We at Beachbody® are at war against the most formidable opponent the United States has ever faced: obesity. It’s killing more people a month than our two other more high-profile combatants—terror and drugs—have killed this decade. Obesity is the Darth Vader of all the
dangers we’ll face in our lifetimes. Smoking once ruled our universe, but a new master has taken over the dark side. Here, in the final installment of our latest trilogy on obesity, we offer a new hope of getting the force back on our side.
As usual, we begin in what appear to be ever darkening times. Just last week, a report was released showing that an obese 10-year-old kid may have the arteries of a 45-year-old. Each time we offer a solution, the obesity empire rebuffs our efforts. Earlier this year, we released Shaun T’s Fit Kids™ Club. Vader laughed as our infant mortality rate skyrocketed compared to the rest of the world. We offered Kathy Smith’s Project: YOU! Type 2™ and then saw the number of people who either are pre-diabetic or are already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes skyrocket to nearly a third of our population. Earlier this month, we offered 10 solutions to the epidemic (see “10 Ways to Fight Obesity” in the Related Articles section below). Last week, we’re told that over half our kids are projected to be obese within a generation. Admittedly, things look bleak for the rebellion. But read on and you’ll see that we don’t need a Jedi to guide us in this war. The force is very powerful. And it’s controlled by us. Continued…
Tags: obesity, obesity epidemic
In my 30’s and 40’s my passion was running and I accomplished a lot even with some challenging circumstances. That passion carried easily on into my 50’s and then Grace came along and I instantly had two passions - being the best father that I could be and fitting my running in around fatherhood. When Carly came along two years later, the balance shifted and shifted yet again another two years later when I became a full time work at home single dad.
December 30, 2008 marks yet another shift with the arrival of not another baby but rather another passion - the quest for longevity - and it is being facilitated by Chalene Johnson’s “ChaLEAN Extreme” workout DVD.
I anxiously awaited the package to arrive and was pleased to see the “green packaging” which is important in my value system. Opening the package revealed a highly polished, exceptionally professional set of DVD’s with the “Muscle Burns Fat Guidebook”, “Fat Burning Food Guide”, fat calipers and sculpting band - literally everything that I need to fulfill my passion and achieve my goal of living a very, very long time with great quality of life so that my girls can have a dad as long as I did.
Although it is hard to believe, I actually started following the plan of watching the Burn Basics DVD and reading the guidebook before I did the first workout last night. I not only want to do the program exactly as it was designed, but also savor this moment of knowing that I have a means to an end. Ironically, the fourth phase of ChaLEAN Extreme is “Lean For Life”.
As planned, I did the first workout last night, which is Burn Circuit 1. I preceded it with an up tempo 20:00 run so that I could get a little more out of a short run and it also served as my warm up. I accomplished the entire workout, which is about 35:00 and for someone who is quite challenged by having to do something that requires moving my legs and arms at the same time (other than running, which comes as naturally as breathing to me), found the exercises well explained and easy to follow. I also know that as a former personal trainer before I became a full time Team Beachbody Coach, these exercises can be done by literally anyone.
Today I am pleasantly sore and know that I had a great workout last night. Day Two is a rest day and that will be good because I know that my muscles need time to repair. I will do a longer run to satisfy that need in my life and then settle in and enjoy the evening with my beautiful little girls who are the loves of my life.
Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve everyone and if you would like some tips on goal setting for the New Year, check out my newest issue of the Howtobefit.com newsletter - “Goal Setters and Goal Getters” - by clicking here.
Tags: beachbody coach, ChaLEAN Extreme, chalene johnson, personal trainer, team beachbody coach
In his weekly radio address, President Elect Barack Obama mentioned “renewing a sense of common purpose”. Earlier this week, I read this story which was from a story told to the annual Pennsylvania Community Bankers Association by Charles “T” Jones and it came to me from Beliefnet.com.
“I’ve never written and only rarely tell of my first banker experience.
It happened in 1936. I was nine years old and the depression was still in full force. We came from Alabama and settled in Lancaster County in a little row home, which my father managed to rent. It was getting near Christmas and my dear dad had nothing to spend for Christmas for his five children ages 1-9. In desperation, he went to the bank to try to persuade them that he was a safe risk for a small loan. He explained his predicament, no job, no collateral, and 5 small children with Christmas approaching. As he should have known, the banker would have to decline his request, but he had an alternative offer for my dad to consider. He explained that if my dad could postpone celebrating Christmas a day or two, the children wouldn’t know it and everything would be reduced in the stores, and he would only need half the amount he was requesting. He said if this was agreeable he would approve the loan for a smaller amount. Of course my dad gratefully accepted his offer. I have experienced many Christmas’s but this was the one I remember the best. Christmas Eve after we were all tucked in bed, the downstairs front door slammed open. There was a lot of noise and footsteps and my father rushed down the stairs to see what was happening.
I followed a few minutes later, and saw him sitting on the bottom step with his head in his hands. I couldn’t understand why he was weeping. When I reached the bottom step, I could see no one in the hallway, but the hall was lined with boxes. There were boxes of food, clothing and candy. There was a riding fire engine and a four-foot folding white paneled dollhouse. We never had a Christmas like that and we never knew who or why they did it. We didn’t belong to a church and the friends we had were as poor as we were. My dad returned to the bank to repay the loan. The banker surprised my dad by telling him that there was no record of his loan.
I only understood that Christmas experience years later when Jesus became my Lord and Savior. How blessed some of us are to see God’s love working in and through His children. John 3:16 is where it begins but those unknown servants were practicing 1st John 3:16. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, how He laid down his life for us: so we ought to lay down our lives for others.”
Charlie ‘Tremendous’ Jones, in addition to breaking many sales records in the insurance industry throughout his career, was the founder and CEO of Executive Books.
Hi Team,
Friday when I drop off the girls, I am pretty tired and feeling a little sad because I won’t see them again until Monday. Although I intended to run, I walked instead and for some reason started thinking about Christmas Day 1981. That day was my last day of living in Guatemala after five years and although I was returning to the US and would see my parents and friends for the first time in many years, the day was very much tinged with sadness. I had lived in the village of Boca del Monte the whole time and words just couldn’t do justice in describing how beautiful the place and that life was. Although everything had been packed for the move and there was no evidence of Christmas, a neighbor brought me a meal consisting of some meat and vegetables and a McIntosh apple. It was an act of giving and sharing that I will never forget considering how poor, in our terms, the villagers were.
My years in Latin America, both in Guatemala and Colombia made me a minimalist. To this day, my joy and satisfaction in life come not from getting, but from giving and sharing. That is what makes being a Team Beachbody coach so perfect for me because it is all about giving and sharing. The success that I have achieved so far has not been because I have great business sense or an ability to sell something, but rather that I can live the ideals and the vision of the company. If you had the opportunity to listen to Carl Daikeler on the Team Genesis call on Tuesday (you can listen to the recording by clicking here and I highly recommend it), you know how important it has been to maintain the integrity of the company and the vision of helping other people as a community. He also wrote a wonderful article in this month’s Momentum and this quote is his belief in a nutshell:
“At our Coach event in the Philadelphia area a couple weeks ago, I looked out at 120 faces expressing compassion and caring—not ego, not greed. As excited as they all were to hear about the benefits of the Beachbody coaching opportunity, they were also just human beings, as alarmed by the obesity trend and saddened by its effects on the health of friends and family as I am. They were there to figure out how to spread the word and help people.
As you consider your role as a Coach, and awaken each day to contemplate how you can approach this business opportunity to earn an extra income, perhaps things would go better if you flipped the premise. How would you approach sharing these products that dramatically transform the health and fitness of people if you WEREN’T getting anything in exchange for it?
If you ask me, it’s OUR DUTY to tell people about these simple programs that make it convenient and cost-effective to get healthy! That’s what we all signed up for—to simplify the process of getting healthy and to transform the obesity trend. It doesn’t have to be the gym. It’s not all about weight-loss centers and packaged replacement food.
It is about helping people take action and caring enough to recommend what really works. That’s it. And when you put your heart into communicating that, you will feel satisfaction like most people never feel over an entire career of paper-pushing.”
I know in my heart that you are as committed as I am to giving and sharing and that together we can impact our world. I want to personally thank each and every one of you for your dedication, persistence, hard work and passion. It is what sets our team apart and means the world to me.
Have a wonderful holiday!
Rich
Tags: team beachbody
Meredith Gelfand is a Team Beachbody Coach and she recently shared her story with a group of other coaches in Philadelphia. She was also kind enough to retell her story in an email to Beachbody CEO Carl Daikeler, and it is pasted below.
“On May 30, 2006, I weighed 305 pounds and was rushed to the hospital with diabetic ketoacidosis. I was in the hospital a week, and after running tests, they told me that I would never be off of insulin. I also found out that I had high cholesterol and sleep apnea.
At the hospital, I had nothing to do but watch TV. I was in a hospital bed, hooked up to an insulin pump and a morphine pump, and kept seeing Chalene Johnson and your Turbo Jam infomercial. The infomercial got me hooked because Chalene had such positive energy, and it seemed like a blast. And when you have a lot of weight to lose like I did, you NEED to see those stories of other people who have overcome huge obstacles, so you can relate.
I left the hospital with a few prescriptions and supplies that were going to cost $150 a month—even with insurance. I also went home and purchased Turbo Jam. What a great journey it has been!
Now, just two years later, I am down 127 pounds, have been off of insulin completely since two months after starting Turbo Jam, and have been totally clear of diabetes since October of 2006. I went from having to give myself 95 units of insulin a day and checking my glucose levels four times a day to having to take nothing because my glucose levels are great.
Beachbody, Chalene, and Turbo Jam helped me save $150 a month AND my life. My cholesterol is normal, I no longer snore, and my doctor told me that I have the resting heart rate of an athlete!
Later, when I asked the doctor why he told me I’d never be off of insulin, he said it was because very few people lose weight and follow through with a healthy lifestyle, and most will be on insulin forever, and that my story is the exception. Which is sad because it’s so much easier than having to give myself insulin and glucose level test shots everyday, let alone losing my legs, vision, kidneys, heart, and brain to diabetes.”
THANKS, CARL—MUCH LOVE TO YOU AND YOUR WHOLE BEACHBODY CREW!
Learn more about Team Beachbody and becoming a Team Beachbody Coach by clicking here.
Please note: While the effects of exercise and a healthy diet can help, no one should alter the use of prescription medications without a doctor’s advice and consent.
Tags: beachbody, beachbody ceo carl daikeler, beachbody coach, chalene johnson, team beachbody, team beachbody coach, turbo jam
A year ago at this time, I was reeling from the fact that the supplier for my e-commerce business was going away from an independent Internet dealer model to an in-house Internet and retail model for selling their products and I was losing my full time job. The additional part time business that I had started almost a year earlier was only intended to be something that I could offer my e-commerce customers to help them achieve success in their health and fitness programs.
A year later, I find myself once again having a different full time job and the same part time business that I had last year at this time. The only difference is that my full time “job” is being a stay at home single dad and believe me, that is a full time job. Not that I ever doubted it, but I think that some husbands don’t realize how hard their wives “work” staying home with the kids. Let me add my voice to theirs in letting everyone know that although the rewards are tremendous, at the end of the day you find yourself pretty exhausted.
From breakfasts in the morning to the last few moments before they go to bed, my two little girls are active, needing this and that, playing, wanting to play and just requiring a lot of focus to make sure that they are happy, healthy, safe and feeling secure and loved. There isn’t much time for anything else.
My blessing is that I do have a part time job as a Team Beachbody coach that pays all the bills and I don’t have to leave the house to work. I get up early and do some work before the girls get up and during the day can check and send out some emails, but as far as taking time away from parenting, those demands are minimal. I honestly don’t know what I would be doing right now and where my girls would be if I hadn’t made a decision almost two years ago to add another dimension to my Howtobefit.com website other than just e-commerce. I actually dread thinking about it.
But in keeping with the way that I grew up with parents who were farmers, they were able to and I can, seamlessly integrate family into work life as one and be a role model for the family at the same time. My anguish and the uncertainty about what the future held a year ago have been replaced with new but far more rewarding challenges and it is an extraordinary blessing for my family
That poster brought Ithaca college to my attention, and lead me to enroll. Beachbody founding coach Dick Comanzo and All-American diving champion was they guy featured in that poster.
I was informed by friends that Dick passed away peacefully, from an inoperable brain tumor, on November 29, 2008, surrounded by friends and family. Throughout his courageous three-year fight with brain cancer, Dick’s spirit, optimism, love of friends and family and passion for living never ended. That includes his desire to help people get fit and healthy with the products that he helped make famous, especially the program that gave him this transformation, the original, Power 90.
I actually never knew Dick in college except for his image on that poster. But his commitment to getting back in shape with Power 90 in 2001 brought him back to my attention when he sent his success story in to be considered for the trip to Hawaii as a Power 90 success story. Once again, “SqueakyD” as he became known on the message boards, he was poster boy material and a star testimonial in our Power 90 infomercial.
A celebration of his remarkable life will be held at 3:00PM, Friday December 12th, at the Rich Auditorium-Woodruff Arts Center: 1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309.
Dick, you will be missed by me and so many others, and in honor of your contribution to our lives, your example and inspiration will be celebrated for decades.
Most of you have figured out by now that I work out virtually every day thanks to the fact the I have successfully recovered from a chronic illness that took away my confidence in my health. The new found confidence that I have in my health came as a direct result of having a full time, low stress job as a Team Beachbody coach and following my passion for helping other people. Even with two children - Grace who is four and Carly who is two - that go to preschool a couple of days a week and are around other children all the time, I have successfully been able to stay healthy when they are picking up the occasional cold, etc.
My workouts now, however, are running six or seven days a week at the end of a 12 hour day that consists of a few hours of work as a coach and at least 8 hours spent with my two adorable children playing and doing fun things. Having been a runner for 42 years, I can always muster the energy to go out and run, but I know in my heart, mind and body that I should also be doing strength training 3 times a week. I am a devotee of Tony Horton’s workout DVD’s and have P90X, 10 Minute Trainer and Power 90 and love doing them. But since I have become a full time work at home dad, my motivation to come back from a run and do a strength training workout a few times a week has been lacking (okay, absent).
So I thought to myself, why not have a contest where I offer a prize to the person who can motivate me to do a strength training workout 3 times a week each month. Sounds like a win-win plan to me! Here are the details:
1. You can’t be a Team Beachbody Coach unless you are part of my team of coaches.
2. You can’t be a Team Beachbody Community Member or Club member unless you are part of my team.
3. You can email me at howtobefit@aol.com or you can send me a WOWY invitation or you can call me at 866 797-7336 (local in New Mexico is 505 797-7336).
4. The person who wins is the person who motivates me 12 or more times each month and the prize is a full, three month Team Beachbody Club membership valued at $38.87 and, of course, gets me as their Team Beachbody coach
The December contest starts tomorrow, so I had better start getting some emails, invitations and calls starting tomorrow!
Tags: 10 minute trainer, beachbody coach, p90x, power 90, team beachbody club, team beachbody coach, tony horton
CHICAGO -Many women recoil at the thought of baring their arms in sleeveless dresses or blouses, but not Michelle Obama — half of the fabulously fit new first couple.
Both President-elect Barack Obama and the future first lady have exercise routines that would put most people to shame. Michelle Obama used to join a friend for 4:30 a.m. workouts, and Barack Obama usually starts his day in the gym.
Michelle Obama has hosted “The View,” been interviewed on “60 Minutes,” graced the cover of Newsweek and hit the campaign trail, all with her buff arms bared.
“One of the things I always talk about is got to exercise,” the 44-year-old mother of two told an overwhelmingly female crowd at a campaign event last year in Chicago.
That’s sure to continue when the Obamas and their girls — 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha — move into the White House, which has plenty of places for them to stay active.
Fitness is a tradition for residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. President George W. Bush is an avid mountain biker, former President Bill Clinton jogged around Washington and former President George H.W. Bush liked to golf and jog, play tennis and pitch horseshoes.
“Most of my workouts have to come before my day starts,” Barack Obama, 47, told Men’s Health magazine in an interview for its November issue. “There’s always a trade-off between sleep and working out. Usually I get in about 45 minutes, six days a week. I’ll lift one day, do cardio the next.”
His preference, he said, would be to work out for 90 minutes.
On the campaign trail, even during the busiest periods, Obama made it a priority to start the day with a workout. That often meant a small motorcade of Secret Service agents and reporters following him to a local gym.
If you ask a college student in Georgia, this is what he would say:
“I just started p90x this morning, and after the first workout I have came to the realization that I had never truely worked out in my life. So right about now your thinking, “well you probably never have”. The truth is that I have been to the gym and used every machine possible, but I have never received a workout that was as good as the one I had this morning. Now you probably think I’m affiliated with beachbody, and nothing could be further from the truth. I am a 19 year old college student that lives in southern Georgia. This is by far the best workout I have ever used, and I really can not wait to move on to some of the other dvd’s.”
Source: Guide to P90X blog
