Workout
Today was my first try at the Striver’s Resistance Workout, Phase 1 (estimate time 30-35 minutes). The stretches are the familiar P90X head and shoulder rolls, huggers, etc. The workout is a combination of moves from the arm, shoulder, and biceps DVDs, with some lower body and abdominal exercises thrown in for a well-rounded session. Sorry, P90X fans, but there are only two kinds of pushups in this one (standard, wide and/or modified).
Life interrupted my workout schedule, on day 2! My plan was to get through this from start to finish, as I did yesterday. Unfortunately, due to some distractions around me, my exercise time was shortened. Also, pretty quickly I realized something was missing: Those sheets for tracking your workout! I stopped, scrawled down the exercise list on a piece of paper, and started up again. After all that (and some confusion when I did some exercises in the wrong order), I only did one half of the workout. At least I ran through everything once, and even without the repeat circuit it was pretty challenging. I’m glad to see that I did pick the right level of difficulty.
Nutrition
I’m still on track (two days in a row!). There is a chapter in the book called “Nourish” which describes Tony’s “flexitarian” diet of primarily plant-based foods, lean protein, and complex carbohydrates (from veggies and whole grains). My calorie count is a little higher than I would like, but I am eating healthy food that is mostly on Tony’s recommended list. No desserts (just an apple), and I skipped the coffee today because I was stuck at home due to the weather (no coffee maker). I did feel like some dessert after dinner, so I mixed up some plain yogurt, cocoa, and chocolate whey powder (with stevia and a little sugar). I think it was a good compromise. My goal is still to have more of a calorie deficit rather than breaking even, as I am doing right now.
Health and well-being
I set my alarm a little later today, because I knew the bad weather would keep me home from work. I think once I get into the rhythm of these shorter workouts, I will be able to manage my morning schedule better and maybe even add a little treadmill (TV watching) time.
Despite the lack of coffee, I was pretty alert. I did add some snow shoveling to my routine today. Someone calls that “snowdio”. I think that made up for the shortened workout, and I didn’t feel like I needed more (for example, when I skip a workout).
Back to cardio tomorrow. Maybe this time there will be no surprises?
