Dan Gregart P90X Day 30 Report.

My buddy Dan just got to day 30 of P90X. He has had some great results and I asked him to write a little write up on his impressions of the first 30 days. Dan gave me a ton of good info and I'm going to share it all with you. Thanks Dan.

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P90X – Day 30

If you would have told me that I would progressed this far in just 30 days I would have been ecstatic. My goal coming in to P90X was to revolutionize my health and to change my fitness habits FOR GOOD. I really didn’t believe that my results would get anywhere near the results I saw on the infomercial, but I was looking for some way to draw a line in the sand. I’ve fought my weight my entire life and have struggled so badly lately due to the nature of my job (insurance agent). Then, around the time of my son’s birth in mid-December, I got to that “sick and tired of being sick and tired” place and decided to purchase the system. I was also motivated by an upcoming company trip to Maui in April! On day 1, I was actually pretty nervous! I knew that the workouts would be tough and it had been so long since I had done any intensive training that I was fearful that I wouldn’t be able to keep up and that I would lose my motivation. After Chest & Back, I came upstairs in my house and spent the next 20 minutes dry-heaving on my back porch. Tony kicked my ass, made me puke, and I just knew that I was on to something! After Plyometrics the second day, I was hooked completely. I found myself clapping at the end of workouts and yelling at myself between sets to keep myself motivated. The idea of not being able to get through the workouts left my mind completely. I just loved how Tony would remind me that I could pause the DVD and catch my breath. I also loved the different intensities on the exercises. It made me feel encouraged when I couldn’t do what the people on the screen were doing. The idea was that if I just kept pressing play and pushed through every workout, I would see results; this was so encouraging to hear, especially after spending my first Yoga session stumbling and falling over the place! The funny thing that I’m seeing now is that I CAN do a lot of the things that I COULDN’T do before. The progress I’ve seen in terms of strength and physical appearance have been great, but the strides I’ve made in the areas of flexibility, balance, core development and explosiveness have been a big surprise.

I really can’t stress to people the importance of the nutrition plan. I am a carb-addict and have had issues for YEARS with digestion and energy. I always felt sluggish and bloated regardless of my commitment to exercise. The P90X Nutrition Plan has weaned me off sugar and introduced me to the wonderful world of fruits, vegetables and natural foods! I never knew they were out there! One of the biggest surprises for me has been how good I FEEL. Without going into too much detail, my digestive system isn’t backed up any more. I don’t get that post-meal bloated and sluggish feeling. And the amazing side note to this is the fact that I’m eating more than I ever have! I can eat a meal and feel really hungry within a few hours! Before P90X, I honestly can’t tell you the last time I truly felt hungry. Even today, as I sit here at work typing this, I need to get something to eat, and this is only 90 minutes after eating a whole-wheat bagel with natural peanut butter (thanks John) and sugar-free strawberry preserves! My system feels like its cranking at all times and I can literally FEEL the fat being burned. It’s a feeling that is quite addicting.

Today, I feel like I’m in the meat of the program. I’m dropping about .4 lbs per day and adding weight and reps to my workouts each time I do them. I can’t imagine what the next 30 days will bring. I’d like to drop another 10 lbs. (I’m focusing on lean muscle and not muscle size) and get to the point where I can get through the entire Yoga session without having to skip a pose or position. My thought is that if I can drop 10 more lbs of fat in the next 30 days, the final 30 days can be all about getting truly ripped. I never thought that I could be the guy on the beach with the muscle definition and the flat stomach, but I can see it now. Its only 60 days away. But the great thing is that I don’t have to think about things 60 days away. My job is to push play tonight and push myself whenever and wherever possible. The results will be there in two more months.

Thanks to John Kopecky for his help in getting started and staying on track. I feel like I’m part of something that’s going on over the whole world. Thanks for bringing me into the fold brother. More updates in 60 days!

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.