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Final Post: The DDPYoga Journey

April 1, 2012 By

DDPYoga LogoSo yesterday marked the end of my blog series about DDPYoga and I wanted to write one more recap about the journey. What a better day to write about a wrestler than WrestleMania Sunday, huh?

I started doing the DDPYoga on January 5 and did it every single day for almost two months.  I then decided to cut back from there and take a rest.  Over the course of this time I have become much more limber and stretched which allows more movement in my arms and legs without hurt.  I dropped about 15 pounds and have managed to retain the loss over the period which is a great accomplishment for me.  I can lose weight easily but keeping it off has always been another matter and I am proud to say that I was able to do so with this program.

I got the opportunity to speak with Dallas Page about the program and hear is thoughts and motivation thanks to Bambi who set it up for me.  It was great to speak with him if only for a few minutes because I could tell that he really cared about his program and what it did for people.  You see so many infomercials with the people wanting to make a buck and run and you don’t get that feeling from DDP.  He truly cares about your results – he lives and believes his program works.

Though the series is over I may write to occasional article as things come up but until then keep up your journey.  If you fall, get back up.  When you feel like you have failed keep going so you can fail again because one day you’ll notice you are at the top!

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Day 68

March 12, 2012 By

Today was day 68 of my three month start.  I took the last week off to relax and get rid of some of the soreness that I have gotten from doing this everyday for almost two months.  Whew!  I restarted today with Red Hot Core and was able to do it so much easier than doing day after day.  I am now going to do a Monday – Wednesday – Friday schedule and see how that goes.

I will admit after taking a week off I can tell a huge difference in my body.  My muscles are stiff, I am not nearly as flexible and I started getting some stomach pains back that I had before (these were from lack of exercise and one of my motivators to do something – they are telling me to start doing them again).  It is going to feel good to recommit and get back into the swing of things.

I only have about two weeks left in this blog series but will do periodic updates when it hits me.  I hope you have enjoyed my journey so far and here we go into the final stretch!

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Day 54 – Red Hot Core

February 27, 2012 By

Day 54 I did Red Hot Core again.  This is the one I do most often as it is quick and can fit into my schedule easily.  It also focuses on the area I want to do the most work on.  It is not the easiest of the series to do by any means.  You will walk away sore after doing this one.

Yesterday was the first time I have missed doing DDPYoga in 53 days.  I have to admit it felt good to take a little break but it felt even better to come straight in from work and start again.  I did get a workout yesterday walking about 30 flights of steps and a couple of blocks so I won’t say I took the day off – I just did a different workout.

As for my weight, well, it seems that both of the scales we have in the house are not quite accurate so I am not sure where I am at this point.  I know where I started and am going to weigh myself on an accurate scale as soon as I have the chance.  I can say that say based on my belt that I have lost weight and I have gained muscle in my arms and legs.

I aim to write at least once a week for the next four weeks about DDPYoga and then it will be on an occasion from there.  It has been fun doing this series and we have one more month to go!

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Day 47 – It’s Electric

February 20, 2012 By

Day 47 and I still have not missed a day!

Nothing new to report.  This morning was the second time that I have done Wake Up! right after waking up.  It felt a lot better this time than last time.  Last time I tried was right after I started doing DDPYoga so it put me in a bad mood (I am not a morning person most of the time) but since I have done this for a while now and loosened up quite a bit it felt really good to do this first thing.

I have not weighed myself in over a week.  Trying to limit that as I was doing it every few days but I should be able to report something one way or another in my next post.  Until then keep pushing the limits!

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Day 38 – Double Black Diamond

February 11, 2012 By

WHEW! For the first time today I tried the “Double Black Diamond” DVD which was over an hour long. Few modifications but all in all I feel I rocked it. Felt good to make it through the whole workout especially regretting it a tad after about ten minutes into it.

DDP takes great care to get you stretched out from the start and prepare for the remainder of the workout. It is more demanding than any of the other workouts in the series that I have completed. I was absolutely soaked at the end of this one. My least favorite parts – Exploding Pushups and Down Dog.

I hate the exploding pushups but they motivate me to try harder and I am getting stronger by doing them. You basically lower down really close to the ground and hold for a set interval and then explode up. I still have some upper body work to do before really getting this down.

Down Dog is not my friend. I am feeling it getting easier and one day soon we may become acquaintances but that is a little ways down the road. I think this has a lot to do with upper body work as well, especially my arm strength so I am not giving up on the dog just yet.

One of my favorite moves from this workout is the Chicken Wing. It isn’t what I would call easy but it stretches you out pretty good. You can see it demonstrated in the video below about three minutes in.

What motivated me to do this today? Well, I got the chance to talk to the man himself Diamond Dallas Page last night (thanks Bambi). We had a brief conversation on how DDPYoga has changed our lives and we are just over a month in. We talked a little about nutrition and changing the way we eat. One thing he recommended that I think you pop drinkers might want to look at is Zevia which is a soda that comes in several flavors but has no calories, no fat, no gluten, zero net carbs, and is low sodium.  It is a bit pricey which can be a turn off, however, if you are trying to eliminate soda from your diet this could be a good step to take for a week or two to wean yourself off of it.

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Day 31 – Diamond Cutter

February 4, 2012 By

Day 31 and I am feeling alive!  It is said it takes 30 days for something to become a habit.  Well, I am at day 31 and have not missed on day of DDPYoga so far!  Some days are harder then others to make myself do it but I am getting out of the cycle slowly but surely.  I don’t want to sit on the couch all of of the time and this helps to keep me from doing that.

Today for the first time I did the “Diamond Cutter” DVD which is just under an hour.  It works all of your muscle groups and has a few moves I have not seen in the other videos.  I had more sweat dripping after this one than I have in the others.

Here is a preview of the DVD:

I am still having some trouble with down dog.  Can’t get my feet flat still yet but I can see it getting closer to the ground.  Safety Zone I can get deep into now and it is most wonderful to get to that point in the workout.  I really like Human Cannonball and am working to grabbing the bottom of my feet, however, I still have some stomach to get out of the way before I can get there 🙂 .

Anyhoo, 31 days in and I am still going strong.  My wife and I are noticing huge differences with strength, weight loss, and energy.  Let’s see what the next 31 days makes me feel like!

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Day 25 – Chugga Chugga Choo Choo

January 29, 2012 By

It has been 25 days since starting DDPYoga.  Last time I checked which was a few days ago I was down 15 pounds in three weeks!  It feels good and has improved my life in multiple areas.  I am not as tired throughout the day nor as hungry.  I have much more energy in general.  My wife has seen marked improvement in an injured wrist, back, and knees and has seen a change in her energy level.

On top of the DDPYoga I have also made food changes.  I am not one for a diet in any way.  In previous years when trying to go on a diet or cut out things I would do really well for a week or two and then crush all of my work in a day and then I would revisit the concept of a diet the next year or whenever I felt like I was not doing my best.  This time has been quite different though.  I have made alternative choices rather than completely eliminating a flavor or two.  Here are some basic changes:

  • Tea: I drink a lot of tea.  Every now and then I will have a pop of some sort but for the most part I am a tea drinker and we generally put two cups of sugar in a gallon.  I like the southern style sweet tea as you can tell.  All we did to modify this was put in a cup of sugar and a cup of Splenda.  We get 1/2 the calories and about the same taste.  Eventually we will cut out a little more sugar for the alternative but we are taking baby steps.
  • Water: I try to replace one glass of tea a day with a glass of water.
  • Popcorn:  I ate quite a bit of popcorn before doing DDPYoga but now I do it regularly at night as my snack (yes, I know it isn’t good to eat that close to bed – that is the next baby step to eliminate).  Candy and potato chips can be high in fat and calories.  However, the popcorn I eat is only about 225 calories if I eat the whole bag.  This is less than that of a candy bar.  Not only am I losing the calories but it is 94% fat free (approx. 4g of fat).
  • Fruit:  I have also switched out snacking on junk to eat mandarin and navel oranges.  These can be high in sugar but they don’t have all the other processed junk in them and run about 80 calories (source).  One can fill you up for quite a while.
  • Yogurt:  I am not a huge yogurt fan but I have found some that I really like the taste of.  I tend to stay around the ones that have 100 calories in them as I get a lot of flavor and feel full for a period of time without a lot of downside.  Most yogurt also has good bacteria in them which helps in other areas.

Those are some of the bigger changes.  I know there is still room for improvement within even those changes and I will be working on those as well.  Baby steps my friend.

A lot of friends have asked about the program and all I can give is my opinion.  However, Dallas recently added a 30 day money back guarantee on the program if you are not satisfied.  So, you now have nothing to lose.

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Day 14 – 2 Weeks In

January 18, 2012 By

DDPYoga LogoIt has been two weeks since I started the program and I am happy to say I have yet to miss a day!  I feel better and have more energy throughout the day and that is saying something. I have lost 11 pounds as of this writing, gained strength in my knees, am able to touch the floor, and can almost put my leg straight out while holding it in the air.   These are things I couldn’t do when I was 16!

The workouts that I have completed are as follows:

  • Diamond Dozen – The backbone of the workouts.  It is basically the teaching DVD showing you what you will be doing in all the other workouts.  Good to come back to as a refresher or when you need a slow day to keep up the pace.
  • Energy! – This is on the same DVD as Diamond Dozen and is your next step.  Gets you stretched out and on the journey to do the other workouts.
  • Fat Burner – My favorite so far!  Gets the sweat going and has minimal resting.  I really feel like I have accomplished something here.
  • Red Hot Core – My enemy so far.  This is one I will battle back and forth with as I have found it to be my hardest.  This is the one that is the goal to conquer at this point.
  • Below the Belt – Only did this one once so I won’t comment just yet.
  • Stand Up! – This is a great DVD if you have problems with getting up and down off the ground.  Use this one to gain strength to allow you to do the workouts where you are up and down.
  • Wake Up – Good for stretching those muscles out when you first wake up or if you need a quick workout.  Not a lot of sweating going on here but can get you up and pumped for the day.

I believe that this program works if you do it.  You have to commit yourself, go for it, and own it!  Doing it here and there isn’t going to accomplish much.  You’ll have to do it and stick to it.

Like I said in a previous post, the guide book gives you a full program including nutrition.  I am not using the nutrition portion other than for suggestions so I cannot comment on how well this part has done.  I am slowly moving into eating better which mostly includes opting for healthier choices when eating (oranges instead of chips, natural white popcorn instead of butter popcorn, Splenda instead of sugar).  I have also increased my intake of water over what I was drinking and I am making myself eat a small snack during the day to keep my metabolism up.

Lastly, there is TeamDDPYoga.com – if you don’t have a support system at home here is one waiting to be your workout family.  From the time you sign up you get other people posting messages to you, telling you about their story, and giving you the chance to ask questions and get help when you need it.  We all need a push every now and again and this is a great community waiting to help you do that and there is no charge to sign up.

I’ll see you again in about a week and until then if you are interested in getting the DVDs and doing this along with me you can purchase them here.

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Day 5 – Self High Five (Yeah, I went there!)

January 9, 2012 By

Diamond Dallas PageToday was day five.  I started this morning with “Wake Up” and did “Fat Burner” this evening.

“Wake Up” so far has been the hardest.  Why?  Because I had to get up at 5:15am to do it!  After years of not exercising or getting up early except on the rare occasion this made it harder.  The thought kept coming in my head that I can always do the workout in the evening.  However, I would not let myself settle today.  I knew I had to get up and get going no matter how difficult it was and I am glad I did.

“Wake Up” stretches out your muscles and joints after laying down all night.  It helps keep the soreness away throughout the day.  It is quick, only about ten minutes, and it starts off with you laying in bed so you really don’t even have the excuse that I don’t want to get up because you don’t have to!

“Fat Burner” made me sweat more than the other three discs that I have done.  I am more sore after doing this DVD but more proud of the accomplishment of doing it and feeling the work getting done.  After a few days of this I feel like there will be significant progress made.

After only 5 days I am delighted to say I have dropped 6 pounds in the short amount of time.  I get asked if I am on a diet when I talk about the workout and the truth is not really.  I have made some better choices, eaten smaller portions, and all in all just made a conscious effort to watch what I am putting in my body.  I am not following the nutritional guide that comes with the set because if I don’t eat what I want I end up denying myself to the point that I break and eat more than I would have.

My focus right now is making better choices in general and limiting portion size.  Though, I did make some scrambled eggs based on Dallas’s recipe and bought some quinoa but have not tried it yet!

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Day 1 – The Journey Begins To #OwnMyLife

January 5, 2012 By

We received the DVDs in the mail today and I was going to wait until tomorrow to pop in the first one and I just couldn’t wait.  I have been excited about this since I heard about them and even more excited since my wife was on board and we are going to do this together.

In the package were ten DVDs, The Diamond Dozen poster, and guidebook.  I will do an article in down the road about contents and quality once I get the chance to really dive into all of it but now I want to discuss the first workout.

The first disc you encounter is The Diamond Dozen.  It teaches you 13 essential moves/positions (DDP acknowledges he is not that good at math) that you will use throughout the series and for this reason it is recommended that you learn these before moving on.  After doing them all it will not take most people more than once or twice through to learn them especially if you keep the poster on your wall.

My first thought – this is going to hurt!  And it does a little if you have not exercised or stretched real well in a while.  However, it feels great just to stretch my body out.  I am a tad sore but feel good after stretching out.

Each move is broken down into a “watch us do it then you do it” teaching method which I quite like.  You don’t have to do the back and forth thing to make sure you didn’t miss anything.

For those that cannot do the moves as intended there are also modifiers shown for several of the them.  This allows you to work you way up to doing them the way they were designed to be done.  I like that this is put out in front on the DDPYoga site because it is saying “Not everyone can do this but we are going to work with you.”  Other DVDs it is an all or nothing process and is why some people give up after a couple weeks.  Leave that frustration at the door and modify the moves and you will get through this workout just fine.

My most favorite thing of all is when Page points out where you may be faulting.  What I mean by this is the person on the video may have their foot flat on the floor and DDP will point this out and say your foot may not be flat on the floor right now but it will be.  When I looked down my foot isn’t on the floor but I feel reassured that I am not screwing up – I am just baby-stepping to the level where I can do it.

All in all my first impression of the workout is extremely positive.  I feel like Page is coaching me through the steps, pointing out where I may not be doing it exactly right at the point but will get there, and it makes me want to continue.  I don’t have that “falling behind” feeling that many other fitness videos give you where you are moved through quickly like you should have mastered what they should be teaching you.

I’ll have another article soon about the next workout.  In the meantime, if you want to learn more about the workouts you can visit the DDPYoga site.

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DDPYoga

January 1, 2012 By

DDPYoga Logo2011 was about the financial and 2012 is about the physical. So, my wife and I settled on trying DDPYoga for our fitness goals of 2012.

DDPYoga is a no impact workout designed and hosted by Dallas Page.  It has been around for a few years as YRG Fitness and is being rebranded and is suppose to be better than the previous release from the reviews I have read.

On the web site it says that the workout can help in several fitness areas.  My focus is on weight loss, core strength, and cardio. I plan on doing a series on the site about my personal progress and will update you at least once a week on that week’s progress.  I am shooting for about 2.5 pounds per week for the first few weeks and then hope to kick it into gear from there.

If you have this program or purchase this program feel free to comment on the weekly posts, follow along and do the workouts on my schedule, or follow on Twitter.

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