A sample text widget
Etiam pulvinar consectetur dolor sed malesuada. Ut convallis
euismod dolor nec pretium. Nunc ut tristique massa.
Nam sodales mi vitae dolor ullamcorper et vulputate enim accumsan.
Morbi orci magna, tincidunt vitae molestie nec, molestie at mi. Nulla nulla lorem,
suscipit in posuere in, interdum non magna.
|
 |
| Round 2, here I come! |
I haven’t mentioned it on the blog yet, but since I completed my Jillian Michaels Body Revolution workouts a couple of weeks ago, I decided to go back to P90X2 . This was actually inspired by the similarities I saw in Body Revolution, as well as the desire to earn a P90X2 t-shirt, which I denied myself the first time around. In order to get a t-shirt, the instructions provided in the program require the following: 1) Before and after photos (which I will discuss in a separate post); 2) Document your P90X2 “journey” with a short video every day. This is something I wanted to do the first time, but it just never happened. You know how that goes!
As a motivation to keep making those short daily videos, and as a natural extension of the blog, I have created the HomeFitnessGeek YouTube channel. I apologize ahead of time for my lack of video skills, but I hope that if you’re curious about P90X2, or my progress, that you will take a look. I will keep them at 2-3 minutes apiece, I promise. So far I’m not planning any exercise demonstrations, because honestly, I don’t do any fancy tricks. I just keep pushing Play, as Tony Horton says.
The YouTube channel will also include playlists of health- and fitness-related videos I am collecting into playlists, including videos by the cast members of P90X2, Jillian Michaels, and more. Basically, whatever I find that is interesting in that category.
Back to P90X2… I’m already feeling the time crunch compared to the shorter Jillian Michaels videos. As a matter of fact, I need to go complete a late-night X2 Ab Ripper session (about 20 minutes) that I skipped this morning. As I said in my Jillian Michaels vs Tony Horton comparison, each workout style has its benefits and disadvantages. As the P90X2 intro video says, it’s time to Bring It! Again.
Related Posts
Jillian Michaels vs Tony Horton (comparison)
Jillian Michaels Body Revolution (workout updates and reviews)
P90X2 Round 1 Results
Blog Reboot: P90X2 Is Here!
P90X2 Round 1 Day 1
Featured Products
P90X2
<br /> <img src=”http://wms.assoc-amazon.com/20070822/US/img/noscript.gif?tag=homfitgee-20″ alt=”” /><br />
I am a pretty healthy guy, generally speaking. After gaining some weight in my 30s and early 40s, I got serious about exercise and calorie counting. I have maintained my goal weight for a couple of years now. I like to challenge myself with home exercise programs including P90X, workout DVDs from Jillian Michaels, and more. Just like everyone else, there are still some aspects of a healthy and happy life which I am still struggling to achieve. This is the first of a series of blog posts dedicated to exploring those problem areas. Hopefully they will help me (and you) to develop good habits and improve our health.
Causes of Inadequate Sleep
How Long: Sleep. Ever since my college years, I have tried to convince myself that I didn’t need as much of it as “some people” (including my wife) who tend to go to bed earlier and wake up later than I do. On average, I get 6 hours of sleep, maybe 7 or 8 on the weekends. In the evening, I have kept myself up late on the computer (doing all those important tasks on the Internet, of course), or watching TV. There are also certain household tasks which need to be done in the evening. In the morning, if I don’t get up bright and early to meet with Tony or Jillian for our exercise session, then it’s not going to happen. Sleep time gets squeezed in the middle. Based on the drowsiness I experience during the day, and the strong urge to get to bed at night, I’ve been fooling myself about how much sleep I really need.
Conflicting Schedules: My social and family life often includes events which end at 9 or 10 PM. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for sleep, if I want to be up sometime between 5 and 6 AM to get in my exercise, along with other morning activities.
Mattress: Sometimes I wonder if it’s time to buy a new mattress, because it seems that even on those nights I allow myself a full eight hours, I wake up sore and not very well rested. Of course, it would be easier to know the cause if I allowed myself to sleep that long on a regular basis, right? Buying a new mattress is an expensive proposition, so for now I think it would be cheaper to lengthen my sleep time.
Physical Issues: Over the years, I have had trouble with snoring (when I had a pot belly), which seems to have improved, according to my wife. I still wake up feeling congested from time to time. As I get older, my bladder and related organs seem to be conspiring to create a vague urge to pee during the night, which is not enough to wake me, but I do have the sensation that I am not quite asleep, either. A third issue is not related to my body, but rather the light and noise which is produced by a home with a young child, who has “accessories” to help him sleep at night. I try to minimize that with my own muffling device: A pillow over my head.
Insomnia: There have been nights where my overactive brain wouldn’t let me sleep, or I have awakened during the night and had trouble getting back to sleep.
Dangers of Inadequate Sleep
Here are some problems which are commonly associated with lack of sleep, which I have experienced/might experience:
- Drowsiness (duh!) at my desk, at home, in the car… This can be unproductive, or very dangerous.
- Increased stress
- Increased cortisol hormone levels, leading to belly fat, which is great when I am working so hard on that six pack
- Disruption of the hunger-related hormones leptin (triggers a feeling of “being full”) and ghrelin (triggers a feeling of “being hungry”). Being tired means I feel hungry more often, and don’t feel full as quickly as I should.
- Symptoms of overtraining syndrome. I would not consider (approximately) an hour of exercise, several times per week to be excessive. I even take Sundays off! Lack of sleep sabotages proper exercise recovery, which makes me feel overtrained.
Game Plan for Better Sleep
OK, so what can I do to get out of this zombie-like state? I would love to read your comments and suggestions below. Here are some ideas:
- Prepare my workout equipment the night before, so it’s ready to go in the morning. If I plan a later start time, I won’t have to set up so much in the morning. Ditto for putting out the trash, preparing my lunch, and anything else I can do (without getting to bed too late).
- Focus on the important tasks in the morning, and stay away from the computer! Again, if I can reduce the amount of time required in the morning between when I wake up and when I leave for work, I can allocate extra time for sleep.
- Schedule a nap during the day. Michael Hyatt wrote an excellent blog post (also a podcast episode) about naps as a productivity tool. Of course, in an office environment I would have to do this inconspicuously and without wasting “company time.”
- As many evenings as possible, plan to spend eight hours in bed. Whether I am sleeping or not, at least I’m a lot closer to getting a good night’s rest.
Related Posts
Other Resources
I finished my last Body Revolution workouts last week. As I said in my first post about Body Revolution, I did not purchase Jillian Michaels Body Revolution for myself. I am in weight maintenance mode, and walking that line between burning fat and building muscle. My personal reason for trying Body Revolution was to experience Jillian Michaels’ latest creation, since it was brought into my house by a family member. How could I resist?
All that being said, I did lose three pounds over the past two months, without interrupting my normal eating habits too much. (I used to post updates about my nutrition for the week, but no one reads those.) Generally speaking, I use the Calorie Count website to track my meals, and I maintain a calorie deficit of about 200-300 calories per day, on paper, except for those days that I splurge (usually a weekend day and/or special occasion). My waist size has stayed about the same, and I am OK with that. I don’t see much difference in the mirror, except maybe edging closer to those chiseled abs I would really like to have. Right now, they are still flat, which is OK too.
How did I like Body Revolution? I really like Jillian’s method of creating 30 minute workouts (more or less) that burn a maximum amount of calories for that period of time. Each of the 12 resistance workouts was used a total of four times (two times per week, for two weeks), and this was enough to learn each workout and make progress without a lot of repetition. (The Cardio 1-3 workouts are repeated more often, especially if you choose to do the extra sessions.) There was also a noticeable progression in terms of difficulty from one set of workouts to the next. I believe Jillian when she says (as I heard again on her podcast recently) that she wants to get into the gym and work hard for 30 minutes, then get out.
 |
| rip:60 (Amazon) |
I don’t know if it’s possible to see the same results from Body Revolution that someone could get from a more targeted program like P90X , P90X2 , or rip:60. Body Revolution is very effective for the time required, which is a good trade-off for a lot of people. When I want to spend an hour on my biceps, or twenty minutes on my abs, there’s always P90X. I love that stuff, but it’s not everyone’s preference.
 |
| P90X2 (Amazon) |
If you are interested in learning more (a lot more) exercises involving strength and balance, as well as plyometrics, yoga, and something called Post-Activation Potentiation (P.A.P.), you can go from Body Revolution on to P90X2. I know, that’s Tony Horton’s program, not Jillian’s, but I think they went to the same convention or something. There are a lot of similar exercises, as I have mentioned in previous posts. Tony includes the use of a stability ball, medicine balls, and more. Again, this could be good or bad, depending on what you like.
Will I ever do Body Revolution again? On a schedule? Occasionally? I could certainly see the appeal of doing a week’s worth of, say, Phase 3 workouts as a break from a 90-day program schedule. I might even throw in a Cardio 2 or 3 workout as part of a schedule including strength training, recovery, and even (gasp!) yoga, from various trainers. No matter the reason you purchase Body Revolution, you don’t have to put it away forever after the 90 days are done.
Products purchased using the affiliate links on this page help support the blog, at no additional cost. Thanks!
Featured Products
Related Posts
<br /> <img src=”http://wms.assoc-amazon.com/20070822/US/img/noscript.gif?tag=homfitgee-20″ alt=”” /><br />
Don’t forget to check out all my CAST PROFILES!
 |
| Switch Lunge Press |
Full Name: Jeremy Yost
P90X2 Introduction: Tony Horton says, “If you don’t know this guy, you live under a rock!” Jeremy has a fused ankle due to a previous injury. He’s a Beachbody coach who joined Tony on a QVC (at-home shopping network) show. He lost 180 lbs with P90X modified for his needs, and now he’s in a P90X2 video demonstrating the “travel” modifications. He also coaches 60 people at work. (Was Tony supposed to say that? Well, he said it!)
Background and Current: The details of Jeremy’s success story are available on his website. At the beginning of 2009, his weight had reached 370 lbs. His ankle was crippled by arthritis at the site of a football-related injury. He admits that he had given up on his health and fitness at that point. Some friends had been using P90X, and encouraged him to do the same. You can read the details, but after three rounds of P90X, he had undergone some dramatic changes, and won Beachbody’s award for Top Male Transformation of 2009. He has become an inspiration to his children, Beachbody team members, and the U.S. military on a visit with Tony Horton in 2011.
My Comments: Most people have experienced an injury or other physical challenges that would discourage them from exercising, or from attempting certain specific exercises. Jeremy is a living example of Tony Horton’s constant reminder to modify exercises when necessary to get through the workout. On his website, in addition to the Beachbody product and coaching information, it’s great to see opportunities to interact with Jeremy and other team members in a user forum, as well as other social media sites listed below.
Official/Personal Websites:
Personal Website (includes a discussion forum, blog, and links to Beachbody products and coaching)
Facebook (subscribe or friend request)
Facebook (Jeremy Yost Fitness page)
Twitter @JeremyYost1
YouTube JeremyYost1
Don’t forget to check out all my CAST PROFILES!
 |
| Can David see Jillian from up there? |
Full Name: David Shipp
Video Introduction: We don’t learn too much about David from the Body Revolution workouts. Jillian brings him up front to demonstrate some of the strength-based exercises, such as Burpees, Cannonball jumps, and (in the picture to the left), a 3-Way Push Up.
Background and Current: Based on the links found below, David was an athlete at UCLA, in two different sports. He has worked as a model and in fitness infomercials. He doesn’t have much of a social media presence, but he does have a personal Facebook page. Maybe he wants to be your friend?
My Comments: David’s moves are impressive for such a big guy. Well, standing next to Jillian makes him seem even bigger, of course, since she’s 5 ft 2 in and he’s 6 ft 1 in. His modeling profile says he is “agile, fast and mobile,” and I have seen that in the Body Revolution workouts. Thanks, David, for inspiring both men and women, maybe in different ways.
Official/Personal Websites:
Websites Featuring David
|
|
