As friends or family, we are just sharing what we like but companies call this word of mouth advertising. Most tell you it’s the BEST form of advertising. People will be more convinced on something if they hear it from their friends and family.

After a few weeks on doing P90X, I had made the decision to go into a career in health and fitness. I figured this would lead me to being a personal trainer or nutrition expert but I found out that Beachbody, the parent company of P90X, has a business opportunity! I’ve done business opportunities, network marketing, mlms… whatever you want to call them, in the past and swore I’d never do one again! Most of the time when you join one of these companies they consist of a new product no one has heard of or something that you would only buy to be a part of the opportunity. These companies are usually based on building a network of distributors and not really caring about customers. This never works, people get discouraged and they quit!

So why is Beachbody different? First of all, it’s product based! I bought P90X from the infomercial. I loved the product so much that I started telling my friends and family about it, all BEFORE I even heard about a business opportunity!

Second, it’s something you HAVE heard of! P90X and Insanity are the number 1 and number 2 infomercials on television right now! Their other programs are huge too including one of the newest ones, Brazil Butt Lift. If you watch television, you’ve probably seen them. So brand recognition is there.

Third, recruiting “distributors” is only encouraged if you plan to work with them and help them to become successful. We make money on customers and helping other Coaches become successful by building their organizations. This is definitely a customer based company.

Oh, and did I forget to mention, you know all those ads on television Beachbody has? You know, the $100 million a year they spend on them and get 20,000 new customers a week? Those people that buy from the infomercials are all assigned a coach so we get them as our customers in our organization for free!!! How sweet is that? I’m getting about one a day right now. At that rate, I will be replacing our full time income in one year, without doing any more effort on my own part! Of course I will be, since this is my new passion!

What other company gives you free customers? I’ve never heard of that! What other company has this kind of pay scale with this kind of brand recognition? Who doesn’t want to get fit? No one! If you say you don’t, you’re lying! Trust me, if you did the work and three months from now were in the best shape of your life, you wouldn’t regret it. This is just the start of my journey and I can’t wait for the ride!

For more information on how you can become a Coach, check out Become a Coach.

I guess the moral of the story is to take care of yourself. Yoga can be a great thing to do to take care of all your muscles but if you pull too hard on one that’s not used to it, it can be detrimental. Luckily, I’ve pulled this muscle before so I know it recovers within a day or so but the process can really suck!

Today I’ll focus on really taking care of myself during my workout and making sure I get all my supplements. It might be a good day for a little extra recovery drink to make sure I recover quickly.

UPDATE: I just finished my workout and feel great! A lot of the soreness has gone away. It’s still kind of dull but I know if I would have just sat on the couch, it would have gotten worse. Yea!

If I were to give one tip, make sure you have NO DISTRACTIONS while doing Yoga. I have done it on days where my kids were running around the house and I find that when I don’t have the concentration I need, I can’t do nearly as much. I won’t get everything out of it. Yoga is definitely more than 50% a mental exercise! So turn off the tv and the phone and lock yourself in a room. Try to plan it for when the kids are in bed or at school. You will feel completely energized and stress free after a Yoga session but only if you’re able to lose yourself in that session. Personally, I’m doing it tonight after the kids are in bed. I just get WAY more out of it that way!

On another note, the past couple of days have been hard for me with my diet. I keep getting tempted to eat after 10pm and then cave a little bit. I’ve also been tired in the mornings. I have to wonder if I got more sleep if it will ward off these cravings. So my new rule is that when I start to get the urge to eat late at night, I’m just going to go to bed. I might stay up and watch a tv show but no more going into the kitchen. I might still drink some water, tea or my Shakeology at that time, but no more food! To make up a little for yesterday, I should have plenty of calories left over today.

One of the things that motivated me is the fact after Recovery Week is the big four week push to go ALL OUT in P90X. This is where you’re supposed to see the most results and I definitely want that. So here’s to staying disciplined nutritionally and kicking some butt over the next few weeks to get some amazing results! Only 40 days left!

So if you’ve been following my blog but don’t have P90X yet, you might want to know what kind of variety is in a P90X workout. The variety is actually the secret to P90X and why it is so effective! You can’t just bench press, do squats or run on a treadmill and expect to get results. Whether it’s going to a gym or doing a workout dvd you picked up at Walmart, you will plateau because your body adjusts so quickly to the workout. Once your body adjusts, it will stop building muscle and losing fat. The human body is able to make quick adjustments like that.

P90X uses a technique called “muscle confusion.” The workouts consists of an enormous variety every day. You do this variety for three weeks and then have a recovery week of an entirely different set of workouts. Since the body is starting to adjust to what you’re doing, the next three weeks are another entirely different set of workouts! Basically your body never adjusts, keeps working hard and keeps gaining muscle and losing fat! The end result is the most ripped, lean and toned body you have ever had! I had no hesitation in getting the program myself because they guarantee your results! If you follow the program and don’t get results, they will give you your money back!

Ok, so here is the schedule:

Weeks 1, 2, 3, 9, 11:
Day 1: Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 2: Plyometrics
Day 3: Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
Day 4: Yoga X
Day 5: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6: Kenpo X
Day 7: Rest Day or X Stretch

Week 4, 8, 13:
Day 1: Yoga X
Day 2: Core Synergistics
Day 3: Kenpo X
Day 4: X Stretch
Day 5: Core Synergistics
Day 6: Yoga X
Day 7: Rest Day or X Stretch

Week 5, 6, 7, 10, 12:
Day 1: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 2: Plyometrics
Day 3: Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Day 4: Yoga X
Day 5: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Day 6: Kenpo X
Day 7: Rest Day or X Stretch

So as you can see, there is a HUGE variety in the workouts! If you don’t get in the best shape of your life in 90 days on this program, you’re not working! Tomorrow starts Week 8 for me. When I did Week 4, I thought this was going to be an easy week. That was until I did Core Synergistics! The whole workout, you have to engage your core. It was the first time I was really struggling since Week 1. Of course, that just means it’s working!

P90X, The Answer, Part 1

P90X, The Answer, Part 2

P90X, The Answer, Part 3

If you’re interested in ordering P90X, please Click Here and click Shop.

Food Totals
Calorie Allotment: 1,610
Calories Burned: 790
Total Calories to Eat: 2,400
Actual Calories Eaten: 2,625

It’s tough when our neighbors come over to play board games at 10pm and my wife throws a pizza in. It’s definitely tough to say no to that. I ended up having a couple of slices to put me over by a couple hundred calories. Tomorrow I will commit to eating clean to make up for it!

I’ll admit, there have been days where I really didn’t want to do two workouts! The “Doubles” version adds an extra workout three days a week! This works for me, but it’s not for everyone. If you don’t have the two hours to workout on those days, you won’t be able to do “Doubles.” For me, I made the decision to get the best results possible with this program so I’m making the time to do it.

Today was one of those days with the extra workout. I had “Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X and Cardio X.” Ab Ripper X is a 16 minute abs workout added on to the strength training workout days, but first came Legs & Back. This is a workout that focuses on a lot of lunges and squats but in a variety of different ways to make sure it hits all the right muscles. There are also some pull ups thrown in there as well, as they help out the back in addition to your arms. The following is me doing a sneaky lunge, where you have to stay on your tip toes the whole time. I must have been coming out of it because I’m usually into the lunge lower than that.

47 Days - Sneaky Lunges

Following Legs and Back was Ab Ripper X. This is the type of exercise that you have to mentally prepare for. You need to come into it totally focused or you won’t get the results out of it. It’s eleven exercises of 25 reps each and they all target your core. If your core isn’t on fire at the end, you’re not working!

When I first started doing P90X, I did Ab Ripper X with a lot of breaks. I would do 10 to 15 of the reps and couldn’t finish. Now I can finish all the reps, with a lot of concentration, including the last exercise which is 50 reps and VERY HARD! Here is me doing “Heels to the Heavens.” You have to lift your butt off the ground with your feet in the air as high as you can 25 times! This is still one of the hardest ones for me.

47 Days - Heels to the Heavens

Lastly, but certainly not least, was my supplemental workout, Cardio X. This is the workout that would be added on three times per week if you decided to do Doubles. It’s about 43 minutes and has a mixture of a lot of the other workouts in it. What’s great about this workout is that you get what you put in. I definitely burn more calories when I bring it that day! Here is me doing “Run Squats.” You have to get down into a squat with a runners stance and pump your arms like you’re running for 30 seconds on each side. It’s towards the end of the workout so it can be exhausting! I’ve also posted a video of me JUST after the workout.

Day 47 - Run Squats

That recovery drink is REALLY delicious. The only thing to watch out for is the calorie content. It’s a PERFECT formula for anyone doing a workout but I wouldn’t drink it just for the heck of it… even though it can be temping since it’s SO good! lol.

P90X Results and Recovery Formula

Food Totals
Calorie Allotment: 1,610
Calories Burned: 726 (Not counting Legs & Back since it’s strength training)
Total Calories to Eat: 2,336
Actual Calories Eaten: 2,297

Much better today! I saw I was low on protein and fiber so I ate some high fiber popcorn and had a protein shake. My water intake is also WAY up!

Also, if you’re paying attention to what I ate, here’s a link to my wife’s post about what we had for dinner. It was REALLY delicious! The calories look higher because I ate three servings! It was a lot of food.

For that reason, I’m going to do my best to journal daily progress here. First of all, I’ll review yesterday. I’ll post a separate post for today.

Day 46 – Yoga X – I know, why is Yoga a workout in an intense workout program like P90X? Well if you did it, you would know the answer to that question. Yoga X is a little easier, as far as your heart rate goes, than the other workouts, but it’s definitely still intense. There are MANY balance postures that take quite some time to master. One of the harder ones requires balance and strength to pull off. Even if you get into the pose, you have to hold it for some time, which is extremely challenging! Luckily, there is another move for you to do if you cannot do this one in particular. I couldn’t do it for the first month, but here is me doing it yesterday. It feels incredible to be able to pull something like that off!

46 Days - Wheel

Yoga provides strength, flexibility and balance. I can do a lot more in my other workouts because of Yoga. It gives me the ability to go a lot further. The only downside to Yoga X is it’s longer than the other workouts. It’s about an hour and a half long! As long as that sounds, when you get into the workout, it will fly right by for you and you’ll feel incredible afterward!

Food Totals
Calorie Allotment: 1,610
Calories Burned: 744
Total Calories to Eat: 2,354
Actual Calories Eaten: 2,851

My fat and sodium were VERY high and my protein and fiber were low. I’ll definitely have to work on those. Of course this was a celebration day so I know this is probably one of my worst days.

My Beautiful wife, Elizabeth

My point is that life is what you make it. Back in those early days we weren’t eating healthy and didn’t work out. We were pretty young, so our metabolisms kept us from growing too big, but things weren’t as good as they are now. Don’t get me wrong, they were good, but just not to level it is now. Back then, we had no kids. Now we have three! I’ll just let that sink in for you for a moment.

Today my wife and I live happy, healthy and active lives. We surround ourselves with the most positive influences that we possible can. Life is good!

Of course since it was our anniversary, we HAD to celebrate! I’ll be the first to admit, nobody’s perfect. We decided to celebrate by going to one of our favorite restaurants, Red Lobster. I know, not the best of choices when you’re eating healthy but we decided to anyway. Before we left, we jumped on the internet and choose what we were going to eat before going there. We calculated the calories and fit it into our diets. Obviously eating at home is always healthier, since you never know what is ACTUALLY going into the food, but celebrations are different. We had it all worked out but when we got there, we decided to throw an appetizer on as well. I still had quite a bit of wiggle room in how much I could eat for the day but I never expected that appetizer to be 1,2oo calories! Case in point, DO YOUR RESEARCH before going to ANY restaurant!

On the positive side, I was only over on my limit for calories for the day by a few hundred. I can easily make up for that tomorrow with my workouts. The MAJOR lesson to be learned when having a small splurge is to hit it hard the next day and don’t let that derail you! When you’re living a healthy lifestyle, it is a LIFESTYLE change! Of course celebrations and holidays will come up and that occasional splurge can be justified. Have a piece of cake at a birthday party, just make sure you work those calories off and eat clean the next day. If you follow that, you will never have a problem.

As promised in my previous post, I’ve set up a page to track my food on. You can see everything I’m eating for the day as well as the calories, fat, fiber, etc. Just click the button below…

My name is Jason Allred and I am a late night munchies addict. Phew! Ok, there… it’s off my chest. Honestly, I had been doing really well the first month of following the P90X nutrition plan. The first phase is a fat burning stage so you eat more proteins and VERY FEW carbs. That was until the second month…

When I got into the second month, I went into phase 2. Phase 2 is more of a balanced diet so you get enough carbs to fuel you through your workouts. I was doing really well and “thought” I could relax a little and just sort of keep a mental tally in my head of what I was eating. When I stopped tracking my food intake so religiously, it was sort of like a snowball effect. It just gets worse and worse until you end up eating a whole bag of honey braided pretzels!

I guess I could look on the bright side; it’s whole grain foods that I’m munching on at night but still, it’s a bad habit. Let me clarify, the rest of my day is looking pretty good. I eat fairly clean until about 8:30 or 9:00pm. Then the snacks start coming out and by midnight or 1am, I feel bloated and terrible! I still feel bloated this morning! It’s not a good feeling when you’re getting healthy! It brings you back to your before and I DON’T want to ever get back to there.

I did notice that I was able to keep this under control and not feel deprived at all when I tracked the food I ate. I would enter the food into a food journal and then towards the end of the night, I would know whether or not I had a little wiggle room. This helped in a big way! Another thing that helped me before was drinking more water or a protein shake at night. That helped me to stay full.

This feeling I have right now is a BIG wake up call! When your abs are starting to show definition and you just feel like you have a gut, it’s NO FUN! Time to go through my meal plan and make sure I have the right foods in the house and DEFINITELY start tracking my foods again. When I take my 60 day progress pictures, I want them to be AMAZING!

I’ve noticed this to be the same with working out. I’m almost halfway through P90X now and I can see why so many people quit after the first 30 days. A month of working out 6 days a week can get exhausting. You might start to think that a day off here and there won’t hurt… after all, you’re burning so many calories as it is! Of course if you start down that path, you’re doomed to fail! One day off won’t hurt, but that one day will lead to two, then to another and soon you’re feeling like a failure so you quit.

I’ll admit, I had thoughts of skipping a day in my head. There were days where I was tired and not in the mood to work out. After all, life gets in the way. We see television shows like The Biggest Loser where people are doing phenomenally, but what happens when they get home? A lot of them gain the weight back again! TLC just did a show on one of the season’s winners that gained it all back! Click here to see the full story. Below is his after picture but now he looks like the before picture again.

Unlike television, this is real life. We must learn how to get healthy and stick with it in the real world. One of the most important things someone can do to be successful is to find a way to hold themselves accountable. The easiest way to do this is to sit down and write out your “why” statements. These are statements that should be your driving force to succeed. You must make them personal to you! They can be things like:  I want to be able to play with my kids when they’re older, I want to WANT to get up in the morning, I want my spouse to look at me like they used to, I want to be a good example, I want to afford to go on vacations, or I want to own my own home. These are all “why” statements but are only a few examples. Each person’s “why” is going to be different.

When I started to lose motivation, I picked up my “why” statements and got that motivation back! I didn’t want to work out one day and it was 10pm. I reviewed my “why” statements, went downstairs into my gym and worked my butt off! When I was done, I felt REALLY proud of myself for not giving in! I knew that if I would have given in I would have felt REALLY guilty.

Now even when we write down our “why” statements, it can be easy to ignore them. That is why the other INCREDIBLY important factor to being successful is having a success partner. This should be someone you can go to that will remind you of your “why” statements, hold you accountable and help you to not be alone in this. This needs to be someone in your life that is 100% supportive! Sometimes that’s hard to find in the people closest to us as they can be some of our worst critics. The best place to find a success partner is right in the community of people that is striving to achieve that same goals as you.

I coach others for free and am happy to find other success partners. The more the better because that is just more people holding me accountable. When I am being held accountable, it keeps my motivation at a high level to help others stay motivated. It’s a win-win for both partners!

Sign up for your free Beachbody account here to get that success partner. It’s completely free, you can log your workouts there, join the message boards and chats for support and keep yourself accountable! It’s the first step, and the easiest one, to a healthier lifestyle. In addition, you can win money every day you work out! Sign up here!

My “Why”