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Okay, so I don’t know about you, but the thought of doing P90x was a little intimidating.  I mean, let’s face it, the X scared the pants off me… how X-treme was it really? Am I going to be able to handle it? What if I can’t? What if I can only do one push-up? What if I can’t do any pull-ups? What if I pass out during Plyometrics? What if… what if… what if…

As someone who had all those questions and “What ifs” going through my head, I thought I’d give my personal insight now that I’ve finished the first week of this X-treme program.

The first workout tested a few of my fears right off the bat…. Chest & Back, or in other words, push-ups and pull-up/chin-ups! I’ve done a lot of push-ups from ChaLEAN Extreme but not at the speed or anywhere near the variety that Mr. Tony Horton does. Of course, none of this is about speed which is something I have to keep in mind because I have that Capricorn stubbornness, determination, and a drive to not be outdone (which is to my detriment sometimes, trust me… I know). So of course the most important thing is proper form for a few reasons- to make the most efficient push-ups possible and also to not injure yourself. Anyway… all that to say that once you change your mindset to “Do Your Best, Forget the Rest” you will be in a much better position to succeed. I’m serious, that’s all that matters. Once I settled down into that, I realized how much room I have for improvement, and that’s really exciting! Goals are set and more push-ups and pull-ups are going to be done each week.  That’s the way I roll and this program is really going to help me become the fittest I have ever been. So did I do as many push-ups or pull-ups as ANYone on the screen? No. And that’s okay because it isn’t just “No, I didn’t.” It’s “No, I didn’t this time but I will!.”

And what about that Plyometrics? Did I pass out? Did I throw up? Well, no, but I did have to give myself that little pep talk to get through it. You know what I’m talking about… when your brain starts having doubts and you’re hearing that negative voice in your head saying “You can’t do this. You’re tired. It’s time to stop. You’ve done enough for today.” That’s the time when you have to change your thinking to the positive. “You CAN do this. You’re NOT tired. You are going to get through this.” I may be fit, and I may work out a lot but I still have to give myself that reminder to think positively. It’s all about a mindset- tell yourself it’s fun and it really will be. I actually enjoyed Plyometrics because I just changed my attitude.

So is this workout X-treme? Yes, of course it is, but it’s a challenge that you can overcome. There’s a reason these are on DVD and a reason that we have a Pause button on our remote controls. Get through the workouts the best you can and it’s OK to take breaks!  Week 1-DOWN and I already feel stronger and ready to crush week 2 and DO MORE than last week!