P90X... My New Adventure

I've decided to challenge myself yet again... This time, it's P90X.

I work out regularly at my gym and definitely enjoy it (and the people are AWESOME!), but I feel like I need a different type of workout to get to the fitness level I want to reach. I've always struggled with my weight and consistently try to either maintain or lose to a certain level. Ever since I was a little kid, I've had difficulty being in the normal range for my weight, and it got especially difficult during middle school and early high school.

When I was in 10th grade, I was about 5'7" and reached the 210 lb mark. I'd never been that heavy before, and it was difficult being an overweight competition cheerleader for so many different reasons. Cheerleaders aren't supposed to be like that... or at least that's what I thought. It was stressful trying to complete a 2-minute, 30-second routine filled with stunts, dances, and chants while being so out of breath that I could hardly keep up. I remember looking at my high school ID picture and a couple of other cheerleading pictures, thinking to myself, "Wow... how did I get my weight to this point?" I knew I needed a change right then and there, and I took major steps to regain control of my weight.

After about 2-3 months on a diet that consisted of eating healthier and replacing Cokes with grapefruit juice, I lost 40 lbs and was much more self-confident in my apperance. So many people told me how great I looked, and my confidence just fed off of that. It was awesome - I actually looked like a cheerleader and could perform routines like one, too.

Fast forward to my sophomore year of college when I moved into my sorority house. I gained about 15 lbs just because I didn't really make an effort to work out regularly. My college schedule was so packed because of my extracurricular involvement that I simply didn't "make" time for myself. I started running, which I'd never gotten involved in before then, and made goals to eat healthier. This change helped me lose 30 lbs, and I was in better shape than when I was a competition cheerleader. I made running goals for Race for the Cure and some other 5Ks, which definitely helped my motivation, too. I completed my first 5K in Macon (RFTC) by running the entire race without stopping in 34.05 minutes. Unfortunately, though, I injured myself at the beginning of the race (fell over a sewage drain in the first minute of the race and severely injured my ankle, but ran on it anyway...hardcore, I know), which led to me to a recovery period that didn't include running. It was okay, though, because I got back into the mix after a few months of rest and maintained my weight throughout the entire time.

I've been about the same weight since then, but it's time for a change. Life is too short to be unhappy about my fitness level, so P90X is going to help me achieve my goal. I still have my high school ID to use as motivation, and I intend to keep it on my mirror throughout this entire process. I never want to reach that weight ever again. Anyway, here are my goals:

- Achieve 16% body fat
- Reach the 145 lb level
- Become more toned

... all within 3 months. I'm going to blog throughout the entire journey and include pictures and/or videos, so be on the lookout for some more blogs as soon as I begin P90X!

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