Do What You Can Do

I've definitely noticed a pattern in my life.  During the fall and winter months, its not that hard for me to get my workouts completed on a regular basis.  I've done successful rounds of P90X etc the last two winters and done well.  Come spring, the world thaws in Illinois and I start into my routine.  For those of you that don't realize, competitive shooting (particularly modern rifles) is a passion of mine I've picked up over the past year.  I run a practical rifle program at my gun club and we have monthly matches.  Well, starting this program has taken up loads of my time.


We had a "Zombie Shoot" spin-off of this program which was another huge event I ran last year.  That drew 70 shooters and looks to be a huge event this year, with 150-200 shooters or more.  (If you want to learn more, check out www.thezombieshoot.com for more info.)

What does all of this have to do with fitness?  Well, on one level, physical fitness is a huge help in some of the events I participate in.  No matter how good one is with a rifle, if you're stiff, slow, or out of shape, you can't fire the rifle in a quick and effective manner.  This past weekend we did a drill (you can view a video  of the drill here) that required getting into some rather awkward and uncomfortable firing positions.  I'd honestly say the flexibility and strength I've gained from P90X helped me to perform some of these drills very well.  However, these hobbies and passions of mine take up a ton of time.  On a Saturday, I'll be up and out the door by 6 AM to set up for one of our shoots and might not return home until 6 PM.  (On a side note, I did wear my bodybugg along to one of these shoots and burned well over 3500 calories for the day without getting a formal workout in. I burn more calories in a day out at the range than I do when I am at work and get a P90X workout in when I get home.)

Furthermore, these events take up so much time that I frankly am pooped and don't get in my traditional workouts.  I've looked at my calendar for the next 3 months and it is packed solid.  I have things planned every weekend through August it seems.  I know that for the next 90 days or so, I'll have limited success getting an intense program like P90X completed on a consistent basis.

So, my plan is to give Tony Horton's 10-minute trainer a try.  My goal will not to have dramatic weight loss, but to maintain my current levels and maybe drop a few pounds mainly through getting my diet back on track.  Looking through the program, the title "10 Minute Trainer" is a bit misleading.  The 10-minute workout is a bare minimum.  There are 3 workouts every day, each 10 minutes in length.  The bare minimum is to do the first 10 minute workout, if you have more time, do the 2nd, if you have still more time, do the third.  So, I'm going to do 10-Minute trainer for the next 30 days and document the results.  My diet for the last month has been atrocious.  I've not planned well and have taken advantage of too many temptations. 

So, Check back here for my review on 10 minute trainer.  I'll keep everyone posted.

--John

A confession

Hey everyone. The last month has been pretty rough for me in a couple ways. The last day I updated here, there were some layoffs at my work. This meant that my schedule and such changed dramatically. Where I used to go into my office 1-2 days a week, I'm now in 4 days a week and more. On top of that, in mid March I got sicker than I can remember. I lost about 7 lbs in a couple days and couldn't eat solid food for about 5 days. 


Unfortunately, these setbacks were "ready made" excuses that I didn't overcome.  The last 3-4 weeks have been terrible.  My workouts have been non-existent and my diet has been terrible as well.  So, I'm back here writing, I need to get back on track. 

Major Announcement

My Bodybugg Review...kinda

I was going to do a video blog about my Bodybugg. However, I ran across this.

I know that everyone would probably much rather watch Chalene Johnson talk for 2 minutes than my ugly mug.





The code she references is "bbgcj24", all lower case. I don't know if that discount code is active any longer.

I have to just piggy back on what Chalene says. The bodybugg makes you so aware of your activity. It's changed my habits. I'm going for walks on my lunch breaks to get my calorie burn and step count up. On lazier days I'm making sure not to eat as much to maintain that calorie deficit that I need to hit.

It's an awesome fitness tool, no matter what your goal. If you want to increase mass, then eat a bit more than your burn. If you want to lose a pound a week, eat 500 calories less than your burn. It's simple.

I can't say enough good things about this tool.

How many push-ups can I do?

Here is some info.

Check out Clippers for Carter for more information on Carter Hammond.

If you are willing to pledge for this great cause, please click here to send me an email!

If you want to see some info from Beth's day, check out her "I'm Going Bald" page on facebook.

I'm including two images below.

Beth Before:

Beth After:

Why P90X doesn't work.

P90x doesn't work! It's just glitzy glam marketing and a waste of your money. You can spend your money on P90X, but you won't get in shape, you won't get leaner. Here's why:

• You can buy the DVDs, but, then you have to do the workouts.
• You actually have to follow a diet plan. They have a crazy theory that you need to burn more calories than you take in.
  
• They actually expect you to workout 6 or more days a week. Who has time for that?
  
• Tony Horton wants you to work out over an hour a day. Again, haven't you heard of 8-minute abs?
  

Obviously this is satire. I don't think P90X is a gimmick. I've seen it work for far too many friends and customers to think otherwise. I was reminded of this today when discussing the program with a customer. He said, "So and so has been doing P90X and has had good results." I thought, "Of course he has, anyone who actually follows the program has great results. It's the folks who 'modify' the program or only do it one or two days a week that don't succeed."

As a Beachbody coach, I've had lots of customers purchase P90X. Usually I can tell right away if a person is going to have success with the program. Some people buy P90X, but right off the bat tell me how they are going to modify the program. This is warning sign number 1 that this person isn't going to a.) complete the program, or b.) have much success.

Tony Horton didn't just haphazardly put the program together. All the routines are designed and scheduled to flow into one another. For example, just when you're dying of soreness from 2 tough upper body workouts in 3 days, the next day is a "relaxing" yoga day that challenges your muscles, while stretching them. Just what your body needed. Some folks think Kenpo X is too easy, but its designed to get your heart rate in the fat burning zone, not to get your heart racing.

My advice to anyone that is thinking about buying P90X is to only purchase it if you're committed to following the program to the best of your ability. This means committing to the schedule, the diet, the intensity etc. Now, no one is perfect. Everyone has to modify at times. There are days when I've been crunched for time and knew that doing half of Chest and Back is better than none of Chest and Back. These things happen.

First Video Blog

Thanks for watching guys