The sad reality is that I was headed down a disastrous road.  Having been pretty fit for most of my life, spending 8+ years at a desk and then becoming a stay-at-home dad had left me slowly slipping.  I wasn’t your typical overweight.  In fact, I doubt most people would even have said I was fat.  But, give how rarely I did anything other than idle weight lifting, one might guess that I had developed an extreme allergy to cardiovascular exercise.  Even my “resistance training” was meager at best.

I had all the excuses.  I was too busy, I had too much to do, and so on.  Maybe there was some truth to them, but they were still just excuses.  Like many people, I was using my life to rationalize my lack of drive.  The worst part is that I was setting a terrible example for my son (and shortly-arriving daughter).  Given that my son wasn’t even two, maybe my laziness was not much of an issue, but it would be sooner rather than later.  I wanted to be a parent my kids were proud of; not one that embarrassed them.  I needed to make a change.  Not just for my kids and wife, but mostly for me.  To be the person I wanted to be, I had to change what I was doing to myself.

Thankfully, P90X entered my life.  Like thousands of others, I had seen bits and pieces of the P90X informercials. Had I ever sat and watched a full one though? Um, no. Was I even willing to buy something from an infomercial? Um, no. Did I think that the gym was all that was necessary to reclaim the fitness I once had? Um, of course I did. The gym worked throughout my schooling and certainly it would work again. Was I wrong? In a word: YES. The gym may have been successful for me for many years, when my life was filled with nearly endless free-time, worry-free days, and fun-packed nights. Put simply, my life had changed. No longer was I a student; rather, I was a former lawyer turned into a lazy, unhealthy, soft, and squishy husband, father, and stay-at-home dad!

While I did not feel terribly out of shape, I knew that things weren’t going to be same or as easy as they once were. After decades of playing sports, lifting weights, and never worrying about my diet and almost nine years of sitting each day behind a desk and surviving on coffee and soda, I now actually had other people depending and relying upon me for their daily needs. I could no longer just rely on my meteoric metabolism to keep me thin (notice I did not say healthy because scaling a mere flight of stairs left me winded). Likewise, going to the gym for a two-hour workout session was a thing of my past. I badly needed an alternative solution. So, I did what most children do when confronted with an issue: I sought my parents’ help. Yes, that’s right, I took my mom’s P90X (after asking, of course…) Somewhat pitiful, I know, but I wanted to try it before having to buy it.

I remember being very excited to start that first day. I have to admit, I found the infomercials very intriguing. The people were obviously ripped and working hard. But, they also looked like they were enjoying it, having fun, and getting a killer workout all at the same time. This seemed impossible. My suspicious nature told me that was all marketing. That program was a gimmick just like many other infomercial products, it wouldn’t work and I would be thankful I had not spent my money on it.

But, I was curious so I got the necessary bands, installed a pull-up bar on my back patio (much to my wife’s dismay), and hit play on the first workout: Chest and Back. WOAH, was that an eye-opener! Upon finishing the last set, I was so glad it was done as I was completely spent. Then, like a little itch you can’t quite reach, up pops this little, evil demon back on the screen and starts telling me how he loves and hates Ab Ripper X. Are you kidding me, I thought??? I will never forget how sore I was the next two days. What was once so simple and mindless, namely breathing, became a labored chore. God help me if I coughed or, even worse, laughed. After just one day, I fully ate all my words and erased any doubts I once had. I knew for a fact that P90X was the answer for me.

The next few weeks just brought more of the same. Each workout left me exhausted, brutalized, and yet hungry for more. Unlike those days of dreading having to go to the gym to sloth my way through an average workout, I eagerly anticipated my P90X fix each day. I may not have been good or even average at some of the exercises, but I gave each one my all. In just a couple of weeks, I began to see changes. I started sleeping better. I started getting stronger. I actually lost about 10 pounds. A 2-pack formed, that then turned into a 4-pack, which in turn struggled mightily to become a 6-pack. All from just exercising in my bedroom.

I was stunned. The more results I got, the more I gave. At first, I somewhat followed the diet plan. After a couple of weeks though, I knew I wanted to maximize my results so I started strictly adhering to the nutrition guide and its recommendations. After 60 days, all the manifestations of being a lawyer for 8.5 years were gone. After 90 days, I was in the best shape of my life, bar none. I lost about 15 pounds. My waist dropped from a 33 to a 29. I was more cut and ripped than I had ever been before in my life. I was receiving comments and compliments like never before. It truly was amazing. I could not believe what I had accomplished in a mere 90 days.

That 90 days completely changed my life.  What started as a goal to simply get healthy became a metamorphosis of all that I was.  I didn’t want to look great on the beach without a shirt; I could care less about having massive, bulging biceps.  Rather, I wanted to be the best dad and husband that I could.  I wanted to test the LIMITS of my abilities.  I wanted to be ALL that I could!  When I struggled, I reached out to those I knew could help me.  As a former competitive swimmer, I know the value of having someone give you that periodic “kick in the butt”.  I followed the lead of those who had what I wanted!

Nutritionally, once I committed, I ate incredibly clean.  I lived as close to the nutrition guide as I could.  The french fries, soda, and candy that previously were a staple of my diet were gone.  I didn’t want to force my body to deal with that and set back my efforts.  The nutrition guide, proper supplements, and eating healthy helped me reach my goals and get results I never believed possible.

While changing my eating habits was challenging, giving P90X my all came much easier.  As I mentioned above, I thought I would pass out on Day 1.  But that near failure just drove me to want to be better, to want to do more.  I gave EVERY workout 100%, without fail.  If I was tired, if I was out of town, if I was tempted to skip a day…  I gave every minute EVERYTHING I had.  Nothing was going to stop me.  No matter how I felt, all I had to do was push play and BRING IT.  The workouts and the program are amazing.  There’s no thinking, there’s no guess work; you just follow Tony’s lead and the results will happen.  Goodbye gym, hello Beachbody!  To think of all the hours wasted in the weight room…  I get a better workout now in 1 hour than I used to get in 3!

Changing my entire life happened with nothing more than Beachbody – no gym, no extra supplements, nothing.  Just me, my desire, and some DVDs from Beachbody!

I am extremely grateful for what Beachbody has brought to my life and I love being able to help other people find what I found. Thanks to P90X and all that followed after it, my life will NEVER be the same!