Day: 7, Calories: 0, P90X Chest and Back

Workout

P90X Chest and Back Status: Completed

Workout

P90X Ab Ripper Status: Completed

Day: 4, Calories: 0, P90X Shoulders & Arms

Workout

P90X Shoulders & Arms Status: Completed

Workout

P90X Ab Ripper Status: Completed

Day: 1, Calories: 0, P90X Ab Ripper

Workout

P90X Ab Ripper Status: Completed Testing.

Workout

P90X Chest and Back Status: Completed

Day: 1, Calories: 0, P90X Ab Ripper

Workout

P90X Ab Ripper Status: Completed

Workout

P90X Chest and Back Status: Completed

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.