Sunday 14 December 2014

Dumbbells & P90X/2 - 2 Weeks Later

   It's been two weeks and it's safe to say I hate it. The P90X-styled workout is just...awful. It's exhausting and so difficult, and I have to give myself a mini pep talk before I begin it every other day. But, as I've always said, if it's not hard, it's no good. You can't expect to lose weight by putting in little effort, and it's that reason that keeps me going. I do two circuits and it takes me a total of 20 minutes to complete, and I'm sweating buckets at the end.
   As for the dumbbells, that's the one I almost look forward to. It's not as much fun as kettlebells, but each movement is certainly different to anything I've done recently which is another good thing that helps to shed weight, using new movements, new muscle combinations and so on. But even though I initially thought it wouldn't be taxing enough using just 1-1.5kg weights (2-3lbs), I was proven wrong. I sweat just as much from 20 minutes of this routine (2 circuits again) as I did from 20 minutes of kettlebells last month.
   The movements were harder than expected as well when I began, but as always happens, I've become a little more adjusted to them and have a clearer idea of what I'm doing. As such, it's gotten a little easier - at least, I'm able to maintain form even if my muscles are screaming by the end of each set, and that's exactly what you want from a workout.


   I know I've said this a lot lately, but I can really feel a difference in my body. Even slimmer, tighter, more angles, more strength, more stamina. I get half way through the workout sometimes and want to give up, call it a day after one circuit, but so far I've managed to push myself through it. Once I force myself to begin the first set of the second circuit, there's no going back. I'm only cheating myself if I do that, and the fact that it's almost Christmas and there's an inordinant amount of chocolate in my house right now waiting to be eaten, I know I have to turn it up a notch as well as eat with very conscious moderation. Though I may have bought a metre-long Wispa bar. It's Christmas, for goodness' sake! There's a duck in the freezer that feeds 6-8 that will be used on just 4 of us! A little indulgence is fine, and I can't let myself not give in at Christmas, but I do have to make sure, as I said, I eat in moderation and turn my workout up a notch.

   I said when I began this month that the P90X was similar to the pilates/cardio routine I did every other day throughout October, and it is. I hate this just as much as that one. It uses very different movements, but they're all full-body, they're all a mix of body weight training and cardio, and they're all super effective. The denser, leaner muscle I've built up through strength training every other day means more energy is needed to power them through the body weight and cardio, which directly translates to calorie burn, so it's really important to do strength training alongside your cardio.

   So, while the only thing that makes this month's workout bearable is watching an episode of Dragon Ball Z while doing it, it is working, and it's exactly what I need this month. I may even repeat this workout or one similar to it this time next year. I am sticking to the 1500 calorie diet that I did back in October, but I admit that it's a little more difficult this time around. However, at the same time, I've become so used to not eating chocolate or sugary things through choice, that eating it is both wonderful and awful. I feel guilty for doing it, even though I know it's fine for me to do it now, and the guilt is made worse by the chocolate tasting soooo good. It's not a good thing to feel guilt over food if it truly is unwarranted. If I'd stuffed my face with chocolate all day, then yes, let the guilt come. But the first chocolate bar for a week? At 200 calories? Uh, no. There's no need for guilt at all and it's hard to remind myself of that. But maybe that's also a good thing as it keeps me from doing it too often.

   *Ahem* yes, the workout. It's great. I hate doing it but when I finish the last circuit I've got the stupidest, tiredest smile on my face, and I feel incredible. And that's what a workout should do.

   Once again, I'll update in another 2 weeks at the end of the workout. Though, I say that, I doubt I'll actually finish the workout until the 3rd of January. I'd rather start the first workout of next year's resolution (same resolution as this year, I admit, simply because it worked) in the new year rather than at the end of December, otherwise it doesn't quite feel official. So instead I think I'll probably end up doing this month's workout for 5 weeks rather than 4, in which case the next update will be in three weeks. Still, if it works, it works! I can hardly say I'm wasting my time at this time of the year by prolonging an intense and successful workout by an additional week.



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