Day 86: A Balancing Act of Suck

There's an old saying in basketball: "You can't teach height." The message: Some people are just born tall and they have an advantage in basketball.

Well, let me modify that: You can't teach balance. At least not to some people. Over the past 12 weeks, I've done countless Yoga workouts and to be honest, my friends, I still suck at it. Big time. I have no sense of balance. Maybe it's all the head injuries I had as a kid (yes, I was always this graceful) or maybe it's so many years carrying a "heavy load."

Or maybe, as Lady Gaga would say, I was born this way. (For instance, if I tried the pose in the above picture, disaster potential would be very high.)

That's not to say I haven't improved at Yoga. I have. My dog is more downward (that doesn't sound right) and I actually know what Chaturanga is now. And, a couple of times, I've felt the relaxing nature of Yoga. Even though it's a tough workout, I see why people can become addicted.

But I will never become addicted. I suck at Yoga. But I'm just proud that I keep trying it.

Day 85: Making a Splash

I guess there was one benefit to being fat--I was a rock star at the pool. During adult swim last summer, my boys and many other kids would line up in the "splash zone" and urge me to do a cannonball. And, believe me, I could deliver.

Partly because I know how to get a big jump off a diving board and partly (mostly) because I had a wide, uh, surface area, I generated quite the splash. I was definitely the cannonball king at the Woodley Gardens Pool. (Actually, I do jackknifes, but you get the point.)

Today, the kids were back in the splash zone and I was back on the diving board. Yes, I'm 25-30 pounds lighter, but I'm also stronger and can generate even more force off the board. The result was the same...big splashes, lots of cheers, high fives.

But I think I look a little better doing it (well, at least I do in my mind).

Another positive sign: Last year after doing all my cannonballs, I would be wiped out. This year, I had enough energy to hang out in the pool, cut the lawn when I got home and do various tasks around the house. Hey, even the Cannonball King has chores.

One thing I did NOT do today was workout, but it was going to be a light day anyway. One five more workouts until Day 90 and I will do each and every one of them.

Day 84: The Best Workout Partners in the World

Over the last--gasp!--12 weeks, my boys have each watched me workout and, a couple of times, one of them has tried to do some of the moves. But I've never had both of them working out with me at the same time....Until today.

About halfway through KenpoX today, my 8-year-old and my almost 5-year-old came in and began trying to do all the kicks, punches and blocks. (That's me with the big sweat stain, the eight-year-old in Spiderman pajamas and the almost five-year-old showing off his physique).

Truth be told, it was a bit difficult to maneuver in my small workout space. I couldn't really do full kicks for fear of inadvertently hitting one of my kids in the face. (Wouldn't that be an interesting conversation at the hospital? "Mr. Tofig, exactly HOW did this happen? You were exercising? Really?").

But that very minor inconvenience aside, this was perhaps the best workout ever.

My boys and I did it together (and my 8 year old actually was able to do plenty of the exercises very well). At the end, after more than 100 vertical punches, we celebrated, high-fived each other and--because it was Kenpo--we bowed.

This was exactly why I've been doing this for the past 84 days. And this is exactly why I won't stop after Day 90.

Well done, boys. And just remember....we don't do any of these punches or kicks at school!

Day 83: Taking Off My Shirt

Today is the opening day at the Woodley Gardens Pool, which is a very exciting day in our house. Daniel was so stoked that he woke up at 7 a.m. and immediately put on his bathing suit and sandals. Unfortunately, the pool doesn't open until 11 a.m.

Last summer, when I was at about my heaviest, going to the pool was a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I love the pool. I was a swimmer as a kid and, despite my girth, I'm still pretty quick in the water.

But the pool was a place where I had to take off my shirt and I was extremely self-conscious about that. I was the "fat Dad" who could play in the pool with his boys for a little while, but would get extremely tired and have to sit out for a while.

This year will be a little different. I'm certainly not thin by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm in far better shape. I'm 25-30 pounds lighter and I actually have something resembling a physique, including biceps and triceps.

I'm still self-conscious about taking off my shirt. I probably always will be (hence why you haven't seen any such pictures on this blog). But, maybe, just maybe, I'll feel a little better about it and, most importantly, I'll be able to play with my boys in the pool without breathing heavy.

And that should make for a great summer.

Days 81 & 82: What a Pain in the....

I know exactly when it happened. As I was pushing for just one extra rep during one of the bicep exercises yesterday (May 26), I stupidly jerked my arms really hard up and--oof--I felt a pain in my neck. I kept working out, but I knew I had pulled a muscle and for the rest of the day I'd be feeling it.

As expected, I spent the entire day was walking around like Mr. Roboto. And this morning, my neck is still pretty stiff.

Over 80 days of P90X, I've stayed relatively injury-free and now, with Day 90 in sight, I hurt my neck. Truth be told, a little Advil and some stretching will loosen it up, but I'm gonna be really careful the rest of the way not to tweak, pull, break, crack or hurt anything. I've decided that Yoga--at least the way I do it--is probably not the best choice for me this morning.

No more Mr. Roboto dance for me.

Domo Arigato.

Day 80: Don't Be the Utah Jazz

In the 1990s, the Utah Jazz were a really good team. But I wouldn't say they were great. Why? Because they couldn't finish. The Jazz, led by Karl Malone and John Stockton, won more than 50 games every year, went deep in the playoffs and then--every year--came up short. They just couldn't finish. It didn't help that there was this team called "Da Bulls" with a player named Jordan.

Still, I'm a little worried that I'm acting like the Utah Jazz. With just 10 days left in my first round of P90x, I am losing steam. I'm not getting enough sleep, I'm not getting up early enough and, while I'm still working out hard, I can't say my intensity level is where it should be.

I did plyometrics this morning, but I started late and, at the beginning, I felt like I was just going through the motions. As the workout went on, my intensity level rose and I did get a good workout in. But it wasn't my best.

I won't be too hard on myself. There's a lot going on elsewhere in my life (more on that in a future post) but that's no excuse. There's always going to be distractions. My challenge is to remain focused and finish these 10 days strong.

I need to be like Da Bulls and finish what I started.

Day 79: Plyo after Eating Mexican?

With a Board of Education meeting that ended at 10:30 p.m. on Monday and a 7 a.m. meeting this morning, Plyometrics did NOT happen this A.M. However, I will do this workout, especially because I am definitely in the home stretch and don't want to miss one.

Unfortunately, it's "dine-out" night for my the preschool my almost five-year-old attends and the event is at California Tortilla (which is kinda like Moe's or Willy's for my friends in Atlanta). The question is: How can I do "jump training" after eating Mexican food? I would imagine that Burritos and Plyometrics do not mix very well.

This could get ugly...fast. Will report the, uh, outcome.

UPDATE: The mind was willing, but the digestive system was not. I did not work out, because I feared seeing my "Burrito Bowl" a second time. Instead, I moved all workouts up a day, meaning Plyo happens on Wednesday.

Days 76 & 77: The End is Near!

With the Rapture predicted for yesterday (May 21), I held off on my Legs and Back workout. After all, if I was going to ascend into Heaven, I don't think leg strength would matter. And if the Rapture occurred and I didn't ascend into Heaven, I don't think the my thigh and calf strength would really matter. Once 6 p.m. passed, I realized the End was not coming (at least not now) and I would need to do my workout.

However, the end is near--the end of my 90 days.

In just 13 short work outs, I will have made it through my first round of P90x. As I've blogged before, it is important for me to know what's next before I finish the 90 days. Too often, I have reached a weight or fitness goal and then shut it down, giving up all the progress I made and gaining all the weight back (and then some).

I am determined that will not happen again.

Once I finish my 90 days (June 4 for those keeping track), my plan is to take a couple of weeks "off" (meaning only working out three days a week) and then do it over again.

I may make some changes. I've considered getting a pull-up bar (remember, I'm using bands this time through). I've also thought about getting P90x Plus, five additional workouts that you work into the rotation. Or maybe doing P90x "lean" which focuses more on weight loss than muscle gain. Regardless of what I choose, I know I'll keep doing P90x.

With no end in sight.

Days 74 & 75: Dancing like Elaine on Seinfeld?

I spent the latter part of this week at a retreat for my Leadership Montgomery class, which includes my P90x-ing friend Michael. Like many retreats, the evening included some--um--fellowship and fine spirits, if you get my drift.

Despite the late-night reverie, I was determined to get up today (Friday) and do Kenpo- X (which I swapped with Legs & Back workout, which I'll do Saturday). When the alarm went off at 6:30 a.m., I must say the ONLY thing getting me out of bed was the fact that Michael had said he MIGHT join me for the morning workout. So, I got my workout clothes on and slowly made my way to the room that had a TV and DVD player. Thankfully, Michael was there or I would have turned 180 and headed back to bed.

As we did the workout I started feeling a little better with each move. But when I was doing one of the moves, Michael looked at me and said "you're looking like Elaine from Seinfeld dancing." OUCH! And here I thought I was looking smooth.

Ah well. I was proud that we got up and did our workout. And Michael, who did not bring sneakers, gets extra points for working out in dark socks.

Just 15 days to go until Round 1 of P90x is done.

Days 72 & 73: A Letter to my Knees

Dear Knees,

Cut the crap.

For 10 weeks I've been working you out hard without a problem. Even at the beginning, when I was 20-something pounds heavier and so out of shape I couldn't lift a fork without getting winded, you never gave me much push back.

Now, here we are, with 17 days left in the P90x program, and NOW you're starting to hurt. Why? I've lost weight. I've modified so I don't stress you out. I've stretched and stretched. I've followed the program. And now--when I can see the finish line--you start acting up.

Nice.

Well, I'm not stopping (I hope). Unless you decide to give out, I'm gonna keep going and just do my best not to aggravate you anymore. In 17 short days you'll get some much-deserved rest, so for now, just hang in there.

Sincerely,

P-Daddy-X

Day 71: But Who's Counting?

When I was a kid, I loved to read, not because I was thirsty for literature---but because I liked to count the number of pages I read. "I just read 12 pages," I would shout proudly. My sister, Leila, used to call me "The Count" like the guy on Sesame Street.

(TWELVE...TWELVE PAGES READ...AH AH AH AH AH!)

I still love numbers and that is why I'm surprised I haven't done this until now, but after Monday's "chest and back" workout I tallied up the number of push-ups I did in an hour.

The grand total? 232!

The very idea that I could ever do 232 pushups in an hour would have been ludicrous a few months ago. But, today, that's where I am. I'm not bragging...okay, maybe I am bragging a little...but I know I still have a lot of work to do in order to be totally fit and healthy.

But, as The Count would say...

TWO-HUNDRED THIRTY-TWO....232 PUSHUPS....AH AH AH AH AH AH AH!

Day 70: Whuppin' Up on the Smiths

In conversations with a couple of other "P90x" friends, we've been commenting that Kenpo-X, the cardio/martial arts workout that I generally do on Saturdays, had been getting easier. A couple of my friends even told me they don't do it anymore because it doesn't feel like a workout.

It's true that I haven't been "grabbing my shorts" during Kenpo recently. Yes, I'm in better shape, but I wondered if that was only part of it. With the weight workouts, as things have gotten easier, I've upped the weight. With plyometrics, I've started jumping higher. And with Yoga, well, that hasn't gotten easier.

But with Kenpo, the only thing to add is intensity--to get lower in my "horse stance," to kick higher and to add force to my punches. This morning (yes, Sunday--I just couldn't fit it in yesterday), I definitely stepped up the intensity.

When I did punches, I imagined I was hitting someone who had pissed me off (you know who you are). With the kicks, I imagined knocking over stacks of bricks. With blocks, I visualized a Matrix-worthy group of bad guys descending upon me and I was fighting them off (although I don't think I have got of the ground like Neo versus the Smiths in the picture).

After 45 minutes of that, I was dripping with sweat and definitely feeling the burn.

Even with all the workouts P90x has and all the focus on "muscle confusion," you can fall into a routine. You still need to find that intensity within to make all the workouts count.

With three more weeks to go, the Smiths are in for a few more ass-kickings.

Day 69: Missing the Reunion

Like anyone who has dieted or been on an exercise program knows, it's helpful to have a few dates on the calendar to look forward to. For me, one of those dates was today, May 14--my 25-year high school reunion (actually it's my 26th year since graduating, but let's roll with it).

I've never been all that vain or really concerned myself with how I look, not in high school, and not really now either. But everyone wants to look good for their reunion. Of course, looking at old photos today (like this one), I realize that I'll never look like I did in high school.

First of all, I'd never wear that hat or bow tie (although, I would happily stand with two beautiful friends like Linda and Sue). I'll also probably never weigh what I did in high school again and frankly, that's not what I'm trying to do. But I'm certainly prouder of the way I look today than I was 10 weeks ago.

In the end, I am not able to make it to tonight's reunion, which is too bad. I was looking forward to seeing some friends I haven't seen face-to-face in many years. But still, knowing the reunion was coming up was a small piece of my motivation for being "P-Daddy-X." It wasn't why I decided to do the program, but it was good to have it on the calendar.

Hopefully, I'll make it to my 30th reunion--and still be working hard to stay in shape. Meanwhile, to the North Haven High School Class of 1985, I'll raise a glass (of red wine) to you tonight! Have a great reunion.

Day 68: Yeah, I Ate This...And It Was Gooooood!

Over the past 10 weeks I have made some very good changes to my diet. I definitely feel better and it has made a difference for my overall health.

However, I've had people say that when I eat fattening food now it won't taste as good anymore.

They are wrong.

Last night (5/13) I went to the Washington Nationals v. the Florida Marlins game (clash of the Titans) and I ate the "half-smoky" pictured below (pre-ingestion) from the Ben's Chili Bowl stand at the game.

It was good. Very good.

So was the chili dog. And the beer.

In some ways it was even better. Chili dogs, sausages and other nitrate-laced food used to be a way of life. Now it is a choice and I know I can control my eating. That makes it taste even sweeter.

Day 66: "Bonjour" to All My Readers in Benin

One of the cool things about Blogger, the Google-owned site that hosts this fine piece of cyber literature, is that you can get all sorts of analytics about who has been reading this blog, how they accessed it and where they are visiting from.

It is not surprising that the vast majority of my visitors are from the good ol' U.S.A. But imagine my surprise when I saw where some other visitors were from. Belgium, Russia, Singapore, Benin and ...hold up. Benin? Yes, really, Benin.

Now I must confess that before about two minutes ago when I searched it, I wasn't 100 percent sure where Benin was, other than it was in Africa. Apparently it is an African republic bordered by Togo on one side, Nigeria on the other and the "Bight of Benin" on the south. More than 9 million people live in Benin and the official language is French. So, the question is....why was someone in Benin reading this blog?

Before any of you technobots out there ruin my fun, I'm aware this could simply be a technical issue about where the IP address is hosted and my "Benin" correspondent is probably a hacker living in his parents' basement in Jersey.

But I prefer to think more romantically--that there is someone doing P90x in their apartment in Cotonou who was feeling bad about not being able to finish Yoga X and was looking for some friendly advice. A quick Google search and--Voila--they found P-Daddy-X.

To my Beninese friends, keep reading...and keep pushing play! Bonne nuit.

Day 65: Mourning My Blender and Moving On

If loving a blender is wrong, I don't want to be right.

My Black & Decker blender has been as important to my relative success on P90x as my DVD player, my dumbbells and my bottle of Advil (well, maybe not my Advil).

Almost every morning for the past 65 days, I have blended myself a power smoothie after my workout--strawberries, a banana, skim milk and some "Super Daddy Power Powder" (aka protein). It may seem boring to have the same thing every day, but it is a nice ritual and helps with muscle recovery.

Yesterday, my blender--my friend--gave its last. As I washed out the pitcher, I heard a deadly "crack," followed by the unmistakable sound of broken glass. The blender was nearly 15 years old and it owed us nothing. But I had a brief moment of panic. "Oh no," I said. "What about my smoothies? I can't be PDaddyX without my smoothies!"

My wife calmed me down and said "go buy a new one. I have a coupon from Bed, Bath and Beyond!" Such a wise woman.

There were so many blender options--some big, some small, some very expensive, some very cheap. In the end, I went with the Cuisinart Portable Blending/Chopping System (pictured) complete with cups that you can blend in and then drink out of (once you've removed the blades, of course).

All was well after Plyometrics this morning when I made my power smoothie. I have to admit, the small blend-and-drink cup was more convenient and easier to clean than the big heavy glass pitcher I used. I survived this blender crisis and I am ready to move on. But a moment of cyber-silence for my Black & Decker buddy which gave its life for my smoothies.

Rest in pieces, my friend.

Days 63 & 64: Relieving the Pressure

Ever since I've been an adult (biologically, not maturity-wise), I've hated going to the doctor. I just couldn't stand those two questions I got asked every time:

1) Are you eating a healthy diet?

2) Do you exercise regularly?

The answer to these two questions, for a number of years, has been an emphatic "no!" In fact, shortly before I started P90x, I went for my first physical in many years and answered both questions "no," and got the requisite head shake from the doctor (which means "why not? Don't you realize how fat you are?").

As I indicated in an earlier post, the results of the physical and the blood test were better than they could have been, but I was far from healthy. In fact my blood pressure was 130/90--pretty high for a 43 year old guy.

I'm proud to say I returned to the doctor today for a follow-up and when she asked the two questions, I was able to answer "yes." Even better, my blood pressure had dropped to 120/64--a number my doctor called "great"--and my weight was down a little more than 20 pounds (it is actually a little bit more than that because last time when I got weighed at the doctor I was wearing the paper robe of shame--this time, I was fully clothed).

This isn't to brag: I still have a looooong way to go to be anything close to a normal weight. But it's progress and keeps me motivated to stay on track for the remaining 26 days and beyond.

Day 62: I Guess I Won't Make it to Day 90

So, apparently the world is going to end on May 21. I saw it on the internet so it must be true. Some prophetic group predicted that on May 21, 2011, that End Times will come.

Is it odd that when I heard this recently, all I could think was that I would be really pissed because that will only be day 76? And that I wondered whether The End would come before or after I finished that days workout (Kenpo X)?

I don't mean to mock the idea of End Times or The Rapture (although I do not believe it will be an "event"). And the fact Miley Cyrus recently did a remake of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" makes me think we are closer to The End than we ever have been (seriously...see the picture and do a Google search).

But this dire prediction is symbolic of something. There are hundreds and thousands of distractions pulling us away from being healthy. I mean, if the world is going to end in two weeks, why work out? But like this distraction most of them are not real and have to be blocked out. I feel pretty confident that I will be around for day 77, 78, 79 and so on. And I feel like you will be too. So, I will not allow myself to be thrown off track.

And if The End does come, at least I will be in pretty good shape.

Day 61: My Best Body Part

As I was doing the P90x Legs & Back routine today it dawned on me that I have one body part that is better than any of the people in the video--yes, even you Tony Horton. It's not my arms, back, chest, eyes, face, hair, teeth, ears, nose.

It's my calves (I didn't want to run a picture of my calves here because I don't want Tony Horton to feel bad or lose confidence).

Seriously, I have very strong calves. The three-way calf raises that we do in this work out are a breeze for me, even with 25 pound dumbbells in my hands. I have no idea why I have good calves. I certainly haven't worked them out any harder in my lifetime than any other body part (meaning, I have barely worked them out at all, save for the past 61 days).

It may have to do with the fact that my calves have been carrying around a lot of tonnage my entire adult life. Who knows?

But I revel in my fine calves. Now, if the rest of my body would just catch up.

Day 60: Beyond my Current Level of Fitness

Before each P90x DVD there are--not surprisingly--a series of warnings. It takes about a full minute for all the warnings to scroll up. Here's the Reader's Digest version:

This is really hard.

Really hard.

We warned you.

It's not our fault.

One of the warnings even says something like "If you feel like you are exercising beyond your current level of fitness...stop exercising immediately." I thought that was the whole friggin' point! On Day 1, my current level of fitness was "Fat, Dorito-jacked Sloth," so something tells me I was beyond my current level of fitness when I opened the box.

Today is day 60 and I haven't really had a Dorito in a couple of months. I'm still pretty tubby, but not as much anymore. And I'm definitely not a sloth. But I still feel like--most of the time--I'm exercising beyond my current level of fitness. Some of the moves are actually getting a little less hard, but I still wouldn't use the "e-word" (easy) for any of it.

Bottom line, if you are going to try P90x, read and heed the warnings. It's hard.

Really hard.

I warned you.

Day 59: Trying to Answer the Bell

Last night, one of my good friends from Georgia was in town for business and we got to hang out, have dinner and drink a few beers. I gave myself some PDaddyX latitude on one condition: I had to answer the bell in the morning. When the alarm went off at 5 a.m., I'd get up and work out, no matter how tired or, uh, impacted I was from my school night out.

I didn't overdo it last night, but I certainly didn't underdo it either. I rolled in around 11:30 a.m. and by midnight, I was ready to sleep. I made sure my Blackberry, which I use as an alarm, was set and by my side so I could answer the bell.

Fairly quickly I fell asleep, but I popped up a couple of times, with the first thing on my mind being "answer the bell!"

I was awakened by my four-year-old with his now regular question: "Daddy, are you going to 'extersize' this morning?" I replied "Yes, big man" and I was about to say "why are you up so early?" when it dawned on me it was light outside. Not a good sign.

Turns out, in my effort to "set" my alarm, I actually turned it off.

Needless to say, all I could think about during work today was that I was going to have to answer the bell tonight, after work, after my son's track meet and after bed time.

I'm pleased to say I did in fact answer the bell tonight--but I'll double check my alarm is set before going to bed tonight.

Gotta extersize.

Day 58: I'm Not Working to Scale

How much weight have you lost?

It's a question I love hearing, but, honestly, I don't have a good answer. I decided about two weeks into P90x that I was going to stop weighing myself regularly. First of all, we don't have a very good scale. But, more importantly, it's easy to get caught up in the numbers and get into a routine where your happiness is tied to how much the scale moved.

Ultimately, this whole PDaddyX thing is about being healthy, pushing myself and being a good role model to my boys. Weight loss is part of that and I've definitely dropped some pounds, but because P90x focuses so heavily on muscle development, chances are I haven't lost as much weight as some might think.

I have stepped on the scale a few times and my guess is that I've lost about 20 pounds, maybe a little more or less. However, there are other signs besides a number that tell me my body is changing and my health is improving:

• Clothes that were once tight on me are now loose around the waist, even baggy in some cases. And some clothes I put in storage because they were too, um, form-fitting are getting back in the rotation.
• I bought a pair of pants the other day that were three sizes smaller than the last pair I purchased (and they were suit pants, which generally run larger).
• I don't get winded taking a walk or climbing stairs.
• I'm generally sleeping better at night and I'm not getting the headaches and backaches I used to get.

To me, these are the real metrics of success, not the number that the scale tells me.

So, please, ask me how much weight I've lost, but don't be surprised when I say "well....I don't really know!"

Day 57: The Cupcake Diet

As I've documented here, last week was a series of speed bumps in the PDaddyX journey. The last bump came on Saturday as we celebrated my son Will's 8th birthday. He had a cupcake cake--individual sugar bombs arranged to look like a cake. I struggled with whether I should have one, until Will looked at me from within his sugar haze and said....

"Daddy, aren't you going to have a piece of a birthday cake?" I told him I would and I did. My concern wasn't whether one cupcake would put all 20-25 pounds I've lost back on. It was the cumulative effect of a stressful week in which I missed two workouts and would now top off with a sugary, sweet (and wonderful) cupcake.

I got that answer this morning when I returned to my routine. I started phase 3 and found that I actually could do MORE pushups, more pulldowns with the bands and was able to push myself harder.

My muscles did get some rest the past several days and I felt lighter and stronger after my recovery week. And clearly the eight weeks of P90x have made me stronger. For instance, in week three, I could do two sets of 10 decline pushups. This morning? 18 in one set and 20 in the second.

So, even after a difficult week, I'm making progress. Either that, or I've discovered that cupcakes are the secret to true fitness. Mmmmmm...cupcakes.

Happy birthday, buddy boy!