Day 49

Ok, I really suck at keeping up with the blog. In fact, it is one of my goals to update my blog at least once a week from now until the end of the program. Things are going great with P90X. I slacked off a little last week and missed Yoga X, Legs and Back, and Kempo Karate. I personally dislike the first two. Kempo is actually pretty fun, but it is difficult to get me motivated to work out on Saturdays!

I made it to a major landmark - DAY 45. And, as promised, here are the updated pictures as of Day 45.

Day 45 Vs Day 1

There you have it folks. These are the half-way results. I'm quite happy how my body is responding to the exercise. As I mentioned in a previous post, eating right is extremely difficult. In my opinion, sticking to a healthy "diet" is more difficult than the workouts alone in P90X. I use the word "diet" carefully because I'm not just trying to lose weight, I'm trying to fuel my body to maximize my results, and that takes a lot of planning, sometimes extra cash, change of habits and eating things that I would not otherwise ever eat. 

I actually starting taking some supplements around DAY 35 or so. This has made a huge change in my performance. I do about a protein shake per day (about 50g of protein) and I usually throw in some Creatine Monohyrdrate (about 8g on heavy lifting days). With P90X the most intense, muscle straining exercises are on days 1, 3 and 5. I found that when I went to go work out on days 3 and 5, I was still tired/sore from days 1 and 3, respectively. So that is the reason for the Creatine.

I'm really happy with how my abs are coming along. Haha, ok, I know you all are laughing, but for me, I have not had any kind of definition in my abdominal area since I was 19 years old, and the only definition you could see then were ribs! I am getting through most of the moves in the Ab RipperX workout. Today I did 25 In and Outs (arms in the air!), 50 bicycles (on my back), 25 Crunchy Frogs, 12 Fifer scissors, 20ish Hip Rock and Raise, 15 pulse ups, 14 V-up Roll-ups, 25 Straight leg cross touches, 27 Oblique V-ups (15 left, 12 right), 30 leg climbs (15 each leg), and 38 Mason Twists!!!!! That's big for me. For those of you who know what any of that is I hope you can appreciate all that work. For those of you who don't know what any of that is....do P90X. When I first started P90X I could only do about 10 of the first three moves on this workout and I would just lie on the floor for the rest of the 15 minutes until the workout was over, and that not even exaggerating!

Well, that's all for today. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my results thus far. Keep checking for more updates, and of course.....Keep BRING IT!

Day 38

Well, I suppose it has been a while. For those of you who are wondering, "has he stuck with it?", the answer is YES! I have had my ups and downs, I've missed some workouts here and there, but by and large I have stuck to it. I should actually be on day 45 right now, however I was sick last week and missed almost the entire week. So I'm given myself and extra week to catch up. 

I haven't taken pictures in a while. The reason is that I'm building some anticipation for the big day 45. I have not been blogging about my workouts as I did in the beginning because I'm finding it very difficult to even fit the workouts into my daily schedule. I have to admit, sticking with this program is more difficult than simply completing the workouts every day. If you are a person like me -  "all or nothing", it is a real emotional roller-coaster. Perhaps it's because I have such high expectations for myself, and for the program as a whole. 

I find myself looking in the mirror a lot, hoping to see results. This is pretty much a daily thing. I know that my body is going through a transformation, but it seems very slow-going. I have days when I feel fat, days when I feel skinny. I have days when I feel ripped and days when I feel soft and flabby. I have days when I think I look slim, and days when I think I look bloated. 

It has been extremely emotional trying to eat right. If anybody had ever tried to tell me before I started this workout that my eating habits where emotional, I would have told them that they were off base, that I simply didn't care what I ate, when I ate, or how much I ate. I now realize that food for me is totally emotional. Though I am not obese, I have many symptoms of the disease. I try to eat right, when I overeat or eat crappy food I immediately feel an overwhelming cloud of guilt and regret. At that moment I want to give up and no even try any more. Even when I'm eating healthy there is the constant worry, "am I getting enough of what I need in my diet to get the results I want?', or have I eaten more fat or carbs than I should have today?", or "have I eaten too much, or too little, to often or not often enough?" etc. 

This is another major reason why I haven't added a blog post in a while. I worry that I'm not getting the results I want because I'm doing something terribly wrong. Bottom line however, is that I've stuck with it. I'm not as big or strong as I would like to be at this point, but I'm a lot better off that I was 6 weeks ago. Any words of advice or encouragement would be appreciated. I look forward to being on the other end of this, at the end of the program and just being glad that I finished it. I know that I'll be able to help anybody else who wants to work through this program. In the meantime, I'm going to Bring It!

Day 13

Ok, I know I haven't posted in a while, but it isn't because I've been slacking off. I did quite well this week acutally. The only work out I didn't do was YOGA X of course. I know that yoga will help with everything else, (balance, strength, flexibility, breathing etc.), but it is so hard to get motivated to do because a. it hurts, and b. it take a long time to finish.

So far I'm loving the fact that I have stuck with the workouts for 2 weeks now. I know that doesn't seem like much to most readers, but for me it is a big accomplishment. I have taken some pictures today for Day 13...

So far, things that I struggle with are:



1. Chin-ups. I have been using a chair, but even though I cheat I am still getting the workout, and I can notice already that I'm getting stronger with them.

2. AB Ripper X in general. Most of the moves I can only do about 15 of (supposed to do 25).

3. YOGA X!! UGLY!

I have been doing better with eating healthy. I still slip now and then, but I'm at least conscious of what I'm eating rather than eating whatever I want, whenever I want, until I'm sick.

I'm now approaching WEEK 3. This week is the last week before the rest week, which completes the first 30 days-(ish). From what I've seen of several P90X transformation videos, most people start seeing decent results around day 30. That's my goal! More pics in 7 days, thanks for following.

Day 6

So far I am quite happy with my progress. It has not been easy to stay motivated. Thursday was Yoga X day, which I skipped right over. All the other workouts I have stuck with and completed. Why did they have to make the toughest workout 1 hour and 28 minutes long!?! Since it is near the end of the first week, as promised, I have taken some pictures to monitor my progress.

I know, they're not the best quality, but you get the idea. So far, I feel better. I'm still struggling with the back injury that I acquired on Tuesday, but it is getting better. Today was Kenpo X. I actually had a lot of fun in this workout. So far however. I think my favorite workouts are Chest & Back, and Shoulders & Arms. I like workouts where it is difficult to wash my hair in the shower afterwards because my arms are so tight. It's a good feeling!

I'm still struggling with eating "right." I have been doing better than I usually do, but that's not saying much. This morning for example I had a ROW of Dad's cookies and a glass of milk for breakfast. Terrible, I know. I'm  making progress though, and I'm not snacking as much throughout the day. Stay tuned for more updates on how the workouts are going and more pics in 7 days!



Day 3

Today's workouts went well. It was Shoulders & Arms and AB Ripper X. I only got through about half of the ab ripper workouts. This is due partially to me being out of shape and partially due to my back. I figure by this time next week I should be back to full functioning on my back.

Day 2

Plyo day today. The science of P90X is based on a theory called "MUSCLE CONFUSION". Well, Tony, it worked - my muscle are CONFUSED! I actually pulled a muscled in my back this morning, unrelated to the workouts, but it is definitely going to put a strain on how I perform this week. I made it through the entire plyometrics workout today, including the bonus round. Not bad for day 2! 

Day 1

Success...I completed both workouts today. 89 days to go. I had a few workouts last week actually, but as I said earlier, the official start date is today. So far, my biggest challenges are pull-ups and the entire AB Ripper X workout. I think that it should be renamed AB "RIP" X, as in Rest In Peace because I died today!  I totally looked like knob because I used the chair for all of my pull-ups, but it didn't matter, because I was in my basement, not at the gym where everyone's arms are the size of my legs. Plus, it was still working the muscles, believe me!

I'm not going to lie...I am probably the least flexible person in the world, no joke. I cannot sit cross legged on the floor. It's funny, but kind of not. The AB exercises really hurt my legs. Seriously, my groin muscles especially. The other muscles that hurt are the ones and the top of my armpits where my pecs meet my shoulders. I consider Day 1 a success. I've decided to post pictures weekly, so stay tuned...5 more days until picture day!

Beginning The Journey

Well, this is the start of a new journey for me. Just for a background, I have been out of shape for most of my life, and exercise has never been a priority. I've gone through phases in my life where I work out for a period, but it never lasts more than a couple weeks. I've actually started P90X upwards of 10 times or so. It is time that I get serious and start feeling better about my body.

Beginning thoughts:

I am actually "officially" starting on Monday Jan 16, 2012, but I will give you a few thoughts about where I'm at now with my body. My starting weight is 170 lbs. I was a skinny as a rail most of my life and couldn't gain a pound to save my life. At 19 years old that started to catch up to me.

I now place myself in the "fat skinny man" category. I have no muscle tone to speak of, an unsightly belly that I can't get rid of and folds and rolls in my middle section that I would like to get rid of too. I am grossly out of shape....hiking would be a nightmare at this point in my life. Last week, a hockey game in the "nose-bleeds" left me gasping for breath after some 200 stairs. At 27 years old and with my body type this should not be happening. I have a double chin, which according to my wife makes me look 10 years older.

My eating habits are atrocious. I almost always over-eat at mealtimes, except for when I'm trying to lose weight, then I just skip meals (breakfast, or lunch, or both). I have a huge weakness for desserts. Yesterday for example I was craving cinnamon buns at 9:00 pm,  so I went to the store and bought a half a dozen and ate 4 in one sitting, with three tall glasses of milk to wash it down. I finished the other 2 this morning for breakfast. I know that I am not being good to my body, but I have a hard time making the change.

In general, although I am not obese, I do not feel healthy and I'm embarrassed to be seen shirtless, yet after seeing my "before" pictures, I'm even more embarrassed because it is definitely worse than I thought.  This is where I'm at on day one.

Basically, the reason I am starting this blog is to keep myself accountable. My personality is such that I cannot do anything half-way - I am "ALL OR NOTHING". Most people would see this as a good thing, and in many ways it is, but in other ways it makes accomplishing anything very difficult, because "nothing" is usually a lot easier that "all". With exercise for example, I cannot set a goal to work out for a week. My kind of goal is to work out every day....forever. So if I start on a workout schedule, and miss a day, in my mind I have FAILED and I give up.

As I said before, I have started P90X probably more than 10 times, usually not lasting more than a week or two. This time, I want to do it differently. I am going to work through all 90 day. My goal is to never miss a workout, but if I do, I will not quit until the 90 days are over and I have a new body!

My Expectations For The Program

Anybody who has ever completed, started, or even investigated P90X has probably spent time on youtube looking at P90X transformation videos. It's like watching a whole season if Biggest Loser in about 3 minutes. Most of the videos are very inspiring, and I want this journey to be inspiring, not only to others, but to myself, that I can stick to something and come out of it a better and STRONGER person.

The times that I have worked out in the past I have been quite happy with how my body responds to exercise. I'm lucky in the fact that I start to see results right away. My biggest concern is the BELLY. I also hope/believe that I will feel better about myself, have more energy and less body aches and pains from my job during and at the completion of the program.

THE BLOG

I am not sure how exactly I want to keep the blog. I would like to make a daily post about how the workouts went that day and my thought about the program so far. My guess is that I will have a hard time making daily posts since the workouts alone consume over an hour every day, but we will play it by ear.

My wife actually made fun of me....I should actually state it in the present tense - my wife makes fun of me for creating a blog. I understand that not a lot of men do. She is more embarrassed about it than I am. My hope is that she will change her mind by about Day 30.



TIME TO BEGIN

I have almost everything I need to start the workouts. I have two 30 lb dumbbells and a green workout band that will hopefully get me through and the lifting. I still need a chin-up bar, but my budget is tight right now and I may not be able to get it quite yet. After New Years we have been tightening up on money and I'm not sure that my wife is behind me 100% on spending money on something that she doesn't think I'll stick to...and I don't blame her. Without further ado, it is time to begin, wish me luck, and by April 9, 2012 I will be a new man.

Bring It!