Job vs Career

As a health and fitness trainer with BeachBody I understand my rudimentary roll. I motivate, inspire and inform people how to get in shape and stay that way. I've been in the fitness business for over 25 years and I've learned what works and what doesn't. Turns out that hard work, determination and commitment to a 5 to 6 day a week plan gets it done. Winging it and cutting corners does not. What a shock! Turns out there are more than a few ways to live your life and make a buck as well. You've got the arduous and exhausting work-for-the-man method, or the do-it-my-way course of action. Far too many people in this country have no idea how incredible life can be when they decide to live outside of the standard 9 to 5 box. We've been programed from an early age to get the job working for someone else, so we can toil away for them, with the reward being some food, shelter and credit card debt. Sound familiar? When you have a job that you don't love everything else in life feels like a job too. When your job stinks it's hard to get motivated to exercise and eat right. This is one reason why so many people in this country are overweight, out of shape and unhappy. When your minimal-pay job stinks (with no raise in sight) and the price of gas, groceries and everything else is going through the roof, working-out is at the bottom of the list. We all know that healthy food and regular exercise makes for a better you but when work is beating you up it's pretty tough to do the right thing most days.

A career on the other hand changes everything. When you decide to break free of the same old same old, you become the boss. You decide to set the schedule. You make the rules. You're the master of your domain. The bigger you think, the more it will grow, and the more freedom you'll have. This is fact. Your output dictates your income. Anyone can have this life, if they're willing to do the work. People with careers are happy and fired up because they manifest their own destinies. They can't wait to wake up and get busy because they know the sky is the limit. If you commit to building your own business the rewards are endless. Like I said earlier, my job is to be the fitness guy, not to be the Team BeachBody business promoter. But when I see so many people go from lame, low income jobs to life altering careers with this amazing opportunity, I can't be silent. In Lincoln, Dallas, Vegas, Atlanta, Boise & Beyond people are fusing Fitness with Financial Freedom. I coined that one. Pretty good, right? The truth is, it's more than a phrase, it's the truth. I've seen it over and over again. Unhappy overweight, out-of-shape people with lousy jobs, losing weight, getting into shape, building their businesses and creating the freedom to live the lives they've always wanted. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, and I've seen it happen to thousands of people time and time again.

Most of us would be lucky just to get a few opportunities in life to make it better. I'm asking you not to ignore this one. If you're unhappy with your job and find yourself struggling with your health and fitness then it might be time to open your eyes to the Team BeachBody Revolution. If you hate exercise, love fast food and have a hard time talking to people then this business career opportunity isn't for you. But if you like the idea of being fit & healthy combined with having a life that provides financial freedom (in these very scary economic times) then step up to the plate and swing for the fence. Life is too short to sit back and let everyone else have all the fun. We get to choose whether we want to continue to struggle in this world or take control of our own world. So what will it be for you? Quitting your lame job cold-turkey with the hope that you can replace your income immediately isn't wise either, but open the door to a real career, ask tons of questions and have faith in the successful coaches who came before you.

Coconut Dream

Coconut. Is it the Ultimate Fruit??

Coconut has gotten a bad rap in the past, but researchers are finding new facts about this miracle fruit to prove otherwise.

Coconut oil, meat & cream does contain saturated fat, but these fats are Medium Chain Fatty Acids, which are actually burned for energy, rather than stored in your cells. Lauric Acid, the main fat in Coconuts also helps to lower your risk of heart disease by improving your ratio of total cholesterol to good HDL cholesterol

• Coconut oil is great for the skin and it also kills germs!

• Coconut Oil is great to cook with because it doesn’t oxidize when heated. Oxidation causes unhealthy free radicals. Make sure to buy Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.

• Coconut Oil may help to fight off infections.

• Add some coconut meat to your protein shake to make a heart-healthy, deliciously tasting treat!

• Fresh Coconut water, from a young coconut, is like nature’s Gatorade. It contains all our essential electrolytes, which is perfect post-exercise.

Bring it NOW ~ Have Less Pain Later

Oh, those little aches and pains. Like many of us, you may already get them in the morning. And as we age, they only get worse and worse – UNLESS…

You stay active and keep moving!

People who are committed to regular aerobic exercise have much less muscle and joint pain as they age. How much less, you may ask? Well, a 14-year study that followed a group of healthy adults 60 and over found that those who engaged in regular aerobic exercise had as much as 25% less musculoskeletal pain as they aged – even those whose primary aerobic activity was high-impact running. Researchers suspect that the natural endorphin release that follows a cardio workout may play a role in the effect.

Having less pain when you’re older contributes greatly to leading a more active and independent life into advanced age. Here are a few more suggestions for reducing your risk for future chronic aches and pains:

1. Hit the mat and stretch – Yoga boosts endorphins, improves flexibility and builds joint-supporting strength.


2. Cross- training – Mixing up your routine helps to keep your back strong and limber. It even contributes to healthier cholesterol levels, which is just a nice bonus.


3. Build your quads – Weak quadriceps muscles are linked to knee arthritis, so work them out (as well as your hamstrings and other leg muscles) regularly.


4. Go Green – With tea, that is. Potent compounds in green tea – EGCG and ECG – are said to battle cartilage and collagen destruction in arthritic joints.

So, this is just more incentive for you to stick with your program and keep on bringing it! The cross-training, muscle confusion, and variety built into your program is not only going to help keep you from getting bored with your workouts, get and keep you fit as a fiddle - it’ll keep your bone mass up, reduce back and other pain, and improve your cholesterol profile. As a side note, knee injury will triple your risk of knee osteoarthritis. So, when you exercise, take proper precautions and watch your form. Okay, enough reading for you. Go Push Play!

Soup Sweet Soup

 

Homestyle Sweet Potato Soup Recipe

 

Serves 2-4

 

Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin C and beta-carotene.  If you have a healthy digestive track and include healthy fats in your diet, like extra virgin olive oil, your body can convert some of the beta-carotene found in sweet potatoes into vitamin A. Vitamin A promotes immune system strength, a healthy digestive tract lining, optimal vision, and healthy skin.  Vitamin C and beta-carotene are both powerful antioxidants that can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and various types of cancer.  You’ll also get micronutrients like magnesium, vitamin B6, potassium, iron, and fiber from sweet potatoes.

 

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 

vegetable broth
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

 

Directions:

Cook all vegetables with olive oil over medium heat in a large pan until onions are translucent or vegetables are ever so slightly browned.

 

Transfer cooked vegetables into a large pot and add enough vegetable broth to cover.

Bring to a boil, turn down heat, then allow to simmer for five minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

 

Use a blender to blend all ingredients into a creamy soup. Return to pot.

 

Add sea salt and pepper, to taste.  Enjoy!

What Your Coach Can Do For You

Kids,

My good buddy Sterling Purdy sent me Coach Tom Venuto's answer to Eric regarding the effects of alcohol while trying to lose weight. It goes to show you the level of commitment our coaches have when it comes to helping people.

Nice work Tom!

Tony Horton 

QUESTION: Tom, if you are going to go out and have a drink or two with 
friends, which drink is the best when you're on a fat loss program
like BFFM? Would it be wine or a vodka mixed with soda? Is champagne
better or worse than the other two? Thanks, Eric

ANSWER: The first thing I would suggest is that you ask a better 
question! The answers you get are only as good as the quality 
of questions you ask. "Which alcohol is best?" is not a very 
good question when your goal is to get leaner. 
"Which alcohol is best" contains the presupposition that:
 
(A) that you ARE going to drink and 
(B) a best choice exists. 
 
If you asked, "How much damage would I do to my body and how 
much would I slow down my results if I drank drinking during 
my fat burning program?" you might get a different feeling 
towards alcohol. This type of question presupposes that there
 WILL be a down side, it's only a question of how bad it will be.
If you think about the consequences of drinking, instead of how
you can best "get away with it," it may change your emotional 
outlook towards alcohol. 
 
I get asked about alcohol and fat loss a lot. Almost every time, 
I have a sneaking suspicion that the person asking the question 
is really just looking for me to give them "permission" to drink. 
I'm not going to do that. Well, not exactly. But I do have 4 major
guidelines I'd suggest you consider if you're thinking about drinking:
 
[1] On fat loss programs, I don't recommend drinking alcohol at
all because alcohol suppresses fat oxidation and adds unnecessary
calories to your diet, which either displaces nutritious calories or 
erases your caloric deficit.
 
[2] For lifelong maintenance, I recommend that if you choose to
drink, that's fine, but only if you do so in moderation (1-2 drinks
 a day is considered moderation according to most health authorities) 
 
[3] I do not recommend daily drinking as part of a fitness lifestyle,
 because daily drinking can become habit forming. My recommendation
is limit drinking to weekends, holidays and or special occasions. 
 
[4] I recommend ALWAYS being cognizant of the calories that are 
added to your diet through alcohol and above all else know how 
many calories are in your drinks. 
 
If someone really MUST know which alcohol is worst on a fat burning
program, then it would be the one with the most calories. Conversely, 
the lesser of evils would be the drinks with fewer calories. 
 
For example, that would mean choosing light beers over regular beers. 
Bass ale and Sam Adams lager both contain 160 calories per bottle. 
Guinness extra Stout packs 176 calories per bottle. 
 
By comparison, Amstel light contains only 99 calories, Michelob Ultra
has 95 calories and Beck's Premier Light has 64 calories (Beck's 
pulled off that feat simply by lowering the alcohol content... I've
never tried it, but yes, I bet it tastes pretty watered down) 
 
On a tangent, I think it's a sin that light beers are marketed as
low carb and advertised with fitness images... but that will have
to be a rant for another day...
 
Champagne has about 96 calories per 4 oz glass. White wine such
as chardonnay has about the same caloric content as champagne. 
Any pure distilled liquor will contain about 65 calories per 
fluid ounce at 80 proof. When mixed with other calorie containing
 liquids, the calorie count goes up. A 6 ounce screwdriver will
 give you about 130 calories. A whiskey sour about 169 calories.
Naturally, mixed drinks may contain even more calories due to the
sugar in the drink mixes. 
 
A margarita is one of the worst, with an 8-ouncer packing about 500 

calories and a huge dollop of sugar! A couple of those with your cheese 

Nachos and enchiladas, refried beans, sour cream and guacaomole, and 

you've just knocked back about two days worth of calories in one meal. 

calorie bomb city! Fat loss is first and foremost a matter of calories in 

vs calories out, so the calorie counts are what you look at first.
 
If you wanted other criteria to judge the "best" alcoholic drink, 
you could also look at whether there is any health value, as in 
red wine, or whether there are any nutrients in the drink, such 
as what you might find in the vegetable juice of a bloody mary 
or the Orange juice in a screwdriver. 
 
However, I think that's a pretty moot point when you consider the
far superior way to get those same nutrients: eat whole vegetables
and oranges.
 
The fact is, you can certainly get leaner while drinking, as long
as you stay in a caloric deficit, but that doesn't mean it's the
smartest thing to do for your body and your health. 
 
Your friend and coach,
Tom Venuto