Reshoot

Had to redo the "before" pictures for my TeamBeachbody page because i found out i'd missed a couple of poses. So now the official BEFORE pictures are posted. And just for screwing up, i made myself do it in briefs this time.

Ugh.

Beddy-Bye

Dear P90X Diary,

I need to go to bed. The plan is to get up an hour earlier each day (i've been "rehearsing" for a week or more now) and do my P90X in the morning. That means 5:30 AM. That means i should be asleep already. I haven't finished reading the Nutrition Plan, but that doesn't mean i'm not starting tomorrow. Lord help me, i'm really gonna do this thing.

Good night....

The Rhinoceros Won

Dear P90X Diary,

This is what i mean about not having been in the exercise habit for a while. I kinda forgot that if you workout hard one day, do nothing the next day, that THIRD day is when your muscles really start to get you back. Shit.

P90X in 24 hours. I'm actually excited...

Before

Dear P90X Diary,

I don't care how much hard work i have to do during this damn program, what i did today has got to be the hardest part. In order to complete my profile on TeamBeachBody.com, i had to upload the dreaded BEFORE pictures. You know the ones. The guys in the infomercials who always look like they're slouching and deliberately pushing their stomachs out so they'll look that much better in the AFTER pictures. The ones who i never quite believed were as out of shape as they pretended to be.

Now i'm a BEFORE.

I realized when i was taking those pictures, just how much i subconsciously suck in my gut on a regular basis. It took a concentrated effort to relax – not push out, mind you – just relax and take the pictures in my natural state. Then it took everything i had not to use Photoshop to alter he images completely. (Other than cropping, i didn't do anything to them, i swear.) I am more out of shape than i even realized. I almost cried when it was time to upload the pictures. But i did it.

Lest some accuse me of body fascism (again), let me just say that my issues with my body don't have to do with being skinny or fat or even average. I've just come to hate the odd in-between-ness of how i look. So in addition to all the weird aches and pains of getting a bit older, i know i'll feel better about myself if my body's more in balance.

I need to look at these pictures every day and remind myself of why i'm doing this, of how i feel. Let's see how that plays out when i'm lying on the basement floor gasping for air....

Ouch.

Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch.

At least i read the instructions in time. Now i know why you're supposed to do the Fit Test a few days before you start the P90X program. This morning i feel like i was playing tug of war with a rhinoceros last night. Oh, and lost.

Two days.

I Passed!

Dear P90X Diary,

I did the damn Fit Test and i passed. Barely, yes. With at least a fleeting image of emergency rooms and oxygen tanks, but so what.

I DID IT!

That means i'm cleared for takeoff on the P90X program. September 1, here i come!!!

It pays to read the directions

Dear P90X Diary,

Today i sat down to really start reading the Fitness Guide that came along with my P90X® boxed set, and i started getting nervous all over again. From the Guide:

P90X Is an extreme fitness program designed for individuals in top physical condition and health, and, therefore, should NOT be attempted by someone who does not meet the minimum fitness requirements outlined in this guidebook or by someone who has any history of health problems, including, but not limited to, heart, respiratory, knee, shoulder, or spinal (back or neck) problems. This warning must not be discounted. There are many fitness alternatives if you have any physical or health condition or are prone to injuries – but P90X is NOT one of them.

I thought i was just going to jump in in Day 1 and get going with the exercises, but now i realize i need to record my baseline first. The fitness test (download PDF from TeamBeachbody.com), while it doesn't seem ridiculously hard, is something i haven't undertaken in some time. And, of course, there are the mandatory warnings that if you are not in adequate shape starting out, you probably shouldn't undertake the program. So with the program purchased and waiting to go, with no time to switch back to the more introductory Power 90, i'm getting the jitters.

I'm doing it; i've already decided that part. I just want to be sure it will work well enough for me to feel good about my results. After all, this isn't just a matter of me trying to get in better physical shape, this has a mental-emotional component for me too. I said was going to do it, and i owe it to myself to follow through. That alone will make a huge difference in my personal integrity. Also, i've been dealing with a protracted period of depression and i think a big part of it has to do with my physical inactivity.

I have to get moving again, in more ways than one.

So, rather than telling myself, "I'll start walking more," or "I can join a local gym," or any of a dozen other generalized, non-specific ideas i've never executed, i told myself to do this one specific program for 90 days. I'm jumping in the deep end. And according to the Fitness Guide, it's pretty deep indeed.

Less than three days to go...

T-minus 3 Days and counting

So Jerris Madison, fabulous fashion photographer/stylist/publisher, had this wacky idea to start on a P90X program come September 1, 2010. He tweeted about it and since i'd been mulling over how to start getting into shape, i jumped on the bandwagon and said "me too!"

Stupid.

Now i've actually purchased the DVDs, i've got the basic equipment, and i've even started waking up an hour earlier just to get ready for the change in routine. Come 5:00 AM on September 1, i'm going to be down in the basement with Tony Horton, jumping and kicking and stretching and grunting and sweating and panting and heaving... and he's not even going to be in the same room!

What the hell have i gotten myself into...