma, bad knees, a congenital deformity of my spine, and I'm FAT!! *insert eye roll here*

Well, despite all that, I had reached a decision and that was that while Oxycise! is a fantastic program, it wasn't working for me the way that it had many, many, many years ago. (Do not start trying to do the math. I just got done telling you; I'm 21.)  So, I shelved the O! dvds, I moped for awhile, I cried over the fat chick in the mirror,  and finally, after watching Tony Horton and his cohorts for about the 12th time, I told Jeff, "I want to do this."  

Not ones to jump into anything half-way, we decided to become Beachbody coaches. The first week was not nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be. Don't get me wrong: It was NOT easy!  But I didn't die. One of the best things is that Tony is SUCH a fantastic person to listen to. He motivates you without sounding corny.  He reminds you that, hey, if you can't do it as hard or as fast or as long as we are doing it, that's OK.  "Do your best and forget the rest!" Sounds canned, but you know what? It is exactly what I needed to hear and the occasional reminders of that simple phrase keep me from coming down too hard on myself. 

Last night was Day 9 - Plyometrics (or "Pyrometrics" if you are a sweet man who I hope to meet in the future).  Anyway, when we did it our first week, we were gassing out well ahead of the folks on the video.  We hadn't heeded the warning not to eat too close to the workout and both of us came close to hurling several times. Last night, however, it became clear just how much our bodies were already starting to get into shape. Neither of us felt the need to hurl.  We only paused the video twice (to check our heart rates) and while we didn't do the exercises as fast as they do them, we did them until the clock ran out.  Below is one of the pictures I had taken of me so that I can keep track of the transformation.  It's rather depressing to look at, but I already see changes happening! So, yeah, we're "Bringin' it!!" 

BEFORE (taken 4/30/2011)