2011 – Pending Hotness . . . again

Like the vast majority of humans in the world, I went ahead and vowed to re-commit to fitness at the start of the new year – and followed the herd to join the Beachbody coaching ranks and save myself some cash on Shakeology.  To those of you still hanging in there with your resolution after 3 whole days, this probably doesn’t seem like anything fancy.  But, be proud of yourself.  A good 30% of people have already given up.  Of course, I totally pulled that stat straight out of nowhere, but you know A LOT of people have already “screwed up” and thrown in the towel.

My personal plan is to use a combo of P90X and running to jump start my fitness situation.  Once I master this round of P90X, I’ll be doing a P90X/INSANITY hybrid, which, for the record, makes me want to hurl my TV out the window.  And, I haven’t even looked at an INSANITY video in months.

I’ve already done several successful rounds of P90X, and I’ve run two half marathons.  So, I know my body is physically capable of handling what I’m putting it through.  You may not have that same level of confidence.  But, 5 years ago, I couldn’t run a full mile without stopping.  As recently as 3 years ago, I couldn’t handle a 5k.  It takes some serious dedication and the ability to talk yourself out of the mind games your brain wants to play with you.  Assuming no serious injuries or ailments, the human body is capable of amazing things.  I’m relatively certain that you can conquer P90X and run some half marathons if I can (so get off your ass and do it already, slackers!).

Knowing I CAN do it takes away the convenience of a major excuse.  I can’t tell myself it’s too hard or that I’d be putting too much strain on my body.  I’d know I was lying, and I don’t like liars.  So, I’m stuck following through with this plan.  If you’re not in the same boat, if you aren’t tackling a routine you’ve already completed in the past, you might be hesitant.  Chicken, even.  You might spend your days telling yourself the same things I told myself for years – “I’m just not a runner”, “My body wasn’t made for weight lifting”, “My back is too weak for push ups”. . . or whatever other bullshit you feed yourself to justify avoiding a serious fitness regimine.

Here’s the thing, though.  Until you force yourself out of that mentality, until you drag yourself off the sofa, until you conquer a hardcore program like P90X, you’ll never be in my comfort zone. You’ll never have the motivation and the security of knowing you CAN do it if you MAKE yourself do it.

I promise it only takes about a week of FORCING yourself to work it into your daily grind before it becomes something you look forward to, something you don’t want to miss.  That first week will be brutal, no matter what you’re getting into, because it’s change.  It’s a change from your normal routine of sitting around doing nothing.  But, after two weeks, it becomes habit.  And, then sitting around doing nothing will become the uncomfortable thing to do, and that’s when things get fun.  That’s when your energy starts to skyrocket and you start bouncing around on your toes in anticipation of the next workout.  That’s when you start WANTING to skip happy hour so you can get a run in around Town Lake.  THAT’S where you want to be.

So, today, instead of thinking in grand terms of how much you have to accomplish in the whole year to reach your fitness goals, start with the next 2 weeks.  Start with getting into that habit.  Start with promising to force yourself to move, to run, to dance every day for the next 2 weeks, and then worry about the 2 weeks after that.  And, if you need someone to tell you to get off your ass and move, let me know.  I like to yell.

(if you have questions about Turbo Jam, P90X, INSANITY, Shakeology, or Beachbody in general, I will gladly tell you what I know, in a normal volumed voice)

Happy new year!