New Year's Resolution

               This New Year, many people are deciding that their New Year’s Resolution will be to put an end to their unhealthy habits and exercising more. I polled 7 of my friends and their parents. 3 of my friends and 7 of the parents said this was their New Year’s Resolution. I asked them what they plan on doing to change it. The parents mainly said that they would take all the candy and junk food out of the house. The kids however mainly focused on exercising more. When I asked them why, they said they felt bad about being out of shape because all they’ve been doing is sitting in front of the television for their whole winter break.

  I gave them couple tips to help them fulfill their New Year’s Resolution. To my friends I told them they could walk their dogs. Even if it’s for 5 minutes they still are moving and the fresh winter air is extremely refreshing. I then told them that we could get together and play some football at the park. I also said that whatever sport they play during fall or spring, they should go and practice. They could also set up lessons or just go to the gym and play.

  I didn’t really tip the parents because I thought that would be rude. For the parents, they wanted to eat more healthy. As far as candy is concerned, it’s as simple as putting it all in the rubbish bin. Change the chocolate bars into fruit or nut bars. Change the Fruit Rollups into fruit. The parents usually make the food for the kids so change the ingredients you are using to make them more healthy as well. Do not use as much sugar, oil, but most of all butter.

  You need to have determination to fulfill you resolution. Get in the habit of exercising daily and eating right. Tell yourself you can do it and if you do so, you will succeed. Good Luck!

Equipment Options

If you want to complete the P90X program, you will need equipment. There are a couple of options that you have in order to get this equipment. The gym is an excellent source if you don’t want to spend too much money however it will be quite complicated to watch the videos at the gym. Another thing you can do is buy the very expensive equipment, such as dumbbells. The final option that I chose was Amazon.com. 

The gym can provide you with all the necessary equipment you need. They will give you dumbbells, mats, push up bars, pull up bars and most of all, room to exercise. The only problem with this is you cannot watch the videos unless you bring a computer or some kind of DVD player. Also, there will be other people so it might be distracting. If you choose to go with this option I recommend buying a membership to that club because you will be visiting it for the next 90 days or more. 

Next, you can buy the really expensive equipment that will last you forever. You will be able to do the program at home unless you do not have space to do it. This option I personally think is the worst because in total with the DVD’s you could spend more than 500 dollars on your equipment. If you have the money this is the nicest option because the equipment will really be worth its money.

The option I recommend for everyone is Amazon.com. It is a website that offers the best deals on EVERYTHING. On amazon you could get equipment that would cost a lot of money but you would save so much money. Dumbbells are a big part of the program but there is another cheaper option, resistance bands. They work the same as dumbbells and are much less expensive. You can also get push up and pull up bars for a small price that you can install on any door in your home. If you feel that there may be something better at a store and you want to get the feel for something, check it out before, although Amazon’s return policy is wonderful. So, make sure you get on the internet and start shopping. Good Luck!

Health in America

       A couple days ago I was told that my generation is the first generation that parents will live a longer life than their children. The reason was because of bad nutrition in America. More kids are becoming obese and having heart problems. 

Americans want cheap fatty foods. More and more kids are buying lunches out of vending machines. Any fast food chains like McDonald’s, KFC, 7-Eleven, and Subway are not good for you, yet they have huge amounts of sales. Anything they sell you is processed and awful for your health. Ever since I started my P90X workout plan I have been eating healthy.

       I always knew that sugar in my food was not good for me, but I always thought that the fat in what you eat is even worse. I was wrong. We need fat to live. In fat there are calories and calories give you energy, which we need to stay active. Often people claim that fat-free or reduced fat items are preferable, because people believe it is better for them. This is totally incorrect because not only do we need that energy, but also in that item the fat was probably substituted with some even worse fatty and oily things.

As we were discussing this in class a very interesting question came up. How come people that have a lot of fat, or are obese, have a very little amount energy. This question puzzled me, I had no idea what the correct answer was. The answer to that question was that they do have a large amount of energy but most of that energy is used be the person's heart to pump blood through their bodies. 

After that Biology class I realized what a great thing I’m doing. P90X had really changed who I am and how I ate. I now know I will continue eating right and I will also make sure I live a long life.

P90X Poll

         P90X consists of two main parts, the exercise and the nutrition. The exercise displays your will, while the nutrition shows your determination. That is of course if you bring it. 

P90X is aimed for the adult crowd due to its physical demands, however, I am 14 and I was able to handle it. It pushed my physical limits to new limits and it took away my need or want for unhealthy foods.

After my experience with P90X I started to wonder how many people my age could handle P90X’s demands. I took a poll of 20 of my classmates. I asked them if they ate healthy and whether they exercised daily, and then I let them answer the question to what they thought eating healthy and exercising daily was. My result were that 8 out of 20 kids said they ate healthy and 16 said they exercised daily. 

While I was taking the survey, I noticed that the kids I was asking whether they ate healthy and exercised daily seemed a little unsure when they answered me. So I took another poll but I explained what I defined as eating healthy and exercising daily. 

I told my classmates that my definition of eating healthy was not eating junk food, desserts, and not drinking sodas. Later I defined exercising daily as you going out of your way to move around and exercise in any way, walking to school and gym did not count.

My second poll results drastically dropped. Now only 3 out of 20 kids ate healthy and people that exercised went from 16 down to only 5 people. Out of the 20 people, only two people did both. 

I personally believe that any person with mental strength, heart, and determination can finish P90X. I am confident to say I am one of those people and I am sure you can be too.

 

My First P90X Experience

         P90X is an extreme 90 day exercise plan that pushes you past your physical limits. It also guides you to a healthier life with its nutrition plan.

        About four months ago I found out about P90X through my close relative. He was in the middle of his 90 days and he was ripped. Of course I started to ask questions on how he did it and he explained how P90X worked. He told me that every day you have a new exercise and you could either make foods from the nutrition plan or just eat healthy.

        Before that moment, I was the typical teenage kid. I ate junk food, the only exercise was any school sport or physical education at school. I always wanted to be in great shape. Then I bought P90X.

        Although it is quite expensive with the 12 DVD’s and all the equipment, it is definitley worth its money. The thing with P90X is that you must push yourself and actually do it! In the beginning when I started the program, I honestly wanted to give up. Just go to a cave filled with Snickers bars and spend the rest of my life there. I wasn’t going to do that of course. I couldn’t, I was too determined.

        To be honest at first I was most worried about the nutrition plan. I loved my junk food but, I knew if I wanted to succeed I would have to stop. So I did. For about a month, before I started the program, I did not eat a candy bar, ice-cream scoop, or even a french fry. My parents looked at me as if I wasn’t their son. For my whole life I was on a sugar high, but not anymore! I had started P90X.

        The first two weeks were the worst. After every day my muscles were extremely sore, but I didn’t stop. This continued on for the next month or so. Then school started, then soccer started, and then homework started. I just couldn’t fit P90X into my busy schedule. So I chose to postpone my workout. 

        When I stopped I was feeling amazing. I felt stronger, more energized and most of all I felt good about myself. Ever since I stopped the exercise program, I have been eating healthy. I plan on continuing being healthy for a long time. I am going straight back to P90X after soccer ends, and this time I will complete the 90 day challenge.