Day 12

Just finished legs and back!!! Crazy. I know I'm supposed to do ab ripper x afterwards, but I feel like legs and back is a good enough workout for the day, whereas kenpo is a bit lighter, so I'm doing the ab ripper x after kenpo so that I can even out the scores a little bit. I'll probably do the same with shoulders and back and cardio x- just move around the ab ripper x to a lighter day. Legs and back was pretty intense, but still really fun. With my dance background, I have really strong legs so I expected this to be an easier workout- it definitely wasn't! It challenged me to push just a little bit farther than I could do and even made my hardcore dancer legs burn like they haven't in years! It was great. I'm so glad that Tony made a workout for legs that challenges me- most leg workouts don't. This was the one thing I was concerned about when I bought the program... no concerns anymore!

Day 10 and 11

Wednesday was day 10- shoulders and arms with ab ripper x. I got me some ten-pound weights last week so that this workout would feel like a bit more of a challenge, and let me just say- it definitely was! Increasing the weight definitely increased the hurt, and then to top off a hard workout with ab ripper x was difficult, but I pushed through as best as I could! I'm already having to take less breaks and am able to do more and more of the exercises in the set. I'm not "cheating" as often. I decided this week that I have a very low tolerance for pain and that this is causing me to not do the best that I can do. Well, no more of that. If I really want this- REALLY want this- then I'm just going to have to suck it up and get moving! Stop cheating! Start pushing!

I had a big wake up call yesterday... I went shopping for clothes for the first time since August 2008. What a big difference nine months can make. What a big difference a couple years can make! The day after I turned 17 (two and a half years ago), I went shopping and bought a pair of jeans from American Eagle. They were size 10. I thought I was huge and felt awful about the way I looked. I was so wrong. I've been looking back at pictures of myself from then- and even just summers 2007 and 2008- and I really looked awesome. I didn't appreciate the way I looked because I wasn't a super-skinny stick like many of the girls I went to HS with. But was I didn't realize was that being curvy is NORMAL and healthy. Being curvy at that size was ok, even great! Looking back, I feel like an idiot because I didn't treasure what I had until I had lost it. I went back into American Eagle yesterday to buy some new pants- size 14. HOW did I let that happen??? And worse... those size 10 pants that I bought when I was 17 still fit last summer. Nine months ago. I increased from a 10 to a 14 in less than nine months? Are you kidding me??? What have I done to myself? I'm better than this, gosh dangit! I've been looking at the pictures- I have SOLID PROOF that I am better than this. I have SOLID PROOF of what I can be! Don't I deserve better than what I've given myself? I demand respect from everyone else but do I demand it from myself??? Ultimate question of the day. (The top picture is me now... the bottom picture is me a year ago.)

Ok... back on track. Thursday was yoga day! Since it's a longer workout, it's harder for me to fit it in, but I did it! (at 9:30 at night... which means I didn't finish until 11, but sacrifices are necessary, body!) It wasn't such a great day for eating, though. I had a McFlurry! Argh! Once again, I ask: why don't I demand respect for myself from myself??? This stops now, I tell you!!!!

Kind of ironic... but yesterday's shopping trip that left me oh-so-depressed got in the way of my routine, and I didn't have a chance to do it. Excuses, excuses. I guess today I'm going to have to double up. It's legs & back, ab ripper x, and then kenpo. Shouldn't be too bad... we'll see after the first workout. I guess I could skip "rest day" tomorrow and do the kenpo then. That might be a better option... hmm... we'll just see how things play out. :)

Ok... ultimately... I think I just need to get rid of the bad thoughts and focus on the program. If I can keep up with it every single day, I will be so proud of myself. That's really an accomplishment. If I want to see a change, then I will have to make the change within my life. It's not going to just happen. I need to shove that change into my life and make it my priority. I need to make myself the priority instead of making these selfish bodily desires the priority. It's something I can do. Look at all the things that I have accomplished in my life!!! WHY in the world am I letting THIS defeat me? I've never let ANYTHING defeat me! Why am I letting food and my emotions control me? No more.

It's time to make the change.

Day 9

Day 9, people! Today was Cardio X, and I am proud to say that I was able to do the whole workout without having to cheat or take breaks. Yay me! I worked up a major sweat and really pushed myself to the max. Totally wiped out at the end, but I know it's worth it. It was actually pretty fun, minus all the downward dog crap in the beginning. I really hate that yoga pose, but I know it's good for me so I do it anyways. :) Today I ate a bowl of tomato soup, a piece of toast with a little butter, some pistachios, and my protein drink right after Cardio X. Feeling good, lovin' life!

Day 8

Today was core synergistics! Very fun, very hard. The workout went by really quickly for me and I definitely was sweating up a storm by the end of the hour! I need to work my upper body strength so that I can do more of the moves at the level the DVD wants them. I'm not as strong in the arms so it's much more difficult to hold some of the poses in the workout. Bummer. But I'm working on it! I'll get there. I feel just a little bit stronger every day.

Measurements for Day 0

Here's a posting of my Day 0 measurements in inches:

chest- 42
waist- 34
hips- 46
right thigh (midpoint)- 25
left thigh (midpoint)- 25
right arm (flexed midpoint)- 13
left arm (flexed midpoint) - 13
weight: 185

Days 3-7

I really need to keep up with this better. I've just been soooo busy- it's been really hard to just get in the workouts let alone blog about them.

Day 3

Today I did the plyometrics DVD. HOLY CRAP. I thought I was going to DIE. This was by far the hardest workout. Luckily, I ran out of time and couldn't finish the last 15 minutes... I think it would have been dangerous to my health if I had gone any further though. My legs definitely felt it the next day... oh man. Difficult stuff, but I felt good after doing it. I felt like I had really accomplished something.

Day 4

So my third workout was the shoulders and arms DVD. I don't think I used heavy enough dumbbells because I definitely wasn't as wiped out as I should have been at the end of the workout. I went to Wal-Mart the next day and bought some ten-pounders to use instead of the eight-pounders I already had. I enjoyed shoulders and arms much more than chest and back, that's for sure! There were no pushups involved... that probaby helped. My arms and legs are starting to feel tighter already. Awesome!

Day 5


Today my fitness booklet and calandar came in the mail. I've read them both over and decided that the "lean" version of the program is best suited to the results I want. (Less upper body work, more weight loss.) I don't want to bulk up, just get in shape and drop some weight. So I know that the last three workouts have not been according to this plan, but I just decided to start today with something on the lean program that I hadn't worked on yet- yoga. After the previous three workouts, I've been incredibly sore and tight. I walk around like an old man! The yoga helped relieve this pain ENORMOUSLY. The first 45 minutes relied a lot on arm strength, which was a bummer for me and was excruciatingly painful. The workout is an hour and a half so by the time it was halfway over, I thought I was going to die if it kept up the same strength exercises! Thankfully, it moved more into balance and stretching, which I had no problem with given my heavy dance backround. Still, it was challenging enough even for me. I thouroughly enjoyed it, and I felt GREAT for the rest of the day and the following day as well.

Day 6

Today was Kenpo X. Definitely new to me. Basically, this workout tried to teach me everything dance teachers have told me not to do for my entire life. It was difficult to lean over during kicks and turn in my legs, but I enjoyed the challenge. I didn't master it, but I look forward to hopefully doing so in the future. I've never been into the whole "fighting" or karate thing, but I enjoyed the workout nonetheless. Lots of sweating and I was able to complete the whole thing no problem. Definitely starting to see results of this week's hard work already!

Day 7

REST! Much desired, much needed. Tomorrow starts a new week!

Day 2

Just finished day 2- today was ab ripper x. Pretty intense! I'm sore, but I feel good. Danny did it with me again today, only he likes to lay RIGHT NEXT TO ME on the floor when I do it, so that makes things kind of difficult. I keep having to tell him to move over!

So since it's my first week I'm not up to the level of the people on the DVD. Kind of sad, but I'm getting there. Yesterday on the Chest & Back workout and I was doing between 15-20 reps per exercise, which I guess isn't too bad for my first day. I'm not sure if I pushed myself hard enough. On the ab ripper x today I was usually between 5-10 reps lower than the DVD. Not bad, not good. Has anyone else had any experience with completing/not completing the reps outlined on the DVD? Do you gradually work up to the DVD, or did you start out on their level and just push really hard? The indicator I'm using right now is whether or not I'm sore the next day. Is that wrong?? I honestly have no idea. I guess I'll just stick to the motto that Tony Horton uses all the time: do your best and forget the rest!

Day 1

So this is a day late. (My first entry and I'm already slacking off...) But yesterday was day 1 doing P90X. I started out with the chest and back DVD since it was the first one. Might as well go in order, right? Anyways, it was pretty intense. Nothing I haven't seen before, but since I have zero upper body strength, it was quite a challenge to stick with it all the way through. I wasn't too sore after the workout, and a shower totally solved any pain I was feeling. But when I woke up this morning... HOLY CRAP! My arms, chest, and back are on FIRE! I couldn't even pick up my four-year-old brother. Not good. Yet, so so good. Pain is good, right? Speaking of my brother (Daniel)... he is the best motivator EVER! He did the workout with me yesterday and watched part of the time, and when I wasn't doing a move right or if I was resting when I shouldn't be, he would tell me so. "Katey! You're not doing it right! Do it like the guy on the tv!" or "Katey! Keep going! You're not supposed to be finished yet." I think having him around for this will be good for me.

"Before" pictures still to come. Or maybe I'll wait to post them until my "Day 30" pictures... I don't know. I'm not really proud of my "day 1" look, so I'm not really keen on sharing them with everyone.

I'm not following the diet outlined by the program, but I am watching what I eat. We'll see if it makes a difference.

Any other P90X-ers out there? I'd LOVE to hear about your journey, thoughts, and results! Have a blog? Comment me the link and I'll check it out- we're all in this together. I could definitely use the support!!!

Off to do day 2...