P90X: Changing Your Life
P90X has taken some fitness communities by storm! Getting in shape and staying in shape seem to be very difficult for most of us. We have busy schedules and fitness does not seem to get its own place on our calendars. It’s an unfortunate side effect of modern life. Another side effect of this age is a sedentary lifestyle. We have physically stagnant jobs; we have remote controls; we hire people to mow our lawns.
The Plateau Effect
Hard work and effort are not even enough for satisfying results. We need to know how the body “thinks”. This is why I don’t like the word, “routine”. It’s the routine that is usually the problem. Many of you know what I mean. You get really pumped up about a workout routine that you’ve discovered or devised. You may even see some results. However, after a few weeks, you level out. That’s the Plateau Effect. The body gets used to the stress it is put under and it quickly evolves to the new pattern. Your weight loss and muscle gain level out.
Avoiding the Plateau Effect
OK, so our bodies reach a plateau after following a routine for a few weeks. If you think about it for a minute, the solution to that problem should come to you. Change it up! You need to trick your body so it doesn’t figure out what you’re doing to it. You cannot let your body adjust to a pattern. Muscle confusion is the answer. Stick with a routine for a few weeks, then switch things around. One last thing to remember; your diet is just as important as your workout. I’m not saying that you need to change your diet drastically every few weeks, but some change is very crucial. A lot of protein and hardly any carbohydrates to start does wonders. Then, you can slowly replace protein with carbohydrates every few weeks until you are eating more and more carbs. Remember, if you stop exercise with much intensity, cut back on the carbs again.
P90X and Muscle Confusion
P90X is a personal 90-day extreme workout and diet plan. Notice how I use the word “plan” instead of “routine”. Just when your body thinks it’s figured out the “routine”, things change and your muscles get too confused to adjust properly. As a result, you build muscle very fast. In case you didn’t know; muscle naturally burns fat faster than just about anything. P90X also lays out a diet plan for you that is essential to the whole process. I’m not using the word “diet” the way most people think of it. A lot of us think of a diet as a temporary change in our eating habits in order to lose weight. When I talk about your diet, I mean your eating lifestyle. It’s the food you consume every day over long periods of time. Sure, P90X changes your diet over the course of the 90-day period, but the key ingredients remain the same. The quality of food you eat is consistent. You just modify the quantity of certain categories of food (i.e. protein vs. carbs). There may be other workout plans out there that follow the golden rule of preventing the Plateau Effect and creating muscle confusion, but I am really impressed with P90X and the honesty it offers. Did I mention you do this workout at home with very little fiscal investment? Oh yeah; this is good stuff.
Getting Started
If you decide that P90X is right for you, but you’re not sure how to get started; buy the DVDs first. While they are being shipped to you, check out my post, “P90X: Getting Started“. The tips I discuss there will save you time and money. The best part is, you’ll be securing your fitness and health for decades to come.