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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Transformation Of The Day 01/21/2012

Name: Jeremy Yost
Age: 33
Program: P90X

Jeremy Yost gets my transformation of the day. It’s no wonder by the picture above that Jeremy had to make a change in his life. He was basically a dead man walking at age 33, stepping on the scale at 370lbs. He was on medication for high blood pressure and had a hard time walking properly due to severe arthritis.

He couldn’t spend time and do the things he wanted to with his wife and 2 kids. The only thing that he could do and did, was stay inside and live on the couch.

One day, a friend approached him about his weight and asked him a true friend question. He asked Jeremy how he would feel if another man had to replace him and raise my sons.

Jeremy didn’t know the reality of the life he was living and the consequences that came with being overweight and obese. Sometimes it takes a wake up call from someone who really cares to wake you up and realize that you need to step up and be a man and do something now to change your life.

After recommendations from his friends that were doing P90X, he knew it was for him with the results he saw them have.

Along with achieving something big in life comes struggle. Life will always try to slow you down and put things in your way to success to build your strength of character. For Jeremy, it was the battle to change the way he ate. He was always tempted to eat poorly, and because of his arthritis in his ankle, he experienced intense pain.

Just like Tony Horton from P90X tells you,“Do your best and forget the rest”, Jeremy felt like Tony was personally talking to him. Jeremy had to do the modified moves that were provided with the P90X program and he just did his best of what his body could do.

It paid off. Thank you Jeremy, for the inspiration transformation of the day.

A note from Tony: If success was easy, everyone would have it. It takes strength of character, a plan, a true reason why you need to change to do something different in your life. We all have bad habits, for Jeremy it was poor nutrition, but the bad habits can be tamed and changed if you have a purpose bigger than the obstacles that keep you from being your best. Everyone has the ability to be great, the only difference is, most people spend a lifetime failing to define their reason “WHY”.

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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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Transformation Of The Day | Vicky T.

Name: Vicky Todd
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Programs: Turbo Jam, Slim In 6®, Power 90®, and ChaLean Extreme®

The reason I picked Vicky’s transformation today is because she has a similar story of many people I hear today. She was never confident in the way she looked and hated to go out cause she was ashamed of her body. She also didn’t like to go shopping because clothes didn’t fit her the way she liked them to. She had to start wearing men’s clothes as women’s clothes became harder and harder to find. She didn’t like the way women’s clothes fit on her.

She knew there was no easy solution or no magic pill. She knew that she needed a reason to get healthy and change her life. That reason came when she had her first son. She wanted to set a great example to her son and show him a life where he wouldn’t have to struggle with his weight his whole life like she has done to this point.

Vicky found a new energy with the first workout she found on tv, which was Turbo Jam by Chalene Johnson. She was surprised how much fun the workouts were and kept her wanting more.

“Chalene is so motivational and encouraging that you pop in the DVD, the music comes on, it’s so upbeat and encouraging that before you know it your workout is done and you didn’t even feel like you were working out.” “Chalene is so motivational and encouraging that you pop in the DVD, the music comes on, it’s so upbeat and encouraging that before you know it your workout is done and you didn’t even feel like you were working out”, Vicky Says.

With a husband, new baby, difficult work schedule, and health issues of neglecting her health most her life, she didn’t always have the time available, but made sure to make the time if it wasn’t available. This is the way of a champion.

Many people make excuses if things get difficult, or their schedule is busy. The truth is is that your health is the most important, because without your health, you can’ do anything else anyways. You need good health to operate in life and for the long term.

Vicky has now become a role model in her community and friends and family members always come to her for advice on how to lose weight.

She now has completed not only Turbo Jam, but also Slim in 6®, ChaLean Extreme®, and Power 90® as well. Because all her hard work, she won the $1,000 monthly Million Dollar Body Prize.

Congrats to Vicky for all her hard work and inspiration.

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Transformation Of The Day: 01/19/2012

Transformation Of The Day 01/19/2012

Age: 23
Gender: Female
State: Colorado
Primary Program: P90X®
Supplement: Shakeology®, Whey Protein Powder, Slimming Formula

Before Deciding to Change her life, Lisa J was always active in sports growing up as a child. Though she was involved in activities, she was not totally confident in the way she looked. After she graduated college, she started to reduce her involvement in sports and started to eat unhealthy and used food as a way to comfort herself from stress. She consumed thousand’s of calories per day and ballooned all the way up to 200 lbs. She was depressed, lost, and unhappy, although she didn’t realize it at the time. Instead of eating, people can turn to playing games like W88 link in order to reduce their stress.

Her father was diagnosed with cancer and passed away before his time. Lisa felt that she had a purpose to be the soldier for the family and help them through. She still ate tremendous amounts of food till she couldn’t eat anymore from unhappiness, confusion from all the things happening in her life.

One day she developed a large swelling on her jaw and neck so she rushed herself to the hospital only for them to say that with the way she looked, her physical appearance and gender, they thought she had had a heart attack. Lisa was only 22 yrs old and at that point, she knew things had to change now.

She had already purchased P90X but never did it with commitment. She already knew that beachbody had a community of supportive coaches and that that was what she needed to get through her change. After completing her full 90 days of the program, she lost 52 lbs and 28% body fat. She continued to transform her body by also doing Insanity: The Asylum, and after finishing her full 30 days, she lost another 9 lbs and 4% body fat while increasing her athletic abilities like speed and strength.

Her biggest challenge was overcoming 3 surgeries after starting P90X. She never strayed away from her ultimate goal of changing her life and stuck with it no matter what life’s obstacles tried to knock her down. A true inspiration, Thanks Lisa.

Lisa J.
Lost 76 lbs., 6 dress sizes, and got flat, sexy ABS.
“I am happy, confident, and excited for each and every day. I fought to get my true self back and I WON.”

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Transformation Of The Day

Transformation Of The Day | Jim From Texas

Age: 52
Gender: Male
State: Texas
Primary Program: INSANITY®
Supplement: Shakeology®,P90X® Peak Results and Recovery Formula

Here is a great one that I thought to share. Jim is from Texas and he like most of us guys, was a party rock star and drank beer weekly with his friends.

Not only that, but he ate like their was no tomorrow and didn’t pay any attention to his health.

We all have been in the mind thinking that what you eat and drink daily isn’t really that important because some day you will change your routine and it will be just fine. However, that someday turns into 10-20 years and before you know it, you have taken on diseases and high blood pressure. This is what happened to Jim.

On a beautiful summer day, after hanging out with friends at a BBQ, Jim started to feel a little dizzy after the party started to go home. He made it home only to see that his blood pressure was 238/120. Those numbers mean you are on the brinks of having a stroke or heart attack. He had just turned 50 and it hit him hard that he may not wake up to see the next day.

He started telling his wife to tell his dogs that he loved them daily cause he was uncertain of waking up in the mornings.

He knew that he had to do something about this or he would be on the short leash. He started to drink supplements but it was not enough to change the hole his health was in. He didn’t want to follow his father’s footsteps, which meant passing away at age 54.

One day he saw P90X on TV and him and his wife thought that it was just what they needed. They had always gone to the gym but at different times because that’s what life does to families most of the time. Go to work when your boss tells you, and you go home when your boss tells you.

They were able to start working out together at home because having an in home program allows you to do that. Jim and his wife fell into such a committed routine that they finished their program and now they are doing Beachbody’s Insanity by Shaun T and have ordered P90X2. At age 50, no more high blood pressure. “We made changes in our lives because we needed to. We were convinced to make those changes thanks to Beachbody” Jim says.

When asked what in particular did you like about the program he chose, Jim says that he likes the fact that you are provided with all the tools and support you need, all him and his wife have to do is put in the hard work. He also said that his greatest challenge was changing how he had to eat to achieve his results. For example, when grilling out on weekends with friends, he now grills salmon instead of ribs.

When describing his results, he proudly says that he is in better shape than when he was in his 20’s. He is able to water ski and wake board and doesn’t let his age dictate what he can and can’t do.

Jim is no different than anyone else. The only thing is that Jim had a wake up call that most people who don’t decide to help their health will come across sometime in their lives. What will you do when that time comes? Or…make a decision to improve your health now and never have to worry about getting that wake up call.

Thanks Jim for the being the transformation of the day and being a $1000 monthly winner of the Beachbody Challenge

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What is P90X Certification | Get P90X Certified

P90X Certification

Many of my friends are personal trainers and have been asking me about the P90X certification that will be available starting in late January. Because there are people wanting more info and there is not much out there at this point, I will give you what I know at this point.

It will be a comprehensive and intensive training of P90X in 2 steps:

1) A “Qualification process” – An online course that you will be able to purchase and take online. Cost $99
2) The “Certification process” – You will be required to take a 2 day intensive training class in cities TBD. Cost $399

A person can become certified whether they are a Beachbody free customer or coach. However, if you are registered as a coach, you will get 10% off both your qualification and certification. The online training will be available through the online store, which will take place late January, and the certification will start late March in a locations to be announced as the time gets near.

This will give a person an opportunity to teach the P90X program in depth. It will include:

An online qualifying course
Intensive, 2-day, live training with certified trainers
A course and resource manual
A physical certificate and an electronic badge

When a person completes the certification, they will be able to teach in gyms worldwide and add to their arsenal of credentials as a trainer, coach, motivator, inspirer, and supporter to those wanting maximum results. As a coach, you will be able to take yourself to new heights in your business and more effectively help others in getting the results they desire.

I would recommend getting a group together and taking a road trip to a destination city for the certification in late March. Maybe our team will take one to a southern california location and we could all get certified together.

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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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