Update
It’s been a long time since my last post! I feel like saying “since my last confession.” As the blog’s name implies, it has been good, bad, and ugly over the past couple of months. I will do my best to summarize. What I have learned from looking at the statistics for the blog is that I do get some hits because of people searching for information about Tony’s book. It’s not a lot of traffic per day, but I’m glad to provide information about that, at least. Speaking of Tony’s book, here is an ABC “Good Morning America” interview with Tony Horton about “Bring It!”
Workouts
I just completed the round of P90X which I began documenting in April. My results were not amazing. I was having a lot of difficulty with shoulder pain, which led to chiropractor visits (a first for me), and “modifying” as Tony says in order to keep up with the workouts while resting my shoulders. This meant a lot fewer (and easier) pushups, mostly on my knees, and after skipping pull downs for a couple of weeks, I tried using a lighter band and a shorter distance. I have been seeing improvement as the weeks passed.
The chiropractor has been applying steam compresses, massage, and checking my mobility from week to week. The pain is subsiding, and during my final yoga session yesterday I tried the quick pushups from the chaturanga pose. No pain, just the usual discomfort of raising myself from the floor. So round 5 of P90X ends with little fanfare, but it did maintain my fitness for the past three months.
Nutrition
Looking at the Calorie Count analysis for the past month, my calorie intake has been all over the map. There was Father’s Day, my son’s birthday parties, some day trips, and other disruptions. On the positive side, there are 10 days in the past month where I was slightly negative or at the breakeven point. I know that if I want to see that inch or so come off my waist, and see those abs I have been “ripping” (“I hate it, but I love it!”), then I need to do better with my calories and/or my activity level. I have been hearing too often lately “You can eat your way out of any exercise that you do.” It’s not enough to “Bring It” to the exercise. I have to eat better than I have been over the past few months.
Health and well-being
I have been sleeping better lately, if not as long as I would like on a daily basis. At least I am not waking up at 3 or 4 AM as much as I was. I have been taking Concentrace morning and evening, as well as a melatonin supplement on some nights. Over the past few months, my shoulders have been sore and painful, which caused some discomfort at night, but that has been improving.
In order to help my shoulders recover, I have purchased the Shoulder Pain Solved online video series from Rick Kaselj. It’s more of a presentation (with Powerpoint and a demontration of the exercises) than an exercise video, but the eight types of exercises he describes seem to be helping with my shoulder stiffness and pain. Some exercises are familiar to P90X fans (around the neck, for example), but others were new to me and are very helpful.
What next?
I am trying to figure out my goals for health and fitness, as well as other parts of my life, for the months ahead. Yes, of course I want to see those ripped abs. I wish they had been there when I first lost the weight and started strength training, but what can I say? I am looking forward to P90X: MC2, which is the major P90X reboot being released in the fall. In the meantime, I might go back to Tony’s book (that Warrior level section is still calling me), or Jillian Michaels (30 Day Shred sounds about right at this point), maybe with some running thrown in. At the risk of embarrassing myself with another long absence, stay tuned!
