Day 84 - Let the count down begin

Alrighty folks, 6 more days to go.

The last couple of days have been quite exhausting with work, and teaching and capoeira, oh and of course, PCP.

Tuesday night I trained capoeira for the first time in over a week. The academy was closed for spring break. Anyway, I had such an amazing class. I felt so strong and confident and on point. I was able to take down 2 girls, who by the way are much taller than me, with a queda. (It's that leg grabbing take down I talked about before.) They both happened so quickly. Foca said my timing was perfect. I was pretty much shocked myself.

Patrick assigned us the task of checking out a gym. Well, I haven't belonged to one in years. I thought I could take a look at Equinox because it was in the same building as my PT, but turns out my shitty ass healthcare won't cover my appointments until they speak directly to my doctor even though I had a prescription, so I had to cancel all my sessions this week. God damn bastards. Crappy American healthcare system.

Anyway, I don't belong to a gym because years ago I came to the conclusion that they are a rip off. That I could get the same results at home, outdoors, etc. I also, find them dark, stuffy, smelly and covered with germs. All those people sweating all over the machines. Running, biking, climbing to nowhere. Seems a little too depressing for me. I would much rather spend my money on capoeira each month. So much more worth it. And now with everything that I have learned through my Peak experience, I know that my at home workouts are much more productive.

Patrick also asked us to share an ab exercise. Well I have always loved Gilad, ever since his Bodies in Motion days. I used to work out to this dvd a lot before the peak. It's more about toning the core. Here is a clip of it.

Also, the P90x Ab Ripper is pretty awesome too. Going to have to start throwing that back into the mix. Here is part 1 of a 16min routine.

P90X Ab Ripper X Part 1

Day 38

Hmm...nothing too new to report here. This past Friday I went out dancing with a bunch of friends to celebrate Carnaval! Everyone was drinking and having a great time and I'm really proud to say that I did not have the tinniest sip of alcohol. I had some seltzer with lemon instead :) We danced and we watched another Capoeira group preform capoeira and maculele. (the picture here is actually a performance my group did last summer, I think that might be a part of me cut off all the way to the left) The group's floreios we pretty freaking sweet. (floreios are the acrobatic movements in Capoeira) I would love to be able to do this move.

hmm...I'm going to set a goal for myself. By the end of this summer I will have the first part this trick down. haha ok ready set go.

Day 30

Alright boys and girls. 30 days down, 60 to go!

I think I'v found a new strength and focus. I trained Capoeira this morning and then came home and did my PCP exercises. Um...holy cow, talk about muscle failure. My legs were shaking after my squats and creeps.

I'm trying to hold strong with my new portions. My dinner consists only of 1 egg white and 120 grams of veggies. At first I was like how the hell am I supposed to fill up on that. But, since I ate dinner last night after my workout I was able to add another egg white to the mix. I also tried to choose veggies that were light in weight so I can have more of them. I came up with an arugula salad with raw white mushrooms, a little sliced tomato, 2 egg whites and red wine vinegar. It was quite delicious. Might be my new dinner all week.

I've also realized one of the main reasons I've been so grouchy and blah is simply that I haven't been getting enough rest and sleep. So, I'm going to take Foca's advice and turn off everything for the next 30mins and just chill. I'll probably end up taking a nap but that works too.

I want to say thanks to my fellow Peakers and friends for all your encouragement. It really helps to know that I have people rooting for me and on my side.

Day 19

I think it might be time for me to just face the fact...I AM NOT A MORNING WORKER OUTER!! It's been 19 days and do you know how many times I was able to wake up early and do my PCP exercises before work?

...um...1

Yup, only once. Every night I go to bed; I have great intentions. I set my alarm for 6 am and get in bed around 10 or so. But, I still can't find the energy or drive to wake up until 7am. Even then I'm still not fully awake until I am halfway done with my shower. Sometimes I go through the motions so quickly and mindlessly that I catch myself shaving my legs twice. I obviously am not a morning person. No sunshine here.

Monday's are a tough one with this schedule. Since I teach on that night, I get home quite late. Last night I ended up doing my exercises at 10pm. I was so exhausted by then that I had to reach deep down to find the energy to push through it. Good news though...my shins have been feeling stronger and jump roping isn't as painful.

Here is some more good news...the new/ final season of LOST starts in exactly 10 minutes. Hopefully the writers won't screw it up.