I thought I’d spend some time on the basics of fitness according to Tony Horton.  For those who don’t know, Tony is the creator of the P90X Home Workout Routine.  You may have seen it on TV as you were surfing through the channels on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

Tony has what he calls “The 11 Laws of Fitness”.  I first learned these at a Tony Horton Fitness Camp in New York in 2007.  They are very good, basic laws that are critical to developing a healthy LIFESTYLE.  No diets.  No temporary fixes…but a lifestyle!

Tony’s first law is VARIETY.  How boring would life be without variety?  Human beings are strange creatures.  We have a basic need for both consistency and variety.  As far as exercise goes, I’ve often said that I have exercise A.D.D.  Doing the same routine day in and day out is just too boring for me!  That’s probably why I have a library of just about every home workout routine that Beachbody has produced!  I like being able to choose the workout that will achieve the goal I’m aiming for that day, but add some variety to prevent boredom.

Adding variety to your workouts can help you to avoid the setbacks of injuries, plateaus, and boredom.  I used to work at a Wellness Center, and there was one man there who was losing weight, and then plateaued.  I suggested that he talk to the Program Manager, and have her design a new program with different exercises.  He said he was happy with what he was doing.

The only problem was that his previous routine…the one that helped him lose weight…was no longer working.  Why?  His body had adapted, and it was no longer hard.  That’s probably why he didn’t want to change.  He remembered how hard the routine was in the beginning, and he probably remembered how sore he was that first week or two.

But that’s the funny thing about working out.  When your body adapts, the best thing you can do is set up a new challenge.  Changing up the routine is a great way to do that.  That’s what I love about P90X so much.  I’m currently in week 4 of this round of P90X.  For the first 3 weeks, I had a schedule that included the same workout every Monday (chest and back), another every Tuesday (Plyometrics)…and well…you get the idea.

Now in recovery week, I’m doing cardio, yoga, and stretching.  Next week, I’ll be into another phase where I’ll have the same workout routine every Monday, another every Tuesday…etc.  Some of these routines will be different than those I did in weeks 1-3.

The point I’m trying to make is that I’ll be switching up the workouts every few weeks.  Tony calls that “muscle confusion”, and it works very well!

Other ways I add variety into my workouts?  When it starts to get a little warmer here in Pennsylvania, I’ll start running again.  I’ve been taking Zumba classes every Saturday morning.  Zumba is a Latin dance based cardio workout.  I’ve also considered taking a class at a new ice rink near here.  They call the class “icercize”.

You need to keep your workouts fun and interesting.  Will you enjoy them ALL?  Probably not.  There are some workouts that I know I need to do, but I’m just not in the mood for.  Sometimes I enjoy cardio more, sometimes resistance training is more fun for me.  I almost never enjoy yoga WHILE I’m doing it, but I feel SO good after the workout is done.

But overall, I try to keep the fun in it.  I do a lot of my workouts from home, but when I can workout with a friend, that adds an element of fun to the workout…especially if you can find a friend who is just a little better at the workout than you.  It pushes you to be better!

One of my favorite ways of adding variety to my workouts is Tony Horton’s One on One Series of home workout routines.  It’s sort of like a magazine.   A new workout comes every month.  I have no idea how Tony keeps coming up with new stuff for these, but he’s great at mixing it up.  Not to mention that he’s hilarious in them!  It’s just him and the director Mason in the room, and they film from beginning to end with no cuts.  One time, Tony ripped his pants at the beginning of the workout, and they continued to film!  Too funny!

So that’s it!  Remember to get variety in your workouts!  Be curious!  Try a new home workout routine or look for a new class in your area!  You’ll be more apt to stick with it in the long term!

Together we’re better!

Judy

Tweet This Post

WOW!  This success story just blew me away!  At only 33 years old, Jeremy tipped the scales at 370 pounds, was on medication for his dangerously high blood pressure, and walked with a limp due to severe arthritis.

Jeremy had no energy and that was a problem because he had two young active sons.  All Jeremy ever wanted to do was sit on the couch.  Life was passing him by, but he was complacent about his weight.

I’m always fascinated by that “moment”…that thing that flips the switch in a person’s mind and all of a sudden, they HAVE to make changes.  When you get to that point, the solution will show up!

Well, Jeremy had a good friend who was willing to tell him the hard truth.

“He asked me how I would feel if another man had to replace me and raise my sons, um, I was speechless . . . It made the situation really real for me. It forced me to think of the real events that would occur if I didn’t change my ways.”

Ouch!  I could see how that would motivate Jeremy!  We’ll do things for our children we would NEVER do for ourselves!

A high school athlete, Jeremy started asking buddies what they were doing to get in shape and found that many were doing the P90X^® home workout routine.  When he saw the way their eyes lit up when describing P90X, Jeremy knew the program was for him.

The most appealing characteristic of P90X that Jeremy’s friends described was the variety. The home workout routines in P90X included strength training days, cardio days, and days when they did stretching.

Jeremy loved the workouts, but there were major obstacles in his quest to get fit. He continually faced the temptation to eat poorly, and the arthritis in his ankle caused him intense pain.

“When I first started P90X, I swear I used every modification that Tony could throw at me. Whether it was from being so out of shape or physically being too big for my ankle, I had to modify everything. I really struggled. But around every corner there was Tony saying, ‘Do your best, and forget the rest.’ So many times I felt like he was personally talking to me.”

Jeremy probably felt like quitting many times, but I’m sure that when those times occurred, he heard his friend’s voice inside his head saying “Do you want another man to replace you to raise your sons”?  He pushed through the difficulties, and completely changed his life!  He’s no longer the Dad who just sits on the couch while his sons are playing.  He’s right in there playing with them!

P90X is a great program, but it IS intense!  Sure there are ways to modify it, but what few people actually know is that Tony Horton (the trainer who developed the P90X home workout routines) also developed some programs which are meant to ease you into P90X.

The Power90 home workout routine is a great place to start!  The workouts are shorter and much less intense.  Tony also developed the Power90 Master Series of home workout routines.  Those are somewhere between Power90 and P90X.

The important point to remember from Jeremy’s story is that he first made the decision to no longer be complacent about his weight.  He discovered his “WHY”, and it was a very powerful one…so that HE could be the one to raise his boys…not some other man.

What is YOUR why?  If you ever want to change your life, finding your why and keeping it at the forefront of your mind is essential to your success!

Together we’re better!

Judy

P.S.  Jeremy won $1,000 for his transformation story using Beachbody products, and now he is in the running to win $10,000.  If you’d like a free Team Beachbody account so that you can vote for the man and woman who will each win $10,000, just click here!

Tweet This Post

Beachbody is a company that markets home workout routines that actually work!  How do I know that?  I’ve experienced it for myself.  But don’t take my word for it, over the next several days, I’ll be profiling some of the success stories who have used Beachbody products to lose fat and build muscle in a way that will blow your mind!

First, meet Carson Sanders!  Carson is a 39 year old firefigher and paramedic from Sarasota Florida who used to be a gym rat.  But he was finding that his typical weight lifting workout at the gym just wasn’t giving him the results that he wanted anymore.  He saw the infomercial for the P90X home workout routine and was skeptical at first.  How could a home workout routine give him better results than the gym?  Pushing aside his doubts, he decided to give it a shot.  He purchased P90X and committed to 90 days of workouts at home.

Carson never looked back!  He ended up losing 59 pounds and went from 21% body fat to 6% body fat.  He ended up canceling his gym membership.  Now that he is able to workout at home, Carson is able to spend more time with his family, get the results he wants, and be a role model for his children.

That’s one of the things I love most about committing to a home workout routine!  Your family members see you working out, and I hear many people saying that their kids actually take part in the workouts with them!  What could be better than that?  In fact, if you watch Carson’s video, you’ll see his two young sons doing the workout right along with him! 

I’ll have another inspiring success story to share with you tomorrow!

Together we’re better!

Judy

P.S.  All of the people in the success stories I’ll be featuring over the next several days won $1,000 for submitting their transformation story after using a Beachbody home workout routine, and now they are in the running for $10,000 in the quarterly prize.  If you want to see all of the success stories, you can get a Free Team Beachbody account by clicking here.

Tweet This Post

Do you remember a time when you were motivated to lose weight?  All of a sudden, you hit a point where staying as you were was much more painful than the changes you needed to make to change.  Maybe you saw a picture you were in and didn’t even recognize yourself. Maybe someone made a rude comment to you about your weight, or maybe you couldn’t play with your kids without getting out of breath.

Whatever it was that got you thinking “I MUST lose this weight”, embrace it!  It’s in our moments of frustration that real growth appears!

But let’s face it, weight loss isn’t easy.  If it was, everyone would be at their perfect weight. You need a continual stream of motivation to continue.  I always tell the people I coach that they need to develop their “WHY” and envision themselves achieving that lifestyle.  You need to just close your eyes and think about what it will be like to be at your perfect weight.  What will you look like?  How will you feel?  What will you be able to do?  And you need to do that daily!  Doing it several times a day is even BETTER!

It doesn’t need to take a long time, but you need to make it feel REAL!  Believe it or not, your mind cannot distinguish between what is real and what is vividly imagined!

This is the first step in successful and lasting weight loss!

What’s the second step?  Belief!  Even if you’ve tried a thousand times in the past, you have to believe that this time will be different.  How do you do that?  Well, one way of doing it is to find others who have done what you have done and realizing that if they did it, then so can you!

One of the reasons I was drawn to Beachbody is because the community is full of people who have done just that!  Right now, they are starting the process of voting for one woman and one man who will each win the quarterly transformation contest (and $10,000)!

These people have all worked hard and have changed their lives!  Now if that isn’t motivation, I don’t know what is!

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be posting a few transformation stories and videos every day.  I hope you can find someone you can relate to and who will motivate you to make the changes you need to make to be a healthier YOU! 

If you just can’t wait to view all of the success stories who are in the running for this $10,000, then you can get a free Beachbody account by clicking here!

Judy

Tweet This Post

People continually ask me why I’m a Beachbody coach.  Well, there are MANY reasons, but one of the most important ones is that I’m continually inspired by the people I coach.  Darlene Provance is one of those people.

Darlene grew up in a family of 10 siblings, and she struggled with low self esteem for years.  That’s hard for me to imagine now because when I talk to her on the phone, all I hear is a strong, confident woman who sounds SO joyful!

Darlene found Beachbody, and an exercise program that she loved…Turbo Jam…and lost over 21 pounds!  Can you believe that she is 50 years old?  She looks incredible!  Watch her story in the video below to see how she used Turbo Jam to finally lose the weight that had been holding her back for so long! This is a Turbo Jam review you don’t want to miss!

Following her win in the monthly Beachbody 2009 transformation contest, she quit smoking, and she was terrified that the weight would come back.  It did (a little), but it was only for a short time.  You see, NOW she had the tools and the lifestyle to get to and stay at a healthy weight!

I’m SO proud of her for kicking the smoking habit!    She’s made a very important switch in mindset.  She’s gone from wanting to lose weight to wanting to be healthy!  That’s the key to maintenance of a weight loss because once the weight is gone, you have to have a more powerful “WHY” to keep up with your new healthy habits!

After finding that she could have success with Beachbody products, she moved on to other programs like P90X, Rockin’ Body, Slim in 6, and ChaLEAN Extreme.  Darlene has been an inspiration to many people, and I kept telling her that she should become a coach because she was already coaching others by telling them what SHE did to lose the weight, and more importantly, keep it off!

Darlene and I talked a few times about her becoming a coach.  I knew she would be great at it because she was continually encouraging others.  Well, she finally decided to join my team of coaches, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have her!

People all over America are finding that they can get their lives back by committing to the program that’s right for them!  Once they become a “product of the product” and people start asking them “WHAT are you doing?”, then moving into coaching is a natural next step!  It not only provides an additional source of income, but it helps us stay accountable to our new healthy lifestyle.

If this sounds like a path you’d like to follow, but you are not sure where to start, ASK ME!  My coaching is free of charge!  And if you are thinking “Sure, I want to lose weight, but this coaching thing is not for me”, then that’s perfectly fine.  Coaching is fun and rewarding to me, but it’s certainly not for everyone!

If you were inspired by Darlene’s story, I know she would love to hear that!  Please visit her NEW website that Beachbody gave her the minute she became a coach!  Once you get to Darlene’s website, click on the “Contact Me” button and tell her something about how she inspired you!  Or, leave a comment for Darlene below!

Together we’re BETTER! 

Judy

Team Beachbody does not guarantee any level of success or income from the Team Beachbody Coach Opportunity.  Each coaches income depends on his or her own efforts, diligence, and skill.  See our Statement of Independent Coach Earnings for the most recent information on the actual incomes of all our coaches.

Tweet This Post

“I HATE pushups!”

That was me several years ago before I saw the light!  It turns out that pushups are good for me!  Who knew?    They work the muscles in my chest, shoulders, arms, upper back, AND my core…all at the same time.  Plus, since so many muscle groups are getting involved, my heart rate goes up.

I did my first round of P90X back in 2007. That summer, I went to my first Tony Horton Fitness camp in New York.  It was a BLAST (and the subject for another blog post some day), but that was the first time I got to try the pushup stands that TONY himself designed.  He called them “PowerStands”, and I never saw anything like them.  Unlike all of the push up stands I’ve seen before, these were strong, well made, heavily cushioned at the hand grip, and looked like they wouldn’t tip over if you were doing wide pushups.

They weren’t available for sale at the time, so I went on with my pushups with my hands on the floor.  I improved quite a bit, but then one day felt a twinge in my left wrist.  Afterwards, my pinkie and ring fingers in that hand were a little “tingly” feeling.  I laid off of the pushups for a while until things started feeling back to normal.

By this time, I saw that the PowerStands were available, so I ordered a pair.  Now, I rarely do a pushup without them.  I mentioned what happened to my wrist to my doctor, and I explained to him how I was now only doing pushups with my PowerStands, and I hadn’t seen any problems with my wrist.

I was REALLY hoping he wouldn’t say “Don’t do pushups anymore”.  HUH?  Did I just think that?  I used to HATE pushups!!!

It’s amazing how you can change your mind about something that you dislike once you see the benefit AND you have the proper tool.  For me, that proper tool was Tony Horton’s PowerStands.  Honestly, I couldn’t get through P90X without them!

Judy

P.S.  I just started a new round of P90X.  I was astounded to see that my first fit test showed that I could do 7 pushups on my toes.  I remember how proud I was that I could do 7 whole pushups on my toes.  How many did I do on THIS fit test?  32…and yes…ON MY TOES!!  Whoo hoo!    P90X works!

If you have wrist issues, it’s best to talk to your doctor (just like I did)!  Really, you should talk to your doctor before beginning any exercise program.  Exercise is GREAT for most people, but you need to make sure your body is ready.  Please!  Talk to your doctor!  That’s what he/she is there for! 

Tweet This Post

Oprah had a GREAT show today called  “Before you grocery shop again: Food 101 with Michael Pollan”.  Most of the show was centered around a new documentary called “Food, Inc”.  I had rented that movie around a month ago, and I must say…it was eye opening!  It’s amazing to see how fast food has changed the way we eat in America and not JUST in fast food restaurants.  Our government subsidizes crops like corn and soybeans, but crops like broccoli, carrots, and fruits are not.  No WONDER junk food is so cheap and healthy food can be so expensive!

I highly suggest you watch this movie.  The Oprah Show and Amazon are offering “Food, Inc” for $9.99 and with your purchase you get a free download of the movie, so you can watch it while you are waiting for your DVD to arrive.  This expires Friday at midnight.  Click here to go to the Oprah page with information about this show (including the movie offer).

The Oprah show also had a section with actress Alicia Silverstone talking about her new book “The Kind Diet”, and the Oprah page has some recipes from it.  Those chocolate peanut butter cups look SO YUMMY!  Could it be that my daughter’s Girl Scout cookie sales are getting to me?  Could be! 

Judy

Tweet This Post

It’s Saturday night, and I don’t feel like cooking.  Okay…I admit…I almost NEVER feel like cooking!  It’s just something that SOMEONE has to do!

So I pulled out an old favorite.  This is something that is SO QUICK and SO EASY anyone can do it!  Plus, I like to make extra so that the time it takes me to make it will save me time tomorrow and the next day.  It takes a lot less time to reheat leftovers! 

I got this from Bill Phillips “Eating for Life” cookbook.  I highly recommend this one.  It has a lot of easy ideas in it.  The only thing missing is nutrition information.  If you are familiar with Bill’s “Body for Life” plan, he doesn’t believe in counting calories.

Anyway, here’s how this went!  First, I pulled out the chicken I had in the fridge…

Organic chicken breasts are a little pricey, but I try to buy organic whenever possible.  I consider it an investment in the health of my family.  I had two of these packages, probably almost 3 pounds of chicken.  I took them out of the package, rinsed them, and cut them into bite sized pieces.

Then I sprayed a non-stick pan with olive oil spray, heated it on high heat for a minute or two, and added the chicken.  I just kept stirring up the chicken until it was no longer pink.  There was a lot of liquid in the pan, so I put a colander over a bowl and dumped the chicken into it in order to drain it off.

This next step is really in preparation for those glorious leftovers!  I used my new “biggest loser” scale (just bought that from QVC a week or two ago) to individually weigh 3 oz. of chicken into little glass containers.  By the way, I LOVE that scale.  I’ve just scratched the surface of it’s capabilities, but it worked so well tonight for this purpose!  I think I’ll blog about that scale in the near future.  It will give me just one more reason to read the directions more! 

Now I have five little containers, each with 3 ounces of chicken in them!  Perfect!

Okay…on to the next step!  After removing the leftover chicken from the pan, you are left with just the chicken you are going to eat with that meal.  Mix 1 cup of salsa into the pan with the chicken, heat, and stir.

Here’s the next three ingredients:  100% whole wheat wraps, salsa, and low fat cheddar cheese.

Spray a non-stick pan with olive oil spray and heat to medium high.  Place a tortilla on it and spread a little cheese on half.  One top of the cheese, spread a little of the chicken mixture, then top with a little more cheese.  I find that putting the cheese on the bottom and top helps it to stick together.

My daughter, picky kid that she is, doesn’t like the salsa in it.  No problem, I just use the cheese and a little plain chicken for her!

Now, with a spatula, just fold the half with no “stuff” on it up, and flip it over the half with the “stuff” on it.  Press it down with the spatula a little to help the cheese make it all stick together.

Put it on a plate and use a pizza cutter to cut it into three equal pieces.  You can put a little non-fat sour cream on the side.  And there you have it!  Quick, easy, and delicious!  Serve it with a green salad for your veggie portion!

I used the myfitnesspal website (another thing I highly recommend) to calculate the calories.  With the sour cream (about 25 calories in 2 Tablespoons of that), it came out to 353.  I can’t vouch for the accuracy of that, but it sounds about right to me.

If this sounds like something you’ll be making for yourself or if you have any tips on how to improve it, please leave a comment below!  Right now I have a few dishes to do! 

Judy

Tweet This Post

You may have seen the P90X infomercial and been inspired to give it a try, but in the back of your mind you know that it’s too hard for you right now. Maybe you haven’t exercised in a while, or maybe you’ve NEVER exercised!

I can relate! When I started on my journey toward a “beach body” with Beachbody, I started with Slimin6 in 2004. I knew about P90X back then. The infomercial wasn’t even on the air yet, but I was actively using the message boards at Beachbody, and I knew several people who were using P90X and getting great results!

After Slimin6, I was happy that I was in better shape, but I still didn’t feel like I was ready for P90X. So the next program I tackled was another created by Tony Horton, Power90! This is a GREAT program to work up to P90X! It’s the same trainer, so you get used to Tony’s style a little.

Watch Don’s story below to see how he lost 38 pounds since starting Power90. He also talks about the value of having a Beachbody coach helping him. That’s what I do! Don is still working his way toward P90X. Right now he’s using another great program called ChaLEAN Extreme, created by the Turbo Jam creator, Chalene Johnson. After that one, I have a feeling his next program will be P90X!

There are two levels in Power90. The workouts in the first level (called 1-2) are around 30-35 minutes long and those in the second level (called 3-4) are around 40-45 minutes long. There’s resistance training (called “sculpt”) and cardio (called “sweat”).

You start out on level 1-2, and do that until it feels too easy for you. Then you move up to level 3-4.  Power90 is designed to be used 6 days per week. You do sculpt, then sweat, then sculpt, then sweat, then sculpt, then sweat.

There are also two levels of ab routines: ab ripper 100 and ab ripper 200. While doing the Power90 program, you do those 3 days a week as well. And the same is true for the levels…you do ab ripper 100 until it’s too easy. Then you move up to ab ripper 200.

Power90 also comes with a meal plan so you can start learning how to eat better to support your weight loss and healthy lifestyle.  Check out any of the Power90 links to see exactly what comes in the program!

It’s smart to begin with Power90 before moving up to P90X! But, as with EVERY exercise program, get your doctor’s okay before beginning! That is ALWAYS smart!

If you are interested in purchasing Power90, just click here!  I’ll be assigned as your personal coach, and I’ll be here to help you around the website and answer any questions you have about the program.

Judy

Tweet This Post

Sometimes a success story on Beachbody comes along that just is over the top motivating!  Cammie’s story makes me wonder “what’s YOUR excuse” when I don’t feel like doing my workout.

She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and within a short period of time, she couldn’t move her legs and found herself in a wheel chair.  Her slow digestion caused her to have trouble getting enough nutrition and calories into her day.  But with Shakeology, that’s all changed.  She says “Shakeology made me come alive”!

With Shakeology and P90X (modified), she’s been able to drop 70 pounds, and she’s active again!

I just LOVE Cammie!  She’s a long distance friend, and I hope to be able to meet her in person one day VERY soon!

THIS is what Beachbody is all about!  Sure, we all love the great products, but it’s friends inspiring friends that makes it all work!

Judy

Tweet This Post