Today was the first day of the next 100 days (at least). Yes, I know that it is called P-90-X, as in you have 90 days to complete it, but my friend has to go to graduate school every Monday, so it will take at leastttt 97 days. :) 

I have some great news though! It went fabulously today!!! Part of me has been dreading this first day to arrive, part of me excited to get started, and the good overcame the bad! The workout was not what I thought it would be- it was actually fun! Especially with my friend Candice right next to me, helping me with my form, pausing the tape to complete the reps, and being so encouraging.

A small part of my apprehension to begin the workouts was the drive into downtown Phoenix to my friend's apartment at rush hour.  And to my surprise, the highways were fast- never dropping below 60 mph- and I found her beautiful apartment right on time. Candice made me copies of the exercise log and workout guide, and she is even giving me the nutrition guide! Then, we dove into the first tape of P90X- Part 2!

My expectations of this program were a little misguided... I thought it would be intense, boot-camp style from the very first minute of the tape, but was instead surprised to find a chill (and ripped) host with a quirky sense of humor that I found endearing and encouraging! We began with a warm up that involved stretching and working out the tension in our muscles using the rolling pin thing (which i am going to buy immediately bc the thing is so fantastic!). We spent a good 15-20 minutes warming up- and that made me happy. I didn't feel the pressure of 60 minutes of working out weighing on me. I could tell this would be manageable bc the trainer has a good understanding of how to pump us up, to be excited for the workout, ease into the intensity. If it was brutal and in my face, I would not be doing it.  

We kept a log of each exercise, which I have never done before. I always thought it was kind of a waste of time/pointless.My viewpoint was "I went to the gym, doesn't that just count- who cares what every single exercise it was that I did." But now, my mind has changed. Candice and I wrote down everything we did, including type, reps, what we did wrong, what we liked- and it gave us a nice breather between exercises! Some of the exercises were hard- we nicknamed one the Hard Banana ;) But, I know that every day I will get stronger, and though it will not get easier, that is only because I will be pushing myself harder to do better than I did the previous day, AND I will actually be able to quantify the improvements!!! 

The only thing I still have concerns about is being sore. I was not sore today. That is because it was Day 1. I could do almost all of the exercises, but I feel like that is because I wasn't feeling the pain of tired, aching muscles. I knew the pain would be a part of this journey, and I know it will pass, but it really just sucks and there is no way of getting around it, so I am going to complain about it. Most likely tomorrow the complaints will start. Tonight, I feel great! I have that feeling of accomplishment~ I actually started and am putting my all into it! I have a long way to go, but it's not a scary thing at this point. It's day by day, and each day will be different, but if I keep a positive attitude, each day will be good!

So, tomorrow, I will get copies of the nutrition guide, perform day 2 exercises with my sore body, go to the store and buy a tape measurer, medicine ball, cushy mat, and roller pin thingy. I will also take photos and measurements of my body. Luckily, Candice has a scale which i weighed in on after the workout... yeah i know that doesn't make sense and its not my true weight..... but i was surprised and pleased to find my self weighing in at 135.4 lbs. I thought I was at least 5 pounds heavier. So, I am definitely starting out on a good note and am truly looking forward to these next 100 or so days!