Who doesn’t want more energy?

I’m afraid people feel like they need to settle with the lack of energy, because they are killing themselves with a workout.  NOT TRUE!!!  Take care of your body, as you need that energy to successful burn the unwanted fat and build that much needed muscle.  Why?  Because MUSCLE BURNS FAT!!  Sound familiar?

So, are you finding that you are bonking mid-day?  Having a hard time getting up in the morning after a workout the evening before?  Chances are, it’s due to your diet and lack of nutrients.

Not only is your diet a key variable in any successful workout regime, but also the proper supplementation.  We can get an abundant of your energy stimulation from the foods we eat, but chances are – are you really eating the right things?

For those of you that I’ve advised with particular Beachbody at home workout systems or helped guide with proper nutrition*, you know that I will always default to the nutrition guide that came with your workout system, whether it be P90X®, ChaLEAN Extreme®, Insanity™ or Slim in 6®.  These nutrition guides were developed specifically for these programs, so do yourself a favor – and FOLLOW, USE AND ENJOY THEM!!!  The recipes are good and fairly easy, even I can make them!

If you don’t follow a specific workout regime or a nutrition plan, then this could very well be your problem.  If my experience, as a self-professed gym rat, prior to P90X, Insanity and all my new Beachbody favorites, I was at an all time low in the energy department, and I DIDN’T HAVE KIDS AT THE TIME!  Now I have kids and I have MORE energy than I ever have.  Why?  I eat appropriately, according to my workout regime and I have a workout regime that keeps changing.

As many of you may know, I’m in the midst of training for my 2^nd marathon, all while doing the newest Insanity™ workout system.  Well, if Insanity isn’t enough, trying to keep up with my energy to get training runs in each week, I have to be very careful and very particular about what I eat, so I don’t bonk.

Yeah, yeah, many of you are shaking your head saying “Shoot, if you workout that much, you can eat what you want”!  In my case, and the bulk of American’s, not so much.  If I were to eat what I wanted, I surely wouldn’t have the appropriate protein/fat/carbohydrate ratio to properly refuel before and after each workout.   So I need a balance.  That’s where my diet is key here.  This should go for everyone and anyone that is looking for results, good energy and success with their selected workout plan.

Now, as I say diet is the key to most any results, whether it be weight loss or muscle gain, so is proper supplementation.  Do you take a multi-vitamin?  Do you take a Joint Support supplement?  What about your daily nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, etc., etc.?  These are all essential compliments to your diet, in order to sustain good energy to keep you going through the day.

Many know that I’m a big fan of Beachbody’s latest supplement creation, Shakeology®, and won’t go a day without consuming it as either a meal replacement or as a snack.  It’s A) DELICIOUS (check out the recipes) and B)  provides you with over 70 vital vitamins, nutrients, minerals, phytonutrients, prebiotics and a list of other words and terms we would otherwise NEVER use in our vocabulary.  But these are what provide your body with the fuel to keep and stay energized throughout the day, as it fulfills what the body lacks, as we work hard through our fitness program and just day-to-day life.

So, to make a long post even longer, the moral to the story here is proper diet and supplementation (as it’s next to impossible – although not entirely – to get it all from diet) is essential to deliver results and sustain proper energy to avoid that mid-day BONK!

As always, if I can help guide you in a direction towards good health, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me!

To your health & fitness!

* I am not a certified nutritionist or dietitian.  If ever in doubt or have questions about your health and diet, please consult your doctor or a licensed professional.  My advice is based off personal experience and self education and research.  I am also not a certified Personal Trainer…..yet.

Let’s start with the basics:

1.            What’s your current level of fitness activity?

A.  Very limited, maybe a short walk here and there. (May also have some health issues that inhibit workout activity – high blood pressure, pre-diabetic, Type 2 Diabetes, heart condition, etc).

B.  My activity is sporadic, some weeks are better than others.

C.  I’m fairly active and hit the gym as much as 3 x’s a week, but not seeing results.

D.  I’m VERY active and strong. (i.e.: I run quite a bit, do cross training, boot camps).

2.            What are your fitness goals?

A.   To find a program with a consistent level of lower impact activity.

B.   To find a program that will keep me active and is active.

C.   I want to see results, but I’m not a beginner and I’m not advanced

D.  I want something higher impact and that incorporates weight training & cardio.

3.          What is your time commitment to reaching your goals?

A.  I can commit to about 45-60 minutes, 2-3 days a week.

B.  I can commit to about 30-60 minutes, 3-4 days a week.

C.  I can commit to about 45-60 minutes, 4-5 days a week.

D.  I can commit to about 45-75 minutes, 5-6 days a week.

Ok, so these are just 3 top questions that I generally ask anyone interested in getting started with a workout program, but not really knowing what is the best one for them.

Often times, people want to immediately start with P90X, when they are NO condition to begin with a program that is so advanced.  The beauty of the selection of Beachbody programs, is that there is something for EVERYONE, and not every program will be suited for all…but definitely challenges to work towards.

So here’s a breakdown of what workout program would work best based off these category of questions (scroll down to bottom of the page to review the short video clip showcasing each product and its brief description):

If you answered mostly A’s:

A few recommended programs would be: Slim in 6® Rapid Results, Kathy Smith’s Project: You! Type 2®, Total Body Solution™ or Tony and the Folks® (for active adults 55+)

If you answered mostly B’s:

A few recommended programs would be: Slim in 6® Rapid Results, 10-Minute Trainer®, Power 90® or Yoga Booty Ballet®

If you answered mostly C’s:

A few recommended programs would be: Turbo Jams®, Hip Hop Abs®, Rockin’ Body®, 10-Minute Trainer® or Power 90®.

If you answered mostly D’s:

A few recommended programs would be: P90X®, Tony Horton’s One-on One Series, ChaLEAN Extreme® or Insanity®

Here are the descriptions of each suggested program above:

SLIM IN 6® Rapid Results, by Debbie Siebers

The original 6-week miracle makeover combines daily cardio with light resistance to burn fat fast. Fitness expert Debbie Siebers developed Slim in 6® through a combination of low impact cardiovascular and weight-bearing exercises collectively called Slim Training®. This three-phase, 6-week slimming program helps shed pounds quickly in a healthy manner, while jump-starting the body onto the path of long-term health and fitness.

Kathy Smith’s Project: YOU! Type 2™, by Kathy Smith

Kathy Smith’s Project: YOU! Type 2™ is a step-by-step guide to creating a healthy lifestyle for people with type 2 diabetes and anyone who wants to reduce his or her chance of getting diabetes. Developed in conjunction with doctors, certified diabetes educators, and the American Diabetes Association, this is a comprehensive program to take control of your health and your life!  This 12-week workout system comes with a cookbook, fitness & food journal, workout calendar, workout guide and a wallet to house the 8 workouts.  For more detailed information, click here to review the product page.

Total Body Solution™, by Debbie Siebers & Chad Waterbury

If minor or major post-exercise soreness has sidetracked your workout program, this program will help you get back on track. Created by Debbie Siebers and neurophysiologist Chad Waterbury, Total Body Solution™ is an incredible preventative and rehabilitative series of drills to help you recover without pain pills or chiropractic visits. Even if you’re not suffering from pain, you can use Total Body Solution as part of your warm-up to help prevent muscle strains and pains before they happen. Take control of joint and muscle health today so you can maintain your workout routine—and be comfortable doing it.

Tony and the Folks! by Tony Horton

It’s never too late to get fit!  Now there’s a great way for anyone age 55 and up, with the help of Tony Horton himself!  A fun half hour of fitness for anyone who wants to ease into a new exercise program and get results. You’ll get the heart pumping and blood flowing with each low-impact exercise presented in this program.  In just over 30 minutes, Tony & the Folks! will help you: increase energy, reduce joint stiffness, improve flexibility, strength & balance.  All the moves in this program offer alternate positions to increase or decrease the intensity. It’s truly one of the most entertaining ways to achieve and sustain a healthy lifestyle for someone new to fitness.

10-Minute Trainer®, by Tony Horton

No matter how busy you are, you can always find the time to squeeze in a 10-minute workouts.  With these breakthrough workouts and his easy-to-follow eating plan, you’ll lose weight, get toned, and have plenty of time left over!  Tony’s breakthrough Super Stacking Technique™ using resistance bands, combines the most effective moves I know into each 10-minute workout. Instead of starting with cardio, then working different body parts one at a time, he stacks them to work everything at the same time—in just 10 minutes! It’s multitasking for your muscles!

Power 90®, by Tony Horton

Total body transformation in just 90 days!!  Fat burning and total-body sculpting focused on abs, thighs, and upper body.   This in-home boot camp for dramatic body transformation uses Tony’s Sectional Progression™ technique, which gives you an effective workout in as little as 30 minutes each day.  The program comes with 4 workouts that are progressive to maximize your results and keep you active.  Plus, get a program guide, food plan and a few other special gifts thrown in for fun.  If that’s not enough, with Tony’s Fat Burning Express plan, you can lose up to 10 lbs. and 10 inches in your first 6 days!

Yoga Booty Ballet®, by Gillian Marloth & Teigh McDonough

Hollywood’s fun fitness secret combines yoga, dance, and body sculpting to blast calories and target your abs, thighs, and booty. Yoga Booty Ballet® is a dynamic fusion of yoga, booty sculpting, and dance that will make you feel strong, confident, and beautiful! You could see a dramatic difference in your body after just 2 weeks.

Turbo Jams®, by Chalene Johnson

Kickboxing and body-sculpting workouts set to the hottest dance music.  Get ready to rock your workout!  Chalene packs each workout with calorie-blasting kickboxing, body sculpting, and the hottest dance music. The “Elite 11″ signature moves are proven to burn fat and give you a sleek, sexy body and ripped, rock-hard abs.

Hip Hop Abs®, by Shaun T

Dance your way to hot, sexy abs and burn the fat off your entire body with Shaun T’s fun, exciting dance program! Using Shaun’s revolutionary Absolute Engagement™ technique, you’ll “Tilt, Tuck, & Tighten” your way to 6-pack abs without doing a single sit-up or crunch.

Rockin’ Body®, by Shaun T

Get a hot new Rockin’ Body with Shaun T’s high-octane dance party that will have you sweating off the pounds to all your favorite dance-floor hits!

P90X® Extreme Training System, by Tony Horton

P90X is not for beginners.  Designed by celebrity fitness trainer Tony Horton, P90X gets you absolutely ripped in 90 days. Through 12 sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping workouts, a comprehensive 3-phase nutrition plan, a detailed fitness guide and a calendar to track your progress, the P90X program will define muscles you’ve got and develop muscles you never knew you had. In just an hour a day, it will physically and mentally transform people from being in good shape to being outstanding athletes.  By way of Tony’s advanced training method, dubbed “Muscle Confusion”, your body or your mind, won’t get tired of the workouts, as they switch every 30 days.

Tony Horton’s One-on-One Series

Have you hit a muscle building plateau? Break through the plateau with celebrity trainer Tony Horton’s workout series Tony One-On-One. Designed to compliment or coordinate with his P90X® series, Tony’s constantly introducing new workouts will keep your muscles “confused.”  With this workout series your muscles are forced to adapt to new moves all the time, so they keep growing. Tony’s vastly successful concept of muscle confusion will get you the results you are looking for. Work out with Tony in his own gym, mano a mano. You will love to see Tony sweat and suffer, just like you. It’s like working out with a buddy!

ChaLEAN Extreme®, by Chalene Johnson

Get ready to burn fat and get lean with ChaLEAN Extreme™!  It’s a fact – the more lean muscle you have, the more fat you burn. You can burn up to 60% of your body fat in just 3 months and see visible results every 30 days—GUARANTEED!  MUSCLE BURNS FAT™! This proven circuit training technique shifts your fat-burning focus from cardio to resistance training. You’ll be lifting heavy weights in 3 phases to ignite your metabolism and burn fat long after your workout—even while you sleep!  Click here for the product sheet.

Insanity™ 60-Day Total Body Conditioning System, by Shaun T

Transform your body in 60 days with the most intense workout program ever put on DVD. Shaun T will push you past your limits to get the hardest body you’ve ever had.  The secret to these mind-blowing results: MAX Interval Training. Shaun T took traditional interval training and flipped it on its head—you perform long bursts of maximum-intensity exercises with short periods of rest. Each workout keeps you constantly challenged as you alternate between aerobic and anaerobic intervals performed at your MAX. The results: burn up to 1,000 calories an hour and get the most insane body in only 60 days.

You can view all these products and many more of the Beachbody workout systems at my Team Beachbody Store.  There is something for everyone and maybe a program that I have one that’s NOT listed here, that’s just right for you.  Go ahead, ask me to help you get started with your next fitness challenge.  And why not?  I’ll do a FREE fitness and nutrition analysis.  Who doesn’t like free?

Back in January, when a girlfriend, Adriana, and I made the commitment to run the full Seattle Rock N’ Roll Marathon, I had no idea the daunting task ahead of us.  I was ready to take on the challenge, but was not sure if I could actually pound the pavement for 26.2 miles.  I mean, that’s 26.2 miles!!!  Not a 5k, 8k or 10k, but 26.2 miles.  WOW.  But, being the competitive individual that I tend to be, I wasn’t going to let that amount of mileage bring fear and doubt into my abilities.  Just was not going to happen. 

So, with that said, how was I going to prepare for it?  Many of my friends and family asked me daily, “how are you preparing for this race?”  There was a lot of preparation involved.  Not only physical, but mental.  You have to get into that mental space to be able to prepare for such a long journey.   So, I had to have a little ‘heart-to-heart’ with myself, so I knew what was expected. 

It first started with reviewing my running schedule, as suggested and recommended by a 2-time finisher of the Seattle Marathon, and good friend of mine, Janna Fain, to follow.  She had trained vigorously with Chuckit running group.  In appreciating her advice and guidance, we quickly downloaded the schedule, posted it on my fridge and was time to get to it.  Also, I was fortunate to have met my running Coach, and now, Team Beachbody Coach, Tendi Remy, who helped me get prepared with proper nutrition and pre-event training. 

Another piece to incorporate into my training was my P90X routine.  I was obsessed and addicted to it, so in getting on the Team Beachbody message boards early on, I had learned that many race enthusiasts, had kept up with P90X to train for their respective races – whether it be a Marathon, Ironman, bike race or swimming.  PERFECT!  I was just coming off my last 90- day program of ChaLEAN Extreme, so was chomping at the bit to get back to P90X.  This was perfect timing.  So, just as I was gearing up for my longer runs, I was getting back onto my faithful 90-day regime. 

There are some that caution doing strength training while training for a race like a marathon, which I could never understand.  How could strengthening your upper & lower body and abs/core, hinder your stamina for a race??  I don’t think I could’ve made it through race day without the endurance I built from workouts such as Plyometrics (aka “jump training”), Legs & Back or the echoing remnants of Tony Horton’s famous “tips of the day”.  One of my favorites has to be “don’t smash your face” – just brilliant!  I mean, that just covers all things across the board, wouldn’t you say?  P90X’s regimented routine of muscle confusion not only can get you in great shape, but prepare you for the mental and physical hardship that one experiences in preparation for any kind of race.  A very well rounded program in any regard. 

So on with the running.   My running buddy, Adriana, and I hit the pavement every weekend and followed that schedule to a “T”.  Only until, an unforeseen back injury and elbow surgery would take my running buddy and dear friend out of the race and training, all together.  What a blow that was!  More so to her, of course, but I was crushed, as I so looked forward to our weekly run down of what the kids were up to, how life happens and get a little adult conversation in.  It was our short escape from a busy life of being Mom’s.  Sorry from then on, I had to carry the torch for us both.  I was determined. 

Going forward, I had to yet again, mentally prepare myself for the longer runs and know I was mostly doing them on my own…especially the daunting 20 mile one!!!  I’ve always felt I was a pretty strong runner, but then again, my longest distance may have been 8 miles or so, and that was usually with crowds of people cheering you on.  But, as I started to log my longer runs, I couldn’t believe the energy and stamina I had felt.  Could this been a results of P90X?  You betcha!!   

So, in response to my friends, family and WOWY workout buddies, I was confident in saying that P90X was my crutch, to get me mentally and physically prepared for the race – AND IT DID!!  I beat my goal of 4 hours and 30 mins and completed the race in just 4 hours!! 

I’m already geared up for the next race, although think I’ll shoot for a ½ marathon instead.  Lake Chelan’s Shore to Shore in September.  Any takers?? 

Oh, and my husband is going to begin training for his very first ½ marathon!  Why??  Well, it started out with his sister doubting that he could do it, so that triggered his competitive edge to accomplish it.   Go hun!!!!  I’m rooting for you and know that you can do it!  P90X, baby!  BRING IT!

One final note, the support and encouragement I received from everyone throughout my training was overwhelming.  I truly took each inspiration word, phrase, thought and gesture with me each step of the way.  I’d like to thank everyone that had faith in me that I could do it!  The power of positive thinking!