And so it begins... the P90X lifestyle.

On Saturday I went to Southend with my good friend Noel, it was only a flying visit, but on the way conversation got going. Telling him my new motto of #Fit4Forty, and how I planned on sticking to my routine. Weight loss is still going well, and the next thing to do is increase my fitness levels. On liking the idea, but having a little less time than me before hitting 40, Noel mentioned two routines he has been looking into recently, Insanity and P90X. Going into a little detail on both I was immediately interested in following one, as it sounded perfect for my current goals.

So over the weekend I did some more research, and decided that out of the two, P90X was the one for me. Insanity being more the cardio trainer, I want to deal with and attack aggressively the whole physical conditioning thing. In general my cardio is still pretty good. I'm active every day with the walks to and from work, as well as the walks with the dogs twice a day, so I'm happy with that. So P90X was chosen and obtained.

To follow P90X a couple of things are required, in the form of equipment. Free-weights and door bars, or resistance straps. I have a long history with training, and over the years I have dipped and peaked in levels of fitness and strength. However throughout those years one thing has remained, and been an issue for me. I can train heavy, and I mean heavy. For someone of my build and not using any juice etc, I have made some cracking achievements in the free-weight circles. However this has all come at quite a cost, and I have had 3 arm/hand surgeries to date, all to repair damage to tendons etc. All specialists agree that heavy training in earlier years are the most likely cause.

So resistance straps are the chosen weapon of choice for me. Being able to vary the resistance used is invaluable to a broken body like me. So they are on order now. Til then I am making do with what I have at home, and trust me, its working.

I am under no illusions that I am in any way some Adonis who can bench my own body weight, nor plan to be a lean mean fighting machine. I am instead realistic, and want some strength to return to my lazy body, and trim down a little, to return to a fair level of size and definition. So today is the day. Today is the day it all started. From today onwards I will probably make a few very short entries on here, saying how the day has gone and how I am feeling, so for anyone wanting to follow and mock, these will be for you lol.

In the meantime Twitter will be my update source, so if you want some updates on my P90X routine, and how I am coping / progressing feel free to follow @therealslimsnaz or search for my hashtag #fit4forty 

So the update for today..... 

OMG! I started my day the usual way with walking the dogs for an hour or so, covering 4.5 miles which is the norm for us. Then got home and got straight into P90X while my body was still warm, and heart still pumping. Following back and chest for my first outing with the routine. The warm-up got a lovely burn started, and the following routine really attacked the areas of my body it promised to. I'm not going to pretend that I flew through it all, and didn't struggle. I managed the first cycle of the routine (routine repeats for 2 cycles). At that point I decided to stay true to myself and not push too hard. As my body started to rest, the nausea arrived lol, that signal from the body that it really has had enough for the time being.

For tomorrow I need to get my nutrition sorted out, and make sure i am giving my body what it needs to repair and build. But the after work out feeling is as ever amazing. I forgot how great you could feel after pushing yourself.

In the coming weeks I plan to be out on my Hardrock Pro (MTB) more, and to start challenging myself in more and more ways. Its great to feel so alive!