P90X

So I have chronic neck and knee pain. We’re talking two years of neck pain, wrist pain, and knee pain. I’ve had xrays (no bone damage), taken a variety of anti-inflammatories, and tried physical therapy. I have better days, but always seem to re-injure myself. Talk about feeling old.

Anyways, recently the situation has been improving due to 3 things:
1. Changing posture habits/adopting more ergonomic positions (has resolved about 50% of my knee pains and 90% of my wrist issues in two weeks).
2. Properly supporting myself (knee braces work wonders).
3. Working my entire body and providing it with variety to condition all of it.

The last one may need a bit of explanation. I have specialized my body to hold key positions (mostly for sitting work and kneeling for martial arts). This has caused me to have imbalances in my joints. For example, my quadriceps are strong from squatting, sitting, and training on my knees. However, I hardly work my hamstrings. In fact, I even walk in a way that emphasizes the use of my quads and hips – under utilizing my hamstrings. According to my Dr. this causes unbalanced support for my knee cap causing it to become irritated and inflamed.

So to address #3 (and the point of this post) I have begun the P90X fitness system – you might have seen the infomercial. The internet is full of reviews, before-and-after pictures, etc. if you want other opinions. The entire thing is only like $150 (or can be downloaded via torrent) and includes a full workout regimen, diet plan, and supplement strategy. The sales point is you are only 90 days (and a lot of hard work) away from being ripped. The workouts cross-train you and include classic weight lifting moves (pushups, curls, pullups, etc), plyometrics, yoga, kenpo+boxing, stretching, a core workout, a cardio routine, and an ab workout. It takes a lot of effort to workout for an hour 6/7 days a week and to stick to the meal plan (cooking all that food), but I’ve really enjoy and recommend it. I have more energy and feel better. I feel like I’m taking care of my entire body – inside and out. Of course, I’m only in the middle of week 2 and like 12% through it. My tune may change in a month. Jennifer and I have already seen good results though – 4 pounds lost for each of us and increased muscle endurance. I’m also much more in-touch with my body.

The real test is if I can make this a life long change, but for now I’m happy telling myself, “it’s only 90 days.” If anyone is interested I am willing to “share” the materials. The only part with no improvement is my cursed neck. Perhaps a better pillow…