Another Year Older...different mindset.

Well, I turn 29 years old today.  

I'm one year away from cashing in on a bet with my dad.

 

When I was about 7 or 8 years old, my dad, old dog Annie and I were swimming in the cove at our old lake house. Annie was a gorgeous yellow lab.  She was my personal pillow while watching TV from about age 6 to 18.  But that's another story.

Anyway, my dad and I were swimming, and I made a joke about my dad's "beer belly."  My dad told me that I too would have a beer belly when I was 30.  I said, "nuh uh."  We then made a wager.  The bet was whether or not I would have a beer belly on my 30th birthday.  The amount of the wager was $100 (I was counting on inflation.)

Now, the details of this bet were a bit sketchy.  We have no set definition of what constitutes a "beer belly."  But, I guess its like that one supreme court justice said.  "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it."

My next 365 days will be focused on making sure I cash in on that bet.  My dad claims no knowledge of the wager.  However, my mom was tanning on the dock at the time and she says that she remembers the discussion.  So I've got that going for me.

So, my goal for this year is to get down below 10% body fat by May 1, and stay there for the rest of the year.

Take care friends, keep pushing play.

And remember, "Hope is not an action plan!"

John

My favorite shake recipe!

First off I'd like to start by sharing that the shaker pictured here is awesome. Its the Fit and Fresh Vortex 3 in 1 shaker. I picked it up at my local Target for about $5. This shaker is perfect. Its got a nice agitator that sits in the top to break up the particles of Recovery Drink, Creatine etc and make sure they are mixed well. The other cool thing about it is the ice wand that rests firmly in the center. This helps keep your shake, smoothie or recover drink nice and cold.

That being said, I'd like to share the recipe for one of my favorite Meal Replacement Shakes. This is my "Sunrise Smoothie" and is great for those of us that can't find time for a good breakfast.

Here's the recipe.

-1/2 cup Orange Juice
-1 cup Non Fat Plain Yogurt
-1/2 cup Frozen Strawberries
-1 scoop Strawberry Protein Powder (I use the GNC Wheybolic variety)
-1 Banana
-and this last part is optional, but I add 1/4 cup of instant oatmeal (this is essentially 1/2 serving of Quaker Instant Oats, prepared.

Put all the ingredients into a blender, add a few ice cubs and enjoy.

The Nutritional information for this smoothie is
475 calories
35 grams protein
74 grams carbohydrates.

This might not be the ideal shake for the "Fat Shredder" phase of the P90X diet, but its a good one.

100 Days in! What's next?

Hey everyone.  Its been a while since I've posted.  With the holidays and the "honey-do" list expanding, I haven't had much time for blogging.

 

So, the one question I've received the most is, "What are you going to do next?"

Well, the answer for me is pretty simple.  I'm going to repeat phase 3 of the P90X plan.  The reason I'm doing this is that my wife and I are going on a 7 night cruise leaving on the 17th of January.  By repeating phase 3, I'll be able to keep going and working out with the P90X plan to get in great shape for our cruise.  After we get back from our cruise, I'll take some time off and start up a new round of P90x on Jan 31st.

My 2nd question I get is, "What are your results, what are the stats."

Well, I'll go with were I'm at today compared to where I started.

Right now I'm 100 Days in and my current weight is 197 lbs.  My starting weight was 215.5 lbs.

The biggest difference is in body fat.  On Day 1 I was 215.5 and 25.9% body fat.  That means I was 55.8 lbs of fat and 159.7 lbs lean mass.  On Day 100 I'm at 197.0 lbs and my body fat is at 14.6%.  That has me at 28.7 lbs of fat.  So, even though I've only lost 18.5 lbs total, I've actually lost 27 lbs of fat!  My lean mass is now 168.3 lbs.  That is an absolute transformation.

Another thing that will change is my posts here will probably be less frequent for the next month or so (especially when I'm on vacation!)  My posts will be a lot less of a diary of how I've been doing with P90X and more about my overall thoughts on health and fitness.  Of course I'll still write about P90X as I'll always love this program and how it changed my life.  However, there is life after P90X and I want to explore the other areas of fitness that I haven't had time to investigate.  Down the road I'm actually considering to start learning about martial arts.  I'd like to train in MMA a bit, even though I have no delusions of grandeur of competing.  However, I think that if one is working out only for the sake of working out, you'll get burnt out.  I'm trying to find other avenues of fitness.

So, look for more to come.  

Finally, if you've been reading this blog and are wanting to know have more, please email me at john@toughfitness.com.  I also am a Beachbody coach.  That means I have made a commitment to help others reach their fitness goals like I have.  My coach helped me tremendously and I'd like to pass that on to others.  I've had a few friends buy P90X and other Beachbody workout programs through me and its been rewarding.  I'd love to help you reach your goals.  Also, don't hesitate to contact me if you're also looking to learn about the Beachbody coaching opportunity.

Well, that's all for today...bring it!

Results Photos

I need to get to bed, can't comment much.

However, as they say, a picture is worth 1000 words. So here is 5000 words.

Delay...pictures coming sometime today.

Hey everyone.  Sorry to say my pictures are delayed.  

The big snow storm delayed me getting home by half a day.  We've got a ton of errands to work on today but I promise, my 90 day results picture will be up in some form by the end of the day.

John

Friday Morning Humor

This was me before P90X....





Fat Man On A Little Bike - Watch more Free Videos

What Day is it? Oh...Day 90? That's Right!!!

More to follow this weekend for sure.  I just wanted to say that I finished my workout today.  That's Day 90 folks.  I Decided on a goal.  I Committed to that Goal, and I Succeeded.

This isn't the end of my story.  There will be much more to follow.  But for today, I'm pumped.

Go Me!

Thanks to all of you for reading.  I appreciate all your help.  Seeing that hit counter go up keeps me motivated to keep bringing it.  

Remember, "Hope is not an action plan!"

John