Exercise Is For Life

When I exercise I feel great and I know I'm better for it.  My stress levels are less, I've been sleeping better and I would say that my energy level is stronger.  Exercise has also been of great benefit in clearing out the external negativity that constantly seems to want to feed my mind.  With all these pros, ask yourself, why do I lose interest in working out so fast?  Why do we fall back into old habits so easily?  What is it about those people who have been able to stick to it and be a success?

Let's face it, exercise, especially if you haven't done it for a long time because of a sedentary and lazy lifestyle, is very daunting.  It's darn right hard work and very challenging.  Some of the benefits I've experienced are not instantly gained right at the start of a new program.  In fact, at first, my workouts left me very sore and very tired!  I experienced shortness of breath, my joints hurt, my muscles ached for days, I felt drained and at times wondered why even bother, we all die anyway right?  There were times when I could barely finish even half of the workouts in the beginning.  It was a real struggle!  I'd put the P90X DVD disk into the player and pace the floor delaying the inevitable decision to push the play button.  I didn't see results immediately, because the truth is nobody does.  It takes time to get over the hump of pain. The rewards for those who persevere far exceed the pain that must precede the victory!  It took me time to see the results and benefits of eating healthy and working out.  It took a little time before I really began to accept and actually enjoy the workouts.  But just know that eventually, you will too, so don't give up, stick to it, and as Tony Horton says, just "do your best and forget the rest!" 

Remember my friends that EFFORT is a solo performance that only you can perform.  No else can do this for you. Someone may inspire you and you may feel motivated to make a decision, but it is entirely up to you to succeed at your goals.  Believe in yourself and trust WHY you are doing this.  It's not a 90 day program, a 180 day program or a 360 day destination.  It may very well start out that way, but then your vision changes and you begin to see a much bigger picture, a picture for a healthier lifestyle that doesn't end when the the weight loss or the muscle gain is reached.  In the beginning, setting some smart goals is very important.  What do you want to accomplish and why?  How are you going to get there?  When do you want to achieve your goal by?  P90X, or for that matter any exercise program that you will stick to, is a valuable tool to accomplishing your dreams.

Many professionals recommend a personal fitness trainer to assist you on your fitness journey.  May I recommend Tony Horton as he's been there for me the entire time, both through the extreme home fitness program P90X and through the website Team Beachbody.  There's no way I could afford a personal trainer all the time, but Tony Horton at the age of 52, seen to the right, helps you with the basics as a beginner, pushing you toward a striver level and then to an extreme warrior athlete!  Look where I was when I started out in February of this year and how far I've come since then!  Wouldn't you agree that it's an incredible transformation?  Wouldn't you like to experience it for yourself and why everyone who has gone through this is so excited about what life now has to offer!  You don't need a gym membership.  You don't need to feel embarrassed showing up to a fitness center when your home and a few simple and basic tools is all you'll need.  Just show up at home and start to make this a daily habit.

Remember, you want to exercise and you want to feel good.  You want to have an enjoyable experience and one that is positive.  I want to tell you how positive and encouraging Tony Horton is, but you will know for yourself after he inspires you to do better than you have ever done before.  Get involved with others through online support groups.  Again, you do not need a gym or club membership, you just need to decide, commit and succeed!  Yes, it is a struggle, but it's a predictable outcome based on the success of so many individuals before you.  The path to health and fitness has many side roads, many pitfalls, many valleys and peaks that will ultimately lead to your success.  Effort is a solo performance that only you can perform.  Exercise is for life and it's bright future is in your hands!

My Story, My Opportunity, My Journey, My Choice, My Time, My Life

What keeps me pressing forward?  What’s my purpose?  Do I want a like minded community, meeting new people and making new friends?  Do I do this to compete, for athleticism, to improve my quality of life, to have fun?  Do I want to look better and have more self esteem and confidence?  Is my purpose to gain more out of life, to have more energy, a stronger mind and body?  What is your purpose and what is your reason?   In the next few minutes, I share with you my story, my opportunity, my journey, my choice, my time and my life. 

I was out of shape and I felt bad about myself.  So why then was I so out of shape?  Here are some of the excuses I played over and over like bad reruns:  Too tired after work, I’m always too busy, there aren’t enough hours in the day, I can’t get to the gym, why should I work out when my family and friends don’t, I’m not in that bad of shape, I’ll have to spend money to buy new clothes, and my list went on and on.  What’s your excuse?   I had many excuses and this is the body it got me! ----------->



You don’t have to choose to make bad choices over and over again at breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Be a little open minded here and willing to try new things and you’ll soon discover how easy it gets to make healthy choices.  My results did not happen by tearing up a few moves from a muscle magazine.  It happened by using a system that told me exactly what to do, everyday for 90 days.  That’s MY P90X!  It seriously challenged me, but with the challenge came an amazing transformation.   My hope is that what I've achieved and this blog will inspire you to find your purpose, your reason.

I’ve gotten into the best shape of my life simply by working out at home!  I did it in 90 days and now I’m consistent with my fitness and health!  The coined phrase that practice makes perfect is true when combined with variety, which is the spice of life.  When you realize how quickly you can transform your body in your own home, with very little gear, you’ll be surprised by how easy it is to make the time.  Time flies when you start to see rapid results like I did in 90 days, in 180 days and so on, so I simply keep on pushing play.  My life will never be the same again! <-------- I hardly recognize myself

Let me give you a glimpse into my life as I write candidly here and share with you the reason for my wanting to make a major change.  Before P90X I took life one day at a time, on the couch, watching TV, in front of the computer living in virtual reality games, being plain old lazy.  I had no interest in outside sports, no gym activity and a very sedentary lifestyle.  I tried a couple of times to get inspired and motivated to change my bad habits, but kept making excuses and going back to the lazy routine.  It was easier.  I didn’t like the hard workouts.  I felt alone without any real support or encouragement.  I didn’t have a lot of hope.  It just didn’t seem like I could climb out of that rut on my own and I didn’t know who I could turn to for help.  So I found comfort in what I ate and drank.  It just didn’t feel like my health mattered anymore to me.  My quality of life was deteriorating.  I’d get up in the morning tired, go to work and struggle to feel energized to make it through the day, come home to pass out on the couch and rely on my wife and children to pick up my slack.  I was sacrificing for things in life that really didn’t matter, when all along what was most important was right at home, my family.  In short, I was going nowhere fast and the tracks of life were running out!  I was at a tipping point.   Do I sacrifice about one hour of my time per day or do I sacrifice what I care about most?  The choice was pretty clear.

"Do or do not, there is no try" as Yoda explained to a non-believing Luke Skywalker in the epic movie Star Wars when Luke was attempting to lift a massive object.  Our mind is indeed a very powerful force.  Our thoughts and words unleash the power of our mind into our actions.  I have been through the phase of TRY and I most certainly failed time and time again.  Trying anticipates failure.  By changing the words, we change our mindset and although there is still the chance of failure, we don’t program ourselves for it.  Instead when I say I will DO this, it focuses on success!   DECIDE, COMMIT, SUCCEED. That’s the mantra of the P90X Fitness Program and it has become my motto.  I was ready to change my life.  So I dug in and I trusted the routine and nutrition guide and went for it!  The journey starts with that first step, one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!  Imagine how different the world would be if we each took that first step to ending the fat trend.  

My reason for changing is simple, I had a choice to make.  You have a choice too.  Were you expecting a more complicated answer? How do you choose what to be or not to be?  Do you want to be better than before?  Who do you surround yourself with? How long do your better choices last?  I had to decide whether to continue to be a slacker or finally get my act together. I’m not getting any younger.  No one else could do this for me.  I had to make the choice to stop making it about me all the time and be an example to people in my life who need a role model, a father and a dad.  I would no longer allow these external forces and my own weak mindset to control my life.  At the age of 48 some might call this a mid-life crisis.  I call it a miracle and am grateful for the gifts and time that I have in my life.  How we use these to help each other is the true measure of our success.

 

Be the change you want to see in the world.  Take that step today.  If you need help, please ask.  I’m not in this for the contests.  I’m not in this to sell you something you don’t need.  I’m not here to recruit you for any business opportunity.  This is simply my way of starting to give back instead of continually taking from everyone else.  I would like you to have what I’ve gained.  I made the switch and life is returning with vitality, with greater confidence, self-esteem, energy, love and new friends.  I’ve gained so much more than what I lost.  I’m so very grateful to my family and friends who have been a huge support for me.  Honestly, I don’t know where I’d be today without P90X and the nutrition guidance I gained from my personal trainer Tony Horton.  He got me out of my comfort zone and helped me to get real with life instead of living in a virtual reality. 

I promise if you make a decision and make that commitment, it can happen for you too!  Give yourself a gift, you deserve it!  It will transform every aspect of your life, from the way you think about fitness to the way you think about your health and what you eat.  If you too will commit to exercising and eating healthy, you too can go confidently in the direction of your dreams and really live the life you’ve imagined!

David's 90 Day P90X Transformation

I invite you to check out my new transformation video of my first 90 day round. It began on February 1st, 2011 and continued through to May 1st, 2011. During that time I lost 45 pounds, 8 inches off my waist and about 14% body fat!



See more amazing success stories from other regular guys just like myself at the Success Stories section of my blog.  If you would like to learn more about P90X, please read my blog post on Beginner, Striver or Warrior.

It's never too late to start changing bad habits, habits that can shave years off your life and impact the quality of your life.   So, if you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me.  I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts.  I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes.  So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!

Beginner, Striver or Warrior?

Fitness expert Tony Horton is the driving force behind my health success! I strongly recommend the Beachbody workout he created called P90X. Chances are you've either seen an infomercial, watched a news related health story, or seen his book. After reading my blog, you may be asking yourself if this is for you or if it'll be too overwhelming. I asked the same questions and wondered if this was just going to be another one of those fad programs we've all seen others try and fail. There are so many individuals who have shared their stories of transformation that are simply incredible!! These people are not making this stuff up and neither am I. P90X debuted in 2004 to provide a rigorous regimen for people with some experience in fitness programs. However, the training is not only geared toward those who are seasoned at exercising, but also to those who are just beginners. It really does offer workouts for all levels.  If I could do it, I know you can too!

So just what is P90X? Its a 90-day program that combines a variety of exercise techniques including strength training, cardio, yoga, plyometrics and stretching. The program consists of a nutrition guide, fitness plan, calender and series of DVD videos featuring Tony Horton as instructor assisted by several fitness models who demonstrate the different workout levels depending on whether you're a beginner, a striver or a warrior! So you can follow along with moves at a lower and or higher level of intensity depending on your level of fitness and goals. If you're unsure of your current fitness level, there's even a fitness test.

Beginner is what it says on the label. You're beginning. You want to make a change, you're probably out of shape, carrying around substantial extra weight, and need a place to start. Beginners make small dietary changes at a time, get active and modify moves to a beginner level.  A Striver is perhaps someone who has less to lose, who is doing a lot of things right but maybe has plateaued. A striver eats clean, works out regularly, and is striving for that healthy lifestyle (and is on the way).  A Warrior is top of the chain - bringing it every workout, a peak performer, in fact I'd say performance is a key component to the Warrior. Warriors don't just do the full move, they add an advanced component.   So the question is - which are you?

The P90X program cycle goes 13 weeks, training six days per week and the seventh day as a stretch/rest day. The three training blocks during the 90 days of the program can be performed one of three ways called "classic", "lean" or "doubles," that you select according to your goals. Do you want to shed pounds of fat and strengthen muscles? Go lean! Do you want to build more muscle and tone up? Go classic! If you want to maximize both, go doubles! My first round I did the "lean" version.  I'm on my second round doing the "classic" version.  Most of the workouts are less than 1 hour in duration. The Abdominal workout called AB Ripper X is 15 minutes and is done 2-3 times per week depending on the program you choose.   Here's an example of the classic program routine.

The greatest benefit from P90X is the years of consultation done by Tony Horton with fitness experts and experimenting with a wide variety of disciplines to find the most effective moves. The 12 different workouts are based on a training concept called periodization, or "muscle confusion." This method of cross-training is achieved through switching the order of exercises and incorporating new moves and varied movements. From my own experience now using the method for the past 4 and half months has prevented my body from adapting to exercises over time and resulting in continual improvement without plateaus.


It has significantly improved my physical fitness in the first 90 days and continues to do so combined with the right nutrition and dietary supplement plan.  I consider myself somewhere between a Striver and a Warrior and it get's better as each week goes by! I am looking forward to the release of P90X2 later this year!



If you want the straight dope on fueling your body with nutritious food and what to avoid, I'm here to help and it won't cost you a penny for the free advice based on my own experience and what has worked for me.  I hope you'll follow my blog and provide me with some feedback on my posts.  I'll be catering good choices that include both dietary and lifestyle changes.  So if you could use a boost to your engine, buckle up for the ride of your life and let's get started!