Our P90X Log

Change To This Blog

2010-09-26T20:58:00.004-06:00

My wife and I have pretty much shared all that we can in regards to P90X and our journey to better health. This blog will stay around for those of you wanting resources still.

For those of you who have received value from the grocery lists for P90X that my wife made, thanks for your support.

Weider 200 Power Tower Instruction Manual

2010-09-11T14:22:00.001-06:00

I had someone contact me recently who was using a Weider 200 Power Tower. It's the same tower I use to do P90X with. They were wondering if I had the instructions available for download. Indeed I do, so here they are now for you :)

Bolts:

Bolts

Exercises:

Exercises (Full Page)

Manual:

Manual Page 1
Manual Page 2
Manual Page 3
Manual Page 4
Manual Page 5
Manual Page 6
Manual Page 7
Manual Page 8
Manual Page 9
Manual Page 10
Manual Page 11
Manual Page 12
Manual Page 13
Manual Page 14
Manual Page 15
Manual Page 16

Clif Bars Can Fuel You While You Workout

2010-09-02T21:20:00.005-06:00

I've been eating Clif Bars for a while. They give me the energy and nutrition I need to make it through a day of working out and always being on the go. Sometimes, I'll just put one in my pocket. When the day gets busy and my stomach is grumbling, I whip that bad boy out and eat it. Problem solved. But don't take my word for it. Watch this video and see for yourself...

Clif Bars:

240 Calories
23 vitamins and minerals
70% organic
High in Fiber
Fills you up good
Cleans your insides

Mmmmm. For ease of finding them, I've placed the link below here:

Shakeology: Ingredients and Cost

2010-05-19T14:34:00.018-06:00

Jeremy and I have been drinking chocolate Shakeology shakes for a little over a month now. I have to tell ya, it tastes really good! The hardest part to swallow about the Shakeology shake is the cost. :P So we decided to put a list together of the ingredients to see what the benefits are and if it is really worth the money each month. Whether or not it is worth the money is up to you, but hopefully our list will help you to decide.

What is the Cost?
Shakeology retails for $119.95 for 30 servings; however, if you are a Beachbody Coach, it is only $89.96 because you receive a 25% discount. Whether you are a Coach or not, though, you can get free shipping if you set Shakeology to auto-ship to you each month. You can even alternate which flavor you receive each month. We have yet to try the greenberry flavor, but I hear it tastes kind of like a child's vitamin.

It costs $14.95 each month to be a Beachbody Coach, but with the 25% discount you are still saving $15.00 each month on Shakeology alone. You receive a 25% discount on all Beachbody products if you are a Coach, not just on Shakeology.

Another way you are saving money with Shakeology is that you use it to replace a meal. The amount you save depends on how much you typically spend on the meal you are replacing. (That's a lot of "meals" and "replacings"—hopefully it makes sense.)

A Side Note: Shakeology and Breast Feeding
The package says "WARNING: Consult with a healthcare professional if pregnant, breast feeding, or if you have any other unique or special needs." I am currently nursing our two-month-old daughter and so I asked my healthcare professional. She hadn't heard of Shakeology and so she didn't have a straight answer other than, "They always say [to check with your doctor]." She concluded that as long as I don't notice anything unusual with my baby after drinking Shakeology, that it is fine to continue drinking it—which is good because I really like it.

Back to the Ingredients

There are a lot of ingredients on the back of the Shakeology package that I wasn't all that familiar with. Sure, there are the regular vitamins and minerals, but what about all these "super foods"? What do they do? How do you pronounce their names? How much do they cost if I were to buy each by itself? Is Shakeology really a good deal? I haven't included a pronunciation guide, but I have attempted to answer the rest of the questions...Click on the image above to view the complete list of ingredients for the chocolate Shakeology drink. This is provided by Beachbody and is available on their website.

Click here to download Beachbody's PDF file of their ingredients.

Click here to download our PDF file of the table below.

Now for the list we compiled. If you were to buy each of Shakeology’s super-food ingredients individually, it would look something like this:

	Suggested Retail Price	Servings per Container	Cost per Serving	URL Source for Cost of Powder
*Shakeology* Lose weight, reduce cravings, feel energized, improve digestion and regularity, lower cholesterol.	$119.95 ($89.96 if a Beachbody Coach); free shipping if auto-shipped	30	$3.99 ($2.99 if a Coach)
Multi-Vitamin Shakeology’s traditional vitamins and minerals (i.e., vitamin A, calcium, etc.) are equal to half of a multi-vitamin tablet from Kirkland.	$15.99	300	$.05	Click Here
Maca root Increases stamina, boosts libido, and combats fatigue.	$24.99	90	$0.28	Click Here
Sacha inchi meal High content of omega-fatty acids; improves heart health, decreases heart disease, improves brain function, decreases joint inflammation.
Yacon High in vitamin C, inulin, prebiotic; alternative sweetener.	$14.99	15	$0.53	Click Here
Flax seed meal Omega-3 fatty acids; fiber; phytochemicals, including antioxidants.	$3.79	21	$0.18	Click Here
Chia seed meal Rich in Omega-3 and fiber.	$9.99	19	$0.53	Click Here
Chlorella Protects against heart disease; boosts immune system; helps heal the GI tract; curbs appetite; increases energy; detoxifies the body.	$13.95	50	$0.28	Click Here
Spirulina Boosts energy and cellular health; rich in antioxidants; high in B-12; easy-to-absorb iron.	$39.99	64	$0.62	Click Here
Hydrilla Potent antioxidant, immune stimulator, and detoxifier.	$35.95	42	$0.86	Click Here
Apple pectin Promotes digestive cleansing and may help lower cholesterol.	$14.75	80	$0.18	Click Here
Astragalus root Enhances energy and the immune system.	$8.99	60	$0.15	Click Here
Blue green algae High concentration of antioxidants; strengthens the immune system; boosts energy; improves digestion; decreases food cravings; increases clarity of mind; and improves memory; high in protein; reduces stress.	$54.98	113	$0.49	Click Here
Spinach Helps maintain bone health; cardiovascular protection; promotes gastrointestinal health; increases mental clarity; anti-inflammatory; improves eyesight; improves energy.
MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) Maintains healthy connective tissue.	$16.99	250	$0.07	Click Here
Pea fiber Weight management; lowers blood pressure, improves sugar metabolism, and lowers triglycerides.	$7.70			Click Here
Quinoa Unusually complete source of protein, fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron.	$11.89			Click Here
Stevia Naturally sweet.	$23.29	672	$0.03	Click Here
Ashwagandha root Possesses anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antistress, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, hemopoietic, and rejuvenating properties.
Barley grass High in calcium, iron, all essential amino acids, vitamin C, the flavonoids, vitamin B12, and a number of enzymes and minerals.	$35.00	50	$0.70	Click Here
Kamut grass Greatly benefits immune, circulatory, and digestive systems; increases energy.
Oat grass
Wheat grass Lowers blood pressure; stimulates the thyroid; restores alkalinity to the blood; powerful detoxifier; contains beneficial enzymes, etc.	$42.99	60	$0.72	Click Here
Amaranth
Grape seed extract Lowers blood pressure, cholesterol, and risk of heart disease.
Green tea extract Antioxidant; protects against digestive and respiratory infections; lowers cholesterol; aids in weight loss; stimulates the immune system, etc.
Holy basil leaf Enhances general health and well-being, having positive overall effects on the body and mind.	$10.20			Click Here

Notes about this table:

1. Prices are based on purchasing loose powder only; capsules and tablets are more expensive and are not included here. Not all items are available in loose powder.

2. The URL we have listed is citing a reference for the price, not necessarily the information about health benefits.

3. Blank boxes are intentionally left blank; we were unable to find applicable information online for those boxes.

4. We did not look up the “blended” super foods (for example, “proprietary super-fruit blend”).

5. Shakeology recommends one shake/serving per day. All of the super-food ingredients suggest larger daily serving sizes (if taken as a supplement by itself) than what is provided in one Shakeology shake and some of them suggest multiple servings per day. For example, Shakeology has 100mg of wheat grass powder in it, but the URL listed above for purchasing wheat grass powder recommends you take 8 grams of wheat grass powder up to three times a day. Perhaps the difference is the individual ingredients’ marketing? Or maybe Shakeology doesn’t need as much of each ingredient because of the combination of so many super foods?

6. Based on our online research presented here, the cost of the ingredients in each Shakeology shake is approximately $1.00. That is approximately the cost for the ingredients only, not what you would spend on shipping, handling, tax, or other costs, if you were to purchase each ingredient separately and combine the ingredients yourself. Beachbody will also have costs for marketing, packaging, research, etc., which would be added to the cost before the expected mark-up to the retail cost. If you become a Beachbody coach, however, you receive a 25% discount.

7. We are not responsible for the accuracy or result of any of this information we are providing in any way. We have not consulted with Beachbody regarding the accuracy of these claims, this is just based on what information we were able to gather online to help us better understand the ingredients found in Shakeology.

If you would like to visit our Shakeology webpage, visit http://myshakeology.com/jeremyjohnson/.

TurboFire From Chalene Johnson

2010-05-04T21:47:00.001-06:00

I just watched a video of Beachbody's latest product, Turbofire. It's from the same gal who did Turbo Jam, Chalene Johnson. It looks like it's geared more toward women and is focused on maximum interval training. This is intense bursts of working out with quick recovery periods. What do you think everyone, will this be something worth trying out? Will guys get use out of it too? Here is a YouTube video further explaining it.

Very Cool Beachbody Webinars

2010-04-07T19:52:00.005-06:00

Anne Dovel, Doug Fitzgerald, and Tammy Fitzgerald are three of Beachbody's top representatives and coaches. They hold FREE webinars that you can go to, kick your feet up, and just listen to and ask questions. If you are the least bit curious in how to get a good discount on Beachbody products (like P90X and Shakeology) or you are interested in doing your own business focused on living a healthy lifestyle and helping others do the same, then relax and watch these Webinars.

Here are the times the webinars are scheduled for:

Anne Dovel

Every Wednesday at 7:00 PM (MST)
Every Sunday at 7:00 PM (MST)
Anne Dovel's Webinars

Doug and Tammy Fitzgerald

Every Sunday at 8:00 PM (MST)
Doug Fitzgerald's Webinars

OR

Listen to an already recorded webinar from Doug

If you like what you see at any of these, just click the 'Coach' link at the top to learn more.

Combining Health and Income

2010-04-06T09:12:00.004-06:00

I've always looked up to Tony Horton, from the very first time I did the Chest and Back workout routine to today having done all the P90X workouts. Now that I am learning about sharing Beachbody's products and business opportunity with others, I am excited. I'm excited because of the quality of Beachbody's products. I'm excited because Beachbody has terrific and driven people earnestly seeking to add value to others.

There is a video below with Tony Horton talking about Beachbody coaching. As of writing this, I am absorbing all the information I can about it. I'd feel silly trying to share with you the opportunity without first understanding the whole program. When I've mastered the knowledge, I will have some things to share with you about the opportunity for a healthy business - or just being able to get a good discount on all of Beachbody's wonderful products.

In the mean time, sit back, relax, and watch Tony Horton :)

Part 1

Part 2

Entering the Beachbody Coaching Ranks

2010-03-29T22:49:00.004-06:00

It's official, I am entering the Beachbody Coaching ranks (this is Jeremy by the way). Having no prior knowledge about how any of it works, I am OK with that. I love a friggin' challenge. Plus I love what Beachbody's products offer and so it was really inevitable that I made the jump to doing this. I'll definitely be writing more about this in the future, but in the mean time, here are 3 links which will help you see what I am doing with it.

So what is Beachbody Coaching? It's a way to invest with a great company offering great products and services. It costs $40.00 to get setup and is $15.00 a month for maintenance on the websites and other services offered. There are a few stipulations that I have to learn and how the whole recruitment and sales works. But you get a 25% discount on all Beachbody products and if people buy Beachbody products off your site, you also get a 25% portion of that. So it sounds like a fun opportunity I am willing to go on and see just what I can make of it :)

Our baby arrived!

2010-03-18T15:53:00.006-06:00

Our second daughter was born last week! Sienna couldn't wait to get here—she came FAST and FURIOUS! No complaints from me on that part, can't really argue with 2.5 hours total labor and delivery time! She weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces, and measured 20 inches long. She is very sweet and Ellie is just as excited as us to have her in our family!

We are both doing well, and I believe that part of the success of the pregnancy and delivery is due to P90X. I gave Sienna the best possible start to life that I could by having a healthy body and healthy eating habits. I was able to continue working out (albeit, low-key) throughout my whole pregnancy; I may not have been able to do that had I not gotten in good shape before getting pregnant. So, thank you P90X for helping me learn how to make positive lifestyle choices!

Heidi and Jeremy - In a Video!

2010-03-09T22:07:00.004-07:00

Hi everyone, this is Jeremy and Heidi. We've just done a video that we think will be very fun for you to look at. Heidi is pregnant right now and due to have our 2nd child very soon (in 3 days)! So sit back, relax from your Yoga, and watch :)

It's only 5 minutes :)

About Us

2010-02-25T19:04:00.004-07:00

Realized we don't have an "about us" page yet, so here it is! This blog is created by Jeremy N. Johnson and Heidi M. Johnson.

Jeremy
Jeremy finished his first round of P90X in April 2009 and had great results. Just click the 90-day photo link above and see for yourself. He enjoys basketball, working out, working on his websites, and spending time with his family.

Heidi
Heidi also finished her first round of P90X in April 2009—it is great being able to do the program together! Heidi has multiple sclerosis and was still able to complete the program; though she has also been in remission for awhile. Heidi put together the grocery lists that are the most popular part of our P90X log. She is one smart cookie. She enjoys being healthy and spending time at home during the day with our two daughters, Ellie and Sienna.

Multiple Sclerosis and P90X

2010-02-20T14:09:00.001-07:00

My wife may end up chiming in on this post as she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis many years ago - she has a less aggressive form of it and she was able to complete the P90X program.

I wanted to share a video I found from Anne Dovel about a woman with a very aggressive form of Multiple Sclerosis - and this woman was still able to workout doing P90X (by modifying her workout) and make amazing changes to her body, which have in turned boosted her energy and drive for life. Here is the video below, and a link to Anne Dovel's website below it:

Visit Anne Dovel's article about this amazing woman.

Does P90X Really Work?

2010-02-14T14:13:00.009-07:00

oes P90X Really work?

That's an interesting question that I'm sure many people are asking. Unfortunately, there is no definition for 'really work' provided, so one has to assume that it means this:

Does P90X really get you toned all over with muscles and looking good?

The short answer is "It Can!" - See my 90 day picture and see for yourself.

There you go, the program works. Go get it, follow it, and you'll look like me :) I'm only kidding, that is not nearly enough of an explanation!

What is P90X

Simply put, P90X is a set of workout DVDs, an introduction DVD, and a nutritional plan and booklet. The workout DVDs are where instruction is given for different workouts for the entire body. The workouts average about an hour in length, so time needs to be set aside for a dedicated workout. The nutrition guide outlienss proper eating. Thankfully my wife better organized the grocery lists, which you can download for free here.

What do you do in P90X?

What you do is get a TV or computer, and a space where you live where you can jump around a little, stretch, and do strength training. What you do is put the DVD in, start watching it, and do what Tony Horton and his workout buddies are doing. It's that simple, except with one catch. You really need to be careful with many of the workout moves not to hurt yourself. Anything involving your shoulders, back, and knees requires serious care.

As I said though, you must be careful

My wife and I have written about injury and care in several posts:

P90X worked for me

P90X worked for me, you can see my 90 day pictures. However, I did not pay enough attention to doing a few things improperly and especially while playing basketball, I did not listen to my back telling me to stop. But I've learned my lesson now, and I can share it with everyone.

P90X can work for you if you do these simple things: you eat reasonably well, you dedicate time every day to ALL the workouts and give them your all - while taking take care not to hurt yourself, and you stay persistent and positive. That's it, I can promise if you do those things, you will see great P90X results, just like I did!

Stay persistent and dedicated that is the key

It really is a lifestyle change. After 90 days, you won't want to stop working out if you did the program right. Why not post your links to your 90 day pictures if you have them here. I'd love to see your results!

You can visit my Beachbody site at any time if you have further interest

Spine Surgery Success

2010-01-31T12:34:00.002-07:00

My lumbar discectomy appears to have been a success. There was a large spinal disc fragment in my lowest disc in my spine (that was pressing on nerves) that was removed by a neurosurgeon - thanks Doctor Gardner! The numbness in my left leg is gone. Now I am in recovery mode as my lower back is very sore and tight. I have to be careful when I move for the first few weeks.

Looking forward to recovering and showing you all more of how I workout, particularly how I am going to modify some of the P90X moves in accordance with my surgery and life long being careful with my spine.

Special thanks to my wife who has waited on me hand and foot even while being 8 months pregnant.

Video Review - Weider 200 Power Tower

2010-01-19T13:00:00.068-07:00

Bringing it, without a door pull up bar!

This is a Weider 200 Power Tower - it's great for many of the workout moves in P90X!
It retails for about $169.00 from Amazon.com.
Comes in a rectangular box, needing to be assembled, weighing about 96 pounds total.
It takes a couple hours to put together and comes with most of the tools you will need.
I recommend an adjustable wrench to hold the opposite ends of the screws while you screw them in tight.
Weight limit is 250 pounds, but I would shoot for being 225 or less just to be safe.
It's about 7 feet tall (6 feet 11 inches).
Our ceiling is 7 feet 8 inches tall. This is about the lowest ceiling you should have for using it.
Pull ups: Wide, close group, reverse grip.
Head can go over the bar (with a 7 feet 8 inch ceiling) and I have a big head.
Assisted pull ups with legs.
Hanging leg lifts.
Push ups.
Back leg lifts.
It's an awesome piece of equipment, especially for P90X. It won't smah up your doorway. It gives you room to workout. it's sturdy. It moves around easily. Get one today!

P90X Family Store

2010-01-18T13:38:00.003-07:00

For those of you looking for a consolidated store of all things P90X, as well as other fitness and nutritional products that are useful, please visit the store here.

We've also included a link at the top of the page for easy access. For those wondering, we are an affiliate of Amazon.com and are paid a portion of the order price. If you found our grocery lists or any other information useful, feel free to take a visit. And if you were going to buy something from there anyway, you are helping our cause and we appreciate it so very much.

You Can Injure Yourself Doing P90X

2010-01-13T19:29:00.020-07:00

P90X is an awesome fitness program. It got me to see that I could get six pack abs and be physically toned more than at anytime in my life. But I want to make sure all of you are safe while you do your workouts.

For the past five weeks or so, I've been hit with some very unique pain and numbness in my lower back and left leg/foot. I knew something was wrong after bending over early December. What I didn't know then, which I know now is that I have a really bad disc in my lowest vertebrae.

Here is the MRI of my herniated disc.

Heidi circled the bad disc. For those of you who don't know much about the spine, I will be brief - the vertebrae right above my tail bone has a disc in between it, just like the other vertebrae in the spine. Read this for a quick rundown of spine discs.

I've been diagnosed by doctors here with a herniated/ruptured disc and that means the gel-like material in the center of the spinal disc is pushing through the outer, hard layer of the disk, and that material is pressing against the nerves which control my lower left side (from my lower back to the bottom of my foot). Interestingly enough, there are several main nerves which go down each leg and one of these, the S1 nerve, is being aggravated the most by the pressure from the disc.

I'm not sure what caused this to be honest. I know I had a really sore back from playing basketball a few days before I started feeling the numbness and sharp pain in my leg.

For the last six months, I've not been doing every P90X workout, but have been going to the gym and and doing the video workouts in combination. I am doing physical therapy now to hopefully avoid surgery.

Having all this happen is prompting me to reiterate something I've said before a couple times in this blog about being careful to avoid injury. Here are the things I can see that you can hurt yourself doing in P90X:

Lifting heavy weight while doing overhead tricep exercises or straight arm lifts - this can really hurt your shoulder
Bending down awkwardly can put a strain on your knees
Doing Ab Ripper X without a cushion under your tail bone can really make you sore there - I recommend using at least one pillow to sit on, but two is better
Doing forward bend stretches and sitting down forward stretches - this is where I probably did some damage - I would use my back to stretch - after talking to my physical therapist, she showed me how to arch my back and stretch my leg - I can tell now I was using my back to stretch more than I should have - you should keep your back arched as best as you can to avoid excessive bending in your lower spine
Plyometrics - take it easy with this workout, especially at first - all that jumping puts some major pressure on your lower back and spine - this probably didn't help my cause
Listen to your body with any of the workout moves or stretches - if any are even somewhat difficult or painful, ease back - I was a maniac and just pushed myself through it

P90X is an awesome workout program no doubt. And I probably hurt my back from a combination of playing basketball and working out like a mad man. I'm sure genetics also play a role as I have older siblings who have had disc problems. But I want those of you doing P90X to make sure you constantly keep in your mind to be free of injury. It is better to have a lighter workout and be injury free than to push yourself past what you should and get hurt.

I will update as time goes on and if I end up having surgery or not. This is another challenge and I am optimistic I will overcome it and get back to working on my six pack abs and toned body. Until then, all of you reading keep safe with your workouts. Don't overdo it. Start off slow and over time build up to more. I know I will now be much more careful when I workout.

Happy New Year P90Xers

2010-01-04T18:36:00.013-07:00

Happy new year to everyone. We've seen a great increase in visitors to our site since the new year. No doubt people have decided to get in shape as a new year's resolution. We know right now our most valuable resource on this site are the grocery list's that my wife painstakingly made. Here they are again as a reference.

Click a list below to download it in Microsoft Word format:

For those of you looking to begin the P90X program this year, I have some recommendations for you:

Take it slow at first - don't try and keep up with the crazy people on the videos - especially Yoga!
Speaking of Yoga, you may freak out the first 10 to 15 minutes while doing the Yoga when you see what they are doing and how long it is. But stick with it, you will not regret it, trust me!
Make sure to drink plenty of water. I'm not kidding. I got a kidney stone last year probably in due part to dehydration and I now drink half my body weight in ounces (roughly 104 ounces). Guzzle that water until your urine becomes clear. then keep that urine clear. I drink roughly half a 16 ounce bottle every 45 minutes or so. I used to drink probably 1/3 my body weight in ounces (67 ounces or so) of water on a given day if that.
Don't miss workouts. I'm serious, don't take a day off. The moment you do, the easier it becomes not to do workouts in the future. Make it a ritual to get up early in the morning and do your workout. That really helped me.
Don't use overly heavy weights on the tricep reps. Your shoulders will thank you. Believe me, I know - I hurt my shoulder bad from going too heavy.
Stick a pillow or two under your butt for the Ab Ripper X exercises where you are on your tail bone. This makes them so much better!
Stretch! Take the stretching during the workouts seriously. Increased flexibily improves your health and just plain feels great. I was able to touch all the way down past my toes with straight legs. But don't stretch with your lower back doing the work. Keep your back arched and have your leg do the work.

I'll be updating you all soon on something major that happened to me while playing basketball and bending over improperly. I hope to educate some of you so that you can avoid it :)

Weider 200 Power Tower

2009-12-07T18:43:00.010-07:00

Jeremy has been using the doorway pull-up bar from Iron Gym (pictured at the right) and has really liked it, but now the padding has worn through and it is leaving indentations on our door frame. That is bad. Since we are still using the equipment (i.e., it wasn't just a phase) we figured we might as well upgrade to a pull-up stand. We decided to get the Weider 200 Power Tower.

The Weider 200 Power Tower (pictured at the right) can be used for exercising your abs, chest, triceps, back, and arms. It has push-up stands, a dip station, multi-grip pull-up bar, and a padded verticle knee raise station. It even has step-up bars to help you with pull-ups and vertical knee raises.

It was pretty straight forward to set up, our 2-year-old daughter even "helped" out. It is taller than we expected, but so far so good.

We bought it from Amazon.com and it shipped for free:

Another Challenge - Swine Flu

2009-12-04T03:34:00.003-07:00

P90X has taught me discipline, hard work, and determination. It is very likely I have the swine flu and this entire week has been a huge battle to deal with the ill affects it is producing. Here are some of my thoughts about it - and most certainly, the accomplishing of P90X has provided a strength in dealing with it. I wrote these thoughts on a Facebook profile, but I am going to post them here as well. Enjoy!

Having empowered myself just over a day ago, it certainly feels like that decision has tightened a noose around my neck. It is very likely I have swine flu, and it is unlike any sickness I have ever had. The sore throat, coughing, and fatigue (amongst other things) are certainly testing my limits. I generally like to avoid any references to religion when I write, but what I will briefly share now is somewhat in the context of a belief in a higher power.

The definition of 'submit' from the dictionary:

1. to give over or yield to the power or authority of another (often used reflexively).
2. to subject to some kind of treatment or influence.
3. to present for the approval, consideration, or decision of another or others: to submit a plan; to submit an application.
4. to state or urge with deference; suggest or propose (usually fol. by a clause): I submit that full proof should be required.

In many religious circles there is a belief that submitting to God, or the ultimate source, or whatever the higher power may be, your will - submitting your will - brings you a closer spiritual connection with that higher source. Not sleeping for a couple days and coughing my lungs out has definitely jolted this thought to the very front of my mind. I sat in our basement just 15 minutes ago and flowed the tears of crying for help, in frustration, and finally realizing that what is going on will pass on its own time. There will be no 'forceful' removal of this illness from my body - though I still retain my attitude of strength.

I don't say this to ask for the pittance of any reading. But I found that a hard cry jolted the congestion in me, allowing me to blow my nose and rid my body of much of the illness that is residing within me. I felt a cleanse as I did this. I am sure there is some sort of chemical reaction in the body caused by crying hard.

Not only did it allow me to temporarily clear much of my congestion, it put in perspective this challenge as I made a choice to submit to the pain I was experiencing. I no longer pleaded for the removal of this illness from me. I accepted it, and all the pain and agony that came with it. In a sense, I decided to use faith that this will strengthen me as other challenges in the past have done so. And at a time of suffering it really is faith. I don't see any hard evidence to support that I should have faith. Yet I am strangely drawn to it regardless.

I am very thankful to have an understanding company to work for that lets me stay home and work. I work with a great team of people. For whatever reason, I have been blessed in my life to have continuing improvement in my employment. I have an amazing wife and daughter. As I watch Ellie, it moves me to see her so forgiving of me when I snap at her. She just comes and gives me a hug. And Heidi willingly does what I ask of her, even though she is six months pregnant.

Well, this isn't a pity party. It's more my thoughts as I experience another difficult challenge. This second half of 2009 has certainly decided to test me. I enjoy sharing what comes to my mind for any who decide to read it. There is a choice that can be made during any challenge, no matter how difficult. And that is the choice to accept it as something that will strengthen you. I hope you are able to overcome whatever challenges you face in your life with optimism and determination. If you read this far, thank you for listening to my random thoughts as I sit still unable to sleep at 3:30 AM in the morning. Take care.

Updated Pictures

2009-11-20T22:32:00.007-07:00

Hello there!

I wanted to take a few pictures to show to everyone that I have gained back what I lost when I had kidney stone surgery. My wife was kind enough to take these. I must admit, I am very used to all the P90X moves now and generally don't even need the DVD's anymore unless I want Tony talking to me. But a piece of advice to those working out - take care of your lower back. I was playing basketball a couple days ago and really twinged it good. So I am resting it, drinking lots of water, taking advil, and hoping for a speedy recovery. Anyhow, here is some updated pictures. Enjoy!

We're having a ...

2009-10-20T20:57:00.004-06:00

We had our 20-week ultrasound today and found out we're having a girl! We have a 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Ellie, and are excited that she's getting a sister. During the ultrasound appointment, Ellie said, "I'm going to workout," and she started doing push-ups and yoga's "tree" pose in the exam room. It was really cute.

It would appear that our new baby is also into exercising—or yoga, at least. In this ultrasound photo, she is doing yoga's "plough" pose. :) (If you can't read the text, it says "profile" on the left, "bum" on the right, and then "foot" up over her head again.)

Back in Action

2009-10-11T18:51:00.003-06:00

It's me Jeremy! Two weeks back in action with P90X after my kidney stone surgery. I lost some of what I gained with P90X previously. The strength, flexibility, and stamina are a little less. But that's ok. I'm making progress. That really helps me feel fulfilled - the idea that I am making progress.

I'd like to make a quick note about something interesting I've learned about the P90X workouts. Any day I don't do my workout, I feel like I've lost something. Whether I felt I didn't have time or I was just too tired in the morning, I always feel this way.

However, when I wake up and just do the workout, I feel so much better. The day actually turns out better. It's an amazing thing and a life lesson learned. The more we choose to do what is difficult and beneficial, the better our lives turn out to be. The more we take the easy road of not doing anything, the more depressed and unfulfilled life seems to get. How amazing this is!

Moral of the story: Get up and do your workout. Just get started. Once you get started, you will finish!

Workout Updates

2009-09-29T10:30:00.003-06:00

Hi there! I just wanted to give you an update of mine and Jeremy's workouts...

Jeremy: Having not been able to do P90X for the last two weeks, Jeremy is starting Round 3 over again. He started it yesterday with Chest & Back. He thinks he has lost some of his abs in these last couple of weeks, but I can't tell and I think he looks like he still has a six-pack. (Can't say so much for MY abs, however, which are now becoming an expanding one-pack. :P )

Heidi: I found the demands of first-trimester pregnancy to be too much for me and P90X to get along. :) I was really weak a lot of the time and very light-headed, I even passed out for my first time a few weeks ago. I am now 16 weeks pregnant and STARTING to feel like I have some energy, but it has only been about a week, so it is too soon to tell if the energy will stick around. I am still exercising at the gym, though, I'm just not able to maintain P90X. And it has been long enough since I have been able to do P90X that it would be like starting over, which I think should wait until after our baby is born.

So I will continue to go to the gym but wait until next Spring to restart P90X. We have an active Summer planned for next year, so that will be good motivation to get back into my P90X body. :)

Derailed by Kidney Stone Surgery

2009-09-21T05:13:00.008-06:00

This is a somewhat graphic post, so if you are not able to handle intense details, best not to read this one. :)

Wow

I sit at my computer desk at 5:13 AM in the morning, having been released from the hospital yesterday from a kidney stone removed in an infected area in my right ureter. That's the tube from your kidney to your bladder, of which you have two; one from your right kidney, and another from the left. I have an artificial tube still in the right ureter which I will pull out this Tuesday at around 6 PM.

How am I going to pull it out? Well, part of the intense details is that the surgery involved the doctor going up my urethra (the tube in the middle of the penis), through my bladder, and to the right ureter with a camera and removing the kidney stone (4 mm in diameter), and leaving an artificial tube attached with string in the ureter. The string is hanging out of my urethra, ready to be yanked this Tuesday. (I told you this was intense :))

Since the surgery, urination has been extremely painful and there has been some level of discomfort having the tube sit in my ureter.

How Did This Happen?

This past Thursday morning, while about to make a bank withdrawal, I started feeling intense pain in my right side. Luckily my twin brother was driving with me and he was able to take me to the ER. After being released with some pain medication, I was right back in the next day after vomiting and having the pain persist even more. I developed a bad fever and, for several days, all I could do was cry and barely speak comprehensible words while my wife and the nurses did the best they could to comfort me.

I haven't had any real bowel movements since Wednesday. I am bloated, have gained about 8 pounds, and looking in the mirror, am seeing P90X's awesomeness fade away...

Time to Get Ready

Now for the good stuff. :) This is a challenge unlike any other I have faced in my life. The sheer and intense pain and agony I have felt over the past several days is beyond my comprehension. When the pain is so intense that all you can do is cry and shake, you know you are in for a tough ride. With my hard work being somewhat erased, I sit here, still in pain, excited at the opportunity to bring myself back from the brink.

I was on my 3rd round of P90X. Now that I have lost some of what I have gained, I am going to start over once I am recovered. I am going to be even more fit than before. I am going to rise above this and show that you can be physically fit, no matter what happens to you. I have felt myself taken to the very edge of my sanity. As I crawl my way back, I will show you just what you can do if you are persistent and determined.