The "X" Factor

Ok, so the last thing i wrote about was balance. Balance in life, mentally, emotionally, physically, etc... Then I didn't blog for a whole month. WHAT'S UP WIT DAT???!!!

Well... I decided that the "physical" part of life needed some attention. I've been "inactive" far too long. Put on way too much weight in the last 5 years (45 lbs!!!) and have had the diet of college frat boy (the four food groups are pizza, mac-n-cheese, beer, and Jack Daniels right?)

So i decided to order P90X. the 90 day exercise and nutrition plan from BeachBody. With Tony horton alternately pushing you "to the edge" and encouraging you "be smart" and do what you can, I'm learning to "Bring It" everyday and "just keep pushing play!!!"

So in a nutshell it's a 13 week program in 3 stages. Work 3 weeks, rest and recover for the 4th (which is much more "recover" than rest by any means. It really means focussing on cardio and core work instead of resistance training) and each week is 6 workouts that vary, one day resistance training of chest and back, the next is cardio "Plyometrix" followed by arms and shoulders, yoga x, legs and back, and Kempo x. You can either take the 7th day off, or do the X Stretch routine.

So i'm one month into it. I mixed up the workouts a bit my first week, so i've added a 4 week before i head into my recovery week next week. I have to say without a doubt This Program Has Changed My Life!!!

I'm 37 and i realized that i was headed the completely wrong way on the health and wellness continuum. The option of living a long life was starting to look slim, even if i wasn't looking slim at all. Increasing waist size was the least of it. Having "manboobs" and being embarrassed to wear t-shirts was bad enough, having to "consider medication options" for high blood pressure and other medical ailment that "happen to every guy at one time or another..." (if you know what i mean...) really made me aware that a change had to be made.

And then there's this other component. A little piece of emotional baggage left over from my marriage / divorce. The understanding that my not taking care of myself wasn't only a sign that i didn't love myself, it was also a sign that i didn't want to be strong, happy, and healthy for my spouse. The damage done to the "love of a lifetime" that i thought would never end turned out to be irrepairable. I was unconciously telling my wife i didnt love her enough to make sure i'd be around and be as healthy as i could be. That it was okay with me if i died early. So.... I have a new love now, and it's important to me that she sees me take care of my health and love myself, because i love her and want the man that she loves (uhh... that'd be me!) to be strong and vital and energetic for a long time to come.

So... like i was saying... i'm 4 weeks into it and i feel amazing. Some of the changes i've made include:

• eating breakfast everyday (i NEVER used to eat breakfast and i'd usually just go all the way till dinner and then have a huge meal... no wonder i was so fat!)
• i take my vitamins everyday!
• i exercise for at least an hour (sometimes an hour and a half) at least 6 out of 7 days a week.
• I go to bed by midnight (usually, sometimes slightly later, but not 2 and 3 am like i used to) and get plenty of good sleep.
• I plan my time so that i can do the workouts. No more "i just don't have time" excuses
• I plan my meals ahead of time. I have b-fast, a snack, lunch, another snack, and dinner (okay and maybe a protein shake or another healthy snack in the evening)
• i have only 1 cup of coffee per day and have given up soda completely. I still let myself have beer... cuz life without beer is, well... ya know...

so those are the changes i've made, and as a result i feel INCREDIBLE! My clothes fit better, i've lost a little bit of weight so far, but most importantly i have energy. A nice even level throughout my day. It's easier to wake up in the morning and get moving. During the day i don't have those "crashes" where i'm fighting to stay away, and i sleep better at night. I'm mentally "clearer and more alert" too! And on top of it, most days i'm in a really good mood. When i feel stressed (like this week... it's been a really bad week) The exercise gives me a great outlet for it! By the time the video is over, i'm drenched in sweat and riding an endorphin high like you wouldn't believe.

so my plan is this. I'm going to take things in stages. Since P90X was meant for people who are already in good shape, with the purpose of "getting them ripped" and i was, well... not in shape at all (unless you consider ROUND a shape) I have decided that i'm going to do a few rounds of the 90 days. Probably at 3. This first round is to just develop the habits. Get used to choosing to exercise every day. Get used to making good food choices. Get used moving and pushing and pulling and lifting and squatting and jumping and breathing and breathing and breathing. When i started the videos, i couldn't make it thru any of them! But every day i'd do at least half. And even then i couldn't do all the exercises the way they do on the video. It's okay though. They encourage you to "modify modify modify" and take breaks and pace yourself etc... Now i make it all the way thru, but i still modify. Sometimes i'm embarrassed by stuff. Ya know, like the pushups i do have to be the "girlie pushups" on my knees instead of on my toes, and the dumbells i use for the arm and shoulder workouts are little 5 lb ones instead of the 20 and 25 lbs they use on the videos... but ya know what, nobody else has to know (oops, i just said it on the world wide web... uh oh...) and i've gotta start somewhere. I'm already noticing i can increase the rep on some things, and i can do more lunges and do them deeper, and i can increase the weights on some other things... and progress is GOOD!!!

My goal for this first 90 day round is to be able to do ALL the exercises on ALL the videos ALL the way thru as many reps as they do. I'm sure by the end of this round i will have lost weight (as of last week i've lost 5 lbs and i'm hoping by the end to have lost 15-20) and i'll be feeling so much better than moths ago. The second round goal will be to do everything at their pace and work on increasing the weights to build size. If i make it thru all that, then the third round will hopefully help me "get ripped!!!" okay okay, i don't necessarily want to be all that ripped, but i want to feel confident about my appearance, and i'd LOVE to be able to take my shirt off and not be embarrassed, and i'd love for my girlfriend to enjoy the way i look too.

So here i am... 30 days into "the rest of my life" with a new way of living and a new way of looking at things, and i couldn't be happier!!

Looks like I found my "X" factor, huh? :-D