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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I thought I’d spend some time on the basics of fitness according to Tony Horton.  For those who don’t know, Tony is the creator of the P90X Home Workout Routine.  You may have seen it on TV as you were surfing through the channels on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

Tony has what he calls “The 11 Laws of Fitness”.  I first learned these at a Tony Horton Fitness Camp in New York in 2007.  They are very good, basic laws that are critical to developing a healthy LIFESTYLE.  No diets.  No temporary fixes…but a lifestyle!

Tony’s first law is VARIETY.  How boring would life be without variety?  Human beings are strange creatures.  We have a basic need for both consistency and variety.  As far as exercise goes, I’ve often said that I have exercise A.D.D.  Doing the same routine day in and day out is just too boring for me!  That’s probably why I have a library of just about every home workout routine that Beachbody has produced!  I like being able to choose the workout that will achieve the goal I’m aiming for that day, but add some variety to prevent boredom.

Adding variety to your workouts can help you to avoid the setbacks of injuries, plateaus, and boredom.  I used to work at a Wellness Center, and there was one man there who was losing weight, and then plateaued.  I suggested that he talk to the Program Manager, and have her design a new program with different exercises.  He said he was happy with what he was doing.

The only problem was that his previous routine…the one that helped him lose weight…was no longer working.  Why?  His body had adapted, and it was no longer hard.  That’s probably why he didn’t want to change.  He remembered how hard the routine was in the beginning, and he probably remembered how sore he was that first week or two.

But that’s the funny thing about working out.  When your body adapts, the best thing you can do is set up a new challenge.  Changing up the routine is a great way to do that.  That’s what I love about P90X so much.  I’m currently in week 4 of this round of P90X.  For the first 3 weeks, I had a schedule that included the same workout every Monday (chest and back), another every Tuesday (Plyometrics)…and well…you get the idea.

Now in recovery week, I’m doing cardio, yoga, and stretching.  Next week, I’ll be into another phase where I’ll have the same workout routine every Monday, another every Tuesday…etc.  Some of these routines will be different than those I did in weeks 1-3.

The point I’m trying to make is that I’ll be switching up the workouts every few weeks.  Tony calls that “muscle confusion”, and it works very well!

Other ways I add variety into my workouts?  When it starts to get a little warmer here in Pennsylvania, I’ll start running again.  I’ve been taking Zumba classes every Saturday morning.  Zumba is a Latin dance based cardio workout.  I’ve also considered taking a class at a new ice rink near here.  They call the class “icercize”.

You need to keep your workouts fun and interesting.  Will you enjoy them ALL?  Probably not.  There are some workouts that I know I need to do, but I’m just not in the mood for.  Sometimes I enjoy cardio more, sometimes resistance training is more fun for me.  I almost never enjoy yoga WHILE I’m doing it, but I feel SO good after the workout is done.

But overall, I try to keep the fun in it.  I do a lot of my workouts from home, but when I can workout with a friend, that adds an element of fun to the workout…especially if you can find a friend who is just a little better at the workout than you.  It pushes you to be better!

One of my favorite ways of adding variety to my workouts is Tony Horton’s One on One Series of home workout routines.  It’s sort of like a magazine.   A new workout comes every month.  I have no idea how Tony keeps coming up with new stuff for these, but he’s great at mixing it up.  Not to mention that he’s hilarious in them!  It’s just him and the director Mason in the room, and they film from beginning to end with no cuts.  One time, Tony ripped his pants at the beginning of the workout, and they continued to film!  Too funny!

So that’s it!  Remember to get variety in your workouts!  Be curious!  Try a new home workout routine or look for a new class in your area!  You’ll be more apt to stick with it in the long term!

Together we’re better!

Judy

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WOW!  This success story just blew me away!  At only 33 years old, Jeremy tipped the scales at 370 pounds, was on medication for his dangerously high blood pressure, and walked with a limp due to severe arthritis.

Jeremy had no energy and that was a problem because he had two young active sons.  All Jeremy ever wanted to do was sit on the couch.  Life was passing him by, but he was complacent about his weight.

I’m always fascinated by that “moment”…that thing that flips the switch in a person’s mind and all of a sudden, they HAVE to make changes.  When you get to that point, the solution will show up!

Well, Jeremy had a good friend who was willing to tell him the hard truth.

“He asked me how I would feel if another man had to replace me and raise my sons, um, I was speechless . . . It made the situation really real for me. It forced me to think of the real events that would occur if I didn’t change my ways.”

Ouch!  I could see how that would motivate Jeremy!  We’ll do things for our children we would NEVER do for ourselves!

A high school athlete, Jeremy started asking buddies what they were doing to get in shape and found that many were doing the P90X^® home workout routine.  When he saw the way their eyes lit up when describing P90X, Jeremy knew the program was for him.

The most appealing characteristic of P90X that Jeremy’s friends described was the variety. The home workout routines in P90X included strength training days, cardio days, and days when they did stretching.

Jeremy loved the workouts, but there were major obstacles in his quest to get fit. He continually faced the temptation to eat poorly, and the arthritis in his ankle caused him intense pain.

“When I first started P90X, I swear I used every modification that Tony could throw at me. Whether it was from being so out of shape or physically being too big for my ankle, I had to modify everything. I really struggled. But around every corner there was Tony saying, ‘Do your best, and forget the rest.’ So many times I felt like he was personally talking to me.”

Jeremy probably felt like quitting many times, but I’m sure that when those times occurred, he heard his friend’s voice inside his head saying “Do you want another man to replace you to raise your sons”?  He pushed through the difficulties, and completely changed his life!  He’s no longer the Dad who just sits on the couch while his sons are playing.  He’s right in there playing with them!

P90X is a great program, but it IS intense!  Sure there are ways to modify it, but what few people actually know is that Tony Horton (the trainer who developed the P90X home workout routines) also developed some programs which are meant to ease you into P90X.

The Power90 home workout routine is a great place to start!  The workouts are shorter and much less intense.  Tony also developed the Power90 Master Series of home workout routines.  Those are somewhere between Power90 and P90X.

The important point to remember from Jeremy’s story is that he first made the decision to no longer be complacent about his weight.  He discovered his “WHY”, and it was a very powerful one…so that HE could be the one to raise his boys…not some other man.

What is YOUR why?  If you ever want to change your life, finding your why and keeping it at the forefront of your mind is essential to your success!

Together we’re better!

Judy

P.S.  Jeremy won $1,000 for his transformation story using Beachbody products, and now he is in the running to win $10,000.  If you’d like a free Team Beachbody account so that you can vote for the man and woman who will each win $10,000, just click here!

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This next success story is great because she is like so many other busy Moms I know.  As a mother, it’s tempting to put the needs of everyone else above your own.  But Amy Tupper realized one VERY important fact…she was a role model for her children.  Like it or not, they were going to model her behavior.

But Amy had been overweight most of her life, and she wasn’t sure what to do. Amy said…

“I was not happy with the way that I looked, and yet I wasn’t sure what to do about it. I wanted to be able to do things without feeling self-conscious about the way I looked doing it.”

I know so many people who can relate to that.  Why let something that you can change (like your weight) hold you back from living life the way you want to live it?

Amy then found Beachbody home workout routines.  She was first introduced to Kathy Smith’s Project You home workouts.

“It looked like a great program. It was varied. It had cardio, weights, yoga, pilates—also came with a nutrition portion, which clearly I needed as well. I decided to order it. It came in the mail. I sat down, looked through it, and decided, ‘I’m going to do it.’”

It wasn’t a walk through the park for Amy.  With two little children at home, she had to get creative about incorporating a home workout routine into her life.  She would workout when the kids were sleeping, or with a baby in the playpen next to her.  If they needed her when she was in the middle of her workout, she would pause the DVD and then continue with it a few minutes later.

I always recommend to anyone who has problems finding the time to do their workout…GET CREATIVE!  Especially if you have little children.  Maybe have a special toy that they ONLY get to play with when you are working out.

If you have any tips, PLEASE leave them in the comments!

Amy was rewarded for her patience, persistence, and creativity!  She became a Beachbody raving fan (I can relate) after completing the Project You Type 2 home workout routine.  She went on to do several other programs, including: Power90, Slim in 6, and ChaLEAN Extreme and ended up losing an amazing 102 pounds!!!  She’s now working her way up to Shaun T’s Insanity home workout routine.  Go Amy! 

If you ever wondered if home workout routines worked, it’s stories like Amy’s that prove that YES…they do work…IF you do the work involved!

Together we’re better!
Judy

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Beachbody is a company that markets home workout routines that actually work!  How do I know that?  I’ve experienced it for myself.  But don’t take my word for it, over the next several days, I’ll be profiling some of the success stories who have used Beachbody products to lose fat and build muscle in a way that will blow your mind!

First, meet Carson Sanders!  Carson is a 39 year old firefigher and paramedic from Sarasota Florida who used to be a gym rat.  But he was finding that his typical weight lifting workout at the gym just wasn’t giving him the results that he wanted anymore.  He saw the infomercial for the P90X home workout routine and was skeptical at first.  How could a home workout routine give him better results than the gym?  Pushing aside his doubts, he decided to give it a shot.  He purchased P90X and committed to 90 days of workouts at home.

Carson never looked back!  He ended up losing 59 pounds and went from 21% body fat to 6% body fat.  He ended up canceling his gym membership.  Now that he is able to workout at home, Carson is able to spend more time with his family, get the results he wants, and be a role model for his children.

That’s one of the things I love most about committing to a home workout routine!  Your family members see you working out, and I hear many people saying that their kids actually take part in the workouts with them!  What could be better than that?  In fact, if you watch Carson’s video, you’ll see his two young sons doing the workout right along with him! 

I’ll have another inspiring success story to share with you tomorrow!

Together we’re better!

Judy

P.S.  All of the people in the success stories I’ll be featuring over the next several days won $1,000 for submitting their transformation story after using a Beachbody home workout routine, and now they are in the running for $10,000 in the quarterly prize.  If you want to see all of the success stories, you can get a Free Team Beachbody account by clicking here.

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