Father's Day Festivities and T25 Challenge Group

We celebrated Father's Day last Sunday with my wonderful husband. At our house, special occasions generally translate to some sort of delicious food. We kicked things off right with some Special Occasion Cinnamon Rolls.

The kids and I baked them on Saturday while Jeff was at work. The cinnamon rolls reheat beautifully, so we had them ready to eat in just a few seconds. The eldest made chocolate milk to go with the cinnamon rolls. Because if there's anything a boatload of sugar needs, it's more sugar. Then, we delivered breakfast in bed!

The kids made Jeff several cards, and we presented him with our gift.

The gift came with an obligation on Jeff's part to take an online chainsaw safety course. Because we've got 4 kids. And I need him to stick around. With all his limbs intact. He can come cut your tree down as soon as he finishes that course.

After breakfast we headed to church. I took pictures of all my sweet Sunday school babies to make a present for their daddies. Here is baby girl's photo.

We headed home and feasted on Jeff's favorite: spaghetti. My guy is pretty easy to please.

After lunch, we enjoyed a Sunday afternoon nap. Then we made our poor man's water slide in the front yard. One tarp + a little baby shampoo = TONS of fun!!! The kids had a blast.

I will refrain from posting my pictures on the slide. Some beauty should only be imagined and not displayed on the Internet for all the world to see.

On a side note, I am super excited about the new Beachbody workout that is coming out this Monday!!! It is from the Insanity creator, Shaun T, and the workouts are all only 25 minutes!!! It's called Focus T25, and it is for everyone from beginners on up. If you're interested in this program, I am starting an accountability group on July 8th. We will divide into teams and post about our workouts for points. The winning team will receive a prize! You can join the group here. And you can learn more about Focus T25 in the video below.



Have a blessed day!

P90X Review

People will occasionally ask me about the workouts I do. I use several Beachbody programs for my workouts, but it all started with P90X.

What is P90X? It is a 90-day training program created by fitness expert Tony Horton that promises to transform your body. It certainly did that for me. More than that though, it started me on a whole new fitness journey that changed the way I look at taking care of my body.

The Workouts

P90X includes 12 intense workouts that use resistance and body-weight training, cardio, plyometrics (you're gonna be jumping!), ab work, martial arts and yoga. Most of the workouts are 50 - 60 minutes for 6 days per week. For a closer look at what each workout consists of, you can go here. These workouts are tough. I was definitely a "beginner" when I started using this program. I had to make a lot of modifications at first. I couldn't do a pushup on my toes, for example. It took weeks for me to get there.

Several of the videos contain pull-ups as well. When I first learned this, I was immediately taken back to my elementary school days when we had to do pull-ups for the President's Fitness Test. I could never do them then, and I certainly didn't expect to be able to do them now. So I modified. 

This move is what got me ready for the *real* pull-up bar. Throughout the program, Tony demonstrates modifications for many of the exercises, which is a huge help. As the 90 days progressed, I found that I didn't need many of the modifications I had used in the beginning.

The program is designed around the concept of muscle confusion and is broken down into 3 phases. You'll never "plateau"—which means your body will never get used to the routines because they are changing every few weeks. This is the key to continually transforming your body throughout the entire 90 days.

Equipment

Unlike many of the other Beachbody programs, some equipment is required for P90X. You're going to want some dumbbells and/or a band like the one pictured above. I started out with 3 sets of dumbbells - 5's, 8's and 10's. You'll also need a chair close by. And eventually you're probably going to want a pull-up bar. My husband and I workout in our basement, so he installed pull-up bars in the beams on the ceiling. One of those pressure bars that can be used in a doorway would work just as well.

Final Thoughts

When I started P90X, I honestly did it as a favor to my husband. He was looking for a way to stay accountable, and he needed me to make sure he got up every morning. As I began doing the program, however, I started noticing changes to my body that were really exciting! I also learned a great deal about muscle and how important it is for us to do resistance training as we age. 

As adults, we lose 5 - 7 lbs. of muscle every decade if we don't do any form of strength training. This not only slows down our metabolism, but it also puts us at greater risk of injury and can lead to loss of mobility. The good news is it's never to late to start reversing the negative effects of muscle loss! 

If you would like more information about P90X or have any questions about my experience, feel free to leave me a comment below or contact me at corvincrew@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you!