Chronicles: Alan B. Rowley II - Success Warrior - ECoach - P90X

Ask a Cop: August 6th, 1993 - Part 4

On August 6th, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.  It was an act of violence that changed the world and the way people thought from that point on.  48 years later to the day, I was involved in an act of violence on a much smaller scale that nevertheless changed me and the way I thought from that point on.

Nothing happened.

Okay, something happened but what Hollywood had taught me was going to happen, didn't.  Not even close.  Not even "based on a true story" close.

I heard the gun go off as a distant pop, quieter than a champagne cork on the far side of the restaurant.  Forget about the tinkling of the brass hitting the cement.  I barely heard the gun go off.  I couldn't hear the guy coming behind me asking if I needed help.  My ears didn't ring because of the close proximity to the mini-explosion.

I have forgotten to put my ear protection on at the firing line before and let me tell you, dang does that hurt and boy do your ears ring for a while.

Not when you do it for real, at least not for me.

My Conversion to Personal Responsibility - Part 1

I wasn't always a member of the congregation.  I was a non-believer.  I was a non-believer for 33 years, in fact.  I wanted to believe, I really did.  Intellectually, I understood the benefits but emotionally, I wasn't ready.  Since becoming a member of the congregation, personal responsibility has helped define my life.  It doesn't answer all the questions in life or solve all the problems but it has helped me deal with them better.  At least, I'd like to think I have dealth with them better.  It just took a long time for me to get here.

The seeds were there long ago, I believe.

I remember contemplating going into the military.  My dad served in the Navy for about 27 years.  My best friend went into the Air Force.  I had always wanted to be a fighter pilot (not a lot of civilian options there).

I remember my first day in Air Force ROTC.  Some guy walked in that I didn't know, some one elsed yelled, "Attention!", and we all stood up.  He said some things and left.  I don't remember what he said or what the instructor said after him.  I just remember thinking, "I can't live a life where people tell me when to stand up and sit down, eat, go to the bathroom, where I'm going to live, and when I'll move to the next place they want."  I left the class and never went back.

I did feel regret giving up my childhood dream but the price was too high for me.  Little did I know just how much it would cost me down the road.

Don't think that this means that every person that joins the military is avoiding personal responsibility.  It means nothing of the sort.  My dad enjoyed being in the military and chose to re-up over and over and I enjoyed being a Navy brat.  Moving was fun and I didn't care where we lived.  After meeting Rick, I was glad that my dad was in the Navy.  San Diego, Honolulu, Seattle, London all beat the hell out of Grand Forks and Minot, North Dakota, from the way he described them.  And lucky him, after he joined, he got to go back to that beautiful country where he spent part of his childhood.

I didn't know anything about Personal Responsibility when I made that decision.  I was just thinking about my freedom to choose.  For me, it turns out that the two are very closely connected.

All it means is that I was making the best choice for me for what I wanted or at least, avoiding what I didn't want.  It would be a long, long time before I would find out what I wanted even though I already knew what I wanted.

***

I'm sorry to break this into pieces but if you're following along with my WWAJ journal, you know I only have two days to pull everything together, which means I have to get my butt in gear.  Tomorrow, I'll continue the August 6th story because I know a lot of people want to hear about that.

Success Warrior Diet Program: P90X - Journal (Days 42 - 45)

Disclaimer: This P90X review is just one guy's journey through 90 days to see what happens.  Your results will probably be different based on any number of things (diet, intensity, other activities) and you should be healthy enough for hard workouts before you start this program.

You are not going to believe what happened on Day 42.  It was the day for rest or X stretch and I chose rest.  I was tired.  I slept in as late as Trey would allow me to.  I had a nap when he had a nap and when I got home from work around 1am, I just went to bed.  I didn't think that was going to happen but after martial arts practice, I was just wiped out.

I have changed the time of the class now so that I get done an hour earlier.  I usually have a nap on Saturday but I've always done the stretching first which is actually great because I'm so relaxed when I get done.  I didn't need any extra help relaxing on this day.  I went to bed and crashed.

That's why I scheduled the rest or X Stretch day on Saturday though.  Just in case it came down to something like this.  I know a lot of people start the program on a Monday and use Sunday as their rest day but this works so much better for me.

More Good News on the Obesity Front! Pfizer and Bristol-Myers to the Rescue

Reminder: I believe that people are responsible for their choices.  This post will very likely contain humor and sarcasm in connection with America's obesity problem.  If you find this concept or the way I deliver it offensive or think this post will upset you, please come back on another day.

Just when you thought all was lost, the knights in shining armor have arrived.  Pfizer and Bristol-Meyers announced that they are going to begin serious work on finding a cure for obesity.  All out of the goodness of their hearts and concern for the future health of Americans.

And because Lipitor and Plavix will go generic in 2010 and 2011 so exclusive rights and price gouging will be history on these two drugs.  Bristol is going to pay Pfizer $50 million to help with research.  Does that give you a clue of what they think they will recoup with their 40% of the cut?

They think they may have found a way to block the formation of triglycerides.  This will stop the production of fat in the body.  People will be able to have their cake and eat it too.

I'm sorry if I can't help but wonder what the side effects will be when you stop the body from doing what it's supposed to do.  Will people just be on the toilet more?  That stuff has to go somewhere, doesn't it?

Turning Up The Heat

There is no Showtime post today because I didn't attend either of the concerts this week.  I heard that I missed on a really good one with Los Lonely Boys. 

Doing security for the concerts takes up quite a bit of my work time and I have other things that I'm trying to get done right now.  One of those things is training my graveyard officers on how to correctly remove someone from the casino and how to take them down and cuff them if the person refuses to be properly removed. 

Deer Widow's Weekend is in October and it's a busier weekend than New Year's Eve.  I've trained quite a few of the guys but I want to get a few more so that we're ready.

There are some other minor things that I want to get done at work that will be easier if I'm not spending my time away from the casino.  Casino life is full of interruptions so it seems like everything takes longer to get done.

That's why there isn't a Showtime post today but that's not what this post was intended to be about.  It does fit in with the theme though.

Success Warrior Diet Program: P90X - Journal (Days 39 - 41)

Disclaimer: This P90X review is just one guy's journey through 90 days to see what happens.  Your results will probably be different based on any number of things (diet, intensity, other activities) and you should be healthy enough for hard workouts before you start this program.

It was a dark and stormy night the morning that Day 39 started.  I haven't done any early morning cardio in a while.  I've been sleeping.  What a novel idea this sleep thing is.  You guys have been holding out on me.  I have even gotten 8 hours of sleep one time this week.  How cool is that?

I weighed myself first thing this morning (well, second thing).  Wednesdays sure come around quickly.  I have lost another pound.  If you find it, you can keep it.  So, I'm down to 194 pounds.  For those tuning in late to this broadcast, I started at 198.  I went up to 200 in the first week and then have been losing 1 to 2 pounds a week every since.  I weighed 185 pounds when I graduated from the police academy 16 years ago.  I wonder if I'll get down to that.  If I do, it will be with a stronger and leaner body than I had back then.

It probably won't be long before I'm fitting into smaller *sized* clothing.  I've been wearing XL shirts for a long time.  I could probably fit in a regular Large but I like the fit of the XL.  Soon though, I may switch down to Large and eventually down to a Medium.  It's quite possible that I will be down to a Small in my lifetime.

And all without changing the size of my body.

Good News! Obesity Is Caused by a Virus!

This is news that just couldn't wait until I released my next P90X review.  It's just too big.  Researchers have released a study that obesity could be caused by a virus like the common cold.  It's bad news for some people but it's wonderful news for a lot of other people.

First off, of course, obese people have to be completely relieved.  It's not their fault.  There's nothing they can do about it.  It's a virus and so far, there's no cure.

"Jim, I noticed you're putting on a little weight.  Are you sure you want a third piece of birthday cake?"

"It's not the cake.  I caught the fat virus.  That's what I get for using a public restroom without using the paper ass-protector thingy.  At least, that's where I'm guessing I caught it.  You don't happen to have some ice cream and chocolate sauce, do you?  That would set off this cake just right."

It also explains the report that came out last month that if you have obese friends, it's very likely that you will be obese.  You can't be around them all the time and not catch the virus.  A simple handshake, using the same phone, licking the same spoon after whipping up some fudge brownies.  It's inevitable, until they come out with a vaccination at least.

Success Warrior Diet Program: P90X - Journal (Days 35 - 38)

Disclaimer: This P90X review is just one guy's journey through 90 days to see what happens.  Your results will probably be different based on any number of things (diet, intensity, other activities) and you should be healthy enough for hard workouts before you start this program.

Day 35 was the rest or X Stretch day.

I met with my supervisors today and did a very bad thing.  The last few meetings, they've been pestering to bring them pizza.  I gave in today and brought in a couple of pizzas for them.  On top of that, the night before some guy gave me a 12 pack of Mountain Dew.  I put it the fridge at work over night.  So, while I'm working on trying to reach an all time high in fitness for myself, bring awareness to others, and help anyone reach their own goals that asks, I gave these guys garbage to eat.

The good thing about it was that with all these guys eating pizza and drinking Mountain Dew, I wasn't even tempted to try a bite.  It did not sound good to me at all.  In the car, I didn't notice the smell like I used to.  It's different.  I had eaten only an hour earlier so I'm sure that helped.

During the meeting, I asked if there was any equipment that we needed.  We need a new wheelchair.  We have two, one that we lend out to people who need or want one and one that we keep on hand for emergencies.  One of those is shot now. 

It seems that there was a woman who was too heavy to walk to her room so she asked security to push her in a wheelchair.  Our biggest officer was called with the wheelchair to get her to her room.  She caved the dang thing in.  He still pushed her and injured his right shoulder doing it but they got her to her room and warned the next shift that she might want a ride back.

Tomorrow morning, I'll put in the purchase requisition for an extra wide, super reinforced wheelchair.  They said this woman was about 500 pounds.

Let me tell you that it's not in my nature to be mean.  It really isn't but it's going to cost my company money to replace the equipment and it's going to cost extra to get something strong enough for the job and it's been over a week and my officer's shoulder still bothers him from time to time.  At some point, a line has to be drawn, don't you think?  Or do you think I'm being harsh?

I don't think it's fair to ask people to injure themselves to move you when you have made the choice to be unmovable.

Ask a Cop: August 6th, 1993 - Part 3

On August 6th, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.  It was an act of violence that changed the world and the way people thought from that point on.  48 years later to the day, I was involved in an act of violence on a much smaller scale that nevertheless changed me and the way I thought from that point on.

"I'm not going to kill you," meaning it at the time but not lowering the gun at all.  I had my Glock pointed right at his nose.  It didn't feel odd or scary or anything.  It was like I talked to guys with knives at gunpoint all the time.

"So Mike, how's the wife and kids?  Nice knife you have.  What do you think about my Glock?"

Doug started walking toward me and I started walking backward.  He kept asking me to shoot him and I kept telling him that I wasn't going to.  After several steps, I started yelling, "Drop the knife!"  I did this for rest of our little stroll.  I'm suprised that there weren't more rubberneckers initially because there were ear-witnesses that heard me from their back yard. 

Me-Me Monday - A Meme Without a Theme

I think that today I will practice the art of meming without meming.

Showtime: Rodney Carrington

If you're patriotic, show me your boobies.

Now, why didn't I think of that?

Not so that I can see some boobies.  I don't need to travel around the country singing and telling jokes to do that.

But what a great way to make money, don't you think?  As long as you can get a few women in the crowd, you know you're going to sell the place out.  There are so many guys desperate for even a glimpse of booby that they will pay Rodney Carrington to ask women to show their breasts.

We were told before the show that he would be making that request and that would let any flashing slide unless things started to get out of hand.

After the song and all the breasts were tucked back where they belong, guys in the audience started yelling for Rodney to sing the song again.

Sorry but you'll have to buy a ticket to tomorrow's show.

The man's a financial genius and he was funny too.  It was raunchy so if you don't like the "F" word and lots of jokes about sex, this is not the show for you.  If those kinds of jokes appeal to you and you want to see woman showing their breasts, you might just want to take this one in.

Success Warrior Diet Program: P90X - Journal (Days 32 - 34)

Disclaimer: This P90X review is just one guy's journey through 90 days to see what happens.  Your results will probably be different based on any number of things (diet, intensity, other activities) and you should be healthy enough for hard workouts before you start this program.

First order of business: the 30 day pic posted the day that it was supposed to but many of you may have come and gone by then.  If that's you, you can check it out here. 

Second order of business: I don't care how great the change is after 90 days, I am not shaving my body for the 90 day pic.  Not without a fair bit of compensation from Million Dollar Body, at least.  I see all these pictures of people that go tanning and have shaved off all their body hair (perfectly fine for the ladies) and I'm just being up front with you when I tell you not to expect that from me.  =)

I didn't go running on Day 32 and probably won't be going out for a run for quite a while.  Summer is over and my wife goes to work earlier in the morning now.  I can't get up that early without cutting too much out of my sleep.  I feel like I'm already pushing the envelope because I'm getting between 6 and 7 hours of sleep most nights.  I don't want to drop below 6 hours.  I really don't want to drop below 7 hours but right now, that's how it works out.

I want to keep my XXX version of P90 going so that's going to mean doing some kind of cardio in the mornings.  I'm trying to decide how much time I can put into the cardio in the morning.  I'm probably going to be starting with 30 minutes so I can take a look at it.  I'll see what kind of time I have and how I feel about doing it.  I am happy with the 30 day results but I really want to amp it up for the 60 day pic.  I just feel like I can do more now.  The first 30 days was hard and the first 2 weeks I was tired.  I don't feel that now.  I feel compelled to do more now.

I'm also going to put a treadmill on my wish list.  It would be great to have the ability to go for a run without going anywhere.  I always thought it would be too boring to run on a treadmill but if the other option is not running, I'll take the treadmill.  It would also be a great option in the winter time when it's too nasty outside to run or the summer when it's too hot.

I did Yoga X in the afternoon and it went so much better than the previous weeks.  The house was a little quieter, I was able to the hold the poses a little longer, and I can tell that I'm getting a little more flexible.  The house was perfectly quiet for the last half of the workout and I have to tell you that it really makes a difference for me.  When I keep getting interrupted during the Yoga X, I seem to get frustrated and uptight.  When it's quiet, it really seems be peace inducing, even though I'm struggling in some of the holds.

Like Crane.  It's supposed to be a balance pose but it's a strength pose for me.  I need to build my forearms and shoulders up to the point where I can hold it for a minute.  I can get up there and balance but at some point, I have to come down to rest.

I weighed myself this morning (every Wednesday) and I had lost another pound.  I have started eating more though because I have been very hungry.  I have increased the size of meals #1 and #3 by a little bit (back to where they were when I started the program), added quite a bit of fruit to meal #4, and added a protein shake right before bed creating meal #6.  I don't know what this going to do to next week's weight but I have just been incredibly hungry.

Movie Review - Rush Hour 3

Three was not the charm for Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.  Warning - there is a spolier in here but really, nothing could ruin this movie.  You aren't going so you can be challenged with a whodunnit or figure out what the big twist is.  You're going to see Jackie Chan action and humor between partners in a buddy film.  Sadly, you aren't going to get any of it.

Highlights (more of mediumlights):

The movie opens with Chris Tucker dancing to Prince playing on his iPod while he's supposedly directing traffic.  Maybe it's just because I used to do goofy stuff while directing traffic but it was amusing to watch Tucker do his MJ impersonation in the middle of busy intersection in uniform.

Chris Tucker also learned a little bit of choreographed kung fu for the movie and made it look pretty good.

There was one line about calling Chan "Keiko" that I can't remember but that I actually laughed out loud at.  It was the one laugh of the movie and now I can't even remember the line.

The woman who is the key to the puzzle wears this dress that had to have been glued into place because it looked like it should have just fallen off.  Seriously, they must have used some kind of glue.

The fact that I have resorted to commenting on women's fashion to try and give the movie good marks says something.

What's wrong with the movie?  "Everything else" would be a cop out so I'll hit the major points.

"That was a long movie," I said as we left.  "90 minutes," my wife said.  "You're kidding me," I said.  Damn, this movie drags.  I was bored.  You had Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker working together and I was bored starting right after Tucker quits dancing in the opening scene.

If you've seen Rush Hour 1, you know who the bad guy is 15 minutes into the movie.  It's just a matter of going through the scenes until Chan and Tucker figure it out.  You would think they would be a little bit suspicious since they must have seen the first movie.

The scene with the nun is about 3 minutes too long.  It might have been funny if it was 10 seconds long.  Set up and punchline.  Instead, they took a 10 second joke and played out until it just wouldn't play anymore.

The scene where they rescue the girl from the stage is incredibly forced.  It doesn't flow.  It doesn't feel right.  It's like the script said, "Rescue girl, try to think of something funny later," and they never came up with anything.

I think I have also finally had my fill of Jackie Chan choreograpy.  How many times can you see him roll over a table and then slide under it before you're bored?  The answer for me is, right up until Rush Hour 3.

There you have it and what do you know?  I actually did something that resembles a movie review.  To sum it up, if you are like me and enjoyed the first two, you're going to go see this anyway just like I did.  For the rest of you, give it a pass.  You must have something going on in your life that's far more amusing than this.  Sit on a bench with a smoothie at the mall and make fun of shoppers or something.

So, I was reading this article today and . . . (warning - sex talk ahead)

I wanted to get your opinion on it because it struck me as kind of odd.

Here's the deal and I'll be as delicate as I can here.  As a guy gains weight, most of that weight is usually above the belt but some of it ends up sliding below the belt.  As that happens, it has the effect of making his manhood appear shorter, like Mr. Winky is snuggling up in a thick quilt.

My first question is, why doesn't this get more press time?

Diabetes, heart problems, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure are getting flogged to death and it doesn't appear that anyone cares.  Let's kick the guys where it hurts and see if that doesn't get a little more attention.

I have many more questions about this article.  Let's break down some of the highlights.  This article appears an answer to a question such as, "I'm overweight and want to know how to have sex.  What can I do?"

Success Warrior Diet Program: P90X - Journal (Days 28 - 31) and 30 Day pic

Disclaimer: This P90X review is just one guy's journey through 90 days to see what happens.  Your results will probably be different based on any number of things (diet, intensity, other activities) and you should be healthy enough for hard workouts before you start this program.

I didn't get enough sleep on Day 28 or so that's what I was thinking as the day wore on.  I probably got 6 hours of sleep which should be plenty (okay, sufficient) but by the end of martial arts class, I was beat. 

I still did the X Stretch because at this point, I'm not going to let a little bit of sleepiness ruin my streak.  The stretching made me feel even more sleepy which was okay because when i was done, I got something to eat and had a nap. 

When I woke up to get ready for work, I realized that it wasn't lack of sleep.  I was getting sick.  I went to work for a few hours and then came home.

I thought it was quite the coincidence because I came down with a cold a couple days before starting P90X and here I was on the verge of starting Phase 2 and I was getting sick again.  If it happens before I start Phase 3, I'm going to know that it's something in my head.  I might as well not get sick though because it's not going to stop me.  If I'm not going to quit on Day 28, I'm definitely not going to quit on Day 58.

It's a 90 day program and that's what I signed up for. 

Not that you can't break it up.  You can stretch it out.  A lot of people started it in the summer on the message boards and some have had to take breaks for family trips and stuff that come up.  Fitness is a lifelong endeavor and so the 90 day thing is more of just a personal challenge to myself.  If you are going to try something similar, I would plan it at a time when you have a good chance of going for 90 days without a scheduled interuption.  Life happens and there are things that will come up but if you take a week off in the summer or for Christmas, then you have to accept that you will have a break or you should plan on starting when these things won't interfere. 

When I finish this 90 day program, I'm going to be looking at my calendar and scheduling my own program to fit in with breaks that I will be taking.  Most of them will be shorter than 90 days.  The first one will be around 60 days and the next two will probably be around 80 days each.  I just got lucky as to the timing of when I was exposed to P90X.

Ask a Cop: August 6th, 1993 - Part 2

On August 6th, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.  It was an act of violence that changed the world and the way people thought from that point on.  48 years later to the day, I was involved in an act of violence on a much smaller scale that nevertheless changed me and the way I thought from that point on.

I told dispatch that I was on scene and she acknowledged my transmission with the time: 1922 (7:20 pm).

I pulled the car to the right and parked.  I opened the door and looked down beside my seat where I kept my wooden baton.  This happened long enough ago that expandible batons hadn't made their way to mainstream yet.  Pepper spray was becoming more common but our department didn't carry it (what happened on this day would change that).  Our bat belt back then was pretty slim pickin's.  My only weapon (that was designed as a weapon) was my gun.  I had a knife in my boot.

I couldn't think of why I would need my stick for a suicidal individual.  It was nice when we started carrying expandible batons because you didn't have to try to guess whether or not you would need it.  It was just there.  If I would have taken my stick on this call back then, it wouldn't have change anything.  If it happened today and I had a stick, things would have been very different.  I'll cover that in later posts but I will tell you this little bit.  My last year of patrol, I was carrying two guns, an expandible baton, pepper spray, and five knives.  My last year, I was armed, not just physically but mentally.

Me-Me Monday: Six Weird Things - Number 6

This is Fred (in case the hat wasn't enough clue for you).

This is the only known picture of Fred.  He doesn't like his picture taken because of his nose deformity.  He's self concious about it.  He was out catching some rays this morning and fell asleep so I snuck out and snapped a quick picture.  Luckily, he never checks this blog so I'm probably going to get away with it.

Many of you know that I have said that Rick is my oldest friend.  That's not quite true.  Rick is my oldest human (or subcategory there of) friend.

Fred and I met when I was 5 years old and living in Oakland (and yet he's a 49er fan but that's out of spite since I'm a Rams fan and that rivalry has been going on for ages).  I went to a carnival and played this game where you take a softball and have to somehow throw it through a hole the size of a baseball.  You know the type of game I'm talking about.  The kind that no one wins but that the carnie can do because he's two feet closer and has practiced for thousands and thousands of boring hours.

Showtime: Ted Nugent

Ted Nugent made it very clear that he's a firm believer in killing things.  Animals, people, bad guy, guitars, what ever.  If you can shoot a a gun or a bow at it, then go for it.  He had plenty of firearms up on stage and a red/white/blue bow that he used to shoot a flaming arrow into a guitar.

He offered free machine guns to any "pussy" in the audience, meaning women, not wimps. 

It was the most that I have ever heard the word "poontang" in a 2-hour block.

I was the big winner again with all the drunks that thinking that rock and roll means that there are no rules being on my side.  My guys were busy trying to keep people dressed and near their seats and off the banisters.  Our Concert Hall isn't a typical free for all that I guess these people are used to.  It's a Concert Hall with assigned seating and where we follow the fire codes and where everything we do or don't do is on surveillance.

Ted thinks our soldiers are doing a great job of killing the bad guys and that they should just keep on blowing things up.  He loves watching our soldiers blow bad guys up.

I couldn't help but wonder how much of it was for publicity.  I was told that Ted has continued to be famous not because of his music but because he's a hunter and a gun advocate.  Maybe he really is an uber-redneck but part of me thinks that it's all part of the act.

I'll leave you with this piece of culinary advice from Ted:

You can't grill it untill you kill it.

Success Warrior Diet Program: P90X - Journal (Days 25 - 27)

Disclaimer: This P90X review is just one guy's journey through 90 days to see what happens.  Your results will probably be different based on any number of things (diet, intensity, other activities) and you should be healthy enough for hard workouts before you start this program.

First, I want to thank everyone that has taken up the sword and joined in my crusade against obesity.  We really can make a difference.  For those of you that haven't joined yet, what are you waiting for?  Register now!  For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, read this post from a couple days ago.  If you registered but haven't joined the support group, you can send a blank email here and I'll approve you.

I started Day 25 with another try at a run.  I started out feeling good but I ended up running out of gas on the way back and alternated between running and walking.  I'm still not stressing about the running.  The main part of this 90 day experiment is with the P90X program.  The running is a bonus and as such, any running or alternating running and walking, is better than nothing. 

I read an interesting quote on the message boards the following day that was appropriate.  Someone had pasted in some tips from Tony Horton.  One of the tips essentially stated that you shouldn't skip a workout just because you don't feel up to it or you don't feel like you can give it your best effort.  Even a crappy workout is a workout and so much better than nothing. 

I know a lot of people don't exercise because they "can't do it right."  They don't try eating better because they can't do it perfectly.  The "cheat" and then give up.  It's not about getting it right or transforming all your habits overnight.  It's about doing something good for your body.  You can do anything and it doesn't have to be a lot every day.  "Do your best and forget the rest."

I showered up and went in for a massage.  That was very relaxing and a great addition to my recovery week.

That night, I did my weight lifting sets for Tuesday as well as for this day.  I thought it would be nice to make up the missed workout. 

After lifting weights, I did the X Stretch DVD and then went to bed.  I was incredibly sleepy.  When I went to bed, I knew I wasn't going to be running the next morning.  I was just going to sleep until the last second.

This was not in my plans for this morning

If you could read my unfinished post about my P90X training for the last couple of days, you would know that I had no intention on getting up this morning any earlier than Trey.  I was going to sleep as much as he would allow.  He's got a cold and I don't want a cold so I'm trying to get some extra rest.

That was *my* plan.

What actually happened was slightly different.

There I was sleeping quite contently when my wife jumped up on the bed and started bouncing up and down screaming that there was an intruder in the house tyring to kill her.  I should have told her to call 911 but instead I asked her what time it was.  7:30.  I'm pretty sure that Trey was going to sleep past 7:30 but not if my wife was making all that racket.  Obviously the best plan is to deal with the intruder as quietly as possible so that she will stop screaming and then I can go back to bed.

I stop listening to the voices in my head long enough to catch the word "scorpion" from my wife.  Okay, the intruder has been identified.  They seem to like our kitchen.  I'm not sure why that is.  The lizards and beetles like the kitchen too.  I keep vowing (read today's Success Warrior Blog) to throw out the left over Purina Scorpion Food but just haven't gotten around to it.  I'll bet that's why they come in our kitchen.

Family, Finance, and Fitness - A Free Coaching Offer

Long time readers of both my blogs know that there are three areas of life that I really focus on: Family, Finance, and Fitness.  I have written extensively in these public blogs on Family  and Finance over the last year (and even longer in my private blogs).  I have only mentioned Fitness every once in a while but that obviously changed when I came across P90X last month.

I believe that people who aren't taking some control of their Finance and Fitness are going to lead limited lives.  For some people this may be okay but I know there are plenty of people out there like me who will be yelling, "Frrreeeeedommmmm!" until there isn't any more air in their lungs.

I haven't achieved the level of freedom that I want yet but I'm not going to give up without a fight.  I see too much of the trapped life and I have too much that I still want to do and that keeps me from just giving up.

Success Warrior Diet Program: P90X - Journal (Days 21 - 24)

Disclaimer: This P90X review is just one guy's journey through 90 days to see what happens.  Your results will probably be different based on any number of things (diet, intensity, other activities) and you should be healthy enough for hard workouts before you start this program.

Day #21 brought the third week and the weightlifting part of phase 1 to a close.  On the 7th day, you have your choice between resting or doing the X Stretch DVD.  I have done the stretching all three weeks because that just seems to make the most sense to me.  It's also a habit now to do P90X every day and it would feel weird not to do something.

I didn't go run because I'm usually trying to get in a little bit more sleep on Saturdays.  I get home late and get up to watch Trey and use most of the time in between for sleep.  I'm trying to figure out a way to get some running in but so far the best answer is to get a new job.  That's not an option right now.

I did do a couple hours of martials arts training.  We were sweating but not P90X sweating, if you know what I mean.  I didn't lift any weights either but did a few ab exercises that I used to do before P90X that aren't in the program.  I just do three different exercises with one set each.  I have been doing Ab Ripper X three times a week so I don't feel like I need to hit the abs hard.  I do the exercises with weights on my ankles which changes things up a bit.

I am starting to see a difference now and it's not just wishful thinking.  Just to make sure, I asked my wife today if she saw any differences.  She said that she could tell that I was losing fat right under my rib cage and down the sides of my gut.  It was good to get a second opinion and I'm looking forward to comparing my 30 day pic to my 0 day pic.

One thing that I have really tried to do for these three weeks is get enough sleep and eat clean.  I have done a pretty good job on the sleep and have done better than anticipated on the eating.  It has been easier than I thought it would be because of the reason that I have mentioned before.  I want to have enough energy to give the workouts my best effort.  I don't want to bonk out and it is even more important with the additional running and weight lifting.

I joined another forum thread to help keep the motivation high.  I haven't needed it but it can't hurt.  You always want to surround yourself with people that have attributes that you want to have.  This thread was started by a guy that wants to go to a Halloween party dressed as a Spartan from the movie 300.  This is a group of highly motivated people who are going to be doing everything they can to get ripped by Halloween.  Many of them are going to dress in some kind of costume that shows off their hard work.  I haven't dressed up for Halloween in a long time but I can feed on the energy and drive of the other members.