Two years ago today I set out to actually complete a workout program. I had toyed with P90X off and on for about six years, getting a handful of weeks in to it and not seeing the instant results which were promised in the commercials.
Then in the fall of 2013, I really buckled down. I knew at that point I wouldn’t be able to do P90X. The time commitment, the physical demands it needed, I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up. So I started with a 20 minute a day program for the XBox 360 Kinect called UFC Trainer. I did that for a few months and got in the habit of exercising daily. Then in January of ’14 I committed to actually completing P90X.
I was about six weeks from completing it when my brother-in-law died. I was sidelined by all of the things that happen when a family member dies, on top of traveling two hours away to look for a new home, as my wife was starting a new job. Between the death, finishing a major work project, buying a house, selling a house — I fell short of my goal of finishing P90X. Again.
But the mentality was shifting from one of looking good to one of feeling good and being healthy. My daughter was born in May of 2014, and on June 18th, I got my new copy of P90X3 in the mail. I knew I would finish this one. I was in the right place emotionally, physically and mentally. I knew it wasn’t about what I ended up looking like, it was about taking charge and making a healthy change in my life.
It would have been so easy for me to fall behind that first week. I was about three days in when we left for the weekend. I could have let myself fall behind schedule, and that likely would have been the beginning of the end. Instead, I said it was only 30 minutes a day and made sure to bring along a laptop and did the workouts in the hotel room.
90 days flew by and I finally completed a Tony Horton program! I hadn’t lost as much weight as I had hoped, but despite what the commercials have you believe, you don’t go from way out of shape and overweight to lean and muscular in 90 days. It takes several rounds, usually. Heck, for me, it’s been two years and I’m still working on getting to my goals.
From P90X3 I moved on to P90X3 Lean. I lost some more weight and was feeling pretty good. In 2015 I completed what I called the P360X Challenge. I worked my way through P90X, P90X+, P90X2 and P90x3. There were so many times along the way that I fell behind — at one point, I was as many as eight weeks behind, do to some crazy work demands.
Let me make a sidenote here to tell you that my work was having a major negative impact on my health and spirit. Despite being in a two year contract, I took control of my life and left that position. I knew if I kept on doing what I was doing, I was going to lose my health, fitness and it was going to have a major negative impact on my relationships and my family. You’re in control of you, don’t let anyone ever lead you to believe otherwise.
Anyway, I got out of a bad work situation, and made up those workouts. I like to say, in two years of being on this journey, I have never missed a workout. Sure, I’ve missed days, but I’ve always made up my workouts. I make it a priority. I also plan my workouts on a year long calendar, so I always know what I have to do on any given day. I find that helps more than just, “I need to workout” because then it’s easy to skip it. But if you have it scheduled, it’s easy to make it a priority and get it done.
Once I completed my 2015 Challenge, I moved on to my 2016 plan. In which I was going to complete Insanity, T25, Max 30, 22 Minute Hard Corps and P90X3. But after completing Insanity and T25 and actually gaining about 20 pounds and putting on another 4% body fat, I decided it was time to change things up and get back to what I knew gave me great results. I am now doing a hybrid program of all of the P90X series, along with some workouts from T25 and Insanity.
I finished the first week today, and I already feel so much better than I did while doing Shaun T’s programs. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Shaun T he’s a great trainer, I love his energy and his message, and highly recommend him, but I’ve discovered that my body seems to respond better to strength and resistance than it does with cardio. That’s not to say cardio is not in this schedule that I created, but it’s focusing on strength.
I have kept this blog as personal accountability, but have met a lot of great people through it — and strangely enough seem to have been given the title of “inspiration”. I certainly didn’t start out to be an inspiration to others; I just wanted to be healthy so I could play with my daughter and be active in her life.
At my heaviest I was 210 pounds and 26% body fat, then through tweaking of diet, got down to around 185lbs and 22% body fat, which is where I began this journey in earnest two years ago. At my leanest, at the end of last summer, I was 158lbs and about 14% body fat. I’m back to around 175lbs and 18% body fat. I have learned so much in the last two years and still have a lot more to learn. Right now I’m discovering more about the proper way to burn fat, which requires a lower heart rate. I’m modifying my diet (which I don’t like calling it that) I am actually eating more fat and almost no grains. It’s sort of a bastardized version of Able James’ The Wild Diet. I’ve been eating this way for a few weeks and already am noticing a major difference in my physique and how I feel.
I’m also getting my head wrapped around the concept of “Fit Has No Size”. I know what I can do, I know that I can keep up with some of these elite workouts (or struggle trying!). The other day, I had to buy a 50lb bag of feed corn, and I picked it up and tossed it around like it was nothing — that was such a good feeling! Or at work, there can sometimes be some heavy equipment involved, and I’m able to lift and carry some gear without problem, when that gear normally takes two people to handle. So, I may not be as lean as I want to be, but I’m certainly strong and healthy, and no one can take that from me.
I don’t have an ideal weight, but I’d like to be down to around 14% body fat once again. I think with the new exercise program and my new eating plan, I should be there in no time. So, here’s to a lifetime of health and fitness, and I look forward to continuing to share this journey with you.
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