It doesn't get easier

I know, that isn't really a reassuring title for a post that should be motivating. But this isn't really a motivating post. This is about the cold hard facts of being on your journey to being healthy. This is about the obstacles that are out there when coming from the side of food addiction. If you are trying to lose weight, then you likely have a relationship with food other than just to live.

Just think about other addictions out there be it alcohol or nicotine. When you decide to quit, you can actually separate yourself from those temptations. Sure, you are still going to crave those things for a while, but you don't actually have to be around them. Well that is unless you like to torture yourself. But when it comes to food addiction, you can't not be around food. You have to have food to survive. Over the years you have probably used food for many purposes. I completely understand that too. Food can be used for comfort, celebration or just pure enjoyment. Somewhere in our history, we linked other things to food besides survival.

Sure, we still eat to survive, we don't have a choice there. But do we really need chocolate cake or cookies? What about pizza or gourmet hamburgers? Now I am not saying that you have to leave all those things behind. Heck, I like to enjoy some oreos, ice cream, pizza and burgers every single week. But those cheats make it very easy to fall off the wagon and re-link food to enjoyment and not survival. The link will never go away. We can't separate ourselves from it, and it's a constant struggle.

I really wish I could tell you that it gets easier as you go, but it doesn't. All I can recommend is for you not to completely deprive yourself of these foods, but limit them to just one time a week or every other week. Like stated above, even one cheat meal can throw you back into a downward spiral. Remember to eat to fuel your body. Plus, eating to fuel your body doesn't have to be gross bland food, you can make it taste good, and something that you might enjoy. You don't have to have chicken and rice everyday, change it up, use spices and seasoning. Don't be afraid of salt either. Often times when you remove all salt, your body starts to crave things, and then you will binge on different unhealthy items just to try and satisfy that craving. Keep you diet balanced and keep positive.

Working harder, getting stronger

It's week 3 of P90X2 already and I am noticing a lot of changes. Of course week 1 was rough, it was a new workout, I had done very few of the moves before and it was also a bit intimidating. Week 2 I found myself going longer into the workouts, but still not getting quite the burn I was hoping for. Though I did notice many great improvements on each workout. But today I started week 3, and let me tell you, I am noticing that I am able to push much much harder. Today I got the burn I have been looking for. I actually pushed myself so hard in X2 Core today, that for the first time in a long time, I felt my abs cramp up on me. It's such a good feeling.

Also being in week 3, I know that I only have 2 weeks before my recovery week, then onto phase 2 of the program. Again, I am a bit intimidated. Phase 2 is Strength, and that is something I have always been lacking in. My hope is that by week 2 of phase 2 I will be able to get a good burn going. Luckily I will have 2 workouts carry over into my strength phase and that is Plyocide and X2 Yoga. So these I should be able to keep up with and show amazing improvement on throughout the next phase, especially X2 Yoga.

Well, it's back to the grind for me. I'll keep you posted on what's going on.

The Journey into X2!

While one door closes, another one opens. This of course to me is about working out though. It was the end of November 2011 when I jumped into Insanity the Asylum, that of course was right after Insanity. During the month of December I completed a full program. Granted Asylum is only 30 days long, but going non-stop for 30 days is a lot harder than most think. On top of that, I started having serious back pain around the last week and a half. But I survived it and with enough time to rest before taking on my next big program...

It's already January 3rd in 2012 and I am 2 days into P90X2. I made a promise to myself to start it at the beginning of the year and make it my program for 2012. Like all the programs I have done over this last year, it is difficult starting out. I can actually hang fairly well, but let me tell you, I am sore! I opted for P90X2 for a few reasons. I wanted to be among the first to do the program while others where doing the program, and I really wanted something to challenge me in a different way. I love Insanity and the Insanity programs, and I can't wait for more. But I fell my cardio is pretty decent at this time. What I really wanted to work on was one of my weakest areas, and that is strength. I knew if any program would help me in strength, it would be a P90X program. So here I am, 2 days in, and my body is screaming at me. Muscles sore and aching, I just want to smear icy hot all over my body at this point. But I feel great too. I am pushing myself in a whole different way. But we should see how I survive this week. Tomorrow will be my first recovery day, and on friday I will be doing yoga for the first time since I was in high school. Stay tuned for what the journey holds for me....

17 days in the Asylum!

Seventeen days ago, I decided to take my Insanity training to the next level with Insanity The Asylum. The last seventeen days have been more brutal than the whole 60-day Insanity program.  But it's a whole different kind of brutal. With Insanity, you want to quit because your muscles and body tell you that you have exhausted yourself, in Asylum, you want to quit because your mind tells you, you can't take any more. It really is a whole different ball game.

The Asylum has a total of 7 workouts - Speed and Agility, Strength, Back to Core, Vertical Plyo, Relief, Game Day and Overtime. Back to Core is by far my favorite of all the workouts, due mostly to it focusing on lower back strength. Because of my low back problems, it provides not just a new challenge, but really has helped me on stabilizing those muscles. Game Day is great too, a full 60 minutes of balls to the wall cardio working drills from running, to wrestling and everything in between.

Relief has been the biggest surprise for me though. I am not normally a fan of stretching workouts. Normally they are boring, or go to a place that I just can't get. Also most are really long. Relief in the Asylum though is only about 20 minutes and really gives a nice slow stretch. Maybe I like it so much because I actually feel that my body needs this stretch in this program.

Either way, I am super excited to only have 13 days left in the Asylum. It has been great, and I can't wait to try out some hybrids with it next year.

Leaving everyday Insanity for THE ASYLUM!!

It's crazy thinking that this time last year I was still the shape of a ball, well more a football, but a ball none the less. I could barely workout, and what I was doing was just barely pushing myself. Fast forward to just a couple Sundays ago, and I finished one of the most intense workout programs on the markte! Yes, I finished my 60 day Insanity program! Ok, so if you have been following my blog, you know it was more than 60 days that I have been doing Insanity. In fact, I started Insanity back in May 2011, but due to some medical issues, I was unable to complete the program. After trying and trying to start from where I left off, I decided to do a full reboot. This was one of the best things I could have done. While I still had issues along the way with my back and at the end of the program my shoulders acting up, I finished.

Pushing play with Insanity was sometimes a chore, I admit it. It is a hard workout and really makes you question your sanity for doing it. Shaun T tells you to "Dig Deep" and sometimes it's hard to do when you barely have the energy left to stand on your two feet. But it has been so worth it. The best part, is I have my proof that I finished Insanity with my T-shirt that I earned! But I'm not done yet.

Last Monday I started Insanity The Asylum! I again have been humbled by Shaun T. I knew it was going to be tough, but I figured I would fair well with the program. It feels like I am starting Insanity for the first time ever! I am digging deep and powering through, but my body has not been through this kind of workout before. It is exciting though. I am already noticing changes in my legs after just 9 days in the program. I feel stronger and can jump higher. So far my favorite workout is Back To Core. It is one of the few workouts that I have found of any of the programs I have done that gives my low back a good workout. This is important to me because of my low back issues from the past.

I am down to just 20 days left in the Asylum, and I'm looking to earn another shirt. I am pushing myself even further, and will be doing Asylum a few times over in the future. But there is another Program on my list, and that is P90X2...Oh yeah, I am insane!

Change your life the healthy way

These days we have a lot of things that promise quick results. Every thing from diet pills, so crazy diets and even surgeries. The problem with all of these things, is you are putting a bandaid on the bigger problem.

Take surgery for example. The popular things to do for weight loss is Liposuction, Gastric Bypass and Lap Band. These all promise fast results, but most of these are for cosmetic purposes only. You hear on the radio all the time about Lap Band surgery. It's probably one of the biggest fads right now. The problem is you are having surgery to lose weight that isn't going to stay off unless you change yourself. In my opinion no one should have Lap Band surgery.

Gastric Bypass in most cases is a end of the line surgery, or at least it used to me. You're doctor would suggest it to you if you were morbidly obese and you absolutely had to have surgery to save your life and make changes. Now, you can go to a plastic surgeon and get this procedure done without having to be obese hardly at all. At 250 LBS myself, I can qualify for Gastric Bypass. But again, if you don't change your eating habits and exercise habits, you will gain the weight back, just like a Lap Band patient.

Liposuction is the old school way of doing things, you still hear about people having it done though. Back in the day it was mostly a hollywood thing though. You would hear of an actress having it done to get rid of a little bit of fat on her butt or hips. However now it is for any one that wants to drop a quick 20 LBS. Again, most people put that weight back on.

My whole point to all of this, is these surgeries are taking the easy way out. These surgeries in most cases is a lazy persons way to lose weight. These are the same people that think of exercise and diet as punishment. That would rather sit at home and watch their favorite TV show instead of going for a walk or would rather wake up an hour before work instead of 2 hours so they can hit the gym.

I've completely changed my life by implementing diet and exercise into it. You can ask any one that has known me for a while, I was always lazy. My idea of working out before I changed my self was lifting a fork full of pasta to my mouth. Now I work out 6 - 7 days a week, sometimes multiple times a day. I feel better about my life, health and future than I ever have. My weight is less likely to come back because of my lifestyle change. If you have taken to the easy way out, you will most likely be back in your fat pants with in 5 years. So change your life for the better.