Life After Day 90

So you've finished your 90 days of P90X. You've gotten awesome results and you're flying high. So what now?

Yoga

The most hated workout in P90X has to be Yoga X. A lot of people love P90X, but can't stand the Yoga. The most common reason is that it's just too long. Indeed, especially for us Americans, trying to stay calm, focused on our breathing, and in uncomfortable poses and moves that are just HARD for a whole hour and a half is difficult to get excited for even if it's only once a week. We'd rather pump weights, jump around, and run for miles.

Supplements

Before I started P90X I never truly got the concept of supplements nor did I think they were necessary. In college the only supplement I really ever used was a cheap whey protein. It wasn't until I got into my fitness craze that I realized the importance of supplements and how they can take our results to the next level. 

100%

One of the alarming facts about P90X is that only 25% of people actually finish the program! So for every 4 people who buy P90X, only 1 person is completing the entire 90 days.

P90X Vs. The Gym

While I’m not here to say that going to the gym instead of investing in an extreme home fitness program like P90X is a bad idea, I would like to talk about the pro’s of doing P90X rather than going to the gym. While many people have had great results going to the gym, there’s also many people out there without the proper workout and nutrition knowledge who commit to a gym, get frustrated because their results plateau, and either stay frustrated or give up working out entirely. I used to be one of those “gym people” with little knowledge and who’s results simply never took off because I had no solid workout routines or guidance. So here’s my take on why investing and committing to P90X may be the best choice over a gym membership.

Shakeology

Heard about Shakeology and wondering what all the fuss is about? Read my in-depth review to find out about all the benefits of drinking Shakeology!

Trust your Program

Have faith that your program will work...read on.

P90X for Women

I've often had talks with women who are looking to get in shape about P90X. Most of the time I hear the same thing, "I think P90X is too extreme for me" or "I don't want to get bulky muscles from P90X". I try to explain that anyone can do P90X and you can tailor the workouts to your preferences so you're not getting bulky but instead toned. I've decided to write a post that goes a little more in-depth as to why P90X is perfect for women and why they should try it.

What is a GMO?

A movement in the U.S. that has started to gain ground is the one against GMOs. What is a GMO? GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism and is "a plant or animal that has been genetically altered by scientists to improve its ability to grow in non-native environments, resist pests, tolerate extreme weather conditions, produce more food (like milk in cows), or show other desired traits. In other words, a GMO is a new version of a food plant or animal created by scientists through genetic engineering (GE) techniques." (www.strongertogether.coop). 

What's the big deal? First off, we're no longer eating nature made foods, instead its something that was created by a scientist in a lab. Think of the example of plants breeding with fish, not possible in nature, but actually happening in labs to help grow plants cheaper and faster. Secondly, there's possibilities that these GMOs could have long term negative health effects, like creating new food allergens that didn't exist in previous generations or even possibly increasing the chances of forming cancerous cells in our bodies.

So why isn't this movement more mainstream? Because of a company called Monsanto. Here's a quick summary about Monsanto from steveedwardsfitness.com:

"Back in the 70s our government in its infinite wisdom allowed companies to patent living things that had been genetically modified. This meant that companies like Monsanto could patent the plant seeds they were tampering with. Alas, if only our politicians had remembered their elementary school biology they may have given pause.

Plants, if you didn’t sleep through this chapter of class like everyone in Washington apparently did, breed by dispersion; their seeds fly through the air looking for a place to prosper. This means that if you genetically modify a plant and don’t keep it inside it will eventually wind up sowing its seed with something natural.

The lawyers at Monsanto, who didn’t sleep through any class except ethics, apparently, saw this as one giant business opportunity. Because as soon as their patented corn would mingle with the neighbor’s natural corn they’d find a patent infringement get to work.

Since lawyers for multi-billion dollar corporations never lose to farmers, even those who’ve done nothing but farm the way their fathers did, and pretty soon Monsanto was forcing these farmers either out of business or to buy their genetically altered seeds. The latter makes them, essentially, indentured servants (another term from elementary school if you remember your Civil War classes) because they are forced to buy Monsanto’s seeds at whatever price they ask. Last year (you know, the one with the world recession that we’re still in), Monsanto raised their corn seeds by 25% and their soy by 28%. I’m sure their farmers are livin’ large."

The first crops to be genetically modified were corn, soybeans, and cotton. Have you read the ingredients of the most common processed food on our grocery store shelves these days? Corn and soy. And Monsanto has fought for these products NOT to be labeled as GMO, so we the consumer, have no idea what we're getting or eating.

So basically Monsanto has prevented the possible negative health affects GMOs can cause us from reaching the masses. Currently they have influenced our government to try to influence the rest of the world to do the same. And they have also had success censoring anything negative about them out there on the internet. For example, the below picture was posted on facebook by a group called the Raw Brahs:

The post was removed by facebook soon after being posted. People have actually had their accounts suspended by facebook for posting negative pictures, articles, or videos about Monsanto. There's a reason they don't want the negative publicity out there, and it's most likely because GMOs are bad for you. There's also been an article released recently how Monsanto will not give their own executives GMOs to eat in their cafeteria. 

So what can you do about it? First off, buy organic. Anything with a USDA Organic seal means that it cannot have any sort of GMO involved. A lot of people think organic = expensive, but just be smart when you shop. Buy in season produce, and try to find nearby farmer's markets. Also, just think about how the money you put into organic food now may save you from health costs caused by GMOs later in life. The #2 thing to do is gain more knowledge about the subject. The internet has plenty of articles, and there are many books and documentaries (Food, Inc) out there that can inform you about GMOs and what you can do. Finally, check out http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/, which will tell you what to buy and what not to buy.

And hopefully my blog doesn't get shut down after this post...if so the conspiracies are true :)

Why Sitting is Bad For You

It's been awhile, but I thought I'd give this blog a go again. Today's topic...the sedentary lifestyle (I would like to give credit to A.J. Jacobs Drop Dead Healthy for some of the facts and info below).

My job, and a lot of jobs out there, require us to sit for 8 or more hours a day. If you didn't know, sitting is not the body's natural position...standing is. Sitting, in actuality, is bad for you. Some people are even saying it's the new smoking. Sitting can put you at risk of heart disease, obesity, and some types of cancer.

Like I said before, we weren't meant to sit. We started as hunters and gatherers, always on the move, and that continued for the most part to our grandparents' generation, when they'd be walking 10-12 miles a day, up hill, both ways, according to their stories. But we've become a sedentary society. TV shows, movies, and video games are the rage these days, and we sit for those. For office jobs, we're sitting for most of our shift. It's a scary thought to think about how much of us sit throughout the day.

Are you safe if you go to the gym once a day for an hour and then sit the rest of the day? According to studies, no.

What's the problem with sitting? The first obvious thing is that we burn less calories. Secondly, when we are marathon sitting, it can change our body's metabolism. According to author and biologist Olivia Judson, a molecule called lipase is crucial to helping muscles absorbing fat. When we sit, we don't produce lipase, which allows fat to deposit itself as body fat or clog arteries.

Here's another study:

- The University of South Carolina compared heart problems of men who sat more than 23 hours a week and men who sat less than 11 hours per week. The men who sat for more than 23 hours a week had a 64% higher chance of fata heart disease. It's important to note that some of the men who sat for 23+ hours did go to the gym.

So how do we combat sitting? Movement. If you started reading this blog and stood up to read the rest, you're on the right course. I am just as guilty of sitting too much, as my work requires it, with office work, and driving. At work now, I try to stand as often as possible. Get a few books, prop your laptop or keyboard on it, and stand while typing. You'll find that standing takes a lot of work, but your muscles in your legs are working, your back's working, and your shoulders are working, which burns calories and energy. If you have to sit, at least get up every 20 minutes and walk around, or fidget...tapping your foot while sitting still can help with cardiovascular fitness.

Some other tips:

- Walk whenever you can. Avoid the elevators, escalators, and those moving tracks at the airport.

- Walking up hills and stairs is better than just flat surfaces.

- Stand or squat when eating lunch (this could be awkward)

- Have a treadmill and are on your laptop a lot at home? Move your laptop to the treadmill and type while walking. They actually make treadmills for this, but they're very expensive.

- Like TV and video games? Stand while watching/playing. Studies show this actually gets you mote into and excited about the games.

After reading this blog, I don't want you to freak out and think about how you sat more than 23 hours last week. Just make a conscious effort to sit less and move more going forward and you will be fine.

One last bonus tip: Don't sit for long on the toilet...this has been known to cause hemorrhoids due to putting more strain on your bowels. The natural position for the human species to take a #2 is below:

 

 

It does take a little balance, but in actuality, feels more natural and you can go a lot quicker. They actually sell platforms online that can help you squat. They're called "Nature's Platforms". Haha.