This Christmas, my father gifted me with the Supreme 90 Day System. He also included a fitness ball. He was starting this program, and he wanted someone to also join him on it.

At first, I was skeptical. This is a program marketed on TV and via infomercials, and in general I shy away from things like that. And once I began, I was convinced that my father was actually trying to kill me: the workouts feel brutal if you’re not already in shape.

But it’s been awesome. I just finished day 45, and I feel great. Well, I still feel like me, but I’m a stronger and more athletic version of me.

The premise is that every day for 90 days, there’s a different workout drawn from 10 DVDs. There’s a helpful chart to guide you, a nutrition guide, and the DVDs focus on different challenges. Yesterday’s was “Back and Bi’s”. Tomorrow is “Ultimate Ball”. The workouts themselves are generally 25 to 50 minutes, and it’s high intensity for the whole time.

If I have any concerns, it’s that I do feel sometimes like I’m overtraining. At the beginning, I would feel like I was in a haze because I would get so exhausted, and while there are rest days, they are usually a week apart. During the production week of Die Fledermaus I added extra. I figured that building the set and moving it around was enough exercise.

I do modify some of the moves as well. In the “Back/Bis” workout, there’s one move that combines a dumbbell row with a dead-lift. I was afraid of overdoing it on the lower back  so I changed it to lower the number of times I bent over and stood back up.

But it’s mostly jut fun now and rewarding. Some of the moves, which I found impossible in the beginning, are becoming relatively easy. My weight hasn’t dropped, but my muscle does feel more defined. I tend to jump into things, so I didn’t take the “before” picture or my physical measurements beyond my weight, but I’m clearly stronger and more fit. Since so much of the focus is on core muscles, I do feel like my singing has improved from this.

It’s been fun. Thanks, Dad.