P90X- Bring it!

Today I thought I'd post my review of P90X. Let me first say, though, that I did not follow this program exactly as it is written out. I did a simplified- and cheaper- version of their nutrition plan and never quite made it to 90 days. But I've been doing this program for 7 months now. Sometimes I'll do it for 30 days, take a couple week break and do it again for 45 days, take a couple week break, do it for 60 days, etc. It's important to note that if you only do the program halfheartedly, you will not see results. Even if I only do it for 30 days, I follow it exactly and that's when I start seeing the changes.

First, what is P90X? It is an intense workout program that you can do completely at home. The P90X program is based off muscle confusion. The workouts are intense and mixed up every 4 weeks, so your body never gets used to a routine and plateaus. The good news with that is that you are always burning fat and building muscle and seeing results. The bad news with that is that this program never gets easy. 

Pros:
*I started this once Elliott was born and have lost 40lbs to date. I'm still not brave enough yet to post my pictures though. :)
*There are a variety of workouts so you never get bored. You weight train each body part- sometimes using weights (or bands if you don't have weights at home) and other times using body weight (push ups, pull ups, lunges, squats, etc), increase flexibility with once a week yoga, fun cardio with kickboxing, a killer, but short ab workout and plyometrics that will tone your lower half like nothing else!!!
*The program is $120. This might be a con, but this will be your one and only workout. Cancel your gym membership! Plus, they split the payments up AND there's a  90 day money back guarantee if you follow the program exactly, but still don't get the results you want.
*I feel like there is a really good balance of all different workouts and it's the best well rounded program I've ever tried. I started being able to do 5 "girl" pushups before needing a break and now I can do 22 regular ones. I started not being able to do any pull ups and now I can do 2 pull ups and 5 chin ups. I started never have done yoga before and now I love yoga and have noticed my flexibility is SO much better. Sure, I had done ab workouts before, but P90X ab ripper is like no other. It's a 10 minute routine, no breaks. It killed me the first time I tried it! Now I can do almost the whole thing without pausing. And also, I like cardio home videos so I can do it at home before Elliott wakes up, but most of them are dancing DVDs and I'm NOT a dancer. haha. I really like that the cardio one is kenpo, or kickboxing.

Cons:
*You have to commit to an hour or hour and a half a day for 6 days. This is a huge commitment and one of the biggest reasons I have a hard time sticking faithfully with it for 90 days. However, if you want your body to change, you just gotta suck it up and do it!
 *I find Tony Horton (the guy doing the videos) a bit annoying. :P
*It's hard to do the plyometrics day in a 2nd floor apartment. You have to jump around for an hour and I know it annoys the people below me, but I can't help it!
*They say you can do the whole program with just a resistance band, but I've found that you really do need a pull up bar and dumbbells. So that's a little bit of an extra cost.

There you have it! My overall opinion is that if you can truly set aside that hour or more a day, get this program! You'll love the results and it's perfect if you can't get to a gym (like me). If you decide to do this program, here is the website P90X. I also highly recommend taking progress pictures. Sometimes I feel like there are no changes and when I take my progress pictures on the first of the month, I'm shocked by how much of a difference there is!