P90X-Getting Back to Basics
Well……now we know why my sister in law was having trouble breathing the last time that she, my wife and I did P90X together a couple of months ago. She was just diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. She never smoked a day in her life, she runs about 8 miles a day….5-6 days a week, lifted weights on a regular basis and taught PE.
The idea of her getting lung cancer is preposterous. She is in good spirits and will give it all she has when it comes to overcoming this disease. The odds aren’t great, but the statistics for this disease are overloaded with people who are 60 + years old, ex smokers, diabetics, drinkers, overweight…basically really unhealthy people.
I prefer to look at her as though she were a female version of Lance Armstrong. She is strong, she is confident and I am convinced that she will find a way to manage this disease and live a long and healthy life in spite of what she’s going through right now.
This does give me pause as I think about how overweight I am and how fortunate I’ve been up to this point in my life to not have any serious health issues…..other than having really bad knees.
I’ve been struggling the last couple of weeks since Mel was diagnosed with this crap. I feel good about her ability to rise above this…..she can do hard things, but I feel lousy about my ability to accomplish much of anything lately. I’ve been playing racquetball for a few hours a couple of times each week, but I keep gaining weight.
I did the P90X Chest & Back DVD today, by myself. My wife’s schedule is still not real conducive to working out together. Eventually we’ll figure it out and get into a routine. I haven’t been sleeping that well lately and have struggled to get up early enough to workout with her.
I’ve picked up more weight over the last month and am feeling again like a human blob….not so much fun, but it is what it is.
Business has picked up a little bit….at least there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. These days, I have to hold onto whatever little I can find to be positive about. It’s been a rough year and a half……time for things to improve.
I really thought that by now I would have reached my goal of weighing 210, but I’m worse off than I was…that’s discouraging. This last month I’ve dipped into the comfort food and with the added stress of Melanie’s situation it seems like I’m automatically gaining weight.
It’s always been frustrating to me in the past when I would workout out regularly and eat right for several months and not really see any results and then in the space of a couple of weeks of not being vigilant I can pick up 10 to 15 pounds. That’s what I’ve done this month.
I guess at the moment….I’m angry because I’ve gained back a bunch of weight……..but mostly, I’m angry that someone so healthy and fit as my sister in law could be affected by this bastard of a disease. I learned a long time ago that life isn’t fair. My folks getting divorced on my 9th birthday wasn’t fair. I stopped expecting fairness when I was a kid, but this……this just pisses me off. This has no business messing with my sister.
She should be the last person in the world to have to go through this. Her situation does put things into perspective. I have no right to gripe about my struggle to get my weight into a respectable zone. She’s the one with the real struggle. My problems are miniscule in comparison. I have no right to be frustrated about my own situation. I have to take control of myself and make better choices……no one to blame for past failures but myself.
So I did my one hour of P90X Chest & Back……that’s the beginning of my latest attempt.
I cannot fail this time. I have to be strong for Melanie. I have to get back my good attitude. I have to do this for my wife, my kids, my family and for me.
Melanie’s in the hospital right now……she had an operation to keep her chest cavity from filling up with fluid. She hopes to get home in the next couple of days. We’re fortunate to be living in a large home that has plenty of room for all the family that has come and will continue to come and show their support for Mel. I’m blessed to have such a wonderful caring family that truly loves each other. We will all pull together and help Melanie however we can to overcome this cancer.
P90X Workout Failures
© Tim Pannell Photography
Well……..P90X workout failure is a bit of a stretch.
This last month has been a series of setbacks, starting with illness.
I have been sick off and on for the last 4 months plus.
I chalked it up to having the flu or a cold or a combination of the two, but when it just kept going and coming back and continuing I finally went into the doctor’s office.
I was having a hard time catching my breath on some days and no problem on others…..my throat felt like I had strep.
I just felt like crap most of the time.
The doc determined it was allergies.
Well, after 3 weeks of being on meds I’m finally starting to feel better.
My other setback has been work. Not that I’m not thrilled with having some assignments…. I love ‘em!!!
They just add a new wrinkle when it comes to doing P90X.
I’ve had a couple of photo assignments the last 2 weeks.
I was in LA shooting a series on community service and back home in Arizona for over a week shooting for a luxury apartment developer.
I brought along my workout bands, but have to admit that I didn’t use them at all.
I did push ups and chair dips and some side tri rises, but that was about it.
I was still pretty tired so I just took it easy.
Now I’m back home and feeling better physically and mentally than I have in quite a while.
It’s time to get back on the horse so to speak.
These last 4 weeks don’t really add up to failures as much as they are setbacks.
Sometimes crap happens that we don’t like.
Things that are more or less out of our control sometimes take over for a little while.
I have had to learn when to take my foot off the gas and just take what life hands me.
In the past I would get injured playing racquetball and just play through the pain and end up doing more damage than good.
In that sense I had a classic “old school” mentality about pain….”just rub some dirt on it and get back out there!”
I would also beat the crap out of myself if I didn’t perform to my highest expectations.
I’m doing my best to not get down on myself when I experience temporary setbacks.
It serves no purpose to dwell on past difficulties……it actually keeps me from moving forward.
Today is a new day. I’m no longer as sick as I was a month ago…..I still have junk in my lungs, but not like before.
I can breath, I can take in oxygen, I can start back up on my P90X program.
Today will be P90X Chest & Back.………Bring it!
Current P90X Struggles
© 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.
P90X Stumbling Blocks
© Tim Pannell Photography
So you went ahead and bought P90X, watched Biggest Loser, vowed to jog several miles a day or ride your bike and were ready to take on the world and drop all your extra weight in just weeks.
Let me guess…….here you are several months later and you’ve done several workouts, eaten better, but for some reason you haven’t lost all your weight.
What could have gone wrong?
Are you frustrated, bummed out, ready to quit?
Have you figured out the problem yet?
If you’re anything like me, the problem might be lack of consistency. My biggest struggle to date with P90X workouts has been setting up an easily repeatable routine that could follow day in and day out.
Here’s what I’ve learned about myself over the last several months when it comes to P90X and working out consistently:
1. If I don’t work out within 1 hour of waking up, the chance of me getting around to it later is almost zero.
2. If I don’t make it an absolute priority each and every day I can talk myself out of it with almost no trouble at all.
3. If I can get 5 days in a row, its that much easier to keep going.
4. After having a successful run of several days I can still make the mistake of becoming “casual” about working out.
5. It’s easy for me to overdo the workout DVDs I like and avoid the ones I have the most trouble with.
6. I actually do better when I forgive myself for not being perfect. I no longer beat myself up when I stumble or fall short.
For me to be successful, it requires a daily commitment. I have to make it a priority. I feel so much better starting my day out with a 10 mile bike ride and an hour of weight lifting and or P90X.
The funny thing though is that even though I love the way it makes me feel, it still doesn’t happen on auto pilot for me. I just have to remember that.
So if you’re struggling with your results, take a good look at your P90X workout habits and be honest. Are you being consistent? If not, what can you do to overcome that and get over that hurdle.
I’d love to hear any ideas that you might have that have helped you get better at this. Please share them so that anyone reading this might benefit.
I have to get to it early, I know that’s the key for me and as long as I consciously think about it as I go to bed the night before and right after I get up in the morning I am more successful.
Just keep hanging in there and if you stumble or struggle, the worst thing you can do is just quit.
Take each day, one at a time and recommit to your fitness regimen, no matter how many times you might fall short of your expectations.
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