Today is the 2 year anniversary of the day that really began my fitness journey. I remember it because Laura had just returned from Beachbody Summit (big national convention) that took place the last weekend in June. She came home with a copy of Focus T25 on Sunday and I started on Monday!
Prior to that I was sporadic with my workouts, I would fit them in when I had time and when I felt like it. My half-hearted commitment gave me half the results. This time though 2 years ago things changed. A couple things standout as to why they changed. First, was that I loved the program and it was short, just 25 minutes. Even working the crazy hours that I was as a golf pro I was still able to get my workouts in nearly everyday. There were a few days when I worked 16+ hours that I wasn't able to do them. Normally the program takes 60 days to finish, I think I did it all in 67, 1 extra week!!! The second thing that changed was I joined one of Laura's accountability groups. At this point I wasn't coaching and had zero interest in it. I joined to support her and learn what she was spending her time doing. I can't tell you how much the accountability helped me stay on track and stay focused. I even remember one of the nights that I came home from work after working about a 15 hour day and it was because of the group that I pressed play at 9:00 at night. I was hooked! Working out wasn't just to something to help me lose weight it was something that became part of who I was and who I wanted to be. I got asked by a friend not too long ago, "Do you really workout 5-6 days a week?" My answer was yes, I do! 2 years later and I haven't gone more than 2 days without a workout, that includes the time I sprained my ankle, I still did some pilates and ab workouts. I don't share that to brag but because I used to sit on the sidelines and never made fitness a priority. Maybe that is you right now??? If it is it's never too late to start! What if you said yes today, how different would your life look in 2 years? What changes would happen to your body and mind? Would you regret your decision? It's crazy to think back and that was only 2 years ago that I made a decision and how much my life has changed since then. If you are feeling motivated to make a change, to change the direction of your life, and to do that right now, I would love help you with that journey. If you've been trying to do it on your own and have been spinning your wheels, asking for help doesn't mean that you've failed. It means that you've gone as far as you can on your using your own effort and it's time to let others help you. Reach out to me on social media or shoot me an email, I would love to chat.
I think it was about 8 years ago when someone that I know approached me and asked me if I would be interested in joining them in their network marketing business. I shot her down so fast, "You mean one of those pyramid schemes, sorry not for me." As soon as she mentioned it every part of me just revolted with the idea that I would be "tricked" into a business like that. There is no way it could be a legitimate business and definitely no way I could make money unless I wanted to trick people too.
Why did I get so defensive? I would say for a few reasons. I had an idea in my head of what this type of business was all about. You solicit all of your friends and family to spend a lot of money to buy product and sign up...Not sure how that stereotype was ever planted in my head but it was a pretty firm belief. Another reason was that I had ZERO interest in using the products that this company was affiliated with and I had even less of an interest in selling them. Lastly, I didn't see it going anywhere. My thought was that it was a "get rich quick" scheme, that would fizzle out as soon as people realized it was a scam. What changed, and how did I end up working with a Network Marketing Company? I will say that my objection about believing in the products is still a real one for me when it comes to network marketing. If you don't have a genuine interest in the products or services that the company you are associated with then you will have to "sell" them. What I mean by that is, if you don't wholeheartedly believe that your widget or service will make someone life's better, then you will need to try to convince them or sell them on it. If you are meeting a need that they have you are just making a recommendation based on what has worked for you. A personal example for me is my experience with the workout program Focus T25, this was the first program that I really did from Beachbody. It got me into incredible shape all while working 50-60 hours per week. The 25 minute length of the workouts was perfect for my situation I had a need for exercise, I had a busy schedule and this program filled that need. There is a big difference between referring quality products that you enjoy using and peddling crap just to make a profit. We sell things everyday without knowing it: we tell our friends where we had lunch and recommend/sell them the idea of going there also. We tell/sell people about TV shows or movies we watch that we think they would like.Take a look at some of the services you use: your realtor, your accountant, the church you go to, where you bought your last car. I would guess you either worked with a friend in one of these industries or a friend told you about who they use. I've come to realize that this is all network marketing is...you tell people about your experience with a certain product or service and if they end up seeing value in it then they will pass along those recommendations as well. My view of what network marketing changed VERY slowly. Laura had joined on as a coach in July of 2012 and for those first 6 months I was hesitant with what she was doing. My perception of what she was doing focused more on how she was working so that someone above her would make more money. Her sales helped their bonuses and her recruiting helped their rank advancements. Somewhere around the spring of 2013, I changed my focus. Instead of looking up in our organization, I started looking down. How was she helping her coaches make money? How was she helping people below her grow their businesses? How was she helping people grow as individuals with their confidence and health? This idea of looking down instead of up totally changed my impression of network marketing. That's why I love this quote from Zig Ziglar.
I learned to approach network marketing with a selfless attitude. An attitude that you are there to serve, and help people meet THEIR needs. I think this is where network marketing gets a bad image. All too often the focus is on how sales and recruiting will benefit you and the people above you. Instead, this is how we approach it: how will this opportunity or product help this person. Will it serve a need that they have?
Specific to Beachbody,
Network Marketing Compared to Corporate America
Just because something is different doesn't make it good or bad, it's just different. If you look at the hierarchy of a traditional business with a CEO, VP's, middle management, supervisors, and finally employees it looks a lot like the same structure of a network marketing business. The difference is that in network marketing the ability to climb the proverbial corporate ladder is much easier. By "climbing the ladder" in a network marketing organization you don't have to displace someone in that position. Everyone has equal opportunity to grow and advance. Compare that to a standard corporation, usually someone has to leave a position before you are able to get promoted. There are certainly benefits to a corporate job, mostly the health benefits are what most people mention. There are also benefits to network marketing though: freedom, ability to work anywhere, unlimited income potential, residual income and being your own boss to name a few. One of the benefits about network marketing versus starting your own company is you don't have to go all in from the start. The startup costs are very minimal. A lot of coaches within our company are doing this just as a part time job, working maybe an hour or two a day. They are doing it because they love being held accountable themselves for their fitness and health and they want to help others with their health and fitness goals. The range of coaches varies from the person that just wants to get fit to the person that wants to grow a huge team and make a 7 figure income and everywhere in between. Why I Now Love Network Marketing There is a small part of me that thinks back to the opportunity that I was approached with 8 years ago and wonder if I should have went for it. I now see how network marketing is a viable business and not a get rich quick scheme. In just 2 1/2 years with our business we have been able to pay off nearly all of our debt and I've been able to leave my full-time job and now stay at home with our son. More importantly, this business has helped me reclaim my health and meet so many amazing people that have similar interests and goals. I also see the potential in this business to give us the freedom that we want in our life and not be tied to a 9-5 job. I'll close with this because I wish someone would have told me this 8 years ago: don't judge this business by the 1 or 2 bad experiences that you've potentially encountered. Just like any industry there are going to be people working with integrity and there are going to be people that lack a certain level of professionalism and customer service. If you have a bad experience at a restaurant are you going to stop eating out all together, absolutely not. You may do your homework the next time and learn about where you want to go and other people's experiences prior to going out but 1 bad restaurant experience isn't representative of the entire industry. One bad experience 8 years ago left a bad taste in my mouth, but I did my research and found something that I can believe in and I know will change lives and that has made all the difference. It's been a few weeks since we got back from our trip to Cancun with Beachbody and the warm ocean breezes and palm trees are definitely missed!! We decided to bring E with us so that meant we didn't get a ton of "relaxing" in...aka sitting on the beach reading a book or playing sand volleyball...or sleep, since he was up at 5:30 or 6am every single day, but that's definitely OK. The memories and pictures we have make up for the lack of sleep...PLUS we got to see the sunrise every single day so I can't complain about that! (trying to be positive here...is it working?) We flew in on a Wednesday afternoon, enjoyed the amazing welcome party that Beachbody threw... from our patio though because E fell asleep so early after the long travel day...that was OK with us though because we wanted to get up early to work out with Shaun T! It was a fabulous workout at 7am and as we walked out into the lobby there was freshly made Shakeology waiting for us. Nothing better than that! Thursday consisted of pool time, nap time and a few margaritas. We decided to split up the nap times by the very fair method of rock, paper, scissors. I was in charge of nap time that day and lucky for me, E slept for almost 3 hours. Good because I didn't get sunburned like Dan did but bad because I was stuck inside all afternoon! After he woke up we went back to the pool and hung out for a little bit and then went to dinner with some of our friends who were there. I will say the BEST part of this trip was getting to spend time with our friends and fellow coaches that we talk to regularly online, but rarely get to see in person!! Brainstorming, sharing struggles and tips, figuring out how we can better help our teams and work TOGETHER to grow the people around us were definitely some of the highlights. There is no cattiness in our circle of coaches. We truly want to see each other succeed and everyone will bend over backwards to help you if you're struggling. Such amazing COMMUNITY!! Yep, sunburned. Dan is too, you just can't see it. Working out with Shaun T on Day 3! This trip was paid for almost entirely by Beachbody and I couldn't be more grateful!! Earning trips like this by simply helping a few people every single month is kinda crazy. It was a rare occurrence a few years ago that Dan would be able to take that much time off to go on a trip...so this was an amazing blessing. We coach not because we want to be rewarded with "things"...but because we want to make a difference in someone's life. There are many different avenues to do that, but helping someone with their health and nutrition has the potential to impact so many other areas of their life as well!! That's why we love what we do and are proud to be a part of this company!
We want to recognize a couple of our friends that have decided to make a commitment to their health and fitness. They have found success in their own journey using Beachbody products and want to share that success with others. Please welcome Cheryl Vaske to Team FullyFit! Cheryl and Dan used to work together at Hazeltine National Golf Club. Cheryl has been a couple of our Challenge Groups and has fallen in love with Focus T25 and loves Shakeology. The 25 minute program fit nicely into her busy day and helped her lose some weight all while getting stronger. She has decided to make a commitment not only to her health but also wants to help others reach their potential too. We are SO excited to have you on board Cheryl...and for those of you that know her, she would love to connect with you on how you could begin your own health journey. She will actually be co-hosting a fitness and nutrition accountability group with Laura starting on May 4th. If you want more details about what that accountability group is all about, reach out to her us and we would love to help. We are SO excited to welcome our good friend, Jillian Kruger, to our amazing team of coaches. What that means is...she loves health and fitness and wants to help other people create change in their lives!! She is such an amazing, compassionate person...a busy mom...and loves to be active. She participated in a few of our accountability groups and has done T25 and the 21 Day Fix.
We are so EXCITED for her to start this new journey and have no doubt she will be an incredible coach. If you know Jillian and need some help building some healthy habits into your busy life, reach out to her!! She'd love to chat more with you to help! That's right, a number of Beachbody's most popular workouts are available to stream online as long as you have access to a web browser and the internet. Just like Netflix revolutionized online movie space, we feel this is going to be a game changer in fitness world. We have been able to use this platform for the past month and blown away with the quantity and quality of the workouts that they have included. It's also extremely easy to use. We have accessed it from both our computers and our phones and it works great. We were able to stream workouts to our TV using Google Chromecast and I'm pretty certain you could do the same using Apple TV. So how does it work??? When you log in this is the first screen you will see. Right now there are 11 Full programs available and they have a New & Noteworthy section that you can preview all of the latest programs that have been released and some classics that haven't made their way into the Member Library yet. The 11 programs that are included are: Insanity, TurboFire, Brazil Butt Lift, P90X, P90X2, P90X3, Chalene Exreme, Hip Hop Abs, 10 Minute Trainer, Tony 1-on-1, and Insanity Asylum. The New & Noteworthy workouts will give you access to 1 individual workout from 8 of Beachbody's other programs. Also coming by the end of March 2015, there will be a Purchased Products section which will give you access to certain programs that you have purchased by DVD. After you select a program, you will have access to all of the workouts and program materials for that particular workout. For example with P90X3 you would also get Quick Start, Fitness Guide, Calendar, Nutrition Guide, and Extras. All of these are downloadable. Once you hit play you will be prompted with a disclaimer screen. Beachbody is really good at making sure if you go all insane doing Insanity that it isn't their fault. A couple clicks and you are ready to start working out. Plus after you hit this agreement on the disclaimer you won't have to do it again for that workout series, which is nice. Here is a short video showing some of Beachbody's celebrity trainers getting a first look this new function. Club Member Benefits
Frequently Asked Questions: Will I need to buy the fitness program to stream them? No. Programs inside Beachbody on Demand’s digital library come with a membership to Team Beachbody Club. Will there be an extra cost per workout watched? No. Unlimited access is included in Team Beachbody Club membership at no extra cost. Will I be able to stream workouts internationally? Yes. You will be able to stream abroad as long as you have a valid internet connection. Will the workouts be available to download and watch offline? No. Programs inside the digital library come with a membership to Team Beachbody Club. How much will it cost? The current price for a Team Beachbody Club Membership is $38.87 which is paid quarterly. So essentially it is $13 per month. The CEO of Beachbody eluded to the fact that this price may go and you would be able to lock in the current price if you sign up before the price comes out. You are also able to buy a Club Challenge Pack which is a combination of 3 months of membership plus a 1 month supply of Shakeology for $140. If this feature sounds like something that will help you stay on track and see the results that you've been hoping to accomplish, we would love to chat with you. Feel free to shoot us an EMAIL or comment below and we will be in touch. If you KNOW this is going to be the difference maker for your fitness, click the button, JOIN THE CLUB, below and feel free to go through the sign up process. Oh and in case you want to combine a club membership with a month's supply of Shakeology, click JOIN THE CLUB + SHAKEOLOGY. That combination is on special this month and you will save $30 when you bundle them together. We aren't talking about trees and green grass here, although those things are important too. The environment that we are talking about is everything around you. That includes nature, but it's so much more than that and also includes:
You get the drift...it's everything that you come into contact with on a daily basis and not just physically. All of that information and exposure creates who you are, what you think, your health, your relationships, and your lifestyle. You've probably heard of the concept of nature vs nurture. To get a little geeky on you, it is also your DNA as well! Your DNA is really the only thing that will not change. Did you know that there is a particular branch of genetics called epigenitics that is doing a lot of research on how our ENVIRONMENT can turn on or turn off certain genes?? Although we can't change our genes, this science is telling us that the excuse of "It's in my genes" may not be a reliable excuse any more. You may now have to change it to "It's in my environment!!!" How cool and yet scary is that? Based on what you consume and what you come in contact with may dictate if that cancer gene, or alzheimer gene, or obesity gene actually "turns on." It's cool because our environment is actually the one thing that we have a lot of control of. Go back to that list above: ALL of those things you can change today!!! Would some of them be more difficult...like walking away from a job or moving out of your house...sure, but you could still do it! Would you do it if you knew your house was going to cause your whole family to get some auto-immune disease? Absolutely!!! What if you knew that your job increased the chances of you developing cancer? The World Health Organization actually listed shift work (working over night) as a known carcinogen!!! I guess the reason I think this is a little scary is because now YOU are in control. There really aren't any excuses any more. Sure, there are some environment things that you can't change unless you plan on living in a bubble...but a majority of what you come in contact with is because of a choice you make. If you are crabby all the time, look at your environment. Is your job creating too much stress? Are the people you're hanging around with crabby and constantly complaining? If you are depressed, look at your environment. Are you getting enough sunlight/vitamin D? Are you exercising, which is known to release good mood hormones? Don't get me wrong, there is definitely a time and a place for medication...especially if we're talking about depression, but we turn to drugs way too soon and way too often before exhausting every other effort. If you are overweight, look at your environment. Are you exposing yourself to toxins that mess with your hormones and cause you to store more weight? Are you eating whole, fresh foods? Are you exercising? If you are feel empty and your life seems to have no meaning, look at your environment. Are you watching negative news all the time? Are you reading personal development? How is your spiritual life? How are your relationships? Your environment is going to change you, but the cool thing is: YOU have the ability to change it first! Let's be honest...you might live under a rock if you have never heard of P90X. This is the "original" workout that came out 10 years ago. P90X3 came out last year and was extremely popular since the program was condensed into 30 minute workouts. P90X2 is like the step brother of the P90X family that was shipped off to military school for kicking too much ass. This program is the real deal from a butt kicking standpoint. P90X2 is geared more towards sports performance and is more of an elite training for athletes, which is one reason why I wanted to try it! I still play quite a bit of volleyball and at a fairly competitive level so for me, it was mainly to improve my performance on the court. Move faster, jump higher, and be in better physical shape to avoid injury. There is no strict calendar to follow, which makes P90X2 very unique when comparing it to other programs. It is broken up into 3 phases and although each phase has a recommended schedule for each week, they don't say to do each week for a given period of time. You are the judge of when you're ready to move on to the next phase. Each phase helps prepare you for the next group of workouts which is really nice. I started this workout after completing 2 rounds of P90X3, followed by a "rest" phase where I did PiYo. So I was in decent "P90X shape" coming into this workout. By that I mean, Tony makes you do a lot of pull-ups and push-ups along with quite a bit of balance work... just to give you an idea of where I was at with my workouts before starting.
Phase 1 - Foundation This Phase is geared towards teaching you most of the moves. The warm-ups stay pretty much the same in all the workouts so you quickly learn all the moves you'll be doing during that part of the workout. One thing that I really enjoyed about this program was that the warm-up was very comprehensive, so you do a lot of moves to get warm, then you stretch, and you foam roll in nearly all the warm-ups. The foam rolling piece is nice because normally I'm too lazy to do that...so it forces you to spend some time improving the quality of your muscles not just size and endurance. There are 6 workouts that you use in Phase 1, plus a bonus 7th workout Ab Ripper that you add on a couple of days. The schedule is setup so that you workout hard 4 days a week. Those workouts include high intensity core work, plyometric work, total body strength and a balance and strength workout. In between those workouts you mix in yoga one day and the other two days you can either take as rest days or do the Recovery + Mobility workout, which is a fantastic workout and something I tried to do at least once a week. I really enjoyed this Phase and I ended up doing it for 4 weeks before moving on. Here is a little video of me me doing one of the moves in the Balance + Power workout. This will also give you an idea of the space you will need, which isn't much! Phase 2 - Strength Phase 2 is similar to Phase 1, so you will go hard 4 days a week, 1 yoga day, and 2 recovery days. The intense workouts in this phase were some of my favorites out of all of the X2 workouts. I used to be a gym guy before I moved into doing home workouts. I wasn't good at actually getting TO the gym, but I did enjoy throwing some weight around while I was there. A big piece of the Phase 2 workouts is using a lot of dumbbells, push-ups, and pull-ups. Stuff that most guys (and some ladies) like!!! The awesome part of this program, and what sets it apart from just lifting weights "normally", is that you are rarely standing on 2 feet when doing lifts, or when you are doing push-ups you are using stability balls or medicine balls to balance on. This really engages all those stabilizer muscles and core muscles. As you progress through each phase, you definitely notice your balance improves with the moves that you are doing. I never upped my weight all that much but I did notice that I did more reps and my balance was much better. Phase 3 - Performance Once again, this phase is 4 days of hard workouts, 1 yoga day, and 2 rest or recovery workout days. The 4 days that you are "on" you use just 2 workouts, P.A.P Upper and P.A.P. Lower. P.A.P. stands for Post-Activation Potentiation. If you want to look into what that means exactly, here is a link to an article on the topic, Post-Activation Potentiation. To summarize: the goal of this type of training is to improve your explosive power as your muscles fatigue. My real life application of this is playing volleyball. This type of training will help me to be able to jump as high in my last game of the night as I was able to jump in my first game. If I'm being honest, this was my least favorite Phase. After the 2nd week, I found myself bored with the workouts and the schedule. I did 3 full weeks following the X2 schedule but in the 4th week I ended up switching to using P90X3's Complex Upper and Lower workouts which are also based on PAP training. This gave me a little more variety, which was nice. Overall Review Overall I really enjoyed this program, especially the first 2 phases and all the different workouts and moves. I definitely saw my strength and balance improve. I loved the complex nature of all the moves and it really challenged me. The only downside was the workouts did get a little long. For the person that just wants to get in and get it done, this wouldn't be the best workout for you. For someone that is transitioning from working out at the gym, I think it would be great from a timing standpoint. I would say this program is geared more towards strength and improving muscle endurance. My goal going into it was to actually put on some weight, which I was able to do without gaining any body fat. I don't know if I would recommend it to the person that wants to lose a lot of weight. It is probably better suited for the person that wants to drop some body fat % points, get a little stronger, improve muscle quality and improve sports performance. No matter where you are with your fitness, this program WILL challenge everyone. If you're more advanced, you will likely be able to move through the phases faster...but there is something for everyone with this program! My Results I'll start with my before and after pictures (before pictures are on the top, after on the bottom). I try to be as fair with this as possible, no flexing (except in the flexing ones), similar lighting, same time of day. When I started, my weight was the lowest it had been since right after college, 157 lbs. After finishing X2, I was up to 165 lbs!!! I personally see a difference in my back, shoulders and arms...and a little bit in my chest. If you're looking at the flexing pics, I definitely see more definition in my shoulders and back. Overall I'm pretty happy with my the changes! Some of the coolest numbers that I like to track are girth measurements and also the Fit Test numbers. I love that I basically maintained my waist measurement while adding 8 lbs. Based on the measurements, it seems my arms, thighs and butt got most of it. With the Fit Test, the before numbers were actually my after numbers after I completed my first round of P90X3. I set a goal at the beginning of X2 (with one of the Challenge Groups that I was running) that I wanted to be able to do 25 pull-ups and 100 push-ups without breaking. I fell a little short, but definitely saw some big gains in both of those areas. Another area that I didn't really notice getting stronger but based on the numbers from the "Ab In and Outs" my core strength/stamina definitely improved. The last thing that I want to point out is the cardiovascular work that these programs provide. So many people think they need to go pound the pavement or hop on an elliptical in order to work their heart. NOT TRUE. Before I started any P90X workouts my resting heart rate was 62 which is good, but you can see how much it improved. I will say X3 is a better cardio workout due to their being less breaks and shorter breaks. My heart rate maximizer numbers from a year ago were: Immediately after - 172 After 1 minute - 107, After 2 minutes - 107, After 3 minutes -79, After 4 minutes - 85. Basically what this test has you do is go all out with jumping jacks for 2 minutes to get your heart rate up then once you are done, you monitor how your heart rate recovers. The change here is crazy!!! After 2 minutes of basically sprinting, my heart is now able to recover to the point of my resting heart rate. If you want to live longer, your heart muscle needs to be stronger...and this workout definitely works that muscle too.
If this program sounds like something you are interested in trying out, I would love to chat with you. Hi there friends! If you follow us on Facebook, you might have seen that we got our Insanity Max:30 workout last night. We decided to give the first workout a shot and wanted to share this video with you of what a few of the moves look like...along with our review of this workout, Cardio Challenge. In the spirit of A Chipmunk Christmas we made the workout double time so Shaun T sounds like a chipmunk. We both are SUPER excited to continue with the other workouts in this program and plan on jumping in fully with our accountability group that starts on December 29th. We know we will need some support through this program, because if the first workout is any indication of the rest of them, it's something that will push you mentally and physically...EXACTLY what we need after the Holidays and getting over that post holiday slump!! You know what I'm talking about....right?? We only have 10 spots left so if you are interested in the group and want to take advantage of this deal, comment below or shoot us a message. We should also note that anyone who buys a Challenge Pack (Insanity Max:30 + Shakeology) before December 15th will get a $25 gift card from us to the retailer of their choosing!!! Shaun T hooked me on home workouts with Insanity and to this day, he's the ONLY ONE that can inspire me to do more than I think I can and push my body to its limits. My body wasn't the only thing that changed though....my MIND was stronger and it made me believe I could do anything...which also spilled over to the rest of my life. I love that the goal is to fail. I love that it pushes you right away and forces you to assess your own limits...and then INVITES you to shatter what you thought was your limit!! Eeek!! I can't wait!
**BONUS from us: anyone that orders a challenge pack THIS WEEK will also get a $25 gift card to either Amazon or iTunes! Who wants in?? Don't be shy! Beachbody's annual "Black Friday" sale is back. The great thing is that you don't have to wait until Friday to take advantage of these deals. Whether you are shopping for yourself or someone on your Christmas list, you will be able to find some equipment or program for just about anybody. The programs range from low intensity workouts like Slim Series and Hip Hop Abs to some of the most intense workouts like Insanity Asylum and P90X. If you aren't sure what program is right the fit feel free to send us a message. You can find the full list of sales and availability by clicking on any of the pictures. If you are anything like me, when I first was learning about nutrition and our body's metabolism I was trying to take in information from everywhere. It wasn't just good enough to know that eating green leafy veggies was healthy, I wanted to know why? I didn't want to just accept that High Intensity Interval Training was a better way to burn fat, I wanted to know why? I think the knowledge of knowing why is so important in making lasting changes to your lifestyle. You don't just have to take someone else's word for it, you understand the science behind it. If you guys are ok with it I would love to share some science with you from time to time, those of you that are like me trying to find your way with your fitness and health and want to go deeper you have us as a resource. So today wanted to share with you the concept of EPOC or Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption. EPOC, what is it and how does it affect weight loss? The main concept here revolves around creating an oxygen debt during exercise, that later needs to be repaid. Let's start by explaining how the debt is created in the first place and to understand that I'll briefly explain our body processes energy. Energy Transfer Systems Our body has three major systems that provide our cells (muscles) with energy. Let's use running as our activity of choice, specifically running as fast you can. ATP/PCr System When you start running the first system that kicks in is the ATP/PCr system. This system uses the energy in the bonds between Creatine and Phosphate in our cells. This system will provide roughly 10 seconds of energy. Glycolytic System After that, your body switches over to the Glycolytic System. This system uses glycogen stores in your muscle tissue and breaks that glycogen down into glucose. That glucose is then used to regenerate ATP (our cells energy source). This system has some byproducts, pyruvate and NADH. We eventually hit what is called the anaerobic threshold (AT), because ATP generation can't keep pace with energy expended, and we need to switch to the next system which requires oxygen. A person will usually be able to exercise intensely for about 80-90 seconds before this threshold is hit. You'll notice this when you are running when you have to make a more drastic slow down in your pace and you notice a little burning in your legs. Oxidative Phosphorylative System Once you hit that threshold your body then kicks into the third system the Oxidative Phosphorylative System. This system needs oxygen in order to function, hence oxidative in the title that means with oxygen. This system is the real powerhouse in energy transformation and supplies our cells with a bulk of the energy they need after that initial 90 seconds or so. Activities that do most of the work in this system would be considered aerobic activities because they are done WITH oxygen. Repaying your Debt Oxygen consumption doesn't immediately match up to energy demands when you begin an activity. As explained above it can take up to 2 minutes before your body kicks into that third stage of ATP generation. Prior to hitting your anaerobic threshold you are creating an oxygen deficit quickly. The rate slows as you get into the oxidative phorphorylative system but you never fully catch up. Therefore, the more intense your workout/activity, will result in a larger oxygen debt or deficit. This is where EPOC comes into play. After you are done working out your body needs additional oxygen to do 3 main tasks:*
Therefore, exercise intensity directly relates to longer excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). This is why we recommend the workouts that we do versus straight cardio or traditional weight lifting with longer breaks between sets. It is because of this that higher intensity workouts that involve some strength training is the best solution for fat loss. If your goal is something else, than there are other options out there. Just one specific example of how EPOC works, in one study an individual that did circuit weight training (bench, power clean, and squats), 10 reps, 4 sets of each and completed all of that in 31 minutes, had an elevated EPOC for the next 38 HOURS!!!! They actually stopped measuring at 38 hours so it actually could have been longer. This is where the magic happens when it comes to boosting metabolisms and fat loss. It's not what happens during the workout that really matters its what our bodies do to recover from that workout that really affects body composition. I'll end with a quote from Alan Aragon: "Caring how much fat is burned during training makes as much sense as caring how much muscle is built during training." *Information from The Essentials of Sport and Exercise Nutrition, Certification Manual 2nd Edition
These push-ups were the death of me for so long. I think the maximum that I was able to get weeks 1-4 was maybe 3 reps. I stuck with it. Laura suggested using two medicine balls, but I was stubborn to get it with only one. After 4 weeks of basically failing at this move, I was able to get 12 in a row!!! Just goes to show that if you are consistent with your actions to grow and improve, you will eventually. It may take a month, maybe a year, maybe multiple years, but you grow so much as person during that journey. If you can't tell I'm not only talking about doing push-ups, you can apply this to in area of your life where you want to achieve growth. We hope this video inspires you to keep working at something that you are struggling with right now. If we can help in any way, please comment below and we would love to chat. Well it's actually 7 rules...because I'm going to share a few more!! Try to drink enough water! There are SO many benefits to drinking water, but visually, this women's story is pretty stunning. She drank 3 liters of water every day for 4 weeks. Check out the difference! More here about her story! Basically I try to drink half my body weight in ounces....so if you weigh 200 lbs you should be drinking 100 ounces of water every day. Grab a gallon jug and try to drink the entire thing throughout the day. Set reminders in your phone, set small goals throughout the day...whatever you need to, just start guzzling!! Having a positive attitude no matter the situation. It's so easy to let life and your circumstances get to you...but you are NOT defined by your circumstances or what's happening to you right now. You get to make a choice about your attitude and how you're going to respond to crappy situations and cranky people...so make the choice. DECIDE to be happy. Stress less and SMILE more. Stress can have detrimental effects on your health if you let it linger. Stress free living looks different for each person...figure out what works for you and focus on finding PEACE somewhere! For me, prayer is where it's at. I trust that God is in control which takes all the stress off of me to figure things out. Lastly, just SMILE. It's amazing what it can do to change your outlook and the outlook and attitude of the people around you! Starting over sucks...but quitting sucks worse. After 9+ months of not being able to workout at full intensity, I'm now back at it and I could NOT be happier!! However...that doesn't change the fact that it's REALLY hard. I can't do things that used to be simple for me. I'm struggling with actually knowing how to push myself when that used to just come naturally. It's frustrating and a huge part of me wishes it would all just come back overnight but then I remember THIS: The WORK is where the beauty happens...the struggle, the sweat, the frustrations, the tears all make you STRONGER and change you from the inside out!!
So the next time you want to wish away a certain stage of your life...or maybe just to make it go faster....STOP and pay attention to what you're learning and what you're becoming. There's probably a lot more going on inside of you than you even realize!
Here is a testimonial from one of our customers who saw AMAZING changes to her lifestyle with this program. We wanted to give you guys an idea of what this program is all about so you can see for yourself that it's not scary or difficult...plus if you purchase through us you'll get support and accountability to start and finish the program!
This testimonial is from our friend Nicole...over a 4 month period and a few rounds of the 21 Day Fix, she got some pretty awesome results....she went down 2 pant sizes and lost a total of 29 inches!! The best part is she learned how important proper nutrition really is: eating from all food groups and in the right quantity. Check out her answers below and let us know if you have any questions!! What did you think of the workouts? I loved them! I am currently doing the Piyo workouts and plan to move back to the 21 day fix program and workouts. I loved how they challenged me and I could physically see myself getting stronger (I even upped my weights towards the end). Were they challenging? Yes, I was just getting back into working out so they were a good workout for me. Did you find the modifiers helpful if you followed them? Yes, I always tried to do the workout without modification and then would switch to it when I needed. I still got a sweat on with doing the modifiers.
Did you feel like you got enough food using the containers?
Yes, there were some days when I thought "how am I am going to eat all this food?" It's definitely enough food to eat. Were you still able to enjoy meals out at restaurants? I did eat out a couple of times and was able to eat. I would keep my little book handy or if I knew which restaurant we were going to I would look up their menu and plan ahead what I would order. And NO, I didn't have to eat a salad every time I went out. I actually got to eat a burger (sans bun of course). Did the containers simplify your eating or your complicate your eating? A little of both. It was complicated in the beginning because prior to the plan, I never thought about what I was really eating. So that was more the education piece . But by the second week, I had all my meal plans ready and it became so much easier to pack my lunch. I knew what food went into what container.
Did these workouts and eating plan easily fit into your busy day?
Yes, there is work in the beginning and it was a little tough...but by the second week it was super easy. I still use the containers to pack my food or make my dinner. I don't have to guess on my portion size, it's right there for me. In that aspect it made my day easier. I take out the greek yogurt and pour it into the container. I take out the chicken and put it into the container. Also, the workouts were 30 min. Even if I had to wait until my kids went to bed, it would be 9 PM and I would be done by 9:35PM . I mean its ONLY 30 MINUTES, how easy is that!? I will say this, there were also times when I just didn't want to workout. I was tired, I worked a full day, I took care of 2 kids , I cooked dinner for everyone, I put the kids to bed. A typical day is exhausting...BUT to my surprise when I started to eat healthier and exercise more, I was not as exhausted at 9 pm as I was when I didn't workout. That was a huge wake up call. YES, it did take some time to get there but I pushed myself through and I got there. How has this program changed the way you eat food after you finished it? With any real lifestyle change you are going to have to do things differently so that was the biggest hurdle. I wanted to start eating better and I really needed to work on my portion sizes so this is what I had to do to get there. I make a meal plan now, I ACTUALLY research the food I make and put into my body...and the biggest change was paying attention to my portion sizes. After doing the 21 day fix I realized my portions were OUT OF CONTROL! Once I finished with the 21 day fix, I didn't focus so much on the exercise. I knew I needed to fix my eating so that is what I focused on. I still used the containers to help and the book that is provided in the 21 day fix program has a list of food groups and recipes that I still use. The 21 day fix book is my kitchen "bible" : ) We talk a lot about nutrition, changing habits, exercise, and recipes. So you might think we have always eaten healthy, or don't struggle with the same issues that you have. Wrong. As the picture above shows, I didn't always have a 6 pack and defined chest and arms. Believe it or not the picture on the left is actually after I had already lost 15 pounds. The first 15 pounds came off solely through nutrition and food using the Ultimate Reset, which is a 21 day program. Prior to the Ultimate Reset I was eating pretty crappy food, with some good stuff mixed in every once in a while. After the Reset, I flipped that, I was eating mainly good food, with a little bit of crappy food mixed into my diet. That change I made with my diet was by joining one of Laura's Challenge Groups. This group put the pressure on me to make good decisions DAILY, because I knew at the end of the day I would have to tell the group if I ate chicken strips and french fries. It was that pressure that helped me start making better decisions. Although kale and sweet potatoes can help you with a lot of things nutritionally, they don't help you build muscle. So the other piece of my transformation was doing a new program at the time called Focus T25. This program was created by Shaun T, the same guy that created Insanity. One of the main factors that helped me stay on track was that this program was only 25 minutes. YES...you can get results without working out for hours at the gym. When I started this program in June, 2012, I was working as a golf professional, so I was right in the heart of my busy season. I was working 50+ hours per week, sometimes up to 80 hours/week. So the time piece was crucial for me to still get my workouts in, on top of my day job. Coming home after a 12 hour work day that started at 6:00 a.m., I faced the same conflicting thoughts on whether to workout or not...that you probably battle! There were definitely some days where I missed workouts and also other days where I just wasn't motivated. The thing that got me to workout on on those days, was my commitment to the group I was a part of. Just like with my eating, I was being held accountable for my daily actions. The decision to do the workouts was already made for me. I didn't look at it as an option. I wanted to give this group all I had for 60 days and see what would happen to my body and how I felt. I focused on my nutrition with Shakeology and eating right. I did my workouts. I got results. It really is that simple. There isn't a magic pill or potion that I took to see the results I did. It came through those daily choices, and not viewing them as optional. In my mind, if I would have seen these choices as merely optional, then that would give me a way to get out of it with excuses or when I didn't feel like it. The combination of a workout program you can fit into your day (Focus T25), proper nutrition,(including Shakeology), and having people that will hold you accountable for the decisions you are making (Challenge Groups), I KNOW is the best way to see the results you are after and ingrain lasting healthy habits. If this combination sounds like something you want to try the Focus T25 and Shakeology bundle is on sale this month and we have a group starting August 18th!! There are plenty of other programs that are proven to be successful as well, and we would love to help you find the the one that best suits your ability and lifestyle. So it's been over one month since we came home from this INCREDIBLE event in Las Vegas. Our heads are still swimming with all the awesomeness that took place while we were there. I have no idea where to even start...but the beginning sure seems like the best place, right?? This trip was VERY unlike the "typical" Vegas trip...this was definitely NOT a vacation. We definitely viewed it as more of a business trip than for pure enjoyment. We were running around from the moment we landed Wednesday night. Right after we checked in to our hotel (The Signature which is connected to the MGM) we took a road trip to Whole Foods to stock up on goodies for the week. For information on how all that went down and how to eat healthy while you travel head over to The Cook & The Coach Facebook page and look for our post on June 23 about it. THURSDAY Thursday morning we attended an awesome training event that was put on by Lindsay Matway who was the 2013 Top Coach. This event's them was SHINE! Lindsay invited a number of her top coaches to come and speak on different topics that have helped them grow their businesses...I LOVE learning from so many amazing people. We also were able to hear from Carl Daikeler, Beachbody's CEO. Even if you aren't a Beachbody coach I highly encourage you to search out some of his speeches. He has a great message for anyone that is looking to grow as a person either personally or professionally. One particular point that we took away from his speech was in regards to facing your fears and weaknesses, and instead of running from them, facing them head on. Rather than just being ok with a weakness or fear, find a way to grow so that you can overcome the things that are holding you back from everything you've ever wanted! Thursday afternoon we worked out live with Chalene Johnson and did her newest workout, PiYo with over 1,000 other coaches. After the workout we attended the opening session where we heard from Beachbody's executive team, fellow coaches and celebrity trainers. There were some big announcements about new products being released:
The last big announcement was that next year, Summit will be held in Nashville and not Vegas...which makes us very happy :) To end our Thursday night, we got all dressed up and attended the Sequins and Studs party. The party scene isn't really our favorite BUT Laura had earned tickets to the party by working hard in April and May.....PLUS we actually got to have a quick photo op with Chalene Johnson. She was running around photobombing people...so obviously we let her. And to cap off the night they had a huge fireworks show! FRIDAY Friday morning came pretty early...5:30 am to be exact...because we were up and waiting in line for the live T25 workout with Shaun T. It was totally worth it though. The more we're around this guy, the more we love him. His message is SO uplifting and positive. After we finished our workout we cleaned up, grabbed some breakfast and ran over for the general session to listen to Darren Hardy speak. You literally just go from one motivational speaker to the next...that was kind of the theme of the weekend! If you have never heard of Darren Hardy, we HIGHLY recommend you pick up his book The Compound Effect or go check out his website www.DarrenHardy.com.....his message applies to everyone and is applicable for any experience life throws at you! After lunch...guess what...we listened to MORE amazing people talk about what has made them successful in this business. The thing that seemed to be constantly repeating itself in almost every session (from Darren to Hardy to Carl Daikeler to a top coach) is you need to always be growing and working on YOURSELF and if you focus on helping others you in turn will help yourself. It is this constant cycle: Friday afternoon I was able to participate in a VIP area and workout with Tony Horton. There were thousands of people in the room we were in, but I was 1 of maybe 100 people that got a front and center spot. You better believe me that I brought it during that workout. I worked out like I was auditioning to be in the next P90X workout infomercial. I'm still waiting for my phone call, but it was an amazing experience. Later that afternoon we ended up running into Tony in the hotel of the lobby of our hotel and he was gracious enough to take the time to snap a photo of with us. I know he gets swarmed all the time especially at an event like this, so it meant a lot and spoke a lot to his character that he took the time to do that. The rest of our Friday evening was fairly low key unless you get excited about eating a 3 lb lobster and 26 oz New York Strip. That is what I did, unfortunately I had to split it with 2 others. Laura was invited to the Star Diamond Reception by her coach, Lacy Salander...so she was hob knobbing it with the who's who of the Beachbody world. Next year we will both be qualifying for that one. Saturday morning involved another early morning workout, but is was one like I have never seen or been a part of before. There were probably 8,000 coaches all packed into a parking lot outside. The energy was electric and an overall amazing experience. We got a 15 minute workout from multiple celebrity trainers including, Tony, Shaun, Chalene, Autumn, Rachel, and Dan. Needless to say it was a great workout. After the workout we attended our final general session in the MGM arena. This session was awesome for a couple of reasons. We were able to hear Diana Nyad speak. This woman...at the age of 64, swam from Cuba to the Florida Keys. Talk about a story about never giving up! She told bits and pieces about her life, how she got into swimming and then how that turned into long distance swimming. She also told her story about swimming the 110 miles form Cuba to Florida!!! She was quite the inspiration and encouraged us to set goals that are bigger than you can imagine, and then simple DOING the daily things it takes to reach those goals. Our day continued into the afternoon with more amazing trainings from some of the top coaches. We listened, we learned and we walked away from it all ready to go out and share that knowledge with our teams. Summit 2014 ended with a celebration of top coaches and customer success stories. It literally ended with a bang!!! Carl Daikeler, Beachbody CEO, got "fake" shot out cannon as part of the skit they put on for Top Coach Lindsay Matway. There were a couple of highlights that night, one being we got to hear from the Top 10 Beachbody Coaches from 2013. Each of the coaches was given a chance to speak for a few moments. We were amazed, but really we weren't at how most of the coaches referenced or thanked God for helping them get to where they were on that stage. It really just helps us solidify our belief that we are part of an organization that believes the basic Christian morals of loving others and doing whatever we can to help others. It's not about making a ton of money (even though it's possible)...it's not about status...it is all about growing as an individual yourself and then helping other people do the same. The other amazing part of the night came when they they awarded the winners of the Beachbody Challenge and these two lost over 400 lbs combined!!! One quote from the guy that won: "Before starting on my journey I was just waiting for the day I was going to die....now everyday I look forward to living!!!" THAT...my friends is what it's all about...and WHY we do what we do. This is not about selling...this business is about OTHERS and helping/inspiring other people.
So we will leave you with this final thought that we took away from our time down in Las Vegas; Are you making the most of this ONE, CRAZY, BEAUTIFUL life that we have to live? |
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