Why I became a Beachbody Coach

Talking with a friend that I haven’t seen in years and come to find she is working to become a personal trainer. We started talking about why we want to do this, to get in the best shape of our lives and help others get fit and healthy. I mean it’s almost an obsession feeling good about oneself and life. It’s all those wonderful endorphins and the serotonin boost we get from working out.  So I decided to post the rest of her thoughts as I couldn’t say it any better.
 
She stressed that we do need to watch ourselves and limit even when it comes to talking with other about working out.   It’s almost an art form to learn how to “read” people and discern those that really want to change and those which are just looking for a “quick” fix.  WE all know that doesn’t exist… no magic pills here just hard work. My friend thinks of herself as an artist which I think is a great point.  We have to look at ourselves as that “chunk” of stone, spending endless and tireless hours/days/months/years “whittling” away at it  with realistic balanced goals until we have finished our creation or sculpture.  Unfortunately folks are still wanting the “NOW” and ultimately it won’t happen like that.  No matter which fitness program or Personal trainer one decides to use, one just doesn’t start off doing a 1 hour 40 minute workouts, running 3 miles, or breaking out the Kettle balls. One has to work up to it GRADUALLY while at the same time re-learning HOW to eat properly to fuel their unique body to operate at its peak efficiency. 
 
And even when one does make that long term commitment and start to learn about proper nutrition, it doesn’t stop there. I like how my friend describes her experience. For some time she had not been eating enough protein, and when she did, it generally was not the best kind of protein (macrobiotic source of course is best but not always easy to get enough and balance the proper amount of calorie intake).  So she had to look at how much she was working out and analyze all the factors. She saw that she was only taking in 1/2 the amount of protein needed for her physical activity level. So she readjusted things and now making progress again and recovering better from her workouts. Which means she can hit them even harder. 
 
And this is true for all of us. You have to look at the whole picture to help others and find what will best work for them… a kind of holistic approach (as we should approach life in general) … whether having  a simple gym membership, purchasing a DVD series of exercise programs, or getting a personal trainer. The beautiful thing with Beachbody coaches and personal trainers are their ability to keep you accountable. To toss things up and root you on and motivate you when otherwise you may just give up. 
 
This is a continual learning experience and even the best out their have their own accountability partners. Personal trainers really do take care of each other and their cleints. I’m grateful that I get to work with a company such as Beachbody that really does provide the tools to help get healthy the correct way and play it forward.   
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by on July 29, 2010  •  Permalink
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Posted by Tom on July 29, 2010

http://www.goferboy.com/why-i-became-a-beachbody-coach/

Nutrition shortcut – Egg White Omelet Western style

Put that Coco puffs cereal bowl away and take a few more minutes to start the day off correctly and give yourself a satisfying breakfast that will make you forget the Mid-morning snack and head into lunch hunger free. Don’t skip your mid-morning snack by the way if you are working out.

This is our favorite breakfest which we can prepare ahead of time to keep the actual cooking time to a minimum.

Pre-Prep: Chop the Red Peppers and onions all at once and store. Buy the cheese already shredded in bags. Use Egg Whites liquids that can be bought in the dairy section. Yes, it’s a processed food item, but for the shear sake of simplicity, it’s better then any other quick cold cereal or pop tart solution.

Ingredients:

  • Olive Oil (less then 1 tbs)
  • Red peppers (2 tbs chopped)
  • Shallot onions (1 tbs chopped – optional)
  • Mozzarella part skim cheese already shredded (1/4 cup or to taste)
  • Black pepper
  • Egg Whites (2)  

Preparation:

Preheat skillet with a little olive oil, add peppers and onions and saute until the peppers get a little change in color (about 1 min). Pour the egg whites on top to evenly fill skillet. Add the cheese, and black pepper. Flip 1/2 the omelet over onto itself. Wait till you see all the liquid has cooked and flip over the complete omelet for another 30 seconds and serve.

Optional garnish: We just luv tambuli and like to spatter it on everything, from Eggs to Chicken. As you need to increase your calories in later phases of P90x, add fruit of your choice. Mango makes a perfect compliment. Enjoy!

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by on July 20, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in P90X, Thin Kitchen
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Posted by Tom on July 20, 2010

http://www.goferboy.com/nutrition-shortcut-egg-white-omelet/

Shakeology Mocha Ricotta Dessert

I suffer from late night sweet tooth attacks. I found an excellent desert recipe that has allowed me to go have that late night guilt free snack.  I have been able to modify the recipe to use Shakeology.  The normal recipes calls for the following:

  • 1/2 cup Ricotta cheese (Low moisture part skim)
  • 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 packets sugar substitute
  • Light sprinkle of mini chocolate chips
  • Dash Espresso Powder

I have found that a great replacement for Spenda/Equal by using Sun Crystals. All nature pure cane sugar wrapped with Stevia. Only 5 calories per packet. And of course I can’t get enough of Shakeology’s great chocolate taste, so I use a tsp of it in place of the coco powder.

Mix together the ricotta, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and Sun crystals in a dessert bowl. Serve chilled with a dusting of expresso powder and sprinkled with mini chocolate chips.

Serves 1 .   Nutrition at a glance:

Per serving: 261 calories, 15 g protein, 17 g carbs, 14 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 166 mg sodium

And that gives me the following wonderful and filling desert.Enjoy!

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by on July 14, 2010  •  Permalink
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Posted by Tom on July 14, 2010

http://www.goferboy.com/shakeology-mocha-ricotta-dessert/

Shakeology – Doctor Recommended

See why doctors are endorsing Shakeology. If you find yourself feeling fatigued all the time, have a hard time eating healthier, wanting more energy, wanting to lose weight, wanting to be more regular and more, then please watch.

You can get additional information from My Shakeology site. Feel free to contact me with question or free samples if I have them. But with the bottom of the bag return policy, you can try it out for a full week to FEEL the benefits. If that doesn’t do it for you, return it no questions asked. I do recommend the HD option to receive free shipping. Now it really doesn’t cost you anything if you return it.

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by on July 9, 2010  •  Permalink
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Posted by Tom on July 9, 2010

http://www.goferboy.com/shakeology-doctor-recommended/

Homemade Protein Bars

Talking with Chris Moon and we come to find we are putting down a healthy amount of protein bars during the course of a week, and it’s starting to get expensive. Now mind you, I still buy the new and improved P90x Bars (Did you know they updated these things? They really do taste great now!) along with the organic Raw Revolution bars, but there has got to be an alternative. Something that will allow me to use Shakeology? Chris being a nutrition numbers guru found some home made protein bar recipes. I passed on the recipe to Dr. Pat Baker and he decide to make a batch himself. I think Chris did an excellent job and they look yummy!

Here is his recipe:

  • 2 cups of organic oats (I used Bob Red Mill’s 5 grain Hot Cereal)
  • 4 scoops on Optimum Nutrition protein powder (double rich chocolate)
  • 4 – 5 tablespoons organic honey
  • 4 tablespoons homemade almond butter
  • 2 – 3 cups of unsweetened almond milk (I just kept pouring until it was a good consistency)

Ground the oats a bit in my food processor to make it smoother, mixed all the dry ingredients, then added the milk to get it soft and pliable. Spread that on wax paper and put in in the fridge.

Chris calculates the nutrition info per bar as:
190 calories, with 7 grams of fat (1 g saturated fat), 16g carbs, 9g sugar, 13g of protein.

I decided to make a slight variation using 2 scoops Chocolate Shakeology in place of the protein powder, and adding 3 packets of Sun Crystals.

My ingredients

Final results

I didn’t have wax paper so lined the cookie tray with clear wrap. I also didn’t get the mixure as dry as Chris did so I had to bake mine for 15 minutes to get them to set and ready for packing away. Chris did some research on baking, and Dr. Baker confirmed that baking (heating) protein will denature it but it’s still a nice alternative.

My nutrition calculations info per bar:
199 calories, with 4 grams of fat (1 g saturated fat), 27g carbs, 12g sugar, 11g of protein.

Update: I did the above calculations based on cutting 5 peices. I was actually able to cut 6 perfect sized peices. So I need to update the above numbers to reflect that.

Update 2: Ok, I think I finally found the perfect combination.

  • 2 cups Oats
  • 1/2 cup Almond milk 
  • 6 scoops whey protein
  • 1 1/2 scoop Shakeology (For incredible taste and nutrition)
  • 4 tbs Honey
  • 4 tbs Almond Butter
  • 2 mashed up bananas
  • 2 packets Sun Crystals
  • 2 Tbs Wheat Germ
  • 2 Tbs Flax seed

Adding up the nutrition facts, this batch allowed me to make almost 10 bars. I also spread about 1/4 in a thinner spread. This allows me to create some additional snack cookies which my family just loves. This really was my best tasting batch!

Per Serving: 191 calories, 4.6 grams of fat (1 g saturated fat), 20g carbs, 8g sugar, 20g of protein.

3 Comments
by on July 7, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in P90X, Shakeology
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Posted by Tom on July 7, 2010

http://www.goferboy.com/homemade-protein-bars/

P90neXt Rumor

P90xNext Rumor

This is Tony unscripted in his personal gym—no frills, no classroom, no cast.

 This is awesome news! We got a whiff of this at the Coach Summit in May, but wasn’t sure how or when. Now we know! Appears that Tony will be using the Volume Three series of his One On One with Tony Horton to build the follow up program to P90x!! The offical title might be P90x:MC2 (Muscle Confusion).

As a two and a half time P90x grad, I’ve been using the One on One subscription to build a hybrid P90x program. People always ask what to do after P90x. “DO IT AGAIN” is my first response. And lately, I find it helpful to make a personal hybrid program to keep things interesting. Ordering a subcription to One on One is the clear choice.

But I’m getting ahead of myself…lets back up….

What is P90X One on One™?
This is Tony unscripted in his personal gym—no frills, no classroom, no cast. (But plenty
of confusion.) No plateaus welcome. P90X One on One works just like a magazine
subscription: After you sign up, you automatically receive a brand-new workout every
month (sometimes they include FREE gifts). Best of all: you can cancel at any time.
How long are the workouts?
In good P90X tradition, the workouts will vary between 50 and 60 minutes.
What is the workout style and intensity?
In Volume 3, Tony experiments with different intensity levels. He mixes things up to
keep your muscles guessing. But beware! Some moves are groundbreaking and have
never been done before. In the excellently titled Disc 1, “Chest, Back & Balls”, Tony
tests his personal limits with a Plyo Push-Up while balancing his feet and hands on
stability balls.

Unbelievable stuff. Don’t say we didn’t warn you…
Who is P90X One on One for?
P90X One on One offers a great opportunity for you to reach out to P90X grads who are
in good physical shape and looking for more trademark Tony confusion.
The 50% offer
Every subscriber who purchases all 12 discs of P90X One on One, Volume 3 gets a 50%
discount on P90X:MC2™ when it becomes available. If you don’t join Volume 3 from the
beginning (July 2010), no problem! You can still qualify for this offer. Simply purchase
your missing Volume 3 discs . Once you become eligible for this promotion, we’ll notify you via email so
you can claim your discount. This offer is not available online.
If you’re not already a subscriber, now’s a better time than ever to get involved.
Facebook contest
On July 6th, we’re launching a Facebook contest on the P90X Fan Page. Coaches and
fans can submit a video clip of their most unique workout moves. The fan community
will vote on all clips. The videos with the most votes will be published on the P90X Fan
Page, one of the most active Fan Pages on Facebook with almost 150,000 fans.

Winners also receive awesome prizes (a 1-year subscription to P90X One on One, a 1-
year supply of Results & Recovery Formula™, the One on One, Volume 2 Full Edition,
Tony-autographed T-shirts), and consideration of the move, with call-out of the
submitter’s name, for an upcoming P90X One on One workout.

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by on July 3, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in P90X
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Posted by Tom on July 3, 2010

http://www.goferboy.com/p90next-rumor/

Fitness and Nutrition with Sushi?

I have gone through several diet plans and fitness gizmo’s over the years and never came close to meeting my Fitness goals until I learned how to combine proper nutrition and fitness that helped me loose 50 pounds. I’m in better shape now then when I after army boot camp at age 18!  I’m playing better racquetball and can’t wait to get back into soccer having to give it up 8 years ago being soooo out of shape. Watching the World Cup has also got me motivated! Congrats to team USA for advancing into the final 16!!
 
A common misconception from those that know my love of food is that I’ve endured bland cardboard and paste to meet my fitness goals. Nothing could be further from the truth. No matter which fitness direction a person takes, from finding a great local personal trainer such as BEAT to an extreme personal training program like Beachbody’s P90x that you can do from home, you have to find a way to properly fuel your workouts. The trick is to find a healthy way to eat that doesn’t get boring or is impossible to last a lifetime. If you try to make this a short term caloric deficit game on bland food, you will find yourself back into the old rut of bad eating habits. Or worse yet, trying to find the magic pill that allows you to continue eating junk will only make things worse. So find something that you love, complements your fitness lifestyle, and make it a long term commitment. 
 
We also need to get out and enjoy good times with good friends without negating all the progress made to date.   This can be demonstrated with my favorite Cincinnati Sushi joint.  Kyoto not only supports a healthy lifestyle, but greatly complements your fitness goals.
 
1) Kyoto does it right. As with any international cuisine found in the USA, the American spin is a rite of passage, making it unhealthy compared to the way the food is consumed in the country of origin. However, what a pleasant surprise to find how Kyoto’s owner (Jason) takes great care and attention to detail in all aspects preparation. So while we are ranking the best to worst, it’s important to keep in mind the worst is much better then the best option elsewhere. Literally folks. The worst option I will talk about here is tons better then any other restaurant. Even compared to other Sushi joints, Kyoto is heads above.  I’ve been to other places where they serve more rice then fish in the sushi roll. So lets take a look at the lean side first!
  • The most common appetizer offered is edamame, or steamed soybeans, salted and left inthe pod. Edamame is high in protein, low in calories, and very tasty. (Ten pods contain: 29 calories, 1.4 grams of fat, 2.2 grams of carbs, 2.6 grams of protein, and 3 milligrams of sodium—before the chef salts them. 
  • Miso soup is a favorite with most and no need to worry with this. It is a light broth created from a miso (soy) paste, often containing scallions and tofu. Many studies have shown that beginning a meal with a broth soup can help us consume less calories during the rest of the meal, so it’s not a bad choice. (A cup of miso soup contains approximately 75 calories, 2 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbs, 4 grams of protein, and 721 grams of sodium.)
  • Another popular soup choice is Udon noodle soup, which can be a meal in itself. A light broth contains noodles, tofu, vegetables, and shiitake mushrooms; it’s fairly healthy and extremely filling. (A 5.3-oz. serving of Udon noodle soup contains about 220 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbs, 7 grams of protein, and 660 grams of sodium.)
  • Salads are offered with a great Ginger dressing. Although sweet, tangy, and very yummy—isn’t exactly the dream diet. Just be aware it can have up to 12 grams of fat in 2 tablespoons. Asking for the dressing on the side might be tough here so try to go easy on the dressing. (Two tablespoons of ginger dressing contain 200 calories, 12 grams of fat, 2 grams of carbs, 1 gram of protein, and 440 grams of sodium.)
  • A much healthier, nutrient-rich, and adventuresome choice is a seaweed salad. For those who have yet to try this delicacy, it consists of chopped seaweed, ginger, garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, rice vinegar, scallions, and sesame oil. Seaweed is a powerhouse of multivitamins, which makes this low-cal salad worth a try. (Two ounces of seaweed salad contain approximately 70 calories, 4 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbs, 7 grams of protein, and 660 grams of sodium.)
  • My personal favorite is the Squid salad.
 2) Sushi, Sushi Sushi. Sushi is often thought of as simply raw fish. The term sushi, in Japan, actually refers to the rice, which is white, with rice vinegar and a bit of sugar mixed in. What we think of as sushi is actually nigiri sushi (fish draped over balls of rice), maki sushi (fish wrapped in seaweed and rice, cut into pieces), temaki sushi (fish and rice wrapped up in a seaweed cone), and sashimi sushi (raw fish served without rice). It’s important to note that the least recommended sushi is still leaps and bounds better then the best options at the next door restaurant. With that in mind, let’s start with the best options, and then move to the sushi delights that we should keep on eye on.
  • Sashimi and nigiri are very similar; the difference being that nigiri has a small tuft of rice beneath it, adding about 24 calories and 5.5 grams of carbs to the option. The following nutritional breakdown is before rice balls and soy sauce, so take that into consideration. Here are a few of the most popular choices
  •  
    • Salmon: 40 calories, 2 grams of fat, no carbs, 6 grams of protein
    • Albacore: 49 calories, 2 grams of fat, no carbs, 7 grams of protein
    • Bluefin tuna: 40 calories, 1 gram of fat, no carbs, 7 grams of protein
    • King Crab: 27 calories, no fat or carbs, 5 grams of protein
    • Yellow Tail: 31 calories, no fat or carbs, 7 grams of protein
  • Maki and temaki are the same, except one is cut into smaller pieces. This is where sushi can get tricky. A lot of extra ingredients can obviously add calories and fat, and make your healthy dining experience akin to a trip to a burger joint. Sauces are often mixed into the roll. This adds incredible flavor, but really needs to be kept to a minimum. Also, anything called “spicy” or “crunchy” usually means mayonnaise, cream cheese, and tempura batter—not what you would consider with fitness goals in mind, but man oh man, you have to treat yourself every so ofter. The following are a few roll options, in one-roll (6-piece) increments, from the healthiest to the least healthy. Remember that every sushi chef can add his or her own pizzazz to the dish, so these are very approximate breakdowns:
    • Avocado roll: 140 calories, 5.5 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbs, 2 grams of protein
    • Tuna roll: 184 calories, 2 grams of fat, 27 grams of carbs, 24 grams of protein
    • California roll: 255 calories, 7 grams of fat, 38 grams of carbs, 9 grams of protein
    • Spicy tuna roll: 290 calories, 11 grams of fat, 26 grams of carbs, 24 grams of protein
    • Rainbow roll: 476 calories, 16 grams of fat, 50 grams of carbs, 33 grams of protein
    • Shrimp tempura roll: 508 calories, 21 grams of fat, 64 grams of carbs, 20 grams of protein
  • Tempura!! I mean who doesn’t love tempura dishes? I really don’t have to explain why this is on the bottom of the list.  Five small pieces of tempura can have up to 400 calories and 10 grams of fat. So I try to go easy on this stuff as hard as that can be tasty and all. Unfortunately, they also make your fitness goals that much harder to attain. So I recommend to keep the tempura to a minimum. If you can stay away from it, you are a better person then me, and you will get that much better fitness results.
3) Alcohol check!!
  • This is the point where I loose a lot of people. It’s amazing to me that they can work so hard and dedicate their hard earn time in the week, to just kabosh everything on the weekend drinking binge. As with anything, please remember moderation. I would prefer and stress that alcohol be removed from your workout routines and wait until you reach your goal weight or fitness level. Enjoy the wonderful Tea options. But no need to bagger on, you’re with your friends, so lets take a look at the damage report:
    • Sake and sushi seem to be like peanut butter and jelly for many people, and as they do complement one another, it makes perfect sense. The 16-percent alcohol content in sake makes it a very potent rice wine, so you don’t need to consume a lot of it to feel the effect. There’s also Japanese beer, which is similar in content to its European counterpart. Again, watching your intake can keep your calorie count down, so, perhaps, you can have one more piece of sushi. Some alcohol choices include:
      • White or red wine are the best options. Your wine snobs may insist on white wine only for fish. But I’m told this is total nonsense.  Drink what you like and you will be surprised how well red wine works. And it’s not like we have to encourage you with details about the benifits of red wine antioxidants.
      • Champagne. Yes, you read that right. Sparkling wine with sushi is awesome.
      • Sake, 1 oz.: 39 calories, no fat, 1.5 grams of carbs, 0.1 gram of protein
      • Asahi® beer, 12 oz.: 146 calories, no fat, 12.6 grams of carbs, 1.6 grams of protein
      • Sapporo® beer, 12 oz.: 140 calories, no fat, 10.3 grams of carbs, 1.4 grams of protein
 
 My Recommended menu for P90x Phase I:
  • Start with edamame and Squid salad. A great mistake here in Phase 2 is to order the Giant Grilled squid. It’s a meal in itself, but worth the adventure.
  • Pass on the beer or sake, and order some Jasmine tea. But nothing is better then sharing sake with friends and family. Moderation is the key here.
  • Main dish suggestions:
    • Kyoto Don – Excellent selection of Sashimi with a serving of rice. I basically pick at the rice or if kids are at the table, share it with them.
    • Chicken Hibachi for those days I don’t feel like fish
    • If I feel like treating myself out while on Phase 2, I’ll order the Hawaiian Tuna. It’s a Ahi Tuna with tempura. 

Special thanks to Beachbody.com for providing wonderful nutrition tips dealing with Asian food…which I have blatantly plagiarized from.

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by on June 23, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Beachbody, P90X
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Posted by Tom on June 23, 2010

http://www.goferboy.com/kyoto/

Tony Horton’s 11 Laws for a Lifetime of Fitness

One of the personal highlights of the Beachbody Coach Summit 2010 for me was Tony Horton… of course. The man is as funny, goofy and passionate in person as he is on the DVDs. He is also very gratious with his time, taking the time to meet and greet with each of us. Along with great work outs, interesting dance moves, he also gave a great presentation that I would like to share. My pictures are the not the clearest, but I think they can convey his energy!

1.) Variety
Variety is the spice of life and fitness. A lifetime of health and fitness is achievable when you can think outside the box. You have to mix it up all the time. Stay curious, creative, and stick with the kinds of workouts that you enjoy. A variety of exercises, workouts, and sports will allow you to avoid injuries, plateaus, and boredom.

2.) Consistency
Improvement and change occur when you do things often. Stopping and starting all the time will kill any momentum you need to succeed. You must find ways to stay in the game. Moderate forms of exercise, done consistently, provide far better results than the occasional full-body pummeling. A lifestyle that includes multiple forms of exercise five to six days a week guarantees results.

3.) Intensity
YOU’RE TOUGHER THAN YOU THINK. The fear of pain or injury from working out is a mindset steeped in failure. You must learn to “Find the Line.” Do the extra rep or two, increase your range of motion, and increase resistance as you get stronger. Intensity goes hand in hand with Variety and Consistency. The combination of the three work together as a triad that creates a platform for success. The programs provide variety. Your plan will keep you consistent.


4.) Purpose
Your purpose is to have a better life. Exercise and eating right help you feel better. When you feel better, you do more. When you do more, you meet other people. A healthy lifestyle gives us the energy to be better than before. We want to participate, share, communicate, and build a community have purpose in our lives. If you had never found Beachbody, you might be right back where you were isolated, with nothing to share, no purpose, because you weren’t doing anything with anyone.

5.) Reality
Why do we want life to be different than it is? Why do we think about who we were and who we’re going to be more than who we are? We certainly talk a good game about who we are now. Why do we try to predict the future with the hope that wishful thinking is enough to change it? Life is NOT the way it was. It’s the way it is. Life is not our fantasy predictions of the future or our glory days of the past. Life is that thing that is happening to you as you read this. We fall into the trap of living in the past and future because right here is not good enough. Back then and up there are keeping you from right now.

6.) Sports
Take the onus off of weight, inches, and body fat percentages and put the focus on MOVING – from dancing, rock climbing, and mountain biking to table tennis. I love that ping-pong! Think in terms of “can do” instead of “look like.” Sports are fun and help develop balance and coordination which in turn accelerates your results. Jump, kick, run, spin, throw, skate, shoot, hit, score, compete . . . PLAY!

7.) The Plan
SCHEDULE ALL WORKOUTS IN ADVANCE. This creates accountability. Plan an entire month ahead of time. Try to schedule as many workouts as possible with friends who have similar goals. WOWY was developed so that we could find an easy and effective way to stay accountable and work out together. Now we’ve got people in Trumbull, CT (my hometown), doing Power 90 at the same time with people in Hollywood. That is cool!

8.) Sleep (and stress)
Stressed out, sleep-deprived people don’t eat right and exercise regularly. Stress depletes energy, strength, and desire, while poor sleep habits affect your moods and immune function along with cognitive and motor performance. Burning the candle at both ends makes it impossible to be fit and healthy.


9.) Loving It
Exercise and workouts involve commitment, determination, planning, consistency, and intensity. If you don’t like what you’re doing, there’s no way on earth you’ll succeed. Enthusiasm is a very big piece of the puzzle. Get creative and stay curious. If you enjoy doing Power 90 exclusively and it works for you, then keep doing it until it doesn’t. If you get part way through P90X and it’s not your cup of tea, then stop, and do something else. Something’s got to bring you back day after day, week after week. Love it (tolerate it) or leave it.

10.) Flexibility
Flexibility is the fountain of youth. Flexible people are much less prone to injury. Yoga and stretching allow you to bring more intensity to your workouts. Flexibility is the key component to becoming less vulnerable and more durable. Aging has a funny way of making everything we do harder. Staying limber and flexible is the way to prevent that from happening.

11.) Food and Supplements
You are what you eat! Food and supplements are your fuel. The right fuel supplies proper energy and recovery through balanced brain chemistry. The right supplements simply fill in gaps in your diet.

Like I said, Tony was more then grations with his time while at the summit and made sure to ham it up for all of us.

And did I mention the man can dance? I mean….who knew? Ok, I have a 2 mb limitation on my initial upload with word press. If you have me as a friend on facebook, you can find the video there until I figure out how to upload manually.

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by on May 31, 2010  •  Permalink
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Posted by Tom on May 31, 2010

http://www.goferboy.com/tony-hortons-11-laws-for-a-lifetime-of-fitness/

Party Guide

For my first coach summit, I had great expectations. Visions of training with Tony Horton and other top trainers, taking in great information, and trying to understand the philosophy of the company better. Well check, check and double check! I have a lot of information to transcribe and pass on. I hope to have some time this weekend to make it happen.

But for now, I wanted to post on a common question I’m always asked…. “How do I maintain my nutrition when going to get together with friends, Family? What do I do if I will be staying with family a couple of days? I don’t want to be the social outcast and causing problems.”

All good questions and concerns. And I just happen to be put to the test so I thought I will review the Party Guide provided by Beachbody’s Rockin Body, and the steps I took. Now granted, my 4 days at the coach summit was easy. We had daily work outs, and Beachbody provided Shakelogy for Breakfastand arranged healthy lunches. However my 4 days with relatives turned out to be tougher then I expected. I found that I took off my Nutrition Nazi hat as I was a guest after all and they really were caring and well intentioned loved ones.

But first, let break out the Party Guide and see what it recommends. First, it does recognized how difficult it is to stick with a nutrition plan and eat healthy at restaurants and parties, but you will be surprised at what you can enjoy when you are out with family and friends. The key is moderation. You can indulge a little on occasion without throwing your diet out the window.

If you want to nibble on something tantalizing, scale back on the calories you drink.  Here are some of the tips they bring out:

  1. Tell your host ahead of time that you are watching your diet and ask about light options.
  2. Offer to bring a guilt free dish
  3. Eat something before the party to avoid hunger and pigging out.
  4. Skip the appetizers and wait for the main course.
  5. If no healthy options are available, get creative. Scrap the gloppy sauces off food and veggies. Nibble a bit on lean protein.

Enjoy:

  • Sashimi
  • Sushi (avoid the tempura, lightly battered versions)
  • Shrimp Cocktail
  • Veggie Crudites
  • Nuts
  • Hummus and Pita
  • Grilled Skewers

Avoid:

  • Pigs in a blanket
  • Fried foods like egg rolls
  • Sausage
  • Cheese platters
  • Heavy Dips
  • Potato chips
  • Buffalo wings

Some additional tips:

  • Suggest a restaurant that serves fresh healthy food. You will be doing your friends a favor too.
  • Take your time, it isn’t a race. Set down the fork between bites and enjoy the conversation.
  • Remove the bread basket and butter dish. Ask for Veggies.
  • Portions are massive. Don’t eat everything on the plate. Take some home.
  • Ask for half portions or split a plate.
  • Drink sparkling water. Basically drink water to fill up, but make it feel like a cocktail.
  • Always ask for dressing and sauce on the side.
  • So no to fried platters.
  • Avoid the death tower of chocolate cake. I add my 3 bite rule if small portions don’t exist. Ask the waitress/Waiter to divide the one slice into x amount of portions to give each 3-4 bites. If they want a nice tip, they will comply.

 

The last tip really does work well. I was able to apply this and only came home 2 pounds heavier. And I blame that on the crappy airport and airline food. I always get travel stomach and takes me forever to get rid of that bloat. So as soon as we came home, I started the 3 day Shakeology Cleanse. Basically 3 servings of shakeology during the day, with optional fruit for snack, and Salad with protein for dinner. I lost 3 pounds and back to my goal weight and feeling great! So it can be done!

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by on May 13, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Shakeology
Tagged
Posted by Tom on May 13, 2010

http://www.goferboy.com/party-guide/

Coach Summit 2010 Apr 29-May 1

I can’t believe it’s less then 2 weeks away. Should be fun and maybe I can show Tony a thing or two….in my mind!

My Travel schedule if anyone has tips on what to see…

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by on April 22, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in P90X
Tagged ,
Posted by Tom on April 22, 2010

http://www.goferboy.com/coach-summit-2010-apr-29-may-1/

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