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Life before P90X. (Shudder) Wow, am I glad those days are gone! Picture a typical college graduate – still in party mode, moving back home to reunite with old friends, not yet into a steady routine. I’ve always been the athletic type – played ice hockey my whole life, along with football and lacrosse. Weighing in at 168 lbs. (5’8”) on college graduation day, I tried my best to at least maintain that weight after I moved back in with Mom and Dad. My weeks would include approximately 3 to 5 days of jogging and/or lifting weights in my basement. All on my own – no trainer, no instruction, no plan. What diminutive muscle definition I had, I was able to sustain…but barely. I would ride my mountain bike every now and then. And I would play in weekly slow pitch softball games where the extent of my workout meant a sprint from home to first. I’d meet up with the guys a few times a week for wings and beer at the local pubs. I was never out of shape. I just never was able to call myself ripped or powerfully built. I would lift more and more, and see nothing. Frustration got the best of me. I began to feel like I had no control of my physique. I suppose being part of a traditional Italian family had something to do with my lackluster attempt to build a better body. Eating healthy was next to impossible. Stromboli on Monday, fettuccine Alfredo on Wednesday, pizza on Friday. And the weekends – forget it!

As mentioned above, after graduating from college, I moved back under my parents’ roof. Living at home yields the obvious advantages, however there are several drawbacks that shouldn’t go unnoticed. I was forced to abide by my parents rules and adapt to their lifestyle. I began to lose control of my life. My every move had to accommodate their schedule and I needed approval for everything. I had no space, and really had nothing to call my own. It was emotionally and physically draining. This is when I realized that if I don’t get out of this rut and gain some control in my life, I could be facing a major downward spiral. Coincidentally, this is the same time I saw the infomercial for P90X. What better aspect to take complete initiative and control over than my health? Fitness and nutrition were two areas of my life that my mom and dad did not have the authority to command. I had finally seen the light; P90X was the answer. It was the key to getting me back on track and living my life, my way. And, as I had hoped, the anticipation of every workout was tremendous. I couldn’t wait to get home from work to pop in the next DVD. Once I began noticing the benefits, I thought it was so amazing that I wanted the whole world to experience the same thing. If I can feel this great, I think it’s only fair to encourage others to as well. So, I became a coach. And now I’m not only committed to my own healthy lifestyle, but to the health and well being of others, too.

I chose to challenge myself with the P90X program. I was sitting in my kitchen one Saturday morning eating breakfast while flipping through the channels on TV. I came across the infomercial for P90X. Normally, I wouldn’t be caught dead watching an infomercial – especially one for workout equipment or programs that promise completely unreasonable results. But something about this P90X infomercial hit me – and put me in a trance. Maybe it was the home video format with real people instead of spray tanned personal trainers with not a hair out of place. Maybe it was Tony Horton’s enthusiasm. Maybe it was the lack of boring monotonous exercises. I’ve read about muscle confusion before, but the way the P90X infomercial detailed the concept made so much sense to me. It’s exactly what I needed to transcend the plateau I had recently hit. The advertisement previewed some moves I’ve never seen before; moves that looked so intense, my jaw hit the floor (i.e. Spiderman pushups…my favorite!) I knew this program was legit. I knew I had to have it. My adrenaline kicked in and I couldn’t wait to start. I knew it would work for me because of my disciplined personality. While some may have a hard time getting the motivation to push the Play button every day, I knew that problem would not be an issue for me. The workouts looked like a ton of fun, and the potential for extreme results were amazing. I wanted to start immediately, so I picked up the phone.

The biggest obstacle I’ve faced so far was criticism and ridicule from friends and family members. I’m the youngest of 4 brothers – so I’ve been getting beat up and picked on my entire life. I’m sure you can imagine what they had to say when they heard I bought a workout system from an infomercial. One of my brothers walked into the basement one night during my chest/back workout. When he started to mock me, I hit the Pause button, gave him the dumbbells and said, “You have 10 minutes. Let me see what you can do.” About 6 minutes later, the dumbbells were on the ground and my brother was walking up the steps. It felt so good to finally shut him up! Normally I would just take the criticism, but P90X has given me the confidence and self-reliance to finally stand up for myself. And I showed up my older brother in the process! He has stopped the smack talk and is now considering taking on the P90X challenge. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, food has always been a huge part of my life. The temptation of a large, doughy Belgian waffle with extra butter and syrup on a Saturday morning has been taken over by whole wheat pancakes. After completing a workout session like any of P90X’s, I have entirely lost the desire to eat unhealthy. That kind of food doesn’t even taste good to me anymore. I’d now much rather score one of Tony’s Sticky Protein Bars for dessert than a cannoli.


Thinking about life after I’ve completed 90 days of P90X gives me such a giant sense of accomplishment, words can’t describe it. I currently weigh a solid 150 lbs. and went from 10% body fat down to 5%. I recently placed first in a 10K run – something I never dreamed would be a possibility. I also finished the Philadelphia Broad Street 10-mile run in less than 1:10. I attribute these recent accomplishments to my new lifestyle. And, I owe major props to my coach, Jacqueline Myles. Holy motivation!! She’s fantastic – extremely supportive! The “X” has put me in the absolute best physical shape of my life, and my mental health has benefited just as much. On top of all that, it has opened so many doors leading toward my future. I am going to pursue getting my NASM personal training certificate. I have already signed up as a Beach Body coach, and I’m on my way to Emerald status. I’ve gotten countless friends and family to jump on the P90X bus – and I’m still going strong. For once, I found something I have passion for. I no longer adapt to my parents lifestyle, they now adapt to mine. Fattening Italian dinners have transformed into healthy protein-filled entrees. My jogs have turned into runs, and runs into sprints. Bonding with the guys over wings and beers? We’d rather play intense tennis matches followed with recovery drinks. Over the past 4 months, I have changed the outlook on life of so many people. Seeing others transform before my eyes is the best feeling I’ve ever had. Imagine what I could do in the years to come. I can’t wait – I really can’t wait. BRING IT!

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