jan 1, 2010 was a monumental day of my life. it was the start of my journey down the pathway of p90x, a home fitness complete body transformation regimen that redefined the way i looked at both food and exercise. weeks of research leading up to the start date alongside an utter overhaul of my refrigerator's contents led me to a new lifestyle — counting calories, reading nutrition facts, consuming complex carbs and "good" fats, muscle confusion workout plans and all sorts of new ideas to keep my mind fresh. i weighed 185 lbs. and at 5'10'', that's not exactly overweight, but i was never happy with my body type since i gained the freshman 15 (or was it 30?) as the years spanned throughout college.
gumby's pizza, chipotle, mcdonalds drive thru, ramen noodles, pasta roni, rice kitchen and bar food were a norm, probably consuming 2,800-4,000 calories in a day without breaking a sweat. i've always been a fan club president for the entire concept of food but it was time to start learning about what was going into my body. and when i did, i nearly fainted to the floor.
then a friend, colleen, told me to check out p90x as she saw friends who had decent results with it.
90 days later, i weighed 159 lbs and couldn't fit into any of my old polos, button ups or dress pants. the overhaul had happened. i started the diet out with some help but as the weeks pressed on, i realized i was going to have to dig deep, because i was then dieting by myself and pressing play on the DVD player alone everyday after work. it was up to me to make it to day 90. finish the program. that was my goal.
as march 31 rolled on by (day 90), i started taking it easier on myself to recover, running 4 days a week and lifting twice as opposed to a 7-day deal i was so used to. my body loved the breaks and i started to eat a bit unhealthy again. i'm not a big snack food eater, i just find it necessary to smash 3 menna's joint dubs in one sitting to impress those in my booth. i don't know why food can take over my mind, but it does at times.
i went from 159 back to 170 from april 1 to july 6, a normal thing to happen when you stop following a strict diet. the workouts started to fade here and there, but i knew as soon as i moved into a place with eddie — my current roommate — we'd get on p90x together, two people pushing each other to get stronger and faster.
2 weeks into it, and i couldn't be happier. dieting isn't dieting anymore, it's eating smart. i have developed a passionate love for stir fry vegetables with every meal, i consume 5-6 protein servings a day and i smash fresh fruit like a garbage disposal. i feel alert and fresh morning, noon and night. the workouts drain me, as they always did, but the satisfaction of it all is there.
i've run multiple 5K races in the past month and will continue to do so not just because it's exercise, but for the real reason — the cause it's being put on for. the community surrounding these events is like nothing i've ever seen. everyone slapping hands and supporting one another for the good of the event. runners are a good people.
my goals this time around, as p90x will span july 7 to october 7, is to weigh 158 with less than 10% body fat and more definition in my arms. you set goals so you have something to shoot for, right? well here we go.
okemos — this weekend was especially gratifying for me because of a new face added into the running mix. it's not that chea isn't enough — it's just adding close friends feels that much better. my roommate eddie ran with us today in ele's race, benefitting ele's place in okemos, a not-for-profit organization that aids grieving children after horrific turns of events in their lives take place. i donated $30 to the cause and ran this 5k in 20:53, finishing in 78th place of more than 1,300 participants.
