You can 'Bring it' all you want but if you don't give your body the proper nutrition it needs you results will be LESS than their potential! Dr. Horton talks nutrition today. 

This is a great article by Steve Edwards on the Team Beachbody site. 

Exercise makes us feel great. It makes us less hungry. It helps us perform everyday tasks better. Besides our health and the way we look, feeling great, being less hungry, and performing better are exactly the reasons we put ourselves through exercise. However, en route to ultimate fitness, there are some hurdles we all need to clear. Mainly, they include being faced with the opposite of our intended goals. Enter the trilogy of grumpiness: getting sore, slow, and hungry. We tend to look at these as negatives, but how about a little New Year's spin? You want these feelings because they're clear signs your program is working.

Sore, Slow, and Hungry
Before we analyze why you need to embrace "going backward," let's answer the obvious question: why would we design this type of program? Certainly, there are exercise programs that don't put you through torture. Could we have chosen such a path with P90X®?

The answer is that programs lacking this trilogy don't provide you an incentive to get in top shape. In the early stages of any exercise program, it's possible to structure the schedule and diet around making small improvements. I call this the Curves template. You push your body above its normal output, though just barely, and you keep it there. If you are greatly deconditioned, it will yield improvements. This approach doesn't hurt, and frankly, it helps people who've never exercised—mainly due to the mental boost they get from feeling they can exercise. It's a nice alternative for some people. But let's be realistic. None of them would sit through a P90X infomercial, much less be inspired by it.

The Curves template is what we would call a foundation phase of training for someone who has never exercised. The next step would be one of our programs, like P90X or Slim in 6® (these programs also work on the Curves template because you can choose modified variations). The upside with this method is that each day you leave the gym feeling better than when you walked in. The downside is that you'll never have the body of a fitness model. To achieve a higher level of fitness, you need to periodize your training and eventually stare into your Nietzschean abyss. That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger is more than a cliché with P90X—it's your life.

Getting Sore
Soreness is the easiest symptom to understand. Most of us have been sore at some point. It happens anytime we do something physical that we're unaccustomed to. From yard work to a pickup game with your old team to a marathon shopping spree, when you push your body beyond what you do in your normal day-to-day activity, you get sore. This is true even if you used to do the said activity all the time. In fact, that generally makes it worse, because you still hang on to the muscle memory of how to do the activity, which means you can really put the hurt on if you don't have the requisite fitness base.

Most soreness comes from the breakdown of fast twitch muscle fibers. Our bodies have both slow twitch and fast twitch fibers. Slow twitch fibers have a low recruitment factor, which simply means they get fired up at low outputs. Fast twitch fibers have a high recruitment factor, meaning it takes something more intense to get them going. A simple example would be raising your fork to your mouth, which requires slow twitch fibers, compared to raising a heavy barbell over your head, which requires fast twitch fibers. Furthermore, we all have some extra fast twitch fiber for emergencies. When you run from a bear, you're engaging these, which is why you're likely to run faster than you ever have before.

Fast twitch fibers are repaired much more slowly than slow twitch fibers. You can pretty much keep shoving food into your mouth and never get tired. When you do get tired, you'll be able to resume the activity quickly. Lifting a barbell over your head will wear you out, and it will take some time before your body is able to do it again. The more weight you add, the quicker you'll get tired and the longer it will take before your body is ready to do it again. And once you've escaped the bear, you'd do well to avoid him for a couple of weeks. Those emergency fibers you've thrashed will take that long to recover.

Hypertrophy means muscle growth. Almost all training programs target this, even weight loss programs, because changing a body from rotund to svelte requires you to lose body fat. And the quickest way to lose body fat is to gain more muscle. Muscle requires more work from your body, even at rest, so you're body will take the nutrients from the foods you eat and store them in muscle tissue rather than adipose (or fat) tissue.

To create hypertrophy, you need to overload your muscle fibers progressively to keep breaking them down. As you get fitter, you engage higher-threshold muscle cell motor units to keep the overload coming. Breaking down exactly the number of muscle cells your body can replenish right away is nearly impossible. This means that to advance your level of fitness, you are going to break down more muscle fibers than you intended. When this happens, you get sore.

Furthermore, the more varied the exercise you do, the more you'll find areas where your body is out of balance. This means some muscles are stronger than others. When you do new exercises, your stronger muscles are forced to do extra work as the weaker ones catch up. This results in both the strong and weak muscles being overworked while they sort out the balance problem. This is the first step of Muscle Confusion™, and as you know, there is no shortage of it in P90X.

Getting Hungry
"I heard I would get less hungry and all I can think about is eating" is a common sentiment expressed on our Message Boards. The reason is somewhat obvious—our entry-level programs have low-calorie diets, not to mention restricted diets. Most of these people are simply craving the junk foods we've had them cut out.

But Xers get hungry too, and they're usually eating enough calories. This is because your body cries out for nutrients when it's in breakdown mode, even when you've eaten all you can. Learning that this craving is normal will greatly help your success curve.

When your body is craving nutrients, you want to feed it. However, under the type of duress a hard program creates, you can't possibly give it enough nutrients. Many of us try. We eat and eat. And while eating can help ease the mental anguish your body is going through, you can't put all of these calories to use, and some will get stored in fat tissue.

When your body is hungry, supplements are your best friend. Most have very few calories and a lot of nutrients. Some have targeted nutrients, which basically means they're designed for nutrient efficiency. Results and Recovery Formula™ is a prime example. Although its nutrient profile is unsuitable for many situations, during or after exercise, it is the most efficient food for your body. Using Results and Recovery Formula as directed will help you get less sore, and hence less hungry. Shakeology® also shines during an exercise program. While healthy anytime, drinking Shakeology while your body's in flux will enhance your ability to use all of Shakeology's nutrients effectively.

But no matter how well we strategize, we're all going to get hungry at some point in our programs. So much so that staying hungry is a metaphor for the bodybuilding lifestyle. In the film Stay Hungry, a bodybuilding champion (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) sums this up with the line, "I don't want to get too comfortable. I'd rather stay hungry."

A note from expert Denis Faye: "If you're hungry even though you've eaten all your calories and you're trying to lose weight, your first course of action is to fight it. Hunger doesn't necessarily mean you need food. It just means you're used to food. However, if you're going completely nuts, then you want filling foods with few or no calories. Herbal tea is good, so is broth or veggies, as long as they're fresh and raw. If you must eat something more substantial, I'd opt for a straight protein, like chicken or egg whites. It's not going to impact your blood sugar as hard and it's not all that yummy, so you know you're not just comfort eating."

Getting Slow
This is the hardest condition to conceptualize but the easiest to explain. During hypertrophy, your muscles are growing. Growing muscles are a bit like a growing person. Just as you learn how to grow into a developing body, you need to learn how to use new muscles. During the hypertrophy stage of your exercise program, your muscles are "big and dumb," like the old-school concept of the "musclehead."

Larger muscles have a greater capacity for strength than smaller ones. A large muscle isn't necessarily stronger, but if trained properly, it will become stronger. Muscular efficiency (or absolute strength) is what gets targeted in the latter stages of a training program. Doing low repetitions, along with eccentric and plyometric movements, is all about teaching your muscles efficiency—essentially, the ability to recruit high-threshold muscle cell motor units.

We'll talk more about strength training in another article. Today, my point is to explain the rationale behind what I call "getting slow." While your muscles are growing, your ability to move quickly lessens. This is why athletes do all of their body-altering training in the off-season. When you start to feel slow, it's a sign that your program is working. Just remember that you'll want to increase your intensity and whip those big lugs into shape later on.

Wanting to experience the trilogy of grumpiness should help you during your next program or training cycle. But remember that these are stages, not chronic conditions. You should only experience them early in a program or new cycle of training. If you aren't experiencing them at all, it means you're ready to ramp your training up to the next level. But if they persist beyond 4 weeks, you're overdoing it and risk overtraining. You may also experience them each time you transition to a new phase. In this case, though, they should be gone before you move into the next phase.

Chalene is one of my favourite trainers! Having just finished a round of Turbo Fire I am all about her positive and effective ways of helping you stay motivated! Check out this list of 20 habits we call all adapt to improving our overall fitness and health. 

Here are a few Turbofied tips. Read these tips, then print and post them so you have them as a daily reminder.

• Look at exercise as a pleasure and a privilege, not a burden or chore. Think positively about the changes regular exercise will produce. Rather than obsessing about your next meal, get excited about your next workout!
• Focus on short-term fitness goals with an emphasis on completing daily exercise.
• Work to take your exercise to new levels of intensity.
• Make it your goal to do some form of exercise 6 or 7 days a week. If some days you exercise once in the morning and once in the evening, even better! If you're eating right, exercise will fuel your energy level!
• Create an exercise schedule the day before instead of leaving it to chance or waiting to "find" the time. If the last three Presidents of the United States can make time to work out every day, you can make time too!
• Enjoy contributing to the health of others by having a partner or friends to exercise with, as well as recruiting others who want to feel better and have more energy. Have a neighbor who's sitting on the porch every morning when you walk by? Ask him or her to join you on your walk!
• Avoid monotony by taking up new forms of exercising, or using things that keep you motivated and inspired, like new shoes or great music.
• Invest in the right tools—good shoes, a portable MP3 player or iPod®, fitness equipment, a new series of tapes, etc.
• Subscribe to fitness magazines to keep focused on health as an overall way of life.
• Eat well-balanced meals and remember that excess calories, even if they're from food that's fat free and high in protein, will turn to excess weight. No matter what the latest fad diet says, extra calories equal extra weight!
• Limit caffeine and exposure to even secondhand smoke.
• Keep a water bottle with you at all times and drink from it often. Water should always be your drink of choice. To kick things up every once in a while, try adding lemon, lime, cucumber, or a few berries to liven up the flavor without adding significant calories.
• Stick with eating plans you can maintain indefinitely. Remember that no matter how hard you're working out, if you're consuming too many calories, you'll never see the muscles that lie beneath layers of fatty tissue.
• Keep a daily log of what you're actually eating. This includes every time you grab a handful of chips here or eat the crust of your kid's sandwich there, and ALL of your snacking.
• Enjoy an occasional (once a week) "unhealthy" treat, but never an unhealthy week or unhealthy vacation.
• If your diet is unbalanced, take daily vitamin and mineral supplements for total health.
• Don't compare your body to others'. Instead, work to be your personal best.
• Move beyond the boundaries of weight loss and into total fitness. Measure success by the way your clothes fit, not some number on a scale.
• Get adequate amounts of sleep, but remember that people who exercise regularly fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.
• Limit alcohol intake to special occasions.

Tell us about your life before you started the program. How did you feel about yourself and your body?
Before I was in complete denial about my weight and what it really meant. I was sexually abused at the age of 5 and since that time I used food as my comfort and a way for me to escape the pain of my daily living. My weight kept growing and I was told by family and friends that I was always going to be fat and that this was who I was and to accept it. I used food and my weight to fill the void and pain I was suffering from, as I grew up and was blessed with my 4 children, my life became more about them then myself. I never sought help to deal with my eating, emotional and depression issues, thus the weight kept piling on. My highest weight was 289 and I am 5’4, I felt like my life wasn’t my own and that my body was worthless and ugly. 

I was so ashamed of myself that I would hide my eating and force myself to workout, wanting that quick fix, which never worked. I wasn’t able to play with my children, even bathing was hard, I was beyond humiliated and felt like a failure.

What inspired you to change your life and begin your transformation journey?
My Coach, Micki Fernandez,  had a picture of a woman’s transformation that looked similar to me; I saw that picture and thought, well she did it, could I do it? I contacted Micki and we had several hearts to hearts where she told me that I have greatness in me and it would be a process, but that I too could achieve anything. By her having faith in me, it encouraged and inspired me to believe in me too. I was so sick of not being the woman I knew was inside, I was so tiered of hiding under all the weight, both physical and emotional. I decided I needed to do something drastic to be a constant reminder of my commitment to my health and goals, so I shaved my head. I decided in that moment to take that action and allow myself this opportunity to face the fear of cutting my long hair and face the fear of reaching my goals. I knew that it would be a process for my hair to grow back and I also knew it would be a process for my body to transform, so this was my way of showing my commitment

What is the greatest challenge you faced before beginning the program? How did the program and Beachbody® help you overcome that challenge?
In the beginning my greatest challenge was learning to trust the process, do my best and forget the rest. Sounded easy enough, but my mind was still thinking, I need to be perfect now, I need this to happen now. I began to realize that I didn’t get like this overnight and I wouldn’t change overnight. I realized that as I did lose the weight I was faced with the core issues of what caused me to get that way, so it brought up a lot of hurt and pain, dealing with and accepting that was a huge challenge and not one we usually talk about. The fact of the matter is that the weight is only a symptom of what really was the core issues and P90x not only taught me how to change my body, it taught me how to own, accept and change my mind and my feelings. I learned that I am no longer a victim, I am more than a conquer and that I chose to get better and I have the power to choose life over death. So my biggest challenge was learning that its much more than a number on a scale its mental.

Why did you choose this particular program?
I chose this program because I felt like Tony was there with me, I felt that he just popped out of the screen and really was talking to me. I remember hearing him say “do your best and forget the rest” and that became my motto. Every day I learned to stop judging myself and I learned to trust the process. I was so inspired by other peoples success and results I knew that I could have success too. Modification was key for me, I knew that at 289 pounds I wasn’t able to tie my shoes much less do the signature moves, but I also knew that it wasn’t where I started that mattered, what mattered is the fact that I started. From that moment on I never gave up, it took time and there was no quick fixes which is what Tony always talked about, that this is my process and journey to take. I also loved the fact that I could follow the nutritional guideline and know that I was getting the nutrients I needed and really learned how and what to eat. This was no longer just about losing weight.


What in particular did you like about the program you chose?
I liked the fact that I felt empowered every time I would work out, I felt like I was accomplishing something and even though I modified A LOT, I did it. I felt pride and joy in my heart as I began to do the program with more ease and I felt ALIVE. For the first time in my life I felt like I was living and achieving and really had the chance to see myself change. Then when I started to see my weight melt off and see and feel my muscles grow and really see the change I was a P90x addict. This was no longer just about losing weight it was a lifestyle change and one I felt I could do and teach my children to do too. So what I really liked was learning that this was so much more than a number on a scale it was mental and emotional too and by showing up and pressing play every day I took back some of my integrety and power every day. I see the stretch marks and feel ashamed of how bad I allowed myself to get, but the shame I no longer feel because I was able to take back my dignity.


Describe the results you achieved with your Beachbody program. Which achievements are you proud of?
In the beginning of this journey I was in complete denial that I had a problem and more so that my not dealing with my problems did affect other people, especially my children, my eldest who is now 9 years old would sneak food and over eat and never feel happy about herself. I realized that Beachbody taught me a new way of life, fitness, nutrition, motivation and faith and changed my life and the lives of my children. I am so proud and humbled by the fact that my children saw me dedicating my time to this program and they saw the results. I am proud that my children would join in on the exercises and want to drink shakeology. I am proud that they have been able to see that it’s not where you’ve been that makes you who you are, it’s how you got though it that makes us the people we are today. It wasn’t easy but it was worth it. As of today I have lost 129 pounds and I still am working on my goal of another 30 pounds to weigh 130.

How has your life changed since completing your Beachbody program?
My life is filled with joy and I am able to see that dedication, determination and a lot of perspiration got me to achieve my goals and thats the biggest blessing of all. I am so proud and deeply humbled by the amazing programs that Beachbody has and that they truly saved my life. I went from size 28 to size 8. I have been able to lose 129 lbs. with the combination of shakeology and P90x and BBL. This has been a very emotional and amazing experience for me that has truly impacted every aspect of my life and the lives of those around me. I have come to learn acceptance of myself, and where I am, I no longer feel the shame that comes from hiding the issue of my weight and that pain. I have learned that I am able to make change and I have learned how to believe in myself, something that I never knew how to do. The physical part of this transformation is really a small part, the real and amazing part is where my mind and heart changes and sees the potential and power in myself.

Did you participate in a Beachbody Challenge Group? 
I think that having the challenge helps hold us all accountable and keeps us thinking about our goals and what we want to really be and achieve

How did a Beachbody Supplement or Nutritional Product or Program affect any existing health conditions you have?
Yes I had highblood pressure and diabetes and while working out with p90x and taking shakeology I have No bloodsugar issues and perfect blood pressure

After 6 weeks of working out using Combat, I was in better shape than I had been BEFORE I gave birth to my daughter. Absolutely LOVE this program. Couple this with Les Mills Pump and you'll whip up an incredible body in no time..without having to step foot in a gym...

For more information on Challenge Groups message me at CoachRebeccaV@BeachbodyCoach.com 

I used to be very fit, but age—and the love of good food and beverage—changed that. Tying my shoes and buttoning my pants was an issue. It was bad. Out of breath… out of clothes… when the seams of your pants begin to give away—that’s where I was.

But luckily, my wife, Debbie, was already a Beachbody Coach. When she challenged me to do the Ultimate Reset®, I said, “sure,” thinking it would pass. But when she snapped my “before” photo and took my measurements, I was SHOCKED. I was a fat man on the verge of 50! Images of my very ill and overweight father (4 heart attacks, CHF, diabetes…) flashed through my mind. 

That wasn’t going to be me. I began the Reset with the promise that I would never let myself go again. When I finished, my wife challenged me to pick a program. INSANITY took only an hour, so I chose it. I loved the intensity level. Shaun T is motivational, instructional. 

I was on Shakeology from the beginning. Shakeology was the only think that kept me from “freaking” out on dinner calories. I would eat breakfast, snack, lunch and a late afternoon Shakeology. For once I wasn’t starved when I got home. So I could keep dinner to a sane level.

And guess what? I lost over 30 lbs. and over 17 inches of overall “fluffiness” off my body. I have a 4-pack and none of my old “fat” clothes fit. My energy is higher. I feel great. And I have no problem buttoning my pants. I am most proud of that!

Well not exactly..but this video really sums it up in classic Tony Horton style..."What is this, the 70's?"

Nothing taps your panic button quite like gaining weight, especially when you're on a weight loss program. Unfortunately, it's an inevitable fact of life. Luckily, you've got me here to tell you that, as long as you're following a solid program, results will come. It's a physiological certainty (unless you have an underlying issue, like hypothyroidism).

I realize this might take further convincing, considering our instant-gratification society. But this ain't my first weight loss rodeo. I've seen almost every scenario you can dream up, most of which were solved by patience. That said, there are some strategies you can use to ensure you're getting the most out of both your diet and exercise program. Let's tackle five of the most common weight loss conundrums.

• I'm following the program perfectly. Why isn't it working?! 
  
• Cortisol is a word you should become familiar with, as it's a key factor here. You've probably heard that it makes you fat, but you have no idea why "they" say that. What is cortisol? It's actually a performance-enhancing stress hormone that serves an important function in survival situations. Unfortunately, when we force too much daily stress on our bodies, we shift into a state of chronic cortisol release. This can cause us to store excess fat as a survival instinct. While it sounds pretty dire, it's generally only a serious problem in those with poor lifestyle habits. The beginning of a diet and/or exercise program, however, is a survival situation. In a very simplistic sense, your body releases cortisol, which, in turn, causes excess water retention to help you rebuild broken down muscle tissue. While this is cortisol functioning properly, it does lead to a period of water weight gain as you adjust to a new program. It's nothing to worry about. By following a solid plan, your body will adapt by repairing this muscle tissue. This results in an increase in your metabolism and leads to weight loss if that's your goal. The trick is that there is no hard line on how long this adaptation takes. It's based on your individual parameters. Just rest easy in the fact that it will happen, unless you force it not to, leading us to . . 
• I'm barely eating.Severe undereating causes cortisol release, as it's the definition of a bodily emergency. Beachbody® offers many kick-start (or express) eating plans where you undereat for a few days, but you're always encouraged to get back to a solid maintenance calorie level quickly. A short period of strategic undereating with proper hydration will help your body dispense of unneeded food (most of us chronically overeat) and regulate bodily functions. Go too long, however, and chronic cortisol release is the result. This is a tough situation because our natural reaction to weight gain is to eat less. When you're exercising, it's important to keep your eye on workout performance, as opposed to how much weight you're losing. You should be eating enough so that your daily workouts improve over time. As long as that's happening, your body is adapting, your metabolism is increasing, and you will lose weight provided you also don't overeat.
• I've been doing hard workouts for weeks. On the performance theme, you need to continually improve, which is why workouts get harder as you move through any of Beachbody's programs. It's also why we add resistance (via added weight or gravity, as is the case with jumping) to workouts. If you're doing the same workouts at the same intensity constantly, you are not forcing adaptations that lead to changes in your metabolism. This is called a plateau. A plateau, technically, isn't gaining weight—it's remaining the same—but a proper diet and exercise program should continually force improvements (in the form of adaptations). Otherwise, your metabolism won't continue to increase, which is the goal of most weight loss programs.
• My friend and I are doing the exact same thing and she's losing. Back to adaptation. We all react differently. The only absolute is that our bodies will change over time with a healthy program. A fitness rule called the Specificity of Adaptation states that it takes the body between 3 and 12 weeks to adapt to new stimuli, which is a very broad range. This is why it's vital that you stick to your program and not change it repeatedly based on your daily results! In our test groups, two-week results have almost no bearing on who does best in the end. In fact, many people that undereat early and get off to a fast start will stagnate, while those who stick to the plan and eat as advised will start slower but train harder over time, leading to rapid weight loss as the program wears on.
• I lost weight for a while but now it's stopped. For ages on the Team Beachbody Message Boards, this was our most frequently asked question. You eat less to lose weight. Things are going great, but suddenly you plateau—or start gaining. Odds are, your metabolism has slowed down in order to deal with the decreased calories. You're starving your now fit body, so it's doing what it needs to do to survive. The answer to this problem is pretty simple: eat more. Again, this is a tough sell, so here's an example. One of our early Success Stories lost 40 pounds during around of Power 90®, eating only 1,200 calories a day. He then stagnated for a long time and was very resistant to eating more, fearing it would kick-start a regression. We talked him into adding calories until, finally at around 2,000 calories, weight loss resumed. It then became so rapid he dropped through his goal, and about 20 pounds below, until finally, at around 3,000 calories, he leveled out. Then a daily diet of around 3,500 calories a day got him to a ripped 175.
  

So the moral of today's lesson is to trust your exercise program—at least if it's a Beachbody program. We've been doing this a long time and we know what works. There are no magic bullets. Body transformation is based on making consistent, healthy lifestyle changes. Do that and you'll never need to ask yourself why you're gaining weight again.

One thing people often ask me is why Shakeology has a higher price tag than other protein shakes. Well first, Shakeology isn't actually a "protein shake", so I wouldn't compare it to those. It's a meal replacement shake, packed tightly with naturally sourced nutrients, vitamins, minerals, probiotics, superfoods and enzymes - far more than any protein shake out there. While it is healthy, and has replaced all the vitamins and other supplements I used to take, (a huge cost saving right there...) for me, the convenience of it is a big driving factor.  How else can one obtain all the ingredients within Shakeology to 'doctor' up their existing protein shake to the same nutrient level? The answer is...you can't. 

Yes there are 'cheaper' alternatives, however "cheap' and inexpensive' are not interchangeable. I see plenty of people drinking a $2 a day protein shake and getting little, if any, results. Those same people do nothing more than switch out their 'protein' shake for Shakeology and see the results they've wanted for a long time. Add that to a $5 trip to the juice bar or $4.50 coffee and 'expensive' is a very relative term...

Check out this video from Beachbody CEO, Carl Daikeler.