When I went to purchase the program, I learned that Turbo Fire was on sale. This was a program that Rachel had been doing and loving. I wanted to do this program and since it was on sale, I bought it too! I ended up doing a hybrid of BBL and Turbo Fire from November through January and then Turbo Fire through mid April.
I knew that Rachel would hold me accountable for what I said I was going to do. I knew that my friends and family were watching me to see how I did. I knew that this time I had to succeed!
I have NEVER been a morning person. My first year in college I had an 8am class and it was way too early for me. So I read the book on my own and showed up for test days and managed to get a B in the class without showing up much. I tell you this to illustrate how much I hate mornings. Daniel had learned early in our married life that I was incapable of speech for the first hour I was awake. I had tried many times over the years to get up early and workout before the day began and only succeed a few days before giving in to sleep instead. When preparing to start BBL/Turbo Fire, I knew that I needed to get up and workout first thing or it wouldn't happen. I also knew this was going to be a huge challenge for me.
To encourage myself to get up before the sun and do something I wasn't too excited about I came up with an incentive. Here is my deep, dark secret that only Daniel knew until now... I would watch television while I worked out. As most of you know I have a love/hate relationship with television. I love it so much that I hate that I love it:) Also, I am capable of multi-tasking while watching TV. So I would make it split screen on my laptop with the volume off and closed captioning on for the workout. The TV show would be partially obscured by the workout, but I could hear it. This is how I exercised for several months, but it worked for me.
I established a habit of working out in the mornings before doing anything else. I was supported by others in my challenge group. I was supported by friends and family as I posted my workouts on Facebook and talked about my experiences on my blog. I started using an app called My Fitness Pal to track what I was eating, how much I was eating, and that I was exercising.
With all of this in place, I lost 35 pounds from November 2012 to April 2013. I had slip ups- not eating the right thing or skipping a workout, but overall I kept at it and the consistency paid off!
After Turbo Fire, I was ready to try something a little more intensive- P90X! This workout Daniel and I decided we would do together. We were both nervous about this since in the past we preferred to exercise alone, away from others. What do you know?! We discovered that it can be fun to work out with someone else. Having a partner makes it easier to get up and do the workout because someone else is counting on you. Partners provide someone to talk about the workout with. For example, "That was a tough move" or "I loved that workout".
After 90 days of working hard, I felt better than ever. While I didn't have the dramatic weight loss I wanted, I saw some great changes and am excited about what I accomplished.
The Numbers from P90X:
Lost 10 pounds Chest= lost 1.5 inches
Waist= lost 3 inches!!! Hips= lost 5 inches!!!!!
Thighs= lost 1 inch on each
Arms= lost 2 inches (1.5 on R arm and .5 on left arm- go figure:)
Went down a clothing size!
I gained a lot of muscle too:)
Here are my before and after photos. I included my before photo from back in the fall so that you can see the transformation over the 9 month period.
(November 2012, end of April 2013, and end of July 2013)
P90X is the most physically challenging thing I have ever tackled. I feel like I should earn a medal for doing it:) I'm grateful that Daniel did it with me. It was fun to share the experience with him and it helped me to actually do it. If he hadn't done it with me, I probably would have quit because it was HARD, but in a good way!
Next up for me was T25. Daniel and I spent Fall 2013 doing this program and it is wonderful! It's 25 minutes of a high intensity workout without any breaks. You are working so hard on the workout that you don't have a chance to watch the clock. The time goes by so fast!
I'm three weeks into P90X3 and loving it! I love that it is only 30 minutes and I love the variety and how I feel after. My body craves those happy endorphins I get from exercise.
I highly recommend the Shakeology drinks too! I drink it everyday and love how it curbs cravings, fills me up for hours, and gives my body lots of nutrients to keep it healthy. My favorites are the Vegan Chocolate and the Vegan Tropical Strawberry- YUMMY!
I am doing things I never even imagined. A year ago, I would have laughed in your face if you told me that I would ask for a heart monitor for Christmas. I was so excited that we had to workout on Christmas Day:) I am finding that I have the confidence to challenge myself in other areas of my life and learn new things!
I have learned that one is better than none. If I can't do one then trying to do one is better than nothing. I spent 6 weeks trying to do a certain sit up in P90X and one day after weeks of not being able to do it, it all came together and I did it! I was surprised, excited, and felt like I could take on the world. The same thing happened with push ups. I was unable to do any regular push ups for a long time, but eventually I made it through an entire workout with all of my push ups off the knees! I was flying:)
I still have 50 plus pounds to lose, but I know that I will get there. I'm grateful to my friend Rachel for holding me accountable. Her Facebook support group was instrumental in keeping me going. With the support of friends and family and digging deep within and not taking no for answer to myself I am living beyond a life I ever imagined! I know that I can do anything:)!
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