Friday, November 26, 2010

P90X Evaluation

Day 1
'Tis the season of Gratitude and Change. I feel thankful for my amazing family and friends. I also have tremendous gratitude for having found my calling in Anti-Aging medicine. I get to do two things that give me great joy. I get to help people look better and feel better. Life is Good!

At this time of year many of us are already considering what our New Year's Resolutions may be. Over the holidays we may be expecting some changes in body shape that we will then want to change again come 2011. So, I've decided to get a jump on the best ways to get in shape.The P90X program has been getting alot of attention, including mine, so I decided to try it out for myself and make a fair evaluation of it for the over-40 crowd.

This program was created by Tony Horton. Do you guys remember him?  He did one of the early Buns of Steel videos. It was my favorite one, so I'm already a fan of his workout style.

I ordered my P90X kit on Amazon.com and I've just opened the lovely white box. Clever! First thing I see in BIG print on the inside of the box: "This is your gym for the next 90 days."  OMG, I'm so excited!

There is a nice little book titled Nutrition Plan. It looks like I'll need to spend a little time reading up on their portion approach and the three phases they will take me through. Then there are recipes, meal plans and a handy daily journal for 16 weeks of notations.The recipes look good and not too complex.

My next little goody is a poster: "Decide. Commit. Succeed." I like that. What I'm not so thrilled about is the fact that I'm supposed to take a BEFORE picture, but girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

Next up, the Fitness Guide. Their first instruction is to "Forget 'I Can't' and say, 'I presently struggle with'." Okay, that seems like a good reframing, and I'm going with "I presently struggle with not enjoying exercise. So, I'm really hoping this is FUN, Tony"!  Most of the workouts are about an hour and 15 minutes.

Uh-oh. Now I see they want me to buy THEIR supplements: a multivitamin supplement, a recovery formula with 40gm carbs and 12gm protein, some protein bars with 18 gm protein (I've never met a protein bar I really liked), then their creatine formula, their whey protein powder, and finally their joint support formula (glucosamine, collagen, and MSM). Well folks, I'm going to use the equivalents of my choice in substitution of BeachBody products.

The Prep section has places to note "Before" and "After" measurements, how to take proper before and after photos, how to take a Fit Test, and a place to note your pre- and post- program results. 

Now I need to decide between the 3 program options: P90X Classic appears to be the regular "kick my butt" approach, P90X Doubles says to me  "Masochists Start Here" and P90X Lean appears to be screaming my name as it promises MAXIMUM WEIGHT LOSS!  My decision is made.

Finally, the Piece de Resistance... the DVD's!! The beautiful beach bodies themselves burning it up on video!

Maybe you want to be proactive and get started with me now.?
Or perhaps you want to read how I do before investing?

Alrighty. I'm ready. BRING IT!!

I'll let you know how it goes.
S.