An Average Joe’s Point of View on Fitness, Nutrition, Exercise and Supplements

Last week saw my introduction to the P90X program with the Chest and Back workout. Again this week, this workout beat me up. I got nauseous about half way through again, but I stuck it out, and now about a half hour later, I feel great. Unlike last week, I was able to get through the warmups without getting winded. That’s a small, noticeable improvement.

Tomorrow is Plyometrics, which I couldn’t finish last week.

Well, with both work and my commitment to Bringing It, in the words of Tony Horton, to P90X, I haven’t been able to update this blog as often I would like. But, I’ve survived the first week of the workout and am pumped to start the routine all over with week two tomorrow.

Here is what the rest of week one looked like:

Day 2 was Plyometrics. This workout started with Tony Horton saying that Plyometrics is one of the toughest workouts in the P90X routine. It was. It was all jumping, lunges and squats. I wasn’t able to finish this workout.

Day 3 was Shoulders and Arms. Great workout for the upper body and I felt great afterward.

Day 4 was Yoga X. This was one of the workout routines I was looking forward to when I started researching P90X. I’ve found that I’m extremely stiff and tight. I believe with the Yoga and Stretching routines in the P90X program, I can get rid of stiffness and tightness.

Day 5 was supposed to be Legs and Back, but instead I substituted Kenpo X for it. Kenpo X was scheduled for Day 6, but I had family commitments both yesterday and today and I really wanted to give it a try. Kenpo X was amazing. I felt absolutely great after it.

After two days off, I look forward to starting it all up again tomorrow with Chest and Back again.

Well, the first day of P90X is in the books, and I got the shit kicked out of me. I realized today that just because you go to the gym often, you may not be in shape. I am not in as good of shape that I thought I was. I started to get tired just through the warm ups.

Today’s work out was chest and back. Lots of push ups and lots of pull ups. It was not just push ups and pull ups alternated, it was variations of the two exercises. I found the dive bomb push ups and the diamond push ups to be the most difficult.

I really liked this workout. It was the shock to my system I needed. The shock to my workout routine I needed. Tony Horton is a positive presence throughout the entire workout. He stresses form over reps. Quality over quantity. He stresses for the first timers, like me, to utilize the pause button to take a bit longer of a break, but reminds to you to come back and push play when you are ready. But most importantly, he stresses that it will take time and commitment to become proficient and that you will not be proficient on your first time.

Right now, I’m sore and the nausea is finally going away 45 minutes later, but I’m still excited about P90X and looking forward to Plyometrics tomorrow.

It’s been a while since we’ve talked. A good deal has changed since then. My work has picked up significantly, which means a lot more time at my desk. That also means less time for blogging and working out, and it also allows for old, bad habits to creep back in.

Since I haven’t been working out as regularly and with work zapping a good deal of my energy, when I do get to the gym I’ve felt very lethargic. All of this has combined to create trouble with me, many of the gains I’ve seen over in the past year with losing weight and becoming toned have been lost. How quickly a desk job can do that to you.

I realized I needed something to get me energized about working out again, but also be convenient with my busy work schedule. For the last several months, it seems like I always turn on the TV to the P90X infomercial. It interested me from the minute I saw it. I did some heavy research online to see if it was worth it and was all that it promised. Everything that I read pointed to one thing, if you follow the program as instructed, you will see great results. Ok, actually two things, it will also kick your ass.

Last week, I decided to go for it and ordered P90X. My workout routine has gotten stale and boring, and this is going to change it up. I plan to start the program tomorrow and will be documenting my progress here. So check back regularly to see how I respond to the P90X Challenge. It’s time for me to Explode My Workout.

Although you may at first be put off by yogis who are able to twist their bodies into knots, don’t let it put you off trying yoga. Twisting your body into contortions is only one part of yoga. It would be like judging eating ice cream on the basis of just one or two flavors. There’s bound to be a flavor of yoga for you to enjoy. When you find it, you can partake of the many practical health benefits of yoga.

Reduced Stress

Part of the reason we are so stressed in life is that we often feel completely at the mercy of unseen (or even seen) forces. It can often seem like at any moment we can be both literally and metaphorically knocked off balance by very little. One of the health benefits of yoga (any branch of it) is that it reduces your stress by giving you self confidence, gentle exercise, and emotional balance along with your improved physical balance.

Improved Circulation

Your body relies on the circulation system in order to get all of the energy it needs to all of the places that needs it. If a body part doesn’t get a lot of exercise, neither does your circulation system. This means body parts often don’t get the energy and natural chemicals they need in order to function. This is especially a problem with arthritis, diabetes and some cases of impotency.

The bending, twisting, stretching and gentle turning of yoga helps get your blood pumping. This exercising of your circulatory system is another of the practical health benefits of yoga. Ideally, yoga should get your heart working, but not to the point where you are in pain or feel like you are going to faint.

Bone Strength

As we get older, our bones loose their density and cannot do their job of holding the body up. Although it happens more to women, everyone risks brittle bones as they get older. Another health benefit of yoga (no matter what your age) is that, by keeping exercised and moving, and having your circulation getting them the nutrients they need, they can perform better for you when you are older.

Also, yoga can help you loose some weight, which certainly can aggravate aging bones. Another major health benefit of yoga is that it helps you stay in a shape easier for your bones to carry around. With less fat, you also have less risk of developing heart disease or diabetes Type 2.

The Causes Of Heartburn Provide Clues To The Cures

Many people around the world have been affected by heartburn, and the dedicated work of brilliant medical professionals led to cures for this problem. The professionals started by looking at the causes of heartburn to figure out a cure for heartburn. First of all, they discovered that the main cause of heartburn was acid moving from the stomach into the esophagus. Acid occurs naturally in a healthy stomach as an aid to digestion. People eat a sandwich or a steak, and it must be digested with the help of several organs in the human system.

The stomach is made strong enough to accommodate the acid needed for digestion, but the esophagus cannot tolerate this strong substance. When the researchers figured out the causes of heartburn, they could start to work on the medications or procedures necessary for solving the problem. The causes of heartburn led them to develop several products that would neutralize the acid and eliminate the burning sensation of heartburn. The researchers used their information on the causes of heartburn to develop several medications that people could take when they felt the burning sensation. For people with infrequent heartburn, these medications have proven sufficient.

The Causes Of Heartburn Include Diet And Exercise

Older people are more likely to suffer from heartburn. If the acid from the stomach backs up into the esophagus only once, the problem is quickly solved. The causes of heartburn can lead to more serious conditions if the problem is not corrected. Dietary habits of each individual could be the causes of heartburn. Certain foods are often the causes of heartburn for some people. Drinking coffee and other foods that contain caffeine might be most enjoyable but these foods could be the cause of heartburn. Fried foods, tomatoes and alcohol could cause heartburn.

Some doctors will recommend more exercise for those who suffer from heartburn. A sedentary lifestyle could be responsible for heartburn. People who do not exercise regularly often suffer from heartburn. Bad diet and the lack of exercise leads to obesity which seems to be a cause of heartburn. Lying down soon after eating a meal could trigger the mechanisms that lead to heartburn. People should wait for some time after a meal before they go to bed. People who suffer from heartburn should evaluate their lifestyle and decide on the important steps they can take to eliminate heartburn. The latest treatments for those with heartburn should bring relief and each person should discuss their problems and the possible solutions.