Tony Horton Tip!!!!

So you bought P90X® off the tube and you're all pumped up to kick some butt. Do you remember that shift in ENERGY the day you picked up the phone and started dialing? Any number of thoughts could've been racing through your mind at the time—fear, doubt, excitement, hope, anticipation. You name it.







Then the videos arrived.






Some of you ripped them open, read all the material, and got started that day. Some of you looked at the box as if it were filled with anthrax—keeping it sealed and placed on a shelf for some future investigation.






You're all at different stages of the program: newbies, start-agains, and even round fivers. I'd like to reveal four key components for success with P90X, and quite possibly other aspects of your life.






Have you ever noticed some days just flow? Even on days when you have tons of things to do, you seem to have all the ENERGY in the world to handle anything. Yet other days feel like you live on Saturn. The weight of the world feels 10 times normal.






It comes down to the amount of ENERGY you have on any given day. Your ENERGY always dictates your REALITY. When you're filled with ENERGY, you're sharp, ready, enthusiastic, and willing. When you're pooped . . . forget about it! Organizing a sock drawer feels like climbing Mt. Everest.






So what causes these shifts? The big four are:






1.Food and supplementation. I know, I know. Here I go again. Hold on to your hats! There's no way on God's earth you can maintain a consistent level of ENERGY and enthusiasm for this 90-day program by eating the same old crap. You must . . . you have to . . . you need to make "The Change." Adequate ENERGY levels only come from eating the right food the right way at the right time of day. If you don't know what that means, then you haven't read the material and you're doing this program the wrong way.






You are what you eat! If you eat the same old tired food that put you in this mess in the first place, then that's just what you'll get—tired and old before your time. You know what to do, so do it! It's not Atkins™ or Slim-Fast® or fast food or soft drinks or fried food or candy bars or doughnuts or liquid diets or any panoply of misleading ways of consuming food. Get your mind right about what goes in your mouth or continue to live in the land of the wannabes!






2.Sleep. This probably seems like the most obvious and simple of the four. But it's often the most abused. Recent statistics have shown that the leading cause of traffic accidents in this country is NOT alcohol but sleep deprivation. If we don't have enough ENERGY to stay awake while driving a car, how will we have enough ENERGY for a 6-day-a-week workout program?






We aren't sleeping enough hours at night, and when we do, we're often filled with so much mind chatter that we don't get the proper rest we need. My Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary defines "sleep" as follows: "the natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored." In Taoist philosophy, there's the yin (not ying) and the yang. These are opposing ENERGIES that create balance. P90X is yang ENERGY. Sleep and rest are yin ENERGY. There must be proper balance between vim and vigor (yang) and inward calm (yin). If you don't get enough sleep and rest, your body will not receive the proper restoration it needs to complete or succeed with this program, or anything else in life for that matter.






3.Stress management. Do you realize that if you took the fear, worry, and anxiety out of every "stressful" situation in your life, the end result of that situation would still occur? You can panic and freak out all you want, but time will still pass and the end of that moment will still happen, whether you freak out or not. So why not choose something different? When do fear, worry, and anxiety ever really help a situation?






So what is stress? It's the inability to move through a situation logically, peacefully, positively, productively, and gracefully. It takes a lot of ENERGY to be stressed out. Being stressed out can severely affect how well you'll sleep at night. Stress is when you assess blame and don't take responsibility. "I'm stressed out because of______, and that's why I can't______." Don't let stress be your scapegoat.






There's a story about 10 people in line at a bank. Three armed robbers come flying in, screaming and yelling and pointing guns. They terrorize everyone and steal all their money. The moral of the story is that all 10 people will be affected by that experience in 10 different ways. The two extremes go from one having a wild story to tell at work the next day to another being severely traumatized for the rest of his or her life. Where would you fall in that spectrum?






There's a saying that goes . . . there are three kinds of business: God's business—things that happen in this world that are out of my control; their business—the choices other people make based on their life experiences so far; and my business—the choices I make that shape my life. If I focus on what I have to do to make my life the best it can be and NOT focus on God's and everyone else's business, then I will have less stress, which in turn will give me the ENERGY to live the life I've always wanted.






Don't waste your time on gossip, ridicule, envy, self-pity, anger, guilt, arrogance, need, impatience, regret, manipulation, jealousy, fear, worry, and anxiety, because they'll zap your ENERGY and cause you stress!






Choose understanding, truth, clarity, patience, devotion, gratitude, vulnerability, acceptance, wisdom, hope, forgiveness, empathy, discipline, perseverance, community, and peace. Because if you do, you will gladly kiss stress goodbye and say hello to all the ENERGY you'll need.






4.Purpose. Purpose is the driving force to get you from here to there. If you don't have purpose, all the best food, supplementation, sleep, and stress-free days won't help you one bit. You have to have a powerful burning desire to want it.






My dictionary tells me that "purpose" is "seeking resolution"—searching for answers to solve a problem, an intention. This all goes to the core of "the why." Why do I want to spend the next 90 days turning my life upside down, maybe even for the second or third time, or more?






You are looking for resolution. You are searching for answers to help solve this problem. And most importantly, you must be clear about your intention. No one ever does anything just for the heck of it. There's always some intention behind everything we do. Different kinds of behavior have different levels of intention and purpose. Eating fast food and leaving the videos on the shelf are on one level. Following the program the way it was designed is on another.






I know I've said this before, but if your intention and purpose are based exclusively on aesthetics, then you miss the whole point of P90X. If your intention and purpose are based on good health, quality of life, athleticism, flexibility, strength, and cardiovascular endurance, then you're doing P90X for all the right reasons. If your intention and purpose are based on lifestyle, then you will have plenty of ENERGY to succeed with and complete P90X. You will also have the ENERGY to be everything you always knew you could be.






May the Energy Revolution begin!






Peace,


Tony H.

Shopping List for cheap!

Today I went to get my groceries and it was so much easier with the shopping list that beachbody made for me. I am doing the Turbofire Inferno and it has a 5 day meal plan that I am following.  I am ready to kill it.  It cost me $50 for the week and no planning all done.  Isn't that great!!!!  I love it. 

I hate grocery shopping and spending the money and then not eating 1/2 of it or knowing what to make with the healthy food I bought.  Does anyone else do that.  I think i am going to eat good all week but then when i get home to cook i don't know what to cook.  Because i hadn't planned it out.  I dont have what i need to make what i want.  There is always something. I know its my fault.  I am not a planner so making it hard to eat right.  but now i am going to be just fine.  Thanks Chalene!!  You made it so easy for me!!!

Here is an article about this entire concept!

9 Ways to Eat Healthily (and Cheaply)


By Joe Wilkes

By now, most of us know what we should be eating—fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and fish, among other foods. But anyone heading off to the supermarket with a shopping list of the best recommendations for a healthy diet is in for a bit of sticker shock. Over a 2-year period, a recent University of Washington study tracked the costs of "nutrient-dense" foods (foods high in vitamins and minerals and low in calories) and "energy-dense" foods (foods high in calories and low in vitamins and minerals—aka junk).* The nutrient-dense foods rose in cost by almost 20 percent while the cost of junk food declined. The study found that getting your average day's worth of 2,000 calories from the junk side cost $3.52, while getting your 2,000 calories' worth from nutrient-dense cuisine would cost $36.32. Since the average American spends about $7.00 a day on food, you can see where the rise in obesity might come from.



Other studies have shown similar findings. While the percentage of Americans' incomes spent on food has decreased dramatically over the last few years, the obesity rate has risen even more dramatically, as has the incidence of type 2 Diabetes, an obesity-related disease. And the obesity rate has grown the most in the most impoverished sectors of society, further emphasizing the connection between the rising costs of nutrient-dense foods, the declining cost of junk food, and the rise in obesity rates. If you've checked out what a nice piece of Chilean sea bass with a side of asparagus costs compared to the latest offering from your local fast food joint's dollar menu, it's easy to be tempted by the dark side—especially if your budget is shrinking more than your waistline.



It is possible, however, to eat healthily and still have some money left over. Even on the tightest budget, you can do a little legwork and research to make the most nutritious choices for you and your family. And even if you're fortunate enough to have the cash to eat whatever you want, whenever you want, as my grandfather would say, "There's no point putting your paycheck through your stomach." (And he lived to be almost 100 . . . but that was before the advent of dollar menus.) Here are nine tips for getting the most nutritional bang for your buck.

1.'Tis the season. Eating seasonally is the best way to get the most delicious fresh fruits and vegetables. When harvest time comes around for your favorite fruit or veggie, the market is usually glutted, and following the time-honored supply-and-demand curve, the prices of those fruits and veggies plummet. And not only is it cheap to eat fruits and veggies that are in season, it's the best time to get the most flavor for your money. Most fresh fruits and veggies sold in the off-season are either shipped from faraway lands or produced in greenhouse factories and don't have nearly the rich flavors produced by Mother Nature. It's a good time to stock up, eat what you can, and freeze or can the rest for a rainy day. If you're fortunate enough to live in a community with a decent farmers' market, it pays to get to know the men and women who are selling the produce. They can let you know when the best time to buy the best stuff is and give you a preview of what's coming up harvest-wise so you can plan your menu accordingly.

2.The big freeze. Speaking of freezing and canning, these are great ways to save money and still have your nutritional needs met. Not only are frozen and canned foods way cheaper than fresh foods, in many cases, they're more nutritious. Fruits and vegetables are usually preserved within hours of harvest, when they have their maximum vitamins and minerals. Fresh fruits and vegetables can take days, or even weeks, to make the journey from the field to your table. Add to that any time spent lingering on supermarket shelves and in your fridge's crisper drawer, and suddenly fresh doesn't seem so fresh anymore. And in many recipes, frozen or canned might even be better than fresh. A pint of fresh off-season blueberries can cost more than $5.00 while a one-pound bag of frozen blueberries can cost less than $3.00. And the frozen berries will be a lot better in your morning smoothie. Any chef will tell you about the virtues of canned tomatoes over fresh ones when making your favorite pasta sauce. The only thing to be wary of is the sodium and sugar content in many canned goods, or frozen veggies that come with high-calorie sauces or other not-so-healthy ingredients in not-so-healthy amounts.

3.Shop around. Smokey Robinson was right: It does pay to shop around. Check out the supermarket circulars that keep getting stuffed into your mailbox. Every week, your supermarket advertises "loss leaders," including fruits, veggies, lean meats, and fish. Their hope is to lure you into the store with these bargains that they don't make so much money on and tempt you to buy extra high-profit stuff while you're there. But if you stick to your list, you can fill your cart with the loss leaders and save a ton of money. Plus they'll usually be items that are in season, because these are cheaper for the store to buy. Also, signing up for your supermarket's club or rewards cards can help save you money. It's better to monitor sales and promotions rather than clipping coupons, because coupons generally apply to processed, less healthy foods, although you can sometimes find good coupons for canned and frozen produce (like the tomatoes and berries we just talked about).

4.Get to know your grocer. And your butcher, your produce manager, etc. Find out on which day produce is delivered to the store, so you get maximum freshness for your dollar. Ask the store's butcher how soon before the printed expiration date they place meat, poultry, and fish on the "buy it fast!" discount shelf. These items are still fresh enough to consume, and if you cook or freeze them as soon as you buy them, it's no different from having bought full-priced cuts and leaving them in your refrigerator for a couple of days. Only your pocketbook knows the difference!



Another tip? Many butchers will custom-grind for you at no additional charge. If a package of factory-ground turkey breast costs $6.00 a pound and a whole turkey breast costs $2.00 a pound, why not buy the whole breast and ask your butcher to grind it for you? You'll save a lot of money, and you'll actually know what went into the turkey burger you're eating.

5.Think outside the big box. Instead of always going to the big-box supermarket chains, check and see whether there are any farmers' markets and/or food co-ops in your area. The food will be fresher, cheaper, and hopefully not as coated with pesticides, waxes, or other unsavory elements. It's a good way to save money while supporting your local community's resources. Here you can get organic produce for the same price or cheaper than traditionally grown produce. It's also worth it to check out how your state defines "organic." Organic food is great, but if you're trying to save money, traditionally grown food isn't any less nutritious than organic; it may just need a little more scrubbing.

6.Start your own farm. If you have a yard, start your own vegetable and/or herb garden. With a little online research, you can find out what grows well and easily in your neck of the woods. And if you're an apartment dweller like me, you can get a lot out of a container garden. I have big pots on my balcony that keep me in tomatoes, peppers, and fresh herbs all summer long. And if you don't have a balcony, you can grow small pots of herbs in your kitchen—decorative, tasty, and economical!

7.Plan ahead. Take some time on Sunday to plan out your menu for the week for all your meals and snacks. Find out what's in season and on sale in your area. If you can only make one shopping trip for the week, front-load your menu with fresh ingredients and stock up on canned and frozen items for the latter half of the week. One of the areas where my budget always falls apart is not having either some kind of plan or the ingredients I'll need to make dinner; I end up grabbing takeout or having food delivered—either of which can tend to be unhealthy and expensive. Just by planning ahead and not wasting money on spur-of-the-moment restaurant meals, you might find you have a lot more money to spend at the grocery store, which means you won't have to cut as many corners for the meals you prepare.

8.Tap into tap water . . . not your wallet. Instead of spending big money on bottled water, try switching to tap water, which is subject to a lot more regulations than bottled water and isn't shipped in from Fiji or Norway, making it good both for your health and for helping to reduce your carbon footprint. And it's practically free! Plus it's a lot better for your waistline and your wallet than multiple trips to the soda machine. If you're concerned about impurities or don't like the taste of your local tap water, consider getting a simple, relatively inexpensive filtration system—one that either attaches to the tap itself or is located in a separate pitcher. Ounce for ounce, it'll still be cheaper than bottled, and just as good for you.

9.Take your vitamins. Here's the easiest, most economical way to help ensure that you meet your basic nutritional needs: Take a good multivitamin and fish oil supplement. They'll help you get many if not all of the same nutrients you'd get from whole-food sources (often without spending nearly as much money)—and fish oil supplements are especially good for those who don't care for fish.

*Don't confuse "nutrient-dense" foods with "high-density" foods, which is a common term for "energy-dense" foods. High-density foods aren't always unhealthy but your diet should consist of mainly "low-density" foods which have few calories per volume, generally due to the presence of fiber. Foods in their natural state tend to be low volume. Processed foods tend to be high volume.

My new bling!!!!1

5 Day Inferno Starting Monday May 23 2011

Yep thats whats going down here in Manhattan Kansas.  I am still on orders from the doctor to not workout till next week so Monday I will be starting the inferno.  TurboFire Inferno that is.  I have got all planned out.  Well Chalene Johnson creator has it all planned out.  She includes it all in the Turbofire workout package. So here is what i will be doing for five days:

Can only drink water, Shakeology, and Results and Recovery drink.

Day 1:

Classes---Fire 55 EZ class/ Stretch 10 Class

Breakfast--Turkey bacon breakfast sandwich

snack--1/2 medium sized banana, 7 walnut halves

lunch--tuna salad

snack-- shakeology

dinner--honey dijon chicken w/steamed garlic-parmesan broccoli

Day 2:

classes--Fire 45/HIIT 20/stretch 10

breakfast--melon and yogurt

snack--shakeology

lunch--turkey avacodo wrap

snack--peanut butter spread and celery sticks

dinner--grilled teriyaki salmon w/ginger rice and bok choy

Day 3:

classes--Fire 55 EZ/Stretch 10

breakfast--pineapple and cottage cheese

snack--veggies 'n ranch

lunch--loaded baked potato

snack--berry protien shake

dinner--chicken tacos w/beans adn quinoa

Day 4:

classes--Fire 45/HIIT 20/Stretch 10

breakfast--PB & Banana Shakeology

snack--nutty apple

lunch--egg salad wrap

snack--10 raw almonds, med orange

dinner--steak z/sinach and baked potato

Day 5:

classes--Fire 55 EZ/Stretch 10

breakfast--strawberry waffle and sausage

snack--banana protien smoothie

lunch--chicken and hummus pita

snack--crudites and cheese

dinner--rosemary pork chop w/peas and wild rice

Want to get your Turbofire and do the Infterno with me?  Get yours today!!!!

                                       www.fitandflashy.com

so ready!!!

I havent been able to work out since my surgery.. Man am i ready.  I hate not feeling the energy and sweat.  I want to be back to pushing play everyday.  I miss my Turbofire.  The music makes me just want to get down and push myself.  I am so going to mix it with Chalean Extreme.

I will keep doing my 3 day Shakeology cleanse and feeling good.  Today is day one and feeling good.  I will keep you posted on how i feel after day 2.

Insanity Fit Test

So today my mom, Jamie and I did the fit test for Insanity to see really how out of shape we were.  Well it didnt take long before we all knew it.  Man it was sad.  The fit test is 8 moves that last a long minute.  I know it doesnt sound bad but it is. 



The moves were a lot of up and down, jumping and then pushups and keeping your core tight.  I could feel all my fat bouncing around.  YUCK!!!  Shaun T kept saying dig deep.  Man i didnt feel like i could dig any deeper. LOL.  But I will be doing it again tomorrow. I wanted to quit and go back to TurboFire.  But after talking to my girls and them believing in me i said i would push deeper and keep going.  So Kadie, Stephanie  be ready for me to not be happy with you..I love you!!! Don't forget that.!  But will be hateing you at the same time!

I will be posting my post workout videos to my youtube channel.

Southwestern Pizza

Yummy Monday: Southwestern Pizza
by Chalene on February 15, 2011

Prep time: 8 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Makes: 3 servings


Ingredients:


Nonstick cooking spray


1 12-inch 100% whole wheat pizza crust


1 cup prepared tomato salsa


1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat 2 percent mozzarella


1 1/3 cups canned black beans, drained and rinsed


1 small sweet red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced (about 2/3 cup)


2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced


1/4 cup cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)


Directions
1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place crust on sheet and top with salsa, 1 cup mozzarella, beans, sliced red pepper, and scallions. Top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.


2. Place pizza in oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes or until mozzarella is melted. Remove from oven and garnish with cilantro if desired. Cut into six slices and serve.


Nutrition facts per serving (2 slices): 488 calories, 28g protein, 72g carbohydrate, 12g fat (5.4g saturated), 16g fiber