At a charity event I attended last weekend, I was talking to a very nice girl who asked me about my business with Beachbody.  When I mentioned that P90X was one of our programs, she said…

“Oh!  P90X!  My husband was doing that!  He got to about day 45 and then stopped.  And he was doing so well!”

I hear this often, and in fact, I’ve experienced it for myself.  I must have started and stopped P90X at least 3 or 4 times.  On the other hand, I’ve also successfully completed the full 90 days.

So, what are the keys that make for a successful 90 days?  I’ve given that some thought the past few days.

• Have faith that you will emerge on the other side a better person.
• Either write down your workouts on your calendar, or automatically schedule your workouts in the Team Beachbody WOWY calendar.
• Plan on a time of day that you will do your workouts.  Stick to that time as long as it’s working for you.  But if you need to make a change, then MAKE IT!
• Have all of the equipment you need ready to go (more on that in a future post).
• If at all possible, make plans to start the program with a loved one.  You’ll need the support.  You can get additional support from your Beachbody coach.
• Make plans to improve your nutrition.  This is a larger part of results than most people realize.

I had been contemplating starting a new round of P90X anyway, so I thought this would be a good time to do it.  I decided that I would share my journey through my blog.

Today was day one and the first workouts were Ab Ripper X and Chest and Back.  I hope I can lift my arms tomorrow! 

So look for a weekly blog post from me sharing:

• Tips
• Recipe ideas and how they break down for the P90X portion plan.
• My struggles, and how I’m dealing with them.
• My successes (and I hope you’ll celebrate with me)

But I don’t want this to be all about me!  I want you to share your journey as well (it doesn’t matter if you are doing a program other than P90X).

With any luck, we’ll all learn a lot and be a LOT healthier!  I’m excited to share this journey with you!

Your friend in fitness,

Judy

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This is one of our family’s favorite dinners, and the leftovers for  lunch the next day are even better!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 3 sweet peppers (I love to use red peppers)
• 1 sweet onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Corn Starch
• Olive oil
• Whole Wheat Tortillas

Cut the sweet peppers and onions into strips, and chop the garlic into small pieces.  I make quick work of all of this by using my food processor.

Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the frying pan on medium high heat.  Add the garlic, and stir until those good garlic smells start…should be only about 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Add the peppers and onion, and stir until they start to get soft (about 4 minutes).  Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Chop the chicken into long strips.  I find it’s easier if the chicken is slightly frozen, and I use the food processor for this step as well.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan and heat on medium high heat.  Add the chicken, and turn until no longer pink.

While the chicken is cooking, mix together the soy sauce, lemon juice, and corn starch in a bowl.  Once the chicken is done, add the sauce to the mixture, and stir until bubbly.  Add the peppers, onion, and garlic back into the pan.

Place a tortilla on a paper towel and warm it in the microwave for 15 seconds.  Place some of the chicken and pepper mixture in the middle of the tortilla, fold up the bottom, fold in the sides, and ENJOY!

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I’ve been wanting to add personal videos to my blog, and I wanted to do it inexpensively.  So…last week I purchased a Kodak Zi8 HD pocket video camera, a little mini tripod, and a lapel microphone.  I didn’t realize that the microphone would come with NO INSTRUCTIONS!

Thank goodness for youtube!  I found a video made by what looked like a 13 year old boy in his basement.  But it helped!  I even asked him for advice! 

So bear with me as I test this thing out.  My only willing counterpart was my dog…our Shih Tzu named Comet.  As I was filming my 12 year old daughter this afternoon, she held a book over her face, and my husband made me promise the video wouldn’t end up on the internet.  I don’t think you’ll see us on a reality show any time soon! 

So here’s a little clip of Comet…the wonder dog! 

Judy

P.S.  It’s taken me several tries to load up this video!  I hope I get better at it!  LOL!

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Well, today is the day that the voting will end in the Beachbody quarterly transformation contest! One man and one woman will each win $10,000. They’ve already won $1,000 in the monthly contest. All of these people changed their lives with Beachbody home workout routines!

Look through my blog posts to see just a few of the stories, but if you want to be inspired by all 24 of these people, create your own account and have a chance to vote too! It’s very easy, and it’s free! Ask me how!

Judy

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I bought P90X in late 2006, and started it for the first time in early 2007.  It was TOUGH, but one thing I remember most was how hard the P90X Ab Ripper X (ARX for short) routine was.  At the time, I was going through this life changing experience with over 100 other people.  We had gotten together on the Beachbody message boards and agreed to hold each other accountable.

When I started having trouble making it though ARX, I asked others “Wow…how are you getting through the whole thing”?  I had the advantage of MANY other people going through the same experience, and got many tips.

On February 1, 2010, I started a round of P90X after doing some other Beachbody programs during 2009.   As I was doing Ab Ripper X this morning, all of those tips kept flooding back into my mind.  Thank goodness!  I’m much better now than I was in 2007 when I first did it, but YOWZA…I needed help! 

So, it seemed appropriate to blog about this so that I could share the tips with others out there who may be  struggling.  Remember, the struggle will make you stronger, but here are some tips to help you through so that you keep showing up!

• The number one tip that helped me the most was “remove your sneakers”.  Just that little bit of weight will make a big difference.
• Keep the remote next to you and press “pause” if you need to.
• Even if you don’t pause the DVD, you can still take breaks.  For example, last week I set a goal to do 15 oblique V-ups per side (Tony and the kids do 25).  I do these with good form.  Your goal may only be 10…or 5 in the first week.  This morning I had a goal for 20 oblique V-ups per side.  I only made it to 18.  That’s okay.  I’ll continue to set my goal at 20 this week, and when I’m doing that easily, I’ll shoot for the whole 25!
• On any of the exercises where I am on my back, I lace my fingers behind my back, and place my hands beneath my butt.  This helps me to keep my lower back pressed into the floor and takes the pressure off of my lower back.
• Those mason twists at the end are KILLER, aren’t they?  If you notice, Tony and the kids have their feet off of the ground.  Start with your feet on the ground, and just do the twisting motion.  When you feel like you’re ready for more, do 10 with your feet off of the ground, and then place them on the ground for the remainder.  Keep extending that until you can do all 50 with your feet off of the ground.

Those are the tips that got me through last week!  As I progress towards my day 90, I’ll need them less and less! 

Do YOU have any tips on getting through P90X Ab Ripper X?  PLEASE leave a comment on here and share them with us!

Judy

P.S.  I’m not a personal trainer, so it’s important to know that these tips are only through my own personal experience as an “X”er!

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As we are beginning 2010, people all over the world are committing to New Year’s Resolutions.  I can’t help but use this time of year to reflect about the past and dream about the future a bit.  Usually a resolution is born out of dissatisfaction about some area of your life.  With me, that is particularly true this year.

I’m  not sure why, but I fell away from some healthy habits toward the end of the year.  I told myself that I was too busy to exercise.  There was just too much to get done, and I would exercise if I got all of it done.  Well, you know how that goes…not too well.

That started a downward spiral of not eating healthy,  not sleeping well, and not drinking enough water.  Before I knew it, I was depressed.  I was in a slump, and couldn’t pull myself out of it.  No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t “think” my way out of it.

Then, a few days before the end of the year, I started exercising again regularly.  It felt like torture while I was doing it.  But after my workout on the third day, I felt exhilarated!  WOW!  It wasn’t just a feeling of “I’m proud I did that”.  It was a physiological feeling in my body.  ENDORPHINS!  Oh how I missed that feeling!

I started thinking about the things that I MUST have in my day…each and every day…in order to be happy.  After making the list, I decided to journal about it.  I’ll repeat the list each day, and journal how I did in that area and how I’m feeling that day.

The list may grow or change throughout the year, but that’s okay.  Here’s is what I’m starting 2010 with:

1)      Sleep.  7-8 hours.  Go to bed by 10PM each night and then up by 5 or 6AM.  A SHORT mid day nap would help too.

2)      Water.  I need to fill up three 20 ounce bottles each night and then drink at least those three the next day.

3)      Fresh air and sunshine.  I need to get out to take a 10-15 minute walk each day.

4)      Exercise.  A moderate amount each day, 6 days a week, is essential.

5)      Good nutrition.  Vegetables, fruits, lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats.  Plan meals for the week, make a grocery list, shop from that list, and make the meals I’ve planned.

6)      Supplements.  Shakeology, Activit, Cal-Mag, and Omega 3.  If I’m doing P90X or Insanity, recovery formula following a tough workout.

7)      Declutter.  The excess clutter in this house is just making me unhappy.  I felt so good when I took all of those clothes to the salvation army.  It’s a cleansing feeling.

8)      Attitude.  Read 10 pages from a good, uplifting book and listen to at least 10 minutes of an audio.

9)      Spend good quality time with loved ones doing something fun or just talking and laughing.

I think that’s a good start to a HAPPY 2010!

The video I’m uploading with this blog post is a short video about one of the supplements I mentioned…Shakeology.  It’s more of a meal replacement than a supplement, but it’s just chock full of healthy stuff!    If you are interested in learning more about Shakeology, feel free to send me an email at zavislak@epix.net!  I’m a distributor for this product and all products from Beachbody.  You can learn more about Shakeology at my website at www.myshakeology.com/cani.

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