I will say that day 1, TurboFire Fire 30 class was awesome.  I realized just how uncoordinated I am but I still enjoy it. :) I did my best and I will only get better over time as I continue to press play each day and learn the moves more and more.  What rocked was that the wife got in there and rocked it with me as well. She really enjoys the dance type workouts and it shows.    But I was glad to have the added support and motivation from the wife working out with me and getting herself into the ‘game’ as well.  Going to be a great 90 days!

My video log of day 1 can be found here on my YouTube channel. Look for some clips from the day 1 workout to be posted there soon.

So what was the workout like? It was intense.  I was working up a sweat out the gate and it never stopped till we finished 30 minutes later.  Chalene does an great job of putting together continuous moves that keep you engaged and with an intensity level that is just kicking the calories burning up a notch!  Even only running a mere 30 minutes, it felt like you were packing in an hour long workout worth of ‘work’.  That’s the benefits of these type of workouts.  They don’t have to necessarily be long to get the benefits. It’s about working smart.

What I have found is that one major benefit of this workout program is that anyone can do it.  Chalene has structured it with the different workout partners on the ‘stage’ with her doing a non-impact type version so that most anyone can get into the mix and enjoy getting this program.  This program will get you results and just requires you to make that commitment.  It’s your for the taking. Life changes are often hard.  It’s how you handle it what counts.  Only you can go out there and press the play button or make a change that will allow you to be happier, live a longer fulfilling life with your friends and family.  You have support, motivation, accountability partners, but you need to take that first step.

I look forward to this new 90 day challenge.  The past year and a half have given me a new profound outlook on fitness and my desire to push myself harder but while still retaining the ability to have fun at it.  I won’t do it if I can’t enjoy myself also.  I’ve said that from day 1.  So find what allows you to have fun and do it.  It’s out there.  There is something for everyone.

You want support, accountability, some daily motivation, or just a simple hello from someone who shares in your interests and desire to become healthier and happier in life then contact me.  I’m here and would be honored to.  

Decide. Commit. Succeed.

Alright I’m definitely in for some major butt kicking. :)  My next 90 days, as the title says is TurboFire.  I’m really looking forward to this. I’ve been previewing the discs and have already done the HIIT 15 workout that came with the Tony Horton One-on-One a month or so ago and let me tell you all now, WOW!  This is some major calorie burning, body toning, all out cardio endurance program.  I’ve done Insanity 2 rounds now and I’m scared. :)  But in a good way.

My Kickoff Video can be found here on YouTube.  . I’m really excited to be doing some new video again.  Watch for video updates quite regularly as I am trying to find my form from day 1.  That is probably going to be the hardest part for me.  I’m not use to consecutive moves in a row, but I’m not letting it deter me from reaching my goals this round and just having fun and staying healthy! All about staying motivated, engaged and ready to mix things up and get results. Variety is so much fun.

Begins: June 28th, 2010.

Speaking of goals.  Here are a couple.

• FInish the 90 days strong. Fight through those temptations to either skip a day or to dog it that particular workout.  Also I want my free T-shirt. :) Take those before/after pictures and measurements. Total motivators when you see yourself after 90 days.
• Shred the fat.  I still got fat to trim down.  I’m thinking about 5% BF down over the next 90 days.  I don’t need weight loss. I’m sitting comfortably where I want to be.  But I need reshaping some.
• Have fun!
• Continue running.  As I expand my cardio endurance with TurboFire and all the benefits that I’ll be getting over the next 90 days, hopefully I can continue to cut time off my minute splits.  The next 10K I hope that I can break the 50 minute mark. 
• Log into WOWY each day. Share my love to press play each and everyday with friends and fellow workout partners. Create accountability.  I’ve already set my auto-schedule. Consistency is key. Shoot for 9PM EST every night)

I’ve attached a couple screenshots of the ‘class’ schedule that we’ll be following over the next 90 days.  I’ll update with one that was similar to my P90x/Insanity Round 4 hybrid.  I like the idea of checking off each day as I go.  Love visuals.

So if your interests are peaked, your excited to try out the next big challenge, contact me. I would love to talk to you about what is out there and which direction to proceed.  It’s going to be an AWESOME summer of working out and keeping oneself challenged, motivated and on task. But that is what it is about.  With a side of fun along the way.  You can do it.

Decide. Commit. Succeed!

What is Shakeology:

Simple one of the most nutritious, healthiest meal replacement, energy shake you’ll find on the market hands down.  I have not found a single product that can match shakeology in it’s overall healthy benefits and ingredients. 

Check out the breakthrough video here. Wonderful information.

Why the Cleanse:

The Shakeology Cleanse is meant to jump start you in your fitness, break a plateau or shred pounds fast & effectively in a healthy way. The key is caloric efficiency; getting the most nutrients possible out of the fewest number of calories. This can help you become healthier from the inside out.

The basics are as follows:

3 SHAKEOLOGY Shakes a day (blended with water and ice)
2 Cups of Green Tea a Day (Triple Leaf Detox Tea is good choice)
1 piece of fruit a day (Apple, pear, orange, banana, mango, etc)
1 salad for dinner (lettuce, veggies, lean protein)
– 4 oz lean protein in salad (WHITE poultry or fish)
– Only Low Fat Dressings.

NO: Dairy (no almond, soy, or rice milk) or extra sugars. If it’s not on the list, don’t eat it!

Sample Menu (Repeat all three days):

1 cup of green tea

BREAKFAST:
Shakeology – 1 scoop, blended with ice & 8-10 oz of water
Optional: ½ cup of fruit (only for the super conditioned – not the weight challenged)

SNACK:
1 piece of fruit

LUNCH:
Shakeology – 1 scoop, blended with ice & 8-10 oz of water

1 cup of green tea

SNACK:
Shakeology – 1 scoop, blended with ice & 8-10 oz of water
(This snack can be before or after dinner)

DINNER:
Salad 
– Lettuce/veggies
– 4 oz lean protein (WHITE fish or poultry)
– Light Dressing

There you have it.  The 3-Day Shakeology Cleanse.  If interested or any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  Love to help you out. Head over and get your supply of Shakeology and get started.  Love to hear about your results.

Decide. Commit. Succeed!

The power of your own possibilities

“What if you could fully comprehend everything of which you're capable? You would never waste another moment of your precious time.

What if you could know how truly powerful you are? You would never again be reluctant to move forward.

You are the living expression of opportunity. Within you are countless magnificent achievements to be discovered and fulfilled.

Fear keeps those achievements unrealized, hidden from yourself and the world. Love will set them free.

Spend a moment in loving thankfulness for all that has brought you to where you are today. Peacefully let go of the resentment, doubt, disappointment, worry and fear.

Feel the power of your own possibilities. See that the best is yet to come, and joyfully begin to bring it to life.

-- Ralph Marston”

We all can achieve our greatest potential.  It sometimes takes a little finding to get to where we want to.  You can do wonderful things in this lifetime.  Keep yourself positive each and everyday, and find the best in yourself to make it happen! Each and every 24 hours there’s nothing that can hold us back from reaching our goals and being successful!

What are you going to do today to get reach your potential?

The April Tony Horton One on One program was the 100 / 30 /20.  This consisted of 100 Jump rope, 30 sit-ups and 20 push-ups.  I think most would think this pretty straight forward. We’ll Tony does a wonderful job of mixing things up with all 3 aspect of the workout.  The key here is the variety.  Per usual, Tony keeps the body guessing what it is going to encounter next. That is the amazing benefits of the 1-on-1 series each month. Always something new, always something fresh coming your way.

This is a great circuit that will keep you moving and really give you a great workout.  One thing to look forward to is the end.  Can you keep up with Tony and get through 100 jump ropes without stopping? Restart if you mess up and keep doing this till you get to 100 perfectly. :) Great way to finish out a workout!

Enjoy this one  from Tony, It’s a keeper for sure!  You can still get it and sign up for the monthly home direct.  It’s awesome variety for any workout program. Any Questions, as always don’t hesitate to contact me and let’s get you started on something that fits your goals.

Decide. Commit. Succeed!

This past Sunday(May 2, 2010) did my first ever 10k run.  Was at the Heart of a Spartan event which was it’s first year running.  There was an amazing turnout of people.  Around 1500 alone in the 10k and 2500 in the 5k event.  The support of the people, the volunteers and everyone involved made it a great event.  I ended up completing the event in 52 minutes and 17 seconds. Averaged 8:21 minute miles.  Considering I had not run this length only one other time, I felt that it went awesome. I had hoped to below 53 minutes and I did it. 

I had only run in a 5k event previously down in Dearborn (Martian) and it was an amazing experience.  Definitely different than running alone on a track or outdoors.  You have all this energy and excitement from the people around you as they get ready to partake on this amazing journey.

The 10k was wrapped around the campus of Michigan State University, my alma mater!    To set the stage, it was a pretty normal day.  The only big issue was the rain.  Now I had been training by running outdoor is somewhat ‘ideal’ weather and situations.  So running the rain was definitely a new experience for me.  One that well I have a new found respect for. It wasn’t too bad initially. One thing I will remember for next time is to not wear glasses or definitely get some contacts and wear.

The other thing is to get a better shirt one that fits tighter. it had way too much movement and caused some soreness which was very distracting throughout the race. So we live and learn and move on. But I still enjoyed the event and will be there next year as well.  Hopefully no rain. :)

So what got me motivated to get running this past winter? Simply said, my new found energy, my new found desire to continue my quest to get healthy, stay fit and challenge myself. I owe it to myself making the decision to press play, workout and eat healthy. If I hadn’t started P90x back in January of 2009 and laid down the foundation of good eating, hard work there’s not telling where I would be today.  With the added rounds of Insanity, healthy nutrition and Shakeology I’ve kept my activity levels going, my workout schedule on track and loving every minute of it.

I’m excited to keep on running and see where it goes.  It’s been fun and I hope to keep pushing myself. Each month I hope to do some sort of race, whether it be a 5k, 10k or maybe something longer down the road. Looking to up the ante with a potential Dances with Dirt event in September.  Check it out. Should be fun.

Many new products(TurboFire, Body Gospel, P90xNext, Insanity Asylum) coming down the pipe from BeachBody that are going to rock your world. More to come on those. Any questions on my journey or how I can help you reach your fitness goals and have your own journey, contact me.  It’s fun, takes dedication, but is well worth the hard work.

Decide. Commit. Succeed.

Often, we in life wait for the right timing, or the perfect scenario to act on something.  To say that we’ll get started when the moment is right.  Is that ever the case? Another great motivational message sent along to me that hopefully strides a chord with you that don’t put things off. don’t wait till that perfect ‘situation’ that will never rear its face. You need to be the one to take the bull by the horn and run with it.  Take that first step and make a commitment!

“If you wait for the ideal situation, it will never come. If you create the ideal situation, it will always be, whenever you choose for it to be.

There are plenty of excuses you can make for why this is not the time to act. And while you're busy making those excuses, someone else is busy taking those same actions that you are merely considering.

The time is right when you make it right. Waiting and hoping for things to get better will just allow things to get worse.

If it's important to you, figure out a way to get started on it now. Because the more you delay, the more you're telling yourself that it's really not that important.

Why would you want to spend your time setting yourself up for disappointment? Instead, you can spend that time marching steadily toward your goals.

The ideal time is when you make it, and what you make it. Make it now, and make it great.”

-- Ralph Marston

If you are ready to break the mold, break that cycle of unhappiness or just plain tired of being in the same rut, then stop making excuses.  Don’t wait, the ideal time is now, today, the present.  Get yourself moving, get your mind on the right path to success.  Here to help, lets do this together. 

Contact me with any questions about changing your life getting healthy and fit.

Decide. Commit. Succeed!

  So law One.  Variety.  With anything you do in life, you want to find ways and things that will keep you motivated to continue the task at hand.  This is very much the same with working out.  Variety in your workouts will help you continue to go beyond your current capabilities, you won’t reach that plateau that so many folks get to and don’t see results anymore.

The variety, keeps the body guessing. Keeps the muscles moving in different directions, hitting them from different angles, working your body cardio wise in different manners. Whether it be HIIT (high intensity interval training as in Insanity) or some longer sustained workouts(P90x) getting the calorie burn going. Your body will stay adapted to what you are doing if you repeatedly do the same thing over and over.  It becomes too efficient and doesn't work as hard anymore.

Other reasons to add variety is that it helps reduce the potential for injuries.  As you include added workouts, exercises which are working your body in all different manners, this allows for it to become stronger from the various angles. So when you go into the real world to do your favorite sport, or simple work in the yard or whatever it may be, you’re less likely to sustain an injury. I think for my own personal self this has played a great part in my running I am doing now.  Because I had done Insanity for 2 rounds, it got my body ready to take on the miles I have been putting in.  Love it.

So, add variety.  Add different workout programs, intermix them, do different sports, try something new that you’ve never done before.  Keep yourself engaged with a variety of workouts and never be bored that is for sure.  If you like something new every month, look at Tony Horton’s One on One program (Volume 1, Volume 2, Individuals).  Definitely variety. But no matter what you do, press play and find what works for you.  Goal is to keep you continually working out and being successful and getting healthy! There is always something out there for everyone no matter what their interests are.

Have fun.  Stay fit. Decide. Commit. Succeed! 

  So this past winter I began my adventure with some light running.  I tried to stay consistent and get in about 3 days a week running on average between 2 and 4 miles each time.  I’ve continue that routinely now for about 4 or 5 months.  I have been using Nike+, can see my progress there, to keep track of my runs as well.  My original goal was to add another area of exercise to my routine and see if I felt comfortable enough with the running to do more.  About a week or so ago I ran in my first 5K.

This first run was the Martian Meteor 5K run.  It was a bit scary at first. Luckily good friend Sam was running a 1/2 marathon that day which made it a bit easier chatting with him pre-run time.  It was a staggeringly cold morning I will say.  At least for me.  That was the first time that I had run anything outdoors.  I’d not once step foot on the pavement to see how my body would react, if at all differently. I’d been running on the indoor track at the local high school each morning in a wonderfully controlled environment. :)  My results can be seen here directly for the overall.

My results were pretty good. I ended up running the 5K in 24:57 minutes. Averaged 8:02 minute miles.  In the end came in 7th overall for my age group and 51st overall.  First time out was very satisfied with the results.  It was definitely a new experience.  Sitting at the starting line, was back in the pack more and had to do some maneuvering to get out into open space to actually get moving initially and get into a rhythm.  I would consider getting more to the front in the future, but not right out in front.

My 2nd run is coming up.  Heart of A Spartan in East Lansing, Michigan. My Alma Mater, Michigan State University is where the run will be done.  I will be upping the ante this time around and running a 10K.  Figured I should be able to make that distance, even though have only yet to run it once.  But have faith that I can certainly get through it.  Whether I can keep a satisfactory pace we shall see. Goal is to finish under an hour, but looking closer to 50-53 minutes as a time that I will be happier with. 

I’ll be updating after the race with how it goes.  Sticking to a plan and hopefully executes well.  I will say that me doing any running wouldn’t be possible without doing the BeachBody Insanity program and continuing to stick with my workout program. Contact me if interested or have any questions.

Decide.Commit. Succeed. 

What a wonderful idea!  Throw in a hat, a million different exercises, pull them one by one and have an amazing workout!  Talk about confusion, talk about variety,  talk about results and getting the job done.  Tony has created yet another wonderful One-on-One workout.

So the gist of this is, Mason(Director, camera man, Side Kick) pulls from a hat a series of exercises from the various workout programs.  Including, P90x, Power 90, Tony Horton One on One’s and P90x Plus. The workout lasts approximately 37 minutes including the warm-up and cool down.  Tony is in his usual form of comical fun. I love listening to the interaction between Tony and Mason.  They keep you motivated, they keep you involved and keep your mind off of what you really are doing. :)

So same thing with resistance training and muscle confusion we are looking at cardio confusion.  I saw that there is a thread out there in the TeamBeachBody forums that someone has created a workout generator. I think that is a great idea.  Just might have to look into something like that. You can really do a lot of things with it.  Everyone is always looking for ways to spice their workout programs up. I am always intermingling different exercises into my hybrids but why not truly make it random. 

But this is what I love about these programs.  You have incredible variety.  This is something that keeps your body from getting use to the normal routine and really forces it to get results.  Have some fun. This is a perfect example of thinking outside the box, pushing yourself to live on the edge!

I’m having fun in my current round of P90x.  Mixing it up, finding ways to push myself to the next level while still keeping the eye on the prize. My long term health and fitness and hopefully motivating others to do the same so we can continue to fight this dreaded position we’ve gotten ourselves into across this great nation and world!  There isn’t a quick solution to the problem. But together we can tackle it one day at a time. Beachbody, myself are here to help. Contact me with any questions! Love to get you started down your path back.

Decide. Commit. Succeed!