Losing weight with P90X

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P90X Reviews – Weight Loss?

By Tim Pannell On March 9, 2010 No Comments

My wife, sister in law and I have been doing the P90X workouts for 2 months now.

Here’s my review of that 2 months.

In the beginning, I really struggled.  I had done P90X back in Chandler, AZ off and on the second half of last year.

I had made progress…..at my worst I weighed 310…still can’t believe it.

At my best I weighed 261 lbs.  Right now my weight has been fluctuating wildly and not staying consistent.

Since moving to Utah my weight has been bouncing around between 263 and 270 lbs.

My guess for the yo-yo effect is the stress of moving and getting things set up.

It really has been a hectic 2 months moving in and making changes to my photography business.

I have eaten more crap than I should.  The culprits – ice cream, brownies, cookies.

I have gone cold turkey on those kinds of things in the past only to end up pigging out on them later.

I decided a while ago to just eat smaller amounts of them.

It worked for a while, but gradually the portions and/or frequency has grown.

My wife and I decided to just do desserts on weekends a couple of weeks ago.

We also forgot about that decision a couple of weeks ago……….crap!

I didn’t remember that decision until just now writing this post.

I will try this again starting today……..no junk until Friday night.

I guess we’ll see what happens.  Will it make a difference with my weight?

Honestly, I don’t know.  I assume it will help.

In 2 months my weight has bounced around, but my strength and stamina has increased continuously.

We did the P90X Chest and Back on Monday, Plyometrics on Tuesday, P90X Shoulders and Arms on Wednesday, Yoga X on Thursday, P90X Legs and Back on Friday and on Saturdays we would do either Kenpo X or Shoulders and Arms.

I have gone from being able to do 5-10 push ups to 30+.  I can actually do the “diamond” push ups now.  I think the first time I tried those suckers I could do 1 or 2…..now I can do 20+.

I still struggle with the “divebomber” push ups, but can do 6 of them without collapsing.

I’m amazed at the progress I’ve made and that I’ve been able to see progress as quickly as I did.

Each week brought better results and statistics.

P90X Shoulders and Arms is still my favorite of the P90X workouts.

I’ve added 5-10 pounds to each of those exercises.

I have had something going on in my left elbow for the last 2 weeks so I backed off on the amount of weight I’m using for the last week as well as this one.

It feels exactly like tennis elbow except I’m not left handed and I don’t play tennis.

I used to play a lot of racquetball and would experience “tennis elbow” from time to time in my right elbow from that.

Plyometrics still kicks my butt.  I find it extremely difficult to keep up with.  I honestly dread this workout, but even with it I can see progress being made.

P90X Yoga X is also still difficult for me at this point.

I find it extremely difficult to breath because of all of my excess weight, but I do the best I can.

Kenpo X is a lot of fun and a bit more aerobic than the other P90X workouts.

I was sick with bronchitis for all of January so that made working out that much harder.

The other obstacle for me was the higher elevation here in Utah.

It took me a while to adjust to that, but at this point I have made the transition.

Have I reached all of my goals yet?……..NO!

Have I reached some of them?…… YES!

I love working out now -(with the exception of Plyometrics).  Today is Plyo day and I’m dreading it.

My arms are bigger, my core is tighter, my legs are stronger and even though I haven’t lost any real weight over the last 2 months, I’m in better shape than I was.

Everybody responds differently to exercise.  I feel at times like a chemist….tinkering away with my little experiments to see what will work best for me.

All in all, the latest of my P90X reviews is this:  I still love these workouts!

They have changed me for the better and I will continue doing them long after I’ve hit my desired weight.

I will be exercising for the rest of my life.

There is no going back to my previous sedentary lifestyle.  In that respect, P90X has been a wild success.

If you want to give P90X a try……you can order it here.

Good luck!

P90X Alternative

By Tim Pannell On March 6, 2010 No Comments

Yesterday we woke up to 12 inches of snow and that was just enough to give me a new P90X alternative.

With shovel in hand I shoveled six driveways and a couple hundred yards of sidewalks.

After shoveling I did a series of photographs for my stock agency of my nieces, nephew and son playing in the snow

I actually like shoveling snow….maybe proof of my low I.Q.

I remember watching my mom shovel snow when I was a kid and throwing snowballs at the big picture window my sisters and I would watch her through.

I was really excited once I got old enough to go out and shovel and through snowballs at the big window while my sisters watched me shovel…….a winter right of passage of sorts.

We’ve lived in Arizona for 22 years before moving up here to Utah so I’ve avoided snow shoveling for almost half my life.

I still enjoy it.  It’s actually a great workout.

There were several people on the block with snow blowers, but they didn’t finish their driveways any faster than it took me doing it “manually.”

How many things are sold to us in order to make our lives easier?

Save time, save energy, save effort etc.

Many of these things might make life easier, but the real question is…….do they make our lives better.

We’ve sought out ease of living at the expense of our health in many cases.

We use our lungs less, we use our legs less, we use our backs less, we use our muscles less.

We get weaker and more and more out of shape as we seek a life of ease.

In the long run, so many of these things we do to make our lives easier actually make it worse as we lose more and more of our physical abilities.

I have no plans to buy a snow blower…..on this one….I’ll stick to the old fashioned way of doing things.

Heaven knows I can use the workout.  I spent 2 hours yesterday morning shoveling snow.  It felt great.

The really cool thing though is this……because I’ve been doing P90X consistently over the last 2 months, my back isn’t sore at all today.

No pain, no soreness, no side effects from 2 hours of shoveling……not bad.

Doing the P90X Legs and Back workout is probably responsible for my lack of pain.

P90X does such a good job of exercising all areas and muscle groups in your body that there are very few if any that don’t get worked out, so when you do something physical that is different from your normal routine you don’t end up paying the price of a super sore rarely used muscle group.

I know that in the past, even as a young kid that was in great shape….and I was.  I was always sore the day after shoveling our super long driveway.

Today I’m pain free……cool!

So what if I didn’t end up doing any P90X workout yesterday……shoveling snow for 2 hours sure seemed to be a great P90X alternative for just one day.

P90X – Still Plugging Along

By Tim Pannell On March 1, 2010 No Comments

Well, I’m still plugging along with my P90X workouts.

My wife and I just got back from a 5 day photo shoot in Arizona last week.

We didn’t work out at all the last 5 days, with the exception of the running around we were doing for the shoot.

We started back up today with P90X Chest and Back.

It always feels great to get back into the P90X routine.

The 5 days off was actually kind of nice.

My left elbow has been extremely sore lately – it feels like “tennis elbow”.

This 5 days gave it a little time to heal up.

Today the elbow wasn’t nearly as painful as last week.

I’m not exactly sure what the pain was caused by.

No obvious injury or “aha” moment.  It’s just been sore for a couple of weeks.

It’s not the muscle, but the joint.

In any case, progress is being made.

All 3 of us are seeing improvement in our ability to perform all the exercises, especially the ones that give us the most trouble.

Diamond push ups and divebomber push ups in particular.

When I first started doing P90X last year I couldn’t do a single diamond push up.  Not one.

I was just a useless fat blob.

Today I did 2 sets of 25 diamond push ups.  Not a bad improvement.

Now I’m a usefull, fat blob.

My wife, sister in law and I have been doing P90X for almost 2 months now, so it has become what I would call a routine.

We’ve had 2 periods during that time where we missed 5 days.

We’ve gotten right back into the swing of things after those down times.

Having the workout partners has helped make it much easier for me to start back up after periods where I just can’t do the workouts because of work or travel.

If you’re struggling with consistancy try and find someone to do the P90X exercises with.

Trust me…….it’ll work.

P90X Review – Legs & Back

By Tim Pannell On February 18, 2010 3 Comments

Any of you that have followed my blog for any length of time know that I have knee issues.

I broke my leg skiing when I was 17 years old.  The problem was that I didn’t know it was broken for 3 weeks.

I finally went in to see the doctor about the pain and since it had been 3 weeks he was convinced I had a badly bruised shin bone.

Two days later when I was getting ready to take an architectural school project into Philly to be judged, my bone popped out it’s socket.

We went in for xrays and that’s when they discovered my leg had been broken.

I’ve had problems with that kneecap ever since.

On my 18th birthday I had to have 2/3 of the meniscus removed.

I’ve played a lot of racquetball the last 6 years and it has taken a toll on both my knees.

2 years ago I started doing prolotherapy on both knees.

The procedure was extremely successful on my right knee, but less so on my left.

When I started doing P90X workouts 8 or 9 months ago for the first time, both of my knees got stronger and I could notice a huge difference.

I was practically pain free for the first time in years.

Several months ago, while playing racquetball, I wrenched my left knee and have had quite a lot of pain off and on ever since.

I haven’t played racquetball since that incident.  I miss it terribly.  It is hands down my favorite sport to play.  So much fun!!!!!

Since finishing my latest snow covered photo shoot here in Utah I got back into the daily P90X routine once again.

2 days ago we did P90X Yoga X and it kicked my butt again.

Yesterday was P90X Shoulders and Arms and I felt great after that one.

Today we popped P90X Legs and Back or maybe it’s P90X Back and Legs, I always mix it around.

In any case…….my legs were burning big time this morning.

It was a great workout, but I deliberately took it a little easy because I just don’t want to wreck my knees anymore than they are already.

I paced myself and didn’t put too much pressure on either of my knees.  I did all the exercises without using any dumbbells just to be safe.

Anytime I felt any twinge in my knees I backed off a little bit.

The exercises for the back are similar to the exercises in the P90X Back and Biceps workout.

I got my heart rate up and was sweating a lot more than I expected to.

I know that this P90X Legs and Back DVD will help strengthen my leg muscles which will in turn give my knees a lot more support.

All in all I feel pretty good.  My legs are already a little tight, not sure if I’ll be getting up the stairs easily tonight or not…..I guess I’ll see.

P90X – 5 Days Off

By Tim Pannell On February 9, 2010 No Comments

Today I’m 1 day short of 4 continuous weeks of P90X.

If taken 5 days off.  I had a stock photo shoot most of last week and was up early and out late each day creating photographs in the snow with families and teens.

It was a lot of fun, but it did disrupt our P90X routine.

My wife also hurt herself…..bruising her rib as she dove after a runaway sled with a 5 year old on it before it shot across the road.

She will be out for at least another week or two because of that rib.

Melanie, my sister in law and I got back on the horse today and did the P90X Chest and Back DVD.

We were both struggling more today than we had the last time we did the Chest and Back Workout.

I’m pretty active during my photoshoots.   I roll around a lot on the ground and twist and lean while I shoot.

My abs actually do get a pretty good workout.

In spite of the ab workout, taking 5 days off of P90X was noticeable today.

Over the previous 3 weeks I was consistently doing more reps with more weight week after week.

Today, that streak ended.

I did use push up bars today to get a little more range of motion, but I ran out of gas much sooner than last week.

It’s nice to get going again and I’m grateful to have someone to work out with because it is much easier to keep going when I have to answer to someone other than just myself.

I can tell that this last month has made a difference.

I’m stronger.  I have bigger lung capacity.  I’m also in a better frame of mind.

I’m in this for the long haul.  This is a lifestyle change for me………not just a temporary change of short term habits.

Even when I get down to my target weight, I will continue working out, whether its with P90X or another workout series of DVDs.

If you’ve struggled like me over the years to get your level of fitness back on track, give P90X a try.

I’ve tried a bunch of different programs over the years and nothing has ever worked for me until P90X.

There is enough variety to the exercises that I have not become bored.

There is a great balance of strength training and cardio to help me feel more balanced than ever.

I’m so glad I started on this program……I can’t wait to see where it takes me.

P90X Review – How Plyometrics Kicked My Butt

By Tim Pannell On February 2, 2010 3 Comments

Here I am, 1 day shy of 3 weeks into the P90X workout routine.

Today, Kim, Melanie and I did P90X Plyometrics and it absolutely kicked my butt.

My legs burned bigtime during this workout.

I have to be honest.  Most of the P90X workouts have numerous exercises that I enjoy and look forward to.

This one does not until the very end when it mimics baseball pitching, basketball shooting and football drills.

I have spent a lot of time over the last year riding a recumbent bike, but that did not prepare me for this workout.

This was the first time I did Plyometrics because of my left knee missing close to 80% of its cartilage.

I managed to do all of the exercises, when I got overly exhausted I would slow down the pace.  THe only exercise that I could not do was “hot foot.”

Instead of jumping on just one foot at a time I had to use both feet to stabilize my left knee.

This workout has a lot of aerobic emphasis on it and left me out of breath more than almost all the other P90X workouts.

So far, Plyometrics is my least favorite of the P90X series.  It’s the one disc where my lack of fitness is extremely self evident.

There are a number of exercises on the Plyometrics dvd that leave me feeling a little spastic and uncoordinated.

That’s not a bad thing, it just shows my weaknesses in a major way.

From this point on I will be doing this workout routinely in order to work on those weaknesses that it exposed today.

If you try this one, make sure you were well rested and hydrated.

There are good examples on the dvd showing how to do these workouts ranging from high to low intensity.

One of the trainers on the dvd has a prosthetic leg which ensured that I wouldn’t belly ache about my knee.

It was impressive to see this guy working out hard and keeping up.

Inspirational to say the least.

Here’s my review of the P90X Plyometrics disc – I am more spent and tires after doing this workout than any of the other 11 except maybe ab ripper X.

It’s a great workout that will leave you exhausted if you watch your form and do the exercises right.

P90X Reviews – Try the Best

By Tim Pannell On February 1, 2010 No Comments

OK, so you typed “P90X Reviews” into google because you’re curious about what other people’s experiences with P90X might be.

If you’ve tried a bunch of other workouts and are ready to try the best…….read on.

Here’s my review as of today – the P90X workout is the best workout you can buy for the money.

I became a Beachbody coach back in May of last year.  I’ve had good months and bad months since that time.

Truth be told, I had a lot of distractions last year that I used as excuses to keep me from exercising consistently.

I’ve nevertheless seen some decent results.

At my worst, I weighed in at 310 lbs. – HOLY CRAP!!!!!!

Right now I’m bouncing between 264 and 270.

My goal last year was to get down to 210lbs. with about 10% body fat.

Obviously, I didn’t reach my goal.

I am not going to get all upset about that though.

There has been more than enough good results to build upon.

We sold our house in Arizona early in December and moved out on the 29th of December.

We were homeless for a couple of weeks there because we couldn’t move into our new place until after the 9th of January.

I did a lot of soul searching during that time to try and figure out what worked for me and what didn’t.

One of my biggest mistakes was not making myself accountable to somebody on a daily basis.

There are workout buddies available on the WOWY supergym on the Beachbody site.

These are other people who are using P90X and you can share ideas and success stories with them online.

This time around I decided I wanted to find some workout partners and use that as an incentive to “bring it” everyday.

My wife and my sister in law agreed to help me out and we started working out together over 2 1/2 weeks ago.

We’ve taken 3 days off since we started.

It’s been so much easier to stay consistent with the P90X program since I’ve been working out with them.

In the last 2 1/2 weeks my weight has fluctuated between 264 and 270.

I’ve been eating pretty well.  I still need to cut down on some of the snacking I’ve done on crap that is less than healthy.

I’ve added 5 pounds to each and every one of my dumbbell exercises.

I’m doing twice as many pushups as I used to.  I can now do 20 without being completely spent.

My arms are definitely more solid and my core is tighter than it was when we started back in January.

I’m stronger, fitter and in a better frame of mind.

My P90X review is as follows:  P90X is the best series of workout DVD’s I’ve ever done.

Don’t just take my word for it.  There are tens of thousands of people that are doing P90X and experiencing great resutls.

The only thing keeping me from reaching my fitness goals has been my lack of consistency……..and it looks like I found a solution for that.

If you’re thinking about trying P90X………….just go ahead and jump right in.  You can BUY P90X here if you’d like.

I wish you all the best and will be happy to answer any questions any of you reading this blog might have.

Have an amazing day!

P90X Review – 2 Weeks and Counting

By Tim Pannell On January 27, 2010 1 Comment

Here’s my latest review of the P90X workout program.

P90X is a tough set of workouts.  No sissies allowed.

Our family recently moved from Arizona to Utah and during the 4 month process I wasn’t able to work out consistently.

I had several good weeks, but also some really bad ones as we had to leave the house as many as 30 times a week as prospective buyers would tour our home.

It was a pretty stressful time in our lives and frustrating at times to say the least.

Now that we’re in Utah and settling down I tried to create a situation that would help keep me on track with my workouts.

I believed that if I could get a partner or 2 to workout with me I’d be less likely to talk myself out of working out occasionally.

My main goal this time around is to be consistent.

My wife, my sister in law and I started our P90X workouts 2 weeks ago today.

In the last 2 weeks I’ve only missed a total of 3 days.

I am noticeably stronger even though I still have a long way to go.

2 days ago we did the P90X Shoulders and Arms workout.

I think the next time I do this workout I will need to add 5 pounds to my dumbbells as each exercise  was much easier than the previous time I did the Shoulders and Arms workout.

Yesterday we did the P90X Chest and Back workout.

We finally figured out how to hook up the bands here at the new house.

There’s a loft above the family room where we work out and we just loop the workout bands through the hand rails.

It took us a while to figure that out, but fortunately we did.  This enables us to fully participate in all of the P90X workouts.

Today we did the P90X Core Synergistics workout and enjoyed it a lot.

There are a couple of exercises on the core synergistics disc that are a real struggle for me.

Sphinx push ups and the plank to Chatarunga exercises just kill me.  I know if I stick with it I’ll get better at them both.

Tony Horton is really good at insisting that the proper form is more important than the overall number you do.

I made some progress with my flexibility which was also nice to see.

I’m able to do more and more push ups with each successive workout.

I’m finally getting over this cold/flu I’ve had for the last month.  Breathing has been a struggle for most of that time, but it’s getting better.

I still struggle with the more aerobic exercises because of that coupled with the higher elevation here, but I’m at least making progress.

I’m pleased with how much easier it is to workout everyday now that I have 2 partners keeping me going.

I think this will lead to even better results in the coming months than I’ve experienced in the past.

P90X Review

By Tim Pannell On January 21, 2010 No Comments

I’ve had a couple people ask me recently what the real gist of P90x is, so here goes.

P90X is essentially a series of 12 DVDs produced by a company called Beachbody.

Tony Horton, a professional trainer, provides the motivation to work your way through each fitness DVD.

Each P90X DVD focuses on a different body part or set of muscles.  These range from the chest and back to biceps, triceps, legs and abs.

The P90X DVDs not only focus on gaining muscle but also work on flexibility with several videos that feature yoga and stretching.

The one thing you’ll notice quickly the very first DVD you watch is that these aren’t just muscle bound goons.  They’re extremely flexible muscle bound goons.

OK, they aren’t goons, they aren’t really muscle bound and they’re not just men.  There are different people in many of these videos and they are physically fit.

They all look pretty good.  They aren’t anorexic and wafer thin.  They are fit, they are healthy, they workout and they eat.  No gimmicks, just hard work and common sense.

Each P90X Workout is at least one hour long and no easy thing for somebody just beginning to try to get into shape.

It does get easier and easier to keep up with Tony Horton in these workouts if you stick with it long enough and keep trying.

There are still moves I can’t do without a little cheating.  There are still exercises that absolutely kick my butt.

I’ve made progress.  If you could see how I looked the first time I worked out with P90X and compared it to today, you’d see the progress I’ve made even though I’m still overweight.

There are no prepackaged meals to purchase as there are with so many of today’s “weight loss” programs.

There are supplements as well as nutrition bars and protein shakes available, but they are not mandatory.

There is however, a P90X nutrition plan that comes with  the workouts.  It recommends high protein and low fat foods and the more frequent consumption of smaller meals throughout the day.

P90X promotes the idea that most healthy foods can be easily obtained from a local grocery store.

Rather than having to buy certain meal plans for an extended period of time in order to lose weight, P90X is more about making a lifestyle change.

It emphasizes eating healthy meals “for life.”  It’s a plan that can be followed by anyone at any age whether they are already fit or are just wanting to end old habits and become fit.

It is important to stick with the program long enough to get the full benefits that it offers.

You’ll build muscle, gain flexibility, burn fat more effectively and establish better eating habits.

One of the main reasons P90X is such an effective set of workouts is Carl Diekler’s idea of “muscle confusion.”

The workouts are pretty intense and there is so much variety from one disc to the next that it keeps your body from getting complacent and bored.

By the end of the first month you get introduced to another set of exercises to keep your body from plateauing.  Most exercise programs fail for this very reason.

While you are going through the P90X workouts you can enjoy the support, meal planning, progress calendar, other P90X reviews and success stories available to you online.

This workout at home program is endorsed by medical professionals, body builders, personal trainers and regular Joes and Janes.

It saves you the hassle and cost of going to a gym in your neighborhood.  You don’t have to invest in any super expensive equipment…….a couple of fitness bands, a yoga mat and maybe a couple of yoga blocks andyou’re off to the races.

Ultimately the your success or failure with the P90X program will depend on you own personal motivation and self-discipline.

If you do the workouts but dont’ follow the nutrition guide or if you follow the nutrition guide, but don’t stick with the workouts, you won’t get the most out of the program.

If your goal is to increase your overall fitness level by building up muscle, burning fat, improving your cardiovascular activity and are willing to devote some of your time and energy to get there, this will be a wonderful workout program for you.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you have to have cosmetic surgery to look better.  You don’t have to starve yourself to lose weight.  You don’t have to guzzle diet pills either.

It’s a fairly simple plan.  Just get a P90X Extreme Training System and do it.  You’ll see the results and I’m sure you’ll be pleased with them.

P90X Review – Where Am I Now?

By Tim Pannell On January 20, 2010 No Comments

01/20/10 – Here’s my candid P90X review explaining where I’m at right now.

I’m now 49 years old.  I currently weigh 267 lbs.  At my worst I was 310 lbs.

I had gotten down to about 260 a couple of months ago.  I gained back 12 pounds over the holidays while we had our house up for sale and moved to Utah just after Christmas.

I attribute that to not exercising (other than riding my bike) eating poorly.  We ate out a lot more often because we were showing the house up to 30 times a week.

I also think my stress levels were elevated and caused me to add weight.

Since starting P90X about 8 months ago I’ve gotten into better shape, but that’s still relative.

If you’re new to this blog you wouldn’t know that I’ve gone from weighing 185 lbs with 6% body fat to weighing over 310 lbs. with 46% body fat at my worst.

I’m a victim of my own making.  As a kid I got used to eating anything I wanted and never gaining an ounce of fat.

I developed really bad habits and my relationship with food was pretty unhealthy.

I used to work out regularly when I was in college.  I would lift weights for 1 1/2 hours and play racquetball for 2 hours a day, 6 days a week.

I never did it to stay in shape.  I did it because it was fun.

I started my own commercial photography business in 1985.  I became much more sedentary and at that point started gaining weight.

I got up to 240 pounds and was hating life.

Before my 19 year old daughter was born I started playing pick up basketball gains in the park at lunchtime 5 days a week and I got back down to 185 lbs.

My body fat percentage was probably around 12% at that point.

Since then I’ve ballooned up again and have been struggling to get a handle on my predicament.

Ideally, I want to weigh around 210 pounds and have a body fat percentage of about 10%…….that’s my goal.

I’m doing this for me, my wife and my kids.

I want to be healthy, I want to enjoy my years as an older guy.

P90X is a great workout program.  I love it.  The only problem with it is actually a problem with me.

I haven’t been consistent.  I’ll do well for a couple of weeks and then I’ll get out of the habit.

I’ll eat well for a couple of weeks and then I’ll gradually add more junk into my diet and before you know it I’m drinking soda instead of water and eating cookies and ice cream.

I know myself well enough to know I could never go cold turkey on that stuff, but I need to learn how to eat it sparingly instead of daily.

I’m understanding my body better than I did a year ago.

I know that I respond well to eating 5 – 6 smaller meals each day instead of 2 or 3 bigger meals.

I know that if I can exercise regularly for 2 weeks it’s easier for me to keep at it.

I know that if I skip more than 1 day of exercise I have a good chance of bailing out on my workouts for as much as several weeks.

Today is day 7 of P90X workouts for the year 2010.  We moved from Arizona to Utah and we’ve been in this house for 10 days.

I’ve established a routine of working out at 8 am with my wife and sister in law and it’s going well.

I’ve had bronchitis for 3 weeks and that’s been holding me back.  The higher altitude up here is also making it more difficult for me to breath so I’m still not riding my bike.

Eventually I’ll be healthy again and I can go back to riding the bike 45 minutes a day along with my P90X workouts.

The workouts are great…….IF YOU DO THEM CONSISTENTLY.

The consistency problem comes from me, not P90X.

I’m now accountable to my wife and sister in law and I believe that will help me stay on track.

In any case, it’s 8 am and it’s time to pop in the P90X Shoulders and Arms DVD.

I fully expect to reach my fitness goals within this next year.

I’ll keep you posted on my progress.