(Editor’s Note) Our fitness expert Jonathan Ross is out there in the trenches with folks just like you and me looking for workouts that fit our needs and motivate us. Through the eyes of a certified trainer, he takes a look at the latest fitness trends and products to take us past the hype and give us some real, honest opinions. Here’s his take on the popular P90X program:

I’m always getting asked about fitness products, and I always give straight answers on what works, what doesn’t and everything in between. Below are some of the most common questions I get asked about a popular program P90X, and the truth about what you need to know before you consider ordering and using a program like this.

1. What makes P90X different from other workout DVDs?

There are many different types and intensities of exercise shown. Most DVDs and programs focus on one type of exercise or one type of equipment, and it’s up to the individual to integrate the workouts into whatever else they may be doing for exercise. The variety keeps the workouts from getting boring and can help prevent injuries from doing too much of one exercise.

2. What should I know about it before ordering?

It’s a big commitment – both financially and time-wise! Twelve DVDs plus the program manual isn’t cheap. Also, get your schedule ready for 90 minutes of exercise five to six days per week. If you can devote that much time to exercise, it almost doesn’t matter what program you follow, you’ll get results. I’ve rarely met people that find the prospect of such a big time commitment realistic.

There’s nothing magical about “muscle confusion” – it’s a term created by P90X, not an idea created by P90X. To describe what every entry-level trainer has known for decades: without a varied stimulus to the body, it is difficult to make long-term progress. You’ve got to force the body to change. The only thing revolutionary about “muscle confusion” is the term itself. The concept is an old one.

3. Any precautions about who should be doing the program (is it safe for everyone?), how to execute it safely, etc.?

If you know how to listen to your body it can potentially be for anyone. New exercisers will need to make the movements easier at first. In general, it’s for younger people (teens, 20’s and 30’s) who are exercising already but not getting great results from their time and effort. Just jumping in and following everything at full intensity if you haven’t already been exercising is not going to be a wise choice.

4. Is there anything I should do before I begin the program to be more prepared?

Make room in your schedule – can’t stress this enough. The time commitment on this program is more than most people typically say they have available for exercise.

5. Anything I should do (either during, before or after) to get the best results from the program?

Plan on getting seven to eight hours of sleep every night, eating small, frequent meals that are high in veggies and fruits and taking a fish oil supplement In addition, either schedule a deep-tissue massage every two to three weeks or spend some time on self-massage with a tennis ball, foam roller or other similar device. Your muscles will need it!

Remember: Progress from fitness isn’t from the workouts – it’s from the body’s ability to recover from a workout.

6. Any advice for when I’m performing the workouts to help me get the most benefits?

Feel free to modify any exercise for your body, your injury history and your goals. There’s nothing magical about doing everything exactly as someone else does it. Know your limits, and push them. However, know that the risk of overdoing it is common with this ambitious program.

7. Anything I should not do while performing this program? Is there anything that will sabotage my results?

Don’t feel pressure to do all the sets and reps at the highest intensity shown. Listen to your body and know that during a workout, it can be easy to get “in the zone” and overdo it. Then a few hours later, you’re hurting – and not in a good way. Intense muscle soreness is from a poorly executed workout. A little soreness lets you know you had a challenge, but very sore or painful muscles need to recover before getting hit hard again. Even if you have to take an extra day or two of light exercise to recover and skip a workout or two, that’s fine if it is what is best for your body.

8. Are there any other things you think i should know about P90X before I begin? Or tips/advice on how I can see the best results while completing the program?

The over-the-top delivery style of the workout leader on the videos can get irritating after multiple viewings. After one or two times through and you have a good idea of the moves, try following the videos with the sound down while you’re listening to your own motivating music.

Jonathan Ross

CalorieKing Fitness Expert

www.AionFitness.com

www.AbsRevealed.com

www.FamilyFitPlan.com

http://www.facebook.com/EverydayFitnessJonathanRoss

We talk a lot about how your diet affects your weight loss. It’s important to remember exercise is also key in weight loss and management. Persons who exercise regularly lose more weight and keep it off longer than non-exercisers. Here are some brief notes to keep in mind:

• Exercise also improves general health and well-being. Mood, confidence and self-esteem are enhanced by a sense of control and accomplishment.
• Exercise is a good way to ‘wake up’ a sluggish metabolism and burn extra fat tissue.
• Aerobic (huff and puff) exercise most days is great for burning calories and for cardiovascular fitness. But, it is strength training that mainly builds the muscles that burn calories even while we sleep. Read More »

From foil wrapped bunnies to marshmallow peeps, we’ve got calorie counts for all your Easter basket favorites. Having the counts in one handy place should help you plan your portion control! Read More »

The start of spring often brings families together to celebrate. Whether it is Easter or another family gathering you CAN enjoy good food.  We have a wide range of CalorieKing recipe makeovers for holiday brunches, lunches and everything in between. Read More »

It’s 10am, breakfast has come and gone and lunch is still miles away…

You’re tempted to grab a snack, but you think should just ‘tough it out’ and wait till lunch. Munching on a muffin would be an unhealthy choice, but a healthy snack is a powerful tool in losing weight and staying healthy. A smart snack between meals helps keep your blood glucose (sugar) steady, keeps your energy up and prevents overeating at lunch or dinner.

The keys to smart snacking are preparation and portion control. We’ve listed some easy-peasy ideas for delicious DIY snack packs. These snacks are around 100 calories each and fit into anyone’s daily food plan. So grab some plastic baggies and let’s pack a snack! Read More »

By now the chocolate Easter Bunnies and Marshmallow Peeps have landed in your grocery stores.  There are so many foil wrapped candy treats it’s easy to think there aren’t any other alternatives than putting something sweet in that Easter Basket.

But, there is good reason to think twice about what you place in those baskets. Allan Borushek emphasizes: Be aware that a typical Easter basket filled with candy can contain several thousand calories. That’s a huge overdose that could represent the total calorie needs for children for the best part of a week – especially if they are not as active!

CalorieKing is here with some easy alternative ideas to help makeover your Easter giving – whether for children, teens or adults. Read More »

Your Scale is Just A Piece of Equipment

Your scale is good at telling you how much you weigh. But are you asking it to do too much? Are you expecting it to make you happy, lift your mood, set the tone for your day, or establish a higher sense of self worth?

If you are, then you’re asking too much of your scale – it can’t be your friend, your enemy, your mood lifter, or your spirit crusher. All it can do is tell you the total of your weight – your skin, hair, eyeballs, bones, fat, muscle, fingernails, etc. It will never be your friend or your enemy.

It is a piece of equipment, nothing more nothing less. It has no power over you except that which you give it.

A few months into the year and the initial rush of enthusiasm for your weight loss resolutions may be fading. When a daily drop in scale weight tapers off, what will you have left to make you feel good about what you are doing? Read More »

Get to Know Your Food Triggers

If you are like most dieters, you’ve experienced the joy of success and the disappointment of failure.  You’ve lost weight, gained it back, lost it, just to gain it back again. It seems to be an endless cycle – but it doesn’t have to be. You can end the cycle.

Consider that one of the reasons for this on-again, off-again cycle could be that you have given all of your attention to what you eat and not why you overeat.

Paying attention to what you eat is essential to losing weight; however, you can’t stop there.  To keep the weight off, you need to identify and be in command of your triggers.

Trigger Overview

Ever wonder why:

You always eat popcorn at the movie even if you aren’t hungry or don’t really like movie popcorn;

Whenever you’ve had a difficult day and feel helpless and frustrated, you have a (seemingly) uncontrollable urge to eat foods that comfort you;

You must have a chocolate chip cookie when the aroma wafts through the mall, even though you are dieting and you went to shop, not eat;

Understanding Triggers

The reason you eat in response to these or similar situations is that you are responding to a trigger.  A trigger is any food, situation, or emotion that cues you to eat even when you are not hungry, or to overeat when you are full. These triggers seem to beckon you to “eat now”. Don’t think; just eat.

Every time you eat in response to a trigger, you are strengthening the power of that trigger.

Triggered overeating can be confused with mindless overeating, but it is actually a bit different and more complex.  Both are primarily about eating without full conscious awareness; however  triggered overeating is an habitual (conditioned) response to certain foods, emotions, social settings, while mindless overeating is more about simply not paying attention to what you are eating. Read More »

Are Unrealistic Expectations and Goals a Blueprint for Failure?

Unrealistic expectations and goals are a one-way ticket to disappointment, frustration, self-doubt and failure. Research shows that setting your weight loss standards too high increases the risk that you may just give up altogether. Why try, when you can’t succeed?

Recognizing the Unrealistic:

If you have unrealistic standards, it’s likely that you don’t recognize them as such.

Here are some examples. See if you can relate to any. Read More »

I’ve seen it all the time on TV – trainers screaming at someone to finish that last minute on the treadmill or in a person’s face picking away at a person’s psychology regarding their fitness level. Because at the end of the show there are radical transformations, I found myself thinking “Maybe I need that kind of approach to boost my fitness levels.”

So I tried a personal trainer. In fact, I’ve tried several. I started with a trainer that admittedly advertised himself as a drill sergeant.  I was convinced that if I had a Biggest Loser-esque trainer that it would make a difference. It did end up making a difference – I was scared to go workout.

Skipping Sessions…The Slippery Slope

This trainer stood three inches from my face at all times pushing me and correcting me every step of the way. While it never quite came to it I often felt threatened – if I didn’t do what he said (regardless of my pain and suffering) he might kick my butt. Read More »