© Tim Pannell Photography

Here we are at the beginning of week # 3 with my  P90X Workouts.By the end of last week I had lost somewhere between 8 and 9 pounds. In just 2 days time I’ve gained back 6 of it somehow. That makes no sense to me….there’s no way to eat that much crap to gain that much weight in less than 2 days.

As frustrated as I was when I got on the scale, I still managed to do my P90X Chest & Back DVD. I’m glad I did it, in spite of how bummed I am about the weight issue. I’m hoping its just some kind of fluke and that tomorrow I’ll get on the scale and the numbers will make sense again. I guess I’ll have to wait for tomorrow to see if that works out.

Today’s workout didn’t feel very strenuous. I did all the different exercises for the entire workout, but I didn’t get the normal workout “buzz” that I usually do after finishing any of the P90X routines. My assumption is that because of my mood, I just wasn’t into it like I normally am.

I’m doing my best to just take one day at a time. I know that if I let the discouragement get to me then I will definitely fail to reach my goals. I’ll play racquetball tonight and get up in the morning and crank out a session of P90X Plyometrics…..ugh! I wish I looked more forward to that workout, but it is definitely a mother for me.

I’ll be in a better frame of mind tomorrow and I’ll get back on the weight loss train.

My youngest son started football camp this morning so he’ll be doing that every morning for the entire week…….it’ll be nice for him to be running around again.

He’s used to playing soccer all year round in Arizona and up here there hasn’t been anything for him to get involved with soccer or football wise. They say it’s too hot in the summer for the regular league teams to play…….are you kidding me!?!?!?!?!?

Anyway…..it’s nice to see him having something to do between now and when the regular football season starts. He was going a little bit stir crazy.

I’m struggling to believe that August is almost here….it still seems like April to me. I inner time clock hasn’t come close to catching up yet.

This is a pivotal week for me with the P90X workouts.  I have to make sure I get through them each day to be able to move forward and continue believing in myself.  Slow and steady progress is just fine with me at this point…I can’t let any disappointment upset what momentum I have.

Starting Week Three P90X Workouts is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

P90X © Tim Pannell Photography

Here it is almost the end of my 2nd week of P90X.  If I had to review this week I’d say that it was a turning point for me.  I’ve lost 8-9 pounds over the last 12 days.  I can get through all of the P90X DVD’s that are part of my routine.  The first week I couldn’t make it through all of P90X Plyometrics or P90X Yoga X.

This week I got through every workout that I did.  My body is over the initial soreness that comes at the startup of the P90X series.  I had my back worked on twice by a chiropractor and felt much better, although at the moment, my back is hurting again.  Perhaps I threw it out a little last night while I was playing racquetball. I’ve played 2 hours of racquetball every day for 4 days in a row along with my morning P90X routine.

I’m breathing better, which is wonderful.  My arms feel better.  My shoulder is still sore, but it’s getting better.  I can tell that I’m getting stronger again.

Another benefit I’ve noticed is that my balance is much better.  Its interesting how my whole body responds to these workouts.  I would say it’s a pretty complete workout…..every part of my body has been sore at one point or another and at the moment the soreness is subsiding.

I have to make sure that I keep a good attitude throughout this next week because this is about the time that I let down and eat a bunch of crap and don’t stay focused.  I’ve lost 8-9 pounds…..but I have 66 more to go.

I did P90X Kenpo X today and kept up with it really well.  Out of all the P90X workouts this is the one that seems to be the easiest for me.  I still sweat a lot while doing it, but I don’t feel like I’m going to drop dead in the middle of it like I’ve felt while doing Plyometrics.

My goal this weekend……no junk food.  No ice cream, no chips, no cookies, etc.

I guess I’ll see how it goes…..have a great weekend everybody!

P90X Review end of Week#2 is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

© Tim Pannell Photography

Week #2 day #4………I skipped P90X plyometrics on Tuesday so I did Plyo today……I hate this DVD!  This workout hurts so much it just about kills me every time I do it.  To be honest, it’s more like a love hate relationship that I have at this point with P90X Plyometrics.

When I’m done with this workout……I”m always thrilled that I did it.  I know I really need this one and it has helped me a ton with racquetball.

Last week I think I only lasted about 35 minutes into it.  This week I managed to do the whole workout, but I wanted to quit so bad at that 35 minute mark.   I just forced my way through it.  I played racquetball for 2 hours last night and my legs were pretty tired going into this DVD.  My quadriceps were burning for almost the entire hour.   I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to finish a workout as I was this morning.

The results are starting to pick up as well….I’m now down 9 pounds from where I started out last week. Now this is the point that I ususally congratulate myself into a bunch of nasty cheeseburgers and or…emphasis on and ice cream.  Then the results start to back slide and I get bummed and the whole thing goes down the crapper.  I will not do that this time.

I really can feel the momentum shifting this time around…..I don’t know that I can explain why there’s a difference, but trust me….there is.   I’m not failing this time around….I’ve got to make it work.

Tomorrow’s Friday and we’ll have more family in town to visit my sister in law as she battles her lung cancer…….she’s doing remarkably well by the way.  She is really an inspiration to so many of us as we watch her deal with this entire thing with so much dignity and class as well as determination.  She is going to overcome this no matter what the odds.

I’ll be playing racquetball again tonight for a couple of hours and then tomorrow I’ll end up doing P90X Kenpo X which will feel like cheating or not doing anything compared to P90X Plyometrics.  It’s almost like a day off!!!!!

P90X Review – I Hate Plyometrics is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

P90x © Tim Pannell Photography

I just finished doing P90X Shoulders & Arms today and feel great. I’ve lost a total of 6 pounds from the beginning of last week and I’m feeling a bit more optimistic about succeeding with my fitness goals.

I have to admit that I fully expected to have lost all my excess weight by now and have struggled to believe I can actually do this at this point.  The only thing that keeps me going is that I’m a lot stronger now than I was a year ago and I know that I’m better off being my size doing P90X regularly than being my size and not doing p90X at all.

After last week and the last couple of days, I do believe I can make this work and reach my overall fitness and weight goals.

I went to the chiropractor today and had him readjust my back as well as my neck and it’s the best I’ve felt in months.  I’m looking forward to a couple hours of racquetball tonight.

210 lbs…….here I come.

P90X Results is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

© Tim Pannell Photography

Ok….my P90X review of this last week is……..it was a good week even though I didn’t lose the kind of weight I wanted to.  I did 5 straight days of P90x and played racquetball 4 times for over 2 hours each time.  Here it is the 2nd day of my 2nd week and I’m feeling pretty good right now.

On Monday this week, I did P90X Chest& Back. I was pretty sore, I’ve still got a pulled muscle in my right shoulder as well as my right tricep.  I got through everything but the military push ups.  I could only do a few of those without really hurting those pulled muscles.

My wife insisted I go to a Chiropractor that day to get worked on for the rib issue I’ve been having.  It’s felt as though my lower ribs have been out of place for several weeks now…mostly it just keeps me from taking a full breath.

The Chiropractor was great…I can breath again.  The last time I played racquetball last week….Saturday…..I really had a hard time breathing and bending over because of the pain in my ribs.  The doc said I was ridiculously tight in my thoracic region.  He cracked and popped away and I could feel the tightness subside….at least mostly.

I played racquetball Monday night and was looking forward to being pain free…..instead my left knee decided to be a problem.  It was pinched all night long , making it really difficult to step into any of my shots or run hard and stop quick to swing.  I really struggled and by the time I went home…..I was as hammered as I’ve ever been.

I could barely walk into the house….pathetic.  I didn’t think I’d be moving at all for a day or two, but to my surprise I woke up yesterday and didn’t feel too bad.  I had a submission deadline for a bunch of images I’d created over the last couple of weeks so I didn’t end up doing P90X Plyometrics with my wife. I skipped it…..missed it, but played racquetball last night so at least I didn’t go an entire day without some form of exercise.

To my surprise, I felt great last night when I played.  I was breathing well and moving pretty close to pain free.  The knee was a little tight, but none of the pain was there from the previous evening.  I played for a couple hours….played really well until the last 15 or 20 minutes when I could tell I was running out of gas.  I was up 5 games to 2 at that point, but lost the last 2 games.  LOSER!!!!

Today I’m gonna pop in the P90X Shoulders & Arms DVD and see how my tricep and shoulder respond.  They don’t feel too bad just sitting here typing away.  I think I’ve turned the pain corner with this round of P90X.

I’ve been pretty sore most of last week, but am moving around much better today.  I go to the chiropractor again today at 10.  That should take care of the last couple of issues in my back and neck.  Now I just have to really concentrate on my eating habits and get this weight off once and for all.

P90X Reviews Week Two is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

© Tim Pannell Photography

Today is the last day of Week #1 on the P90X workout program.  It was a good week all in all.  I did 5 straight days of P90X.  I ended up playing racquetball yesterday instead of doing a round of P90X.  I just didn’t have time to do both.

My wife, Kim and I did P90X Kenpo X on Friday and it went well.  The only workouts I struggled with this week were Plyometrics and Yoga X.  I just couldn’t get through the entire workouts.

I have a lot of soreness in my elbows.  I have a pulled muscle in my right shoulder as well as my right tricep and that has caused me some problems with the P90X Shoulders & Arms routine.  I pulled the muscles playing racquetball.

I played racquetball 4 times this week for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours each session.  I have a couple of ribs out of place as well, so I will probably take a trip to the chiropractors this week.  The problem with ribs is always one of breathing.  I just can’t get full breaths all the time.

In spite of the ribs keeping me from getting full breaths I am breathing better when working out.  I’m not sucking air playing racquetball quite as badly as I did a few weeks ago.  The problem I’ve had with racquetball this year is a lack of consistency.  I’ll play a couple of days and then miss a couple of weeks.  I just haven’t played enough to get my legs back under me or get my arsenal of shots back to workable numbers.

I have to admit that being 49 years old seems to be a big pain in the butt.  It seems as though some part of my body is always in pain.  Usually it’s my knees, but when they feel good typically some other body part rises to the challenge and makes fussing noises for good measure.

I believe that once I get a handle on my weight that a lot of this day to day pain will go away……lets hope I’m not wrong on that one.

So to recap…..I did 5 straight days of P90x Monday through Friday.  I played racquetball Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.

I lost a total of just 4 pounds from a week ago.  It really does seem that I should be able to lose more weight when I’m working out this hard, but I just have to continue being consistent and see what happens.

I am a lot hungrier when I’m working out this much, so I know that I have to be extra careful with what I eat and I don’t always make the wisest of choices in that arena.  One of my biggest problems is staying up too late and eating something just before going to bed.  I guess my will power is just pathetic.  I have to do better with this during the upcoming week.

For the most part it was a pretty good week.  I lost a little weight, I’m breathing better in spite of displaced ribs and my attitude is better.

I’m looking forward to week #2 of P90X and to the results.

P90X Reviews – Week One is a post from: Losing weight with P90X



© Tim Pannell Photography

Today my wife and I did the P90X Chest & Back workout together.  We both love it!

It has been a rare occurrence for us to be able to do P90X together . Her work schedule has been really difficult this last month.

She has to be at work by 6 am so she hasn’t been able to do any of the P90X workouts for over a month.  I haven’t been able to consistently workout for over a month either.

My big problems have been health related for the most part.  I did have 2 weeks when I was shooting photo assignments and was away from home and did a poor job of staying on top of my workouts.

I did push ups and crunches , but that was about all.

Once I got home i tried getting back inot the flow, but struggled this last week.  I finally went and played racquetball on Tuesday night just to try to jump start myself back into doing something physical.

It was fun to play again, although I pushed myself too hard and pulled a muscle on my right side.

It felt better this morning so I decided to put in the P90X Chest & Back DVD and do it with my wife.

Her sister can’t workout for a while since she just had her gall bladder removed.

It was nice to be working out with my wife again….it just makes the whole thing more fun to do.  We both noticed a drop in our ability to do the exercises.

My numbers dropped off by about 25% on half of the exercises and stayed the same on the rest, but I was a lot more out of breath than I was a month ago when I was doing P90X on a more consistent basis.

I know I will be sore tomorrow, but it’s a good sore.  I love feeling the muscles in my body and these workouts really do bring that about.

Kim might be changing jobs in the next week and we’re looking forward to being able to do P90X together every morning.

It helps us both with our overall attitude and well being.  We both have better outlooks when we’re working out and the benefits show up in just about every aspect of our lives.

Stress is reduced, we get some valuable time to spend together and everything else seems to fall into place.

I’m looking forward to next week……I really do love the P90X workouts!

P90X – Chest & Back – I Love This Workout is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

© Tim Pannell Photography

Here it is April 5th and I’m starting a new round of P90X.

Today is day #1.

Last week was a take it easy week for me.

I did P90X Chest and Back on Monday and I did P90X Plyometrics on Wednesday.

I also played racquetball for a few hours during the week.

I will be following the standard P0X Workout Schedule.

The previous round of P90X was pretty successful for me on a number of levels, but I failed on the “weight loss” front.

I am much stronger.  My arms are at least one inch bigger than 3 months ago.

I was more consistent with the previous set of P90X than ever before.

It really helped doing the workouts with my wife and sister in law.

It was much easier staying committed to the entire workout schedule and program than ever before.

My wife is now working from 6 am til 2 pm so the P90X trio has  been broken up for the moment.

My wife and I just finished P90X Chest and Back this morning since she has today off.

It was nice to have a workout buddy again.

I was surprisingly toasty toast today.

I fully expected to be full of energy since I took it so easy last week.

It wasn’t the case….I was breathing much heavier than I normally do.

Maybe its from all the crap I ate yesterday…..that’s my guess anyway.

In any case…..here I am, making another commitment to another 90 days of P90X.

This time around I have just one goal……LOSE WEIGHT!!!!!

I’m gunning for at least 30 pounds.  I know that my biggest problem is my eating habits.

Back in AZ I would start my mornings with a “Shakeology” shake and that really helped me get my eating habits in control.

When we moved up here to Utah, I just couldn’t bring myself to drink a cold shake since it was so cold up here.

I think in hindsight that really hurt me.  I have been much hungrier up here than back in AZ and I believe that the lack of Shakeology is the culprit.

After I’m done with this post I’m gonna make a shake and get my day started off on the right foot.

I slept well last night, I got in a great workout and I’ll start off today eating wisely.

It sounds like a good plan to me.

Have a great day! I know I will.

P90X – Next Round – Day One is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

© Tim Pannell Photography

The P90X workout schedule is pretty ambitious.

I’ve had quite a few people ask me over the last several weeks what the actual P90X schedule is.

For any of you wondering about that….this post should explain it……….here goes:

There are a total of 12 DVDs that make up the P90X Exercise series.

The basic P90X schedule is broken up into 11 dvd routines plus an additional 12th dvd that focuses on your abs, called Ab Ripper-X.

DVD #1 –   Chest & Back
DVD #2 -    Plyometrics
DVD #3 –   Shoulders & Arms
DVD #4 –   Yoga X
DVD #5 –   Legs & Back
DVD #6 –   Kenpo X
DVD #7 –   X Stretch
DVD #8 –   Core Synergistics
DVD #9 –   Chest, Shoulders & Triceps
DVD #10 – Back & Biceps
DVD #11 – Cardio X
DVD #12 – Ab Ripper X

There is also a “How to Bring It” Instructional DVD included with your P90X Workout Schedule which gives you an overview of the entire set of P90X exercises.

Here’s what the classic P90x workout schedule looks like:

P90X Workout Schedule for Weeks #1, #2, and #3:

Day 1 – Chest and Back, plus Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

Weeks #4, #8 and #13 of the P90X workout schedule  are designed as recovery weeks.

P90x Workout Schedule for Week #4:

Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

P90X Workout Plan for Weeks #5, #6 and #7:

Day 1 – Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

P90x Workout Schedule for Week #8 (Recovery Phase):

Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

P90X Workout Schedule for  Week #9 and Week #11:

Day 1 – Chest and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 2 – Plyometrics
Day 3 – Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 Rest or X Stretch

P90X Workout for Week#10 and Week #12:

Day 1 –  Chest, Shoulders and Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 2-   Plyometrics
Day 3 – Back and Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4 – Yoga X
Day 5 – Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6 – Kenpo X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

P90X Workout Schedule for Week #13 (Final Week):

Day 1 – Yoga X
Day 2 – Core Synergistics
Day 3 – Kenpo X
Day 4 – X Stretch
Day 5 – Core Synergistics
Day 6 – Yoga X
Day 7 – Rest or X Stretch

The basic P90X Workout Schedule has you working out 6 days a week for 13 weeks from 1 to 1  1/2 hours each session.

It is a great set of workouts and I highly recommend sticking to the schedule if at all possible.

Good luck!

BRING IT!

P90X Workout Schedule is a post from: Losing weight with P90X

© Tim Pannell Photography

Yesterday I wrote a post and then went off to do P90X Plyometrics for my weekly butt kicking.

This P90X workout is the mother of all workouts.

It’s just brutal!

I am happy to report though, that I’m making progress and it was readily apparent yesterday.

The pain in my left knee is beginning to get better after several months of sharp pain.

There is a P90X Plyometrics exercise called “Hot Foot”.

You stand on one foot and jump up and down at a fairly brisk pace forwards, backwards and side to side.

The first time that I tried this exercise on my left foot….I couldn’t do it.

It felt like a knife was being plunged into my kneecap.

I ended up doing the exercise with both feet at the same time.

Yesterday I was able to do the whole exercise one footed.

Today I am not paying a price for doing that at all.  No limp, no pain, no struggle.

I’m grateful for the added strength in my legs that is taking some of the pressure off my joints…..especially my knees.

I still have weight issues, but there is no doubt that I’m getting stronger and stronger by the week.

Today my wife and I took it a bit easier and instead of doing P90X Shoulders and Arms we did the P90X Stretch X workout.

This is a great workout when you find yourself running out of gas or if you’re sore from the p90X workouts that focus more and more on weight lifting.

Here’s what I noticed most today……….

I was able to grab my left ankle for the first time in years while doing the standing quad stretch.

I had prolotherapy treatments several years ago on both of my knees and the very last treatment that I had done on my left knee pumped so much liquid into the joint area that it swelled up and stayed that way to this day.

Its never really dissipated.  Consequently I haven’t been able to reach behind me and grab that foot or ankle…..it’s just been too swollen.

I would have to grab the back heel of my shoe in order to do the stretch.

Today to my surprise I was able to reach back and actually grab my ankle.

I was then able to reach back with both hands and grab both ankles while lying on my stomach in order to do the “bow” exercise.

I’ve never been close to doing that exercise prior to this week.

It’s so nice to see progress being made on a daily basis.  No matter which workout I’m doing I’m noticing areas that I’m getting better at.

If you have struggled with your weight or your fitness level and haven’t found anything that works for you I would strongly recommend P90X.

I’m so glad that I decided to try P90x.  It’s not an easy workout.

My old racquetball partner just started doing the P90X workouts.

He may be in his 30′s but I would consider him to be in really good shape.

He still has a 40 + inch vertical leap….I know it’s ridiculous.

Try playing racquetball with the guy, he’s fast as a rabbit and can chase down just about any shot I can hit.

In any case, he called the other day to let me know how badly P90X Plyometrics kicked his butt.

He laughed……it’s only jumping and squats…nothing earth shattering.

He couldn’t believe it worked him as hard as it did.

So…any of you guys and girls out there making fun of the P90X hype……try it before you poke fun at it.

If you do it right and keep up with the pace on the DVD’s….it should kick your butt too.

P90X Reviews – Plyometrics Still The Mother of All P90X Workouts is a post from: Losing weight with P90X