What Workout will Work for ME?

This is a question I get a lot.

I mean it's either cardio or strength training or both - right? Well, at a high level, sure. But if you really want your workouts to be the most effective, understanding the type of cardio and strength training you're doing is key.

Wait, the hours on the treadmill or stair climber and doing countless sets of heavy lifting isn't going to get me where I want to be?

Let me explain. Sure, walking, running, stairs and weight lifting are all great exercises.

BUT.

There are some really effective concepts that are utilized in exercise, workout and training programs that can increase your results and performance so I wanted to talk about them here. You'll see that I reference some workout programs that utilize each specific concept but it's only because these are the programs that I am most familiar with and know deliver results, there may certainly be many others as well.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) - Exercising at your max in short (less than 1 minute) intervals improves aerobic and anaerobic energy release and cranks up your body’s metabolism to burn calories faster. So you burn more stored body fat to help you recover from the workout. This occurs because the intense intervals fatigue your muscle groups. In turn, your body works overtime to replenish the tired muscles with oxygen, creating the AfterBurn Effect, which can last for up to 24 hours after you’ve finished class. The AfterBurn Effect means you actually continue to burn calories for hours after your workout is over.

HIIT burns up to 9x more fat and calories than traditional cardio. Hello! Who doesn't want that?

Turbo Fire uses these HIIT moves known as “Fire Drills" where unlike traditional cardio, HIIT means working out at your max in up to 1-minute intervals. Even after you’re done with class, your body continues to burn calories for up to a 24-hour period. This means 4 minutes of HIIT can be more effective than 30 to 45 minutes on a treadmill or stair climber.

MAX Interval Training - long bursts of ultra-high intensity moves at your maximum exertion level followed by brief periods of rest. Due to this fact, each workout keeps your body fully engaged as you rotate between aerobic and anaerobic intervals. Max Interval training increases your RMR (Resting Metabolic rate) which in terms continues to aid in burning fat longer than just while you are working out. Hours after finishing your workout you would be burning calories at a higher rate than normal. It is the High intensity workout’s that aid in raising the RMR similar to what having more lean muscle mass does from lifting weights and you additionally get this from your workouts during Insanity. By creating leaner muscles you aid in the increase in your RMR.

INSANITY uses MAX Interval Training which replaces your moderate intensity exercise with maximum-intensity exercise, and your short intervals of intensity with short periods of rest. Adding high-intensity exercise, during which your heart rate is raised to 80 percent or more of its maximum capacity, forces your body to use fast-twitch muscle fibers not normally engaged in cardio exercise. These fast-twitch fibers continue burning extra fuel even during lower-intensity exercise.

Muscle Confusion - Also known as periodization, muscle confusion is a systematic variation in resistance training program; periodically varying program variables such as type of exercise, training weight (resistance),position, number of sets, rest interval between sets etc. Our bodies will quickly adapt to an exercise routine and resist responding when it knows what's coming. We can prevent this "plateau effect" by continually challenging the body to reach its maximum potential. Since it's impossible to continually improve at the same rate over long-term training, properly varying the training variables can limit training plateaus, maximize performance, and reduce the likelihood of over-training.

P90X utilizes muscle confusion and gives you intense cross-training with 5 hard-core resistance routines, 3 fat-scorching cardio routines, and 2 ab-ripping routines, as well as extreme yoga and advanced flexibility. You work all your muscles, from every possible angle, using many different techniques. Whether you want to lean out, bulk up, or get ripped, there are endless ways to mix and match the routines to keep you motivated.

Post-­Activation Potentiation (PAP)- Doing a weighted resistance exercise prior to an explosive one can increase the amount of power produced.

Prior heavy loading induces a high degree of central nervous system stimulation, resulting in greater motor unit recruitment and force, which can last from five-to-thirty minutes; PAP intervention enhances the H-reflex, thus increasing the efficiency and rate of the nerve impulses to the muscle. HUH?

In laymen terms, this means that doing heavy lifting prior to explosive activity can actually help you fire higher threshold muscle cell motor units which, even even simpler terms, means that you will jump higher, run faster, or life more weight.

P90X2 is the next wave in applied science for body transformation takes P90x Muscle Confusion™ to a new level, focusing on strength, balance, mobility and explosive power. It takes the principles and foundation of the P90X concept and cranks up the intensity with exercises that demand balance, agility, and athleticism.

If you have questions, feel free to comment and I'd be happy to help!

Sales without Selling

If you're involved in a company or position that involves sales - you've got to know how to sell without selling. There are very few people who aren't very annoyed by the over zealous salesman who wants to know 'How can I get you in this car today?'!

So how do you make that happen?

Focus - First, stop thinking about you and focus on what they need.
Get to know them. Ask them what they're looking for and what their goals are. Only when you understand what they need, can you make the proper recommendations.

Empathize - If you've really listened to them, then you've heard any frustrations they may have and you can show empathy. Share a similar situation, and how something helped you, but don't take the spotlight off them.


Be honest - Share what works for you, and how the products may help them as well. But don't over endorse your product or set the expectation way over the limit. Explain what it will help with, compare it to other products, even point out the pros AND cons, just be honest.

When people know that you truly have their best interest at heart, and they can trust you, they won't just buy something this time, they will be a client for life.

How to plan your meals for weightloss

If you're thinking about losing a few pounds, there are a few ingredients you need to ensure your success. Of course you need to have an exercise program scheduled in your week, complete with resistance, stretching, and cardio training. BUT, I'd like to focus mostly on how to organize and plan what you should be eating throughout the day to make those strides towards your goals in weight loss.



If you are like me on the days you haven't planned what you will eat, you may be likely to either skip eating or grab a bunch of empty calorie foods or a boat load of pretzels. Planning and being prepared is key.

One of my tricks is to stay as consistent in what I eat from each day. Now if you are a person that likes creativity and variety, then I suggest you plan out a couple of days and then just rotate around them until you get in the habit of knowing how to pair up the foods you eat and the portion sizes. But for me, creature of habit. I'm pretty much good with the same thing everyday.

General rule of thumb is to choose foods you actually like to eat, and yes, healthy foods. Additionally, my suggestions below may not fit exactly in your dietary guidelines, and always suggest checking with your doctor.

But in general, you need to eat carbs, protein, and fats. Your life is not living a lifestyle if you omit a food group so you can quickly lose weight. I am not a fan of the no carb diets. Your body needs carbs as well as good fats. I'm a mom of 2 toddlers, married, running my own home business, as well as working professionally in the fitness world. I don't have a lot of time to "think" about what I want to eat. These are my general guidelines:

1. Find out how many calories you should be eating for your body type, weight, and goals (maintenance & weight loss) On average- decrease by 500 calories from maintenance to lose 1 lb per week.
2. Once you know what your caloric goal for the entire day should be, divide up those calories into 5-6 meals. Then just choose serving sizes and foods each time you eat to fit that caloric range.
   
   1. If I'm on a 1800 calorie diet and eat 6 meals a day, then each time I eat- I'll eat about 300 calories each meal.
3. Always choose protein, carbs, and sometimes fats.
   
   1. Suggest eating 1-2 times a day of good fat. (Avocado, Olive Oil, Peanut Butter, Almonds.)
4. Eat your starchy whole grain carbs in your first meals and switch to the fibrous carbs in the afternoon for the later meals.
   
   1. Starchy Whole Grain- Oatmeal, Whole Grain breads (be sure it doesn't say enriched wheat)
   2. Fibrous Carbs- Vegetables are best choices (green) limit too many fruits.
5. Be sure to always eat every 2 1/2 – 3 hours. Fuel your metabolism!

The quality of the food you choose will be your focus as well. When selecting your protein sources, be sure to choose lean meats prepared broiled, baked, or grilled. The more processing to the meat, the higher chance it's not a good food choice. Also, you want to stay clear of deli meats. Those have a lot of preservatives and are not the best choice of meats to choose from. Only select that option if you are in need of something quick.

I personally supplement my meals as well so I'm not always "preparing". I personally use meal replacement bars like Kashi but additionally everyday, I at least have 1 or 2 Shakeology shakes.

I know I'm getting the delivery of all my fruits and vegetables, probiotics, prebiotics, daily vitamins, and many rare ingredients I just couldn't possible eat or fit in my day. It's easier sometimes to just have a quick shake as well so your body is processing food. I personally chose to be a rep with this company because of this product, but I would suggest it no matter. If you want to know more about it or try a sample for taste, let me know.

Your main goal is to have your body run like a fire. Keep throwing small pieces of wood on it to keep the fire burning! Rather than 1 big load, which will extinguish your fire (metabolism) If you feed your body small mini meals, the fire of your metabolism starts working for you and increases caloric burn.

Also, don't be so hard on yourself! Allow for moments of sweet tooth fulfillment!. Just jump back on your schedule. The more strict you are in your diet for too long of a time, the higher the chance you will go off on a binge and throw it out the window. So schedule in those days of indulgence. Maybe exercise a bit more that day or cut back the calories in the day leading and following. Be flexible, and know this is a lifestyle. We're human, and as long as you keep working to see what works best for your lifestyle and to see that improvement, you will get there.

School days, School days...Reading, and Writing and...it's a little scary!

OK, so it's probably more scary for the parents sending their kids off for the first time than it is for the kids! My husband and I are preparing to send our 1st born, 5 year old Johnny to kindergarten in just a couple of weeks. We can never know exactly how our children will react when the moment comes, but we can do our best in preparing them.

Here are some tips we're using -

Talk to them - Like about how fun and exciting its going to be with new friends, and learning new things! Always talk with a lot of enthusiasm so they feel how you're feeling when the subject comes up.

Time away - They say its a good idea to prepare kids for being away from home and their parents by setting up times for them to be away from home; staying with a relative or at Grandma's or something. We don't have relatives nearby, but we do have both kids go to the daycare/pre-school twice a week as we work from home. They have adjusted there well, and look forward to it, so hopefully this will help Johnny do the same with school. This has also helped them learn how to interact with other children, to play, to share and participate.

Know the facts - Help them memorize the basics - name, address, phone number, body parts etc so they are confident when the teacher asks questions. Also use different opportunities to continually practice counting, colors and alphabet without them knowing like identifying letters on labels when shopping or putting away groceries, or counting cars when driving, or colors of cars and reading billboards. They may already know most of it, but just going over it really reassures them and gives them confidence.

Let them bring something from home - For my son it's probably a super hero action figure or something he loves, but I think letting them take a little something from home with home gives them a little sense of security.

Here's a picture of my son Johnny and I at his Pre-K graduation. Ok, deep breath - here we go - this is really gonna happen!! I'd love to hear any tips you have in preparing your kids for school, whether its their first year or not. Let me know!

Active Military can be a Beacbody Coach FREE?!

Are you or your spouse an active member of the military? Have you heard about the awesome opportunity Beachbody has created just for you to help you get physically and financially fit? You can get P90X, Insanity and all of the Beachbody workouts, along with Shakeology and all of the amazing nutritionals and supplements all at 25% discount - with no membership fees at all! Check out some of the info below and get in touch with me to get started!

• What is the Beachbody Military program for our Independent Team Beachbody Coaches?

Beachbody is excited to offer this great program for our Coaches who are actively serving in our military. If you are an active member of the military and newly enrolling as a Beachbody Coach, the cost of your business starter kit ($39.95) and your monthly business service fee ($14.95) will be waived for the duration of your active duty orders. If you are already a Beachbody Coach and on active duty, your monthly business service fee will be waived for the duration of your active duty orders. In either case, if your active orders have no stated end date, your business service fee will be waived for a minimum of two years.

• I’m a Beachbody Coach and I’ve got friends in the military who would like to enroll as an Independent Team Beachbody Coach. What’s my next step?

It’s always a great idea to share as much information about this opportunity with your prospective Coach prior to their enrollment. Giving them a chance to review more about being a Coach can help ensure they’re well informed. Once they’ve decided to join our Coach network, you’ll want them to complete the Coach application, and submit the completed Coach application, together with a copy of their active duty orders, to our Coach Relations team for further review and processing. Paperwork may be submitted to our secure fax at (213) 201-7225 or by email to coachrelations@teambeachbody.com. If we need any further information to verify a new Coach’s active duty status, we will reach out to them directly.

• I’m active military and I’d like to become an Independent Team Beachbody Coach. How do I enroll?

Please complete the Coach application, and submit the completed Coach application, together with a copy of your active duty orders or any suitable verification of your status, such as a copy of your military ID or your BIR, to our Coach Relations team for further review and processing. Paperwork may be submitted to our secure fax at (213) 201-7225 or by email to coachrelations@teambeachbody.com. If we need any further information to verify a new Coach’s active duty status, we will reach out to you directly.

• Both I and my spouse are active military. May we both enroll as Independent Team Beachbody Coaches and have our fees waived?

Yes, if you and your spouse are both active military, you may each enroll as an Independent Team Beachbody Coach, and each of you is eligible to have your basic enrollment fee of $39.95 and your monthly business service fee waived. Both of you will need to complete our Coach application and submit the application along with the verification of your active status.

• I’m active duty military however my spouse would like to enroll as an Independent Team Beachbody Coach. Is this possible?

Yes, absolutely. If you are active duty military and are not a Beachbody Coach, your spouse is welcome to take advantage of this benefit. If your spouse is enrolling as a Coach rather than you, your spouse will need to submit a copy of your active duty orders or other suitable paperwork, in order to qualify for this waiver. In this particular case, the name on the Coach account will be the enrolling spouse.

• I’m active duty military. Can anyone other than my spouse enroll as a Coach based on my status?

No. As an active member of the military, either you or your spouse may enroll as an Independent Team Beachbody Coach to take advantage of this waiver of standard fees. If you and your spouse both wish to enroll as Independent Team Beachbody Coaches, and only one of you is an active member of the military, only one of you would qualify to have your standard enrollment fee of $39.95 and your monthly business service fee waived.

• I’m active duty military and I’m already an Independent Team Beachbody Coach. What’s next for me?

Please submit a copy of your active duty orders or other suitable verification of your status, such as a copy of your military ID or your BIR (feel free to use the Coach Application Fax Cover page available HERE) to our Coach Relations team. Upon further verification of your active duty status, we will waive your monthly business service fee for the duration of your active duty orders. Please note that your initial business starter kit charges are not eligible to be refunded.

• What do you mean when you say I have to be active duty military to qualify for this benefit?

At the time you submit your Coach application, we will also need you to include a copy of your active duty orders or other suitable verification of your status, from your branch of service. Your active duty orders will likely include a start and end date. Based upon the end date given, your monthly business service fee will be waived during that time period. If you are reassigned to active duty at a later date please contact our Coach Relations team for further instructions.

If you'd like more information please email me at ChristineDwyer@Turbokick.com.

If you have more extensive questions regarding whether or not you are eligible for this program, please contact our Compliance department at compliance@teambeachbody.com.

Tips on Maintaining the Perception of your Reputation

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently."
- Warren Buffet



How others perceive us directly influences the value they will assign us. People form opinions about us based on many things – their own biases and prejudices, as well as our behavior. How we act influences how others see us. And how others see us affects our opportunities. Our brand/reputation is what precedes us in meetings, conversations and relationships we have with those who can make or break our career. Think about the opportunities you will be missing because you may have been labeled, “Difficult to Deal with."

Your online and offline reputation should be a major priority and how you effectively manage it. We all know that perception isn’t necessarily the truth, but the real truth isn’t always known and doesn’t really matter.

Keep reading to see specific tips for creating a reputable online persona.

• Beware of the Company You Keep!

It never fails, people will make extremely bold assumptions about you based on the people you spend your time around. There is a saying you are the average of the 5 people you spend most of your time with. So what does that say about you, your outlook, your reputation, and where you are going in this world?

• Be Considerate

Everything that we do or say in this life has an impact on other people. Take notice of the type of things you do and say when you’re in public. Do people often call you rude? You talk too much? You speak over people? You're opinionated? You cant be trusted? Remember that offending someone else has very little to do with what you think or feel, its all about how you’ve made someone else feel.

• Be Open For Improvement!

I run by the motto in the OPPOSITE way: "DON'T stick a fork in me, cause I'm not done!" This goes into how I effectively communicate and uphold myself, my brand, and my reputation. Take a step back and re-read your posts, responses, as well as your image you publicly put out there, if the shoe was on someone else's foot, how would it come across? What would YOUR perception be of that person?

• HOLD UP! Wait!

Before being reactionary, stop and let some time pass. Your best responses will come after your head has cooled down, when you have had the opportunity to do some background checks, when you have had the chances to look at the situation with a level head or with someone else's viewpoint/opinion.

• Sometimes, it's best left unsaid.

You are not obligated to respond to everyone's email, text, tweet, post, comment etc! Your response can not be undone! It can just take one moment and response that can take years of your positive reputation turned into a completely negative perception now!

Sometimes your response may come across one way to you, but a completely wrong way to someone else. Sometimes, it's best left unsaid, deleted, or just move away.

 

Protecting the perception of your reputation is in your control. Be a person who pays it forward, is a giver, and does it with an attitude of it's no big deal. Your expression, your body language, and your words can mean so much to someone and they can also say so much to another. You can't always control how others react, but can control your own reaction.

 

"A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was." - Joseph Hall

Stock Markets may crash - but our health doesn't have to crash & burn!

It’s no secret - it's tough out there right now! From the national debt crisis and debt ceiling mess, to the stock market going crazy; these kinds of economic uncertainties will often cause us to pull back on our own spending, watch every dollar more closely and cut corners where we can. But we can't stop investing in our health.

The good news is - we can stay healthy and physically fit even on a tight budget. It may just take a little planning and preparation just like any other good budget - but it's very possible. In fact the top excuses about why someone can't eat healthy and exercise - No time, No money - are the top excuses whether the world is in a financial crisis or not. So, what are some practical ways to eat healthy and exercise on a budget?

Nutrition -

• Bulk! The bigger backs of chicken breast, lean beef etc are always cheaper if you buy the bigger packs. Just separate it when you get home to freeze it or cook a big meal that will give you meals for a few days - saving time and money!
• Frozen! Yes - frozen fruits and vegetables are often just as good, if not better than the 'fresh' produce. That's because they're 'flash frozen' right away and the majority of their nutrients are retained that way. The longer the 'fresh' stuff sits out as it gets shipped to stores etc, it degrades the nutrients. And you can get plenty of servings from the big bags of frozen vegetables and fruit for less than the cost of fresh.
• Liquid Egg Whites! We avoid the yolk anyway, so why buy the whole carton of eggs? The containers of liquid egg whites are pretty reasonably priced, easy and no waste!
• Bottled Water - really? Do you need a new plastic bottle every time you're thirsty? It's expensive! Invest in one nice thermal water bottle and then refill it with filtered water from your fridge, or a pitcher of tap water in the fridge. Save money and the environment from all of the water bottles!

Exercise -

Everyone knows I love live workouts at the gym, heck, that's why I teach and get my membership free! But if you don't teach and can't swing the cost of a gym there are plenty of other options to keep moving.

• Walk! If the weather is great - get outside and do some intervals of walking, brisk walking and running. Add some ankle or wrist weights for a more intense workout. If the weather doesn't cooperate, check local malls and even public schools that allow walkers to use their facilities. Schools also often open their pools and fitness facilities for the public at certain times of the day as well.
• In Home Workouts! Invest in one, or go in halves with a friend and commit to doing it together each day! Pick one that is all inclusive with some cardio and strength training to get maximum results.
• Shake up the 'Regular' stuff! So we've got to sweep, vacuum, rake the leaves and clean the house anyway - just put some extra oomph into it! Crank up some tunes that get you moving and go! Gotta take kids to baseball or soccer practice? Do laps around the field or walking lunges rather than busting out the lawn chair.

There are plenty of ways to make exercise and eating healthy work on any budget or schedule ~ plan ahead and make it happen. No excuses!

HOW TO BUILD A FOLLOWING & TRUST WITH YOUR FUTURE FOLLOWERS!

How are you able to grow in your business ventures if you keep searching, hoping, crossing your fingers that someone will find your information and want to get connected with you and your business?

It's easy to get caught up with the "slam it out there" message with your business, but in reality, it doesn't work. What DOES work with growing your business is the relationship, trust, and down to earth human approach.  Be interested in others, rather than taking the 6 year old approach of "look what I can do", "look what I know", "look how awesome I am."

3 TIPS on how to effectively build a relationship with your followers:

1.            BE CONSISTENT! - Posting every so often doesn't create a reason for people to follow you.  Infrequent posts don't create that feeling of hunger! Hungry for more reason to stay connected with you!  At a minimum, social sites like Facebook have to have at least one post a day. Blog content at a minimum should be once per week.  Frequency creates re-call and discovery.  If you are barely there, you are forgettable and won't be discovered by that random person who was online just at the right time.

2.            BE A GIVER NOT A TAKER! - Posting about what you do, what you sell, and how amazing you are speaks only to one person, your ego and your pocket.  Being consistent in yoru posts but not providing helpful content that creates conversation and interest in others doesn't create a following.   It actually repels people, you become like white noise. Take a step back every so often and see if your posts are something you as a "customer" would gravitate towards.  It's easy to keep falling back into old habit, so do this review often.

3.            BE REAL, BE HUMAN, BE YOU! - if you want to gain your reader's trust and following, acknowledging that you have lessons learned, struggles, and life experiences that you want to share, they will connect with you. Being perfect, a know it all, and just a resource of telling people what they should do creates a different perception of who you are and what you represent. Most of the time, it's a perception that you are self serving.  Focus on being helpful, giving, and ask for feedback, response, and conversation to a topic of interest