Bring It: P90X The Aftermath

It isn't as if I had never been in this position before. Yet, it still reminded me of very painful times. I was overweight; I was unhealthy. I knew this and yet I continued to ignore. I thought it would eventually go away. Yet, it never did.

That was when it happened. My sister got engaged and I was going to be standing up for her wedding. I took a long look in the mirror and knew I needed to do something because I wasn't going to be the "Fat Bridesmaid" in another wedding. So I set goals and I went to work.

I stayed at home with my children at the time and even though I was much more active when I was out in the working world, I still thought I stayed pretty active. After all, I was running all day long. If I wasn't chasing kids, I was cleaning. Everyday I would tackle the hills around the house pushing a stroller. Yet, the more I struggled, the more discouraged I had gotten. I never saw any results. The situation was becoming way to familiar with a past struggle when I had gained weight from a medication used to help treat a medical problem. Suddenly, I wondered if I was going to forever be fat and unhealthy.

After months and months of dragging myself to the gym and still seeing no results, I finally gave up. I just couldn't push myself anymore if nothing I did seemed to matter. When we moved, I finally looked in the mirror once more and cried. I looked and felt horrible. Only this time it was going to change.

Since we finally moved into our own place, I had access to all of my workout videos and had my own space to do the types of workouts needed to transform my life. So, I set a date with myself.

On October 3rd, 2011, I put the first P90X workout DVD in and pushed play. Thinking I could use this for my writing, I decided to write a review for each workout. This turned into writing a review of my journey throughout each day of P90X. The results: On December 31st, 2011 I became a P90X graduate.

Today, the whole journey still dumbfounds me. When I started P90X, I wasn't in the condition even recommended to begin. However, my stubborness and my willingness to modify won out. I also blame my obsession with writing, as in the support I recieved from the Hubpages community is what kept me pushing through each workout, just so I could tell them about it.

From the start of my journey to the end, I documented everything I could think of. I took pictures on the first day, 30th, 60th and the final day. I recorded every weight and rep on the sheets provided by BeachBody.com. I measured every part of my body so I could see the results, if any. I was a little hesitant since I had tried so many times and failed. In fact, I continuously blamed it on "baby fat" even though my baby was turning 2. Now I see that was nothing more than an excuse.

Throughout the program, I changed my life and I changed my way of thinking. As the end approached, I wondered, what would I do next? Many asked and at the time, I couldn't answer. I didn't know. I already had the habit of working out, so to fall away from that without reaching my goal would have made all my hardwork disappear.

So here I am today. It has been 45 days since I became a P90X graduate. I have listened to Tony Horton's commentary so many times, I can quote him. I have the workouts almost committed to memory. So, what am I doing?

It didn't take long for the habit to kick in. The 90th day of the program was on a Saturday, and each and every Sunday for the entire journey, was a rest day (or stretch depending on your motivation!) That meant my last workout was Saturday and I took a break. The break however didn't last long. On Monday, I got up and started all over again.

That is right! Upon completion of my 90 days, I started the 90 day cycle all over again. However, I wanted to switch things up. With my obsession of exercise has stemmed a huge collection of workout DVDs ranging from Sweating to the Oldies all the way to Taebo. Yet, I wanted results. And while these DVDs were always a great way to keep things changing, they didn't always keep me on a program that got results. I was always bouncing back and forth and possibly not pushing myself hard enough 100 percent of the time.

So, I turned to TV's toughest trainer.... Jillian Michaels. Because I had huge goals and less than two months to reach them, I began doing the entire P90X routine, followed by a cool down with Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. (Let me tell you, that is not a recommended cool down!)

Almost everybody I knew thought I was insane. And honestly, I don't really remember much of the month as I had spent a lot of time working out. However, today I feel healthier and I am much more toned than I have ever been in my life.

I will admit that while I did start out my second round of P90X, I wasn't as strict with the workouts. That being said, if I was running short on time for some days or I was getting bored, I would switch things up. For the most part, I have done another 45 days of P90X, and only a few days in there have I changed the workout to fit my needs. However, I haven't missed a single day of working out since I started my journey (with the exception of Sundays which are a legit rest day!)

I have still continued to track... so here are the results I have seen with P90X...

Pounds - 22 pounds lost

Body Fat Percentage - down 5.4%

BMI (body mass index) - down 3.4 points

Inches - 23 inches lost (I measure both sides!)

I don't care who you are, or if I sound conceited, but those are some outstanding results. However, I still have a ways to go before I hit goal. That means I have about another 90 days before Beach Season hits.

I have made it this far and there is no turning back!

Bring It: P90X Day 1 - Do you want to start from the beginning of my adventure? The first day of the series connects to each day afterwards. If you want to know about P90X, this is a good place to start.

Bring It: P90X Day 90 - If you are just looking for the results after completing the 90 day program, this will give you everything you need to know.

Working Out - The best Form of Torture - Nothing feels better than a good workout. While it may be hard to get into, once you start seeing the changes, you won't want to turn back. Soon, you will have extra energy and be feeling better about everything in your life.

Stacy Harris: Independent Beach Body Coach - If you would like to try the P90X program or would like to contact me for motivation, this is the place to be.

I have always been familiar with BeachBody products. In fact, there hasn't been one that I haven't wanted to invest in. P90X is just one of the many BeachBody products out there. During my journey with P90X, I was contacted by a coach who helped me along my journey. I have even had the support of others doing the same program.

As of yesterday, I decided I wanted to do the same thing. I was feeling good about my own personal transformation and I hope my story will motivate and inspire others. That is when I decided to take my journey one step further and become a BeachBody Coach as well! This will not only help others, but also keep me motivated as I head toward my final goal.

The world is full of too many temptations that just add pounds to our thighs, behinds and our guts. I am not suggesting you can't occasionally treat yourself, or that you have to go through a grueling 3 hour workout every single day. However, I think it is time that we took action against this evil disease we call obesity. We can prevent this and we can do something about it. It doesn't take a magic pill, but it does take hard work and dedication. It truly is a lifestyle change.

If you feel you can't do this alone and you are ready to make a change in your life, I want to help motivate you and lead you in the right direction. Together we can make a difference.