Getting Back Into It

I looked at my last blog post from November 2012. At the time, I was trying to get back into the exercise routine after having had rotator cuff surgery. But it was too soon. At least for me it was. New morning school schedules for the kids, a heavy workload and a shoulder that wasn't quite ready for working out resulted in less than desirable results and I fell off the workout wagon...again.

But I knew I'd be back. And now, I'm back. With a vengeance. And it feels great.

P90X...Again
I started this round of P90X in July 2013, a little over a year after I'd had rotator cuff surgery. As with other rounds I've done, I didn't know if I'd be able to maintain the routine or the consistency I had in the past. But I knew that if I completed 3 or 4 weeks of the program and did it consistently, it would become a habit again and I would look forward to doing it everyday. I was right. Now, I look forward to doing it every day.

I knew I could maintain the routine during the summer months. The kids weren't in school and the only schedule I had to worry about, was my own. I was concerned that once summer was over, I wouldn't be able to maintain the routine. I need to leave the house around 7:00 a.m. to get my daughter to school on time. To get a full workout in, eat breakfast, feed the dogs, make coffee, iron my clothes, shower, shave, etc., I need to get up at 5:00 a.m. Since I'm not a "morning person," the idea of getting out of bed, in the dark, at 5:00 a.m. has never been appealing to me. For me, I have to be very motivated and minimize all the excuses that go through my head when the alarm clock goes off at 5:00 a.m.

Preparation - The Night Before
I prepare for my morning workouts the night before. This is very important for me to maintain my routine. It minimizes excuses and when I wake up in the morning and realize how much I prepared the night before, it motivates me to get out of bed in the morning.

If getting up early sounds impossible, here's what works for me:

1. When the alarm goes off, I remind myself how I've never regretted getting up to workout. This is important. Consider how many times you've finished a workout and thought to yourself, "I'm so glad I did that workout. I feel much better now than before I did the workout." Then consider how many times you've thought to yourself after completing a workout, "I wish I wouldn't have done that workout. I should have stayed in bed (or watched TV or...)." If you're like me, you've always felt better having done a workout and you've never wished you would have done something else in place of working out. Reminding myself of this gets me out of bed  every morning.
2. I get the clothes I'm going to workout in ready the night before. I select the clothes I'm going to work out in and lay them out the night before. In the morning, I don't have to look for clothes I'm going to wear when I work out.
3. I know what workout I'm going to do. The night before, I'll check where I am in the program and will mentally prepare, knowing what I'm going to focus on in the morning. Sometimes I'll take out the DVD(s) that I'm going to use in the morning, so they're ready when I'm ready. 
4. I get the clothes I'm going to wear to work ready. At night, I decide what I'm going to wear the next day. Since I iron my own shirts, I'll do that at night, too. I'll have all my clothes out and ready, so when I finish my shower, I can quickly get dressed for work.
5. I program the coffee maker. We're coffee drinkers, so the night before, I'll program the coffee maker to make coffee while I'm working out. If not coffee, you could mentally prepare for what you're going to have for breakfast the next day, with the goal of reducing what you need to do the next morning. 

The main thing is to consider your own routine, determine what you can prepare and do the night before and it'll take the burden (and excuses) out of the equation. That's it. It's easy enough and once it becomes habit to prepare the night before, over time, you won't even think about it anymore. All this will make getting up, working out and getting ready for your day that much easier. 

Staying in the Routine
This past August, we went on a week-long camping vacation. I knew I wouldn't be doing any of the workouts during that week and I was concerned I'd get out of the habit of working out again. Before we went on vacation, I mentally prepared for the week, knowing I would be out of the routine. I reminded myself I would return to my routine when I got back home, not giving myself the option to get out of the habit. When I returned home and got back into my routine, I repeated the week I had done prior to the vacation and picked up the program from where I left off. I made sure that the day I got back from vacation, I got up early in the morning and picked up where I left off. This approach worked great for me and reinforced the idea that when I'm home, I workout in the mornings.

90 vs 120 Days
I fully expect this round of P90X will take 120 days instead of 90 to complete. And that's fine with me. I'm seeing and feeling the results and that's what's most important to me. I think the idea that there's a point when you're "done" is flawed. I'll never be done. The idea that there's an "end" is great for those who are just starting out. It's a timeframe people can work towards. At the end of 90 days, you will  see (and feel) real results.  But the fact is, once you hit 90 days, you won't want to stop. Once you realize the way you look and feel at that moment is a result of exercising everyday, you'll want to continue with the progress you've made.

I'm now in the middle of Week 9 of P90X. I still have several weeks to go before I finish this round and I'm already planning what I will do once I complete P90X. I'll move to P90X2 and I'm looking forward to working through and struggling and making progress with the new program. Knowing I have a lot to still look forward to, seeing and feeling results everyday and preparing for my morning workouts keeps me motivated and inspired to keep doing more.

My Morning Struggle

This morning was a bear. Chose to go to bed later last night, knowing it would be rough getting up this morning. It was. Under the covers, warm and not ready to get up, the alarm goes off. Every morning it's the same. I contemplate sleeping an extra hour, knowing I won't any better if I do sleep in or I can get up, get dressed and work out. Some days are easier than others. This one was particularly tough.

I got out of bed, put on my workout clothes and fed the dogs. I knew my workout would take about an hour and I went into the living room, put the DVD in the machine and then, laid down on the couch. I laid there with my eyes closed, not wanting to move. My lower back ached, head was slightly congested and I couldn't convince myself that working out would make me feel better.

But I knew it would.

I eventually dragged my lazy ass off the couch 15 minutes later and started the warm up. Tony, as always, was as cheerful and full of energy as ever. His team ready to "bring it" for Legs and Back - today's workout session.

I was groggy, but I still went through the motions of the warm-up  telling myself I'd at least get through the warm-up  After that, at least I'd tried and I could quit then. After finishing the warm-up, I decided to try the first exercise and after finishing that, again, I gave myself permission to quit.

But I didn't.

I kept going and going and going. After 30 minutes, I thought I'd stop again, but just kept going. I'm convinced had I not had the DVD and had I not followed the routine, I would have stopped. No doubt about it. But because they kept going, I was sweating and feeling it, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, I kept going. And you know what? I finished.

And now I feel great.

I can't explain it. At no point during the workout, did I think I would feel better afterwards than before I began. But I do. I should know this by now because it happens just about every time. I always feel better after a workout than before I started. Let me repeat that. I always feel better after a workout than before I started. That's huge. I don't know exactly why it happens, but it always does. Physical? Probably. Psychological? Definitely. Emotional. Sure. Why not? I've read study after study documenting why this happens, but am still always surprised when it really happens to me. And it's not just by a little bit either. The difference between how I feel before a workout and afterwards is noticeable.

So, if you're laying in bed or thinking about sitting on the couch or easy chair instead of when you normally workout, remind yourself of how great you're going to feel afterwards. It's a fantastic feeling that makes your day that much better.

Life After Rotator Cuff Surgery

Yes, it was tough. But it had to be done. I had my left rotator cuff repaired on April 16,2012. I knew what to expect because two years earlier, in March of 2010, I had my right rotator cuff repaired. The difference between the two injuries was that the first one was from a sledding accident which caused a tear when I crashed on my sled. The second one was less serious, but there were "several small tears" according to my surgeon. And because they were "small" and may have been there for a while, he said that it was possible that through Physical Therapy along with a shot of Cortisone, I might be able to avoid surgery.

I believe, I'd had these small tears in my left rotator cuff for some time and because they were small, I was able to work through some of the pain associated with them.The pain wasn't trivial, but it wasn't enough for me to complain about and it wasn't preventing me from doing normal, everyday activities.

But then in July 2011, I noticed it was getting worse. I don't know what caused it to get worse or when it happened, but I had a difficult time doing some normal activities like putting a jacket on, reaching for dishes in the cabinets, pulling the covers off me in the morning and pouring milk. Push ups - something I had worked up to being able to doing 40 or 50 without stopping, I could now only do 2 or 3 and the pain was pretty bad. I knew I had to go back to my shoulder surgeon. I went to see him and after testing my strength and range of motion, he had me get an MRI for my shoulder. When the results came back, he diagnosed me with several "small tears" in my left rotator cuff.

He felt that since they were small, I might be able to get by with a cortisone shot and some Physical Therapy. The cortisone helped relieve the pain and I was able to go to Physical Therapy, but it never felt quite right. After 3 months, the cortisone wore off and I was no better than I was before the cortisone and Physical Therapy. Clearly, I could either continue with the pain and limited range of motion and strength (and never get any better) or I could go through surgery again, having to endure the 6 months of rehab and continued Physical Therapy.

Because my first shoulder surgery was so successful, I knew surgery was the option I'd go with. So, on April 16, 2012, I had my left rotator cuff repaired. My surgeon warned me that even though the tears were less traumatic, the recovery time would be at least as long as it was for the right shoulder and possibly longer because of the nature of these tears and because of my physiology. I guess I'm more prone to these types of tears than some people are and he thought it would take a little longer to fully heal.

He did the entire surgery arthroscopically again - no incision. I have five small scars where they inserted the instruments need to do the surgery. One light, one camera and three tools were needed to repair my rotator cuff. If you didn't know I'd had surgery, you would never be able to tell based on the scars on my shoulder. Not every surgeon does it this way, but my surgeon does and I'm thankful for it.

The surgery went well and at first, everything was great because he had given me a nerve blocker which completely numbed and paralyzed my arm from my shoulder to my fingertips. The first night, I slept great because I couldn't feel anything. It lasted about 24 hours and then, the feeling (and the pain), returned. I wanted to use the minimal amount of pain medication as possible, so I took Vicodin this time (last time it was Percoset) and I did better on the Vicodin. I used it sparingly and by the end of the fourth day, I switched to ibuprofen to manage the pain.

In the following days and weeks, I went through the same routine as I did with the first surgery - sleeping in our easy chair for a few days, then moving to the couch for a few weeks and then, eventually into my bed, propped up on pillows sleeping on my back (which I hate).

The Physical Therapy began again a little over a month after I had had surgery. I went to the same Physical Therapist as I did for my first shoulder surgery. Initially, it's all about stretching, passive resistance (she did all the work) and gaining range of motion. Eventually, after a month or two of that, it evolved to some strengthening with no weights at first and then, 1 or 2 lb. weights. Early on, I thought I was moving more quickly than I had with my first shoulder surgery. In some areas I was and in other areas, I still showed weakness. My surgeon continued to take the conservative approach and told me to take my time and to not rush it due to the possibility of re-injuring my shoulder again.

I met with my surgeon every 4 - 6 weeks, so that he could check my progress to see what I should do next. As I mentioned, he took a very cautious and conservative approach to my Physical Therapy, but in the end, my progress was much quicker and there was a higher likelihood I was actually healed by taking this approach.

Eventually, I could hang on my pull up bar. It was difficult at first, but the stretching felt good and I think it helped me in the long run. I had home exercises to do with the bands and with no or very light weights and by doing all that, I feel I'm in a very good spot today.

It's now been a little less than 7 months since I had the surgery. The last time I saw my surgeon, he said I'd know when I didn't need to go to PT anymore and even though he wrote me a prescription to continue with the treatments, I'm feeling good enough to work out and stretch at home, without having to see my Physical Therapist. I might see my Physical Therapist one more time and I will see my surgeon again in December, but I think that will be the last time. At that point, I'm on my own and I'll have to continue with my own Physical Therapy and exercise routine at home.

My goal is to be able to do a handstand again and I feel like I'll be able to do it pretty soon. I was able to 1 year after my right shoulder surgery and I'm hoping it'll be less than a year after my left shoulder surgery, that I can do one again. I'm starting up with P90X again, which I'll talk about in another blog post. But for now, I'm happy that I had my left shoulder surgically repaired. There were some tough spots along the way, but when you feel you're making progress and getting better, you know you made the right decision.

Succeed!

This morning, as a result of a few snags in my normal routine, I skipped my morning workout. Even though I had every intention of exercising, I didn't. And because of what happened, it made me think about what it takes to exercise on a regular and consistent basis.

Decide.
If you're not exercising now, but want to start, you first have to decide that's what you want to do. If you can't decide if you want to or not, you probably won't. First step: Decide you want to do this.

Commit.
Next, make the commitment. For the long haul. Every day. If you commit to yourself and you don't do it, no one will know. Except you. Deciding is the "I'm going to do this!" part of the equation. Committing is the "I will do this! part of the equation."

Accountability
Holding yourself accountable to yourself is one thing. But if you tell others what you're going to do, you're now holding yourself accountable to other people. And if you and the other people can be accountable to each other, it can be even more powerful. So, find a workout buddy. Or three. And whether you workout with them or not, it doesn't matter. Make it someone you can talk to every day, to share your exercise experiences with. It's amazing how motivating and inspiring a good conversation about exercise can be.

Get Started
Figure out what you need to do to get started. And by "getting started," I mean several things. You need to start your fitness program, but once you've started it, you have to figure out how to get yourself "started" everyday. The main thing: Just start. And then, get up the next day and do it again. One day at a time and before you know it, you'll be in the habit of doing your own fitness routine.

Make it Routine.
Find a time that works for you. Every day. It might be different times for you each day - weekdays vs. weekends - but make a plan and then, stick to it. For me, mornings work best. Less distractions. Feel great the rest of the day. Most likely time for me to succeed and be consistent. If you try to "fit it in when you can," you'll find excuses, you'll miss a lot of days and ultimately, you'll never make exercise a routine. Find your time and stick to it.

In the morning, the only thing preventing me from exercising is me. Am I able to get out of bed everyday when I'd rather sleep for an extra hour? I have the same internal conversation with myself every morning. The inner debate: sleep in vs. workout. When the inner voices start their conversation, I remind myself I've never regretted a single workout and almost every time I've finished, I feel better than when I started, both physically and mentally. But when I sleep in or skip a workout, I've regretted it and wished I would have exercised instead.

Be Prepared.
Be prepared to workout. If there's one piece of advice I would give to someone starting out, it is this: think about what your workout will be tomorrow and get yourself prepared for it today. For me, that means reviewing what my next DVD is going to be and getting my clothes ready for my workout the night before. When I get up in the morning, everything is ready for me to workout and I can't make an excuse for not being prepared. Do whatever you can to put yourself on "autopilot" when it's time to workout.

Succeed.
If you decide you're going to get fit and you commit to a fitness program; If you make it routine and prepare in advance, you will succeed. And if like me, you have days where it doesn't all go as planned, don't beat yourself up over it. Just do your best to make it happen the next day and get back to your routine. You'll never regret it and you will succeed.

Goals

Everyone knows the importance of setting goals. I know I should set goals and I should write them down. I should make them measurable, specific and set a date/time when I should accomplish them. But do I? Rarely.

Don't get me wrong. I have goals. It's just that they're not all written down. With P90X, I find myself setting small goals for myself. I'm not competing with anyone else, but I'm always trying to do a little better than I did in previous sessions. Whether that means more reps, more weight or keeping up with Tony and his team on P90X - I'm always thinking about how I can do it a little better than last time.

For P90X, my initial goal was to get through the entire program - whether in 90, 100 or 120 days. Didn't matter. To stick with it. To finish what I'd started. Sounds pretty simple, but it felt really good the first time (and each time thereafter) that I made it through the full program. Just getting through the program was a great goal to have - especially after I achieved it.

Then, I set goals for each DVD. When I started, it was to get through the DVD - to finish it, regardless of how many times I paused the DVD, sat down to rest, took breaks - whatever. I just wanted to finish the DVD. And I did that, too.

Once I was able to finish each DVD, my next goal was to reduce the number of times I'd pause each DVD (so that I could rest) until finally, I could keep up with what they were doing for that particular DVD. Plyometrics? Check. YogaX? Check. Ab Ripper X? Not so much.

Ab Ripper X is only 17 minutes long, but it's hard and it's intense. Most moves, I hadn't done before, so when I first started, there was a learning curve just trying to figure out all the moves. Initially, instead of doing all 25 reps of each exercise, I'd shoot for 10 - 15 each - and I'd still pause the DVD. Eventually, I'd get through the first 4 exercises doing 25 reps each and then, would pause the DVD. With all the breaks I'd take, the 17 minute DVD would take me 25 - 30 minutes to get through - but I'd do my best to do all the moves. So, my thought initially was to either do as many reps as I could and not pause the DVD or I could do as many reps as they did, but pausing the DVD along the way.

But this afternoon was different. I had a breakthrough. I made it all the way through the DVD without pausing, doing every single rep they did and I didn't have to rest once during the 17 minute program. It probably doesn't sound like much, but I've been doing this program off and on for almost 2 years and this was the first time I did it at their pace doing the same number of reps they did. For me, that was quite an accomplishment.

As I mentioned to a friend of mine, prior to tonight, I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to do the whole thing. So, when I'd pause the DVD during the program, it was consistent with the way I'd been doing it in the past. But now that I actually did it without pausing and now that I know I can do it again, I'll push a little harder each time I do it, so soon, the norm will be to not pause the DVD rather than to take breaks like I used to.

So, whether you write them down or not, set goals for yourself. Make them tough, but achievable. And when you achieve them, celebrate your successes and realize that you can do much, much more than you ever thought possible.

Eat and Lose Weight?

It sounds counter-intuitive - eat more to lose weight - but research is confirming this - especially when you're working out and trying to increase your metabolism. If you deprive yourself of needed calories, your body goes into "starvation mode" and begins to burn calories as efficiently as possible. That might sound good, but if your body becomes too efficient at burning calories, you'll never lose the weight you want to lose.

There's a great article on Beachbody.com about this phenomenon called "Eat More. Lose More. (Really?)"

I know this has happened to me before and it's always confused me. I'll have a day where I'll eat a lot more than I normally do. Sometimes it might consist of "good" calories, but oftentimes, not. The next day, I expect that when I step on the scale, I'll have gained at least a pound or two, but most times, the opposite has happened. I don't know how long it takes for the calories you consume to turn into added weight, but it always has seemed strange to me that I would weigh less the day after I've pigged out and not more. And the opposite has happened, too. I'll eat very conservatively all day long, get on the scale the next day and my weight will be up from where it was the day before. Very, very strange.

The rule of thumb is that to gain a pound, you need to increase your calorie intake by 3500 calories and the opposite holds true to lose a pound. And that doesn't mean that if you eat 3500 calories in a day, you'll gain a pound. It means that if you eat 3500 calories more than what your metabolism uses in a given day, you should gain a pound. So, over time, if you want to maintain or lose weight, you need to eat more calories to have the energy to exercise and then, you need to exercise to burn those added calories to maintain or lose weight.

If you have more information about this phenomenon or have had similar or opposite experiences to what I've had, let me know by posting a comment to this blog post.

Some Links

I haven't posted much lately, but have come across some links I've thought were worth posting here. This first link, I can appreciate from the fitness as well as the photography side of things. The fitness part at the beginning; the photography part during the second half:

A Couple's P90X Transformation Story

This one is just plain funny. If you've been through P90X, you know what it's like at the beginning. Most of us don't want to admit to hard it is - at least not publicly, but this guy definitely tells it like it is. I have to admit, I never was as bad as he describes, but I can definitely relate. (Caution: He uses some inappropriate language, but uses it appropriately.)

Tony Horton and his P90X Wants Me Dead blog post (not mine)

Enjoy!