New Era

Well, as I alluded to in previous posts, we have made quite a transition (and still are).


We've sold our house in St. Louis and have moved everything into storage in Texas.  Now, we are in Swindon, England so I can train on my new job.  We should be here until the middle of the summer.


April was a bit of a mad-dash to get the house sold and everything packed up and moved.  It's amazing everything that needs to be done when changing states.  Now, we are enjoying some relative down time in England.


We are staying in a furnished apartment in the middle of town. We have a lot of shops and things right outside the door for us to get almost anything we need.  We are currently waiting for Internet access in the apartment so communication has been a little sparse, but we're making do.


Things are a bit more different here than we expected, but some things are very much the same.  I think every light switch ever made in England was made in 1959 and they just reuse them.  Driving also has taken some adjustment.  Driving on the other side of the road hasn't been as bad as predicted, but rounabouts proved to be a little confusing.  I think I have it now.  A gentleman here at work let me borrow his Garmin.  That has been a tremendous help and I will definitely we purchasing one soon.


Swindon is not a very big town geographically, but when you don't know where you are going and everything looks so different, it can seem like a gigantic task just to drive 1 mile!  We're getting more an more adventurous and hope to soon be traveling around the country.


As far as living in TX, we're looking at building a house.  We thought we had everything taken care of, but our lot was sold before we could put money down.  We're still hoping to bulid, but on a different lot.


Stay tuned!

DONE!...But Still Going

People are telling me that they are reading this so I guess I should update it occasionally.  If you are reading, give me shout so I know who you are and I’ll be sure to keep it up.

At any rate, I finished the program!  Woot!  90 days of blood, sweat, and recovery drink.  So, how did I do? Here are the results…

Weight: -12 lbs.

Waste: -3 in.

Arms: +1 in.

Legs: +1 in.

Chest +2 in.

Add in the multiple compliments and I’d say that is not bad. The weight loss averages to about 1 pound per week which is healthy and the gains are in the right places.  The bottom line is it works.  I may not have had one of these dream transformations where someone goes from flab to fab in 90 days, but I did have improvement. Everyone is different and it is going to be different for everyone. I don’t have killer ripped abs, but I do have a smaller waste and better endurance and shape. “Do your best and forget the rest.”

So, what’s next?  A couple weeks ago I was really pondering what would come after P90X.  After rolling a few ideas around in my head, I think I’m doing some planned stuff and some of what life is dictating to me.

First, I’m looking at my goals.  I had some unspoken goals before starting the program and I’m checking to see how I did.  I recently went back to the gym and did some of my old workouts.  Wow!  It’s amazing to see how my old workout will just not cut it anymore.  I can lift more weight and do more sets.  I can do pull-ups.  I shaved 3 minutes off of my 1.5 mile run.  Physically, I’ve improved overall.

Second, I’ve had some changes occur recently that have forced me to move my workout schedule around.  I’ll be changing jobs next month and subsequently moving to another state (even another country for a time).  I’ve been doing a lot of home improvement projects to prep my house to sell.  In the interest of balance and not killing myself, I’ve skipped some workouts depending on the level of activity the projects have required.  The good thing is I feel much more able to do these things because I did P90X.  I can work longer and harder than I could have before.

Finally, I’ve decided that I will do P90X again this year.  I’m not sure when I will officially start, but I want to find a time to do the diet and program in full one more time this year.  In the meantime, however, I’m working on incorporating the workouts into my daily life better than I was able to this first round.  I had mentioned doing the Ab-ripper routine sans-DVD.  This is because I want to be able to take the program with me to the gym so I can do the routines at the gym in the early morning when I used to workout.  This way my evenings will be free and my family won’t have to suffer through me huffing and puffing all night.

Maybe one of the coolest things about the program is that others have either started or are seriously considering it after watching me.  What better testimony can you have?  I never would have thought when I was a 255 pound man 4 years ago that people would be looking at me as an example for being fit.  This proves to me more than anything that no matter who you are, it can be done….if you BRING IT!

Btw…if you are wondering about the before and after photos…I’m not sure if I’m comfortable showing myself online. If I do, I may wait until I have completed round 2 to show a more complete transformation.

Day...umm...lost track

I’ve lost track of the days again, but it really doesn’t matter. I’m in the last “real” week of the program.  This month adds a week of regular workouts (4 instead of 3). Next week is the transitional week.  I take my “after” photos in 2 weeks.

So, here’s what’s been goin on…Last week was a bit of a jumble.  I had a lot of things going on and had to skip 3 workouts.  (He did what?  He must be slacker.)  Maybe.  One day I was just too busy and couldn’t fit the workout in. I had to get up earlier than normal 2 days in a row to fit everything in that I needed to do and then was at it into the evening.  There just wasn’t time nor enough left of me to do an effective workout.  The third day was spent recovering from the last two.  By Saturday, I was ready to get back to it and I did.  I did a combination of two of the workouts that I had missed.  I also did the ab routine without the DVD.  I did this on purpose to prepare for post-P90X (more on that later).

It’s hard to justify skipping workouts.  I tend to beat myself up over it even before I was doing the program.  However, I’ve come to a realization that there are 2 levels to self-care: basic and improvement.

Basic is basically everything required to keep yourself alive like eating right, some physical activity, and getting enough rest. Simply said, Survival.  Improvement is workout routines like P90X.  It is moving yourself forward rather than maintaining a status quo.  Sometimes, you can do improvement. Sometimes, it’s just survival.  The key is that basic needs need to be met before any improvement can occur.  This is how I justify skipping workouts at times.

Last week was taxing on me physically and emotionally.  I had to focus on the basics.  My sleep schedule was messed up and I was doing things that I am not accustomed to.   Could I have pushed myself and done a workout?  Perhaps.  Would it have been beneficial?  Probably not.  We have to know our limits and when to push “pause.”  I know that if I push myself too hard, my body will react and I will crash leaving me pretty useless to anyone for a day or so.  This would have been worse than skipping a couple workouts and I would have deferred catching up on the program even longer.  Instead, “I hit my own personal pause button” as Tony says and I was able to come roaring back with an extended workout. 

The basic and improvement theory is my own, but knowing your body’s limits comes from the program.  Rest is just as important as working.  Working beyond your limits is dangerous and can actually set you back.  So, what was my result this week after all the changes?  I guess you’ll have to stay tuned.

I’ve reached my limit on typing.

Day 72

I guess I’m stuck.

I’ve lost around 14 pounds now and I can tell in the mirror that I’ve gotten some muscle back.  I’m not sure how much I’ve lost.  Other than knowing I’m down a pants size and by how much my belt is overlapping itself, I’m sure my measurements will tell the tale when it’s over.

However, I don’t think it is ever going to be over.  I’m still deciding what comes after day 90.  Do I immediately begin round 2? Do I take a little break and go back to running and regular weights? A combo?  Regardless, it looks like I’m stuck keeping up with this routine in some way and here is why…People are noticing!

I wondered how long it would take for people to begin asking what I’m doing or saying that I look different.  At church this past weekend, a fellow who I regard as being one of the more fit people I know asked me (me? Yes, me!) what I’ve been doing.  It was like Eric Clapton wondering where I learned to play guitar.  Other folks have said some things also.  Here is the kicker; I’ve become somewhat of a walking advertisement.  When I tell people that I’ve been doing P90X, they always know someone else that did it and are thinking about trying it for themselves.

So, I guess now I have to keep it up and not only finish strong, but maintain it going forward.  The good thing is that the comments also work as encouragement.  I did an extra workout yesterday because of the adrenalin.  It feels good to have people notice your efforts.  I’m not sure what I will do on day 91, but there will be a day 91 and 92 and 93 and 94….

Day 63

“I HATE it! But I LOVE it!”

I like to observe people.  I pick out names, accents, expressions, mannerisms, all kinds of things.  I can usually do a pretty good impression of people if they have something that sticks out to me.  Tony Horton is one of these people.

He’s a pretty animated person. I mean, you’d have to be to get people’s minds off the fact that they are doing things that they never saw themselves doing or want to be doing.  Plus, there’s over 12 hours of tape in this P90X program.  If you recorded anyone talking for 12 hours, you’re going to pick out some great sound bytes.  So, since I’ve been watching this guy for an hour each day for 2 months, I’ve picked up on some things.

For your enjoyment, here are some quotes out of context.

Enjoy!

“You got me, Jerry?”

“Oh it’s my favorite, Superman banana!”

“You’re so flexible, you make Gumby look like the Tin Man.”

“Oh the top’s comin’ off!”

“Tip of the day: Don’t smash your face!”

“Look at the foot shake. Nnn, Nnn, Nnn, Nnn…”

The whole Groucho Marx impression.  You have to see it for yourself.

“Her name is Pam. They call her BLAM!”

“She flies through the air with the greatest of ease.”

“BOOTY!”

“Keep both butt cheeks on the floor.”

 “Get your BUTT in the air!”

“I recommend foot spray.”

“’Ooo!’ I love the ‘Ooo!’”

“I know it hurts. It’s supposed to.”

 “Oops, I think I just ripped my pants. Nope, I’m okay.”

“Hell, look at me. I’m the leader. I can do what I want.”

“Ohhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm”

“Tippy? Why do they call it Tippy?”

“I HATE it! But I LOVE it!”

Day 62

Day 62 and here is what’s up…It works!

I started month 3 of 3 on this journey yesterday.  In month 3, it alternates between weeks from month 1 and month 2. I did the first workout of the program yesterday after having not doing it since month 1.  Wow!  2 things…I was amazed at how hard and easy it was at the same time.  I’ll explain.

When I first did this workout, I hadn’t done this kind of a workout before.  I had to do the cheats on many of the exercises.  This time, I was able to do all of the exercises without the cheats.  They weren’t easy, but they were easier.  However, like anything, cheats make things easier. Since I wasn’t doing the cheats, I was getting the full benefit (or butt-kicking) of each move.   I checked my log and I was doing the same number of reps as month 1. At first, I was discouraged, but then I thought about the fact that I was doing harder reps than last time by doing the full exercise.

In other news, I also bought a pair of pants smaller than I can remember wearing in a LONG time.  I have to say, it’s pretty cool.  If you read my first entry, I talked about losing about 50 or so pounds a couple years ago.  I had gotten down to a size and thought it was pretty satisfying.  Now, I’m a size smaller.  That’s pretty cool.  In total, I have lost 10 inches off of my waste. I lost 8 when I first began to work out and now I’ve lost 2 on P90X…

…and there’s still a month left!

Day...whatev!

I’ve lost track of what day I’m on.  Next week is the end of the second month.  I’m pushing on and that’s what’s important.  Last week, I had to take a mental break.  I worked out, but my heart wasn’t into it.  I’m not going to make excuses or apologies.  P90X is all about doing your best and forgetting the rest and taking breaks if you need to.  I had to take a macro instead of a micro break, but I still pushed Play everyday.

However, when you’re back you have to be back with a vengeance.   No easing back into it.  So, this week I’ve gathered myself and I’m pushing even harder than before.  I did an extra cardio workout on Sunday and I’m doing a couple extra reps on each move since.  The good thing is that it pays off. The scale has been kind to me.  My clothes are becoming wind sails and I’m feeling accomplished.

It has not been easy to find the time to workout. I used to go to the gym in the morning before anyone was awake, but with the length of these workouts, there’s no way I could get up early enough and be functional the rest of the day.  So, I’m working out in the evening. It’s been a bit of stress because it has changed how our household runs.  Anytime, a family member starts a workout plan or special diet or any self-improvement project, it’s a sacrifice for the whole family.  It’s change and change is difficult.  I’m very lucky that my wife has supported me through every pull-up, rep, crunch, ache, whine, egg white, and pound through this journey. 

It hasn’t been all bad though.  There have been other benefits besides my own physical improvements. I’m happy that my kids usually watch daddy exercise and it has become a part of how they perceive me and look forward to it each evening.  I like that they try to workout with daddy and are getting a view of how a healthy lifestyle should be.  I hope it’s something that they carry with them throughout their own lives.

So, between the sacrifices and the benefit to my kids, I have to keep pushing. I owe it to everyone in my family to see this through and do it well. 

“Good enough” is not good enough anymore.