Today is a very special day for me. On December 20, 2009, I pressed play for the first time on P90X. Now I had been an active person for most of my life up to this point. I enjoyed playing around with weights in the gym , going for runs and signing up for a race or two. But I had fallen far away from the quasi active / healthy lifestyle I had always maintained.
I started by buying a treadmill and then purchasing Bowflex’s SelectTech 1090 Dumb bells. I tried the workouts that came along with the SelectTechs, but it just didn’t keep me motivated. So I went onto Bowflex’s website to look for some other workout DVDs. And it was there I stumbled upon P90X. I had never heard of it. I never saw the infomercial. I didn’t know anyone doing it. It was completely foreign to me.
So I clicked on the link. I liked that it had fitness and nutrition. I liked that it had a varietyy of workouts (cardio, resistance, yoga, kickboxing, etc). So I spent $119 and hoped for the best. I didn’t even get a coach until 6 months into my journey because I didn’t know they existed!
Here was my first day of pressing play on Chest & Back. The parenthesis were when I needed to do an assisted move. (Chair Assist for Pull-Ups, Knees for Push-Ups). For those not familiar with this workouts, you have 2 rounds of the same 12 exercises so the second line is the second time through.
It is hard to believe it was 3 years ago. And as I look back on the video I created capping my first year, it does seem like a long time ago. But I remember this. It was NOT easy. Change is NOT easy; particularly when you are changing life long habits.So my biggest challenge was still staring me in the eye! I was always a fast food junkie. And being an ectomorph body type, I was able to get by with still being pretty skinny. At 6’1, my heaviest weight was 200 lbs. Even my cholesterol only peaked at 200. I say “only” because by American standards, that isn’t too bad.
BUT…and here is the but. I was sick…alot. I was sluggish. I was tired all the time. The list goes on and on.
So what was the hardest part of my journey, but also the most life altering? Changing what I put in my mouth. This was a pretty regular meal for me. Portillo’s is primarily a Chicago-based fast food chain and one of my favorite places. I used to order (2) Jumbo Dogs, a Large Cheese Fry. a Large Chocolate Shake, and a Large Coke. And occasionally I would switch it up and get an Italian Beef (Dipped). Italian Beef is another Chicago thing but it is roast beef in au jus and then I would have them to dip the whole sandwich in au jus (which is straight fat).
Changing what I ate scared the hell out of me. And it took time. It took months of work. It took determination and a maniacal focus on keeping my goals in the forefront of everything I did. So as I reflect on my last 3 years, this is what I am most proud of. Because real health…true health…comes from fueling our bodies properly. And now, my food habits are just as natural as my old ones.
I have so many people to thank. Too many to list. So I will just say that you know who you are. I would have never guessed where a simple act of pressing play would have brought me 36 months later. If I had to sum up what i have learned, I would say this.
“Be the best version of you that you can be.”
“Live clean.”
“Live with humility, gratitude, and compassion.”
“Do things that help you thrive!”
“And always remember that ‘With God, all things are possible.’
Stay Tuned Tomorrow! If you want to take that first step, what we have coming tomorrow will help!
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