P90X - Stitches...

P90X – Stitches…

Quick update. Today was the day that Kerry (my private nurse – and wife) changed my wound dressings. Finally, I get to see what sort of damage was done by that STUPID agave.

As the inner wrappings were removed, there were a few pieces that were stuck to either the wound or to a stitch. Kerry was extremely careful in removing the gauze. I was glad that I was sitting down. I find it interesting that when I used to work in the O.R., I was usually elbows deep in human anatomy (mostly living). But show me a stitched laceration, on my own hand, and I turn into a wimpy light headed girly girl kind of patient…well, sort of.

The finger looks a little purple and swollen. The anastomoses looks good and there is an area that the surgeon left open so if there is an infection, natural drainage can occur. In retrospect, the dressings make the injury look worse than it is.

Usually, when one gets a cut, it is either stitched up or a simple band aid is applied. It will be a little sore, but soon it scabs over and heals nicely…life goes on. My problem is the location. The penetration occurred on my right hand ring finger, just above where the finger connects to the hand. The exit wound is on the other side right in the knuckle crease. The incision wraps 180 degrees around the finger from entry wound to exit wound. The doctor wants me to keep trying to move the finger (the joint/the knuckle/the incision). Time for some more Tylenol.

I think I will wait until my hand stops throbbing and I have a little more pain-free movement before getting back into aggressive P90X. Maybe in the meantime, I will try a little Yoga (or maybe not).

                                                      How I will spend my day

P90X - Wiggle Room...

P90X – Wiggle Room…

A quick update…I am lucky to me married to a nurse!

No more pain meds, except for a little Tylenol. My hand is bandaged up tightly with a little wiggle room for my finger tips. For the most part, there is no real discomfort, as long as I don’t move my fingers, especially the injured one. Doctor’s orders – move your fingers, especially the injured one…Ouch. Because the tendon was injured, I guess he doesn’t want it locking up on me.

As far as P90X goes, it will be a few more days before I get back into my routine. When I do start working out again, I will start at the beginning of Phase 2. I’m looking forward to that day, although until the stitches are removed, there will be no chin ups, push ups or right handed weight lifting.

In 2 weeks I will see the surgeon to have the sutures removed. Between now and then, my job is to relax, and let Kerry do most of the work around the house. For those of you who know me, you know that I am not the best at sitting back and allowing someone else do all of the work.

This morning I woke up and headed to the kitchen. Like every Sunday morning, today I was going to make some bacon for Kerry and her mom. As I held the scissors, trying to figure out how to use them with my injured hand, Kerry came in, saw me standing there, and took the scissors away from me, kicking me out of the kitchen at the same time. I obeyed.

So, for now it will be Redbox videos and chair-side service for this wounded P90X advocate. Once I start back at my exercise rotuine I will, of course, take it slow at the beginning. Like Tony (my P90X instructor) says, “Do what you can and do it well. Now, Bring it.”

I will stop rambling now and will keep you updated on my healing process.

                                    

                                                              

P90X - A Funny Thing Happened To Me On The Way Home From The Gym...

P90X – A Funny Thing Happened To Me On The Way Home From The Gym…

Today was an interesting day, to say the least. First, today was my 30^th P90X day. That’s right, my 1^st phase is done (30 down and 60 to go). My routine today had me doing Core Synergistics. For the most part, I kept up with my video instructor. There were some parts that were beyond my present skill level, but like they say on the DVD, you better try. I tried!

After the program was completed, I rested for a bit before heading to the gym. Yes, you guessed it; I did a 3 mile run.  Now here is where the story gets interesting…

A funny thing happened to me on the way home from the gym. As I parked my truck, I noticed Kerry out front doing some yard work. It looked like she needed a little help so off to the front yard I went, still sweating from my recent run. We have a cactus growing called Beaver Tail. They grow like weeds and so we have been trying to thin them. With saw in hand, after you cut through the branch, a pitch fork is used to pick up the piece and toss it into the garbage can. I was cutting and Kerry was lifting. All was going along as planned, that is until I switched things up a bit. There was one branch that was rather large. Kerry would not be able to lift it so I took the pitch fork and made short work of it. Done!

I saw another branch lying there waiting, teasing, provoking me. With pitch fork in hand I stabbed it hard and gave it a twist. It moved some, before the pitch fork slipped free. I needed to shove the pitch fork deeper into its fleshy side. So I jabbed the pitch fork with all I had, and it was at that moment my day would be changed, for the worse.

Right next to the Beaver Tail cactus stood a rather large Agave cactus. On the end of each leaf of the Agave is one LARGE 3-4 inch needle. As I thrust the pitch fork my hand made contact with the Agave needle. OUCH! I stabbed myself pretty good, right on the ring finger of my right hand.

I immediately went into the bathroom to rinse off the wound with cold water. The blood was starting to trickle, but didn't flow. Next I placed a triple antibiotic ointment on the hole in the side of my finger before placing a band aid over the wound. For some reason the band aide wouldn’t sit properly. As I looked closer, I noticed that the Agave needle actually broke off and was still in my finger, sticking out on the other side. Yupp, I was completely pierced, through and through. I went to the front door, opened it and asked Kerry, who was still working on the cactus, if she could give me a hand. She knew something was up by my demeanor.

Kerry tried using a tweezers on the part that was sticking out but couldn’t budge it. We decided to head over to Urgent Care and let the professionals handle it. On the way she called our primary care physician and they suggested the E.R. instead of Urgent Care. Not all Urgent Care facilities have x-ray equipment. Kerry dropped me off at the Northwest Medical Center E.R. entrance while she went to park. As I stood at the counter explaining my plight, they could tell I was in rough shape. I was still in soaking wet clothes from my run, but now the sweat running down my face was for a different reason…my injury. My color was somewhat ashen as I told the check in staff that I think I needed to sit down. I was immediately escorted back to the nurses station, yes I moved to the front of the line. By the time Kerry arrived I was already heading for a triage room. Now the story gets interesting.

Because of the anxiety I was experiencing, they gave me some Xanax to help me relax. While the E.R. doctor was numbing my hand I was looking at Kerry, with a broad smile upon my face. He latched on to the piece that was sticking out from the exit wound, pulling and twisting, with no luck. He even cut my finger open to give him a little more visibility. No luck. The next plan (plan B) was to do a few x-rays, just to see what was going on. The pictures confirmed that there was a foreign body speared through my finger, from one side to the other. Now it was time for them to find a hand specialist.  Being late on a Friday afternoon, the only available hand specialist they could find was actually a hand surgeon at University Medical Center (UMC), on the other side of town.

Kerry left for home to take care of her mom’s needs while I was loaded up into an ambulance.  She would come to UMC once she confirmed all was well at home. Seriously, an ambulance? It’s a SPLINTER!

This was my first ambulance ride…and it was horrible. Bouncy, cold, uncomfortable and LONG! I was never so glad to arrive at a destination as I was when the ambulance pulled up to the E.R. at UMC. It was now 6pm, 5 hours since the injury. Everybody and their mother stopped by wanting to know what had happened. By now, the Xanax and injections for pain had worn off. The throbbing began.

The moment I injured my hand numbness was immediate. Now, hours later, I no longer had any pain control. The idea of a doctor probing my open wound with needles and other implements made me feel light headed and nervous. With Kerry by my side, the hand surgeon came in (after reviewing the Northwest Medical Center x-rays), took a quick look at the injury site and said that I needed surgery because the cactus needle had penetrated my tendon and was leaning up against a nerve. It had to be carefully removed, cleaned and closed, in an O.R. environment. I was pleased to know that any probing would be done while I was knocked out.

Kerry headed home to put her mom to bed while I was being admitted. They were going to actually admit me and schedule the surgery for 7:30 the next morning. While the E.R. nurse was bringing me something to eat and drink (my last food was at 11:00am) the doctor came running in yelling, “Don’t eat. We have an O.R. room that opened up and we can get in tonight.” Within an hour I was wheeled up to the P.I.U. and prepared for surgery.

I remember the Anesthesiologist speaking with me in the P.I.U. asking me a bunch of questions, one of which was, “Do you feel any anxiety?” I said, “Why, are you going to give me some Versed?” She smiled as she pulled a syringe out of her pocket. I smiled as the bed I was on started to float in a very wonderful sort of way. Everything after that went fuzzy. I do remembering arriving in the O.R. and noticing that the ceiling looked rather dated. That was my last thought. Nighty night!

At midnight I woke up in recovery with my wife sitting by my side and my hand wrapped up like a big puffy Christmas gift.

I loved looking at my wife, sitting next to me, in prayer. Thinking about Jesus helped me get through the ordeal. Here is why; His body was pierced many times. In retrospect, my piercing was no more that an inconvenient Boo Boo.

By 1:30am Kerry and I were home.

How will this affect my P90X schedule? Well, now that Phase One is complete, I may have to take a few days off to allow my hand to heal. The surgeon says I should be back to normal in 2 weeks, unless an infection takes hold (this could add months to the healing process). It’s in God’s hands now.

I will continue to Blog daily, just to keep you updated. Oh, one more thing. As I was waking up in recovery, I asked the nurse if I could go running tomorrow. She laughed as she told me that since I left the O.R. and arrived in Recovery, I asked the same question over 9 times. “When can I start exercising again and will I be able to go running tomorrow?”

Today, it is rest and recovery. I will think about starting Phase Two tomorrow, or maybe the day after that.

       Close up view of an Agave needle, like the one that got me

P90X - Oh What A Beautiful Morning. Oh What A Beautiful Day...

P90X – Oh What A beautiful Morning, Oh What A Beautiful Day…

Day 29 of my P90X journey had me doing X-Stretch. It seems weird for me to be doing the X-Stretch in the middle of the week. This was usually my Sunday routine. On Sundays I have the option to do the X-Stretch class or rest. I think for the full 90 days of this exercise I will opt to Not rest on Sundays. Still, doing X-Stretch in the middle of the week was weird.

So, here I was, reaching up and twisting, like I was instructed to. For the most part, every one of the maneuvers satisfied me and my muscles. The Plough was a little challenging for me but for the most part, all was well and successfully executed.

I do find it very interesting that when I am doing most of the P90X classes, time just seems to fly by, in ten minute intervals. Fifty-eight minutes soon turn into forty-five. Forty-five morphs into thirty-one and the next thing I know, it is cool down time. After my routine today I headed to the gym and completed my 3 mile run. Why do I run 3 miles when it isn’t part of the P90X curriculum? Good question. My answer is, “Why not?” Now, I did say most! There are a few P90X DVD’s where the clock can’t run fast enough for me. Doing Pull Ups and Push Ups for an hour does not make my socks go up and down.

Funny story…I went to a doctor’s appointment on Monday. All is well, thanks for asking…When the nurse asked me to step up onto the scale, I asked her what my weight was.  Her answer was 8 pounds lower than I thought I was. When she left the room Kerry jumped up onto the scale to see what her weight was. Her weight was also much lower than expected (keep in mind that she too lost a lot of weight due to our healthier eating habits and exercise routines). We both walked a little taller that day, humming tunes like “Oh what a beautiful Morning. Oh what a beautiful day.” That is until we got home and compared our weight to our own scale. We found those extra pounds we thought we lost. It is all good – we are both trending down at a healthy pace and will continue to do so until our targets are met. (Kerry just informed me that she has reached her target weight…for now).

                                                                       I Wish

P90X - Boxing On Boxing Day...

P90X – Boxing On Boxing Day…

In Canada, Britain, New Zealand and Australia Boxing Day is a national holiday, a day when you get to go back to the stores and return the items you received on Christmas Day (the ones you do not wish to keep, for whatever reason).  

The exact etymology of the term "boxing" is unclear. There are several competing theories, none of which is definitive^. The European tradition, which has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions, has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown. It may come from a custom in the late Roman/early Christian era, wherein metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen, which in the Western Church falls on the same day as Boxing Day.  In Britain, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year. This is mentioned in Samuel Pepys’ diary entry for 19 December 1663. This custom is linked to an older English tradition: Since they would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts and bonuses, and sometimes leftover food.

When I was raised (in Montreal) I was told that on Boxing Day, people who received new shoes or other new pieces of clothing put their older shoes or clothing in boxes and left them on the front step to be collected, and eventually given to the less fortunate. I always liked Boxing Day.

Today, we simply use Boxing Day as a shopping day (when the post Christmas sales come out to tempt consumers to separate with just a little more of their savings).

I find it interesting that today, Boxing Day, my 28^th day of P90X is my scheduled day for Kenpo. While I was concentrating on my kicks, my mind was concentrating on my kicks…form and style over speed and quantity. When I was doing my punches, the irony hit me. Here I was boxing on Boxing Day. How cool is that?

After my workout, I allowed my body to cool down a little before heading to the gym, which thankfully does not observe Boxing Day. After an easy 3 mile run, I enjoyed some lunch before starting on my Honey-Do list (or should I say Kerry’s Honey-Do list?)

P90X – I Guess I Was On Santa’s Nice List…

Being Christmas day (and my 27^th day of P90X) I was overjoyed to see what Santa left for me beneath the tree. As I handed out the gifts, I came across one that seemed rather heavy and had no name on it. I looked at Kerry and she smiled as she said, “That one is for you from Mom.”

As I opened the gift, I had an idea of what it was. It was one of two pieces of equipment that I was missing from my exercise routines. I was pleased to see a set of Dumbbells. “Perfect”  The next gift for me completed my “wish list”… Kerry got me a set of Yoga Blocks, to give me that little extra stretch. Now, my equipment list was complete. I guess I was on Santa’s Nice list last year.

Next week as I continue on with my P90X journey I have no excuses for not pushing it as far as I can. Bring it.

Even though today is Christmas, I decided to continue with my journey down the P90X path. Today’s routine was a new one for me. Core Synergistics first appears on the Tuesday of the last week of the first month (phase one). Guess what? That is today. I also planned on running my usual 3 miles each day this week, but for two reasons I am going to pass on the running (for today only). 1^st, it is Christmas and 2^nd; the gym is closed today…the one day per year that the gym locks its doors.

I hope you all are having a special day today and as you open your gifts or feast on that amazing meal being prepared, for just one moment, please bow your head and give thanks for all that you have and pray a blessing for those who have not.

P90X - Twas The Day Before Christmas...

P90X – Twas The Day Before Christmas

This is my first day of the last week of my phase one. What does that mean? Yoga, yupp 1 ½ hours of core work along with some balance and stretching thrown in for good measure.

I thought, being my 26^th consecutive P90X day I would switch it up a bit. For the past three weeks, each running day was started with the P90X routine followed by my trip to the gym to do my 3 mile run. Today I reversed it. I went to the gym first, getting the run out of the way before starting my Yoga routine. I must say, today’s run was fantastic. I had so much energy and drive; I actually came home with big grin on my face. It was way too cool. The Yoga was difficult and like usual, some of the maneuvers I could not do, but I gave it the old college try.

As I ran today, a poem popped into my head. I thought I would close today with that poem, my gift to you.

Twas the day before Christmas

Twas the day before Christmas as my muscles did flex                                                                          
With a healthier diet along with my P90X                                                                                              
To what did I see, as I stepped upon the scale                                                                                         
A number so small, it caused me to yell.

Kerry came running to see what I needed                                                                                          
"Read my weight for me now," I so desperately pleaded                                                                        
As she lowered her head to study the dial                                                                                           
She hummed and she hawed, and took quite a while.

My Christmas gift to me, was so deep and profound                                                                              
I danced and I sang, “Yahoo, I lost a pound”                                                                                        
So my wish for you all is a happy good night                                                                                       
And don’t give up exercising, and remember, Eat Right

Kerry and I wish you and all of those you love and those who love you and those who love those who love you a Merriest Christmas day and a Blessed New Year.

P90X - What Is This? Can It Be?

P90X – What Is This? Can It Be?

Sunday, the day of worship…December 23^rd, 2012, is my 25^th day of doing P90X. Again, I will speak briefly about accomplishments. This being a Stretch X day, I found myself making attempts at some of the more advanced stretches. I still have a hard time bending at the waist with straight (flat) back while slowly lowering myself to where I am supposed to be able to tough the floor.

Wait, hold on a minute. What is this? Can it be? My finger tips are actually touching the floor without bending my knees. Now, keep in mind that my legs are spread apart and I am still working the tendons to give me just a little more reach. My tendons are listening to me and surrendering to my demands, 1 centimeter at a time. The Stretch X routine continued, with me struggling here and there. But the effort is where the payoff is and today was payday.

My second “big” accomplishment was being able to fold myself into the Plow position. That was another first for me. Did my feet actually reach over my head with toes touching the floor? Not even close, but my legs were folded over my head, parallel to the floor with my shoulders firmly planted supporting my body weight. Now that was cool!

So, in summary, this just goes to show that even an old dog like me can learn to do things that only a few weeks ago I thought impossible. If one takes their time, and learns proper body mechanics, they can, over time, re-wire and re-hinge what we call the human body.

CAUTION: I am in no way doing exercises at the same intensity level as my on screen instructors. For me to do so would surely result in injury and failure. But I am doing these exercises at a level of intensity that works for me (or for someone in my condition). I do believe that over time, I will become more and more capable to achieve outrageous goals, but for now, my goal is the finish line…without injury. Thank God for the hot tub.

                                         Not The Stretch I Was Looking For

P90X - Almost Done With Phase One...

P90X – Almost Done with Phase One…

Yes, you heard me right…I am almost done with Phase One. Next week will be my last in this phase, before heading into my second month (Phase 2) of P90X. Here is a snap shot of what I have been up to for the past 3 weeks.

Mondays....Chest & Back followed by Ab Ripper X   

Tuesdays...Plyometrics followed by my 3 mile run at the gym                                                  

Wednesdays...Shoulder & Arms followed by Ab Ripper X                                                   

Thursdays...Yoga X followed by my 3 mile run at the gym                                             

Fridays....Legs & Back followed by Ab Ripper X                                                       

Saturdays....Kenpo X followed by my 3 mile run at the gym                                            

Sundays...X-Stretch

For the last week of Phase One, things get switched around a little.  I will be doing Yoga on Monday and Saturday, Core Synergistics on Tuesday and Friday, Kenpo X on Wednesday and X-Stretch on Thursday and Sunday. I will also be adding my 3 mile run on every day except Sunday.

You may have noticed that when I describe the run I do so as “my 3 mile run.” I do that because the running is not a part of the P90X program. It is something I started doing a couple of years ago and I just don’t want to give it up. After all, the whole thing about P90X is the X…EXTREME.  The only way to get it is to push it and nothing pushes better after a hard hour or hour and a half workout then picking yourself up off of the floor and doing a 3 mile jog.

After next week’s exhausting schedule, I will enter in to Phase Two (my 2nd month). For the first three weeks of Phase Two, the daily routines will be almost the same as in Phase one (listed above), but with some modifications and higher intensity. I will go into more detail as that time nears.

So, as far as today goes (Day 24), I did my Kenpo X and run and now that hot tub is calling my name. It's time to soak, and bask, and ache, and smile.

BRING IT

P90X - 5, 5 + 1

P90X – 5, 5 + 1

Well, what can I say about success? Does it come often enough? Nope! Do we enjoy it when it does arrive? Yupp! When it does come, does it do so easily? No way!  Well today, my 23^rd P90X day, provided me with a small hurtle, one that I will take as a success.

Being the 3^rd Friday of my Phase 1 program, Legs and Back were on the P90X menu, followed with a nice dose of Ab Ripper X. Now, let me emphasis here one very important thing for those of you who are not familiar with P90X. When I say things like Ab Ripper X, please don’t get the image of me with a solid 6 pack and zero body fat. At my age and condition I am lucky to just be able to keep up with the DVD instructor. Will my tummy be more firm? Absolutely, but not ripped. The only thing I will have that could be ripped is my shorts from bending and twisting the way they encourage me to bend and twist.

Allow me to get back to my little rant on success. Today’s success was on the pull up bar (chin up bar). I am sure a lot of you younger people out there can do a dozen chin ups without breaking a sweat. Not me! I sweat..a lot! Today’s session had me spending some time on the pull up bar. Did I do wide hold or reverse grips? Nope, not even 1, But I did do a decent 5 chin ups, soon followed by another five, then followed with one more for good luck (all within the span of a minute or two). To me, That Is A Success… Oh, and one more thing-they weren’t pretty. And I am sure Tony (my video instructor) would have been yelling at me to at least straighten my arms once. Sorry Tony…ain’t gonna happen. Not yet at least.

Now, for my power drink…I have my own version (not the recovery drink Tony preaches about). I mix Whey powder with frozen fruit and add a little Soy milk or Rice milk…blend until smooth and thick. YUMMY! Try it…

                                                               SUCCESS

P90X - The Problem With Yoga...

P90X –The Problem With Yoga…

Last night the outside temp dropped down to 32 degrees. When I got up this morning that is where the mercury stayed, for at least another hour. I was looking forward to getting into my routine today, to warm up my insides (and outsides too).

Today was day 22, and a Thursday, which can only mean one thing; YOGA. When I started the DVD I was excited to get going, but as I got into it, I realized that I had forgotten just how difficult Yoga can be. The problem with Yoga is the intensity of the bends and stretches. Yes, in just one short week I already forgot how much work Yoga actually was.

I think the reason it was more difficult today was because last Thursday, Kerry did it with me. Everyone loves an exercise buddy. I know I do. Today she went to the gym and did her Pilates class. She really enjoys the exercise and full-class interaction.  So, here I was, in my exercise room, pushing and pulling, bending and twisting like crazy. When the DVD got to a move that I couldn’t do, I improvised. My favorite part was the last part, where Tony has us on out back, legs and arms stretched out, doing nothing but resting, for a full sixty seconds. Then, just when you think it can’t get any better, he has us curl up in the fetal position; more resting, more deep relaxation. It’s a good way to end the program.

After 1 ½ hours of Yoga, I focused on a few errands before driving to the gym to do my 3 mile run. How can a regular guy (or girl) who has a 9 to 5 job, find the time to dedicate to these routines? I guess if one gets up at 4am and does their P90X before showering, dressing, eating and heading for the office for the day, it could be done. Nick, my youngest son is doing his while working a full time job, caring for a new born baby and working on his Masters, all at the same time. He must sleep well at night.

It won’t be long before I end Phase 1 and dive right into Phase 2 of my P90X journey. I don’t expect to see immediate results but I do expect to see some dramatic ones by time I am deep into Phase 3 (the final Phase). I’ll keep you posted.

Oh, and as an FYI, I decided not to measure myself at the end of Phase 1. So, if you were expecting a progress report at the end of next week…Sorry!

I Just Can't Bend Like That

Not Yet Anyways

P90X - Lazy Days...

P90X – Lazy Days…

Day 21 brings certain comfort zones to me and my exercise routine…some of which I can do without: For example, stopping for no other reason other than because I can. This Wednesday is a lazy day and I just don’t feel like doing a heavy workout. Being a Shoulders and Arms day, I am glad that I don’t have my heavier weights yet. I will settle for doing the curls and presses with the bands. I am still working up a sweat and yes, I can still feel the burn, but I am just not getting as intense with it as I should.

I am noticing that the numbers (reps) I am doing now on certain Shoulder and Arm maneuvers has definitely increased. My first week of P90X had me pausing so many times during each and every DVD, but now I only pause for necessity (phone rings, Kerry calls me, feeling lazy, etc).

Why am I being so lazy today? Simple…we are planning for our spring vacation and up until late last night Kerry and I were looking at various destination options. Finally, today, Kerry found the perfect trip for us and after confirming that her sister Christina can make it up to Tucson to take over the elder-care, Kerry asked me to help her with the final booking. Done; vacation planned!

So, getting back into my Shoulder and Arms routine, especially after allowing my core to cool down, was hard for me. With each exercise my thoughts raced around the various places we will be seeing, foods we will taste and cultures we will be enveloped in. Maybe it wasn’t that I was lazy. Preoccupied might be a better word. Yes, I was preoccupied today. That sounds a lot better than saying I was lazy today. But then again, I am retired so if I want to have a lazy day, I am entitled to one. Right?

After the Shoulder and Arm routine, while my body was still warm and sweaty, I dove right into the Ab Ripper X sequence. Day by day I am getting a little stronger and am able to do a little more. Still, I cannot lift my body up and do sit ups the way they do on the DVD, but that’s okay. I just do my own version, which to me puts plenty of tension and torque on my Ab’s. After all, isn’t that the goal?

Here are pitures that show the true meaning of the word LAZY;

And my Favorite...

P90X - 20 Down, 70 To Go...

 P90X –20 Down, 70 To Go...

A milestone was reached today. Today was my 20^th day of surviving P90X. That’s right, 20 down, 70 to go. Someday, not so far in the future I will be posting 70 down and 20 to go, but before that day I have some serious work to do.

Being a Tuesday, my P90X routine schedule has me doing Plyometrics followed by a 3 mile run at the gym. Instead of going directly to the gym after doing my hour of Plyometrics, I made some lunch for Kerry’s mom. I also made a little whey protein drink for my lunch before heading out. The last time I ran right after doing the Plyometrics program, my legs screamed at me. They were letting me know that they were not happy. But I finished my run anyways. Nick suggested I let the muscles rest a bit before doing my run and so today I did just that. My legs were strong; I could have run for hours.

Now that the Christmas season is upon us, there are some things we have to make sure we get done without waiting for the 11^th hours.

Making my list and checking it twice;

·         Put up the tree and outside lights along with a few other  in-house decorations…..check

·         Have a tree decorating gathering to make short work of it…..check

·         Purchase all of the gifts for our out-of-town loved ones…..check

·         Bring all of the out-of-town gifts that need posting to the Post Office and stand in line…..check

·         Pick up the gift(s) for Kerry, wrap them & place under the tree without her noticing…..check

·         Work daily with a dedicated devotion on my P90X, running and eating habits…mostly check

·         Bake traditional holiday goodies and eat some and give the rest away…..check

·         Snoop around under the tree to see what else has been put there….Really, I wouldn’t do that  : )~

Well, looks like I have all of my little duckies (or froggies) in order for the upcoming holidays. BRING IT!

                                                Catch Some Air

                                     Perfect Plyometrics

P90X - Pleanty of Time to Grow...

P90X – Plenty of Time to Grow…

Day 19 (Monday) was focused on Chest and Back with a side of Ab Ripper X. In other words…Pushups and Pull ups followed by sit ups and crunches. Yupp, if I wasn’t on the floor trembling I was trembling while hanging from my Chin Up Bar. The session was broken down into two sections. The first section was the basic routine with goals set for how many we thought we could do. I had my numbers. I pushed the limit and blew away my previous numbers…Yahoo

As far as the Ab Ripper X goes, I think by diving right into it after the main workout, while the muscles are still heated up, seems to work best, for me. This is the second time I have done this; so far so good. I will continue to experiment to see what my body (and mind) prefer.

The second half of the Chest and Back DVD was the same as the first half, except the sequence was reversed and we were challenged to exceed our earlier goals. I could feel the burn.

Here is what I noticed about my goals and the struggle I have to obtain them.  First of all, I am doing far more pushups this week compared to previous weeks. I do as Tony suggested and avoid focusing on quantity versus quality. It is better to do 10 perfect well-formed pushups, compared to doing 20 sloppy ones. During the second half of today’s workout, I did exceed the first half numbers, but my form may not have been spot on. I will have to work on that. Tomorrow will by my Day 20, meaning I have 70 more days to travel along this path-plenty of time to grow in strength, endurance and form. 

Some of you may be wondering if I am actually going to Blog each and every day about my journey. I wasn’t even planning on Blogging at all. I was trying to accomplish a deeply personal thing, one that I thought I should keep to myself. But, I was wrong. I did need to share my journey with my youngest son Nicholas (he is doing his own P90X program right beside me, in spirit that is-he lives in Alabama). I thought by Blogging, I would be able to share with him my daily struggles and victories. Being a writer I found that the Blogging thing just took off and grew into this daily diary, open for the entire world to see.

When I was Blogging about my Father-In-Law, Red Campbell, telling the story of his journey through the last remaining months of his life, my Blog grew into a daily posting, read by over 1500 followers. People were interested. So far, this Blog about my P90X adventure has reached that level and continues to grow. Please help me get this story out, so others who think they can’t do what I am doing will see that there is a light at the end of that long and dark tunnel.

So, will I continue to Blog each and every day? For now, I say yes. 

P.S.   For any of you who have not read the Blog about Red Campbell, you can do so from right here. Look to the right of this page for the listings by month (it is located above the About Me listing). Click on March and the ten postings for that month will appear. Then click on the title Living With the Aged. That was the first posting of many. Just work your way up from the bottom towards the top, then do April, and May and so on until you reach the end in August. Enjoy the story.

           

                          Did you say, "Now do 25 Pull Ups?"

P90X - Enough Said About That...

P90X – Enough Said About That…

Day 18 was an amazing day. Kerry and I got to go to church (together). We cherish that. Also Kerry gets to go to a Christmas party for the hospitals employees in Kerry’s former department (remember, Kerry retired on Dec. 3^rd). I will stay at home and provide the elder-care for Kerry’s mom.  

After lunch was served I went into my exercise room and worked on the Sunday routine; Stretching X; and stretch I did. I am challenged in that my flexibility or the lack there of, needs a lot of work. But for my age, I think I am doing okay.  The stretching limit I reached a couple of weeks ago can easily now be surpassed. When I say easily, I mean easier, not easy. I still feel the aches and pain.

For me the trick is stretching those muscles and tendons to the point where I feel just a little discomfort (pain). That is where I stop pushing. I don’t want to end up doing long term damage.

When I was a martial arts student, we used to do some amazing stretching routines, just to give us that extra height to our kicks. One of them, that I remember well, involves 2 people, the Giver and the Receiver. The Receiver would sit on the floor with his back up against a wall. This helps him maintain proper posture during the stretching.  With legs outstretched in front, as wide as he (or she) can spread them, the Giver would sit on the floor facing the Receiver, with their feet firmly placed on to the Receivers shins.  It was a practice of pain and breathing control. On every in hale, the Giver would push the Receivers legs wider apart, inch by inch. They would switch positions after 15 minutes or so.  This was done every day. After a few months almost everyone was able to do the splits, which made for some impressive high side kicks.

Doing some of these stretching routines within the P90X program reminds me of those days…those wonderful days when everything in the world seemed so much easier. Those were days when exercise was easier. Our body’s energy level was endless. We didn’t fear eating a cheeseburger for what it may do to our thighs or bellies.

These were also the days when we never heard of little children, while sitting in a class room, getting killed because of some idiot’s warped mental status.  If that is where our society has evolved then bring back the old ways of the old days. Now I'm sad...Enough said about that!

Connecticut Sandy Hook school shooting:

                         On Saturday night, police released the names of all the victims. They are:

Adults

Rachel Davino, 29, school staff

Dawn Hochsprung, 46, teacher

Anne Marie Murphy, 52, school staff

Mary Sherlach, 56, psychologist

Victoria Soto, 27, teacher

Lauren Russeau, 30, teacher

Nancy Lanza, 52, gunman's mother

Children

Charlotte Bacon, six

Daniel Barden, seven

Olivia Engel, six

Josephine Gay, seven

Ana Marquez-Green, six

Dylan Hockley, six

Madeleine Hsu, six

Catherine Hubbard, six

Chase Kowalski, seven

Jesse Lewis, six

James Mattiolo, six

Grace McDonnel, seven

Emilie Parker, six

Jack Pinto, six

Noah Pozner, six

Caroline Previdi, six

Jessica Rekos, six

Avielle Richman, six

Benjamin Wheeler, six

Allison Wyatt, six