The Journey Begins Again

Start of a new year.
Last spring, I looked at myself in the mirror and saw that pregnanc, no surprisingly, had ruined my already expanding figure. It was time to get in shape and try to get back to a decent size. My family suffers from Type II diabetes (I had experienced gestational diabetes during my pregnancy) and I was determined to reduce my chances of developing it. In addition, my older son had been talking about a new workout - P90X - that he was dying to begin. Hey, I said to myself, sounds good. I'll try it.

I began P90X and found it to be far too advanced for me. I therefore, went onto Beachbody.com where I found Slim In 6, a workout geared more to my level of fitness and focused on cardio and lots of squats! Coupled with a great diet, I was on my way.

After six weeks, I had lost 12 pounds and was in my size 10 jeans again. So, I moved onto Chalean Extreme - a program that used more weights. However, all the squats from Slim In 6 did some damage to my left knee and I was soon in a great deal of pain. I had to rest the knee a total of 3 months before it felt strong enough to exercise again. Needless to say, I gain the 12 pounds back, and then some.

I decided to begin P90X. Chalean Extreme was a nice workout but I found myself becoming a little bored with it. P90X really worked me hard and Tony Horton is very entertaining during his workouts. I found myself becoming strong.

Yet, little did I know, I was in for a huge crash. Working full-time in an extremely stressful and complicated job, beginning a master's in Early Childhood Education at ASU, a new baby, and 2 teenagers took its toll and left little time to exercise and get in shape. I was so over-extended that I almost had a breakdown. I sat down with the family and told them that I needed their help - at the very least, around the house. I dropped all my classes and I just concentrated on being with the baby and spending time with my husband. I took a much-needed break to refresh my mind and peace of spirit.

I did not exercise.

Well, I've had my vacation and I am ready to begin again. Today, I start P90X once again - Lean phase which focuses more on cardio than weight training. I have a workout buddy here at work who is doing the program with me. We are keeping each other on track with our eating and exercising.

I need this to stick because I want to be able to dance at Matthew's wedding.