Day 109

Week 1 Day 1 Cardio Fix. I started originally last Monday, but then I went and played basketball and found out I really was 45 years old and I really did injure my knee back in 08. I also found out that I could sprain the ankle that wouldn't sprain for so long. You just really have to put a whole lot of effort into spraining it again. I re-aggravated my old knee injury which made me not do anything until Sunday when I did yoga.

Today I got up and did my Cardio Fix, and I felt it in my knee. Not bad, but enough to know it is not 100%. I felt pretty good on it though, so I decided to go and play basketball again. Now this would be the test of both how well my knee had healed and how well I understood what I could and couldn't do and be mindful of that. I felt my knee a bit and I probably did a little too much here and there. The problem is remembering that my left knee is the bad one and going to my right instead of my left. However, I was able to play. I wasn't able to play  as well as I know I can, but I played, had fun and didn't re-injure my knee.

I am still doing the pushup challenge and think it will be something that I will continue daily from now on until I just get sick and tired of doing it. I am starting a new monthly challenge with abs tomorrow. This one is a 30 day ab challenge and should be fun. The great thing is that there is something different each day and it varies it up with different exercises. The burpee challenge was brutal and never ending and I would have completed it had my knee not given me so much trouble last week. There were more than a few that didn't finish and to those that did, Congratulations!

No matter what I am happy with where I am going. Even though I took off almost the whole week, I still lost more weight. I even had popcorn, a soda and peanut m&m's at the movies. Not the best nutrition day for me, but not the worst in my lifetime. The great thing is that I just moved on, felt no regret or remorse and did better with the next meal. I know that I can't string several days in a row like that, but if you only do that once a week, it won't be the end of you unless you allow it to be.

I weighed on Sunday at 292(ish) hard to tell on that scale sometimes because my eyes are not what they used to be. If that is the case though, I lost another 4 lbs while not working out. I was sore in my glutes from the Cardio Fix last Monday and hope I feel that again tomorrow. I am excited to finish the whole week this time and see where I can get over the next 3 weeks. I can see the changes in me and how my body is responding. I just need to know my limitations and not try to be a hero thinking I can do more than what I can.

Day 108

Yes it has been a long time.. a whole week since I posted. It was an eventful week starting on Monday. I started the 21 Day Fix by doing Cardio Fix I did burpees before some during as they are in the cardio workout then some after to round out my day of burpees. I then got picked up by my friend Johnny Ray Lake to take me to play some basketball with some other "older" guys. I was introduced to a myriad of older guys ranging what seemed to be mid 60's to 80. There were also a couple of guys in our age range, while I think one was in his 30's.

Let me first say this. It has been since either 2000 or 2001 since I actually played any basketball. I have shot a ball here and there, but not playing any kind of pickup game or even horse since then. I was not physically ready to be played tight man to man on either. The long and short of it is this.

1. I might be working out, but P90X3 modified shape and full court basketball shape are 2 different things.
2. My idea of a friendly game and someone else's idea are not the same.
3. I really did injure my knee back in 08. (that was for my orthopedic doc in RI.. prick!)
4. My ankles can be sprained again.

I played really hard the first game and I went to the ground 2 or 3 times. I rolled my right ankle 3 times and my knee hurt badly after it was over. I played I think 3 more games at much less speed and intensity and by the time it was over I could barely walk out of that gym.

The next day, well let's just say ouch! I was in a massive amount of knee pain and it was difficult to just walk around the house and my knee felt like it was going to buckle on me. My ankle had some mild swelling and bruising. Normally it never swells or bruises any more after all the abuse, but I did roll it several times.

Over the last week I have done nothing iced my knee and sat in the hot tub. I got braces for both knee and ankle and tried to minimize my activity to promote the healing process. Luckily I have a great recuperative process in my body and I am feeling great without the knee brace on. I was able to do yoga today including chair pose, crescent pose and warrior 1/2. I was able to move in and out of the different poses and the only time I even felt a twinge of anything was going from downward dog to crescent/warrior 1. It was minor, but I could feel a little bit of it. I was very careful to be attuned to what I feel and not risk pushing too much too soon.

I felt really good with yoga and tomorrow with the brace on my knee and my ankle I will do the Cardio Fix again. I will get back into the swing of things and allow my knee to heal up. If I feel really good, I will go play basketball again tomorrow as well. I will not injure myself again though. I know what goes on, so I am now prepared.

Day 101

It would seem that the last few days have been my undoing. That is not the case, but I have neglected to post for one reason or another. Just so I can catch up on this blog. Today would be day 91 or finish plus 1 of P90X3. No workout scheduled. Yesterday I did Dynamix and Friday I just did my burpees and pushups. I had another long drive to Little Rock on Friday and we left at 6am. I lost out on that day, but did manage to continue on with the burpees. Yesterday I did the Dynamix, burpees and did 50 pushups after for my final fit test of X3.

I also celebrated with some pizza from Papa Murphy's. We got a large Cowboy and a large Mediterranean Chicken. I really like that 2nd one. I also helped procure a large amount of material for my mom's business which all of that and the other few errands we did took up a big chunk of the day. We got it all done and I did all I needed to get done with my workouts. I took pics, weighed and measured. The pics needed to be redone so that was done today. The measurements looked pretty good and my weight is down to 296. I officially lost 44 lbs on P90X3, but since starting the good nutrition and working out I am down 54 lbs. I don't really look at my inches lost total as I really want to lose weight first and foremost.

Today I did 21 Day Fix Yoga Fix and my 75 burpees. I still have a few pushups yet to do, but that will come. Tomorrow I start the 3 week 21 Day Fix which I might or might not keep doing after the 3 weeks just yet. I want to see how the next 3 weeks go then move forward from there. I liked Yoga Fix and it is essentially the same as X3 Yoga, but there are some differences that I really like. The longer pauses in downward dog are really taxing and I enjoyed that. There is also a lot more static stretching in this and the balance poses were better for me and gave some good tips with poor balance. X3 Yoga is almost like an assumption that you have some balance. I understand that P90X3 is an extreme workout and there needs to be some forgiveness in there for the less athletic and physically fit among us. You can get better with either, but I see how it could be easier for someone using this workout versus the X3 program. All I know is that I did it and I got stronger and lost weight.

What I did isn't a mircale and honestly it really isn't great feat. The best part or greatest accomplishment is that I made a choice. I chose not to let life happen to me and accept that the way things are, instead I decided to change what I was doing because that is the only way to change who you are and what will happen to you in the future. Take charge and be an active participant in your own life, not a spectator.

Day 98

Week 13, Day 4 X3 Yoga done. Today is my burpee challenge rest day (day 20) and then back tomorrow with 65 again. Only 2 days left to reach the 90 day mark. The next 2 days are both listed as Dynamix or rest. Sunday then would be whatever I want to do as the program is over. Tomorrow I have another trip down to Little Rock, so I might actually take the rest day other than doing my 65 burpees and 100 pushups. Sunday I plan on doing yoga again. I can not believe that this 90 days have just seemed to blow right by.

Today yoga felt great! The yoga seemed to go by so fast that it almost seemed like I should have done it again. That is when you know you are really enjoying something and similarly to driving in your neighborhood, you are kind of on autopilot and don't even have to concentrate on the moves. That is exactly how I felt today. It was like muscle memory, poor balance muscle memory, but still the same affect. This just affirms to me that yoga should be a daily routine. I do remember one moment during the yoga that I was feeling the sweat bead up on my forehead. I was doing a vinyasa and thinking about how many calories I was burning and how funny it was that I was barely moving and just starting to get a sweat on. I may not be a yoga master, but I have a new found love of it. I have mini goals to get more flexible and do some of the moves that I really can't even think about. The only way to get there is to do it more often. I can't wait to do the 21 Day Fix yoga to get my first example of some yoga not P90X related.

Between day 30 and day 60 I stopped checking out my weight on the scale. All I did was try to eat like I was supposed to do and get those workouts in. When I finally weighed, I was happy but not completely ecstatic. I was losing weight, but not to the degree I thought I was. Let's be honest. I am using a scale that is rated to 300 lbs. It is one of those spring dial scales and the wheel keeps going over the 300 lb mark, but how accurate is it? I first got on the scale and it registered in the 350 area if you keep marching out the marks equally with the same value as if it were from 0 then it would be 350 to 355. I really thought I was more than that, and I could have been, but I can't make up numbers. All I can do is take the numbers that I see and hope that they actually do reflect the true numbers that I am living with. Just to help me think that this would be the way it is, I went to Walmart and there was a scale that was top end of 330 lbs. It was a dial scale as well. It actually did go around a second time and had the upper numbers over 300 in red on the dial while the numbers under were in black. It was exactly equal on that scale by numbers, so if you were 30 lbs it would be in black and if you were 330 lbs it would be under the 30 in red, and exactly on the same line where 30 was. This gave me the affirmation that I was close to accurate based on my scale. It still might be off, but hey I only have so much to work with.

Today, I stepped on the scale and the reading was between 296 and 298. I got off and on the scale like 10 times to check and recheck the weight. Everyone of the weights were under 300 and all about that 297 to 298 range. I have 2 days until my official weight for the 90 days. I will be glad it is under 300 and it will be a step closer to what my real goals are, but my goal for this round of X3 was to get under 300. I think I can say mission accomplished, but I will wait for the official weight. I know that I have been able to get into smaller jeans that I have and have not been able to wear for a while. I have had to add holes into the belt I use and even trim off the end as it was like 18 inches just flopping around that I don't use any longer. I ran in a 5k last Saturday and haven't done anything like that since the early 90's.

I am achieving goals, not all of them just yet, but some. I will be setting some new goals and adjusting others. I still have my big goals for this year of being 235 lbs by my birthday in November. I also have a goal of competing in a Tough Mudder in early November in Houston. I am not dead set on that goal, but if I don't do that this year, next year I will be doing it and a Spartan Run etc. Those are goals I have. I also want to achieve $1000.00 per week in my BB business. That may or may not happen, it is up to me. A long term goal of mine much farther out than this year is to become a physical trainer or a wellness coach. The mother of all goals is to buy some land here in this small town and create a mud run/spartan/warrior dash training facility. There is a ton of places around here that would easily accommodate such an undertaking.  That will take money, planning and some credentialing and at some point I will see that through. You heard it here first. I think this area is suited for such a place both due to the climate and the terrain. While it does snow here and it gets cold here, it could facilitate training year round. It's a lofty goal and one that I will undoubtedly need a lot of support and outside influence in achieving.

Day 97

Week 13, Day 3 Pilates X done. Pilates is going better and I think I am finally getting the breathing down. I had a lot easier time doing some of the moves and I did something today that I haven't done this entire time with P90X3 is I went into plow. I had been staying out of plow due to my back, but today I decided to give it a try. I had been thinking about doing it and well, today was that day. With that said, pilates seems like an easy workout if you are just watching it, but the core/abs are really engaged and I still feel them right now 2 hours later.

I had to do my burpees after that and 65 is getting up there. tomorrow is a rest day and then on Thursday we go back to 65. I still have more pushups to do as well, but I only have to do 100, so I can do 35 pushups and finish that off. I think since I am not going to be in the car all day today, I will try to bust out at least 50 if not 100 more pushups. I did some diamond pushups yesterday. I had been doing just regular or wide pushups for the most part. Trying to save my shoulder and elbow on the right side from being injured while still getting in the work was the only real reason. I feel my elbow on those closer hand position pushups.

My shoulder hasn't been hurting for a few days now. I almost forgot about until I was thinking why I had been doing the pushups the way I had been doing. Doing multiple physical challenges at the same time could be a bad idea, but so far I haven't been having any real issues other than what I might be popping up due to my age and how fit I have not been over the last few years. My left knee, my right elbow and right shoulder have been the only nagging things that have been bothering me. Only my knee has really caused me any issues, but I never had to alter anything except for a few kicking moves in 2 different workouts. I was able to do the 5k without any problems and my knee is back to the same old feeling since then. Like I said before the shoulder and elbow on the right arm were "tweaked" for a bit, but I haven't had to stop except for taking a day off from everything a month back or so. The only issues during the burpee challenge was right after the run when my legs were wicked sore. That as passed and now I felt stronger in the burpees after pilates. I think I will be extending my sets to sets of 15 instead of 10 after the break. I tried a couple of days ago and got as many as 13 in and my legs were just giving out. I will revisit that on Thursday.

Just a few more days left of P90X3 and I will be done with this 90 days and then starting in on the 21 Day Fix. I am starting a challenge group on FB for 3/31/14 and if anyone that is not on FB with me and wants to join in just friend me FB and send me a msg. www.facebook.com/allen.fox and I will get you all the details. I have only started in on this, but I want to help others end the trend of obesity and living lifestyles that send us to an early grave. I have been a work in progress and to quote Autumn Calabrese health is not a destination, it's a journey. A journey I want as many people to join me on so we can help and support each other.

Day 96

Week 13, Day 2 Accelerator done. This is a great cardio routine and it got me sweaty and tired. I forgot what all was in this one as I think we only have been doing this on transition weeks. It might have been in the first block, but I can't remember and my sheet that breaks down all the blocks is not in arm's reach. I need to get this posted up and get in the hot tub. I have a trip to take and leave in about an hour.  I also got my 60 burpees in after the workout. I still need to finish off my pushups, but that will be after I get back or I may do some when I get where I am going.

I will make this short and sweet today. I have just a few more days left. Tomorrow is pilates, again.... I will do it begrudgingly, but it will get done. I have to buckle down and add another cardio in tomorrow. I am way up in burpees and I am sweating and breathing hard with these guys, so this might be all the extra cardio I need for this week. Either way, I am pushing hard with the workouts, burpees and pushups, if I add in another workout that will even double up my efforts. I will see how I feel tomorrow. My legs felt much better today, but I did get gassed on those burpees.

I like how things are going and excited for Monday as I will start the 21 Day Fix workouts. That will give me a whole week to get all the workouts in at least once prior to the challenge group and hopefully they will be good. From what I viewed of them, they look comparable with less intensity to the X3 workouts. I didn't really listen to Autumn as the workouts progressed, so I don't know exactly how they go just yet. It will be a good transition for me after completing X3. I have to get this finished up first and get my pics sent in for the Beach Body Challenge and my free shirt!

I am already behind 5 minutes... Keep killing it!

Day 95

Week 13 (Victory Week), Day 1 Isometrix done. Balance... Balance... Balance... I felt better with this, but balance will be a weak point for me for a while. I did break a sweat and really felt better after this one, but I wasn't done then. I did 55 burpees after the workout and it really bumped up that cardio. I am curious to see how this week plays out with the burpees on top of the workout and the few days I will add in some extra cardio or road work. My legs are still wicked sore today, so I have decided that the burpees and the pushups will be my extra work today and tomorrow I have a cardio workout and then possibly a long car ride. Wednesday I will add an extra workout in if my legs are cooprerating.

The 5k on Saturday has inspired me to do more. My legs might disagree right now, but that soreness will pass and each time I get on the road and work them, they will get stronger as will my back. In a month there is another 5k/10k coming up and I might have to get in that one. The course is along a pathway and very scenic so not has hard on the joints like the pavement was. It sounds like a good plan, but I haven't committed to it just yet. I did the the one Saturday, so I know I can do it. While I may not run the entire time, I don't think the point is being first for me, but rather moving and finishing what I started. That is on the horizon a bit and I will see and have 4 full weeks before I have to decide. I am still waiting on the pics from the race this weekend, but they are sorting through them and hopefully sooner rather than later I will get one or two sent to me. I will post one here when I get it. I used to run, but didn't do a lot of events. I did a few 5k's and 10k's when I was in the Army, but they were treated the same way back then like they are now. I don't recall there being photogs at the end of the race and making that much of a big deal like they do now. The internet was pretty nonexistent at that time too. I am talking 89/90 when I was in the few races that I did. In fact I don't even remember getting a shirt for the races, but I might have. It's been too long to remember.

Isometrix is a tough workout for me. Balance is the key component. You alternate from some sort of plank balance move to a standing balance pose. The plank ones are progressively harder and I was really feeling them in my back and my ribs of all places. That I know is my core working hard. I like it, but it is tough. The final plank balance move is Bound Dog Leg Lift. You are in downward dog, then place your right hand on your left ankle and then you lift your right leg into the air. You are balancing on your left arm and leg with the right leg in the air and right hand on your ankle. I stumble in this one all the time. Oh I forgot to mention this, all moves last 45 seconds. You alternate between both sides, but you have to do the standing balance pose before doing the other side. So, you do the plank balance then the standing balance then the plank other side and then the standing other side. It keeps you from doing alternating sides without a break and while you are alternating sides it still gives that set of muscle groups a chance to have a small recovery before doing the other side.

I don't really like the Isometrix workout, but after doing it again today, I know why. I don't like it because I just don't do it enough. I suck at balance, but I did much better today. On the plank moves, I only stumbled on the last one. The standing balance poses, on the other hand, I stumble frequently. I just think that I need more work on those balance moves. No one starts out as a master of balance. We all have to work at it and I can, as others have, get batter at it. I am hoping that adding in yoga more often or daily when I do the next round of X3 will help me get better and stronger at balance.

Day 94

Week 12, Day 7 Dynamix done. Today was the last official day of week 12. Week 13, aka Victory Week, starts tomorrow with Isometrix. While I don't care for that workout as much as say yoga, I get why it's there and I do it to the best of my ability. This is the final week of my first round of P90X3 and I must say it has been a fantastic journey so far. I have gotten stronger. I have pushed myself harder than I did with P90X back in 09. I have really focused on nutrition so much so this time that I am right at the 40lb mark with the program and 50lbs since starting this 94 days ago. I added other challenges into the mix and did well with some, and not as well with others. I know that I can hold my head up high no matter what my weight is now or how I look as both are better than when I started and I put all I had of me into this. Yeah, I probably could push harder in some workouts, but I look at what I have done and know there is room for improvement and try to work harder and better each time.

Yesterday was Eccentric Lower, but the real thing that happened workout wise was that 5k I was in. I hadn't run in so long, for good reason, and I was worried what affect this would have on my back. I am happy to say that today I woke up and felt pain, not in my back, but that soreness the day after a really hard workout. My legs were so sore it almost brought a tear of joy to my eye. My back however was not in massive amounts of pain nor was I having sciatic pain (shooting pains down one or both legs). I did feel my back, but well I knew I would feel something, I just wasn't sure to what extent. I did my Dynamix today and I have to say that has been my back's saving grace this entire time. I find the work in this really helps my lower back and have noticed that it actually helped to take away some pain after doing it. I also have a really great Tempurpedic bed which draws you in and keeps you so comfortable it is totally unbelievable how nice this is. I never feel pain in bed like I have sinc 1995. This bed really is the only one to own if you have a back issue. Honestly!

Now that I have overcome the challenge of actually running without pain in my back, I will try to slowly incorporate this into my daily routine. I will probably start out small with a mile or two a couple of times a week. I don't know if I will make an effort to go to the high school track or just run along the road. There are not a lot of sidewalks here and road running can be hazardous for your ankles if you have to move into the ditch. All I need is an injury right before spring or summer. I have goals people, goals that need to be met come hell or high water. So in the very near future, I will look at my situation and try to incorporate some running into it. I will need to get some running shoes as those cross trainers I was wearing yesterday are not the best for long distances. they are great on stability but not for distance running.

I am getting excited and a little anxious for the finish of this next week. It is actually Saturday instead of Sunday, but that makes no real difference. The idea of the victory week is to transition you into whatever you want to do. It gives the body the chance to let the connective tissue and muscles heal up and then you can start in on whatever you want after that. My next project is going to be the 21 Day Fix. I will be starting that officially on 3/31 but I think I will start that Monday the 24th after I finish with those workouts and do a week in prep and see where I can add that extra if I want to do that. All I know is that I will be doing 21 Day Fix then back into another round of X3. I might actually do doubles with X3 and 21DF but I need to see how those workouts are alone before I start adding more stuff into it. I have the fire and desire, but the body may not be quite as ready as the mind. For now, I am happy to say that within 6 days, 1 goal accomplished! X3, yep I nailed it!

Day 93

Week 12, Day 6 Eccentric Lower done after my 5k. Yep that is right the guy who "doesn't run" ran today. The 5k was the L.C. Sammons 5k Donut Dash. It started at 8 am and went until all the runners were done. The goal was to raise money for the youth center and at the same time get people off their butts, oh and have some fun with doughnuts. The idea of the Donut Dash was to run the 1 mile path and then consume 3 doughnuts then run the 1 mile path then consume 3 more doughnuts and then finish the race. Sounds simple enough.

I haven't run since about 1995 or 96 after I hurt my back in "the" car wreck. I have tried once on a treadmill for about 10 minutes. It was probably in 1996, but I can't be sure of the date. I was told after the wreck by my orthopedic doctor at The Texas Back Institute to 1. No working out for 2 years, 2. No running ever and 3. No situps ever. He then explained why the three restrictions and after the pain I had in my back, I was pretty ok with what he told me. My body would regret it and I would as well, but what did he know. He only ever wanted to do surgeries and I was not quite a candidate yet, but if I didn't workout much from now on, my inevitable pathway would lead right to his OR table. Maybe he really does things that way maybe not. Either way my end result without working out much and never working on my core would eventually land me in his pudgy hands again. When I did run that one time on the treadmill, I regretted it immensely because the pain I had put me down for about 2 days in severe pain. Today, I have not had any flare ups so far. Crossing fingers!

Like I said, I haven't ran in a long, long time. As the race time approached, I got a little anxious as to how I was going to do. Not running for so long, I wasn't sure how to do it. I know how to run, but I have not made my body really move that way, at least not on purpose for so long. I was always the guy that said, "I don't run. If a bear is chasing me, he is getting a good meal." I was pretty adamant about not running. I had watched countless friends either people I had daily contact with or on FB talk about their 5K, 10K, half and full marathons. Jogging on the bike path for the last 7 years in Rhode Island. I did bike, but no running. People ride their bikes, jog, walk, roller blade and whatever else on that bike path. It's a lovely time and usually a good workout if you put some miles in. The time building up the race gave me a slight amount of anxiety and not knowing anyone or almost anyone there in a town I basically grew up in is also a bit disturbing. It's tough to come back to a place you once lived but really know nothing about or the people in it. I KNEW them at one time, but I haven't known them for some time. Even being friends with them on FB doesn't mean I know them. I am acquainted with them, but you miss a lot if you base your complete knowledge base on anyone solely on FB.

As the time approached we all lined up and of course the younger kids all anxious to get out in the lead jumped up front. It was kind of fun to watch their excitement. We never really had things like this when I was growing up, although it was a long time ago and my memory isn't what it used to be. The guy called the start and I started walking for a few steps and then decided to go ahead and test the waters with running or rather jogging. Funny to think that I was jogging, but for most of them in the front they were jogging at what would most likely be my top end run/sprint speed. One woman, whom I never caught up to was power walking and no matter that I would walk then jog then repeat, I never caught up to her. Needless to say I got to the back of the pack pretty fast and while I wasn't the real tail end of the group. I was pretty far back after the first half mile.

I decided to create little areas in the path as I was going through it to jog and then walk. I tried to continue this process all the way through the race. It worked for the most part, but one thing I know that is very different from what I have been doing and what I did today is that the lower impact I have been staying with on my usual workouts feels different on my ankles and feet than putting feet to pavement. I was able to keep my pace pretty good. I did alternate the walk/jog routine quite a bit, but I felt I was doing well. I had an imagined time of around 30 to 35 minutes to get it done, but that was not to be. My time was 47:32 or right around there and after seeing some of the better runners times, I didn't feel that bad about my time. One thing I did like is that I was lapped by a few people, but most that did, did so near the end of the 2nd lap. I was a mile and a half in before anyone lapped me. My legs were tired and slightly jello like afterwards.

When I got home I hit the hot tub and then rested for a couple of hours. Around 1 pm I did my Eccentric Lower workout. I felt really good when I did that workout as well. I ended up breaking a good sweat, more so than I did with the run. I am glad I didn't eat of the donuts, but if I had, I would have easily burned them off today between both workouts. That workout signaled the final "hard" workout of the program. I have Dynamix tomorrow then start Victory Week on Monday. Isometrix is the first workout and while it is hard for me, it is not a resistance workout and is really only hard for me due to my poor balance. I am going to add 3 extra days of cardio next week. I want to get as much of a burn in this last week as I can. I have already talked about backing into the finish line vs. sprinting. I didn't have to do any burpees today, but I still needed to do pushups. I did 25 before leaving for the race, 25 after getting back, 25 before my workout and then 25 after the workout. The last 50 seemed harder, but that last 25 seemed the hardest. I didn't use my upper body at all today, but pushups use legs and core for stabilization and I think I was just fatigued from the 2 workouts today. I got them all done and hope I am not too sore tomorrow because I have 50 burpees tomorrow.

I think, for my last day of heavy work with this program, I feel like I did great today and am not unhappy at all with how my run or workout went. I am excited to see that I can add something so easy as running into my training routine (not that running is easy) and get some different results and increase my fitness. If my back holds out, I might be working up to that half marathon territory. First though, I will need to get through tomorrow without any back pain then start to incorporate running into my program. Baby steps as it were. All I can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other and often and as fast as I can and repeat.

Day 92

Week 12, Day 5 Pilates X done. Pilates has not been my strongest point amongst all these workouts. I don't hate it, but I haven't gotten to where I really enjoy it. I do like the core/ab work and can feel it. I am still so week in my core that I have a real tough time doing this workout, but since we only do it say 6 times total during the 90 days, I don't feel all that bad about how it's been going. I know as I lose more weight and keep working my core, I will get stronger there and be able to enjoy this workout more and more.

Tomorrow is the Eccentric Upper and the very last hard "work" of this program. I will say that Isometrix will be tough for me as balance is still an issue, but other than that all I have in that week without adding on to it is Accelerator. However, I have planned to add cardio on to what I am doing next week. I will be looking over this on Sunday and trying to figure out what would be the best thing to do. It will be interesting to see what kind of hybrid week I can come up with that won't derail me and aid in burning that last bit of fat I can and maybe help shed a couple of more pounds before that day 90 mark.

Tomorrow is also the 5k at Cooper Park. I am ready to get out there and give this running thing a whirl. It's cloudy today and tomorrow, but it's not supposed to rain until later on tomorrow and the 5k is at 8 am. I am sure we will have no issues. The weather has been great here for the most part. Yesterday it was really nice and decided to try the legs out a bit. I got on the road and did 30 minutes of walking. I don't know exactly how far I actually walked, but I will be mapping the route I did yesterday when I get out today and see how far it was. I think it was about 1.5 to 2 miles total. There are a lot of hills around here, so some of the walking on a steep grade at times. I am looking forward to when I can get a bike and get some good miles in.

My knee felt ok during the walk and has felt pretty good today. I only did pilates and my burpees. The burpees are much harder and I did feel my knee a little then, but not really to the point of causing me to not do anything. I am thinking this "strain" is just that and the ligaments have had a slight stretching with that kick because I kicked the leg out without any flexing in the muscles in my leg. I think this would have held my leg better and not caused this to happen. When you get tired this is when you get injured because you get lazy and don't practice good form. You have to always practice good form or you will get injured.

I am feeling quite accomplished for this workout almost being done. I have lost around 50 lbs and while I am still about 65 to 90 lbs from where I want to be, I will continue to get closer. I say 65 to 90 because I set my goal to 235 and if I am at 300 then 65 lbs is the first main goal. My weight when I got married was right at 210 and I am 90 lbs away from that. I would love to be at that weight just once more or for my life, whatever I can do. I do plan to bulk up after I get down to at least my goal weight. The bulk up will be muscle as well, not fat bulking. I would love to 1 time get a really big look and ripped as well. If I can do that once, I might be completely satisfied, or not but at least I would be able to say I have done it. I am not too concerned with being Mr. Olympia or anything like that, but I know with my size, I can handle a bigger weight with low body fat and look like a monster. Just once I would love to see that in the mirror.

Keep crushing your workout and never give up.

Day 91

Week 12, Day 4 Triometrics done. Today was good and I did burn those quads good. I had some left knee issues today and it started 2 days ago with MMX. When doing the back kicks my knee kind of popped and I felt it. I just stopped putting any exertion in my kicks with that leg and I was able to finish the workout. Yesterday doing upper body I didn't even notice anything with my knee and totally forgot about it until that first sumo kick. I was able to do my flying warrior squats and iso squats without any issues, and moving around I don't feel pain or with walking and extension etc. I do feel it on more of the inside of my knee as I sit here hammering this post out, but I have pilates tomorrow and I am sure it will feel better on Saturday.

Saturday I will be doing Eccentric Upper and then I have a 5k to do. I don't know yet how I will do with running and am a bit anxious. Not running since 1995 because of my back and now trying to put myself into that now makes me nervous, but I am sure I will know what I can and can't do right away. I have been increasing the amount of "air" I get with jumping since starting X3 and now with the burpees, I am actually getting my body off the ground. I want to be back to that point of doing jumping moves and running and not having fear and if I get some pain, just do what I know I can do for that acute pain and get it under control quickly. I am sure that as I lose more weight, it will be easier and easier to take care of.

I have been fortunate enough to reconnect with some people from Dallas or that lived in Dallas 10 years ago that I knew and worked with in the medical field. It was nice to talk to the ones I have talked to and hope that I can reconnect with the others I have been trying to reconnect with. It seems weird to pop up on the radar all of a sudden, but I really never put much effort into staying connected with a bunch of them. One I have been friends with on FB for some time, but never really looked for the rest. I do miss some of my friends from that time in my life, which was a difficult one for me.

My life is going in a direction that I am happy about overall. I need to get working and that is something I am working on as well. I feel very good about what I am doing with my nutrition and fitness, but I can always do more there. I know that my personal development is a "work in progress" and I am completely open to the positive influences and try to be a positive influence instead of negative. If you put in negative that is what you get out. It works the same the other way. Put in positive and get out positive. Garbage in = garbage out. I try to fill myself with positive, motivational and inspirational things and in turn I hope it will be a positive, motivational or inspirational thing for others. I had been a negative person for so long. I allowed my situation to dictate how and who I was. I now dictate how, who I am and will be with my personal development that I try to do every day.

Day 90

Week 12, Day 3 Eccentric Upper done. Today is day 90, sadly not of P90X3, but of my journey with weight loss and fitness. Now there are only 10 days difference, and I am glad that today is not my X3 90 day mark because I need to get a little more done first. I finished this workout today and will not see this one again until block 2 of round 2, so it will most likely be June before I do this one again. Wow that is a long time! I can't wait to see how things will be going for me then.

Things are quickly wrapping up on P90X3 and decisions will become key here in the next few days on how I approach the final week, Victory Week, with X3 and then how I do the upcoming 21 Day Fix. Whether or not I will do some sort of doubles with that one or will I be doing an extra yoga along with that or nothing. I have to feel right about what I am doing. I know I can handle the extra workouts, but along with the 30 day challenge and the 100 day pushup challenge etc.. I feel like my elbow and shoulder will need some rest. I am going to take 1 week off and do some daily yoga after I finish up with X3 before 21 Day Fix. I decided yesterday that an extra week off should be in there. I feel good when I do pushups, but I still feel pain in my shoulder. Not sure what aggravates it just yet, but I know rest is the best medicine.

The weather is picking up and now is time to get moving outside. I hope to get a bike soon enough so I can get some time outside instead of inside. I love doing my home workouts, but being outside is so awesome when the weather is nice. The hills around here will definitely be a challenge on the bike, but I am sure I can find a good route to bike that is challenging and very doable for me. I have a chance to be outside on Saturday with the upcoming 5k, but I think it is  going to rain that day, maybe not early, but it will affect how it's going to be during the day. I haven't seen our forecast for Saturday, but I will see coming up. Springfield may be rainy and we might have sun, who knows just yet.

I am excited about what is on the horizon. I have done something for myself that I didn't think I could do. I got myself to see what can be. I have restarted a business that can be extremely successful if I put all of myself into it and be courageous with it. Life could be going the same, but I don't want same. I want better. I want extraordinary. No more excuses.

Day 89

Week 12, Day 2 MMX done. Another workout that is the last time done until round 2. I hear a lot of people really love this workout. Eh. It's ok, but I wouldn't say I love it. I utilized the part I like the least (sprawl) to do my burpee challenge. I turned all the sprawl moves into burpees which only just made me do the pushup and the jump at the end which was just adding a couple of components onto the sprawl. It did cause me to do less total on the sprawl moves, but I didn't lose out that much. I suck at the sprawl, but this at least gave me a reason to do them and work hard and push myself. The one sprawl where you do the double knee I did the pushup then the double knee then back up into the jump.

With this workout I ended up doing 45 burpees which is 10 more than needed for the day. I liked how it felt today as well. I feel like I am getting better at the burpee, but I still get gassed after 10. I notice that my recovery between sets is getting better. We are getting close to the halfway mark for the burpees, which is 15 days, so the numbers are getting up there. Once this week ends for the burpees and we get past that rest day, our numbers will be 50 and over. That seems like so many, but after doing 45 today I know I could have done 15 or 20 more especially if I had the whole day to do them all. It will be good to knock out 100 and say "Yep, I just did that!" I won't be doing 100 on day 31 though haha.

The more I pay attention to what others are doing with their fitness and the P90X3 workouts or whatever they are. I see them doing doubles a lot and I know I can as I did P90X which were hour long workouts, so why couldn't I do another 30 mins. Some of the workouts are tough and I am glad to be done, but I know that I could take 15 min break and do another 30 min workout or go straight into another 30 mins. I will be doing that when I do the next round of P90X3. I will do doubles, but I am going to do my own version of it. I have to be smart about it though. I can't kill my joints and connective tissue. I will have to really think this out. Experimentation is awesome as long as there is no damage done to myself which could cause me to be sidelined for an extended amount of time.

Before I start round 2 of P90X3 I am going to do at least 1 round of 21 Day Fix with the workouts. I want to have a base to work with on that plan. If I get people to do paid challenge groups where they have to get that program, then I should at least do that program once. I will continue to get 21 Day Fix groups going after that, it's too easy not to. Only 21 days in the program one time through. You can do it round after round after round or just once depending on what you want and need to do. I might use those workouts as my double workout as well. All I know is that I am doing doubles in X3 and the 21DF might just be the right workouts to use as my "double" routine.

The 22nd of March is the last day of the program for me. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I want to get some great results. I know that saying I have lost close to 50 lbs, well 40 from the start of X3 but 50 total. The farther below 300 I go the more I can say. I really hope I am closer to 290, but all I can do is just keep pushing hard and eat as clean as I can. I will let the rest fall into place and let the scales fall where they may (sort of speak).

If you are struggling with weight and fitness, you have to do something different. If you do the same thing and expect a different result you will be disappointed. To get different results, you have to change what you are doing. It isn't easy all the time, in fact it is down right hard, especially for me. I know that I want to weigh 235 by November. I know I have to eat as clean as I can and workout with intensity. I have to be persistently consistent about both or I will not get the results I want. I have to trust that the plan that I have made for this goal is the right plan. So far it is. What is your plan? If you need help, and are willing to be coachable, send me a message here or on FB and I will give you all the help I can. I am by no means no expert on health and fitness, but I think I might be an expert on struggling with food. I know how hard it is to get on track with health and fitness and how easy it is to just say, "screw it!" I've done the latter so many times, I should have had a shirt made that says it. (Book title? Maybe so.) Something to think about I guess. Keep crushing it!

Day 88

Week 12, Day 1 Decelerator done. Today is the last day to do this workout for this round. Today is also the start of the last week of work. Week 13 is victory week, but it is really more like a transition week. I will have to bump up the workload that week as well. I plan on pushing hard this week to get the most of out the workouts. Tomorrow is MMX and while I like it, I have issues with the sprawls. I have been getting better with those and with the burpee challenge I am doing, I feel like I am progressing. I will see how it feels tomorrow.

I saw this video yesterday. It really inspired me and hit home with how I am doing things. Focus is great, but if you have to channel the focus correctly. Check it out.

The part that struck a cord with me was this part: What makes a person average is their focus. An average person is focused on getting paid, that's why they are average. A person who's good he is focused on "I want to make my boss happy". A person who's great, his focus is "What need can I meet". His focus is different.

That means that if all you want is to get paid, then you are average. Everyone wants to get paid. Good = make 1 person happy and great = fill a need (shared by more than one). The ability to see that and see it in that way is a huge eye opener, at least for me. Greatness means you have to do more than ordinary, you have to be extra ordinary. Extraordinary. Whether you use it as 2 words or 1, it means the same thing.  Unusually excellent or strange: very unusual and deserving attention and comment because of being wonderful, excellent, strange, or shocking. That is the number one definition of that word and it really does sum it up.

It doesn't matter what you do, do it great. You only have one life, live it. That small video made me decide last night that I have to do things better in my life, not for me, but in spite of me. You can be ordinary, but why be ordinary when you can extraordinary. Seize the moment and be extraordinary, because you CAN do it.

I challenge anyone who might read this to take that stance. It may only be small things that you have to do to be extraordinary. You don't have to walk a tightrope over the Grand Canyon to be extraordinary, but you do have to take that first step beyond ordinary. Whatever that is for you, be fearless and do it.

Day 87

Week 11, Day 7 Dynamix done. The final day of Week 11 done and now tomorrow starts Week 12.  That will be the final week of hard work on the schedule for P90X3. Week 13 is called Victory Week and it is very similar to a transition week, which I have already lamented about being a coasting week. I want to be close to 290 lbs not 301 lbs. I am going to do extra cardio each day. I am hoping that since Daylight Saving Time has started, I will wake up earlier by an hour. I can then do both workouts back to back and knock it all out. This week I will do normally, but the next week I am going to work my ass off to keep the intensity up. I hate the idea of coasting into the finish. I love the idea of sprinting to the finish line.

I was very sore this morning in my legs and hips and butt from the last two days of work. Triometrics on Friday and Total Synergistics yesterday. I have been trying to work my legs harder. I am sure I am making gains, but it really is hard to tell other than how strong they feel. One thing I do notice, since I am doing burpees, is that I can sprawl better. If you know how to do a burpee, you would understand this, if you don't, hmm... OK. When you do a burpee, you squat down then kick your legs back into plank, do a pushup, bring your legs back up to "frog" position then jump in the air. That action where you kick your legs back into plank is also known as sprawling. It is more of an MMA term, but it fits for this as well. Anyway, I notice when I do this, I am able to do it better than I have been. I know I am getting more fit and losing weight. I know that my legs are getting stronger, but it seems that every week I make them more sore, which means I am pushing harder each time or doing more than I did the week before. They aren't huge strides, but they are changes that are progressing me forward. I feel that my legs need more work as does my whole body, but it is a slow process. I have to be persistently consistent. This journey I am on is not a sprint, but a marathon. All the running analogies.. oh yeah... I am doing a 5k in 6 days.

The burpee challenge I am doing is on day 9 and today was 35 burpees. You can space them out over the day and so far I have not. I do sets of 10 and 5 depending on the count. They go up by 5 each day except after rest days. I do 10 and then I rest for 3 to 6 mins then repeat. It's easier to do sets of 5 and if you space them out over the day, it would be much easier, but I just want to get them all done. I will be spacing out over the day by the end. Day 30 is 100 burpees. 35 was touch, but 100 will be extremely challenging. I am also doing a 100 day 100 pushup challenge. Today is like day 53 or 54. If we continue this all year, I will be able to do this challenge 3 times over this year. I am liking doing pushups daily as well. I have gotten much stronger with pushups and it has definitely shown. 

I am really enjoying all the things that I am doing physically, but that next step is this Saturday, a 5k. I have not run and I mean really run with purpose for a long time. Not since 1995 have I tried to jog/run in any form. This is a huge hurdle for me, but it hasn't been so much about fitness as it was a physical problem as a result of the car wreck and some poor lifting habits for a beer company 2 years prior. Regardless of the problem, I had massive pain in my back and legs when I tried to run last time somewhere in the 1996 or 97 range. I decided to heed the Dr.s warning and never run again. I miss running and getting in touch with a friend from high school who is an avid runner has really pushed me to change my thinking. Now I have friends who have been doing marathons and half marathons while I lived in RI, but I never really put much thought into it, or used it as motivation for me to try to achieve that. Since I have been working out and eating as clean as I can, I have been really motivated to be better and do better than I have been. I can versus I can't. The mind can make great things happen if you just get out of the way and let it. I have decided to get out of the way and be better. Thanks Jamie!

She isn't the only person who inspires me. I watched a friend, Jeff, change who he was last summer. His daily biking journal and the pushup and situp challenges he was doing was inspiring to me as well. Just a few years prior to that, I was worried for him. I felt he was in danger of what he was doing to himself. We have talked a lot over the last I guess 8 or 9 months and to see his transformation, he lost 40 lbs with running and biking over the summer, made me want to do better and I had moved. My hand and wrist had the necessary strength to perform in a program like this (P90X3). I had all the time I needed. I really had no more excuses. So I did it. I stepped out of the way and just let it happen. Almost 50 lbs later I am glad I did.

Last night I had a really great time. A girl I went to high school came back into town and well she is the ... how do I put this... ring leader of get togethers. She has been coordinating all the reunions, which I never went to for one reason or another. I mostly didn't go because I didn't have fond memories in school and with all of these same people growing up. I moved in from out of town in the middle of 6th grade. I was different, much bigger ( 6th grade 5'10" 167lbs) and I came from Texas. That alone was reason not to like me. My first week here some kid came up to me and told me that Jeff wanted to talk to you. I was like ok I don't know who he is. I met him in the cafeteria that morning for the first time. I asked me, "I hear you want to kick my ass?" I was stunned and didn't know what to say at first, but I just said "No, I don't even know who you are." This scenario kind of played out for the rest of the year people testing me. I never got into any real fights, but I guess people felt threatened by me. As the years went on, some ridicule here and there about this or that took place, but I made some friends and got mostly adjusted. By the time I got to high school, however, something happened with the popular girl clique that made me really hate them as an entire group. I know what it was, but it was like 8th or 9th grade, so why hold on to that kind of bitterness. I did for some reason. Whether it was the use of a nickname I didn't really like bestowed on me by some jackass redneck coach who was only as bright as the dimmest bulb in the school calling me Big Al because I was 6'1" by 9th grade maybe I was a bit taller.. can't remember when I was what. I was 6'4' by 17 though. Those years weren't the most fun for me, some times were great, and some were not. They didn't know my past. I was a fat little kid and had taken, what by today's standard of conduct would get kids suspended, and it really affected me for the rest of my life and especially my body image issues that never left me. I had to fight and do drugs by 4th grade to either be feared or be respected. I got in a lot of trouble and I think was a motivating factor in us moving to this small town in Arkansas. I was also told to get straight to I was going to military school. I had been suspended, caught smoking weed and was only 10 and 11. That is insane.

About last night. This girl who gets people together and has the loudest most vividly heard voice in a 5 state region and who is probably one of the best people I have known since moving here in 1980. She is tough to get to know and sometimes difficult to like, but I thought really hard about it especially after all the joking around we did about our younger days. She was worth it and no one really knew it then. I see that a lot with some of the people from school. They were worth knowing, sadly I always tried to fit into that mold or box that I felt I had to be in to be accepted. It really wasn't the case and I feel bad for people I was really shitty to and feel proud for the ones who might not have been "______" whatever you might want to call them.. coolest, smartest, most athletic, gifted, best looking whatever. We had only lived for 16-18 years by then. We knew absolutely nothing and we thought we knew everything. So looking back last night and seeing everyone and knowing and learning things about them I have gained a greater appreciation for them. Brian Tracy sums it up well for me:

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to
you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something
bigger and better than your current situation.

Trying to do this allows me to have gratitude for those people I have known since I was around 12. I might not be an active part of their lives, or them in mine, but I have seen them all grow, change, become parents and lose loved ones. Some good times and bad times have happened to us all, but no matter what has happened to us in our lives, we can still get together and have a great time. I hope to become better friends with as many as I can be. I allowed some feelings to become bitterness and it kept me from being friends for so many years and that is something I regret. Life is about living and not having regrets, so from now on, I live without regret and with a lot of gratitude that I still have people I have known for years and can call them friend.

Day 86

Week 11, Day 6 Total Synergistics done. Today was the last work day of this block with Dynamix tomorrow. I have one more week of work with week 12 and then week 13 is Victory Week. I weighed today and it was at 302. I am wicked close to 300 and hope I can get down to close to 290 before the end of week 13 and the 90 day point. I may be adding in some extra cardio that week. It is such a low impact week. I want to push even harder like the end of a race, not coast to the finish.

When I finish that week I will be starting up the 21 Day Fix. I think I am going to eat some pizza as a reward that weekend. Then hit that 21 Day fix workout plan along with the nutrition plan. I have been using the 21 Day Fix nutrition plan and the portioning with the containers since Feb 14th I think. I am thinking about altering mine just a bit, by decreasing my yellows by 1 per day. That will eliminate a simple 130 ish calories per day and almost a 1000 per week. That may not seem like a lot but lets look at it. Take out 130 cals per day that is 910 per week and 3640 per month. 3500 cal = 1 lb of fat. Instead of gaining 10lbs per year you could theoretically lose 12 lbs per year just with this simple plan. Now it isn't all that simple, but you see the power of one small choice per day and how it can be compounded over the course of a week, month and even a year. What about the next 10 years? How could that one decision affect you over a 10 year period? That is how I have begun to think about food lately.

I am ok eating the same thing almost every day. It fits within my meal plan and it tastes good and it's pretty clean. Food is really only fuel for the body. We do tend to attach emotions to food which causes us to experiment with different foods and like more foods more than others because of the way we feel after them. Some foods give us negative emotions like guilt, remorse and self loathing. We hate ourselves for succumbing to the sweets or goodies, but we rarely praise ourselves for eating the good foods. That is how we are made up. We deny ourselves self praise, but we never miss an opportunity to kill ourselves for the smallest missteps. I am done with that.

That leads me to tonight and then next Saturday. Tonight I am apparently going to hang out with some friends from high school. Some of them I haven't seen in 8 or so years and others since we graduated in 87. The location is a local restaurant that is known for awesome burgers, but not the healthiest of foods. I have to decide if I will choose to eat with the crowd or eat at home before hand. On the one hand I want to see how I can do in a "normal" environment but then I want to stay on track. No matter my decision, it is only one meal and never the end of the world. I won't allow this one meal to be the undoing of all that I have done, which so far is losing 48 lbs. I am down to 302 starting at around 350.  The scale read around that number, but it only goes to 300, so I am hoping that it is accurate or pretty close. I thought I was actually heavier and I might have been. However, the scale now reads 302, which is really close to 300 (the max for that scale) so no matter if I was 360 or 340. I was up there and now I am almost under that 300 mark. Either way, I have worked hard and I have lost weight. It is very noticeable and my clothes are proof of it.

Next week is week 12 and it will be the same as week 10. The only part of the week I am not looking forward to is pilates. I just don't do that well with it and it is a lot of ab/core work. I need it, but I suck at it. One nice thing coming up in April is the monthly challenge and it looks like it is going to be an ab challenge so I will be hurting in this one. Burpees this month and well I can do them. I actually enjoy them. They suck, don't get me wrong, but I love how I feel after adding 5 more on from the day before and knocking them out. Accomplishments are awesome, but you have to do some work first. I love the feeling of hitting failure and knowing that I just gave all I had. Laying there on the deck after knocking out a bunch of pushups, unable to do another, I know I worked and I know I will see great results from that.

Day 85

Week 11, Day Triometrics done. Today was a good workout, but as I sit here trying to post today's workout and my thoughts I am distracted. I am sitting here watching the Paralympic Winter Games opening ceremony. It's awesome to see, but you can't just watch it on TV unless you have NBSC channel until tomorrow when it will rebroadcast in part or full on NBC. You can view it I think in it's entirety online at www.teamusa.org. That is where I am watching the opening ceremony.

The reason it distracts me so much is the fact that you see people who are not like me, yet they do things I would love to do or could only dream of. I feel so humbled when I see them, team after team some with some disability you can obviously notice, others not so much, but no matter what their disability is they are all competitors. They didn't let whatever their situation is dictate to them how their life would be. I could only hope to be half as inspiring as what they are to me right now. It also puts me in check as to what I allow to dictate to me. The things in my life that I think are huge obstacles are no where near close to obstacles they might have had to overcome. I am not saying by no stretch that what they have had to endure or go through was easy, but for most, I would suspect they had no choice in the matter. Some were born with their disability and some were not, either way they had to learn how to do whatever sport they do and they had to train at it and be better than others to make the team to be in the Paralympics.

It's easy to give up. It is much easier to give up than it is to move forward and push on with the fight. I don't celebrate their disability but rather their drive, desire and commitment to become what they have. Athletes. Not disabled athletes, but just athletes. Yes they have some kind of disability, but that is not what defines them. They do not allow it and it is a huge motivation for me personally and it is also a bit of wake up call for me. If they can do what they have done, what am I waiting for. Why do I let small inconveniences become stumbling blocks for me. I need to have more resolve and more drive personally and watching these ATHLETES is a great reminder.

Day 84

Week 11, Day 4 X3 Yoga done. I may keep saying this, and I will keep saying it. I love yoga. I need to do it much more often than one time a week. After I finish my first round of 21 Day Fix, I think I am going to do a combination of of both P90X3 and 21 Day Fix with both workout programs, but I will also be doing yoga daily. I think the benefits of yoga are great but I want to get those benefits daily instead of weekly.

I can feel the increase in balance pose strength and having less difficulties when doing them. I think if I were doing yoga daily since the start, 74 days now, I would be doing so much better with flexibility and balance. I will have to add that. I wanted to be fair to the program and not add too much and fair to myself and my expectations and not derail myself or cause me to not want to workout and dread it. It is so easy to not do anything. Why would I want to give myself more reasons not to workout? I love the feeling after and that little thing in my head that builds up the dread and anxiety prior to a workout I am not a fan of is only that, IN MY HEAD. It is never as bad as you think it is and are always happy after you do it. The endorphins alone are worth the workout.

I had to do my burpees today. I guess I should have done them before yoga, but I didn't I did them after. It seems wrong to go from shavasana to burpees, but I did it. If you are unfamiliar to yoga, shavasana is also known as corpse pose. You just lay on your back arms out slightly and you keep you eyes closed and just breathe. Now all the poses in yoga have a name like corpse pose, child pose, upward dog or downward dog. They all have the names we call them, but they originate from ancient India so the names that you don't know or may be unfamiliar with so if you want to learn more about yoga the best place is to go is here: http://www.yogaweb.com/. That place has the best overall information and is a good place to start if you are curious. I would check it out if you feel like you might want to increase your overall health but don't feel like you want to do a "traditional" workout. It is worth the effort.

I only have some pushups left and a trip to walmart left for the day on the hit parade. Time to get in the hot tub and enjoy the beautiful weather we are finally starting to have. Yes, we do have some snow left on the ground, but today will be around 50 and tomorrow around 60 and next week in the 70's. How can you not enjoy spring. Have a beautiful day.

Day 83

Week 11, Day 3 The Challenge done. My challenge today was to do 150 pushups in the workout. Last time I did 122 and was really excited that I was able to increase from 75. I was able to do exactly 150. I set my numbers to 15 and was able to do the 15 on all, but I added 2 on regular each time and wide. I was also able to get an extra one on the second round of the alternating hand pushups. I also did 21 during burnout which was 1 more than last week's burnout. My arms are jello and I am glad that today is a burpee rest day. While I did the exact same amount of pull downs with the same amount of resistance, I felt weaker than last week, but I did an extra rep at the end. I really felt a little sore in my lats or least it seemed like I was feeling that. I really enjoy feeling a hard workout and getting to failure in some of the pushups.

Today was the last time to do this workout, so I won't be able to increase these numbers until next round. I still have a 21 Day Fix to do between then and now, but I think I will be ready to push my numbers up to 175 or so. If I increase the regular sets by 3 with each one that will be a 16 pushup total increase. My number this time was 15 for each and I did 17 on 4 but if I increase all of them by a total of 3 then it will be 24. I have 5 weeks to get ready for that.

The weather around here is going to be much warmer for the next week, and it is about time. This Saturday is the start of Daylight Savings, today is Ash Wednesday and the year is moving right along. Spring is officially starting on Monday and it is awesome to see the changes coming. 2014 is the year I take my life back and the good weather will be a part of that for me. I am going to get a bike to ride to add another aspect of cardio and leg strengthening in. I am going to do a 5k donut dash on March 15th. I will be opting out of the donuts by telling them I am borderline diabetic and well it is kind of true.

I have a glucometer and they thought I would be diabetic by my A1C. I fooled them all. My A1C was 5.5 which is in the higher range of normal I think, and the PA told me my blood sugars run around 150 or so. I told her there was no way, but I will do the checks for 6 months and bring the results in. As I thought I was right. My highest glucose reading I ever had was 123. It was in the morning before I ate and it was the only reading over 100 in 6 months. My readings were in the 80's and 90's mostly and this was me checking my blood sugar mornings, 30 mins before meals and 1 hour after meals and bedtime. I was doing it like 6 times a day for a month or 2. I then just went to after meals and bed time so I got the finger sticking to 4 times a day. After the 6 months the PA was stumped and figured I had some sort of rebound blood sugar thing that made it higher in the morning after not eating all night. Regardless, she was like... "ok so you aren't diabetic" I stopped checking after that appointment, however, with being overweight and eating like crap it is easy to become borderline or even full on IDDM Type II. Luckily if it is early on, you can correct this with diet and exercise. That is what I am working on. I am sure it will be time to see a doctor some time this year. I think I will need to establish a baseline of where I am soon. I will wait until I lose some more weight so it can be better for me.

I look forward to every day more so than I have in the past. I am really excited to do the 21 Day Fix all the way instead of just the nutrition plan. It is genius, but I want to get those workouts in. I would do them along with P90X3, but I feel that I am already adding enough extra that I don't need to add those workouts in as well. I am doing 100 pushups  per day at least and the burpee challenge. The number is at 20 right now, but by day 30 it will be 100. Really?!!? So I figure that adding in another 30 min workout was a bit overkill. I will get my body more ready for days like that in the future. In the grand plan this round of P90X is my warm up and the rest of the life will get the heavy workout. I will be killing my self soon enough when I do my second round of P90X3 or getting Body Beast, which will happen or Les Mills Pump and let's not forget Insanity and Asylum. These are all workouts I want to do. Oh yeah T25 as well. I have a life time to workout and I don't have to kill myself today. I can do build up a bit and get the joints ready.

Day 82

Week 11, Day 2 Agility X done. This is the last time I will do this workout until I do round 2. I see improvement in areas and I also see areas where I still need to improve upon. It is nice to know that I have accomplished some things like finishing this workout for the final time. Seeing the scale go down. Seeing the difference in my before and current/after pics. My clothes fitting differently. I got some new shirts when I moved back down to Arkansas and they were the same size as what I had bought before and even the same brand. The major difference that I did notice when I got them home was that while they had the same size marked on them, they were "smaller" maybe the cut is just a bit smaller on these shirts or whatever. The end result was I wasn't going to wear them that much because they made me look fatter than I already looked and boy did I look fat.

Those shirts are now fitting very well, while they are still a bit short on the cut, they do not feel like they hug my fat. My overall size has been reduced. Almost 45 pounds down, not quite halfway, but down to an area that make those shirts fit well. The old shirts look like they are swallowing me up. It's a nice feeling to see this. My next pic will be on Friday, because I do a #flexfriday pic every Friday for my accountability group. Those pics I wear a shirt, so I will be sure to wear an "old" shirt on Friday and post it here so you can see what I mean. I might even do another comparrison from the 2/28 pic that I took. My 90 day pics will be on the 22nd so I have 18 days before those pictures will be taken.

March 15th will be the final Saturday prior to my last transition week. It will be the last workout for the 12th week, but better yet, it will be the day the 5k donut dash takes place here at Cooper Park. I have decided to do this and not worry about the donut part. I think it will not kill my total weight goals to have 6 donuts and maybe I will only have a couple. Regardless of the donuts, this will be the first 5k I have done since I was in the Army. I used to sign up for them regularly. I ran 2 miles in 12:34 do 95 pushups in 2 minutes and I forget what my 2 minute situp count was, but I was close to maxing out. I think I was just a bit off on both situps and the run, but I scored high enough on my PT test back in the day to do my own PT. I was a pushup and situp guy during lunch every day and my DI loved me for it. This, however, will be a good marker to see how my back will take more of this and see if my joints can handle this type of workouts again. I loved to run when I used to do it, but ever since my car wreck in 1995 the doctor told me to stop and so I did. My goal is to get to the point of being able to do a half marathon. That may not be realistic for my back, but I am going to give it a good go.

Tomorrow is The Challenge so I did 122 pushups last time. I am going to shoot for 150 this go around. I love pushing and seeing where I can get to. It will be the last time to do this one until round 2, so I have to feel it tomorrow. I hope I can make myself cry and the bonus is burpee rest day tomorrow haha.

Day 81

Week 11, Day 1 Decelerator done. I am really starting to like this one. It is similar in some respects with the eccentric workouts having the slow controlled portion with the explosive part. It does both upper and lower in the workout so you get a real good mix of exercises and you could do this on a day you don't have a workout or you just need something to work the whole body. Now if you are out on a trip or something like that and you don't have either a pullup bar or resistance bands with you, then it would be hard to do as there are 4 different pullup exercises, but other than that you don't need any real weights or accessories.

Today's workout, and I forgotten that they were in this, had big brother burpees. These burpess are more combinations on the ground portion but the jump up is nearly the same. When you go down into plank you do a pushup and bring your right knee to your right elbow, then do the same thing on the other side. After that, you do a side arm balance on the right side then back into plank and finally you bring your feet up to a squat and do your jump. When you go back into plank, you do the same thing except this time you do a side arm balance on the left side. So for each burpee you do one side arm balance and 2 crawly pushups one on each side. They are basically burpess on steroids. That is one of the reasons that I like this workout. You do moves you haven't done like those burpees and crawly plyo pushups and the first side balance pushups at the beginning which I can't do correctly. This is P90X3 so as Tony always says, "do your best and forget the rest" and I do.

I have my burpee challenge done and I have 55 pushups done for the pushup challenge and my Decelerator done as well. I will be doing at least 25 pushups in a few minutes once I finish this blog post and go sit in the hot tub and look at the snow/ice mixture from yesterday. The sun is out so it will be bright, but cold. The high today is only 26 or so. This will all be gone pretty quickly as over freezing tomorrow and rain and mid 40s on Wednesday. Right now it is 5 degrees and the hot tub will feel awesome. The trick today will be doing the ice shoveling that will need to take place. For now I feel great, but I bet I will be beat by the end of the day with the shoveling.

Tomorrow is Agility X and it will be the last time I do that until April sometime. I am going to do the 21 Day Fix after this is over so that will take me into April and I am not sure exactly what I want to do. I might do another 21 Day Fix round or back into P90X3. Maybe a little of both. I have things to decide and once I do a full round of 21 Day Fix with those workouts instead of P90X3, I will have a good idea.

Time to get cracking. Need some motivation for the day.

Day 80

Week 10, Day 7 Dynamix done. I did 70 pushups after that and then did my 10 burpees, so not much of a rest day, but that is not a problem. Too many distractions today to get this done. Well all were not distractions, but none the less I have not finished this post all day long. Time to get cracking.

I have only 2 weeks left of real work in this program and hope that I can get down under 300 before the end. I should be able to as of today I was 305. I will not be seeing the outside much for the next day or two since the weather here is brutal, at least for what is the norm here. Thunder sleet this morning and sleeting most of the day. It is supposed to snow now up to 8 inches, well we shall see about that. It is 16 degrees outside now, so whatever it does, it will be cold.

Starting Week 11 tomorrow with Decelerator. I liked that workout, but it is a bit different and it's good thing I get to do that workout every Monday until the final week. I will get 4 chances to get that one down a bit better. I have to treat the next 2 weeks like I would treat the next 2 weeks in the 2 previous blocks. I have had my shot at doing this so now it is time to buckle down and up the intensity for 2 weeks and push hard. I think that this week group is harder than the next week, but I really am not sure. I like the Eccentric workouts so that may be why I think it is easier. It always seems easier when you enjoy it. I do love The Challenge as well so it really is hard to discern which is "easier".

I am excited to see the final part of this transition. I know it will not be the most impressive as while I have lost weight, I still have a good amount to lose. I just hope that the pictures I take in 3 weeks and the weight I am at, will show good results. I want to have that good start on the next part of the journey. I am only at the beginning and like everyone else, I am ready to be at the end. I still have work to do mentally, physically and financially. This journey is going to have a great ending and I can't wait to write it.

Day 79

Week 10, Day 6 Eccentric Lower done. Boy have I slacked off today. I should have posted this much sooner. I have been doing so many things today I just haven't gotten to this. Well today was Eccentric Lower and then I had to do my day 1 of burpees. Luckily I only had to do 5 burpees today, tomorrow it will be 10, and they grow by 5 each day except the rest days. I am excited to see the participation on the 2 challenge groups I am in right now.

Today, though, was not a difficult workout. I really enjoy both eccentric workouts. I am trying to have more depth in my squats, but the weight is the difficult part. It would be better to have some dumbbells for this instead of the bands, but I make do pretty well. I have been really happy with my knee too. After that first day I had a twinge in my right knee, it hasn't been an issue. I still feel both knees when I go deep, and I try to be careful on my old joints, but so far so good.

Today was day 1 of the 30 Day Burpee Challenge. Not everyone that has said they are doing it has posted, but around 10 or so of the 40 that actually said they would do it have posted. That is actually a pretty good percentage. Maybe the new blood in there will help spark some of the others to joining in. Today was easy at 5 burpees, but each day it will increase by 5 except the rest days. The schedule looks like this:

I am still also doing the 100x100 pushup challenge. That for me is day 45 and only 55 more days. I have really had some good gains from it and looking forward to seeing how pans out in the end. That challenge has a much larger commitment and it is amazing how well the ones that are still pushing every day are doing. I hope that I can motivate people the way the people in the challenge groups motivate me. Motivation and inspiration are contagious like a yawn. When you see others doing it, you have no control and are compelled to do it too.