Round 6: Day 48: Kenpo Cardio Plus

I'm getting slightly back on track now, by undertaking a cardio routine on Day 6. Instead of the normally scheduled Insanity routine (which I've been avoiding since June 19), I eased my way back into cardio via Kenpo Cardio Plus. This routine doesn't have too much pounding on the legs; there's more shuffling than actual jumping, so I felt that it would be a reasonable way to raise my heart rate while still giving my legs some protection. There doesn't seem to be a problem now with my left leg; now, my right achilles feels a little balky. If it's not one thing, it's another. Sometimes I wonder whether I'm just starting to overtrain, and perhaps a complete break from training for about 3 weeks would be warranted. Then again, I just don't feel right if I'm not active upon awakening. These workouts are like a strong jolt of coffee for me; they really jump start my day. I love the physical burn and the mental turn-on. I'm not about to stop now. I'll be smart and try to avoid injury, but I'm not at that place yet where I need a break. Perhaps after this Round I'll reward myself with a little time off.

Although I've been substituting yoga for cardio routines over the past few weeks, I still feel like my body is a bit worn out, so I'm looking forward to Recovery Week next week. I still feel like I could use more stretching. I'm not sure how I'm going to approach cardio next week, so I'll listen to my body and play it by ear. Sometimes you need more of a stretch; sometimes you need to be more active. It's all good. Do whatever keeps you interested in your program, keep mixing things up, and keep confusing your muscles. I noticed the other day that I'm heavier than I've been in a while (it's been some time since I stepped on a scale). The odd thing is that my clothes are fitting looser than ever right now. I've been changing (in a good way) despite the weight gain. It's a sign that this approach to fitness is working for me.

Round 6: Day 47: Super Cardio

You're probably wondering what happened to Just Arms today. I don't blame you. I was thinking the same thing. We've been experiencing a bit of a heat wave here in sunny Toronto (it's not exactly Manila in July, but hey, it's also a humid heat) and I find that the combination of the heat and the humidity really sucks the energy out of me. I traipsed down to my basement this morning, which is the coolest (literally, that is) part of the house, picked up my 35 lb dumbbells, cranked out about 6 curls with extreme prejudice, and promptly quit, realizing that my arms just didn't have it today. They were toast before I even started. Dejected, I ejected the DVD, turned off the machines, and headed upstairs to quickly peruse the morning news prior to heading into the office. But wait! My legs felt pretty good, and I've been itching to get back into the cardio circuit. So, I thought I would engage in a little light cardio, to get my legs back on track and to give my left calf a small test.

When I first started Super Cardio (from One on One with Tony Horton) I thought it was a really challenging workout. Now, not so much. Insanity has, for better or worse, ruined some nice times and fond memories with Tony. On the other hand, now that Super Cardio seems like a light workout, it was perfect for my exercise objectives today. One thing that I've learned is that when you don't feel like doing something, adapt. I did a customized pre-workout stretch, as I'm not really crazy about Tony's 11-minute warm-up routine, and jumped (no pun intended) right into the workout. As always, the first two sets of exercises are the most strenuous (but much less so to me now, thanks to Insanity) and the kenpo moves during the final set are akin to a cool-down.

Overall, it was a satisfying workout. Now, I'm feeling a little tweak in my right achilles tendon, so I'll be careful to not overdo it. My left calf performed superbly, leading me to declare that it is fit to return to active duty. I'll nurse the right leg for another week or so, then plunge it back into the fray with the start of Week 9. All in all, good news.

Round 6: Day 46: Yoga

Doing yoga in my living room this morning sure felt a lot like the hot yoga I did a few days ago in a class in Detroit. The weather has been really hot for the past few days, reaching into the mid-30s (°C). Our house, which benefits from a couple of window unit air conditioners, just can't cool off sufficiently. On the other hand, the heat generated a terrific sweat, and enabled me to get really deep into my postures, and hold them for long periods of time. Pros and cons, as always.

I tried to apply what I had learned from class the other day, and paid attention to how I was balancing, as well as trying to synchronize my breath with my movements. I notice that when I am really conscious of breathing, not only am I more successful with my movements, but it really assists in clearing my mind and helping me to stay in the present. Mentally, today's practice was extremely satisfying.

A few days ago, in Detroit, I met up with a guy who had done a round of P90X. He looked fantastic, was really enthusiastic, and had that mental toughness and competitive edge that I find in people who are X'ers. With one exception: he didn't do yoga. He told me that although he tried it several times, he just couldn't get into it. Personally, I found that to be a shame, because he looked so good and had embraced every other aspect of the program. I believe that yoga is really necessary to succeed with the program. It teaches your mind discipline, which can benefit you in so many ways. It's hard, but so rewarding. Patience is something we just don't have enough of today. Everyone wants everything instantly: faster internet service, faster food service, faster delivery service. Everything is just now, now, NOW. Slow down, take a deep breath, be conscious of what it feels like to inhale and exhale, be aware of what you're doing when you chew your food.

Namaste.

Round 6: Day 45: Diamond Delts

Halfway through the Round already, back from sunny (and stifling hot) Detroit, and ready to continue working out in sunny (and stifling hot) Toronto. The only reasonably cool place in the house is in my basement, precisely the location where I was working out this morning. I also have a small fan in the corner of the room to blow air in my general direction, which lends some relief from the heat.

Extreme heat like this (36°C) really drains my body of energy, so working out early in the morning is the best thing I can do. There's no way I'll have the energy necessary for a workout in the afternoon, following work. Even riding my bike into the office following the workout today was draining, and it's going to be a daunting task dealing with the all-uphill ride on the way home. Major water consumption will be the theme of the day today, and likely, over the course of the week, as we're expected to ride this heat wave for another few days.

The workout was tough to start with, but became a bit easier as it went on. I wasn't really in the proper frame of mind to start, but soon snapped to it, and moved quickly from one exercise to another. I even managed to complete my self-imposed bonus round of six exercises at the end.

Now, all I need to do is to find a friend with a pool, and to cozy up to an air conditioner. Stay cool, my friends!

Round 6: Day 44: Yoga

I'm still staying away from intense cardio to give my calf extra time to properly heal, so I did yoga today. Not one of the DVDs that I brought with me, but for the second time in my life, I attended a yoga class. It seems that Detroit is crazy about yoga, with studios springing up everywhere, or it could be the fitness-crazy crowd that I hang out with, but since I've arrived here, everyone is talking about yoga. It's really refreshing to hear so many people so positive about it. Back home, most people look at me like I'm nuts when I tell them that I'm into yoga. Here, it seems to be the norm.

The class was a hot-yoga class, where the heat is turned up in the room to enable the participants to get a deeper stretch by super-heating the muscles. The style of yoga was similar to what I'm used to, with a couple of new moves thrown in, but mostly it was the basics, each posture held for a fairly short period of time. I would have like to have held a pose for longer, but to do so would have left me behind. So, I kept up with the group, and sweated like crazy. It's a good thing I brought my towel, because there was plenty of mopping up to do.

One thing I learned from the instructor was to focus on my balance. Not just to balance, but to notice precisely how I was balancing. Where was my weight distributed? Were my toes on one foot curled, but not on the other? The objective was to make me completely balanced and symmetrical in all ways. That was new for me, and something I'll consider when doing my practice solo.

Namaste.

Round 6: Day 43: 30-15

I took some equipment with me to Detroit so I could continue working out while away from home. I haven't been much of a road warrior before, as I usually suspended working out while I was away, but this trip, I decided to throw in my PowerStands and a resistance band, along with some DVDs, to encourage me to keep on track. Unfortunately, my accommodation didn't allow me to play DVDs, so I decided to do 30-15 in a cool basement space, but without Tony's accompaniment.

The workout went surprisingly well without the DVD. In fact, I think I may have completed it in a shorter period of time than I would have had I used the DVD. All exercises went smoothly and I felt a lot of energy. It could have been that I was relaxed and was really enjoying my time away from the city, which really put me in a good frame of mind for exercising, or it could have been the cool temperature in the basement, or some combination thereof. I just really strong and energetic, didn't sweat too much, and had a good, workmanlike approach to every move. It was a great way to start the 4th of July, and a great start to Week 7.

Round 6: Day 41: Yoga

Just had time for a short yoga workout, prior to heading out of town for the 4th of July weekend. I woke up early to loosen up to Patience "Hummingbird" yoga, to ensure that I was relaxed and comfortable for the drive from Toronto to Detroit. Not much of a drive, only about 4.5 hours, but it's long enough to get a cramped and sore back, so I wanted to make sure that I stretched out before heading out.

Namaste.