Bring It: P90X Day 32

P90X is an extreme workout. Not only does it work on strength and building muscle, but it also works on your flexibility and balance. This program is all put together by Tony Horton to give you maximum results in 90 days. This is my personal journey and I am here to prove it. Either prove it wrong or prove it right.

The concept behind the entire P90X system is muscle confusion. When you switch things up, your body will continue to grow and never hit a plateau. This is ideal, because anyone who has ever tried to lose weight will know how devestating a plateau can be to the success of the program. However, whether or not I hit a plateau or continue to prosper, I am going to continue on this journey for 90 days. Not only do I want to test this system to see if it works, but I want you - my readers - to see whether or not this is a program worth the bucks.

If you would like to start from the beginning of this series, please click here. If you want to read about my previous day with P90X, click here, where you will see the results from the first 30 days of the program.

Throughout the program, I will give you updates on my day-to-day workouts, but I will also throw in the occasional funny story, health tip or some other kind of nonsense to keep this fun and upbeat. Feel free to leave your comments and stories below. We want to hear what works, and what doesn't work for you. I look forward to hearing from you.

Today was a good day for Yoga. Mostly, I find after I have introduced some new workout (or have gone crazy and did too much!) I look forward to my yoga days so I can get stretched out and feel much better for the following days. Today, I needed this workout and I was psyched to get my mat out and do some good hard-core stretching and breathing.

If this is the first time you are reading anything in this series, I want to warn you this YogaX is far from easy. Describing it as a good stretch with some breathing doesn't even come close to the pain you will feel and the sweat that will be dripping down your face. So, you have been warned.

Even though I was looking forward to this workout, today was not a good yoga day. It might have been if you were looking for a good laugh and standing in the background watching. Today I had no balance. I feel out of almost all the poses. I even did a backwards sommersault attempting the plough pose. I ran into the wall a couple times trying to catch my balance. The only thing successful about today, was in all my balance problems, I successfully did not fall through the TV. And, when my son woke up, he joined me for some nice calming "Ohm" chants! (For those of you not familiar with yoga, this is not a religious thing or a cult thing, this is a way to massage your vocal chords!) Granted, I had a hard time getting through my "Ohms" because I was too busy laughing at his "Ohms." So, be warned. Do "Ohms" in absolute privacy. You will concentrate better.

So I started thinking. A very dangerous thing to do. But that is one of the side effects of yoga. It clears your mind and then you think. And I started to think until I thunk I had thinked enough. Then it hit me. There are several possible reasons my balance could be off, and it has nothing to do with a lack of being able to do yoga. In fact, I am actually pretty flexible and for the most part, my balance is better than most. (Sorry, I should try not to brag!)

The last couple days when I wake up, I have noticed I am starting to get a head cold. It is probably due to the changes in the temperature, and I seem to be very susceptible to these head colds. I usually just ignore them and hope they go away. The problem with these head colds is I have very sensitive ears, and they are usually the most noticeably irritating side effect. When I woke up this morning, my ears were sore and a little clogged. Well, we all know what happens when you get an earache - your balance is effected. So, today, my funny to watch workout, will be blamed on my ears!

So, I wanted to find out what is it that could be messing with my balance and after some quick brainstorming, I realized that I am suffering from every single point. That being said, it is a miracle I even made it through this workout alive!

1. Ear problems - The most common factor in messing with balance is ear problems. Personally, I suffer from a lot of inner ear problems and if I get sick, the first thing that happens is my ears start getting clogged. If you go through elevation changes, your ears will also be affected. So, if your ears are bothering you and you find yourself tripping over your feet, it might be time to see a doctor to check out those ears.
2. Exhaustion - A lack of sleep can effect your reactions on just about anything you do. If anything is keeping you from a good night's sleep, chances are good your reaction time will be effected, and - surprise, surprise - so will your balance. This isn't really anything odd. After all, when you are tired, your body gives the energy to what is most important - like keeping your heart beating, your lungs breathing and digesting your food. Your brain is also highly effected with a lack of sleep, so it is no wonder you are falling down. For me, I went to bed really late and I have been burning the candle at both ends. I get up early and I run around until all hours of the night. Sure, I am exhausted. I thought I was used to it, but who really gets used to falling over. I guess it finally caught up!
3. Anemia - Upon my research I found anemia might also cause balance problems and so I did some searching. Through reading several different sites, I believe this can be possible but there has been no concrete evidence of the two being connected. Therefore, I am going to make a hypothesis that anemia could cause balance issues because a symptom of anemia is feeling weak. This can go hand in hand. If you are feeling tired and weak, your balance will be effected. It really goes hand in hand with the second reason. I have been told I suffer from anemia, more specifically iron-deficiancey anemia. It just shows it might be affecting my balance. Especially if I am already feeling tired.
4. Body changes - When a young child or teenager starts tripping over their own feet, the common thing to say is they must have undergone a growth spurt. When your body changes, you need to readjust how we move and balance. For the most part, we need to readjust to our skin once again. As an adult, we have grown comfortable in our bodies. Yet, if we are on a mission to lose weight or gain muscle, this too will through off our body composition. This will force us to have to re-evaluate how we hold ourselves. If a person undergoes massive changes, coupled with some of the other reasons, his or her balance might temporarily be effected. After my 30 day review, it is obvious my body is undergoing changes.

After today's workout, I guess I am not really responsible for putting my stretched out hand through the wall or banging my knee into the chair. With all the changes that have been happening inside me, I am only surprised this is the first time I have noticed my balance being a little on the shakey side. And I can happily say, this morning I made it down the stairs without any incidence. I guess it is time to get used to my skin (or see a doctor) so I can get my balance back in shape!

Are you in the mood for a little motivational push? Don't miss out on reading about Day 33 by clicking here.