I get lots of emails about P90X, so I thought I'd share some of the questions I'm getting.
1. What's your favorite part about it? I like that it's a program. When I got it, I plugged in all of my days and milestones into my calendar. I knew immediately how to balance my workouts with other responsibilities. This doesn't mean I don't have room to make adjustments, like last week.
The second thing that I really like is that it has its own pre-tested schedule. What I mean by this is that I don't walk into a gym and think, "Hmmm, today I feel like I need cardio, legs, and back..." I don't have to think about what comes next. It's focused, it targets all of the right muscles and has the appropriate amount of cardio built in. All I have to do is follow it.
2. What's your least favorite thing about it? Two things...first of all, there's no excuses. It's a home program, so it's kinda staring at you from the corner of the room. The gym never closes. I both like this and hate this at the same time. The other thing to consider is that it's more of an up front financial investment, which is different from a monthly gym membership. More money comes out of pocket up front, but then in the long run, it's most likely a cheaper option.
3. Is it for everyone? Yes, I think anyone could do it. But, not everyone may be ready for it. There are minimum fitness requirements. If you want to do it but don't think you're ready, there are introductary programs like P90.
4. Are the workouts really that difficult? Yes. There are many times that we hit the pause button.
5. What's the most difficult workout in your opinion? In every single workout, there's something I dread. I get nervous and a little queasy when it comes up, and focus on bringing intensity. Before I've realized it, it's done and we're on to the next thing. The three workouts where my muscles always work to failure are yoga, core synergistics, and plyo.
6. I'd like to do P90X, but I'm not sure about the nutrition recommendations. Do I really need to stop drinking beer and change my diet that drastically? One should already be eating this way, regardless of whether or not they're on the program. The nutrition program isn't calorie-restrictive, it's healthy.
I love a glass of wine or a good margarita, but the presence of alcohol in the system causes fatigue, changes liver functioning, affects hormone levels, and can alter how fat is metabolized in the system. Even one drink can negatively impact REM cycles during sleep. If you've ever awoke at 2am because you couldn't sleep after drinking, you understand this. To get maximum results during the 90 days, the dietary recommendations should be followed. I would hate to see someone put in this kind of effort in an fitness program and not get the results they were looking for.
7. Aren't you proud of yourself and the way you look in the mirror? When I look in the mirror, I see all of my flaws. I don't know a woman who's not that way. When I look at photos, I'm astounded. I think to myself, "Wow, is that really how I looked then, is that really what I look like right now?" It feels self absorbed to focus on photos, but I understand now why all exercise programs require you to take them. The mirror lies, especially for women.
8. Will you do P90X again? I'd like to. Its a sustainable program. Ideally, what I'd like to do after finishing this round on Dec 9th, is to do something with a high cardio focus through the holidays, then begin a second round sometime in January. One of the programs that looks fun for filling in the gaps is Turbofire. I'll also probably toss on my running shoes a couple of times a week and maybe do a jingle bell run.
9. Do you think it was worth your investment? Yes, absolutely.
10. Do you have any advice for me before I begin the program? I read somewhere that most people succeed if they hold themselves accountable in 3 separate ways, so I decided to do this.
- I blog about it with weekly updates so that if I fall off the wagon, I've got some serious explaining to do.
- I have a workout partner.
- I have a P90X Coach.
I would encourage anyone beginning this (or any fitness program) to tell the world, find a workout partner, and get a mentor or friend.
P90X: Week 7
I had to make some major modifications due to scheduling this week. I took my off day on Saturday instead of Wednesday due to Jet's party. I pushed each workout back 1 day, but then had to make another modification due to parent/teacher conferences, so I switched Day 5 with Day 6, and then split Day 5 into Legs and Back in the morning and Ab Ripper in the evening.
In a nutshell, I got all the workouts in, but changed them all around.
Accomplishments This Week:
I also want to share this Link. On the days when I'm feeling unmotivated, I watch Greg. His sister is my P90X coach, and it took him 270 days to get these results. That's a long time of making healthy decisions day in and day out, and requires a lot of patience and tenacity. But, take a look at how much younger and energetic he looks after 270 days. More importantly, take a look at his cholesterol, blood pressure, and resting heart rate changes.
In a nutshell, I got all the workouts in, but changed them all around.
Accomplishments This Week:
- Three pullups!
- At Jet's party, I didn't cheat. I wanted to so badly (those chips & queso were calling my name), but I made sure that there were a couple of healthy options on hand.
- Kenpo used to be my least favorite. I'm liking it much, much more. This week, it felt strong and focused. I had much better control of my punch and kick placement.
I also want to share this Link. On the days when I'm feeling unmotivated, I watch Greg. His sister is my P90X coach, and it took him 270 days to get these results. That's a long time of making healthy decisions day in and day out, and requires a lot of patience and tenacity. But, take a look at how much younger and energetic he looks after 270 days. More importantly, take a look at his cholesterol, blood pressure, and resting heart rate changes.
Jet's Birthday Party
Jet's party turned out amazing last night. He had lots of friends dressed up in costumes. They had fun time together.
I could never have given him a fun birthday party without the help of my stepmom, who let us have the party in her home, and who asked me every few minutes if she could help me in any way.
I Dream Of Disney
I've been dreaming of our first Disney vacation since Jet was born six years ago. We'd stay in a villa with a kitchen, living area, and multiple bedrooms at either the Animal Kingdom or Bay Lake Tower. Yeah, I know it's expensive, but it's MY dream and I can dream it any way I like...even if it's no where close to reality.
We'd invite Dad & Teri and Jay's mom, June. In the morning, Jay and I would wake up early and sneak down to the hotel fitness center to get in an intense workout. When we'd get back, the kids would be watching cartoons in their pajamas, and June would be cooking one of her yummy breakfasts....no syrup for anyone - we'd need lots of energy with no sugar crashes.
I'd get in a HOT spa shower while watching the Today Show - the bathroom has a flat screen!! I'd have my morning cup of coffee while putting on makeup and getting ready for the day ahead. The kids would float in and out of the bathroom with their little bedheads and some breakfast still smeared on their cheeks.
Around 9am, we'd set out for the park of the day. Dad would have a motorized wheelchair and the kids would take turns riding on his lap. The weather would be 72 degrees, and there would be no lines for rides. We'd ride the rides in the morning, and I'd have healthy snacks in my purse to keep us going. We'd stop to have lunch with Tinkerbell or Ironman.
After lunch, we'd see a show.
After the shows, we'd come back to the hotel and put everyone down for their nap. Jay and I would head down to the hotel spa for a couples massage.
Once everyone is awake from their nap and we're back in the room from the spa, we'd make an afternoon snack in the kitchen and toss on our swimsuits and sunscreen for an hour or two at the pool.
I'd cook dinner a few of the nights, we'd eat out as a family a few of the nights, and and Jay I would have a date night once or twice. We'd watch the Disney fireworks.
Of course, this wouldn't be the exact schedule every day. There's be times that there's an evening show we'd want to see, or days when we'd skip the spa or pool. June would want to do some shopping, and Dad and Teri would want some time alone.
We'd stay about a week and just soak it up....
...am I the only one who takes a vacation in my mind?
CDC Report
Source: msn.com on 10/22/2010...Article by Amanda Chan
In the United States, 1 in 3 people will have Type 2 diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The projections, released today, are alarming to U.S. health officials, who say the numbers highlight the need for interventions to keep the number of new cases from climbing.
Currently, 1 in 10 Americans has Type 2 diabetes. But if new cases develop as projected, its prevalence could double or triple over the next 40 years, said Ann Albright, director of the Division of Diabetes Translation at the CDC.
"We can't have that, it's unsustainable," Albright told MyHealthNewsDaily.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, and is triggered by a combination of unchangeable factors, such as family history and race, and controllable factors, such as obesity and inactivity, according to the Mayo Clinic.
..It's also the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, according to 2007 data, and is the leading cause of leg and foot amputations, kidney failure and new cases of blindness in adults under age 75, according to the CDC.
The costs of diabetes add up to about $174 billion a year, the CDC said.
My thoughts...tax the hell out of fast foods at restaurants and unhealthy foods found at grocery stores (like we do cigarrettes and alcohol). Use that income to subsidize healthy foods, gym memberships, and the inevitable healthcare costs that these individuals will incur.
In the United States, 1 in 3 people will have Type 2 diabetes by 2050 if current trends continue, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The projections, released today, are alarming to U.S. health officials, who say the numbers highlight the need for interventions to keep the number of new cases from climbing.
Currently, 1 in 10 Americans has Type 2 diabetes. But if new cases develop as projected, its prevalence could double or triple over the next 40 years, said Ann Albright, director of the Division of Diabetes Translation at the CDC.
"We can't have that, it's unsustainable," Albright told MyHealthNewsDaily.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, and is triggered by a combination of unchangeable factors, such as family history and race, and controllable factors, such as obesity and inactivity, according to the Mayo Clinic.
..It's also the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, according to 2007 data, and is the leading cause of leg and foot amputations, kidney failure and new cases of blindness in adults under age 75, according to the CDC.
The costs of diabetes add up to about $174 billion a year, the CDC said.
My thoughts...tax the hell out of fast foods at restaurants and unhealthy foods found at grocery stores (like we do cigarrettes and alcohol). Use that income to subsidize healthy foods, gym memberships, and the inevitable healthcare costs that these individuals will incur.
Six Years Ago Today...
P90X: Week 6
Week six wrapped today. Great week. My boobs are about half the size that they were when we started. Trust me, I'm not complaining, although it looks like my pectoralis muscle burped up a nipple.
No major accomplishments to report this week. I'm still very much enjoying the program, and look forward to my off day tomorrow.
No major accomplishments to report this week. I'm still very much enjoying the program, and look forward to my off day tomorrow.
Healthy Kids
I might ruffle a few feathers with this post because I'm not going to sugarcoat anything here. It's also a taboo topic to discuss, but one that needs far more attention than it is getting in the US. This is something I'm acutely aware of as I continue to try to incorporate more healthy habits each day into my children's lives. Some days, I succeed.
Our children are getting sicker and sicker. The more I read statistics that the CDC releases, the more I study case studies, the more I observe, the more passionately I feel about this topic.
I see overweight children decline to play tag at the park with other children. I assume it's because they don't want to always be "it" and cannot run as fast as other children. I watch them as they watch other children cross the monkeybars. They sit and look as if they wish they could participate. With their head down, eyes low, I see their confidence diminishing.
It breaks my heart.
Onset diabetes used to be called "Adult Onset Diabetes." The name has changed because of the population of people who are now getting it. It used to be a diagnosis made among a population of adults aged 40 & older. And, now, 1/3 of all children born in the US after the year 2000 will get onset diabetes sometime during their life. ONE THIRD OF ALL CHILDREN IN THE US WILL DEVELOP THIS DISEASE. Is this not a wake-up call to the US? A child of age 10 diagnosed with onset diabetes will lose 17-26 years of their life. And, yet, on any given day in America, 25% of the population visits a fast food restaurant....many of them children.
Onset diabetes is a travesty of a disease. The general symptoms go like this...it begins with frequent urination. There's an increase in appetite and thirst, blurred vision, and fatigue. In an post-pubescent male, often there is an inability or difficulty to have an erection. The blood begins to thicken. As an abnormally high blood sugar level is sustained over a long period of time, the individual will often have limbs of their body cut off. Some go blind. The diabetic is at serious risk for having a heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. Think about it - if the blood is too thick because of the sugar in it, it becomes harder for the blood to travel smoothly and freely in the body. It would make sense that a foot wouldn't get the blood circulation it needs and begin to die. It is easy to understand how a heart attack or stroke (vessel blockage in the brain) could occur. Also, since the Body Mass Index of someone with onset diabetes is often high, there is just too much body for their little heart to continue to work. Some people have fainting spells because the amount of oxygen making it to the brain is not enough.
In most cases, onset diabetes is entirely avoidable.
The definition of addiction that I like the most is, "Continuous engagement in a behavior despite negative consequences." If someone continues to shovel crap into their system while their foot is being amputated, then they're probably addicted. They need help. They need self-love. They need to understand how to cope with their pain. They need to understand that to them, sugar is poison.
What hurts more than anything is when we do this to our children. If we don't teach them that food is not an emotional crutch, if we don't show them how to cook and eat healthy, if we're not there to make sure that their outdoor playtime is fun, then who will? How will they learn? We wouldn't let our child become an adult without teaching them how to read, or how to go to the bathroom and brush their teeth. Yet, so many of us in this country let our child become an adult without teaching them how to be healthy.
What are my suggestions?
1. Awareness, education, and conversations. If we don't start talking about this more candidly, if we don't start creating more awareness and education, then how will it get the attention it needs?
2. As parents, we need to be healthy ourselves...set an example. Allow diffusion to occur. When we feed our bodies healthy and get exercise, that naturally trickles down to our children. Before we can try to take care of others, we must learn how to take care of ourselves.
3. We must place it at the top of our priority list. Eating healthy can be expensive, time consuming, and a fight. If a child is used to eating pre-processed re-heated junk smothered in ketchup night after night, it might be hard to get them to make the switch. It's a process. It takes time. It takes determination. It takes investing in resources that teach us how to make healthy, nutritious, tasty meals.
4. Make outdoor play fun. We must throw the frisbee with our kids, push them on the swing, play tag. This creates an emotional attachment between parent and child that they will carry for the rest of their lives. If as a child, they go on family walks, then when they are an adult, going on a walk will remind them of you. It becomes more than a walk. It becomes a bond.
5. We must make eating healthy fun. We can let them help cook, we can show them different colors and textures, we can make it an experience.
6. Feed them healthy before going to birthday parties. Children are bombarded with crap at parties. If we feed them healthy foods before they go, they are often too full for the pizza or hotdogs. Our child needs a childhood, and eating healthy 100% of the time is not realistic. It's about balance, and learning that as a parent, we've got a few tricks in our bag. Filling them up with the good stuff before they're bombarded with the bad is one of those tricks. They don't feel deprived because they're not.
7. We must realize that most children cannot think straight or behave obediently if they've been sent to school with nothing but sugary starch in their belly. We need to make them healthy, balanced breakfasts. We should give them every tool that they need for success.
8. We have got to learn to change the way we shop. It sounds granola, but we must learn to buy healthy alternatives. We must buy brown rice & 100% whole wheat pasta. We must learn to use turkey instead of beef when possible. We need to keep a fruit basket always stocked & healthy nuts on hand for quick snacks. We must make sure our children have lots of water instead of Capri Sun. We need to learn to buy less of our food from the frozen aisle and more of it from the perimeter of the supermarket...or the farmers market.
9. We should allow children to eat fast food once or twice monthly. At some point, our child will discover McDonalds. If they've been deprived it their entire lives, then they might go overboard during their teenage years. We can do this strategically, though. We can take a happy meal to the park where we know that they will be more inclined to play on the monkeybars than to eat their burger. With a bite here and a bite there, food will not be the focus. This is very, very different from a sit-down healthy meal at the table as a family.
10. We must find other ways to reward than with food. We are all guilty of this, myself being a big culprit. Rewarding with food is easy, fast, and effective. But, there are other things that a child enjoys than ice cream for good grades. Setting up a rewards system in a child's head is something that can follow them into their adult years, and be very difficult for them to overcome. We must learn to become both aware and sensitive to how we reward our child.
Does this mean that there's no room for mac n cheese or frozen pizza in our child's life? Of course not. We live in the real world, not some June Cleaver portrayal. There are times when our child can & should eat "kid food". Deprivation is not the answer....balance is. But, balance in this case is not 50/50, its 90/10. Once, maybe twice, weekly, we can feed our children these foods. But, we need to be aware of what it does to our child. We must observe differences in behavior and concentration. We must try to not feed them these foods on school nights or as breakfasts. We should limit them to meals during times when we can handle the behavioral consequences that will result. And, they should not be the norm.
Our children are getting sicker and sicker. The more I read statistics that the CDC releases, the more I study case studies, the more I observe, the more passionately I feel about this topic.
I see overweight children decline to play tag at the park with other children. I assume it's because they don't want to always be "it" and cannot run as fast as other children. I watch them as they watch other children cross the monkeybars. They sit and look as if they wish they could participate. With their head down, eyes low, I see their confidence diminishing.
It breaks my heart.
Onset diabetes used to be called "Adult Onset Diabetes." The name has changed because of the population of people who are now getting it. It used to be a diagnosis made among a population of adults aged 40 & older. And, now, 1/3 of all children born in the US after the year 2000 will get onset diabetes sometime during their life. ONE THIRD OF ALL CHILDREN IN THE US WILL DEVELOP THIS DISEASE. Is this not a wake-up call to the US? A child of age 10 diagnosed with onset diabetes will lose 17-26 years of their life. And, yet, on any given day in America, 25% of the population visits a fast food restaurant....many of them children.
Onset diabetes is a travesty of a disease. The general symptoms go like this...it begins with frequent urination. There's an increase in appetite and thirst, blurred vision, and fatigue. In an post-pubescent male, often there is an inability or difficulty to have an erection. The blood begins to thicken. As an abnormally high blood sugar level is sustained over a long period of time, the individual will often have limbs of their body cut off. Some go blind. The diabetic is at serious risk for having a heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. Think about it - if the blood is too thick because of the sugar in it, it becomes harder for the blood to travel smoothly and freely in the body. It would make sense that a foot wouldn't get the blood circulation it needs and begin to die. It is easy to understand how a heart attack or stroke (vessel blockage in the brain) could occur. Also, since the Body Mass Index of someone with onset diabetes is often high, there is just too much body for their little heart to continue to work. Some people have fainting spells because the amount of oxygen making it to the brain is not enough.
In most cases, onset diabetes is entirely avoidable.
The definition of addiction that I like the most is, "Continuous engagement in a behavior despite negative consequences." If someone continues to shovel crap into their system while their foot is being amputated, then they're probably addicted. They need help. They need self-love. They need to understand how to cope with their pain. They need to understand that to them, sugar is poison.
What hurts more than anything is when we do this to our children. If we don't teach them that food is not an emotional crutch, if we don't show them how to cook and eat healthy, if we're not there to make sure that their outdoor playtime is fun, then who will? How will they learn? We wouldn't let our child become an adult without teaching them how to read, or how to go to the bathroom and brush their teeth. Yet, so many of us in this country let our child become an adult without teaching them how to be healthy.
What are my suggestions?
1. Awareness, education, and conversations. If we don't start talking about this more candidly, if we don't start creating more awareness and education, then how will it get the attention it needs?
2. As parents, we need to be healthy ourselves...set an example. Allow diffusion to occur. When we feed our bodies healthy and get exercise, that naturally trickles down to our children. Before we can try to take care of others, we must learn how to take care of ourselves.
3. We must place it at the top of our priority list. Eating healthy can be expensive, time consuming, and a fight. If a child is used to eating pre-processed re-heated junk smothered in ketchup night after night, it might be hard to get them to make the switch. It's a process. It takes time. It takes determination. It takes investing in resources that teach us how to make healthy, nutritious, tasty meals.
4. Make outdoor play fun. We must throw the frisbee with our kids, push them on the swing, play tag. This creates an emotional attachment between parent and child that they will carry for the rest of their lives. If as a child, they go on family walks, then when they are an adult, going on a walk will remind them of you. It becomes more than a walk. It becomes a bond.
5. We must make eating healthy fun. We can let them help cook, we can show them different colors and textures, we can make it an experience.
6. Feed them healthy before going to birthday parties. Children are bombarded with crap at parties. If we feed them healthy foods before they go, they are often too full for the pizza or hotdogs. Our child needs a childhood, and eating healthy 100% of the time is not realistic. It's about balance, and learning that as a parent, we've got a few tricks in our bag. Filling them up with the good stuff before they're bombarded with the bad is one of those tricks. They don't feel deprived because they're not.
7. We must realize that most children cannot think straight or behave obediently if they've been sent to school with nothing but sugary starch in their belly. We need to make them healthy, balanced breakfasts. We should give them every tool that they need for success.
8. We have got to learn to change the way we shop. It sounds granola, but we must learn to buy healthy alternatives. We must buy brown rice & 100% whole wheat pasta. We must learn to use turkey instead of beef when possible. We need to keep a fruit basket always stocked & healthy nuts on hand for quick snacks. We must make sure our children have lots of water instead of Capri Sun. We need to learn to buy less of our food from the frozen aisle and more of it from the perimeter of the supermarket...or the farmers market.
9. We should allow children to eat fast food once or twice monthly. At some point, our child will discover McDonalds. If they've been deprived it their entire lives, then they might go overboard during their teenage years. We can do this strategically, though. We can take a happy meal to the park where we know that they will be more inclined to play on the monkeybars than to eat their burger. With a bite here and a bite there, food will not be the focus. This is very, very different from a sit-down healthy meal at the table as a family.
10. We must find other ways to reward than with food. We are all guilty of this, myself being a big culprit. Rewarding with food is easy, fast, and effective. But, there are other things that a child enjoys than ice cream for good grades. Setting up a rewards system in a child's head is something that can follow them into their adult years, and be very difficult for them to overcome. We must learn to become both aware and sensitive to how we reward our child.
Does this mean that there's no room for mac n cheese or frozen pizza in our child's life? Of course not. We live in the real world, not some June Cleaver portrayal. There are times when our child can & should eat "kid food". Deprivation is not the answer....balance is. But, balance in this case is not 50/50, its 90/10. Once, maybe twice, weekly, we can feed our children these foods. But, we need to be aware of what it does to our child. We must observe differences in behavior and concentration. We must try to not feed them these foods on school nights or as breakfasts. We should limit them to meals during times when we can handle the behavioral consequences that will result. And, they should not be the norm.
Privacy Settings Update
Thanks so much for everyone's emails letting me know that you'd like to continue to follow the blog. I've heard from so many people I hadn't talked to in years, and I'll be getting back to everyone this week.
After attempting to make adjustments, I realized that there is a limited number of people who'd be allowed to access the blog, and each would have to have a blogspot account.
I decided to go a different route.
I created an online journal that is very private and specific for documenting Jet & Kimber Elle's growth and progress. This way, I can post photos and private comments without concern of who will be reading it. I'll continue to leave this blog public so that all can have access. I will continue to post occasional updates of the kids, but I'll be a little more discriminatory in that regard.
Questions I got:
-How can you tell what kind of traffic your blog gets? A: If it's a blogspot account, from the Dashboard access "Stats". You can see RSS feeds, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly traffic by country.
-How can I enable privacy settings? A: Go to Dashboard/Settings/Permissions.
-By the way, any photo you post on Blogspot can be used by Google BING if you've got a public blogspot account. Two of the main RSS feeds into this site were due to BING photos. One was the master bath remodel, and another were photos of Dubai. I did not realize this until I started following the Stats closely.
After attempting to make adjustments, I realized that there is a limited number of people who'd be allowed to access the blog, and each would have to have a blogspot account.
I decided to go a different route.
I created an online journal that is very private and specific for documenting Jet & Kimber Elle's growth and progress. This way, I can post photos and private comments without concern of who will be reading it. I'll continue to leave this blog public so that all can have access. I will continue to post occasional updates of the kids, but I'll be a little more discriminatory in that regard.
Questions I got:
-How can you tell what kind of traffic your blog gets? A: If it's a blogspot account, from the Dashboard access "Stats". You can see RSS feeds, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly traffic by country.
-How can I enable privacy settings? A: Go to Dashboard/Settings/Permissions.
-By the way, any photo you post on Blogspot can be used by Google BING if you've got a public blogspot account. Two of the main RSS feeds into this site were due to BING photos. One was the master bath remodel, and another were photos of Dubai. I did not realize this until I started following the Stats closely.
Stuffed Squash
So, the joke used to be that I couldn't boil water. With a lot of failures, I taught myself to cook. A year and a half ago, I swore that I'd learn how to cook healthy food in a way that makes it taste amazing, not like waxy green beans and chicken.
My two favorite resources are For The Love Of Cooking and Eating Well Kids . At times I make adjustments for reduced calories, but otherwise between those two websites, I find a lot of great ideas for feeding the fam. Here's a recipe for stuffed squash that I've made twice this fall.
One zucchini squash & one yellow squash - both in season during the fall, therefore CHEAP and high in nutrtitional density (fruits/veggies out of season can be nutritionally compromised).
You'll need one onion, garlic, and olive oil.
Other than these five items, I use whatever vegetables I can dig up in the fridge - pretty much anything works. Here are carrots, frozen peas, and a bell pepper.
Boil the squash for 8 minutes.
While the squash boils, sautee everything in a small amount of olive oil. Start w/ garlic & onions, then add everything else. I also threw in a little leftover chicken from the last night's meal at the very end. If it starts to dry out while cooking, add a shot of water instead of adding more olive oil.
After squash boils 8 minutes, cool it down w/ cold water. Cut it open & scoop out the insides.
Chop up the inside of the squash & add a little bit of it to the mixture. Stuff the mix into the squash. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 425 for about 10-12 minutes, until you see the veggies begin to brown on the ends.
P90X: Day Thirty Photos
Yesterday marked Day 30. Time for pictures (the program calls for photos at the start, Day 30, Day 60, and Day 90 to mark progress). Wow, time has flown. I can't believe it's already 1/3 of the way over! I felt that I was healthy to begin with, which made this program an excellent choice. There is a fit test at the beginning of it to determine readiness, or if a different program would be better suited before beginning this one.
Accomplishments this week:
- Stepped on the scale for the first time since I began the program - I've lost 7 pounds since we began. I had sworn that I wouldn't look at the scale because I was building muscle, and wasn't expecting to lose any weight, just rearrange it a little. Jason has lost 16 pounds in 30 days.
- Yoga this week - held the extended right angle pose (with the arm grab under and twisted thinga-ma-jiggy). I can normally do this, but what is difficult during Yoga X is that it comes at 40 minutes into the program when my legs are on FIRE and have already been shaking for awhile.
- Diet - I've taken Jason's advice and cut WAY back on my sodium. I didn't have a lot to begin with, but he was right - I had too much in my diet. It made a difference in the way I feel.
Privacy Settings To Change
What began as a photojournal for my children in January 2008 has evolved. In January of this year, I started blogging about health, nutrition, sleep, hydration, & balance. I blog on these topics for many reasons...but I never intended for the readership to grow as it has.
I purposefully didn't put a "Followers" button on this blog...yet it is now accessed hundreds of times weekly by people in the US and 9 other countries. The URL to this blog has been posted on several other websites. And so, the readership has grown exponentially, and I'm not sure that I'm comfortable with that. I want to continue documenting my children's progress, growth, and development with both photos and text. I want to continue blogging about health & nutrition, and why it's so important. I want to keep looking at the psychology behind food addictions and the mind/body connection. I'd like to continue to be candid about these things, but I don't know if I want people in 10 different countries reading it.
I've decided to establish some privacy settings, and in a couple of weeks I'll be changing the profile of the blog from public to private, and enabling password-protection. If you'd like to continue to have access, please email me.
I purposefully didn't put a "Followers" button on this blog...yet it is now accessed hundreds of times weekly by people in the US and 9 other countries. The URL to this blog has been posted on several other websites. And so, the readership has grown exponentially, and I'm not sure that I'm comfortable with that. I want to continue documenting my children's progress, growth, and development with both photos and text. I want to continue blogging about health & nutrition, and why it's so important. I want to keep looking at the psychology behind food addictions and the mind/body connection. I'd like to continue to be candid about these things, but I don't know if I want people in 10 different countries reading it.
I've decided to establish some privacy settings, and in a couple of weeks I'll be changing the profile of the blog from public to private, and enabling password-protection. If you'd like to continue to have access, please email me.
P90X: Week Four
AWESOME week....loved the change-up in the routine. The week 4 is focused on Core, Yoga, and Cardio. Its not an easy week, by any means, just different. Core Synergistics was probably the hardest workout I've done in a long, long time....and its done twice during the week!! It focuses on everything and gets the job done in an hour. My favorites were the Plank-To-Chatarunga ISO's (Hold Plank for 10 seconds, then Chatarunga for 10 seconds....repeat for one minute) and the Sphynx Pushups (get on forearms & push up to Plank - max reps).
Accomplishments For The Week:
Accomplishments For The Week:
- Was able to do Upward Dog instead of Cobra for all of the vinyasas (somewhere between 12-15)
- Was able to do a push-up from Plank to Downward Dog for all of the vinyasas - I used to stop doing the push-ups about 40 minutes into it, was able to keep going
- Held the crane for 20-25 of the 60 seconds
- Didn't look like a total idiot this week during Kenpo - finally had some coordination...usually I worry about kicking a lamp over accidentally
Spark
Did you know that the more educated one is, the more likely they are to exercise.....or the more one exercises, the smarter they tend to be. Yep, actual statistics.This book explains why. It talks about the biochemistry that occurs within the brain: the neurotransmitters, the gas exchange, everything that occurs that causes our brains and bodies to benefit from physical activity and nutrition. It also talks about why these things are so important for our children, citing scientific studies.
Fascinating.
..."It was already known that exercise increases levels of seratonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine - important neurotransmitters that traffic in thoughts & emotions. You've probably heard of seratonin, & maybe you know that a lack of it is associated with depression....most don't know that toxic levels of stress erode the connections between the billions of nerve cells in the brain or that chronic depression shrinks certain areas of the brain. Conversely, exercise unleashes a cascade of neurochemicals and growth factors that can reverse this process, physically bolstering the brain's infrastructure. In fact, the brain responds like the muscles do, growing with use, withering with inactivity. Neurons in the brain connect to one another through "leaves" on treelike branches, exercise causes those branches to grow and bloom with new buds, enhancing brain function."
Highly recommend. Many thanks to the friend who recommended the book to me.
It Starts And Ends With One Question
A few years ago, a very good friend of mine asked me one question. It was a simple question, one that I needed to ask myself.
"Don't you feel like you deserve more than this?"
The context was different...but the question remained in my mind and on my heart for a long, long time. It took time in isolation, time away from everyone and everything for me to ponder. It took hour-long bus rides home from the city streets of Houston to the suburb where I lived full of journaling, much involving streams of tears that I'd try to hide from business-suit clad onlookers. It took long walks on my lunchbreak and weekends playing with my children in quiet stillness. It took introspection, and moving from denial to acceptance.
Yes, I deserve much, much more...and so do they.
I deserve to be happy. I deserve my health. I deserve to walk into a boutique full of cute womens clothing and to be able to pick something out, try it on, and purchase it without feeling pangs of dread and shame over where it will or won't fit my body. I deserve to play with my children without running out of energy. I deserve an hour a day where I focus on no-one but myself so that I can spend the other 23 hours of my day focusing on others. I deserve to hold my head up with confidence, to feel that all the hours of my day are productive and will amount to something that has meaning, to sleep each night soundly and restfully. I deserve to feel sensual in the bedroom, to give my best time and energy to people who appreciate it, to live a long, healthy life with those I love, to work at a job that I enjoy going to where I feel my skills are best utilized.
We all deserve this.
Asking ourselves this question is imperative. We start to work backwards from there. When we're honest with ourselves about what we deserve, it makes it easy to give up all of those things that take our happiness away from us. It shows us that we're not depriving ourselves by staying away from unhealthy foods or an unproductive job or a day off at the gym, but that indulging in these things on a regular basis deprives us of those things in life that we deserve.
Thank you, dear friend, for asking me the question that nobody else would.
"Don't you feel like you deserve more than this?"
The context was different...but the question remained in my mind and on my heart for a long, long time. It took time in isolation, time away from everyone and everything for me to ponder. It took hour-long bus rides home from the city streets of Houston to the suburb where I lived full of journaling, much involving streams of tears that I'd try to hide from business-suit clad onlookers. It took long walks on my lunchbreak and weekends playing with my children in quiet stillness. It took introspection, and moving from denial to acceptance.
Yes, I deserve much, much more...and so do they.
I deserve to be happy. I deserve my health. I deserve to walk into a boutique full of cute womens clothing and to be able to pick something out, try it on, and purchase it without feeling pangs of dread and shame over where it will or won't fit my body. I deserve to play with my children without running out of energy. I deserve an hour a day where I focus on no-one but myself so that I can spend the other 23 hours of my day focusing on others. I deserve to hold my head up with confidence, to feel that all the hours of my day are productive and will amount to something that has meaning, to sleep each night soundly and restfully. I deserve to feel sensual in the bedroom, to give my best time and energy to people who appreciate it, to live a long, healthy life with those I love, to work at a job that I enjoy going to where I feel my skills are best utilized.
We all deserve this.
Asking ourselves this question is imperative. We start to work backwards from there. When we're honest with ourselves about what we deserve, it makes it easy to give up all of those things that take our happiness away from us. It shows us that we're not depriving ourselves by staying away from unhealthy foods or an unproductive job or a day off at the gym, but that indulging in these things on a regular basis deprives us of those things in life that we deserve.
Thank you, dear friend, for asking me the question that nobody else would.
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