What Is This Thing Called Shakeology?

I've been using Shakeology for several weeks now, & from starting from a point of skepticism, I have now become a full fledged fan of Shakeology. Here are some of the reasons why:

What's In It

Even if you searched all over the world, you probably wouldn't be able to find all of the 70-plus, ultra-high-quality ingredients we've included in Shakeology. Not only do you get a wide range of essential nutrients, from the fruits and vegetables you should be eating more of every day, you'll also get the benefits of important foods from all around the world—foods that the latest scientific research has shown to be highly advantageous to your well-being.

More than 70 different ingredients were chosen from around the world for their potency and bioavailability (the ability to deliver the nutrients your body needs). Here are the key nutrient groups that these ingredients deliver:*

* Protein and Essential Amino Acids to help build long, lean muscles and reduce food cravings
* Prebiotics and Digestive Enzymes, which aid in improving digestion, regularity, and nutrient absorption
* Antioxidants and Phytonutrients to help counteract free radical damage that can lead to degenerative diseases
* Vitamins and Minerals your body needs to function for
optimal health

Protein and Essential Amino Acids*

* Help build and repair muscles
* Reduce hunger and food cravings
* Help keep blood sugar steady
* Support brain function to help promote alert thinking and reduce anxiety
* Promote healthy skin, hair, and nails

Shakeology includes whey protein isolate, an easily absorbable source of high-quality protein that's ideal for building and maintaining lean muscle mass. It also helps keep your blood sugar steady, reducing hunger and junk food cravings. Essential amino acids, found in protein, help the body repair muscle tissue and heal wounds; support the brain to promote calmness and alertness; and reduce hunger pangs. The whey protein in Shakeology provides a highly bioavailable source of essential amino acids.
Prebiotics and Digestive Enzymes*

* Aid digestion
* Help boost the immune system
* Increase absorption of nutrients
* Help keep you "regular"

Shakeology contains many ingredients that are beneficial to the digestive system. Prebiotics, natural components of certain plants, help support the "friendly" bacteria in your digestive tract. They may also help with the absorption of minerals such as calcium. Digestive enzymes, from plant sources such as pineapples and papayas, help your body break down food into its individual components, making the nutrients easier to absorb. Cooking can destroy food's natural digestive enzymes, so there's a good chance that you don't get enough of them in your diet.

Antioxidants and Phytonutrients*

* Get rid of harmful free radicals
* Help decrease inflammation
* Help boost your immune system

* Potentially decrease the risk of degenerative diseases
* May even increase longevity


Many of Shakeology's fruit and vegetable sources have been chosen for their high concentration of healthy natural substances known as phytonutrients, including flavonoids, polyphenols, anthocyanins, and catechins. These substances have antioxidant properties, meaning they help get rid of molecules known as free radicals, which damage cells and may be a key component of the aging process. In laboratory tests, phytonutrients have shown promise in helping prevent a wide variety of degenerative conditions. What's more, studies suggest that the natural mix of phytochemicals you get from whole-plant sources is more effective than taking them individually as nutritional supplements.

23 Vitamins and Minerals*

* Get a wide range of essential nutrients
* Get your necessary vitamins every day
* Make up for dietary deficiencies

Most of us don't get the complete range of essential vitamins and minerals in our daily diets. Some important vitamins, such as vitamin C and the B vitamins, are water-soluble, meaning they're flushed out of your body after a short time and need to be replenished regularly. Others, like vitamin E, can be difficult to get enough of in food. Shakeology provides all these nutrients in an easy-to-take, easily absorbable form, so you never have to worry.

Now, by choosing to add Shakeology to your diet everyday, you are eliminating the need to run through the fast food joint down the road for your breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can replace the amount of money you would pay for a no or low nutritious meal with one full of everything you need & more to live a healthy lifestyle. It has been said that one Shakeology shake is equivalent in nutrition to 5 salads. So, if you either hate your veggies or would just find it difficult to eat that amount in a day, everyday, try Shakeology.

People, myself included, have lost weight using Shakeology. One person I know personally has lost over 20lbs by eating healthier, exercising more consistently & having one Shakeology shake a day. This is just one story out of hundreds.

I've also noticed my hair is thicker & has stopped falling out as much as it has. This isn't just a vanity thing (although it is partially) but proof that if you are healthy on the inside, it will show on the outside. I love the fact that it is showing up in this way.

This is just a brief overview of what Shakeology is about & why I love it & am convinced that it is a must for anyone living or wanting to live a healthy lifestyle. It is far more than just a meal replacement; it is a nutritional must have for a healthy, happy diet.

For more information, check out www.ExtremeHealth4Life.com. If you are interested in a free sample, email me your contact information at Rebecca.Ingham@mchsi.com & if you would like Chocolate or Greenberry.

Important Information to Stay Healthy in Cold & Flu Season

I recently got this great email from a friend of mine that gave some really great tips on how to keep H1N1 flu away. Some of these ideas are ones that we have all heard before while others are ones that at least I haven't heard before. I wanted to share these ideas with you to help keep you & your family healthy during this time.

These tips are offered by Dr. Vinay Goyal, an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital , Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial etc. Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W).

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show=20 characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected o ne. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

*****************************************************************************

I have been using these tips for the last few days & have so far stayed healthy, even though my son & then husband came down with a really bad cold. A couple other tips to stay healthy during cold & flu season is by exercising & also keeping your nutrition top notch. For more information, please email me at Rebecca.Ingham@mchsi.com. Thanks!

Do you know what's in your pantry?

There are so many intelligent people writing amazing articles, that sometimes it is just better to hear directly from them instead. So, here is one that I really wanted to pass along to my readers:

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by Taryn Perry

What's in your pantry can make you or break you.

What most people think is healthy and wholesome, is 8 times out of 10, wrong. What we fail to realize, that many of the "snacks" and easy food items we tend to grab at the grocery story, are processed. You know what exists in most processed food?

Monosodium Glutamate. One might say, "Mono, what?" Right, exactly. Otherwise known as MSG.

It's found in majority of processed foods, although now, most food manufactuers are getting creatived at how to disguise it in their product. Strict FDA rules require them to itemize the ingredients in the products, but they've left a loop hole for these manufactuers to find alternative ways to imbed these harmful ingredients so we look it right over.

From a favorite website, Mercola.com, here are some key ingredients that contain, or are, MSG:

Autolyzed Yeast	Calcium Caseinate	Gelatin
Glutamate	Glutamic Acid	Hydrolyzed Protein
Monopotassium Glutamate	Monosodium Glutamate	Sodium Caseinate
Textured Protein	Yeast Extract	Yeast Food
Yeast Nutrient

MSG, and like ingredients can do so much harm on our health. It's paramount to rid your pantry of food items that contain this morbid ingredient(s); Monosodium Glutamate. Here are just a few side effects from regular consuption of MSG ingredients:


* Obesity
* Eye damage
* Headaches
* Fatigue and disorientation
* Depression

To educate yourself further on the effects of MSG and like ingredients, I highly recommend you review Mercola's site and specifically, his article directly related to the harmful effects of MSG consumption. The article can be found by following this link: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/21/MSG-Is-This-Silent-Killer-Lurking-in-Your-Kitchen-Cabinets.aspx

Carefully read what's in the food product you put in your grocery cart. You'll be surprised at how what may seem healthy and low-fat, could be more harmful than anything. A great way to avoid that...buy fruits, vegetables and grains from your local farmer's market and eat a raw diet as much as possible.

Daily Nutritional Guide: What You Need To Know

One of the biggest obstacles in losing weight & keeping it off is knowing how much & of what to eat. With the help of the daily nutrition guide, it makes life a little bit easier. It doesn't take away the cravings for the foods that have the most calories but deliver nearly nothing in nutritional value, but with this information, you can at least decide if it is worth it in the long run (answer: usually no!).

Each individual will have different nutritional & caloric needs, such as pregnant & nursing moms. So this is meant only as a guide. You need to tweak it where most needed.

	Women age 25-50	Women over 50	Men over 24
Calories	2,000	2,000 or less	2,700
Protein	50g	50g or less	63g
Fat	65g or less	65g or less	88g or less
Saturated Fat	20g or less	20g or less	27g or less
Carbohydrates	304g	304g	410g
Fiber	25g-35g	25g-35g	25g-35g
Cholesterol	304g	304g	410g
Iron	18mg	8mg	8mg
Sodium	2,300mg or less	1,500 or less	2,300mg or less

I hope this chart gives you the basic knowledge to make informed nutritional choices. Contact me for more information.

So, Why Aren't You Losing Weight?

Weight not coming off nearly as fast as you would like, even though you are watching your calories & killing yourself during your workouts? There are surprising reasons why this may be!

1. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS: People that use or overdo consuming foods with artificial sweeteners have a higher chance of gaining weight & developing metabolic syndrome, a condition that includes having excess belly fat, high cholesterol, high blood pressure & insulin resistance. One theory why is that your taste buds send signals to your body that calories are on the way, but when those calories don't arrive, you end up craving more food to compensate for the lack of calories in the artificially sweetened food. Instead of having artificial sweeteners, try drinking water instead of diet drinks & limit or eliminate products with artificial sweeteners.
2. EATING EVERYTHING ON OUR PLATE: Most of us were brought up being told to eat everything on our plate, that there are children starving in China & money doesn't grow on trees. So, we feel we are being wasteful if we don't clean our plate. Instead of eating larger amounts of food, try eating off of a "salad" plate or leaving a few bites on your plate. You can also try taking smaller portions & going back for seconds if you are still hungry.
3. THE MORE WEIGHT YOU LOSE, THE FEWER CALORIES YOU NEED: Something that people do when they start a weight loss program is figure about how many calories they can eat in a day. The thing is, the smaller you get, the fewer calories you need to maintain your smaller weight. It take 3500 calories to gain a pound of fat, so if you are eating 2000 calories a day but your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is only 1500, you will end up gaining weight. You can go HERE to sign up for a free program, then go to "Eat Smart">"Nutrition Tools">"Caloric Needs". Fill out the questionnaire to find out what your current BMR is.
   
4. EATING TOO MANY CARBS & NOT ENOUGH FAT: No, I'm not suggesting any sort of low carb diet. However, over the last couple decades, we have gone from one extreme to the other. We need both carbs AND fats, but they need to the right kind. White carbs, such as pastas, breads & rice spike your insulin, which leads to gaining weight. Instead, focus on complex carbs, like whole grains, fruits & vegetables, & monounsaturated fats, like olive oil, fish, nuts & avocados. Avoid as many saturated fats, like those in butter, meat & ice cream, as often as possible. And of course, trans fats are a complete no-no!
5. HAVING SYNDROME W: Syndrome W is basically elevated insulin levels that make it difficult to lose weight. Since blood glucose levels are typically normal, it is often missed in routine physicals. People with Syndrome W have typically been of normal weight all their lives, but as they age, begin to put on weight around the middle. If you suspect this is the case with you, ask your doctor to check your insulin levels. Check www.syndromew.com for more information.
6. EXERCISING FOR TREATS: So you workout hard, blast a few hundred calories, so decide you can reward yourself with a high calorie treat. Sound familiar? Chances are, we've all done this, at least once in awhile. Think of calories as money in the bank & you can't withdraw more than you put in, to maintain your current weight & you need to save them in order to lose weight.
7. DOING THE SAME WORKOUT, OVER & OVER AGAIN: If you continue to do the same workout over & over, you will end up burning fewer calories. This is because your body gets used to the workout & isn't "confused" anymore. Another thing is, if your workout isn't particularly challenging, you are also burning fewer calories. Once the workout begins to get easier, it's time to change it up so it is more difficult again. Check THIS out for different workouts to change up your routine.

These are a few ways to make changes so you can lose weight & feel great. If you need more ideas or help, feel free to ask.

Keeping Yourself Safe During Workouts

There isn't much that can throw you off track when it comes to your workouts than getting injured. I've worked with many people who ended up getting injured during their workouts & then they either have a difficult time getting back into the groove or they try to come back too soon, ultimately re-injuring themselves & putting their workouts out even more. Here are some suggestions to help keep you from getting injured in the first place.

1. KEEP A LOG: Keeping a log of your workouts is a great idea. You need to record what kind of workout you did, how long you went, what weight/speed/time you accomplished, even the temperature & terrain you worked out in. This way, if you changed something & end up getting sore or injured, you have a way of looking back to see what you did differently.
2. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR PAIN: The old adage "No pain, no gain" doesn't necessarily mean to keep going if you are really hurting. If you are in the middle of a workout & something starts to hurt, you need to stop & either change what you are doing, or stop the workout altogether, depending on the level of pain. Otherwise, you will end up hurting yourself more & have more serious injury.
3. DO A DIFFERENT EXERCISE: Cross-training is one way to avoid an injury due to overuse. Another reason you would want to consider a different exercise is if you are too sore or injured to do your regular workout, you need to find an exercise to do so you don't get completely away from exercising. One example would be, if you injury your arm, you can still get on an exercise bike or even a treadmill to stay in the habit of a regular exercise routine.

Remember to take pain seriously, but try not to confuse it with the discomfort that sometimes goes along with getting in shape. Any sudden pain needs to be taken seriously. And, be sure to check with your doctor if an injury is extremely painful or a minor injury doesn't seem to be getting better after a few days.

Want to Lose Weight? Start with Eating Breakfast!

I hear it a lot from people. "I don't have time to eat breakfast" or "I'm just not hungry in the morning" or "I'm trying to lose weight, so I just skip breakfast". The reality is, you NEED to eat breakfast. Excuses aside, it really is the most important meal of the day. Here are just 3 of many reasons why this it true:

1. BREAKFAST= BREAK FAST: Your body goes for hours not eating (ideally) & you need to break your fast. This gets your metabolism going, so you burn more calories, regardless of what activities you are doing.


2. BREAKFAST EATERS CONSUME FEWER CALORIES THROUGHOUT THE DAY: Studies have shown that people who eat breakfast everyday consume fewer calories overall than those who do not eat breakfast. This may be due to not getting overly hungry, then binging on anything you can get your hands on.


3. BREAKFAST EATERS PERFORM BETTER IN DAILY TASKS: People who eat breakfast don't have the energy crashes that non-breakfast eaters get. Their blood sugar levels stay consistant, strength & endurance is improved & attitudes towards school & work are improved.

If you are looking for some ways to get breakfast in on a hectic morning, try a piece of organic fruit, like an apple or banana with a handful of nuts, a protein bar like P90X Peak Performance Bars or an organic granola bar, or a Shakeology shake. By trying one of these ideas, you can get your breakfast in & improve your weight, energy & day!

Shakeology in a shaker:
Now this is breakfast to go!

If you are interested in a sample of Shakeology, leave a comment & let me know if you prefer Chocolate or Greenberry. Then go over to www.ExtremeHealth4Life.com, join for free, & email me your address so I can get your sample sent right out to you! Thanks!

YOU’RE INVITED

YOU’RE INVITED….

Are you looking to be become a Beachbody Coach? Are you currently a Beachbody Coach and looking to better structure your business or discover other strategies? Did you miss our last Team call?

Don’t miss out on any further pertinent information that I PROMISE will accelerate your business, if you apply it. It’s one thing to read it over, realize it’s a great idea, but it’s another thing to actually APPLY it.

Do you….
-Know how to maximize your time in building a successful business strategy?
-Know how and when to approach anyone at anytime?
-Know how to leverage social media to build your Beachbody organization with true business builders?
-Do you understand who YOUR target market is. (It may not be who you think it is!!!)
-Have a brand for yourself?

So take the first step, register your name on the form below.

DON’T BE THE ONE TO SAY “I SHOULD HAVE”…BE THE ONE THAT SAID “I DID, AND IT WORKED!!”

10 EASY ways to BOOST your Metabolism

1. Eat breakfast EVERY DAY! It doesn't have to be a lot, but should have both a protein & a carb, like peanut butter on whole grain toast, an egg white omelet with some Eziekel bread or a Shakeology smoothie.
2. Eat frequent, smaller meals all day. This keeps your metabolism "furnace" going & also prevents binging because you are starving.
3. Be active! Exercise regularly. Our bodies are meant to move. We need at least 30 minutes of exercise a day to stay healthy.
4. Incorporate weight training into your workout, at least a couple times a week. Muscle Burns Fat! Lift weights, do body weight exercises, or do exercise programs like ChaLEAN Extreme or P90X.
5. Take a Fish Oil or other Omega-3 fatty acid supplement everyday.
6. Green tea really is a great way to boost metabolism. Drink at least 2-3 cups a day.
7. Drink milk or have other forms of calcium in your diet. Organic dairy products are the best forms of dairy to use to avoid chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics & infections in your milk.
8. The only beverage your body really needs is WATER! Make sure to drink as many ounces as 1/2 your body weight in pounds.
9. Sleep is extremely important to losing weight & boosting your metabolism. When we don't get enough sleep, our body craves carbohydrates, which we end up eating, to compensate for the lack of sleep.
10. RELAX! Stress releases cortisol, which is part of the fight or flight syndrome. It ends up resulting in extra belly fat, which is the most dangerous form of fat we can have in our bodies.

For more information, please contact me or go to ExtremeHealth4Life.com.

Success Is Easy, But So Is Neglect by Jim Rohn

I love reading inspirational essays, and this one I found to be really powerful. How many times in our lives have we used excuses and neglect to stay stuck in our comfort zone? How many times in our lives have we used excuses and neglect to to justify not doing the things we tell ourselves and others what we want to do? Whether it is losing weight and getting into shape, starting the business that you say you want to start to get out of that dead-end, mind sucking job, going back to school, having an incredible relationship with a significant other, or whatever it might be. All we have is this moment in life; it is up to us on how we use it. Don't neglect to do the things you need to do to live the life you want to live!

I'm here to say that I imagine that we all do that at some time or another, and that is why we are where we are today. It is time to stop talking about what we want to do and dreaming about what we want to do and actually get down to the business of DOING what we want to do. Hopefully this essay by Jim Rohn will serve as a jumpstart for all of us.

(excerpted from The Challenge to Succeed CD series)

People often ask me how I became successful in that six-year period of time while many of the people I knew did not. The answer is simple: The things I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. I found it easy to set the goals that could change my life. They found it easy not to. I found it easy to read the books that could affect my thinking and my ideas. They found that easy not to do. I found it easy to attend the classes and the seminars, and to get around other successful people. They said it probably really wouldn’t matter. If I had to sum it up, I would say what I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. Six years later, I’m a millionaire and they are all still blaming the economy, the government, and company policies, yet they neglected to do the basic, easy things.

In fact, the primary reason most people are not doing as well as they could, and should, can be summed up in a single word: neglect.

It is not the lack of money—banks are full of money. It is not the lack of opportunity—America, and much of the world, continues to offer the most unprecedented and abundant opportunities in the last six thousand years of recorded history. It is not the lack of books—libraries are full of books, and they are free! It is not the schools—the classrooms are full of good teachers. We have plenty of ministers, leaders, counselors and advisors.

Everything we would ever need to become rich and powerful and sophisticated is within our reach. The major reason that so few take advantage of all that we have is simply neglect.

Neglect is like an infection. Left unchecked, it will spread throughout our entire system of disciplines and eventually lead to a complete breakdown of a potentially joy-filled and prosperous human life.

Not doing the things we know we should do causes us to feel guilty, and guilt leads to an erosion of self-confidence. As our self-confidence diminishes, so does the level of our activity. And as our activity diminishes, our results inevitably decline. And as our results suffer, our attitude begins to weaken. And as our attitude begins the slow shift from positive to negative, our self-confidence diminishes even more... and on and on it goes.

So my suggestion is, when given the choice of “easy to” and “easy not to,” that you do not neglect to do the simple, basic, “easy” but potentially life-changing activities and disciplines.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Superfoods: Beans & other legumes

I've been looking into ways to get more protein in my diet that doesn't consist of animal products. I'm not particularly interested in become vegetarian or vegan, but I do want to begin limiting the animal products in my diet. One of the best ways to do this is by eating beans & other legumes.

Beans & other legumes superpowers are building muscle & burning fat. Their secret weapons are fiber, protein, iron & folate & their enemies are obesity, heart disease, colon cancer & high blood pressure.

Some of the choices you can make when adding these to your diet are lentils, peas, chickpeas, bean dips, hummus & edamame. You can use them by either getting reduced sodium or rinsing them, when using canned, or get dried & soak them yourself. You can also add a handful to a salad, soup or taco meat to boost protein without the extra fat.

Make sure you try out different ways to add beans & other legumes to your diet. Your body will thank you!

Women of Iron: More Ageless Wonders

I just read this article from the "Burn The Fat" blog, & I am utterly amazed. These two women featured in this article are truly an inspiration. They are certainly going to stay front & center in my mind when I start to get down on myself. I just wanted to repost this for others to see & get inspired too!
Rebecca

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Women of Iron: More Ageless Wonders
Tom Venuto

Would you like to have a body that looks at least 10 years younger, maybe even 15-20 years younger? Or if you’re currently a teen or twenty-something, would you like to keep your body looking hot when you get older? Last week I posted proof that it’s possible through the bodybuilding lifestyle, showing a video of 74-year old masters bodybuilding champion. Although it drew gasps and wows and inspired the crowd, it also drew some skepticism… mostly from women who didn’t think it was likely or possible for their gender. Au contraire mon fraire! Read on for pictures and proof…

In my post last week I wrote, “After you check out this video of a 74-year old championship winning bodybuilder, I don’t EVER want to hear the excuse ‘I’m too old’ ever again!”

Wouldn’t you know it - I heard excuses anyway. A couple of bozos were saying “steroids” (which I will rant about another day), but namely the excuse was: “But I’m female!!!”

A Burn The Fat Blog reader wrote:

“How about a woman that old since women have a lot more “fat” or “body fat” than men. I’m sure it’s still inspiring but as a 44 year old woman forever fighting the middle age spread, I’d like to see a 74 year old woman.”

OK, you asked for it.

Here’s my friend Jackie Lee. I’ve met her twice, once in New York and once in Los Angeles and on both occasions she was in great shape so I can vouch that there’s no photoshop going on here:
Jackie Lee at age 74

This photo was taken a couple years ago when Jackie was 74 (as requested, dear reader).




When you take care of yourself and start hitting some real workouts with some REAL IRON (lifting REAL WEIGHTS, that is), 44 years of age is not time for “middle aged spread”, it’s more like puberty - youre just starting to get developed.

I’ve known Jackie for some time now, as she is one of the “role models” profiled in the book, Fit Over 40: Role Models For Excellence At Any Age, which I co-authored with Life coach Jon Benson, a few years ago.

Inspired by the former Miss Olympia, Rachel McLish, Jackie took up weight lifting about 20 years ago when she was in her 50’s. She hasn’t stopped since.

Let me tell you, this lady is a ball of fire… what an inspiration! She is 74, but she looks 54.

Jackie does cartwheels out onto the stage and still does the splits. She told me she stopped doing her handstands a few years ago, but she’s going to start practicing again so she can add that into her routine too!

What’s even more striking is that Jackie has the mind and the ambition of a 22 year old. She insists that life can BEGIN at 70!

Jackie is not just a bodybuilder and fitness competitor, she is a vocalist who has performed at Carnegie hall, she’s also a yoga instructor, personal trainer, actress, acrobatic dancer, and motivational speaker!

Incredible! (I just LOVE people who bust bodybuilder and aging stereotypes, male or female)

“I guess I’m pretty ‘spry’”, says Jackie, “In fact, I plan to remain active my entire life - and live to be 120! Care to join me?”

It’s a shame, but some people are so pessimistic that I’m sure yet another reader is thinking (if not itching to post a comment) that Jackie is just another “rare case”… an “anomaly of nature” so to speak… or maybe just “great genetics” right?

Think again. These types of over 40, over 50, even over 60 success stories are getting more and more common as collective belief systems are starting to change with the passing generations.

May I introduce you to another friend of mine?:

Maxine Johnson is a masters fitness champion and mom in her late 50’s… with a body and level of fitness that could pass for 25 years younger.

Maxine took up the fitness lifestyle in her mid 30’s, was in the best shape of her life at age 40, competed in her first fitness competition at age 53 and was winning fitness and figure contests at age 56. She developed a fat-free, muscular, fit and fabulous bod after having three kids, holding down a job and managing life crises and stresses of all kinds, including the “joy” of menopause.

“It’s not just the accumulation of years that causes aging, says Maxine, “our age is more determined by the exercise we get or don’t get, by the kinds of foods we eat or don’t eat, and how we emotionally handle the ups and downs in life… There is no difference in how I feel when I work out now compared to 20 years ago. Nothing is more difficult — quite the contrary - I am stronger and more coordinated than ever now.”



Go ahead, just say, “WOW!”

MALE OR FEMALE, it doesn’t matter. Age is just a number and you are about as old as you think you are! If you believe you’ll be weak or fat or decrepit at age 74, or fighting middle aged spread age age 44, well then, I reckon you’ll be right!

I’d recommend that you change the way you think about age, because your behavior will always follow your beliefs.

To your health and longevity!

- Tom Venuto, author of:
Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle (ebook)
The Body Fat Solution (Hardcover )

PS. If you’re curious about how bodybuilders and female figure/fitness competitors eat and train to get so lean, check out Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets of the World’s Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models.

PPS. If you’d like to see and read the stories of more ageless role models, from 40 to 80, visit the FIT OVER 40 website to learn more about the book, Fit Over 40:Role Models For Excellence at Any Age (NOTE: Jackie Lee and Maxine Johnson are both profiled in Fit Over 40, along with more than 25 other women, including a 77 year old grandmother-bodybuilder who could probably kick your arse in the gym!)

PPPS. Look up Maxine Johnson online at: www.Temple-Fit.com (Maxine is a trainer and fitness coach working out of the Seattle WA area).

Insanity- Day 18, Sort of.....

Wow, how time can so quickly get away from a person. I haven't posted any updates for a few days, & I apologize for that. Sometimes life just gets in the way...


So, I am now on day 18. To be honest, I haven't done it for a few days :( Between work, Boy Scout campouts & meetings, youngest son's endless amount of daily homework & just plain life, the time hasn't really been there to get the workouts in. I have been working out though, so I haven't completely fallen off the wagon. Okay, enough of the excuses.....


I do love the Insanity workouts. I know my endurance is up & I can keep up much better with the DVD. I did decide that, at least the first month, there isn't enough in the strength training area, so I started back to doing my weight training at the Y. I've also noticed that my body isn't responding well to the eating plan, the way it is set up. I have only lost 2 lbs since I started this, but had expected to lose a little more. So, I decided I need to go back to journaling my food & eating in a way that I've found to be best for my body. I also have been working on limiting my meat intake & focusing on other forms of proteins.


I will get back on my Insanity wagon, maybe even later today. I may end up starting this week over as well, but I don't see any reason to start the whole program over. I will keep you posted. In the meantime, you can also check in with me on Twitter & Facebook.