Vegan Southern Feast: Sausage Okra Gumbo, Bacon Cornbread, Maple Bourbon Sweet Potatoes, Perfect Brussels Sproutsby Randi / August 14, 2015
As some of you may know, Husband and I recently celebrated our first anniversary! Yay! As some others of you may know, we are going to be featured as one of the couples in VegNews Magazine’s upcoming wedding issue! Yay! Now, I don’t know about you, but I am getting impatient waiting for the August issue to come out (end of the month!) so I decided to do my own little feature. And this time it’s just about us. Well, Husband doesn’t like his picture being on the internet, so really it’s just about me.
READ IT ALL!
READ IT ALL!
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P90X3 Review: Weeks 2 & 3
You may recall that a few weeks ago, during my first week of P90X3, I was pretty disappointed. The majority of the opening workouts are lackluster and, though certain moves are really hard, I felt that the workouts overall are not hard enough. My trusty PPKers told me that Beachbody considers X3 to be a precursor, and therefore easier, than P90X, which is in turn a precursor/easier than P90X2. If this is true, I’m quite peeved that this wasn’t made clear, because I would have been tempted to get X2. Does anyone have experience with it?
Nonetheless, I am determined to love X3, or at least parts of it, mostly because I missed the full return date while I was traveling. Fortunately, I am in really deep like with a few of them. For the past few weeks, to make up for the workouts that are less than thrilling, I decided to add a few Insanity workouts back in on days when I had extra time. There’s no better cardio in the world, and I think X3 is screaming for more cardio. Even if you add a bit of running or use the elliptical to loosen up first, that’s going to be beneficial. I was traveling for most of the past few weeks, and warming up with a few miles on hotel treadmills really made all the difference in my mind. So, I guess from now on I am doing kind of a hybrid. I am a bit reluctant to give up on pure X3, a decision which will definitely be clouding my results, but 90 days is too long to stop doing what I consider more well-rounded exercises that my body has gotten used to. The following descriptions contain my favorite combinations and order of exercises for Phase 1.
Day 1: Insanity Pure Cardio and X3 Total Synergistics
Even just with less than 2 weeks away from it, my Insanity workout killed me! I was huffing and puffing like I haven’t since more than a year ago. Damn. I felt good after though, and Total Synergistics is slow enough and strength-focused enough to act as a good wrap-up to the cardio workout. It’s really just a few pull-up moves, a few push-up moves, a few ab moves, and a few balance moves. That’s about it. Now, I am finding the final move, Warrior Moon, even more challenging than the first time. It’s pretty amazing. I am excited to improve my balance and quad strength with this move. It’s so hard! You go from a one-legged squat to Half Moon Pose to Warrior 3, and repeat like 8 times. Really hard, really good. While TS is one of the workouts that left me really disappointed, I really enjoy it as an add-on, especially with this final fantastic move.
Day 2: Insanity Cardio Circuit and Agility X
Mmm…maybe not the best two workouts to combine when I think back on it! However, given enough time to spare, I really enjoyed these together. This was quite a difficult combo and made me appreciate Agility X more. I enjoyed the running parts as a way to loosen up my tired legs, much more than I did when they were my only leg workout. But I’m still a little confused about what they are actually doing. Is the grapevine any different from the face-front weaving? Seriously, I can’t tell! Some moves seemed duplicative. I definitely enjoyed it more this week. Those one-legged hops from X-to-X are HARD! How are others doing with the plyometric pushups? Oh I almost forgot: The best thing about doing Agility X after the first time is knowing when to mute Tony’s “regular gym guy” mimicry session.
Day 3: Yoga X (P90X)
Not even a question – if I have time to do Yoga X, I’m going to do it. It’s my favorite yoga video of all time (OF ALL TIME!), but at 93 minutes or so, I don’t get to do it as much as I’d like. After the Day 2 combo, I definitely feel this, and I had to come out of a few (like the extended right angle pose) just to get feeling back into my legs. It was fun to watch this one after learning that Shawna is now Tony’s girlfriend! Was she back in the original X days? So cute! No wonder he always said she was so gorgeous in P90X. (And focused on her flexibility way too much.) Seriously, for people who don’t have the full P90X system, it’s worth buying this DVD as a single.
Day 4: Insanity Cardio Power & The Challenge
Now this combo I love! Cardio Power has arguably the most strength training of all the Insanity workouts – with tricep dips, tricep ball whatevers, shoulder dips, many rounds of pushups – and The Challenge is all upper-body strength. I really liked pairing these two. Soulmates. The Challenge is ridiculous. I’m pretty optimistic that I can’t come out of this program without being able to do an unassisted pull-up. Meanwhile, I’m using a stepstool. Do any of you still use assistance? How do you do it? And Cardio Power is my Insanity nemesis. I hate it – I hate how the warmup includes non-warm-uppy moves like power jacks and vertical jumps – but I love it – I love how perfectly belt kicks chill you out but still keep your heart up after power jumps, and that it builds up your ability to do mountain climbers in plank so well. This combo rocks.
Day 5: CVX
I think CVX is my favorite X3 workout. The moves are very doable but they raise your heart rate more than you expect. Adding a weight or medicine ball makes this video what it is. I think the definition and strength I’ve noticed is due to holding a weight during this workout. I freaking love it. This one suffices on its own. This is the 30-minute workout X3 promised. I do think it needs maybe 3-5 minutes of running in place and jumping jacks as added warm-up and cool-down, but that’s easily added.
Day 6: The Warrior
Again, this is one that I love on its own. In fact, this was my favorite workout to do while I was traveling. The Warrior is perfect to do in small spaces no matter if you are outside on grass, at home on a hardwood floor, or in a corner of a carpeted hotel room. That’s what it was designed for, as Tony tells us he brought it to many military bases. I love the people in this video too. They remind me of Pam the Blam: no nonsense, just kicking ass. Elevator push-ups will continue to pose a challenge, as will those crazy super burpees. I don’t understand how that man in the back gets his legs so freaking high during them. What is happening there? I love it!
Day 7: Dynamix or X Stretch
Dynamix, which I skipped the first week, is a pretty pleasant way to stretch your body out and get blood flowing to your tired muscles. I really dislike the moves (in this and in Cool Start) that have you kneeling on one knee. It doesn’t necessarily hurt my bottom knee, but it doesn’t feel good either, and I can’t help but worry about what that pressure must be doing to other, less healthy knees. Aside from this, Dynamix is nice. That’s seriously the best word for this cool-down style workout. Isn’t that odd? It’s like the exercise equivalent of picking flowers. When time permits, I love to swap X Stretch, from P90X, instead. I always feel wonderful after this hour-long stretch session.
When traveling, I substituted the above Insanity workouts with a half-hour on hotel treadmills. Not the same in the least, but adequate. Actually, I think using the treadmill is mentally more difficult than Insanity workouts. So boring! Time moves so slowly on them. The next few review weeks will be late again, because of traveling and because I was sidelined for a while with the flu. Ugh. I am excited to see what the new videos bring. I hope I love them!
Voting with Your Dollar: Things Making Me Mad Again
It’s another Friday in the world which means I’m prettayyy prettayyy pissed off about something! Here are some things I hate.
Previous editions:
KICKSTARTER
Thanks to my pal Rachel from the greatest internet group OF ALL TIME, the PPK, for bringing this issue to my attention. So, you know how during the Industrial Revolution, workers – from babies to oldies – were worked to the bone, often killed due to dangerous practices, never given days off, fired if they were hurt or sick, and generally always suffering because there were no laws and so factories were run the Wild West? Well, naturally, the advent of modern labor law began during the Indy Rev as workers sought better conditions, the right to form and join labor unions, and a general agreement to not be docked pay if they had to sweep the cotton bits from under the enormous death machine while it was still on (although that was mostly for kids) (this is a true thing I learned about in Manchester’s science and industry museum! is horrifying!). These laws are vital, as you know unless you are literally a corporate overlord longing for the good old days but then seriously what are you doing on this page, as is the freedom to form and join unions in order to achieve stronger bargaining power and legal rights.
Unions are necessary in a capitalist society, but Kickstarter is like mmm I don’t know, those late 19th-early 20th century times were really fun for a lot of people. Due to the company’s preoccupation with I don’t know, manufacturing for war time and ladies beginning to show their ankles, Kickstarter has gotten into some union busting. The company is in an ongoing unionization effort, and two employees involved in the effort were recently fired. They think it’s because of the union activity, while Kickstarter says it’s for performance issues. And yeah, maybe it was, but that doesn’t explain why Kickstarter still doesn’t recognize its employee union, or why, when asked, the company stated it would not voluntarily recognize the union. I mean, wtf guys! Did Sally Field make those placards and win an Oscar for nothing? FOR NOTHING, PEOPLE? How dare you ignore her!
I know that past editions of the What’s Pissing Me Off Today post have been like “don’t shop at this place! They’re mean! Don’t give them money! I hate them!” but I can’t really do that for this one. What am I gonna say, don’t support interesting indie projects or small businesses who may need the site for fundraising? I mean, suggest one of the many other sites to them, but Kickstarter does have the most name recognition. I’m extra mad because the people who use Kickstarter shouldn’t suffer (probably). So maybe if you are looking to raise funds, just don’t choose them. And also, in general, don’t support union busters!
LAURA INGRAHAM’S ADVERTISERS
I hate that I’m talking about such a garbage person on my happy site but her brother made me. So Laura Ingraham is a Nazi monster, as we all know, such a Nazi monster (or…Nazster?) that her own brother has disowned her in a series of truly incredible tweets. What a Thanksgiving it’ll be this year! He can come to mine! The companies that continue to advertise with her are of course also Nazsters who do not, I repeat really do not, understand the first amendment, and who have been profiled in the past when e.g. she went after young activist David Hogg. She’s even shittier now than she was before, so here are her advertisers as of July.
South Beach Diet: LOL I remember when this was big when I was in high school and we made one of their cookie recipes, it was literally just egg whites and peanut butter and stevia mixed and then baked. PASS.
Fungi-Nail: Of course her viewers need this.
Rohto: Yeah I need eye drops too but I’ll get them from someone else chief.
SeroVital: These are like weird vitamins and HGH? Um.
NFL Network: We already know they are misogynist and racist monsters jfc they are THE WORST.
Waterpik: These fuckers too lazy to floss.
Stamps.com: Every podcast is now cancelled.
Coravin: None of her viewers have ever had to save a bottle of opened wine, gimme a break.
Takl: This is the worst brand name I’ve ever heard and people literally can’t even say mine.
Roman Pharmacy: This is my FAVORITE one on the list. You could not ask for something more perfect for Fox viewers. It is 104% perfect. So this is a health app, for men, that gets them medical service through the app so they don’t have to leave their homes/basement dungeons and actually go see a doctor. Oh the toxic masculinity in so much of this. And don’t with the ‘well some people are too ill to leave the house.’ The main service, and what their media coverage is mostly about, is for erectile dysfunction meds. It is perfect.
Energizer: fuck that bunny.
Bausch & Lomb: They test on animals anyway.
Sandals Hotel/Resort: YA BASIC.
Sheex: Is this when you eat at a Sheetz and then sheetz yourself?
Safelite Auto Glass Co: Checks out. I bet they are all terrible drivers.
Nutrisystem: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
USAA: The extra A is for Asshole
MyPillow: This is another favorite of mine. Their twitter is overrun with supporters congratulating them for sticking with their fight for freedom and pledging to buy their pillows in THE NAME OF FREEDOM. People are so FORKING STUPID.
Lifelock: That’s what her viewers are suffering from.
StarKist: tuno.
WeatherTech: These people care about their cars almost as much as their guns.
HomeToGo.com: For people who want to travel but like not really.
ClearChoice Dental: I mean at least some of them go to a dentist.
Tecovas: They make leather cowboy boots. It’s all like a stereotype.
Prevagen: This supplement claims to help memory loss. God her viewers are old. Just take algae-based omega 3.
Carfax: sell dem cars.
Elite Singles Dating Service: BUT YOU HATE THE ELITE!
The Zebra: Terrible name for car insurance! (Great name for a striped horse.)
Eli Lilly & Novo Nordisk: They do love Big Pharma.
What a bunch of idiots we share this planet with!
Maybe next time we can do a list of companies I love! Optimism! (Except there’s No Ethical Consumption Under Capitalism…so really I’d just be recommending that you watch The Good Place (BSE)). What’s on your list this week?
