Taking on a new challenge

I heard the emphatic knock on my front door, and rushed to open it.

It was finally here---P90X DVD.

Parking my rear on the couch, I opened the shoebox-sized package like a treasure chest. My eyes were fixated, my body was neurotic.

“This is your gym for the next 90 days,” the inside top flap of the P90X DVD set box read.

“What the P90X DVD boxset?” Two books, 12 DVDs and a calendar.

We’ll have to wait to see if I strike gold. No doubts here, though.

Like many of you know, I’m not afraid of a challenge. But this time around, I’m in need of a love handle-makeover.

If you’ve seen me around town, you know I’m not really a butterball. But hidden underneath my shirt is a 205-pound frame with the occasional jiggle.

I want to, “Get absolutely ripped in just 90 days with P90X Extreme
.” The program’s website practically guarantees it. Can you say “six pack”?

Since college, my exercise routine hasn’t changed the least bit. I mosey in and out of the gym, sometimes barely breaking a sweat or feeling fit.

Treadmill. Dumbbells. Crunches. Water. Bike. Weightlifting machines. More water.

It’s a drag. Can’t continue that stale act.

Enter P90X DVD — three months of physical fitness in the friendly confines of my home. No exercise machines, weightlifting equipment or bench press.

To get huge and toned, all I have to utilize is a chair, resistance band and pull-up bar. The P90X DVD set
workouts run about 60 minutes, with ample water breaks mixed in.

Talk to anyone who has conquered the pain of P90X DVD boxset and they will tell you it stings. From national radio hosts to local friends, the program is a roller coaster of guts.

But my wife is joining me on the journey, so I have reinforcement by my side. Instead of cookies, soda and leftovers, our fridge is stocked with fruits and veggies, nonfat milk and protein bars.

We set Aug. 1 as D-Day-----P90X DVD. Please help.

Hyped as could be, I jumped out of bed at 8 a.m. on Sunday instead of the usual noon. No Wheaties, Red Bull or orange juice needed; I was ready to sail through this “P90X Extreme Home Fitness.”

Now, I’m ready to send it back.

My pull-ups burned. My push-ups had no oomph. And I built a sweat after 45 seconds of jumping jacks.

But this wasn’t fifth-grade physical education class, people.

About 28 minutes in P90X DVD set, I hit the pause button and stumbled to the bathroom. Knees on the ground, hands on the toilet, I stared deep into the water.

This was no treasure.