Fankle Recovery, Month Seven

(This is my seventh post in My Fankle Journey.)

Wow, I can't believe it's actually been seven full months since my posterior tibial tendon surgery (August 3rd, 2016)! When I began my Fankle journey, I honestly never thought my recovery would take this long! And yet here I am, still quite in the middle of my ankle-surgery recovery. So, I thought I'd give a little bit of an update as to where Fankle stands today! 😉

I still have stiffness and some degree of pain in my Fankle every morning when I wake up. It doesn't seem to matter what I've done the day before, I'm still always aware that Fankle exists. I can stretch and stretch my calf and ankle until I feel I'm going to scream from the tediousness of it all (#mytedioustendon! ha ha), and finally feel better for a little while, but it never lasts long. I'll excitedly think, "Hey! Maybe I am improving! Maybe I'll feel significantly better tomorrow!" But sadly, I wake up the very next morning with my familiar ankle stiffness/pain in tow. It's very disheartening and beyond frustrating.

I've had a few blessed days over the past seven months where I didn't have pain (just an awareness that Fankle exists), but they didn't last. 😢 I've tried to figure out any sort of pattern as to what I did differently that made my pain disappear during those minuscule days, but for the life of me, I can't see any regularity in my behavior that constitutes a pain-free, non-tight Fankle.

I wear supportive athletic shoes with good arch supports about 80% of the time; I've stretched Fankle until the cows come home; I've iced my way through untold on-demand TV episodes; I've worn high heels once in a while to give my tendon a break (Because I have high arches, high heels are truly such a nice break{!}, which I know sounds a little nutty, but it's true!); I've massaged my ankle for unbelievably lengthy periods of time; I've taken super hot showers; I've done and done and done! But after all of my work and experimenting, nothing makes sense as to what makes my Fankle totally pain-free for longer than one day at a time.

The one thing that does make sense is this: I will definitely not take any more pain pills during the rest of my recovery unless it's absolutely necessary. I've learned that it's much better to feel my ankle pain every day so I don't overdo it, than to blissfully not feel any pain at all and definitely overdo it. (I already explained in my post, "Fanklebaby" about the negative effects of NSAIDs on tendon healing, which is the main reason I don't take ibuprofen on a regular basis.)

Every time I've taken ibuprofen during the day (maybe four times in the past seven months?), I've totally regretted it the next day. My Fankle always seems to take at least three days to recover from my pain-free ibuprofen-induced frivolity 😉, and I'll not to do it anymore! In my defense, I took pain meds in the first place because I was enduring Shark Week, i.e., it was that not-so-lovely time of the month and I needed some real help to survive my day! Thus, after all of my efforts, I'm trying to convince myself that it's just a matter of time for my ankle pain to fully subside.

From all the research I've done (I've spent uncountable hours researching posterior tibial tendon repair surgeries!), I see over and over that until about nine–12 months, ankle surgery patients are still suffering and feeling some sort of pain on a daily basis. Yeah, that would have been great information for my podiatrist to give me before and after my surgery!

My only criticism of my podiatrist is that he definitely should have prepared me for a year-long recovery! Yet nothing in our appointments leading up to my surgery ever indicated such a lengthy, complicated, heart-wrenching recovery! But maybe it's just me who's struggling? #idon'tthinkso! 😒 I'm sincerely not trying to diss my podiatrist—I know he's one of the best podiatrists in my area—but I honestly wonder what he was thinking when he prepared me for surgery and left out the vitally important year-long-recovery bit?!?! #frustration!

*One of the reasons I continue sharing my experiences with posterior tibial tendon surgery recovery is to help others in the same boat know what to expect. I've been greatly helped by people online sharing their experiences with the same surgery I had, so I hope I can help someone else navigate this painful process in the future!

I promise, I don't mean to sound so gloomy! I'm just being realistic. Recovering from major ankle surgery is a major deal, plain and simple!

The good news is, I am getting stronger! Yay! When I first began my new at-home physical therapy regimen (after I finished my in-office physical therapy—December 27th, 2016), I was ridiculously sore every single day. I almost couldn't even stand to walk around my house! No pun intended! It took everything inside of me to keep doing my physical therapy routine on a daily basis. After I completed my first week of at-home physical therapy, I finally began to feel a little less sore. At week two, I thought, "I'm going to survive!" 😊

As I've said before, obedience takes strength! And it took a lot of physical, emotional, and spiritual strength for me to stick with my entire physical therapy program (in-office and at-home) for 17 full weeks!

Thus, there really aren't enough positive words/sayings/descriptions to express how thrilled I was when I completed my entire physical therapy program on February 8th, 2017! Aahh! 😁 I was beyond excited and happy to finally be rid of my daily physical therapy routines! I don't know if I've ever been so tired and filled with pain for such a long period of time. So yeah, it feels unbelievably great knowing I've done my very best! 

As I've continued recovering, I've been exercising to my PiYo videos occasionally over the past several weeks. PiYo has been really fun(!), but I could tell after completing several videos that Fankle wasn't doing very well with it—even though it's pretty much all non-impact. Near the beginning of doing PiYo, my ankle began swelling again and I took it as a sign that I needed to back off the serious exercising for a few more weeks. Lately, Fankle has been much less swollen, and I'm really excited about that improvement! 😀

*Side note: One of my physical therapists said it would take about six months for the swelling in my ankle to go completely away, and she was right. It was probably around six-and-a-half months when Fankle finally stopped being swollen consistently every day. As I've begun month seven of my recovery, the swelling is pretty much gone! Hip hip hooray! Occasionally I'll have some swelling right around my surgical site if I've been on my feet for many hours without taking a break. But I think it's safe to say that the extreme swelling I endured for so many months on end is (hopefully) a thing of the past!

My great news happened on February 4th when I s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d my ankle while reading a book in bed. (That sounds lazy, but I literally had no more get up and go juice left inside of me! I was beyond exhausted and simply had to take a break. If I hadn't fully rested that day, I honestly think I could have fallen asleep in the middle of my day!) Let me explain...

One of the things I did while recovering from my longboarding accident—before my surgery—was stretching my ankle by pulling my toes upward. Whenever I did that motion (usually in bed while I was barely waking up) I felt a sickening, prickly, stinging sensation in my posterior tibial tendon. Yes, it was very painful, but it was also the strangest feeling i'd ever experienced. At the time, I couldn't pinpoint what that pain was; what was causing it; what it meant; or how describe it to anyone, but now I know better!

It sounds horrible, but I know now that every time I stretched my toes and pulled my foot upward (before my surgery), I was pulling apart any healing that my posterior tibial tendon had accomplished. 😓 I'm guessing I probably made my torn tendon worse with every foot flex! I shudder to think about those icky moments!

So, four Saturdays ago, when I was stretching my foot like I had many times in the past, I felt something very different. I suddenly felt strength in my posterior tibial tendon! Yes, I still have ankle pain (probably from scar tissue), but I no longer feel the same weakness, or experience that intense fear/worry that I've endured for so many months. (It's been nine months {tomorrow} since my accident!) I nearly cried tears of joy for feeling that new strong sensation! I only hope that lovely feeling continues!

I'm sure some of you will laugh at me for sharing this, but one of the things that's been sooo hard for me is not being able to wear every pair of my favorite high heels like I want. Yes, I'm able to wear wedges and many versions of high heels, but I haven't been able to wear all of my awesome platform high heels just yet—Fankle is simply not ready for them. Even though I have so many cute pairs of high heels that I really want to wear to church again (and my church wardrobe is subsequently smaller because some of my dresses are too long for non-platform shoes), I'll have to continue being patient. #thestoryofmylife! 😂

I repeatedly tell myself, "Wait until ____ months, then reevaluate where you are. Maybe after ____ months you can wear those platform high heels again!" It's become quite comical (and frustrating) that I'm still telling myself that same bit of advice no matter how many months pass! The good news is, I can see real progress in my high-heal-wearing abilities! 👠 I'm getting better and better at wearing them with each passing Sunday! #yayme! I don't want to get overly excited, but I think I might be able to wear all of my shoes (for limited periods of time) within another month or two! #freakin'hallelujah! I'll just have to patiently wait and see...

One area of my recovery that continues to puzzle me is that my posterior tibial muscle itself continues to be so darn tight and achy all along/behind my tibia. I keep thinking it will loosen up one of these days, but it's not happening. Yes, I expected my tendon to be tight because it had surgery and the scar tissue has built up—but not my entire muscle!

There are days when I just want to take a big soup spoon and push/dig/scrape my posterior tibial muscle until it finally relaxes! That sounds insane, but I can't describe it any other way. Plus, the posterior tibial muscle is just super hard to get at. I've watched massage videos to see how they access it, but I've not been very successful at it myself. The good news is, my muscle tightness has improved/relaxed a teeny bit over the past month! It's by no means perfect yet, but I'm finally catching this little glimmer of hope that one day I won't want to dig my calf muscle with a soup spoon! Ha ha. 😄

I'm also beyond ready to be able to run up and down my stairs again! It's crazy to think how much the little things bother us when we aren't able to do them anymore. I had years when I was exhausted every day because of my hypothyroidism, and running up/down the stairs was the last thing I wanted to do! Yet, oh my, what I wouldn't give to be able to fully bound up and down the stairs any time I want! That said, I've felt a smidgen of improvement on my stairs the past couple of weeks! I tried bounding just a little bit, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! Yay! Thus, I'm going to keep trying a little more every day! Within reason, of course...

One thing that has helped me tremendously over the past several weeks was something President Russell M. Nelson said in his most recent Worldwide Devotional. He said (these are separate paragraphs throughout his talk—emphasis added),

"When I was a young medical student, my rigorous study of the human body convinced me that God lived. And as I came to know that the body was God’s creation, I became increasingly intrigued with the [divine laws] of God that govern the function of the body." 

"Divine law is incontrovertible and irrefutable. Divine law cannot be denied or disputed." 

"...Not even for God’s prophet could the [divine] law relating to the transmission of electricity be ignored." 

"In a coming day, you will present yourself before the Savior. You will be overwhelmed to the point of tears to be in His holy presence. You will struggle to find words to thank Him for paying for your sins, for forgiving you of any unkindness toward others, for healing you from the injuries and injustices of this life."

While President Nelson was mainly referring to heart surgery in this example of divine law, the Holy Ghost helped me take his words in a completely different direction because I needed that spiritual uplift. 😇

As I thought about my human body in relation to what President Nelson taught, I internalized that our Heavenly Father's divine laws also apply to me.

I thought about the fact that tendons are one of the s.l.o.w.e.s.t. healing tissues in the human body.

I thought about the fact that my ankle's blood supply isn't the greatest right where the posterior tibial tendon is. Yet I know that's exactly how the human body had to be formed—because what if our ankles had a gushing blood supply like we do in our heads? Can you imagine the amount of blood that would pool/escape if/when we accidentally cut our feet? If we had the same amounts of blood in our feet as we do in our heads, we could bleed out so very quickly because of gravity pulling the blood away from our hearts.

I also thought about the fact that the posterior tibial tendons are two of the most important tendons in the human body! Because of their great importance in holding up the arches of our feet, of course the posterior tibial tendons take even longer to heal than most other tendons—more of our mobility is at risk, so they must be darn well strong enough to support our bodies' "suspension bridges"!

I thought about how any tissue in the human body won't grow to its full potential unless and until it is worked and moderately stressed. Without resistance, human tissues atrophy—which is exactly what happened when I was fully protected by my boot/cast and crutches! My calf muscle shrank an enormous amount. And my thigh and buttock muscles shrank a pretty significantly, too. Yes, I had to let my ankle tissues (posterior tibial tendon, tendon sheath, flexor retinaculum, skin) heal from the surgery, but they were nowhere near completely healed until the pressure, weight, and stretching happened from putting my full body weight on my foot. Basically (and obviously!), I had to work to regain my ankle motion and muscle strength!

In further pondering my ankle's recovery and divine law, I find it fascinating that we are commanded to work. Our Heavenly Father's divine law dictates that our growth and healing—whether it be physical or spiritual—won't ever be complete unless we work. Jesus Christ's work is what created our beautiful Earth, and His work is precisely what will bring us back to our Heavenly Father. He said, "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39.)

Jesus Christ is the perfect example of our Heavenly Father's divine law in action! Because of His example, I know that the same divine law that required our Savior to atone for our sins (and die for each one of us) applies to me and my Fankle recovery.

*Before anyone thinks I'm being sacrilegious, please know that I fully understand that my ankle surgery and recovery are nowhere near the Atonement, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. I'm simply stating the fact that divine law applied to Jesus Christ, and divine law applies to me, too.

When I remember to think of my recovery in terms of divine law, I have greater patience in my daily ankle pain and the exhaustion of my recovery. Best of all, I have true hope for a full recovery one day! #prettyplease?! Thus, I'm working at keeping the perspective of divine law in my mind at all times. Of course, some days are easier than others, but I keep trying! 👍 😎

Finally, while I've spent an extensive amount of time complaining in this post about my situation, fatigue, and pain, I want it to be known that the positive difference between Fankle at six months and seven months (first week of February, 2017–first week of March, 2017) is significant. 😀 I most definitely see progress since I finished my at-home physical therapy! And that is a positive I'm trying to remember every day! #somedaysarebetterthanothers I simply wish that my ankle recovery was progressing faster than it is!

Thus, we see that as much as I've felt successful at gaining patience over my lifetime (I've improved a lot, I promise!), I obviously have more work to do! #don'tweall?! I absolutely know that our Heavenly Father sees my progress (And my blessed angels are taking notes! 😇 Ha ha.), but He clearly wants more for my soul, thus, here I still find myself, standing in this extended Fankle-recovery position.

I will absolutely keep going no matter what! I won't ever give up! I will continue working diligently to regain my ankle function, and I'll get myself back in shape to the very best of my ability! But I know both of those goals will take time, and I'm in it for the long haul. As much as I can't wait for all of those positive things to happen (I'm so excited to be fully healed and physically fit again!), I will wait because I have no other option! 😉

I Love Physical Therapy!

(This is my sixth post in My Fankle Journey.)

This past month+ has been filled with many things that have kept me busy, but the newest addition to my life is physical therapy. Five days after I met with my podiatrist for my last appointment, I was scheduled to meet with my new physical therapist—on October 11th. Being that I'd never been to physical therapy before, I was nervous. Even though I had no idea what exercises I would be given, I totally worried about how much my ankle would hurt.

After my first meeting with my physical therapist, I was pretty hopeful! :) We talked about everything related to my injury and recovery—up to that point. I was so pleased to learn of his years of experience—he really knows his stuff! Although, that sounds so silly to say because any licensed physical therapist must go through a lot of university schooling/training—they can't get a degree otherwise. (Check out the University of Utah's physical therapy program: PTAT Doctor of Physical Therapy.) I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at his level of expertise, but I was. So let me rephrase that: I was pleasantly surprised with my physical therapist's extensive knowledge—it gave me hope!

Another thing I appreciate about my physical therapist is the fact that he's an athlete. Thus, he totally gets how important it is for me to become as active again as I possibly can. Knowing he totally understands my desire for being physically fit makes me very happy! That said, I've done my research and sadly discovered that a true, full, complete recovery—returning 100% to the same level of activity I was before my injury—just might not be possible. :(

You see, the possibility of re-injuring my posterior tibial tendon is something I'll have to be careful of for the rest of my life. I'm also very aware of the fact that once a person badly sprains their ankle (like I have), it's highly possible for them to sprain it badly again. Both of those injuries—a sprained ankle and torn tendon—come much easier the second time around. So, yeah, I think my carefree "My body can do any athletic movement I wish!" days are over. :'( I'm still trying to come to terms with that idea. If I sit and really think about it, I lose my breath and want to cry.

All of that said, I'm incredibly hopeful and very prayerful that my body will repair itself to the very best of its ability!

When I think of the steps I've taken to ensure a complete and strong healing of my posterior tibial tendon, well, I absolutely know I've done everything I possibly could. And I will continue to do exactly what I'm prescribed by "my" medical professionals. Thus, if anything goes wrong with my posterior tibial tendon in the future, no one will be able to say that it was my fault because of something I did or didn't do. I have absolute confidence that I've done everything right—as prescribed by my podiatrist, physical therapist, and the "They" of Internetland! Ha ha.

So, I have to put those I won't be able to be as active as I want fears in a box in the back of my mind and have faith that my life will still be as wonderful as it always has been—even if I can't jump endlessly on a trampoline with my three darling children, and my extended family members...

I'm not exaggerating when I say that a trampoline-park employee once admiringly told me I was the most talented and fun parent he'd ever seen at the trampoline park! :) At the time, I so appreciated his words(!), but didn't think much of them five minutes later. Yet now...oh, what I wouldn't give to be able to do my famous, endless toe-touches and run like lightning from one end of the trampoline park to the other! If you don't believe me, my mom has me on video. :)

I won't bore you with all the details of my physical therapy exercises, but I will say:

Physical therapy is a marvelous tool for every human! It gives me at least an hour-and-a-half—sometimes two hours—twice a week (in the physical therapist's office) where I focus on only me! While I'm usually exhausted later that day, and I frequently experience pain (probably a 3–5 on the pain scale) during my more intense PT exercises, physical therapy is so good for me!

I also have a routine of nine physical therapy exercises that I must perform at home every day. I have to complete two sets of those nine exercises, twice a day. While my physical therapy at home and in the PT's office is time consuming, it's totally worth every minute!

I can absolutely feel and see a difference in my calf, thigh, buttock muscle strength, and especially in my ankle mobility! Granted, my ankle isn't as flexible as it once was, but I'm getting there! :) My posterior tibial tendon is still very tight where it attaches to the muscle—actually, my posterior tibial muscle is crazy-tight overall—but it's getting better every week. I just have to stay active, or else it gets worse, and I hate that!

I also love the fact that the physical therapist and his assistants are always willing to chat with me. I can talk a lot, so I'm guessing there are times when they're thinking, "When will Adrie ever stop jabbering?!" but they are always so kind to me. :)

The other physical therapy patients are also a benefit—I've met many interesting people! It's quite helpful for us to talk with each other and share our physical therapy stories. There's such a benefit to hearing someone else's experience with healing time-frames, and sharing the struggles of trying to improve our weakened physical conditions.

A woman I met in one of my earlier physical therapy sessions left an impact on me. She was at the PT facility assisting her father. He's struggling mightily with his recovery and it's plain to see she's vital to his healing. As I shared my intense discomfort while on the slant board (to stretch my calves), the woman started a conversation with me. I replied something like, "Never have surgery if you don't have to! It's the worst! Do whatever else you can before having surgery!" She said, "I completely agree!"

I asked her, "Have you had surgery before?" The lovely woman proceeded to tell me, "Yes. I've had lower back surgery, upper back surgery, knee surgery, and six breast cancer surgeries." She continued to share her experiences with her surgeries and I was speechless! But of course I had to respond! ;)

I said, "Oh, no! I'm so sorry!" She said, "It's okay. I'm just tired of dealing with surgeries." I said, "I truly can't imagine what you've gone through...you're a living miracle! I've learned so much from my ankle surgery, I'm trying to remember it all so I never have to have surgery ever again!"

She said, "Well, I wish I would learn what I'm supposed to learn from my surgeries so I can quit having them!" I felt so badly at that point. Yay not me for putting my slanty-feet in my mouth! Yet in that moment, the Spirit testified truth to me, so I said to her, "You know, maybe it's not you who needs to learn from your surgeries. Maybe there are others around you who need to learn from you." I highly doubt my words helped, but I felt (and still feel) strongly that her experiences were/are absolutely helping others around her. She smiled and thoughtfully said, "Hmm...you could be right." Then our conversation ended.

So, yes, speaking with others about life before/after surgery and physical therapy is mighty beneficial to my mental state. There is something truly healing about being able to talk about life with others in a similar situation. I think it's because we all enjoy it when others understand where we're coming from. Isn't it wonderful when we feel truly understood?!

Today, I have another appointment which completes my fifth week of physical therapy! While I can't believe it's been five full weeks(!), sometimes it feels like I will never be done with my expensive habit! Ha ha. I'm so beyond grateful for our health insurance, you have no idea! Granted, I have to pay 20% of my physical therapy bill, so it's still very pricey—think of a gym membership for the elites of our country...of which I'm most definitely not one! But if we didn't have health insurance, and I hadn't already met our deductible this year, well, I shudder to think of what would happen to my family's financial state! It would most likely be dismal...

Thus, if you, or anyone close to you, is ever in a situation where they're trying to decide whether or not to go to physical therapy, just do it! :) I love physical therapy and believe it is truly invaluable! Besides, if we don't have our health, it's pretty difficult to fulfill our life missions!

I chose a green background and happy flowers for this typographic design to represent the happy growth I've gained during physical therapy! I wanted to make a couple more changes to it before I saved it, but sadly, PicMonkey was being glitchy today, and I don't have time to start over! :( Thus, my creation stands as-is. But isn't that just like life?! :) We think we'll always be able to make more changes, but sometimes life is what it is, and we must be satisfied with what we've accomplished. Yes, we must always do our very best—to the best of our abilities, but we must also realize that what we are and do is enough! :)

Here's an update of how my posterior-tibial-tendon-surgery recovery is going:

• I'm currently three months and one week post-op, but, technically, it's been 14 weeks and two days since my surgery.
• My right leg, a.k.a., chicken leg, is still an inch smaller than my left leg, a.k.a. beef leg.
• My right leg still feels weak in certain situations, but it's gotten a lot stronger over the past five weeks.
• I'm able to bend my right ankle in every direction, but some directions are harder and more painful than others.
• I still have pain in my ankle when I try and stretch/flex my right foot up too far—yet I'm pretty excited with how far I can go now! :) Before I began physical therapy, I wasn't able to flex my foot very far at all!
• I am definitely making progress, but I still absolutely feel the effects of surgery on a daily basis.
• My foot is nowhere near completely healed, and that bums me out more than I can say. I just truly had NO idea how extensive, lengthy, and painful my posterior tibial tendon surgery would be.

Finally, if I could give my advice for future PTT surgical/physical-therapy patients, it is:

Be prepared!

You must be able to have all of your physical needs cared for by others (on an as-needed basis) until at least six weeks post-op. Find someone you trust completely to help you during your recovery. Your caregiver must also be someone who can handle what is to come—because the extent of help you'll need is significant.

Mentally, you'll need to utilize all of the positive thinking you can possibly muster! The frustrating fact is, you will have occasional major down days that will blow. your. mind. I was completely caught off guard at the extent of disappointment I've experienced during my recovery. The constant ups and downs in my recovery is one for the history books! I have been forever changed by them.

Physically speaking, many days you'll take two steps forward and one step back. Other days, you'll continually take one small step forward, followed by a few more little steps, and you'll feel pretty good! But other days, you'll take one huge step forward and be sidelined for the next five days (aarrrggg!) because your body is figuring out that it still has a lot of repair work to do!

According to my physical therapist, ups and downs are absolutely typical in recovery after a major surgery. I needed his comforting words because I worried that my new/additional pain and swelling meant I had done something seriously wrong to my ankle that would negatively affect my recovery forever. That might seem like a pretty extreme reaction, but when you've been through what I've been through, you'd understand exactly what I'm feeling and know that it's not an overreaction.

So, posterior tibial tendon surgical patients, you must not get discouraged! I tell myself that all the time! :) You must have and continually keep the perspective that, "I'll be somewhat back to normal one year from the date of my surgery." I know that sounds so depressing(!), but from everything I've researched, it's the truth.

You must keep a prayer in your heart continually for your physical and mental state to be healthy. :) It's very helpful to remember that our marvelous Heavenly Father made your body, and He will help you utilize your body in the ways that are best for you. Yet that's the only thought that gets to me sometimes because I wonder, "Will I get back my full physical abilities that I love so much??? Is there a reason I'm not supposed to have my full ankle mobility and strength???" Those wonderings are hard to deal with, for sure. But I try not to dwell on my worries for very long because they do me absolutely no good—and they won't help any other posterior tibial tendon surgical patient, either!

Thus, when all is said and done, remain faithful, do everything you can to heal your body, and keep a positive attitude even and especially when your recovery looks bleak. :) When all else fails, remember that sleep heals both body and mind! I can't count how many times a good night of sleep or a luxurious nap has been exactly what my soul needed! :)

If any of you have thoughts to add about your physical/mental recovery after surgery, please feel free to contribute your comments! Let's learn from each other's experiences! :)

The next post in My Fankle Journey is "Fankle Recovery, Month Seven."

Exercise Prosperity: P90X and INSANITY Workout Schedule

Hello! Today I'm sharing how I've combined the P90X and INSANITY workout programs. This is my fifth post in my Exercise Prosperity series. As I've said previously, no one has asked me to write this, nor am I being compensated in any way for my words—I simply love sharing what makes me happy and healthy!

Last year, after I finished trying out my new Insanity videos, I was ready to combine them with P90X. I sat down on my exercise mat and spread out my P90X and Insanity DVDs. Previously, I put them in their own separate cases because I didn't like the cardboard flip DVD cases they came in—they seemed to scratch them. I used a big box of blank/empty DVD cases that I bought at Sam's Club years ago. I wrote the DVD titles on large note cards as cutely/nicely as I could and slid them in the front of the cases.

After thinking deeply about each P90X and Insanity video, I decided what category they fell into, and alternated the two programs' videos. I spent about 45 minutes arranging and rearranging my videos according to which body areas each video focused on. I really wanted my body to be exercised well, but not the same areas on subsequent days. I knew my tired body parts would need a rest the next day and wanted to focus on other areas that weren't sore. After I was satisfied with my arrangement, I wrote down my workout schedule on notebook paper and put the videos on our bookshelf next to the TV.

I went through my initial P90X/Insanity schedule twice. My third time through, I decided to take notes on how I felt after doing each video because I felt there were some tweaks in my combinations that needed to be made—and I was right! After my third session, I spent another 25 minutes on my happy exercise mat rearranging my DVDs and felt really good about my changes. Yet after my fourth run-through, I realized there was one more modification that needed to be made to my schedule. Thus, I'm very happy to say that I'm finally satisfied with that fourth arrangement, and I'm on my third time through it! :)

By the by, I've combined the P90X and Insanity videos differently than any of the other hybrid schedules out there. From what I quickly researched online, no one else has combined P90X and Insanity like this before—I'm such an innovator! Ha ha. Sorry if it seems like I'm bragging because I'm not. I'm just thrilled that I've worked hard enough and long enough to have something significant to contribute to our fitness world! :)

When I first began using P90X and Insanity together, I was still only doing the videos three times per week. Yet one night when I was on Instagram (October 23rd, 2015), I saw a post by one of my favorite exercise gurus, Michael Vazquez. He said,

"If you have any questions about fitness I love to open a q&a right now and help answer any!! Ask away don't be shy. 👊🏾💥 #PerformixDriven"

I enthusiastically typed to Mr. Vazquez, "How many days per week of exercising do you recommend? Do you alternate strength and cardio or do both every day? Also, even though I exercise consistently, my "mommy tummy" seems to want to stay put no matter what exercises I try. It has definitely diminished (yay!), but I'd love to get it more toned—what do you recommend?"

I honestly didn't expect a response from such a famous Instagrammer, but here's what Mr. Vazquez replied,

"@enthusiasticfantastic no less than 4 days a week. I personally do it all in one day of training I'll start with lifting/strength training and end it with explosive circuits or body weight training. Everyone is different. This works for me."

Yeah, I was beside myself that a man with 337,000 Instagram followers actually replied to me! :) But again, that's what makes me continue following him on Instagram. Yes, he makes his living and supports his family off of his Instagram sponsors—so his followers matter in that regard, but I truly believe he does what he does for the sheer love of it and because he genuinely wants to help others become their best selves.

I replied back, "Thank you so much for your advice @michaelcvazquez! I've been exercising three days per week, so I'm going to commit to four days and work it into my schedule! #hereigo! :)"

Yes, after that Instagram encounter, I was absolutely committed to exercising four days per week—there was no going back. I even used the cute little purple sneaker icon for each of my exercising calendar items on my smart phone so I wouldn't forget or let something else get in my way! :)

I did a great job of exercising to my P90X/Insanity lineup for four days per week, for about two months. Yet in late December, 2015, I decided I wanted to do even better and committed to exercising five days per week! You see, I wanted to be completely physically prepared for my ward's (church) Young Women winter camp—where I learned how to snowboard!!! Let me tell you, that was a tough schedule bump up.

I did really great at the beginning of my new effort, but then I struggled for a couple of weeks to keep up my five-days-per-week streak because I felt like I simply didn't have enough time to do everything that needed to be done. Oh, how I wished for just three more hours per day! But after really and fully internalizing that working out five days per week is absolutely what I want and need in my life, my quest became easier and it hasn't been an issue since. Yay!

Call me crazy, but recently, I've even been feeling that I'd like to workout six days per week simply because I feel SO GOOD on the days I exercise! There's a notable difference in my mood and productivity when I exercise vs. when I don't. :)

Last night, I read this article on Medium, "Exercise Habits of Ultra-Successful People," by Andrew Merle. It definitely made me further ponder my exercise six days per week idea—in a positive way. While I can't guarantee that I'll be able to keep up with my "exercise six days per week" goal—because I have three precious children and a wonderful husband who legitimately need me (and all that goes into running a household); plus I have a very time-demanding calling in my church; and I teach piano lessons every week—I'm going to try my darnedest! Even if I slip back to exercising five days per week once in a while, I'll still feel good about my efforts—anything on top of that is just gravy! :)

*Interesting side note: my husband's current Harvard instructor (female) used to play pickup basketball with President Obama when they were both enrolled at Harvard! (See the photo on the exercise article listed above—obviously, it's a different person playing with Obama.) Wow, it really is such a small world! Yes, I refer to that connection as the "Two Degrees of Greg Peterson"—even though he has three university degrees! Ha ha.

The reason I shared all of that is because I know that increasing the amount of days I exercise has made all the difference in my body's continually improving physical capabilities. Not to mention what it's done for the way my clothes fit! Yes, even though my weight hasn't fluctuated more than about two to four pounds this entire time I've been exercising (I still love chocolate!), I absolutely see a difference in my muscle definition and reduced body fat. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat! :) Again, my clothes fit even better now and I love it!

Truly, the best part of exercising that frequently is the fact that my body can basically do any physical challenge I put in its way! *Disclaimer: I don't want my previous sentence to be misleading. I'm not perfect and I'm most definitely not at Michael Vazquez's fitness level. I doubt I'd ever get to that point in my exercising simply because I'm not willing to workout for hours upon hours every day. However, if I were given the option of getting paid thousands of dollars just to workout, I'd probably rethink my stance!

I believe the combination of P90X and Insanity are a match made in exercise heaven! P90X and Insanity are amazing all by themselves for so many reasons (read my previous posts, "Exercise Prosperity: My Review of P90X" and "Exercise Prosperity: My Review of INSANITY), but when you combine them together, the benefits are immeasurable!

Yes, because of my awesome video arrangement and increased workout days, my body is progressing by leaps and bounds every week! I was shocked a few weeks ago to discover that my 12-pound weights are starting to feel light during some P90X exercises. I can't believe I need to buy 15-pound weights because I never thought I'd get to that point! To some people that weight may seem so light, but for me—who started out with eight pounds feeling heavy, it's quite a positive and weighty progression! :)

Without further ado, here is my schedule of P90X and Insanity videos. Of course, anyone can put these DVDs in any order they want, but for me, this is the arrangement I like the very best. I like alternating Tony with Shaun T. every other day; I like alternating strength and cardio every other day. The only problem I had is that Insanity could have used one more video because I end up having two P90X videos two days in a row. (No, I didn't want to include Insanity's "Fit Test" because it's just not as fun for me—and I'm all about fun!) That said, it doesn't bother me because one of the P90X videos is strength, while the next one is cardio—it's all good.

• Day 1: P90X Plyometrics—58:37

• Day 2: Insanity Cardio Recovery—33:02

• Day 3: P90X Back and Biceps—51:36; Ab Ripper X—16:08

• Day 4: Insanity Max Interval Circuit—59:50

• Day 5: P90X Yoga X—1:32:25

• Day 6: Insanity Cardio Power and Resistance—39:19

• Day 7: P90X Legs and Back—58:55; Ab Ripper X—16:08

• Day 8: Insanity Pure Cardio—38:17; Cardio Abs—16:45

• Day 9: P90X Chest, Shoulders and Triceps—55:45; Ab Ripper X—16:08

• Day 10: P90X Cardio X—43:18

• Day 11: Insanity Max Interval Plyo—55:11

• Day 12: P90X Core Synergistics—57:26

• Day 13: Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit—41:47

• Day 14: P90X Chest and Back—52:50; Ab Ripper X—16:08

• Day 15: Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning—47:41; Cardio Abs—16:45

• Day 16: P90X Kenpo X—58:45

• Day 17: Insanity Max Recovery—47:16

• Day 18: P90X Shoulders and Arms—59:54; Ab Ripper X—16:08

• Day 19: Insanity Core Cardio and Balance—37:19

Looking at that list of exercise videos is so exciting to me! First of all, I love that it takes 19 days of exercising to get through my schedule. Also, unlike the rest of the hybrid programs out there, I love having a new video each day I exercise! I really don't like doing the same videos on the same days of the week, for weeks in a row. Yes, I'm all about variety, and my P90X and INSANITY Workout Schedule accomplishes exactly that!

I just love thinking about the endless hard work I've done over the past 21+ months. I can't help but delight in the physical and mental benefits I've received by doing P90X and Insanity together—I could shout my happiness to the world from a megaphone in a hot air balloon! ;) But since I'm not a wizard, feel free to share my Exercise Prosperity posts with anyone you like! I would absolutely love it if my exercise experiences were beneficial to others! :)

P.S. In case you were wondering, the order of the DVDs in my photo go left-to-right, top-to-bottom. Also, the P90X strength videos already have Ab Ripper X on each video, I just didn't have enough room to write it on the note cards. :)

Exercise Prosperity: My Review of INSANITY

Today I'll be reviewing the Insanity exercise program created by Shaun T.! This is my fourth post in my Exercise Prosperity series.

After thoroughly researching Insanity, I ordered it from Amazon in June, 2015. Because of all the reviews I read—about how sweaty you get while doing Insanity—I also ordered an eight feet by six feet Square 36 extra large exercise mat, also from Amazon. Last year, my Square 36 mat cost 20 dollars less than it does now, so I'm really glad I purchased it when I did! As an FYI, if any of you decide to buy a Square 36 exercise mat from Amazon, you'll save about 15 dollars vs. buying it from the Square 36 website. That said, be sure to read their detailed information because it is filled with good news about how their mats are made. :)

I began exercising to Insanity just like I had with P90X (see my previous post Exercise Prosperity: My Review of P90X): by following their scheduled video routines, three times per week. After I did the first two weeks worth of videos, I was concerned that I would lose all the muscle mass/strength I gained with P90X because Insanity seemed (at first) that it was only cardio. Thus, I looked at the rest of their video workout schedule and decided to bag it. Instead, I exercised to each video in order.

After finishing the 10 Insanity videos—including Fit Test, I decided to incorporate the nine regular Insanity videos into my P90X video series. I also decided not to follow either program's listed video combinations, but instead created my own list/order! My future P90X/Insanity post will explain how that endeavor turned out!

Here is my list of Insanity supplies/necessities—they truly keep me sane! Ha ha.

• exercise clothing and supportive athletic shoes
• Square 36 exercise mat—I cannot adequately express the love I have for this mat! (Refer to links above.) I was hesitant to pay so much money for a mat (it's expensive!), but it was absolutely worth every penny! I wouldn't want to exercise without my Sq36, and I shudder to think of exercising on carpet ever again! (Again, no one is paying me to write any of this. I just want to share my happiness with the world!)
• water bottle—I usually refill once during each video
• large towel—I legit can soak an entire towel during most Insanity videos! (There are a couple of easier videos where I still sweat, but not quite as much.) Okay, it's not dripping wet, but it totally feels like I toweled off after taking a shower!
• hair in a bun on the crown of my head—it's the only way I can do Insanity without losing my mind! ;)

The first thing everyone should know about Insanity is this: be prepared to be out of breath and sweat a lot! You think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. I've never breathed so intensely, or sweat so much, in a workout program. Yes, Insanity takes the cake for breathless sweatiness! I remember seeing a hilarious meme on Instagram that said, "Insanity: Straight Outta Can't Breathe." HA! I couldn't agree more!

Secondly, your DVD player's pause button is your best Insanity friend—besides Shaun T., that is! In all seriousness, I believe that pausing each DVD for an extra 30–60 seconds between exercises/intervals is much better than taking a break while running the DVD continuously. Pausing between exercises (only when truly necessary) and finishing all the repetitions will give you a better bang for your buck. You'll feel so accomplished(!) in finishing every part of the workout, vs. missing repetitions. Did that make sense?

Yes, pausing the DVDs will make your overall workout times longer, but to me, it's totally worth it! I mean, if you watch the videos, you'll see that no participant is capable of doing the Insanity workouts uninterrupted from start to finish—not even Shaun T. himself! Every single video demonstrator ends up taking a break for a few seconds at one point, or another.

Each video has a ticker at the bottom of the screen that gives tips/helps in addition to what exercise is coming up next. Those ticker tips frequently say to rest when necessary. Thus, I believe it's better to pause and rest between exercises so you get the benefit of the complete Insanity workout. Don't skimp on any exercise! Just rest to the point that you can catch your breath and your body doesn't get cold (keep moving), then start up again fresh. You'll be amazed at your body's abilities when you rest properly—but again, don't rest too long! :)

Because Insanity is so cardiovascularly challenging (I don't know if cardiovascularly is a word, but I just made it one!), be aware that it could take your body quite a while to adjust. In the beginning, go at your own pace and don't give yourself a heart attack! As time passes, you'll see that your body is adjusting and each video will get a little easier the more often you do them.

I remember the happy day I told Greg, "I die a little less each time I do Insanity!" Ha ha. It's true and feels totally awesome! I'm so much more able to make it through my Insanity videos now than I did last year. One might think that I would have plateaued after doing Insanity for 10 months, but I continually get better every time I do an Insanity video—even though I've done each one countless times! And I'm now able to make it through certain sections of videos without having to rest, whereas before, I had to take frequent rests. I'm so excited with my progress!

Let's delve a little deeper into breathing. I have to give major props to Shaun T. because he taught me how to breathe properly! That may sound ridiculous, but I had no idea I was breathing improperly while doing cardio for all these years—until Shaun T. pointed it out that I was clenching my jaw and throat. Well, he didn't tell me specifically, but you know what I mean! ;)

Once I understood how tense my face and neck were, I consciously relaxed them and my breathing results have markedly improved. Yay! For years, I wondered if I had asthma because I had such a hard time breathing during any cardio workout. Yet because of Shaun T., I finally figured out that my face and neck were just too tense! I'm grateful I've been able to relax. The benefits of fully breathing feel amazing!

To continue, in one of the easier Insanity videos, there's a semi-stationary section that I've really struggled with. Yet I finally realized last week that I simply wasn't breathing big enough for my stressed muscles. Thus, I started breathing as heavily as I possibly could and I totally finished the difficult section! Seriously, friends, learn from me: breathe as enthusiastically and continuously as you possibly can!

Now, a word of caution for anyone exercising to Insanity: while doing the sprinting-type movements, stay on your toes/balls of your feet as much as is humanly possible! At first, I didn't realize the vast importance of that previous sentence. Yet after doing Insanity for several months, my knees began feeling achy. It wasn't good.

I thought my knee pain was due to incorrect stretching, so I started doing a couple of different stretches during the Insanity warm-ups. Unfortunately, my knees started feeling even worse and I quickly realized that one cannot substitute stretches in Insanity: the stretches are there for a reason and must be done completely and correctly!

Over time, my knees started aching during my Insanity workouts, which really scared me because they had previously only ached only after I finished. With all of my knee pain, I was concerned I could be developing arthritis—which is one of my worst nightmares! Thus, I got on my knees and prayed for knee help. Pun intended. :) I felt the answer I received was to do exercise physiology research online.

After reading up on exercising, I realized my problem: during the explosive, high intensity sprinting-type movements, I was trying to protect my knees by landing first on my toes and then coming down fully onto my heels—which is the wrong sprinty thing to do. When sprinting, it's important to land on the toes/balls of the feet only. That type of toe-to-heel movement (I was doing) also slows you down. Yay not me! ;) Happily, my research reiterated there are specific times while doing plyometric exercises when you need to land softly on your entire foot—toes to heels—as I had already been doing. I was relieved that I at least did something right!

So, even though my knees hurt in the beginning (because I was still sore from my improper foot landings), I tried staying on my forefoot (toes/balls of my feet) throughout all of the sprinting-type exercises. It only took a few workout sessions of landing on my forefoot for my knees to start feeling better! Yay! Staying on my toes, and not coming down on my heels, have made all the difference in my knees' feel goods. :) I wonder if that's where the saying, "Stay on your toes!" came from?! And here I always thought it referred to ballet! ;)

My heels occasionally come down while Insanity sprinting (it's impossible to stay on my toes perfectly at all times)—and there are some moves where I need to land briefly on my heels for stabilization, but for the majority of time, I'm in tiptoe shape and knee-pain FREE! I can't tell you how relieved I feel knowing I don't have arthritis—it's beyond lovely!

*All of that said, please don't rely solely on my experience. I'm not an expert and every body is different. I also think the fact that I'm so flexible probably has something do do with my previous knee pain. I'm guessing if I did one of those body mechanics research videos—where they film your body to see how it operates during exercise, I would discover something I'm doing wrong. Yet I really try to listen to my body; I watch my body's reflection in the glass of my entertainment center and TV screen to make sure I'm doing the movements properly.

For great tips on feet strengthening, I enjoyed this article, "5 Foot Strengthening Exercises to Improve Speed, Power, and Balance," by David Weck.

Here's helpful information about plyometrics, "How to Safely Land a Jump During Sports." (It was recently updated.)

This is a good article on sprinting techniques, "9 Steps to Faster Sprinting."

As you might have guessed, Shaun T. is super fast...at least he is to me! I've tried to keep up with Shaun T.'s speed, but my body just does not naturally move as quickly as Shaun T.'s. Despite my slowness, I always try my best! Hey, at least I'm flexible! #yogaAdrie! Yes, I would classify Shaun T. in the supersonic fast cheetah family and probably put myself into the fun flexible ferret family! Ha ha.

By the by, ferrets look like fun family pets! Check out what the American Ferret Association Inc. and Petco have to say about ferrets. I'm not a fan of shedding pet fur, so I don't think I'll become a ferret owner anytime soon. That said, maybe one day I'll be the old lady with a ferret!

The good news is, I've become faster and quicker since working out to Insanity! What's even more amazing are my reflexes. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't experienced it myself, but my reflexes are legitimately better since the first half of 2015!

It's been really funny to see that my husband and kids are continually surprised and impressed at my quicker reflexes and reaction times! I can't count how many times they'll playfully toss something my direction, and they're like, "What?! You actually caught that?!" Oh, it makes me laugh when they underestimate my new-found quick skills! Ha ha.

Remember my blog post, Reaction Time, Family time? Yes, I directly attribute all of my speedy improvements to following Shaun T.'s high-speed example! :)

An additional big bit of happiness is the fact that my heart efficiency and lung capacity have improved dramatically! Out of curiosity, when I took my resting heart rate a few weeks ago, I was ecstatic to see that my heart was in the Excellent category! Even better? I was only one heartbeat away from being in the Athlete category! Yippee! While I'm super excited about achieving a great heart-health rating, I'm even happier about the fact that my heart and lungs are thoroughly capable of helping me do any exercise I desire! Seriously, is there anything better than good health?! :)

I greatly appreciate that Shaun T. constantly reminds everyone to contract/tighten/hold-in their abdominal muscles. He does a great job of helping people understand how to do everything with tightened abs! Until I began exercising to Insanity, I never realized just how often my core was looser than it should have been. I'm convinced that Shaun T.'s core words have made all the difference in my abdominal strength!

Don't get me wrong, for P90X is what gave me the initial and amazing changes I see in my abs today, but Insanity helped me take my abs to the next level and really cement those amazing changes. I believe I even lost another inch around my waist simply because I was conscious of contracting my core more often than before! If I were to give Tony Horton one suggestion, it would be to constantly remind his participants to tighten their abs throughout his videos—I'm very conscientious about it now!

I have only a few quotes from Shaun T. to share. You see, whenever I workout to Insanity, I'm simply too exhausted to write down funny/helpful quotes! That said, these are my favorite Shaun T. quotes I wasn't too tired to remember! Ha ha.

"Keep the core contracted." 

"Focus and go!" 

I'm smiling because I love it!"

Yes, Shaun T. is a very supportive trainer; I do much better during my Insanity workouts because of his positive words and attitude!

Another benefit of Insanity is strength in numbers. Seeing real people (the video demonstrators) working their hearts out, sweating like crazy, and struggling to finish (just like me!) helps me do my best and finish every section well—no matter how difficult it is! It sounds mean-ish, but I love knowing others feel my pain! ;) Recognizing I'm not alone in my exercise struggles makes all the difference!

Here are my bonus Insanity thoughts/pointers:

• View the videos as a long-term commitment. They aren't a quick fix. Utilize their "power" for the rest of your lives! :)
• Don't overdo it your first several times—but don't go too easy on yourself. Work hard, but don't keel over! ;)
• Pace yourself regardless how many times you've done the videos.
• Don't ever get discouraged. Keep going, never give up. You can do it!
• Over time, it will get easier!
• It's 100% worth the effort you put into it! You'll feel amazing if you try your best!
• You will see and feel results in your body—especially in your heart and lungs!
• Any other physical benefit you receive from doing Insanity—i.e., your clothes fit better; you look better—is just gravy on top of good health for life!

Lastly, unlike Shaun T., I initially didn't smile when I started doing the Insanity videos. You see, I was convinced I would never be able to fully keep up, and it's not very fun to feel like you're lacking. Am I right?! Now, however, I totally smile every time I do Insanity!

Over the past 21+ months, I've truly learned—without exception—that I feel amazing when my body is in good shape...I promise the same will happen for you, too!

Exercise Prosperity: My Review of P90X

Hi! Today I'm super excited to finally be writing about one of my favorite things on Earth: P90X! I'll share my review of P90X and give you some (hopefully) helpful pointers for starting it yourself.

As I shared previously in my Exercise Prosperity post, I began my life-changing "consistent exercise" journey with P90X—which has three programs within its 12-video series to choose from: Classic, Doubles, and Lean. The exercise videos are the same for each program, but they're combined differently.

P90X also has an eating program, but I haven't followed it. I'm certain if I had followed their healthy diet exactly from day one, I would have seen better weight-loss results. When I started P90X, I simply wasn't concerned about the food I ate because I already eat healthily every day. I just really wanted to utilize a great exercise program, and I did exactly that! Yay! I might want to try their food recommendations later when I'm not quite so busy. :)

In terms of supplies for P90X, I use the following:

• free weights
• removable pull-up bar that Greg installed over our basement door
• yoga mat
• chair
• wall
• water bottle
• towels—one large (for sweat), one small (for a pull-ups and towel hopping)
• small child's board book as a target (they recommend a towel, but a small square is easier for me to avoid than a bulky towel)

When P90X was a brand new endeavor for me, I decided to exercise three days per week. At first, exercising that frequently was very difficult for me. During the first two weeks, I very nearly thought I might not be able to walk, raise my arms, or get up from sitting ever again! Ha ha. Slowly and thankfully(!), my body adjusted to my new exercise regimen and I was able to survive the P90X videos without feeling like I would collapse and/or break if I moved off the couch! It took about seven weeks before I felt I had made real progress. After that, I continued to improve—it was such an awesome feeling! Aah! I love P90X!

I followed the P90X Lean program, in its entirety, as listed in their training blocks One, Two and Three. For weeks one through three, the videos are in the same order. Week four mixes up the videos. Weeks five through seven have new videos and combinations, plus a couple of old videos mixed in. Week eight has another combination of new/old videos. Weeks nine through 13 are all completely mixed up! Those different combinations of exercises definitely keep your body guessing—which is the great catalyst for seeing positive changes!

Because I was exercising only three days per week, it took me a mighty long time to get through their video combinations. No, I most definitely did not do the P90X program in 90 days as it says you can! Also, I never completed their X Stretch video because I was already resting for four days of my week! I decided that I wanted each of my exercise days to be hardcore and worth my while!

Based on my three-days-per week workout schedule, it would have taken me 26 weeks (or six+ months) to finish the entire P90X program, but I think I took a little longer than that because I inserted my Jillian Michaels and New York City Ballet Workout videos every once in a while. I wish I would have kept track how long it actually took me to finish the program, but it's been too long and I don't remember!

After I finished my first round of P90X, I started the fun all over again! Eventually, and because I felt that the P90X videos had done such a great job helping me become strong(!), I decided I was ready to move onto the Insanity workout program! The reason I chose Insanity was because I had heard such positive reviews from my friends who had endured and finished the program. That said, I decided to research Insanity in the first place because Beach Body had put the Insanity infomercials at the end of the P90X videos, so I always watched them while I was stretching out...such a clever marketing trick! (I'll be writing about my Insanity adventure next!)

Side note: I'm pretty excited about the fact that I'm now exercising five days per week(!) with P90X and Insanity combined! Thus, I've improved my body's abilities even more! I'll be posting about the joint benefits of P90X and Insanity in the near future!

Here are just some of the things I love about P90X:

• Variety. You'll rarely get bored with so many videos to choose from!
• Strength and cardio. It really is such a great combination of strength and cardio exercises. Muscle confusion is what makes a huge difference in our bodies.
• Motivation. Tony Horton is truly one of the most motivating trainers I've experienced. You can't help but want to do well with Tony yelling at you! Ha ha.
• Humor. Tony is continuously cracking jokes! While he can totally be on the cheesy side at times, he truly makes exercising FUN! I would absolutely love to meet Mr. Horton one day! Like in a geeky I'm your #1 fan! way. Ha ha. I'll include my favorite Tony quotes a little later. :)
• Stretching is vital to a good workout! Tony does a really great job making sure we are warmed up and stretched out before bringing it! That said, because I'm Gumby (that was my nickname in high school), I always end up stretching at the end of every video, except Yoga X.
• Depth. Tony covers such a wide variety of exercises. Each video fulfills a different bodily need and is so good that I honestly cannot choose my favorite!
• Happiness. Exercising to P90X honestly and truly makes me SO happy! I can't think of one time I didn't become happy simply by doing P90X!

Here are my thoughts about each P90X video:

1.  CHEST & BACK: This push-ups and pull-ups workout is tough. I still can't do more than two regular pull-ups without having one toe lightly based on a chair, but I'm very close! (Two unassisted pull-ups was my record, which I haven't done in a while.) To clarify, I can do many pull-ups with my helpful chair toes, but without that little bit of help, I just cannot get myself up! I talked with a friend of mine who is a teacher of yoga and especially acro-yoga. (She's amazing!) She suggested that I might be too flexible for pull-ups. As I've thought about it further, I believe she's right. My body stretches a lot—probably too much to pull all that weight together and up. But it's probably just a theory that makes me feel better! Ha ha. I'll definitely keep working at pull-ups until the day I die! Truly, Chest & Back is so beneficial for making you strong all over! I remember the day when I was finally able to do Diamond Push-Ups and Dive-Bomber Push-Ups, I felt like the Queen of Fitness!
2. PLYOMETRICS: It's a jumping/cardio video that's simply amazing. Every exercise is valuable! When I first began Plyo, I thought I would die-o! Ha ha. It just wiped me out! But now, I can totally do all the exercises straight through without pausing the video—I just huff and puff like the video demonstrators do! :)
3. SHOULDERS & ARMS: This video feels a little easier to me than some of the others. Don't get me wrong, it's not super easy, by any means. It's just that the video really covers the shoulders and arms more than anything else, so the rest of your body isn't as tired. I remember the day (about two months ago) when I did more tricep Chair Dips than Dreya (the amazingly fit and strong blonde in the video)! I was ecstatic when I realized I was in the same fitness league as her! :) *My absolute favorite part of the video is at the end when they're doing the second round of Side Tri Rise. Dreya does one more rep than Tony and he gets so frustrated because he can't ever have anyone outdo him! After Dreya does 23 reps, Tony goes back and does 25. He then says, "Don't do it again! If anyone at home does 26, I'm comin' to your house!" Ha ha. Well, for months I've been doing 26 reps every time, and just the other day I did 28! Yeah, I have yet to see Tony at my front door, but I would gladly welcome a Side Tri Rise showdown! :)
4. YOGA X: Oh, wow. I wish Tony would create an entire fleet of Yoga X videos! Ha ha. Seriously, Yoga X is transformative—I'm amazed at how it makes me feel brand new every time I do it! I like it all, but my favorite exercises are the continuous military-type push-ups and Yoga Belly 7. They're on the difficult side, but so effective! I remember the first time I actually did Torso Twist Hold and Deep Torso Twist Hold. I felt like I had climbed Mt. Everest! Ha ha. Okay, that's a bit extreme, but the first few times I tried those moves, my body just absolutely would not do them. Thus, when I actually did them well, I felt utterly triumphant!
5. LEGS & BACK: This video will kick your butt and all its fat! Ha ha. Again, it's simply amazing. I know this video really helped me be strong enough to learn how to snowboard a few weeks ago. (YES! I'm a snowboarder now! I'll blog about that awesome experience another day!) I can't say enough good things about Legs & Back!
6. KENPO X: is a fabulous karate-type cardio workout with lots of kicks and hits in it. I feel completely tough whenever I do Kenpo X! In fact, my oldest son said something like, "Mom, are you training to be an MMA fighter?!" HA! I told him no, but he was convinced I was going to be some awesome tough girl, ready to fight the bad guys at a moment's notice! I take that as a total compliment! :)
7. X STRETCH: As I said before, I've never done this video! I know, shame on me. I just really want all of my exercising days to count, so I do the other/harder videos instead. Another reason I haven't done it is because I'm super stretchy, and I always really stretch out after every workout. Thus, I don't feel the need to do X Stretch. I'm guessing it's a great workout for people of average stretchiness! Ha ha.
8. CORE SYNERGISTICS: There aren't enough praise words I can use to describe this video! Like Tony Horton says, it really just covers it all! I know this video helped me be able to do the previously mentioned yoga poses! Also, I completely freaked out (in a great way!) a few weeks ago when I was finally able to do Towel Hopping for one full minute—and I probably could have gone 20 seconds longer! Side note: I truly believe the Insanity workout program is what got me to the point of being able to towel hop for so long! Not to mention, I'm fully capable of doing Dreya Rolls the entire time—with either regular straight jumps, or straddle jumps at the top! Again, accomplishing that difficult exercise was a huge moment for me...I can do what Dreya does! Say what?!!
9. CHEST, SHOULDERS, & TRICEPS: This is another fabulous weight-lifting/resistance training workout. It's taken me a long time to be able to do Plange Push-ups and Clap Push-ups—but I can finally do them! Granted, I do a smaller number than the participants in the video, but at least I'm doing them! I haven't been able to successfully do Plyo Push-ups yet, but I know I'll get there one day! :)
10. BACK & BICEPS: This video feels a smidgen easier to me because it doesn't work your entire body like some of the other P90X videos. That said, it's still a great workout. Every body part needs to be worked, and this video totally does the job for our backs and biceps!
11. CARDIO X: In my opinion, this workout is probably the easiest besides X Stretch. It's a little shorter and not as intense as the others. Cardio X is the perfect video on days when I'm tight on time, or if I'm feeling a little less than my optimal self. Please don't be disappointed with my review because Cardio X totally gets the job done and I feel amazing when I'm finished!
12. AB RIPPER X: Ouch! is the first word that comes to mind when I think of Ab Ripper X! Ha ha. It is truly difficult and utterly amazing! Ab Ripper X has made my core so much stronger, I almost can't believe how far my abs have come! I remember the first time I was able to do Mason Twist with my legs straight and nearly vertical in the air, I was beside myself with happiness! Yes, the Queen of Fitness makes another appearance! Ha ha. And I literally shouted for joy a few weeks ago when I realized that my form for Oblique V-ups is actually better—and my legs move higher(!)—than the video's demonstrators! Yeah, I never thought in a million years that I would ever be to that level! *Ab Ripper X is added at the end of Chest & Back; Shoulders & Arms; Legs & Back; Chest; Shoulders & Triceps; and Back & Biceps. That way, when you do the previously-listed videos, your body gets an even better workout with the abdominal exercises included!

Now, let's talk about money. While P90X seems expensive, if you divide the average purchase price by 12 months, it basically becomes less pricey than a monthly gym membership with an annual facility fee! For example: P90X's cost of $140, divided by 12 months, equals $11.67 per month! And the longer you consistently do P90X, the higher your return on investment!

For example: I've been working out to P90X since the first week of July, 2014. Thus, if you take my special purchase price (it's not available anymore) of $135/20 = $6.75/month! Yet when I take into account what I've gained in terms of my healthy body, well, I've actually earned myself money because I'm not having to pay for healthcare costs!!! (Yes, that totally deserved three exclamation points!)

Do you see how amazing P90X can be for everyone?! Of course, all of the awesomeness that P90X has to offer completely depends on how dedicated each person is. If you're not willing to put in the time and sacrifice that's needed for consistent exercising, P90X becomes a very pricey addition to your home video collection! Ha ha. I don't know if this helps, or not, but (as I've said before) once I made the very serious decision to change my lifestyle, I've never looked back. I will never stop exercising—it's a part of my soul now that has been deeply ingrained and will never be removed...unless I'm physically incapable through a horrible disease or accident! :)

Bring It is the phrase that defines P90X the most and is at the start of every video, but I must share my other favorite Tony Horton P90X quotes! You might think some are lame, but they make me laugh or motivate me every time I hear them! And I can't even count how many times I've heard them, so it's saying a lot that I still enjoy them! Ha ha. I've enlarged the text size of my absolute favorite favorites, so hopefully you can see the difference?

Chest & Back:
"I know it's burning, it's supposed to! It's supposed to burn, and it's gonna burn more!"

"When the burn comes, breathe...breathe MORE. Don't hold your breath!"

"Keep pushin' play, keep pushin' play."

"Remember, Rome was not built in a day, and neither was your body. All you gotta do is your best, and forget the rest."

"Don't get hurt! It's about gettin' results, not about gettin' hurt!"

"Five more inside my brain. Can my body match my brain? I want my body to match my brain!"

"Too many people when they exercise stop way before they should, 'cause they got somethin' inside their mind that says, 'Ahh, that's too much pain...'"


Plyometrics:
"Get ready! 'Cause it's comin'! It's so good, it's a love/hate!"

"You're a board—board...but don't get bored!"

"Don't take big old breaks. Don't run off and get a pastrami sandwich, or somethin'. That'd be bad! Cheeseburger bad! Fries bad! Shakes bad! Coca-Cola—oops, I said it! Drink your water, people!"

"Merciless! Merciless man!"

"Get your mind right!"

"Just a second! he said...there's no just a second!"

"We've got 15 tiny little seconds!"

"I'm grabbin' my knees. I'm hittin' my own personal pause button...I'm back!"

"You can do anything for 30 seconds!"

"Suck it up! Bring it!"

"Nobody said this was easy!"


Shoulders & Arms:
"Get your mind right."

"If anybody does 26, I'm comin' to your house!"

"Wow. Say it with me, everybody, and what's wow upside down? Mom!"

"Like a pterodactyl backin' out of trouble! Caw!"

"Alright, let's love ourselves!"

"By the way, tip of the day: don't hold your breath. I want you to breathe throughout."

"Bring it! Bring it! Comon'! X me!"

"Use your worksheet—it's there for you!"

"Tip of the day: don't smash your face! Okay?! Let somebody else do that."


Yoga X:
"Adjust my shirt."

"Yummy, yummy, yummy. The hard work's over...sort of."

"Fight for that leg to come up. Chest up. Look up. Arms up. It's all about...up."

"How do you make a chair pose pretty?"

"How high can you go? Don't think about your feet on the floor, think about your hands in the sky. And then, stop thinking."

"Five, four, fight for more, three, two, and relax."

"Take in the fact that you just did that...that is sweet."

"Best downward dog of your life! They're comin' in to shoot the cover of Downward Dog Magazine!"

"Settle in."

"We got shake! That means somethin' good's goin' on!"

"Now if you can believe it, I'm not gonna say a word for an entire minute!"


Legs & Back:
"Happiness is this right here!"

"Burn burn burn burn!"

"No heels! I'll come to your house if your heels hit the deck! Okay?! Keep 'em up!"

"Let the mind go somewhere else."

"What is your goal? What is your goal? What is your goal?!" (He said this while looking at three different cameras.)

"I'm a fan of different."

"Do your best and forget the rest."

"Five times...five times...no weights." *This quote doesn't read as funny as it is in the video. It makes me laugh every time I hear it simply because of Tony's pronunciation and timing!

"Quality over quantity. Form's everything."


Kenpo X:
"I don't believe in age, I don't believe in aging...WHATEVER. I believe in moving and eatin' good."

"Kickin' some booty today! Woo hoo!"

"I'm a fan of variety."

"Here comes the party—are you ready?!"

"Bring it!"

"Boom to the moon!"

"X-Time!"

"Take care of your body, and it will take care of you. 'Cause time keeps tickin', you keep gettin' older...you can get better, or you can get all gooey, crotchety, old, pathetic, icky, gross. Not me! Not into it!"

"Get your freakin' knees up! Get your pants up!"


Core Synergistics:
"The good old jumping jack...been around forever...still works wonders."

"Like machines, I tell ya!"

"Let's do it again 'cause we've got a whole bunch of boxes...we gotta put 'em up here."

"Don't go yet! Wait for me! I wanna go!"

"Make an X...it's called P90X!"

"Hello! Core Synergistics! Talk about getting into shape!"

"Comon' crazy hoppin' people!"

"Alright, let's do some huggers...some huggin' and some lovin' of thyself."

"You are less vulnerable and you are more durable."


Chest, Shoulders & Triceps:
"Look at me, I'm lookin' at you!"

"Don't stop breathin'...you stop, you die."

"Nothin' to it!"

"Information is power, with power there is change, change is good."

"I'm just talkin' so you guys get a break! Aren't you happy?! Same for you at home!"


Back & Biceps:
"Good good good!"

"Comon' get on your horse! Woo! Wack it, wack it! Here we go!"

"This is X-Land, everybody! We're in the X!"

"It's not all jokes, folks, we're gonna get busy. Trust me."


Cardio X:
"Exhale in namaste first...pray that everything goes well!"

"Let's go kids!"

"Let's go man! Let's go punk! What'd'ya'got?!"

"We're havin' some fun now!"

"Keep your chest up and your eyes up, so you can see me...and all my kids, all my friends, all my pals, all my grads!"

"Let's go! Get low!"


Ab Ripper X:
"Ab Ripper X...I hate it, but I love it!"

"They're workin' hard, I know you are!"


Aren't those quotes so much fun?! I can perfectly "hear" Tony's hilarious voice when I read them! Ha ha. Yes, I'm a cheesy lady and I love endlessly happy quotes!

So. If you've decided you want to try P90X...congratulations! In case you're interested, here is the link to the P90X worksheets that go along with some of the videos (not every video needs a worksheet). I just found the worksheets online the other day, but I wish I would have known about the them sooner! Then I wouldn't have had piles of notes with my reps and weight listed on them! Ha ha. To clarify, I have the original worksheets that came with my P90X system, but I didn't want to use them in case I didn't like the program and wanted to sell it. Happily, I will never, ever(!) sell my P90X program! Still, it's helpful to have access to their worksheets so I can print them anytime I want.

There you have it! I hope you've enjoyed my review! I will be a fan of P90X until my dying day! I highly recommend P90X to anyone and everyone who is healthy enough(!)—but please don't start it without unquestionable knowledge of your body's good-health status. I don't want anyone having a heart attack based on my recommendation! You can always start small and gradually work your way up to P90X—there is no shame in being careful! Now, I must jet...for it's time for me to go workout! Yay yay!

P.S. I'm not receiving any sort of compensation or kick-back for reviewing P90X, I've simply done it for the greater good! :) Furthermore, the advertisement boxes on Enthusiastic Fantastic don't generate anything other than a few cents every month!