© Tim Pannell

I’m now living in Utah instead of Arizona.  We have been in our new house less than a week and I’m already struggling with my P90X workouts and my bike riding.

I have had bronchitis for a little over 2 weeks……..I’m also trying to adjust to the much higher altitude here.

The bottom line……..not the start to 2010 that I wanted.  At the end of my previous post I said I’d be riding the bike for a half hour and doing some P90X.

Well…..not even close.  I got about 2 minutes into the bike ride and couldn’t even breath.  You know that feeling when no matter how hard you try you just can’t fill up your lungs?

That was me, gasping for air and feeling like a complete moron.  In Arizona I could ride that bike without any breathing problems whatsoever.

I know that the bronchitis is probably the main culprit in robbing me from my post workout high for the day, but I also know that the higher altitude has an affect as well.

I tried riding the bike yesterday as well and had the same result……..just plain hammered.  Loser!!!!!

Today, I’m not even going to look in the direction of my bike.  I also think that a P90X DVD will still be too much, but if I just take my time, I should be able to lift some weights.

I’ll do modified version of P90X Shoulders and Arms.

I always struggle whenever I get sick.  I never stay down long enough to actually get better.  I try to kick it back in gear too soon.

Resting for a day sounds wonderful, resting for a week sounds like agony.

I know I’m getting better because for 2 nights in a row I haven’t woken up with coughing fits and my left ear opened back up and I can hear again.  It’s the little things in life that bring pleasure, right?

In any case, I’m not going to let this little hiccup get me down.

This is just a little road block.  In the meantime we’ll continue unpacking and organizing the new house and eventually my lungs will get back to  normal and I’ll be able to get back on my bike as well as crank out some P90X workouts.

I guess today’s lesson is patience.

Current P90X Struggles is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

Maybe  you’re wondering where you should buy P90X.  Well, here’s my two cents, I’d recommend buying it directly from the Official Team Beachbody Store. Beachbody is the company that makes the P90X program, and they actually offer a 90 day, 100% money back guarantee — if you’re not completely satisfied, simply return it within 90 days for a complete refund of the purchase price (minus s&h). They will even let you keep the P90X Nutrition Plan and Ab Ripper X workout DVD as free gifts.

Here’s another thing to think about -  As with a lot of other things you can buy on the internet these days there are pirated versions of P90X floating around which are created illegally and being sold.  You might think you’re saving a couple of bucks, but you won’t get the amazing support system that Team Beachbody provides, the return policy or access to any of the coaches and workout buddies.  The quality of the pirated DVD’s is also subpar.  So, protect yourself from fraud and be on the safe side, make sure that you buy P90X directly from the Beachbody Website.

Step 1: Click Here to visit the official Beachbody website (it will open in a new window).

Step 2: Go down to the bottom of the page and click “Add to Cart”.

Step 3: Other product categories are listed in the top left corner that can enhance your P90x experience.

Some of the items I would recommend are:

1. The P90X Chin Up Bar
2. Push-Up Stands
3. Shakeology
4. Heart Rate Monitor
5. Yoga Mat
6. Manduka Plyometrics Mat
7. Yoga Blocks
8. Resistance Bands

All of the above items can be ordered directly from Beachbody at the same time as your P90X order is placed and they’ll ship together. Some of those items are optional, but highly recommended if you want to get the best results from this program.

Step 4: Once you’ve added all the items you want to order from Beachbody to your cart, click the “Checkout” button near the top right portion of your screen add your credit card info and your shipping address and you’re done.

Enjoy your P90X DVD’s.  It’s an amazing workout.

Where Should I buy P90X? is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

P90X Kenpo X Workout © Tim Pannell Photography

The P90X Kenpo X workout is just plain and simple cardio from hell. Holy crap I am dreadfully out of shape. Every time I start feeling good about the direction I’m heading one of these P90X cardio workouts absolutely kicks my butt.

I have been reduced to a sniveling sissy man. The pre workout stretch is enough for me to start praying for the end of the world. I swear my body isn’t made to contort into so many different directions at the same time.

That being said, it’s a great warmup and the workout is intense to say the least. I really do feel borderline spastic while I do this routine and I’m sure that my wife has to hold back full belly laughs at the site of me.

I did it today with my 11 year old son, who ran screaming from the room in complete desperation to escape Tony Horton’s little shop of P90X Kenpo X horrors. This DVD should apparently be rated PG-13……..sorry buddy.

It never ceases to amaze me how much sweat flies off my body doing these workouts. It just keeps coming and coming.

Kenpo X consists or 3 major components: blocking, kicking and punching. There are extended breaks throughout this workout when you will run in place or do jumping jacks the “X” version of jumping jacks to really get your heart pounding.

Currently I am doing about 1 hour on my recumbent bike before each P90X workout that I do. It really does help get my blood flowing and get me into the right frame of mind.

There are a total of 27 exercises which consist of various combinations of kicks, blocks and punches. It’s a nice change of pace from a lot of the more weight lifting, pull up and push up oriented p90x workouts.

My favorite set of exercises is also the one that I’m the least skilled at – Three direction kicks – ball kick, then side kick, then back kick. I’m sure it’s my extra weight that I’m lugging around that causes me difficulty with this, but I like the challenge.

This isn’t quite as intense as the plyometric or core syergistics workouts, but it runs a close third. Have fun with it and enjoy the small lake of sweat that you’ll leave on the floor when you’re done.

Get your butt off that couch!

P90X Review – Kenpo X – I Want My Mommy! is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

Travel © Tim Pannell Photography

I get a lot of people contacting me, wondering if P90X will work for them if they travel frequently for business and find themselves on the road.

This is an easy question for me to answer since I travel quite often for my commercial photography business.  In the last couple of years, I’ve been to Africa, Spain, France, Greece, Costa Rica, Vancouver, Whistler, London, Norway and Prague.  I love all those frequent flyer miles!

P90X workouts are easily adaptable for someone that finds themselves on the road.  Assuming you have a laptop to watch your P90X routines on or a dvd player in your hotel room, the only other thing you need is a set of the B-Line Resistance Bands and towels to keep the great big pools of sweat from ruining the hotel room floor carpet.

They’re super light weight and can fit anywhere in your luggage without really making a dent on your weight limit on any of the airlines.  Those excess baggage fees have become ridiculous lately.

The workouts are a little different and take a little bit of effort to get used to when compared to using dumbbells and the pull up bar.  But you’d have to be a completely uncoordinated weenie to not be able to pull this off.  If that is the case,  you have bigger problems than your weight or lack of fitness.  It does mix things up from the norm though and that helps with muscle confusion.

I like being able to workout in my own hotel room instead of heading down to the hotel gym and fighting over the small amount of equipment usually available.

All in all, P90X travels well and easily.  Anyone concerned about the effectiveness of the training when on the road, has no need to be.  P90X works great whether you’re at home or at a hotel in the latin quarter of Paris with a view of Notre Dame.

P90X Reviews – Can I Do P90X If I Travel a Lot? is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

©Tim Pannell Photography

Well, I made it through the 4th of July weekend and I porked out pretty well over the it, and yet…da…..dada…..daaaa! I’ve still lost weight! I’m now down to 268 and it feels like my body has finally turned the corner.

My body is actually looking for reasons to let go of it’s excess weight. In the past I’ve experienced the opposite feeling. No matter how hard or often I worked out my body would still put on weight.

I think that in my situation, I’ve been overweight for so long that it just took some time for it to get turned around. I’m just glad I hung in there long enough with the P90X workouts to start seeing the results.

Initially, I only wanted to lose 1 – 2 pounds a week and that is still my goal. This last week I lost a total of 4 pounds. I’m just going to put my head down and keep bulling forward.

I’m eating better foods. I eat more often during the day and am getting used to smaller portions. I am riding the recumbent bike about 45 minutes to an hour each day and doing 1 round of P90X everyday.

My favorite P90X to date is P90X shoulders and arms, followed by P90X chest and back. I know now if I stick with it I will be able to reach my ultimate goal of 210 within several months.

I also know that I’ll be able to keep the weight off. I have become quite used to the P90X workouts and on the rare days that I don’t get one in, I truly miss it. I love the buzz I get from pushing my body to the point where it wants to give up and I manage to go even further.

I’ve come a long way in just 2 months and look forward to seeing how much more progress I can make in the next 2 months.

Today, I get to start playing racquetball again, I can’t wait. I absolutely love that sport and have been missing it badly ever since my partner tore up his knee. He finally got cleared by his doctor to start playing again.

For anyone out there that is more than 30 pounds overweight, please read this: Don’t get discouraged if you actually start gaining weight when you start using the P90X workouts. I gained 8 pounds over the first several weeks and it wasn’t until about the 5th or 6th week that I actually started to lose weight on the scale.

Since that point I’ve lost about 15 pounds. In the last 2 weeks alone I’m averaging about 4 -5 pounds of fat loss each week. It’s worth hanging in there long enough to see those results. For the first time in a long time I can actually believe that I’m going to get back into great shape.

Gotta go, it’s time for my workout. Have an amazing day everybody!

P90X Workout Reviews – Fatboy Fitness – 7/6/09 is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

© Tim Pannell Photography

I’ve been using P90x workouts for about 2 months now.  I’ve lost a total of 5  pounds, and dropped 8 % body fat.  I started out at 275 pounds.

For those of you who are mathematically challenged, That means that I now weigh 270 pounds and I’ve gone from carrying around 110 pounds of body fat to only lugging 81 pounds.

That is significant!  That also means that my my lean body mass has gone from 165 lbs. of lean muscle to 189 lbs. of lean muscle.  Holy Crap! All in just 2 months.

It gets better.  I have almost no cartilage in my left knee from a skiing mishap when I was 18.  As I’ve gotten heavier and heavier over the years the pain and swelling in that  knee got more and more difficult to put up with.

When I first started with the P90X DVD‘s I’m ashamed to admit that I couldn’t even do a simple jumping jack because of the sharp pain in that joint.  Here I am 2 months later and I can do those jumping jacks without any pain whatsoever.

To me, that’s a big deal.  I have more energy, more strength.  My arms are a full inch bigger than they were when I started.  That’s what I call gaining muscle and losing fat.

Muscle burns more calories than fat, so I’m actually starting to see the weight fall off on the scale in the morning.  I actually gained about 8 pounds during the first 3 weeks of the program and it was a bit frustrating.

I didn’t have Jillian, the fitness Nazi screaming at me for cheating or being stupid or whatever, but I could still hear her in my head yelling at me for not dropping the weight fast enough.

My goal however, isn’t to drop the weight so fast that I can make a GUCCi purse out of my leftover skin…….ewwww, that was gross…..sorry.  I don’t want to just get skinny.  I want to be fit.  I want muscle, and I want a lot of it.  I want to take my time and methodically go about my business.

I’m doing P90X training at least 5 days a week.  I’m riding my recumbent bike for 1/2 to 1 hour a day and next week I will start playing racquetball again.  Wish me luck.

To answer anyone’s questions – “Does P90X really work?” and  “Should I give Tony Horton’s P90X a try?” , let me just say this…..YES!!!!!!!!

It’s a great overall fitness workout.  It’s frankly, the best fitness training DVD series I’ve ever seen.  Give the 90 day money back guarantee a try.  If you do it and keep at it you’ll be amazed at how much progress you can make to reach your overall fitness goals.

Have a blast sweating your butt off!

P90X Reviews – Believe the Hype! is a post from: Losing weight with P90X