"Pay" Yourself First

The number one reason why most people I talk to don't want to commit to an exercise program is that it requires too much time. Their days are already jam packed with activities, and by the time evening comes they are wiped out and barely have the energy to drag themselves up to bed let alone hit the weights or jump around and do cardio. 

When it comes to personal finances the concept of saving is facilitated by the notion of "paying yourself first". It means just what it says. Before you budget money towards anything else, the first thing we should do is to pay ourselves by opening up a a savings account and squirreling away funds before they get gobbled up by anything else.

But what about our time budgets? Time and money have a lot in commom. We can spend both time and money. Like wise we can also save both. We can also "budget" both. 

I am proposing we consider making a time budget and allocating 15 to 30 minutes per day towards our fitness account before we spend the time anywhere else. Do a little research, and DECIDE on a program that fits your style and goals. Then COMMIT to a time slot around which you will plan the other activities in your life. I see no reason why this approach should be any less successful with time than with our personal finances, and the benefits can be just as rewarding. 

Just like you get the satisfaction of seeing your bank account grow, you'll gain a greater sense of self esteem as your body benefits from the investment you are making. The control you now have will strengthen your determination to maintain your approach and probably become a reinforcement to other disciplines in your life. And, you may find that the where you once could hardly lift you legs to climb  the stairs at the end of the day you now are energized and go to bed expecting restful night's sleep knowing you'll wake up refreshed and able to tackle another day.

A few minutes a day saved for your personal exercise will become time well spent.

A minute saved is a lifetime of healthy living earned.

Start a fitness savings plan with the BeachBody community today, and get the gift of wellness free for opening up your fitness membership!

The Common Touch

I remember many times as a student seeking advanced guidance with regard to a subject or lesson and approaching to the teacher afterward for help. He or she would do their best to offer a solution, but in many cases I was told either what I already knew or else what I didn't need to know instead of what I actually was interested in. Later on I'd be sitting with a classmate and discuss my dilemma, and within a few minutes we had figured out the answer and were on our way to other challenges.

The same scenario happens time and time again on our road to fitness and well being. The books, the lectures, the trainers all provide valuable information and are an essential resource as we build upon our knowledge base. Very often, however, their advanced position begs us "to keep up" rather than to stop and reassess where we are and cannot empathize with our current situation. 
We have fortunately an invaluable and immediate resource.The internet chat rooms and bulletin boards are common ground where we can interface with other individuals and share our similar goals and ideals, and in the event of a slip or question, we can get REAL time REAL world REAL people advice to keep our fitness chins up and moving in the right direction. "The Challenge starts Today" should be our daily motto!

Just as in school, there is no need to struggle alone and in silence for hours on end and wind up frustrated and exhausted. Share your day to day events. Post comments. Read what others like you have written and tap into the energy that is waiting absolutely free of charge for everyone regardless of your current fitness abilty. You'll be surprised and amazed at the effect this cameraderie will have on you, and you'll also realize how much you have to offer to your fellow fitness lovers.

Experts are to be respected, and we should always be prepared to learn form their achievements.

But let's not forget the value of the common touch. 

We all have it.

Share YOU today!

Roping Up, Beachbody Style!

I remember during my Girl Scout days a trip to a rock climbing gym. We were all eager to grab the hand holds and teased each other as to who'd be the first to reach the top and were buzzing as the instructor came to greet us and send us on our way up to the "Summit". Well, not exactly. First we had to be shown the fundamentals of rope safety, knot tying and proper rope management not to mention how to properly put on the harness. You can imagine the air leaving the happiness balloon as time dragged by...I don't even remember climbing the wall. I'm not sure who if anybody got to the top. What I do remember is the fact that anybody who wanted to climb that wall, or hill, or mountain in real life had to be proficient in all those skills but most especially in the skills of manning the rope which held your climbing buddy as he or she ascended. While some choose to climb alone the vast majority of attempts are made with at least two people linked together with safety rope to ensure that if one were to fall the other(s) might have a chance to self arrest and save that person and the entire team from further danger. 


There are many reasons for individuality in sports and fitness, and there are always a few exceptional people who can take on any challenge unassisted and prevail. But for the vast majority of us, a social network and support system greatly increases our chances for success. Working out with friends is a start, but actually belonging to an organized group of fitness "climbers" is so important to avoiding the crevasses that can end a fitness effort it cannot be overstated. You all become linked, tied together, and when one begins to falter the others rally and pull him or her up and with genuine camaraderie reassure that person they are doing fine and to keep pushing forward. Reaching the summit becomes almost secondary to just being part of the ascent. Just being part of the climbing effort.


As you begin your fitness program remember to check you equipment carefully. Desire is not enough. Find a community of like minded adventurers, hook onto their rope, and become a part their team.


We, your friends in the Beachbody fitness community eagerly want to welcome you to our team.


Climbing? I'm on belay.

The Fitness Tipping Points

There are many milestones in life, both good and bad. Some are more common than others, especially when it comes to our health and fitness. Maybe you remember going off to college and putting on the "freshman fifteen"? Maybe you had a baby and wondered how you ever would recover from the extra weight you unexpectedly retained afterward? Or maybe you're a "Thirty-something" year old guy who realizes his metabolism isn't burning off the nachos, beer, and pizza like it use to? It doesn't matter. All of these cases have something in common: they are sobering reminders that something has changed combined with a fear that you've reached a point of no return... and perhaps it is too late.

Depending on your age you realize a few things. First, you know that it's really never too late, and second, you remember that usually, for many people, all of these milestones have been hit, solved, and hit again only to be solved again in a seemingly endless and frustrating case of history repeating itself. It's a vicious and discouraging cycle, and it's usually met with failed diets, garage sales of equipment, and expired gym memberships. 

Assuming you believe that it's never too late, then breaking the cycle is the next key challenge, and fortunately the solution is a simple one. Regardless of your fitness preference the key to a long lasting commitment is to partner with like minded people in a community of fitness believers and proponents who will encourage, support, and inspire you to make fitness a long term endeavor rather than a patch on a tipping point blowout. You'd even be surprised at how much your own experience and input adds to the community in ways you never thought possible. You never know what actions you do or words you say today might change someone's life tomorrow.

Before long you'll find the negative tipping points have been replaced by positive tippng points on the way to a stronger, more fit lifestyle admired by your firends and acquaintances who, because of your success story, may find a new outlook on their own fitness choices. To your surprise, YOU become an inspiration and a mentor to people you recognize as having had the same dilemmas you once thought unsolvable. 

No matter where you are along the path of life, prevention is the best cure, but forewarned is forarmed . If you can keep an open mind to the possibility that one day these tipping points could affect "me", then I encourage you to join the BeachBody Community of fitness lovers, log on to the WOWY gym, post your results good and bad, and become part of the solution to your and other member's problems. 

You'll gain a whole new perspective on fitness and turn tipping points into stepping stones.

Welcome to the team.

We've been expecting you!

What's in a name?

What's in a name? There are a few four letter words no one of wants to ever hear. Now, remember, before anyone gets offended we are talking about fitness! If I had to pick the most common four letter word no one in fitness wants to hear it would be without a doubt Yoga. Yep, Yoga. Surprise you? I suppose in most cases we take for granted what we call things, and even if the object changes but the name remains the same we still will associate the name with the "older" model. Such is the challenge of Madison Avenue and marketing students across the globe. Mention Yoga, and to most people they will have a traditional, dare I say stereotypical image, of sitting in the lotus position chanting ohms and meditating... or trying to in otherwise uncomfortable positions. To those who practice this type of Yoga I offer admiration and respect. I know that there is much much more than that to their avocation.

But I would like to open the discussion up to different types of yoga, in particular, Ashtanga Yoga, sometimes referred to as "power Yoga" (oooh, I don't like that name either!) as an integral part of a fitness program. For those of you unfamiliar with the subject here is a link http://bit.ly/98mZpH, but briefly Ashtanga Yoga is an isometric exercise routine using various postures and techniques combining strength, coordination, and flexibility. It is challenging and extremely difficult to master, but everyone can participate at his or her level and benefit enormously from the rehabilitative aspects of the workout. Most people are initially overwhelmed and shocked at how their preconceptions of what they thought they were about to do go up in smoke! Very few can finish the session the first time through. But nearly everyone is left with a new respect for the exercise and "postures", and within a few weeks can perform them to a satisfactory level and thus begin to appreciate the benefits and realize what they have been missing all along.

Like all forms of fitness Yoga must be respected and performed within your own ability. Some of the postures are very difficult, but there is always a modified version. Any instructor worth his/ her salt will advise you to not push yourself past the point of reasonable boundaries. If you can't do wheel do bridge. If you can't do bow do crescent. If you can't do plow then lie down in corpse pose. There's variety! It's beautiful!

If I had one fitness tip for everyone it would definitely be to incorporate a Yoga workout into a weekly program.  P90X YogaX  is a masterpiece in my opinion, because it combines the strength with balance postures, stretching postures and an ab workout then finishes with a relaxing series of positions suitable for everyone at any fitness level. It IS the glue that holds the rest of your active life together!

So the next time you are given the opportunity to experience a Yoga session keep an open mind.

It will be a shock.
It will be hard. 
It will be uncomfortable. 

But...it's good for you....

A Drop in the Bucket

My sister and I had a piggy bank that said "Girls' Nite Out", and we'd throw our change in it.  Before long we'd have enough to head out to Chili's or a movie and were always surprised at how easy it was to save up considering it was only pennies and nickels and such.

I can't help but look at the way things have changed for me in terms of the ease of moving through daily life. So many conveniences! Walk up windows, remote controls, internet shopping, video games...I used to roll my eyes when my parents would tell me they used to "walk to school 5 miles up hill both ways"! But the fact is we fail little by little at most things not all at once. If we could only take a minute and evaluate how our lives have been depleted of the routing efforts we all took for granted I believe we could make huge gains with very small investments.

Simple things like taking the stairs, parking at the end of the row instead of the nearest spot, raking the leaves instead of leaf blowers, going into the bank instead of driving up...these are just a few ideas.

And then consider a more direct fitness application. How about trading in your desk chair for a large exercise ball to sit on? You'll automatically be engaging your core, calves and back and burn calories free of charge. During your lunch break take 5 minutes to do some Ashtanga sun salutions in the privacy of your office or corporate fitness center. For that matter let your co-workers SEE you, and maybe you'll find a workout buddy unexpectedly! You could also bring in some execise bands and during your breaks do some easy stretching and resistance moves.

The possibilities are endless, but the concept is the same: do these small things each day. Deposit them in your fitness "piggy bank", and I guarantee you will be pleased to see how quickly your investment adds up. 
And the next time you're having a "girls' or guys' night out" watch as heads turn and eyebrows go up. You can't beat that kind of return on your investment!

Simple Sugar :)

5 Simple Rules for Eating Sugar


Few topics boggle dieters and fitness enthusiasts the way sugar does. Is this simple carbohydrate the key to unlocking elite sports performance? Or is it the chains that drag our country deeper into the obesity epidemic? Annoyingly, the answer is both. But before you throw your hands up in frustration and grab yourself a Twinkie®, let's take a minute to talk about sugar. It's not as complex as it seems. In fact, with just a few guidelines, it's incredibly easy to use these simple carbohydrates for good instead of evil.







Rule #1: Just say "know."

Here's a grossly oversimplified look at how sugar, also known as simple carbohydrates, works. Just as with all carbs, you eat sugar and it's absorbed by your blood, where, if you have the right amount of it, the insulin in your system converts the sugar to energy. However, if you introduce too much sugar into your system, the insulin stores it as body fat. A little stored body fat is fine; the body likes some emergency fuel. However, if your blood sugar spikes too often and the insulin has to work too hard converting fat, this can lead to a variety of health issues, including type 2 diabetes and heart problems.



As we'll discuss later, when your body obtains sugar from natural sources, like fruits and veggies, the process tends to be checked by fiber, which slows absorption. However, when you eat foods with added sugar, this can overwhelm the usual checks and balances, causing problems like those nasty blood sugar spikes. To make matters worse, consuming too much added sugar can cause a host of other problems, including tooth decay, increased triglycerides (or stored fat), and malnutrition (from overconsumption of foods filled with empty calories and deficient in nutrients).



If you wanted one overarching rule to work from, you might choose to avoid added sugars entirely. You'll get all the energy you need from foods with naturally occurring sugar. That said, there are times when refined sugar is okay or even beneficial. If you're able to build yourself a lifestyle completely free of added sugar, nice work. But for the rest of us, the trick is moderation.



Rule #2: Less is more.

One teaspoon of table sugar has 15 calories. Honestly, if you have a couple of cups of tea or coffee in the morning and you dump the proverbial spoonful of sugar in each, that's 30 calories. If the rest of your diet is tight and you're active, it won't matter. If you're trying to lose weight and eating at a severe deficit, you'll probably want to skip those few spoonfuls of sugar, because table sugar is nutritionally void and you want every calorie to count nutritionally. Other than that, though, life's short—enjoy your java.



Rule #3: High fructose corn syrup is the enemy . . .

In a recent study out of Princeton University, two groups of rats were fed a sucrose solution and a high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) solution. The rats that consumed the corn syrup got fatter. "Some people have claimed that high fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity," said study leader Bart Hoebel, "but our results make it clear that this just isn't true, at least under the conditions of our tests."



There are a few possible explanations for this. One is the ratio of fructose to glucose in HFCS is slightly higher. Another is that in the HFCS manufacturing process, fructose molecules are free and unbound, making them easier to absorb. The fructose in table sugar is bonded to the glucose, which means it requires an extra step to be used.1



Rule #3.5: . . . and it's hiding behind every corner.

And you thought Invasion of the Body Snatchers was creepy . . . Avoiding the obvious sweetened foods like soda, cake, cookies, and pies is only half the battle. Manufacturers add HFCS (as well as other sugars) to a mind-boggling amount of foods because it adds flavor. If it's in a bottle, box, or can, read the ingredients. You'll find sweeteners in everything from ketchup to peanut butter to bread to salad dressing (see "6 Foods with Hidden Sugar" below). With a little effort, you can usually find versions of the same food with no added sugars or HFCS that are more nutritious and taste just as good.



Rule #4: No, the sugar in fruit isn't bad for you.

When the low-carb "revolution" hit in the early aughts, fruit was demonized for its sugar content. This is, in a word, ridiculous. Yes, fruit is loaded with sugar, but it's also usually loaded with fiber, which slows sugar absorption, making it an ideal way to get your simple carbs without straining your little insulin buddies. Fruit is also loaded with easy-to-absorb vitamins and minerals. Most fruit is also filled with water, yet another benefit.



Even relatively low-fiber fruits like bananas offer far too many benefits to deny. Bananas, in particular, are rich in electrolytes, which are crucial to sports performance. As I always say, I defy you to introduce me to an overweight person whose biggest indulgence is fruit.



You can think of the ingredients in Shakeology® the same way. Sure, there's a little sugar in there, but the protein and fiber slow absorption, and the massive amount of nutrients makes it all worthwhile.



Rule #5: Occasionally, a hit of straight sugar is a good thing.

You're sitting around watching television. You haven't done much today. Your glycogen stores are up, and because you've eaten normally, your blood sugar level is balanced. Time for some P90X® Results and Recovery Formula™? Probably not.



Conversely, you just blasted a killer workout. You've blown through your blood sugar and your glycogen, leaving you shaky and tired. Now, getting some sugar in there to recharge quickly wouldn't be such a bad idea. Furthermore, since it'll rush in so fast, it's a great opportunity to add some protein and micronutrients to that sugar blast, because they'll rush into where they're needed just as fast.



If you genuinely gave the workout your all and you're truly wiped out, you won't even come close to storing that sugar as fat.



So there you go. Not so tough, huh? With a little forethought and self-control, keeping an eye on your carbs can be, ahem, a piece of cake.