I am Fat Kevin.
Okay, maybe fat isn’t the right word. I’m just not in shape like I used to be. My clothes still fit and everything, but I just need to, you know, tighten up a bit.
I used to take off my shirt and look in the mirror before hopping in the shower with a thought such as “Now THAT is a fine looking man right there!” Today, it’s more of a “That guy looks like he might have been an athlete back in the day.”
I’m 26, not 56. I can’t be out of shape yet. And even though Tag is super sexy, she wants to tighten up a little too.
So just like 114% of all Americans, we have decided to get in shape for the new year.
How? I just ordered P90x.
90 Days From Being Good Looking
If you’ve never heard of P90x, it’s a DVD workout program that you do at home with just a pull up bar, some resistance bands, and your body. There are 12 different 1-hour workouts, and the program tells you which workouts to do on which day.
You are supposed to do one workout every day for 90 days, and then you’ll be a beefcake. It even tells you what to eat and everything. You have to give a full 90 day commitment to this program.
Tag and I are all in.
Let’s pretend I live until I’m 86 years old. That means I can either decide to live the next 60 years of my life not feeling great about my body, or I can kick my own ass for 90 days of intense training and then just work hard enough to maintain it for the rest of the time.
90 days is 0.4% of the rest of my life, which should make the next 99.6% happier. Worth it? You bet your sweet patootie.
$250 From Being Good Looking
Of course P90x isn’t free. In fact, when you count the DVDs and the two sets of doorway pullup bars and resistance bands I bought for Tag and I, it cost me just over $250. That’s a pretty significant investment. But I consider it a smart investment because:
- It’s a one time expense for what could amount to a lifetime of working out
- The program has a good track record of being successful
- 30 day money back guarantee if I don’t like it
- It’s a big enough investment that I am motivated to finish the program
If I bought some stupid DVD program for $15 and I didn’t like it, I’d probably quit. I have $250 in this thing. I have to go the distance and make sure it works.
90 Days of Motivation
If there’s one reason why I know I’m gonna stick with this program, it’s because it seems like everyone around me is getting in shape. My step dad has lost over 100 pounds in the last six months. The Hoff has gotten in great shape over the last year or so. My blogging buddy Travis Pizel has gotten in great shape this year.
I’m gonna do it.
And the best part is that Tag and I will do this together. There’s nothing better for working out than doing it with a partner. She’s committed, and she’s gonna help me when I don’t feel like doing it one day. And if she doesn’t feel like doing it one day, I’ll agree and we’ll go eat 3 pounds of frozen yogurt (It’s a good thing she’s more committed than I am).
So basically, 90 days from now I might abandon this blog to pursue a career in male modeling. More realistically though, you can look for an updated logo with a better looking Kevin McKee at the top of the page coming in the next few months.
What about you? Are you one of those people who made a resolution to get in shape this year? If so, what are you doing to make it happen?
Kevin McKee is an entrepreneur, IT guru, and personal finance leader. In addition to his writing, Kevin is the head of IT at Buildingstars, Co-Founder of Padmission, and organizer of Laravel STL. He is also the creator of www.contributetoopensource.com. When he’s not working, Kevin enjoys podcasting about movies and spending time with his wife and four children.
I don’t have a resolution to get in shape per say. My goal is to win a National Championship in the greatest sport ever, Hurling! We came tragically close last year and it was because we all ran out of gas. So I’m working on my cardio and endurance so my team and I can accomplish this goal.
Also with a baby on the way I don’t want to gain too much sympathy weight, but it is had when I feel like I have to finish what my old lady doesn’t eat.
Wow, I’m humbled to have an almost national champion commenting on my site. Good luck on winning the title this year. I know nothing about Hurling, but it sounds hard!
And how are you going to gain weight when your wife is the one eating for 2?
kevin_is_money just might turn into kevin_is_fitness? haha. It’s awesome that you and Tag are doing this together – having a partner is always great for motivation. Watch out, though….despite your intentions, after 90 days you might just be addicted, and you may not want to just maintain. 🙂 Every time I hit a goal, I seem to set a new one and go after it. Just this morning I pushed myself so hard in spinning class that I just about had a Hurling match of my own.
Good luck, my friend, I know several people who have done p90x, and it definitely kicks your fitness butt!
I hope I don’t become addicted to fitness. I don’t really think it will happen, since I was always pretty active as a teenager and college athlete, but never felt I was “addicted”. I have too many different things going on to focus exclusively on fitness. At least I think that’s how it will work.
Congrats on all your fitness success and good luck with the rest of your goals!
I know exactly how you feel kevin – I felt that way last year, and made a goal to make it to the gym 20 times per month in 2011 – I didnt quite succeed, but I did get interested in going to the gym again, which has carried over to 2012. I was never fat nor did my clothing cease to fit, I just felt like I was getting a little soft.
Way to go on the p90X – I’ve heard lots of positive things from friends about the program. I just cant work out at home, so I know that it’s not for me. Best of luck!
20 times a month is a lot. Working out at home is hard for me (I’ve never been successful at it before), but Tag is gonna keep me honest here.
Good Luck, Kevin. My girlfriend and I tried P90X over the summer, and it kicked our butts. Seriously, the 2nd hardest workouts I have ever had (Krav Maga Cardio class holding firmly to the number one spot). We went solid for about 1 month, but the time commitment got to be too difficult. We also didn’t follow the dietary guide (gf is only slightly interested in workout, throwing out all our food might have gotten me kicked out.) even with our minimal effort, we def saw some results.
This year, we have printed up a calender with our weekly fitness goals written at the top. Each day we write down what workout we did, if any, and will review our progress and adjusted monthly. We also started a week before the new year and NEVER called it a resolution, only a goal, so hopefully it will stick.
Good luck dude. Have lots of water handy.
Good luck with your new goals and keeping track on a calendar. I think the only way I could keep track of anything that well would be to start a website for it (which I just might do)
Thanks for the tip on water, I’ll remember it for sure!
It wasn’t this year, however I lost weight and toned up roughly 35 years ago. It is worth it because the quality of my life is and was so much better. Here I am a senior citizen(65 years old) and look much younger and fit.
That’s incredible! To maintain your fitness level for 35 years is just insane. I haven’t even been alive for that long!
Ooh! I love the Fat Face store! That’s one of the stores I miss most from Dublin. Just wore my Fat Face sweat shirt the other day. I’m with ya for sure on the time to get in shape thing. I’m not fat by any means, but that doesn’t mean I’m in good shape!
Exactly. Not being fat doesn’t mean you’re in shape. That’s what I need to fix.
I want to lose about 20 pounds. My goal is to lose 5+ pounds this month by eating better and working out 4 times a week.
I heard P90X is really hard…I would love to try it but my husband won’t and I know I won’t be motivated if he is just sitting on the couch watching me. You will have to keep us updated on how sore you are 🙂
I will do my best to keep everyone updated. Maybe I’ll make a new website to track progress. I’ve got a lot on my plate, but that could help keep me honest on the program, and could potentially help other people if they want to follow along with me.
Funny how Americans treat fitness as a product which can be bought! Exercise is free ! Go for a swim in a lake or a run in the park !
I hate running and I don’t want to swim (did it competitively for years). I want something that’s not boring and won’t take more than an hour a day. I hope this is it.
Cheering you to your goal!
Thanks, I’ll keep you posted.
My coworker’s husband uses p90x, and he lost so much weight after three months that his mother did not recognize him in pictures. TRUE STORY.
I lost 30 lbs at the beginning of 2011 by doing an extended dietary cleanse and working out, so I’m doing the same thing this year. This year I’m trying HIIT, which is awesome because it seems to have major results from just 4-20 minutes per day, 4 times per week. It’s a pretty cool natural workout. I’m still sore from two days ago.
One thing that really helps me is keeping a food journal. I really like www.fitday.com because you can also track your exercise and moods. It helps me to not eat crappily, since I don’t want to log crappy food.
Best of luck to the two of you! I can’t wait to hear how it goes!!! (Please post updates?)
Thanks for all the encouragement. So many people have been saying they want updates, I think I’m going to make myself a fitness website and track our progress. Make sure to stick around here to get the site for my new fitness blog, coming soon!
And good luck with your workouts!!!
I just downloaded the app on the iPhone called Lose It. (It’s free) you keep track of what you are eating and can even just scan the bar codes. I have lost 4 pounds this week just watching what i eat and riding the bicycle a little more. Good Luck, it is tough (I love Pizza)
Again, good luck on P90X. I found that some days did require more than an hour’s commitment to fitness, if you include working out, post-workout shake/drink, then preparing special meals (instead of grabbing whatever is fast).
That being said, P90x is what helped me see ab definition for the first time in my life, even including my high school daily athletic PE and sports training. I also have better upper body strength.
The bad news. I spent four months of 2011 fighting off some crazy infection and got flabby. So I’m back at square one. I haven’t set any anti-flab goals yet. It still looks like a big obstacle that I am surveying from a distance.
Good for you. And good luck, I heard P90X is intense!
I will be cheering you on all the way.