My Husband and P90X 9/23/09

Back in the swing of things! Still adjusting to being a bit under the weather, Jay is still pushing play as usual. Set backs are tricky things that can really get the best of you sometimes. But, you just have to remember that you have to get the best of the set back. Jay is in week 5 of P90X so he has the beginning phase under his belt, so that was a plus. He was starting to see results, enough to make him jump back in and "Bring It". Mama is proud once again!

But not everyone may be at that stage. Whatever stage of fitness you are in, it is important when you have a set back, whether it be from an injury, illness, or even a life event, that you do get back into the routine...once you are feeling up to it. Not everyone has the same gage on that. You know your body and you have to be the one honest with yourself as to when to get back.

He is able to do things I was not able to do at this stage my first P90X round a couple years ago. He is feeling good and is looking forward to the next two months. Makes me very happy.

I have been watching "The Biggest Loser" the last couple of weeks. What a season. Sometimes, I feel their pain like is my own. They are so brave for putting themselves out there and recognizing that it has to be done. I swear, they work harder than any of us normal exercise fanatics. I am in awe of them, really. This show is the best show on TV hands down. It not only shows that you can pick yourself up and dust yourself off and change to a healthy lifestyle, but it does it in the right way. Nutrition, the fitness, the psychological aspect...the whole package. If Jillian Michaels seems "mean" sometimes, it is because she cares like a mama who knows if she does not succeed by helping this person, then she is partly responsible for putting them six feet under. Tough love baby! I love how Jillian and Bob are a tag team this season. It is like the super forces for fighting obesity have united. I love it.
Kudos to every contestant on that show. It is not the money, you can see and hear it in there faces and voices. It is their life they are fighting for.

I know, Dancing With The Stars is awesome too. And it really whips those stars into shape. And as far as cardio...gotta love dancing. I do it all the time. I have Dvr-d mine, but please, if you have not seen Biggest Loser, just watch it once. It will truly inspire you! Tuesday at 8pm.

Tonight is Chest Shoulders Triceps plus Ab Ripper X tonight for Jay. His arms are really shaping up. His triceps are looking awesome.
Since I am in my last recovery week, I am doing KenpoX, which I love.
Until next time...Have a Fit-Fabulous Day!!!

http://getfitwithartistmom.blogspot.com/

My Husband and P90X 9/21/09

I'mmmmmm Ba-ck!Week 5 and day 1 of P90X. I am in my last week of P90X. My how time flies when you are having fun. ☺

I have not blogged for the last few days with good reason. Jay had a horrible sinus infection. I know...some of you are thinkin' he should have still brought it. And honestly, before I started P90X the first time, I had repeat illnesses all the time. Even my first phase of P90X, I remember being sickly right out the gate. But, as a mommy, sometimes we do what we gotta do. I don't have the luxury of getting sick and laying down. And I am not whining, just stating a fact for myself. With that being said, I bet everyone out there is thinking I gave Jay a hard time. Completely wrong. He managed to make it to Wednesday and did his thing even though he was quite miserable. The next day, he felt worse and we had a parade that we went to that evening, so I let him slide. By Friday, he was so miserable and achey, he broke down and went to a doctor, thinking it was the flu. Thank goodness..it was a chronic sinus infection...lol! So he is now on antibiotics.

He was feeling so deflated and frustrated. He thought he might be undoing everything that he had done the last three weeks. NO...silly. I would say that a large percentage of first time P90X-ers have small or even large setbacks. But the important thing is that you get back in there when you are feeling better. To each his own. I was not about to tell Jay to go through the motions when HE did not feel up to it. It is after all, about you and no one else. I told him to just jump back in when he is ready...no worries.

Sunday came and he did just that. It was supposed to be rest day, but he felt like he could do something, so he did. He did Kenpo X and really brought it and afterwards felt so much better. So he is back and ready for phase 2. I am very proud of him for committing. Many would get frustrated and give up. Kudos to my hubby! ♥
On a side note, I have not had those same seasonal illnesses since I started this fitness journey.

No 30 day pics...I will wait another week to make him feel more comfortable with his progress.
Tonight for Jay is Core Synergistics and I will be doing Yoga.

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My Husband and P90X 9/16/09

Not much to report today on the Jay P90X front. he did his Core Synergistics last night without any hesitation.

I did my Plyometrics and later tried out one of the Dvds in the P90 Master Series...Sweat 5-6. Really enjoyed this one. What is not to love, Tony Horton and his humor, my Beachbody sponsor coach Traci Morrow, and some butt kickin' fun! It is what I would categorize as maybe "Intermediate" Three rounds of three different moves for three sets each. As Tony says, he is a fan of 3's. My favorite was the last move, "Knee Jump Kick" Nice fun move. I got these Dvds a while back, but have been spreading them out a little lately. They are pretty awesome. P90 Master Series Plyo Legs is super sweaty fun. I kinda like it maybe "just a tad" over P90X Plyo, but it is really a toss up. I guess I kinda gave you a little review there...lol. Really if you are looking for something that is not quite as extreme as P90X, the P90 Dvds or the P90 Master series are both great. The difference is that P90 like P90X, has a little program guide that you can follow. And all the Beachbody programs come with Michi's Ladder, which I discussed in a previous post here.

So, today is Kenpo X for Jay and Back and biceps plus Ab Ripper X for me. I am excited to get to Sunday for Jay's 30 day pics. I want him to really see what he has accomplished so far. You see so much more in a 30 day photo than you see everyday.

Have a super fit day! ☺

For info on ordering products or the coaching opportunity:

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Our Son and His "Interpretation"
of a Yoga Meditation at Age 8



Well, well, well....Jay broke down and did "Patience Hummingbird" (Tony Horton One On One series) as his yoga program last night.I am a proud wife today! He went into the room commenting on how "sissy" he thought it would be and came out 36 minutes later and said, Wow..that was a nice stretch. So I got him doing yoga which is an accomplishment for Jay and for me. ☺ Next time I will work on Yoga X.

Tonight is the season premiere my favorite show on TV, "The Biggest Loser". If you must watch a TV show for a whole hour or so, this is a great one. It makes me get up and work with them. Do a little chair dip or two, some abs on floor or standing. It just makes you feel good. These people are just amazing. What they have been through in life and their obstacles sometimes just bring me to tears. It really does start in your head. So for most, they have to tackle what brought them to that weight and unhealthy lifestyle as part of their journey.

They are bringing back some of the contestants from previous seasons to give them a "second chance" so it will be interesting.
If you are not spending family time together and you have the time slot available, (the kids should be asleep). It is a good and positive thing to see...watch tonight on NBC.
Talk about accomplishments. Jay and Yoga, The Biggest Loser contestants, and me who was a bit melancholy about my current 90 days coming to a close in less than two weeks. But then I got a little message from Tony Horton himself...

When one door closes another one opens. Sadness turns to celebration. You're right, it's up and away to the next thing. The Plus and OOO are great additions to the X. P90X workouts and my jokes will always be there to visit again... Tony Horton
Yesterday at 6:20pm
Needless to say, I feel ready now to go forth with my next program. ☺

Today is Core Synergistics for Jay...he is a pro at that one now...lol. And I am Plyometrics...I will be covered in sweat from head to toe. Have a super fit day!!! ☺♥☺♥

I have added a fan page to FB called "Positive Impact", so it puts all my fitness and nutrition info and tips in an easy access place.
I still have my separate info pages:

http://getfitwithartistmom.blogspot.com/

My Husband and P90X 9/14/09

Rest Day at Ritter Park Sunday


Today starts Jay's Week 4...Amazing! I am going into Week 12...I am still in disbelief that it is almost the end of this round of P90X for me.
That means it is time to plan out my next program...I will keep you posted.

Saturday we both did Kenpo X and as always, very fun and sweaty. Now Jay, had some more Boom Boom Pow afterwards and hopped on his spin bike for about 45 minutes. Unbelievable this guy that put getting into shape off so long. He is on Fi-re! His week will be recovery, but it isn't rest by any means. Just a bit less intense weights. Today we are back to Yoga X for him. I have got to get him doing yoga! Wish me luck, I am going to have to use reversed psychology or some sort of competition technique, but rest assured...tomorrow WILL be about how Jay did yoga...lol. Tony, HELP!!!

I have been thinking about something all weekend. My extremely fit friend, who is also a Beachbody coach, posted pics of her children doing some P90X moves with huge smiles on their faces. I have thought about this in passing before, but it really hit me ...As parents, we need to exercise ourselves and set good examples for our children. This allows them to begin good habits that are healthier and hopefully they will continue to be a fit people into their adult years. It is like when we teach them at a very young age to brush their teeth daily, we can incorporate the importance of exercise and being fit if we make it a part of their daily routine.

They really want to spend time with us at an early age. My four year old and my 13 year old love to "hop" in and do P90X workouts with me. My son is just loving my P90X pull-up bar. He even had me video tape him doing a workout. My daughter has her own names for some of the moves we do together like Monster Tires is now Monster 3-D tires. Make it fun! They copy us and soak every good and bad habit up at that young age, especially before Kindergarten. Try and make fitness part of your family time. Instead of a board game, pop in a dvd like Tony (Horton) and the Kids or if you have a WII, purchase the Fit or Active game. My four year old loves yoga on WII FIT...I wish her daddy would embrace the yoga...lol.

The thing is, our bodies are meant to move and when we get older, our jobs tend to have us sitting way too much, then we come home and sit more in front of the TV or even sit in a car waiting on our kids to finish their sports practices...WE SIT ALL THE TIME!!! Our bones and muscles get "creaky" and "rusty". But if we start exercising, they get strong and flexible again. Allowing us to do so much more in everyday life.
We must not let our kids sit playing video games for hours. I am not knocking video games totally, just limit it and get your kid outside with you and shoot some hoops. It will make them smile and you will too!☺ Part of the reason you are tired all the time is because you are not active...if you just get up and start moving, you will find that your body may get a second wind. A Really Good second wind! Of course what you eat helps too, but I won't go there...today.
I am going to focus a bit on kids fitness now so I am adding a Positive Impact:Get Kids Fit link to my arsenal of blogs. I feel it is very important to get the message out that WE MUST END CHILD OBESITY, and it starts at home. I will have local activities that kids can do when I find them and also, I will be happy to come out to your child's school or a church, or any organization and workout with the kids. Check it out if you are interested. I will post kid and fitness blogs, articles, and tips.
http://positiveimpactfitkids.blogspot.com/

Have a Fit and Fabulous Day!!! ☺

Learn about the coaching opportunity and Beachbody.
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The Monday webinar is tonight. If you want to join me, send me an email: ooakc@yahoo.com

My Husband and P90X 9/12/09

Winding down week 3 for Jay this weekend...Whoopee! I am finishing week 11 and am really now just realizing just how close I am to my big P90X finish. It has flown by. It is really cool to see how a person's body and abilities can change by having Jay doing his first round of P90X or any fitness program for that matter and me, who has done this for a while. I was Jay my first round. Learning the movements, trying brand new things I had really never seen before, and finding the new strengths I had in me to "Bring It" just a little more each time. It is the perfect program for goal setters. Because it is absolutely do-able. You write your reps and weights down and each week you can see what you did the last time and you have made notes about how difficult or easy each set was and adjust. "How do you know what you've done, if you don't know what you did?"...that Tony and his quotes...lol...makes me smile. ☺ So each time you do it, you can set a goal that works for you and it is the best feeling. You may be going along doing the program one day and, Boom, you are able to do something you could not on day 1 or even 25. I really can not think of another home fitness program that can deliver that kind of accomplishments. You literally get stronger and stronger, even if all you do is the modified moves that Tony Horton has put out there for you, you will soon be doing the moves without any modifications. I know this not just because of my personal experience, now I see Jay doing the same thing. Incredible!!! As Tony says "Do Your Best...And Forget The Rest". And that is really all you have to do.

Jay did Legs and Back plus Ab Ripper X. He can't quite do the unassisted pull ups yet, he is making the modification for that, but he is using weights with his lunges and calves now and he did not the last couple times. Ab Ripper X was something he struggled with pretty much all the way through, an now he has got all but one move down. They are not perfected yet, but he is on his way. Although, I have to tell you this...Tony makes a comment at the beginning of Ab Ripper X, "This ain't no Ab Ripper 100 or 200...." I was telling Jay last night that there is another oblique move that Tony does in Ab Ripper 200...Jay says "WHAT, you mean there is really an Ab Ripper 100 and 200???" I could have done that instead"...lol....but he is glad he did not. He is coming along splendidly. I am so proud. I know I keep saying that, but it is true. He gets a little break in the upcoming week as far as pull ups and lots of weights, but is no vacation. Make no mistake recovery week does not mean sit around and rest. You still are working on the core and flexibility.

Today is Kenpo X. Jay seems to really get into this one. It is quite fun. Everyone have a super fit and fabulous weekend!☺

If you are interested in learning more about P90X, Beachbody, or what I do as a coach, check out "Get Fit With Artist Mom". I offer free classes, workout group and home party opportunities as well as fundraisers.

http://getfitwithartistmom.blogspot.com/

My Husband and P90X 9/10/09

Week 3 day 4 for Jay and week 11 day 4 for "MOI". ☺

Woot, woot!!! It is Yoga X day! Now if you asked me a little over a month ago if I was a yoga fan...."not so much" but PLEASE embrace it. It does so much for stretch, balance and flexibility. You really get a good sweat going too. Even more of one than in a moderate cardio program sometimes. I hope I can get Jay to "embrace" the yoga tonight. At least try the Tony Horton One On One series "Patience Hummingbird" I keep mentioning. Only about 36 minutes. Really nice for beginners.

Last night, Shoulders and Arms plus Ab Ripper X went smoothly. Jay really brought it again. I could tell because, once again, I heard grunts from the other room. And when he came into the living room afterwards, he flexed his "guns" for me with a big grin on his face....lol...I love it. ♥ I am so glad he is having fun with P90X.

I want to make a statement about P90X and Beachbody today instead of my usual thoughts on nutrition and fitness I usually write. Beachbody is a company that is built on people that truly want every person in this nation to become fit and healthy. We are a group of moms, dads, people college aged to senior citizens, different races, ethnic groups and all occupations, etc...you get the picture. We are "just regular people". Some of us are just happy to use the products and some of us want to help motivate and coach people to reach their goals. And when we actually sign up to do that through Beachbody, they pay us through commissions, bonuses, and other nice perks. Here is the thing though, we all work together, no "I" in "TEAM". No one is upset if someone else gets a customer over them, if another person goes farther in the company than another...we want each other to succeed. It is true!!! I have met so many awesome people through Beachbody... they make me want to strive for the next level all the time. I love each and every one of them. ♥ And anyone out there that is buying a Beachbody product and does not go through a coach and buys from QVC, or the Beachbody.com site....that is fabulous!!! It just helps this whole family of people grow. It really does not matter where or who you buy it from..(as long as it is legitimate of course)...JUST BUY IT. It will change your life!!!
Look at me, I am a muralist by skilled trade, but here I am trying to motivate people to get fit and eat healthy. I never thought this person would be ME.

So wish me luck tonight with Jay and yoga. I hope he gives in, he won't regret it I am sure of that. Everyone "Bring It"!!!! ☺

If you are interested in learning about Beachbody or coaching:

http://getfitwithartistmom.blogspot.com/

My Husband and P90X 9/9/09

Jay pushed himself something fierce last night!!! He did his Core Synergistics and caught me doing Tony's "One On One" Core Cardio Intervals earlier that evening and guess what, he did that too....WOWY! That was almost an hour and 40 minutes of total body and core. Not bad for week 3 day 2...ehhh? I am sure that is not going to happen everyday, but on those days you feel a little something extra...Just Do It! At least try it...you might surprise yourself. I did the same thing yesterday only my first was Plyometrics.

P90X....I am still amazed everyday how this one program keeps me coming back. Of course by now I have done every workout in two rounds, but it does the job, has an incredible trainer pulling and pushing you to do your best, and the view ain't half bad either.

☺ Yes, I ♥ Tony Horton. It was not until very recently that I figured out why, specifically. I mention in all my profiles that I wasn't sure what it was about him. A couple weeks ago, I attended one of my Beachbody coaches' weekly webinars.
Which, by the way, if you would like to attend one, they are usually every Monday evenings (6Ce and 9Ea)you get a presentation about being a Beachbody coach and the incredible opportunity to "Get Fit And Get Paid", at the end, you can ask my coach Traci questions.
Back to why I ♥ Tony. At the end of the webinar, the two coaches put up a short video clip of Jack Lalanne. Does anyone remember him? He has the Jack Lalanne juicer on TV. But what he is most famous for was his morning fitness show. You can find clips on the web. Bam...that was it! He instilled into me years ago as a child the importance of fitness and being active. He is fabulous! So I ♥ Jack Lalanne too! Tony is this generation's Jack. And I think that what it means to me is something a little deep. You see, my grandfather and I used to get up on Saturday mornings and exercise along with Jack. It is really funny where the mind can take you. I have always been a believer that everything has "cause and effect". In this case, I think I found my cause and effect. I know, it is a Buddhist way of looking at things, and I am not a Buddhist, but I am definitely someone who believes that there are paths in life and we are responsible for which path we take...I like Robert Frost too...lol. It is always nice to have one of those "epiphany" moments where you say to yourself...Oh...that is why...Ahhh..I am sharing this personal moment with you as an example of how, you sometimes in the beginning, only know the surface "why" and that is okay. It is a good start. One of the most popular sports and fitness phrases you hear is "Dig Deeper". I think we all owe it to ourselves to "Dig Deeper". Physically, Mentally, and Spiritually. It was just by chance that I found my Jack/Tony link, just like I am surprised each phase of P90X that my body and mind is still changing for the better even after three years of doing this. It really is about pushing farther than you think you can. Set a goal and go past it, if only just a little. Don't we try this exercise in life sometimes? We try and stretch our budget, push our kids a little farther in school or sports, or do something extra to get a job promotion. If we can do that in other activities and situations, let's try and do it with our fitness and nutrition.

Today is Shoulder and Arms plus Ab Ripper X for both of us. I can't wait to see how Jay "Brings It". ☺

Instead of a photo today, I am leaving you with a clip of Jack Lalanne. Enjoy! ♥

http://getfitwithartistmom.blogspot.com/

My Husband and P90X 9/8/09

Change is good. Commitment to a change....even better.

It is P90X week 3 day two for Jay and week 11 day two for me.
The Beachbody motto is...Decide.Commit.Succeed

I think it is a perfect motto. It covers all the phases of starting and maintaining a workout program or regimen. Many of us want to do something to make a change in ourselves for the better, whether it is a change on the outside, inside, or both. And many of us begin that journey . It starts out fine, but somewhere along the way, we lose our drive, Life happens, busy schedules, peer pressure, lack of motivation...the list goes on and on.

As kids, we go to school because well, our parents tell us we have to. Because they know something we do not in the beginning. It is for bettering ourselves. We are learning not only academics that will help us succeed later in our lives, but also the keys to wellness, hopefully. Through a daily routine of Physical Health..i.e. Gym, Mental Health...through our brain learning new things and applying them, and Social Health... or friends and teachers.
It is a balance of these three components that make wellness in a person. This is necessary to succeed in living our life to its capacity and achieving happiness. So why is it that for most of us after we graduate or our time at school has come to an end that we stop balancing these three steps to wellness? Because we have no one there telling us, we have to "just because".

We have to be that person for ourselves. But if we are lucky to have someone to coach us through, that is a bonus. For those that do...awesome. For those that do not have a support person but absolutely has made it to the Decide stage, I would love to help you. I am always here, just drop me an email. Really, I want to help you!!! I can help you Commit.

Jay is in between Commit and Succeed. He is still going strong. More confidence everyday and there is more happiness showing through. When he did Core Synergistics yesterday...he really was impressed with himself. I am having the best time helping him do this. He takes medication for high blood pressure and I am really looking forward to see what his Doctor says the next visit which is coming up soon. I will keep you posted. In the meantime, he is just plowing through the P90X program.

Today is Cardio X and for me, Plyometrics.
"You have a choice. You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face."

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My husband and P90X 9/7/09

Happy Labor Day to all!!! At least I hope everyone has the day off or part of the day. ☺
Day one and week three is here for Jay. I am week eleven. I am not going to focus so much on the workouts today as much as some points I want to make about following a program like P90X.
I touched on the subject of nutrition and fitness going hand and hand in a previous post. You must follow the rules for both if you want to get the results you desire.
With every change you make in the very beginning of a program, you have to make a commitment to yourself that you are going to stick with the plan. For some this comes easy, but for most of us, not so much. The P90X program for example has a pretty good size nutrition guide with it. It maps out for you the amount of each food group you should be eating for each of the three phases of P90X and sample menus of foods you might eat as well as recipes for them. It gives you an "Eating Out" guide. If you must, lists popular restaurants and what you may be able to eat. Most important. You are given a tool called "Michi's Ladder".

This is 5 tiers of foods. The top two tiers are the best foods and then it goes down to the bottom or the "Newburg Tier" i.e. Alcohol, cake and candy, hot dogs, fried foods, etc. If you follow the top two tiers, you would have a near perfect diet. I know how hard it is, I really do. When I started my first round of P90X, I had my top three weaknesses that I told myself to totally stay away from and then I managed to cope with the rest.

My suggestion, take a look at Michi's ladder and make a list of foods that are on all five tiers that you "think" you can not live without. Next, make a list of the foods on there that you think you would be willing to try. Then look at what you have written. If you cross off everything that is not on the top three lists, what do you have? You may find that you can take the foods you have left and do just fine. Or, if your list contains mostly the bottom two tiers, then you are going to have to sacrifice and dig deeper to make it work. But , YOU CAN.

The first 30 days is important. Do not falter, but if you do, just write it off and stick to the plan.
You have to think of it this way. Your body is a car. A beautiful fine machine that requires TLC, fine tuning, and the best of care and maintenance. Breakfast for example, it is called "the most important meal of the day". But has that ever been explained why? The reason is this, you sleep, hopefully for 6-8 hours. In that time, your body is making lots of changes, I will discuss in a later post. So when you wake up, your tank is on empty. There is nothing in it to fuel you at all. If you were to wake up and go try to start your car on an empty tank, it would not go. Sure, it would try and start and sputter, but no go. Your body is the same. If you do not have a healthy breakfast, your body will go into survival mode. It will store only what is vital for survival...FAT...80% to be exact by the time you get to lunch. Basically you need to keep your body fueled. So eat your three meals you have always been told, but add healthy snacks in between to keep that fine machine running.


The reason this all has me up in arms again, Jay went to the store with me yesterday and he really has been eating what the book says. However, he has three days off and holidays, family and group gatherings do this "black hole" thing and sucks you in. And we are about to go full swing into them. Holidays mean, mess up my meal plan big time for a lot of folks. And, I gave him a test. He said he wanted beer, I gave him the look...lol...and then I lovingly said, it is up to you. ☺ He failed, and purchased his 6 pack. It is up to us though, no one else to stick to our plan....remember that. I can not be with Jay 24 hours a day and it has to be the commitment of the person setting the goal to do it for themselves. I know, one beer sounds harmless. The thing is if you break one habit, then others follow. We ate dinner, and later when he should have grabbed maybe some natural granola or an almonds hand full, or a yogurt...he grabbed shelled salted peanuts and two beers. And did he know better, yes...he snuck the items away from me like a child. People have to stick with the good habits.

He feels horrible today, but it is all good. Today is another day and we go forward. I am not meaning to sound like a "school marm"...I did not scold him at all. I am just using the example for people that may have done the same. The blog is about Jay and P90X and I think it requires an honest representation of what it is like day by day. Everything I know and have learned has been from experiences, good and bad. I have not been perfect in my journey, I think there are few that are, we are all learning together. So hopefully, I am helping someone see that if they have had a slip, it is ok and not the end and time to pack it up, just move forward. Or, prevent someone from making the slip. Unfortunately, the lesson is that good habits are easier than bad habits to break.

And today, we have Core Synergistics for Jay and I have Chest and Back plus Ab Ripper X. Believe me, Jay will probably burn all that goo from yesterday off and today's too.

Have a great day and enjoy every moment! ☺

If anyone is interested in being a Beachbody coach, send me an email. There is a team webinar tonight. A powerpoint presentation that explains the opportunity in detail. Following the presentation, you can ask my coach Traci any questions.

http://getfitwithartistmom.blogspot.com/

My Husband and P90X 9/6/09

Rest day!!!!! Of course if you have been following along, that does not necessarily mean"REST". I am not sure what the day has in store yet, but I am going to tackle "Patience Hummingbird" yoga, from the One On One series. And Jay is going to get he and our son, Jacob tubes for their bikes. Which means biking is on the menu today for Jay.
Yesterday was Kenpo X for both Jay and I. I did a short workout of abs in the AM, I just felt like it. And then took out Pre K daughter school clothes shopping. Then I jumped in with Jay last night to do Kenpo together. He is getting much more coordinated with the moves. The only comment I have for newbies is to listen to Tony closely. There are some moves that you need to twist and pivot your hips and there are some later in the workout that you are just moving your upper body or torso. I was kinda glad I did the workout with Jay because it seems he had been moving his hips the whole time for every move. He might have hurt himself if that kept up...lol...but I gently explained it to him and it made sense to him and relieved him at the same time. ☺ It was a sweat fest. That is one of the best routines in the P90X program. Generally, you burn more calories in a kickboxing cardio than a regular cardio, but when you add some of Tony's yoga moves in with it...WOW. It goes fast and leaves you thinking, "is it over already..." but it definitely does the job. FUN ☺

Jay will be going into his third week....hooray! And I will be doing week eleven. Sadly, mine is coming to an end a lot faster than it did in the previous round and each workout that I used to watch the time clock, have each been getting shorter and shorter. I guess this means that I am getting stronger...Yay! I will tell you this before ending today, I thought it would be fun to take our daughter on the bus to the mall yesterday because she was a little upset that this year she was not going to get to ride the school bus. So on our way home when she was too tired to walk the whole way down our street, I placed my 47 pound daughter on my back (a visual would be Luke Skywalker carrying Yoda...he~he), I was holding her big full shopping bag in one hand, and my backpack (hate purses), in the other hand, and ran the rest of the way home...about 10 houses. She asked me why I was going so fast, and I replied, the faster I go, the faster we get home...lol. I really do not think that could have been done a month or so ago. That was a lot of combined weight and a major balancing accomplishment. A car passed us, I am sure they were thinking I was looney, but hey, what fun I had. ☺
Monday is Core Synergistics for Jay and I have Chest and Back plus Ab Ripper X.

Continue to have a fit and fabulous Labor Day Weekend! Go Outside and Play!!! ☺

I have added a question and answer link to my "Get Fit With Artist Mom" link. If you have a question or concern about fitness or nutrition. Maybe you are concerned about what you are eating or maybe your exercise routine feels a little strange, just leave a question in the comment box or email me. Go to:
http://positiveimpactanswers.blogspot.com/

For info about Beachbody products, fitness/nutrition classes, or coaching, go to:
http://getfitwithartistmom.blogspot.com/

My Husband and P90X 9/5/09

Finishing up week two of P90X today....GO JAY!!! Woot!
I am so proud ☺ Legs and Back was last night plus Ab Ripper X. He is still using the chair to assist him on his pull-ups, but hey, when I tackled my first phase way back, I have to admit that I would forward through the pull-ups. Then I started using the resistance bands. Now is a different story almost three years later. Unassisted pull-ups baby!
Like I have said before, it just takes time and patience, but you will get stronger each time. Who da thunk?
I got my Tony Horton One On One dvd "Patience Hummingbird" (yoga) yesterday. I love that every month I automatically get a brand new TH workout to add to my collection. Very reasonable too ($20.00) Even cheaper for me because I am a Beachbody coach. ☺ I hope to get to it this weekend. I will let you know.

I will make this a short post. Jay is progressing well. I have noticed he is starting to slim down even more in the torso. Two more weeks and I will post pics. I am finishing my 10th week and getting stronger. I up-ed my weights this week for Back and Biceps. I made a lot of faces and grunts, but it was fun. ☺
Kenpo X is the workout for both of us today and Jay has a three day weekend, so I am sure there will be bike riding and maybe some running. Yay!

Just a little FYI, I have added a new link on my "Get Fit With Artist Mom" page that you can ask me questions about fitness and nutrition or even Beachbody stuff. I will do my best to answer and if I do not know the answer, I will try and find you one elsewhere. So if you have a concern or question about what you are eating, calories, a workout that might be feeling strange, or you are interested in starting a program and need help picking it out or even coaching leave a question in the comment box or email me.

Have a wonderful Saturday! ☺ I know I will. Go Outside If You Can And Get Active!!!

http://getfitwithartistmom.blogspot.com/

My Husband and P90X 9/4/09

Ok, so I took a day off from my blog ☺ But, I did not take a day off from my P90X schedule and neither did Jay. So first things first.

I am posting a note from Tony Horton for you this morning. It is one of my favorite statements that he has put out on facebook. It goes like this:

"Life with exercise creates a completely different journey than a life without it. Making the time for exercise means that you're setting an intention to have a great life. Life without exercise means you're setting an intention to miss out on a better life. The quality of your life improves with exercise and it will get worse without it. Period! Your weight loss is a minute piece to the overall health and fitness puzzle. Every time you exercise you improve your fitness, healthy and quality of life. You always feel good afterward and you allow your mind and body to become less vulnerable to illness and injury. Every day you decide NOT to exercise your health, fitness and quality of life diminishes. You become more vulnerable to illness and injury and the energy and enthusiasm (feeling good) for a better life is not there. This is true for everyone. No exceptions.

Make a plan, stick to the plan and do it... forever!" TH

Okay, I realize that people are busy. We all are. And I know it is hard work starting a fitness and nutrition regimen. I also know that everything worth anything in life is usually something that has been received due to hard work and effort...Nothing in life is truly free of that. So why do we put these things on the bottom of our list sometimes...because "Dang" it is HARD! And unfortunately, we can not see what the lack of these things are doing to us on the inside.

As children our muscles, bones, and joints are moving around all the time without any effort. As we get older, our lifestyles in the way that our bodies move have drastically changed. We just don't move around as much because we are busy with trying to be a successful adult. But, we have failed as an adult to understand just how important it is to keep moving our body. The more we sit and do nothing, the more our bodies get stiff, lose flexibility, and our insides just literally start to deteriorate. That is why it is so hard in the beginning. Had we not have stopped moving in the first place, it would be much easier to do things like P90X.
And look at the difference in general (there are exceptions), of a person's disposition when someone is making fitness and nutrition a priority and someone who is not. You will find that the one who is eating better and exercising is much happier. I am not trying to make people "drink the happy kool-aid", I am trying to explain in more latent terms that it is fact, not fiction that it is critical that we all stop sitting and thinking about starting something, we need to act on it. It is never too late when it comes to age, size, or gender. That is not an excuse. There are 60 year plus people right now even doing P90X. Seriously, I have videos and photos. ☺ Just do it! There is something for everyone, and if are not sure, I will help you, remember that.

Back to Jay. He is still loving P90X. He makes it harder to write someday because there is less effort everyday getting him to do it, so nothing much to report, so I am tying to give you all some tips in between. Wednesday was Shoulders and Arms plus Ab Ripper X. And last night was his Yoga X night. Wednesday, went smooth. Thursday, he decided to ditch yoga once again for the spin cycle. I still feel that is fine. He will still be gaining flexibility in other workouts. You really can not force yoga. Part of the yoga experience is your mind set. So I am giving him some more time to get there. I did my Yoga X and right before bed, I decided to do power half hour stretch (30 min) just because I wanted it. I literally almost fell asleep on top of my leg doing a stretch last night. So relaxing.

I did P90X almost three years ago for the first time. When I started, I had never done any full fitness routine, never did a nutrition plan. My idea of watching what I ate was eating chicken not fried, but I still ate sugar treats and loved me some fried appetizers. Mmmm...now that I know the science and can make myself visualize what it doing to me. "Fuget about it!" Anyway, it was the toughest thing I had ever done, but I had my reasons that gave me the mind set to push through the workouts good and bad. That is what it is all about our "Why".
For most, it takes 3 to 6 months doing a routine to make it a lasting way of life. A lot of times, people start and stop many times. That is why it is crucial to have someone, in most cases, to support you. Whether it is family, a friend, or a personal trainer...or even a coach like me. ☺ But you have to Commit, Decide, and Succeed. You are responsible for you.

Jay has so far made the commitment, and I am his coach. I am keeping him accountable and day by day, I see a change for the better in confidence and a happier attitude. My sister in law like to refer to him as "Eeyore" when you talk to him sometimes. You know that "how are you"..."I'm okay, I guess" response. Soon, I am hoping to call him "Mr.Sunshine"...lol..he is getting there.☺

I had a fabulous and fit birthday yesterday. Thank you all for your birthday wishes! ♥ I sure do not feel 41, I feel more like 18. But I have a second chance to do it right. Move, Shake, and Push Play. That is what I will do now. I hope you do the same. ☺

My Husband and P90X 9/2/09

Another workout, means another day of choosing to extend your life. Profound, huh? Well, I didn't come up with it (Tony Horton, of course). But I do believe it is true. I will expand on that subject in a future post.

Jay is P90X day three of week two....Wow. Once again, went in there and did his Cardio X like a trooper. No prodding necessary. When he was done, he looked like he had stepped out of a pool. It is a great combo of plyo, kenpo, and various other moves that keep you moving and a groovin'. It is one of the shorter P90X workouts, but it really removes the DNA. ☺

Jay has been telling the guys he works with that he is doing P90X, which means that if he feels confident now to say it out loud, he is serious about it. Kinda, a bragging rights guy thing. Us gals usually let other females ask us "what the heck have you been doing to look so good". Plus the confidence we have shows on our faces in the form of a smile. ☺ Let's face it, alot of times there is way more jealousy between woman then between men. So we like to keep things on the QT ...lol...However, some females have the "if ya got it flaunt it" attitude. My feelings are that I want to share the fact that I FEEL better inside... and looking better, well, that is a plus. So that is why I show pics of myself. I simply want others to become more healthy and fit minded so I try and lead by example. Remember, this is the gal who left her head out of her original before pics....I was not feeling any confidence at all. That leads me back to Jay, confidence is good, it makes us strive harder and reach our goals plus set new ones.
Tonight for Jay is Arms and Shoulders plus Ab Ripper X. I did Back and Biceps plus Ab Ripper X. I love strength training, but I did Plyo last night and I was burning, burning...and that was good.

Have a wackodoo Wednesday everyone...makes me think of "Wacky Jacks", my favorite Tony move. ♥ "Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever." (Lance Armstrong)

http://getfitwithartistmom.blogspot.com/

My Husband and P90X 9/1/09

We are on week 2 day 2...in case you have lost track ☺ I am week 10 day 2.

Jay is Cardio X today and I am Plyometrics.
Although, Jay will have some Plyo snuck into his cardio. That Tony is a sneaky one.
Back to Monday (last night). Fish and veggies for dinner last night, NO BREAD. As Jay had his carbs for the day following the phase one P90X nutrition plan. Yes, Jay is doing the nutrition with me. His is different at this point because of the different phases and type of P90X program each of us are doing.

My Rant:

You HAVE to do the nutrition if you want the results. I can not stress that enough. Now, I am not saying that you won't lose some weight and even gain some muscle mass, but you WILL NOT BE RIPPED! Or even all that toned.
This is a mistake people often make when starting a fitness program. They get all excited an buy a 60 or 90 day program thinking that just because they do the workouts, they are going to look like the people in the dvds. And I am not saying that if you do the nutrition too that you will look like a fitness model after one round of anything. It all depends on where you started. But one thing I do know is that you will be much closer to your goal if you do both. It does take discipline and is not easy at first. For some us of us, the area we live in is a good example, eating out is the thing that has become our social life and entertainment as well. Ooh, look at that food! People can't wait for the next course to arrive at the table, like dinner and a show, only the show has become THE DINNER!
I am not knocking eating or dining out at all. Believe me...I like to eat ♥ But, we need to make better choices when we do eat at a restaurant. Hold back on appetizer. Have a broth based no cream soup, and please stay away from FRIED! I do not care what establishment tells you they are health conscience and does not use trans fat....they are LYING. Any thing other than a natural fat (IE. olive oil, avocados, coconut oil...are examples) is bad. If they don't use trans fat, what do you think they are frying it in. It isn't air. That is my rant on food. It seems I have gotten off the subject a bit. So I digress. Follow the nutrition plan that you paid for when you ordered your workout program, it is there for you to use. And that is how you REALLY get results.

Back to Jay ♥
His little run on the trails the day before got the best of him and his tendons on the tops of his feet were on fire all day. Now he couldn't blame it on my precious Tony...☺
He once again stepped up to the plate and "Brought It". Core Synergistics. His comment when he was done, "I could do alot more moves this time, I even was able to lift myself up better with Superman/Banana"...Makes me smile ☺ I actually thought it might take another week before he noticed a difference. Awesome. He is still sore today and more than just his feet, but it is all good. He was going from the bathroom today to the bedroom and paused and posed to see if I was looking...lol...I smiled at him and said "Wow" ♥ No, there is not much physical difference yet, but his mental state is definitely changing for the good. Tonight is Cardio X, as I mentioned, and it will be a sweat fest.
Until Wednesday...Don't hate me 'cause I am happy ☺ ☺ ☺