Well hello there! Where have I been, you ask? I have been trying to take care of myself.
A few weeks ago, I started feeling kind of old. Oh! My knee. Ow! My back!
As a lot of my faithful readers know, I stopped my pilates training about a year ago to cut down on expenses. I tried Power Plate, I really did. But I hated it. So I have been on-again, off-again working out on my own for the past six months. Before the Holidays, I was doing OK. Not great, but OK. But by January, I had completely lost my groove. Life, as it has a habit of doing, got in the way.
But once those aches and pains started to kick in, I got pissed.
And I mean, really pissed. I tend to be a stress mess when I am not working out regularly. And I really hate what stress does to me physically and mentally.
So after wallowing a bit about getting older, I decided it was time to kick this aging thing in the ass. So I did what any normal person would do. I watched infomercials. And P90X finally sucked me in completely.
I have been reading about P90X off and on for about a year or so. Lots of Twitter friends do it, or are P90X “coaches.” So they put up links, and I check out their blogs about the P90X experience. It kind of captured my imagination. I am a sucker for a good “before” and “after” story. So I took the plunge and ordered the DVDs.
And they are here. And they are pretty!
Here’s what I like:
Everything is structured.
When I work out on my own, I often flit around from bike to eliptical to weights. I hate doing legs so I often avoid them. I can work on my arms and abs all day, so I do those instead. I know I am not giving myself a “full body workout.” So being forced to follow a training program is necessary.
The Nutrition Guide.
OK, I am not in love with it, but I do like how the diet changes every four weeks based on the challenge level of the workouts. Phase 1 is protein loading. Phase 2 adds in more carbs. I haven’t read Phase 3 yet.
They also break it down so you can either follow their menus or do it yourself. I am taking the DIY route, since I am not up for overhauling my weekly menu plans. But some of the recipes sound fantastic, and I do want to get around to trying a few of them out.
You eat. A lot.
This is not a calorie deprivation diet. They want you to eat a lot of food. But they have to be the right foods. Which is going to force me to consider everything I stick in my mouth (which is actually easier when you are not starving)
The Box.
Did I mention the pretty packaging!
Here’s what I don’t like:
Supplements.
Since this is supposed to be a hard core training program, there is a push for protein drinks and other concoctions. Which, of course, you can buy from Beachbody, the parent company of P90X. I am on hold with this at the moment.
Pull Ups.
Oh yes, pull ups. Lots of them. I was never able to do them in high school gym class. I am going to seriously have to work up to these things. Plus this necessitates a pull up bar. But they have them super cheap at CVS. I think my pull up issues are completely psychological. But until I get brave enough to try one out, I may have to figure out another option.
My biggest challenge:
Time.
I have to make time for myself, and it’s not something I am terribly good at doing.
I need to really think about my diet. I need to eat in the morning, which I don’t do, since I feel like I don’t have time. I can’t just throw together a sandwich for lunch–I have to be very aware of what I am eating and how much. In fact, I have to eat several times a day. I am already overwhelmed by this.
The workouts themselves are in the 60 to 90 minute range. I usually do 45 minutes tops. Again, I never feel like I have the time to push longer. There’s always something else that needs my attention.
The good news is that this lack of time (perceived or otherwise) is getting extremely frustrating. I am tired of not having enough time to look after my well being. If I am physically incapable to doing my jobs, then I won’t have any work. So it’s time to be a little less available.
Sneakers.
Most of my work outs for the past two plus years have been barefooters (yoga, pilates, even Power Plate). So I don’t own any. And I don’t like wearing them. But I need to get them. And wear them.
So here I am, just about ready to embark on this 90 day challenge. And I am feeling pretty damn stoked to try this out. I wish I had the six pack ab goal or something exciting that would make a great visual. But honestly, I just want to get fitter and stronger. I don’t want my body to fail me at 40.
And, I want to do five (or more) unassisted pull ups. I am not reaching big on this, but I do have a goal.
Of course, if I end up with a washboard, I am certainly not going to complain.
I will definitely blog through this process. You guys will keep me accountable.
