Round 7: Day 55: Kenpo Cardio Plus

Cardio Week ended today with Kenpo Cardio Plus. I was in a bit of a rush to get out of the house this morning, and didn't quite feel up to a session of Insanity (mentally or physically speaking). So, I decided to finish the week in the same manner that I started it, and committed to Bring It with a higher degree of intensity and dedication.

And so, it went. I punched, jumped, kicked, elbowed, sworded and hammered with the kids, sweated a bunch, and polished off the week in style. I'm going to get back to a more typical routine over the next four weeks to finish up this Round, so I'll be back to a combination of resistance days and cardio days with, as always, yoga inserted mid-week.

I'm looking forward to Week 9.

Round 7: Day 54: Interval Plus

Back to the cardio grind today, with Interval Plus. Last night, I was really psyching myself up to do this workout, so when I awoke this morning, I was already in the mood. My cardio workouts have moved indoors with the change of temperature and the early morning darkness. Months of running have actually decreased my cardio endurance and my leg strength, it seems, because I've been finding these cardio workouts to be more difficult that I used to. There will be a period of adjustment as my body gains strength and endurance.

Today was a little better than the last time I did this workout. I managed to cruise through the first half, really only feeling fatigued following my nemesis, Carlito 3-way pushups. This is a full-body activity with a full range of motion. There's not much of a break in the first 20 seconds, because your body is still run through pretty much a full range of motion by standing, then assuming a plank position, then standing with arms raised. The next phases add a push-up and a vertical jump. It's a tough move, made more difficult by its placement within the workout. I typically have paused the DVD following this move and, upon catching my breath a bit, recommence.

By the end of the workout, I'm sweating profusely. It's not as challenging as an Insanity workout, but it's probably the next best thing. Who knows what cardio torture I'll impose on myself tomorrow.

Round 7: Day 53: Yoga

Last night, I felt that my legs and, in particular, my quads, were rather sore. Even my back was bothering me a little when I would lie down for sleep. I felt as though a good session being stretched out on the rack would bring some relief to my body. So, I was really looking forward to yoga this morning, harbouring the hope that a good stretch would eliminate muscle soreness.

Yoga never fails to produce results. I've been feeling rather stressed lately, so I was hoping to achieve some peace of mind from my yoga practice in addition to muscular relief. Sometimes, you can't have it all. I was not able to achieve a really good focus today, or rather, I wasn't really able to empty my mind and be in the moment. It felt as though my body was going through the motions, but my mind wasn't in the right place. The result was that while I did get a good stretch and reduced my physical soreness, my mental needs went largely unaddressed. That's a shame, because when your mind isn't into it, you don't derive the maximum benefit the practice has to offer. On the other hand, the physical half of the practice went acceptably well, as my body now feels nice and loose. With a decent night's sleep, I should be ready to pound out a couple more days of cardio to complete this week.

Round 7: Day 52: Mason's Choice

Every time I do this workout, I end up feeling gassed by the end. It starts slowly, then builds up in intensity over the course of the workout. By the time it's over, I'm done. I've only done this workout three times, but it's really growing on me.

In keeping with my promise to myself this week, I selected this workout as a way of kicking myself in the duff to get moving and to shake up the status quo. As I write this, my legs are feeling a bit sore, so I'm looking forward to a bit of stretching through yoga tomorrow. In the meantime, I think my schedule revision is starting to have some effect, as I'm feeling a bit more energetic and less sluggish. A decent night's sleep would help, too. I'll have to start paying closer attention to my bedtime.

Bring It!

Round 7: Day 51: Super Cardio

My body fared well following yesterday's workout, so there was no trepidation in hitting the cardio circuit again today. In anticipation of some body soreness, I elected to go for Super Cardio, two-thirds of which are sufficient to work up a really good sweat. There are a lot of squat moves in this workout, which really burns the quads. Further, most of the moves have a really full range of body motion, which is really useful out in the real world. When your body is used to bending down and stretching up high, then doing those kinds of movements during the course of a normal day won't cause you injury. That's what it's all about: to be more durable and less vulnerable out in the real world.

In terms of nutrition, I'm taking to an old trick, where I floss and brush my teeth right after supper. Since I'm lazy by nature, I won't brush twice in one night, so this approach prevents me from eating anything after I've brushed. I'll allow myself some water, but that's it. So, no eating past 8:00PM, coupled with brushing early and consuming water should really assist in keeping me honest in the food consumption department. After a few weeks, hopefully this regimen will become a habit, and I'll be back on the health train.

I'm starting to regain some of my optimism.

Round 7: Day 50: Kenpo Cardio Plus

It's already past the half-way point in this Round and, disappointed by my progress so far, I decided to up the ante this week with the goal of changing my lackadaisical mindset and kick-starting my way into losing some body goo. So, with the exception of taking one day for yoga, I'm going to pound my body into submission with non-stop cardio this week. I've been slacking over the past few weeks, so it's time for a little corporal and mental punishment.

Kenpo Cardio Plus isn't exactly a heavy dose of either corporal or mental punishment, but it does raise the heart rate and it does highlight some of my weaknesses, namely, leg kicks. I'm usually sore in the buttocks the day after doing this workout, so I thought it would be a good start to a week of pain. As usual, it took me some time to get started, because I was distracted by World Series highlights, having missed the game(!) due to a social engagement. Once I got off the couch, it was a pleasant and sweat-inducing workout which, to my surprise, didn't pound my glutes as much as I had thought it would.

Coupled with the cardio workouts will be a renewed vigilance with respect to nutrition. Most of the time, I find that if I'm gaining weight, it's because I'm not paying sufficient attention to what's going into my body. Recently, what's been going in has been a bit on the crappy side. It can be tough to eat clean. You have to make decisions every time you lift a fork or spoon to your mouth: "is this going to support my health objectives or harm them?". Mental strength is required every time for me. The weekend, however, was good. I managed not to overeat, drank plenty of water, and didn't feel hungry between meals.

It's looking like a good start.