The Body-for-LIFE Insider

Body-for-LIFE Champions Weekend Recap

BFL — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:52:00 GMT

When I was asked to help with Champions Weekend this year, I jumped at the chance. It’s always a treat to spend time with the people who have truly been touched by the program, and I knew that meeting our 2011 Body-for-LIFE Champions would be a very special experience. These are the people who bring Body-for-LIFE to life, literally. I have had so many opportunities to meet Champions over the years, and it is really what makes this job worthwhile.

As we have done in past years, we planned Champions Weekend at the same time that the Arnold Fitness Expo is in Columbus, OH (also EAS’ headquarters). This just adds another element of excitement and inspiration to the entire event. Another important part of the weekend is to give our 2011 Champions the opportunity to share their stories on camera, get to know each other as a group, and celebrate each other’s transformations. At the beginning, we told our 2011 Champions that this weekend is all about them. They’ve already proven that they are living the BFL lifestyle, and after all their hard work, they deserve a chance to blow off steam and have a great time. While we had plenty of Myoplex bars and shakes on hand at all times, they were free to indulge in any of their favorite “free” day foods if they choose to. No matter how much cheesecake was consumed, I knew the workout the EAS trainer Rob (a.k.a. Dr. Evil) was planning on taking them through on Saturday morning was sure to make up for that and then some (more on that workout later!).

We kicked off Champions Weekend on Friday, March 2 with one-on-one camera interviews. This was each Champ’s chance to share his/her Body-for-LIFE story, and answer a variety of questions all about his/her transformations, workouts, favorite foods, what motivated him/her, plus current and future goals and more. Once we made it through these interviews, our camera team followed the Champs through the rest of the weekend for a lot of fun and unscripted footage. Call it the “The Champions of Body-for-LIFE Reality Show”, if you will. Once this is all edited, the interviews and recap of the entire weekend will be posted to www.bodyforlife.com.

Even though I’ve been involved with EAS and BFL for almost 15 years, I always learn something new and inspiring each time I interview a Champ. I come home with new workout tips, new recipes and even more motivation than ever before. What was very interesting this time, is that, the majority of the Champs I interviewed had discovered Body-for-LIFE previously (some even as far back as 1999). Some had competed in previous Challenges and done quite well. For various reasons, life can get in the way sometimes, but Body-for-LIFE was a program that worked well for them, and once they did Body-for-LIFE, it was always a program they returned to (versus trying a different diet) because they knew they would see results. The key to their winning transformations in 2011 was that they had more desire and motivation than they ever had before. And it paid off!

After a full day of one-on-one interviews, it was time to give our 2011 Champions a chance to get to know each other over a laidback dinner. They bonded immediately! It was an early night, since we had a full day planned for them on Saturday. Everyone met first thing Saturday morning to head over to the EAS headquarters for a group workout with EAS trainer Rob Williams. Rob took each Champ through a weight-lifting exercise, while explaining proper form for the camera. Soon it was time for the group workout. Rob started the Champs out with some stretches, and then he took them through a series of plyometric, core strength and weight moves with kettlebells. Within minutes, the Champs were working as hard as they could to complete the series, with Rob cheering them on. At one point, Rob decided that Bryant Scott deserved a bit more of a challenge, and switched his 55-pound kettlebells out for 70-pounds ones. Bryant powered through, even with the heavier weight. Everyone was sweating and close to exhaustion, but determined to prove to Rob that they could handle anything he could throw at them. It may have been at this point that Rob earned the nickname Dr. Evil. By the end of the workout, the Champs were lying on the floor, trying to catch their breath but smiling and joking with Rob. Soon they were gathered around him, asking him more questions about various exercises and other workouts and requesting his contact information so that they could keep in touch with him. For many Champs, this workout was one of the highlights of the weekend.

After the workout, the Champs were given some time to recover, shower and eat a little lunch before we all headed to the Arnold Fitness Expo. The EAS booth always draws a crowd with its monstrous LED screens, pumping music, sports-themed games, product giveaways and plenty of action. The Champs took the stage and were officially introduced to the crowd. They answered a variety of questions from the audience about Body-for-LIFE while their life-sized before and after pictures were flashed on the huge screens above the booth. At that point, they were free to explore the Arnold Fitness Expo, but not before the chance to mingle with EAS athlete and Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald as he waited to take the stage and wow the crowd at the EAS booth. After a couple hours of exploring the Arnold Fitness Expo, the Champs gathered back at the EAS booth. It was a full (and fun) day that culminated in a special celebratory dinner that evening. Everyone enjoyed steaks and cheesecake… they had certainly earned the right to indulge after that morning’s workout! We toasted to the Champs and their accomplishments, and although they had all just met each other the day before, it was clear that lasting friendships were formed. As a group, they were excited to support each other in all their future goals, plus they were motivated to reach out to the Body-for-LIFE community and help others with their transformations. Our 2011 Body-for-LIFE Champions might have started this weekend as individuals but they left this weekend as a team. As always, it was an honor to get to know these newest Champions, and we look forward to seeing them again in the future.

Get Up! Get Moving!

BFL — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:33:00 GMT

Do you ever wake up in the morning feeling great and ready to start a day of healthy eating and exercising with the best of intentions? Then unfortunately as the day goes on life happens and those good intentions go out the window? Then you are like most of us who have encountered this at one time or another. It can be a serious struggle at times.

What you need to do is put some firm habits in action. Start yourself on a regular routine of getting up just a little bit earlier each day and working out first thing in the morning. It’s the perfect time of day to complete your workout before anything else can get in the way of your good intentions. Meetings can run late, your kids need picked up from school, the ironing is calling you, your neighbor drops by for a long chat. Whatever it is, it’s probably legitimate, but your workout just keeps getting pushed aside. If you have already done your workout first thing in the morning it doesn’t matter as much when these things pop up because you have already done what you need to for yourself for the day.

Getting up early to workout is one of the best ways to begin your day. Exercise gives you an energy boost, and those feel-good endorphins will leave you in a happy state of mind. If you are not normally a morning person, start with just trying to do your 20 minute aerobics solution in the morning, and on your weight training days, do your weight training workouts later in the day. Getting up an extra 20 minutes early most likely won’t effect how you feel the rest of the day except in a positive way.

Another benefit is if you wake up and work out you are going to be less likely to eat unauthorized foods the rest of the day. You will feel good because you’ve already done something positive for your body, before most people are out of bed. So you will not want to ‘wreck’ your progress by eating junk food later in the day. When you get to the end of the day, you’ve made healthy choices, and you feel positive about what you’ve done (rather than feeling ‘bad’ all day). That’s fantastic for your self-confidence and belief in your ability to complete your 12 week program. This could potentially boost your confidence and your belief in your ability to complete the 12 week program.

Beat the Winter Blues with BFL

BFL — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:58:00 GMT

That time of year has begun when most of us are having difficulty finding the motivation to exercise. It is cold and wet outside, and dark by the time you leave work! Not only does that make it harder to get to the gym, but it also makes us crave those warm, fattening comfort foods.

Instead of letting yourself spiral out of control this winter, only to feel more hopeless in the spring, pull yourself out of hibernation and get started on your Body-for-LIFE 12 week program! Exercising and eating 6 small meals helps you feel more energized throughout the day. When it’s cold, wet and dark outside, we need all the extra energy we can get! Wouldn’t it be great to feel more motivated and focused throughout the day, instead of tired and worn out?

Another important thing to remember is Body-for-LIFE can be just as fun in the winter. Wintertime offers some fun sports that also happen to be great workouts! How about trying down hill or cross country skiing, snowboarding or ice skating? If you’re taking the kids sledding, be sure to run back up those hills after you’ve enjoyed the ride down. Since this is Body-for-LIFE, and you get your very own free day each week, embrace the winter season and splurge with hot chocolate or one of those comfort foods you’ve been craving all week, such as macaroni and cheese.

Don’t wait to jump-start your new lifestyle! Starting your Body-for-LIFE program now will not only help you get through those dreary winter months with extra energy, but also give you a jumpstart on the next bathing suit season!

Understanding Whole Grains

BFL — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:54:18 GMT

With the public’s rising interest in fitness and nutrition, more and more carbohydrate products in the supermarket are available with a “whole grain” option. Whether it is crackers, bread, frozen waffles, cereal or pasta, it is very common to see label statements such as “Whole Wheat,” “Multi-Grain,” etc. Is this a positive thing? Absolutely! It means Americans have more and more healthy options to choose from!

If you are competing in the Body-for-LIFE® challenge, the majority of your grains should be delivered by whole grains. What do we mean when we say “whole grains?” We mean the grains have not been through a refining process that removes certain nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Statements such as “Multi-Grain” make shoppers automatically assume the product contains whole grains. “Multi-Grain” simply means the product provides grains from more than one source. However, it does not necessarily indicate whole grains.

The best way to know exactly what you are purchasing is to read the label! The next time you are at the store diligently checking the label on a loaf of bread or a box of crackers, be sure to read the Ingredients List. Look for ingredients such as whole wheat flour, whole grain oats, brown rice, whole rye, bulgur and whole grain barley, just to name a few! Yes, this could extend the time you spend in the supermarket, but it is worth the extra time to make healthy choices that help you reach your fitness goals!

Generation (I Want It) "Now" Needs to Take Time to Heal

BFL — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:49:00 GMT

Everybody gets weighed down by the occasional cold or flu bug. A lot of people are burdened by seasonal allergies, too. Some people are naturally prone to small injuries, impingement, or pain in joints, muscles, ligaments or tendons. These things are just a part of life that we don’t really like, yet have come to accept. But what if the cold or flu bug or allergy or injury hits right smack dab in the middle of our Body for LIFE Challenge?! Do you give up and throw in the towel because, “clearly”, either your current progress/results or the rest of your challenge will be ruined by your inability to go to the gym or stay on track with the program? Or do you push through the sniffles, the cough, the headache, the nausea, or the pain and keep on going full force as you have been? The answer is often: neither nor! This is when it’s time to rest and recognize that rest will not ruin anything!

Unless you have sustained an illness or injury that is diagnosed as long duration (i.e. a heart condition or a bone fracture), the interruption to your Body-for-LIFE program while in recovery will only be a temporary one! As a temporary matter to endure, when you get sick or experience a fleeting pain, it is quite manageable to maintain current results and to get right back on track once you have allowed yourself to take a brief break to fully recover. In other words, temporary interruptions to your program do NOT imply ruined results or ruined chances at achieving transformation goals! It is far more important to allow yourself the few days of recovery now, rather than to push yourself so much that you end up making yourself worse, and needing an even longer break for recovery later! It is crucial to listen to your body and to always put your health first. We understand that it is very easy to get caught up in the competition of the Body for LIFE program, and thus put workouts and meal plans at a priority over your own well-being. Trust us, though, this is the biggest mistake you can make! Although it is important to push yourself and to challenge yourself to new limits during the program in order to yield the best results possible; we don’t ever recommend ignoring an illness or injury at the risk of short term repairable condition and exacerbating into something much more serious, long term.

It is often helpful to visualize the inconsequentiality of an illness- or injury-induced disruption to your Body for LIFE program by breaking it down into numbers. The Body for LIFE program is 84 days long. In those 84 days, you will perform 18 upper body workouts, 18 lower body workouts, and 36 HIIT Cardio Sessions. In those 84 days, you will consume approximately 432 Body-for-LIFE approved meals (6 meals per day x 6 days per week (don’t count free day!) x 12 weeks). Now, let’s say you come down with a cold. Let’s say you allow yourself the proper rest and recovery to make sure the cold is completely out of your system before getting back into your workouts and regular meal plan. Hypothetically, the cold is likely to last about 4 days because you allowed yourself the proper rest, rather than pushing yourself to go to the gym while sick. Essentially, what this will mean as a WORST case scenario to your program is missing 1 upper body workout, 1 lower body workout, 2 HIIT sessions and 24 Body for LIFE approved meals. This equates to just 5% missed upper body workouts, 5% missed lower body workouts, 5% missed HIIT sessions, and 5% non-approved meal patterns. Of course, if you are able to still eat pretty much according to Body for LIFE while you are sick (or injured) the percentage will be even lower! Regardless, 5% out of 100% really is a marginal proportion, and is far from a percentage that will prevent you from progressing and reaching your program goals! Furthermore, the 5% “error” from breaking the program to recover now, is far more trivial than the potentially larger percentage of “error” you risk by needing more recovery later due to the fact that you pushed yourself further into illness or injury by not taking the proper time to rest right at the commence of the illness or injury.

Bottom line: Listen to your body, put your health at priority, and try not to worry about ruined results when life’s ways of illness or injury come knocking at your Body for LIFE door. It is much more important to allow yourself to heal right away, rather than risk a much more detrimental ailment in the future by unnecessarily placing the spirit competition at priority.

Food Can’t Hug You Back: Overcoming Using Food to Cope With Stress

BFL — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:55:00 GMT

At some point in most of our lives, there are obstacles to healthy living. They can be physical, emotional or both; temporary or permanent. It’s what we choose to do in the moment of most difficulty that steers our intentions. Different people deal with stress in different ways. When some people feel stressed they lose their appetite and can’t eat. Others however, use food to try and take their mind off the stress, which usually leads to more stress in the long run when the extra pounds start creeping on.

To prevent this extra stress, which is the last thing any of us needs in our lives, it can be helpful to take a moment and simply think about what you are really doing to your body in the long run. When your weight keeps climbing higher and higher in response to binge eating episodes, you are only going to make your self more miserable than you already were. You need to admit to yourself food can’t solve your problems. It can’t keep you company when you are lonely. It can’t give you a hug when you are sad. You need something more.

There are lots of other healthier coping strategies that are also WAY more effective. Exercising your body is one of the best ways to release frustration and tension and to release the “feel good” hormones called endorphins. Better yet, it burns off extra calories while you are doing the exercise, and your body continues to burn calories at an accelerated rate sometimes for hours after you have finished exercising - especially after you have finished doing an intense weight training session like the Body for LIFE weight training routine or the 20 minute aerobics solution.

Other healthier coping strategies include something as simple as deep breathing when you feel nervous or journaling to cope with anger and irritation. Journaling can also ensure that you are staying on track with your Body for LIFE challenge. Many find it beneficial to write down what they eat each day, the exercise they did for that day, and how this made them feel afterwards. Then if you are not seeing results as quickly as you may have thought you would you can go back and look at your journal to see what changes may need to be made.

Maybe you could try taking up a new hobby such as painting or drawing. Lots of people have great success letting their emotions out in the form of art work. This can allow you to be a child again: splash paint and let your hair down!

Some of these options may seem obvious, and yet how many times do we dismiss them in favor of a trip to the refrigerator? So when you feel stressed and are tempted to use food to “numb away” that stress, just remember food can’t hug you back, and nothing tastes as good as how finishing your 12 week program, being fit and in-shape feels.

Morning Motivation

BFL — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:27:00 GMT

Whether you’re familiar with Body-for-LIFE, or new to the program, you have probably heard that the 20 Minute Aerobic Solution is most effective when performed in the morning on an empty stomach. If you are not a “morning person,” this can be a very difficult habit to make. For participants trying to maximize results or change their routine, a morning workout might be a great option! Plus, who doesn’t love having their evenings free? And for those who work second or third shift, just consider “morning” the time you usually wake up, whatever time that happens to be. You will still receive the same benefits by waking up and working out on an empty stomach, too!

Remember the Body-for-LIFE motto, “Progress, not Perfection.” If getting up early to do cardio in the morning is about as appealing to you as a root canal, try to make a more gradual goal. For example, perform morning cardio just one day for the first week, two days for the second week, and all three days for the third week. Even if it takes all twelve weeks to exercise in the morning, congratulate yourself!

Another helpful tip, and probably most effective, is to prepare your exercise gear at night. Be sure to lay out your clothes, shoes, gym pass, music player and headphones right next to your bed. It is amazing how much easier it can be when all these items are right at your fingertips. We have even heard from people who sleep in their gym clothes!

Good luck, and be sure to reward yourself on your free day for making such a great and difficult change!

The Free Day!

BFL — Tue, 10 May 2011 20:18:00 GMT

Body-for-LIFE® requires us to be structured and disciplined for twelve weeks. During that time, we focus on planning meals, finding time to cook and exercise, grocery shopping, and whether it’s our upper body or lower body day! Among all that planning and structure, it is hard to adjust to the idea of a free day. It is not uncommon to feel guilty for taking a free day when you are working so hard to stay on track, but remember this was written into the program for a reason. The free day allows you to recover mentally and physically. It also allows you to satisfy some cravings so that you can be motivated to be healthy long term. Who would stick with a program that recommends never eating their favorite lasagna ever again?

If you are still feeling overwhelmed by the idea of a free day, we included a few examples below to give you some ideas.

Idea 1: Continue eating six small meals per day, but substitute some of the authorized proteins and carbohydrates. For example, at meal 1, you could eat chocolate chip pancakes with your egg whites. Then, at meal 3, you might choose French fries with your chicken breast instead of brown rice.
Idea 2: Eat three meals, consisting of any foods you want.
Idea 3: Continue eating six meals per day with lean proteins and complex carbohydrates, but add all those delicious, unauthorized toppings you miss during the week, such as cheese on your sandwich, butter on your baked potato, and cream in your coffee.
Idea 4: Enjoy a cookie with your lunch and a slice of pie with your dinner for dessert.
Idea 5: Treat your family, and finally cook your famous meatloaf with beef instead of turkey for once. Don’t be afraid to serve it with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Idea 6: Choose one big meal to splurge on, and eat smaller meals the rest of the day when you’re feeling hungry.
Idea 7: Relax and watch a movie with a soda and big bowl of popcorn topped with melted butter and salt.

No matter what you decide to do, remember it is your FREE day, so there is no right or wrong way to use it!

Encouraging Others To Do BFL

BFL — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:15:00 GMT

Congratulations on taking the first step to completing your 12 week Body For LIFE® program! At first, when you are starting the program, you may feel very motivated and feel there is no way you will not complete the whole 12 weeks. As time goes on though, it can become more difficult, and you may be tempted to get off track. However, if you encourage others to do the program along with you, it is more likely that you will stick with it and complete the whole 12 weeks. When others are doing the program with you, it can cause you to feel more accountable. They may ask you how you are doing with your program, you may see them in the gym everyday, and if you miss a day and they don’t see you they may ask you where you were, making you feel more accountable.

Also, encouraging others to do the program with you can help to build excitement about doing the program. Usually, when you are encouraging someone to do something you are almost "selling" them on the program; so you have to sound upbeat, excited and energetic about it. This can subconsciously make you yourself more excited, upbeat, and energetic about your own program!

If you can talk someone in your household - like your significant other - into doing the program with you, then you can cook the same healthy meals together and get all of the other un-authorized foods out of your household completely. It’s easier to avoid un-authorized foods if they are not available to you in your home. Also, you will not have to be tempted to go off the plan by coming home and seeing someone else relaxing on the couch and eating junk food, which could cause you to wish you could do the same. Instead, you could come home to someone telling you about a new healthy recipe they found that they want to try tonight for dinner.

If there is no way you could possibly talk your significant other into doing the program, or if you are single, co- workers are another great source for a partner to do the challenge with. Since you see them every day, you could ask each other how the program is going, work out together, or even share meal plans. Taking a look at someone else’s meal plan could help you realize you need to do things differently with your own meal plan, or it could even serve as a way to find new BFL authorized meals that you had not thought of yet. If you are eating the same thing day in and day out, that can become boring. When you add new meals into the mix, you are less likely to get off track due to boredom.

So, in conclusion, the main benefit of encouraging others to do Body-For-LIFE® is that it can help you to stay on track and complete your own 12 week program!

3 Key Tips To Completing Your ENTIRE 12 Week Program

BFL — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:21:00 GMT

Starting your 12 week Body-for-LIFE® program can be a very exciting time for many individuals. You are motivated and excited to start seeing some great changes in your body. For some people it is difficult to stay focused and motivated. Particularly in the 6^th and 7^th week, some of that motivation and excitement may start to dwindle. For those individuals, below are some tips to help ensure you will make it through the entire 12 weeks of your challenge:

1. When you start your program tell everyone you are starting a body transformation program.

That way they will ask you about your progress and you will feel more accountable since others will be expecting to see changes in your body. Also when others are aware you are working to make a change they may notice small differences that you don’t. This is extra motivation that can be a great catalyst to keep you going.

2. Reward yourself as you go along. Rewards do not have to be in the form of food. You could treat yourself to a stress-reducing massage or a shopping trip. Recognize and reward yourself for all accomplishments you make during your challenge, even your smaller accomplishments. For example, you may be able to run farther, lift heavier weights, have reduced stress levels and be sleeping better at night. That way, you will be more conscious of all the positive things that have occurred since you started your challenge. Focus on all the positive things you have gained from participating in this program, not all the foods you had to give up.

3. Plan a trip, event, or plan to attend a special occasion at the end of your 12 week program.

Maybe you have a class reunion, or an extended family wedding coming up and want to look your absolute best seeing people in your life that haven’t seen you in a while. Or you could plan a beach vacation. There are not many things that can motivate people more than knowing you will have to be in a bathing suit again in the near future.

Greek Week

BFL — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:47:00 GMT

If you are growing tired of egg whites in the morning, why not try a new lean protein option? Greek yogurt is a potential choice that may be new to you.

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Home Gyms - Just as Good as the Real Thing

BFL — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:14:00 GMT

It’s Monday morning. You’ve decided that TODAY is the day to start a new lifestyle. This new lifestyle includes healthier eating habits and a more regimented workout routine (or maybe just a workout plan in general that has never existed in your life before!). But wait, there’s not a gym for 30+ miles around. Or maybe there is, but that gym is charging an arm and a leg just for basic membership. What now?

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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!

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)!

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 Pro Science Reload® 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 breast. 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.

Splenda^® is not a registered trademark of Abbott Laboratories.