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:Â 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.