"Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin"

Hey All! I know it's been a while since I last wrote but I haven't had anything to spark my mind until NOW!

I found this article called "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin" through an accredited website (TIME) and my mind has never been so baffled! I wasn't going to add the link because I didn't want anyone to get discouraged about exercising but I decided that I have to add it so you all get my point, so here it is: Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin. If you chose not to read the article than I will sum it up for you: Exercising will only make you more hungry and make your self control "muscle" more weak causing you to overindulge in foods like french fries, muffins and Starbucks. Exercising is the cause of obesity and will only put your body under stressful situations. You will be much better off to take a stroll around your neighborhood and eat as you please than to put yourself through the stress of exercising.
What do you think about that?! If only being healthy and fit was as easy as a stroll around the neighborhood! This article makes me laugh because it chooses to skimp out on the most important factor of getting results which is a well balanced diet. The fact of the matter is, exercise alone will not make you thin, but exercise combined with a well balanced diet will get you into great shape. (I choose not to use the word thin because not everyone's body is the same, some people will be in great shape but not have the stereotypical "thin" image.) Millions of people in the US are obese because they do as the article says and they live their lifestyle the same way they always have, if the article is right then why are they obese? The fact is, the only way to lose weight and be healthy is to burn more calories than you consume all while eating a healthy, well balanced diet and the only way to eat a healthy well balanced diet is to have some self control! It is a challenge to have self control when just starting, but as soon as you get in the habit it comes natural. Once you start seeing results from your self control (which will come in no time!) it makes you want to keep it up even more! I hope everyone is getting the results that they have been looking for in their workouts. Whether you have created your own workout or are using a Beachbody program feel free to ask me any questions that you may have. Don't get discouraged and be sure to keep eating clean for maximum results. Remember, eating is 80% of your results but you still need that extra 20% of exercise to finish it up for 100%!

Shakeology!

I kept hearing about Shakeology and all of it's benefits. Each day I was more and more tempted to buy it but A) I really don't have that kind of money and B) I don't do vitamins, supplements or meal replacements! I get my vitamins from my every day foods! So I went and read some people's reviews and I watched the webinar and I was hooked. Can this drink really give me energy, curb my junk food cravings, make me more regular all while giving me all me vitamins, minerals and nutrients to help my body perform more efficiently?? I had to try it to find out!

I made the splurge and purchased the Chocolate flavor. As soon as I saw that package on the porch I had to try it and I must say it was pretty tasty. Sure it has a light vitaminy taste but you taste chocolate more than anything else. I now throw a half a banana in it to diminish the vitaminy taste and it is soo yummy! I also sometimes put a tablespoon of peanut butter in it for a chocolate peanut butter shake which is also delich!

As far as the boost in energy, the curbing of cravings, the regularity..it's all true!! When I am using Shakeology my body feels right. I just feel different, I can't explain it. Everything seems to be working as it should be. I'm lactose-intolerant and have a sensitive stomach which drives me nuts normally but Shakeology seems to settle it all some how. I am also a ball of energy when using Shakeology! When I'm at home I'm literally jumping around ready to go do some P90X! It's so funny but such a great feeling. I am now a believer in everything that they say Shakeology does!

So How does it work??

A daily shake helps your body gently eliminate toxins more efficiently while allowing for better absorption of the essential nutrients you need. A proprietary blend of digestive enzymes and prebiotics helps your body progressively eliminate the toxins that build up over time from eating today’s highly processed foods.

At the same time, whole-food ingredients deliver the essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals your body needs to curb cravings, allowing your body to shed stored fat while the more than 20 different antioxidants and phytonutrients help reduce free radical damage that can lead to heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and stroke.

What is in it?

More than 70 different ingredients chosen from around the world for their potency and bioavailability (the ability to deliver the nutrients your body needs). Here are the key nutrient groups that these ingredients deliver:*

Protein and Essential Amino Acids to help build long, lean muscles and reduce food cravings
Prebiotics and Digestive Enzymes, which aid in improving digestion, regularity, and nutrient absorption
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients to help counteract free radical damage that can lead to degenerative diseases
Vitamins and Minerals your body needs to function for optimal health

Unbelievable huh?! It's one incredible shake for only $4 a meal!

If you're interested, there's an amazing deal right now for FREE SHIPPING and Two FREE Workout DVDs! Doesn't get much better than that!

No Need to Overeat this 4th of July!

The Fourth of July is coming soon and that means picnics and BBQ's for most of us, yay! But if your friends and family are anything like mine, then that means tons of food and overeating! Just remember, it doesn't have to be that way. Be conscious of what you're eating over the holiday weekend so you stay on track in your workout program. Who wants to put all that hard work into their workouts just to blow it all in one day?! Not me! Some ways to do this are bringing your own meat. Chicken is great on the grill, low in fat, high in protein and a much healthier choice than 32 grams of fat per hamburger or 16+ grams of fat per hot dog. If you're in a hamburger mood, bring some turkey burgers, they're delich! I recommend checking the nutritional facts before you buy, some brands, believe it or not, have double the fat than others. Snack on fruits and vegetables throughout the day rather than fatty desserts that might be laying around. If you're anything like me and can't avoid the dessert table, just limit yourself, don't overdo it. It's ok to indulge every now and then in moderation. And one last tip to avoid overeating: stay active! Get involved in what's going on at the picnic. Play volleyball, go swimming, keep moving! Not only will it keep you away from the food, you will continue to burn calories and that's our goal!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday!!

P90X - Two Weeks In!

Hey All!

I had been doing P90X inconsistently for approximately one month and made the decision to get serious three weeks ago. At two weeks I had already had amazing results and I wanted to share it with you.

I lost 2 3/4" in my waist, 2 1/4" in my hips and gained 1 inch in my thighs! As long as it's muscle I don't mind gaining it :) As for the rest of my upper body, they have reamined the same. But two weeks in, this is amazing if you ask me!

Here's Day 1 and Day 15

Supplements, supplements, supplements!

I had never been a believer in supplements; I thought that whatever your body needs for vitamins and nutrients it will derive from the foods that we eat and not from some pill or powder; powders and pills seemed so unnatural! I thought that if people back in the day lived only off of the food that they grew and ate then why should we do things any differently? Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that these days we simply do not have the time to get the nutrients that our bodies need. Instead of home grown food, we have turned to fast, processed foods which are great in convenience but lacking in nutrition. For these reasons, supplements have become a necessity to our health, especially if you're an active individual.

There seems to be a supplement out there for everything! So how do we know which ones we should be taking and which ones we could live without? We want to make sure we take the ones that are going to fill our nutritional gaps and maximize our fitness gain. To help you in your decisions I have discussed the core supplements needed for our day to day health while maximizing our fitness gain.

Vitamins and minerals are essential to our diet. When we work out, our body is under stress and damage occurs. Without a proper diet your body does not receive the nutrients it needs to recover which is why vitmins and minerals play such an important role.

Vitamins
* Play critical roles in post-exercise soreness and recovery
* Resist infections
* Maintain integrity of white and red blood cells
* Antioxidants found in vitamins and minerals - play important role in supporting immune function
- repair oxidative damage caused from exercising
* So many benefits that I'll have you here for days! Check out the chart for more benefits!

Beachbody offers ActiVit which provides a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals along with crotonate to assist in cellular recovery.

Omega-3 is another necessity for our core nutrition, especially when active. Omega-3 is great for blood circulation and also is a great anti-inflammatory when doing intense workout programs such as Beachbody's P90X.


Calcium and Magnesium go hand in hand which is why Beachbody offers the Cal-Mag supplement. As most of us have heard while growing up, we needed to drink our milk (calcium) to get our bones big and strong! Even as we get older, our calcium intake is essential to our health. Although our bones have stopped growing, they continue to change and are in need of calcium on a daily basis to stay strong. While calcium helps maintain the strength of our bones, magnesium is necessary to aid in the absorption of calcium into our bones. Magnesium also has many other benefitting factors:

* Helps stabilize the rhythm of our heart while helping prevent blood clotting
* Helps maintain proper muscle function
* Assists in brain and nerve function

Beachbody offers a Core Nutrtion Pack which includes ActiVit, Omega-3 and Cal-Mag for optimum nutrition. Take a look at the website for more information.

Protein is extremely important to the health of our muscles. Protein:

* Supplies building blocks for tissue repair, growth and maintenance.
* Allows you to burn fat, rather than muscle when on a low calorie diet.

When on a regular workout program, our bodies go through a good amount of stress and damage. In order to repair this damage, we need protein. While active, we should be consuming 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day to continue muscle growth and fat loss. In order to meet this nutritional requirement, Beachbody has created a Whey Protein Powder made from concentrate.

Beachbody Whey Protein is:

* Sweetened with fructose to keep our blood sugar levels stable
* Made from concentrate rather than isolate to keep the immune factors in
* Needed for your body to produce the best results possible

The supplements mentioned in the above are for our Core Nutrition. Meaning that this is what our bodies need on a daily basis to burn fat and perform optimally while consuming a well balanced diet. Your Core Nutrition is the building blocks of all nutrition. Keep this in mind and make sure your body is receiving the daily nutrients it needs to perform. Take a look at Beachbody's products for more information: www.beachbodycoach.com/jessle830

A P90X Fan that We All Know!

Ok so I'm not as good with all this computer stuff as I thought I was and it won't let me imbed the video like I'd like to do soo click on the link and check it out!!

It's Sheryl Crow at the Grammy's talking about the one and only P90X!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEUPf4JUoW4

The Truth About Carbs

It seems like ever since the Atkins Diet many of us are under the impression that carbohydrates are nothing but bad for us! Believe it or not though, the right carbohydrates are good for us and they are what keep our bodies going from day to day. Carbohydrates provide energy to every single cell in our bodies and allow us to perform daily functions such as thinking, breathing, digestion and all other physical activities. Without them we wouldn't be much more than a bump on a log!

Unfortunately, there are carbohydrates that do not benefit our bodies. Let's get the bad news out of the way first...

Simple Carbohydrates are composed of 1 or 2 sugar units and they are the carbs that give carbs a bad name! Simple carbohydrates tend to lead to cravings and overeating. They can also alter your blood sugar levels which can cause mood swings. And as if that isn't enough, they also have the ability to cause weight gain. These, for obvious reasons, are the carbohydrates that everyone fears! Here are some examples of the bad for you simple carbohydrates:

Table sugar
Corn syrup
Fruit juice
Candy
Cake
Bread made with white flour
Pasta made with white flour
Soda pop, such as Coke®, Pepsi®, Mountain Dew®, etc.
Candy
All baked goods made with white flour
Most packaged cereals

Now that we got the bad news out of the way, lets hear some good news!

Complex Carbohydrates are made up of numerous sugar units which take longer to breakdown and therefore help in stabilizing your blood sugar level. This process leaves more carbohydrates for burning and leaves fewer carbohydrates to be stored as fat. They also keep your energy at an even level and make you feel full for a longer period of time in comparison to simple carbohydrates. Many complex carbohydrates contain minerals, vitamins, fibers and other nutrients which are all necessesary to promote good health in our bodies. Here are some examples of the good for you complex carboydrates:

Spinach
Whole Barley
Grapefruit
Buckwheat
Apples
Lettuce
Apricots, Dried
Zucchini
Oatmeal
Pears
Asparagus
Oat bran cereal
Plums
Strawberries
Okra
Wild rice
Oranges
Cabbage
Brown rice
Multi-grain bread
Carrots
Cucumbers
Potatoes
Dill Pickles
Yogurt, low fat
Soybeans
Skim milk
Broccoli
Kidney beans
Soy milk
Tomatoes

Now that we know the difference in carbohydrates, how do we avoid the bad ones??

In order to stay away from simple carbohydrates get in the habit of reading labels. Ingredients such as sugar, sucrose, corn syrup or wheat flour scream "SIMPLE CARBS!!". We want to be sure to avoid them. Also try to avoid processed and refined foods. Instead of reaching for a glass of "fruit juice"(which is usually loaded with sugar and corn syrup), reach for a piece of fruit. Instead of chex mix, have whole wheat crackers, or even better, have a serving of vegetables. Instead of packaged cereal, have whole grain oatmeal. Getting the hang of it yet?

And one last important part of keeping carbohydrates a healthy part of your diet: know how many calories your body needs each day to function! Once you have figured out your caloric needs, stick to the amount your body requires. If you are looking to lose weight than eat less than the required amount. If you are looking to gain weight than eat more than what is required. And if you are looking to maintain your weight than eat no more or less than the required amount.

Not sure how to figure out your caloric requirements?? Team Beachbody offers a low cost membership that can help you learn about your bodies nutritional needs, calculate your caloric needs based upon your activity level, give you a personal coach to help you reach your goals and so much more! Check it out! www.beachbodycoach.com/jessle830.

Now the truth is out there! There is no reason to fear weight gain when eating carbohydrates as long as you are A) eating the right kind of carbohydrates and B) consuming your recommended amount of calories. Just stick to complex carbohydrates and your body will surely benefit in more ways than one!