Friday, July 1, 2011

My P90X Story: If you're adverse to seeing shirtless pictures of me in various stages of physical fitness, you'd better skip this post...

So here's the long awaited P90X AFTER post. It'll probably take you as long to get through as it would to complete a workout...


I could start by telling you the basic vitals like changes in my waist and scale, but I'd be getting ahead of myself...I have to start at the beginning to make this tale worthy of telling. **you might need to pack a lunch, this is going to take a while to unwrap...it kinda became a big deal at our house**



Like many, I'd seen the late night inf
omercial of this incredibly ripped dude (Tony Horton) talking about how the average Joe could achieve new levels of fitness, thought the idea of muscle confusion was interesting, was impressed by the before and after photos, and quickly dismissed the idea of participating in such a sales gimmick.
Fast forward a couple years later to a late night joke with my friend, Matt. Our families were hangi
ng out one evening and as the festivities were winding to a close, he brought up the subject of P9OX asking me if I had ever heard of it. Faintly recalling blurred images of ridiculously ripped workout enthusiasts, fuzzy recollections of the infomercials jogged through my mind as he went on about how the program looked amazing and was going to change his life.

The only problem was the entire program--wei
ghts, workout guide, nutrition guides, pull up bar, etc. were still in the original packaging sitting under his bed where they had been gathering dust for the last few months. I'm sure he (like many P90X hopefuls) enthusiastically grabbed the promise of new life in a box from the UPS guy, hurriedly opened the potential goodness, and sat the entire treasure down in the living room where it remained untouched until Annie told him to do something with it or put it away. (WHAT's UP SCOTT--a friend and P90X believer who happens to be a UPS guy...keep pushing play, baby).

ANYWAY, I went on to ridicule him about how he
had been suckered in by the sales pitch and obviously had bought the idea--hook line and sinker. The deal sounded fine, only problem was that neither of us were motivated at that point to do anything other than laugh about the idea of a new level of fitness.

That conversation took place years ago, and I believe Matt has gone on to achieve P90 greatness. For some reason, probably because it was late, that was a gut-splitting conversation, and I was scared by the hilarity of the prospect of P90X. I went on to kid him continually about being a P90 wannabe for a long time after that...

For those of you that care, P90X was
released in 2004 and has enjoyed wild success. I've read that it has sold (as of Nov 2011) over 3 million copies. I've also read that it has changed the lives of over 2 million people--so Matt, clearly was not alone in purchasing then passing...at least for a while.

T
here is now a P90X "2" which was released this year in case any of you were wondering...

FAST FORWARD again, five years or so later.

I had reached an all-time high of 165 lbs and the nutshell version is the doctor said my LIPIDS and cholesterol
were high. As Brian Reagan says, "doctors have carte blanche on insults." He went on to tell me I needed to lose weight and I paid him for the office visit and the sad truth...so I dropped 25 lbs by cutting sugar and carbs--no exercise--why bother, right?!?

THIS IS A HILARIOUS LINK to Brian's doctor skit--used to be m
e...Give it the four minute investment it deserves if you need a good laugh you can relate to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUU9CqrtFiU

FAST FORWARD a YEAR to April 2011. I was slowly
gaining my weight back because, well...I was eating what I wanted and wasn't exercising...WHAT?!? I know, it just doesn't seem right. I was at home on Spring Break and came across a friend's blog... http://blairspin.blogspot.com/2011/01/p90x-before-and-after.html
I love Blair with an affectionate man love. He's a good friend that I don't talk to near enough.

Back when we used to han
g out, he was a little...fat. Well, ok, a gentler description would be a fun-loving youth pastor who, like many in the pastoral realm, eat out too much and exercise too little. I know this because I used to fit the aforementioned profile...Anyway, I was so impressed by his photos that I began to recall a long-standing joke I had with my buddy, Matt.

Long story short, I came to find out that so
me mutual friends of Blair and myself had become inspired by his P90X tale (no, I don't think it was this long-winded but it's hard to go to sleep after a rousing musical performance of 1776).

I decided to investigate.

Tim had "climbed the P90X Mountain". Greg was on week 7. I think Seth and Heather were a bit further along than Greg, but in any case, they raved about the program and the impact it was having on the reduction of their "mass". I decided that rather than sit at home any longer wasting my break, I would buy into the P90X hype.

My brother-in-law, Jared, had also completed the program, but I'm not certain he took the dietary consid
erations seriously. He had all the necessary P90 gear and we've shared everything from a bubble bath to long hikes together so it seemed logical we would share P90.

He gave me the box and his blessing. He also laughed
at me as I struggled to get the box of P90 treasures to my car--was quite heavy with the weights and all...

Jared, P90X can get you back to this if you would believe and "keep pressing play...

AnYwAy, God bless you if you're still reading...

I started with a box of promise, worksheets c
ourtesy of Heather, and a determination to see, as Tony says, if I could get in the best shape of my life...

**like I said, if you don't want to
see pictures of me, go back to your normal activities--quit reading or shield eyes**

DAY 1 PICS - APRIL 1, 2011 -- I knew I was out of shape, I had broken my leg 2 years earlier, but had lost some weight as I had mentioned. My sister, mom and brothers had
all told me I was woefully "loose in the cage" to borrow another P90 euphemism...I didn't think I was THAT bad, but looking back...

I should also include that the reason I'm documenting this journey is that I believe it could do for someone what Blair's pics did for me...start you wondering about the validity of muscle confusion (the P90X prescription) and maybe plant a seed that leads
to a significant change in your "general level of fitness."



I didn't take a picture of my back, because...well, what would have been the point...

This was taken a month later, MAY 3 (WEEK 5) after a workout. I was feeling good about my results at this point, and texted this pic to my sister to talk about that "silly little workout program" known as P90X...

JUNE 3 (Week 10)-- P90 was a family affair...
I began to raise the ante and text my brothers to remind them how weak they are...

Somewhere around week 12, we went to a festival in Parker (a small town feel type of place...picture merchant tents, free samples, carni rides and the United States Marines booth featuring their chin-up challenge...well, guess who can do enough pull ups at this point to impress the 18 year olds who can do pull ups without even trying and win a USMC hat...

Had to take this one after the final workout...I was happy.
I know there are all kinds of reasons to not do something like this...maybe you don't have a sweet in-home gym area...well, here's where the magic happened for me...late at night in my cluttered study. I resolved to clean it after I had finished the program...time to get busy.

So here are my "official" AFTER pics...
if you stuck with (me) you did 349 Core slash Ab exercises--at least it feels like it, this is a long post...probably easier to do AB ripper X than read all this, but it was a journey worthy of documentation.So, I didn't rip a 6 pack, but believe me...it's closer than it's ever been. I still ate dessert. I ate smart, but didn't use the P90X Nutrition guide (didn't have one, not sure I could have lived by it anyway...)

I ended up around 135 lbs, a 30" waist, and in the best overall shape of my life. It's not a weight-loss program but if you're determined to see some significant changes, you can do it if you BRING IT!

Monday, April 11, 2011

p-90 posting

so about an hour and a half a day is given to this love hate thing...

blogging is still on the radar. while the readers lie in wait for more substantial posts, i'll share some of my finer thoughts about this new new routine i am developing (have not yet missed a workout, but i'm only on week 2.5 out of 13.)

so...in very RANDOM order:

soreness is down from week one

my strawberry recovery drink is nasty (i understand that the more you pay for the powder, the better tasting the drink is--i buy mine at walmart...)
this program works for me because i've always brought it...

tony horton is funny only to those who have been there

i'm only going to post my before and after pictures if they are as good as i imagine they will be



i'm a 12-15 person

my arms are tired after the shoulder/back workout

pull-ups on chairs are for women. they are also for me.

do your best and forget the rest...BLAM, Pam.


Thursday, March 31, 2011

if you're gonna wrestle, wear a singlet...

or maybe some armor...

the other day, Court and i were talking about some of the bizarre diseases she sees families dealing with on a daily basis. no rhyme or reason, kids just get sick--and it doesn't make any sense. as we began to think of how God figures into the insanity of it all, i began to think about how senseless life seems when we focus on how desperate things appear.

we know God cares about us--about sick kids, about cancer patients, the marginalized, even the dead bunny i saw in the middle of the road tonight. the thing is, God reminds us not to get caught up in everything we see and especially how desperate and Godless things can appear.

i'm challenged daily to go beyond. go beyond conversations, appearances, tragedies, disrespect--all the "stuff" i can see and put my hands on. funny thing is, it's the stuff we can put our hands on that always comes with the "why." we'll probably never stop trying to figure out the stuff we'll never know but love to answer.

God's at work. He never stops, His love never fails, and i'm sure His heart is heavier than mine will ever weigh over all the "stuff" that we could think He has disregarded.

the biggest battles i've lost are over things i watched fall apart. the greatest victories i've known have been the result of things unseen.

your eyes are gonna do their thing, but keep you mind where it belongs.

there's grace for the task...

Ephesians 6:12-13 (New International Version, ©2011)

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

simply explained

i have to be honest and tell you, dear reader, that i'm not sure a blog works for me...

i think i'd like to work it out, but i'm not sure this is for the guy who naturally analyzes things and tends to share his thoughts with strategic reservation.

if i don't post, you don't read, and i'm sure that will thoroughly disappoint the 9 (more like 2) followers that have come across this fine demonstration of literacy.

perhaps this will be more of a slow leak...or maybe this will be different. have you seen a keurig? i want one. man, i think those things are cool. smooth on the outside, but on the inside something is going on. you put that individualized cup of ground coffee in its place and that sucker tears into it to produce a fine by-product. it reminds me of myself--chill exterior. fire on the inside. did i just compare myself to an overpriced coffee maker? see, i'm not sure this is gonna work. :)

i can get bored reading paragraphs of blogging so when i post, i'll work to keep it on point.

for a procrastinator, a blog seems to be a deadly waste of time, but i suppose that will have to be part of the navigation.

i hope you enjoy the music. music has always been important to me. i've spent many years thinking about the purpose and power of music. i'm certain my playlist isn't powerful, but my aim is to choose a chill, reflective supplement to whatever ends up on the page.

thanks for stopping by.

Monday, March 28, 2011

I know...I'll post once every 2 years...

Man, that can seem like a long time; and then, not very long at all.

I'm glad to see I have 9 followers (whatever that means) waiting patiently for each beautiful post I submit.

I wonder what I have to do to get 90 followers?

and if I got 90 followers would we have to wear the same white sneakers and move to TX?

behold, the power of the blog...

Incidentally, I read a blog lately that made me sad for the person that wrote it. I think that's all I'll say about that.

Anyway, I'm impressed that you're reading mine.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

?? things about me

I'm going to write a given number of things here you might not know about me. Facebook's standard is 25 things. We'll see. I think I'll keep adding onto this until I'm done. Not sure we'll get to 25. But, who knows, my 5 followers may want 55 things?

1. I know I love my wife because I feel it deeply. Not the same feeling I felt as a college kid parking with her in the public parking lot facing the beach at Point Loma to watch the tide turn mind you, but deep in my spirit, I know she will always be my girl.

2. I like to lead Worship. I don't always like the preparation it takes, but that's life I guess. Truth is, the preparation for Worship leading is the most important thing. I'm not just talking about singing songs here, my friends.

3. I like staying up late because it clears my mind. I don't like getting up the next day because of it. This can be problematic...Sometimes this process results in a tired, cluttered mind--guess I better go to bed. ;)

4. I think I can sing pretty well in multiple musical styles.

5. I have no aspiration to tour or make a huge album or be famous, but the money would be nice. However, I do think it would be cool to be a back-up singer. (I wouldn't mind making a simple CD as long as it was good. Who wants to listen to crap...lol, sorry.)

6. It bugs me when people think they are better than they are. "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)

7. I like making music with professional musicians. This doesn't happen for me often, but man when it does...

8. I believe in the local church. I also believe we have a LONG way to go. The local church needs to be more concerned with the Kingdom than itself.

9. I believe cynicism is deadly.

10. I believe skepticism is healthy.

11. Given the option, I'd take early retirement.

12. I would like to live in one place the rest of my life. So far, this has not worked out so well.

13. I think it would be cool to represent a corporation such as the Denver Broncos. Not really like a mascot, more of like a press rep or something...

14. I like being liked.

15. It bothers me when people tell me they "don't like the music." It's not about the music, it never will be. Truly, when you tell me this, it's about you and when it's about you--you're wrong. Don't misunderstand me, people can have musical preference, just keep it to yourself. Art critics really don't get it. (lol) Now food critics, I can appreciate.

16. I would rather do what God wants me to do more than anything else in the world. That's why we live in IN.

17. All I liked about KS was that I got to know my uncle and his family well. I also liked the benefit of partnership in the Gospel--the sunflowers can keep the rest.

18. I have been a licensed resident of CA, OR, CO, KS, and IN. In that order. I would go back to CO in a heartbeat (figuratively). CA is too expensive, OR doesn't sound that appealing, and I think I've already voiced my love for the others.

19. I wish I was a better dancer, but I don't really see myself spending a lot of money on lessons.

20. I would like to do more musical theatre.

21. I would like to own a few more professional athletic jerseys.

22. I wish I could talk to my grandfathers more. They are all gone. This is amazing because between my wife's and all my families there were 6.

23. I would rather let God put me where He wants me rather than "work my magic." That has been the formula for discovery of a lot of AMAZING opportunities that I never sought. In other words, I agree that God is not a condiment to be added to our lives.

24. People need to understand that God calls us all.

25. This took more time than I originally intended to give. I hope you enjoyed something.

26. Sometimes I think that I would like to write a book.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Can you be made to blog?

I'm under great pressure to update...too much pressure. How can you live up to the pressure? I know...keep 'em waiting.

I'll throw it back to my peeps.

What do you want me to tell you?