Day 3

It took a couple of days, but I finally did Shoulders and Arms today.  I had a busy week, but was finally able to get it done.

I have been having a tough time with chair dips.  Something on the back of my right arm hurts when I do it-like a very uncomfortable hurt.  I figured one minute out of sixty is okay to skip.

I am in for a rough and long weekend so I am not positive that I will get anything P90X accomplished, but here's hoping...

Day 2

Almost didn't do Cardio today. 

I do not feel well and my body is completely sore from yesterday's work-out.  But, I knew if I did not do it, the entire week would fall apart.

So, I put Noah down for his nap and got to work.  The yoga actually felt great (and by great, I mean that my muscles were screaming at me) since it worked at my aches and pains.

What I find to be my downfall with Cardio is that I am starving all day after doing it.  Most of the work-outs are great calorie burners, but something about Cardio makes me want to eat all day long.  Kind of defeats the purpose, right?  My goal at my next grocery trip is to buy better things for lunch so that I am not prone to eat so many snacks.

Day 1

I have never felt so motivated in my life.  Three Thanksgiving dinners will do that to a person.

Started with Core-again.  I swear, I am a pro at Core and Cardio since I keep starting with them.  I did my best and worked hard and it felt great.

Here's hoping this continues...

My Confession

Okay, so I said no excuses.  But, that was before I watched an extra child for a week, baked for number one of three Thanksgiving dinners, and then left town for the second and actual Thanksgiving dinner.

As I am sitting on my butt typing this, I swear that I had every intention of at least running with my little brother while being at our parent's house.  After all, he is currently training to be a state tropper and is basically going through boot camp right now.  That would be a good work-out, right?

Is it my fault that Thanksgiving dinner has done us both in?  Motivation?  What kind of word is that during this holiday week?

Oh, that's right-it's the word that I will need to make up for all of the yummy food that I have inhaled the past few days.

I will try again on Monday.

Day 3

See?  I told you-no more excuses.

I almost had an excuse.  I am watching my neighbor's child for the next few afternoons, giving me an easy out.  Well, perhaps I am a bad baby-sitter, but I just finished Shoulders and Arms-and Ab Ripper!-while she and Caleb played with play-doh. 

Sure, I now have a lovely mess to clean up.  But, it was worth it to finally stick with completing my third day of the work-out on the actual third day.

I hope the kids do not need me for awhile.  After doing Ab Ripper, there is a strong chance that I will be throwing up soon.

Day 2

Did Cardio today. 

What I love about Cardio is that I can keep up with the entire thing.  And it makes me sweat.  I always feel like I have accomplished something after doing it.

Which is probably why I feel tired and tend to skip the next day.  But, not this time!  No excuses.

This Time I Mean It

Got a little busy.  Ran with Noah one day instead of working out.  Legs hurt for two days.

With the holidays coming up-no excuses!  I want to enjoy my Thanksgiving feast and Christmas cookies.

Did Core this morning and actually felt pretty great about it.  I am treating this as an official day one again with no more excuses in sight.

Cue sick kids and a busy holiday season.

Day 9

Was going to do Cardio, then I heard Nick mentioned he would be doing Plyo in the evening.  So, I decided to wait for him and do that work-out instead.

Finally got the kids to bed and I looked at Nick, passed out on the couch and said, "Ready to get your work-out clothes on?"

If looks could kill...

After much discussion, he finally gave in and we did Plyo together.  I enjoy doing that one every now and then, but not every time.  It is just too rough on my bad knees.  But, as Nick said, it felt good to work out.

Days 7 And 8

The kids were home for a five day weekend.  Nick was in Las Vegas for a conference.  Enough said.

Used many day sevens for rest and got back on track today with Core.  Nick plans on starting the program again from the beginning.  This time, he will be doing Lean, like I am.  That should help with my motivation.  On the days where I run out of time in the morning, I have no excuse not to work out in the evening since he will be doing it anyway.

It should be fun.

Day 6

Yep, skipped a few days again.  What is up with these children and my husband taking up my time?  Oh well.  I figured a family day at King's Island, watching my kids play soccer and working a booth at our church's Fall Festival were better ways to spend my time over the weekend.

Also, my Kenpo dvd decided to stop working (again) in my dvd player.  I was so not motivated to try working out to my computer.

Well, I finally gave in today and did it.  I have always enjoyed Kenpo, but I did feel a little sore in my joints since it has been so long since I have done it.  It was good to sweat and move around for an hour since the rest of my day was driving back and forth to school and doing laundry.

Day 5

Skipped a few days again, due to life.  Ended up watching some extra kids for friends who had sick sitters so my life became slightly chaotic.  I thought I was outnumbered by my own three children, but add on three more and...um, I forget what I was saying because my brain has still not recovered.

Anyway, was able to do Legs and Back today.  It was not too bad, except for the wall squats.  The first ones are bearable.  The second ones, where you only squat on one leg, are pretty terrible.  I have a feeling that I will be feeling those for awhile.

Day 4

Yep, missed a few days.  That would be because of a certain one-year old having a temperature of 104.1 this past weekend and not wanting to leave my arms.

I guess I could have tried to do Yoga with him in my arms.  That would have been interesting.

Thankfully, it was just a bad combination of reaction to shots and an ear infection and he is much better now.

Since this was my one day this week where I did not have to leave the house all morning, I did Yoga while I could.  At first I thought I might just do part of it since it has been awhile.  But, the more I got into it, the more I just kept on going.  As long as I did not look at the clock and watch time slowly drag by, I was okay.

The only part that I slightly skipped was the whole Warrier Three combo fiasco.  I lost my balance and figured I would just wait it out, forgetting that it just keeps going into other moves. 

Oh well.  Missing a few minutes out of 90 minutes of Yoga-I think I will survive.

Day 3 Kind Of

I have given up all hope on ever working out on a Wednesday. 

Because I take the kids to school and pick up from preschool, that is usually my running errand day.  So, I lose the morning nap time where I can usually work-out.

Oh well.  Moving on.  Did Shoulder and Arms today.  I stuck with some low weights since it has been awhile, but I did all of the reps that I had aimed for.  Next time I will be using a little more weight for some of the reps.

As Tony says, "The shoulders are your glamour muscles!" 

Sure.  Okay.  They look really glamourous carrying around a one-year old.

So Far So Good

Wow, made it another day without an excuse. 

Did Cardio today.  Actually had a little technical problem with the dvd player freezing up (the remote ran out of charge and would not work even when I plugged it back in), so I never got to finish the Core part of the work-out with them.  However, I have done it enough that I just did my own thing and I think I did all of it.

It was actually kind of nice to finish it without watching the physically fit people do it better.

Seriously

I just threw a huge birthday party for all three of my children, baked all of the cupcakes (and cookies for those who expected my chocolate chip cookies), made the food, took pictures, made more cookies for soccer practice friends, made more cookies for class parties, and made special dinners for each birthday.  I also made special trips to the school for the parties and for surprise lunches.

That is equal to running a marathon, right?

So, birthdays now finally behind me (except for the one-year old, whose birthday is today, but thankfully he is clueless about any special expectations), I am ready to start again.

Started with good ole' Core today.  It slightly kicked my butt, especially with Abby home sick today, watching my every move.  But, it felt great.

After all, I had to taste test all of those cookies so I really need to make up for it.

Day 2 On The New Plan

So far so good.  Did Cardio today. 

Because I needed the time to work-out and take a shower before Noah would get up from his morning nap, I attempted to start my work-out while he was still awake.

I will never do that again.

As I was doing the Cardio warm-up that consists of Yoga, he kept crawling around me.  Picture me doing Downward Dog with an 11-month-old crawling underneath me.  Yep.  Amusing.

As a result, Noah has now started doing this...

Apparently Yoga looks like one big game to my children.  Oh, it is so not.

My New Plan

Because my life is complete with sick children and soccer practices, I have decided to take on my second attempt at P90X in a new way.  Instead of starting with each Monday on Core and going from there, I am going to complete each exercise in order, no matter how many days between.

My reasoning is that I do really well on Mondays and Tuesdays (in a large part due to my carpooling schedule).  Then I hit Wednesday and it becomes all downhill from there.  By the time I try to get back to it, I feel discouraged and figure I will just wait to start from the beginning.

The result is that I am really good at Core and Cardio.  Everything else?  Not so much.

So, today I did Core and hope that my new plan will work with the chaos that I call my life.

Day 7/8 and 9

Yeah, so between two soccer games, a kid birthday party and total exhaustion, I did not do Kenpo on Saturday.  I chose Sunday to not to a thing.  But, come Monday morning, I was still really sore so I stretched instead of doing Core.

Seriously-I do not think I could have done half of Core because I was so sore.  However, I got up at 5:45 (yes, that would be 5:45 in the morning) and stretched and it was really helpful.

This morning, I arose at 5:45 again (okay, so maybe I hit snooze for a few minutes) and did Cardio.  It felt great to sweat and get the work-out out of the way.  I figured this is the only way I can get the exercising done, leaving me with time for a shower during naptime before I have to leave to pick up Caleb from preschool. 

It is soooo not easy to get up that early, but I am really trying to make it a habit. 

Day 4, I mean 5

Yoga should have been done on Day 4, but I ran out of time.  I figured other parents at preschool pick-up would appreciate the fact that I used my morning time alone to shower instead of doing Yoga.  90 minutes is really hard to accomplish on my pick-up day.

I did do Legs and Back on Friday.  Yikes.  I have not done that one in months.  I am typing this a day later because my butt is so sore that it hurts to sit at the computer. 

I always figured when I skipped Legs and Back, that it was not a big deal.  My legs have always been pretty strong and who cares if I miss a few pull-ups?  Apparently, my legs were still pretty strong, but my butt, not so much.  I think it was the wall squats that really did me in.

Which leads me to wonder why I ever wasted money at the gym?  Why would I need to use their equipment when squatting against my living room wall does the same thing?

I did skip one part of the work-out and was careful about how much I did on a few of them because of my knees.  Listening to them crack from an old track injury was not fun.  Considering that I still feel the burn in my butt and thighs, something tells me that I still did enough.

Day 3 and Beyond

I did Shoulders and Arms last week.  Kept with the lighter weights since it had been awhile.  Plus, my thighs and surrounding areas were still sore from Monday's Core.

Pathetic, isn't it?

Anyway, meant to do Yoga on Thursday, but my entire day was gone before I even had one breath to give toward it.  Then I went out of town for my annual college girlfriend getaway.  I took my work-out clothes just in case.

Yes, I was full of crap.  I did not work out all weekend, but ate greasy, Southern food, had a few mixed drinks, and ate lots of pepperoni puffs that one of the girls is known for making.

It was quite lovely.

Back in the real world on Monday, I spent my last official day of summer cleaning up from my absence and getting everything ready for school.  Tuesday went by in a flash, since I had to spend all morning at the school.  Thought I would get back on track today, with everyone being at school.  Instead, I used my hour of Noah napping to finish reading a book.

Totally worth it.

I figured since I left off with last Wednesday, I will just pick up again tomorrow with Day 4. 

The encouraging thing was seeing all of the parents at school that I have not seen all summer.  I kept getting comments on how great I look.  Considering I have dropped 25 pounds since the spring, I must look a little different.  Still have a ways to go, though.

Maybe I should stop eating my no bake cookies while I type this.

Day 2

Amazing.  I made it another day on this comeback.

Did Cardio today.  Endured stretching while Abby kept looking between my legs to show me pictures that she was drawing.  Barely avoided kicking Nick while doing Kenpo as he was trying to leave to tutor.  And once again, I had two little work-out buddies.

Abby did a few stretches, then moved on with her day.  Caleb watched a bunch of it (even though I kept reminding him how much more fun the backyard is than watching a P90X DVD) and then joined in at the end.  I decided it was more fun to skip Superman/Banana and take this video of him instead.

Okay, so he did not have the best form or even work too many muscles, but it was still pretty cute.  I think I look better than that when doing it. 

For Real This Time

Started the program from the start-again.  I am not waiting until school starts-I am feeling too out of shape already.

So, with Noah taking his morning nap, Nick leaving to coach a golf match, and Abby and Caleb running around the room, I completed Core Synergistics. 

I really felt it, too.

At least the older two kids were somewhat good.  I only had to stop once to break up a fight.  Abby tried to work out with me in the beginning and got as far as the stretches before announcing, "Okay, I'm tired." 

Me, too, sweet girl.  Me, too.

Caleb joined in toward the end.  He really enjoyed trying to keep up, or at least his version of keeping up.  At least he was using up some of his endless, little boy energy on something besides torturing his sister.

All in all, not a bad beginning.

Yep, Heard That One Before

Hello blog world, it's me, the gradually falling out of shape again slacker.

I must be living in some kind of fantasy world to think that I can work out while the kids (and Nick) are home for the summer.  Somehow my lovely husband is able to keep doing P90X every evening, while I gladly sit on my butt doing logic puzzles or writing about how I should be working out. 

I am just not a night person.  So, instead of waiting two more weeks until school is officially in session, I figured I would start getting up an hour earlier to work out before the chaos of the day begins.

My alarm promptly went off at 6:00 a.m. this morning.  And I promptly turned it off and went back to sleep.

In my defense, I was up a lot last night, not feeling well and needed the rest.  Meanwhile, I am starting to feel a little loose in my belly and arms and know that I have some major work to do.

I am starting again tomorrow.  Yes I am. 

Days 1 and 2

So it begins.  Again.

On Monday, I completed Core Synergistics.  It slightly kicked my butt.  I guess that is what happens when not working out for a couple of weeks.  I will admit that I did not do the total reps for many of the tasks.  Even with Nick sitting in the same room, I was just not motivated enough.

Actually, my body was just that sore from camp.

On Tuesday, I picked up my sorry and sore butt from the couch and did Cardio.  Considering I have not done Yoga in a few weeks, my flexibility was not what it should be.  Pretty amusing.

Anyway, it felt good to start again and I am looking forward to the rest of the week.

Here We Go Again

Okay.  So vacation is over.  Camp is now done.  I have no plans to leave town in the next few weeks. 

I am starting P90X again.  From the beginning. 

I am so not motivated.

Perhaps it is because I just got home from camp and am still sore from sleeping on a cot and throwing myself down a slip and slide.  Or because being home with three kids is more exhausting than camp.  Either way, it is going to take some accountability and energy to do this again.

Wish me luck.

In Between

Reality has sunk in.  Despite my best efforts, I am on hiatus from P90X.

Just spent a week at the beach with the family.  As Nick worked out at odd hours of the night, I fell fast asleep.  And it felt great.

This week, I am working along side him with his recovery week.  Next week I will be a counselor at camp, getting plenty of natural exercise.  Then, when I return, I plan on starting the program from the beginning.  Yes, I have said that before, but this time-no vacations or camps getting in the way.

Still Going

Yep, still attempting to work out.  I feel this time I am being a bit more flexible, though.

What?  More flexible than the first time through?

I know, I know.  It is really hard to stick to a schedule with the kids home.  I am trying to do what I can do with the small amount of spare time I have left.

I meant to complete everything last week, but yard work got in the way.  I carried stacks of wood to the backyard, drilled holes into them, stacked them together, and used a sledgehammer to finish the job.  Then carried soil and mulch to put around my new plants.  After sweating more than I did during Cardio, I figured I had a good work-out.

This week, I have done a couple of work-outs with Nick.  Shoulders and Arms was good.  Started Yoga this evening with Nick, then got a text from my neighbor asking to take a walk.  Walked for awhile, then finished the last half hour of Yoga with Nick.  Works for me.

Day 2 Part 2

Ah, Cardio.  My favorite. 

No, seriously, it really is.  Not as long as the other work-outs and I enjoy every part of it.

Except for Superman/Banana.  Seriously, who came up with that ridiculous idea?

In the midst of sweating my butt off doing Cardio, I got a text from my neighbor who got home too late to join me, asking to go for a walk instead.  Considering my dvd somehow skipped the last part of the work-out, I figured I better make up for it.  So, as I was gasping and dripping sweat on my phone, I texted her back and agreed.

Walking and talking with a friend?  So beats doing Cardio alone.

Day 1 Part 2

I am starting the program from the beginning.

Yes, I am crazy.

My neighbor and I are going to help motivate each other, as she is starting for the first time and our husbands are doing the program as well.

Today, I did Core Synergistics.  Considering I have not done this one for awhile, it kicked my butt.  For some reason, I forgot about all of the push-ups.  Sphinx push-ups?  Seriously?

My motivation to start again came from this past weekend.  I put on my bathing suit. 

What is amusing to me is that I felt pretty great in most parts of my body, except for my thighs and stomach.  I know, I know.  The mother of three does not feel super in that area.  Shocking.  But, it got me to thinking that most of the work-outs that I missed because of time commitments were legs and back and the ab ripper.  Hmm.

So, here we go again.  Wish me luck.

Random Work-Outs

As I mentioned before, I am planning on starting the program from the beginning next week, along with my neighbor.  Instead of sitting around, watching our husbands complete the program while we eat chips and watch tv, we thought we could be more productive.

In the meantime, though, I decided to join Nick for a couple of work-outs this week. 

It has been fun.

Yesterday, I joined him on Shoulders and Arms.  I found that I did a better job working out with someone else, because the pressure was on to look good.  Not because Nick expected it (he does know me fairly well, after all), but because I have done this for a few months and should have something to show for it.

Today, we did Yoga together.

Yep, it was hilarious.

Earlier in the day, I showed him a few moves to explain what Yoga was like.  He said, "That doesn't look too hard."  I had to hide my laughter so as not to scare him.

He did pretty well, considering he is a guy and this was his first time doing it.  It was a huge ego boost to me because I kept hearing comments like, "How are you doing that?" and "You are amazing."

I love that guy.

New Plan

Yes.  I suck.  The end is in sight, and I have completely dropped the ball on the last two weeks.

However, I have a new plan.

My neighbor is planning on starting the program next week and we have talked about doing it together.  Nick started again, too, but I would still like to stick with the lean program, so I think my friend is the better partner.

Now, I live in reality and know that we will not be able to work-out together every evening...we do have lives.  But, I figure between keeping accountable to her and randomly working out with Nick, too, I should be okay.

In the meantime, I am going to continue running around like crazy, attending all of the parties and events at school during the last two weeks, taking care of Noah and selling Mary Kay. 

Last Week

Okay.  Here is what happened to last week's mornings.

Wednesday-ran errands all morning.
Thursday-cut the grass and cleaned up the backyard.
Friday-air conditioner broke the night before so I had absolutely no desire to work-out when my house was 82 degrees.
Saturday-air conditioner repair man came, baked cookies for dinner with the neighbors, went to a bridal shower, packed up Abby and myself and drove to PA for my brother's college graduation.
Sunday-church with my college roommate (stayed at her house), my brother's graduation, got home close to midnight.

Here I am today, debating between working out or resting and catching up on the Survivor castaway reunion.  Hmm, tough choice.

Day 72 Again

Finally-exercise!!!  Did Cardio and felt great. 

What is interesting is that while missing work-outs the past couple of weeks, I have managed to lose 15 pounds.  I guess that does not sound good for P90X-that I lose weight when not doing it.  However, I think it is because I am more hungry when working out and do not always stick to the calorie intake that I am aiming for.  Also, I am building muscles during the work-out.  I still love the work-out, though.  I do not run out of breath as easily as before and feel a lot more toned.

Here is to the rest of the week!

Day 71 Again

I had my work-out clothes on, was about to put Noah down for a nap, then got a text from my neighbor asking if I could watch her kids for the morning.  How could I say no?  They are moving soon and she had to get her house ready for a showing.

To make up for it, I took the kids (including Noah, who decided not to nap well with all of the commotion he could hear going on downstairs) for a walk around the neighborhood.  Picture the insanity-two kids in my double jogger stroller (for sale-who wants it?) with Noah strapped onto my chest.  I caught a few pity looks.

Between that and doing some yard work, I think I made up for it.

Day What???

Yes, I am still here.  No, I have not been working out this week.

I feel awful about it.  Not just for my readers (all three of you), but for myself.

My first lame excuse is that my knee was bothering me in the beginning of the week.  I have no idea why.  Perhaps because I missed a few work-outs and it was yelling at me.  Whatever.  Anyway, I was not inspired to do P90X exercise with a bum knee.

My second lame excuse (and the real one that has kept me busy) is that I am spring cleaning.  Hey, it is raining non-stop so what else am I supposed to do with my time?

Besides work-out.

In this entire week, I have finished deep cleaning the two upstairs bathrooms, the laundry room (or should I say, space), part of the dinning room and most of the kitchen.  I never knew it would take so long.

Or, I never knew my house was this filthy.

Anyway, I am going to start fresh next week-I promise. 

Day 78

I rested today.  At least I can do that part of the work-out right.

Well, kind of.  Went to church and then to a six-year old birthday party so it was not very restful.  On to a new week tomorrow.

Day 76

Okay, this is getting ridiculous.

At least while I was missing Kenpo, I was walking around King's Island with three children, while Nick was coaching a baseball game.  I did carry Caleb back to the car that was parked a mile away while pushing Noah in the stroller so that counts for something, right?

Day 75

Should have done Core today.  Had to take Abby to the doctor, then take her back to school, then deal with the boys, then take Abby to dance, then pass out on the couch.

At least on my days that I miss, it is never because I am just sitting around doing nothing.

Day 74

Urg!  Again, missed Yoga.  It is just impossible to get it done on busy days.  I try so hard to fit it in, but 90 minutes of working out does not quite fit into picking up kids from school and running a hundred errands. 

Day 73

Shoulders and Arms-I felt the burn.  At least with the Ab Ripper, I am making some progress.  I can go through almost all of the reps and pretty much keep up.  I feel like I am going to throw up at any point each time, but that is normal, right?

Day 72

Okay.  Back on track.

I picked up again with Cardio.  I am glad to go through this without gasping for breath.  If you are reading this and thinking about starting the program, you may feel like death at first, but eventually, you feel great!

Days 66-71

Yeah, it's been one of those weeks.

Wednesday and Thursday just got away from me, with zero time to work-out.  Took food to a new mommy, went to the kids' Easter parties, took Caleb to get a haircut, got my own haircut, ran errands, and did my normal routine of being a mom and wife.

Friday, we spent the day driving to PA to see my family and for a dear friend's wedding.  Hanging out with my college roommates Friday night and seeing beautiful Brandie get married on Saturday was a lot more fun than doing P90X :) 

Drove home today and now that the bags are unpacked and the kids are in bed, I have just enough energy to type this.  I am inspired to start fresh tomorrow.

Day 65

Almost did not do Cardio today.  The thunderstorm kept knocking out the power, thus turning off the television and not charging my almost dead laptop.  I found myself rooting for the excuse, but eventually it stayed on long enough for me to complete Cardio.

Darn.

Actually, it felt great.  My arms are pretty sore from yesterday's work-out, but everything else went well.  And I really needed to get it done today, because the next few days will be very busy.  It will be interesting to see if I can get the work-outs done.

Day 64

This week switches around again.  I did Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, followed by the Ab Ripper.

Lots of push-ups, which I mostly do on my knees.  Considering I am constantly feeling the burn in my arms, I think I am doing okay.  I slacked on the Ab Ripper, basically because I was fighting for the chance to take a shower before Noah woke up.  No such luck.  The kid must be teething because he is constantly crabby, lately, which is not like him.  So, I did about 2/3 of the ab work-out and enjoyed using the fast forward button.

Took the crabby kid for a walk, too, so I do not feel too bad.  It is actually a work-out when I do not have to keep stopping every few minutes for complaining, scootering, older children.

Day 63

Today I stretched by getting out of bed, going to church, eating dinner with family and playing outside with the kids.  Felt great.

Day 62

Should have done Kenpo today.  Had a yard sale with the neighbors instead.  Did some baking, visiting with family, and had a surprise going away party for neighbors.  Much more fun than Kenpo.

Day 61

Finally, back on track.

It has been awhile since I have done Core Synergistics, so it did kick my butt a little bit.  I can see why they switch the programs around-muscle and body confusion.  Just when I thought I was doing okay, suddenly core is hardcore again.

By doing this and finally counting calories (my phone app makes this so much easier), I have lost seven pounds this past week.  I am a bit hungry, but my energy level is still the same so I think I am okay.  It is never a bad thing to finally feel hungry...can't remember the last time I felt that. 

Day 60

I intended on completing Yoga today.  Even though I agreed to watch my neighbor's children while she cleaned her house,  I figured I could get a few moves in while they played quietly.

I know-sometimes I am delusional.

After watching the one-year old and two-year old slowly destroy my house and after picking up Caleb from school, and after a very cranky naptime, and after picking up Abby and her friend from school, and after watching her friend for awhile until her mom picked her up, and after making dinner, and after putting the kids to bed...I didn't want to do no Yoga.

I burned calories, though, right?

Day 59

Was able to complete Shoulders and Arms, plus the Ab Ripper.  I still use the chair for the pull-ups and chin-ups, but am feeling the burn.  I have no idea how women can ever get to the point where they do not use a chair for support.  Then again, I remember being able to do the required amount of chin-ups in high school without chair support.  And, oh yeah, I was over 50 pounds lighter then.

Bit by bit I am able to keep up with the Ab Ripper non-humans.  Yay for progress.

Day 58

Instead of working out in the morning, I took Noah to his doctor's appointment.  One would think that I could work out later in the day, but that would require children who are considerate of my time and are perfect angels.

Oh well, on to another day.

Day 57 Part 2

Last week was ridiculous.  Not one day went by that I could find an hour (or longer for some work-outs) to get it done.  My favorite attempt was Saturday-Abby's choir concert at school, six-year old birthday party, five-year old birthday party, bed.  Unless I wanted to work-out in the middle of the night, I had no chance to get it done.

To make up for it, I found this great app on my phone called My Fitness Pal.  You can enter everything you eat and it keeps track of the calories for you.  All I do is put in my goal weight and how active I usually am and it gives me a number to stick to every day.  I figured since I did not have time to work-out or snack, this was a great time to start. 

Let me stress I am not big on dieting.  I know skipping carbs and fruit make one lose weight quickly, but how healthy does that sound?  However, as I am keeping to a certain caloric number, I realized how big my portion sizes have been.  I have spent the last week feeling hungry a lot, but, for the first time in over a month, I can see a difference on the scale. 

So, between starting this work-out again and watching my calories (in a healthy way), I may be able to fit into my shorts sometime soon!

All that said, I completed Chest & Back and Ab Ripper again.  It felt great to be back on track.

Day 58

Did Cardio.  Tiring, but great.  I love how you do not feel like you are really sweating and then all of a sudden-wow.  By the time I am going through plyo for the second time, I am about done.

At least this is the shortest work-out.

Day 57

I just realized today that last week was supposed to be my rest week.  You know, the one where there is extra yoga as a form of rest.  That is hilarious to me.

Anyway, I figured I would just keep moving on.  So, today, I did Chest and Back for the first time.  Fun stuff.  I would love to know why they have to have the tiniest girl in the program on this work-out.  Like she really has any weight to lift up on those pull-ups and chin-ups.

Also did the Ab Ripper-was able to get a few more reps in before feeling like I was going to throw up.

It will be interesting to see how I feel tomorrow.

Day 56

Was going to use this day of rest to make up for the last two days.  Instead...

Went to church, then went shopping at the outlets with Abby, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.  Did a lot of walking in my church shoes-that should count for something, right?

I thought about trying to work-out when I got home, but the beautiful weather was calling my name.  Opted for a nice walk with the kids instead...totally worth it.

Day 55

Today should have been Kenpo.  Or me making up Friday's work-out.

Instead it was entertain the kids while Nick and his dad change the brake pads on the van, go to a good friend's bridal shower (early to help) all afternoon, come home just in time for dinner and putting the kids to bed. 

I would love to know where my spare hour was for working out.  Anyone?

Day 54

Missed another Friday. 

Took the kids to school, ran a few errands, drove Abby and her classmates on a field trip...farewell any free time.  Nick coached his first game of the season at a school not near here.  I put the kids to bed and he is still not here as I am writing this.  Any energy to work-out tonight is completely gone.

I think I might do Legs & Back tomorrow instead of Kenpo, since I have missed it so many times.

Day 53

Doing Yoga today was not the easiest thing to do. 

I took the kids to school, since Nick "skipped" work to go to the Reds Opening Day game.  I told him to join me while I set up the Yoga mat, which he found hilarious.  He is on his last week of not being allowed to work out, while his asthma gets under control.  Just wait until he starts the work-out and gets to Yoga...that will make me very happy.

Had just enough time to finish Yoga before hopping in the car to pick up Caleb.  It has been a busy driving week and I feel like I have not been getting anything else accomplished.  Just one of those weeks.

Day 52

Took the kids to school, came home, put Noah down for a nap, and completed Chest, Shoulders & Triceps.  Since I missed it last week, some of the moves were a bit challenging, but overall, it felt great.  I kept feeling a pinch in my left arm while doing a couple of lifts, but it was not a terrible pain. 

I even did the Ab Ripper afterwards.  I was tempted to skip it, since I still had to bake cookies to go along with a meal I was making for a friend before leaving to pick up Caleb from school.  I figured I could do it later once I was home.  But, of course, reality set in and I knew that would never happen.

A few of the Ab moves made me want to throw up, but some are getting easier.  And by "easier" I mean that I do not have such a strong desire to throw my shoe at the television in protest.

Day 51

Did Cardio today.  It went well.  Sometimes with this work-out I wish there was more cardio.  I am longing for the warm weather so I can get out walking and running again.

Day 50

Finally-back to working out.  Everyone went to school, Noah took a nap, and I completed Core Synergistics.  I will admit, after missing a couple of days, I did want to throw up during Bow/Boat and Superman/Banana.  But, I managed to get through it.

And, big news for me, I was able to do the Dreyaroll.  Yay!  It is amazing how many moves are easier when I am not nursing and back to normal. 

Day 49

Hmm, today looked a lot like yesterday.  Meant to do Kenpo on my normal rest day, but again, too many things happening.  Between church and buying fish with the kids, I realized it was bedtime before I knew it.

Everyone is back to school tomorrow, so I am thinking I can get back on schedule with no excuses.

Day 48

Meant to do Yoga today.  Cleaned the house all morning.  Grandparents took the kids for the afternoon so Nick and I could have some time off.  Made dinner for everyone.  Celebrated a neighbor's first birthday.  Went to bed.

For some reason, 90 minutes of Yoga did not find its way into my day.  And I am okay with that.

Day 47

This spring break is really messing up my routine.  It is making me thankful that I am doing this work-out during the school season instead of the summer.  It is next to impossible to get anything done when everyone is home.

At least on the days that I miss a work-out, it is because of being too busy and not just laziness.  Yesterday, we rearranged the living room.  Today, I had to find a place to put everything.  Between pushing furniture around, going up and down the stairs to put things away, and using my yoga balance to stand up high and hang curtains, I still felt like I worked.

My goal is to do Yoga tomorrow and Kenpo on Sunday, skipping the Rest day (sigh) and getting back on track on Monday.

Day 46

Okay, back on schedule.  Instead of ignoring the past couple of days, I am going to try and make them up.

So, today I did cardio.  With the kids playing next to me.  Delightful. 

I think my favorite part was when I was in the middle of the Plyometrics section and had to change Noah's diaper.  I had just huffed and puffed through raising my legs over a chair and pretending to jump tires, stopped to clean up his crap, then went back to huffing and puffing as the work-out repeated itself. 

Oh, the joy.

Day 45

Halfway there!

And I celebrated by missing another work-out.

In my defense, we were driving across the state of Ohio most of the day.  I did plan on making up my Cardio work-out when we got home, but by the time we unloaded the van, made dinner, somewhat unpacked and got the kids to bed...yawn.

To top on the guilt, I received a message from a high school friend who reads this blog, telling me how inspiring this is.  My apologies, Cami.  I will work-out tomorrow just for you!

Day 44

Today was Cardio.  Or supposed to be.  I decided that cooking and cleaning for my mom, visiting with my family and hanging out with friends was a better use of my time.

To balance it out, I have not had any time to snack during the day so that works, right?

Day 43

After a busy morning, I put Core Synergistics in my laptop and worked out again in the library. 

Abby tried to join me, but got tired after the warm-up (what does that tell you?).  Between putting the barking out dog outside so that she did not wake up Noah and answering the phone, it was fun to try and stick with it, but I did the best that I could. 

I have learned from these past few days how much I appreciate working out in the morning at home.  My motivation goes down as each hour of the day passes.

Almost halfway!

Day 42

My day of rest.  If you want to call cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and playing with kids all on two hours of sleep rest. 

My mom is recovering from knee surgery so part of the reason we are here this week is so that I can help her out a little bit.  Noah was having some sort of stomach problems in the middle of the night, so he kept Nick and I up most of the night.  Lots of crying and pooping and he was finally better-by morning.

So, I am thankful today was Rest.  Very thankful.

Day 41

We are in PA visiting my family for a few days.  I brought my work-out stuff because I cannot imagine how hard it would be to start over again if I missed almost a week.

So I set up in the library and got to work on Kenpo.  With family members walking through every now and then, and trying not to jump around too much to bring down the farmhouse, I managed to do most of it.  Everyone started to watch a movie toward the end so I missed about five minutes of the work-out and cooled down the living room so I could join in on the fun.

I have to say, hanging out with my family is much more fun than exercising.

Day 40

I went to chapel at Abby's school.  I stopped by the closing Borders in town to find some deals (fyi for my Mason parents-no chapter books or good kid books left).  I picked up Caleb from school.  I did laundry and packed for our trip to PA.  I made dinner and put the kids to bed.  I crashed on the couch and fell asleep.

I did not work out today.  Someday I will work out on a Friday again.  Someday.

Day 39

I used to think that the first half of Yoga X was harder than the second half.  I am slowly changing my mind.

I think it is because I getting used to the never-ending movements of the first half.  Now that I know what to expect, I move with slight grace and can breathe through the used-to-be impossible poses.  The second half was kicking my butt today.  Especially the ab work.  I felt a combination of wanting to throw up from working my ab muscles and actually being really hungry from the work-out.

Now that I am done nursing, it is official-I need to watch what I eat.  Not that I am a terrible eater, mind you.  I eat pretty healthy, but have never really counted calories or dieted.  Not that I plan on dieting, either!  But, perhaps my daily egg bagel from Brueggers should take a break. 

It just tastes so good after a work-out, though...

I do not want to give the scale too much credit since I am gaining muscle at the same time.  But, I have not moved down a pound since the first few that I lost in the beginning.  Things are shaping up, but I am really frustrated with my weight.  I feel great about myself, but still dread finding things to wear in public.  Staying home with the kids in my sweats is so much more fun.

Even though the weight takes awhile, I do feel great these days.  My energy level is up and I do not get as tired as I used to get.

You know, besides the usual "I have three active children who exhaust me" tiredness.

Day 38

Oh Chest, Shoulders and Triceps-how I love you.

Not really.

I never knew there were so many varieties of push-ups.  No matter the style, they all suck.

Okay, so my arms are feeling better and I like knowing that each week I can do more.  Better than that, I can do more without staying on my knees.  And if that older lady on the video can do these, then I can, too!

Ab Ripper went well.  I felt like I was going to throw up the entire time, but that's good, right?  At least Adam is fun to watch while I double over in pain.

Day 37

Got the kids and Nick out the door, put Noah down for a nap and did Cardio.  Felt great.  I like that I am finally able to keep up with the reps that they do without gasping for breath. 

Each time I do cardio, I am reminded how I enjoy it and that I need to start doing more.  As the weather warms, I plan on running either in the morning before everyone wakes up or with Noah later in the day. 

You know, with all of my time and energy.

Day 36

This whole time change is really messing with me.  Or, maybe it was because I stayed up too late last night, watching a movie with Nick.  Or, it could be that Noah woke up in the middle of the night, poopy and hungry. 

Whatever the reason, instead of working out this morning, I went back to bed.  I have not done that since Abby was a newborn and I had the freedom to do so.  It felt great to catnap, but eventually my dreams became filled with all of the things I needed to get done before being out for the afternoon, and the guilt woke me up. 

I also have this strange pain in my chest.  Not just the continuous soreness from weaning, but like I pulled a muscle or something.  Whatever it is, tackling a work-out this morning is just not in the plan. 

In the meantime, I did have fun painting pottery with Caleb and some of his preschool friends this afternoon.  A bunch of three and four-year olds painting detailed pieces of art...beautiful.

Day 35

Today was a nice rest day.  Instead of stretching for an hour, I opted for a nice afternoon walk with my neighbor.  With both boys home with Nick.  Lovely.

Day 34

The kids went with their grandparents to the zoo, Nick took the car in for an oil change, Noah took a morning nap and I completed Kenpo.  Love it.

After a few weeks of feeling kind of clumsy at Kenpo, this time I felt like I was actually accomplishing something.  I put on my Jack Bauer persona and kicked some butt.  I had images of someone trying to harm my children, and kicked and punched the air with all might.  Those imaginary villains took a beating.

With the weather absolutely beautiful (it snowed yesterday so of course it feels like spring today), I followed up the work-out with a brisk walk with Noah.  It is amazing how I can break a sweat while walking quickly when I only have the five-month old.  When Abby is scootering and Caleb is "helping" me push the stroller, I do not feel much of a work-out.  Strange.

Now, I feel like I have all this energy.  I am totally motivated to rearrange the living room furniture.  Of course, that would mean picking up all the toys on the floor and I am not really motivated to do that.  We'll see...

Day 33

Today should have been Legs and Back, with my ever favorite Ab Ripper.  However, it was one of those "did not have a second to sit down" days.  It was Nick's payday a.k.a. my grocery shopping day.  I got home from my adventures a whole two minutes before Caleb was dropped off from school.  Unloading groceries, making lunch, changing diapers, cleaning the house for company that was due that evening, taking Abby to dance class, baking cookies, home just in time for company...yeah, it was one of those days.

If I have to miss one, I do not mind missing the legs since mine are usually strong anyway.  I do need to work on my back, though-for some reason there are flabs of skin there that never appeared before the third pregnancy.  Hmm.

Day 32

Oh yes, my favorite day of the week.  Yoga.

Honestly, I am starting to hate it less each time I do it.  I have noticed that it really helps me with all of the other work-outs.  My balance and flexibility are much better and of course the other work-outs do not seem quite so long compared to 90 minutes of breathing and killing my muscles.

I have to say thank-you to my carpool friend.  She usually picks up our preschoolers on Thursdays, which gives me time to do yoga and shower.  Anyone who has young children knows that is quite a feat.  When I pick up the kids, I have to wake up Noah from his morning nap in order to get there on time to feed him in the parking lot while waiting for dismissal.  Having all of Thursday morning to myself (and Noah) is wonderful.

So, another day of yoga done.  Yippee.

Day 31

This will tell you how tired and out of it I am...yesterday should have been cardio and today should have been Chest, Shoulders, Triceps and Ab Ripper.  I could have saved myself a lot of time last night.

Oh well.  I did Cardio today with plenty of time left over this morning to clean out my closet, put clothes away, and pick up Caleb from school.  It felt great.  I was finally able to keep up with everything without hitting the pause button or gasping for breath while they finished their routine.

Bring on the Yoga tomorrow.

Day 30

My day got a little turned around with having company and then Abby coming home early from school with chest pains, and then a trip to the doctor...long day.  Although, having time with a good friend in the morning and extra time with my little girl is always worth it :)

I was determined to not skip again, so after the kids went to bed, I immediately put in the next disc.  Today was Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, which was a new one to me.  A few moves were familiar, but many were new.  I did my best, although some of those push-ups are a bit ridiculous.  Seriously, I am supposed to do claps in between and one arm push-ups?  I am a girl, you know.

The work-out was followed by the ever-fun Ab Ripper.  Yippee.

I will be feeling this tomorrow.  But, I am super glad that I did it tonight.

Day 29

I finally had a normal morning at my house.  By normal, I mean everyone went to school, Noah took a good nap and I was able to work out in the morning.

Completed Core Synergistics today.  It felt great (in that exhausted sort of way) and I was still able to complete more of the exercises that they lead. 

I am feeling more of a push to keep at this now that I am done nursing.  The other day, I ate lunch and did not work out and really felt it all day long.  It is amazing how those nursing calories always keep you hungry and never stuffed! 

Here we go, week five!

Day 28

Today was Rest/Stretch.  I meant to take an hour for stretch, but the day got a bit busy.

Gee, I find myself saying that a lot, lately.

Honestly, though, between church, celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday and eating out with school moms (don't worry-I ate a ridiculously expensive salad), the day flew by.  I really do value that rest, though!

Day 27

The schedule called for Yoga, but anyone who has kids knows a 90 minute work-out with everyone home is next to impossible.  No, correct that-impossible.  So, I did cardio instead.  With limited floor space, I did my running/jumping/yoga, carefully avoiding the tower of blocks the kids had just built and Nick's bass guitar left out from the night before. 

It was fun.

Yesterday was my official first day of being done nursing.  It was not an easy decision to wean so early, but Noah really needed to gain more weight.  I noticed a huge difference as soon as I started switching to formula.  I could blame my low milk supply on this work-out.  But, since my other two children started leveling off in weight gain around the same time with me not doing too much, I figured it was bound to happen anyway.

That being said, once I start to feel comfortable again (you nursing moms know what I am talking about), I might start getting up very early to work-out, especially on really busy days. 

Yoga at 5 AM?  Sure.  Bring it.

Day 26

Unbelievable.  I planned on doing the cardio that was on the schedule, but found absolutely no time to do it.  I really wish I was just making up excuses, but sadly, my day really was that busy.

I took the kids to school since Nick had to be there early, and since it was my day to pick up Caleb and his carpool friend from preschool, and since we were out of things like milk and toilet paper, I just stayed out and ran errands.  Then, Nick was still grading papers in the afternoon so I had to pick up Abby.  Went from there to dance class to fast food to home. 

Also had a surprise visit from a good friend driving through our city last night.  He just happens to be a month ahead of me in this work-out so we did talk about P90X.  That counts, right?  In fact, he shared with me a great you tube link by Jim Rome, who talks about his P90X Yoga work-out.  If you have done this Yoga, you will find this hilarious...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FTkPVc_cxk

Day 25

Today called for Stretch, but since I missed a couple of days due to life, I figured I should do something a bit more challenging.  So, I completed Core Synergistics.  It felt great and I was noticed this time that I was able to finish a couple of the moves that I could not do well before.

My proudest moment was doing the push-ups that I have struggled with in the past.  It is supposed to look like this...push up, move body to side to support weight on one arm, reach up with other arm, then reach down and under the body, then reach up again, and go back into regular push-up position.  Repeat on other side. 

What I have always looked like is this...do a pitiful push-up, get into the side position, fall down, try again, kind of manage it, go back to regular push-up position, stay there while everyone else does an actual push-up, try to other side, repeat the fall, fast forward to the next cue.

However, now I can finally keep up with this one.  I hate to admit it, but I believe Yoga has something to do with it.  I can tell a difference in the strength of my arms from doing Yoga.

Day 24

Finally, back on schedule.  The work-out said Kenpo so that is what I did.  It felt great to finally sweat a little bit and stretch my muscles.  And I made a point to exercise as soon as Noah took his morning nap so that I could not get caught up in any excuses.

I will admit that my Kenpo disc sometimes skips so that I do not always get the full work-out (only losing at the most a few minutes).  However, today, it worked the entire time. 

It feels great to be back.

Day 23

Okay, so apparently I am going to make up my own routine this week.  Today was a day like yesterday so again...did not work out.  I am starting to get frustrated because I really love routine and order.

Yes, I just read that last sentence and realized it is humorous considering I have three children.

At least this is a week with an extra stretch day built in so I will make up for it then.

The house is clean, tomorrow is a leftovers night, I am slightly caught up on laundry-no excuses!

Day 22

This is the beginning of a different kind of week.  After three weeks of the same order, Week 4 is supposed to be a time of giving my body a break.  There is still something every day, but not as much with lifting weights and doing pull-ups, etc. 

Today I was supposed to do Yoga.  I had the ideal time for when I was going to do it in the midst of an already busy day.  However, my little girl had pain in both ears and stayed home from school.  This is what my day looked like...

Abby home all day, cooking and baking all morning for two families that I said I would take meals to, fed Noah lunch, hurried out the door with both kids and two meals to deliver, delivered meals, hurried back to my carpool friend's home to pick up Caleb, all three kids home, two of which did not want to nap, took all three to Abby's doctor's appointment, stopped at the store to pick up her medicine for her ear infections, got home with dinner already in the oven (love that start time setting), ate, gave baths, Nick came home just in time to say good night to them, day over.

Now how I was supposed to fit a 90 minute Yoga work-out in there is beyond me.  I'll try again tomorrow.

Day 21

Today was Rest/Stretch.  I intended to stretch, but by the time we went to church, attended small group and dealt with a little girl with painful ears, the day was over quickly.  Obviously, I stuck with "Rest."  And it felt lovely.

Day 20

Yes, back on schedule. 

In the midst of a busy Saturday (one kid pooping in his underwear because of diarrhea and another pooping up his back), I managed to complete Kenpo.  It helped that this is my favorite work-out.

I did have some trouble with the warm-up, since I had skipped two days and my back was a bit sore, but eventually I stretched through it and felt okay.  I think tomorrow's stretch day will help a lot.

This coming week is supposed to be a rest time.  Rest, really?  With two days of Yoga?  That is hilarious.

Day 19

Even with the best of intentions, I failed again today.

I had a plan for when I was going to work out today.  I had just enough time between running my errands this morning to when Caleb would be dropped off from school, before going to clean a friend's house in the afternoon.  Then, my carpool fell through so I basically had to be out for the entire day. 

Yes, I know I should have used the five minutes I had at home before Nick and Abby got home, but I opted to cuddle with my tired boys on the couch instead.  And it was worth it.

And yes, I know I should have worked out after Abby's dance practice and dinner and the bedtime routine with the kids, but I opted to hang out with my husband, watching television.  And it was worth it.

Considering I cleaned a house for three hours and never sat down the entire day (except to drive the van), I think I did okay.

Day 18

My first failure. 

(If you don't count when I first started this and got sick and had to give up.)

I was supposed to do Yoga today.  However, my sweet girl stayed home from school today and changed my plans.  She only has a cold, but it kept her up a bit last night and she was the crabbiest child this morning (not like her), with rings under her eyes and redness under her nose.  Considering she was missing "Red, White and Blue" clothing day (big deal for kids who wear uniforms to school), yet still wanted to stay home, I knew she needed the day off.

Her first request was to watch Anne of Green Gables.  I could have put the Yoga disc in the computer while she controlled the television, but watching a girl movie with my favorite girl was time better spent.  By the time that was over, I did not have 90 minutes to work out before Noah would need to eat again.  Add on Caleb coming home and the normal house stuff and there went my day.

I did manage to clean out Abby's closet with her so I feel somewhat accomplished.  I carried my four piles (one for our future yard sale, one for Once Upon a Child, one for Half Price Books and one for a friend) down the stairs so that was somewhat of a work-out, right?

Oh well, I will make it up for it tomorrow...working out and cleaning a friend's house. 

That reminds me, I need to go to bed now.

Day 17

So, Noah has been fun, lately.

My sweet boy who has been sleeping from 7-7 decided to wake up and want to eat around 5 am the last few mornings.  By the time I nursed him this morning, it was not worth going back to sleep for such a short time, so I decided to work out instead.

Actually, I would prefer to get up before everyone else and get it over with and have time to take a shower BY MYSELF and not with a baby in his chair, waiting for me.  But, while nursing, you moms know that you need that first feeding of the day to not feel sore.

It felt great to get the Legs and Back done before breakfast.  I did not get to finish the additional Ab Ripper because I ran out of time.  I planned on doing it later, but I got into my daily routine and eventually just gave up.  It figures-the part of my body that I want to work on the most is the part that I keep ignoring.

Oh well-still sweated and built some muscle so I am happy.

Day 16

Noah has been waking up the past couple of nights, when he normally sleeps 7-7.  So, after taking the kids to school this morning, I was really tempted to nap when he napped.  I even went as far as falling into bed and almost pulled the covers over myself.  But, as I laid there, my thoughts flashed forward to the day ahead of me and I knew that if I did not work out at that moment, I never would.

After finishing Cardio X, I was glad I did it.  I had a bit of renewed energy (not a lot, considering the three children who run my life) and I was thankful to have it over with, instead of it hanging over my head all day.

Day 15

On to week three.  Had to work out with all three kids again.  I am a bit ready for this four-day weekend to be over.

Core Synergistics went well.  I like that I am starting to remember what is coming next and getting into a routine.  Part of me wished I had stretched on Sunday, since I felt a bit sore this morning, but I felt a lot better by the time I finished.

School starts again tomorrow and so does my freedom during the morning nap!

Day 14

Today was Rest or Stretch.  I opted for the Rest.

Actually, I did intend on stretching at some point, but after taking the kids to the Aquarium, standing in line for an hour just to get into the building, walking around with all three children (Noah attached to my chest) and not getting home until late, I decided I had enough of a work-out today.

After all, Sunday is the day of rest and who am I to argue with that?

Day 13

I really enjoy Kenpo.  I have so much more motivation to do this than anything else.  Not only am I working my arms without realizing it (until the next day!), I am learning some great self defense!

It was challenging to find the time to work out today and I was tempted to just skip it, but I thought about it in the long run and knew I would regret it if I put it off.  It is kind of hard to work out when all three kids are home and I am the only parent.  I want to be a good mom and not ignore my children for an hour (don't worry-they don't let me), but I also want to be in good health.  I have found that I have a better attitude when I am able to exercise.

Tomorrow is rest or stretch-yippee!

Day 12

There was no school today.  Made for an interesting work-out day.  Also made me thankful that I am doing this 90 day thing during school months and not in the summer when everyone is home.

I completed Legs and Back again in the midst of Caleb setting up a race track near my feet and Abby running back and forth from the sink to her princess kitchen to make some water "cake."

Three bedrooms, a loft, two bathrooms upstairs, a kitchen, and a dinning room and where do they all play?  Within two feet of where I am standing.

I eventually finished, pausing at one point to pick up a fussy Noah.  He actually filled in nicely during my squats-not much difference between him and my free weights.  He enjoyed being bounced up and down while I was able to cuddle with my baby boy.

Due to all of the kids being home and the amazing warm breeze blowing in from outside (seriously, is it still February?) I did not have time to do the additional Ab Ripper, shower and play outside.  So, I opted to postpone it for later today.

Well, once I finally got everyone to bed by myself (Nick is leading a retreat all weekend), I knew there would be no ripping of the abs today.  However, I did manage to shower and blow dry my hair.  And, more importantly, I was able to spend time outside with the kids. 

Day 11

I was watching Noah roll around on the floor today.  He struggled to get where he wanted to be and looked pretty silly in some of his positions.

He looked a lot like me doing Yoga.

I actually dreaded the work-out today because I dislike Yoga so much.  Sure, it is good for me, but 90 minutes?  Really?

I started as soon as Noah went down for a nap, knowing that if I waited until later, I would never do it.  Thankfully he took a dream of a nap and I was able to get done in plenty of time.

Honestly, the second half of the work-out is not as bad.  The first half is what kicks my butt.  It seems it will never end and the only somewhat relief is while waiting in the downward dog position before stretching every muscle in my body again.

I will say this week was better, probably because I knew what to expect.  And it does feel great to get it accomplished!

Day 10

After a day of being with the kids and Nick got getting home until almost midnight, I was not exactly full of energy this morning.  Wednesdays are my mornings to take the kids to school because Nick has to be there early, so by the time I got home from dropping them off, I put Noah down for a nap and decided to enjoy the quiet time. 

Well, as much quiet time as one can get when a usually good napper is still grumpy from his shots.

I finally got back on schedule in the afternoon during nap time for the boys (i.e. Noah still grumpy and Caleb goofing off in his room).  I completed Shoulder and Arms today, this time opting for using free weights instead of the bands.  I only have 8 lb weights in the house, so for a few of the sets it was not as hard as it should be.  But, for many of them, I felt the burn.  I think for next week I will switch between the two and see what is more challenging.

The Ab Ripper was just as fun as ever.  I remember those days at the gym after each baby and the first few days were always the worst until finally, my stomach muscles started working again.  I am still waiting for them to work.  Any day now.

Day 9

Cardio X went well today.  It was hard to find the time to work out, since Noah had his four month check-up this morning.  Add to the fact that Abby stayed home from school because she could not put any pressure on her ankle, and it was an interesting day. 

(Considering when I was finally able to work out, Abby tried to join in, her ankle is fine now.)

So, in the midst of a complaining daughter, a grumpy baby who just had shots, and a four-year old home from preschool, I still managed to do my cardio.  I could have waited until they all went to bed, but who am I kidding?  As soon as they are all upstairs, my motivation shuts down, I put my legs up and reach for the remote.

Day 8

Today I was back to Core Synergistics.  It is amazing how I forgot how difficult this disc was after all of the other things I have completed this past week.  I kept thinking about how hard the Yoga was so that I forgot about this one. 

It did not take long to freshen my memory. 

Halfway through the work-out, I got a text from Nick telling me that Caleb's Valentine's party at school was at 10:00 a.m.  Crap.  I kept going and did not cool down as much as I should have.  Tip of the day (if you have ever worked out to this program, that phrase will sound familiar)-do not skip the cool down phase.  As I type this, sitting down for the first time today, I am feeling every muscle ache.  I have a feeling I will be paying for this tomorrow.

On the bright side, I was able to button a pair of my former pants on Sunday morning.  They were too tight to wear to church, but the point being that I could keep them closed without a button shooting out and hitting someone in the eye.

Baby steps.

Day 7

On the schedule for today-Rest or Stretching.  Oh, sweet relief.

I enjoyed my resting so much that I put off stretching until the evening.  I did not realize it was an hour!  Who stretches for an hour?  It felt great, though, and I am glad that I did it.

Tomorrow it starts all over again, but at least I know what to expect.  Has it really only been a week?

Day 6

I really enjoyed today's work-out.  Yes, I am telling the truth.

The disc is called Kenpo and it was basically a lot of kick-boxing with cardio in between.  I would much rather sweat out some cardio than do yoga for 90 minutes.  I know both work-outs are effective, but it just feels good to do some cardio, especially in the middle of winter. 

As for how I am feeling after yesterday's work-out...actually felt pretty good until I went to Run Jump N Play with Abby.  As I threw myself into the inflatable maze, I felt the muscles that I worked yesterday pull in pain.  But, it was worth it to see Abby smile in delight at her mom flinging herself down the slide.

Tomorrow is rest/stretch day.  Ahh.

Day 5

Today was grocery day so I did not get to work out in the morning.  By the time I got home with all of the goods and a crabby baby, made lunch for Caleb who came home from school around the same time, and got some housework done, I had a feeling that I just might skip the work out today.

Then I got to thinking that if I skipped one day, that I most likely would skip another day.  I cannot allow excuses to build up and make all of the work I have already done worthless.

So, with both boys awake and Abby on her way home from school, I began the Legs and Back routine.  Honestly, after Yoga, this one was not so bad.  Of course, if I actually did real pull-ups and chin-ups on the bar like I was supposed to, I might be singing a different tune.  My goodness-I have not done those since high school and that was many pounds ago.  I did my best and worked really hard on all of the other tasks.

Out of all of the things they had me do, would you believe the one I am going to feel tomorrow is when I had to stand on my toes and keep flexing my feet?  So simple, yet so effective.  Goes to show you that you do not need a gym to get a great work-out.

I barely got done in time to take Abby to dance practice (my apologies to any parents who stood next to me in that tiny hallway-I probably could have smelled better), so I had to skip the additional Ab Ripper.  I planned on doing it when I got home and got the kids to bed, but that was such a laughable idea.  My tired butt immediately hit the couch and I relaxed to my recorded Thursday night shows, waiting for Nick to come home. 

This tired mom does not feel one bit guilty.

Day 4

The other day, Nick asked why everyone thought yoga was so hard.  He really did not understand why something so slow moving could be tiring.

Clearly, he had yet to reach the yoga disc on his work-out routine.

I never expected Yoga X to be the hardest to complete.  Wow.  Forget all the rumors about feeling the zen and breathing in deep-it is a true butt kicker.

First of all, it is over an hour.  As soon as I saw the clock on the bottom, I thought, "Great, there goes my 'sitting on my butt relaxing afterward' time."  I felt like it took forever to even reach the "only an hour" mark.  I just kept thinking that it was impossible for them to introduce more moves since my muscles were screaming in pain-why did they look so peaceful? 

I am proud of myself in that I completed almost everything.  I may not have looked as graceful (or happy) as the pros, but I worked hard.

Now, for the whole "clear your mind" thing...are they kidding?  I am supposed to clear my mind of stuff that happened that morning, of things that I have to do later and any noise?  That is hilarious.  I tried my best to ignore Noah when he randomly started crying in the middle of his nap, but I eventually did have to be a parent and check on him.  I hit the pause button to run upstairs and make sure everything was okay.

Oh, who am I kidding?  I did not hit pause, I let them continue on so I could give myself a break as I limped up the stairs.

I must say that my favorite part was the cool down.  When I got to the point where I could just lay on my back in silence, I thought I was in Heaven.  They really should have a disc that just lets you take a nap as a reward.  One burns calories while sleeping, right?

Day 3

Completed the Shoulders and Arms, plus the Ab Ripper.  By completed, I mean attempted to keep up and had to laugh at myself for trying.

The Shoulders and Arms were not too bad.  However, I decided to use the stretch bands instead of free weights since I did not know what to expect.  I think if I had used the free weights, I would not have the strength in my arms to type this right now.  As for the bands, I started light and realized I was having too much of an easy time, so I went to another level.  I think for next time, I will double the bands to get more resistance.

The Ab Ripper was exactly what is sounds like.  I managed to keep up half the time, and then did simpler moves while they continued to "rip."  I know I can handle it the more I work-out, but for the first time, it totally kicked my butt.  Being pregnant for nine months will leave a very flabby ab to rip.

Time to nurse Noah, pick up Caleb from school, watch my carpool friend's child for the afternoon, pick up Abby from school, make dinner, put the kids to bed and pass out. 

And I thought the Ab Ripper was hard.

Day 2 (For Real!)

I finally made it to the second disc!  It only took me a few weeks, but I made it!

Because I am on the Lean Program, today I did Cardio X.  I actually really enjoyed it.  Seriously.  The warm-up yoga kicked my butt, which surprised me given how strong my arms are from carrying Noah around in his seat.  But, the cardio was great.  Don't get me wrong, I am completely exhausted, but in a good way.

Today's work-out was a bit challenging in another way-I had to do it with all three kids home.  You would think that with all the other rooms in the house, they would go find something else to do.  Nope.  The small space I had given myself in the living room is exactly where they wanted to be.

Abby joined in from time to time, until she realized that it was fast and hard to do-then she used my chair (for leg kicks) to sit on and observe until the energy striked her to rejoin.  Caleb, coming up with his own work-out, ran around the room throwing and kicking a ball at me.  I guess I shouldn't complain-it was more of a challenge to run, jump and stretch with the fear of being hit at any point.  And, of course, Noah...he sat with his toys and looked at me like I was crazy. 

He is probably right.  My insanity will continue tomorrow.

Day 1 Again

Who knew my slight illness would turn into weeks of coughing (still have a few fits every now and then), fevers, and all around soreness?  My goodness.  I am so thankful to finally feel better and have the energy to start this again.

(Well, I am still nursing and chasing my three children around-energy is not quite the word I should use.  Perhaps the phrase "motivation to button my normal pants" is the more accurate reason.)

Since I had such a long break, I decided to start with the same disc to keep on schedule.  Having some idea of what to expect helped a bit.  I was not as awkward with some of the laughable positions I found myself in.  For those of you who have done this work-out, the shouts of "Banana!  Superman!" should ring a bell. 

I must say, sweating it out a bit and losing my breath does not bother me-it actually feels great to know I am burning some calories.  What is frustrating are two things-my back and my chest.

I injured my back years ago (something to do with falling off a cliff while sledding with youth group kids and then being carried out on a makeshift stretcher-I was such a cool youth leader) so some of these moves are not the most comfortable.  I know I need to be careful so as not to make it worse.

As for my chest-thanks to just being pregnant and currently nursing, they are really in my way.  I am used to years of being on the smaller side and being at ease with exercise.  This current size is really quite annoying.  I have no idea how women who are normally this size can ever go for a run without holding on for dear life!

So, here we go again.  I am looking forward to making it to a real Day 2 this time.

At Least Someone Is Using It

Now Nick is down for the count as well.  Ridiculous.  We come up with a great plan, we are motivated and sticking to it, and then sickness hits.  Really?

At least our kids are making use of the large stack of DVDs sitting by the television.  They really wanted to try working out, so we let them watch the first section of one of the discs.  It was rather amusing.  After about two minutes (and that is being generous), Caleb sat down and said, "I'm so tired!"

Abby, on the other hand, wanted to keep going.  As we watched her really follow the leader and do some pretty amazing moves, we knew we needed to turn it off.  Maybe it was because we both got jealous that she could do the moves better and without much effort than we could, but I would like to say it was because we were worried she was going to do something to ruin her young bones and muscles.  The last thing I wanted, was to hear her complain the next day about how sore she was.

You know, like we do.

Well, the girl cried when we turned it off.  Like, really cried.  Appparently, exercising when you are young and you have no reason to is fun.  Imagine that.

Think about it.  When you were a kid, what was fun to do out in the playground?  Jumping rope (30 seconds of that now and I'm passing out), running for fun, jumping jacks, monkey bars...no child complains about doing these things, yet as adults, those activites are tough!

As my fever is finally gone and the aches and pains are slowly dying down, my plan is to start again tomorrow.  After all, today is the day of rest for a reason.

Day 2 (Kind Of)

After I finished my first work-out, I had some chills, but thought that was normal.  After all, my husband felt the same way after his first day.

Turns out it was a little more than a reaction to exercising for the first time in a year.  I still have a high fever and flu-like symptoms.  It is hard to tell if my sore muscles are from being sick or from working out-I suppose a little of both.  Either way, bending down and picking up Noah all day long has been a real treat.

What a way to start my accountability to working out-giving my readers an excuse on the second day.  As I reach for my sweatshirt and blanket (the chills are setting in again) I vow to start my official Day 2 as soon as possible.

Day 1

Well, it could be worse.

I started with the Core Synergistics disc.  After listening to my husband start on the Classic plan last night, I decided that I did not want to pass out or even die while responsible for my little Noah, so I am following the Lean plan.

It was a fun rotation of push-ups, ab work, weights, lunges and squats all mixed in with a lot of cardio.  For someone who spent the last year pregnant, it got pretty interesting.  My days of pilates way behind me, it was rather humorous to try some of the positions they expected me to get into.

Thankfully, Noah slept through the panting and grunting and was ready to nurse again not too long after I finished.  For some reason the sweat running down my chest was a bit distracting to him.

What I found fascinating so far are the chills that set in not too long after the work-out.  Seriously, I am still freezing cold.

I am sure that tomorrow, I will wake up feeling refreshed and ready for Day 2.  Just because Nick limped out the door on his way to work this morning does not mean I will do the same, right?

The Reason

I never had a problem with my figure growing up.  There was no shame when wearing a bathing suit, the word "girdle" or "spanks" was not part of my vocabulary.  I ran for fun and thought dieting was a ridiculous concept.  Just eat when you are hungry and go low on the junk food.

Then I got married.

My introduction to weight gain started with the birth control pill.  Within a month of being on it, I noticed the pounds slowly creeping up.  No matter how much I exercised or watched what I ate, I gained 15 pounds and it stuck.  There was no over-eating.  If you saw how much my husband and I made that year, you would see there was absolutely no wiggle room for extra snacks or eating out.

Then we hit year two of our marriage and we decided that I would get off of the birth control pill and "see what happened."  My ideal was to have some time to lose that extra weight and hopefully get pregnant within a few months.

Nope.  Little Miss Abby was conceived that same month.

Okay, no big deal.  So I was starting 15 pounds higher than I wanted-I could lose that after she was born.

Little did I know that my body is one of those fun sorts that does not like to lose baby weight while nursing.  Sure, I shed the first 10-15 pounds that comes off when the baby comes out.  But, after that, it was a waiting game.  My personal favorite part of the whole experience was watching my other friends who I had shared the pregnancy months with, shed all of their weight quickly.  One girl even went home from the hospital wearing her pre-pregnancy jeans.

We don't like her very much.

You know who else I don't like?  Celebrities.  These women say their secret to losing the weight quickly is breast-feeding.  Really?  So the personal trainer and personal chef have nothing to do with it?

It did not matter how much I exercised and avoided the junk food, those pounds were determined to stay.  I later found out that my mom was the same way-thanks a lot for those genes, Mom.

Eventually, the weight started coming off, but not all of it.  Right around the time when I was starting to feel good about myself, I found out that Mr. Caleb was on his way.  I still remember the day that a friend mentioned, "You look great!  Really losing weight!"  I replied, "Thanks!  I'm pregnant."

So, I went through the same routine, nursing as long as I could while holding on to those extra pounds.  Fun times.  Eventually, we came to realize that perhaps we were done having babies.  We were not the most careful when it came to birth control and after a couple of years of "let's see what happens," we figured we were done.

Then along came pregnancy number three.  I found it amazing that my body started to gain and stick out so quickly within that first month and a half.  Sadly, we lost our baby at 8 weeks.  I would totally gain all the weight in the world to have met our little baby.  Someday in Heaven...

Within a short time, I was pregnant with Mr. Noah.  This particular pregnancy was the most lazy I have ever been.  He kept me sick during the first 14 weeks so there was absolutely no motivation to exercise there.  The summer was so hot that it was way too miserable to do any activity outside.  By the time I hit the fall, what was the point?

So, here I am, with my youngest three months old.  He is nursing great and again, I am trying to go as long as I can.  I am holding steady at the same weight that I have been for a couple of months.  Thankfully, I have a husband who is motivated to lose some weight and get back to his college baseball days.

P90X it is.

I have heard great things about this work-out from people we actually know, so I tend to believe in it more than some of those other commercials that are out there.  As we started the 90 day work-out this week, I thought that keeping a blog would be a great motivation for me to continue. 

Please enjoy this blog as I begin this ridiculously hard work-out, while still managing to find the time to care for my three children and husband.

It should be a breeze.