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Regular readers know I have been told how “lucky I was” for my “thin” genes.  Many of my fitness friends actually tell me they hear the same, “you are so lucky to be naturally thin” from their friends and family as well.  Of course, my readers also know that I incorporate exercise into life on a daily basis, along with good nutrition.

I didn’t think it was luck at all, I felt I looked fit and healthy because I WAS fit and healthy. Was it luck, that I put myself in my gym, getting my butt handed to me, at 5:30 in the morning each day? This was a curiosity of mine, so what’s a girl to do?

I asked myself: was this the luck gene; or hard work and dedication to taking care of my health? I decided to run a little test to see which it was, or so I told myself, I think my Seasonal Affective Disorder might have played a hand as well, I am not sure which came first actually.

I decided to do a test: for one month I would limit my fitness and enjoy a few of those uber tempting deserts to see how “lucky” I actually was.

(Or, the fact that I was completely intimidated by the thought of starting P90X2, but that is another story)

Granted I started this process around the holiday season, I knew, to a certain degree, that I would be enjoying certain foods that I don’t eat in my every day life.

I consumed holiday meals with wanton abandon, seconds, no problem, pie for breakfast, sure, why not!

This year however, instead of one day of decadence,  I brought home a childhood favorite:  peanut butter rice krispie treats, with chocolate in the middle. I know how they are made and that I can’t resist them, they are like crack to me.  This was the start of, what I thought would be, a month of “test” eating — I was eating things I normally avoid as poor food choices..

Rice Krispie Peanut Butter Chocolate Treats: an old childhood friend (image via: goodtymes&goodfood)

Okay, I wasn’t eating processed foods or anything like that, I hadn’t gone completely over the edge, but I was eating more take out, white potato, breads and then there was the nuts mixed with chocolate after dinner each night. I have never been one to drink, we still have the same 6 pack of beer in the fridge from 2010 and a full wine rack with bottles covered in dust, this makes me an anomaly within my family unit. (in fact, my niece once commented about the dusty bottles, I wasn’t sure if she was shocked regarding the dust or that the bottles hadn’t been consumed as of yet!) I didn’t add alcohol to the mix, I just want to clarify that fact.

So what was the result of my little experiment: I gained 15 pounds – I felt — tired, listless, my back & joints ached, I felt older than my age! Not only that, I noticed that my seasonal depression became worse than in years past. Of course that might have been due to me not being able to fit into anything I owned, I didn’t have any interest in leaving the house to spend time with friends. The whole process ended with me getting a horrid cold, something that almost never happens to me, I hadn’t been sick in years!!!

The end of a 30+ day experiment of relaxing my normal eating routine. The results are obvious, I wasn't given a thin gene and have the ability to gain weight.

My annual exam happened to coincide with the completion of this event, I asked for a blood test, which I normally get through with flying colors. This time it came back with cholesterol levels that warranted a stern note from my doctor, who was unaware of my little experiment.

The experience told me a lot actually, that I hadn’t been so lucky to have been gifted the “thin” gene and I too had the potential to become obese and suffer the ill effects of this type of lifestyle.  As my readers know, my life goal was to break the chain — my parents had handicapped themselves from lifestyle diseases: obesity and heart disease.  Unfortunately, my father had been ill with a heart condition since before I was born, he died at 57 from lung cancer and complications from his heart condition. My maternal side suffers from obesity and type 2 diabetes, I say my maternal side as the remaining members of my family are obese: they are either diabetic, prediabetic or quickly racing towards that end..

At first I didn’t have the motivation to return to my previously fit lifestyle, I looked at the 15 pounds and didn’t think it was too terrible, I looked and felt okay. Then it occurred to me that this is how is must begin for so many people -  adapting to become my new normal wasn’t an option.  I feared that this adaptation would lead to the next 10 lbs adaptation, then the next and so on, until I too was a statistic.

As soon as my cold ended I was back to my normal healthy lifestyle, that was two weeks ago. I started my “return to fitness” using the 3 day shakeology cleanse and flushed 6 pounds of water retention out; that 6 pound drop in weight felt excellent.  Now I track my eating so I can see where I am during the day, this allows me to adjust my nutrition during to hit my daily goals. At this time I am not at my pre-experiment weight – things are moving in the right direction, I can wear my pants comfortably again.

I did start P90X2, it is difficult, it was designed that way and certainly is effective in its design.  I want to clarify that P90X2 isn’t for people who aren’t already preconditioned, there are many excellent programs for beginners.  (feel free to ask for suggestions) I have already completed 9 rounds of P90X, 2 rounds of Turbo Fire, one round of Insanity and countless other fitness routines before attempting this workout series.

I am back to being myself again, I not only found myself hiding from my friends and family during this process, I also didn’t feel worthy of my online family as well and promptly hid myself.  In the end I feel this was an excellent experience to help me understand and appreciate the process others are going through – this will be useful as I work toward my personal trainer certification and helpful to those I hope to guide to find their inner “fit and healthy” self..

Today was my first day on the P90X2 strength series, Chest, Back and Balance.  I have to say, it was frustrating, not the balancing, but figuring out how to modify the workouts to fit the equipment I have to work with.  I have all the balls, it is the pull up portion that I need to figure out.  We have a lat pull down system, I will figure it out over time..

The workouts are shorter than P90X, by at least 10 minutes, I do like the new abripperX2.  Overall I did well but didn't do the 4 ball balances as I only own 3 medicine balls. I need two spent basketballs, with a basketball junkie for a hubby I shouldn't have a problem finding some. The jury is still out on if I like this particular workout, maybe if I improve my performance that will change, time will tell.

I have been working out every day for many years now, recently, for some odd reason, I decided to take a break. The rush of the holiday season, traveling and schedules made it easy to do so.  At first I didn't notice any real changes in how I felt or looked, slowly, however, things did become more obvious and I knew it was the fitness, or lack thereof.

My original plan was to take two weeks off to see how I felt, I assumed that I would gain a little weight (perfect for "before" photos) and perhaps lose a little cardio endurance. What I discovered, after the first week, was that my joints ached, I felt older than my years. The other thing I noticed, while I remained active I was able to avoid the sickies.  Our office has been a breeding ground since before Thanksgiving, I haven't been sick for years. At the end of my two weeks I awoke with a horribly sore throat, before the day was out the remaining cold symptoms struck, I was officially sick. My plan was to start a new fitness regime on January 1st, however, my lung capacity is significantly reduced, to the point of feeling asthmatic actually, my body now needs to recover and heal.  

Oddly enough I find myself fighting an inner battle to, at the very least, do a little cardio, ride the recumbent bike or something. I know the best thing at this point would be rest, drink plenty of fluids and sound sleep.

During the last two weeks I did P90X2 Foundation Phase.. 

P90X2: Phase 1 - Foundation (3 to 6 weeks)
The goal of Phase 1 is to help you create a solid attachment to the earth so you can do all other movements without compromising your form. When this happens, you'll look, feel, and perform better. This phase is recommended for 3 to 6 weeks, so we recommend you add your auto-schedule one week at a time

I really enjoyed what I have seen so far with the workout routine, I have to say that I was scared as heck about this workout, the imtimidation factor was off the charts.  While it was challenging, I found it very doable, even in my weakened state. Now I am ready to really bring it. 

Yesterday a great friend pointed out an article titled "Does P90X Really Bring It!"  (written by Joel Woldt, M.S., John P. Porcari, Ph.D., Scott Doberstein, M.S., Jeff Steffen, Ph.D., and Carl Foster, Ph.D., with Mark Anders) and posted on the the blog of a well known Fitness Training facility, Ace Fitness. It was nice to see Ace Fitness taking a good honest look at the program, that reportedly has sold more than 3 million copies as of November of 2010!  That is 3 million people wanting to train using "muscle confusion" with trainer Tony Horton.

Ace has this to say about the trainer Tony Horton and his program:

"Horton, the quirky yet motivating star and creator of P90X, first made a name for himself as a trainer for Hollywood’s elite, including actors Sean Connery and Ewan McGregor, musicians Sheryl Crow, Usher and Bruce Springsteen, and ‘80s rocker Billy Idol. It was Idol who gave Horton the nickname “Muscle Confucius,” a tip of the hat to Horton’s favorite fitness concept, muscle confusion, which is at the heart of the P90X program. Exercise scientists call it daily undulating periodization, which is the principle that by changing up workouts regularly, the body doesn’t have time to adapt and become efficient at the exercise. This, in turn, means the body burns more fat and builds more muscle, more quickly."

Ace talks about the fact that no scientific studies have been done regarding the program and took it upon themselves to do some testing. So Ace brought in John Porcari, Ph.D., and Joel Woldt, M.S., the researchers from the University’s Exercise and Health Program then added 16 healthy subjects, ages 19 to 26, who were regular exerciser regularly and knew either with P90X or a something like it.

First they established a baseline for each individual using a treadmill to find their maximum heart rate and their VO2Max as well. Next they chose 4 workouts that represented the program: Plyometrics, Legs and Back, Chest, Shoulders and triceps plus Cardio X.  Once each subject was proficient in the selected workouts they ran the tests, across multiple days, giving each testee a day rotation just as they would if doing the program at home. Ace Fitness describes the testing like this: (If you want to learn more about P90X  watch this trailer and see for yourself)

"The subjects exercised to the best of their abilities (e.g., performing the maximum amount of repetitions possible using a weight of their choice) throughout the warm-up, conditioning phase and cool-down, as researchers kept tabs on subjects’ heart rates (HR) by taking recordings at one-minute intervals throughout the workout. At the end of each workout, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded while the heart-rate data was plugged into HR/VO₂ regression equations that were created from the maximal exercise tests to determine the predicted VO₂ that the subject exercised at during that session."

The Results
After weeks of testing, the research team crunched the data (Table 1). Porcari and his team reported that the average heart rate for all four workouts was 67 percent to 83 percent of HRmax for the male subjects; 65 percent to 88 percent of HRmax for the females (Figure 1). Meanwhile, the calculated VO₂max values were between 45 percent and 70 percent of VO₂max for males and between 45 percent and 80 percent for the female subjects.

As for calorie burns, the male subjects burned 10.5 to 16.2 kcals per minute, while the female subjects burned 7.2 to 12.6 kcals per minute. Male subjects totaled 441 to 699 kcals burned per workout. The females expended a total of 302 to 544 kcals per workout. The Plyometrics workout proved to be the biggest calorie burner, while the Chest, Shoulders & Triceps routine burned the fewest number of calories.

Researchers noted that given these results, the P90X workouts that were tested (and, therefore, most likely all of the P90X workouts) meet or exceed established fitness industry standards for losing weight and improving cardio respiratory fitness.

The results definately came back postive, in fact, Dr. Porcari had this to say about the P90X program:

“There’s no doubt that if people want to get into shape, the best way to do it is with high-intensity, interval-training like you’re seeing here with P90X." “When it comes to your muscles and your cardiovascular system, if you break them down, they bounce back stronger,” continues Porcari. “But they kind of get used to any chronic stimulus, so by doing things differently you’re just constantly challenging the muscles and cardiovascular system to respond and improve.”

But don't just take their word for it, take the word of so many others who proudly proclaim success with their levels of fitness after doing P90X.  The hardest part isn't just the workout themselves but sticking to the routine as detailed for the complete 90 days.  Many times people have said they started but life interuptted them and they never went back to it.  I always advise people to pick it back up, brush off the DVD's and start "pushing play," as they say, so you can get into the best shape you have ever been in at what ever age you are..

You have to believe in yourself because you can do it.  The biggest part to remember is that you want to work at your own level and take breaks when needed until your body builds up to the level of fitness needed to push through like the trainers do.  Don't be afraid to push pause in your own house...

Porcari’s fellow researcher, Joel Woldt, M.S., agrees. “If you do P90X, at least the four workouts I’ve tested, and if you do it to the best of your ability,” he says, “there’s no way you’re not going to get results.”

To read the full report from Ace Fitness titled: Does P90X Really Bring it  By Joel Woldt, M.S., John P. Porcari, Ph.D., Scott Doberstein, M.S., Jeff Steffen, Ph.D., and Carl Foster, Ph.D., with Mark Anders

If you want to learn more about P90X  watch this trailer and see for yourself..

The cooler months are upon us, gardening in winding down and I have a bit more time to post in boards so I am back. Thanks to everyone who kept in touch during the summer hiatus, I appreciate you checking in. For everyone else what have you been doing to keep your fitness going and what is on your agenda in the next few months?

As for me, when the P90X Bear Dare completed I started Turbo Fire, of course that is a favorite of mine and I love the mix of cardio and HIIT Training. I can not lie however and sneak in 2 or 3 Xish lift days a week, typically on the short and sweet cardio HIIT days.

Last weekend was great, we did a live workout with Tony Horton himself and helped him celebrate in his hometown as he was awarded with the key to hometown city, Trumbull Conn. they also made September 17 Tony Horton day. Overall the weekend was great, Friday, after dinner, we had a nice conversation Tony and his longtime girlfriend Shawna, she is a really sweetheart BTW.. I can't give away too many details but there are a lot of wonderful exciting things coming up... The future looks great..

Oh and the live workout with Tony also included some moves from P90X2, yes they are challenging and yes it will take time to learn and master them but that is where the growth comes from.. Thank goodness for the pause button on DVD's because there is no pause when you are live... OMG

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