Thursday, June 30, 2011

"Vacation, All I Ever Wanted..."

"Vacation....have to get away..."



Well everyone, the time has come!  I leave for vacation Saturday morning at 5:20 am (Lord help me)...So this will be my last blog post from Pittsburgh...I have a LOT to get done between today and tomorrow evening, which is when I am leaving my house because my AMAZING friend Kati is taking me to the airport at 3:30 am Saturday (LOVE you Kati!). 

But since my last post, I have posted another video blog...here is it...


Now I am going to challenge YOU!  Write down your goals...Then post your BIGGEST goal in the comments below :) JUST DO IT!!  If you can come up with your goal, or you have them and need help reaching them...let me know!  I can help you...Let me be your coach!

Now for some other BIG news...my coach...and one of my very best friends, Miss Kati Heifner became a DIAMOND Coach today...so a HUGE congrats to Kati!  She rocks :)   She is SUCH an inspiration to me and everyone else on The Bombshell Dynasty...We love you Kati!!


Tuesday, June 28, 2011

I want to look like Carrie Underwood....

So, how many of you look at your FAVORITE celebrity and think "man, I wish I could look like her..."  I know that I do (I would kill for Carrie Underwood's legs and abs), and I sure that you have too.  I found this awesome article on http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/ ...

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Celebrity Fitness Tips

What smart, exercise-loving, fiber-eating woman would think she could get a better body by doing what Hollywood types do? Me -- when I know the advice comes from a sane celebrity trainer who takes wellness seriously. (I also subscribe to dancer Martha Graham's theory that "You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, something is lost.") Here, because a Fit Girl clearly is the new It Girl, the moves to make you your very best, all vetted by our in-house FITNESS gurus.

1. Ooze Confidence

Tyra, we love you because you strut with confidence. Banks's "SO WHAT!" campaign, which encourages women to embrace their bodies -- flaws and all -- shows that even supermodels can champion the beauty of being super-real.

2. Hit the Road

Penelope Cruz gets her fitness outside. "Workouts aren't just about burning calories, they're about getting in shape for the things you love," says trainer Gunnar Peterson. For more ways to get fit without having to step foot in a gym, see our outdoor workouts feature.

3. Be a Fit Mom

To shape up for her upcoming movie, The Kingdom, Jennifer Garner did lots and lots of lunges with shoulder presses, says trainer Valerie Waters. In real life, toddler Violet stands in for some dumbbells.

4. Get on the Ball

Jessica Simpson uses one for wall squats, says trainer Harley Pasternak, keeping the ball behind her back to maintain proper form as she sculpts her legs and butt. For more stability ball moves, check out our insider's guide.

5. Build Strong Bones and Muscles

Trainer Joe Dowdell has actress Claire Danes hoist some hefty weights during her high-intensity workouts.

6. Swing into Action

Catherine Zeta-Jones hits the links for some R&R. If she forgoes the cart and carries her own clubs, she'll burn about 261 calories an hour.

7. Two-Step

Boxer Laila Ali says doing some fancy footwork on Dancing with the Stars required the same focus and intensity she finds in the ring. We say she looks amazing.

8. Focus on Yourself

"It's important to get out of your head and into your body," says trainer Gregory Joujon-Roche, who works with Avril Lavigne. "Do whatever feels good, because that's what it's really all about."

9. Log On for Success

Share the same workout advice as Jennifer Aniston, J.Lo, and dozens more celebs at podfitness.com, which offers "trainer in your ear" programs from more than 75 experts on everything from weight loss to walking.


10. Train for the Finish Line

Singer Sheryl Crow regularly cross-trains with a combo of running and cycling. In addition to regular jogs, she's prepping for a 100-mile bike ride by cranking up the resistance on a stationary bike until she can barely pedal, then bringing it back down, says trainer Greg Bahnfleth.

11. Mix Things Up

"Every day should be something a little different when it comes to your workout routine," says trainer Michael George, who has worked with Reese Witherspoon, shown here, jogging. "Otherwise, your body gets bored and you stop seeing results."

12. Band Together

Julia Roberts stays in shape with do-anywhere resistance-band exercises from trainer Kathy Kaehler, including standing on the band for double biceps curls and front and lateral shoulder raises.

13. Run for a Cause

Meredith Vieira often participates in charity run/walks that help raise funds for everything from cancer to mental health. Want to join a fun run? Check out these options.

14. Nix Boredom

Kate Hudson keeps fit by mixing things up. In addition to running, she takes Sheila Kelley's S Factor (pole dancing and striptease) classes regularly -- in 6-inch heels!

15. Ride On

Madonna should wear a helmet while she rides, but even so, cycling is a great way to cross-train, burning more than 500 calories an hour at a moderate pace and sculpting the abs, legs, and butt.

16. Shake It

Nikki Blonsky, just 18, loves dancing and adored training (hard!) for her role in the movie Hairspray. She told FITNESS that at one point, she was losing weight so quickly she had to drink protein shakes to stay at her character's size.

17. Be Fluid

"Drinking before and at frequent intervals during your workouts prevents dehydration, cramps, and overheating," says Pilates expert Daniel Loigerot, who works with Naomi Watts.

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If you need help understanding these tips...or you don't feel like you have what it takes...let me help you!! I WANT to help you...because I know from experience that once someone takes your hand, you CAN get that body that you want!
 
I will be posting a new video blog tonight...stay tuned!!!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Stepping outside of my comfort zone...

Well kids...today I did something pretty big...I stepped outside of my comfort zone and made my first video blog!  Was I nervous?  Yes.  Did I WANT to do it?  No.  Did I need to do it?  YES.  That is something that I learned tonight after listening to our team call from last night...Comfort is an addiction...And it is something that you can overcome...PUSH yourself...CHALLENGE yourself...Don't just SETTLE...Be willing to work hard to reach your biggest goals...If I can do it, you can too :)

So without further adieu...Here is my first video blog...


Do you want to be a part of this?  Do YOU want to change lives...starting with your own??  What are you waiting for???  Sign up!

10 Exercise Myths That Won't Go Away

10 exercise myths that won't go away

By Madison Park, CNN


Spot reducing fat is a myth. Unless you tackle your body fat, your ab crunches may not help.(CNN) -- We're all looking to maximize results while minimizing time and effort in the gym. That search for shortcuts has translated into a lot of myths about exercise.

CNN.com asked exercise physiologists, trainers and nutritionists about their most hated exercise myths.

Consider these the 10 persistent myths of fitness.

10) Your cardio machine is counting the calories you're burning.

"It doesn't mean anything," said Mark Macdonald, personal trainer and author of "Body Confidence" about the calorie numbers spit out by the cardio machine.

Some machines don't even ask for your weight or sex.

"It's not asking your body composition," he said. "If you're at 18% body fat, you're going to burn a lot more than if you're female at 35% body fat."

And how many people know their body fat percentage?

The number calculated by your machine is likely not accurate.

9) Women shouldn't lift weights because it'll make them bulky.

This one drives Alice Burron, a former female bodybuilder, crazy. She would spend four to five hours a day when she competed, trying to build muscles.

"You really have to overload those muscles to create bulk," said Burron. "It's very, very difficult."

Women have too much estrogen to build large amounts of bulk. Guys build muscles faster because they have testosterone.

So ladies, don't fear the barbells. Strength training helps decrease body fat, increase lean muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently.

The government's 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommended muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least three days of the week for kids and two or more for adults.

8) Heart rate monitors will let you know how hard you're working.

Heart rate monitoring is a flawed science.

The better detector of how hard you're working is not the newest, gee-whiz tech device, but your own body.

"The perceived exertion, your own sense of how hard you're working is a much more reliable of exercise intensity," said Matt Fitzgerald, senior editor of Competitor group.

Perceived exertion means it's your estimation of how hard you are working out and surprisingly, it's very accurate, he said.

"Your perception of your limit can change over time. So yeah, even your own perception isn't perfect. It's still better than heart rate monitor," Fitzgerald said.

Heart rates could falter depending on what kind of exercise you're doing.

The talk test can measure how intensely you're working out depending on whether you can talk in full sentences, short phrases or if you're barely able to muster a few words.

"It's best to learn to recognize your body's signals and get a better control of your effort," said Alex Hutchinson, author of "Which Comes First: Cardio or Weights."

7) Your weight is the end all, be all.

Newbies hit the gym, and then weigh themselves every day on the scale.

Week-after-week, they see nodownward trend on the scale and get impatient.

People starting saying, "I haven't lost any weight. This is pointless, I'm not accomplishing anything," said Hutchinson.

After a few months of increased exercise, they are healthier because they've reduced risk factors such as blood sugar levels. Even though a person may not be losing weight, his health has improved in ways that might not be measured.

"They're stuck in this paradigm that weight is the ultimate barometer for fitness. They don't realize the progress they've made and give up."

6) Low-intensity exercise burns more fat.

In general, low intensity exercise has its place -- it's less stressful on joints.

The myth is that if you exercise too intensely, you end up burning carbohydrates instead of fat.

It's the most dangerous type of myth because there's a kernel of truth in it, Hutchinson said.

The more intensely you exercise, the higher proportion of carbs you burn. You may burn less fat, but the total amount of calories burned is higher and that is the bigger picture.

When your body has burned up all the carbs, it starts burning fat.

"You can ignore zones and pay attention to how many calories you burn, which ultimately determines how much body fat you're going to lose," Fitzgerald said.

5) Chug a protein shake after workout.

"It's eating another meal," said Macdonald, a personal trainer who helped TV host Chelsea Handler get in shape.

Protein shakes, powders and bars are good for emergencies, but "they're the lowest quality food."

"You're better off eating real food," he said.

The products are more processed. The best way to get protein is through foods such as a turkey sandwich, Greek yogurt with nuts and fruit.

Martin Gibala, chairman of the department of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, agrees. "Protein sources in real food are Number 1. Cheaper and real food may provide other benefits, vitamins and minerals. And some of the components in food may act synergistically in ways we don't understand."

"When we isolate the compound we think works, it's not as good as the real foods."

4) You can spot reduce for tight abs or toned arms.

You may have crunched in vain.

You won't see muscle definition or a nice six-pack despite how many crunches you do, because of the layer of fat resting on top of your muscles.

"Don't focus on a body part. Try to get them all," said Burron, a spokeswoman for the American Council on Exercise. "You might have beautiful triceps -- it may not be flopping all over the place. Until the fat is gone, most people wouldn't know it's there."

3) As long as I go to the gym 30-45 minutes, that gives me a pass to do what I want for rest of the day.

The gym doesn't negate a bad diet.

Also, emerging research suggests that if you're sedentary most of the day, it may not matter how hard or often you exercise.

People who spend more time sitting during their leisure time have an increased risk of death, regardless of daily exercise.

In a study of more than 123,000 healthy people, the American Cancer Society found that women who spent more than six hours a day sitting were 40 percent more likely to die sooner than women who sat less. Men who sat more had 20 percent increased risk of death.

Essentially, those who sit less, live a longer life than those who don't.

2) No pain, no gain.

"The ongoing perception is that people need to feel pain through the entirety of their workout or they're not getting the benefit -- that one's very frustrating to me," said Burron, a personal trainer. "You shouldn't be exercising at a level of pain ever."

Feeling discomfort during a workout is OK.

"If it's so intense you're thinking of passing out, you can't continue this session for longer, then it's too difficult and you're at increased risk for injuries or burnout," Burron said.

"You want to exercise smarter, not harder," she added. "That's the premise. You don't have to kill yourself. You just have to be smart about it."

1) Stretching will help prevent injuries.

A growing number of studies challenge the entrenched assumption that stretching helps prevent injuries.

"The way we were taught to stretch, to try to touch your toes -- there's little evidence it prevents injuries," Hutchinson said.

A review published in 2007 of 10 randomized studies about stretching after or before physical activity found that "muscle stretching does not reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness in young healthy adults."

Static stretching is when you stay in place, bend over to touch your toes, or try to pull your ankles towards your hips.

A study presented this year at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons found that such static stretching before a run neither prevents nor causes injury.

Then a study published this month in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that static stretches that last longer than a minute could be detrimental to performance.  Athletes often swing their arms and warm up before a game. That type of dynamic stretching such as high knee jogs, walking lunges can help move your muscles through different ranges of motions.  This type of dynamic stretching is different from clutching your limbs, because it focuses on movement.  A study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research found professional soccer players who practiced dynamic stretching had higher range of motion than when they practiced only static stretches.  While toe-touches and extra flexibility might be required in gymnastics or figure skating, it's irrelevant for more everyday activities like basketball or weightlifting.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Summit 2011!

SO, this past weekend, some of the FABULOUS coaches form The Bombshell Dynasty took over LA for the 2011 Beachbody Summit...This video is of some of the hilights of the weekend...I already bought my ticket for Summit 2012...Vegas will never be the same after the Dynasty takes over :)


Did you like what you saw???? Join The Bombshell Dynasty!!!!

Monday, Monday...

I hope that everyone had a great weekend!  I know that I did :)

NKOTBSB was AMAZING!  Really was one of the best concerts I have ever been to.  I dance and sang like a fool for 2 and a half hours.  Definitely burned some serious calories!!  I could not hear out of my left ear the next morning and my throat was DEFINITELY on fire the entire next day. If they roll through your town, go!  You will have a blast :)  I posted pictures on my facebook page yesterday, so ifyou aren't my friend yet...ADD ME!  And check them out... www.facebook.com/krissibelle

On Saturday I threw my best friend a big birthday party.  It was a pretty epic night...and I passed out a couple of business cards!  I have 30 people, most of whom I did not know, in my house...PERFECT opportunity to spread the word :)  They could tell that I was excited about this opportunity and Beachbody, so they ALSO showed excitement...it was awesome!  I also had a friend of mine that lives in Boston commit to P90X again...he has had it for some time but needed someone (like me!) to push him and help him push play...

I am officially registered for Summit 2012....VEGAS BABYYYYYYY!  It should be a completely awesome and inspirational weekend :)  I am so excited!!!!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

You've Got the Right Stuff....

Happy Wednesday!

Today is a VERY happy Wednesday for me...I am going to the NKOTBSB concert tonight!!! Woohooo!!  Which means I will NOT have time for my Insanity or P90X tonight (work til 5, then concert immediately after)...But no worries!  I will be dancing like a fool ALL NIGHT and burning calories like crazy :)

SO...in honor of the fun night that I have ahead of me...he is an article about burning calories!!


How Many Calories Do You Burn?

Physical activity simply means movement of the body that uses energy. Walking, gardening, briskly pushing a baby stroller, climbing the stairs, playing soccer, or dancing the night away are all good examples of being active.

For health benefits, physical activity should be moderate or vigorous and add up to at least 30 minutes a day.

Some physical activities are not intense enough to help you meet the recommendations. These include walking at a casual pace, such as while grocery shopping, and doing light household chores. Although you are moving, these activities do not increase your heart rate, so you should not count these towards the 30 or more minutes a day that you should strive for.

Moderate physical activities include:

     •Walking briskly (about 3 ½ miles per hour)
     •Hiking
     •Gardening/yard work
     •Dancing
     •Golf (walking and carrying clubs)
     •Bicycling (less than 10 miles per hour)
     •Weight training (general light workout)

Vigorous physical activities include:
    
     •Running/jogging (5 miles per hour)
     •Bicycling (more than 10 miles per hour)
     •Swimming (freestyle laps)
     •Aerobics
     •Walking very fast (4 ½ miles per hour)
     •Heavy yard work, such as chopping wood
     •Weight lifting (vigorous effort)
     •Basketball (competitive)

How many calories does physical activity use?

A 130-pound woman will use up about the number of calories listed doing each activity below. Those who weigh more will use more calories, and those who weigh less will use fewer. The calorie values listed include both calories used by the activity and the calories used for normal body functioning.

Approximate calories used by a 130-lb. woman in 1 hour

Moderate physical activities:
  • Hiking 350
  • Dancing 265
  • Golf (walking and carrying clubs) 265
  • Light gardening/yardwork 236
  • Bicycling (less than 10 mph) 236
  • Walking (3 ½ miles per hour) 224
  • Weight training (light workout) 177
Vigorous physical activities:

  • Running/jogging (5 mph) 472
  • Bicycling (12 to 14 mph) 472
  • Basketball (competitive) 472
  • Swimming (slow freestyle laps) 413
  • Aerobics 413
  • Walking (4 ½ miles per hour) 371
  • Weight lifting (vigorous effort) 355

 Source: MyPyramid.gov
And of COURSE, in honor of the show...an awesome video :)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

7 WORST Summertime Drinks

What if you could turn this ongoing heatwave into an opportunity to lose weight—without exercising or changing what you eat?


Here's all you have to do: Think before you drink. A lot of what's offered at the supermarket and the corner convenience store is likely to make this summer only more miserable—by adding inches to your waistline.

According to a study in the journal Obesity, liquids account for more than 20 percent—some 450 daily calories—of the American diet, and most of this is sugar. Another study from the University of Minnesota demonstrated that added sugars are directly linked to weight gain. We're drinking ourselves fat!

But that doesn't mean you have to spend the summer feeling drier and tired. All you need to do is make some smart swaps, and start shedding pounds! A third study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that cutting liquid calories resulted in greater weight loss than cutting food calories. That's right—it's not what you eat, it's what you drink. You can lose more weight by cutting sugary drinks than you can by eliminating burgers and hot dogs. With that in mind, I've unearthed the most devious calorie offenders you're likely to encounter this summer, compliments of Drink This, Not That! This summer, you'll not only feel cooler—you'll look hotter.

#7: WORST WATER

Vitaminwater Multi-V (1 bottle, 20 oz)
125 calories
0 g fat
33 g sugars

As long as companies continue to sell multivitamin pills and your sink's faucet keeps spitting out tap water, you have no excuse to ever uncap one of these faux health drinks. This bottle has more sugar than a Snickers bar, so if you must indulge, opt for something from Vitaminwater's calorie-free Zero line. Or better yet, try Smartwater. It contains electrolytes that can help keep you hydrated when you're sweating out in the sun.

Drink This Instead!

Glaceau Smartwater (1 bottle, 24 oz)
0 calories
0 g fat
0 g sugars


#6: WORST SODA

Sunkist (1 can, 12 oz)
190 calories
0 g fat
50 g sugars

Soda is one of the more condemnable sources of calories in the American diet. It doesn't even bother with the pretense of nutrition—it's pure sugar, plain and simple. But among the throngs of terrible sodas, Sunkist is the worst. A better option: Izze. 70 percent of this bottle is filled with real fruit juice, completely eliminating the need for added sugars. It's still not as healthy as real fruit, but it's a sizeable upgrade from carbonated high fructose corn syrup.

Drink This Instead!

Izze Sparkling Clementine (1 bottle, 12 oz)
120 calories
0 g fat
27 g sugars


#5: WORST BOTTLED TEA

SoBe Energize Green Tea (1 bottle, 20 oz)
240 calories
0 g fat
61 g sugars

Leave it to an "edgy" American beverage company to corrupt green tea, a natural wonder of the nutritional world. SoBe's product is merely a saccharine simulation of green tea, with "natural flavor" preceding "green tea extract" on the nutrition label. Gulp down one of these bottles and you've taken in the sugar equivalent of seven Popsicles. Go with Honest Tea instead—it has more than 80 percent less sugar and uses organic, fair trade green tea.

Drink This Instead!

Honest Tea Community Green Tea (1 bottle, 16 oz)
34 calories
0 g fat
10 g sugars


#4: WORST LEMONADE

Orange Julius Lemon Julius (medium, 20 oz)
360 calories
0 g fat
94 g sugars

If you were drinking straight lemon juice, you could tip back 15 cups, or 120 fluid ounces, and still not reach the sugar impact of this icy, lemon-esque beverage from Orange Julius. So save yourself from sugar's flabby impact by switching to Chick-fil-A's low-cal lemonade. It blunts the typical sugar tariff with a dose of sucralose, which eliminates a clean 340 calories of added sugars.

Drink This Instead!

Chick-fil-A Diet Lemonade (medium, 20 oz)
20 calories
0 g fat
2 g sugars


#3: WORST FROZEN COFFEE DRINK

Dairy Queen Caramel MooLatte (medium, 16 oz)
660 calories
19 g fat (15 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
90 g sugars

How is it that such a simple, healthy beverage like coffee can be so mistreated by fast-food purveyors? Dairy Queen's MooLattes, for example, are essentially fat-bloated milkshakes with a little coffee blended in, and the caramel version has nearly as many calories as five White Castle sliders. Want a caffeinated indulgence? Switch to Starbucks' Coffee Frappuccino. It's plenty sweet but saves you more than 400 calories. But be warned: While the Coffee Frappuccino is safe, some of Starbucks' other Fraps aren't so forgiving.

Drink This Instead!

Starbucks Coffee Frappuccino with 2% milk (Grande size, 16 oz)
230 calories
2 g fat (1 g saturated)
49 g sugars


#2: WORST SMOOTHIE

Smoothie King The Activator Strawberry (32 oz)
834 calories
1.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
134 g sugars

Judging solely by name, you'd think this beverage were some sort of metabolism-boosting superfruit, but in reality it's a hyper-sweetened smoothie filled out with 550 calories of pure sugar. In Smoothie King's defense, it also delivers nearly 30 grams of protein, but that's not nearly enough to justify the caloric impact. Unless you you're a body builder looking to maximize your caloric intake, leave this blended beverage behind the counter where it belongs.

Drink This Instead!

Jamba Juice Strawberry Nirvana (Power size, 30 oz)
300 calories
0.5 g fat
58 g sugars


#1: WORST MILKSHAKE

Cold Stone Creamery Oh Fudge! Shake (Like It size, 16 oz)
1,250 calories
70 g fat (45 g saturated)
127 g sugars

At Cold Stone, "Like It" is the small size. If you upgrade to "Gotta Have It," which denotes a large, you're facing 1,920 calories—nearly a full day's energy in one cup. The truth is, milkshakes represent some of the most concentrated calories that will ever cross your lips, so when you find a good one, you should take notice. Outside of what you might make in your own kitchen, the shake below from Baskin-Robbins is about as good as you're going to find. Order it with Premium Churned Chocolate Milk Ice Cream and it floats in at just 500 calories. That's a lot, to be sure, but it's better than the alternatives. Just save it for an occasional treat, and always offer to split with a friend.

Drink This Instead!

Baskin-Robbins Chocolate Shake (with Premium Churned Milk Chocolate Ice Cream) (small, 16 oz)
500 calories
16 g fat (10 g saturated)
73 g sugars



*article was copied from http://www.yahoo.com/

Some quotes for the day...

Good morning! 

I thought today I would take a little break, I don't really have anything off of the top of my head to write about (I have MILLIONS of ideas floating around, but I am not ready to share:) ) so I have decided to post a couple of quotes...Enjoy :)

Life is...

"Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfil it.
Life is a sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it."

- Mother Teresa



Just for Today

I will live through the next 12 hours and try not to tackle all of life's problems at once.
I will improve my mind, I will learn something that requires effort and concentration.
I will be agreeable. I will look my best, speak in a well modulated voice, and be courteous and considerate.
I will not find fault with a friend, relative or colleague. I will not try to change or improve anyone but myself.
I will have a programme. I might not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from two enemies:
hurry and indecision.
I will do a good turn and keep it a secret. If anyone finds out, it will not count.
I will do two things I don't want to do, just for the exercise.
I will believe in myself. I will give my best to the world and feel confident that the world will give it's best to me.

- Anon





If an individual sets an achievable goal that equitably creates winners, and that individual remains consistently focused on working toward their goal, that individual will achieve their goal or die trying.  If a civilisation sets an achievable goal that equitably creates winners, and that civilisation remains consistently focused on working toward their goal, that civilization will achieve their goal.

Therefore let us empower all in our civilization with open information systems so they can educate themselves, so more may better understand our universe, so we may dream large and true, so we may target a great vision, so we may lift ourselves, our children and our grandchildren up to the most wonderful future possible.

- Matthew Keith Groves


Have a good day everyone! :)
xoxo


Monday, June 13, 2011

Fad Diets...


Lately, I have been hearing a lot about fad diets.  The truth of the matter is that these popular, new to the market diets can help provide a temporary fix, but RARELY are beneficial in the long run.

When you look up fad diets on the internet, you will see phrases like "lose weight now" and "quick weight loss diets".  When you look further into these diets, you will come to realize that they are designed to help you drop weight fast by cutting out some pretty imporant nutritional items.  They focus on low calorie intake, which is all well and good if you are not active, but if you work out on a regular basis, you need those calories!  Calories give you the fuel that you need to make it through the day and ESPECIALLY through your workout!  Without them you are going to crash and burn.

After talking to a few people that have participated a fad diets, I discovered that they did in fact lose the weight that they wanted to!  However, they returned to their old eating habits after the diet was completed, and they gained even MORE back!  Not cool, right?

The best way to lose weight is plain and simple.  There is no big secret, no special gimick, no fad diet.  Simply lead a healthy lifestyle!  Exercise daily, eat clean foods that are good for you!  Lots of veggies, lean protein...LOOK at labels.  If you can't pronounce the ingredient, you probably should not eat it.  I have started living my life this way, clean eating, exercising and I have seen results!  I have MUCH more energy and I am just an overall happier person.  Plus I am in the best shape that I have ever been in...and guess what?  It is only going to get better!

How do I know that it is going to get better?  I know because I WANT it to!  I have an amazing support system in my friends and The Bombshell Dynasty, and you can have it too by signing up for FREE and joining me on this amazing journey.  I can help you realize that everything is going to get better...and that with just a few simple lifestyle changes you can ignore those fancy fad diets, lose weight, and improve your overall health without giving up all of the foods that you love!  I did it...and I know that YOU can too!

Well?  What are you waiting for??? :)

Friday, June 10, 2011

Blast off fat (way) faster...

This article was on http://www.yahoo.com/ today and I thought that I would share... :)



Blast off fat (way) faster.

By Matt Murphy

Tired of plugging away at the gym without seeing the pounds disappear? We found simple tricks that will transform your usual regimen into the ultimate fat-blasting routine. Whether you use just two of these strategies or all seven, our insider tips will help you get the calorie-burn you deserve.

1. Know this: “You’ll be able to comfortably work out longer and harder if you’re cool,” says Len Kravitz, PhD, coordinator of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. “Being too hot stresses your body out, so you don’t perform as well.” Translation: You burn less fat.

Do this: When exercising at home, put a fan in front of your workout area. Hitting the gym? Wait to use the treadmill that has a fan built into the console.

2. Know this: “Wearing a heart-rate monitor makes it easier to burn more body fat by showing just how hard you’re really working,” Kravitz says. “Keeping your heart rate in the right zone prevents you from slacking off, so you make the most of every minute.”

Do this: Invest in a heart-rate monitor and wear it every time you exercise. We love Life Fitness’s new Dual Watch and Heart Rate Monitor ($60; at CVS stores nationwide). It’s simple to program and use. It doesn’t require an uncomfortable chest strap—just touch the face with your fingertips. And it comes in a variety of sizes too.

3. Know this: “Warming up for five minutes before each workout helps you lose more weight,” says Heather Dillinger, an IDEA Health and Fitness Association elite-level personal-fitness trainer. “It not only makes your muscles more pliable but also increases their range of motion, so you end up using more muscle fibers as you exercise.”

Do this: Choose a warm-up routine that hits all of your muscles, not just your legs. The easiest option: Do three to five minutes of low-intensity walking while pumping your arms back and forth.

4. Know this: “Saving your energy for the end of your cardio workout may prevent you from losing as much weight as you can,” says metabolism expert Dixie Stanforth, of the department of kinesiology and health education at the University of Texas at Austin.

Do this: Instead of starting out slow and then finishing up strong, do your high-intensity cardio early in your workout. After doing your warm-up, try exercising at a high intensity for 15 minutes before slowing down to a more moderate pace for the last 15 minutes.

5. Know this: “Two smaller workouts can be more effective than one,” Stanforth reveals. That’s because every time you do high-intensity exercise, your metabolism stays revved for an hour or more afterward. Splitting up your workout boosts your metabolism twice, giving you additional calorie-burning time from the exact same routine.

Do this: Divide your workout into two smaller, high-intensity sessions—preferably, doing one in the morning and one at night.

6. Know this: If you’re convinced that you’re melting fat while exercising, you’ll make a mind-body connection that will actually help you lose fat faster, Dillinger explains. In a 2007 Harvard study, participants who believed they were getting a good workout showed greater reductions in body fat than subjects who performed the same activities but didn’t feel like they were really exercising.

Do this: The next time you do anything active, remind yourself every few minutes that you’re giving it your all. This little mental move may motivate you to push yourself harder, leading to even greater fat loss.

7. Know this: “The less time you rest between sets when strength training, the more calories you’re likely to burn,” Dillinger notes. “Keeping rest periods short keeps your heart rate at a higher rate, which naturally increases the number of calories you’re using.”

Do this: The best rule of thumb is to take only a 30-second break between sets (meaning you’ll need a watch with a second hand). .

.

30 Day Challenge????

Happy Friday!  And BOY am I happy that it is Friday...This has been a long week!

So I am officially 2 weeks into my own made up P90X/Insanity Hybrid and let me tell you...WOW!  I absolutely LOVE it!  I push myself a lot, and granted Insanity is pretty damn tough, but I am able to do more and more every time!  I will share my Fit Test results once I do the second one...The first results are pretty pathetic..haha

I love the fact that I am seeing results already...2 weeks in!  My tummy has flattened and I am FINALLY getting rid of those love handles that us ladies hate oh so much.  Plus, my little bitty biceps are growing at a rapid pace...My Dad actually asked me to flex last night and he was impressed!

So anywho, the purpose of this post is to discuss Chalene Johnson's 30 Day Challenge.  If you have not done it yet, DO IT!  It has changed my life and I am only on day 10!  I don't want to give too much away because I want YOU do to it, don't just piggyback on me :)  She teaches that it takes 21 days to form a habit, whether it be good or bad.  And make a To Do list daily!  Put it somewhere accessible (pull out those iPhones, Droids, Blackberries, or whatever you have, there are free apps for this!) and check it ALL THE TIME.  Make one for the day, then the week, then the month, then the YEAR.  Without a To Do list you are far less likely to reach your goals...and we all want to reach our goals right?

So every Friday in this challenge we are to list our 10 goals, and our 1 Push Goal.  For shiggles, I decided to post my 10 goals from today here for you all to see (what I want to accomplish in the next year)...HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE PEOPLE!!!  I can't do it without you!

My Push Goal:  Pay off my debt!
1.  Pay off all of my credit cards.
2.  Become an EMERALD coach (Nicole Morse, we can do this!)
3.  Make more time for ME
4.  Create a budget...and stick to it!  (No more living paycheck to paycheck!)
5.  Go on a weekend getaway every other month.
6.  Pass the GMAT!
7.  Get into grad school at RMU (can you say propelling my business???)
8.  Spend more time with my "family" (I put family in " " because I consider family to be blood and those that I CONSIDER family...aka my friends)
9.  Get to my new target weight of 120!
10. Become more active in the National Kidney Foundation in the honor and memory of my Aunt Karen.

Ok Guys!  Your turn!  Email me YOUR 10 goals...Tell me what YOU want to achieve over the next week...month...year...5 years...10 years...Then sit back and think about how you can reach them...How I can help you reach them!

xoxo

"My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment." ~Oprah Winfrey

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Random ramblings for the day...

"I promise..."

"You can trust me..."

"I love you..."

These are phrases that should not be just thrown around, they are words that pack a lot of punch and you should never say unless you fully intend on following through.  Unfortuately, most of us have come to learn that not everyone can fully understand the power that these words possess.  Not everyone realizes that there are still some people in the world that hold these words close to them, and do NOT just throw them around trying to make someone feel good.  That is what leads to this rambling of the day.

Most of you did not know me before the beginning of this year, so you do not know exactly where I was in my life when P90X came into play.  I was absolutely head over heels in love.  He was the first guy that I could actually see myself being with forever.  He was amazing, and so was his family.  I felt like I fit right in with them and they made me feel welcome.  More than anything else though, he made me feel so good about myself I could not even belive it.  He helped me through my home buying process, and was even set to move in and be my roommate in December.  Then, out of the blue the second weekend of December things changed.  We had a great weekend, his parents were in town and they finally met my parents.  We all discussed our New Years plans because we were all spending it together here in Pittsburgh.  On Sunday night, all that he said was "I can't do this right now" and just like that my world fell apart.  I couldn't breathe and had no idea what I was going to do.  Not even my closest friends could comfort me.  It was the worst that I have ever felt in my life.

I had most of his stuff until February, I finally packed it up and told him to pick it up because I needed to move on with my life.  Obviously he did not care enough to even give me an explanation as to why things fell apart so suddenly like they did.  He picked up the boxes that I packed and it was the most awkward 45 minutes of my life.

Well, now it is June...and I thought that I had moved on...the feelings were gone and I could finally breathe again and feel like myself.  Then I found out that he is seeing someone and that waive of hurt and disappointment all came back.  Way to ruin my day...

But right now, at this very moment, I am making a promise to myself.  No more dwelling on the past.  I am moving on with my life.  I am in better shape than I ever have been, I have an amazing group of friends, and a fantastic family.  I would have never gotten through today if it were not for Kati, Lacey, Kristin, Mike, and Rachel. 

So from a girl that has been hurt, torn apart, and slowly put herself back together again...PLEASE DO NOT use the words "I promise...", "You can trust me...", and most of all "I love you..." unless you mean it.  Because when all is said and done, it is when we think of those phrases that we hurt the most...

xoxo

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

The 5 Biggest Exercise Myths

I found this article on Yahoo this morning and I found in interesting....though that I would share :)



The 5 Biggest Exercise Myths


By Bill Phillips and the Editors of Men's Health



Quick! Let’s free associate. Complete this sentence:

SETS OF _ REPS.



Did you answer 3 and 10? Of course you did. It’s the Pavlovian response. After all, anyone who’s ever picked up a dumbbell knows that doing 3 sets of 10 reps of each exercise is the quickest way to build muscle.

Except it’s not. In fact, it’s the quickest way to get nowhere with your workout routine, says Michael Mejia, C.S.C.S., a long-time Men’s Health fitness advisor.

Truth is, today’s most sacred exercise guidelines originated in the ’40s and ’50s, a time when castration was a cutting-edge treatment for prostate cancer, and endurance exercise was thought to be harmful to women. Worse, so-called fitness experts across the country are still spewing these same old conventional wisdoms, despite plenty of research indicating that they (the experts and the wisdoms) aren’t wise at all.

Chances are, these are the rules you exercise by right now. And that means your workout is long past due for a 21st-century overhaul. We asked Mejia to do just that. Here are the five muscles myths he most commonly hears. Hopefully, we're about to bust them for good.



MYTH #1: DO 8 TO 12 REPETITIONS

The claim: It's the optimal repetition range for building muscle.

The origin: In 1954, Ian MacQueen, M.D., an English surgeon and competitive bodybuilder, published a scientific paper in which he recommended a moderately high number of repetitions for muscle growth.

The truth: This approach places muscles under a medium amount of tension for a medium amount of time—it's basically The Neither Here Nor There Workout.

Here's the deal: Higher tension—a.k.a. heavier weights—induces the type of muscle growth in which the muscle fibers grow larger, leading to the best gains in strength; longer tension time, on the other hand, boosts muscle size by increasing the energy-producing structures around the fibers, improving muscular endurance. The classic prescription of 8 to 12 repetitions strikes a balance between the two. But by using that scheme all the time, you miss out on the greater tension levels that come with heavier weights and fewer repetitions, and the longer tension time achieved with lighter weights and higher repetitions.

The new standard: Vary your repetition range—adjusting the weights accordingly—so that you stimulate every type of muscle growth. Try this method for a month, performing three full-body sessions a week: Do five repetitions per set in your first workout, 10 reps per set in your second workout, and 15 per set in your third workout.



MYTH #2: DO 3 SETS OF EACH EXERCISE

The claim: This provides the ideal workload for achieving the fastest muscle gains.

The origin: In 1948, a physician named Thomas Delorme reported in the Archives of Physical Medicine that performing three sets of 10 repetitions was as effective at improving leg strength as 10 sets of 10 repetitions.

The truth: There's nothing wrong with—or magical about—doing three sets. But the number of sets you perform shouldn't be determined by a 50-year-old default recommendation. Here's a rule of thumb: The more repetitions of an exercise you do, the fewer sets you should perform, and vice versa. This keeps the total number of reps you do of an exercise nearly equal, no matter how many repetitions make up each set.

The new standard: If you're doing eight or more reps, keep it to three sets or less. If you're pounding out less than three reps, you should be doing at least six sets.



MYTH #3: DO 3 OR 4 EXERCISES PER MUSCLE GROUP

The claim: This ensures that you work all the fibers of the target muscle.

The origin: Arnold Schwarzenegger, circa 1966.

The truth: You'll waste a lot of time. Here's why: Schwarzenegger's four-decade-old recommendation is almost always combined with "Do three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions." That means you'll complete up to 144 repetitions for each muscle group. Trouble is, if you can perform even close to 100 repetitions for any muscle group, you're not working hard enough.

Think of it this way: The harder you train, the less time you'll be able to sustain that level of effort. For example, many men can run for an hour if they jog slowly, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who could do high-intensity sprints—without a major decrease in performance—for that period of time. And once performance starts to decline, you've achieved all the muscle-building benefits you can for that muscle group.

The new standard: Instead of focusing on the number of different exercises you do, shoot for a total number of repetitions between 25 and 50. That could mean five sets of five repetitions of one exercise (25 repetitions) or one set of 15 repetitions of two or three exercises (30 to 45 repetitions).



MYTH #4: NEVER LET YOUR KNEES GO PAST YOUR TOES

The claim: Allowing your knees to move too far forward during exercises such as the squat and lunge places dangerous shearing forces on your knee ligaments.

The origin: A 1978 study at Duke University found that keeping the lower leg as vertical as possible during the squat reduced shearing forces on the knee.

The truth: Leaning your torso too far forward, so that your knees stay back, is more likely to cause injury. In 2003, University of Memphis researchers confirmed that knee stress was 28 percent higher when the knees were allowed to move past the toes during the squat. But the researchers also found a countereffect: Hip stress increased nearly 1,000 percent when forward movement of the knee was restricted. The reason: The squatters had to lean their torsos farther forward. And that's a problem, because forces that act on the hip are transferred to the lower back, a more frequent site of injury than the knees.

The new standard: Watch a toddler squat. Push your hips back as far as you can, while keeping your torso as upright as possible. This will reduce the stress on your back and knees.



MYTH #5: WHEN YOU LIFT WEIGHTS, DRAW IN YOUR ABS


The claim: You'll increase the support to your spine, reducing the risk of back injuries.

The origin: In 1999, researchers in Australia found that some men with back pain had a slight delay in activating their transverse abdominis, a deep abdominal muscle that's part of the musculature that maintains spine stability. As a result, many fitness professionals began instructing their clients to try to pull their belly buttons to their spines—which engages the transverse abdominis—as they performed exercises.

The truth: "The research was accurate, but the interpretation by many researchers and therapists wasn't," says Stuart McGill, Ph.D., author of Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance and widely recognized as the world's top researcher on the spine. That's because muscles work in teams to stabilize your spine, and the most valuable players change depending on the exercise, says McGill. Read: The transverse abdominis isn't always the quarterback.

In fact, for any given exercise, your body automatically activates the muscles that are most needed for spine support. So focusing only on your transverse abdominis can overrecruit the wrong muscles and underrecruit the right ones. This not only increases injury risk, but reduces the amount of weight you can lift.

The new standard: If you want to give your back a supporting hand, simply "brace" your abs as if you were about to be punched in the gut, but don't draw them in. "This activates all three layers of the abdominal wall," says McGill, "improving both stability and performance."

Thursday, June 2, 2011

The Kidney Walk

This year I will be participating in The Kidney Walk in Pittsburgh.  It is on November 6, 2011 at the Pittsburgh Zoo.  Now, some of you may be wondering why I am walking...

On March 20, 1977, my Aunt Karen received a kidney transplant. On May 2, 2011, 34 years, 1 month, and 12 days later, she left this life to move on to a better place. She led a very difficult life, but she fought and defied all odds until the very end. I am walking to honor her memory, and recognize her life. Without that transplant, I would have never gotten the chance to meet Aunt Karen, let alone spend 26 and a half years getting to know her. She was a very special lady, and a huge part of my life.  I miss her more and more every day, but I know that she is watching over me with my Gram and Pap.

Now, her passing was not due to her kidney.  It was due to an abscess tooth infection that she let go for far too long.  She would still be here if not for the infection, which is what makes it that much harder.

But anywho...I am walking to raise awareness and money for the National Kidney Foundation.  My aunt was one of the longest survivng recipients of a kidney transplant. 

Please, either donate a few dollars to help me reach my personal goal of $200, or sign up and walk with us on November 6, 2011 at the Pittsburgh Zoo.  Every little bit helps raise awareness and funds for the NKF.

Please help me honor the memory and the life of my Aunt Karen...I love you and miss you...

R.I.P.
Karen A. Maher
1/2/1957 - 5/2/2011
God saw you getting tired
and a cure was not to be.
So He put His arms around you
and whispered “come to me.”
With tearful eyes we watched you,
and saw you pass away.
Although we loved you dearly,
we could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
hard working hands at rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us,
He only takes the best.

Yahoooooo

So, again, it has been a while.  Life has been insanely busy and I have been neglecting you all.  However, on Yahoo! this morning there was an article about Tony Horton and P90X...enjoy!

The Fitness Revolution Will Be Televised (After Leno)


IT’S 3 a.m., and Tony Horton is talking to you, couch potato.

“Get absolutely ripped in 90 days!”

Viewer, check out those abs, those pecs, those glutes.

“Guaranteed or your money back!”

This man is 52 years old — and probably buffer than you’ll ever be.

“All for three easy payments of $39.95!”

On televisions across America, Tony Horton is selling a burning-sweat vision of physical fitness, and these days, a lot of people are buying. He is the pitchman and wise-cracking star of a brutal, make-it-stop workout called P90X, and he has won converts from Hollywood to Capitol Hill. The singer Sheryl Crow, the sportscaster Erin Andrews, the former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, Representative Paul Ryan and a dozen or more of his Congressional colleagues, and the list goes on and on.

P90X fans swear by the workout, a mix of jumping, yoga, martial arts and strength training that, in fact, isn’t all that revolutionary. But the secret of P90X’s success is the marketing: Mr. Horton and his business partners say they have built a $400-million-a-year empire on what, to many, might seem like a foundation of schlock: TV infomercials.

But wait, there’s more: through these infomercials, P90X has grown into a major player in exercise DVDs, one of the few growth spots in an otherwise shrinking DVD market. Beachbody, the Santa Monica company behind P90X, has expanded into workout DVDs and infomercials tailored to particular audiences. Its Body Gospel, for instance, is aimed at Christians. There is also Tony & the Folks for seniors and TurboFire for women. On top of that is a range of supplements and fitness gear.

Mr. Horton may be the face (and biceps) of P90X, but the man behind the curtain is Carl Daikeler, who has been plying the infomercial trade since the 1980s. His first production was for an industry that isn’t exactly known for its quads: accounting. Later, he produced infomercials for all kinds of pitches, be they dating services or eight-minute abdominal workouts.

His breakout idea was to create a workout program that was so hard that he dared TV viewers to try it. In 2002, he and his business partner, Jon Congdon, took that pitch to Mr. Horton, who had starred in an exercise video called Power 90. The result, released in 2005, was P90X — X for “extreme.”

The early P90X infomercials bombed. But that changed when, at Mr. Daikeler’s urging, customers like “Dallas C.” and “Kristy M.” began sending in before-and-after pictures, now featured on the company’s infomercials and Web site. More than three million copies have been sold since then, with sales increasing every year through 2010 (they are currently running even with last year), company officials said.

Now Mr. Daikeler, 47, wants to more than double his annual sales to $1 billion. To do so, he will have to move beyond the buff clientele who have embraced P90X to an even bigger market: Americans who are overweight or nowhere near as fit as they need to be to keep up with P90X.

That, of course, is a goal that has eluded fitness gurus — not to mention public health officials — for years.

“Whoever succeeds at making the living room an effective place to get fit is going to be a billionaire,” Mr. Daikeler says.

INFOMERCIALS have been around almost as long as TV. But the genre really took off in the 1970s and ’80s, with such wonders as the Ginsu, the kitchen knife that was shown samurai-ing its way through soda cans and leather shoes.

Health and fitness have long been goldmines in this field. Richard Simmons sweated to the oldies. Suzanne Somers extolled the virtues of the ThighMaster. And Jack LaLanne urged viewers to “unlock the power of fresh-squeezed juice” with the Power Juicer.

But P90X has achieved blockbuster status with a new approach. Its infomercials are shot in a more documentary style. They feature testimonials from P90X converts, interviews with Mr. Horton and scenes from the workouts. Old infomercial lines like “How much would you pay for all this?” are not part of the pitch.

Still, P90X is walking a well-trodden path. At-home workout videos took off in 1982, with Jane Fonda introducing aerobics to millions. In the years since, celebrities, models and personal trainers have crowded in. Claudia Schiffer has her “Perfectly Fit Buns.” George Foreman wants you to “Walk It Off With George.” Zsa Zsa Gabor tells her customers, “It’s Simple, Darling.”

Many of these workout fads faded fast. A few have captured the zeitgeist, like Billy Blanks’s “Tae Bo” workout in 1999 and, more recently, videos by Jillian Michaels from “The Biggest Loser,” whose “30-Day Shred” DVD is a bestseller.

Indeed, sales of fitness DVDs are growing by roughly 20 percent a year, even as overall DVD sales decline, according to the Nielsen Company. Billy Law, director of home entertainment measurement for Nielsen, attributes the increase to shows like “The Biggest Loser” and “Dancing With the Stars.”

In 2010, videos from Ms. Michaels and “The Biggest Loser” accounted for seven of the 10 best-selling exercise videos, Mr. Law says. Nielsen tracks sales at most major retailers but doesn’t capture sales of P90X, because P90X is sold only via the Beachbody Web site and over the phone.

Harold W. Kohl, a professor of epidemiology and kinesiology at the University of Texas in Austin, says such at-home programs probably help people who stick to them. But he suspects these DVDs are more valuable to the people who sell them.

“The ideal that is being conveyed in these tapes is not attainable for many, many people,” Mr. Kohl says. “So it very quickly goes into the dustbin with the exercise equipment in the corner.”

So does P90X really work? It’s certainly a tough program. You’re supposed to work out six days a week and follow a standard cut-the-carbs-and-junk diet, which may be harder than the workouts themselves.

Congressman Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, said that he had been doing P90X for several years with colleagues and that it was tough to cheat with many people around. “It works, I’ll tell you that,” he said, but added that he was not ready to display before-and-after photos.

The guiding principle is to mix up routines and “confuse” the muscles so as to avoid hitting a plateau. So some days are devoted to dumbbells or resistance bands, in addition to old-fashioned push-ups and pull-ups. Other days are reserved for yoga or cardiovascular workouts that involve a lot of jumping and squats.

But Robert Marting, a personal trainer who sells his own exercise videos, says that “muscle confusion” is a time-tested principle of bodybuilding, and that the idea has been around since the early days of Joe Weider, a creator of the Mr. Olympia contest. Beachbody “kindly borrowed the principle and just retermed it as a training secret,” he says.

True enough, Mr. Daikeler says.

“Trainers love to give negative reviews of P90X, saying it’s not that special,” he said. “They are right. It’s not that special.”

Nonetheless, Mr. Daikeler says Beachbody has managed to package the concept into an entertaining and effective plan that leads to at-home success in — you guessed it — 90 days.

Says Mr. Horton: “I never said I reinvented the wheel. I just made the wheel faster, better.”

TONY HORTON, with nary an ounce of fat on him, sits on a leather couch in his Spanish-style house in Santa Monica. He is wearing a pair of shorts, slip-on Chuck Taylors and a U.S. Navy golf shirt that shows off the veins on his well-pumped arms.

The man sure looks fit. He can do 100 push-ups and 35 pull-ups without stopping. He can climb a 25-foot rope hand over hand — upside down.

“If I don’t look a certain way, I’m just another salesman,” Mr. Horton says.

How he got fit and then rich is a classic Charles Atlas story. Growing up in Trumbull, Conn., he was, by his own account, a “quintessential 98-pound weakling.” He also had a speech impediment.

It wasn’t until he got to the University of Rhode Island that Mr. Horton discovered fitness. He took a weightlifting class, thinking it was an easy A. He ended up loving it and getting “crazy fit.”

“It was a brand new feeling,” Mr. Horton recalls. “It changed me mentally and emotionally.”

Then one summer he and a friend set out to drive across the country. His $400 got him as far as Colorado Springs. So he dusted off an R-rated pantomime routine that he had perfected in college and eventually made enough money to reach California.

Mr. Horton ended up staying in California, waiting tables, painting houses and taking a job as a gofer at 20th Century Fox. He joined a gym to meet women. When a Fox executive asked him for training tips, Mr. Horton became his personal trainer. He worked out of his garage and charged $20 a lesson.

One client led to another. Eventually Mr. Horton was recommended to Tom Petty, who wanted to get in shape for a concert tour. It wasn’t long before he was making a good living training the likes of Billy Idol and Annie Lennox.

“I’m sitting there with the lead singer of the Eurythmics, eating fruit,” Mr. Horton recalls. “It was pretty cool.”

Ms. Lennox could not be reached.

In his free time, Mr. Horton got bit parts in a few movies, tried stand-up comedy and became a pitchman for NordicTrack. He met Mr. Daikeler through a mutual friend and ended up acting in a play, “Pizza Man,” with Mr. Daikeler’s first wife.

Mr. Daikeler’s first video starring Mr. Horton, in 1999, was called “Great Body Guaranteed.” Mr. Horton was paid $2,000. The video did well enough that a group of investors put up money for another video, “Power 90,” an unexpected success and the precursor to P90X.

These days, Mr. Horton spends his time promoting his videos — he recently appeared on the “Today” show and QVC — and conducting workouts for fans, including members of Congress and American soldiers overseas.

With his lawyer and assistants, Mr. Horton also is trying to figure out how to extend his personal brand. He has a new book, “Bring It!: The Revolutionary Fitness Plan for All Levels That Burns Fat, Builds Muscle, and Shreds Inches.” He is discussing other business ventures, including a line of sunglasses and workout clothes, a reality TV show and a syndicated radio show.

Mr. Horton, by all accounts, practices what he preaches. He and his girlfriend, Shawna Brannon, have a home with Hollywood views, where Mr. Horton works out in a tricked-out gym. He rarely eats meat or drinks liquor or coffee.

“When I stop eating broccoli, I don’t get headaches,” he said of his aversion to coffee. “If I’m going to cheat, it’s going to be chocolate.”

At Beachbody’s sleek offices on the edge of Santa Monica, Mr. Daikeler is also trying to figure out ways to extend his company’s brand. Beachbody has continued to produce videos aimed at the hard-body crowd. A current hit is “Insanity.” A follow-up to P90X will be released soon. He is also looking to extend Beachbody’s name to beauty and health products, though he insists he will not overreach.

“We are not going to do the Beachbody deep fryer or car wax,” Mr. Daikeler says.

But finding a way to expand his audience, particularly those not prone to exercise, has proved more challenging.

Mr. Daikeler recently convened a meeting at Beachbody to discuss ways to improve sales for Body Gospel, the workout aimed at Christians. The $80 price tag seemed high, and the diet was proving to be a challenge for budget-conscious consumers.

Another problem: conservative Christians were reluctant to provide before-and-after photos, an important ingredient in the Beachbody formula. The pictures typically feature men with their shirts off and women in bathing suits or workout clothes.

The group batted around ideas for how to lower the price, by offering fewer DVDs, perhaps, or taking out the resistance bands that are normally included. As for the problem of getting Body Gospel’s customers to provide testimonials, Beachbody’s employees suggested allowing written testimonials or “lifestyle photos” with shirts on.

Mr. Daikeler says that if customers aren’t willing to peel off their shirts, his product simply isn’t compelling enough.

“The needle moves on undeniable proof,” he says. “I want to know: did their body change? That’s what we have to solve.”