College is Crazy

So, college is a crazy place, keeping me insanely busy over the past few months.  Finally, now that the semester is over and it's the summer, I have some free time to myself!

Posts to watch for:

Shakeólogy and why it's so amazing

A review of ChaLean Extreme

An overview of products Beachbody has in the works

Weekly (or sort of weekly) updates to my personal fitness progress

Why I love being a coach!

Updates on my Coaching goals (Diamond by the end of August anyone?)

Stay tuned for these posts and more in the following weeks!

What does a Beachbody Coach do?

I realized after posting my goals that many people might not realize what an Independent Beachbody Coach actually does.

A coach is someone who motivates, inspires, and generally wants to help people change their lives.  My coach was so helpful to me that I wanted to do what she did.  I wanted to be there for people as they changed their lives, to help them succeed.  I didn't even know it was something you got paid to do!  I thought you just signed up and then got to email people and help them get in great shape.  At first, the knowledge that it was a business really turned me off and I didn't want to do it.  But the more I looked into it, and the more I learned about the reason behind why coaching was a "paid position", I knew that coaching was what I wanted to do.

I truly believe that anyone that goes into coaching to help people and not just to make money really does the best and gets the most out of it.  I haven't made it to Emerald status yet (by getting 2 other people signed up as coaches) so I haven't made much money BUT that's ok!  It's given me extra motivation that has helped me lose over 20 pounds, and better yet, I've been able to help a close friend lose over 25 pounds.  There's nothing better than having someone thank me for helping them change their life.  I'd coach for free, in fact that's what I thought I'd be doing before I looked into it!  And the money I'm making?  I nice little bonus!!

I love the Beachbody philosophy that, hey, we (the coaches) are working hard to change our bodies and in doing so we inspire others so why shouldn't we get a part of the profit?  Those customer leans were created by our transformation and hard work, so why not?  But really, there is nothing better than helping people succeed and get healthier.  I'm also so very excited to talk to people about Beachbody.  That company has done so much good for me and my friends and family that I want everyone to know about it!  

Beachbody has changed my life in so many ways and it can change yours too!

So, what does a coach do?  Your personal coach is your cheerleader telling you you're doing great.  (S)he's there to give you a little tough love when you're slacking and could be doing better, (s)he'll get you back on track.  For those just starting off, your coach can help you choose the program that will be best for you based what you like (or don't) about exercise and their own vast knowledge of the Beachbody programs (I've personally tried all but 2 of them!) With your coaches help you will lose more weight, get better results because you are accountable and therefore more likely to stick with it!  Your coach can even help you earn a little extra income (or a lot more) by helping you become a coach and guiding you on your way.  Your coach is there to answer all your questions, share your highs and lows, and to be your friend.

I recently had a friend excitedly tell me she could reach her toes after a week of working out.  She is so excited and motivated to continue on her journey, and my heart just swelled with pride as she told me that.  Every single time I hear something like that from one of the people I coach I am reminded that THAT is why I do this.  I'm helping people change their lives and there is NOTHING better than that.

If what I've described sounds like something you'd enjoy please feel free to email me at fitatcollege@yahoo.com to discuss this more in depth.  I could talk about it all day so I'll try to keep this post short (haha too late I guess).  

You can also go to my website www.fitatcollege.com to read more about my transformation, see before/after photos and learn more about being a coach by clicking the "be a coach" link.  Well, goodnight all!

Your friend in health and fitness,

Sam

Goals: the big and the small

While I was eating my breakfast this morning (fat free yogurt and a wonderfully ripe orange), I was thinking about what to talk about today; there's just so many things to talk about!  I was going to talk about nutrition but I decided to save that for another day and, instead, focus on goals.

You've probably heard it a hundred times, "write down your goals", "set goals", etc. etc.  Well, I'm here to tell you that YES writing down your goals will help you achieve them!  Write them down and post them where you can see them EVERY DAY!  Why does this help?  Consider the amount of things you have to worry about every day: school, work, family obligations, homework, when you're going to exercise, how are you going to eat healthy on a college campus, do these pants look good on me, grocery lists, facts, and the list goes on and on and on.  How are you ever going to give your goals the attention they deserve in that mess?  But if you write them down and say, tape them up in your bedroom where you'll see them every day, multiple times a day, you get a constant reminder of what you're working towards.

Ok, you probably already knew that, and if you're doing ChaLean Extreme (like I am) and you've listened to the motivational CD you know that Chalene thinks it's a good idea, too.  However, I'd like you to take it one step further.  I'd like you to set that goal and then break it up into smaller goals.  And then, I'd like to you go even one more step and pick rewards for each of the smaller goals.  Now, this is the wrong way to do this: Once I lose 20 pounds I will treat myself to a huge dessert buffet.  Trust me, you don't want to do it like that.

Pick things that are healthy and won't sabotage your hard earned goals.  So, maybe instead of the dessert buffet, treat yourself to a professional massage, or buy a cute new outfit.  Also, this doesn't only apply to fitness goals; you can apply it to any area of your life.  To give you an idea of what this might look like, I'm going to list MY goals for 2009.

My Fitness Goals

1. Get under 150 lbs -the reward- buy a Team Beachbody logo shirt

2. Get down to a size 10 jean -the reward- buy one new pair of jeans (size 10 of course)

3. Get down to a size 8 jean -the reward- buy a cute new outfit

4. Get down to a size 6 jean (my big goal) -the reward- by a bikini!

5. Complete 120 of CE -the reward- get certified to teach Turbo Kick!  (the gym version of turbo jam)

Goals for my Beachbody Coaching Business

1. Become an Emerald Coach -the reward- buy Hip Hop Hustle 1 & 2

2. Become a Ruby Coach -the reward- start getting a joint support supplement monthly

3. Become a Diamond Coach -the reward- Set aside money to attend Camp Turbo Kick or BB coach summit

4. Earn $100 in ONE month -the reward- start putting 50% profit towards paying off loans

5. Earn $1,000 in ONE month -the reward- a night in NYC (maybe see a broadway show or something)

So, as you can see, the rewards I set for myself a fun and healthy.  I really want to try Hip Hop Hustle so I won't let myself get that until I become an Emerald Coach.  That way not only is it more special when I get it, BUT it also gives me more motivation to reach that goal.  Similarly, I really want to get the joint support formula because I want to protect my knees but I can't afford that investment right now (since I already get 3 supplements: ActiVit, Core Cal-Mag, and Core Omega) but when I'm a Ruby coach I should be making enough money that I can afford to get the joint support.

Similarly, I really want to be a Turbo Kick instructor but my goal is to faithfully complete a full 120 day rotation of ChaLean Extreme (CE) so once I complete that I will allow myself to get certified.  And speaking of CE, not only am I almost done w/ my first 30 days, I have a date w/ some heavy weights in about 10 minutes, so I'm off to get my workout in for today!  Bye!

Your friend in health and fitness,

Sam

Fitness Fundamentals

Whether you're trying to lose weight, gain weight, or just improve your fitness, there are 4 basic areas of exercise you need to address: cardio, weight-training, abs, and flexibility.

Cardio: Cardio training is probably one of the most popular forms of exercise to lose weight, especially for women.  A cardio workout can be anything from running to biking to kickboxing (a little Turbo Jam anyone?) to dancing to interval training and on the list goes.  Doing cardio at least 3 days a week does a lot of good for a person's body.  It strengthens the heart, increases energy, burns calories, relieves stress and so much more!!  My personal favorite form of cardio is kickboxing w/ Turbo Jam but anything that gets your heart rate up that you enjoy is good.

Weight-Training: When many people hear the words "weight training" they automatically think big muscular body builders and the like.   Other people have a flawed idea that they will use cardio to lose weight and THEN start doing strength training to tone up.  But here's some really great news: weight lifting is the best way to lose weight because the more lean muscle you have the more fat you burn!!  Beachbody has a new program out, called ChaLean Extreme, that capitalizes on that very fact!  And ladies, don't be afraid to lift heavy weights!  I certainly don't want to get all bulky but, luckily, being a woman means that I don't have enough testosterone to get bulky.  Woo hoo!  Seriously though, lifting heavy weights will make your muscles smaller and tighter and more dense which means, your metabolism, yeah it's going to skyrocket and you'll burn major calories even while at rest.  While lifting heavy is the most effective way to work your muscles, any weight training is beneficial.

Ab work: Talk to almost anyone improving their fitness and what do they all want: a 6 pack!  In our society having great abs tends to be the standard by which we judge our fitness.  Here's why it's important other than having the coveted 6-pack: Having strong core muscles (abs, back, hip flexors) helps almost all areas of your fitness, reduces the chance of injury, and makes life easier.  But your abs are muscles, just like any other muscle group, yet people tend to train them totally different then the rest of your body.  You DON'T, I repeat, DON'T need to work your abs every day!  You don't work your biceps everyday so why would you do your abs everyday?  They need time to rest too you know!  So, if you're going to specifically work your abs, do it 3 or 4 times a week giving yourself a day between to rest.  Oh, and that 6-pack you want so much?  You wont' see it by doing endless crunches,  you need to reduce your body fat by eating right and working out before those abs can shine through!

Flexibility: This is perhaps the most under-emphasized part of fitness.  Flexibility increases your ability to get stronger, quickens the time it takes to heal from a workout, and reduces soreness.  Yoga is a great way to increase your flexibility, as is stretching in any form.  When it comes to stretching remember: never stretch cold muscles, warm up a bit first or you will tear your muscles.  When stretching, you should stretch to the point where you feel uncomfortable but not pain.  Post-cardio is a great time to do extra stretching because your body is nice and warm.  It's also important to stretch post strength training to prevent soreness.

Here's how I incorporate these 4 elements of fitness into my routine:

Weight lifting w/ ChaLean Extreme (CE): Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays

Cardio Intervals and kickboxing w/ CE and Turbo Jam: Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Ab work: following cardio on Wednesday always and some extra on some Mondays or whenever I have the time (but I give myself a day of rest in between!!)

Flexibility: Stretching after every workout plus doing a 20 min stretch video (stretching and yoga) on Friday.

My goal for '09 is to try new things so I plan to give yoga and Pilates a try this year and maybe try rock climbing?  Mixing it up is always a good thing ;)

Your friend in health and fitness,

Sam

Fit and Friendless

How many of us have started a new fitness program, or cleaned up our diet only to have our friends express their displeasure?

"That much water isn't even good for you."

or the infamous

"Why are you dieting?  You're not even fat!"

When you hear that, don't you just want to scream, "IT'S NOT A DIET, IT'S CALLED EATING HEALTHY!!  AND YOUR BODY NEEDS AT LEAST 64 oz  OF WATER A DAY!"

Well, if you haven't, I sure have!  When people ask me why I workout, with the implication that "hey, you don't need to lose weight" my blood tends to boil.  It's a pet peeve of mine.  On the one hand it's nice to know the person thinks I look good but HELLO?!? just because I workout regularly doesn't mean I'm trying to lose weight.  Ok, yeah, I'd like to lose a few more pounds, but the main reason I workout 6 days a week is because it's HEALTHY!  Working out makes me feel good; it gives me energy; it relieves stress, and it's necessary to live a fit and healthy life.  Everyone, whether they want to lose weight or not, ought to workout in some form at least 5 to 6 days a week.

A lot of people that I coach, especially those in their teens and 20s, encounter a lot of resistance from their friends when they get on a health kick, or start exercising and eating healthy.  One friend of mine, who I happen to coach, actually had someone mock her because she was drinking water!  She didn't know what to make of the strange reactions of her friends.  Her experience inspired me to write this blog.

Why do my friends pick on me for trying to be healthy?  Often, when this happens, the "friends" are feeling insecure about their own bodies or health.   They see you drinking water and look at the soda in their hands and feel guilty that they aren't taking care of their bodies.  When someone picks on you for just having a sliver of cake at a party generally has a HUGE slice on his or her plate.  They are picking on YOU because THEY want to justify their bad habits.  These friends may not even realize what they're doing.  Another possibility is that your friends are afraid they will "lose" you.  This is especially true if you and your friends used to bond over all-night pig out sessions and now you'd rather go to the gym and do some Pilates.

How can I strengthen my friendships while I strengthen my body?: First, you need to assure your friends that they are still important to you.  But remember, actions speak louder than words.  Thank them for their support.  Invite them to do something active with you.  Instead of gossiping over ice cream, take a nice long walk and chat your way through the miles.  Love your yoga teacher?  Tell your friends how much fun it is and invite them along!  Or, better yet, let them pick the activity.

Unfortunately, you may find that there are one or two friends you drift apart from;  however, you getting in shape can become the catalyst that helps your friends get fit too!  Plus, your new healthy lifestyle will likely introduce you to new friends, too.  Just remember, you're getting fit for you, not for them.  Don't let them prevent you from reaching your goals.  Remember always, everyone is worth the time it takes to get fit and healthy!

You friend in health and fitness,

Sam

Who I Am and What I Do

Who I am:  I am a 20-year old college sophomore studying music composition.  I love just about all things fitness (real fitness, not the gimmicky stuff) and I am an Independent Coach with Team Beachbody (makers of the popular programs Turbo Jam, Ten Minute Trainer, Rockin' Body, etc.)  I am currently doing their new program, ChaLean Extreme and I love it!

What I'm doing with this blog: I will be using this blog to talk about my own fitness journey, but more than that, I am trying to provide a place for high school and college students to have support from someone their own age.  I was very out of shape in high school and using Beachbody products I have gotten into great shape and I continue to work to improve my fitness.  I want to talk about some of the perhaps unconsidered challenges we face in getting in shape such as ridicule from peers (you know what I mean the "oh you're not fat, why are you working out").  Teens and young adults are in need of some straight talk about fit facts from someone who's lived it.  So, here I am.

What you can expect to see here: You can expect to see my reviews of fitness programs I'm trying, my own personal struggles and triumphs, some important nutritional and fitness information, myth busters, motivation, etc.  You can also leave me questions as a comment and I'll post about it.

Your friend in health and fitness,

Sam Adams