Day 272 - Rest Day

We went to church with Nicole and then we drove back home, so a very long day.

Day 271 - Off Day

I was traveling to Connecticut to spend time with Nicole, so no ability to workout today.  We hit a large pothole in NY that bent the rim on two wheels on kristi's car and caused them to go flat, so we had to deal with that and I ended up straining a muscle in my arm while removing the lug nuts on one wheel.  So, now I need to see what impact that will have on working out.

Day 270 - X2 Yoga - Three full runs through X2 completed

It's hard to believe that I started this program 9 months ago.  It's amazing to me how well this program works.  It does take some time to devote to it, but less than I spend on something like golf and unlike golf I seem to be getting better at this.  I've found a 5K run I plan to do next month in West Chester, so I'm looking forward to that.  I won't be able to workout tomorrow because we're heading up to UConn to see a football game and (more importantly) visit with Nicole.  I'm not too concerned about skipping tomorrow since I've done a good job of working out this week.  I'll be right back at it for another round of phase 2 on Monday, so I plan to enjoy the 2 days off and eat right.  I plan to do another 90 days on X2 at least and will possibly consider mixing in a different program starting in the new year.  At some point I need to work in some swimming if I plan to try to do a mini iron-man next year.

Day 269 - X2 Shoulders + Arms & X2 Ab Ripper

I was thinking that today was day 270, so it ends up I took the pictures one day early.   No big deal.  The changes at this point seem to be a bit slower, but I can still tell that it's working based on how I feel.  The effort spent doing phase 3 along with running is really helping my legs to get tighter.

I continue to enjoy the P90X2 program and plan to keep going at it at least for a full year before considering if I want to try a different one for a while.

Day 268 - Rest Day / Run Day

This is normally my rest day from P90X2, so I went for a run during lunch.  I did 5K (3.1 miles) in 27:02, so just under a 9 minute/mile pace.  Mile 1 my pace was 8:42, so it didn't fall off a lot throughout the course of the run.  I had a subway 6 inch turkey on wheat (with mustard and no cheese), baked lays, and apple slices for lunch and had a chocolate Shakeology shake with 1% skim milk for an afternoon snack to help me get a bit more protein.  Tonight I plan to relax and enjoy my rest night so that I'm recharged and ready to go again tomorrow.

Day 267 - Plyocide

Wow, once again I was sweating buckets by the time I was done.  I was able to increase reps on a couple of moves tonight and continue to get closer to not having to modify at all for this workout.  I'm enjoying running once a week, but the explosive cardio in this workout puts running to shame.  It's also the shortest workout in X2, so it's nice to get done so quickly and have some time still available at night.

Day 266 (Start of week 39) - Chest + Back + Balance & X2 Ab Ripper

The workout tonight seemed to go by pretty quickly.  I ate healthy today including having a serving of Shakeology with my breakfast and another with lunch to try to get my protein levels up a bit more than previous weeks.  I didn't sleep all that well last night (probably because I took a  nap yesterday afternoon), but in spite of that I really don't feel overly tired.  I'm psyched that in 4 days I will have completed this program three times through.  It's not easy to commit so much time and effort to working out, but it sure is paying off.  I was recently at the Dr. office for a follow-up visit and he reviewed my blood work results from the test done a couple of months ago and the words he used was "REALLY Good".  My response was, "That's good to hear" and he emphasized, "No, they are REALLY good".  Okay, I guess that's "REALLY good to hear".  My body fat % is now about 17%, which is pretty good for my age.  Ideally I would like to be more around 15%, so I keep going at this workout regimen.  Pictures in 4 days.

Day 265 - Rest Day

It's a nice Sunday with beautiful weather.  I enjoying going to church and then relaxing at home by taking a nap and watching some football and golf.  Days like this are so necessary to recharge the batteries.

Day 264 - Base + Back & X2 Ab Ripper

Wow, I must have forgotten how hard this workout is because it definitely caught me off guard today.  My breaks seemed a bit longer than usual and I definitely felt more tired than I would have expected.  That could be because I hit a lot of golf balls today and I was up late last night.  Not sure. I was able to increase reps on a  couple of things, but not many.  I hope to continue to increase a couple more next week.  I certainly am happy with how I look when I look in the mirror, so I know I'm not slacking off.  The definition in muscle tone is a slow, but continual process right now.  I'll take pictures again at Day 270.

Day 263 - X2 Yoga

I had a nice day off from work today and got to go golfing in the afternoon with my brother.  Tonight I got very frustrated because I tried to update the OS on my iPhone and it got completely hosed and now I have to take it into work to see what they can do with it.  So, to relieve some stress I decided to get my Yoga workout in despite the fact that my back was complaining from all of the golf.  So here I am at the end of a session of yoga and after taking a couple of Ibuprofen in hopes that I'll be able to sleep okay.  Eating today was a bit of a mixed bag.  Pretty good for most of the day except for the hotdog at the golf course.  Some things you just have to do when you;re golfing and a hot dog at the turn is one of them.

Day 262 - X2 Shoulders + Arms & X2 Ab Ripper

I worked it hard tonight and I can really feel the difference.  I especially worked hard at Ab Ripper and I worked up a really good sweat as a result.  My back is still a bit stiff from the backpacking trip.  Apparently hauling 50 lbs on my back did not do good things for the arthritis I have in the vertebrae between my shoulder blades.  I did some extra foam rolling, but usually it really takes some time of resting my back before it feels better.  That will just have to wait until Sunday.  :-)  I weighed in this morning and am now down to 138 (so officially total of 50 lbs gone since starting this journey).

Day 261 - Rest Day / Run Day

Today I went out for a nice run during lunch.  I was able to go 3.5 miles this time.  Woohoo.  I didn't time it, but I definitely took a reasonable pace to allow me to get a bit further.  I was concerned that my legs would be rubber after the hike, but it turns out things went fine.  The temperature was really nice today, so that helped a lot.  For lunch I made the vegan tropical Shakeology with milk and I actually liked it.  I'm not a fan of the chocolate, but tropical is pretty good.  Go figure.

Day 260 - Plyocide

No real issues with the workout tonight.  I felt the lower body part more than normal because of the workout I got from the backpacking trip, but all else was pretty okay.  I worked up a pretty good sweat doing this (as normal).  I'm looking forward to going for a run tomorrow on my rest day.  That should put my poor legs to a real test.  I have a feeling that doing phase 2 for 4 weeks straight it going to really help me continue to make progress.

Day 259 (Start of week 38) - Chest + Back + Balance & X2 Ab Ripper

Wow, I can tell I've been away from phase 2 for a week.  I plan to stick with phase 2 for the next four weeks to see if I can increase reps on some of the workouts.  I didn't rush it tonight, so it was nice to take it at a reasonable pace and focus on pushing hard on each move to get the most out of it.  Ab Ripper was good, but it wasn't my best effort (pretty average actually).  Later this week I hope to really focus on getting more out of Ab Ripper when I'm doing workouts that don't wipe me out as much as this one does.  I had a good level of protein today.

Day 258 - Rest Day

Another Sunday which translates to another day of rest from working out.  I'm very happy to find that my legs today feel good in spite of the strenuous backpacking yesterday.  Rich and I spent the morning taking my Dad to church in Pottstown.  He's talking about getting into working out, so I was glad to hear that.  I hope he's able to find a way to do it in his busy schedule.  Tomorrow it's time to bring it again with Phase 2.  I want to do phase 2 for the next four weeks to see if I can have it help me build some muscle.

Day 257 - Backpacking trip

Well, this trip definitely qualified as a good replacement workout for PAP Lower.  My legs are toast after this trip.  We did close to 10 miles with fully loaded packs up and down hills that were fit only for billy goats and pack mules.  Come to think of it, I guess I was the pack mule.  Eating went okay in spite of being on the backpacking trip.  Now it's time for a good night's sleep and a rest day tomorrow before starting back with Phase 2 for a couple of weeks.

Day 256 - P.A.P. Upper

I woke up this morning and started off the day by doing this workout at 6:30.  It went well and I now feel like I'm staying on schedule for this week in spite of the backpacking trip that I'll be on tonight and tomorrow.  For the trip I packed some healthy snacks like dried fruit, oatmeal, and granola bars, so I'm hoping to eat right throughout.  It should be a good weekend for backpacking.

Day 255 - Rest Day / Run Day

I had good intentions today to run in the AM and then do PAP Lower tonight.  I got the run in and did a full 5K before work.  Tonight my legs were feeling tired from the run and I thought better of the idea of doing PAP Lower right before going on a backpacking trip.  I also spent a good portion of the night getting ready for the trip.  So, tomorrow I plan to work from home and I am hoping to do PAP Upper during lunch before going on the trip and then on Saturday (time allowing) I hope to work in a round of Plyocide or Yoga (depends on my needs).

Day 254 - X2 Yoga

I was hoping to run today, but I got too busy to get out during lunch, so I'll need to try again tomorrow (maybe before work).  X2 Yoga was good tonight.  Tomorrow it's back to PAP Lower with no break this week because I won't be able to workout on Friday night.

Day 253 - P.A.P. Upper

Towel pullups are awesome.  As much as I enjoyed them I did not enjoy the Superman with weight.  Overall this workout seems pretty okay compared to some of the ones in phase 2.  The first complex is a bit harder than the second, but even plank on a medball didn't seem too bad tonight.  My knee is hurting a touch tonight, but I'm hoping that it won't keep me from running tomorrow.  My plan is to run at lunch and then do Yoga in the evening so that I can get all 5 days in even though I'll be on an overnight backpacking trip on Friday night.

Day 252 (Start of week 37) - P.A.P. Lower

Okay, I still hate Side Bridge Leg Lift.  No change there.  Note, it's not a mild dislike, it's a deep rooted hatred because of how terrible I am at it.  In spite of that I continue to struggle through it in hopes of someday being able to do it properly.  The rest of the workout was great.  I also played some table tennis during lunch today.  Note, this is not your average (slap the ball around) table tennis.  Four of us at work play competitive table tennis to the point where we've play in tournaments and have rankings etc.  It's been a little while since I've played because of golf, but I'm trying to get back into it some.  We played doubles and I got a pretty good workout from it.  I also hit some golf balls after work.

Day 251 - Rest Day

I am enjoying a nice relaxing day at home after going to church today.  I'm eating okay and am resting up my sore muscles in prep for a new week of phase 3 coming up on Monday. 

Day 250 - Base + Back & X2 Ab Ripper

I got my shirt in the mail today for completing at least one 90-day run through the program.  Took me long enough to apply for it.  I'm about to finish it for the third time at this point.  This way I got it in a size that will fit now that I'm not losing much more weight at this point.

The workout today was really good.  This one really makes me work with all of the jumping around and all of the pull-ups, but I guess that's why I like it so much.  It's hard and it's beneficial.  This program rocks.

Day 249 - X2 Yoga

Good workout tonight, but I overdid it a bit on the splits and strain a muscle in my leg.  That will teach me.  It's not too bad, but it annoys me that I did that.  Hopefully it won't take too long to recover.  I am also feeling some tenderness in my left elbow from the workout last night.  I guess some of these issues come with trying to push it at this age.  I just need to take it a bit easier in coming days.

Day 248 - X2 Shoulders + Arms & X2 Ab Ripper

This morning I started the day off by going for a run as soon as I got to work.  I got in 2.6 miles (2 laps around the park) and was sweating like crazy when done because of the humidity.  My watch decided it didn't want to work for me, so I didn't get a time on the run, but I wasn't pushing it hard.  Lunch today was not great.  We went to a local Greek fair in the area being sponsored by a co-workers church and had lunch there.  I had pork kabob with rice pilaf, green beans and a Greek side salad.  Tasty and very filling.  If lunch wasn't good then dinner was even worse.  Rich asked me to go to Dyers deli with him for hot wings (guys night out).  I had garlic Parmesan wings and some french fries.  The only thing that saved me today on calories was that I didn't have a lot of snacks and breakfast was okay.  I had the Beach Body Results & Recovery drink, a banana and a protein bar.  The workout tonight was good.  I pushed it hard with the dumbbells and got a lot out of Ab Ripper as well.  Hopefully I burned off a lot of the calories from today's eating.

Day 247 - Rest Day

Biggest news today is the temptation I had to face down during lunch today.  There is now a food truck that stops at our work once a week that makes fresh hamburgers and french fries out of their truck.  You evil people, what are you trying to do to me?  I thought about it, but walked past and went to the local grocery store and got a Healthy Choice frozen meal and a fresh side garden salad.  It feels odd to not be doing any working out tonight.  I had to run Stephen over to an activity, so it works out well that it was a rest night.

Day 246 - X2 Plyocide

Wow, so much sweating tonight.  I was doing the 5th round and was literally dripping sweat onto the medicine ball while I was doing the toe taps.  My entire shirt was drenched.  Running is a great cardio workout and is great for the legs, but it's got nothing on this workout.  I feel really good after finishing this tonight because I know I didn't hold anything back.

Day 245 (Start of week 36) - X2 Chest + Back + Balance & X2 Ab Ripper

I started off the day with a 3 mile run in a light rain.  I timed myself for the first time and the run came in at 26:28 (just under a 9 minute mile average).  I'm happy with that.  I had my heart rate watch on and checked my heart rate a couple of times.  By the time I finished I was up over 180, so that's kind of pushing it a bit.  I got home and made up a protein shake with frozen strawberries, took a shower and then ate a protein bar.  I needed to get my protein way up before this workout this afternoon.

Having just finished the workout I am now pretty tired.  That is a one-two punch that really hits hard.  Just made up my second protein shake for the day and I'm about to hit the shower again.

Day 244 - Rest Day

Today was a nice relaxing day.  I went to church and then took my Dad out for lunch.  I actually ate pretty well considering we ate out.  Soup, salad, chicken breast, broccoli and rice.  And I had enough left to have the remainder for dinner tonight along with some broccoli that I made.  To add a little flavor I put some Parmesan cheese on the broccoli.  Delicious.

Day 243 - X2 Base + Back & X2 Ab Ripper

Wow, that took it out of me today.  I increased my reps on a couple of things, but am happy to keep reps going in everything and doing them well.  I took a picture today and at first glance I don't really see much difference compared to 60 days ago.  Good news is that I am not back-tracking at all.  Eating today is going pretty well.