This is so embarrassing...

but I figure that if it's out there, then I HAVE to be committed to it.  And if I show before pictures, then I'll be even that much more committed to finishing the program so that I could show how I improved.  From flab to fab, as they say.

Billy and I are starting P90X.

Go ahead.

Laugh.

But I'm willing to try almost anything to get rid of this chub circle around my thighs and waist.

Billy had the plyometrics and ab ripper X cds that his friend had lent to him about a year and a half ago.  I would watch him do them and then, when he would quit halfway (ok, maybe a bit more than halfway), I would sigh, go back to my google reader, and thank my lucky stars that I didn't have to do anything that awfully barbaric.  But here I am, 15 lb heavier than I want to be and all of my breastfeeding isn't cutting it.  I guess it's not good to just rely on breastfeeding to lose weight and continue eating like I am still 8 months pregnant.

For those of you not in the know, P90X is a home workout program that "emphasizes 'muscle confusion', a method of cross-training and periodization achieved through switching the order of exercises and incorporating new and varied movements.^[1] Muscle confusion prevents the body from adapting to exercises over time, resulting in continual improvement without plateaus." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P90X).  If you stay up late, it's plastered all over the infomercial circuit.  In the infomercials, you see women doing as many pull ups and push ups as the guys in the program.  Since I have no upper body strength, I was drawn to that aspect.  I liked that it combines cardio with strength training (strength training for women is incredibly important and helps improve bone density).

Before I got pregnant, Billy and I would work out together a lot.  He would teach me how to lift weights and would accompany on some runs giving me the support and encouragement that I needed to get through the run.

Billy and me on my first 5K run.  

Ever since I got pregnant and had Desmond, we've had to juggle the responsibility of having Desmond with working out.  So, working out was done separately; one person would go workout while the other was taking care of Desmond.  This took away even more of the time we had together.  So, committing to doing P90X meant that we could work out together.  We decided to start and workout after Des had fallen asleep for the night, usually around 1030 or 11.  This worked well for us because the first part of Desmond's night-time sleep usually lasts around 3 hours.  After that, he consistently wakes up about every 2 hours to eat.  I can't tell you enough how wonderful it is to learn how to nurse while lying on your side.  It's a life- and sanity-saver.

OK.  It's been two weeks since we started and we've only missed 1 day (Billy hurt his back and there is no way that I'm doing 1.5 hours of working out at home without him.  I have about this [     ] much motivation to workout regularly, but when he's not doing it with me, it's nil.)  I've steadily improved my workout performance (for example, I can now do 20 pushups on my knees versus the 11 or so that I did at the start).  I still can't do a pull up, but I feel that I'm progressing.  Things that were once incredibly difficult (I don't even have any muscles that could do that!!!) are now doable.  Not easy, by any means, but doable.

If you do a google image search for "before and after P90X," you'll see tons of pictures of people posing in the same ways at 1 month intervals for 3 months (90 means 90 days).  So, of course, I told Billy, let's do it!  It will keep me on my toes and make me accountable.  I can't lose face once this picture is out and about in the internet.  So, here goes.  *sigh*

I had to crop these because the combination of the leggings and the flash made for a very see-through situation and nobody wants to see see-through leggings and maternity underpants (yes, I still wear maternity underpants.  And yes, I have a butterfly tattoo that I got when I was 18 and yes, I still like it.  Go ahead and chuckle to yourself.)

So, here's to the next 90 days and hoping that I could get through it.