March 7, 2010

Thanks for the reminder about the healthy snacks, LilSis. I think it's really smart to keep good things on hand in case of a snack attack, which is going to happen, sooner or later!

Remember me talking about P90X last weekend? I was all psyched up to start it. I did the fitness test, and was able to pass it, but the darn thing kicked my butt and made me realize how puny and weak my upper body is right now. Even though I wanted to jump in 100%, a voice of reason in my head told me I'd probably end up getting hurt, or getting so sore that I'd quit, or getting discouraged because I couldn't do the whole workout. Those would all be bad outcomes that I don't want.

So, for once, I decided that I should be smart and ease into the new workout.  In addition to my gym workouts five times a week, here's what I'm doing.  If you're chompin at the bit to whip yourself into swimsuit shape, but need to ease into a heinie-kickin' workout like me, give these workouts a try!

• Inhale Yoga with Steve Ross – it comes on live here on the Oxygen cable channel at 5 am and 6 am.  I record it on DVR now, so I can do them whenever I want.  This is my favorite yoga.

• 30-Day Shred with Jillian Michaels – I talk about this all the time.  You get 3 levels of a 28-minute workout that is surprisingly effective.

• No More Trouble Zones with Jillian Michaels – this workout uses lots of weights and runs for close to an hour.

• Banish Fat Boost Metabolism with Jillian Michaels – this workout is also close to an hour long, and includes lots of cardio.

Amazon has the set of all three Jillian Michaels DVDs for $22.99.

After doing  a month of rotating these workouts, I think I'll be ready to start P90X.  Yoga is great for building strength – both upper and lower body – and Jillian's videos all incorporate excellent upper body exercises.  I'm hoping that doing a month of prep before embarking on P90X will decrease the probability that it will kill me!  What do you think?

~BigSis