My P90X Story
Salutations!
I am 36 years old from Northampton, Massachusetts. I am an Upledger Certified CranioSacral Therapist and a Massachusetts Licensed Massage Therapist. I have a private practice here in Northampton. I also have a part time job as a supplement consultant at a local health store. So I am very much into health and well-being. However, in my work to help others, I let myself slip a bit …
Growing up I was always the skinny kid, even though I was not very active. I played some baseball and soccer growing up; but by the time I reached High School, I was fully into music and theater.
I stayed on the thin side into my late 20’s. Even with lack of exercise, I could eat what I wanted because I never gained weight. I did the ‘on again/off again’ gym membership thing a bunch of times over the past 6-8 years and I tried weight gain shakes and bars. But I never really knew what to do at the gym and how to put it all together.
I feared that any form of cardio exercise would cause me to lose weight, but I wanted to improve my cardiovascular health. When I lifted weights, I was often embarrassed by the really low weight I had to use just to hit 10-12 reps. Because of this I wanted to workout alone which did not help my motivation. Inevitably, I would go for a couple weeks and stop. Then a few months later go for a couple more weeks and stop. That was a pattern for years which lead to a poor fitness/activity level and gradual weight gain.
In addition to the lack of consistent exercise, I have been battling anxiety, panic and depression for over 8 years. I’ve tried different supplements, massage, acupuncture, reiki, and other bodywork in addition to talk therapy. I was very resistant to turn to drugs, but was also desperate to feel better.
In 2006 I decided to go on medication. I spent a few months finding the right one. Once I did it worked well for a while but after almost a year, I needed to step it up to something a bit stronger. I stayed on this one for almost two years.
My doctor told me that weight gain could be a possible side effect of these medications and I should do my best to be active. I still didn’t quite ‘get’ what that meant and I put on more weight.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I never considered myself overweight. I considered myself a ‘skinny-fat’. All the weight being added was unhealthy weight in the gut, around the hips and into the thighs. I wasn’t active so it was all fat being added without increasing muscle tone. I reached 170lbs which isn’t bad for my height, but if you look at my before pics, you’ll see that the weight was not muscle and not well distributed throughout my body. Going up a single flight of steps would raise my heart rate and two flights would have me breathing heavy. I was completely out of shape.
In early 2009, my 13 year relationship came to end. We both knew it was time to go our separate ways. A breakup is a tough thing to go through, even if it’s mutual and you both know it’s for the best. And while it did not help with my anxiety/depression, it did get me to start taking a look at what I was doing with my own health and how I wanted to live my life. I had become complacent with living a sedentary life. Is that really the person I wanted to be?
Since February 2009, I moved a couple of times, started working a part time job in addition to my private practice, starting dating again, and I decided to go off my meds. My part time job has helped me learn even more about healthy eating and proper nutritional supplementation; however, working two jobs means that I often work 7 days a week. I became comfortable coming home after a long day and just crashing on the couch. Plus, I was finding convenience foods just a little too convenient. Even working in a health food store, it was much easier to heat up some premade food at 10:00pm than it was to actually make something decent. And that became my pattern … until recently.
If you ask me, I’ll probably deny that it had anything to do with my 36th birthday this past April. When in reality it did get me to thinking about where I want to be when I am 40. I know that it is 4 years away … but it’s only 4 years away! What I do now lays the foundation for my health and well-being into my 40’s and beyond. I knew I had to make some changes. For me, that meant extreme changes because that’s how I operate. I’m not a person to test the waters; I close my eyes and jump.
Enter P90X … Possibly my best jump to date. The P90X program is changing my health, my fitness, the way I eat and my life! I am so incredibly thankful that I made the decision to try this program.
So there you have it: a brief look into my past. Seem like an abrupt ending? My blog posts will take a look at what has happened since I made the decision to seriously take charge of my health and start P90X.While I still support others in their health and well-being, I know that I have to take care of me first!
I do hope you will visit often to see and read my progress; and possibly leave a comment or two …
I truly wish you great health, happiness and success.
Thank you so much for reading.
Brian
