Bring it!!!

"Bring it!"... that's been our "motto" lately. About a month ago, Anna and I began the P90X workout program for something a little different. Just like everyone else, we've had our "ups and downs" when it comes to eating right and exercising. We fell into an "unhealthy rut" after our wedding and ate out for dinner more often than we ate in. Our biggest weakness was good 'ole Mexico Lindo, our favorite restaurant about a mile from our home. We ended up eating there about 1-2 times per week and ordered the same thing every time... grilled chicken quesadillas (3 for me, 1 for Anna), chips (3-4 baskets full), salsa (about 4 bowls), cheese dip, and a couple glasses of Pepsi. If I had to guess, my caloric intake for that one meal alone was probably 3,000-3,500 calories. Working out wasn't a big part of our vocabulary at this time either, with only the occasional workout here and there.

So, after noticing a bit of a "spare tire" circling my waist (something I had never experienced in the 37 years prior), and after seeing the success stories of a couple of Anna's friends from college (thank you, Tom and Ashley), we gave P90X a try. Being certified as a personal trainer and someone who has been into fitness and working out since they were about 10 years old, I had never been a big fan of popping in a video or dvd in order to workout, but P90X has changed my views a bit. It's a series of 1-1.5 hour hardcore workouts that are done for 90 days straight. If you're not completely fatigued at the end of each workout, either you weren't really there, or you didn't "bring it!" (the phrase that is repeatedly used on the dvd's). If done right, each workout is said to burn about 600 calories. As demanding as the workouts may be, that's actually the easy part in all of this. Toughest part? Yep, you guessed it... the diet part. Just like the rest of this world, we love food. Dare I say the greatest addiction of all time is the "drug" we call food. I think it's safe to say, the majority of us all has some level of addiction towards food. The dietary guidelines of the P90X program are very strict and are broken down into 3 monthly phases. As any true fitness professional will tell you, what you eat is at least 50% of the equation (the rest being exercise) in achieving a sound, healthy lifestyle. While following an exercise program, too many people place too little emphasis on the diet aspect, and almost always, their results suffer. Something Anna and I use a few times daily to log what we eat is www.thedailyplate.com. Here, we track everything that we eat. If it has calories, we have to track it. The phase we are in right now requires Anna to eat 1,700 calories per day and myself, 2,400. Those calories must come from 50% protein, 30% carbs, and 20% fat. The great thing about "the daily plate" is that it tracks and calculates everything for you (including the percentages). Without it, this eating thing would be a nightmare.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling on with the days fitness lesson. We just wanted to share what's been consuming most of our time lately.