Body Beast: Beast Phase End Of Week Two

Finishing week two with cardio tomorrow morning. Lately I have begun to get bored and annoyed with eating that I went to a meat free diet yesterday just to mix it up a bit! Today's meat was grouper. Three fish tacos!

Body Beast and Shakeology BEAST Phase: Day Four

Body Beast and Shakeology BEAST Phase: Day Three

Today was the BUILD: BACK AND BIS! I am definitely burning more calories and I am lifting heavier weights than I did during the first four weeks of BUILD! In the BULK PHASE it felt that I was not burning any calories. If my heart monitor passed 300 calories burned it was very infrequently. Today I was just inder 450 calories! Back tomorrow for another update!

Body Beast And Shakeology Last Phase: Day Two

I tell you what the nutrition in the last phase is super tricky. You have such a high percentage of protein that portable foods are few and far between. Today was reaaly hard as we had an offsite meeting beginning at 1PM. My morning was so busy I dd not have time for my cans of tuna. So I drank a Shakeology and chowed chicken at our eveining dinner! Long story short...not sure of I ate enough. Tomorrow morning at 5AM, 7 hours from now, is Back/BI's. I'll let you know!!

Body Beast And Shakeology Last Phase: Day One

I have gained 7 pounds heading into the last phase of BODY BEAST. So far here are my thoughts:
...I am up a shirt size (small to medium)! THUMBS UP
...Put back an inch on my waist that Insanity and the Ultimate Reset took off THUMBS DOWN
...Love the brute strength involved of pushing weights! Old school PUMPING IRON THUMBS UP
...Really miss the cardio of other workouts (P90X, INSANITY, REVABS)
...Not enough AB WORK! THUMBS DOWN!

These last four weeks will be really interesting as the change in nutrition is dramatic. Basically super high protein and hardly a carb to be seen!
I have decided to increase my Shakeology to twice a day. Gives me additional protein an I am focused and regaining my ABS!
Today was CHEST AND TRIS from the
BUILD phase. Felt really super jacked afterwards!! Day Two tomorrow!

What's in your wallet?

It seems that everywhere you turn someone or some company is promising an easy way to lose weight without exercising. Either a shake, a pill, a belt, or a wrap. In the end if the solution does not involve exercise then run away from that infomercial! Do not waste your money! In this economy we need to keep as much in our wallet as possible. So choose you program or weight loss solution wisely.

THE REST DAY JINX

Of course as luck would have it the day after my rest day I came down with a stomach bug! So Day 1 if this week is officially my rest day unless I double up over the weekend :)
Workout smart my friends! And stay thirsty!

Feel pain? Should you workout?

The empty workout room (see picture). This is how this room will spend Sunday. Why? I woke up with a slight lower back ache and today is back. Its probably just stiff but why tempt fate.
It's okay to skip a day if you're nursing pain or perhaps you are mentally not prepared.
In most programs you are given a rest day. This makes it easy to occasionally postpone a workout.
So be smart and workout wisely.

LAST DAY OF THE MONTH

If you think about it only the calendar says its the last day of the month. Why not make today the FIRST day of something awesome. A new workout, a new way if eating, or just a new approach and attitude to your day? It's really all up to you.

LACK OF SLEEP TRANSLATES TO WEIGHT GAIN

Snooze more to weigh less. Lack of sleep makes us hungrier and less active. The result: We end up eating more and burning fewer calories.

Keep your weight in check by getting a good night’s rest. Lack of sleep packs a double whammy on the waistline by increasing our appetite while discouraging physical activity. As we all know, even one night of tossing and turning can leave us tired and lethargic. Researchers found that people who didn’t get enough shut-eye moved less and burned fewer calories. Being poorly rested also stimulates the hunger hormone ghrelin, which jacks up our appetites and makes it harder to resist overeating. Some research even suggests that there may be a link between the number of hours we sleep, and obesity and diabetes — with people who sleep the least being at greater risk for both. If your sleep habits aren’t what you’d like them to be, talk to your doctor.

NO REST ON MY REST DAY

Have you ever worked out on your rest day? Is that bad? Not necessarily.
It's okay to do this occasionally but definitely don't make a habit of it. But when you do it make it a less strenuous workout so your body can moderately recover. As you know I'm in the middle of BODY BEAST. So my workout of choice today was AB RIPPER X!

Do You Have Enough To Eat?

If you work away from the house you know what a pain it is to prepare your meals for the day. HINT: OVER PREPARE!!
Always take more than you need or keep some emergency items always at work. It's horrible to stay a lot later at work and miss your dinner schedule or have a lunch cancel on you and then have to find somewhere to eat.
Working out hard also means being a great planner!

School is Back

Those of us with kiddos are now experiencing the fun of going back to school! Dragging little ones out of bed, dealing with buses, etc..But another unwelcome guest is the germs your kids being home! Increase your immune system strength by maintaining a good diet and getting lots of sleep. This will help you stay on track with your workouts and also allow you to help your little ones heal while you stay healthy! Good luck!

Body Beast Day 39 Cardio Abs

Over ate yesterday. All healthy just a lot! Woke up full this morning so this was a harder than usual workout 😣 But I did it!
So how many of YOU DO IT when you don't want to?

Over Carbed

So today I really wanted to focus on my protein fat carb intake. I do this normally out of habit but today decided to do some counting. It's about 1:30pm and I am super sleepy!! Yup way too many carbs. Hopefully Shakeology and my protein bar will get be back in track for the rest of the day.

Body Beast Report Week 5

On my fifth week and the effects are coming. My muscle mass is increasing but I have a problem. My metabolism is naturally slow. So all these carb calories are taking some of my AB definition away 😒 I'm going to try to fit in some additional cardio and abs which may take away from my muscle growth. I'll check in with you next week!

Eating Healthy. Where do I start?

Most people are creatures of habit. We go to the grocery store on the same day every week and fill our carts with the same stuff. If it’s Monday, chicken's for dinner and Wednesday always means spaghetti. We are comforted with knowing what to expect—even if our meals aren’t that exciting, we know what we’re going to eat.

That’s what makes eating healthier so scary sometimes. We are so used to eating a certain way that we rarely think about what we’re actually putting into our bodies. So to eat a healthier diet means actually waking up and paying attention to what's on your plate.

Make Healthy Eating a Habit
Eating healthier doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If you want to adopt healthy habits that will last, then the easiest way to do it is by making small, gradual changes. Don’t expect too much from yourself too soon—it takes about a month for any new action to become habit.

Before you start making any changes to your diet, take a week or two to observe your current eating habits. Track everything that goes in your mouth, including drinks and treats, no matter how small. Keeping a food journal will really open your eyes—realizing that you ate 10 cookies over the course of the week might make you think twice before reaching into the cookie jar again tonight, for example. You might not realize how bad your present eating habits are until you see an unhealthy pattern right there in black and white. Once you see that some changes are in order, then you're ready to take the next steps.

Small Changes Mean Big Rewards
If you can't stand the taste of broccoli, then vowing to eat it more often is pretty unrealistic. But if increasing the number of vegetables you eat each day is one of your goals, start by finding a few different ones that you can painlessly work into your diet. Make sure you select a variety of colors (dark green, red, orange, etc.) to get the most nutrients per bite. Add some shredded carrots to your muffin batter or top your pizza with fresh tomatoes, for example.

If you know you need to eat more fruit, start by adding some sliced bananas to your cereal in the morning or bake an apple with a bit of brown sugar for a yummy, low-cal dessert. Fresh berries and yogurt make a nice, light breakfast or snack too.

As you adopt this new style of eating, you will find that your food preferences will gradually change—when you cut out high-sugar, high-fat goodies, your cravings will actually go away in time. Your body wants healthy food!

One of the biggest challenges to eating healthier is finding substitutions for existing foods in your diet. Here are some tips to make the transition easier:
Use mustard instead of mayo on your sandwiches. You’ll get lots of flavor with much fewer calories and fat.

Select whole wheat bread over white bread. Be sure to read the label to ensure you’re getting whole grains, not just colored white bread.

Eat the white meat of turkey or chicken, which is lower in fat than dark meat, red meat and pork. Animal fat is the number one dietary source of unhealthy saturated fat.

Start using lean ground beef, pork tenderloin or fish instead of high-fat cuts of meat.

Change your cooking methods. Bake, grill or broil your meals instead of frying. Use non-stick sprays—or better yet, non-stick pans—instead of oil.

Drink more water. Slowly reduce the amount of soda you drink and replace it with herbal tea or water. Aim for eight cups of pure water each day.

Don't drink your calories. Eat a whole orange instead of drinking a glass of juice, for example. Real food is usually more filling and more nutritious than juices, fruit drinks, and other high-calorie beverages.

Serve sauces and dressings on the side. Dip your fork into the sauce, then dip your fork into the food. You’ll still have the flavor but with fewer calories.

Gradually switch to skim milk. Milk commonly comes in four varieties: whole (4% fat), 2%, 1% and skim (0% fat). Gradually wean yourself from the higher-fat varieties to the lower fat milk every two weeks. For example: continue drinking your normal 2% milk for two weeks, then move to 1% for two weeks, and then your palate will be ready for the consistency of skim milk.

Switch from full-fat cheeses to reduced-fat or fat-free cheeses the same way you would with milk (see tip above).

Order vegetables on the side instead of fries. Flavor them with lemon juice or herbs instead of butter.

Snack on fruit and nuts instead of sugary treats. The fiber, protein and healthy fats in this combo will sustain you to your next meal and you won’t have the energy slump that comes after eating candy.

Reduce your portion size. Most people will eat whatever amount of food is in front of them, so start putting your meals on smaller plates. You will be just as satisfied because your mind "sees" that you’re eating a full plate of food.
Eating a healthier diet doesn’t have to mean deprivation. You don’t have to cut out your favorite foods completely—you just have to make a few changes. Treat yourself to a mini chocolate bar instead of a full-sized one, for example. By trying to eat the most nutritious foods possible, you are creating a healthy lifestyle that will help you reach your best weight. You deserve the very best!

Working Parents Influences the Health of Your Family

With the increased hours in the workplace it is is no surprise that we are seeing decreases in the amount of time parents spend with their children. And when there do spend time with them is it quality time? More often than not parents get home from work, rush a dinner together, help the children with their homework, watch the television, and go to bed. This becomes the norm Monday through Friday of any given year. So what can be done to change this?
Time spent at home can be translated to quality of life. So how can this be accomplished? I would argue that if one of the spouses in the home earns less than $30,000 annually, then that income can potentially be replaced through a work from home opportunity. I would strongly advise avoiding any offers to "make money easy online" or "get rich quick" schemes out there.  This will most often result in a situation worse than the one currently existing. Personally for me it was becoming associated with Beachbody. I believe and use their fitness products, and have no problem sharing those with other people. You have the ability for an incredible income stream but there is work involved. For folks who are people persons and care about health this is a perfect fit. Done right, this opportunity can create a situation where you earn amounts equal to what you were earning in Corporate America with significantly less hours. The combination of which can directly and positively influence your family's health.
In my opening statement I also mentioned the eating on the run mentality. How we provide nutrients into our bodies affects how we behave throughout the day. A diet a fast food on a daily basis with little to no exercise most often leads to giant mood swings. Bringing those home in the evening is a huge blow to the family cohesiveness.So how does this change? Obviously changing your diet. I am not suggesting to become Vegan or go for some cabbage and tomato soup diet. But I am suggesting that you begin in baby steps. My wife and I did this two years ago. We began using Shakeology. This is not a weight loss shake, or an energy drink. Instead it's a glass of nutrients described as Superfoods in Oprah magazine. Shakeology provides us with five servings of veggies in one glass. What it also did was satiate us so we were not reaching for chips or fast food. Over time our desire and cravings for those disappeared entirely. We started eating lean meats, fruits, and veggies. Our children as well.
So in closing you can control how you choose to affect your family. Take care of yourself and them physically, financially, and emotionally.

Body Beast Legs 2nd Week

Well apparently my week 1 attempt was not challenging enough because in week two I really felt up against it! I increase my weights across the board so that the step up lunges were physically exhausting! It really made me miss the P90X2 version. My legs are my weakness and I think Body Beast will really increase their size. Bye bye chicken legs LOL!

Body Beast Recap Week One: Muscle Weight Beginning

PX90 or P90X? Which Workout is Better?

They both are! P90X is for anyone who has the capability to lift a weight. If you give P90X 90 days of dedication and proper eating you will see a transformation in your body. But what is critical is that you modify modify modify! If you go into the program thinking that you can rip off 8-20 pull ups right out of the box and you have mot attempted a pull up since junior high gym class the program will be an epic fail! You need to just take your time and stay within yourself. When I started I became frustrated because I could not do more than three pullups. I almost quit. But something inside told me to stick it out. So I switched to resistance bands. I used those and felt like a total weakling for 60 days. On day 60 I decided to try pull ups again. To my surprise I did 8 fairly easily.
Give youself a chance to become stronger by knowing your weaknesses and you will fall in love with the program. Improve your chances through a Challenge Pack. The P90X program and Shakeology and support! Fitness + Nutrition + Support = Success!

Getting My Beast On and RevAbs too!

Well starting next week I will be starting two new programs. Body Beast and RevAbs. I may be pushing myself too much but I just turned 48 last Sunday and see this as a window of sorts. Here's what I mean.

I look around at people my age who do not eat right, are overweight, and do not exercise. What I see is that not only are many of them battling health problems but so many look to be at least ten years older than me.

I know genetics plays a large part in this and perhaps some environmental factors but do they not realize the risks they have put themselves and their family in?

These people will tell you that at the end of our life we wll face the same certainty..death. But if that's the destination shouldn't we enjoy the journey. And if we enjoy the journey shouldn't we make it last as long as we can?

Well for that reason I am going to push my body to see what it is capable of. Wth God's help I'll come through unharmed and healthier.

Let me know your thoughts. I'll VLOG as much as I can on my YouTube channel RoadstoFitness

My first blog! This is awesome. Tomorrow will be the first detailed one!