P90X Journey: Day 16

 

I VOTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There…. end of blog. Today that is all that matters. lol

Okay, Well I got up this morning and I worked out for 30 minutes to Sean T’s Hip Hop Abs: Fat Burning Cardio. It felt good to get up and have the energy and the stamina to work through it. I was proud of myself. I did every step. I could remember when I use to have to take breaks in the middle of this workout, or when I needed an inhaler. I can hold my head high knowing that I need neither to finally make it through this workout.

I even had enough time to eat my Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds & soy milk. That is my fav cereal and I cant remember the last time I actually sat down at my house and ate breakfast. I actually enjoyed it, relaxed and watched television. I dont think that I have EVER done that on a weekday.  So I got dressed and I headed to the polls. It was very empty when I got there, but I didnt mind, I voted and left out and headed to work and actually got there early.

For lunch I had a cheeseburger with fries and an extremely large cup of  lemonade, but I did frink water throughout the day. The lunch was free so I didnt mind that much. I just know that I have to put in work. Unfortunately my underwear feels tighter today. I know that is TMI, but I have no clue why my boyshorts are cutting off my circulation in my hip/groin socket. Bananas, right? I mean… it is painful. It is enough to make a woman want to free-labia it ( free ballin was genetically not an option). I guess I could have said Captain Commandora. lol. Maybe my thigh muscles are getting bigger or my butt is lifting into place. WHo knows! I just had to share that.

I also have to share why I am writing this blog. I am writing so that when I get to the other side of this journey I can remember. I can have evidence of my struggle. I dont want to be a fitness buff who makes everyone who has yet to accomplish what it is that I worked so hard to get feel as if it was a walk in the park. I want to hold myself accountable. I want to make sure that I never forget where I have been and how it felt to be here. I love me, but my current physical form is NOT me… it is where I happen to be right now. And I am okay with that…for now. Hence why I am working it out so hard.

I was going to walk right into the house and start Plyometric (spell check) but then my TV was on the movie JACK and I had to sit and watch because I had never seen it before.So, it goes off in like 5 minutes and then I will begin to workout. I’ll tell you all about it. I have never done Plyometrics before……I am actually scared. Feeling the pain of the Chest & Back workout yesterday but again… proud that I finished! Okay…. time to put on the shoes. BRING IT TIME!

Workout

WTF is PLYOMETRICS and who pissed off the Roman Gods?!!!! I was all happy that I could keep up with the warm ups. But not too long there after did I contemplate switching back to Cardio X. I should have known something was up with the one-legged P90X graduate showed up. Yep, made me feel like crap when he was hopping around all perfect and I was about to pass the hell out. I understand equal rights,but they just mind fucked my emotional status.  I’m too fat to out hop a one-legged guy! How do you come back from not being able to out hop Tink Tink?!

My legs were fine for the first couple of squats, and then  my knee caps started popping and I knew that i was headed down hill from there. The ski moves I was cool with until they added the 180 turns. I couldn’t squat on those so I just stayed up and did 180 and I found that to be just as challenging, noted by the sweat in my eyes. I also couldn’t do the rock star. My weight is currently too heavy for me to have faith in lifting both knees up like that. I know because I tried it and the way I landed felt like one of my knees were going to give out on me. Scared the living daylights out of me. So two-legged jumps are currently out of the question. Also, I felt weird with the squat jumping jacks. My legs were clapping to a hip hop beat that was being formulated by the gaps in slaps. I mean, they were slapping so hard I felt like tipping my own crotch! Seriously, you would have thought that a ghetto stripper was in my house mocking me. Having made my point… I’ll move on.

All and all this was challenging and I did the modified version. I’m sitting on my couch after just getting out of the shower and I am still wiping sweat.  My only problem with P90X and I have been meaning to write this for a while, is that they assume I know what the fuck they are talking about. Meaning, if this is my first time turning on a disc, yelling out MILITARY MARCHES and then beginning the clock and movement is retarded. I shouldnt have to constantly pause my DVD because they failed to show me what the move is. I also have this problem with the modified person, they never show what they are doing until halfway through the countdown or at the very end. If you are going to have a modified person, show the modified move before hand so that we can be in sync with the movement. Its like they forgot about us when it comes to this. I actually get pissed off every time they start a new move and I have to miss a rep or two to catch on to what the hell they are doing. But this could be me and the fact that I ate broccoli for dinner and my bodily functions are executing treason and I have to sit amongst it. TMI? Welcome to my UNCENSORED blog.

I noticed a lot about my body today. When I tighten my abs, I cant breath. I walk around with my shoulders up by my ears and I seldom notice until my neck and shoulders start to hurt. I get cramps in the arch of my foot every time I jump and I have no clue how to fix this. My legs being uneven ( for whatever reason) is really effecting a lot of my performance, causing me to do a lot of modified versions, and my sciatica is a gift from satan’s spawn. But I will prevail. This is just my current feedback. Soon I will have more and better complaints as I progress to my fitness goal. I want to be able to jog the MS Walk/Run full 3 miles in March,I want to be able to walk into Rave, LVLX, or Shoe City and buy clothing without people wondering if I am on crack or pray that I am purchasing it as a gift for someone worthy of not making the seams commit suicide. I want to start my own dance crew and be able to choreograph some awesome routines like I use to a few years ago. I know that I can do these things….and I will. I am learning to be patient.

In closing, I know you are wondering about my steps ( I doubt it but the sentence set-up sounded literary)….my pedometer is on crack and I need to buy another one. I also get happy when I step on the scale at night after I’ve eaten all day and it weighs less than the day before. Yesterday my scale said 228.5 in the morning on an empty scale, and tonight it said 227.5. I’m excited just to see my scale say that number. Now… if by Friday it can say 225.5……I’ll stop call Nicki Minaj a Bitch….on twitter.Ok…timeforbed.I have to get up in the morning.

Sincerely,

~*My Mother’s Daughter*~

Adam’s Cracked Rib

So, yesterday I went to church. I was a good little Christian sitting in the balcony at 8am service waiting to hear a wonderful word. I received many, but one train of thought from the visiting Pastor rubbed me the wrong way. And I wasn’t alone.

After service a friend and I went to Busboys and Poets for brunch when we both spoke on our mixed feelings about the comment. The Pastor said, “If a woman can guard her man’s heart then no other woman can have him.” He also went on to discuss how many religions think that the rib from which woman was made is the very rib that once covered Adam’s heart. That sounds all well and good BUT…you mean to tell me that if I do everything that is required of me to guard and protect my man’s heart then he will stand beside me through thick and thin? Really?

With me having just broken off a situation…let me analyze this. You mean to tell me that my continuously supporting this dude through thick and thin, sitting in the cold for 3 hours while he played basketball because he wanted me to watch him play… hell I paid for the basketball they were playing with, checked on him from time to time, spent time with him when I could, complimented him, and encouraging him to continue his studies so he could graduate in December should have been almost, if not enough, what he should need in order to feel as if his heart was protected? Or what about me curbing my appetite to become the stereotypical angry black woman when he started bugging out and by staying calm and respectively telling him that I was upset, directly stating what I needed, offering him numerous times to correct the mistake just to have him screw me over again, was the proper way to “guard his heart”? If so, then why are we no longer together?

Much like my friend, I had several gripes with this pastor’s way of thinking. For starters, he was making a generalized statement. All males are not mature enough to know when they have a good woman before them who is willing to help and support them through thick and thin. They tend to take those kinds of women for granted, and manage to fall in love with the badly bruised and damaged woman who treats them like shit and manages to quite those actions as the type of women they hate while claiming that there are no good women left. I suggest they lift up there feet and check the soles for the string of good women who he managed to step on through his immature phase. Also, he didn’t flip the story and tell women what they will get out of the process. You mean to tell me that I have to do all of this for my man and he wont go anywhere….but what will he do while he is there to keep me. Isn’t a man supposed to protect? Why was this left out of the message? Women are always taught how to be there for their men but seldom do I ever here a good message about how a man needs to be there for his woman. Quiet as it was kept, Mary was almost a single mother because David didn’t want to be a fool…but that is another story.

In short, each man is different, and every man will respond to a good woman in completely different ways. No matter how hard a woman will guard her man’s heart it is up to him whether or not he is ready for such attention, whether he deserves that kind of attention, and if this is the kind/type/size of woman he wants that kind of attention from. In most cases, not all, dudes receive that kind of dedication and love from his woman and he thinks that she is trying to tie him down and he runs. What is a girl to do?

Well, since I am a descendent of Adam’s cracked rib, I have to tell you that we received something broken and we keep getting the message that we need to fix it, guard it, protect it , love it and support it, but when we do the males often times tell us that we are too independent and that they don’t need us to do anything for them. So, do I go by the Bible or do I go by these misled males out here who I really don’t think that they know what they want themselves? This could go for women as well…. But you all didn’t receive one of our ovaries…so you can’t talk about us in the same manner. With us Biblically having a piece of man in us, shouldn’t we inherit some of his qualities? Shouldn’t I be able to be bold and independent? Shouldn’t I be able to guard his heart in the same fashion that he is meant to guard mine?

If I could write a letter to Adam, I would tell him that it is okay to have a woman support you. With Eve being such a picky specimen in the first place….for her to have chosen you should be considered an honor. We don’t like everyone, we don’t offer our hearts to just anyone, never have and never will….and if you want to stop seeing bitter and damaged women….stop extending us just your cracked rib.

I don’t know if any of this made sense…. But I just had to get it off my chest while I was thinking of it.

 

Sincerely,

*~My Mother’s Daughter*~

P90X Journey: Day 15

 

I know that I said that I would workout this morning when I woke up…. and I said this at 2am in the blog when I had to wake up at 6am….and yeh….it didnt happen. But, staying true to my word, I worked out for 2 hours when I got home.

I woke up this morning and rushed to work without breakfast. I almost stopped and made some eggs and then decided against it due to time. BAD MOVE! Because when I got to work I was stuck in my office all day because I didn’t have my building badge and needed an escort. I also sucked butt and ate free mini snickers all day. I also think that I had a few Reese’s cups. It was there. Towards the end of the day my body was craving more sugar and so I got an orange ade-ish soda from the vending machine. Again, I prefaced with the fact that I sucked, so dont judge me. lol.  But good thing is that I did take my lunch, so I had my two small fajitas and that was it for lunch.

When I got off work I went to the grocery store and got a few more staples to assist me in making my meals. I had a drumstick off of my roasted chicken for dinner. It wasnt big at all, but it was enough to keep me from passing out. I was proud that I stopped eating because I felt myself about to over indulge and I stopped. Go Me!

Tonight I decided that I would switch to the Classic routines, just for a switch in order to my brain. I also wanted to do 2 hours of workouts a day to speed up my results. if I can lose 2 inches in 2 weeks with only 1 hour, I wanted that to only get better. I also wanted my fitness to improve. So I did the Chest and Back tonight with the Ab Ripper X . That totaled to an hour and sixteen minutes. Then I took a ten minute break and found a P90X support group on Sparkpeople.com and then I continued with Sean T’s Hip Hop Abs: Fat Burning Cardio. WOW!!! I remember when I first bought this thing, I had to stay low with Tanya because I was so out of shape. I would use an inhaler in the middle of workouts, constant breaks….but not tonight!!!! I was doing the high impact exercise format and loving every bit of it.

The only downfall is the fact that my Right hip socket and lower back side hurt. It flares up in stretches, bending flat back at the waist, and kicking/jumping….so basically when I move…lol. It doesn’t hurt so much when I have finished stretching but the initial stretch does hurt the most as well as jumping.But it is not unbearable, I figure if I can get my abs tighter it can help support those muscles that I have been using improperly for the past 15 years.  I also got side cramps during Hip Hop Abs because I had drunk water after the P90X workout…oh boy did that hurt! Sitting here writing this my back and shoulder blades are twitching with mini spasms. I was proud of the push-ups…even though I did them on my knees… I did them. I will build up to a full push-up. Tony Horton said, “Rome wasnt born in a day, so neither will your body”. I like that. It is a process that I am finding ways to stay engaged.And even though I am wheezing because of this phelm that I keep attempting to cough from my lungs ( sorry for the TMI) I keep it moving….. I felt unstoppable. I made up my mind and I did it!!!

My P90X workout went as follows: (All Push-ups were on knees & pull-ups done with Heavy Band)

Standard Push-ups:  15 (BURN)

Wide Front Pull-up:  24

Military Push-ups:  16 (BURN and at a faster speed)

Reverse Grip Chin-ups:  24

Wide Fly Push-ups:  15 (Stopped at 10 with a burn))

Closed Grip Overhead Pull-ups: 30 (seated)

Decline Push-ups: 15 (on knees)

Heavy Pants: 20 ( With Medium bands and a loop)

Diamond Push-ups: 13 ( Goal was 15 but left wrist on palm side began to hurt)

Lawnmower: 20 each side ( medium bands)

Dive Bomber Push-ups: 6 (confused on form….)

Back Flys:  20 ( medium Band)

Standard Push-ups Rnd 2:  25 (Shakey arms)

Wide Front Pull-up Rnd 2:  24

Military Push-ups Rnd 2:  20 ( first pause at 12 with both a burn and a shake)

Reverse Grip Chin-ups Rnd 2: 30

Wide Fly Push-ups Rnd 2: 20 ( BURN!)

Closed Grip Overhead Pull-ups Rnd 2: 30 ( in lunge forward )

Decline Push-ups Rnd 2: 15 (on knees)

Heavy Pants Rnd 2: 20 ( With Medium bands and a loop)

Diamond Push-ups: 16 ( Didnt go all the way down & left wrist on palm side began to hurt)

Lawnmower Rnd: 20 each side ( medium bands)

Dive Bomber Push-ups Rnd 2: 8 ( switched feet because knee locked and scared me. Pushing back hurt right hip)

Back Flys Rnd 2:  20 ( medium Band)

Ab Ripper X: I did 25 of each set with minor problems, but I am getting too sleepy to type. lol. I have it written down for me. But at least I finished them all. I will get up in the morning and do Hip Hop Abs before I head out to vote and then off to work. I am proud of myself!!! I hope that you are getting use to changing yourself as well. God bless!

Sincerely,

~*My Mother’s Daughter*~