Body-for-LIFE

The Power of Words - Body-for-LIFE Champion Stephanie Workman

BFL — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 23:07:00 GMT

I want you to stop and think for a minute...how do you speak to yourself? Do you speak to yourself with kindness or anger...love or loathing...patience or frustration? How do you speak to others? Do you poison with words or do you bless with words?

You see, words are so powerful that how we use them when speaking to ourselves can really make a huge impact in all areas of our lives. How we use them to speak to others can affect the very course of their lives as well.

Learning to use 'the word' to EMPOWER yourself can create some amazing opportunities in your life. You can move from a place of frustration and anger with yourself to one of peace and progress. You can replace those negative words in your head with positive and uplifting thoughts.

What you dream, what you are, and what you want to be are all manifested by the power of the words you use about and to yourself and others. You see, words are a force. They can create goodwill or war. They can create feelings of love or hate. They can poison someone when spoken with ill intention. They can harm and enslave people for years.

But words can also create goodness, strength, love and can provide a loving means to make someone's day better. Words can be used to create the wonderful things that you want to happen in your life if you'll just learn to use the power of the word.

It might seem silly to some...but on my mirror in the bathroom I have posted my blessings for the day. These are prayers of thanks in ADVANCE of the blessings I'm expecting to receive. A great new job for Don. A good report card for Bethany. Health and financial security for my family. I read these words daily and believe them and expect them to come into my life. I'm using the power of the word to speak them to life.

If you will practice speaking kindly to yourself you will be surprised at how much happier you are with life. Instead of responding with angry words to a situation, stop and reflect on how you can use nicer words to get your point across. People respond far better to kindness than anger.

Speak kindly to yourself and others and you will reap the rewards. How will you know it's working??

People will start to respond to you differently. They will have more respect for you. They will request your opinion knowing you'll give them solid and thoughtful advice. They will not be fearful to approach you..for they know you will not speak to them in anger.

Go ahead....use the power of the word in a positive way and just wait and see what happens with your life...

May you be richly blessed.

Stephanie Workman

How to Measure Success Without the Scale

BFL — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 01:47:00 GMT

It is safe to say just about everyone has heard the phrase “Muscle weighs more than fat.” However, many individuals remain obsessed with their scale weight. This might be attributed to fad diets or extreme weight loss television. Whatever the reason, this is truly unfortunate because the number on a scale may fool you into believing you haven’t made progress. Weight can vary by several pounds in the same day, so a scale reading should not be taken more often than once a week. The good news is there are many other better ways to measure success.

Having your body fat percentage assessed is the best way to determine your progress. This can be done by a trainer with fat calipers, or accurate equipment that might be found at a local gym. Remember, the goal of Body-for-LIFE, and the key to creating a new physique, is by improving body composition. This means increasing lean tissue and decreasing body fat. If you were to compare a pound of muscle next to a pound of fat, the muscle would be up to five times smaller than the fat! So while the scale may not change dramatically each week, usually a pound or two, you’re still losing inches and sizes. Another important note about lean tissue is that it burns a lot of energy, which means more fat loss.

If you are unable to have a body fat assessment, try taking measurements of areas such as the waist, hips, thighs, and arms. Since the muscles you are building take up less space than the fat you are burning, measurements can be a helpful way to illustrate your improvement. Another simple method is keeping track of dress and/or pant sizes, and paying attention to how clothes fit. If you are still unconvinced, why not take some photos every few weeks? You can line up the photos to see changes happening before your eyes!

Other than the concrete evidence, don’t forget the less obvious signs. For example, are you feeling more energized throughout the day? Or, are you advancing in the workouts? Perhaps in week one you started bicep curls with 10lb and now you’re starting at 20lb. Or, perhaps your cardio warm-up level 5 was a walk, and now it’s a jog.

This week, try putting the scale in a closet so it doesn’t tempt you every time you see it. Instead, try at least one of the methods above you liked best. Liberate yourself from the daily scale routine by only weighing yourself once a week, or even once every few weeks!

My BFL Story - Body-for-LIFE Champion Sherman Goodrich

BFL — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:00:00 GMT

At the tender age of 70, Sherman Goodrich has become the world’s oldest Body-for-Life® Challenge Champion. He competed and won in the 46 and over class. Here, in part, is how it all went down.

By way of introduction, my name is Sherman Goodrich and, while I am better known—if at all—as the sports cartoonist for the Arizona Republic, I thought you might have a keener interest in the fact that I recently reinvented myself in another field entirely. This change in myself I have realized is one that could conceivably hold out life-changing results for many of you as well.

For the past 13 years, EAS® has sponsored an international fitness competition known as the Body-for-LIFE® Challenge. In 2006 and ‘07 I entered in high hopes of winning. I was disappointed both times—though not to the point of pondering self-destruction or watching Celebrity Apprentice—and moved on. I had, after all, gone from a 98 pound weakling to a 170 pound weakling. I skipped the 12-week program in ’08…not out of desolation…just for lack of time. Last year, on my 70th birthday, I decided to enter the Body-for-LIFE Challenge one more time in an all out effort to capture that coveted brass ring. Hey, why not?

Well, it turns out that there was a revision to the age groups since my last attempt and I ended up competing with contestants in their 40’s. As you can imagine, I now really had my work cut out for me. And, like it or not, there are some things that forty-six year olds can do with relative ease that tend to tax those of us three score and ten. On the other hand, it makes each victory that much sweeter.

If the aforementioned drawback didn’t pose enough of a disadvantage, shortly before the scheduled starting date, my wife ended up in emergency with what was thought to a bad case of the flu. Turns out she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and close to a diabetic coma. After a week in the hospital she was back home and we found ourselves working on a major adjustment in both of our daily lifestyles.

Okay…so instead of starting on my birthday, I found it best to put the Body-for-LIFE Challenge on hold until the 4th of July. That way I could direct more energy toward my wife’s recovery, and that’s one challenge we needed to face together. As of this writing, she is much better. Thanks for asking.

While still setting my sights on that new start date, I attempted to lift a tractor tire (with the tractor still attached) and blew out my right rotator cuff, so another setback was imminent.

Following a cortisone shot, it was time to buckle down to business and beat the deadline for the last available ‘Challenge’ time slot. I developed a routine to work around—and occasionally through—the pain that proved quite successful. (I’ve since even learned to bowl left-handed. Now there’s a real adventure). Throughout the Body-for-LIFE challenge, I practiced an entirely different set of exercises to keep the strength up in my shoulder without aggravating the condition.

Out of desperation perhaps, coupled with a modicum of curiosity to see if it could be done, an entirely new and unique fitness program began to take shape and ultimately became the basis for my twelve-week workout schedule. While it was designed for those of us who feel the aches and pains, to one degree or another, of being past our prime …it is effective enough to challenge even seasoned athletes. Trust me.

Anyway…long story short (or is it too late for that?), I once again received a nice certificate in that famous red and white Body-for-LIFE envelope that read in essence, “Thanks for participating and completing the 12 week program.” Heaving a heavy sigh, I began looking forward to making another run at winning in 2010. A week or so later however, a phone call bowled me over with a hearty, “Congratulations! You’re a winner!”
With over 100,000 entries, the results can now be seen here at www.bodyforlife.com . I still find it hard to believe that my picture’s right there on the home page. Once in a while I go back just to see if it’s still there. Guess what…it is. Yay!

As a cancer survivor on the shady side of seventy, I’ve faced tougher odds than winning this event. I don’t pretend to look as ripped or quite as buff as some of my younger competitors. I also don’t pretend that this little blip in the scheme of things is deserving of any particular kudos or attention. My hope is that there are some other seniors out there who might possibly glean inspiration from this success story, where they might otherwise only find despair.

To them—and to you—let me offer these words of caution: Side effects from entering the Body-for-Life Challenge may include more energy…greater strength…more spring in your step…bigger muscles…smaller waistlines…and a better outlook on life. Not to mention a ten thousand dollar cash prize.

Thanks for listening…
Sherman Goodrich (Your Buddy-for-LIFE)
HALFTIME (Sports cartoons)

Change is Good

BFL — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:30:00 GMT

Weight Training—for some people it is a tool for achieving a leaner composition; for some people it is a tool for getting stronger; for others it may even be a tool for stress relief. Regardless of its purpose, weight training is something that can, and should, be kept interesting and full of variety. Research shows that making somewhat regular changes to your weight-training/exercise routine will help harvest tremendous benefits both, physically and mentally.

Take a minute and reflect upon your exercise regimen--or life in general—in the past 6 months or more. How many times have you gotten stuck in a routine? How many times have you felt the monotony of doing the same thing over and over day in and day out? Perhaps the answer is “zero”; but more than likely the answer is “at least once”. Sure, we may be creatures of habit. We may be comfortably set in our own ways or set in a predictable routine. But what some of us fail to realize or recognize is that monotony and redundancy, as “comfortable” as it is, could actually be reeking havoc upon our fitness plan and transformation goals!

Each muscle in your body is extremely adaptive, meaning if you continue to stimulate it in the same way, over time the motion and action becomes easier and easier for that muscle to perform and complete. A good analogy lies within an educational/classroom setting where you are exercising one of the greatest muscles of all—your brain! Given the example of simple math: If the teacher were to ask you “what is 12 + 12?”, at first it may take some time to calculate and consider the answer. However, as the teacher continues to ask you the same exact question, day in and day out, the answer becomes easier and easier and requires much less thought—or action!—from your brain muscle. The easier it becomes for a muscle to perform an action, the less energy is required by that muscle to complete the action. The less energy required to complete the action, the fewer calories you burn and/or the less you develop the muscle. This is a substantial reason why it is important to continually provide your muscles with new stimuli. New stimuli = new development! If the teacher has been asking you “what is 12 +12” for three weeks, it’s time to switch things up and for her to ask you “what is 12 x 12.” Otherwise you may not ever fully develop your brain as an actively useful, cognitive muscle. Coincidentally, if you have been training your quads with leg extensions and squats for three weeks, it’s time to switch things up and do some step-ups or leg presses. Otherwise you may not ever develop that smooth inner quad sweep of the vastus medialis, or a cutting diamond teardrop of the vastus intermedius.

This is true of every muscle group you work. By re-stimulating the muscles with new exercises, you will continue to respond to exercise, burn more energy (calories), and effectively work towards achieving a fitness goal. We therefore recommend that you choose new exercises for each muscle group every 3-4 weeks to help provide continual stimulus response and to achieve a balanced, leaner composition. Ladies, re-stimulation will help to ensure optimizing your ability to tone. Guys, re-stimulation will help to ensure optimizing your ability to grow. Change is good!

This week, challenge yourself to be adventuresome and try some new exercises—especially if it has been a while since you have made any changes to your routine. Do not feel like you have to limit yourself to the exercises illustrated in the Body-for-LIFE® book and Body-for-LIFE website. Feel free to use a plethora of fitness magazines, books, guides, etc. to find some new and exciting exercises and incorporate them into your Body-for-LIFE routine! Not only will this boost the physiological stimulus response factor aforementioned, but it will also most likely boost your mood as well! A break from the monotony of a regular routine is often necessary to offer psychological reprieve, and to keep the average person interested. By maintaining an interest and desire to workout by “keeping the exercises fresh”, you will also better ensure achieving your fitness goals (because you will better ensure that you will find the will to go continue to go to the gym)!

12 Weeks! - Body-for-LIFE Champion James Crouch

BFL — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:12:00 GMT

Good month to you! Here we are coming around the corner to the months of summer. For some of us this can be very intimidating. When the sun comes up we have to start taking off our extra layers of clothing. It makes us more vulnerable to show off that extra brownie and ice cream we ate during the holidays. Listen, we all do it, and we all feel bad after we eat such things, but it doesn’t mean we can’t get rid of it. Now is your time!!!!

This is your time to start to shed off those extra pounds. Give yourself three months of hard discipline. You will feel renewed by the end of the summer. Start the Body-for-LIFE® program and your life will be forever changed. Don’t just go to the gym with no plan. Body-for-LIFE will give you guidance and it will give you a plan. You have to have a plan to be successful in almost everything in life. Here are some questions you should ask yourself before you start Body-for-LIFE.

What should I eat?
What do I need to drink?
How much cardio do I need to do each week?
What are the correct way to do the weight lifting exercises?
How much sleep do I need?
What supplements are best for my goals?

There are so many do this and don’t do that’s that we all wonder about. Body-for-LIFE will teach you. Go get the book. Read it and the questions above will be answered. It is a 12 week program to help you lose fat, gain muscle, and help you get your life back. You just need 12 weeks! You just have to believe what the experts are telling you and don’t doubt yourself. By the end of summer you can get into that sexy bikini or those studly shorts that you think only "special" people can wear. Read the book, look at the web site or ask a friend familiar. We are all here to help you succeed. Body-for-LIFE will show you that you can accomplish your goals! Just 12 weeks. Now go!

James Crouch

Creative Ways to Jazz Up Your EAS® Products

BFL — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:18:00 GMT

If EAS 100% Whey Protein and EAS Myoplex® shakes have become a staple for you like they have become for many of us on the Body-for-LIFE® program, you may be looking for ways to jazz them up a bit. After all, you can only drink so much plain vanilla anything, right? Following are some tried and true suggestions on how to mix it up with vanilla and chocolate flavored Myoplex.

Stir some vanilla Myoplex into coffee, it can serve as a creamer and give your coffee a creamy vanilla taste while adding protein, carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals.
Add some vanilla Myoplex to sugar free Chai Tea to make a Chai Tea latte.
After a work out you could mix your vanilla Myoplex together with some orange flavored Betagen and a few ice cubes in a blender to make a refreshing shake similar to an orange dreamsicle.
Mix a chocolate Myoplex shake in a blender with a few ice cubes, ¼ a teaspoon of coconut extract and 1/8 a teaspoon of almond extract and you get a BFL approved Almond Joy shake.
Mix a chocolate Myoplex shake, 2 tablespoons of sugar free fat free chocolate instant pudding mix and 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter in a blender with a few ice cubes.

On our Body-for-LIFE program we recommend consuming 5-6 small meals a day. For some of us with busy schedules, it can be time consuming to have to prepare 5-6 whole food meals. Our EAS 100% Whey Protein is a convenient way to get protein into your diet as it takes a lot less time to scoop out a serving of whey protein than it does to grill a chicken breas t. Below are some creative ways to add 100% whey protein to a carbohydrate source in order to make a complete meal:

Prepare a bowl of oatmeal in the microwave as usual then stir in one scoop of vanilla whey protein powder, some cinnamon and splenda to taste. It gives the oatmeal, which tends to be bland a great vanilla and cinnamon taste while adding the protein you need to make a complete meal!
Since fat free yogurt is considered a carbohydrate on our program stir in a scoop of 100% Whey Protein powder to make it a complete meal.
Whey protein is perfect to add to frozen fruit to make a protein packed smoothie in your blender at home. One popular combination is a strawberry cheesecake smoothie with 1 scoop of vanilla 100% Whey Protein, 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of fat free sugar free cheesecake flavored instant pudding mix, 2-3 ice cubes and 5-6 whole frozen strawberries.
Create your own BFL approved chocolate covered cherry shake by mixing 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein, 2 tablespoons of fat free sugar free chocolate instant pudding mix, 1 cup of water, 2-3 ice cubes and 12-14 frozen cherries.

Wake Up With a Purpose! - Body-for-LIFE Champion Colby Knight

BFL — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:01:00 GMT

We recently started a new trimester here at Idaho Falls High School. Each trimester is 12 weeks long. At the beginning of every trimester I sit down with my classes and we discuss setting goals for the upcoming tri. I want my students to be excited for the opportunity they have to succeed in my class. I want them to understand that in the short space of 12 weeks you can change your whole outlook on life.

During the conversation with my class I was taken back to a time not long ago when I was going through the motions of life. I woke up every morning because I had to. I wasn’t looking forward to future endeavors. I wasn’t excited about my life. Here I had a beautiful wife, two great kids, one on the way, and I felt like I was just wading through life. My feelings about myself were not solely based on how I looked but how I felt. I felt like crap. I wasn’t attacking life with the same zeal I had previously done. I knew I needed to get back on track. I wanted to be excited to get up in the morning. I wanted to be excited to go to work. I wanted to want to take my kids places and play. I wanted a purpose.

On Jan. 1st 2008, Body-for-LIFE gave me the opportunity to change the way I approached life. It gave me the confidence to continue to set new goals. The challenge renewed my soul. It gave me the push I needed to be the kind of father and teacher I wanted to be. I not only looked better but I felt better. I woke up every day excited about the challenge of life.

I have since opened up our school weight room every morning at 6:30 am. For three years I have volunteered to help anyone in our community who wants to get their butts out of bed and get into shape. I have loved every minute of it. I enjoy getting up in the morning and coming to school. I love waking up with a purpose! I have seen many transform their own lives. What a great feeling to see one of your best friends shed some tears following the completion of a 12 week challenge.

The best part about Body-for-LIFE is the challenge is never over. I get to continue what I started three years ago, every day. I continue to set new goals along with my classes here at I.F. I want to be someone my classes can look up too. I want to show them that anyone can set goals, but it takes something special to not quit. I realize if they can accomplish their goals in my class, they will have the ability to move forward in life and be whatever they want to be.

I just want to thank Body-for-LIFE for giving me the wake up call I needed. I now know I will be successful in whatever I do. I will never give up on my goals. I will continue to live life to its fullest. I will never take for granted the opportunity I have to get up in the morning and LIVE. I now know my purpose.

Colby Knight

Mind Over Matter…Getting and Staying in a Healthy Mindset!

BFL — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:58:00 GMT

Driving down the road it may seem sometimes like we are navigating through a sea of fast food signs and advertisements. The grocery store is equally as daunting with an abundance of unhealthy foods and eye catching packaging drawing us right to them. Add to that the donut filled break room at work, the many celebrations throughout the year, and the friend who’s always inviting you out for a cocktail or dinner plans, and it can seem like an overwhelming feat for anyone trying to stay on track. We are human, and we are going to become tempted by things on a daily basis, but we also have a great deal of power to make the right decisions each and every day. No one said it was easy to say no to all of the temptations that life can present, but it can be done I assure you!

One of THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS anyone can do to set themselves up for success is to CREATE A HEALTHY MINDSET AND ENVIRONMENT! There are so many simple things that you can do to create a healthy mindset, and I’m going to share a few of my favorites with you.

Get a subscription or two to healthy magazines. Buy a few in the store to see which ones you like first, and then order a subscription. This way you have a constant stream of fresh new health related media arriving at your doorstep, sitting on your coffee table, and ready to read anytime you feel tempted to sit on the couch and eat potato chips. Instead just grab a magazine and start reading it. The pictures in them are great motivators in and of themselves!
Speaking of fitness models, find pictures of the body that you aspire to have in these magazines or print some off of the internet. Visualization is key to reaching your goal, and before you start saying…”I’ll never have that body,” stop yourself, because yes you CAN have that body! You have to have a picture of where you want to go if you ever want to get there, and you have to believe in your ability to do it! Some of the best places you can hang your goal pictures are on your refrigerator, your bathroom mirror, a small one in your car or wallet, in your home work out room, your workspace, or anywhere else where you might encounter temptation.
Post your goals! If you’ve read Body for LIFE, then you know how important it is to write your goals, but I know it’s easy for many people to get sidetracked, and so this is why it’s necessary to read them often. Write them down and post them where you can read them each and every day…no ifs, ands, or buts…DO IT!
Choose carefully what you allow in your psyche. Watching tv shows filled with negative messages and pizza commercials in between isn’t exactly inspiring, so take a look at what you are allowing into your mindset and decide where you can make some changes. Many times people just get accustomed to certain habits and don’t even realize how much those little things can impact their mentality. Be mindful of anything unnecessarily negative that enters into your life through media or other avenues and just make the decision to focus instead on things that help you reach your goal of living a happy healthy lifestyle. Change the channel….or better yet do something active!
Inspire yourself with words of wisdom. Never underestimate the power of a good quote or scripture! This works much like having goal pictures around, but they can tug at your heart strings a little bit more and steer you in the right direction when you need the extra motivation most. Find a few quotes that you can write and post them in various places. During my challenge I had the quote “Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels!” written in my wallet. During times of temptation I would pull it out and just envision how great I was going to feel when I reached my goal. After a while all I had to do was think of that quote being in my wallet, and that was enough to get me through tempting situations. Make small ones to fit in small places and large ones to post if you want. Be creative and find ones that get you fired up!
Make a dream board. This is perhaps the most powerful tool I can think of to help spell out your goals and to visualize where you want to go in life. You can even tie all of the above things into your dream board. Get a regular poster board, some magazines, and a glue stick and start cutting and pasting! The focus of your dream board is going to include pictures of where you want to go in life, words that define the type of life you want, and any symbols that you feel represent your own happiness. They can be health related, family oriented, financial, or personal, and nothing is too big or too small or too silly. Dream boards are inspiring to create, but even more powerful once the things on them begin happening in your life. I’ve had quite a few things come true on mine, including winning the Body for LIFE challenge! Put it somewhere that you see it every single day, and I guarantee it will help you stay in a healthy mindset!
Keep a record of your journey either on paper or online. Use the Body for LIFE journal or your own method of tracking your eating and your exercise routines. This is very eye opening for anyone who has never done it. Not only will it help you to see where you have room for improvement, it will also help you to see your progress as you fine tune what works for you in regard to your eating and exercise plan. It might seem unlikely, but it really does help when you are standing in the kitchen late at night thinking about whether or not you want to grab that peanut butter and jelly. You need to be accountable to yourself for what is going into your body and to stay on track with your workouts. Writing it all down is important and skipping this is non-negotiable in my opinion for anyone doing a challenge or looking to change their physique. Take the time to do it, and I promise you will thank yourself later!

While these things may seem almost too simple at first, once you try using these little tricks, you might be surprised at just how powerful they are and how much they can and WILL help you succeed! Think of them as the “little angels on your shoulder” that help you to make the right decisions when you need a push in the right direction the most!

“The ABC’s“ Always Be Challenged - Body-for-LIFE Champion Neil Haeger

BFL — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:55:00 GMT

One of the many things I found which helped me stay in the game during my challenge was my short and long term goals I made, “The ABC’s”. By always being challenged, you will never find anything which gets old hat or boring. In fact you can again make a game out of it and see how daring you may want to be in regards to your task at hand. Mine was going to be “Fat Boy to Stage Boy” within a year.

Like with anything you do, write it down and tell everyone you know what your plans are as it will be one more thing that makes you have to follow through with your mission! I will say though, be careful what you ask for because living up to it may be a little more than you had originally thought! I know what I am finishing up now was….

I made weekly, monthly, and yearly goals, as well as a 5 year plan really thinking outside of the box. Currently, I am in the last couple of days before I do a Bodybuilding event that I had said and written down I would do before the end of 1 year after my transformation. I know you are probably thinking why would I do that? The last month or so I thought exactly the same thing as this is crazy stuff! I was even thinking how I could get myself out of this without anyone noticing! Unfortunately or Not, I could not come up with a good excuse. (I guess because there are none) I would not wish it upon any of you but it is the extreme goal I set myself up to do just to try it. So here we go, 80’s Disco lime green posing trunks at around 180-185lbs. will be doing my thing on Saturday, 23 May. Finally an end of the extreme and back to Body-for-Life again, not Body for a couple of darn minutes under the hot stage lights. FYI, Saturday night after my show is my cheat day, (Yea :) :) :) ), one which I have not had in a whole month. (Man, those cheat days are sooooooo good! I really missed them!)

In closing, be bold, be brave, and be Happy :) for goodness sake! Life is just too short to let it slip away. Now go get your ABC’s in motion……………………………

Neil Haeger