I’ve survived the first two weeks of P90X. 14 days. More than 15 hours of workouts. More protein than I usually consume in a three month period. How do I feel? Pretty good about myself. I think, with these kinds of extreme workout/diet programs, if you don’t bail out after a few days, you’re probably going to stick it out. Read more

Before I begin any exercising or dieting, I need to assess my current health. So I’m looking first at my BMI (body mass index). It’s a rough guage of how unfit you are; it can be thrown off if you’re a body builder or a really, really skinny person. I’m neither, so I’m not worried about it being too inaccurate.

Here’s the basic formula for BMI if you’re curious:

BMI = (weight in pounds * 703) / (height in inches)²

I’m 5′9″. I currently weigh 195lbs, the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life. According to the formula, I have a BMI of about 28.9, which puts me well into the overweight category. Another 10lbs and I would be considered obese. Talk about depressing.

Kip

This is my first official post for the exercise gazette. I’m a little embarrassed by how unhealthy I’ve become. It dawned on me about two days ago. I had eaten awful. I’d had cheesecake, fast food, soda. I was up all night with the worst heartburn. I couldn’t sleep, so I got to thinking. I wasn’t always this way.

I’m a naturally skinny guy. When I was a teenager, I weighed in at 140lbs. I didn’t have an ounce of fat on me. I was a cross country runner. Now, I’m weighing in at 195 lbs, which is a big deal considering my 5ft 9in skinny man’s frame. I wear it all in my mid-section too, which is the worst place a person can store their fat. Every inch I had around my waist means that much greater a chance I could wind up with a heart attack. It’s a risk I’m not willing to take. Both my grandmothers, on my mother’s and father’s sides, suffered from heart attacks. High blood pressure is prevalent in my family. Diabetes claimed about 2/3 of my family members over the years. I don’t want to wind up that way.

I have a kid now. I need to stick around a long time. I know how to get fit. I’ve done it before. I know how to eat right. I just needed the motivation, and I’m hoping this blog is it. I hope the time I take to reflect on my own life and the important of being there for my daughter means I’ll stay fit for the rest of my life. I want to get as fit as possible now, before I waste too many years and I’ve gained too much weight to fully reverse the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle.

Kip