Round 3, Day 4

Yoga X for the first time in over a month. Whew! Yesterday I ran intervals since it was a beautiful day outside. I think I will do that when I feel inspired to go for a run. I figure my results will be better if I feel like doing a particular exercise than simply doing what is next in the routine.

Have a great day everyone!

Phil90X is back! Round 3, Day 1

Hi everyone,

Phil90X is back! After falling off the wagon about halfway through round 2, I started up again with Core Syn and it felt really good; harder than I remembered, but good! I have had some life changes in the past couple of months which led to stress and some sleepless nights, but things are getting better all the time!

I recently got a new job, which is a pretty big deal for me, since I have been at the same company for 23 years and have been running the family firm for 6 years. However, I have been unhappy with my job for some time now and I finally made the leap to apply for a government job doing the same kind of work but with a lot less stress. Anyone who is self-employed can relate with that kind of stress. I got the job as Senior Appraisal Analyst. I start on August 24, I am so excited!

Also, some family issues with one of our kids and his behaviour (our middle child - he is the limit tester) have added to the mix, but I think we have turned the corner on that too.

It was an invitation from Cindy Ward to work out on Friday that prompted me to jump back into P90X-land. I haven't been totally inactive for the past month: I have been running intervals and tried a couple other exercise dvd's (which are similar to P90X but not nearly as intense or satisfying).

Thanks to Cindy for the reminder of how great P90X is and how much it has already changed my life for the better. People I haven't seen since Christmas have commented on my weight loss and I feel so, so much better. Now that I am back on track, I feel great! I will come back to blog too, I find that keeps me motivated too.

Have a great day everyone and KPP!

Phil90X (AKA BigDaddyPhil)

Round 2, Days 17-19

Legs & Back today, did 111 pullups, beating my old record by 11. Feeling good and watching my body shape actually change in this round: my lats are back! No pun intended...

Feeling a bit twingy in my right knee, so I didn't do yoga yesterday (those balance poses are tough on my knees). "All or Nothing" was the old trap I used to fall into. Even though I missed 3 or 4 days in Round 1, I did not go off schedule. My philosophy is this is not just 90 days, it's just the first (and now second) 90 days. If I miss a day, I miss it, then I come back strong tomorrow, and I make sure I keep coming back!

Round 2, Days 15-16

I did Manual Labour X for 6 hours on sunday, so when Monday rolled around, my back was tired all over and I was not up to doing Legs & Back. This morning, I did Plyometrics and burned over 950 calories, according to my fitness watch. The DVD is great as a motivator because I was ready to pack it in about about 40 minutes, but Tony kept me going for another 20! Feeling tired, but it's a good tired.

Round 2, Days 12-14

Hi everyone! Haven't posted for a few days, been busy with an upcoming election (I am the campaign fundraising chair for our area's MLA (Member of [provincial] Legislative Assembly).

Friday went by in a blur, did not get to work out because of a 16 hour day between heavy work load and election stuff. Saturday I tweaked my back (same spot that I did in Round 1), so I was really looking forward to Stretch X this morning. I was not disappointed, the stretch took away my back pain.

Round 2, Day 11

Not really feeling it today. Even though the sun is shining, which usually means a high energy day for me, I did not get much sleep last night. Our 3 year old woke up at 3:41 AM and I couldn't get back to sleep afterward. That, plus Yoga X is not my favourite workout; it's so long (90 minutes) that I think I will buy the Tony Horton One-On-One Yoga program, which I hear is good and not as long as the P90X routine.

Round 2, Day 10

Shoulders & Arms plus ARX today. Still getting gains, 22 side tri-rises each side in round 1 (16 each side round 2) and surpassed Joe Devino in tricep kickbacks! When you do more than the peeps and Tony says they are impressive, how good does that make you feel!

Today is a good day, but some days it is tough to get out of bed. Success is made up of all the little decisions we make every day, so by choosing the successful option and I will achieve my goals before I know it! Keep Pressing Play!

300 Workout

This 300 workout looks wicked. I thought, "OK, that would be tough, but do-able." Then I saw a video on how to do floor wipers. Oh. My. Gosh. That would separate me from the 300 guys. Once I get my Powerblocks, I will give it a go, though.

Quoted from Joshuatree's entry in the Early Morning X'ers group:

"The 300 workout for those who don't know was a fit test the cast and crew of the movie 300 were given as a challenge and rite of passage. It's not a workout just a fit test done as fast as possible with good form. It consists of (in this order)

25 pullups
50 deadlifts (135lbs)
50 pushups
50 box jumps (24 inches high)
50 floor wipers (on your back you hold a 135lb barbell and lift your legs to one side, back down to the floor, then up again to the opposite side and again down to the floor, that's one rep)
50 clean and presses (35lbs, 25 reps each arm)
25 pullups

Yeah it's a beast, my goal is 25 mins or less."

Round 2, Day 9

Plyo this morning. 900+ calories burned. Felt a lot better after this session than I did last week (which was the first time I did Plyo). I even did the bonus round this time, which is actually easier than the routines before it, unlike other P90X bonuis rounds.

Round 2, Day 8

Chest & Back plus ARX as I start Round 2, Week 2. New personal bests in all but 3 moves, with 2 the same # of reps and 1 move falling short by 1 rep. Had someone stop me last night at a function to ask me how much weight I had lost. That recognition of my work felt nice and little boosts like that will help me keep going towards my goals.

Round 2, Day 7

Stretch today. Keeping busy with life, but P90X is a part of my life now, so I have no problem getting up and Pressing Play.

I took a week off between rounds and only did a few days of cardio and core during it, to rest up. The recovery week is pretty light on the body, anyway.

The reason why I started 1 week after my first round instead of 2 weeks is to time my first recovery week with the friendly competition I am in, which was supposed to be in May. Well, 2 of the 4 guys have said this week that they can't make it in May. I think they have read my blog and are scared! Anyway, it has been re-scheduled for the long weekend in August, starting the day after my 40th birthday. All the other guys are 4 to 6 years younger than me, so I expect to really razz them by getting beat by a 40 YEAR OLD!

Round 2, Day 6

Kenpo today, just the right thing after the intensity of yesterday. I really like the balance of the P90X program!

Round 2, Day 5

Legs & Back, first time this round. Lean only has this workout in Phase 1, so it has been a while. I joined the pull up century club with this workout, knocking out 100 pull ups in total! Last round I had maxed out at 86 total, so quite a difference and I am happy about it. Not bad for someone who is just south of 280 pounds (with about 50 left to lose)!

Round 2, Day 4

Yoga this morning. Felt like the first time I did it all over again. I thought I had only worked my upper body this week, but the effects of Plyo kicked in for the balance exercises. Definitely a step up from Lean for the intensity. The best part of Yoga today was it stretched out my back, which needed it. Feeling good...tired, but good.

Round 2, Day 3

Shoulders & Arms. Maxing out 15 reps (or 16, as specified) with my heavier dumbbells on every move except 2 shoulder moves. Definitely time to expand the weight collection.

Round 2, Day 2

Plyo. It is a "four-letter word", in my opinion. ;-)

Doing Chest & Back plus Ab Ripper X on Day 1, then Plyo on Day 2 is like getting a one-two punch combination from Ali in the early 1970's.

It's actually more like an album by a new singer, where the first song is awesome and then the second song is even better.

I was thinking how well-tuned the P90X program is, working different muscle groups and alternating between easier and harder routines, both within each DVD and as an entire program. I think that is the difference between P90X and other workout programs, the variety keeps you going and going and going...

I am glad I started with the Lean version in Round 1. I don't know if I would have been able to tackle the intensity of Classic, given the shape I was in, three months ago.

Burned over 800 calories in Plyo today, felt wiped but triumphant afterward!

Have a great day everyone and KPP!

Tony Horton’s Hotel Room Workout

Thanks to Dinofeet from Early Morning X'ers for posting this. Joshuatree from EMX'ers also posted this idea for pull ups with bands: "You place 2 ends of a towel over top of the door leading outside of your room and close the door. Use the loop you made to grab and pull up with. That way no stress is being put on cheap screws in the door." Also, Cindy from EMX'ers had the same idea. Thanks to everyone!

Round 1
1. Run in place (1 minute)
2. Elbow to knee crunches (Steam Engine) (30 reps)
3. Squats (30 reps)
4. Standard push-ups (max reps)

Round 2
1. Jumping jacks (1 minute)
2. Hip rock and raise (30 reps)
3. Step back lunges (30 reps)
4. Military push-ups (max reps)

Round 3
1. Tires on fire (1 minute)
2. Crunchy frog (30 reps)
3. Run stance squats (30 reps)
4. Wide push-ups (max reps)

Round 4
1. Fast feet (1 minute)
2. Mason twist (30 reps)
3. Plie squat calf raise (30 reps)
4. Switch hand push ups (max reps)

Bonus Round
1. Wacky jacks (1 minute)
2. Roll-up, V-up (30 reps)
3. Super skater (20 reps each leg)
4. Side tri rise (max reps each side)

Round 2 - Day 1

I just re-read my post and realized it is super long. That is what happens when I don't post on here for a week!

It feels good to get Round 1 completed. I know finishing Round 2 will feel even better! Started Round 2 this morning. Doing Classic this time, I figure my first round of Lean was a good warm-up since I was starting from almost zero activity.

I was talking with an acquaintance over the weekend and he was surprised that I finished all 90 days of P90X. I gently reminded him of my slogan: "It's not just 90 days, it's just [I]the first[/I] 90 days."

Chest and Back and Ab Ripper! About 3/4 of the way through C&B, I felt a bit nauseated and had to go outside for a quick breath of fresh air. This was the first time that happened to me. It's a good thing Ab Ripper is on the same DVD because I don't know if I would have had the strength to change DVD's! Still feeling it across my back as I type this a couple of hours later.

My plan for this round is to lift heavier. I got through round 1 with only 2 sets of dumbbells, both were so light that I was doing 15 reps with each and quite often even the heavier pair were too light. I did not buy any more weight because I was saving for Powerblocks. Haven't bought them yet, but they are still in the plan.

Another member of the Early Morning X'ers group posted about her first unassisted pull up and how she got emotionally choked up afterwards. I have also been at the point of choking up a few times during/after workouts (yeah, I'll admit it), it happens when I have broken through my old mental barriers. P90X re-shapes our minds as well as our bodies.

During chest & Back this morning, I read my notes to myself when I last did C&B in round 1. It read "try to do them faster". What worked for me this morning was simply pushing through my mental limit of "I can't" to just doing it. I have long arms which may make push ups harder, but they were factory issued, so not much else I can do about that.

Faster push ups are easier than slow ones, so my numbers were as good or higher in the second set than the first set this morning. Tony can be so inspiring with little words of advice, especially on DVD's like Chest & Back. Advice like: Set your number before your start and try to push through it. A couple of times, I started slow and then just willed myself go faster - so much easier to finish the set!

Another EMX'er posted about how some corss-training athletes were saying P90X doesn't give you "functional strength". I wonder what their definition of that term even is, since I think being able to run farther and faster than before, lift my kids without hurting myself, and generally being stronger qualify as functional strength.

I have noticed my neck looks skinny, although it is still 17". Maybe it's because the rest of my upper body is bigger now? I have wondered about the development of my neck muscles along with my traps and shoulders. Maybe there are workouts in Classic that I have not done yet, because I did Lean, that will address this issue?

Lastly, (I know, you guys are saying, "will this post ever end?") a huge shout out to [COLOR:RED]Ranae McPhail[/COLOR] who has changed my life as well as the lives of all of us EMX'ers. Thank you and your husband Greg for starting the Early Morning X'ers group on Beachbody.com. I am so blessed to have found EMX'ers - there are no coincidences - this group was exactly what I needed to success through round 1 of P90X and I know I can Keep Pressing Play, thanks to you.

Day 91 - Now what?

Thanks to everyone for your words of congratulations! It feels good to accomplish such a challenging 90 day program!

I could not have done it without your support.

I did my post-P90X fit test. The results were a bit surprising in some ways, not so much in others.

My resting heart rate dropped from 78 to 68 BPM. That's like giving me 10 extra years of life! Thanks Tony!

My recovery HR also dropped. Before Day 1, my initial HR was 150 and after 4 minutes, it was 112. After P90X, my initial HR was 158, meaning I worked harder than 90 days ago, and my recovery HR was 90 BPM!!!

My ab tests (wall squat and in/outs) increased by 80% and 50%, respectively. My strength tests increased too, but by lower margins. Strength has not really been a problem for me, fitness is my main concern. Thanks to P90X, I have seen great gains in my fitness. I am on my way!

So now what? I am taking the rest of the week off from P90X, with light recovery week routines, to prepare for Round 2 next week. As per my plan, I will be doing Classic this time. I think I am ready for the full Plyo session. I will also be adding in real life exercise when I want to, since life is not just about working out in your rec room. I am at a point now where I can do stuff with my kids and not be fearful of injury. How sad was that state of affairs, at age 39?

The past 3 months have changed my outlook on exercise, my body image, food, and my way of life. My weight and fitness goals are still to be attained, but I think it will be 2 more rounds (or 6 more months) before I reach them.

Day 90

Day 90 of round 1!!!

I will post my photos and measurements tomorrow, today is pretty busy.

Thanks to everyone for your support over the past 90 days.

Day 89

Did not work out this morning since our middle child had some friends over last night and, being teenagers, they were crashed all over the rec room/my gym until noontime. Cheryl & I took the little ones out for a walk on the Halifax harbourfront, everything was closed for the holiday, but it was still a pleasant time. I had planned to work out in the evening, but ran out of time. I don't feel too bad about it, since it is recovery week and I burned 1040 calories yesterday on my 8 km run, so that definitely made up for it.

Day 88

So I took my own advice and went for a run today since it is a beautiful sunny Good Friday. Last autumn -- pre-P90X -- I tried going for a run a few times and pretty much maxed out at 4 km each time.

Today I ran 8 km and I had plenty of gas left in the tank! I don't think I could have pulled off another half-marathon today (I ran one about 5 years ago) but I certainly could have done a few more kilometres.

I sprinted the last 500 metres and was not winded at all during the run. My heartrate got maxed a few times but I walked for a minute or so to get it back down, then continued running.

I ran 8 km because that is the distance of the loop of road where I live. If I hadn't arrived back home, I probably would have kept going. Did a nice 10 minute stretch using P90X moves and then relaxed on my deck chair watching the ocean waves. Boy, was that recovery drink ever tasty this morning!

This run restores my energy to finish the round strong, even though it's only 2 days away now! It is a real-life example of how P90X has dramatically changed my health in less than 3 months. I am so grateful to Tony Horton for developing this program, to myself for buying it and actually following through on it, and especially to my family and friends for your support, friendship and love.

Day 87

Mid-way through Week 13 of Round 1 and I am feeling a bit of senior-itis, like our second oldest child who is graduating from high school in a couple of months.

I am not really feeling the love for the workouts this week, the boredom factor that has not bothered me until now has crashed down on me. The repetition of the non-lifting exercises is too much and I feel like doing something completely different, like going for a run instead of yoga yet again tomorrow.

I think that I am disppointed in one way because I haven't seen a lot of weight loss over the past month. I understand that "abs are made in the kitchen" and the only way to really solve my weight problem is to continue making healthy choices when I eat.

My arms and legs show I have been working out, my gut shows I haven't stuck to the nutrition plan. I am thinner, but not a lot of change in the second half of this round. The last month or so has had a lot of stress, everyday kind and otherwise, and I guess my stress eating habits are harder to kill than I previously thought.

I am 100% committed to doing another round and I have changed my lifestyle to include exercise every day. Now I understand why most EMX'ers make their own hybrids after round 1.

Day 86

Core Synergistics again. Even with no extra chatter from Tony, I am getting bored with the repetition of the non-lifting routines.

A Post About Food From Tony Horton's Blog

Food. It's that thing that's killing you, slowly.
Fitness won't solve your problems. Getting free of your food addictions will. When it came to healthy living, exercise for regular people is relatively new. The average Joe and Joanne didn't really start exercising until the 50s and 60s. Guys like Joe Weider and Jack LaLaine started the revolution after WWII and it's been growing (too slowly) ever since. As the obesity trends began to rise in the 70s, jogging and nautilus became more popular. During this time various companies were selling goofy ways to lose weight. For some reason we quickly forgot that eating whole foods was the key to maintaining our weight. As food became more processed over the the past few decades we used other processed foods to help us lose weight. It was (and still is) a vicious cycle of addiction. The gain, lose, gain epidemic continues. I read a funny blurb the other day which clearly and plainly stated that if you avoided food with mascots you'll lose weight. Goodbye Count Chocula! Our grandparents didn't have gym memberships, spinning classes and fitness DVDs. They ate healthy whole foods and spent four times more time outside than we do. If your grandparents were obese it was a novelty for sure. Our behavior and habits put food-porn companies in business and we also have the power to destroy them by not eating their poison.

You control what goes in your mouth, no one else. Find ways to make healthy whole food taste good and eat it. Period!

With Love and compassion,

Tony Horton

Day 85

Yoga this morning. Wasn't feeling it and am I not looking forward to doing yoga again in a few days. This is the last week of round one, so it's all cardio and stretch stuff, no lifting. I think the miserable weather outside is getting to me.

Day 84

Finished week 12 today! I see a difference in my upper body especially, I think my midsection will show more definition in round 2, to match my arms and shoulders.

Day 83

Will switch rest day and Kenpo today and tomorrow, since today was so busy and I did manual labor on top of The X all day Friday and Saturday. My body needs the rest.

Day 82

Core Syn with the music turned up - Yahoo!

Day 81

Yoga today, still challenging. Not a lot to say, working the program. Kind of tired after exercising this morning and working on the house all day afterwards.

Day 80

Last resistance workout of this round with Back and Biceps today. I am really looking forward to rewarding myself with Powerblocks after this round. I am doing 15 reps on all exercises and really need more weight, but don't want to spend money on dumbbells when I know I am getting Powerblocks so soon. I want to see if I can match Tony with weights. I was doing similar weights to him a couple years ago when I was going to the gym (for 6 months, then I fell off the wagon). Yeah, I was pretty big but also had a hefty layer of fat on top of it all. Now my goal is to get back to being strong but also having a BF% that shows it.

Day 79

Cardio X this morning, was drenched by the end of it... I have found a new vigor in my exercise by playing the DVD with music and cues. Not to dis Tony, but the chatter gets distracting. The music - at a pump-you-up level - has a good tempo for me to push myself.

I am coming up on Day 90 pretty fast, not sure if I will keep blogging every single day after Round 1, or if I will make it a weekly or "as big events happen" type of affair.

Day 78

CST & ARX this morning. Was not looking forward to ARX but once again, before I knew it, I was done! Mind over matter...

I started week 12 today, less than 2 weeks to go until the end of round 1.

Day 77

X Stretch this morning and was careful to not overdo the stretches. I think maybe a warmup before would help.

Day 76, Part 2

I volunteered my time today in support of the Tourette's Syndrome Foundation of Canada by participating in the 1st Annual Trek For Tourette's at Point Pleasant Park in Halifax. I got involved with this event after a friend of mine asked me if I would participate. A mutual friend of ours has two sons with Tourette's, so I said I would do it. Today was a very nice day, weather-wise, which made the Trek a nice five kilometre walk. I raised $430, many thanks to my family, friends and colleagues who supported the cause.

At the event, they announced that the ten Treks across Canada raised about $50,000. It is truly amazing how much people can accomplish, each doing their small part.

On an exercise level, I kept up a good pace and burned another 535 calories on top of the 701 calories during Kenpo this morning. Ahhh! Feels so good!

Day 76

Kenpo today, with music and cues for the first time. As much as Cardio X with only music and cues did nothing for me motivation-wise, the exact opposite is true for Kenpo! I found the music has the perfect tempo and actually made me work harder.

Day 75

Back on track with Core Syn this morning. Week 11 is almost finished and I really didn't get a lot done: 2.5 workouts because of injury and yesterday was crazy busy with no 90 minute period for Yoga.

I didn't do the strength work this week because of the pulled back muscle I sustained while doing the side stretch on Monday. Anyway, it feels good to sweat again.

I have found that form is a key component to exercise. Poor form leads to injuries. Other than my wrist and lower back, which are chronic, the 2 acute injuries I have sustained (knee and back) happened when I went past proper form in search of "feeling it more". Well, I felt it more, but not what I wanted to feel!

I am staring at the end of the first round with only a bit over 2 weeks to go, more aware of my eating habits, feeling better about my body image, and definitely motivated to continue after Round 1. I have missed the exercise on few days that I haven't done it over the past 11 weeks, which is a personal breakthrough for me.

Another lifestyle change that I have made is to not make all my social appointments around eating food. Last week, when my oldest son and I played basketball for an hour (after I did Kenpo in the morning), I realized that a few months ago, we would have just met for some carb-laden meal and both of us would have stuffed ourselves for no reason other than habit.

P90X has changed my life and while I may tumble and I may stumble along the way, there is no turning back for me now.

Thanks to everyone in EMX'ers for your support, your advice, the laughs and the poignant comments and life changes that you have shared with me and the rest of the members of this group.

I know this sounds like a good-bye, but it isn't. I am just writing contemplatively and feel the time to express myself is when I feel it.

Have a great day everyone and Keep Pressing Play!

Day 74

No workout today, was on the road early and back late. My workload is like that: somewhat busy for a time, then working way too many hours for a while. I wish I had more balance with work. Speaking of balance, my plantar fasciitis has been acting up the last couple of days and I don't think I could do the balance poses in Yoga X on my left leg anyway.

Day 73

No workout today, my back is not up to the challenge. This injury really bums me out, I can't believe I hurt myself while bringing one hand over my head while dropping the other hand to my side. Anyway, time to focus again on nutrition! I have started using a website called Fitday. It is really useful to keep track of how much you eat, with calorie calculation, as well as protein/carb/fat ratios. One drawback is that the inputting of food info is tedious. Maybe there are shortcuts to typing in the same foods day after day, but I haven't found it yet.

Day 72

Cardio X this AM. I did it with only the music and cues. It was weird since I am used to Tony's comments going throughout the DVD. I found it a bit harder to keep up the intensity, maybe because I didn't have the volume turned up as much as usual. I typically have it louder than normal TV, to pump me up.

Day 71

No P90X today. I was supposed to do Chest and Back, which is all push ups and pull ups, pretty much all back muscles for those exercises! I will try to get on the elliptical machine after work to get the cardio benefit without the upper body strain.

Day 70

On good days, we reach the top of the mountain; on bad days, we are in the shadow of the valley. I have been in both places this past week: reaching new personal bests earlier in the week, then I was laid low yesterday with stomach bug. This morning, I pulled a muscle in my back while transitioning from one side stretch to the other. Sigh.

It's funny, lately I have been doing great on fitness and not so great on nutrition, then I get back on track with nutrition and then pull a muscle. Trying to the lesson of perseverance here.

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other” ~ Walter Elliott

Time to start the next short race of today...

Day 69

Had a hectic morning with no time to do the workout before going to the early church service and then a Rainmen season ticket holder brunch before the game at 2 PM. Something didn't agree with me at the brunch, so I was pretty much bed-ridden for the evening once we got home.

Day 68

I did Yoga this AM and then played hoops for an hour with my oldest son at his university gym. Good fun, the reality of having a child in university is I don't get to see him very often, so we have to make time to get time together.

P90X has already made a difference in my life. I would not have been able to keep up with my son 6 months ago. As it was, we had a great time and I enjoyed having regained some of my old agility and speed thanks to P90X, although I had to work harder than I used to when I was younger!

Day 67

Had to work extra today so made that my rest day. Was planning to do Yoga as per schedule, but was too wiped to make it happen.

On another note, I am really noticing a change in my body this phase. I still have the spare tire, although it is more of a "donut" and not the full-size truck spare tire I used to have. I am getting lean on my limbs and starting to see it work on my torso now, too. This keeps me motivated to finish round 1 and continue on with another round after that. My third round I will try doubles.

Tony Horton on Recovery Week between rounds of P90X

"The aim of a recovery week is to heal muscular microtrauma and get your body ready for more intense exercise. The more intense the program you’ve completed, the more intense your recovery week can be. This is an example of a recovery week for P90X only. You should take a recovery week, or two or three, at the completion of every exercise program cycle.

Monday: 30 minutes of easy aerobic work followed by X Stretch
Tuesday: Yoga X
Wednesday: Cardio X
Thursday: Core Synergistics
Friday: 30 minutes of easy aerobic work followed by X Stretch
Saturday: Yoga X
Sunday: Off"

Day 66

Back & Biceps for the first time today. What a workout. Unfortunately, I am limited with the weights that I have. I need to get heavier ones but I am waiting until I finish Round 1 in 3.5 weeks to reward myself with some Powerblocks. Still had a good workout but didn't feel the burn so much for a lot of the exercises like lawnmowers. The corncob pull ups kicked me, though!

Day 65

Cardio this AM. Now I know why some people mix up the routines for variety. I think I will try to play this DVD with the cues only, I have memorized most of Tony's banter.

Day 64

CST and ARX today. CST: 10 new personal bests, 2 I fell a bit short on and 12 exercises the same as last time. The stretch at the end felt super awesome. ARX: was not looking forward to it, then all of a sudden, it was over! My arms were shaking while doing the cobra at the end, thanks CST!

I am back on track with nutrition and feeling great! Having the right foods in the house is key. Without them, how can I make proper meals? It's a simple step, but a necessary one.

Day 63

Wow, it's hard to believe I have done 9 weeks of P90X. Starting to get into a groove with the workouts, still finding them a challenge but now I am trying to outdo the peeps! I find it motivates me to push even harder, especially since I can do better than them sometimes. I keep hitting new personal bests in different routines, so I am feeling good about that.

There is another set of DVD's called P90X Plus. I don't have the Plus workouts, but after hearing so many people rave about them, I think I will have to get them. I think they could work well in place of certain workouts, like Kenpo, which does not have a very challenging pace in the P90X.

Tony Horton's Laws of Success

Law 1: VARIETY

Variety is the spice of life and fitness. A lifetime of health and fitness is achievable when you can think outside of the box. Mix it up, change it up, and turn it up all the time. Curiosity is a key reason why I’ve been able to sustain a high level of fitness for over 20 years. If I see something that looks fun and challenging, ill try it. Stay curious, be creative, and do the kids of workouts that you enjoy. A variety of exercises, workouts, and sports will allow you to avoid the evil fitness killers: plateaus and boredom.

Law 2: CONSISTENCY

Improvement and change occur when you do things often. Stopping and starting all the time will kill any momentum you need to succeed. You must find ways to stay in the game. Moderate forms of exercise, done consistently; provide far better results than the occasional full-body pummeling. A lifestyle that includes multiple forms of exercise 5 to 6 days a week guarantees results. There are key factors that are very important when it comes to staying consistent. One of them is staying motivated. “How,” you ask? Here are a couple of tricks that will help maintain your motivation:

1. Stop beating yourself up if you can’t maintain your “perfect” plan! It’s OK to miss a workout once in a while. It doesn’t mean that your process has gone to hell in a handcart.
2. On your most exhausted, overwhelmed, and lackluster days, PUSH PLAY ANYWAY! Except if you’re SORE. Movement is good-even when you feel that you’re not 100% up to it. Sometimes you have to “Forget Your Best and Do the Rest!”

Law 3: INTENSITY

You’re TOUGHER than you think! The avoidance of pain or focusing on the possibility of injury from working out is a mindset steeped in fear. You must learn to “Find the Line.” The “Line” is that special place you need to get to if you want any program to work. It’s the desire to do that extra push-up, to increase the depth and range of motion on your lunges and squats, and not being afraid to add more weight and resistance as you get stronger. It’s discovering your pain/discomfort threshold so you can get the job done-without jeopardizing good form and without injuring yourself. If you are under-train or just plain old “give up” because you “can’t” do something the first few times, then you’ll never know what it’s like to be fit and healthy. Find the “Line,” do the best you can, and maintain good form.

Law 4: PURPOSE

You are what you eat and what you do! If you choose to devote your time and energy to health and fitness with wisdom and courage, you become a beacon of energy so powerful it could change the lives of thousands of people. A healthy, fit body directly affects the mind and spirit. The brain and body are one. People reach for cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, and fast food because it makes them feel good…for now. These short-term pleasures deliver a long list of physiological and psychological disorders and diseases down the road. A steady dose of exercise, on the other hand, will guarantee the opposite result-a lifetime of good health, energy, self-reliance, and hope! Purpose is the driving force that moves you from here to there. Your purpose for taking care of yourself is based on intention and resolution. Let your purpose shine through what you do-every day. You’ll look better, feel better, act better. And let’s face it; you’ll become an all-around better person!

LAW 5: REALITY

If you want positive, long-term change in life, accept the truth of your situation. Let go of your ego and find ways to love who you are right now. Living in the past, the future, and for others destroys your ability to stay in the moment. Life has peaks and valleys, ups and downs, lessons and celebrations. This is how we grow and learn. The way to live in this world is to live in the real world. Lift the burden of having to “keep up with the Joneses” all the time. Stop lying to yourself and everyone else about what you’re doing, what you’ve done, and what you’re going to do. Stop telling others about your hard workouts and clean diet while pretending that what you’re saying it true. If it is true…guess what? We’ll know. Reality is about discovering the truth about the here and now. Reality is the ability to accept your present situation and love who you are through the process.

LAW 6: PLAY

Take your mind off of weight, inches, and body fat percentages, and put the focus on MOVING-dancing, rock climbing, in-line skating, running, team sports, mountain biking, etc. I personally happen to enjoy the graceful sport of table tennis. I don’t care what you say, it’s a sport! Think more in terms of “can do” and less in terms of “look like.” You’ll develop balance, coordination, and stamina-which helps accelerate and maintain your fitness. Go outside (or inside) and PLAY!
Every Sunday I head down to the original Muscle Beach in Santa Monica and meet a group of friends for a two-and-a-half hour fitness extravaganza. We do a crazy combination of pull-ups, handstands, swinging Plyometrics dips, 15-and 25-foot rope climbing (hands only and sometimes upside down), tons of wacky push-ups – we even throw in a back flip or two. I show up every Sunday morning to hang with the crew. As hard as the workout is, we’re there for the camaraderie, laughter, and encouragement.
I encourage you to get involved in SOMETHING athletic – anything what would be fun and enjoyable for you. Try to focus less on weight loss and more on accomplishment. Set a goal, take a class, sign up for a race, anything that gives you a reason to focus on what you “can do” and not so much on what you “look like.” If you shift to a mindset playing and having fun, you won’t obsess as much on calories, inches, and your weight.

LAW 7: PLAN

We’re pretty good at scheduling when to go to bed, when to eat, and when to watch our favorite show on the tube. We find ourselves trying to squeeze workouts in. The “fit in whenever” approach might work for a little while, but it never survives in the long run. You can’t have a fitness lifestyle if you don’t have a long-term plan. Stop winging it and schedule in advance when to Push Play. Move your workouts to the top of your priority list. Don’t think about doing them whenever. Schedule them as if they were very important meetings or appointments. BECAUSE THEY ARE! You can love what you’re doing and eat like a star, but if you don’t plan those workouts you won’t go far.

LAW 8: STRESS AND SLEEP

Stressed-out, sleep-deprived people don’t eat right and exercise regularly. Stress depletes energy, strength, and desire; while poor sleep habits affect your moods and immune function along with cognitive and motor performance. Burning the candle at both ends makes it impossible to be fit and healthy. Don’t waste your time on gossip, ridicule, envy, self-pity, anger, guilt, arrogance, impatience, regret, manipulation, jealousy, fear, worry, and anxiety. It’s too stressful, and it destroys the energy you need to stay healthy and fit. If you choose understanding, truth, clarity, patience, devotion, gratitude, acceptance, wisdom, and forgiveness, you will have peace of mind and all the energy in the world to do whatever you want.

LAW 9: LOVING IT

Your workouts involve commitment, determination, planning, consistency, and intensity. If you don’t like what you’re doing, then there’s no way on earth you’ll succeed. Enthusiasm is a huge piece of the puzzle. Get creative and stay curious. I don’t know about you, but if I don’t love something, then I don’t do it. Period. It boggles my mind why anyone would continue to do anything they don’t enjoy. If you’re anything like me, you’ll discover that the same thing over and over doesn’t work over time. FIND OUT WHAT YOU LOVE and do THAT. If you stay curious, try new things, abandon the exercises you dislike, and stick with the ones you love, then you’ll discover a fitness philosophy that you’ll stick with for a lifetime.

LAW 10: FLEXIBILITY

Flexibility is the fountain of youth! Flexible people are much less prone to injury. Flexibility is the key component that allows you to bring more intensity to your workouts. Aging has a funny way of making everything we do harder. Staying limber and flexible is the way to prevent that from happening. People hate to stretch because they say it’s too boring. They don’t like it because it cuts into their workout time. I’m here to tell you that it’s time to rethink the importance of flexibility. Flexibility increases mental relaxation, greatly reduces the risk of various injuries, and slows the aging process in muscles and joints. Who wouldn’t want all that? Flexibility is the fountain of youth. Give yourself that amazing gift.

LAW 11: FOOD AND SUPPLEMENTATION

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT! Food and supplements are your fuel. The right fuel supplies proper energy and recovery through balances brain chemistry. Healthy, nutritious food provides the energy you need to get through a hectic day. High-quality foods and supplements assist in lowing fat stores, weight loss, increasing energy, recovery from workouts, and maintaining healthy bones, muscles, and joints. Supplementation and eating well also reduce bouts of depression, sadness, and anxiety while promoting psychological well-being. Our bodies do not run on exercises; they run on the fuel we put in our mouths. You cannot substitute good exercise for a bad diet. A good diet and exercise have to happen at the same time. If you bring the same level of consistency and discipline to your daily fuel intake as you do the workouts, you’ll greatly reduce a lifetime of health risks, improve your overall quality of life, and see greater physical change in a shorter period of time.

Day 62

Kenpo today, feeling good, loving the sunshine outside! Other people have noticed this too: Wesley is dogging it all the way through. I am actually surprised he was in the DVD, considering how everyone else seems to bring it. I guess he was there because he introduced Tony to Kenpo? I have found that I have to not have breaks and go faster than the kids on this DVD to get my heartrate into my target zone.

Day 61

Core Syn this morning. Didn't get a great sleep last night, Natalie is sick, but pushed through the workout this morning.

I am participating in the 1st Annual Trek For Tourette on March 29. It is a 5k walk through Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, in support of the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada. They are the only national voluntary non-profit organization assisting individuals affected by Tourette Syndrome (TS) and its associated disorders. They are dedicated to improving the quality of life for those with, or affected by, Tourette Syndrome through programs of education, advocacy, self-help and the promotion of research.

I was introduced to this event by a friend of mine, who was asked by a mutual friend of ours if she would co-ordinate the event in Halifax. Our mutual friend has two sons with TS. Honestly, I agreed to participate because now I know someone who is affected by TS and also because it is a good cause.

Click on this link to sponsor me in the Trek For Tourette.

Thanks to everyone for your support so far, and to anyone else who sponsors me or who is inspired to participate in this event.

Day 60

So: Day 60 measurements and photos. I dropped another inch on each of my measurements at chest and my waist and my hips as well as 3/4 inch on each of my thighs. My biceps stayed the same, which is fine. That's the good news. The bad news is my nutrition has caught up to me. I only lost about 2 pounds and about 1.5% BF since Day 30. I was actually less in both these figures a couple weeks ago when I weighed myself after my knee injury. Just goes to show that both exercise and nutrition are important.

As an EMX member once said (I am paraphrasing): Do P90X and get in the best shape of your life, do P90X and the nutrition and you will be in the best shape of your life and look it!

While I am back on track with nutrition, it isn't an instant fix. Be the tortoise, not the hare. My old problem was I always wanted to be the hare. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Anyway, have a great day everyone and get outside! It's almost spring!

Day 59

Shoulders and Arms today, 2 days after Chest and Back. So far, Phase 3 is my favourite! I feel like The Rock Obama (did you see the SNL skit on the weekend? The wrestler The Rock plays Obama when he gets mad, like The Hulk - very funny!).

Working on my "diamonds of gold" triceps like Tony calls Joe's arms in S & A. Is it just me, or is that a ridiculous saying? Diamonds are worth more than gold! Anyway...

Feeling pumped but also a bit anxious about tomorrow's weigh-in. I know I have fallen off the nutrition wagon more than I would like over the past few weeks. I think it will show up tomorrow. :( No one to blame but myself, but I won't let any setback stop me! Getting back to following the P90X nutrition plan is the best bet for me. I guess I haven't overcome all my diet hurdles yet. Still have to correct some old brain behaviours about food.

Day 58

Cardio this AM, feeling good soreness all over as my body recovers from the new exercise.

Probably the most effective thing about P90X is the variety. Just when I get complacent with the routine, BAM! it changes.

One thing I know for sure, I am glad I started with Lean, because Phase 3 is pretty much Phase 1 of Classic and I don't know if I would have stuck with it if Chest and Back had been my first workout!

Leading up to the weigh-in in 2 days, I have been working on weight indicators. Body Fat % seems to be the best indicator for my health in terms of weight. As for BMI, there are people that it just doesn't work for. According to BMI, I should be between 145 and 190+/-. Well, I was just under 190 when I was 17 years old. I was playing rugby and generally at the top of my fitness game. I think I was probably 145 some time in junior high school.

My goal is to get under 230, which happens to be at the top of overweight for my height, just under obese. Given that I expect to have about 20% BF or less by that time, I hardly think that is obese. We are all built differently. BMI does not work for me.

Day 57

Phase 3 started today! Chest & Back, ran out of time and had to take my youngest son to pre-school. Will do ARX tonight.

Oh man! Starting each new phase is like a birthday party, you don't know what you will get but it is always a nice surprise!

Doing pull-ups and push-ups for an hour really gets the pump going! I went all caveman for the last 8 dive bomber push-ups in round 2; good thing my kids didn't see me, they might have called animal control.

Discipline versus Regret

“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” ~ Jim Rohn

Here is an interesting article that talks about discipline and regret.

The author's definition of self-discipline is: Getting yourself to do the things you need to do when you need to do them whether you feel like it or not.

The key is to do things WHEN you need to do them, not later when it might even be too late. That means each time I eat something, I have to ask myself if that action is something I need to do to accomplish my long-term goal of becoming healthy. I haven't had much of a problem working out for the past eight weeks, but if there is anywhere that I have fallen short of my goals, it is with what I have been eating.

The past week or so has been really up and down for me making nutritious eating choices. I could blame stress from any number of sources, but in the end it comes down to me making a decision when I have food in front of me. Maybe the unhealthy food would initially taste good, but it would do nothing positive for my health and may not even be that satisfying after all.

I remember meeting a client at my job about 10 years ago who was filled with regret; at our first meeting, he told me -- a complete stranger -- about his remorse about never marrying his girlfriend after World War II. She ended up marrying someone else and he had remained single his entire life. He told me this 50 years after the war! I then promised myself to not live my life with regrets about the things I didn't do. While I have made some pretty extreme decisions since then, those who know me can probably guess those decisions, that philosophy has guided me fairly well.

I think the time has come to amend that vow to include eating in a healthy manner. I thought about it the other day, I have never really had healthy eating habits as an adult. Ever since I was a young adult, I have eaten junk food many times a week, often nearly every day. It is a wonder that I have not suffered a major health catastrophe or illness. My lack of self-discipline has caused me embarrassment and lowered my self-image, among a number of effects it has had on me. I would say it has also caused me regret, since the past 18 years of my being overweight cannot be re-lived. What I must do now is change before my regret weighs tons, rather than merely pounds (I am beyond ounces of regret).

That article was food for thought (no pun intended) as I work on changing my nutrition and eating habits for good.

Day 56

End of week 8 for me, onto Phase 3! Did Stretch this morning. Having done it twice this week during recovery week, I can see why there is the option to play the DVD without dialogue. It gets too familiar and I end up fast-forwarding through the little bits of downtime in between exercises, to get to the routines themselves. There is a fair bit of waiting time in that DVD in particular.

It was tough to get up in the dark again this morning after it being progessively brighter when I got out of bed over the last little while. However, Daylight Saving Time is a sign that summer is coming!

Day 55

Yoga this time, still a challenge at about halfway though, with a number of single leg balance postures. Late posting this because I don't usually turn the computer on during the weekends. Cheryl & I spent a fun evening with Dave & Lauren, I am ready for a re-match of Cranium!

Day 54

Cardio this AM, 622 calories burned. Less than a week until 60 day weigh-in and photos. Feeling that old anxiety that I felt leading up to the 30 day mark, although I am pretty sure my weight loss will be nowhere near Phase 1 level. I have missed 5 workouts in the past week or so and lately my nutrition has been off plan more than on plan. Still finding that balance of healthy eating and splurging. However, exercise-wise, I am back on track and feeling so much better! You know you're hooked on the endorphins from working out when you miss 2 days and you feel grumpy and irritable all day. I realize that a couple of days ago I felt like I used to feel every day before P90X.

Day 53

Back on track after missing a couple of days. I've been working late the past 2 night and I overslept yesterday, so that was an innocent missed day. Did Stretch X, but was very careful during the hamstring stretch. I worked on the distance past my toes rather than getting my head down to my knee. I can reach my entire hand past my foot, which is probably about 6 inches further than when I started. The changes are incredible!

Day 52

I slept in this morning, things are very busy at work and I didn't get home until late. It doesn't look good for me getting home anytime early tonight either, since I am supposed to attend a professional development course all day tomorrow, so any work that I can finish off for the week has to be done tonight. I wasn't looking forward to Kenpo with all its kicks and my knee still tender anyway.

Feeling a bit low as I have not done very many workouts in the past week: 2 in 7 days, to be exact. I have been tempted to start week 8 over again, but I want to stay on the 90 day program, with all that happens along the way. I do not intend to stop after 90 days, so missing a few workouts is not the end of the world. What bums me out is that I went seven weeks without missing a single day, then the past week has been so out of whack, with the Quebec trip, my knee injury on Monday, and working late for the last couple days.

Recipes from Tony Horton's chef

Missy Costello is advertised as Tony Horton's personal chef. Here are some recipes from her website.

Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili

2 TBL Olive oil or Coconut Oil
1 Red Pepper, chopped
1 Medium Red Onion, diced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 large Garnet Yam, cut into cubes (1/2 inch)
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 28-oz can of Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
3 cans Black Beans (or 4 cups freshly cooked)
1 TBL. cumin
1 TBL. Chili Powder (I use a Chili Blend)
1 tsp. Cocoa Powder
1 c. chopped Cilantro for garnish (optional)

In large pot, heat oil over medium heat and sauté garlic, onion, red pepper & sea salt until soft (about 4-5 min). Add the cumin & chili powder and stir to combine. Cook for another minute. Add chopped sweet potato & lime zest, cooking about 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, black beans, lime juice and cocoa powder. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.

Top with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime, if desired. Serve over brown rice or with corn bread


Missy’s Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 Large Butternut Squash Roasted (this can be done day before)
2 TBS. Olive Oil or Ghee
1 Large Shallot, diced small
1 Large Sweet Potato, peeled & cubed
2 stalks celery, diced
5 Carrots, peeled & chopped
4 C. Vegetable Broth
½ - 1 C. Unsweetened, Plain Almond Milk
½ tsp. Cumin Powder
1 inch piece of fresh Ginger – peeled & grated
dash cinnamon
dash of cloves
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Maple Syrup or Agave Syrup (Optional)
Water

Heat oven to 350. Cut Squash in half lengthwise. Line a baking dish or cookie sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Place squash cut-side down on baking dish or sheet and poke holes in the squash with a sharp knife or fork, then spray squash with cooking oil spray. Bake for about 30-45minutes or until squash can be easily pierced with a fork. Take out of oven and let cool.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add shallot and ginger, and sauté for about 3 minutes until soft/translucent. Add sweet potato, celery & carrots. Saute for a few minutes and add cumin powder, stirring to incorporate. Add broth. Cover pot, and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

While potato is cooking, remove seeds from squash and discard. Scoop out the flesh from the skin and put into a bowl. Discard the skin. Add Squash to pot and cook with potato for a couple minutes. Add more broth if necessary.

In batches, spoon mixture into blender and puree until very smooth or use a hand blender. Place back in soup pot on LOW heat and add maple syrup (optional), salt, pepper, cinnamon & cloves. Soup will be very thick. Start to stir Almond Milk little by little, and be careful not to let soup boil, as milk will curdle. Keep adding either water or milk until soup is consistency you want.

OPTIONS:
Add 2 medium pears, peeled and cubed and cook with sweet potato


Tony Horton’s Supreme Vegetarian Burrito
(Makes 6-8 Burritos)

1 cup dry Quinoa or Brown rice, cooked
1 Red Bell Pepper, de-seeded & sliced into thin strips
1 Green or Yellow Bell Pepper, de-seeded & sliced into thin strips
1 Red onion, sliced thinly
½ c. Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes

½ small red onion, diced
1 - 15oz. can Organic Black Bean
3 tsp ground cumin, divided
1 TBL Chili Powder (Mexican style blend)
1 tsp Sea Salt
Pepper to taste
2 TBL. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Pkg. Sprouted or Whole Wheat Tortillas

Extras (optional):
Avocado
Cheese (preferably non-dairy)
Salsa
Tempeh Bacon (if you are using this, put it inside the burrito before rolling)

While quinoa/rice is cooking, heat 1 TBL of the Olive oil in a large skillet. Add peppers & onions and sauté until soft – about 3-5 minutes. Add 2 tsp. cumin, Chili Powder, ½ tsp. sea salt and continue cooking for 2 more minutes, stirring to incorporate all the spices with the peppers & onions. Add Tomatoes and stir to mix. Lower heat and cover, cooking for about 5 minutes until peppers are really soft.

To prepare beans, heat remaining TBL of olive oil in a saucepan and add red onion. Saute the onion until soft. Add remaining 1 tsp of cumin and ½ tsp. salt, stir together. Add black beans and stir to incorporate all ingredients. Let cook for 1-2 minutes longer until beans are heated through. Add 1 cup of cooked quinoa or rice to the beans and stir together. Season with fresh ground pepper and remove from heat.

To Assemble:
Heat Tortilla shell over low open flame on stove to soften. Place the tortilla on a flat surface. Spread a very small amount of grated cheese over entire tortilla. Add 1 scoop of pepper & onion mixture to bottom 1/3 of tortilla. Top with 1 scoop of quinoa/bean mixture. Add avocado (optional) and Roll!!


Tony's Favorite VEGAN Cardamom Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c. Spelt Flour
3/4 c. Rolled Oats
1/2 c. chopped Walnuts
1 c. Grain Sweetened Chocolate Chips
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
3/4 tsp. Baking soda
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
Pinch Ground Cardamom
2/3 c. Agave Nectar
2/3 c. Grapeseed Oil
2 TBL Water or Almond Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Place dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Combine wet ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together. Add wet mixture to dry and stir well with wood spoon. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Place by the tablespoon on a baking sheet lined with Parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy with a glass of cold Almond Milk.

Day 51

Core Syn this AM, on Day 2 of Week 8. Week 8! Really? Still can't believe how fast time goes by. I guess it passes at the same rate, the difference is while 8 weeks passed by before, I wasn't doing anything about my weight. Now I am and I feel great!

Hmmm... rate, weight, great. "I can't see too good, is that Bill Shakespeare over there?" ~Chris Farley

Anyhoo... My knee is still tender, but I focused on form rather than using weights this time, to make sure the ligament was OK. I think it's good to go, but I am mindful of it now, and my wrist, and my lower spine, and..., and..., and...! Hahahaha!

I had to work on defeating my negative self-talk this morning. It's funny how quickly it sets in, miss one day and the enemy is telling you all the reasons why you can't do something! The hardest part is not our physical limits, but the mental barriers that we set up for ourselves. Telling yourself "I can't" or "I'll do it later" is the leading cause of quitting anything, be it working out, stopping a bad habit, whatever. I believe that I have cracked the code! What keeps me going is remembering that I have family and friends who want me to succeed!

I am glad that I am still exercising and blogging, despite the obstacles. I have noticed a change in my attitude since a few short weeks ago. The hardest place to change on your body is between one's ears. I know I have made that change. Until the switch clicked in my head, I was spinning my wheels: going on a fitness kick for a couple weeks, then giving up. How many times did I do this over the years?

The thing to remember is that yesterday is only a word, not a place you can go back to.

Now I focus on what I can do today. Tomorrow, I will focus on what I can do that day. Pretty soon, I sure I will surprise myself at what I have accomplished!

One thing that I have learned is to KPP and fast forward through the individual parts that I temporarily can't do because of injury. That way, I am still working out as much as possible and still getting the burn everywhere else. I have found that missing workouts gives me another excuse to miss another, then another, then I wake up with a mouth full of cake in front of the TV with a test pattern on. OK, maybe that was a little exaggerated, but you get the idea.

Day 50

Well, yesterday during Stretch X, I seem to have popped a ligament in my knee. I remember the pop when I was going for the single leg ham stretch and didn't think much of it since my joints are fairly musical anyway.

Unfortunately, my knee was sore last night before I went to bed. I took a couple Tylenol and hoped for the best. This morning, same pain so I wrapped it with a Tensor bandage and took a couple aspirin (supposed to be good for joint pain?).

I will try to go through Yoga this evening, but without the balance postures on my left leg. I guess the old bod ain't what it used to be.

While I hate missing workouts (Who said that? Certainly not the old Phil, ha!), I understand that a couple of days downtime is better than weeks. I will modify, modify, modify!

I weighed myself just in case this ends up being serious, so I have a benchmark. Down to 276.2 pounds and 37.8% body fat, on Day 50.

That means I am down to 104.4 pounds of body fat and 171.8 pounds of lean body mass. Since Day 30, I have lost 6 pounds overall, including a loss of 7.6 pounds of fat and a gain of 1.6 pounds of muscle. I am happy with those results, although they don't match my rate of the first 30 days. I am not surprised at that, however, since my nutrition was cleaner in Phase 1. Besides the addition of carbs in Phase 2, I was also eating protein bars every day for most of Phase 2 and have since stopped because I realized it was like eating a candy bar on top of all my other calories. I still have a few protein bars left and will save them for high calorie expenditure days.

So far, in 50 days, I have lost 27.3 pounds of fat and gained 12.7 pounds of muscle. I have a long way to go before I reach my weight goal, but P90X and the support of my family and friends like you guys will help me reach and maintain those targets. Thanks again, everyone.

Day 49

Really? Seven weeks finished already? I can't believe it.

Stretch X today. Felt good, surpassing my old limits and getting back to flexibility.

Small success, part 1: I touched my forehead to my straight leg on both of my single leg hamstring stretches! That is something I haven't done in at least 20 years!

Small success, part 2: On to the third notch on my old belt. Probably going to need to buy some new pants soon, I find they tend to bunch up around the waist and sometimes flap in the wind now.

Days 46, 47, 48

David Dawood and I flew to Ottawa for the first leg of our trip to watch the Halifax Rainmen play in Montreal. We stayed at Dave's parents' house in Ottawa after meeting up with Tim Jones, an old Sigma Chi friend of mine from university days. Friday afternoon, we flew to Montreal and made our way to Alistair and Kirsten's house. Friday night's game was cancelled and the team felt so bad for us not seeing a game that they asked us to continue along with them to Quebec to watch the game on Saturday, which we did. We watched the game in Quebec, being part of the handful of Rainmen fans in a crowd of 1,000. It was great fun, capped by the fact that the Rainmen had a great game and beat the Kebs 95-84.

In regards to P90X, I brought the DVD's but the time constraints of travelling to 3 cities and driving back home in 3 days did not permit me to do any workouts. I did do "Walk Around Montreal X" on Friday and Saturday, though. Nutrition was not great, but I am back in the saddle and will get in track once again on Monday with Stretch X.

Day 45 - Halfway!

Chest Shoulders & Triceps and Ab Ripper this AM. 722 total calories. My arms were shaking for about an hour afterwards! I matched or improved on all my personal bests from the previous two times doing this routine, so I feel really good about that.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about my fitness level and weight and I guess I realized that there is no "get rich/skinny/famous quick" pill. However, P90X is the closest thing to it for me!

Day 44

Cardio this AM, burned 609 calories. I replaced my first HR monitor because one of the buttons didn't work, so I couldn't calculate the calories burned during my workouts. Of course, my HR monitor doesn't allow for a weight input, so while I will use that number for my records, I think I burned more than that. At least I think that is a valid assumption: someone who weighs more will burn more calories doing the same exercise as someone who weighs less.

Great news: My P90X blog seems to have brought in some new converts! Three friends of mine are starting P90X, maybe a little bit based on my success so far. I think P90X is one of those things that people have heard of, but since it is advertised on TV, they are reluctant to try it until they hear of the success of someone they know. If that is a side-effect of this blog, then I am very happy!

One caveat for people just starting P90X: While the program can achieve amazing results, I would hesitate in trying to short-circuit the system to speed up your weight-loss. I probably have the most fat to lose out of anyone I know and I am sticking with the P90X program. Doing more P90X workouts than the schedule, especially when you are just starting, is more likely to cause you injury than it will increase your weight loss. And when you are injured, you won't be doing any workouts! Trust the plan and please take this advice.

Remember: You didn't gain all that weight or get so far out of shape in 90 days, so don't expect to lose all the weight in 90 days. The results will shock you (in a good way), just be patient.

P90X isn't just 90 days, it's just the first 90 days. Make exercise and proper nutrition your way of living and pretty soon the number of days and what you eat will become less of a constant concern, since they are simply how you live.

Have a great day everyone and Keep Pressing Play!

Day 43

Round 1, Week 7, Day 1. Core Syn today, it seems like I just did this one! The weeks are flying by...

I am going to go back on Phase 1 nutrition, at least for the next two weeks, to see how I feel with it. I feel like I have been overdoing carbs lately and since I have more fat to lose than many people who do P90X, I figure it is worth a try, in my efforts to drop the fat. The difference in exercises for Phase 1 and 2 is minimal, so I don't think my performance should suffer.

The rest day was good, although I didn't get the mental rest from the workout because I was debating about doing the stretch until around supper time. Letting go of daily stress is as much a contributor to health as other components like nutrition, sleep and exercise. I have a tendency to hold onto stress about stuff and some days it is harder than others, running a small business in this economy. Anyway!!! I am sure my body was relieved, but I don't think I will miss the stretch day again (at least for a while) since it feels so good afterwards.

The feeling of satisfaction and endorphins during and after the workout is worth the early rising to me, not to mention the results of weight loss, increased strength and endurance, as well as a lot more energy during the day.

Day 42

Six weeks in, and I have decided to have a Rest day, rather than choose the Stretch option for today. This is the first day in 42 that I have not done a P90X exercise. While Rest is a valid option in the program, it feels weird not to work out. My body is sore and I am tired today, from a combination of the kids sleeping poorly and the extremely high winds last night. Living on the ocean can have its drawbacks, like winter storms. I know, cry me a river. Anyway, I am looking forward to working out tomorrow morning at 6 AM, back on routine!

Day 41

Kenpo this morning. While I enjoy the workout, I am only in the lower end of my zone for pretty much the entire workout, even though I am going as fast or faster as the peeps. How do they get their HR's to 160's as mentioned in the DVD?

Day 40

Day 40 of Round 1 today - Wow! Time flies... when you are working your butt (and love handles, and gut) off!

Legs & Back today, didn't do the pull ups again for fear of hurting my wrist, but I forwarded throgh them right away and did all the leg exercises with no rest. Feel the burn! Next week I will venture back up on the bar. If that is no good, then I guess it will be bands for me for the time being.

A friend noticed my "guns" yesterday, it is a nice feeling for others to recognize the work I have done so far. Everyone else says they see it in my face, etc., but it was a bit of an ego boost to have my arms mentioned.

I ran a half marathon 5 years ago and have been promising myself another crack at it, since I missed my goal time by 92 seconds. I know, I know, the goal for the first time should simply be to finish it, but I get serious about my goals once I set them and those 92 seconds have been bugging me ever since. P90X is already getting me into better shape than I was when I ran the half, so I expect to do better next time.

I did L&B & ARX today as well. For the first time, I debated whether to do ARX afterwards since my legs felt like jelly during the last part of L&B, but then I kicked myself in the negative attitude and I did it. I had my best ARX ever! Sit-up V-up is still very tough for me, but I did all the reps in the 10 other moves, over 300 reps for the first time ever! I am glad I didn't wimp out on myself.

One last success story: I tried on two pairs of shorts (40") that six weeks ago I could barely put on, and forget about being even close to buttoning them up. This morning, I put them on and buttoned them up! From squeezing into 44" pants to getting into 40" pants in less than 6 weeks! You guys were right: I am really seeing the difference in the second phase. My goal was to comfortably wear size 38 pants, but now I think 36's are possible!

Have a great weekend everyone and KPP!

Day 39

Yoga this morning, didn't have a great sleep last night due to high winds outside, so I felt fairly trashed as I worked out. There are up days and down days, but they each only last 24 hours.

Great success: Earlier this week, I gave up my larger belts (42" and 44" - needing the largest loop on the 44" was what prompted me to start P90X) for an older, shorter (40") belt. I was on the first (biggest) notch until this morning; when I did it up, I naturally went to the second notch. Yay! Little breakthroughs like this remind me that the regime is working.

A couple of ideas from the Early Morning X'ers crew: Pre-cook chicken breasts at the start of the week and when you go to work, throw one in a Ziploc bag and eat it later, with some BBQ sauce. Great high protein, low carb snack. Also, for my right wrist, another board member suggested using weight lifting gloves to support my wrist. Sounds like just the ticket for me.

Day 38

Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps this morning, had about 5% improvement in reps over last week, even with the wrist bandaged and using push-up stands, so I am happy about that. My arms were shaking while holding myself up for cobra after Ab Ripper X and I still feel it now, over an hour later.

Andy's Antioxidant Smoothie recipe

1 Cup unsweetened frozen blueberries
1 Cup unsweetened frozen strawberries
1 medium banana
1 cup skim milk
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 heaping tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 scoop whey protein powder
add water to thin as desired

* optional: 1 dollop of natural peanut butter

Makes 2 servings

Greg & Ranae's protein bar recipe

Due to my recent discovery of the downfall to protein bars (cost, lots of carbs, generally terrible taste), I decided to post the home-made recipe of the leaders of my P90X message group. Ranae and Greg started Early Morning X'ers in the summer of 2008. I post on there every day, it keeps me going! Here is the recipe:

5 tbsp natural peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
* 1/2 cup dry oat meal or whole grain hot cereal (uncooked)
* 1/2 cup oat flour (double the dry oats if you do not have oat flour)
* 6 scoops chocolate whey protein (approximately 132 grams worth of low-carb protein powder)
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 tablespoons flax seeds (optional)
* 1 cup non-fat dry milk
* 1/2 cup water (depending on what type of protein you use, you may need to add more)
* Modifications: Use vanilla protein and replace ~1/4 cup of the oatflour with a variety of nuts, seeds, or dried berries.

Spray an 8x8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Combine dry ingredients in a medium size bowl and mix well. Add peanut butter and mix - the mixture will be crumbly and dry. Add water & vanilla. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, everything until a dough forms. The dough will be sticky. Spread dough into pan using a clean wooden spoon or spatula that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Refrigerate a few hours (or freeze for an hour) and cut into 9 squares. Wrap bars individually (use sandwich bags or plastic wrap) or store in covered container between sheets of wax paper. Keep refrigerated

220 calories, 22 g protein, 7.5 g fat, 18.6 g carbohydrate

Greg's comments: "Of course these numbers will change depending on the type of protein powder you use. They are about the size of a brownie and they taste pretty good. What I like best about them is that I know exactly what is in them. No chemicals or other questionable ingredients."

Day 37

Cardio X this morning. Happy that it is a relatively short workout, since I had to hit the road early for work.

It is important that I stay in the moment during my workouts, to make sure I don't simply go through the motions. It really is a matter of fighting for those extra reps, or those centimetres (or millimetres) of stretching in Yoga! You know, I think only those of us who have done P90X can understand my sense of accomplishment after finally touching fingers in the pretzel twist (my name for it). It may seem trivial to non-P90Xer's, but completing the hour and a half of pushing one's body to its limits and beyond is a real triumph that people who have never done it just can't understand. When I look back to how much I have progressed in the past 5 weeks, I am amazed, especially since this is only the beginning.

Why do I get up early every day to subject myself to an hour+ of rigorous exercise? I am doing this to get healthier so I can enjoy my wife and kids more and for many years to come.

Day 36

This journey isn't just 90 days, it's just the first 90 days.

Core Syn at 6 AM this morning, after the 9 PM Stretch last night... I felt it, like Tony H. after Mason Twists on the DVD.

Day 35

Did Stretch X at 9 PM, last late-night workout to get back on track for 6 AM routine. This way, I can also post on here on the day that I work out, to have better accuracy on how I felt afterward.

Day 34

Well, I guess it finally had to happen. I missed blogging yesterday, but I still worked out every day! I worked out at night on Saturday and Sunday and just didn't have the energy to post at 10 PM, when I finished Kenpo last night.

My wrist was OK over the weekend, I wore the Tensor strap for part of the day on Saturday and didn't do the pull-ups for Saturday's Legs and Back workout. I forwarded through the pull-up sections of the DVD and didn't give myself any rest time between legs erxercises. That probably more than made up for the lack of pull-ups! My legs definitely felt it. I know my wrist will never be 100%, but just keeping it in mind and taking care when I work out will reduce the chance of re-injury.

Doing Stretch tonight will be an easy way to get back into the 6 AM routine. Last night's Kenpo night got my engine running but I fell asleep surprisingly easy within an hour afterwards, which is unusual for me since late night (9 PM or later) exercising typically means I am awake for hours afterward. It must have tired me out after all.

Starting week 6 tomorrow, it's hard to believe 5 weeks have gone by so fast.

Day 33

Went to the doctor about my wrist today, he figures it could be arthritis from when I broke a bone in my hand as a teen, so yay for getting older! Supposed to do Legs & Back today, so I will do the leg portion and not do the pullups. Doc said not to do vigorous exercise for 2 weeks and to buy a wrist support. I bought the wrist support and will take it easy on wrist stuff for a bit. I don't want to take a total break from working out, for fear that I will not get back into the routine. A couple of people in my P90X group suggested push-up stands; I have thought about them, I may get them after all.

Dave is a weight-loss machine!

My friend Dave Dawood is in the fitness challenge with me. In fact, he and his brother Georges were the originators of the challenge. Dave was at our house this morning, dropping off Oliver and Elliot, and he asked to use our scale that measures body fat and weight. We didn't reset the stats from mine, since they are pretty close to his in terms of age and height.

As of this morning, Dave weighs only 232 pounds with about 31% body fat! That is 50 pounds lost in only 3 months! Congrats my brother! Dave acknowledged that he has lost muscle along with fat, so he is excited to start P90X next week, to build back some muscle mass. I think he will have great success with P90X and will maintain his weight, maybe even lose a few more pounds even with the muscle gain.

The point of this challenge is to give the participants a competitive reason to finally get fit again. While I am super-competitive and want to win the challenge, I am truly happy and proud of Dave for his accomplishment. I think we will go 1-2 in Ottawa and either Georges or Jeff will be wearing the dress. Who knows, maybe Jesse or Dean might have to wear it! We will see...

Day 32

It feels weird to type in "Day 32", maybe because I am used to there only being a max of 31 days in a month. I guess this is further proof to me that I have been doing this for over a month now.

Yoga X this morning. Got up early because of a big work day, so I was a bit sluggish starting off. When I got to twisty pretzel boy pose, I got to 2 fingers touching! That's twice as many fingers as last time, y'all!

"Take in the fact that you just did that. Sweet!" Tony's comment on the DVD reminds me to stay in the moment and revel in how far I have come till now and how much further I want to go!

I really did my right wrist yesterday on the 80th or so push-up (remember I have problems with that wrist), so I wrapped it in a Tensor bandage for the million (or so) Vinyasa's this morning. Went OK, I managed to push it a bit more on the last few of them, to test my wrist's strength.

Finished feeling much better than when I started, and that is the point, n'est-ce pas?

Day 31

Technical difficulties yesterday, so my post did not register somehow. Anyway, here it is:

Chest Shoulders & Triceps for the first time today. Oh boy, am I gonna be HUGE after doing these!!! That wasn't one of my inital goals but I know that hitting all those pushups is going to build my upper body to the point of actually looking good, rather than the blobby triangle I have been for too long. Hit the ARX right after and killed it! The recovery week really did its job. In Phase 1, I could only do about half of the workout. This AM, I matched the kids until the V ups and leg climbs. Those are the hardest for me and I just couldn't keep up on those. I am really pumped!

Day 30

Day 30 - Judgment Day, Part I

Knocked off a quick cardio this AM and then hit the scale, tape measure and camera for the first time in a month.

Day 0 Day 30 Difference
weight 290.8 282.2 -8.6 lbs
body fat 45.3% 39.7% -5.6%
chest 51" 49" -2"
waist 51" 49" -1.5"
hips 50.5" 49.5" -1"
rt. thigh 30" 26.5" -3.5"
lt. thigh 29.5" 26.25" -3.25"
rt. bicep flex 17" 17" 0"
lt. bicep flex 17" 17" 0"

I am happy with the changes so far. My main goal was a 5.0% body fat reduction, which I surpassed. The overall weight reduction is not what I was expecting, although in my goal I underestimated how much muscle mass I would add.

At Day 0, I had 131.7 pounds of body fat (yikes!). Today, I have 112.0 pounds of body fat (still yikes! but much better). My lean body mass is 170.2 pounds now, versus 159.1 pounds 30 days ago. So I lost 19.7 pounds of fat and added 11.1 pounds of muscle in 30 days. Those sound like huge numbers, but I am 6'2", I have a large frame and lots of fat to lose; percentage-wise, they are probably typical for Phase 1.

While I can see the difference in my torso, I am really surprised at the inches lost around my thighs. Now I know why my pants are like sails around my legs now! My torso measurements are also smaller, which is good, though I guess even more improved nutrition will make the waist and hips numbers drop more than the chest numbers, which is my eventual goal. No measurement change in my biceps but they are certainly more muscular and now they have some definition!

My high school stats (as best as I can remember) were:
height 6'2"
weight 188 pounds
chest 42" or 44"?
waist 32" or 34"?
thigh 23" or 24"

I remember having a 10" drop between my chest and waist when I was 18, but don't exactly recall the dimensions. I have always had tree-trunk legs, even when I was younger. They helped in the rugby scrum, back when I used to play. These are my almost no (maybe 10%?) body fat stats and I am aiming to eventually get as close to these as I can. I will be happy to be in the 220's for weight, below 20% body fat, and I want to get back to an 8" to 10" drop between chest and waist. I don't expect to hit these numbers in round 1, or even round 2. It may be round 3 or 4 before I reach my goals. The key is that I will reach my body size goals and I will maintain them.

Day 29

Round 1, Phase 2, Day 1. How the time flies when you are having fun! Core Syn this AM, after squeezing in X Stretch last night between work and supper. I felt like I was cheating myself if I didn't do the workout, even though I have a wicked cold.

Feeling good and looking forward to tomorrow's measurements and photos. My guess is 15 pounds and 5% body fat lost, but we will see. I have a lot to lose since I started a bit over 100 pounds more than my high school weight, so I think I will have those loss numbers.

My friend Dave, who is in the fitness challenge with me, will be starting the X next week. I don't think he is an early morning guy, but I will definitely encourage him to join the TBB forum!

Sheryl Crow endorses P90X

At the Grammys on Sunday night, Sheryl Crow was asked how she stays so fit and lean. Her answer? P90X! For all those women who are worried about getting bulky from resistance training, Sheryl Crow is a good example of a woman who does P90X and she is not bulky or masculine looking. With P90X, as with any weight or resistance training program, you can choose to life heavier weights with fewer repetitions (8 to 10) or lighter weights with more repetitions (12 to 15). The choice is yours.

Day 28

Well, that cold I have been battling kept me up all night, so I took advantage of the Rest day this AM and actually rested. I am itching to do Stretch today after work, though. I feel strong enough to do that, for sure. Also, I like the fact that I have pressed play for 27 days in a row and don't want to break my streak. Tony says it isn't a cult, but I know I am addicted to Bringing It!

Day 27

Yoga X as recovery week draws to a close. Measurement day T minus 3! I feel good today and actually touched my fingertips for the first time in the twisting pretzel thingy pose! That was a breakthough for me and I rejoiced in the moment!

I have been experimenting with the amounts of protein in my recovery drink and protein shake. I tried dialling down the protein, but found I was too hungry during the day, hence the off-nutrition on Tues and Wed, Grrrr at myself!

AS for protein bars, I have tried Myoplex lite, which is kind of like eating cardboard with rice krispies and chocolate on it. Not really my cup of tea. I have also tried Protein 32 (with 32 grams of protein). The bars are huge, about twice the size of other bars, so I have eaten half and save the rest for another time. The peanut butter was ok, I prefer the fudge brownie. My bro-in-law Gordon loves Detour bars, I haven't tried them yet. He says they are a lot like Oh Henry bars. My experience for the past 4 weeks has been to experiment to find out what works for me and what doesn't.

After all is said and done, my goal is to incorporate real life exercise on top of P90X! That is what it is eventually about: building your life around activity and being with your family and friends.

As for nutrition, it is about making sensible choices when faced with food at social events. I can't make the host provide all healthy food every time, so I will have to continue learning how to listen to my body.

Have a great winter day everyone!

Day 26

Cardio today, fighting a cold with lungs of fury (as opposed to fists of fury), so that was fun. Pushing through it, as always.

I am feeling trepidation at the impending Day 30 weigh-in and photos. I thought I was doing really well, but I went off nutrition plan a couple days this week and I am feeling it. One thing about not checking weight and body fat numbers before 30 days is I don't know how I am doing. Sure my clothes fit better, but my waistline isn't changing. I feel like I have hit a plateau; maybe that is normal, considering the P90X program has three phases to counteract such an event. I guess by not obsessively measuring myself, I keep myself honest and don't slack off if I have already reached or are really close to my goals.

Day 25

Stretch today as part of the recovery week. Felt good, but I am itching to get back to the regular routine. The lateness of this post shows how busy the last few days have been. I am trying to finish Phase 1 strong!

Question: Do I move on to Phase 2 on Day 29 or Day 31? Better read the manual again.

Day 24

Well, I learned the importance of the three pillars of health: nutrition, sleep and exercise. I ate a late supper last night because I worked late, didn't get enough sleep, and I paid the price this morning with Kenpo. I struggled to stay in my cardio zone, although I stayed with the program. Lesson learned. The key is that I don't feel like a failure or like quitting, this is a temporary setback and I will come back with the next meal, keeping my sugars consistent, and Pressing Play again tomorrow!

Day 23

Day 2 of the Recovery Week. Core Syn was a nice difference the day after Yoga, versus Kenpo. I think the real benefit of the recovery week is that your body doesn't fall into the rut of the same routine every week. Plus, it is less strenuous on the bod, to give it a chance to rebuild.

Just had the Six Million Dollar Man theme pop in my head: "We can rebuild him, we have the technology... Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster." I think I will start making the bionic sounds "na-na-na-na-na-na" when I am really pushing it, and also when I am fighting international criminals.

Day 22

Man! What a busy day, I am just now getting online to blog.

Started recovery week this AM, it took me a second to realize that 3 weeks have already gone by and I was not doing my regular routine.

Yoga was good, still tough in parts (Twisting Half Moon, anyone?) but I feel good about my progress.

I can actually feel fairly impressive muscles in my arms and definition is improving. Yay!

I used my new yoga mat for the first time today. Until now, I was using a dense foam sleeping mat that I used when I was a Scout leader. It worked OK but didn't give me the traction I needed for downward dogs without re-adjusting my hands every 5-10 seconds. I also picked up a heartrate monitor and a chin-up bar. No, I didn't win the lottery, just got the stuff on sale!

I still need to add to my meagre dumbbell collection. Does anyone have any advice re: Bowflex Select-tech dumbbells? I tried Powerblocks in a fitness store but they seemed bulky and the handles were small for my hands. I hope the Select-tech ones are better. I would buy a set of dumbbells but they would take up a lot of space that my rec room/gym does not have.

5 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight

Here is a link that came up when I signed in to my computer this morning:5 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight

In short, the reasons are:
1. Avoiding Real Change
2. The Quick Result Cult
3. Going to Extremes
4. Following Diet Trends
5. Conceding Defeat Too Soon

I believe that I have not succumbed to any of these 5 reasons during the past 3 weeks on P90X.

1. I have found that I have really changed how I think about food and my self image.

2. I have not resorted to using any kind of artificial weight-loss means, like colon cleansing or pills. I understand that I didn't gain this weight overnight. To get back to where I was years ago will take some time.

3. While the P90X nutrition guide is a fairly drastic change from my old eating habits, I still allow for a few changes in my nutrition. I hesitate to call them cheats, since that denotes that I am getting away with something, which is my old way of immature thinking about food.

4. I have tried the latest diet, time and again, only to quit it because the regime was artificial. I now feel like P90X has shown me that eating whole foods is far superior to processed junk food. My friend Alistair told me about this mindset a couple years ago, to only eat what you would recognize as food without any processing. My joking response to him was that I would recognize a cheeseburger as a cheeseburger. Lately though, I have developed a better appreciation for that way -- my new way -- of thinking. Thanks Alistair!

5. This has been the stumbling block for me so many times. I used to miss a day at the gym or have a fattening meal or two, then I would tell myself I will make up for it later, but then I wouldn't follow up on it. During the past 3 weeks, I recognize that one meal does not a failure make. As for the workout side, I have not missed a day and I don't plan on missing any in the future. This program fits into my schedule, it is quite varied so I don't get bored, and being part of a Team Beachbody online support group has made a real difference to me. Having other people to chat with, ask questions of and receive answers from, and generally give and get positive feedback has made a huge difference in my taking ownership and participating in P90X. This blog is also a big step for me. Even though I have been blogging for over two years now, this blog about my journey back to health and fitness has been a daily responsibility that I have taken on, to stay accountable to myself and to the few friends and family who are reading it. Thanks again for your support, everyone!

Day 21

Stretch today, 8 hours after Super Bowl Sunday. It was a good game, the outcome of the game was still undetermined, up to the last possession, which is a fun game to watch. Even though I was hoping for the Cardinals, it was a hard-fought game on both sides and I congratulate the Steelers for a record sixth Lombardi Trophy.

It's hard to believe three weeks of P90X have gone by already! Now for "recovery week".

I did OK on nutrition last night, kept it well under control, had water instead of beer (except for 2 beer, one in first half, next in second half), 3 chicken wings (no skin), some crackers and crab dip, and 2 mini cheesecakes. My bro-in-law hosted the evening with his HD projector. He also provided chili, which tasted awesome. I brought some rolls that I made myself and limited myself to one with the chili. I also brought the veggies and hummus, which made for good crunchy snacks throughout. Last year, I probably would have had 2 to 3 times the food and probably zero veggies or water.

While I wasn't totally on nutrition plan last night, the biggest change from last year (although it is commonplace for me to do now) was that I listened to my body to see if I really wanted any food, rather than just eating it because the food is in front of me and I wanted something to do.

Maintaining a healthy nutrition has always been the biggest challenge for me, exercise is not the hardest part (although I have usually fallen off the workout wagon too).

Overall, I feel good about myself emotionally as well as physically. Eating health(ier) at this Super Bowl was a goal I had set for myself after last year's pigout. I believe I have made good progress so far, but I realize that I have "miles to go before I sleep".

Thanks again to everyone for all of your support over the past few weeks; I feel like this is my New Year's Day. I am feeling good, feeling strong and looking better every day! LET'S BRING IT!

Day 20

Kenpo this AM. I was a little hungry this AM so I had a half-serving of protein & OJ (homemade version of recovery drink). Now I remember why I don't eat much before I work out! Stomach was upset about 40minutes into it. Back to water before workouts for me!

Steelers/Cardinals Super Bowl tonight - my challenge to eat as clean as possible is on!

Day 19

Legs & Back today. Had a weird burst of energy for my second round of pullups and did 3-5 more each time than in first round! Can't explain it but it felt good. I guess I went into caveman mode for a while.

Day 18

Yoga X this AM. My two youngest kids came downstairs and watched me work out for a while, then they started copying me as I did the twisting half moon. OK, they were lying on the sofa as they did it, but they were stretching! It was very cute and endearing, but so are they. Then they went upstairs and started running around with rubber boots on... so much for my chance to centre myself and zone in on the moment. After a few minutes, they stopped so I was able to cool down in relative peace and quiet. I slept in this AM and started late, so that is what happens in my house... I must get up at my regular hour next time!

Day 17

Half-way through Week 3, recovery week coming up -- although it doesn't look like much of a rest, more like a change! Well, they say a change is as good as a rest...

Shoulders & Arms today. I felt the burn! My wife noticed the difference in my arms afterwards, so yeehaw! That goes under the "other people noticing the change" column.

There are two people on the Early Morning X'ers TBB group who have been through some major health struggles and yet are doing P90X. SEAR has battled Gullain Barre Syndrome (GBS) which is a form of paralysis that is generally recoverable, but that can also lead to death. Thankfully, SEAR is still with us and he is inspired by his kids to do P90X. Solostyle is a young woman who was in a tragic accident a couple years ago that broke her pelvis as well as other major bones.

Reading SEAR's and solo's stories make me realize how fortunate I have been, with good health, despite my unconscious efforts to sabotage my health with overeating and lack of exercise in the past. SEAR, solostyle: You two are inspirations to me. Thank you for sharing your stories with me and the rest of the Early Morning X'ers group.

Day 16

Cardio X today, nice mix of parts from other routines. I am getting familiar with the exercises now, so my form is definitely improving.

Lately I have been curious about how others who are doing/have done P90X experienced their weight loss during round 1, to give myself some benchmarks.

I definitely feel slimmer, my clothes are loose, so I guess it is just my curiosity about the weight loss and what I can expect. Having seen some pretty remarkable before/after photos, I wondered what the progress was like for people over the first 90 days. Also, how about subsequent cycles? Was Round 2 where they really discovered that they lost weight/fat? Later Rounds? Hopefully the members of the TBB Early Morning X'ers will give me their stories.

Day 15

Core Syn today as Week 3, Round 1 begins for me. Feeling good, sweating it up.

With two weeks down, I am starting to wonder if my waistline is shrinking. I felt a difference almost right away as I lost water weight. I am into an old belt that I could not reach around my waist a month ago! Hurray! This is even with the increased muscle I have built in my core.

However, while remaining true to my resolution to not weigh myself until Day 30, I am not sure that I am dropping pounds because I know I am building muscle. My nutrition was not perfect last week, I had a couple of social engagements and was not eating 100% clean (but not to my old ways) on the weekend.

I am not hungry because I eat 5 to 6 small meals a day, including the recovery drink and a protein drink or bar sometime during the day. I just wonder what my calorie count really is. I suppose I can estimate it by going with the P90X nutrition guide, although the calorie count in there is for Level 1 and I am Level 3.

I had a very high body fat starting off, about 45% (!) according to my scale. I want to get it below 20% eventually, along with corresponding weight and waistline loss.

Day 14

Ahhhhh! X Stretch! Feels good! I can't imagine not doing this on the Rest day. I have noticed a difference in my flexibility, even though it has only been 2 weeks since I started P90X.

X Stretch isn't a routine that makes my heart race, but it is one of my favourites of the P90X program. Kenpo is probably the workout that gives me the most energy. Yoga is difficult to do but it is worth it by giving me increased strength, flexibility and balance for the other exercises and in real life. It leaves me feeling refreshed too; it is a strenuous but ultimately relaxing workout, as is the X Stretch.

Nutrition is still the area that I have to keep diligent on, with temptations on every billboard in town as well as in all sorts of TV ads. No wonder one-third of North American adults are obese! While I have had a few carbs this weekend, I temper my portions to a fraction of what I would have had a few weeks ago. That guy is gone, long live the new king!