Day 2 of P90x

Today Wayne and I finished our second day of P90x. I did measurements the day before yesterday--boy, were those a wake-up call. Today after the workout we took our before and after pics. You are supposed to take them on Day 1, Day 30, Day 60 and Day 90. We'll stay up to date from here on out.

Here are some of our beginning measurements in inches:
Jenna
hip--37
waist--28.75
tummy--33.25
right bicep flexed--11.5

Wayne
chest--45.75
waist--46.5
neck--16.5
right bicep flexed-- 14.75

On the DVD included in our package, Tony said most women don't see results for up to 60 days. 60 days? Why am I not surprised? Men get all the breaks when it comes to exercising and losing weight. They lose faster and easier, build muscle faster, and get the affirmation from family and friends sooner. Wayne's results will be that much more evident since he has more fat mass to lose than me

I'm not too bummed though. I've been at this whole exercise/fitness routine since the beginning of '08 when I joined Spark People. Since then I've lost about 20 pounds and gained back a few.

My goal with P90x is to finally reach my goal weight--perhaps even surpass it--and maintain it for the rest of my life. I really need to bring my cholesterol below 200--yeah, it's way too high even though I'm in good physical condition. For my vanity's sake, I want a butt that doesn't stop moving five minutes after I do, and I want to get rid of my muffin top.

When I asked Wayne his goals, his immediate reply was, "Lose my gut."

I said, "What about your blood pressure?"

He said, "Oh, yeah, that too." Currently 160 over 80 (Yikes!), that should be his first priority, not to mention lowering his cholesterol and relieving the pain in his knees and back.

So here we go, folks. Two days down. 88 to go. Not as bad as I feared, but still a killer of a workout. Won't you join us and let us know you're progress.

Click the pic to the right to order P90x for yourself.

Bring it!

P90x--The Time is Now

I finally got my husband to sit still long enough to watch the P90x infomercial. I'm so glad I did.

If you haven't seen it yet, it will change your life. I had talked it up beforehand so he was pretty well committed to trying it out by the time it came on. Knee surgery last November convinced him something needed to change.

The poor guy is on his feet all night at work. When he gets home the last thing he wants to do is jump around on the carpet and kickbox imaginary opponents. But I am confident this program will work for both of us. We both need to lose weight, him quite a bit more than me. If he allows it, I plan to post before and after pics here and on YouTube.

I started working out in ’08 and lost 20 pounds. I am in relatively good shape though I'd like to lose a few more pounds and gain more definition. My cholesterol and blood pressure are too high. So I hope this high intensity routine and healthier diet will kick that in the head. My doctor's solution is to put me on meds. That isn't going to happen, my friend. I would rather fix a problem than medicate it.

So if you want to get lean, ripped, lose weight, strengthen, tone, and get into the best shape of your life, click the icon to your right and take the P90x challenge with us.

Bring it!

Disclaimer: Fit to Excel is a paid affiliate of ProductPartners, LLC

Active Household Chores

My son doesn't like to exercise. Like most kids he'd rather sit in his room and play video games. The trick for me is to incorporate fitness into tasks he is responsible for anyway. Not an easy task. Bet you've been there yourself.

What's a busy Mom to do? With a little creativity, you can find a way to make it work for everyone.


FITNESS TIP

You can easily sneak exercise into your kids' schedules (without even using the word) by assigning various active chores to your kids. Heavier chores provide some much-needed physical activity for your kids while also helping your out in the process.

Some ideas include:

Cleaning their rooms
Sweeping and/or vacuuming the house
Raking leaves
Shoveling snow
Hanging wet laundry outside; folding dry laundry
Washing the car(s)
Walking the dog
Watering the plants and flowers
Mowing the lawn with a push mower (for older teens)
Cleaning out the garage or basement

Burn it up, baby

It's hard to resist the wafting smells of freshly baked soft pretzels, cookies and cinnamon rolls while strolling from store to store in the mall. Especially when you're tired, hungry and stressed out from a long day of bargain hunting. In a moment of weakness, it's easy to give in to these sweet comfort foods. Just how much damage will one Cinnabon Classic Cinnamon Roll do? So just how many laps do you need to walk around the mall to undo this gooey treat?

I found this info on Spark People and thought I'd share it here. The Cinnabon website doesn't disclose its calorie information. But a quick Google search will turn up over a dozen calorie counting websites that all say the same thing: One Classic Cinnabon Roll contains a not-so-sweet 730 calories and 24 grams of fat. It's sweet, gooey and, well, big—and it's got the calories to prove it!

Depending on the size of your local mall, one lap could vary from 1/4 to 2/3 of a mile on average. To be conservative, let's say one mall lap is equal to a quarter mile. And usually when you're shopping, strolling and standing in line, your walking pace is pretty slow.

A 150-pound woman who walks a comfortable 20-minute mile pace (3 mph) will burn 20 calories per quarter mile (one mall lap). To burn off that one indulgence, you'd have to circle the entire mall 36.5 times, which is just over 9 miles! (And that would add 3 hours to your shopping day.

Don't forget that "activity" is not the same as "exercise." Your feet and back may hurt after a day of shopping, but that's more a reflection of being on your feet all day than it is a reflection of the "intensity" of a workout. Shopping surely doesn't justify the extra calories in something like a Cinnabon!

Consider what it will take to burn off the momentary pleasure of a Cinnabon or any other gooey mall treat before indulging. Or better yet, resolve to avoid mall food altogether by eating before you leave the house or shopping between meals. Shop with a buddy who shares your goals. There is always strength in numbers.

How does TV affect your activity?

What happens when people start watching less television? Do they eat less? Exercise more? Sleep better?
From an article at http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/

That is what researchers at the University of Vermont set out to learn in a fascinating six week study to monitor television viewing, physical activity and eating habits. As it turns out, watching less TV doesn’t necessarily lead to more exercise or better eating habits, but it does result in subtle but meaningful changes in overall activity levels, according to a new study in The Archives of Internal Medicine.

Using monitoring equipment attached to TVs, the researchers tracked the viewing habits of 36 men and women who were overweight or obese. Among the study subjects, the average amount of time spent watching television was five hours a day, similar to national trends.

For the next three weeks, 20 randomly selected study participants had their viewing cut in half. Based on their previous viewing habits, each person was given a weekly limit of TV time. Once the limit was reached, a monitor automatically shut the TV off and would not allow it to be turned on again until the next week. A control group of 16 people continued to watch the same amount as always. During both the first and second phase of the six week study, the participants also wore armbands for a week that measured their movements.

To the researchers’ surprise, cutting back television time didn’t have an effect on calorie consumption, nor did it change sleep habits. The group that watched less television did, however, move more, burning an average of 120 calories more a day than the control group.

Although some participants did report getting more exercise by walking their dogs more often or signing up for a yoga class, most of the people didn’t use their television-free time for scheduled physical exercise. One person used the extra time to organize photo albums, others reported reading more or playing board games with their children. Many said they spent the time doing more household chores or paying bills.

But even those minor changes in activity level counted a lot. While the group that reduced television viewing burned off an additional 120 calories a day compared with the previous three weeks, the control group became even more sedentary, moving about 100 calories less than before. The additional activity that resulted from less television time is the equivalent of walking about eight miles a week.

“A lot of people might say, ‘Of course people would move more with less television,’” said Jennifer J. Otten, now a postdoctorate research fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine. “What we were looking for was to see if there was a meaningful difference.”

Dr. Otten said the finding that eating habits weren’t changed by less television time was surprising. Earlier studies with children have found that reducing television time significantly reduced the number of calories a child consumed. The fact that a similar effect wasn’t found in adults may suggest that children are more easily influenced by food advertising on TV than adults.

Dr. Otten says the main lesson for adults is that reducing your television viewing time will result in a meaningful increase in activity even if you’re not using the time for strenuous exercise.

“Compared to watching television, you burn more calories reading, writing, doing desk work — pretty much any activity other than sleeping,” Dr. Otten said. “The main finding is that if you turn off the TV, you may burn more calories without really thinking too much about it.”

The Top Six Butt Sculpting And Trimming Exercises

Have you ever noticed that when you try on a new pair of jeans, the first thing you do is turn around and look in the mirror to see how they make your butt look? It even happens at home, no matter how many times you've worn them, the first thing you do is look at your rear. It s true, watch yourself and others and see what happens.

Men and women alike all have this affinity for a nice butt, not just a nice butt, a really great butt, so we try to find ways that will give us the look we want. The thing you need to keep in mind is that it's not just exercising that will give you that great rear profile that you re looking for. You have to work out your derriere with sculpting exercises to get the glutes in the shape you desire.

So to help you obtain the rear you want follow the top six butt sculpting and trimming exercises listed here.

**Tip 1 When performing most butt sculpting exercises, it is very important to keep the weight on your heels. This will cause the stress from the exercise to go to your butt and not your knees.**

1. Reverse Step Back Lunges.

For support hold on to a bar at chest level (like the one on a smith machine), place both feet directly under the bar. Keeping the weight on you left heel, step back with your right leg and far enough so that when you lower your body, you end up in a lunge position with your left thigh and shin at a 90 degree angle. Now raise your body back up lifting your right knee up to the bar. Repeat 20 to 30 times then switch legs.

**Tip 2: Any time you are doing Lung exercises you need to keep your upper body as upright as you can to reduce strain on your back. Start slow and don't go too low if you are new to the reverse lunge. As you progress you will be able to lunge deeper and to work your glutes more and more.**

2. Walking Lunges (with or without weights)

Standing straight, step forward as far as you comfortably can, place your foot down heal first. Flex your hip and knee and lower your body until the rear knee is almost to the floor. (Do not let your front knee go over your toe.) With the assistance of the rear leg, stand on the front leg, lunging forward with the opposite leg. You will need an area where you can walk about 20 feet unobstructed.

3. Dead Lift

Using a barbell and weights suited for your fitness level, stand with your feet shoulder width apart and bend forward from your hips, keeping your legs straight or a just slightly little bent (not squatting). Make sure to keep your back flat for this exercise to work and to avoid injury. When you reach the end of the movement towards the floor, tighten your butt and hamstrings as you slowly move back to the starting position. Keep the bar close to your legs throughout the entire movement. Repeat 20 to 30 times.

4. Squat

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and forward. Keep your lower back straight and lower your body down to about a 90 degree angle as if you are going to sit, letting your hamstrings and glutes do all the work. Then pushing up through your heels using your gluteus and hamstrings come back to the standing position. Repeat 20 to 30 times.

5. Wide Stance Dumbbell Squats

Stand with your feet so that they are about one foot wider than your shoulders. Point toes outward to a 45 degree angle. Hold onto a dumbbell and squat down pushing your knees outward until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Now raise your body back up and clench your butt cheeks at the top for 3 seconds. Repeat 20 to 30 times.

6. Step Ups (with or without weights)

Place one foot on a bench so that your thigh is parallel to the floor, the knee pointing in the same direction as the foot throughout. Pushing heel into the bench step up, then slowly step back down while concentrating on the leg up on the step. Make sure to keep your upper body straight during exercise. Do one leg for 15 to 20 repetitions then change legs, or alternate legs for 20 to 30 repetitions each. You can maximize this workout by standing away from the bench to emphasize the glutes or standing closer to the bench to emphasize the quads.

With these exercises it won't be long before you have some absolutely fabulous glutes and the rear profile you have been looking for.

By : Steve Hochman
Author Resource:- Steve Hochman is the founder of Next Level Fitness, Irvine Ca. We specialize in using our exclusive 3-in-1 Personal Training system to melt fat fast and build healthy toned bodies. http://www.nextlevelfitness.net http://www.irvineweightloss.com

Recession Proof your Dining Experiences

Economists say we've moved out of the recession that held us in its grasp for the last year and a half. You couldn't prove it by me. Times are still tough here in the Heartland. We've all had to incorporate money saving techniques into every area of our lives if we want to keep doing the things we enjoy.

If you're like me, you've even cut back on dining out to make your entertainment dollars go farther. Here are a few tricks to insure that you can still dine out with family and friends while saving money. All it takes are a few insider tips to have you dining out without hurting your wallet.

1. Have lunch at dinnertime. It’s no secret most restaurants have a lunch menu with smaller portions and equally smaller prices. What you may not know is you aren’t necessarily limited to lunch portions before four o’clock. Ask your server for a lunch portion. Not only will you save money, you'll consume up to a thousand less calories over the course of the meal.

2. Forget about the kiddie menu. Instead of ordering the kids their own meal, order one adult entrée and have them split it. The price is typically cheaper, plus you’ll have more options.

3. Look for the real deals. Ever notice how restaurants place high cost items in the most eye-catching spots on the menu and around the restaurant? That's because they want to encourage diners to order high profit items. Outsmart this common marketing ploy by overlooking the eye-catching posters and going straight to the middle of the menu instead of the featured items.

4. Dine at the bar. Bypass a regular table for a seat at the bar and you may find yourself with a cheaper more casual menu. Remember, cheaper is usually synonymous with smaller portions and fewer calories.

5. Don't be tempted by the dessert menu. Chances are you're not really hungry at the end of the meal anyway. Instead of lingering over coffee, get up and leave. Window shop or take a walk at a nearby park. Not only will you save money, the ride home will be more comfortable and you'll already be burning off your dinner. If you just can't say no to dessert, share with a friend.

Taking inventory

Two years ago my friend joined a group created by The Purpose Driven Life’s Rick Warren, called Celebrate Recovery. She has grown immeasurably since joining. One thing she told me about doing the other day was taking inventory of her life, especially of how she has grown from last year to this.

Unlike resolutions, an inventory is simply a way of making sure you are on track to reach your goals you have already set and evaluating where you are on your journey, whether spiritually, physically, in relationships, career, or any other goal a person might have made.

Since Fit to Excel is focused on adopting a healthier lifestyle in all aspects of life, I will concentrate on that for this post.

I began my weight loss and fitness journey in January 2008. Naturally I saw more physical progress that year than I did in ’09. During ’09 I was in maintenance mode. My fitness goals were to continue to build strength and endurance, tone my body, and maintain my weight.

Let’s see how I did.

With no fancy gadgets to gauge my strength and endurance during and after a workout other than how I feel, I believe made a lot of progress in the last year. I continue to increase intensity during workouts. I can work out for longer periods than in the past. Endurance during everyday activities has also increased.

The same can be said for toning. While there is plenty of room for improvement and my measurements still aren’t what I would like, I definitely see increased tone, especially in my arms, shoulders, and calves. I also see change in my abs, which is super cool considering I’ll be 46 this summer.

Reaching my goal weight and staying there is the one thing I didn’t do in 2009. The same 5 pounds I wanted to lose last year are still hanging around for this one.

That brings me to what I need to do this year to achieve my goal of reaching and maintaining my goal weight. It’s pretty simple really. Eat better. Cut down on the junk. Eat more green stuff. Keep my fingers out of the potato chip bag. Don’t walk inside restaurants so often. Make better, healthier, greener choices every time I sit down to eat. Eat mindfully. Think about what I put into my mouth.

Blah. Blah. Blah.

This isn’t exactly a revelation. I’ve known this for as long as I’ve known how to write longhand. It’s just putting it into practice that counts.

What about you? Are you on the right path to end up where you want to go? What resistance do you face most often? What can you do today that will put you on the fast track to your goals?

Here’s to a blessed, beautiful and healthy 2010.

2010--Revolution, not resolutions

Every year as we bid adieu to one year and welcome another, we do so with such enthusiasm and expectations. We wipe our slates clean and start the New Year with a fresh outlook. We are sure this is the year we’ll make permanent, positive changes, whether in our finances, relationships, careers, health, whatever.

It’s a great way to start off a New Year, but most often our resolve doesn't last long enough to produce any real results. The initial enthusiasm wears off and all too soon we find ourselves right back where we started.

A "resolution" is a statement of action. Thus, to be resolved, means to be committed and dedicated to an act. That’s where our trouble starts. We want to make changes, we are just not committed enough to take the necessary steps to see our resolutions through to the end.

Just how determined are you to make changes in 2010? Changes that will endure?

The only obstacle between you and making this a year of Revolution is you. Do you want to quit smoking? Lose weight? Eat better? Get more exercise? Get out of debt? Spend more time with your family? Read through the Bible? Put another's needs before your own?

First and foremost you must believe your goals are worth working for. Secondly, free your mind of the negative images that keep you from taking the proper steps to reach those goals. Banish from your life whatever is holding you back. Move forward with resolve and determination. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Nothing worth having comes easy. It's time to declare 2010 a year of revolution. A year we become free of our old patterns and set our lives in a direction we want. A year of real change!