Day 679 - X2 Plyocide

Wow, my lower body muscles are so sore since doing Plyocide.  That's what I get for taking more than 6 weeks off from it.  Yoga tonight went pretty well.  I'm hoping that it helps me get rid of some of the soreness.  My back is starting to feel a bit better.  I'm not using as much Tylenol lately and the pain seems to be a bit less.  I took care to not overdo it during Yoga tonight. 

Yesterday was Christmas, so I got to indulge for dinner (including some desserts).  It was nice, but now I'm back to eating right. 

Day 678 - X2 Plyocide

So, I finally got back to an X2 workout today.  It felt okay on my back while working out.  But, I took two Tylenol right before working out, so time will tell if it was just the Tylenol doing it's job that made me think it didn't hurt much.  I'm hoping to do X2 Yoga on Thursday and then go for  a run on Saturday.  Tomorrow is Christmas, so the diet could be in for a bit of a shock tomorrow.  I'm glad I burned off some calories today.  I could definitely tell that it's been a while since I last did Plyocide.  I was sucking some wind throughout that workout.

Day 677 - 5K Run

Well, I've been taking it easy on the workouts because I'm hoping that it will help my back to recover while going through physical therapy.  Honestly, I don't think that either the physical therapy or the lack of working out is making any difference to help my back feel better.  Tylenol is helping however.

I decided to go for a run this morning since the weather has warmed up considerably this weekend.  It got to a high of over 50 today and is supposed to hit 70 tomorrow.  Very strange considering we've had multiple weeks of frigid temps and we've had multiple days of snow.  The run was not an easy thing to do today.  I had to stop a couple of times to walk before continuing.  It's amazing how quickly the conditioning dissipates if you take a break.  I can definitely tell that I'm also losing some of the muscle tone too.  I plan to just keep doing what I'm able.

Day 676 -5K Run & Ab Ripper

I went out for a morning trail run.  I did okay on time (8:52 / mile), but ran out of gas at the end of the run.  It was cold out and the trail was pretty wet because of recent rain, so conditions were not ideal.  I got through it okay.  Tonight I did Ab Ripper. It was not an issue at all. 

Day 675 - X2 Yoga

I'm a bit late posting this, but last night after work I got home and did a Yoga workout.  On Wed. and Thurs. nights I had Physical Therapy for my back and he was pushing on the muscles pretty hard to try to loosen them up, so my back was pretty sore when I started the yoga workout.  By the time I was done it definitely felt better.  I also did 15 chin-ups before yoga and I'm glad to see that I'm not back-sliding too much on my ability to do chin-ups.  After my workout I used a home traction machine that the therapist had me bring home to try.  It seems that traction on the neck helps to relieve pressure on the nerve that is bother me. 

Day 674 - 5K Run and Ring workout

Last night I had another physical therapy appt. for my back and it seemed to help.  By the time I left the appt. my upper back and neck were feeling considerably better than when I started the session.  He has me doing some stretches to help stretch out the muscles and hopefully settle the nerve into it's proper place.  These appointments are almost 90-minutes long and and go like this:

• Heat pack
• Range of motion test
• Muscle massage and direct pressure
• Neck pull using traction machine
• Stretching exercises
• Heat and electro-stimulation

This week I have three appointments set up, so I'm hoping this is going to really help me to feel better.  This morning I got out for a 5K Trail run.  Later today I plan to do an upper-body workout on the IM Rings (The IM Ring workouts are a lot less stress on my back than something like Chest & Back & Balance).   I may also mix in some Chin-ups if things are feeling good.

Day 673 - Morning run & X2 Ab Ripper

It's 8 Am and I'm about to go out for my normal Saturday run.  Problem is that it's only 22 degrees outside.  Well, that should wake me up this morning.

Update: The run went okay.  I did 3.5 miles in an average pace of 8:45/mile. Not great, but not terrible either.  After my run I did P90X2 Ab Ripper.  It's been a couple of weeks since I've done that workout and I can certainly tell.  Later today I just plan to do some light stretching to help my back muscles.

Day 672 - Workout with I.M. Rings

I decided I wanted to do an upper body workout today, but something like Chest + Back + Balance was probably too strenuous right now, so I tried the rings that I got that are similar to a TRX training system.  It allows me to do reps that focus on the chest, but adjust the amount of strain base on my position.  I could definitely feel some stress on my back, but it wasn't causing any issues with the nerve, so I got through the workout okay.  Tomorrow I'm hoping for a morning run and then maybe a round of X2 Ab Ripper.

Day 671 - Happy Thanksgiving - X2 Yoga

Well, today marks the 2 year mark from when I started the process to lose weight and get in shape.  2 years ago I weighed 188 pounds and was an out-of shape mess.  Now I weigh 140 and enjoy regular exercise and eating right.  I am very happy that I've been able to turn this into something more than just a short-lived "fad" for me.

I started physical therapy for my upper back and neck to see if that can help relieve some of the stiffness and soreness I continue to have.  It seems to be helping some, but progress is slow.  I've had to cut back on the workouts quite a bit.  The directive from the doc and PT guy are that I should not be doing anything that will aggravate the nerve, so that makes for a pretty short list of workouts.  I got a round of X2 Yoga done today after a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.

Day 670 - 4 Mile Run

I had my appointment on Wednesday with the Orthopedist and he suggested that I need to start to have some physical therapy and he also prescribed some medication to help with the muscle inflammation.  I had my physical therapy appointment on Friday and the therapist said that I could do some workouts, but avoid anything that causes my back to hurt.  I went out for a good run in the morning.  It was a cold 32 degrees outside, but in spite of that I enjoyed the run.  I took a branch off of the normal trail that went up hill at a very steep incline.  It was a good challenge and it felt good.

Day 669 - Chest + Back + Balance

Well, it was a bit of a struggle getting through the workout tonight because my back was pretty sore, but I took it slow and was able to finish.  I have a Dr. appt. on Wednesday to see if there is anything more that can be done about this issue with my back. Here's hoping they have some other ideas.

Day 668 - Run & P.A.P. Upper

I got in a nice run this morning on my favorite trail  I did a bit more than 5k (like normal) and averaged a pace of about 8:45/mile.  It was a bit chilly (50 degrees), but not terrible for running.    I did some yard work and then did my workout of P.A.P. Upper.  My back was sore, but I was able to push through the workout.  The only thing I didn't do is Superman with weight because it's really tough on my back (and because it's hard for me and I don't like it).

Day 667 - X2 Yoga

I ended up having two days off because of things I had to do on Thursday night that kept me from being able to work out.  That's okay because I'll make up for it on Saturday by doing a run in the morning and then doing PAP Upper in the afternoon.  I did X2 Yoga tonight and it was helpful with stretching out my muscles. I enjoyed the workout a lot.

Day 666 - P.A.P. Upper

I was off from work today, so I was able to enjoy most of the day just relaxing and doing a few things around the house.  I went to a matinee movie and then did my workout.  For a change of pace I decided to listen to an audio book that I've been listening to recently since I can do PAP Upper without having to listen to what is being said.  It was nice to have something to listen to help make the time pass while ding the workout.  I scheduled a follow-up with the Orthopedist because my back is continuing to hurt despite the steps I am going through to heat it before workouts and ice it down after.  I get to see him next week.

Day 665 - P.A.P. Lower

I got a late start on the workout tonight, but I still got it done.  I decided to do phase 3 this week because of my back bothering me recently.  I didn't have to modify the workout too much.  The only thing I skipped was Side Bridge Leg Lift.

Day 664 - X2 Yoga

It's Saturday morning and I started the day off with X2 Yoga.  My back has been feeling pretty sore lately.  I suspect the Cortisone shot that I got a few months back is pretty much worn off at this point, so my back is again flaring up pretty often (especially if I overdo it with a workout).  I'm trying to be reasonable about what I'm doing, but I need to look into options to get this issue fixed on a more permanent basis.

I went out for a 4-mile walk this afternoon to enjoy the nice brisk autumn weather.  I finished up the day with a round of X2 Ab Ripper.  I was surprised by how easy it;s getting again.  That's a good sign.  Now I just need to keep it going.

Day 663 - Run

I'm a bit late posting this.  This is for Friday.

I went for a run during lunch today.  I was hoping to do X2 Yoga in the evening, but my back muscles were still a little sore from the earlier workouts this week.  I decided to do yoga in the morning instead.

Day 662 - Ab Ripper

Today would normally be a rest day, but (as usual) I am doing Ab Ripper as a makeup for not getting it done on Monday after Chest + Back + Balance.  It went really quick (and pretty easy) tonight because I've been doing it more often lately.  I weighed in this morning and I am now again at 140 according to my scale, so it seems I'm putting back on a bit of the muscle weight since my pants still fit well.

Day 661 - Plyocide

I didn't add in any extra breaks tonight when I did this workout.  As a result it didn't take long to get through the workout, but it also meant that I literally had sweat dripping off of my face throughout the workout.  I recently got a fitbit to track my steps and sleep and I found it interesting that it recorded that I had 3 minutes of active time at the end of the day.  Wow, that is not very accurate considering I was jumping around like a mad man during this workout.

Day 660 - Chest + Back + Balance

Wow, so many pushups and Pull-ups in this workout.  My arms and shoulders are feeling it tonight.  I was happy that I got all the way through the workout without any shortcuts.  Tomorrow it's Plyocide time.

Day 659 - Run & X2 Ab Ripper

Well, I stayed pretty much on plan for this week with the workout activities.  Today I started off with a run in Hibernia park.  It was a nice fall morning with lots of colorful leaves to enjoy.

Eating was okay too.  I went a little over on calories, but wasn't too concerned because I burned plenty of calories in the morning with the 3.5 mile run.

Day 658 - P.A.P. Upper

I have a vacation day today, so I was able to get an early start on my workout.  It felt really good.  I increases the weight on the Renegade Row move (pictured left) to 25 lb. dumbbells for the first two sets and then dropped to 20 for the last 2 sets.  It felt good to get done early.  Now I can enjoy the rest of the day with Kristi celebrating her birthday.

Day 657 - X2 Yoga

Tonight I got home a bit later than normal and was lacking the motivation to workout, but I pushed through the laziness and got in my round of yoga.  The stretching seems to have helped my back to feel a bit better.  I'm off from work tomorrow for a vacation day, so I'm looking forward to being able to just relax some and get in either a run or PAP Upper (likely the latter because of the weather forecast).

Day 656 - P.A.P. Lower

I was able to do the lower workout tonight since I had to stop on Monday because my back was hurting.  So, adjusting the schedule, I plan to do Yoga tomorrow, Upper on Friday and a run and Ab Ripper on Saturday.  Here's hoping all of that works to plan.  My back still gets sore at times, but heating it and carefully ramping up the stress on the muscles is working so far this week.  Right now after working out an dicing my back and then applying some heat, it feels pretty good.

Day 655 - P.A.P. Upper

I tried to P.A.P. Lower last night, but started the workout and quickly realized that all of the jumping was hurting my back because I had been stretching the back muscle quick a bit before the workout.  So, I stopped and decided to just do alternating heat and ice to help it recover. Tonight I did get to do PAP Upper and it went pretty well. 

Also, very happy that I got a fitbit at my company 25th anniversary.  I plan to set it up to track it as a second source of calorie burn, but also to track my sleep cycles.

Day 654 - 5K Run & X2 Shoulders + Arms

I started off the day with a 5K Trail run in the brisk (45 F) weather this morning.  This was the first time I ran with the thermal top on today.  As usual, I still run in shorts because my legs don't really get cold at all.  I did however wear a stocking cap and loves too. So, that helped.

This afternoon I decided to finally do a round of Shoulders + Arms.  It's been months since I've been able to do this one, but since the doctor said it was okay to step up the intensity, I thought I would give it a try.  As expected, my reps for this workout are way down from where they had been, but I still got a lot out of the workout.  Right now I'm taking a break and enjoying a protein shake (Nature's Best Isopure mixed with water and ice and blended) before starting on a round of Ab Ripper.  This marks another milestone of late.  This will be the first time in a while that I mixed in a second round of Ab Ripper in one week. 

I'm definitely burning some calories today.  That's a very good thing because I need to get some of my definition back and I can't do that by doing half of the weekly workouts.  Next week I'm hoping to do phase 3 with very few modifications or adjustments.

Day 653 - X2 Yoga

I had my follow up appt. with the orthopedist today (for my back).  I explained that I still have some tightness in the muscles, but that I don't have the tingling in the nerves of my arm much any more.  He said it would be a good idea to apply heat before working out and that I should be okay to get back into slightly more intense workouts to build the muscles again.  Um, okay.  I didn't mention that I had already been doing that.  Anyway, the idea of using heat before the workouts is a good idea.  I did that before Yoga tonight and it did seem to help some.

Here is my Flex Friday picture for today.  I was able to do 15 chin-ups before starting the Yoga workout tonight.

Day 652- Plyocide

I got to do Plyocide tonight and it was a good workout.  My back muscles are feeling soreness because of the workout last night.  I'm still trying hard to make sure that I eat right.  tonight was a grilled chicken breast on a single piece of toast.

Day 651 - Chest + Back + Balance & X2 Ab Ripper

I've decided that I'm only going to post on days that I work out from here on out.  Posting for a rest day is pretty useless.  Luckily today was not a rest day.  I did take last week off to help recover from my lower back strain and I can certainly tell that I've been away for a week.  I got half way through the workout and was really feeling it in the arms, so I switched to Ab Ripper and then wen back and did the second half of the workout after Ab Ripper.  That actually helped a lot to do that.  Something I can consider for the future instead of breaking up the workout over two nights.  Now it's time to apply some ice to my sore back muscles.

Day 650 - Rest Day

Well, the fun with my back muscles continue.  I started to feel some tightness in the lower back yesterday, but it wasn't a lot.  This morning I went out to breakfast with my Dad and I strained that same spot while helping him into the car from his wheelchair.  So, I am now AGAIN dealing with back muscle issues.  Not happy about it.

Day 649 - 5K Run & Chest + Back + Balance

I got our for a morning run.  I did about 3.5 miles and decided to do it without timing myself so that I could just enjoy the run.  I did enjoy it too.  This afternoon I finished up Chest + Back + Balance.  It was nice to break that workout up into two parts.  I felt like I was able to put more effort into the second half that I would normally if I was doing the whole thing all at once.

Day 648 - X2 Yoga

I got in a round of Yoga tonight.  As usual, I started of with some chin-ups before the yoga workout.  I'm back up to 14 chin-ups, so I'm getting there.  Yoga was a bit challenging for me tonight.  I'm not sure why, but I was pretty tired by the time I got done.  Tomorrow morning (weather permitting), I plan to go for a run.

Day 647 - Chest + Back + Balance

I got started on the workout tonight and I got more than half way through it before having to stop.  My back was starting to feel it, so I opted to not push it tonight.  I'll finish up the work either tomorrow or Saturday and do X2 Yoga on the remaining day.  Ideally I would also like to get in another run on Saturday morning, so I'm leaning toward doing Yoga tomorrow night.  We'll see how things go.

Day 646 - 5K Run & X2 Ab Ripper

My back is feeling better, so I got out for a 5K run during lunch.  It was really windy out, but in spite of that I set a good pace of less than 8:15/mile.  Tonight I did Ab Ripper and my lower back did okay throughout that, so I think I'm back into workout mode for the rest of the days this week.  Thankfully.  I weighed in this morning and I'm still at the exact same weight of 138 (according to my scale, which means more like 141).  So, no change at all in weight for the past couple of months.

Day 645 - Rest Day

My back is feel a bit better today, but still a bit tender after straining it yesterday, so I'm giving it one more day before getting back to working out.  I'm actually sitting here tonight wishing I could be working out right now.  Three days in a row of not working out is not my idea of "bringing it". 

Day 644 - Rest Day - Muscle strain

Of all the bad luck, I was getting out of my car after running between buildings for a work meeting and I strained my lower back.  At first it seemed pretty minor, but as the day wore on I felt it tensing up.  So, no workout today.  I kept ice on it and we'll see how it feels tomorrow.

Day 643 - Rest Day

What a nice rest day I've had today.  I even got in a little nap in the afternoon.  I'm continuing to each well and keep my protein up. I don't have any soreness after that monster of a workout yesterday with Base + Back, so I'm happy about that.  Clothes are back to fitting as well as they had when I was at my height of workout intensity.  Assuming I continue to have no soreness, I plan to do another week of Phase 2 next week before switching to phase 3 again. Ideally I would love to get back to doing more than one round of Ab Ripper per week, but we'll see how things go.

Day 642 - X2 Base + Back

It's been a few weeks since I've done this routine, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  It turns out it went well.  I was able to increase reps on a number of moves and I felt pretty good by the time I was done.  I guess that's the advantage of getting back into my regular workout routine.  I was low on my protein today, so I did a scoop before my workout and then one after and I think that helps me to get through the workout better.

Day 641 - X2 Yoga

Tonight when I started yoga I decided that my goal was to focus on relaxing.  As usual, I did some chin-ups before starting.  I was able to do 14, so I'm almost back to where I was before when I could do 16.  I found it interesting that as I focused on relaxing, this caused me to pay attention to my breathing more than I usually do.  I'm not sure if this is related of not, but I broke out into more of a sweat than normal tonight too.  That could also be the warm temperatures and the humidity :-) It was a very good workout.  I went out and bought a suit today.  I wear a 38 short for suit jacket, but need 30" pants, so that''s pretty uncommon for a "off the rack" suit.  I ended up having to buy a suit as separates.  When I first tried on the 31" pants that came with a 38 suit they were much too big.  Fortunately every make is slightly different and I found a maker than had 30" pants that fit well.  I paired that with a matching 38S jacket and I'm in business with my first new suit since loosing all of the weight.

Day 640 - 3.4 mile run

I got out for a run after work tonight.  It was warm and humid, so running was a bit more difficult.  I did my favor trail run and I found that my legs felt like Jello when I started (likely because of finishing up Plyocide last night), but I pushed through.  I averaged a page of 8:39, so not too bad considering.  My back continues to feel a bit better these last couple of days.  I think that's because I am trying very hard to avoid stretching the muscles.  I'm hoping that this approach along with continuing to apply ice after workouts will give me better results than what I was getting by stretching it regularly.

Day 639 - Make-up Day

I got home tonight and my back and elbow were both feeling better than they were earlier in the week.  I started out the night by finishing Plyocide.  Once I got through that I went back and finished the rest of Chest + Back + Balance that I didn't get done on Monday.  So, good news is that I'm now back on track for this week.  No doubt each of the routines tonight were not quite as effective as if I had finished the work as part of the original workouts because I had an extra day (or two) to recover in between.  But, I stand by my decision to stop when I did.  It was the right decision to avoid injury.  The saying is "Do your best and forget the rest".  Words to live by.

Day 638 - Plyocide (sort of)

I started out the workout and quickly found that my back was getting very sore from all of the jumping around.  I got about a third of the way through the workout and stopped to ice my back to see if that would help.  It did for a while and I was able to do more of the workout, but it still hurt, so I decided to play it careful and stop the workout at just over the halfway point.  I've learned before that I can seriously injure myself if I don't listen to my body and I don't want to repeat that mistake.

Day 637 - Ab Ripper

I started to do Chest + Back + Balance tonight and got about a third of the way through it before stopping.  I had injured my left elbow last week while doing PAP Upper because it was clicking a lot while doing the push-up moves.  It started up again while doing this workout, so I decided to play it safe and switch to a different routine.  So, I did Abs tonight.  Hopefully I can finish up Chest + Back + Balance on Wednesday on my off night.

Day 636 - Rest Day

We went to church in Connecticut with our daughter and then make the 6 hour drive back home.  I'll be back at the workouts tomorrow.  My neck is a bit sore from sleeping in odd positions in the car, so that doesn't help.

Day 635 - Rest Day

It's Saturday and I'm in Connecticut visiting my daughter at UCONN.  Great day with her on campus, so no time for a workout today or tomorrow.

Day 634 - X2 Yoga

Tonight I had a good round of Yoga.  It helped me to stretch out my back, so I'm grateful for it.  I can tell that the last few weeks of getting back into a routine of working out is benefiting me.  My pants are fitting better again and some of my muscle definition is returning.  I just need to keep at it.

Day 633 - 5K Run

I got out for a run during lunch today.  I was hoping to do yoga tonight, but I was feeling pretty tired, so I decided to not double up today.  I'll do the yoga workout tomorrow.

Day 632 - Ab Ripper

I decided to just do Ab Ripper tonight.  I am then hoping to do the run during lunch tomorrow and get my round of yoga in tomorrow night.  This way I get a bit of a break this week.  I'm feelign the need to keep it light tonight.

Day 631 - P.A.P. Upper

I got home from work and had to spend some time cutting the grass.  By the time I was done I was less than energetic about doing this workout, but I once again decides that step 1 to figuring out what I was going to do tonight was to get changed.  After that I was down to either doing Ab Ripper or PAP Upper.  I decided to not take the "cop out" move, so I committed to doing PAP Upper.  What swayed me is that it includes ab work, so I knew that I could use the excuse that I needed to focus on my Abs by doing Ab Ripper.  I'm glad I did it.  Now tomorrow I get to choose to either go for a run or do Yoga.  Either is a very good choice.

Day 630 - P.A.P. Lower

My legs were feeling pretty tight tonight, so doing a leg workout was just the ticket.  I substituted jumping jacks for monster slalom because that always hammers my ankles.  I did 2 of the 4 of the side bridge legs lifts because that move is hard on the back.  Other than that I did the full workout.

Day 629 - Rest Day

It's Sunday.  It's a rest day.  It's a good day to prepare for the coming week.  Breakfast today was Bob's Red Mill 7 grain hot cereal, 3 eggs and a protein bar.  Pretty typical for me.

Day 628 - X2 Yoga & Golf

I started out the day with X2 Yoga.  It was a great way to start the day.  Later in the afternoon I enjoyed a round of golf with my son at a golf outing.  After the round my back was feeling it some, but not too serious.  It's been a while (last year) since I played 18 holes of golf.  I can tell too.

Day 627 - Rest Day

I enjoyed a day off from working out tonight.  I spent the day helping my brother haul off junk and then at night enjoyed an evening at home relaxing with my wonderful wife.

Day 626 - 5K Run

I went out for a run after work.  I got in a 5K trail run at a pace of 8:12/mile.  I was pushing the pace tonight because the light was disappearing quickly.  That felt good to set a new quickest pace for a trail run.

Day 625 - X2 Ab Ripper

Well, it's Wednesday again, so I'm doing my Ab Ripper workout that I didn't do on Monday (because Chest + Back + Balance was enough on it's own).  Tomorrow is hopefully a run day for me.

Day 624 - Beachbody challenge & X2 Plyocide

Well, it was official today that I won the daily challenge on Teach Beachbody.  Woohoo.  They said 30, but really it's been more than 40 lbs. lost since starting X2, but no matter.

Today I am feeling it a bit in the muscles after doing Chest + Back + Balance last night.  I guess that's a good thing.  It was a really intense workout last night.  Tonight I did Plyocide and it went pretty well.  As usual there was lots of sweating involved.

Day 623 - Chest + Back + Balance

Wow, that was not an easy workout tonight.  So many pullups and pushups, but I got through it and I feel pretty good now that it's done.  Tomorrow my transformation story is supposed to be posted on the Beachbody site.  I am one of their daily winners for the entry I submitted about having completed X2 four times and having dropped from a 37" waist down to 29" and losing 37 punds in the process.  Technically I've lost 50 since starting this blog, but only 37 or so since starting X2.  I lost some before starting X2 because of diet and exercise (mainly walking & pushups).

The other thing I'm very excited about is that my twin brother is working on losing weight.  He's starting to eat right and has started to get out for daily walks.  He's already dropped one pants size and was able to take my old 37" pants (which I will never ever need again).  Go Rich.

Day 622 - Rest Day

It was a beautiful Sunday today. I got to go to breakfast with my brother and my dad and then wen to church this afternoon.  The rest of the day was spent at home relaxing and even taking a short nap before dinner.  Starting tomorrow I plan to do another week of phase 2.

Day 621 - Run & P.A.P. Upper

I started out the day with a great 5k run this morning on the trail.  I got a new best time of 8:22/mile over a distance of 3.25 miles.  Tonight I did P.A.P. Upper and got a good workout from it too.  I still decided to skip Superman with weight, but I'm thinking that next time I can try to do it, but not use any weight right away.  I went to a church picnic tonight where they had a pig roast.  It was okay, but I didn't eat much.  Too much junk food for my liking.  I had some of the pork and had some salad and some fruit.

Day 620 - X2 Ab Ripper

I was going to go for a run tonight, but I ran out of daylight, so I plan to run tomorrow morning.  I did X2 Ab Ripper tonight and decided to do a short video showing the different moves.

Day 619 - X2 Yoga

My work environment has been very stressful over the last few days, do being able to relax and do X2 Yoga was a welcome stress relief tonight.  At the beginning of the workout Tony asks the questions "what do you want to work on today?".  Some days I think "Push it hard", other days I think "focus on stretching".  Tonight it was just about trying to relax and enjoy the chance to decompress.  It was good.

I got a phone call tonight from Team BeachBody saying that I won their $500 prize for the transformation story that I submitted.  That was a nice surprise.  There are so many people that have amazing transformations that I really didn't think I had much of a chance of winning.  Very cool.

Day 618 - Rest Day

I'm taking tonight as a rest night.  I pushed it pretty good the last two nights and feel like a night off tonight.  Tomorrow I plan on Yoga, then a run on Friday and PAP Upper on Saturday.  At least that's the current plan.

Day 617- P.A.P. Upper

I got the PAP Upper workout in tonight.  I was able to get back up to the 20lb. dumbbells for the row moves and the press moves, so that's close to the best I used to do.  Also, I was able to do more towel pullups tonight with no issues.  My back is feeling better all the time.  I'm very happy about that.

Day 616 - X2 P.A.P. Lower

I got in a good round of PAP Lower tonight.  I was able to do most of the workouts with normals weights, so I think I may feel it tomorrow in the legs.  It's nice to get back into the groove of working out at least 5 days a week.  It certainly is helping me with my cardio endurance.

Day 615 - Rest Day

It's a beautiful Sunday and I'm enjoying the rest day to recharge my batteries for this coming week.  Now that I've done two weeks of phase 2, I think I'll switch back to phase 3 this coming week, so that means P.A.P. Lower on Monday.

Day 614 - X2 Yoga

I was able to get my yoga workout in today.  It felt really good to stretch out all of my muscles.  I also played some basketball this morning.  It wasn't much of a workout, but was fun.

Day 613 - Rest Day

We got to go out to dinner tonight and then had a bunch of errands to run, so tonight ended up being a rest night.  I'll get mu yoga in tomorrow.

Day 612 - 3 mile run

I got out for a run after work tonight.  Weather was nice and I was able to do the three miles without having to stop.  It's getting easier to get back into the rhythm of running again.  My legs feel stronger and my cardio endurance is m\improving. 

Day 611 - X2 Ab Ripper

Once again I got my Ab Ripper workout in on my rest night.  I really need to find a way to get this workout done more than once per week.  I used to do it three times per week and it wasn't hard when I was doing that.  At once a week it is far more challenging.

Day 610 - Plyocide

I had a vacation day today, so I was able to attack Plyocide early and get it done with plenty of time left in the day to relax.  I love vacation days when I have absolutely nothing planned.  I hit some golf balls this afternoon and I'm feeling it a bit in my back as a result.  I'm glad I just hit a small bucket.

Day 609 - AM Trail run & Chest + Back + Balance

It's Labor Day and I started out the day with a 5K trail run. I did 3.28 miles in a time of 28:30. Pace of 8:42/mile.

This afternoon I did Chest + Back + Balance.  The move pictured here is called elevated stability ball push-ups.  I did 20 of these as one of the moves in the workout.  It's a tough routine because it's a mix of pull-ups and pushups for an hour.  Last week I wasn't able to finish the routine, but this week (with some good breaks thrown in) I was able to get through all of the moves.  My reps are down from what I was able to do back in May, but that's to be expected since I had such a long recovery for my back injury.  So far my back is hanging in there as I increase the workouts. I'm applying ice to my back muscles as I type this. Just to be safe.

Day 608 - Rest Day

It's my day off from working out.  I'm enjoying a nice day with the family and trying to eat right.  I went out to lunch with my brother and Dad after church and we went to Chili's.  I had the sirloin and broccoli lunch with a side salad.  Pretty healthy.  For dinner Kristi made roast chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy.  Yum.

Day 607 - X2 Base & Back

Well, I was finally able to give this workout a try after being away from it for 3 months.  Wow, what a workout that is.  I took some breaks along the way and the reps are less than I was doing 3 months ago, but I did the workout.  Also, I'm happy about my workout week this week.  I worked out for 6 days straight this week.  Tonight we're going out for my daughter's birthday.  She turns 21 on the 2nd.  I think I've earned a night of eating out.  I'll still take it easy on what I eat.

Day 606 - X2 Yoga

It's Flex Friday, so here is my flex for this week. 

I had a follow-up with my doc about not being able to sleep.  I don't like having to use Ambien every night, but want to be able to sleep.  One thing he suggested made some sense.  He suggested trying a melatonin supplement since a shortage of it would cause sleeplessness.  I picked up a bottle at GNC and thought I would try it. 

Yoga tonight went well.  I was able to get through it without any added breaks.  As usual, I found it
to be a good workout, but also relaxing.

Day 605 - 3 mile run

I got out for a 3 mile run right after work.  It was pretty warm and I was feeling it by the half way mark, so I stopped and walked for a bit and then turned around and did the other 1.5 miles running.  It felt pretty good by the time I was done.  Tomorrow it's hopefully Yoga and then I need to decide on what to do Saturday.  My back continues to feel better all the time.  I'm at about 85% right now and improving all the time.

Day 604 - X2 Ab Ripper

It's supposed to be a rest day for me today, but I didn't do Ab Ripper on Monday, so I decided to do it tonight.  It's a short workout, but is pretty intense. 

Day 603 - Plyocide

I was debating whether I wanted to do this one tonight or hold off for a day before doing it.  In the end I decided to do it tonight so that tomorrow I can do Ab Ripper then go for a run on Thursday.  Wow, it kicked my butt tonight.  I took a few small breaks along the way, but got through the whole routine.  It's hard to believe that a few months ago I got through this without much issue.  Goes to show how quickly my body can regress when being away from these workouts. 

Day 602 - Chest + Back + Balance

This was my first time getting back to this workout for a number of months now.  I decided to do it without the workout sheets so that I wouldn't push myself to do more than I am able.  I got most of the way through the routine before deciding that doing more might be pushing my luck a bit.  I could definitely feel this stretching my back muscles out.  I'll be curious to see how my neck and back feel in the morning.  That really is a very good workout. I'm glad to be able to get back to it (even if I had to modify some).

Day 601 - Rest Day

Beautiful day today.  I back to not being able to sleep well at night.  No idea why.  I've cut out all caffeine over the last two weeks to make sure it's not related to that.  It doesn't seem to be.  I'm having to rely on Ambien again (which I don't like having to take).  So, feeling rather sluggish today.  I'm glad it's a rest day today.

Day 600 - X2 Yoga

What a busy day.  Took a load of yard waste to the dump (including some old rotten logs) and then cut the grass and went to hit some golf balls at the range.  After all of that, I got in my Yoga workout in.  I sure do love that workout.  I was considering doing a different one today, but I'm glad I did yoga. It was nice to do it after hitting golf balls because my back needed the stretching.

Day 599 - Rest Day

I got to go out to dinner with my wife tonight and we ran some errands, so I didn't have a chance for a workout.  That's okay since I'm working out every other day this week except for Sunday.

Day 598 - 5K run

I went out for a run after work and was able to get the run in without having to stop to walk.  Eating is continuing to go well.  I was sweating something fierce because of the humidity.  Someone brought cookies to a meeting today and I really wasn't even tempted to eat any. 

Day 597 - P.A.P. Upper

I got in a good round of PAP Upper today.  I was able to increase the weight with the row moves and I did some towel pull-ups this week and increased reps from 6 to 7 on the pull-ups and chin-ups.  I still skipped Superman with weight, but I did well on all of the other moves and my back feels pretty good.  Hopefully I can stay on track and do Yoga tomorrow and a run on Friday and then we'll see what I feel like doing on Saturday when the time comes.

Day 596 - X2 Ab Ripper

I was going to do PAP Upper tonight, but by the time I got done cutting the grass and going out to get some dinner (Kristi wanted to get out) and going to pick up a few things at the grocery store it was getting a bit late to start it, so I decided to do Ab Ripper so that I can get a round in this week.  I'll do PAP Upper tomorrow night and then Yoga on Thursday.  Calories and protein are again good today.

Day 595 - P.A.P. Lower

I got to do P.A.P. Lower tonight and the only modification I had to make was to replace monster slalom with doing jumping jacks because monster slalom consistently causes me to sprain my ankles, so I've learned my lesson on that one.  I used 20lb. dumbbells for step-up convicts and 15lb. for squat cross reach, so not too bad.   Side bridge leg lifts were a killer for me.  I almost didn't finish the last one.  It was all I could do to keep from letting my foot touch the floor.  Pretty ugly, but I didn't give up. 

Day 594 - Rest Day - Yes, for real

I had an actual rest day today and it was really nice.  I did have my normal time at church with the fun of teaching a Sunday School class of 6 4-year-olds without Kristi being there.  That was a bit chaotic and we unloaded the vehicles this morning, but tonight was nice and relaxing.  Tomorrow it's back to working out.  It's been a weekend of a bit too much eating, so it's time to get back into my normal routine.  Today's eating was pretty good.  I stayed within calories.

Day 593 - Rest Day (not really)

Again, it was a no-workout day because Ashley had her ring ceremony and reception today, so I got finish up prep work and then spend the day enjoy time with here and everyone there.  It was a long day again.  We finished clean-up at around 11:30 PM.  Tomorrow I get to hopefully have an actual rest day and then I'll be back to working out on Monday.

Day 592 - Rest Day (not really)

I didn't workout today, but that doesn't mean I was resting.  I spent the whole day setting up for my daughter's wedding tomorrow.  I got to haul around the buckets with concrete that we using for dividers walls.  It was a very busy day and it was rather hard to eat healthy today.  Breakfast was okay, but lunch was pizza and dinner we had out at Carraba's with the wedding party.  I'm over on calories today, but not by a ton.  I tried to take it easy on portion size.  Next workout will likely be on Monday because of the ceremony tomorrow and I don't workout on Sunday.

Day 591 - X2 Yoga

Tonight was a good night of yoga.  I took my time by taking a couple of short breaks, but put a lot of effort into focusing on the moves.  My neck was a bit tight, but doing the yoga and icing it afterward seems to be helping.  I was hoping to get out for a run today during lunch, but my brother called wanting to get together for lunch and I couldn't pass up the chance to take him to the local Indian restaurant.

Day 590 - Rest Day

I spent the whole day driving to DC and back for my daughter's wedding.  Great day, but I'm wiped and glad for a rest day.

Day 589 - 5K run

I got out for a run tonight.  It was really humid, so I ended up sweating a lot.  I did 5K, but again took a brief break in the middle and walked about a 1/4 mile before starting to run again.  I took the second half at a more reasonable pace and it definitely felt better than the last time I ran.  My back seems to be doing okay after last night's workout.  I have a bit of tenderness, but nothing serious.

Day 588 - P.A.P. Upper

I was planning to go for a run, but there was an accident that made it nearly impossible for me to get anywhere, so I decided instead to stay home and do P.A.P. Upper.  I modified a bit to make sure that I didn't over-do it, but the only exercise that I skipped was Superman with weight because I know that would have done no good for my back.  My back is feeling okay so far after the workout, but I'm icing it just to be safe.  Tomorrow I hope to get the run in or do Plyocide.  I noticed tonight that the shorts I was wearing seemed a touch on the tight side, so even though I have kept weight in check that does not mean I haven't digressed on my conditioning.  Not happy about that, but I'm working on getting back into it, so that's good.  I just need to carefully keep at it without re-injuring myself.

Day 587 - Rest Day

It's Sunday and that means no workouts.  Having had yesterday as a rest day from working out, I am now looking forward to getting back into doing something tomorrow.  Part of me wants to try Chest & Back & Balance, but I'm concerned that is may be mo more than I should be taking on.  Not to mention I don't have access to my chin-up bar because the basement is in full pre-wedding chaos mode.  So, I'll likely just go out for a run tomorrow after work.

Day 586 - Rest day (sort of)

While I didn't do a normal workout today, I was bust doing lots of things that required lifting of heavy objects.  My daughter Ashley is getting married next weekend and my wife is having me help make dividers that can be used in the building to hide the table from view during the ring ceremony.  So, the design is to make 15 buckets filled with concrete with a PVC pole and connector sticking out of each bucket.

The day started off with a trip to Home Depot to get concrete and buckets etc.  Each bag was 60 lbs. and I had to get a total of 8 bags, so I got my workout by hauling and mixing all of the concrete and putting it into the buckets.  It also happened to be rather time consuming.  By the time I got done doing that and cutting the grass (which required me to bag) and trimming some trees and washing my car, I was out of gas. I'm glad this day is done.

Day 585 - X2 Plyocide

I worked up a good sweat doing Plyocide tonight.  It's been quite a while since I've been able to do this workout and I had to take a couple of breaks during it, but I got a lot out of the workout.  My back was a touch stiff while doing it, but feels good now that I iced it right after the workout.

I weighed in the morning and weighed 137, so I suppose I need to get back into some weight training because I think I'm losing the weight in the form of muscle.

Day 584 - Rest Day

I was busy all night doing projects in prep for the wedding reception for my daughter.  Wedding is just over a week away, so things are pretty nuts on the preparation front.  I'm hoping to go for a run tomorrow night.

Day 583 - X2 Ab Ripper & I.M. Rings

I set up the I.M. Rings tonight and enjoyed a few reps on the rings.  I then did X2 Ab Ripper.  As usual, the workout was not as easy as it used to be.  I guess that's to be expected considering the extended layout from working out.

Day 582 - 3 mile run

After work I went out for a run.  I felt a bit better this time around.  I still had to take a short break at the half-way point, but it was only for a minute or so and then I started to run again.  Less soreness in my legs this time around too.

Day 581 - X2 Yoga

I can certainly tell that it's been a few weeks since I last did X2 Yoga because that was a workout tonight.  A couple of muscles were a little tight, but nothing too bad and no real serious soreness.  I am hopeful that the yoga workout will help me to get over the leg soreness.  Weather permitting I am hoping to get another run in tomorrow night so that I can start to get back into a routine.

Day 580 - Rest Day

It's Sunday, so nothing going on today.  My legs are really sore after the run yesterday.  I'm amazed on how quickly I lost my conditioning because of having to stop the workouts.  I tried a few push-ups and chin-ups today to see how it feels tomorrow.  I think the cortisone injection is really going to turn out to help.  The injectioon spot is still sore, but I am feeling some relief in my upper back.

Day 579 - 4 mile walk/run

I got out for a run this morning.  It was nice to be running again, but no surprise I got winded pretty quickly, so I had to walk for about 1/2 mile of the run.  My legs are feeling it after the run, but it feels good to be doing something more that stretching and walking.

Day 578 - Rest Day

I went out to dinner for my anniversary.  I took the night off from working out tonight because the spot of the injection was pretty sore.

Day 577 - No workout - Cortisone injection

Nothing happening today because in the morning I went for my Cortisone injection.  They administered this using X-Ray and it was actually a more involved procedure than I thought it would be.  Today I'm recovering from this and keeping ice on the point of injection.  Tomorrow I hope to go for a walk and then hopefully start to move into more exercises next week like running and Yoga etc.

Day 576 - Rest Day

Tomorrow morning I go for my Cortisone shot and I and supposed to take it easy, so having a rest night tonight.  I will likely be sticking with just doing some walking for the next few days until I get a sense for how I feel after getting the shot.  I am hoping it helps to relieve the pain some.

Day 575 - 4 mile walk

I went for a walk again tonight.  Weather was amazing and I really enjoyed the chance to get outside.  I just wish I could have been running instead.  It's hard to be out there walking and be passed by so many that are running on the trail.  Eating continues to go pretty well, but lately my protein level is at about 100 grams, so a bit lower than previously.

Day 574 - 4 mile walk

I went for a 4 mile walk after work tonight.  I still have some soreness in my back, so if I was previously questioning the need for the cortisone shot, I have since changed my mind.  I am very much looking forward to hopefully getting some relief so that I can get back to some real workouts.

Day 573 - Yet another rest day

I'm resting a lot lately, but that seems to be the right course for allowing my back to recover.  Tomorrow I'll likely just go for a walk to at least try an burn some calories.

Day 572 - Another rest day

I feel like such a sloth not being able to workout.  But, I definitely feel a bit better today.  I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I'm wondering if I'm jumping the gun with trying to get a cortisone shot at this point.  I'll decide on Monday since the doc is supposed to call me with an appt. time on Monday.  At least I'm doing okay with my eating still.

Day 571 - Rest Day

I had my Dr. Appt. today to review my MRI results.  The doctor says I have some degeneration, but it's not severe.  I now have a cortisone shot scheduled for Thursday and have instructions from the doctor to avoid any workouts that cause pain.  Well doc, that's pretty much any workout right now :-)  So, it looks like I'll be sticking to walking until things improve.  I weighed myself this morning and I now weigh less than I did a week ago.  I'm now back down to 138, so I continue to lose muscle mass.  I'm not happy about that, but also realize that it's more important for me to heal than it is for me to continue to workout and cause more issues.  It's time for me to get very serious about the rest necessary to recover.

Day 570 - Walk

I went for a 4 mile walk again tonight.  I was hoping to do Yoga, but decided against it until after I have the Dr. Appt.  Besides, the weather was great and I wanted to be outside.  it takes me almost an hour to walk 4 miles, so it's a good thing I have an audio-book to listen to.  Eating this week is going pretty well.  They had free pizza at work for lunch today, but I resisted the urge and went to subway for a 6" ham sub instead.

Day 569 - Rest Day

My back was so sore today that I had to take two Ibuprofen today.  It's amazing how well that worked at taking away the pain.  It's easy to understand how I got into the mode of taking that so often before.  I sure hope I can get the Cortisone shot on Friday.  Hopefully tomorrow I won't be so sore so that I can try to do Yoga, but I'm going to make sure to not over do it between now and Friday.

Day 568 - Walk

I went for a 4 mile walk after work and I did it at a quicker than normal pace.  I got the 4 miles done in about 50 minutes or so.  I got word back on my MRI results and the doc says I have deterioration in at least one spot of the spine.  No surprise there.  So Friday during the exam we're going to discuss a cortisone shot.  Here's hoping it helps because this soreness is getting old.

Day 567 - Tai Cheng & Ab Ripper

Well, I've given Tai Cheng a fair shake, but I don't think it's the right program for me.  I particularly don't like how all of the instructors in the video are facing the camera which requires me to reverse everything I see in the TV.  I suppose I could just pretend it's a mirror and do it backward, but I still don't think that going to keep me doing this :-)

I also did Ab Ripper tonight and that actually went pretty well.  My neck and back are continuing to feel a bit better.  It's not healed yet, but every day it feels a bit better.  No doubt I messed it up but good and just masked it with pain meds for way too long.  Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.  I keep thinking I've learned, but apparently not.

Day 566 - Rest Day

It's Sunday and it also happens to be my Dad's 85th birthday (at least it will be this week).  We're heading up to Pennsburg to celebrate with him by going to out to breakfast.  Then in the afternoon it's off to church, so it's going to be a pretty busy day today.  I weighed in again today and am still maintaining weight, but I can tell that some muscle is being lost.  I can tell by how my clothes fit.  I am so looking forward to getting back to doing workouts like running and Plyocide etc.  I feel like such a sloth right now.

Day 565 - Walk & X2 Yoga

I got out for a 3 mile walk this morning.  This afternoon I also did X2 Yoga, so I'm feeling pretty good about getting two rounds of Yoga in this week.  Next week I have my follow-up appt. with the doc and I'm hoping to be able to get back to some light workouts.  I still have some tightness in my neck, but it's slowly getting better.

Day 564 - Tai Cheng Week 2 & Ab Ripper

Today I did day 1 of week 2 for Tai Cheng.  It allowed me to combine a couple of moves, so it was a bit more interesting.  I also did Ab Ripper today.  My back was sore from all of the foam rolling yesterday, so I iced it and that helped a lot.  I had the day off from work today and did a bunch of running around, but it also meant that I was able to get the workout in earlier than usual for a Friday.  It was too hot today to go for a walk.  Hopefully I can do that walk tomorrow.

Day 563 - Recovery & Mobility

Did some foam rolling and stretching tonight.  It helped my back to do this.  Tomorrow I plan to do Ab Ripper.

Day 562 - X2 Yoga

I got in a nice round of Yoga tonight.  My back continue to feel better each week that I continue to let it rest.  Almost no pain tonight while doing the routine. 

Day 561 - Rest Day

No time or desire to workout, so today is my rest day.  I'll be back at it tomorrow.

Day 560 - Tai Cheng Day 6 & X2 Ab Ripper

I finally got through the first week of Tai Cheng tonight.  Now I get to start to combine some of the moves together in coming weeks.  Thankfully.  I also did Ab Ripper, which was a good workout, but I also felt it on my neck with all of the strain associated with it.  I'm icing it down right now.  Hopefully tomorrow I will feel well enough to get another round of Yoga in tomorrow. It's too warm right now to go out for walks (90+ degrees).  My eating continues to go well.  I'm doing okay at staying at 2200-2300 calories and I weighed in this morning at 140 (according to my scale).  Which means I still weight about 143-145 or so.  I've held that weight now for more than 8 months now.

Day 559 - Rest Day

I woke up this morning with some tightness in my back from doing yoga yesterday, so as the day it progressing it's starting to feel better.  As usual, no working out today since it's Sunday.  I'll be back at it tomorrow doing things that I'm allowed, but I definitely need to get a session of Ab Ripper in since it's been a while.

Day 558 - Walk & X2 Yoga

I started the day with a 4 mile walk and I did X2 Yoga in the afternoon.  My back is definitely feeling better today, so the Recovery & Mobility yesterday did help some.  Doing Yoga today was a lot less painful compared to the last time I did it.  I did some pullups before doing yoga tonight.  I'm not supposed to, but I couldn't help but do a few before doing the yoga workout.  I was able to do 16, so I'm hopefully not losing too much muscle yet.

Day 557 - Mobility & Recovery

My back was really sore tonight, so I decided to do some stretching and foam rolling.  Here's hoping it helps.  It seems like it's going to take forever to recover at the slow rate this muscle is healing.

Day 556 - Rest Day

My neck is pretty sore tonight, so I'm giving it another night off.  Messing with loading the canoe on the truck last night didn't help things with the recovery.  I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel for recovering from this muscle issue in my neck.  It just seems to be taking a really long time to get back to the point where it's not hurting any more.  I keep telling myself that I need to be patient.

Day 555 - Rest Day

I had a lot going on tonight, so no time for a workout.  I'm planning to do Ab Ripper tomorrow.  I checked my weight and I'm staying steady at 140, so I'm happy about that.

Day 554 - Walk

Tonight I went for a 4 mile walk.  That sure does take a lot longer than going for a run.  I am getting so impatient to get back to normal workouts.  But, good news is that my back is starting to feel better as each day passes.

Day 553 - Tai Cheng Day 5 & Ab Ripper

During lunch I went for a short walk around the park.  In the afternoon I went and got my MRI done, so that I can get some info from my doctor.  My back was feeling a bit better today, so it seems that resting it lately has been helping.  Ab Ripper put some strain on it tonight.  I could feel it getting tight again after the workout, so I have Ice on it for a while.  Tai Cheng was again a very short workout, but I found "Push" to be an interesting move that made more sense to me tonight, so I have some hope for the Tai Cheng going forward.

Day 552 - Rest Day

Today was a good relaxing day.  As usual, no workouts on Sunday.  It seems my back is feeling a bit better today than it had recently.

Day 551 - Tai Cheng & Ab Ripper

Tai Cheng so far is a bit of a disappointment.  I was hoping for something like Yoga that incorporates Tai Chi moves, but so far it's just foam rolling and a few minutes practicing a specific move.  I sure hope it gets more interesting in the future weeks because this is pretty boring so far.  Ab Ripper went well.  I am so looking forward to being able to get back to X2 and running.

Day 550 - 4 mile walk

I spent the majority of my day off driving my Dad around to visit a different nursing home in West Chester.  My back was pretty sore today, so I decided to just do some foam rolling tonight and I did a 4 mile walk.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to do Ab Ripper if the back is feeling up to it.

Day 549 - Walk & X2 Yoga

I woke up this morning with less pain in my back.  I think the extra foam rolling yesterday and the stretching at night really helped, so I'm doing the same today.  I got in a 4 mile walk this morning and then did X2 Yoga this afternoon and was able to get through it with less pain today.  I stopped at a couple of points to do some foam rolling to work the tightness out of my back muscles. Now I plan to ice my back and will foam roll again later tonight after our picnic.  I've been eating well so far today, but also know that the picnic with hamburgers and hotdogs is going to do a number on my calorie count for the day.  Oh well, do your best and forget the rest.

Update: Yep, the picnic blew my calories out of the water today.  I got up close to 4000 today.  It's been a long time since I've been past 2500, so this is pretty high for one day.  Tomorrow it's back on track and eating right.

Day 548 - X2 Recovery & Mobiility

I got a foam roller with my new Tai Cheng program, so I decided to take my old one to work so that I can foam roll my back throughout the day.  It seemed to help some, but it also made the tight muscle pretty soar tonight.  I tried to do X2 Yoga, but had to stop after a short time because it was hurting too much, so I decided to focus on some foam rolling and stretching.  I go for my MRI on Monday to find out how things look.  Here's hoping it's nothing too serious.  I think the doctor is right that most of my issue is a muscle closer to the neck.  I really feel the tightness then trying to tilt my head to the left.  Tomorrow I'm planning to go for a walk since I have the day off for Independence Day.

Day 547 - Rest Day

My back muscle was very sore today, so I just did some foam rolling.  Tomorrow I plan to do Ab Ripper and Tai Cheng again.  Dinner tonight was hamburger patties and fried potatoes, so not exactly a healthy night for dinner :-0

Day 546 - Tai Cheng Day 3 & Ab Ripper

I did day 3 of Tai Cheng and Ab ripper tonight.  Not a huge workout, but at least I'm able to do something while in recovery.

Day 545 - Rest Day

My back was pretty sore when I woke up this morning, but as the day progresses it's feeling considerably better.  It seems that taking it easy on the workouts is paying off.  I'm hoping that staying with Tai Cheng and Ab Ripper will allow me to get over this issue soon.

Day 544 - Tai Cheng Day 2 & X2 Ab Ripper & 4 mile walk

I started off the day with a nice 4 mile walk at a pretty fast pace.  This afternoon I did the 2nd day of Tai Cheng and then did Ab Ripper.  Once again I found the round of Tai Cheng to be a good relaxing routine that doesn't in any way get even close to working up a sweat, but it's a nice short workout that is relaxing.  I did work up a bit of a sweat doing Ab Ripper.

Day 543 - Rest Day

My back has been pretty sore all day, so I took today as a rest day.  I'm going to take it easy over the next couple of days to see if doing pretty much nothing helps my back feel better.

Day 542 - X2 Yoga

Ouch, that hurt the back muscle a bit.  I took it easy and added a lot of foam rolling in along the way, but this may be a bit more than I should be doing while recovering.  My neck and back muscles are feeling pretty tight right now.  I had my MRI scheduled for tomorrow, but I think I decided to wait a couple of weeks to see if things improve before spending all of that money on an MRI just to find out it may not be needed.  My follow-up with the doc isn't for another 3 weeks, so I'll get the MRI closer to my follow-up appt. if my back isn't feeling a lot better by then.  I'm trying very hard to keep my calories in check at 2200 calories right now.

Day 541 - Tai Cheng Day 1

Tai Cheng arrived today.  I did Day 1 and found it short and relaxing.  I think this would be a good mix with Ab Ripper on days when I don't do the Yoga workout.  By itself it doesn't seem like quite enough of a workout to do much.  That may change as I get into the future days.  We'll see.

Day 540 - X2 Ab Ripper

I'm doing well with my eating today.  I did Ab Ripper tonight and then did some stretching using the power bands.  It was a nice short workout, but until Tai Cheng arrives my options are pretty limited until my back recovers.

Day 539 - X2 Yoga

My back was pretty stiff when I started.  I heated it before doing the workout and am now icing it afterward.  It was pretty sore throughout the workout, so we'll see if that was a good idea.  I'm not taking as much pain medicine any more.  I took a pill last night and had two Tylenol in the early afternoon, but all of that wore off by the time I did this workout, so I was feeling pretty much everything tonight.

Day 538 - Rest Day

It's Sunday again and I got to go to breakfast with my Dad.  I'm spending the day relaxing and taking care of my sore muscles by using a heating pad and a neck wrap that my Mom made for me years ago.  You put it in the microwave for about a minute to heat it up and then lay it across your shoulders.  The flax seed inside the wrap hold in the heat to warm the neck muscles.  According the doctors, the feeling in my arm with the nerves is caused by neck muscle tightness, so hopefully this neck wrap will help.

Day 537 - Walk & X2 Recovery & Mobility

I got out for a 4 mile walk this morning and in the afternoon I did Recovery & Mobility to allow me to stretch out some.  I'm not taking Ibuprofen any longer based on doctor's orders.  I think I was in a mode over the last month or so where the continued use of the Ibuprofen was covering up the fact that the workouts were continuing to re-injure my back muscle.  So, I would stretch it out during the workout and it would feel a bit better and then when I take Ibuprofen it masked the ongoing pain.

I ordered the Beachbody Tai Cheng today.  It should arrive within a week or so and will be able to use that for working out until I'm able to go back to doing P90X2.

Day 536 - Rest Day

I saw the doctor today about the soreness in my back and the associated tingling in my arm from pressure on the nerve.  Good news is that he believes the issue to be muscular.  An MRI will tell for sure, but the bad news is that he told me that I need to avoid any type of impact exercise for the next four weeks.  This means not pushups, pull-ups, running or weights at all.  I am not at all surprised by this, but I'm going to have a hard time with this because it's going to mean a loss of muscle.  I can still do things like Yoga, walking and biking, so I'll need to make sure to focus on these things in coming days.  I tried to do Yoga tonight, but my back was way too sore from the workout yesterday, so I just did some simple stretching.  I plan to go for a walk tomorrow morning and then if my back is feeling up to it I'll try yoga tomorrow.

I will really need to watch my eating over the next four weeks since my activity level is going to be less, so I plan to cut back to 2200 calories or less per day for the next four weeks.  It also means I will need less protein right now.

Day 535 - Run & Arm work

I got in a 5k run during lunch.  Tonight I started to do X2 Shoulders & Arms, but had to stop part way through because I was feeling a lot of clicking in my back.  I switched to some chin-up and pushup work.  It all worked out fine since I had very little time tonight because of the need to do a lot of running around.  Tomorrow I get to see an orthopedist to have my back checked out.

Update: I had a tough night of sleep because of my back being sore.  I was right to stop the workout last night to avoid further issue from the clicking.

Day 534 - X2 Ab Ripper

I made up the missed Ab Ripper workout from Monday and also did some pushups.  It was a good way to keep my sore back stretched out.  I was pretty amazed at how much I was sweating by the time I was done with Ab Ripper.  I got a lot out of it tonight.  Very nice.

Day 533 - Plyocide

I got my Plyocide workout done tonight.  It felt okay and I'm following the routine that I did last night by icing and then heating my back after the workout.  Here's hoping it helps with a recovery.  Tomorrow I'm planning to make up the Ab Ripper workout that I didn't get done last night.  Depending on how much time I have I'm hoping to also throw in some push-ups.  I'm very pleased that my sleeping at night no longer requires me to take anything to help me sleep.  I have no idea what changed, but I sure am grateful that my issues with insomnia are no longer continuing.

Day 532 - Chest + Back + Balance

In spite of me taking it easy on my back the last couple of days it was still sore all day today, so I figure if it's going to be sore then I might as well give it a reason to be sore :-)

I can tell that my workouts have been a bit less productive lately.  Some of the reps were harder to achieve tonight.  I need to get my back healthy so that I can get back into the groove of not having to skip workouts.  Tomorrow I plan to do Plyocide and then hopefully Ab Ripper on Wednesday.

Update: The workout followed by heating and icing my back muscle seems to have helped it a lot.  I woke up in the morning feeling much better.  So, I plan to do the same the rest of this week.   Stretch, workout and then rotate heating and icing my back.

Day 531 - Rest Day

It's Father's Day and I was treated to a wonderful breakfast that the rest of the family made for me this morning.  Waffles, bacon, sausage, eggs and fresh strawberries and banana.  Delicious, but it goes without saying that lunch was considerably less than normal as a result of the indulgent breakfast.  Tonight we're having roast chicken with mashed potatoes and carrots.  My favorite.  My back feels a bit better today, so I think it was the right move to take it easy yesterday.

Day 530 - X2 Ab Ripper & 5k run

I was hoping to get out to play some golf today, but my back muscle was too sore for that.  I decided to go for a short run (5k) and then do Ab Ripper.  The run was more difficult than it probably should have been.  I'm not getting quite as many workouts in lately and I can feel the difference.  My back is limiting what I can do, so I continue to adjust and do what I can for now until it feels better. 

Day 529 - X2 Yoga

My back has been pretty sore again today.  I sure hope I get some good news on options when I see the doctor on Friday because this is getting pretty old.  It felt a bit better right before starting my workout, but stretching it during Yoga was more than a little bit uncomfortable.  I'm rotating ice and heat in hopes of being able to sleep better than I did last night.

Day 528 - Rest Day

I was at the U.S. Open golf tournament all day today.  I finally got home at 10:00 PM after a long day of walking all over the place.  The highlight for me was to watch Tiger Woods make this putt on 6th hole.

I'll be right back at it tomorrow with Yoga.

Day 527 - Plyocide

My back is feeling better tonight, so I was able to do Plyocide.  It felt okay throughout the workout too.  As usual, I worked up a really good sweat doing the workout.  Not sure if I will get a workout in tomorrow since I'll be at the US Open golf tournament (weather permitting).  It depends on how long we stay.

Day 526 - Chest + Back + Balance

I started out the night with plans to do Plyocide, but my back was so sore that the jumping around hurt a lot.  So, I heated my back for a while and then decided to just push through the pain and do Chest + Back + Balance. I figure if it's going to hurt I might as well get something out of the workout.  Doing the workout helped to loosen up the muscle some, but we'll see how it feels tomorrow after it's been doing nothing for a while.   A recent article on the Beachbody site has me thinking that I am probably overdoing the protein in my diet a bit, so I plan to cut back to about 130-150 grams per day. If my muscle don't recover as fast then I'll know I need to go back up a bit more.

Day 525 - X2 Ab Ripper

Well, I'm trying to be kind to my back, so I just did Ab Ripper tonight.   I plan to do Plyocide tomorrow and then Ab Ripper again on Wednesday and see how things feel on Thursday.  If it feels better I may try Chest & Back & Balance in place of Shoulders + Arms.

Day 524 - Rest Day

Well, my back is definitely sore after the workout yesterday, so it's good that I have the day off today.  Ibuprofen is my friend today.  I'll play it by ear this next week and determine my workouts based on how my back muscle is doing.

Day 523 - Run & Shoulders + Arms & Ab Ripper

I went for a short 5k run this morning to get the blood pumping.  My back was pretty sore yesterday, but after heating it and doing some stretching it felt pretty good, so I decided to do a workout that involves the back.  I finally got back to a round of Shoulders + Arms again now that my elbow is feeling better.  I also got in a round of Ab Ripper tonight.  I was planning on three rounds of Ab Ripper this week, but got in two because of taking Thursday off because of soreness.  The workout tonight really focuses on back muscles, so we'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Day 522 - X2 Yoga

Wow, my back really hurts today and I could really feel it a lot during Yoga.  The muscle in my back is just not relaxing with me continuing to workout.  I have a Dr. Appt. set up to get things looked at in a couple of weeks, but I already know he's going to tell me to stop with the workouts that are stressing that muscle.  The pushups last night definitely didn't help.  I'm considering changing things up next week to just do Ab Ripper all six days and throw in a few runs so that I can let the muscle in my back relax.  Right now I'm icing it, but I've been doing that plenty lately and it's not making a huge difference.  I am so tired of my body letting me down and interrupting my workout schedule.

Day 521 - Rest Day

I had a longer than normal day at work and I have some strains and soreness that made me decide to not do a lot of working out tonight.  I just did some pushups tonight and will get back at it tomorrow night with Yoga.

Day 520 - Run day

I'm a bit late posting this, but I got out for a run during lunch and did 5K.  I took it easy because of my ankle, but it held up okay.  I was also happy that my stamina didn't tank after being away from running for a couple of weeks.  I was a little light on protein today because I didn't workout in the evening and didn't have my normal protein shake.

Day 519 - Plyocide

Got in my round of Plyocide right after work tonight.  It felt good.  My protein is up a lot today.  So much so that I only did half of a serving of the protein powder after my workout tonight.  Lots of chicken today.  I got through the workout tonight without having to add in any breaks.  It's a lot easier to do now that I'm over that cold that I had.  I worked up a good sweat tonight.

Day 518 - Chest + Back + Balance & X2 Ab Ripper

I just finished Chest + Back + Balance then had a bit of dinner and my protein shake and am taking a breather before starting Ab ripper.  The move to the left is called "The Impossible/Possible".  I got in my normal 18 reps of this tonight.  Right now the TV has the DVD menu on that is playing the same annoying tune for the menu screen.  That should motivate me to get off the couch and get Ab Ripper done.  I modified a couple of moves tonight because of my elbow, but not a lot of them.

Day 517 - Rest Day

I'm feeling a bit beat up today.  My elbow is sore and my back is sore.  Guess that comes with the age :-)

I'm well below normal for protein today, but did okay staying within calories.  I'm looking forward to another week of phase 2 and I need to get back to running this week now that my ankle is feeling better.

Day 516 - Base + Back

It's been a month since I last did Base + Back and let me tell you, I can tell. The TV was in use in the basement today by one of the kids, so I decided to do the workout without the DVD.  It worked out fine.  I know the routine so well that all I really need is the workout sheet.  I definitely took more breaks today, but I didn't have to modify a lot of the moves and my elbow did pretty well.  I ran out of time, so no Ab Ripper tonight. I didn't have the energy for it anyway.

Day 515 - X2 Yoga

It's Friday, so I took a "Flex Friday" picture. I don't think the definition is significantly different from past months, but I'm happy that things are not going in the reverse directions.  Yoga was good tonight.  I seemed to have a bit more energy than I did last night, so that's good.  Tomorrow I hope to do Base + Back, so that will really test me some.  It's a brutal workout.  I haven't been out for a run this week because of my ankle and I don't think I'll have tomorrow because of a very busy schedule.  I don't like skipping another week of running.

Day 514 - Plyocide

Wow, that kicked my butt tonight.  I guess my body is not yet back to 100% because that was one tough workout for me tonight.  I was sweating a ton by the time I was done.  In spite of the difficulty, it felt good to not have to skip another day of working out.  I was starting to feel guilty about being sick and not working out, so I'm glad the toughest part of the cold was short-lived.  I REALLY felt it in the legs tonight, so chance are I need to be doing Plyocide a bit more often than I have lately.

Day 513 - Still sick

I'm feeling a bit better today, but not yet to the point where I wanted to push it by working out tonight.  I'm planning to do either P.A.P. Upper or Plyocide tomorrow to get back into things.  We'll see how things go.  I weighed in again this morning and my weight is staying steady at 140 according to my scale.

Day 512 - Sick Day

No workout tonight.  Since last night I've been fighting a head cold that has me using up tissues at a rapid pace.  I felt it starting to come on yesterday, but was hoping it was just allergies.  No such luck.  I'm getting some rest tonight and then will decide if I'm up to a workout tomorrow night. I went way over on calories yesterday ( almost 3000) because of the Memorial Day picnic food we had.  Now it's back to trying to eat right and stay within calories.

Day 511 - Chest + Back + Balance & X2 Ab Ripper

I started off the day with a nice mountain bike ride on some pretty steep trails.  It wasn't exactly a huge workout or anything, but it was a lot of fun and got the heart pumping a bit.  I love having the whole day available for working out if I want.  I took my time with Chest + Back + Balance and was able to get a few more reps at some of the moves because I was able to add in more time for breaks.  I'm now enjoying my protein shake before going back to my workouts to finish up with Ab Ripper.  My elbow seems to be doing a bit better because I was able to mix back in some of the wide handed pullups today.

Day 510 - Rest Day

Another week is in the books and the day off today is a welcome thing.  The ankle and back are healing up a bit today so that I can hit phase 2 hard tomorrow.  I'm itching to get out for a run, but I think it may be pushing my luck to get out tomorrow.  We'll see.  Eating healthy today was not easy.  I went out to breakfast with my brother and dad and dinner tonight was fried rice that Kristi made.  As a result, I was very light on protein today (only about 100 grams).

Day 509 - P.A.P. Upper & Ab Ripper

I got up this morning in hopes of doing P.A.P. Lower in the AM and then Upper in the afternoon.  I got through the warm-up and quickly realized that the jumping around for Lower was not a good idea since my ankle and back are still sore.  So, my plan changed and I did my afternoon round of Upper, took a short break and then did Ab Ripper.

This move is called Phelan Twist.  It's mainly a lot of holding  position while leaning back to the point where your feet start to come off the floor.  It's a monster ab workout.

So far today eating is going pretty well.  I just need to finish out the day well by staying within calories today.

Day 508 - Day off

Well, no workout tonight.  As soon as I got home from work the whole family went out to dinner in Broomall and then we went to the movies together.  So, hopefully tomorrow I can do PAP Lower in the morning and PAP Upper in the evening.  At least, that's the plan.  We'll see how things go.  My shoulder is still quite sore from my fall on the hard floor last night and my ankle still hurts from Monday, so I'm feeling a bit beat up right now.  Dinner was Italian and was delicious, but definitely not the healthiest meal I've had recently.

Day 507 - X2 Yoga

I had a nice round of X2 Yoga tonight.  Only issue is that I fell forward while going from crane into a hand stand and I fell on my left shoulder.  Ouch.  Stability is not quite there yet for going into a hand stand.  Everything else was good and the session went quick tonight. 

Day 506 - Rest Day

I'm enjoying a night off, but plan to get my Yoga workout in tomorrow night.  It's nice to have a day off to give some of the aches and pains some time to heal.

Day 505 - P.A.P. Upper

Here is a picture of me doing towel pullups.  I've really come to enjoy doing these.  I skipped doing Superman with weight tonight during the first complex and substituted pushups (25-35 per set).  It turns out that was actually more of a workout than the Superman with weight, but it was a good trade-off since my back was still a bit sore from the last time doing PAP Upper.

Day 504 - P.A.P. Lower

I decided to do a week of phase 3 since it's been a few weeks.  It went pretty well except that I sprained my right ankle at the very end of the workout while doing the Giant Slalom move.  I've hurt my ankle doing that move in the past and I keep doing it, so dummy me needs to learn that it's not a good idea to do that move.  From here on out I'll do a different move that is equally as strenuous in place of that one.  Side bridge leg lift was pretty tough tonight, so It's good that I'm back to phase 3 for a week to give the hips a workout.

Day 503 - Rest Day

Well, another week done and I get a day to rest before starting back up again tomorrow.  My back feels better today, so doing yoga yesterday was a help.  Sleep last night was not all that good, so that issue continues.  According to the blood work everything is excellent.  No issues with my thyroid or anything else that they could tell.  It could just be that I require less sleep these days, but I'm really not sure what gives.

Day 502 - X2 Yoga

I got back from the campout and have been running around all day doing work around the house.  I then got to go to the movies with my wonderful wife, so it was pretty late by the time I got home and got to my X2 Yoga workout.  I was concerned that I wouldn't have time for a workout today, but I found a way to fit it in.  Yay.  I have a very tight muscle in my back, so I'm hoping the yoga will help with that.  Eating was okay today until the movies.  I enjoyed a bucket of popcorn.  It's not a common thing, so an occasional indulgence isn't the end of the world.

Day 501 - Rest Day

I was on a camp out with Stephen, so no chance to workout. 

Day 500 - P.A.P. Upper

Well, I've hit day 500 of doing this workout program.  Now it's on to hitting day 1000 of keeping up with the workouts.  At some point I may include others like Insanity, but for now I am still very happy to stick with X2. 

The move pictured here is called Medicine Ball Pike.  It involves going from laying flat to having the ball touch the toes.  It's not overly hard for me, but it's a pretty good workout all the same.  It was impossible to get a picture me at the top of the move, but this was close enough. 

I had a follow-up Dr. appt. and got the result of my blood work from my annual physical.  This time around was my best cholesterol results to date: HDL = 71; LDL = 80. Thank you P90X2 and thanks to the many people in the Facebook group that help to keep me motivated.  I'm still weighing in at 145 clothed in the middle of the day at the Dr. office, so I'm pleased that the weight is staying off.

Day 499 - Run & Ab Ripper

I got in a 3.5 mile run during lunch.  I thought I was going really slow today, but turns out I was averaging 8:30/mile, so it wasn't all that slow.  It was pretty warm today, so I worked up a really good sweat during the run.  Tonight I made up the round of Ab Ripper that I didn't do last night, so I'm doing okay so far this week.  I also worked up a sweat doing Ab Ripper.  I can tell I'm not getting that work out in enough because it used to be a bit easier for me to get through it.  My protein today is at 175 so far, so I'm doing well at getting the protein I need to help my muscles to recover.

Day 498 - Chest + Back + Balance

I got through this workout tonight with modifications to pull-ups similar to last week that allowed me to be a bit more careful with my sore elbow.  But, the pushup moves went well tonight.  That was a good workout.  I didn't do Ab Ripper because I took a long time getting through the workout tonight.  Eating is going well again today.

Day 497 - Plyocide

Just like last week, I started the week off with Plyocide in order to give my elbow another day of rest from exertion.  Tomorrow I hope to be able to do Chest + Back + Balance.  So far my eating is right on track for the day.  170 grams of protein and I'm at about 1900 calories for the day so far.  Now I just need to avoid overdoing the snacking tonight.  I have my favorite low-calorie snacks available (petite carrots, apples and frozen fruit bars) so I should be okay. I weighed in this morning and was up to 141.  Not too surprised by that given the way I've been eating lately.  I'm not too worried about it though.  I seem to fluctuate between 138 and 141 a lot.

Day 496 - Rest Day

Well, it's Mother's Day today so my day started with a really nice (but not so healthy) breakfast that the kids made for their Mom.  Eggs, Sausage, bacon and waffles.  Yum.  Fortunately I was pretty good about how much I ate, so I kept calories to a reasonable level.  Rich and I picked up Dad for church.  We had lunch at Friendly's and I got their Asian Ginger chicken platter that is pretty healthy for a place like Friendly's.  Dinner was a get together at Rich's home to celebrate my niece heading on her church mission to the coast of Africa.  We had a real nice chicken meal, so that fit my eating well.  All in all I am happy because it's two days in a row where I've stayed under my 2400 calorie limit. I need to keep that up for a while considering how badly I blew it on Thursday and Friday.

Day 495 - X2 Yoga

I wasn't able to do my workout last night, so I did the Yoga workout today.  My back was pretty tight, so doing Yoga was really helpful.  Today we're heading to dinner for my son's birthday.  I plan to stay within calories today, so I'll be having salad and other healthy items.  As a side-note, my son (our youngest) just turned 17, so that makes me feel old.

Day 494 - Rest Day

I had a social after work, so no time to get a workout in.  To make matters worse the menu was not exactly conducive to healthy eating, so today ended up being a cheat day too.  Yesterday I was over on calories too, so I need to get back to better eating habits.  Tomorrow I plan to definitely do X2 Yoga.  Tomorrow we're going out to dinner for Stephen's 17th birthday, so I need to be careful to not blow my eating yet again.

Day 493 - Hybrid workout

I started out doing the planned workout of Shoulders + Arms, but got about a quarter of the way through it and started to feel it in my elbow, so I switched to P.A.P. Upper and did the last three quarters to round out tonight's workout.  It was a good idea to switch.  Time to ice the elbow.

Day 492 - Run Night

Tonight is my rest night from P90X2.  I had to take Stephen to an activity tonight, so I decided to go for a run while I was waiting for him to finish his activity.  I did 4 miles with an average time of just over 8:30 / mile.  I usually get my runs in either in the morning or at lunch, but I really enjoyed an evening run tonight. 

Day 491 - Chest + Back + Balance & X2 Ab Ripper

My elbow feels a bit better today.  I've been icing and massaging the tendon since Saturday and it seems to be helping.  Even still, I modified the workout a bit tonight by making sure to avoid wide-handed pull-ups and hands in over hand pullups.  I stuck with chin-ups and 90 degree pull-ups.  Pushups didn't seem to affect it much, so no changes on those routines.  I took a short break in between the workouts and had my protein shake during the break.  Getting everything done tonight was a real motivator for me and I am very much looking forward to heading into tomorrow knowing that I can take my planned day off without having cut any workouts short so far this week.

Day 490 - Plyocide

I got home nice and early tonight and got the workout in before dinner.  My elbow feels a bit better tonight, but not good enough for Chest + Back + Balance yet, so switching it up and I hope to do that workout tomorrow night.  I did pretty well on eating today.  Protein is at 190 grams.

Day 489 - Rest Day

Well, I strained my elbow again yesterday while doing Base + Back.  I think it was the wide handed pull-ups.  It's not as bad as last time, but it hurts even doing simple things like shaking someone's hand.  I'm actually pretty annoyed that after all of this time of being careful I am now back to having to deal with this again. I'm icing it today in hopes that I can still do the planned workout of Chest + Back + Balance tomorrow.

Day 488 - Golf & X2 Base + Back

I got out for an afternoon round of golf with Stephen.  We played 9 holes and carried our bags.  It was a beautiful day and we had a great time.  I got into the last quarter of the workout and had to quit because my elbow was starting to hurt and I didn't want to push it to the point of re-injury.  I was more tired tonight than normal.  I think part of that was the walking during golf earlier in the day and some of it was that I didn't sleep well last night.  So far the blood tests are not showing any issues that would contribute to my sleepless nights. 

Day 487 - X2 Yoga

Legs are feeling a bit sore today after the run yesterday.  I guess I need to get out running more often.  Yoga went well tonight in spite of me being sore and stiff.  Here's hoping my legs feel better by tomorrow before having to do Base + Back.  I'm continuing to eat healthy.

Day 486 - Run & X2 Shoulders + Arms

I got in a 5K run during lunch in a new best time for me of 25:23.  I started out a bit too quick because the last lap around the park was torture.  Tonight I did Shoulders + Arms and it went pretty well.  I kept pace on my reps, so next week I am hoping to increase a couple.  I'm currently at about 2000 calories for the day and I'm at 180 grams of protein.