Day 31: Back and Biceps

I did plyometrics yesterday. I am SO SORE today, and it will probably be worse tomorrow. I think I'm as sore this week as I was the first week. I'm not sure why, but I don't really mind :-)

Back and Biceps today. I like this one. It was a combination of pullups (or resistance bands for me) and dumbbells to work the biceps. A lot of the exercises were the same as those in Chest and Back and Arms and Shoulders. I used the heaviest weights I could and still do 12-15 reps, and my arms were definitely exhausted by the end. And now I've officially done all 12 of the workouts, which is pretty cool. I really like this one, Arms and Shoulders, Yoga, Kenpo, and Plyometrics (as crazy as it is). I really do NOT like Ab Ripper X, and I'm not a huge fan of Core Synergistics. Everything else is somewhere in the middle, but I mostly like them.

I hope I see the same kind of results in the next 60 days as I did in the first 30. I'm happy so far, but I still have a very long way to go. It's a little frustrating sometimes that I've already had significant results, but I'm not nearly where I want to be. So I'm going to keep going and hopefully I'll get there. I think that once I've finished these 90 days I'll do the lean version, which is more cardio. Should be good.

I slept earlier than usual last night, probably because I was so exhausted by the plyo. Today I'm not quite so tired, but hopefully I'll get to sleep at a reasonable time. Only one more tumor board on Friday, and then one more on Monday, which is my last day. I'm looking forward to September and being back with the rest of my fellow residents.

I'm thinking of baking cupcakes this weekend. Either lemon or red velvet. I've been on a quest for the perfect red velvet cupcake recipe for the past few months. I think the new one I've found looks promising. We'll see.

Time to do some reading and then go to bed. Exciting, I know ;-)

Day 29: Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps

Yesterday was my sister's birthday, so I went to visit my family for the day. I was expecting to get back home early enough to work out, but there was a crazy thunderstorm on my way home, and I got back late. I've never driven in rain that bad--I could hardly see where I was going. So I pushed everything back one day again. I don't like doing that, but I figure it's better than skipping a workout completely. I may have to rearrange things a little bit, or maybe double up one day, since I'd rather have my rest day be Friday rather than Saturday. But we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, today is the first day of week 5 and phase 2! The workout today was Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps. It was a combination of pushups and dumbbell exercises. I liked it, but pushups--especially that many pushups--are still really hard for me. I did my best, though, and I'm definitely expecting to be sore in the next day or two.

I took my pictures and measurements today. Not a huge change in the pictures, but there's still some visible progress (I think). I lost another inch from my waist since week 2, as well as half an inch from each arm and thigh. So not too shabby, if I do say so myself. I've still got a long way to go, but if I'm only a third of the way through and I've already done this well, I'm definitely looking forward to the end results!

I'm done preparing my tumor board for tomorrow. After that, only 2 more to go!

Day 27: Cardio X

So I cheated a little today. I was supposed to do Yoga X, but I didn't have an hour and a half to work out, so I decided to try Cardio X instead. I'm glad I did! Cardio X is a combination of yoga, plyometrics, kenpo, and core synergistics. It was great because I've done all of those workouts before, so I knew how to do everything. It was definitely a good workout--and it was only 43 minutes long. So now I know what to do next time I want a good cardio workout and don't have a lot of time. I can see myself doing this a few times a week when I've finished my 90 days.

Speaking of which, I'm almost done with week 4 and phase 1! I can't believe it! I haven't noticed as much of a dramatic change in the way I look these past two weeks as I did in the first two weeks. But I know I'm still making progress, and I'll do my measurements and pictures this weekend, so I'll have a more objective comparison.

As exhausted as I am when I get home from work, I always feel better and more energized after I work out. I like that feeling, but the problem is that I can't get to sleep as early as I'd like to. I have to figure out some way to get more sleep--I've been really tired lately. Maybe it will be better next month when I'll be back to working 10 min from where I live. That 45 minute commute really takes it out of me, especially after a long day of work.

Another thing I'm looking forward to next month: no more tumor boards! Hopefully tomorrow's will go well. And I don't think I even got the cases for Monday's tumor board today--not that I would have had time to look at them anyway. Blah. 4 more tumor boards to go.

I'm going to read and hopefully go to bed soon. I've started (re)reading Fahrenheit 451. I love that book, but I haven't read it in years. I have to start thinking about other books to read after I'm done with it too. Next month when I don't have tumor boards hanging over my head on the weekends, I'm going to find a little coffee shop and sit and read there. I can't wait. It's the little things that make me happy :-)

Day 23: Core Synergistics

So I'm on Week 4, which is recovery week. Yesterday I was supposed to do yoga, but I wasn't feeling up to it, so I doubled up today. I did Yoga X this morning, and then I did the workout I was supposed to do today, Core Synergistics, a couple hours ago. Yoga was fine...not much to report with that, except that I've been having some pain in my right elbow when I put weight on it. I'm not sure what to do about that, and the pain goes away after I'm done working out, so I guess I'll just try to work around it next time I do yoga.

Core synergistics was interesting. It was my first time doing it, so I had to learn all the new exercises. It was pretty good, and I'm sure I'll do better on Wednesday, which is the next time I have to do it. At least then I'll have some more idea of what I'm doing! I don't think it's ever going to be my favorite workout, but it's not bad. Also, I realize that I only do it twice this week and then twice during week 8, and then that's it. So if I don't like it as much as the others, it's really not a big deal.

Kenpo X tomorrow! I like it.

I have to fold my laundry before I go to bed since there's a big pile of it on the bed right now. Folding laundry might be my least favorite chore to do. Oh well. I'd rather fold laundry than do another tumor board, which I have to do tomorrow. Hopefully it won't take too much time out of my day, but I'm not feeling too optimistic about that. I don't like Monday tumor board because I feel like it's hanging over my head all weekend, even if I already have the presentation prepared. Not cool. Blah. Two more weeks, and 5 more tumor boards, and then I'm done for a while. I'm looking forward to that.

Day 20: Kenpo X

20 days down, just 70 more to go!

Kenpo X today. Pretty good, although I was really tired for some reason. I still made it all the way through and I think I pushed myself hard. I notice that I'm not nearly as sore this week as I was in week 1. I was worried that meant that I wasn't working as hard, but I know that's not true. I guess my muscles are just adjusting, which is a good thing. And it's always a good thing to be able to walk without pain!

I always feel better after I work out, and right now I'm not as exhausted as I was when I came home from work. I'm happy about that, but I hope I'll be able to sleep at a reasonable time tonight. I have to do tumor board tomorrow and will probably have a busy day besides that.

Anyway, I'm going to practice my presentation for tomorrow and try to get some sleep. Rest day tomorrow, and then I'm starting week 4! Can't wait!

Day 16: Plyometrics

I made sure to eat enough today before doing plyometrics, so I made it through the entire thing this time. That workout is still so hard! I had to do the modified version of probably about half of the moves, but at least I got through them all. This is my third week, so next week will be a "recovery" week that doesn't have any plyo in it. Also, it looks like I'll do Stretch X next week anyway, so I'll get to do it even if I skip it on my rest day this week. We'll see what happens on Friday.

My legs are a little tired right now, but there's no soreness yet. I really hope I'm not as sore this week as I was the first week. I want to be able to do the rest of the workouts for the next few days without too much pain!

Another tumor board tomorrow. This is already getting to be a pain, and it's only my second one. I don't like giving presentations, but maybe I'll get used to it this month. It looks like Tuesday is the only day of the week that will be completely tumor board free, meaning that I don't have to give or prepare any presentations that day. Oh well. Otherwise, the rotation isn't bad. I may actually get to like it, crazy as that seems.

I'm going to make a grocery list so that I can stop at the store on my way home from work tomorrow. Then time for some TV and bed.

Day 15: Chest and Back

I took my week 2 pictures today, and there's definitely a difference already. From the front, they don't look too different, but there's a definite difference from the back and in the one where you turn toward the camera from the side. Plus, my clothes are fitting better than they did a week or two ago. So that's progress, after only 2 weeks! I hope it continues.

I had a rest day yesterday, which was good because I got home late from work anyway. One of these days I'll manage to do Stretch X.

So far today, I've put together my tumor board Powerpoint. I still have to go through it and figure out what I'm going to say, but at least I have the presentation put together.

Chest and Back today. I'm going to go to the gym one of these days and see if I can do a pullup. That would be awesome.

Day 13: Kenpo X

Good workout today. I wasn't as sore this week doing Kenpo as I was last week, so I was able to move around more. Legs and Back yesterday was also really good because of the lack of soreness. I do love plyometrics, but it definitely hurts afterwards. Even though I'm going to do the full plyo workout this weekend, I'm a little scared about how sore I'll be next week. But hopefully it will be better now that I'm getting more used to all this exercise.

Tumor board tomorrow, and then another one on Monday. I think I'm okay with the one for tomorrow, and then maybe I'll have some time to work on Monday's presentation tomorrow afternoon. So much to do. I'm looking forward to sleeping in this weekend!

Day 11: Yoga X

Finished yoga a couple hours ago. It was fun, although it can get a bit tedious around the first half hour or so when it seems like you're repeating the same movement over and over. Also, today I got a cramp in my thigh and had to stop for a minute or so around the middle. Overall, though, I did pretty well. I'm not nearly as sore today as I expected to be after Arms and Shoulders yesterday. I pushed myself pretty hard and used heavier weights than the last time. But today my arms are hardly sore at all. I'm not sure what to make of that. Otherwise, though, I'm happy with my progress. I can see my clothes fitting better already. I'm excited.

I got home pretty early today, which was good since yoga is an hour and a half. I hope I can make it home at a good time the rest of the week, but I'm not sure how that's going to go. I have to do tumor board every Friday and Monday. On Wednesday, I get the cases for Friday's tumor board, and on Wednesday to Thursday, I get the cases for Monday. So that means that I have to spend Wednesday and Thursday taking pictures of slides and making my Powerpoint presentation (looking up background info, clinical significance, treatment, etc.) for Friday. And then I'll have to spend Friday doing the presentation for Monday since I'm not going in on the weekend. So Wednesday through Friday I have extra work to do on top of my usual work for the day. Ugh. I hope I don't get stuck there too late. We'll see what happens tomorrow. If it's a light day I'll be able to work on the presentation during the day, which will be nice. I'm not even thinking about actually getting up in front of everyone and doing the tumor boards yet--twice a week! Yikes. No wonder people don't like this rotation.

I don't mind it so much yet though--although it's only been two days. I can see myself being really sick of it by the end of the month, but that happens with a lot of rotations, so it's not too bad. It is kind of lonely there without my fellow residents, though. I miss them.

I'm trying to get to bed a little earlier today so it won't be so hard for me to get up in the mornings. Tomorrow is Legs and Back and Ab Ripper X. Good night!

Day 10! Shoulders and Arms

Day 10! I'm loving P90X so far. I'm already noticing a difference in the way my clothes fit. Last Thursday was my rest day, and on Friday I got home late so I pushed everything back by a day. So on Saturday I did Chest and Back, and yesterday I did plyometrics. Or at least, I tried to do plyometrics. As often happens to me on the weekends, I slept in and then ended up putting off my first meal of the day until around lunchtime. And then for whatever reason I didn't eat much else that day. I wasn't really paying attention, and I didn't feel hungry, but when I tried plyometrics later in the evening, I only made it halfway through the workout before I had to stop. So I've learned my lesson. I'll have to make more of an effort to eat regular meals on the weekends. During the week is easier because I have more structure to my days.

The funny thing is that my legs are still sore today, although not nearly as much as they were last week. So I guess I did get some kind of workout, even if it wasn't as much as I wanted.

Anyway, I'm off to do Shoulders and Arms in a little while. I bought new 10 and 15 lb weights, so I'm excited to see how much I can push myself.

I started a new rotation at work today. I'm at a different hospital for the month. It seems like it will be fine, but it's going to be a little lonely since none of my friends from work will be there. Also, the commute is about 40 min each way, which isn't bad, but compared to my usual 10 min, it's kind of a pain. But at least I got home at a good time today, and hopefully I won't have to stay late other days during the week. I figure as long as I'm home by around 7, I'll be able to do P90X and still be able to sleep at my normal time. I should be able to manage it at least most days. We'll see how it goes.

OK, off to work out! Fun!