"What Do You Know?" Insanity: Day 31 of 60

Hey, guess what?  Someone who will not be named because she hates public exposure on the internet is down seven pounds since starting my June Challenge Group.  No Shakeology (shame) but just the workout DVDs for the Tony Horton Power Half-Hour and with something more than a casual commitment to some form of daily exercise.

Last week, the comment was, “Wow, I can see improvement.  I was able to finally do the whole workout.”  This morning, the comment was, “I’ve lost about seven pounds.”

Many feel that weight-loss and fitness management are difficult things.  As a culture, we seem to love the drama of putting obstacles in front of ourselves.  It’s as if some of our lives are so uneventful that we need to turn it into an X-Men movie or something to feel like we are alive and kicking.  The reality is that there are issues in everyone’s lives, but many (if not most) are completely manageable with very little effort.  It just makes us feel good to think we just cured cancer.

I actually created a name for it many (many) years ago in college…”Low Hurdle Syndrome.”  It’s when you take a really small obstacle and make it look big for everyone else by painting it as “awful” or “huge.”  Then, when one takes that little bitty hop over it, it makes the effort look like that person just tackled Mount Everest.

I listen to a lot of people talk about their lives as if they were a reality TV show.  Seriously, that's not a very high bar.  There's a reason that an entire season of the Kardashians lasts only 13 episodes at 40 minutes each.  It’s because their lives only have about 8.5 hours of drama a year.  They just make it look like a lot with reruns, plastic surgery and poor parenting examples.

When we hear about someone who actually has real tragedy and difficult issues in their life, we cannot even fathom what dealing with THAT would be like.  Why?  Because those issues are REAL!!  The real barometer to figuring out who is dealing with real issues and who has drama, is the noise level.  It is completely ironic that the people with the worst possible situations and the most in need of help are almost always the ones you NEVER hear from.  They endure it silently.  No drama.  How often have you heard something truly tragic about someone even as close as a good friend and then say, “Wow.  I had no idea.”   Why?  Because real issues are only made worse by drama.  To survive them, you need to feel like you can control them…and you can’t control them in a morass of noise. 

So when we talk about potentially losing weight and getting fit, the drama flies.  “I can’t possibly do that.”  “I can’t possibly keep that piece of birthday cake from going into my mouth and down my esophagus.”  “There is NO WAY that I could eat less.”  “Exercise for 30 minutes is SO HARD.  30 whole minutes?  Seriously, I hate to get all sweaty.”

Seriously?  I have heard all of those excuses and about a hundred more.  I have watched some of the folks with the excuses actually sweat while eating!  When you attack your food so voraciously that it makes you sweat…there’s a problem.  When eating actually has become your form of exercise, the vicious cycle has just devoured you.

So, from the first paragraph of this blog, you see it has been demonstrated (again, and not just by me) that with a little effort and consistent attention to the matter, weight loss will happen.  It doesn’t happen without the effort, but the effort is not as overwhelming as we all make it.

Smile.  It’s easier than you think.  You will feel much better when you have found out that how you look and feel is completely up to you.  It’s liberating.  It’s like when you first got your Driver’s License and realized that you could go anywhere you wanted.

Ready to hop in and go for a spin?  I have many new cars lining up just for the rest of you!

“New Beachbody Product Idea” Insanity: Day 30 of 60

Wow, I am at day 30 of 60.  Halfway done.  I will say this to all of you thinking of Insanity, it goes fast.  P90X went by quick, so did this program.  If there is one aspect to the programs that continues to surprise me…it’s the time flying by.  You look at this stuff on an infomercial and think, “Man, 90 days is a long time” or “60 days will kill me.”  It is seriously an obstacle to getting people engaged.  But it’s the most real mirage you will bump into as a coach.  It’s a real concern, but it ends up being nothing.

Many who know me, know that I am an eCommerce professional and have been doing this for more than ten years now.  I know a little of that which I speak today.

So…here is a new Beachbody product idea.  Live streaming like Netflix.  Instead of buying all the DVD’s, the exercise programs could be kept on the web.  How it would work is, people enroll in a product like P90X or Slim in 6 or Insanity, etc. and then opt for a Shakeology delivery.  They pay a subscription fee up front for the month and renew each month thereafter.  They pick a start date for the program.  On Day 1, the first routine is available.  On Day 2, the second routine is available.  And so on.    

Each segment can only be played twice in one day (in case you mess up or get interrupted) and can be streamed to a computer, a smart TV, through a Playstation 3 or Wii…almost any of the options available today to bring content to your home.  It can also be monitored by Beachbody.  When you play it for the day, it fulfills your Challenge requirement and you are entered in the drawings and/or Coach qualified.

When you complete any program, and have obviously paid the monthly fees, you then are able, under your account, to access that one program, and all its segments, any time you wish.

How is this beneficial?

From the workout perspective, it would really be no different than having the DVD’s at home.  In fact, you could stream it from any location where you could get an internet connection, on vacation or on a work trip.  Nothing needed to bring along.

Each Daily Routine would be broken up into its individual exercise segments.  P90X Triceps Shoulders and Abs, for example, would be broken up into its 24 or so individual exercises on the web.  This could be used later for those who want to mix and match and create hybrid routines.  Once you have completed both Insanity and P90X, for example, you could configure your own Hybrid routines (or use some Beachbody sponsored and pre-programmed ones)  and share (with trainer oversight) amongst the Beachbody community.  Every time you complete a new program, you would have all of the exercises available for you and be able to save your routines on your Beachbody account.

From the sales perspective, it would give the Coaches the ability to get someone to try the program at a lower price point and not lose revenue opportunities from someone who thinks 60 or 90 days is too long or that the money up front is too much.  Imagine that, instead of getting someone to commit to the Challenge Pack, you could also offer them a chance to commit to Shakeology and then a one month subscription to the exercises.  You could get someone in the door at a lower price point and if they blow out, at least you earned some income for the effort.  Let’s face it, half a “Yes” with some upside potential is better than a complete “No.”

So there you have it. My idea of the day.  This blog is a little short but it packs a punch.  I think Beachbody could do well with this.

Beachbody is having their annual Coach Summit this week in Las Vegas, NV.  I can’t attend.  Maybe my colleagues could take this idea to the Big Boss!  Just a thought!

“I Hate Beachbody Recovery Weeks!” Insanity: Day 28-29 of 60

I’ll be dead honest.  I hate recovery weeks.  I know you need them.  I know you pay later if you don’t do them.  I know experienced folk are guiding you and know better.  I just can’t deal with it.  I get into a groove, and I don’t want to stop.  I want to keep going.

I’m at a place where I know the exertion that I will have to put out for each day.  At this point, I have been cycling four DVD’s and I know the strengths and weaknesses (yes, there are weaknesses) in each one.  I know where Shaun T. stretches one side of your muscles and forgets to stretch the other side.  I know when the timer on the DVD comes up short and your thirty second breaks are actually twenty second breaks.  I know when Shaun T. will stop paying attention to the strain on the exercise and will spend time around the participants trying to converse or show you proper form…leaving you hanging in a stretch or contracted position…so I adjust.

The place I am in right now also has me knowing the sweat level and the intensity.  I also have been doing Ab Ripper X, which I have moved to four days per week from three.  ARX is now M, W, F and Saturday afternoon.  I know the whole thing and can do it without the DVD…and in less time than the DVD.  I also have been using my treadmill post Insanity workout to loosen up the muscles in my legs and calves.  I do between 1.5 and 2.0 miles per session at 4.2 miles per hour.  Don’t you love the digital age…we can be so precise!

Let’s do a quick compare, since I have now done both programs, of P90X and Insanity.  P90X was not as rigorous from a pure exercise routine perspective.  It used a lot of muscles and your body literally was breaking down and building up in crafted cycles.  It was really hard because you had to work muscles until you burned them out.  Insanity is more cardio based and, while it is exhausting while you do it, does not require the post routine (as in the next day) recovery that P90X did.  When I did P90X, my body was sore the next day.  On some days, really sore.  Muscles needed 24 to 48 hours to recover.  Insanity does not require the same recovery.  Insanity is really about getting all of those ‘twitch muscles’ moving.  It is fast moving and uses muscles in an energy burning way…not in a “now I can’t lift my arms” way.

I hated my P90X recovery week too, but it was mental.  When you prepare athletically for anything, there is both a mental and physical component.  In P90X, my psyche wanted to go but my body was welcoming the rest.  The DVD’s during that recovery were different every night and that made it somewhat bearable.

So, why do I hate the Insanity recovery week? 

First, my psyched wants to go…and so does my body.  That is frustrating. 

Second, I was making progress and had gotten my body to the point where I knew both physically and nutritionally how to optimize the routines.  It took a while to figure out a few things, but I finally got there.  I figured out how much and when I need to eat.  I know now that I have to focus on hydration.  I also know that I have to stretch properly (and when I need to push pause and stretch more than the DVD says).

Last, I had just gotten all the forms right.  If I have one criticism of this program, it’s the instruction on form.  It should go into a little more detail of why you need to focus on it and the dangers of not doing them correctly.  Simply saying, “To avoid injury” is not enough.  I had to figure out a few things that, I am sure, others probably got frustrated on and quit.  Each DVD should take 5 minutes of time before the routine to cover the postures being done that day, cover the reasons you do it and tell you what your body will feel if they are done wrong.  When I finally got the form down on the various exercises, the exertion was more and the pain was less…go figure, right?

So, it’s only Monday and I have to wait until Saturday to get to Insanity Phase II.

The worst part?  Besides the mental and physical anxiety of downtime?  Recovery week in Insanity uses the same DVD for a whole week of recovery.  The Core Cardio and Balance DVD is used EVER NIGHT.  That stinks.  The exercises are the same.  The comments are the same.  The same participants (Don Cheadle lookalike) have issues and fall out.  The guys are an embarrassment night after night.  But it is just over and over again…that’s the killer.  It’s not motivating me for the next level…I am just in the “on deck circle” waiting for the next round.

Okay, enjoy your day and I will try to get myself excited about tonight’s workout.  Ho-hum.  Let’s see how I feel next Monday after a couple days of Phase II!

“Can Positive Action Infect Other Parts of Your Life?” Insanity: Day 27 of 60

My wife said something to me this morning that has prompted this question.  It’s a good one.  Can positive things from one aspect of your life bring about positives in other areas?

What prompted it?  She came down the stairs and I was in front of the TV watching the morning news.  I was doing my “Ab Ripper X” routine on the carpet.  It was odd for her to see me there because I usually work out in my “man cave” in the basement.  Today, however, is the first day of summer for my kids and my son had some friends sleep over to participate in a Lord of the Rings movie marathon, otherwise known as the “Nerd Hobbit Convention” (that’s MY term…not theirs). 

So there I was, in a strange place, plugging away at the 350 exercise, 17 minute routine.  My wife said, that she had been talking to a good friend of ours, Maureen Kayata , who is a spiritual therapist specializing in hypnotic regression and therapy as well as being a psychic medium.  The conversation between them had been focused on people making highly concentrated efforts for the better in their lives and how that results in the person manifesting positive things in the other parts of their life.  The basis of this is that you can create your own successes but it starts from an energy you kick off from inside you.

My wife said, “I think that’s what you are doing.”

I was a little struck by the thought because, honestly, I have been working so hard to make the best health, fitness, relationship, and work choices that I haven’t even given it much thought.  Apparently, that is part of the process.  When you stop to think about what you are doing, you kind of blow the karmic effect.  But, if you focus on the journey, and the right decisions, and leave the baggage behind, you can harness the positive energy and, like a magnet, more positive is drawn to you.

Conversely, of course, if you focus on the negatives the inverse happens.  Negative is drawn to you.  It could be from many different areas of your life.

If you live your life in swirling patterns of drama from bad relationships…

If your work environment is toxic but you refuse to leave it…

If you have family members that are toxic influences but you refuse to just separate from…

If you have addictions that are swallowing you…

If your health and fitness are so poor that it’s affecting the rest of your life…

All of these things have the capability to bring out the worst in you and manifest negative energy and bad results in your life.  If you find ways to eliminate the bad and live your life with the most positive decisions and actions, you will get to a point where everything starts to flow in the right direction.  At least, that’s the theory.

Does the theory hold any water?  I don’t really know except to say that my wife’s observations are grounded in some very real things that I have done in my life over the past four to six years.

Some of it actually started many years ago.  There were family relationships that have rollercoasted up and down for various reasons.  When they got toxic to me…I just let them go.  It wasn’t easy because along with the pain, there was also some very happy times.  But I had to weigh the good versus the bad and then make a very hard decision.  It didn’t come without loss and regret, but, overall, I think it ended up being a positive thing for me as a person.

Then about six years ago, my work life became stressful in a way that was dangerous.  Coupled with my failing physical health, my work stress had me take a couple of ambulance rides from my office to the hospital.

The first decision was to change the things I could change the easiest.  Believe it or not, the easiest thing was my weight, health, and fitness.   Why was it the easiest?  Because it was the one thing that I could control and change that no one else, so long as I didn’t let them, could affect.  It was the one thing that was totally up to me.  I went out and found a liquid diet to get the weight off and then found the right fitness routine and eating style to keep the weight off right up to today.

Once I was physically set, I made a decision to stop the partying I was doing.  Before the weight loss, my life had been full of family and work parties that had me indulging far too much in alcohol.  When I lost the weight, I had to stop.  The negatives from the alcohol went far beyond the physical effects…I found there were effects on my personal relationships as well.  I decided to make the party lifestyle a thing of the past.  To be realistic, you don’t have to cut it out completely, you just need (I think) to have a line.  What you do is up to you anyway…this is my story.

Last, I decided that the job I had done for years needed to change.  I loved the job when things were going right.  The job was absolutely the most stressful thing I had ever done when it was bad…and it was bad a lot.  The successes did not outweigh the misery.  In other words, “The juice was no longer worth the squeeze.”

The net result of all of this is a new job where I am happier working than I have ever been.  I have a fit and healthy body that, honestly, is kind of very cool to me because I have never been this fit.  My life has relationships that I treasure and memories I can comfortably recall with the happiness that they merit.  I wrote my first novel, a Christmas book of almost 450 pages.  Last…and I think this is what my wife was seeing…when I want to do something positive at this point, I seem to almost be able to make it happen.  Good things seem to be following me and finding me.  It’s kind of cool.

I have a piece of advice I give to my friends looking to do the positive but are unwilling to release the negatives in their lives, “You can’t drive to the destination of your life’s journey while you are staring in the rear-view mirror.  You will either go too slow, or drive right into a ditch.  Either way, you won't get there.  If you really want to get there, you need to lighten the luggage, keep your eyes on the road, and put your foot to the floor.”

More simply said, from my brother John, “Let go or be dragged.”

Do you think there is anything to this?  Maybe, just maybe, you should give it a shot and see what happens?   

What do you have to lose?

THE WORKOUT:

Ab Ripper X this AM but it is also my Insanity off-day!

"Walking the Talk" Insanity: Day 25 of 60

There is so much noise these days everywhere.  I mean endless, mindless, baseless, and completely unfiltered chatter…everywhere.  As the internet has become the tool of communication choice for folks, the more everyone has something to say and the more everyone thinks their voice will and should carry the day. The most discouraging part of all of this is that, even if your message has real value, and could potentially save lives, it will always fall victim to the “Kim Kardashian Wedding” or the “Octomom.”  Many great messages are falling to the side of the road.  It’s the nature of the game.

So, if you have a valuable message that constantly rings the values of health and fitness…how do you give resonance to that ring?

There is only one real way to do it.  Walking the talk.

The first rule of persuasion or selling is to be able to demonstrate expertise.  It’s the hardest hurdle to overcome.  Nothing fuels the leap over that hurdle like credibility.  If you are a doctor, you are there.  If you are a credentialed Nutrition specialist, you have a distinct advantage.  If you are a certified physical trainer, point for you!  But if you are talking health and wellness, and you have none of these things, you better wear credibility as a suit every day and it starts with looking like you are healthy and fit.  The other key is that, if you are helping people get from unfit to fit, you better be able to relate to and verbalize that journey.

“Walking the talk” gives your message strength and resonance.  Here is another secret.  By “walking the talk” you have a distinct advantage over even those who are actually professionally credentialed!  If you are a doctor, nutrition expert, or personal trainer, and you look like you are not fit yourself…you may persuade some people, but there will always be those who look at you skeptically with one eye cocked.

When I went on the Optifast diet in 2008, the physician running the program was a short, tubby, and kind of jolly looking man.  I have to say honestly that, as he was touting the benefits of weight loss and the value of the program, no matter how good those words sounded, they lost resonance coming out of that rolly polly frame.

Since 2008, many have asked me about my journey.  My blog has been read as far away as New Zealand and some have even emailed me for advice.  The reason they reach out, I believe, is that I practice what I preach.  I have been in their shoes.

I have done a lot of reading and research about nutrition.  I can tell you how the body breaks down food and processes it.  I can tell you how the bad food is processed and stored…and how toxic fat truly can be.  I can talk about the personal issues that being fat can cause.  I can talk about the challenges of keeping the weight off.   I can tell you how valuable exercise can be for you.  BUT, do you know what people respond to more than anything else?  A side by side photo of me in July 2008, in my bathing suit at 285 lbs, and a picture of me in March of 2009, at 205 lbs.

A picture is worth a thousand words.  No kidding.  I know, because I have written HUNDREDS of thousands of words and the pictures do it every time.

My blog helps.  I do have a certain writing style.  Those who know me claim that when they read my writings, they can literally see me saying it.  My writing and my real voice and style carry the same resonance.  Many have called my writing style “graphic”…in the nice way.  They say that when I write about something, it is very descript and you can actually see it happening.  I tell you my entire journey of fitness and many have said that you can feel the work and energy that went into the whole voyage.  It’s a nice complement, because that’s how I like my writing to be seen.

But, in the end, it’s the damn pictures!  Show me.  That’s the world today.  In and amongst all the chatter and blather, you better have something visual to show people.  Because words are cheap.  Hell, they’re free.

Are you walking your talk?  My question today addresses health and fitness but the question and comments apply to whatever it is in your life that you are working to promote. 

If you don’t sincerely believe that your product or service works and is good, or, more importantly, if you can’t demonstrate it, you’re in a tough spot.

“Why is everyone so skeptical of these products?”

“Why don’t they understand that this will HELP THEM?”

“Why do they always say that there are other things that work better?”

“How can I motivate them to make a decision?”

The answer lies with you.  Look in the mirror and ask yourself if YOU believe it.  Ask yourself if you can demonstrate that message.  More to the point, ask yourself if you portray someone who looks and feels better.  Do you?

My old boss Glenn Morin used to have a saying, and he may have heard it somewhere, but he said on a few occasions, “You have to be able to eat your own dog food.”  Now that’s graphic.

So look in that mirror.  Do you “Walk the Talk?”

"Focus on Your Successes" Insanity: Day 24 of 60

The other night, I went to Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.  I went to see the music group America play live.  The fans were very much in my age range…that is to say, they had their teen years in the Seventies and maybe the Sixties.  As I stood there, I struck up a conversation with a podiatrist who is expanding his practice into retail footwear for the ‘pediatically’ (I made that up) challenged.  He had some very interesting insights on this generation of kids we are bringing up.

He said, “Everything with this generation is now.  Now.  Now.”  All they think about (generally) is, “Where’s my stuff?  When do I get what I know I deserve?”  The real point to his opinion was that this generation feels entitled and that they focus on what they ‘don’t’ have and complain far too much about not having it.  I don’t think that is generational though.  I think it is a cultural thing that we are all experiencing in one way, shape or form.  It’s something I try very hard to NOT do, and I will share why.

You cannot be successful unless you are moving in the direction of your goals.  To do that, you need to have knowledge and skill, which we can all get somewhere if we look hard enough.  The other two critical factors, confidence and motivation, can only come from the journey you are on and the other successful journeys that you have had.  Nothing helps breed success like past successes.  They build on each other.  When you have had a few, you then have the confidence that you can have more.  With that confidence, you find ways to self-motivate to achieve the next goal.

It is so easy to focus on what you do not have.  I could do that with my health and fitness goals.  But where would I be?

When I started this journey, I weighed 285 lbs.  That was four years ago.  It has been a long journey getting here.  The life of health and fitness that I now live had to evolve to where it is right now.  It didn’t change overnight, and the reason it worked is because I knew right from day one that it wouldn’t happen overnight.

I went on the Optifast liquid diet with a group of about twenty people.  The diet itself can be (and was) very successful for many.  But, like every other ‘diet’, it works for that period that you are engaged in it only.  To keep the weight off, it is up to you to make permanent and lasting changes to how you live.  Why?  Because if you go back to your old patterns your old friend “Mr. Fat” will be knocking on your door and in no time at all, will be sitting intimately with you on the couch again.  Why, four years later, am I still thin?  Because I knew it wasn’t an “instant cure” right from day one and my focus was life change, not weight loss.

I now do Beachbody health programs to maintain and improve my health.  In addition to the dietary changes I have made (to include high nutrient density foods), I also use their nutritional products.  I have seen awesome results from these programs and products.  P90X took 90 days…but due to some changes I made, I actually did it for 104 days.  I am on day 24 of Insanity.  That’s one-third of a year.  128 days of commitment and exercise every day.  In addition, I follow my diet, which includes the Beachbody Shakeology drink every day.  It’s a long journey.  How do I (or you) keep it up?

Focus on the successes.

I look in the mirror every day for results.  My body isn’t perfect.  Far from it.  I can tell you candidly that when you are 285 lbs and have had a big fat frame, for the number of years that I had one, that shrinking it to the form of the people you see on the DVD’s is very difficult.  Most people who are reversing a lifetime of perverted eating are going to have the exact same issue.  When you have been that big, and you start to lose the weight, it’s like letting the air out of a balloon that has been inflated for a long time.  The shell of the balloon has accommodated itself to that shape and can’t just shrink and depress.  You have fat cells that have been the containers for the fatty substances you use for energy (or not) for a very long time.  They don’t just disappear.  They empty, but they stick around.  Just in case.  Like suitcases waiting to be packed for the next trip.  Only after you have leaned your body for a while do they finally get the message and dissolve and go away.  It isn’t a pretty sight when you look in the mirror.

There are places on my body where I have accumulations of fat that are very slow to respond.  There is an area that was around my belly but now has become kind of like a tire around my lower back.  It’s shrinking and getting there, but slowly.  It has taken a very long time to reduce this.

My point is this.  I could focus on the fitness things that have not just immediately happened.  I could look at the things I really wanted to ‘be perfect’ and be depressed that they are not.  But there are other areas of my body that have had serious positive results.  My performance has also improved.  My health markers (cholesterol etc.) have improved.  If I chose to focus only on the things I haven’t had happen yet, how would my motivation be affected?  I choose (and you should too) to see the real positive results and ingrain that in my head.  Every success recognized contributes to my track record of wins and gives me the confidence that the next steps are extremely achievable.  This goes for health and fitness, but also is for the other areas of your life.   

That’s why you need to focus on your successes.  You need to put those ‘wins’ away like trophies on a shelf and you need to remember them.  You need to recognize them.  When it comes to health and fitness, nothing plays the role of ‘trophy case’ like a mirror.  In a society that pretends everyone should be humble, there are those who will think you are vain for looking at yourself.  Well, when they earn their trophies, they will change their perspective.  Until then, find some noise killing headphones and bask in your own glory.  Find the things you are happy with.  Use that as the fuel for your next win.

 Cardio Recovery tonight and P90X Chest Shoulders and Triceps!

"Hitting the Wall" Insanity:Days 20-23 of 60

When I was doing P90X, I felt just like I do right now.  Worn out.  Serious adjustments were necessary.  I had to change my diet, I had to add good food.  I have to say though, that I am more tired with Insanity than I was with P90X…I am just running down.

A couple of observations…

Sleep.  I am not getting enough.  Last week, I exercised late almost every day due to things that had to be done after work.  This completely threw me off on my sleep for days.  Then, I had to get up early on both weekend days.  My body is simply not repairing the way it should.  I need to focus on getting my exercise done early enough so I can get a good night’s rest.

Nutrition.  I am getting good nutritional efficiency, I just feel like I am not eating enough.  I am actually starting to feel hunger.  I am going to have to increase my food intake…particularly as I ramp up into Phase II of Insanity.  It goes longer and harder so my fuel will have to be a lot better.

Hydration.  I don’t know if it was the New England change of weather or what, but my body is responding differently.  I think I might need to hydrate better.  I know that my routines are always ‘sweat-drenched’ affairs so I am losing plenty of water.  There are some nights when I feel like it takes me a little too long to warm up.  There are two times of the year in New England when I notice my body change to the weather.  One is around the end of May when the weather gets more humid.  The other is around early October when the weather gets really dry.  I can feel the change this past week.

The routines themselves are actually fine…I can go through them most nights without pressing pause.  I may slow down on some of the exercises.  The Plyometric Circuit is a killer on me.  The second circuit with the basketball jumps, the level one drills, the ski hops and the in/outs still is killing me.  By the time I get to the ski hops and in/outs, I am fried.  I am almost considering reversing Phase I and II just to see if I can get full impact from each circuit.  I feel like the second circuit should be done with fresh legs.  Even Shaun T. doesn’t do them all.

Believe it or not, the Pure Cardio with no breaks is actually easier on me than the Plyo Circuit.  I think that’s because my muscles are pooping out from all the work.  It really surprises me that it’s my legs giving me issues because they are stronger than most people’s.

I’m at a point where the routines are kind of blending together.  I have to keep track from day to day because it seems like when I “push play” I always feel like I just did the routine yesterday.  I swear, yesterday I put on the Plyometric Circuit and I put the Power & Resistance on to review and then went back to Plyo…I couldn’t remember which one I did.  I checked my calendar and was still sure I had done the same one two days in a row.  Finally, I just went with my calendar and did the Plyometric…when in doubt, do the hardest one.

I also should mention that I am doing AbRipperX three mornings a week and that I am doing the Chest, Shoulders and Triceps and the Back and Biceps each week as well.

So I feel like I am hitting a wall and I really need to get sleep, eat a little more, and hydrate.

Listen to your body.  If you are in tune with how you respond to your food, drink and sleep, you will know when you have to make an adjustment.

Stay tuned!  I have Pure Cardio tonight.  “Are any of you afraid as I am about for what’s about to happen?”  (you have to do Insanity to get that joke.)

"Forming Positive Habits" Insanity: Day 19 of 60

My work group went to lunch in Boston the other day.  We went to a restaurant that was noted as, “very good and high profile.”  So I sit down to look at the menu.  Soups…loaded with cheese and what must be other dairy like milk or cream.  No salads.  Bowls of pasta coated in cream sauce…many with red meat that looked like it had been cooked in lard.  No chicken or fish to speak of.  Every sandwich was on heavy white bread and loaded with, yes, cheese again.  I looked at this menu and just laughed.

My work buddy, Rick, looked over at me and laughed himself and said, “You won’t be eating much here!”

Just some observations here.

This menu disgusted me.  Not after I thought about it, which is when these thoughts usually hit you.  It was while I looked at it.  As I scanned it, every food choice was bad.  Red meat, dairy, processed food…an endless menu of very beautifully prepared junk.  Even the soups had been ruined.  The plates came out and were very decoratively prepared…as though chef school must teach them how to make beautiful looking food using the worst possible material.  At first, when you start to eat well, you will be discouraged but still tempted to just pick something on the menu.  After you have eaten well for a while, it will occur to you how bad this menu is, after you give it thought.  Once clean eating has become your life, you move to where I am now.  You look at the menu and, without a thought, put it down.  I scoured it for something I could eat.  I had the one soup without cheese…mussel soup.  Basically, it was five mussels in a broth.  Then I ordered the asparagus appetizer.  Six sticks of asparagus and two halves of a boiled egg.  Needless to say, I had to stop on the way back to the office for a clean salad of nutrient rich vegetables.

The second observation I would make is that many around me not only know of my dietary discipline, but have seen its impact on me and accept it.  My eating habits have become so well known that people close to me just need to look at the menu and then say, “Dick won’t eat this at all.”  My dietary routine has become so ingrained in me that others accept it as gospel.  That’s kind of neat.

The third observation is that others around me are actually judging what they eat in comparison to me.  I am making others think about their food choices.  I’m not doing the judging.  I never say anything about what others eat (with the exception of my kids because I see that as an obligation and teaching opportunity).  I just will do everything in my power to eat right for myself.  Sometimes people will try to help by saying, “Why don’t you have the Blah-blah-blah?”  I will just smile and tell them, “No.”  When they persist (and some will) I will explain why it is a poor choice.  And then I won’t eat it.  I find a lot of people with me looking down at their plates.  Very soon, I expect that either the people around me will eat well or I will get no invitations to lunch!  

It has taken some time, but I have gotten to a point where my food choices are healthy or none at all.  There is no meal that I cannot wait to eat.  There is nothing so urgent that I have to “sacrifice” and “give in” and eat junk when it is offered.  My eating habits have become a discipline for me.

It has paid off.  After four years, I have managed to keep the weight off and I have learned that a diet of fruit, vegetables and some lean meats will allow me to live a healthful life for the remainder of the time I have left on this planet.

Let me say this about my eating habits.  When I describe them to folks, I hear a lot of people remark, “I could never do that.”  That bothers me a little bit.  I know that many would love to do what I have done.  I know that many think that it’s ‘hard.’  It is difficult, but there are many things waiting on the doorstep of your life that will make watching your food intake look like a walk in the park.  It’s simply not that hard.  The benefits far outweigh the work involved.

Over the past four years, with constant vigilance and thoughtful choices, I have managed to solidify a foundation of habit for my health.  I look forward to every meal, but not like many do.  I don’t romanticize it.  I simply enjoy it as the food that it is.

So remember…food as fuel.  It’s not entertainment.   It’s not a love affair.  You don’t have to become engrossed in it.

And…if you ARE going to treat your body like an amusement park, make sure you inspect and do maintenance on the rides daily.  With P90X and Insanity.

Have a great day!

THE WORKOUT

Tonight was simple.  Pure Cardio.  At this point in Insanity, it’s Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs.  I have been doing Ab Ripper X three days per week and some weight work…so I am leaving the Cardio Abs out for now.

I have been tired all week.  Every day it seems, I have had to do things after work and then have to work out late.  But, I have not missed a day.  Friday is my off day and I am looking forward to it.  I think my body is telling me I need a break.

That’s important.  Listen to your body.  But, make sure it isn’t just tired.  If it’s sore and broken, it needs a break.  If it’s ‘tired,’ you may have to really think about the break you are going to give it.  Is it real?

Have a great day!