Kick Ass

Be a pal and check out my latest SICFIT post, "Fight, Not Flight."

It features a cameo by this guy. (Sort of. But not really.)

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Don't Be Shy: Go All In

I've started reading Richard Wiseman's "59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot," which is billed as a "myth-busting response to the self-help movement, with tips and tricks to improve your life that come straight from the scientific community." It's a brisk, enjoyable read. Citing research studies rather than just making shit up like most self-help gurus, Wiseman offers tips that "can help you change your life in under a minute, and guides you toward becoming more decisive, more imaginative, more engaged, and altogether more happy."

I especially perked up when Wiseman discussed motivation and accountability. One of his points (summarized in one of his recent blog posts) advises that one proven way to achieve goals -- fitness-related or otherwise -- is to:

Tell your friends and family about your goals, thus increasing the fear of failure and eliciting support. For example, write down your resolution on a large sheet of paper, sign it, and place it somewhere prominent in your house. Tell your friends, family and colleagues about your resolution, and ask them to provide you with helpful nudges to assist you in achieving your goal. Either way, do not keep your resolution to yourself.

Wiseman's not the only one saying this, either. As 6 Changes puts it:

1. Commit as publicly as possible to creating each new habit.

2. Log your progress daily, and very publicly.

These steps are extremely important — without them, you’re liable to drop your new habit at any time...You need to be all in. You need to tell everyone. You need to be completely committed, or you’re wasting your time.

So go all in. Don't keep your fitness goals to yourself. Post about your daily progress on a blog or message board, or tell your friends and family about what you're striving to achieve. And don't let them down by giving up. (Of course, this only works if they're not asshole saboteurs looking to derail you from your fitness goals to make themselves feel better.)

P90X Day 19: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

This morning, I started my workout dog-tired and with little motivation. I didn't get much sleep last night, and Legs & Back (one of my least favorite P90X routines) is particularly grueling. I was lagging. Still, that's no excuse for my low energy level and failure to "BRING IT" as King Douche likes to exclaim. Not surprisingly, I didn't see much improvement in my pull-up numbers this time around.

I wonder if I'm bonking from lack of carbs. I'm going to try to ingest more carby goodness and see what happens.

On the plus side: I'm really getting the hang of Ab Ripper X. If I could only straighten my legs more when performing Fifer Scissors and Pulse-Ups, I'd be a happy camper.

Wait - Why I Am Doing This Again?

My brother-in-law surveyed our home gym last night and listened as I described my P90X fitness plan. He then inquired: "What's the point? What are you looking to get out of this?"

It was a good, fair question. I mentally scanned through the list of possible responses before shrugging and saying, "I like being fit and healthy -- it makes me feel good."

I'm not sure he was convinced. And admittedly, my response was less than complete; it didn't explain why I couldn't do something less complicated and time-consuming to get healthy or feel good.

To be honest, and in retrospect, I should have provided the full answer: I want to look good. I want to feel good. I want to be healthy and fit. I want to test myself and see what my body can do. I want to do something "EXTREME" because the rest of my daily routine is anything BUT.

Also? I want to get the most out of my $150.

Why Am I Doing This?

After plunking down a chunk of change on P90X, I'm wondering why I'm bothering with this.  Is the hassle worth it?

I mean, I'm not in terrific shape, but I'm not in terrible shape, either. I stopped running a couple of years ago (I overpronate, which led to knee and ankle issues), and I'm no longer an obsessive-compulsive gym rat. Still, I make sure to set aside about a half hour per day for exercise, and it's rare that I let two consecutive days go by without lifting some weights or hopping on the elliptical. I don't need to shed a ton of weight. I'm reasonably healthy.

And while I pig out at restaurants more often than I should, I'm generally pretty good about watching what I put in my mouth. I avoid fast food "restaurants" (with a rare exception made for In-N-Out and Taco Bell). I chug diet soda -- something I used to think tasted like faintly-sweetened spit -- rather than the real thing (though I know even diet soda's not exactly healthy). At work, I'm a sedentary office drone, but at lunch, I skip the more fatty/salty/sweet offerings at my company cafe; my typical lunch is a Cobb salad (minus the bacon) with dressing on the side. Our household is all about organic food -- we're members of a C.S.A., and get vegetables delivered to us weekly from small, local farms -- and my wife (who has a degree in nutrition science) polices our kitchen for rogue trans fats and HFCS. I try to limit my carb intake, and simple carbs especially.

For my height (or, at 5 feet 7 inches, lack of height), my weight is a respectable 145 pounds, though once in a while -- especially after a week of restaurant meals -- I'll manage to tip the scales at 150. I have a perfectly normal BMI of 22.7. A few years ago (when I was working out twice a day like a maniac), my body fat percentage was down to 7 percent, but I've now worked my way back up to 11 percent.

All in all, I'm healthy and fairly fit. I can do a bunch of pullups and chinups and pushups and all the other stuff at which I failed miserably in elementary school P.E. My blood pressure is fine, and my good cholesterol is totally kicking my bad cholesterol's ass.

So why put myself through the hassle and cost of completing P90X?

I think it all boils down to me wanting to shake up my exercise routine, and to satisfy my curiosity about how far I can push myself. I recognize that I'm not in the best shape of my life right now. I could stand to tighten up, and I know I'm losing strength and muscle tone while I vegetate on the couch, munching on chips. These days, I tire easily, and not just because I have two small children. I snack mindlessly, and at all hours. I'm losing the motivation to exercise. I don't get enough sleep. I grind my teeth. And I just feel like I'm in a perpetual state of torpor.

So I'm going to give P90X a try. According to the handbook accompanying the DVDs, "P90X is an extreme fitness program designed for individuals in top physical condition and health and, therefore, should NOT be attempted by someone who does not meet the minimum fitness requirements outlined in this guidebook." I'm going to take the fitness test in the next day or two and see how I do.

In The Beginning

Surfing on Amazon.com last night, I was on a mission to buy a set of workout DVDs. After religiously hitting the gym for a few years, my regular workout regimen has gotten tedious and stale of late, and I'm well aware that my commitment (and activity) level is way down. My gym bag is starting to gather dust by my front door. I'd like to think that I'm still committed to exercising, but need to inject some variety into my workouts. It'd also be helpful to find a program that keeps me on a fairly rigid schedule. For me, too much flexibility is a bad thing.

My wife, M, was in an exercise rut for a while, too, but recently got kickstarted by a bunch of Jillian Michaels DVDs that she bought online. We'd already converted most of our garage space into a simple home gym a few years back (with an elliptical trainer, a rowing machine, a set of adjustable dumbbells, a weight bench, a TRX Suspension Trainer, etc.), and for the past month or so, she's been exercising almost daily, either before the kids get up in the morning or after they go down at night. M's commitment is paying off: She's gaining muscle and definition, and she's (deservingly) proud of her progress.

What the hell, I thought. I'm not getting my ass to the gym as frequently anymore, so I might as well give home workout DVDs a try, too.

So without much thought or research (other than scanning through the almost uniformly glowing reviews on Amazon.com), I ordered the P90X Extreme Home Fitness system, which was created by a company called BeachBody.

According to the BeachBody website:

P90X is a revolutionary system of 12 sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping workouts, designed to transform your body from regular to ripped in just 90 days. You'll also receive a comprehensive 3-phase nutrition plan, specially designed supplement options, a detailed fitness guide, a calendar to track your progress, online peer support, and much more.

Your personal trainer, Tony Horton, will keep you engaged every step of the way, and you won't believe your results! A $600.00 value* for only 3 monthly payments of $39.95 (+$19.95 s&h)! Why is P90X so effective? The secret behind the P90X system is an advanced training technique called "Muscle Confusion," which accelerates the results process by constantly introducing new moves and routines so your body never plateaus, and you never get bored! Whether you want to get lean, bulk up, or just plain get ripped, there's an endless variety of ways to mix and match the routines to keep you motivated the full 90 days and beyond!

It was only after ordering P90X that I realized that I'd seen it hawked on late night infomercials before, and my immediate reaction was: Shit -- I just got scammed. The infomercial is just way too slick to be believed, and the before-and-after photos of people who tried P90X are so extreme that they must have been doctored. Plus, as a general matter, I'm skeptical of direct marketing ploys. Products with labels saying "AS SEEN ON TV" aren't my cup of tea.

But after checking out some more online reviews, my gut tells me this is worth trying. After 90 days on P90X, it seems that some (though not all) users actually do "get ripped," while few feel ripped off. Despite the potentially hyperbolic testimonials and my overall suspicion of anything that is sold via television, I figured the most I'd lose is $150 or so. Besides, P90X evidently has a cult following -- people are drinking the Kool-Aid, and many are writing about their experiences and results on blogs like this one. They can't all be wrong.

I've not tasted the Kool-Aid yet, but thought I'd start this journal to: (1) independently review the program for others who may be shopping around, (2) record my own fitness journey as I try to get in better shape, and (3) keep myself motivated to finish all 90 days of the program. Plus, if I come across anything in the world of P90X, fitness and/or nutrition that strikes me as blogworthy, I'll post about it just to keep myself amused.

Lastly, if you're wondering if I'm a paid shill, flack or plant, I'm not. I'm also not a "BeachBody Coach" (i.e., an independent contractor who pays BeachBody for the right to sell its products and to get a cut of the sale) or BeachBody employee. I have no affiliation with the company, and I'm not out to sell anything to anyone, so if P90X turns out to be a total piece of crap, rest assured that I'll say so.

*By the way, this "$600 value" business is bullshit. No one in their right mind is buying 13 home video workout DVDs for $600.