A Quickie: Check It Out!

Hey!  I'm guest posting with my bud over at The Broke-Ass Bride about giving up processed foods.  Come over and say hi!

Psst!

I'm guest posting over at Claremont Road today... Go check it out!

Guest Post: So That's What All the Fuss is About

*Today's post is written by my sister Tweets.  She and her husband decided to try out that P90X thing we've all heard so much about...  They loved it so much, I asked them to write up a review!  I am looking for a new workout challenge now that my marathon's over, so I may give this a try.  This post is chock-full of tips and tricks to get the most out of your P90X adventure.  If YOU'VE been trying out P90X, leave your own tips in the Comments!

After way too many nights of watching the infomercial (while eating ice cream, potato chips, and drinking soda), my husband and I ordered the P90X workout program and got to work!  In case you don’t watch as much late night TV my husband and me, P90X is a 90-day workout program that uses “muscle confusion” to whip you into shape at the speed of a defcon 1 emergency response.  Admirably, my husband declared that if we were going to do this, that he wanted to do it right.  So we stuck to the plan very religiously, both with the workouts and the meal plan.  

I’ve put together a review of our experience along with tips to help you 1) determine if this program is right for you and 2) have an easier time fitting this into your budget and schedule.

Since P90X is all about phases, I’d like to pay homage to my P90X experience by doing the same!

The “Gulp” Phase
I purchased the program direct from www.beachbody.com, the company that produces this workout.  You can purchase it from all sorts of places, though, like EBay or authorized distributors to save some money.  I chose to purchase it from Beach Body because I also received

1)    lifetime replacement of DVDs (mine ended up getting all scratched so this came in VERY handy)
2)    The nutrition plan (includes recipes)
3)    The Fitness Guide

No matter whom you buy from, set yourself up an account on www.beachbody.com (free).  From there you can download the free workout sheets to track your progress and to ask questions when there’s something you don’t understand or are struggling with. 

I didn’t purchase the official recovery drink, protein bars, or equipment from P90X.  The program itself cost me $161.08 (paid over three months), and I still had food to buy!  If you have the money, go for it because from what I could tell they were all high quality. 

TIP #1 - If you’re strapped on cash, then you can try CytoMax Recovery (Sports Authority, $19/ container) and it was less than half of the cost of the P90X version.  For something more filling, you can try the Six Star Muscle Building mix, which is about $18/container (Wal-Mart, GNC).  Don’t be scared of the calories – you’re going to need ‘em. 

TIP #2 – Scan through a few workouts in person before purchasing equipment.  That way you’ll know what you need.  Find an equipment kit that includes at least two of the equipment pieces you’ll need (chin up bar, resistance bands or weights, yoga mat, yoga block, and push up bars.  You can get by without the yoga blocks and push up bars, but the chin up bar and weights (or resistance bands) are a must.   Expect to spend $40 – 150 depending on what you already own (or can borrow!).
The “Holy Cow What Did I Get Myself Into?” Phase

The workouts, as hard as they are, were nothing compared to the time and organization required for that dang meal plan!  I literally had mini panic attacks each night as I made dinner, then prepped breakfast and lunch each night.  And the SOUPS!!!  I had no idea making soup was such an ordeal.  The recipe size was ridiculous, too – 18 servings for a sauce?!  Almost everything is made from scratch.

After two weeks of doing everything the wrong way, I developed a system to help me “cope” all while sticking to the meal plan.  Here is some must know information:

TIP #3 – Shop one time per week, with all of your ingredients categorized into Frozen, Meat, Dairy, Fruit & Veg, and Dry.  Doing this turned a two hour grocery shopping trip into one hour.  Yes, I said two hours into one.  This takes dedication, my friend.

TIP #4 - Prep as much as you can on the weekend.  I would wash and cut about three heads of romaine lettuce each Sunday and keep it for the week (thank God that salad spinner was on my wedding registry).  Some things you just can’t make ahead of time, so do what you can.

TIP#5 – Don’t make the soups, purchase them.  I found every soup in the book at a local health foods store, so they were low sodium, organic, yada-yada.  Time saved?  About three hours.  Sanity lost?  None.

 TIP #6 – Buy frozen when you can for the vegetables, fish, and berries. They last much longer and those Steamables packages are worth every penny.

Eventually, you WILL get the hang of the meal plan.  I even cried at one point I was so frustrated with the money and work it was taking.  Which leads me to…

The “Who Is That in the Mirror?!” Phase

I began seeing the benefits of the program after only about two weeks.  My husband was dropping pounds like crazy, and my flimsy arms were starting to have some definition.  I could hug my husband and we weren’t squishing tummies anymore!

I have to admit, the nutrition plan was turning out to be well worth it.  A few people I had talked to who had done the program but skipped the nutrition plan weren’t as happy with their results as we were.  I had lots of energy believe it or not, and I was looking better and better.  I really missed sodas and snacking, but the benefits were just too good to screw up this early.  Plus, my “second butt” (the one that sits directly underneath where your butt is supposed to end) was slowly starting to disappear.  There are six workouts per week, so this wasn’t exactly rocket science.  Still, I’ve never had a body like this so I was enjoying it.

The “Starting to Burn Out” Phase

There’s no “squeezing in a workout” with P90X.  You spend at least one hour per day, six days per week busting your booty.  As with most exercise programs, it take more discipline to actually stick to the plan versus starting it.  I started drinking a soda once a week to dull the pain and was working out only four times per week versus six.  I still saw great results, but was definitely slipping. 

TIP #7 – Keep track of your progress on your workout sheets.  I was seeing how far I had come that motivated me to get back to business!

The “FINISH LINE!” Phase

I gotta give credit to the P90X people; they thought of everything.  They manage to incorporate eating right, working out, hydrating, resting, stretching, and even relaxing your mind every day.  I started out being able to do only five pushups on my knees, to 15 standard pushups in a set.  I can do thirty squats before I start “feeling” it.  I feel amazing!

The “Now What Do I Do?” Phase

I felt so lost after we were done with P90X.  No more structured eating.  No more disciplined workout schedule.  I was a little depressed that it was over.  Plus, what was this “free time” thing I had now? 

So I started it back up again!  I’m so much more knowledgeable about what a good price is on blueberries and the benefits of mushrooms that I do not have to stick to a regimented mean plan to eat right.  Again, because those P90X people think of everything, there are several suggestions for what you can do to workout after the program is over. 

TIP #8 – Think of P90X as adding a 10 - 15 hr/week part time job to your life. It takes a lot of work.  However, it’s not always like that.  Eventually you’ll get the hang of things and it becomes just part of your daily routine.

Wrap-Up:

This sounds cheesy, but P90X has changed my life.  It’s not like this is my first go around with working out, either; I exercised regularly before this, took supplements, and generally ate healthy.  What was different about P90X was it was so empowering.  Too often we give up when we don’t see results soon enough.  This program starts a new workout phase every few weeks, so you get to see results much faster and are more inclined to stick with your program.  This was some of the best money I ever spent.

Guest Blog: Top Tips for New Runners

*A few weeks ago, I asked my sister Tweets to write a guest blog on tips that have been the most helpful to her as a runner.  I hope these tips help those of you - like me - who are just getting started hitting the road!

This is Tweets!

Before 2005, the idea of someone running for enjoyment made as much sense to me as boys wearing skinny jeans.  I mean that I used to think that running really, really, really sucked.

Now, I’m six weeks away from my first full Ironman distance triathlon. I’m not sure what happened, but, over time, endurance sports became part of my identity. As for running, my sister Penny asked me to put together a few tips for beginning runners. Running is definitely my favorite part (I know, so weird).

#1 Warm up and cool down like it’s going out of style.

This is very important!!! Not warming up leads (and I mean EASILY leads) to pulled muscles, cramps, and other injuries. Your muscles are almost like a balloon – stick a balloon in the fridge for 5 minutes, then blow it up really quickly. If it doesn’t pop, you’ll at least get weird lumps in it. You really need to warm up your muscles for about 10-20 minutes, and stretch after warming up. That’s another thing, don’t try to stretch “cold” muscles. Warm up, stretch, exercise, then cool down. Cooling down is just as important. When you don’t, your blood pools in the areas you were using (i.e. your legs) and leads to sore muscles, poor recovery, and even more serious things like blood clots! Yikes! When all your friends are sore after your long runs together, you’ll be the rockstar that can still walk.

 #2 Get a heart rate monitor and use it religiously.

Think sprinting every day is going to make you lose weight? Think again. Exercising above 85% of your max heart rate is past the fat burning zone. I don’t think every runner needs to look like Kara Goucher (for REAL, she just keeps getting better looking!), but excess weight does impact recovery time and increases your chance of injury.

I suggest you switch things up a bit, doing interval work where your heart rate is at, say 95% (180 for me) for 2 minutes, then 85% (160 for me) for 3 minutes, 5 times. You will be amazed at the benefits. I had kind of plateaued back in 2008, but then really got serious with my intervals. I went from an 11 min mile to an 8:30 min mile in 2 months! Losing ten pounds was nice, too.

If you can train based on your heart rate, you will be the happiest person out there, trust me. A long run at a 157 heart rate is much more pleasant than 175 where I have to stop every 5 minutes from exhaustion. Heart rate monitors start at $40 and go all the way up to $400.  I prefer the kind with a chest strap, not just the wrist only ones.  Anything by polar is good, and New Balance has some good values for $60-$80.

#3 If your workout is longer than one hour, you need more than water.

Water’s awesome and all, but you also need fuel during your workouts that last longer than one hour. Some even say 45 minutes. Since I have a leisurely warm up and cool down, I go with one hour. Investigate things like sports drinks, gels, pretzels, whatever, and see what works best. During-workout nutrition is its own beast, so read up on this. I love pickles!

#4 Post-workout snack – it’s your friend.

You must eat within 30 minutes after your workout!!! The reason? After working out, the level of liver enzymes, certain hormones, and an overall sensitivity to insulin skyrockets. If you don’t feed it, you’ve lost the opportunity to give it the valuable things it needs to recover. Since you won’t lose any weight by starving yourself after a workout, you might as well feed the thing. Actually, you are more likely to lose weight by eating immediately afterward. It’s a win-win! Good choices are a whey protein shake, a banana, actual recovery bars (I use Powerbar’s Recovery bar), or even a couple of cookies. SOMETHING.

#5 Find a buddy, but not if he or she is crazy.

Unless you’re a loner like me, find a running buddy or group that is at your stage or speed. Sometimes, all of our good intentions end up sleeping in on a Saturday morning rather than go run. Find a buddy to do this together! It’s much more fun!

As for the crazies, if anyone ever tells you that they are always motivated to run and that it’s always such a joy, turn around and walk away (actually, run away so that you can get in a run). You have found the walking demon called “Deception” and he will probably drain you of your life force and then gobble you up for dinner. This demon is also disguised as the person that incessantly drones on about “PR this” or “VO² max that” or “these 5Ks are such a waste of my time – I really only run marathons.” Who needs this? Stay away from people who make you feel like a moron.

So that’s my two cents! Happy running!