Day 70 - Alitte R & R --> Recap & Re-think

10 WEEKS!! I CANNOT BELIEVE IT!!! I've gone strong for 10 weeks. It feels like only alittle while ago I was 25 lbs over-weight. You wouldn't have caught me dead outside without a T-shirt on. My self-image was shot.

NOW LOOK AT ME!?!?!
Week 10 Photos

After coming off being sick for a week and trying to "Bring It", I think I look good.

While I'm not 100% of where I think I should be, it's almost night and day of what I use to look like 70 days ago. Now that it's been 70 days, it feels like a blink of an eye that I've been spending with P90X. Only acouple more chapters in this book of my First Round of P90X until the end. But I've come leaps and bounds of where I've been. Not only have I changed myself for the better, everything about my life has changed. My self-image/self-confidence has increased 10x fold which has helped out in my marriage. I'm now the new cook in the house.

People have come up to me and noticed my changes and say they are going to start up getting back in shape. I told them if I can do it, they can do it better.

The things that I've learned/learning from P90X are going to stay with me for a lifetime. P90X hasn't taught me how to workout, I already knew that. It's taught me how to make smarter decisions in and out of the kitchen. I'm eating healthier that I ever have in my life. At first, it wasn't easy. I had to make small choices in my eating habits, then those good choices become good habits, and after a bunch of small good habits, then it becomes a lifestyle. Now, I'm easily saying "NO" to double portion portions, No to the extra gravy, No to the calorie laden dessert, No to late night snacking or eating just for something to do.

It's taught me commitment by pushing play EVERY day. I made a promise to myself Day 1 of this program. Bring it each and every day. No matter what the time. Obviously there was week in there were I was sick as a dog. However, when I wasn't sick it didn't matter if it was 1pm or 1am. I pushed play. It didn't matter if I was on the road, in my room, or on vacation. I pushed play. At the end of the day, I can see and feel my rewards.

It's taught me humility, I still cannot keep up with the Kids when doing some pushups and pullups, but that's something I can work torwards. I'm not in a competition with anyone but myself. Sometimes competing with others or stressing ourselves to prove that we are better, can be a lot of fun and provide enjoyment and rewards. Friendly competition with friends, when all are participating with goodwill, is entertaining.

There is a downside in trying to win or achieve more just for the sake of feeling superior to another person. Just because someone does 30 pushups or 20 pullups doesn't mean that I have to do that many. If my arms are giving out at 12 or 15. Then I stop. Even though there are 15-20 more seconds on the clock, that doesn't mean to bust out 5-10 more. There's a point where over exerting yourself does your body more damage than doing what you can, and moving on. Do your best and forget the rest.

This week and chapter comes to a close with Stretch X. A good relaxing workout to end a great week.

I'll be back tomorrow pushing play.

Day 63 - A little R&R Today!

After the past two days of feeling sick with a stuffy nose, I woke up today with a full blown head cold. NOT WHAT I WANTED! But when you have a wife and kid that had the crude this week, I knew I was bound to get it. I carried a bottle of Purell around. HAHAHA.

Thankfully, today was Stretch or rest day. And we all know that "Rest Day" isn't even in our dictionary. Luckily, STRETCH X is in the dictionary.

Every time I think about what and how P90X is changing my life I get super pumped up.

For instance, stretching... One of the most important "things" to do that I NEVER did was stretching. Mainly because I was about as flexible as a steel beam.

I was -1 on my toe touch on day 1. Day 60 I'm +4 from a cold dead stretch.

NUFF SAID!!! The results and pictures speak for themselves.

I'll be back tomorrow pushing play. (Hopefully, with a head cold)

Day 56 - Recovery Stretch/Cardio

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WEEK 8 PHOTOS ARE POSTED!!!!!!!!

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Once again, today is SUPPOSE to be a day of rest. However, if you know be by now, you'll know that IS NOT an option for me. So away we go for some cardio and stretching.

I'm really enjoying my Doubles program this phase. I haven't taken any measurements, but I KNOW that I've lost some body fat %. I've had to go buy a new pair of pants, my abs are now showing through (well, they're at least peeking through), I can see the ripples in my shoulders and arms when I move things around.

YES! YES! I confess, I walk around w/ my shirt off alot more than I use too. Ok, you got me. I had to break out the sleeveless shirts again!! I'm man enough to say it!

I did cardio early in the morning so that I could get that outta the way before Church. Even though this week has been a recovery week, I've added cardio in on the days where I don't have any cardio-like workouts. (Ex. Yoga & X Stretch) Core and Kenpo get my heart pumping to that fat-burning range without any help.

Stretch was really nice to end the week. Get my body all limber and flexible so that tomorrow I can hit it hard and run full bore for the last and final Phase. I'm also ready to start a new meal Plan as well. Phase III menu has some tasty looking recipes, (I think they should put more pictures in the book. EVERYONE likes to see what the recipes look like).

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Countdown till Progress Reports (& Pics): 4 DAYS

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I'll be back tomorrow pushing play.

Day 53 - Day of Stretch

So far this recovery week has been great. It couldn't have come at a better time with this week having longer hours at work.

Today, my wife got tired of seeing me wear all my "before" pants around. These pants "DID" fit me two months ago, now they're 2 sizes too big. TWO SIZES TOO BIG!!! Aaaah, that feels good to say. All this hard work is paying off.

So she treated me to getting a new pair of slacks for work. I WAS a 36", now I fit comfortably in 34"s. I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT!

I'm seeing great results from these past 50ish days. I can't wait to take/post up my week 8 photos and shortly there after, I think by 4 days, I'll be posting my 60 Day Comparison Pictures.

I do have to admit, while my chest, arms, back and leg muscles are starting to show through, I'm still having the hardest time with this tire of mine. It's turn from snow tire, to truck tire, to car tire, now it's a spare tire. While it is decreasing, it's still a tire non-the-less. It seems that this is the hardest place for us men to get rid of stored fat. AAAAARG!!

Oh, well, I'm doing my best and forgetting the rest. It'll come off in time. Plus, when I compare what I look like now to what I looked like on Day 1...... WOW!!! It's almost night and day. So that's encouraging.

I noticed in X Stretch today that I'm getting farther and farther down in my stretches. I think because my stomach isn't getting in the way anymore. (joke)

I'll be back tomorrow pushing play.

Day 49 - Day of Cardio/Strech

Well, this day is the day of Rest for me according to "The Program."

But is resting Xtreme? No!!! So are we going to rest? No!!
What are we going to do? P90X!!

While I did want to take today easy, and let my body "cool down" from a hard week. I didn't want my last day of pre-recovery week Phase II to go out sitting. So I threw in some Cardio in the morning. It was a nice light workout that burned some calories and made my body feel fresh.

Today, it was family day. We went to church, went for a nice walk since the weather is great, and hung out with some friends for a nice bbq of chicken, vegtable kabobs and salad. It was great. Even though some had steak, potatoe salad, etc.. I didn't even blink. I didn't want to eat the "un-"healthy food. (Not that steak will EVER be unhealthy ;) ) It's that since doing this program, I've made new habits of making healthier decisions. I've made these choices over and over again to where now they're not choices, they're habits.

At the end of the day, I close this chapter of P90X with some X stretch. Stretching out all the troubles of the week, the soreness of muscles, the stress & tightness.

Just taking into account that my body is changing before my eyes to a physique that I haven't had in years and congratulate myself for making it this far in a program that is all about self-determination, self-motivation, and self-sacrifice.

Tomorrow is Recovery week and Count down to Day 60 Photo Results.

I'll be back tomorrow pushing play.

Day 41 - Stretching Out Frankenstein

OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! Yesterday I jokingly commented on me walking like Frankenstein. Well, today, I rolled out of bed and my joke that was so funny yesterday was SO NOT FUNNY NOW!! I felt muscles in my legs hurt that I didn't even knew could hurt. When I say hurt, I mean really sore from working out.

I felt it in my calves, my thighs, my hamstrings AND ESPECIALLY in my Gluteus Maximus!!!! Each step was like someone taking a dull stick and poking me in each cheek. Going up and Down the stairs at my office was a workout in itself. There was NO WAY that I was going to be able to have the workout I did yesterday and have enough leg power to do Kenpo today.

So I switched up the flow of things. I swapped out doing X stretch tomorrow for Kenpo X today. I definitely needed to get these hardwork muscles stretched out before doing any other exercise that needed my legs. I knew that I didn't, it would be only hurting me in the long run. The phrase: "Take one step forward, and two steps back" comes to mind in this situation.

After Stretch, I fell alot better in my legs and especially my Glut. Max. With seeing all this new definition start showing up and my weight going down and spare tire going away, I guess I over did it alittle bit yesterday during legs.

I found out yesterday that I'm going to have to go out-of-town for work. So I'll be taking my DVD's and green band with me. This is a great test of the P90X system to see how easy it is to use P90X and eating "healthy" while traveling. Since I cannot bring my chin-up bar and I do not have the door attachment, I hope (pray) that the hotel that I stay at has a chin-up bar/machine. I'll keep you posted.

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Steps Taken Today: 8,200 "Pain is Good" steps
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I'll be back tomorrow pushing play.

Day 35 - I can touch my toes!!!

Can't say enough about the need of this day. Stretch X.

"A longer muscles is a strong muscle." That's what I've heard and that's what I'm sticking too.

This week took it's toll on me. It was the first week of a new Phase and my muscles feel as if it was the end of week 1 all over again. I know that by confusing them they're going to get stronger, bigger, and more toned. However, I needed today to just "relax" and let them take a breather by strecthing them out.

I have to say that I can not only touch my toes (Fit Test: Day 1 = -1), I can now grab around my feet and on a good day even grab my heels. I'm not gonna throw out any concrete numbers, but I think I'm now around +2 or +3. I'm more flexible now that I've been probably most of my life.

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Steps Taken Today: 8,423 --> Driving back from the parents
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I'll be back tomorrow pushing play.

Day 25 - Stetching Out

This is the first time, where P90X has required me to stretch. Usually, I do X Stretch on Sundays or what I'm suppose to consider my OFF day. But after Kenpo AND Core Synergistics back to back, I definetly need this. It couldn't have come at a better time.

"They think of everything." --> or so Tony says.

My flexibility (along w/ pullups) has always been my weak point. I was in gymnastics in high school and used my tumbling skills all throughout college. I even have 4-5 years of martial arts under my belt, but even with all this, I'm on un-flexible person. I use to be able to put my knuckles on the ground during standing straight leg stretching, however, that was 2 years ago.

X Stretch, being the only stretching video I've used, has greatly increased my flexibility in my legs and hips. This workout is just long enough to get the maximum results, but short enough not to OVER stretch.

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Countdown till Progress Reports (& Pics): 3 DAYS
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I'll be back tommorow pushing play

Day 7 - X Stretch

Today, I hurt myself. I subluxated my left shoulder goofing off. It's been an ongoing shoulder problem of mine since my gymnastic years in high school. Since then, I've dislocated my left shoulder 4-5 times and subluxated it about the same number of times throughout my college athletic years. Today, I guess my shoulder was just weak from the week long workouts and I just put my shoulder in that weird position where it "popped" out. Fortunately, I'm was able to get it back in.

X-stretch was today, which was HIGHLY needed. A combination of Yoga X and all the stretching done pre-workout of the other days. With my shoulder still alittle tender from this mornings accident, it was really nice to have a entire day devoted to stretching out all the kinks in my body from the weeks constant pounding. Since day 1, with all the stretching done pre-/post- workouts, I've notice that my flexibility has increased. I can go down farther (maybe another inch or so) down to the floor. After, I felt great. I was completely stretched out and relaxed. A great way to finish up Week 1. I don't know how extreme I'll be next week w/ my shoulder alittle tender, but I'm going to try my best.

I'm going to possibly try to add some cardio during next week to help boost the fat burning. Maybe a med-high intensity 25-30 minute jog during my lunch break. Also, since my shoulder is alittle tender, I'll probably add some rotator-cuff exercises to help strengthen them back up.

One down..... 12 more to go!!!! "BRING IT!!!"

I'll be back tomorrow pushing play.