Reboot P90X 2015: Day 5 Legs and Back

Another week has passed from Yoga to Legs and Back. It’s been busy and it’s so easy to put off working out. But I’m still getting back into it. With Legs and Back today, I had to push myself to keep on going.

The Exercises

• Legs and Back

I skipped the Ab Ripper X portion since my body is still not ready. I did half of the legs and back exercises before my legs started to feel really weak. Every time I have to do a movement, I can see my body jiggle with fat. Though I know I’m not where I want to be, seeing that made it more real. Seeing that makes me want to keep going. I want to finish this program and get to the point where I feel and look fit and toned and healthy. I know it seems like it might never happen, I have to keep going if I want that body and that lifestyle.

The Meals

• Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal
• Fish and Chips
• Steamed rice, steamed fish, steamed lettuce with oyster sauce

It’s been easy getting breakfast but the rest of my meals aren’t as clean as I want them to be. My brain knows what’s good for me but my stomach rebels. It wants something greasy, something heavy, and sometimes, I listen. But the next day, I don’t feel as energized and I know it’s due to my not so great food habits. I need to start adding in some more fruits and veggies!

Reboot P90X 2015: Day 4 Yoga

A week passed before I finished the Yoga session of P90X.

I went rock climbing and hiking with some friends during the weekend but it was hectic trying to squeeze in a workout during the week. Getting started on wedding planning kind of interrupted everything. Instead of an hour workout session, it was replaced by family and friends helping me find venues and dresses for the wedding.

The Exercises

• Yoga

I did half of the yoga session and like always, my wrists are a bit sore from all the planks and downward dog movements. It felt really good to stretch out and do twists. It was what my body needed to relax and release all the tension that was built up from the week.

The Meals

• Cinnamon Sugar Oatmeal
• Pork and Leek dumplings
• Steamed rice, sautéed tomatoes and scrambled eggs, steamed fish, and steamed bok chou

But I remember that I made this pact with myself to keep going even if I skip days. I haven’t failed yet, I have only just begun and I have to keep on going if I want to succeed. A few setbacks won’t deter me this time.

Reboot P90X 2015: Day 3 Shoulders and Arms

Another day of soreness, my body is still getting used to all this movement. Today, it’s working on the shoulders and arms.

It feels good to have a regular routine and exercising different parts of the body. Though it sometimes seems like everything is sore, it’s not true. Arms and abs are probably the most sore parts of my body. Hopefully I’ll get better and it won’t feel as sore anymore.

The Exercises

• Shoulders and Arms: focusing on shoulders, biceps, and triceps
• Ab Ripper X: skipped

I did one round of 12 exercises for the weight lifting portion. 10 repetitions with 10 lb. weights. Skipped the bonus round. Completely skipped Ab Ripper X because after doing the first exercise, my stomach felt like it was on fire and completely refusing to do anything. I could hardly use it, so I just stretched it out for a bit.

Though it feels like I’m doing a light portion of the workout this week, I need to establish a baseline and to ease my body into this program. P90X is intense and if you go too hard in the beginning, it can cause injury and pain enough to get you to stop. But you have to keep going, even if it means not finishing everything.

The important thing is that you keep going!

The Meals

• Cinnamon and Sugar oatmeal
• Lomo Saltado (leftovers): stir-fry beef with onions and tomatoes, steamed rice and fries
• Pulled Pork Burger with beans and coleslaw
• 1 small bag of tortilla chips
• 1 cup of spiced chai tea

In the spirit of being healthier, I am trying to add a fruit or veggie side to at least one meal a day. People think being healthy means you have to cut this, stop eating that, and it’s all no, no, NO to things you love. It makes it hard to stay on track when you’re denying yourself so to flip the script, I focus on adding something positive. Try one extra helping of veggies. Go for the healthier meal option today. Make one positive choice to improve yourself and if you keep going, it’ll be easier to make more choices that are better for you.

One small step to being healthier can lead to big changes ahead as long as you keep on going.

Reboot P90X 2015: Day 2 Plyometrics

It’s Day 2 and it’s time for Plyometrics.

After yesterday’s workout, I’m definitely feeling it in my back and armpits. My chest and arms, not really. Perhaps I could have gone further with the exercises, but I know next time, I can push harder.

The Exercises

• Plyometrics: jump squats, run stance squat switch pickups, double airborne heismans, swing kicks

Plyometrics was brutal! After doing 40 lunges and 40 squats in the warm-up section, my legs were already burning. I didn’t get very far into the program, I completed the first set and I was done. Cardio isn’t my strong suit and my heart felt like it would pound right out of my chest! I took a break after the first 4 exercises and the second set wasn’t very good. So I called it a day and hopefully my body will recover from the shock of all this movement.

The Meals

• Apple and Cinnamon Oatmeal
• 2 Spicy Mayo Salmon Tacos on Corn Tortillas
• 3 fried chicken wings, steamed lettuce with oyster sauce, seafood egg flower soup, and steamed rice
• 1/2 Asian pear
• 1 small bag of tortilla chips

I made an effort to eat healthier today. I need more vegetables in my diet but it’s a challenge when the rest of the family doesn’t like them. Not sure about fruits because they’re too sweet or tangy for my taste buds. Since I’m more of a savory person than a sweets person, I grabbed a small bag of tortilla chips that was leftover from a Chili’s outing. A few steps forward today and I know it will get better.

It’s only the beginning, so I can’t beat myself over it. I showed up, I pressed play, and I did my best.

Forget the rest.

Reboot P90X 2015: Day 1 Fit Test and Then Some

After much delay and much failure, I’ve started back up again. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down, what really matters is that you get back up.

So here I am again on Day 1 on P90X. I did the fit test without the heart rate monitor and it’s quite sad to see the numbers. Sure, they’re only numbers but I remember when I was more in shape when I first started P90X years ago. Age has not been kind to me and my body keeps rebelling.  It is time to start over.

The Exercises

• Chest and Back
• Ab Ripper X

I did one round of C&B, that’s 12 exercises, and I didn’t repeat the rounds. It was tragic. 10 pushups per set and about 15 pull-ups with the green bands. I modified most of the exercises to the most basic format: alternate between pushups and pull ups. For Ab Ripper X, I made it through all 11 exercises and 25 repetitions. It was exhausting but I’m glad I did something.

The Meals

• Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal
• 2 Eggs, 2 Slices of Ham, and 1 Pack of Instant Noodles
• Lomo Saltado: Peruvian stir fry with beef, onions, and tomatoes with a side of rice and fries
• 1 shortbread cookie

For meals, I don’t follow the prescribed diet. I am a normal person trying to eat healthier but honestly, it’s hard. I don’t fake my meals. I eat real food, even if it’s not good for you. I don’t do supplements, recovery shakes, protein bars, etc. I like whole foods that are as natural as possible. So yes, for today, I had some instant noodles and I used half a pack of seasoning that comes with it. And shortbread. So what? This was what I ate and I know I can do better.

Because I have done this program before, it makes me feel more embarrassed about my body. Knowing what it used to be able to do, what it used to look, and even where I started…I have become such a slouch! I wonder if people noticed I let myself go and why didn’t they say anything? Then again, what can they say that will sound positive and not judge-y?

Here’s to tomorrow! Show up and let’s go!

Embrace The Body That You Have

We as a society focus too much on self-hate and self-loathing.

Advertisers and marketers prey on our insecurities to get us to buy things.

Need to lose weight? Try some diet food program or sign up for gym membership. Want to have more confidence, why not get some plastic surgery? It’s all a trap to get you to spend more money on things you don’t need or things that don’t necessarily help you get to your ultimate goal.

You have only one body and once you accept it for all its perfections and imperfections, the better off you’ll be. You have to work in this body, sweat in this body, and love in this body. If you want to change it, then be smart about it and seriously consider your options. Don’t expect to look like Conan the Conqueror if your body type lends itself more towards Bruce Lee. Don’t think that you’ll become Keira Knightly if you’re more shaped like Beyonce.

It may have taken you a few months to get to your current unhappy state, but it may take years to get to your happy place…and that’s ok. It takes more work to be healthy and fit than it does to be the opposite. Look around, there’s fast food on every street corner and maybe one healthy restaurant per district. It’s easier to be unhealthy, but it takes real guts to become healthy.

So do yourself a favor and stop whining.

Get out there and work out!

So Easy…

…even a caveman can do it.

Remember this line?

It applies perfectly to being healthy and staying healthy.

So often, we take what the experts tell us about eating healthy, exercising, and toning your body at face value. There are plenty of scientific names for diets, workout programs, and etc. You can do all the research in the world, but honestly, it’s very simple but the difficulty lies in the execution.

The secret is…There is no secret!

1. Eat healthy
2. Exercise regularly
3. Decrease stress/Sleep well (maintain mental fitness)

Everyone is built different and when it comes to weight loss and body maintenance, there is NO one way to do things. It’s one of those “All roads lead to Rome” ideas…just do the above three things in any reasonable manner and you’ll see results.

When you’re within 5-10 pounds of your target weight/muscle tone, it’s easier to maintain and sculpt your body. If you’ve been building your muscles, (lean or not) you tend to get hungrier and you’ll need to eat more than you may have before. And since you have more muscle and less fat, you can get away with exercising less without gaining the weight back as fast. But that does not mean to stop exercising altogether once you’ve reached your final goal. If you make it a lifelong habit to exercise regularly, even a daily 30 minute walk can help you maintain your body and your weight.

But if you’re on the quest for substantial weight loss, you have to work harder. If you take the quick fix and end it…you’ll gain it back. By making smart decisions about your food, exercise, and overall health, things will come into place. Make it a lifelong choice and you won’t have to worry about gaining weight or whatnot.

Personally, I don’t advocate diet programs, meal replacement shakes, protein bars, or surgery to lose weight. I feel that you should be more conscious of what you’re putting in your body, what you’re doing to burn the calories, and how to take care of yourself better.

In The Biggest Loser, they take everything to the extreme to a point where I find it dangerous. The contestants are overexercising to the point of exhaustion and doing possible damage to their joints and other body parts. They only do what the trainer tells them to do, but they don’t really understand why or how to create their own workout plan. They eat the prescribed meals given to them, but never encounter real world food options until they head home. They don’t learn what they should eat, how much they should have, and how to cook these meals.

To me, it’s “mindless” weight-loss. They don’t know why the workouts are working. They don’t know why the food is healthy. It’s almost like giving your body over to a plastic surgeon to do whatever they want to your body to make it “perfect.” But if you don’t learn what it takes to keep that shape, you’ll quickly revert back to your old body.

It takes time, patience, and discipline, but in the end…I think it’s worth it.

Sometimes, the simplest things are the hardest things.

The Things We Do To Ourselves

It’s kind of weird the things you find on the internet.

I’ve started reading some fitness, weight loss, and health blogs. Some are very useful and have actual relevant material. Others are extreme and silly that I wonder… “Are you for real?” There are people who are desperate to get “in shape” but don’t exercise and instead, rely on cleanses, diets, and non-recognizable food options to lose weight and inches from their body. Or there are people who refuse to change their food habits but exercise to the point where they injure themselves. Sure these are generalizations, but the fact remains…people ACTUALLY do this stuff.

I remember my friend’s weight loss story.

From elementary school to high school, he was the “funny, overweight kid”. In the summer before college, he decided he wanted a change. He didn’t want to be known as the “funny, overweight kid”…he wanted a new identity. So, he went on an apple and potato diet. For the entire summer, he ate apples and potatoes ONLY and went jogging and weight-lifting regularly. By the time it was freshman orientation, he lost so much weight, he looked and felt like a different person. When I first met him on the first day of college, he was pretty trim. I wouldn’t have known that he was overweight 3 months ago.

But even now, he still struggles in his relationship with food and exercise. He doesn’t quite understand what it takes to stay in shape. His weight has only fluctuated 5-10 lbs over the years, so he hasn’t changed much since that extreme diet. Still, he is always on a new “fad” diet and runs a couple miles to work off his “junk food calories.” Every time I come across him, he always asks me “How do you stay healthy?”

Honestly, there is no secret to it. It’s a simple concept, but it takes years to understand and master. Even I’m not perfect. Personally, I believe that if you want to look good, be healthy, and stay fit…you need to have a balanced food plan and a regular exercise routine. It’s not something you do for 30-90 days, it’s something you do for the rest of your life.

Currently, I’m doing P90X, but that doesn’t mean I just started to exercise recently, it’s that I’m putting myself on a regular exercise schedule. And after P90X, I’ll continue to exercise whether or not it’s with P90X. And I never really changed my “diet,” I just eat what I like and keep everything in moderation. Perhaps it’s just me, but I don’t like to eat the same foods prepared the same way every single day. I mix it up and try to add as much variety as possible. That way, I won’t be tired of the same foods and even if I eat greasy foods, it’s countered by the rest of the week or month of healthy eating.

Life is too short to cut out the things you really love.

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Losing weight with a simple sacrifice

A short story about losing weight.

My sister’s best friend was overweight but not obese. One day, she realized that she was “fat” (not in the cute chubby sort of way) and wanted to lose weight.

She asked my sister, “Why didn’t you tell me I was fat and that I should lose weight? You’re my best friend, you’re supposed to be honest about these things!”

To which my sister replied, “Well, AL was bigger and  fatter than you, so I thought you were normal and average.”

Anyways, my sister’s friend looked over her average  intake of food and decided to stop eating ice cream. That was the only change to her normal diet and exercise.

She lost 20 pounds in 6 months.

But the story doesn’t stop there. Previously, she was eating 1 pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream every day right before she went to bed. So by cutting that out, she was removing over 500+ calories from her daily caloric intake.

Now, she’s adding some exercise to tone up her muscles and eating healthier to keep her diminished figure.

And to think it all started with giving up ice cream.