P90X: "Fit to Clean the Yard" Day 43 of 90

Okay I know, it's not fall.  I know that because I have no football game to focus on and I am in the middle of sports hell, also known as March Madness.  Basketball is the sport I like least.  Including some of those weird Olympic sports like Curling.  I spent the better part of the fall writing and producing my book, A Faithful Elf.  I then came out of Christmas into the 'weekend burning' NFL Playoffs, because it also goes on Saturdays.  By the time February came, I had stated P90X.  So, you can imagine what my yard looks like.

Actually, using the word "yard" for that agricultural mess behind my house is an insult to people who actually make a half-hearted attempt to make theirs look nice.

So this morning, after a really restful nights sleep, I was, unusually, the first one up.  I made my breakfast and got into my workout.  I did Ab Ripper X, then the Chest, Shoulders and Triceps and then I did 45 minutes of speed walking on my treadmill.  Then I had my Shakeology lunch and spent the next three hours raking leaves and doing yardwork.  It was a day of real work.

The amazing thing was, unlike other years when I pick up a rake for the first time in a while, it was much easier on me physically.  I have to say 'physically' because I hate yardwork so it is always a challenge mentally.  Just ask anyone who knows me.  I don't try to hide these kinds of things...if I don't like something, I let you know.  If I could afford artificial turf, I would have it put down in a heartbeat.  The only issue would be that it gets about 20 degrees hotter than the temp, so in August my puppy would charbroil her little tootsies off.  So for now, I am stuck with grass.

I sometimes get lucky, pick up a rhythm, and then lose myself to my thoughts.  But the other half of the time is pretty miserable.  I have to say, I actually feel pretty damned good right now.  I also sit here kind of wondering how the plyometrics may have improved my skiing.

Today's blog is short.  I am kind of cruising with this P90X thing.  Every learning process has four phases, Adaptation, Execution (Once), Repetition, and Mastery.  Repetition is the part that sets you up for mastery, but it requires patience, diligence and determination.  To fend off the boredom, sometimes you just have to take your new learnings out for a spin.  That was today.

Happy St. Patricks Day...Plyometrics tomorrow!

P90X: "Dick's Actual Diet...Does Calorie Counting Work?" Day 42 of 90

I weighed myself for the first time this AM.  When I started this program, I told myself that it didn’t matter if I lost zero pounds…so long as I saw tangible results in the mirror.  I am definitely seeing results.  The new question is, after switching to P90X Classic from the P90X Lean routines, am I getting enough calories?  The Lean routine is much less strenuous from a muscle and muscle building perspective.  The Classic routine incorporates an extra day of Ab Ripper and one more hard muscle building day.

The one big mistake I made, or “thing I should have done,” was weigh myself on day one.  I have a guess that I was at about 220, maybe a little more.  It was the highest I had been at since losing my weight in 2008.  The lowest I have been is 198 when I was running every day.  I know the number because I memorized it as the first time I had been below 200 since I was 21.  198 was the result of staying on the low calorie intake and running like crazy.  Because of the lack of a well-rounded routine, and having just come off of what amounted to a starvation diet, I was very light on muscle mass.

P90X is different.  This is designed to have you lose fat but also build muscle.  While you will lose weight, the goal is not precisely ‘weight loss.’

That said, I weighed myself this morning.  205.  By my count, in forty two days, I have lost about 15 lbs.  It probably seems like a lot.  On the Optifast Diet I lost about 5 lbs per week routinely…but I was obese.  I also was not building muscle, which means I was losing both fat and muscle mass.

I have begun to feel exhausted on the Classic routines.  I have been questioning all week whether or not I am taking in enough calories.  On my Beachbody team, in addition to our Coach/Leader Lisa Barker, we have a Coach who specializes in Nutrition, Melissa Binkley.  She has volunteered to do a nutritional analysis of my diet, in order to answer my concerns.

You may follow along!  This is a curious experiment because, if you have followed my blog, you know by now that I eat an insanely consistent diet.  This makes the diagnosis easier.  If you are doing Beachbody, or are a dietician, or are interested in the math of weight loss, I think you will find this interesting!

Breakfast

½ cup of oatmeal                                        150 cals

½ cup of natural applesauce                          50 cals

Palmful of Raisins                                             ?

Coffee, 4 oz 1% milk                                       ?

One scoop of Protein Powder                    130 cals

Lunch

1 lb of salad greens mostly lettuce.  Green Pepper, Olives    ?

1 Hard Boiled Egg                                             ?

3 oz lean Chicken or Fish                                   ?

1 piece of Fruit                                                    60 cals

Afternoon Snack

1 NutriGrain Bar                                                120 cals

Dinner

Shakeology                                                         150 cals

½ Fruit blended in                                                 40 cals

1 Protein Bar                                                      200 cals

Evening Snack

¾ cup of mixed nuts                                               ?

2 pieces of fruit                                                 150 cals

When I look at the calorie count.  It looks low.  I weigh 205 and work a fairly sedentary daily job on a computer.  I probably burn a normal amount of about 2200 calories per day.  On top of that is P90X and the Treadmill.  With that, I am maybe burning another 800-1000 calories per day.  I can call it an even 3000 calories per day used.  Without knowing the calories for several things on my list, I have counted at least 1080 calories and estimate about 500 calories for the missing items.  I am probably between 1600 and 1700 calories per day.

The calorie deficit would be about 1300 calories per day or 9100 calorie deficit per week.  3500 calories approximately equals one pound of weight.  Divide 9100 by 3500 and that puts me at 2.5 lbs per week of weight loss.  It’s been about 6 weeks now….which totals to…wow…15 lbs.  On the dime.

If you ever wondered if weight loss math works…just reread this.  I didn’t expect it to be that accurate.  But it is!

I am very familiar with diet math after the medical diet program I was on four years ago.

Now, the big nutrition question is, based on this routine, am I taking in enough calories to build muscle and do the physical exertion?  Let’s face it, I can’t run this calorie deficit forever.  When you run the deficit, the energy being depleted comes from carbohydrates first.  When they are used up, and on my diet that happens fast, your body then pulls the calories from your fat and protein stores.  At this point, your body will pull from fat and protein in an uneven ratio but depends on your level of fitness and your exercise regimen.  It gets the fat calories from, well, your fat.  It gets the protein, however from ingested protein and then from the protein stores in your muscles...which defeats the purpose of a muscle building program.  So there is a balance here to be maintained as well as a point where the calorie deficit may be hurting the physical fitness goal.

This is where Melissa comes in.  I want to build the muscle as well as lose the weight and she will tell me whether I have the right formula for this or not.  If I don’t, I will change to whatever she says.  Why?

Go check out her pictures on Facebook.  That’s why.

Many who read my blog and look at the weight loss I have had will listen to my advice because I have actually done it.  If that is the case, then you have to listen to Melissa when you are trying to sculpt a more muscular body…because she has done it.

Thanks for following and I will keep you plugged In to her response!

P90X: "Check the Fuel Level!" Day 41 of 90

I am at Day 41 of P90X.  I am leaner right low than I have ever been in my life, including my four years in the Army almost thirty years ago.  This workout affects just about every muscle in your body.  The diet on this regime is also, if followed well, pretty strict.  I am at a point now where I think I need to make some changes to my diet. 

In the first thirty days, my body was using a lot of my existing fat stores for fuel in addition to the food I was putting into it.  When I exercised, I always had sufficient energy.  As my fat stores deplete themselves and slowly become nothing more than excess skin, I feel like I may be burning out in some of the routines due to lack of caloric intake.  It might be other things as well but right now, given how rigid I am with my diet and routine, I think it’s the fuel.

I am going to research a little today and ask for some nutritional counseling.  I do know that I don’t log what I eat…mainly because it is the same almost every day.  I also know that it is a calorie level that is under what I am burning.  The weight is coming off so I know I am taking in less than I am burning.

The things I think I need to know are (1) the best sources of muscle building protein and (2) the best vitamins and minerals necessary to convert those sources INTO real muscle.

I am also going to try to change my exercise routine slightly so I can get to sleep earlier.  This week we adjust the clocks for Spring and my body has taken a few days to adjust.  I know it sounds stupid but my body runs with the consistency of a clock these days and small changes in routine are instantly noticeable.

Short blog today…I have research to do!!

P90X: "Ownership Equals Accountability" Day 40 of 90

I blog every day about P90X.  I blog about my successes and my failures.  I don’t just share the good, although there is much of it.  The most compelling parts are when there are issues and I need to reach out to the coaches.  There is one more reason for the blogging.  Accountability.

To be a person of substance, I believe you have to be accountable.  No one ever minds if someone wants to be in charge, so long as the decisions are rational and clear, and the decision maker is accountable.  If you are willing to accept a position of responsibility, you need to be that kind of person.

There is no one word that scares people today more than accountability.  We have become a nation of people who avoid it.  Everyone wants to have an equal voice.  Everyone wants their opinion and decisions to carry the day.  Everyone wants authority.  It is only a rare few that also will accept accountability for that voice and opinion.  More than ever, accountability is being shirked in the form of blame and deflection.  Everyone wants the reward, but very few will accept the risks that go with it.  There are more and more people than ever today who are claiming rewards while putting the risks on everyone else.  When people lose confidence in their leaders, that’s the reason.

Everyone wants authority.  It’s the ultimate badge of success for many to be “the person in charge.”  “I’m the big cheese, the head-honcho…stroke my ego please.”  Authority is an illusion.  True authority comes when you have the knowledge and confidence to make a decision, and then have the courage and integrity to own that decision in the form of accountability.  If you are not doing that, then you have no authority, regardless of what title may hang on your door.  If you have those qualities, but no official title…you are the leader.  Everyone knows it.  If you have the title, and none of those qualities, then you are a figurehead.  People nod up and down to you and then laugh behind your back.  That is reality.

Nothing threatens the fragile ego of a hollow leader more than a knowledgeable and confident decision maker who will take complete responsibility for their decisions.  Hollow leaders are easily exposed.  They are the ones who say they are the authority, but the decisions belong to someone else.  They are also the ones who, when faced with the responsibility for a decision they are accountable for, default to a group democracy to spread the blame.  They are also the ones who put no processes in place that will expose them as the accountable party.  If there is a chaotic and undisciplined decision process, it is almost always the result of leaders who want no accountability.  If you can’t show who made the decision, no one is at fault.  Right?

Parents, teachers, coaches, employers, politicians…everyone wants a seat at the table.  Everyone wants a voice.  Precious few are willing to own that voice.  Lack of accountability has cheapened every opinion.  A “voice” as currency is worth almost nothing.  Ever heard the phrase, “That’s only their opinion, every blank has one.”  That’s because it’s far too easy to express yourself and want your way without accepting the consequences.

This is a leadership dynamic that happens in any organization.  But it happens at the personal level as well.  Who owns your decisions?  Are you accountable for you?

When I began my weight loss and fitness journey in 2008, I was amazed at the number of people that did not tell anyone how much they weighed, how much they wanted to lose, how hard they were working on this diet or, for that matter, that they were even ON a diet.  Many said it was because they were afraid they would fail.  I never bought that.  It’s truly about accountability.  Once you put it out there, you are on the hook for it.  It’s bold.  Bold scares people…because it takes guts.  That boldness also does other things, it makes you feel accountable and demands performance.  In today’s society, very few want that.  If you never make you goals and work known to anyone, all you are doing is designing a massive escape hatch for your plan.  An escape hatch not "in case" you fail, but for "when" you fail.  Because it's coming.  It’s like getting married with a pre-nup…you have designed the outcome of your potential failure.

When I blog, I am accountable.  I am accountable for what I write.  When I share my goals…same thing.  I love my P90X group for just that reason.  They don’t hold me accountable, they don’t have to.  I write about what I am doing and share it with them.  I am accountable just for doing that.  I hold myself accountable.

Someone asked me the other day how I knew the people working with me were actually in shape and were credible.  The funny part is, it doesn’t really matter.  I am not trying to get them in shape.  I am trying to get ME in shape.  I don’t care if they are a team of the most overweight, obese, closet eating sugar junkies to ever walk the planet.  The illusion is working for ME.  It isn’t working because of them.  It is working because I am holding myself to my plan.

I own my fitness.  I am accountable for it.  Because I am writing it down, I am even MORE accountable for it.  I don’t just limit my writings to the private workout forum, I put it on my personal sites and make it public.

Are you owning your fitness?  Are you owning everything else in your life?

That is the question of the day.  Accountability.

P90X: "P90X is Your Opportunity" Day 39 of 90

P90X requires a choice.  I can go to my basement every night and pop in a DVD and do the workouts, or I can watch reruns of Big Bang Theory.  I can follow my diet, or I can eat donuts.  The level of instruction that came with the program is incredibly detailed and thorough.  There is online help in the form of personal Beachbody coaches and there are tons of websites to go for advice.  All I have to do is decide to do it.

I could decide to not do it.  I could rationalize that by many things.  Ninety days is too long.  I can’t be expected to discipline my diet that way.  It requires me to buy weights (it doesn’t).  I need yoga blocks (you don’t, you can use something else).  It’s mainly for men.  It’s mainly for women.  I don’t have time.  It’s endless.

I can blame almost anything at all for my failure to just “do it.”

What P90X gives you is an opportunity.  That’s all.  An opportunity is not ‘instant fitness.’  You don’t get the program and then suddenly wake up looking like the people in the DVD.  What it gives you is everything you need to have/know to complete the mission except motivation and determination to affect a change on yourself.  That has to come from inside you.

 I was a party to a very interesting online debate last night. 

One side was claiming that societal discrimination, oppression, sexism and a plethora of other things were the reason that women and minorities are not in the pantheons of leadership.  That side was citing the lack of those folk as CEO’s, millionaires, politicians as evidence that there was a lack of opportunity for those groups.

The other side to the debate was arguing that opportunity was more abundant than ever and what is missing is the drive to actually take that opportunity and convert it into success.

Guess which side I was on?

When I look around this country, there has never been more opportunity for people.  Education is as available as it is ever going to be.  A young man even founded a school online called Khan University, offering a world class education, online, for free.  It was featured on 60 Minutes the other night.  The online space has offered numerous opportunities for people of ingenuity to achieve their goals.  College educations, while becoming astronomically high priced, are still geared towards making it cheaper for the disadvantaged.  Jobs are becoming less and less about the ‘who’ is applying and more about the ‘what’ is applying.  ‘What’ skills, what attitudes, what behaviors and what motivation.

Opportunity is NOT the instance of being given a CEO’s job because you can locate the corner office as well as the person with 25 years of business experience and an MBA.  It is NOT the starting position on the basketball team because you know how to spell ‘shoot’ as well as the person who can hit a jumpshot from forty feet out.  It is NOT being handed the prize without the work.  Opportunity is an intern position at Microsoft, not Bill Gates’ office.

Opportunity is a chance.  It’s when you are given the means to accomplish something and then YOU have to do the work.

There was a day when all that was available to us in this society was a book on fishing.  We were responsible for finding the pole, the bait, the tackle box and the right lake.  There was a day when the most ingenious would go after getting the materials and then would also have to learn how to do it.  There were also, in that time, certain barriers to obtaining those things.  It created inequities.  But that did not stop the driven.

Today, more than ever, there is information on how to fish, on where to get a free rod, on where to find the best bait, on where the best waters are, on the top methods of fishing.  Fifty years ago, if that same driven person referenced above had been given access to that information, that person would have drained the whole lake of fish.

I wanted to write and publish a book.  There was a day when that would have been impossible.  I found all kinds of information, relatively cheaply, on how to do it.  I simply had to apply the knowledge diligently.  I also had to sit down and write the book…which took three years on and off.  It was work…but I wanted to do it.

I wanted to build an Online Bank at my old company.  Company decisions that were not mine to make were real obstacles.  But I found a company that wanted to do it, and I did it for them.  We opened it last week.  You may find it at http://www.smarterbank.com.

I wanted to lose weight and keep it off.  Done.  Four years and still cranking.  I could eat whatever I wanted.  I don’t have to be diligent about it.  But I would pay the price and lose what I have achieved.

I wanted optimum fitness and to see how fit I can get…and here I am with P90X.

Self-help abounds in today’s society.  There has never been more information about how to succeed from work skills, to people skills, to leadership skills.  You can find tons of information on how to make yourself more marketable by making sure you look your best, instill confidence and demonstrate poise.

The only thing that is not readily available is motivation and drive.  That, you have to find inside you.  If you don’t find it, don’t worry, you will always be able to grab an excuse from the rest of the folk who simply refuse to try.  Blame society, blame discrimination, blame…blame anything.

The real barrier to achievement today is the attitude of entitlement.  We give out trophies to everyone, just for trying.  Grades in school have become dumbed down.  Everyone has to do well.  We have thrown out every metric that grades achievement.  Everything is so readily available and given so freely that if something seems hard, no one tries any more.  That drive is most strong is those that have NOT had things.  They want them and will do what it takes to get them.  We are given so much without real effort that we have destroyed the desire that fuels motivation.  THAT is the real barrier to achievement…the lack of a work ethic...the lack of hunger.  Just give me my victory.

Sorry if you have that attitude…you will find out someday that you have to take the victory.

If you really want something, there is no greater time than today.  Just go find out the information on ‘how’ and then just go do it.  Don’t sit and talk about it.  Just do it.

People who are running their fastest, and not looking behind them, are never caught by a slower runner.

My thanks to Dr. Michele Noonan, star of the Big Brother TV show and my partner in crime in last night’s debate.  She inspired today’s blog.

http://www.doctormichele.com/about/

http://www.michelenoonan.com/

[later that night]


Yoga X and the Treadmill.  Did everything...nothing notable...except the weight keeps coming off!

P90X: "...I have to diet too!?" Day 38 of 90

I have seen real progress in thirty eight days with P90X.  I am doing all the exercises regularly and really embracing the workouts.  Embracing the workouts is important because the physical fitness improvement really only comes with the consistency of the workouts and the work you put into them.  I think I have that one down at this point.

I am sure at some point the workouts will become boring.  Not to confuse this with my reasons for upping to P90X Classic from Lean…that was just wanting to get more out of my 60 or so minutes I am investing each day.  The workouts still weren’t boring.  I’m also not tiring yet of Tony Horton’s same old lines…which can’t be avoided since you use the same DVD’s!  So, the workouts are creating progress.

The progress one sees in this program has two sides, however.  The other side is DIET.  You would think that doing the exercises would be the big change that people have to incorporate into their life.  It is true, the exercise is a big change.  But once it is built in with a schedule, exercise is not really a big deal to most.  Believe it or not, the biggest challenge is the diet.

Over the past four years, I have modified my dieting to accommodate a certain level of weight maintenance.  I did it by eating very much the same way every day.  I don’t just eat the same way, I actually eat almost the exact same thing every day.  I will be the first to admit, I don’t know anyone else that eats with the eating habits that I do.  Believe it or not, I think it’s because I'm lazy.  I don’t want to think about what I am going to have to eat…I don’t want to have to make different choices.  I just want to eat and be done with it and know that I ate healthy and well enough.  Again, I am odd this way.  I don’t know of anyone who does this that doesn’t have to.

My diet hasn’t been completely disciplined.  There have been spots in it where a bad eating habit or two ended up plugged into my daily eating routine.  There was a time when I was having a cup of ice cream with coffee every other day as my between lunch and dinner snack.  Now keep in mind, I was speed walking about 4 miles a day while this was going on.  I didn’t do this when my metabolism was constantly low due to lack of exercise.  Ultimately, there comes a time when you realize you have formed a bad eating habit or two and then have to reinforce cutting that/those piece(s) out of the diet.

I also have had my fair share of rationalized cheating on weekends when the daily schedule is kind of messed up and out of whack.  Family gatherings, holidays, football season...all really good ways for me to rationalize putting the unhealthy but tasty snacks into the tank.  I can usually count on five regular workday schedules to put me back on track.

You might ask, “How did you end up eating like that?”  Well, I have always been a creature of habit.  I have a routine, and I just go with it.  When I went on the Optifast liquid diet in 2008, I had to drink three 8 oz juice box sized drinks each day and have one meal that consisted of 6-8 oz of lean meat, a vegetable (starch-less if possible), and a fruit.  I adapted to that diet a lot quicker than others in the Optifast class.  At some point, you go back to real food.  During the diet, I had seen the benefit of eating disciplined and then applied it to my approach for regular food.  It made the transition easier, and I decided to just eat that way from now on.  The only challenge I have is dinner and weekends when it comes to deciding what I would eat.

Now I completely realize that, if I were selling my personal diet plan to folks I would be a very poor person.  My style is not for everybody, maybe not for anybody.  The one thing I know is that if you apply consistent dieting rules to exercise, you will see excess weight come off of your frame and you will see your fitness improve.  You don’t have to take the extreme method that I take every day, but you can consistently eat well with a little planning and a little thought.   

These days, it is very difficult to keep your diet consistent with the ever changing food choices we have.  The hard thing about dieting through those choices is that the choices are difficult because they are loaded with unhealthy food that has to be sorted through and looked at.  Most of the food has artificial sweeteners, real sweeteners, lots of grease and fat, etc.  It is really hard to eat a healthy diet.  It is mentally hard.  You get tired of thinking about it and just end up eating whatever is in front of you…and 85% of the time it will not be very healthy.  Some people adapt different rules to help the mental process like (a) nothing processed, or (b) no white bread or flour created food, or (c) nothing with High Fructose Corn Syrup.  A few nuts like me will go overboard.  But, whatever works.

The best advice I can give is to try to make your eating as easy to plan and disciplined as possible.  It will help tremendously if you are also doing an exercise plan.

Exercise is one thing, diet is the second.  No surprise there though, right?

“How do you lose weight?”

“Eat right and exercise.”

Way easier said than done.  Good Luck!

[later that night]

Tonight was a 'Tale of Two Cities.'  It was the best of times and the worst of times.  I did Back and Biceps.  My biceps are burnt.  My back, which gets done using pullups, was for crap.  I need to get more out of my shoulders.  I can literally only do a pathetic amount of pullups.  Because of the intensity of the workouts, the shoulders get gassed early.

I need to ask some coaching advice...what do I do here?

Help!

P90X: "From Lean to P90X Classic" Day 37 of 90

Last week I discovered that the workouts were not challenging me enough.  I have been doing the P90X Lean workout.  It is slightly less rigorous than the Classic workout and is designed for weight loss and lean muscle mass.  The workouts were going really well, but it felt like they should be harder.  After much thought and consulting with my Beachbody coach, I upped the routine to Classic starting yesterday.

When I woke up this morning, after yesterday’s Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, my back felt twinge-y.  It was tight in some places.  I obviously worked something really hard yesterday and my body was reminding me that it needed some pampering.  I stretched pretty good today prior to the workout.  Today was Plyometrics.  It would have been Cardio X, Plyo is the next step up.

I have to say, I am proud that I made it all the way through and did all the reps.  It was one of the most demanding routines I have done so far.  I was sweating like crazy, breathing heavy and just really worked out.  Like you just rung out a towel.

THAT was the workout I was looking for.  I can’t wait to attack this week and see how it goes.  Also, if I mess something up, I have my two week chiro visit…he can fix me.

Have a great week everyone!

P90X: "Finding Happiness, Part 3, Last Part" Day 36 of 90

Again, this is just me writing down my thoughts…and my disclaimer.

Warning!!  This is my opinion.  It may have validity…it may not.  If it does anything, I hope it inspires thought and maybe even prompts some debate.

Part Three: Growth

Part One of my theoretical approach to happiness was priorities.  WHAT do you need in your life and what is its order of precedence?  Which comes first, and which comes last?  Once you have given that a lot of thought, you then have an idea about your personal priorities…and their order.

Part Two was about control.  I believe that one of the foundations of happiness is the amount of control you have over your needs.  If a person has a group of needs being met, but thinks that their list of needs can disappear with a moment’s notice, it is hard to achieve happiness.  The more control you have over your own priorities and needs, the happier you will be.  The better your relationship and standing with those people or organizations that control your other needs, the happier you will be as well.  Control is one of the driving forces of happiness.

The last part of my theory is growth.  Once you know your priorities, you have your map of destinations.  Once you establish that you need to take responsibility and control, you have the wheel and are ‘driving the bus.’  Now, you need to hit the gas pedal.  That’s the last step.

As you make sure your priorities are buttoned up, bottom to top, are you planning the next step to tackle the next available need?  As you look at food, shelter, clothing, safety…what’s next and how are you approaching that?  Are you managing your affinity needs well?  Things like family, friends and business colleagues…are they healthy and where they need to be?  How about career?  Is that where you wanted it to be?  Can it be better?  Are there things you always wanted to learn but never did?

Where is your passion?  Are you shooting for it?

Maybe though, you are at a point where you say, “Enough.”  I am happy right where I am.  I don’t need to move my bus one inch.  I get that one, I really do.  Life is long and the work is hard.  Finally you get to a point where you feel that just sitting down would be nice.

Here is where I have to come clean.  I have to admit that my theory may not work for everyone.  As I said, it’s a theory.  The problem with MY theory is that it comes from me and is based on my own drives and desires.  So, this may not work for everyone. 

My theory, nonetheless, is that we all have to be growing in some way, shape or form.  As humans, we grow.  We evolve.  That is what our existence is about.  I believe that true happiness is accomplished when we are growing in a pattern that fits our priorities and we can credit ourselves with the achievement.  It can be spiritual, emotional, intellectual, or physical…but achieving personal growth is essential to reaching happiness.

When you realize that you want to fill a career need, and you work extra hours or put in time to acquire a new skill, you are growing.  When you work through a personal crisis and you learn that you can survive it and maybe even be better for having endured it, then that is growth.  When you really work to improve your communication skills with your kids, because you know it’s not your strong suit…growth again.

Everyone I have ever met in my life, when telling me of an accomplishment they had, tells me with a smile.  It doesn’t matter if it’s as big as climbing the Matterhorn or whether they just shot a personal best in golf that day at the club.  When people achieve, they beam with pride.  Ever ask someone, “So what’s new?” and then hear, “Oh, Nothing.”  Did that person ever say that with a smile?  Even if you just became a Grandparent for the first time, it may not be something you did personally, but it is something new in your life that will bring new moments and new opportunities…and you are growing a family.

I think that the minute we stop putting challenges in front of ourselves and stop trying to achieve them, we become static.  We lose the ability to really be the drivers of our own happiness.  We then are forced to just sit back and endure all the little things that we have given up control over as they rush towards us.  I can’t be happy doing that.

Maybe everyone else can.  I guess that’s the question to ask yourself.

What does HAPPINESS and P90X have in common?   For me, P90X is my next challenge.  I have found over the past four years that I love reaching for something I didn’t think was possible and then trying to make it happen.  Just the attempts make me happy…because I always know I will give it my all.  I also don’t mind the risks.  Really, what have any of us to lose?  I have always loved learning and new ideas.  I particularly like to try things I know I can be passionate about.  Writing is actually one of those things in the past four or five years.  But right now, P90X is going to occupy the next ten weeks.  I want to see, if applied, if it can work for me.  I know this much, it has so far.

So ends my little dissertation on Happiness.  It’s how I believe it happens.  I would love to know how everyone else approaches happiness.

Thanks for reading along.  Sincerely.

[later that day]

Today I shifted from the P90X Lean workout to the Classic workout.  Did the P90X Chest, Shoulders and Triceps today.  I had the right equipment this time.  I got the pushup bars and had my Frisbee for the sliding pushups on the rug.  I improved over last week definitely…always love to see that improvement.  I did every routine until burnout and once again, the one-handed pushups were not even able to be done.  I did them on my knees and adjusted by holding the wrist of my one pushup arm.  I did, like, three.  I don’t mind having things in here that I cannot do…it’s the work that burns the calories and drives the improvement.  That was my reason for bumping up to this routine.  See you tomorrow!