Let me start by saying I love P90X3. I am on day 35, and I am seeing real results.
I posted my Day 30 pics here (note: You have to have a free registration with teambeachbody.com to view the message boards and photos).
However, I have to admit I am in those mid-program doldrums right now. When I first started the 90-day program, the novelty and excitement of doing something new sustained me for the first 3 weeks.
Then week 4 came, and it is considered a “transition week” to move you from one set of workouts to a new set, or block, of workouts. I have just finished that first week of the new workouts and I feel as though I am behind where I was at the end of week 3.
Now, my mind is telling me that this is how it is “supposed” to work. The whole magic of the P90X philosophy is that your body is never allowed to get used to one set of movements, because once you are comfortable doing an exercise, it is no longer having as much of an impact on your fitness. So, the fact that I feel “tired” this week means it is actually working – my body is going through another “shock” due to the new movements I am doing.
So, I have to be patient. In two weeks, when I’m done with this second block, I should be ahead of where I was at the end of week 3. Should. I hope!
The beauty of this struggle that I’m having is one of the reasons I think people love exercise and sports. Pushing yourself physically forces you to become mentally tougher. The challenges you put your body through translate into mental challenges, too. And when you work through them, you feel energized, refreshed, and more confident.
But darn it, it takes patience. Much like fathering, actually! You can spend months teaching your child something, and you don’t see any progress. But then, suddenly, it clicks. This happens all the time with my 4-year-old son. Things are often sudden, not gradual, with him. He goes from not knowing anything about a certain skill, to knowing everything about it seemingly overnight; but it was really the efforts over the past several months – teaching, repeating, modeling, reinforcing – that led to the apparent “overnight” epiphany.
I am hoping to have a Day 60 epiphany with P90X. When I take those Day 60 photos, I am hopeful (very confident in fact) that I will see a “sudden” transformation as a result of the patience and persistence required to make a real change in your life.
As they say in P90X land, just keep pushing play!! Great advice for dads, too…
Note: No dad was paid for this post. We were, however, given a base kit and two kits to giveaway because the Beach Body folks are so awesome. Tell us about what motivates you to stay healthy. Use the hashtag #P90X3Dads to be eligible to win a free copy of the P90X3 program.
