“I want to put a ding in the universe,” - Steve Jobs
Squash racquet reviews for all!
Friends! I’m sorry it’s been so long. With working through the summer and school starting up, blogging hasn’t really been on my radar. But now I have news for you! I have started a new project and need your support. The major goal of this project is to reach top-10 on the google search page with the keywords ‘squash racquet review’ but it’s also being used as a pilot for a bigger project which is in the ‘conceptualization phase’. More on that another time.
For now, visit www.backcourtblog.com for all you squash racquet review and information needs. Also, I’m pretty proud of the design so have a look at that too and let me know what you think!
xoMeganLindsay
P90X: Day Four
Just to be clear, the day number correlates with the # of times I’ve actually DONE P90X. I haven’t been doing it every day, obviously, so… ya.
Anyway, today was Yoga X. It brought me to tears. Of boredom. For the first half anyway. Seriously… the first half is SO repetitive… “Now, down to plank, now to chataranga, and back to plank, now downward dog, lift the left heel to the sky, and swing it through to runners pose. Now, fingertips to the floor, and up to warrior one.” I am going to mute it next time I have to do Yoga X so I never have to hear those words again.
That said, it was a tough workout. Being the putz that I am, I wish they did the balance poses first so I could establish some sense of calm and balance before doing all the ones that required moving AND balancing. Although, the balance poses at the end was a nice way to wind down. Turns out I wish they did balance poses before AND after the repetitive vinyasa stuff.
Overall, I felt pretty good after and most importantly, it was a nice way to start the day off. I really focused on clearing my mind of what I had to do for the rest of the day and I actually found myself to be really productive once I was done the workout. The fruits of today’s Yoga X induced labour will soon be seen at www.sharman.ca; in the mean time just go check out that site – Duane is a pretty awesome guy!
Well, it’s almost time for bed and Pirates of the Caribbean is on. Goodnight!
xoMegan Lindsay
P90X: Day 3
I did it. I actually survived ‘Arms & Shoulders and Ab Ripper X’.
80 minutes of grueling activity. Actually, it wasn’t as bas as I had anticipated but it was still intense! . I thought it was for SURE going to involve pull-ups but it didn’t. I did, however, learn that my triceps are so incredibly weak… moreso than I thought possible. My arms and abs are also now killing me so next up on the list for the night is a bath and then bed. I fear that sitting up out of bed tomorrow will be a miserable experience but as they say, “No Pain, No Gain.”
Tomorrow I’m getting my hair cut. I’m nervous about that but maybe if it turns out nice and if you’re all good boys and girls I’ll post a picture of the new me.
Sweet dreams.
xoMeganLindsay
P90X: Day Two
I skipped yesterday ‘s workout due to getting home late, being too store to move, and on account of I was just too tired to function.
I redeemed today however by giving 80% effort to ‘Cardio X’. I like Cardio X. It’s a mix of some yoga, plyometrics, and kenpo – probably something else too but I don’t know what to call it. Really great workout! I know, however, that tomorrow I will find it hard to move even my little fingers across the keyboard of my computer – not productive given my line of work. Damn. I’m also petrified of tomorrow’s workout. Nevermind the fact that I’ll be sore, the thought of doing a workout called ‘Arms, Shoulders, and Ab Ripper X‘ is absolutely numbingly terrifying for me. Combine my utter lack of any kind of arm or shoulder strength with the fact that instead of ab muscles I have skin and fat and I think we can expect the results to be 50% effort TOPS for tomorrow. Hopefully I can surprise myself (I have been doing a fair amount of that lately) and I can give it 60-70%!
I’m going to go do two pull-ups now (because that’s all I can do – even with my assistance band!) on my way to soak my weak muscles in the bathtub! Wish me luck in not dying while making this attempt.
Before I go… here’s a retrospectively funny story for you. Last night, I decided I’d do a couple pull-ups on my way past the pull-up bar so I flung my knee into the resistance band, dangled myself from the bar like a sack of potatoes and luck would have it that the pull-up bar was NOT properly secured. The bar slipped and I crumbled to the ground and the bar fell on my head. Add this unfortunate event to the already aching body and the headache that had launched into my brain and you have a VERY unhappy and nearly dead camper. The only plus is that my giant self didn’t have very far too fall… it’s lucky I’m not shorter!
P90X: Day One
Well, the first P90X session is complete and more on that shortly.
What is P90X you ask? It’s an intensive ,90 day workout program whereby you go from being fat to totally ripped. This, my friends, is precisely what I need. Despite having lost a whopping 30lbs already, there is still work to do. Plus, I’ve hit the wall… the one where simply eating right with occasional exercise is no longer enough. So, we – we being Paul and I – bought some weights, a pull-up bar (with an assistance band for me because I have literally ZERO arm strength) and we’ve made a commitment to ourselves and to each other that we will follow the plan for the next 90 days. How exhilarating!
Let me start by saying that for a man on a TV screen, Tony Horton is the most motivating man in the world. And he does it right… he’s not just pushy and insulting like you usually see, he regularly says things like “if you want to modify it this way to make it a bit easier, or if you want to cut down on the reps, go right ahead! It’s what works for you!” I think I’m going to like his style!
Today was ‘core synergistics‘. If you’re like me, you’re scratching your head thinking you have no idea what that might entail. Well, it turns out that core synergistics is the active use of a large majority of the muscles we use every day – it kind of combines cardio with a large variety of core strengthening exercises. We found it involved a lot of twisting which made for some balance issues for me… haha. Anyway, I went about 50-60% effort through the whole workout; I figured that after so long without doing anything AND after dropping 30lbs, I didn’t have much in me to fuel much more than that. I feel good about the effort I put in and I could definitely feel the workout.Today’s tip of the day was “engage“; Tony said to focus on really engaging certain muscles while doing each routine so I did just that; I tried to focus more on doing the exercises correctly, rather than doing more of them or doing them faster. Good choice, I’d say because you’re more likely to hurt yourself if you’re doing it wrong!
We also took what Paul and I have dubbed our ‘fatographs‘ (aka the ‘before picture’) and we also took our measurements. I’m posting my measurements here so as to be somewhat accountable to … someone … other than myself!
Arms: 12.5″
Chest: 36.5″
Waist: 30″
Hips: 40″
Thighs: 24″
My major goals are to knock a few inches off my arms, hips and thighs and to tone my tummy! I know, these are the goals that every girl wants but for me to be really healthy, it’s what needs to be done!
Tomorrow is cardio and if I thought today was a workout, I think I’m in for a treat!
I’ll keep you all posted throughout this crazy journey and hopefully that will help me stay on track!
xoMeganLindsay
Update on my life…
So, since I’m on the blog, inundating people with posts about the election, I figured I’d throw a life update out there… and here it is. You’ve found it! Congratulations.
Let’s see… where am I since the last update?! Last time I told you I was meeting me 15lb weight loss goal and that I was going to Palm Desert to visit my mom and Al. Well, since then things have been going very well! I have exceeded my own expectations and have now lost just over 25lbs! I feel fantastic about it! I am so proud of myself for sticking to it and not getting discouraged this time! The one downfall – clothes! Nothing fits and I don’t want to spend a bunch of money on clothes that wont fit a couple months from now… so I’m feeling a bit frumpy in my clothes but I know it’s for a good cause!
The visit to PD to see Mom and Al was great! We golfed, ate, lounged, and hiked and all of it was good! There will be pictures on my website once it’s up and running. Speaking of which, that’s another thing to update you on! I am currently working on a portfolio website for myself. It will be launched on April 7th and I am very excited. Keep your eyes on www.meganlindsay.com!
I have been applying to and interviewing for co-op jobs for the summer and I am VERY happy to announce that I got one – a good one! I have been offered (and accepted) a job with Stantec Inc. as an IT Assistant. While it’s not web or graphic design-based, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work for a company like Stantec. So far, I have heard nothing but good things about the company and am excited to experience it for myself.
Aside from that I’ve been keeping myself busy with school projects. Once the website is up, you’ll all be able to see some of what I’ve been doing so definitely make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the official launch announcement!
xoMeganLindsay
Have Mercer on me…
Okay, cheesey title, I know. But for those of you who have no idea what’s going on, that’s what you should be saying: “Have mercy on me!” Thankfully for you, we have Rick Mercer – a man with a knack for explaining things just as they are – plain and simple. Okay, maybe things aren’t so plain… or simple… but he does an excellent job of “dimming things down” for ordinary people.
So I have for you, friends with no clue, a series of Rick Mercer videos that may help to educate you about our system and the current state of governmental affairs. I am throwing in the last one for good measure… even though Stephane Dion is gone, I will always love that video. Enjoy.
RMR: Rick’s Rant – Vote (last year Rick did virtually the same rant… still entirely relevant!)
RMR: Rick’s Rant – The Harper Government (this one isn’t really educational, just funny)
RMR: Canada Explained (a bit older but still hilariously informative nonetheless)
RMR: Election Kids (how can you not love this?)
Stay tuned for a link to all the basic information you need to know about each party so you can make an informed decision. My source is in the process of updating info but in the next couple weeks I will make it VERY easy for you to get informed.
xoMeganLindsay
MLP 