St. Thomas, USVI

I'm waiting patiently for Monica to buy some jewlery in a shop and
figured I'd uplidd a photo.

Doing well on vacation. We've done 2 yoga classes. I've done a
shoulders and arms workout from memory (even ab ripper x).

Monica and I walked 9 laps of the ship this morning which is a bit
over 3 miles. We've easily walked another 2 miles plus around St Thomas.

Diet has been spotty, but I'm on vacation.

Take care.

John

PS. I love the iPhone. Have 3G AT&T network in the middle of the
Caribbean.

Beachbody Coaching

Some of you are curious what "Beachbody" coaching is all about.

I thought you could watch the following video.

See you next week!

Hey everyone! Monica and I just pushed off. We're signed up for 4
yoga classes. Should be a great week.

Push play while I'm gone.

John

Time For A Vacation!!!

All that hard work and I finally get to play!

Monica and I leave tomorrow morning early for Miami. On Saturday, we board the Norwegian Dawn for a 7 Night cruise. The cruise will be over our 6 year anniversary and will probably be the last vacation we ever take without kids for the next 25 years or so (if things go to plan.)

I sure have to say that all the hard work put into P90X has been really cool. I'm looking forward to this vacation so much. Part of that is because I have absolutely no qualms about taking my shirt off anymore.

I'll try to post a photo or two of us when we leave Miami while we still have cellular coverage. After that though, it will probably be at least a week without a post here from me.

Weird feeling

The DVD was rolling. I reached down, grabbed my set of dumbbells and started to work along with Tony Horton and the gang. The move was corkscrew curls. For those of you that are unaware, they are like regular curls, yet at the bottom your palms are facing behind you instead of a normal curl where they would face in front of you.

So, I started the curls. In the middle of the move I looked down and a weird feeling came over me. "Who's freaking arms are these?" I thought. My bicep was well defined, veins and arteries were pumped up and visible. It didn't look like my arms at all. I kept pushing, feeling as strong as ever. I didn't want to stop but eventually the burn got too much and I couldn't squeeze out another rep.

It was such an awesome yet odd feeling. To all of a sudden get a dramatic reminder that all the hard work you put in is bringing results...that is what it is all about kids.

Keep pushing play.

John

Why I became a Beachbody Coach.

You know what's been more exciting than my own journey with P90X?  Its been talking to others that were in a similar situation as mine.  I have some friends that have been out of a regular fitness routine, not at their best level of fitness.  A couple of these folks have seen my blog, seen my results photos, and my success so far has motivated them to get on board and try out P90X or another Beachbody Fitness program such as ChaLEAN Extreme.

One of my buddies called me up and was absolutely gushing about how he loved the first week of P90X.  I forget his exact quote, but it was something along the lines of, "Dude, this has been awesome!  I'm 100% into this program!"  How cool is that?  My success has resulted in not only improving my health, but its going to change his life for the better.  I'm sure down the line someone will ask him what he's been doing and will be motivated by his success as well.

Here's the truth why I became a coach.  The primary reason I became a Beachbody coach was not to make money (although the extra cash coming in has been nice).  The real reason is that I had a long history of starting a program and quitting.  I knew that starting as a coach would be drawing a line in the sand for myself.  How could I be a "coach" to others if I wasn't sticking to a program myself?  I thought that by making an extra commitment to others by coaching, it would be a strong motivator to keep me into the program. (It worked!)

Going forward, the success of my friends that I am coaching will continue to motivate me.  I invest some time in them, help them reach their goals and get to enjoy the results.  

If you're looking into helping others improve their fitness, and are interested in coaching shoot me an email at john@toughfitness.com  

You can also check out my coaching page.

P90X...What to expect.

I have to say, I DID NOT write the following. It has been sent around the P90X world and I've received it from a few folks. If you are the original author, or know who is, please let me know so I may give them credit.

RESOLVE TO EVOLVE

Clarity, like the fine edge of a newly sharpened blade. You have a plan, a goal, a schedule; you have your nutrition down to a point. Your workouts are intense, you suffer daily. You are making sure to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night to ensure adequate recovery from your brutal regimen. You are even doing your own version of "Doubles" whether its 20 minutes of HIIT, running, swimming or any other form of cardio three days a week to burn even more fat. You have a clear mental picture of what you want to accomplish during your round of the X, you have your "mind right". So what should you expect? I'll give you some insight so there are no surprises.

DAY 1 - 30 (PHASE 1 - APPROXIMATELY)
1.) This is the adjustment period. Your body is getting into the schedule and tempo of your workouts. It is adjusting to your new nutrition habits. Expect some differences, perhaps not the drastic visual differences you crave but your clothes will become baggier.

2.) Stay the course during this period. I have had allot of people say to me "Something is not right, I'm not getting as lean as I should be."

This is normal; during Phase 1 you are priming the body and stoking your metabolic fire. **YOUR BODY DOES NOT SPOT REDUCE FAT! I REPEAT, YOUR BODY DOES NOT SPOT REDUCE FAT! **

Your body will take body fat off in "sheets". What I mean is that it will reduce your overall body fat evenly. Where we hold the largest amount of body fat largely depends on genetics and gender. Women tend to hold their body fat in their butt, leg, hip region. Men generally hold their body fat in their waistlines. This is what to watch for in this Phase: loosening of your clothes, stay off of the scale and above all, remain patient and continue to work hard.

DAYS 31-60 (PHASE 2 - APPROXIMATELY)

1.) This phase is where your body kicks into high gear. You are getting stronger and leaner. Expect dramatic results during this Phase as long as you remain disciplined and suffer daily.

2.) WHAT TO EXPECT: You will start to see that your outer extremities, (Forearms, calves, upper back, shoulders) generally where people hold the least amount of fat, will start to get leaner.

3.) Where you hold the most fat will improve but not to your impatient satisfaction. Why? Because as your body removes the fat in "sheets" naturally the leaner sections of your body will show definition the quickest.

4.) REMAIN PATIENT AND STAY THE COURSE!

DAYS 61 - 90 (PHASE 3 - APPROXIMATELY)

1.) This is the Phase to let it all hang out. It's an all out assault on body fat. Your metabolism is in high gear, you have noticed a drastic improvement in definition throughout your entire body and your most stubborn pockets of fat are carving away.

2.) This is the time to do some extra workout sessions. Walk after dinner, take an extra bike ride. Skip rope, box, and do something extra to burn more calories and more fat.

3.) At the end of this Phase you want to be standing tall on Day 90, proudly take your after pictures and be able to say, "I worked as hard as I possibly could have during the past 90 days, I BROUGHT IT!"

So there it is, what to expect during a Phase of P90X. If you have any questions and would like to discuss some of the finer points of what I have described above, please don't hesitate to ask.