P90X: Day 1 (Again)

Wow. Discipline is totally hard. I'm a little surprised that I only lasted one day. And I have a billion excuses. In fact, if you were to stop me on the street, (or even more common) leave a post on my Facebook wall, I could generate a hundred totally excusable things that came up that made it impossible to do day 2. I was prepared to start the second disk when a conversation with an old high school buddy helped me have an epiphany. "Drape, you can't start Day 2 unless it immediately follows Day 1," he said. "Now you have to start over on Day 1 again." The first disk, Core Synergistics was a nightmare. I did not want to have to do that one again just yet. My core was as soft as a mealy apple.
"So you mean, I have to do these things in a row?" I asked.
"Yep." he said.
So I realized something about exercise that has deeper relevance. It's not what you do that matters but it's the fact that you do it habitually. It's like compound interest. You can't expect a return when you invest a dollar in a savings account when you're 5 years old. But if, starting at 5, you create a habit of doing it every day, by the time you're 18, you'll have a ton of money.

In an age when my seniors want their pictures the same day and brides are asking me to text them photos of their wedding as I'm driving home from the reception - instant gratification has become even more instant. In fact, many of the excuses for why I didn't start Day 2 had to do with work. The problem is that in my life, exercise is not in my top 10 of priorities. Especially when it doesn't yield gratification instantly. I think I would probably be more apt to do it if I could see inside my muscles and heart and see things improving. From the outside, things don't look so hot. In fact, I look worse after exercising than I do than when I started.

My dad used to run daily and would tell us that it cleared his mind and helped him think. I have experienced the same thing when I've run but yet it's so hard to do. I heard a speaker in church say that discipline, once achieved in one aspect in our life, helps us be more disciplined in other aspects of our lives. I'm convinced if I can discipline myself with the 90 days it takes to finish P90x that it will help me be disciplined elsewhere.

I started Day 1 again tonight after going on a mile run first. I measured myself first because I really want to see some improvement -- I'm motivated by it. I sweat like a freak and lasted until about 18:30 left in the workout. I still can't do the Sphinx pushup for some reason. I don't think those muscles ever developed in the womb. They certainly didn't develop once outside it.

Measurements:

Up until about 30 or so I was a 32 inch waist... just wanna brag a little before I throw down my current stats.

Waist: 35 (Morning McMuffins and extra large Cokes have a lot to do with this measurement)
Muffin: 37 (Yes, there is a 2 inch disparity between my waist and my muffin.)
Right bicep: 14.5 (If it falls below 14, it's physically impossible to hold a 85mm f1.2 lens)
Right quad: 20.5 (my quads used to be so big in high school that I had to buy BugleBoys because my thighs wouldn't fit in Levis where my waist fit.)
Weight: 195
Height: 6'1.5"

I checked my BMI (body mass index) online and typed in my stats. I am overweight according to the chart. Normal for my height is 140-189 pounds. This is news. Seriously. It's also motivational.

P.S. On a lighter note, don't eat anything spicy before you work out. I ate some scrumptious (a word used by foodies like myself) chicken tortilla soup from Costco for dinner. I added some Tabasco sauce. Part of the reason I didn't make it all the way through was due to Tabasco burps.