I haven’t updated Healthiest Kevin. Want to know why? I haven’t been very healthy. What a shame!
Now’s the time to reflect and make some changes in my life to get back on track with my health. Now that I’m no longer sick, I will start up a regimen of healthy eating and daily exercise.
Unfortunately, I still haven’t come back to P90X. Our household was sick off-and-on for several months, and I knew it wasn’t a wise idea to do such vigorous exercise when you’re somewhat sick. Just being around the others helped to reinforce that P90X would have to wait.
That said, I have been eating healthy and exercising to naturally lose excess weight. I have only lost 2 or 3 pounds over the last few months, but I feel great. I am eating a lot of fruit and vegetables, keeping my fiber intake high (to reduce my cholesterol), and avoiding chemicals in my food.
I avoid “sugar free” products whenever I can, because a little sugar won’t kill you. I avoid corn syrup whenever possible, because it’s what is making America obese. I eat a lot less carbohydrates than I use to eat, but I don’t avoid them entirely. I balance my intake between meat, poultry, and fish. I add whey protein to my shakes.
I’m still out of shape. It kills me to remind myself that I should have been in shape last summer. It’s March now, so by June I hope to be fit and in shape.
To get there, I’m going to come up with a workout plan that works with my schedule, and continue to eat healthy, further cutting out nasty foods I slip in from time to time.
Unfortunately, we have been unable to resume the P90X program yet. It’s very disappointing to me. Our whole household has been sick for nearly 2 months. I have been sick for most of this time, and I know the vigorous activity in P90X would only be cause to accelerate a sickness.
I will restart the program once we’re all healthy again.
It has come… our first screw up. We have cheated on our P90X program and have not done a workout for nearly 2 weeks. I’m ashamed. First we had a mini-vacation to go to a family friend’s wedding. When we returned we were so slammed with catchup work and errands that we were unable to find the time to have a proper workout. Thus, we’ve nearly got to start from square one. I need to spend a day thinking about this, and then we’re going to hit it hard again.
This is a prime example of why people struggle with P90X. You’ve absolutely got to make time for it, otherwise, you will not be successful. I am still committed to P90X, and I intend on hitting the program hard again.
Please forgive me!
Holy purple cow! This workout quite literally kicked our asses. Plyometrics focuses on the legs in this workout by harnessing various jump-based exercises. If you’re like me (who’s still out of shape, and overweight) this will kick your ass, despite what you might think this is all about. But hey, what about P90X wouldn’t?
I need to triple warn you, as was triple warned to me, that Plyometrics can be really dangerous. It’s really meant for people already in shape and experienced with a variety of movements. You can seriously hurt your back and legs with these exercises so if you’re following along or are planning to participate soon, use extreme caution.
What is really interesting about this workout is that most of the exercises seem really simple. The first time you see these exercises, you might think “Wait, these exercises are done everywhere else. How is this P90X worthy?” But don’t be fooled. These are hardcore. And all that squatting and jumping will leave your legs like jello. That is another contributing factor to the danger level in this. So whatever you do, don’t over do it. Don’t try to keep up to the guys in the videos. They’ve been training forever! Don’t forget that they’re ahead of you. In 90 days, you’ll be able to keep up with them. Definitely take your breaks, as is suggested, and don’t forget to breathe… it’s so easy to forget to breathe.
What We Liked
Kevin: I liked that this workout really showed my limitations and just how out of shape I really am. It gives me an idea of some areas I need to focus on.
Dana: I liked that you didn’t have to do the exercises exactly one way, but they showed alternative ways to accomplish the same thing.
What We Disliked
Kevin: I couldn’t stand the nausea that I got from doing a lot of this high intensity workout. It was really unbearable, and I felt that I was going to throw up at any time. I know this is because I’m out of shape, and most people probably won’t experience it, but it was no fun!
Dana: I couldn’t stand the music.
After the workout, we made ourselves some eggs over easy (protein, which is needed for muscle repair/growth, and naturally reduces your appetite since proteins are harder to break down, so your body still thinks its full later on), a few almonds, and some recovery water. We’re not big fans of the supplements that the program insists that you use. So we’re trying still match what we’d need, but with raw foods! Your body will like that better anyway. I gotta say though, eggs with pepper and a sprinkle of salt after a workout is a real treat.
We’re so tired. Instead of sleeping, we got to cleaning our house, as it needed a scrub. After all of this, I weighed myself in at 212.0. I’m down about 5 pounds in a week! I’ve got 12 more pounds to go to reach my first goal of 200 pounds. My second goal will be 185, although I may need to be flexible, since I’m putting on new muscle and it may be hard to reach 185 with all the new muscle.
Exercising consistently and with dedication during workouts is mostly a mental feat. It’s important to have people around you continually encourage you along. Dana and I have been doing a great job of congratulating, reminding, and encouraging each other along through the workouts. This workout Dana definitely aced, and she did an incredible job of pushing me through the workout. Without her I would have definitely struggled my way through it. Some of our friends have been encouraging us for P90X, and I want to take a second to thank: Blake T., Jim J., Clay A., Ethan M., and all of our other friends and family we’ve spoken to in the last couple of weeks.
Those of you following along, got any tips for surviving this one? Do you use any techniques to psych yourself into it, even though your muscles are dying in pain from previous P90X workouts?
Whoa, what can I say? Dana and I got our asses kicked for Day 1. This is certainly some advanced level stuff. Really hard to do when you’re not totally in shape already. Day 1 was “Chest and Back” and “Abs X” and it really got us going.
The total combined workout is about 1 hour and 15 minutes, which includes a 10 minute warm up, the Chest and Back workout, the Abs X workout, and then a few minute cool down. We don’t have all of our equipment yet, so we had to make some substitutions. Even though we don’t have cables or a pull up bar, we did calisthenics and pretended that we were lifting our body weight while we flexed our muscles to the extreme. We’re feeling it, even without that gear.
I spent some time working with Dana to reaffirm and coach her along. She did an amazing job of sticking with it, even if it wasn’t entirely her cup of tea. I was fighting hard enough that I was drenched in sweat during the middle of the workout. I’m still sweating, 3 hours later.
I have to say that the hardest exercises in the Chest and Back workout are the military and diamond pushups. I’ve got so much weight around my abdomen that swooping through a pushup is nearly impossible. I did the best I could — I really gave it a serious push. It’s exciting to think that in 30-60 days I will be doing many, many of these in one go.
I’m already losing some water weight. I’ve lost 2 pounds since I measured up during preparation. Water weight is the easiest to lose (you can literally drain it, or sweat it out) so it doesn’t mean anything. Burning that flab will be the real challenge.
If you’re following along and doing P90X, stick with it! The easiest thing to do is burn yourself out and think that the wall is higher than you’re able to jump over. Just remember one thing: you do not have to do as many reps of these exercises as the people in the video. You will still see amazing results, but you have to stick with it. Quitting is not an option. If you’re going to quit so soon, then why did you start in the first place? You can do it! Tell yourself that a few times.
The first 30 days are going to kick our asses. We are only able to do about 1/3rd or 1/4th of the reps of the people in the videos, and we’re not going to let that sway us. We’re going to fight our way through it. Our health, our muscle, and our future depends on it.
You can’t (and shouldn’t) just jump into the P90X program. It’s a vigorous program meant for people capable of handling the physical and emotional stress that will endure. Before you begin P90X, you must:
If you do not meet the minimum requirements after taking your exercise test, you should consider taking a simpler course in order to get into basic shape or lose the extra weight you may have that is preventing you from meeting the minimum requirements. They’ve created these minimum requirements so that you don’t hurt yourself, and they mean it!
Once you’re ready to begin prepping, be sure to take your photos before you start the program. It is vital for your own success to be able to have original photos that show your body before you began the program so that you can continue to psych yourself as you move through the program. Nothing will be better motivation than seeing how your body has improved in 30, 60 and 90 days.
Writing down your stats in your Fitness guide is also very important, as it will give you metrics to compare as you move forward in the program. This will give you clear indicators of your body moving in the right direction. You will be able to measure your fat loss, muscle growth, weight loss (and then weight gain), as well as your heart’s ability to recover from strenuous activity by seeing the beats-per-minute re-stabilize faster.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to read both the Fitness and Nutrition books. I haven’t read them entirely yet, but there is valuable morsles of routine strategy and nutrition information that will absolutely determine your success in this program. I’m convinced that even if you come to the table with a lot of existing knowledge, you’re still going to need to re-learn some of it before you begin; it’s going to determine my success in getting back into shape, I’m sure of it.
Lastly, it’s important to determine which “course” you want to follow in P90X. For me, I want the classic, because it’s a great combination of fat burning and muscle definition. It meets my goals. Some people will prefer the lean program, which has more cardio and less muscle growth.
I will discuss my nutrition plan further with you when I have it written down more concretely. Do you have any suggestions that might already be out of the realm of P90X for great nutrition?
Now that I’m ready to hit it hard and become healthy again, I wanted to figure out how best to tackle it. Like many other people, I have gone through different phases and states of health and commitment to health. At times I’ve been so healthy that I refused to eat anything that contained more than a certain amount of fat, carbohydrates and sugars, sodium, or other “undesired” ingredients. Other times I had been strict enough to meet with a close friend at an ungodly time of every morning to hit the gym up for an insane 2-hour cardio+lifting+endurance work out. And plenty of other times, I’ve sat on my fat ass for 15+ hour days, only using my fingers to type away on a computer keyboard.
Here’s what I’ve found that will not work with my current life situation:
Exercise needs to become part of my life. To get there I am starting with an exercise program that forces me to work out every single day, and then slowly introducing new activities into our family life that requires physical activity, such as hiking and sports. Eventually, when I’m in shape and my metabolism is restored, most of my workouts will naturally occur in our daily lives. I will only need to explicitly workout for strength training, which will shorten the length of actual exercises. This will eventually make it less desirable to skip workouts, since they’ll be short and to the point, and the rest of my exercise will come from fun and interactive activities with people I care about.
To get started, I’ve chosen a workout program called P90X. It is an intense 90 day fat burning and strength training program combining healthy eating, intense daily workouts, and focus inducing yoga. It emphasizes understanding what shape you are currently in so that you can clearly understand where you’re headed. Unlike other programs that result in some advancement followed by your body preventing any further growth, P90X’s secret is “muscle confusion” — preventing your body from falling into a routine by mixing it all up.
As a skeptic of programs like these, what absolutely sold me on the legitimacy of P90X:
Today my girlfriend and I began our preparation for P90X. We took a fitness test intended to measure our current physical abilities and stats, and began to look at how we will be modifying our food choices (of which is mostly healthy, but can certainly use some serious tweaking to support this new program). My next post will talk more about this process!
Are you considering something like this? Do you want to get healthy again? I’d love to hear what your thoughts are. Please join the conversation in the comments of this article.
That’s it. I’m fed up. Fed up with this extra ring of fat around my abdomen. I’m fed up with being too overweight to run a reasonable distance without my surgically repaired knee hurting. I’m fed up with feeling drained due to a terrible sleep habit and funky 1-meal diet. I’m fed up with knowing that I’m shortening the length of my life because I’m unhealthy.
I’ve got a lot to live for, and I want to live it well and as for long as can be. My two-and-a-half year old son deserves that his parents are around for as long as possible. I need more clarity and focus in my business life. I’ve got a beautiful and loving woman who deserves a strong and healthy man.
It’s about time I get off my ass and face the music: it’s time to get healthy again! And this time I intend to stick with it.
I have created this blog for a few reasons. First, I like to write, and the more I write, the more I improve my ability to write. Second, as I learn (and in many cases re-learn) about how to truly be healthy and fit, I will reinforce what I’ve learned by sharing it with others. I really like helping other people, so if what I write about can help even just a few people I will. Third, and most important, by writing a blog about my adventures in exercise, eating properly, and finding a way to incorporate all of this into my busy life, I will force myself to stick to it.
In the past I have a hard time sticking to a diet and exercise regimen, and by posting on a blog you become my judge. You can publicly shame me for not sticking to my plan, and not focusing on staying on track. In fact, I’m holding you to it; I expect you to comment, call, email, or otherwise harass me in person when it has become clear that I’ve strayed.
Welcome to my new life. Are you on board?
