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.