Shakeology: Get Your Shake On With A Healthy, Effective Meal Replacement

The fitness industry is loaded with meal replacement options and unfortunately, most are ineffective at doing what they are supposed to over a long period of time. Enter Shakeology. Shakeology, by Beachbody is a new type of meal replacement shake that has proven itself effective in a 90-day independent study. How can it help you lose weight, maintain muscle and overall improve your health?

Shakeology Ingredients

Though it may appear to be a simple powder, what is in each dose of it is complex. Shakeology ingredients consist of 70+ high-quality ingredients that give your body more than just nutrients – it gives you overall well-being. Some ingredients include:

· Proteins
· Essential amino acids
· Prebiotics
· Digestive enzymes
· Antioxidants
· Phytonutrients
· Vitamins and minerals

Proteins and essential amino acids help your body build and repair muscles from exercise while also reducing hunger and craving throughout the day – all of which helps you maintain your healthy weight. The prebiotic and digestive enzymes help promote your body’s overall digestion, boost the immune system and increase nutrient absorption so that your body can burn and utilize the calories you eat faster and more effectively. Antioxidants and phytonutrients have already proven themselves effective in overall health and do so as well in Shakeology ingredients by providing your body with increased longevity, improved immune system, decreased inflammation and ridding your body of harmful free radicals.

Though the beneficial Shakeology ingredients are important, what is more important is what Shakeology doesn’t contain, such as:

· No caffeine
· No refined sugar
· No artificial coloring or flavorings
· Gluten-free

Though the shakes appear in different colors, the classic brown or green shake colors come from all natural colorants that include:

· Herbal powder
· Grass powder
· Vegetable powder
· Spirulina
· Berry powder

How Shakeology Works
Shakeology allows the body to eliminate toxins and absorb nutrients more efficiently than it does on its own. Digestive enzymes and prebiotics give the body a chance to eliminate toxins that build up naturally in your digestive tract. Individuals can curb cravings with the Shakeology plan and help their body shed fat that has stored up and burn calories through regular, healthy exercise.

Vegan Meal Replacement with Tropical Shakeology – Coming Soon! | Shakeology Ingredients

Vegans often have to omit the use of meal replacement shakes for a simple reason: dairy. Coming in February 14th, 2012 vegans can enjoy Shakeology’s new flavor: Tropical Shakeology. Shakeology is an effective vegan meal replacement that offers micronutrients to increase absorption and curb appetite without the worry of dairy or animal by-products. Those looking for vegan meal replacement can enjoy micro nutrients in Tropical Shakeology such as:
· Camu-Camu
· Luscious Papaya
· Acerola Cherry
· Pineapple
· Banana
Instead of whey protein, which contains dairy, Tropical Shakeology gets its protein source from sprouted brown rice.

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Struggling With Your Weight? | P90X Advice

Struggling With Your Weight

If you have found yourself on my page then you are probably like the millions of other people out there who are struggling with your weight and body issues. I don’t think that there is anyone out there who is completely satisfied with their body. And even if you are in great shape and are healthy, there is always some room for improvement.

I have found that there are many weight loss and health products out there. But the problem is that it is difficult to figure out which are just fads and which are the real things. In my experience, the best health and weight loss programs are those that entail a change in lifestyle, and not just a quick fix. And, the program will only work as much as you are prepared to put in the effort and make the necessary changes. But, making the decision to lose weight and get fit and healthy is the very important first step in the journey.

· One of the best ways that you can get fit is through a process known as muscle confusion. It is exactly how it sounds; you perform different exercises and mix them up in order to confuse your muscles. Our bodies get used to certain exercises if we do them over and over again, and the results are not as great as when we first started the exercises. A great tool to help you with this is P90X, which enables you to confuse your muscles using different exercises taken from different exercise ‘genre’s like yoga, cardio, resistance training, etc.
· Obviously, to get the p90 results you have to have a good nutrition and eating plan too. Whenever you want to lose weight, build muscle and become leaner you have to eat A LOT of protein. Protein essentially builds muscle, and this is why it is so important. As I said earlier, to get the results that you want to have to make a lifestyle change, and that includes changing your eating habits.

So, how does the P90X workout plan actually work?

There are three key essential things that you will have to do if you decide that you really do want to improve your body and your health using this program.

1. Firstly, you have to change the types of exercises that you do in one routine, and incorporate more. For example, you could go from a cardio workout directly into resistance training. You have to do the swap even if you are using workout machines.
2. If there is one exercise that you really enjoy doing, then by all means, do it as much as you want. Just make sure that you alternate between the levels of speed or difficulty. In other words, if you are walking go really fast for a few minutes, then slow down for the same amount of minutes, and then go back up again. You should keep doing this for the duration of that particular routine
3. Rest breaks. Try to keep your breaks between exercises as short as possible. I would advise you to keep your breaks at one minute or less for lean muscle development. Allowing your body to recover lost energy by taking breaks while working out is key in development. However, for strength training, taking longer breaks is recommended to allow your muscles to fully recover for the next set, going this route will cause you to lose your pump but gain power.

I hope you have found some useful tips here. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that you do the exercises correctly for maximum results. Exercising for hours while doing them incorrectly will only add stress to your day and disappointing results. So if you are struggling with your weight, find a way to get your body working itself in many different ways for quicker and leaner results.

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Best Way To Boost Metabolism

As I was reading up on some of the headlines today in the world’s news, it came to me that I should write about the best way to boost your metabolism. After all, everyone is wondering how in the heck can I lose weight without exercising? The answer is, you can’t if you want to do it naturally and be healthy doing it.

Metabolism is like an internal community of hormones and enzymes in your body that turns your food into fuel. The rate at which we burn or not burn calories can be attributed to our metabolism. This is the ultimate determining factor of how quickly we lose weight or gain weight.

One very effective way to boost your metabolism is to engage in lots of exercises on a consistent basis. It’s not enough to do some exercise today and refuse tomorrow. It has to be consistent if you want to see any significant results. Note also that I’m not talking about just any kind of exercises, but specific metabolism boosting exercises, such as stair climbing, wind sprinting and resistance training among others.

If you have a lot of extra weight on you overall, chances are it’s because your metabolism is too slow. Obese people find this very hard to believe. The faster your metabolism the faster your body burns the calories in the food you eat. This is done by turning your food and fat into heat energy.

Other things that determine your metabolic rate are age, gender, and percentage of lean body mass. This, and believe it or not, hereditary plays a factor.

Every pound of muscle in your body burns 35 to 50 calories a day versus every pound of fat, only 2 calories per day. As such, you know that the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism. So someone who has more muscle than the other but are the same weight overall could actually eat more and gain less than the person who has less muscle in their body.

Cardiovascular exercise is good for anybody because it helps to boost metabolism. Resistance training is even better; you get a bigger boost, and you build muscle. Both of them work well for you anyway, however, to live a truly healthy lifestyle, you need to combine resistance training, cardio, and healthy nutrition.

If weight loss is your goal, don’t forget that it is easier to gain your weight back after you have lost weight because your body needs less calories to sustain your smaller body mass. You body doesn’t work as hard as if you were bigger, where it works faster.

So in summary, the best way to boost your metabolism is to exercise daily, build muscle, and eat at least 5 to 6 times per day in proper portions with your snacks being low calorie and high protein for maximum support.

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How To Control Food Portions

How to Control Food Portions

Eating healthy is one thing, but portioning is just as important. In this article, you will learn ways that can help how to control food portions in a way that you can reduce eating too much, taking in additional calories that you don’t need, temptation from leaving food in the wrong places, and more.

Here are some ways to help you control your portions:

1) Eat on a smaller plate – History shows that recipe books are increasing their calories and servings. This is mainly done because of cultural specs and has cause people to eat more without knowing so. Instead of eating on a dinner plate, try using a dessert or salad plate for dinner. This will make your food to appear larger to trick your mind in thinking that you are putting too much on your plate even when it is less than what you may usually eat in the first place.

2) Divide by Servings – When you are done cooking, don’t put out the whole dish. Immediately put out one serving on your plate and then put the leftovers in tupperware in single size servings so they will be ready for your next meal. Doing this will eliminate the temptation of having food in front of you when finishing your food and diving in for more usually leading to additional calories that you don’t need.

3) Kid’s Menu – When you are out to eat. Don’t be afraid to check out the kid’s menu as adult menu’s are usually super sized portions anyways. The kid’s menu usually has the right portion amounts even for an adult especially if this is a mid morning or mid afternoon snack.

4) Don’t Skip Meals – If you take the time out and starve yourself because you are too busy, you are more capable of eating a large portion to make up for your starvation. You should be eating at least 5 meals a day with the proper portions in each meal. This will keep your metabolism working.

5) Measuring Your Food – You can measure your food until you know how a portion of your desired meal looks like. You can also help determine food portions by using your fist size as one portion. Remember, every single thing you put in your mouth counts, and that goes for an extra 4 oz more than
a portion as well. Click here to download a food portion cheat card.

6) Know What A Serving Size Is – Always read the back label for the truth. If you are eating something and it shows the nutrition facts on back, make sure you know that it is per serving. It is also good to know how many servings the package contains so you can break it up into portions for accurate measurements.

It is important to know that when you eat out, usually the portions are over sized. So sharing is a great way to also control your portioning since they serve more than what you need most of the time.

A 2004 study of 329 overweight people showed that 38% of those who controlled their portions for 2 years lost 5% or more of body weight. This was compared to 33% of them who did not watch their portions and gained 5% or more in body weight.

So next time you are at the table or cooking food for yourself, keep these tips in mind on how to control food portions. You will be on your way to many benefits, especially when you are combining this with proper daily exercise.

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My Recommended Meal Replacement For a Busy Lifestyle

Why Are We Overweight

Why Are We Overweight?

In the 1980’s something that seemed like a magic pill came out and burst all over the market and everyone thought it was the miracle that we have all been waiting for. Why are we overweight? The answer is…

…Fat Free Labeled Foods

People were all excited about being able to eat foods without fat that they forgot that they still contained calories. So the results? The nation became obese more than ever by eating more because they thought fat free foods were free to eat without gaining weight. They started eating undisciplined and being lazier than ever because they felt no need to burn off fat. Until one day, they wonder when the tire shop showed up.

Fast forward to 2012, obesity costs society $73 billion in lost productivity, meaning showing up for work sick or simply under-performing at work due to physical constraints and inability. According to Natural News online, obesity related medical expenses costs more than $344 billion a year. When you combine that with the loss productivity, that makes it around half a trillion dollars per year that obesity costs us.

What can we do as people who are suffering from this huge cost? Simply educate yourself on nutrition, exercise on a normal basis, and help others understand that same process too. At least that is a good start.

Before we move ahead, I would like to clarify that eating in correct portions is very important as eating too much healthy food as well can cause weight gain. The rule to go by is that a portion is the size of your fist or palm. Use this and control your portions meal by meal and don’t eat till you are full.

Let’s take a look at some foods that advertise as healthy but may not be:

1) Juice – One of the fastest ways to gain weight cause of the sugar. Fiber is left behind when the juice is extracted from the fruit. If you are on a gain weight diet, then this may be beneficial.
2) Enhanced Waters and Flavored Teas – Look at the ingredients first instead of all the engaging words on the front label. Usually it contains high fructose corn syrup, caffeine’s and sugars.
3) Fat Free Cookies – Fat free doesn’t mean calorie free. Usually they have as much if not more sugar than the regular cookies to make up for the taste deficiency. Read the back labels once again

4) Olive Oil – Olive oil is a healthy fat, but it is still a fat. Make sure you don’t overuse or you might as well be using the bad stuff.

5) Low Carb Beer – Some brands market “LITE” and “LOW CARB” beers so we think we can have a 6 pack with no problem or effect on your results. However, the USDA defines low calorie as a food that has no more than 40 calories per serving. A serving of low carb beer contains 90-100 calories per serving. Trust me, I was a bartender for 16 years.

I am proud to say that after being good at appreciating the spirits for some time and really supporting the Island of Islay cause I love Lagavulin, I have been free of any spirit for the last two and a half years. I made the choice myself to change my life and really commit to putting more healthy nutrition in my body. However, I have nothing against the social sport, it’s just I am saving it for the ultimate day when I can relax on the beaches of the world without any limitations. Freedom and Reward……Aahhhh:)

So just make sure that you know the most important thing when trying to eat healthy, is that you don’t get drawn in and tricked by the hype on the front of the label, rather look at the back and see the truth. In addition to that, only eat portion sizes per meal or you could end up with the healthy foods even putting on some unwanted weight wondering, “Why Are We Overweight?”

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Fitness And Beer

Fitness and Beer

If you clicked on this article, then you are probably wondering if there is a way to finally prove that drinking beer has no effect on your fitness result whatsoever. Take it easy…Beer does have it’s positives when considering some health topics but fitness and beer should never be done at the same time. With that said, alcohol in general will effect your bottom line results if you are seriously considering a body transformation.

Having been a bartender in Las Vegas in some of the most prestigious nightclubs and lounges in the world, I have had some experience in the past with my share of respected spirits. I have learned that beer does some good to the body. I also realized that many people have a hard time giving up alcohol when trying to change their body. Lack of education may be a reason. So here are some things to know about some good and some not so good about consumption during your transformation.

There is a difference in which beers do what for your body. Not just any beer is the same as others. For example, Guinness beer, my favorite, or other dark beers have greater health benefits than light beers. They tend to have a greater antioxidant value to them. Micro brews often have more positives than mass produced beers. Reason is some particular pale ales contain 80 times the hops of larger brands. Hops contains compounds that help lower cholesterol, fight cancer, and heart disease.

Moderation is the key if you need to consume beer. Over consumption can lead to feeling sluggish, dehydration, and longer recovery.

Every serving of beer from a 12 ounce standard bottle contains about 12 grams of carbs. Because the way the carbs in beer are processed, most of it is stored as fat. If you decide to drink alcohol after a workout, make sure that you drink water before and after because the alcohol itself will slow down your recovery.

Low Carb – No Carb Alcoholic Drinks | Fitness And Beer

Just like the fat free labels of the 80’s created the obesity epidemic, the alcohol industry had come out with low carb beers and no carb spirits. This is legal as long as they don’t promote it as being an option for weight loss. These labels are out and they are enticing people to think they can drink more of it without side effects just like people did with fat free chocolate chip cookies. We have see what has happened with that.

Wine companies have been trying to push healthy heart benefits to wine drinkers. In order to do this they have to include a little booklet that you see packed around the neck of the bottle for required disclaimers. Although wine does have benefits that help the heart, consumption moderation and servings usually get jeopardized because of how spirits make you think like your unstoppable after a while, therefore defeating the purpose.

Regardless of what the label says, ethyl alcohol is the only form of alcohol that is completely carb free due to the distillation process, but still contains calories. These would be spirits such as rum, gin, brandy, and whiskey.

My point is, is that there are benefits or wine and beer. But let’s face it, the best way to help your body out and achieve your fitness goals would be to minimize or completely cut out alcohol and put in the nutrients like almonds, spinach, chicken breast, tilapia, and others alike. We aren’t fooling anyone but ourselves thinking that we can drown in a 12 pack of Mich Ultra and have no effect on our bottom line.

Alcohol Calories | Fitness And Beer

Nothing ever is all good and perfect so you have to know the bad as well, alcohol calories. Each beer contain on average 120 calories per serving. Some less and some more. So when you consider that you are drinking 4 beers in an hour or two, you are putting down as many calories as eating a burger and fries at a fast food joint. Consuming too many calories leads to obesity, the “beer belly”, and many other health deficiencies. That is why fat free labeled foods created a world of obesity. They tricked everyone in thinking they could eat what they want and never gain a pound of fat. Fat free doesn’t mean sugar free or calorie free, and alcohol is no exception.

My recommendation is to steer away from as much alcohol as possible if you are really trying to change your body through health and fitness. A few glasses of wine here and there or a beer or two on the weekends or your rest days are okay. However, during the week, make a commitment to really be point on with your nutrition and what you are putting into your body.

In the end, the fact is, is that every single thing you put into your mouth counts and does effect your end result. As I said in the beginning, you can have a great fitness journey and beer does have some positive health benefits, but it is in no way recommended by me or any fitness professional out there to include in your nutrition plan or to be used at the same time in any given moment to improve your results.

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How To Plan Your Nutrition With Ease

Plan Your Nutrition

The very first thing you should do when starting on a fitness journey to reach your goals, is to plan your nutrition. Not planning your eating habits on a daily basis is like driving out of town but not knowing which route to take to get there. Sometimes this task of knowing what to eat sounds easier said then done. But don’t stress out about it, I will give you a tip on a software I use that can take away all the dirty work.

When planning your nutrition, it is also vital to know what your goals are. Are you trying to lose weight, tone up, build muscle mass and strength, or are you just looking to maintain the same weight and get healthier? Each goal will require a specific eating plan to help you reach your ultimate goal.

Where most people fail, is there nutrition. They have no clue what to eat, how often to eat, or why they need to eat at all. Believe it or not, some people try to eat less during their workouts thinking that they will be burning off fat twice as much by not eating.

That cannot be further from the truth. Your muscles need food for energy before, during, and after your workouts. If you body does not supply your muscles with the proper nutrients during the times when you are putting stress on them, they will suffer growth and you will lose muscle, feel fatigue, and even gain weight because of your low metabolism when not eating frequently.

The proper way to spread out your meals in a day is every 3 hours on average. You should be eating 5 to 6 meals per day being the right portions in each meal. How do you know what the right portion is? A good way to measure this is by the size of your palm or fist. However, you must be consistent and if you have a sweet tooth here and there, all I have to say is that no one is perfect, but you must control your temptations up to a point where you don’t stray away and start affecting your final results in a huge way. If you aren’t disciplined to an extent, the little cheats here and there will and do add up and therefore will effect your body.

My Meal Planner | Plan Your Nutrition

Who wants to spend all the time in figuring out the complexity of the nutrition plan when you can have it done for you. There is a meal planner I use that anyone can use if they so choose. I use it because it takes the guesswork out of my hands and I can spend more time doing other productive things in life.

There are many reasons why I use this:

It is quick and easy
It covers all corners
You can edit it to your liking and stay on track
It caters to your height, weight, activity level, and much more
It comes with a community of fitness enthusiasts that can help you with anything about fitness
It makes fitness fun and promotes a healthy lifestyle, not a hobby.
Support 24/7. Very important for me

There are many more reasons but I want to keep this on the short side. Often times, a person changes their goals to improve their physique. For example. If they have lost tons of weight and really leaned up, now they change up their eating habits and workout plan to add some muscle mass and fill it all in. That itself will take a change in nutrition and the way you eat from what got you lean and mean. The meal planner will solve this for you in the blink of an eye. Done. Now you are on a different eating regimen and off to your new body.

Commit To Be Healthy | Plan Your Nutrition

A meal planner does nothing if you do not commit to be healthy yourself first. You must have a reason why you are looking to eat right and stay on track. Commitment without a plan is ignorance. Set yourself up for success by completing the whole system around you and being the best you can.

Having a goal, the right fitness program, the right plan of your nutrition, support, and the commitment on a consistent basis can take you a long way to a life of prosperity.

Watch this video on the Meal Planner I use

Tropical Shakeology Review | A Vegan Meal Replacement

Tropical Shakeology

Introducing the newest flavor to the vegan meal replacement from beachbody, Tropical Shakeology. Fresh, natural and delicious explains how to best describe it as it combines the fruit flavors of pineapple, banana, papaya, and more.

With the success in the past, it has been know for being the bread and butter to the results of many people in the health and fitness industry. That is, because being fit and healthy doesn’t mean just looking good on the outside, but also on the inside.

All natural with no artificial coloring or flavors, this shake is one of a kind. Recommended by doctors all over the world, people are turning to shakeology for help with high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, skin deficiencies, lack of energy, and more.

It is hands down worth trying if you are looking for a meal replacement that will not only help you to lose weight and have long lasting energy throughout the day, but also to make sure that you have all your daily vitamins and nutrients that your body demands daily.

It also helps you to control your hunger throughout the day by giving you that healthy feeling that you are full. No, I’m not talking about how you feel after eating a burger and fries with a large coke, SUPERSIZED.

See this article I wrote about How Lisa J Transformed her body using Shakeology

Vegan Meal Replacement | Tropical Shakeology

The new flavor will also be vegan. Unlike it’s flavor siblings that came out before, the protein will be from sprouted brown rice, unlike their sibling flavors that came out before as they got their protein from Whey isolate. This was the only reason that the chocolate and greenberry flavors were not considered to be vegan. So yes, tropical shakeology will be Beachbody’s first and only to date Vegan meal replacement.

The new flavor launched in January or 2012. Darin, the co-founder is also a vegan and he plans on having all the other future flavors that come out to also be labeled the same as they believe that this is the healthiest way to go for a product such as this. I agree.

Eliminate Toxins | Improve Digestion | Tropical Shakeology

If you have not yet tried Shakeology and are thinking about giving it a whirl, just know that it is not only an all natural meal replacement to lose weight and have energy, but also that it eliminates the toxins in your body while helping your body absorb the nutrients that it needs. With over 70 ingredients and over 30 superfoods that are found from all over the world in places that you and I have no means to go. I am talking about going through the earth’s most uncomfortable plains to know farmer’s that you haven’t even heard of to take you on their boats that you can’t even make to get to the places that you never even heard of before to get the most natural earth grown, never touched by human hands ingredients.

That, is Tropical Shakeology.

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