I will post about achieving my three goals: 1)get financially fit, 2) get healthy, 3)get organized In doing so, I hope to keep myself accountable to you, the reader, and to encourage any of you who may share my struggles. The change starts now.
Today's workout is another circuit training session. In other words, strength training. As such, the program calls for a choice of either hand weights or resistance bands. Both are great tools for building muscle and burning fat. The decision to use one over the other depends on your own preferences and needs.
Personally, I like hand weights. You get a range of motion with hand weights that is not possible with resistance bands. The weight is also consistent throughout each motion unlike resistance bands which add more resistance the farther they are stretched. If I had to choose, I would prefer hand weights over resistance bands any day.
With that said, I actually use is resistance bands. Why? Because they really do give nearly as good a workout as free weights. Most importantly they are much cheaper. With hand weights you must buy each size as you grow stronger and that money adds up. However, Go Fit has a set of bands you can buy at once. I can progress to a higher weight without spending more money. Finally, resistance bands are very compact. I live in a modest apartment without room to store various sized weights, but my resistance bands fit neatly in a small bag in the closet.
Maybe someday money won't be an issue and I'll have a house big enough to store the extra weights but for now I will stick to my bands. The important thing is that I am still getting the exercise I need.
Despite a day of working two jobs and dealing with several unexpected twist and turns I managed to squeeze in my P90 workout. Today was a cardio abs day and that offered a little challenge in my apartment. You see I live on the second floor of an older apartment complex. The result is that sound (including footsteps) pass easily down to the apartment below. Out of respect for my neighbors I have retired my Dance Dance Revolution game and generally attempt to keep the noise down. But how can I do that while doing a video that includes jumping jacks and run lunges?
The answer is, I adapt them. These exercises also work well for beginners who cannot yet do everything on the video. Live Strong has an excellent article on alternatives to jumping jacks. The one I've been doing is a combination of the standard low-impact jack and the squat jack. The running lunge I convert into regular lunges. There is also a segment in which you are supposed to jump from side to side. On the video, Tony Horton offers an alternative of doing a step touch instead. I did the step touch instead today, but I may be googling different exercises to make it more of a challenge.
Do you know any exercises that would be a good substitution for jumping?
I started my P90 challenge this morning and I feel great. Today was a circuit training day and I put my resistance bands to good use (more on resistance bands later). I am looking forward to doing cardio abs tomorrow.
For this 90 day round I am focusing on the workout. The P90 program also includes a nutritional plan and supplements. I am ignoring these for the moment because I like what I am already doing in these areas. In a previous article I wrote about 'Forks Over Knives' a documentary which has greatly influenced how I eat. For the past eight months I have followed a plant based diet and have no intention of changing. The P90 nutrition program may be worth a try for any omnivores out there. The recipes I skimmed looked good and I do occasionally use their recipe for homemade fries, but what little I've seen is not catered to us herbivores. As for supplements, I take a multivitamin every day and my plant based diet is rich in vitamins and minerals.
For anyone interested in P90. I tried to find a clip of the video on you tube. The only one I found that had the video itself is a short infomercial. I do not have all of the extra materials they advertise since I got it second hand, but so far I haven't missed them.
Some time ago a family member gave me a used copy of the P90 workout (not to be confused P90X). For those who have never heard of it, P90 is a carefully planned workout consisting of two alternating workouts; cardio/abs and strength training designed to give a total body workout. There are even extra videos as you advance to a higher level.
According to their website, P90 is supposed to transform my body in 90 days. I have decided to put them to the test. Starting tomorrow I plan to commit myself to the workouts for 90 days and see what happens. I will let you know how I am doing along the way. Hopefully I will end up with a leaner, stronger body at the end. Wish me luck. What workout programs have you tried, and what were the results?
