In my late teens and early 20’s I was pretty active; not to be confused with athletic (I always seemed to have 2 left feet when it came to team sports - I was always the last kid to be picked for a team). My repertoire of fitness fun sometimes included a few activities that some might consider a bit crazy (which included jumping off a bridge, but that’s a story for another day). I took up rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking, fencing and a little bit of martial arts…pretty much anything that would take me outdoors and/or away from the normal gym routine. During the summers I worked graveyard shift at a local 24hour fast food joint. When I got off work, I’d be so wired and unable to sleep that I would go jogging (sometimes up to 15 miles) just to expend some energy. I LOVED it!
Enjoying the outdoors as much as I did, I decided I needed to head south to warmer pastures. The southern part of the states was not all that I had imagined. It was warmer & sunnier, but it was warmer & sunnier ALL THE TIME! The heat was so unbearable at times that all I found myself doing was sitting in air conditioned space trying to keep cool. No more hiking, no more biking, no more nothing. I would just sit and eat and smoke! My first year away from the beautiful Pacific Northwest, I gained 20lbs! That was when the downward slide began…
So here I am now in my mid-thirties, and after two babies and being a desk jockey for more than a decade, I find it difficult to enjoy any of the things I did in my younger (fitter) days. I hadn’t really realized how out of shape I had gotten. The signs were all there…finding myself being winded just from walking from the parking lot to the ski lifts, unable to carry my toddler son for more than a few minutes at a time, or when he pokes at my jiggly belly and giggles, or how about when I find myself opting out of buying cute clothes and just finding something comfortable to wear (which usually meant something with an elastic waistband) or something that would hide my belly roll!
Now most people look at me and say, “YOU need to lose weight??!!” Woah there, hold on a second. I didn’t say lose weight, I said GET IN SHAPE! My weight isn’t the issue, I only weigh 120 +/- a few lbs. It’s the fact that my stomach sticks out farther than anything else on me, my arms and legs are the scrawniest they’ve ever been and I’d be lucky to walk a block without being winded let-alone run anywhere!
So after watching a million billion infomercials on every possible “get fit” program, I decided to try P90X. Why? Because I need something extreme to make a real change in my life. I need to be told how to work out and what to eat, to change my habits and steer away from my old routines. I want to be able to keep up with my son and enjoy life to the fullest, I have goals and aspirations! Healthy body leads to a healthy mind and spirit!
So follow me on my quest to be fit!
My "Before P90X" pictures will be posted soon!
Packing Toiletries for Family Travel
1 week ago
