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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Happy 2 year Anniversary to me!

Two years ago on august 16th 2007 I started my first day of regular exercise and eating reasonably. I got the body, strength, endurance, and energy I had always wanted in 90 days and have kept it two years and counting! I haven't fallen off the wagon for more than a day or two at a time since then! Two years later I still look much the same as I did when I first reached my goals but I am even stronger and depending on my diet even more ripped looking.

I succeeded and still am succeeding in my personal fitness and wellness because from day one I had a "Do or Die" attitude. I never gave myself an option to fail. You wouldn't give a new born baby a deadline to learn how to walk or call it quits would you? Of course not. You would encourage the baby to keep trying until a walking success has been achieved! And even then you don't stop, the next step is to learn to run, skip, hop and jump rope; maybe stand on one leg; some may choose to be gymnasts etc.

Success or Failure is pre determined by your attitude going into your challenge. If you want to change the way you look and feel then make the decision and go into it with a Do or Die attitude!

Tom
P.S. "You can't be successful by backing away from failure" - Me!!!
P.P.S. I documented my initial 90 days complete with a before and after picture: http://passionforfitness.info/mystory

Thursday, August 13, 2009

The enemy in weight loss isn’t carbs it’s your lack of knowledge!

Contrary to popular baseless opinion carbohydrates are not the enemy in loosing weight. The enemy is TOO MANY simple carbohydrates and not enough complex carbohydrates. Google simple and complex carbohydrates to find examples in abundance of each.

The average American currently consumes 45% carbohydrates, which is not enough, and it consists of mostly simple carbs which explains our ever increasing guts. Normally, regularly physically active adults should be consuming 55% to 65% carbohydrates in their daily total caloric intake. If you’re worried about blood sugars then focus on complex carbohydrates like whole grains. A single serving of a simple carbohydrate is all most adults need per day. An ideal time of day to eat a serving of simple carbs is in the morning after eight hours of fasting along with a good protein source to get your metabolism working and blood sugars regulated for the day. Another serving of simple carbs would be ideal right after a VIGOROUS bout of exercise along with a whey (fast absorbing) protein source. Ideally the ratio post vigorous workout is 4 grams of simple sugars to 1 gram of whey protein.

Some of the primary functions of carbohydrates include:

- A MAJOR source of energy. Your day will feel livelier and less lethargic. If you work out, which you should be, your workouts will be more energetic which leads to bigger and faster results. Nice right???

- Provides dietary fibers. Intestinal track bacteria build up is not pretty. Many illnesses are born from that.

- Helps the body use fat more efficiently. That’s right carbohydrates actually helps your body use up fat stores more efficiently.

- Provides fat soluble vitamins. I.E. vitamins A, D, E, and K. Vitamins are important because they regulate the release of energy in our foods, aids in metabolism, involved in red blood cell production, essential for liver function, essential for blood clotting, and a whole host of other functions to keep you healthy.

- Ensures brain and nervous system health. If that goes you’re dead. If brain and nervous health are compromised you make yourself more vulnerable to illness and debilitating disease. Eat your carbs!

I have heard ill tutored mentions of the cavemen thousands or millions of years ago who ate primarily meat with little to no carbs in their diet. Here is what I have to say about that. I’m not sure they ever lived more than 16 – 20 years of age. I would bet that the cave men regularly died of severe nutrient deficiencies, a rotting brain, weak nerve impulses, intestinal problems etc.

Eat your carbohydrates and eat them the right way! It’s essential for weight loss and enhancing over all health and wellness.

Tom - Join my Beachbody Team. Click Here: Team Beachbody

Are YOU out of shape? YOU have a HUGE advantage here…

This is no joke and no exaggeration. Don’t underestimate the HUGE advantage the physically “unfit” and “utterly out of shape” people have as we often do and quit over. Quitting over that is like quitting over a facade, or a word, or a concept that isn’t even real. IF your level of fitness is low then you have a factual and much overlooked advantage IF you start and see through a great fitness program.

The lower your initial level of fitness is the greater capacity or rate of improvements you can experience. For example, I am a VERY fit individual. I will never again be able to “transform” myself physically in a short period of time unless I just let myself go and start all over again. But then again I’d be the dumbest person on earth if I did that. I could do another round of P90X or even another program just as challenging as P90X, I could bring all of my focus and intensity to the program like I always do, I could consistently “Bring it” to every work out and I will still not see anything drastically different in 90 days. I would certainly get stronger than I already am, even healthier, all around BETTER than I was before I started but these improvements will NEVER be great enough to be considered a physical transformation like my first 90 days of P90X was.

What I’m trying to get across to those of you just starting out, or contemplating starting a great fitness program is to not be discouraged by your appearance or your low level of fitness. Instead, see yourself for the potential that you really have and the opportunity that really exists. YOU have an unprecedented potential and opportunity here to see drastic changes in your body in a relatively shorter period of time than the more physically fit among us.

If you are involved in or just about to involve yourself in a GREAT fitness program then TRUST the program and see it through faithfully. True, genetics is very individualized and plays a role here BUT the physiological adaptive responses to exercise that take place in the body which produces results are the SAME for all of us, period. That one FACT alone completely obliterates any “I’m too out of shape to begin working out” excuse one may have. In other words, if I can get into stellar shape then so can you and it doesn’t matter if you’re starting out fat or skinny or easily winded or weak.

If you already have a great program then get to work! If not, get in touch with me so that I can help you.

Tom - Join my Team! Click HERE: Team Beachbody

P.S. Don't forget to take before and after pictures! These will give you something visually measurable to feel good about. It will also serve to fuel your motivation which you will need to keep going. By the way, your BEFORE pictures are extremely time sensitive. Once your body begins changing you will not be able to go back in time to take those critical pictures. Get out the camera and tape measure and begin photographing and measuring! Then do it again in a few months and feel good in what you have accomplished :)

Sunday, August 9, 2009

"This may be the first generation of children that will die before their parents"

This is from the American College of Sports Medicine; probably the most reliable and credible source of information in the health and wellness industry.

Source - http://www.acsm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home_Page&template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=4256

***PREVENTION IN CHILDREN IS BEST OPTION TO COMBAT OBESITY EPIDEMIC
Expert says climbing youth obesity rate leading to largest public health crisis in history

Preventing obesity in children may be the best and only tactic to combat future problems with obese and overweight adults, according to obesity expert John P. Foreyt, Ph.D. Foreyt, opening keynote lecturer at the seventh-annual ACSM Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition, told health and fitness professionals our society, already in the midst of an obesity epidemic, must be more diligent when it comes to ensuring proper growth, development and overall health of children.

The newest data shows that rates of overweight children ages two to five have doubled and rates of those in their teen years have tripled. For adults, the numbers are increasingly dismal; 65 percent of adults are overweight, and by the year 2040, 100 percent will be overweight. Likewise, 31 percent of adults are now considered obese, but by year 2100, 100 percent of adults will be obese. That is, says Foreyt, unless prevention strategies are successful in a generation already facing obesity.

"This may be the first generation of children that will die before their parents," said Foreyt. "The climbing prevalence of risk factors previously seen in overweight and obese adults in their 40s and 50s, particularly Type 2 diabetes, is now seen in children from 10 to 15 years old."

Building more physical activity into the daily lives of children and educating them about portion sizes are the two major prevention strategies to combat youth obesity. This starts in schools and with parents, says Foreyt.

"Children are in school most of the day, so putting physical activity programs back into schools should be our first priority," he said. "The next step we must take is to teach children about normal eating patterns. For instance, a three year-old will self-regulate their eating; they will eat when they're hungry and stop eating when full. But a five year-old will just keep eating. Their environment tells them what to eat. If it's super-sized, they will become conditioned to eating super-sized portions. This is where the parents have to teach early portion control, and they're the only ones who can do it."

Foreyt points to data showing the obesity epidemic is worldwide. Statistics released this year from the World Health Organization have determined that more than one billion adults are overweight or obese. Nearly half of all adults are 15 pounds overweight, which leads to risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. "You'll simply die sooner if you're fat," says Foreyt. "The real issue is that overweight and obesity will take seven years from your life."

Foreyt notes society promotes obesity, which is a major obstacle to future prevention strategies. "It's normal to be fat these days," he says. "When we drive to work, sit in front of a computer all day, and watch TV all night, we take no natural opportunity to exercise. Food is cheap in America, and dense in calories, so our environment is certainly making us fat."

Research has shown small changes can make big differences, especially in changing behavior patterns of children. Foreyt recommends starting with small formulas for big results. "By reducing daily calories by 100, and adding more daily physical activity to burn an extra 100 calories, you can lose up to 20 pounds a year by practically doing nothing. That's leaving three bites uneaten of a fast-food hamburger and walking briskly each day for 20 minutes."

Foreyt says the loss of just 10 to 20 pounds can have a significant effect on health by lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, but it will also increase self-esteem and reduce depression.

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 20,000 International, National and Regional members are dedicated to promoting and integrating scientific research, education and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science to maintain and enhance physical performance, fitness, health and quality of life.***

Beachbody has several programs to address the child hood obesity epidemic and to reverse the over all trend of obesity and diabetes in both children and adults. All of us need to do our part for the sake of ourselves, our families, our nation, and for the hope of tomorrow or health care will not be around tomorrow, period, because we can't afford it.

Let me know of your interests and Join my Team: http://teambeachbody.com/metalpalace

We can do this!

Tom

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

How on earth do I ever get so much Energy??? This is so simple folks.

“Tom, how on earth do you ever get so much energy???”

Frequently in group workouts or with just a single buddy I am asked this question. It’s an easy question for me to answer. I don’t see any reason to keep it from the public domain so read and LEARN for your benefit and the benefit of others around you of whom you choose to teach.

The other day I was taking my resting heart rate (RHR) before getting out of bed. My RHR came in at 42 beats per minute! That is insanely FABULOUS for a trained individual. I took it again just to double check and it came in at 45 beats per minute (bpm). The small jump was probably the result of a small amount of adrenaline from my sympathetic nervous system from the first reading. None the less this confirmed my stellar RHR.

Just so you have some perspective consider this. The average RHR for men is 70 bpm and 75 for women. A RHR lower than 60 bpm (bradycardia) for an untrained individual or greater than 100 bpm (tachycardia) for any individual is a problem that requires medical attention or you risk dying of an abnormal heart condition. It’s common for trained athletes to bring their RHR down to below 60 bpm and for Olympic cross country skiers or P90X’ers to go as low as the lower 40’s.

Pay attention closely because this is the reason why I am able to “Bring it” to my workouts and I want YOU to be able to BRING IT to your workouts also.

My low RHR (as a result of consistent training and reasonable nutrition) is directly the cause for my HUGE capacity to bring a big ole ball of ENERGY and intensity to my workouts which ultimately leads to bigger, better and faster results. When you think about it, it is so basic. If your heart is not in great shape you get easily winded, your workouts are less and your results are less and take longer. Do you follow me? This concept can be taught just like that in easy terms that anyone can understand right away. But if you are like me and want to know WHY and HOW well here is a little bit about that.

My heart at a RHR in the lower forties is so efficient at pumping blood to my working muscles and regulating my circulatory system that with each beat, it is pumping so much oxygen rich blood systemically (stroke volume) so that fewer pumps are required from my heart per minute to adequately and continuously supply all of my working cells with nutrient rich blood. Think about that for one second… With fewer pumps needed to adequately feed all my cells there will be less and less wear and tear and fatigue on my heart muscle (myocardium) which means (among many other benefits) I will live a HIGHER quality of living vs. a lower more degenerative quality of living while being able to do so much more for myself and others that I care about without feeling winded. Add to that, I have also greatly reduced risk factors for a heart attack, a stroke, disease or illness in general etc.

A higher quality of life; WHO WOULDN’T WANT THAT? Perhaps a person whose ambitions reflect a desire for the lesser quality of living coupled with exacerbated degenerative physiological side affects of neglecting ones own heart.

One other HUGE health benefit to an efficient heart and a low RHR is the fact that the heart muscle itself has more time to pump nutrient rich blood to itself via the coronary arteries. See the heart muscle needs to be fed just like any other muscle and a surprising number of people do not think about that. The only time the heart is working to feed and take care of itself is in between systemic contractions (during diastole). If you have a higher resting heart rate then your heart is going to be worn down more quickly as you age which inevitably leads to very undesirable feelings of agony simply for lack of nutrients as well as being over worked to fuel every other cell outside of the heart muscle.

The moral here is that the most important muscle in the body to enhance is the heart! If your goal is to be a better weight lifter, well, lifting weights requires an enormous amount of oxygenated blood to fuel those HARD working muscle cells or you will do fewer reps, move lighter loads, and strength gains will be painfully slow or non existent. The healthier your heart and circulation is the greater your propensity is to be a better weight lifter. The same goes for ANY activity from running, to cycling, to yoga, to sports performances, to energy levels, to ANYTHING even cognitive thinking depends on adequate blood flow.

Always work to enhance and strengthen your heart! The workouts AND day to day living is more enjoyable and rewarding.

Learn - Teach - Do!

Tom

Monday, August 3, 2009

Are you going to do a beachbody program? Get the coaching discounts and save thousands, literally!

This isn't some piddly little discount Beachbody gives its coaches. Being a coach does not mean you have to coach others or have any part in the coaching business. If you have no desire to coach then just take advantage of the 25% discounts on programs and supplements. I have coaches in my team who could care less about the coaching business and are saving thousands of dollars each year. For example, if you are going to buy P90X, ChaLEAN Extreme, Insanity, Shakeology or Ten minute trainer then you save $30. That $30 is as good as cash because it is instant, no waiting around for it. But that is just the beginning of the savings.

Here are some common examples to underline how much money you could be saving if you sign up for the coach discounts:

Savings Example 1: If you buy one of the above mentioned programs plus a daily multi vitamin pack and recovery formula (If you are doing an intense program you should be getting these things every month anyway if you want to the best results possible) you will save $57 the first month and $27 every month after the first month for a savings of $354 the first year! The first month savings is greater only because once you buy a program you own it for life. Vitamins and recovery formula you consume.

Savings Example 2: If you buy Shakeology plus a daily multi vitamin pack plus the recovery formula in addition to one of the above mentioned programs you will save $87 on your first month and $57 every month after the first month for an annual savings of $714! You will have saved literally over $1,000 within two years just from this purchase with the coach discounts! Not to mention the Shakeology has free shipping for life on it on all home direct orders. More savings!

Savings Example 3: If you just buy Shakeology every month and nothing else you still save $30 every month for an annual savings of $360. Click HERE to learn more about Shakeology savings.

Savings Example 4: The best deal of them all for a single item in the context of dollars you save is the showcase pack which is available to coaches only. This isn’t even available to free members or club members. The show case consists of 6 Beachbody programs (power 90 AND P90X included here), a full set of resistance bands and a squishy ball. On this one item alone you will save $220. This is a one time purchase opportunity only and it saves you hundreds instantly, but only if you sign up for the coaching discount.

Savings Example 5: If you buy the showcase pack and Shakeology you will save $250 your first month, and $30 every month after that for a $580 savings your first year!

Savings Example 6: If you were to buy the showcase pack, Shakeology, the recovery formula and the daily multi vitamin you will save $277 your first month, $57 month after that for a savings of $904 your first year!

These are just a few of some of the common ways that people are saving lots of money getting into the best shape of their lives. The monetary savings are great but ask anyone who is super fit if money can buy the way that being super fit feels. The important thing here is YOU taking care of the only mind and body you are going to get. If I can help you save money along the way then that is an added bonus! Not to mention, if someone asks you how you got to be in such great shape you can reap the financial rewards (If you want to) simply for sharing what you did with them and referring them to your fully automated Beachbody online store to purchase a program and supplement.

If you have enjoyed what you have just read and want to reap the health benefits and financial savings that team Beachbody offers then sign up TODAY and get in touch with me TODAY so that I can help you maximize, everything.

Sign up for the coach discounts here: https://teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/coach?referringRepId=2760

Tom – It feels good to be super fit and save thousands of dollars, literally.

"Fan pages" Doesnt at all describe my fan page. Peer to Peer does though. Join me.

I created a "fan page" through facebook. I'd rather it were called a Peer to Peer page but this is the only unlimited method facebook offers. Profiles can only hold up to 5,000 friends while pages are unlimited. The only way MASSES of people can be educated about the enormous benefits as well as risks of healthier living is through marketing.

Forget the negative prejudices that are sometimes associated with marketing. Marketing for this purpose is purely spreading the education, the learning and the teaching to as many receptive people as possible. Everyone is both a student and a teacher. Most of us have specialized areas of expertise, knowledge, skills and talents that others can benefit from. If we have a large enough group of people with diverse backgrounds then as a group of teachers and students we can literally provide each and every one of us with solution(s) to our individual problems. "Fan" page doesn't at all describe that beautiful concept but that's all facebook is offering. With that in mind, think of my "fan" page as a peer to peer page of equality and opportunity for everyone in a very individualized and effective way.

Join my page! Invite others to join! The trends of obesity, onset of childhood type 2 diabetes, degenerative life styles and over all health problems as a result of lifestyle CHOICES cannot be reversed without some creative massive marketing.


The link to Join me: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Birkenmeyer-fitness-enthusiast/158431700706

Use the "Suggest to Friends" link under the main picture on the left hand side to invite others.

Tom