Video Blogging & Game Plan Chicago

So, just a quick question. Should I start video blogging? I've thought about it for a while and I think it might be a really effective way to talk about P90X and other Beachbody workouts. Just wondering, anyone have any thoughts?

Also, Monica and I had a fantastic time at the Game Plan Road Tour event in Chicago this past weekend. Had a great time learning about how to more effectively build your Beachbody business. But the best part of the weekend was the great workout we got to enjoy, compliments of Mark Briggs. The workout was fantastic. WE did some nice circuit training. Upper, Cardio, Middle and Lower (UCML) was the name of the workout. It was a killer.

If you ever have the opportunity to workout with Mark, take him up on it.

P90X, 10 Days in!

Wow, I've got a lot to catch up on.

I started P90X again on the 9th of January. Now, this time I'm easing myself into it. Having done P90X before, I know what I may be capable of. However my strength levels aren't where they were 10 months ago when I had done P90X twice. So, I have to consciously hold back on some of the weight and reps I attempt.

Things have been going well. It's just funny how different your posture is when you're working out. I don't know what it is, whether it's the muscle soreness, or something else. I just know that when I'm doing strength training, I walk taller, my posture is different. It's a good feeling.

Now, things haven't been perfect. I've had a few really busy days. For example, this last Saturday, I didn't have the time for all of Chest and Back. So, I just BROUGHT IT, all out full speed on the first half of Chest and Back. To be frank, I was more sore from this than I was the week prior where I did both rounds of exercises but held back a bit. So, this s a good option for you now and then if you're crunched for time.

My diet has been great. I've been trying to follow "The Primal Blueprint" by Mark Sisson I've been eating very clean and other than the slice of peanut butter pie Monica and I shared for our anniversary dinner, my diet has been spot on.

Fit Test Day 1 Results, Day 15 Results

	Day 1	Day 15
1. Switch Kicks 2. Power Jacks 3. Power Knees 4. Power Jumps 5. Globe Jumps 6. Suicide Jumps 7. Push-Up Jacks 8. Low Plank Oblique	42 46 85 29 9 11 13 36 (18x2)	47 52 107 43 11.5 18 22 44 (22x2)

Some of these numbers have completely impressed me and I am so proud of myself for the progress I have made so far. Then there are the switch kicks...they are killer! A Beachbody Facebook Friend told me that if you do them really quick, the momentum helps and you can do more. What I don't get is the one leg is up and as soon as it is down the other is coming up. I always want to do a little hop in between and I think that is what is slowing me down...but there is always Day 36, Day 50 and Day 63!!! Bring it on!

~Monica

Day 2 Ouch!

When I walked in the door today after a busy day at work, John was walking down the stairs. "Did you just finish your workout?" I asked him. He had on workout shorts, no shirt and was drenched in sweat with a towel over his shoulders. "No, I've been done for a half hour" he answered. "Really? You look beat!" I replied. "I don't know, maybe it's been fifteen minutes..."

John, I now understand. After he answered my question he continued to tell me how killer this workout was going to be. When he was done, he decided maybe he shouldn't have said anything. I don't know what look I had on my face, but I am sure it was close to sheer fear.

So when I started the video an hour later, I was prepared for anything. Day 2 is called Plyometric Cardio Circuit. It's plyometrics the entire way through the workout using circuits to keep you moving from one action to the next. Even the warm-up is a circuit. So you begin by doing a move at a reasonable pace, such as high kicks. Then you do the next move also at a reasonable pace. Once you have done all of the moves you begin again...but you go faster!

The music is great, Shaun T is very motivating...and the best part? These people are not actors (not that any of the Beachbody programs use actors), but these people are sweating, cursing under their breath and shouting out in pain! I know its tough...take a break if you need it...you can do it! Then the camera pans around the room towards the end of the workout showing close-ups of these people...and they are smiling! I kid you not, I smiled right back at them!

This is going to be hard and painful, but man is it going to be AWESOME!
~Monica

Do you need a coach?

Hey everyone. Great to get some good feedback from you through email lately. Thanks to those of you that reach out to me with questions and comments. Also, to whoever actually purchased two of my shirt designs yesterday, another big thanks. That was pretty cool!!

I get this question occasionally. People will have registered at the Team Beachbody website, or become a club member, and never hear from their assigned coach. Let me explain a bit of what is going on. As a coach, I get customers assigned to me now and then. The vast majority are restricted, meaning that Beachbody provides me the name of the customer, but no contact information. So, if Joe Sixpack signs up as a club member, he may have me assigned as his coach. However, if he doesn't want his email to be shared with me, I have no way of reaching out and contacting him.

So, for those of you that want to hear from your assigned coach, make sure to opt in for emails.

However, if you want a specific coach, you can get a new coach assigned to you. I don't want to "take you away" from another coach if you've been working with them. However, if you were assigned to a random coach, and want a new one, send me an email and I'd love to help you on your fitness journey.

On a side note, I'm absolutely loving the Push Phase of ChaLEAN Extreme. Its really forcing me to push my limits and lift heavier than I have in a while. I'm loving the challenge.

Take care my friends, push play, and remember;

Hope is not an action plan.

John

New Coach Alert!!!!

The Tough Fitness Coaching Team is absolutely rocking right now.  We've got another coach in the organization.  Jennifer Jones, welcome to the team.  Check out Jen's Blog!

For any of you wondering "what is this Beachbody coach" thing.  Here's a short video.

If you're interested, send me a quick email and let me know!!

Looks like my Summer may be getting INSANE!

Saw this promo for one of the newer programs coming out from Beachbody this summer. This program looks crazy! I'm really looking forward to giving this program a try.

Counting Calories

From Monica:

Yikes! I know...you read the title and are already downsizing the window as you read this. Stop! Don't! I promise that counting calories isn't as hard as you might think it is.

First of all, what are you eating anyway? Usually the same types of things from day to day that are actually easy for you to determine the calorie count of. I don't know about you, but I am not eating baked goods everyday which I would agree are probably the hardest foods to figure calorie counts on. Dessert for me has included grapefruit with Splenda (82 calories for the whole thing), Popcorn (175 calories to split a bag with John for non-hydrogenated and buttered), a banana (100 calories) and decaf coffee with creamer (coffee is less than 5 calories, the creamer is about 17). These things are all very easy to figure out.

The first thing you have to do is determine how many calories you should shoot for. I am 5'5, 132 lbs and I work out at a high activity level 5 days a week. John went to the Beachbody website for club members and found the calorie intake calculator. We calculated that I need 1698 in calories for my stats and activity level to be able to burn .5 pounds of fat each week. With the heavy weight lifting, I will build muscle in those areas, so my weight will probably not drop...but my body fat % will.

The key is writing it all down. I calculate my calories on my breakfast and write it down. Then I pack my morning snack, my lunch and my afternoon snack and I go ahead and write that down at the same time (I personally recommend packing your own snacks and lunch. That way you are regulated on what you can eat). When I get home from work I tally up my day, add in anything I didn't write down and determine what I have left for dinner and "dessert".

I have been doing it for 8 days now and only cheated one day! Now to show just how realistic I am being, let me paint you a picture. I work at a bank. I sit at the front desk and I socialize with almost every customer who comes in and leaves. On my desk is a jar of candy for customers. Across from my desk by the entry is a plate of cookies. The teller line has candy jars with Jelly Bellys, lollipops and caramels. Almost every week it is someone's birthday or another special event that leads to people bringing in goodies. These are the temptations that I deal with daily, and I am not talking about the R&B group!

One more piece of advice is to think about everything you eat. For instance, a regular Oreo cookie is 55 calories (how about half a grapefruit?), ten Jelly Bellys are 50 (how about coffee with creamer?), A fun size candy bar is about 100 (how about an entire banana?). Seriously...you are fueling your body and if you are working out, then you are wasting your time if you aren't watching your diet. Just take a shot at it like I did and let me know how you do. I can't believe how easy it is and that I have accomplished 8 days of this. It feels awesome!

Beachbody Coaching

Some of you are curious what "Beachbody" coaching is all about.

I thought you could watch the following video.

Why I became a Beachbody Coach.

You know what's been more exciting than my own journey with P90X?  Its been talking to others that were in a similar situation as mine.  I have some friends that have been out of a regular fitness routine, not at their best level of fitness.  A couple of these folks have seen my blog, seen my results photos, and my success so far has motivated them to get on board and try out P90X or another Beachbody Fitness program such as ChaLEAN Extreme.

One of my buddies called me up and was absolutely gushing about how he loved the first week of P90X.  I forget his exact quote, but it was something along the lines of, "Dude, this has been awesome!  I'm 100% into this program!"  How cool is that?  My success has resulted in not only improving my health, but its going to change his life for the better.  I'm sure down the line someone will ask him what he's been doing and will be motivated by his success as well.

Here's the truth why I became a coach.  The primary reason I became a Beachbody coach was not to make money (although the extra cash coming in has been nice).  The real reason is that I had a long history of starting a program and quitting.  I knew that starting as a coach would be drawing a line in the sand for myself.  How could I be a "coach" to others if I wasn't sticking to a program myself?  I thought that by making an extra commitment to others by coaching, it would be a strong motivator to keep me into the program. (It worked!)

Going forward, the success of my friends that I am coaching will continue to motivate me.  I invest some time in them, help them reach their goals and get to enjoy the results.  

If you're looking into helping others improve their fitness, and are interested in coaching shoot me an email at john@toughfitness.com  

You can also check out my coaching page.

Day 11 Down, 12.2222% through.

More Yoga today. This post won't be as intriguing as last weeks post on Yoga.

However...if you don't have a Yoga Mat or Blocks, GET SOME.

It made the workout, although still difficult, much more manageable. If you're trying to do Yoga on bare carpet. Last week I tried to do some of the moves and my feet were sliding towards the corners of the room. That doesn't help the situation. With a Sticky Yoga Mat, my feet were planted firmly and I could fail at the moves without any excuses other than my own weaknesses.

I am now seeing some of the benefits of the Yoga. I can not believe how much sweat I produced just trying to do a few of these moves. Its a definite workout, even if it is low intensity.

On a side note, I went out to dinner with my buddy last night. I was able to maintain the diet very well. I went to TGI Fridays. I ordered some grilled chicken and instead of veggies and mashed potatoes, I asked for double veggies. They happily complied.

Its little decisions like that which will ultimately ensure my success. Sure, I could have easily had a "cheat" night. I've earned it right? Screw that...I want atypical results so I'm going to have to make atypical decisions.

As Brad tells me...Its Simple, just not easy!

Keep pushing Play!

John