Author: steve

When I was a kid, I used to like to play team games. I played soccer for 4 years from ages 7 to 11. I played baseball for a couple years and basketball for one year — as I recall, that basketball team did not win a single game all season….

As I recall, we used to also, during our free time, get together to play 3- or 4-man baseball — remember “right field is closed” and “pitcher’s as good as first base”? — and pickup soccer and touch football games, as well as an enjoyable game of progressive dodgeball. To this day I recall the plaintive cry of one of my fellow competitor-compatriots: “Guard me, Steve. Guard me with your life!”

During school gym class, we climbed ropes a few times, played yet more dodgeball, and ran 100-yard dashes. I’m sure we did more than that, but that’s all I really remember. Oh, yeah, and square dancing was in the mix somewhere. In grade school in Massachusetts. Square dancing. Go figger. I recall that none of the guys at Sgt Robert R Litwin Elementary School wanted to dance with Kathleen. Karen and Cindy were the prized partners, so we always had to draw partner names out of a hat. (Btw, I recall those girls’ last names, but I left them out to protect the innocent.)

Anyway, this is not about reminiscing. The point is that, as a kid, playing games, and, okay, maybe a little dancing, were the primary ways I worked out. But that changed as I become an adult.

I mean, sure, as an adult I played the occasional game of flag football. I was even part of one softball team or another for many years of my life. But football was more about drinking beer, and softball was really more about … hmmmm … okay, also about drinking beer. Nothing wrong with that, but drinking and team sports are not really a great way to stay in shape.

At one point I became a runner. The main reason was that I had to run for the Air Force, so, of course, I wanted to be one of the best runners in my unit.

I really enjoyed running, and participated in some half-marathons over the years, averaging between 7:30 and 7:50 per mile for the 13.1 miles. I was, however, never tempted to run a full marathon. Honestly, I really didn’t feel that I could take the time to train to run a full marathon.

My brother was an avid and frequent marathoner for a few years, and he subscribes to the idea — as many people do — that a marathon is best done with a mix of running and walking.

I simply cannot wrap my mind around that. I don’t argue against it. In fact, I would bet the evidence shows that non-elite marathoners who do it achieve better times than those who don’t, but it’s still not for me, because I have this mental block about running, i.e. when I run a race, I have to run the race. Not walk … RUN!

Wow, I have rambled on for quite a few words, but have not yet arrived at the point.

The point is that when we are kids, all we have to do is play and go to school. It’s pretty easy to stay in shape.

However, as we become adults, we now have the responsibility of needing to make money. This generally involves a job of some sort, and that job usually takes up quite a bit of time.

So how do we stay in shape? How do we work out?

Well, we find something that we like to do, something that we look forward to.

Just the other day on Facebook, one of my friends wrote:

“Just got done with my first workout at Gold’s Gym. I’m gonna be positive and NOT focus on my perception that it sucked and I feel tired right now. It is a necessary evil that I have to adjust to.”

Do we ever really adjust to something that sucks? Well, something that sucks that we don’t get paid for? Not likely.

Hopefully, at some point my friend will change his mind about the gym, and it will no longer suck, but what I bet will happen is that he will eventually taper off his workouts, until he’s not working out at all.

And so I say again: We need to find a workout we enjoy.

Life already sucks enough. I mean, it’s not bad, but there are enough things we have to do. We need to make our fitness programs something we enjoy doing.

So, then, what do you enjoy doing? What’s your favorite workout? Haven’t found it yet? Try something else until you do find it.

Along those lines, keep in mind that all Beachbody programs come with a money-back guarantee. With nothing to lose, and your whole life to gain, why not give one a shot?

Fwiw, my favorite workouts are aerobics and yoga. I’m not too much into weightlifting, although I loved P90X when I was going through it. I do like running, but I have not set aside enough time to get back into it. Perhaps someday I will.

What’s your favorite type of workout? Find it, and odds are, you’ll stick with it.

Maybe you’ve watched the infomercials for P90X or Insanity or any other great workout-at-home programs. Maybe you’ve noticed that they always show in-shape people getting even more in shape. Maybe you even think that the “before” photos usually look like how you only wish you could look in your “after” photo.

That’s pretty much what I thought.

If you thought that, too, but pulled the trigger and ordered P90X anyway — something I highly recommend you do — then it’s quite possible that you started the program, but never finished it. In fact, maybe you even quit during the first week, because it’s just too difficult. Hell, you might never have even started the program, because you were convinced that you need to get into better shape first.

If you see yourself described above, I want you reassure you of one thing: YOU CAN DO IT!

I was out of shape a few years ago when I finally asked my brother about that thing called P90X that had helped him lose weight and build muscle. After that conversation, I went ahead and ordered it.

I ended up losing 25 pounds of fat, but, more importantly, I learned how to work out and eat right, so now I can direct my own life, and control my own fitness. I have even gotten to the point where I can help people out with their fitness.

So, then, you might be asking, what is the key to completing P90X, if you are overweight and out of shape.

It’s pretty simple, really.

Modify. Modify. Modify. You have to want it. Be patient. Do not overwork. Take it slowly.

Hey, look, there is a guy, an actor and comedian, named Erik Stolhanske, who went through the program and even appears in the P90X Plyo DVD. Erik was born without a fibula, so he has a prosthetic leg. He makes modifications to accommodate his leg, but he does the workout, and he does it well. If a guy with a fake leg can do it, you can do it. Right?

One of the big problems with people who start any workout program is doing too much, running too far, lifting too heavy. That is a recipe for injury, and what happens when we get injured? We quit.

Sure, it’s easy to get caught up in the workout. After all, the people on the DVD are doing it, and we want to be in as good shape as they are, so we think we have to keep up.

But that is the beautiful thing about P90X: It’s just not possible to do everything on the DVD right away. You must work up to it. What good is a workout that you can do perfectly the first time through? That’s not going to improve your body, it will only, at best, maintain what you have, and if you are overweight — as I was — then maintenance is probably not a goal. You probably want to drop some pounds.

Face facts. Tony Horton and his workout companions are all pretty fit. If we are fat and inactive, we are not.

Writing this post made me think about the first time I did an Insanity workout with Shaun T. I kid you not, I was wiped out after about 90 seconds. A minute and a half! And that was after having completed P90X!

But I took it easy, took breaks while letting the DVD run, and, eventually — after not too long, actually — I was able to keep up with Shaun T for much of the workout. To date, I have never made it all the way through an Insanity workout without taking at least one extra break, but, maybe … someday ….

Anyway, the point is that you — YOU — can do P90X or Insanity or any workout program. All you have to remember is to take it slowly. Push yourself, but don’t hurt yourself. Modify. It took you many years to get so fat and out of shape, so give yourself a few years — yes, years (slowly, remember?) — to fix that. Keep in mind that fitness is really a long-term goal and YOU CAN DO IT!

Speaking of P90X, now is a good time to buy it, because they have added the 5-DVD set of P90X Plus to the kit. You get P90X + P90X Plus + 2 other FREE DVDs if you order from me. So stop thinking about it and order now. It could change your life — I know it changed mine.

I started Les Mills Combat a couple weeks ago, but succumbed to a cold on Day 3, so I had to suspend that activity for a while. I still have a bit of a nagging cough, but, unable to sit still any longer, I started the program again at the beginning of this week.

I really cannot describe how much I enjoy it, and this is coming from someone who is not a fan of Les Mills Pump. I like Combat so much, in fact, that I ordered the DVDs with the additional workouts.

I was pretty sure I’d enjoy Combat, because when I was doing P90X, I really liked Kenpo X, and also Kenpo Cardio from the P90X Plus series. I think that doing Tony Horton’s kenpo — which I am sure martial arts purists would poo-poo (pu-pu?) as “not the real thing”, but, whatever — makes me feel as if I am learning a useful skill. Hey, I do spend a lot of time in bars and clubs, so there might come a time when I need to mix it up, right?

(Okay, so maybe I only know enough to get my own ass kicked, but at least psychologically, I feel a little better prepared for a fight. I guess it’s like owning a gun — the most likely person to get shot with it is probably yourself….)

Les Mills Combat bases its moves on a variety of martial arts, including boxing, karate, tae kwon do, capoeira, kickboxing, and jiu jitsu. As you might guess, there is a lot of punching and kicking, and my heart rate stays in the target zone for about the entire workout. I kinda wish now that I’d bought the package with the weighted gloves, which would add intensity to the workouts, but I didn’t.

The only caution I need to take is to ensure I stay back when I am in a squat stance, which is somewhat often during straight punching sequences. I tend to stay up on my toes, instead of farther back on my heels, and that will manifest itself as low-grade knee pain the next day.

I know I am only one week into it, but I’ve done all the workouts, and the only one I found a bit boring was the Combat 45: Power Kata. I didn’t have a hard time getting through it — it was not booooooooring — but I did find myself looking at the clock a couple times. Maybe I do need to get those weighted gloves, or at least add some weight to my hands to keep things more intense.

The instructors are only a little annoying. Dan and Rachael — they are in the advert to the right — are the primary gurus. They say stupid shit, of course — that’s the standard, right? — and Dan tends to get a bit overzealous, you know, making his eyes bug out, and acting a bit on the crazy side. However, all in all, these instructors do a good job keeping things flowing without getting too annoying.

At only around $60, Les Mills Combat is a great deal. You get a 60-day workout plan, and, while I say I’ve done all the workouts the first week, they seem difficult enough that I won’t be bored. That is to say, I really need to build my coordination and get these things right! Remember, though, I did say up top that I’d ordered the 4 additional workouts, because I like to keep things fresh as possible. I remember that as I approached the end of P90X, I knew I wanted to continue the workouts, but not necessarily those workouts, so I ordered other Tony Horton workouts. Ordering the extra Combat DVDs is a pre-emptive strike against that, and I’ll be able to integrate them into my 60-day program whenever I feel like it.

If you are already into fighting or mixed martial arts, these workouts may seem a bit pedestrian to you, but if you are curious about those things, and want to learn some moves, or if you just want a workout program that requires little to no equipment — dumbbells are used during some of the workouts — then you will find Les Mills Combat to be a really good way to either get into, or stay in, shape. As I said above, at only around $60, Les Mills Combat is a great deal!