Coach Mike Checking In

How's everyone doing this week?  I'm on week 7 of my P90x2 journey.  I’m still in the strength phase but have switched to the bonus workouts, so I’m doing V Sculpt and Chest, Shoulders + Tris instead of Chest, Back + Balance and Shoulders + Arms.  Whenever I do a workout for the first time, I feel like I never get enough out of it.  I’m trying to learn the moves, figure out body position, figure out weights, and keep up.  It’s a constant struggle, but will make me better the next time, and continuous improvement is what this is all about.

Last week I was watching the NBC comedy 30 Rock.  It was about Leap Day and the recurring message was that nothing you do on Leap Day counts.  From my point of view, that’s completely backwards.  I want to use this extra day to kick butt.  It’s an extra day this year to work towards my goals and inch a bit closer.  P90x2 uses two active recovery days per week.  This is a chance to stretch, recover, and have fun.  My fun was to get on the treadmill at my hotel and run about two miles.  I like to get the heart going in the morning, and I wanted to push it a little more today.  I don’t think I’ve ever run two miles in my life, but this year gave me an extra day today and I wanted to make the most of it.  That is what I want each of you to do.  Make the most of the day!  Make the most of every day!  As I get fitter, my confidence has grown and so has my energy.  I can play more with my kids, I can have a fun night out with my wife, I can bring it for a weight routine and then kill my abs afterwards and still feel great.  If you can keep making the most of every day, you will see positive benefits in all facets of your life.  Let me know what you’re going to do to make the most of Leap Day.

Lastly, I’m excited to announce that Team-TCF.com is up and running in its initial form.  This is great jumping off point to get more information and help on your health and fitness journey.  Expect to see multiple update every week on topics ranging from workout reviews to nutrition and supplements to motivation.

Two things I ask:

If you have a question, ask.  Send me an email, find me on a thread, come to my YouTube site, the Team-TCF Facebook page, or Team-TCF.com.  I want to help and your questions help me learn what is important to everyone.

I’m always here for you, but remember that the way I benefit from being your coach is that I earn a commission from any Beachbody products that you purchase, as long as I’m your coach and you buy them through my site, http://beachbodycoach.com/coachmikegurka, or by logging in to http://www.teambeachbody.com to do your shopping (If you buy from the plain Beachbody site, I get no credit).  It helps with the amount of time I spend researching and answering any of your questions and helping you out.

Thanks, I appreciate it!

- Coach Mike

--“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsch

My P90x2 30 Day Results

I completed my first 30 days of P90x2 on 2/14/12.  My big focuses for this round are to be able to get through the workouts, giving them my all, and to really trim up.  The key to trimming, I've found, is in a proper diet.  I spent a year working out fairly hard with good, but not great results.  As I've dialed in my nutrition, I've gotten stronger, I've had more energy, and my body is moving in the right direction.

The first 3 weeks of P90x2 were spent in the foundation phase, working on my core and balance.  The first workouts felt easy.  What I quickly found, was that each time I did a workout, it got harder.  I was able to push harder, so I could do more, more reps, more weight, more intensity.
After the first three weeks I moved to the strength phase which is structured more like the P90x rotation that I was used to.  I again found that with each time through a workout, it got progressively more difficult, because I was able to do more and give more.
You can check out a video recap here: http://youtu.be/1tA2EmbvkHs

Welcome to Team TCF - Takin' Care of Fitness

My name is Mike and I'm a 36 year old father of two beautiful girls, and husband to my wife of nearly nine years.  For my day job, I'm a Supply Chain consultant who travels around the country for work during the week.
About 18 months ago, I had just gotten back from a family vacation and was looking through the dozens of accumulated pictures.  What caught my eye more than anything was the pictures of myself at the beach.  Surely the person in the picture was not the same person I was seeing in the mirror.  I hopped on the scale for the first time in well over a year and the number was scary to me.  I was up to 215, which, on 5'9 frame was pretty big.
I had the warning signs with pants and belts being stretched to their limits, shirts feeling a big too tight, and getting winded going up a flight of stairs, but I just avoided/denied it.  I didn't want to be that way; I wanted to be healthy and fit for my kids, my wife, and myself.

Almost the same week, my department at work started a weight loss challenge.  I kicked in a few dollars to help me stay committed and went for it with a very unscientific diet and getting daily exercise.  I started with the Wii Fit every morning for about a half hour.  Then, I wanted more and graduated to Wii Biggest Loser; I find Jillian Michaels motivating.  Then, I wanted more.  Like everyone, I'd seen the P90X commercials but was intimidated.  Through some research, I found out about Power 90 and felt that was more my speed.  I went through that and then the Power 90 Master Series before I felt I was ready for P90x.  After that, I wanted to work on my cardio conditioning and more slimming down.  Insanity really fit the bill.  From there I moved on to a hybrid of P90x and Insanity.  Now, I'm about half way through my first round of P90x2.

I've decided to become a Team Beachbody coach to give back some of what I've gotten from the programs, my coach, and my workout buddies.  I enjoy helping others try to reach their fitness goals and I really believe in the products and supplements that Beachbody puts out.  I'm always available to help, just drop me a line here, on email at bb.coach.mikeg@gmail.com, on my YouTube Channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/BBCoachMikeG, or my facebook group, http://www.facebook.com/TeamTCF