Recipe - Shakeology Breakfast Bars - Asylum 2

I received my Asylum 2 program and, as always, I flipped through the nutrition guide.  Honestly, most of the recipes don't appeal to me, but there was a picture of Shakeology Breakfast bars that, for some reason, really appealed to me.  I think I had gotten into a rut with breakfast so I wanted to give it a try.
What I liked most was teh small number of ingredients, the healthfulness of the ingredients, and it was super quick to make.

Recipe - Salted Pumpkin Seeds

If you're going to carve up a pumpkin for Haloween, you might as well make use of the seeds.  Sure, they're a little gross to clean up and work through, but the results for a little bit of work is a great tasting, healthy snack.

Pumpkin seeds are loaded with fiber, vitamins and minerals, and even antioxidants.  They're also high in protein.  A 1 oz serving has nearly 10 g of protein.  Be careful though, pumpkin seeds have alot of calories.  A 1 oz serving is about 160 calories.  You wouldn't think that eating seeds is bad for you, but like anything else, you have to stick to your serving size and remember moderation.

Body Best - Build Phase Review

The Body Beast program has two schedule options, each with 3 phases, Build, Bulk, and Beast.  I chose to do the Lean Beast schedule. Today I'm going to discuss the Build Phase of the Lean Beast schedule.

The purpose of the Build Phase is to get your body used to overloading your muscles and to know what you are getting yourself into.  By no means does the Beast take it easy on you.  By day 2 you will know that the program is no joke and the real deal.

My Body Beast Supplement Stack

Getting the most out of your workouts means giving the most in your workouts  You also need to fuel your body the right way.  That means eating the right foods and taking the right supplements.  Beachbody has supplements specifically targeted for Body Beast and I used some, exchanging and adding others to fit my needs and budget.

Leaving It All on the Gym Floor

The one thing that I have learned in the last several months of going through various exercise programs is that you get what you give.  To burn fat, you need to burn calories, you need to sweat, you need to push your workouts to the edge.  To build muscle you need to lift to failure.  You have to lift enough weight for enough reps that you literally can't do anymore.  Then, you rest for a couple beats and you do it again.

Making Small Changes

Entering the world of fitness doesn't have to mean that you give up eating and hit the gym for 3 hours a day.  Small changes can make all the difference in the world.  Some people can handle a radical change, many can't.  If you do too much, too fast, you might end getting off the track and end up right back where you were or worse.  If you make small, incremental changes, they can be easier to handle and to become a permanent part of your life.

Reflecting on Getting Older, er...Better

Flash back to each of my birthdays between when I turned 25 and 3 years ago.  Each time, I felt older, weaker, fatter; like I was breaking down and everything would be downhill. 

Flash back two years. I was about a month into Power 90 and 3 months into trying to eat less.  I was down 20 lbs and feeling better, but I knew I had a long way to go.

Flash back one year.  I'd been at the exercise thing for a year and had good results.  For the first time in over a decade, I was feeling pretty good about my age going up a year.  I was a graduate of P90x and I was about to finish Insanity, I was down about 35 lbs from my high and my motivation was high.

What is Junk Food

I always suggest you eat clean. I'm not perfect, but I try to avoid junk. Everyone's definition of junk food is a little different, but I wanted to talk about what I consider junk.

We all have a general idea of what junk food is; candy, cookies, chips and the like. Basically those really salty or really sweet things that you can find in the convenience store or the gas station, or near the checkout of your grocery store.   It also comes out in fast foods like super-sized burgers, fries, sodas, and shakes.  Again, those things that we might crave, though in the back of our heads we know it's probably a poor choice.

Calorie Density

The problem with those junk foods is that they are calorie "dense". That means that the number of calories per gram of food is high.  The range of calorie density is 0 - 9. You may have read that water is 0 calories and a gram of fat is 9 calories, so that defines the range.  The mix of macro-nutrients defines the range.  Fruit and vegetables are very low is density.  They are mostly water with some fiber and minimal fats.  On the other end of the spectrum, an ounce of vegetable oil is a 9; it's all fat.  If you can stay closer to the low range of density, you can get fuller faster on fewer calories.  Try saying that fast 5 times.

What is Junk Food

Junk food is about more than just the calories. It's also the chemicals, additives, preservatives, fillers, etc that go into processed foods. If what your eating came in a package, it's probably junk food. If what your eating doesn't resemble something that came out of the earth or straight from an animal, or you didn't make it yourself, it's probably junk. Pay attention to labels. If the ingredients look like a chemistry experiment, it probably is. The more ingredients, the more likely it's junk. The more ingredients are processed, the further they are from the original thing they were.  Ingredients are processed to improve texture and make them less expensive. Flavor is removed, nutrients are removed. They are replaced with chemicals and artificial colorings and flavorings to make you think they are the original product.  Chicken nuggets start as chicken, but are processed so far down that they need artificial chicken flavor and coloring to make them once again look like chicken.  Many juices have to have coloring and flavor packets added to them to make you think you are drinking the juice of the intended fruit.  Pure fruit can be expensive.  Adding some fruit to a bunch of water and some man-made mass-produced chemicals can make a huge batch of juice for a fraction of the price and it will taste and look like what your brain imagines the juice should be like.  Have you looked at what's in a can of soda?  Do you recognize anything on the label?

Alternatives to Junk Food

The best thing you could do is grow all of your own produce and grains, and raise your own animals. Then prepare all of your own meals. I realize that's fairly impossible for most of us, but you can get close.  Check out farmers markets for your produce. Talk to the farmers so see what chemicals they use for fertilizer and persticides (hopefully none).  Find a local farmer or organic market for your meats.  Make your own breads using organic whole grains.  That might still be difficult depending on where you live and budget, so at least, start making your own meals using stuff from the outer aisles of the grocery store.  But fresh veggies, fresh, unprocessed meats, and whole-grain breads. Some meat, lots of veggies, and a few herbs and spices can go along way to making a great, healthy meal without all of the junk.

We've all grown accustomed to convenience foods.  You can go to a fast food place and get a burger, fries and a soda for a family of four for $5/person, and about 1000 calories each.  You can go to the grocery store and buy a pound of ground beef for $4, a pacakge of whole-wheat buns for $3, and bag of potatoes for $5.  Add in a head of lettuce an onion and a tomato for another $3.  For $15 and about 30 minutes of cooking time, you can get the same meal, sans the sods which you shouldn't be drinking anyway, for less money and alot less calories and chemicals, and it will have actual flavor. Plus, you'll have some potatoes, buns and veggies left over for another meal. See, cooking your own food doesn't have to be more expensive.

Recipe - Cauliflower Pizza Crust

If I can replace a high-carb grain with a lower-calorie, unprocessed ingredient, that's a plus in my book. Building on the success I found with cauliflower rice, I set out to see what else I could do with it. I came across cauliflower pizza crust.  It seems like a reasonable possibility, so I wanted to give it a shot.  Whenever I find a recipe concept, I research as many recipes as I can to find the ones that I think will work best and then use what I beleive are the best pieces of each to come up with my recipe.

DOMS - Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

Some time in the past few weeks Beachbody put out an article about DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness, and since I'm living it, I wanted to write about it.  If you've ever lifted weights and been sore the next day (or week) then you've experienced DOMS.  Many of us, when we first hit the gym feel invigorated, like we can move the world; and we try.  The downside is that eventually your adrenaline wears off, but not after you've thrown more iron than you have in the last 2 years combined.  The result, you wake up the next morning and can't lift your arms, walk without hobbling, and your back hurts.  That's DOMS.

The Rumble Roller

One of my favorite things that I was introduced to in P90x2 was foam rolling.  I saw the potential in it so quickly that I had to go out and buy a travel size foam roller after one session to keep with me on the road.  But, I wanted to take it to the next level and I got the Rumble Roller.

The Rumble Roller is a lot like a regular foam roller, a cylinder made of foam, but covered in one inch nubs.  It’s kind of like a spiked rolling pin, but you use it for your muscles and fascia.  Regular use of a foam roller can help reduce muscle and joint pain and enhance athletic performance.  Foam rollers are designed for self-myofascial release; an intense form of sports massage that you perform on yourself.  It’s basically deep-tissue massage that you can use to loosen tight fascia and reduce some of the stiffness and soreness of muscles.

Recipe - Cauliflower Rice

I don't know how I never saw this before, but cauliflower rice is a bit of a revelation for me, nearly to the magnitude of roasting vegetables. It's something that I had never seen or even imagined, but it's a great way to deliver whole vegetables and the nutrients and vitamins inside without adding a bunch of extra junk. You can also trick your kids and other loved ones into thinking they have a "normal" side dish while getting them to eat something that I'm sure isn't a part of their normal diet.

It Takes Many Small Steps

As a part of my journey to become a better person, coach, mentor, employee, father, I have been reading The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson; great book by the way.  One of the themes that keeps recurring is that you can't just magically jump to the finish line.  If we could, we'd all look like fitness models, be running multi-billion dollar companies, and be taking month long vacations around the world whenever we chose.  There's no reason any of us couldn't be there someday, but it takes work to get there.  Everything you put in motion today and keep moving forward tomorrow and every day after will put you closer to your goals.

Coach Mike - Checking In

Summer is coming to an end, kids are getting ready to go back to school, autum is just around the corner.  For me, that means earlier mornings and working even harder.  What does the end of summer mean to you?  I'm just about to wrap up the Build Phase of Body Beast.  I'm excited to check my progress and see how it's been treating me.  How are your workouts going?  Do you need a boost or some pointers?  Let me know.  Be sure to keep the questions and feedback flowing.  If you have a good story to share, send it to me and I can share it with the team.

Failure

There should be no failure.  The only time you fail is when you don't give it another shot.  I know many people, myself included who haven't been very successful at various workouts or diet programs in the past.  If I quit the first time that I thought Power 90 was hard, I'd have quit on day 1.  If I through in the towel the first time I succumbed to the alluring aroma of a waffle cone filled with ice cream, I wouldn't be where I am today.  If I quit after not being able to keep up with the cast of the Insanity Fit Test the first time out, I wouldn't have made it through the warm-up.  If I would have said, "I can't do a pull-up so I'm not going to do P90x", I'd still be watching the infomercials thinking that what these people are doing is way beyond anything I could ever do.

It doesn't have to be that way and it shouldn't.  If you're reading this today, you are probably on some part of your fitness journey.  You might be flying high right now, you might be feeling like giving up.  Don't!!!

My 100th Post

I've been thinking for a few weeks about this milestone post.  I'm really not sure how I've come up with 100 interesting things to write about, but I have and I have alot more planned.

What I wanted to do with my 100th post is reflect on what my fitness journey and my Beachbody coaching experiences have meant to me. 

Eating to Gain Weight

To put on muscle like a beast, you need to eat like a beast.  For me, the problem is that after 2 years of eating to lose weight, I'm switching gears to try to gain weight.  Honestly, I didn't know where to start.  I read the guidebook with the nutrition but I also knew what I had been eating and how I felt at very levels of calories.  The problem isn't eating.  I still remember how to do that.  I could go for the "see food" diet - you see food, you eat it.  But, I don't want to get fat.  I could stick with what I've been doing at 2100-2400 calories, but I want to gain muscle.

Whatever it Takes

Sagi Kalev, the trainer in Beachbody's Body Beast program has a catch phrase.  Just like Tony Horton's "Bring It" and Shaun T's "Dig Deeper", Sagi's catch phrase for Body Beast is "Whatever It Takes".

I'm a sucker for these catch phrases and this is nothing different.  As I hear it repeated, day after day, it gets into my head.  It echoes in my mind as I'm rolling out of bed pondering some more sleep.  I hear it as I'm getting ready to down my PWO, pondering a few more minutes on Facebook.  I hear it when I'm full but still need to have my Shakeology to get up to my daily calorie goal.  Fitness isn't easy.  If it were, we'd all look like the people in the movie 300.

My Elbow Hurts!

For the last several months I've add elbow pain on the outside of my shoulder.  For a while, I thought I was just bumping into things alot and it was bruised and not healing.  Then, I realized that was stupid and started to look at what I might have going on.  I self-diagnosed that I had tennis elbow.  I haven't played tennis in well over a decade, so I thought maybe it was golfer's elbow, which I do play regularly.  Again, after doing alot of googling and reading articles, I settled on tennis elbow.  After that, it was time to figure out what I could do about it, where I could go to get better, and how it could be prevented in the future.  It's not fun and I don't want something simple to hang up my long term goals.

Mocha Iced Coffee Shakeology

My new favorite for Shakeology is a mocha iced coffee. It was something that I heard about, but never really tried.  I had been never been a fan of iced coffee, but I wanted something new for Shakeology and my vacation provided the perfect opportunity to try it out. 
The first day I went to see the breakfast options at my hotel, I was worried.  There was some pre-made denver omelettes, something that resembled canadian bacon, waffles and fruit loops.  I had a banana and then I wanted my Shakeology.  So, here's what I did.

In a shaker cup I added 8 oz of coffee and a couple handfuls of ice to get it up to 12 oz.  Don't add anything to the coffee, just take it straight to keep out any extra fat or calories.  When my coffee cooled completely, I added my chocolate Shakeology, a little more ice and shook the heck out of it.  Complete deliciousness.  Another option that I did try one day was to use a Starbuck's tall iced coffee. 

Coach Mike - Checking In

I hope you all have been enjoying your summer, I have.  I've been on vacation and resting for the first time in well over a year, and loving it, but I'm ready to get back at it. I re-start Body Beast on Monday.  So far, I've really enjoyed it, and I expect more of the same.  I love the pace, I love the workouts and change means muscle growth, so I'm excited.  How are your workouts going?  Do you need a boost or some pointers?  Let me know.  Be sure to keep the questions and feedback flowing.  If you have a good story to share, send it to me and I can share it with the team.

Working Out In The Summer Heat

We're in the dead of summer right now. I've spent the past month travelling between Texas, Illinois, and Connecticut.  It's been hot everywhere.  Next up, I head to Phoenix, AZ for a week.  I love the heat, but it can be a bear for your workouts.  I generally workout inside, but every so often, it's nice to get out and stretch my legs outside.

You want to stay safe and healthy, and sunburn, dehydration, and sun stroke are not good examples of perfect health.  If you are going to workout outdoors in the summer, there are some special precautions you need to take. 

Working Out at a Hotel

One of the reasons that I've really enjoyed the Beachbody workouts is their portability.  To do Power 90, P90x, or P90x2, all you need is a couple exercise bands and your body weight.  To do Insanity, Brazil Butt Lift, or TurboFire, all you need is yourself.  To do Body Beast, you could get away with some exercise bands and a chair.  Any of those you could easily do in just about any hotel room across the country.  I travel almost weekly, so being able to do a workout anywhere has been a big priority for me.

Forks Over Knives

I had been hearing alot about a documentary called Forks Over Knives, so I decided to add it to my Netflix queue, and last week, I got a chance to watch it.

Forks Over Knives, a 2011 indie documentary by Lee Fulkerson, looks at the health benefits of a whole foods, plant-based diet versus the perceived negative effects of processed foods and animal-based products.  Aside from following a number of people on their journeys to better health through nutrition, including the filmmaker himself, it also follow two prominent doctors whose complimentary research in whole food, plant based diets strongly present the case.  Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn has spent years studying how animal-based foods are damaging our blood vessels and leading to heart disease such as stroke and heart attacks.  Dr. Colin Campbell has researched the effects of diet on large populations.  Most famously, he has shown the direct correlation between cancer and other major diseases when eating meat and dairy is common versus a predominantly plant-based diet.

Today's Motivation

I choose to not miss my workouts.  I really enjoy them.  It took me a long time to get there, but now I'm there. I'm getting great results, and I'm not looking back.

I'm a morning workout person.  I get up between 4 and 5, shake off the cobwebs, get dressed, and get after it.  It doesn't matter if I'm home, on the road for work, or on vacation.  That's my routine.  Last night, a coworker asked me if I wanted to go for a run after work.  He said that he found a 5 mile trail that looked fun.  I agreed to go for it.

Recipe - Roasted Cauliflower Mash

I'm always looking for new ways to dress up veggies so that my kids eat them, and, to be hones, so I will too.  My idea this week was to do a roasted cauliflower mash.  I've been roasting alot of vegetables as a new way to add flavor, and I've seen cauliflower "mashed potatoes" on TV, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

My thinking was that I could roast the cauliflower to give it some added flavor and color.  Then, I would add in everything that makes a good mashed potato, without a loads of fat, and I've have a good side dish.  It came out great and was super easy.

What's On Your To Do List?

No matter what you are trying to accomplish, whether it's losing 20 pounds, prepping for a 10k, finish P90x in the actual 90 days, taking you dog to the vet, or just surviving the day, you need to have a plan.  A plan includes what you're going to do and how you're going to do it.  This might be locked away in your brain somewhere, but if you really want to make things happen, make a to-do list.

A written To-Do list accomplishes two things, it allows you to visually see everything that you need to do, and it gives you both a sense of urgency and accomplishment to get the tasks checked off.  I think you'll find that if you apply the to-do list concept to your long-term goals as well as your daily activities, you'll accomplish more and more of the right things.

Coach Mike - Checking In

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July, I know I did.  It's great to get a mid-week chance to spend time with friends and family and break up the work week. I started Body Beast this week and so far, I really enjoy it.  It's a great change of pace from what I've been doing, and I firmly believe that muscle confusion means muscle growth, so I'm excited.  How are your wrokouts going?  Are you getting results?  Be sure to keep the questions and feedback flowing.  If you have a good story to share, send it to me and I can share it with the team.

What Equipment do you need for Body Beast?

I was woried when I saw the first glimpses of Body Beast and heard what it was about.  I envisioned a gym setting with heavy bench presses, a squat rack, loads of dumbbells and cable systems, etc.  It turns out that Body Beast can definitely be done at home with no more equipment than what you may have been using for P90x.

Body Beast is all about hypertropy, or making your muscles bigger, so your 2 lb. dumbbells probably aren't going to cut it, but if all you have is 2 lb dumbbells, you're probably not looking to do Body Beast anyway.  At least not yet.

Supplement Spotlight - l-Carnitine

When you want to get into good physical shape, there is no substitute for hard work.  You have to work hard in each of your workouts.  You have to work at cardio, strength, and endurance.  You also have to work hard at getting your nutrition right.  Without all of that, you're only going to get so far toward your fitness goals.  Once you have that down, then you can start to look to supplements to take you to the next level. 

A supplement that I've been researching is l-Carnitine, a non-essential amino acid.  I choose to use in in conjunction with CLA, or conjugated linoleic acid.  l-Carnitine has been shown to help transport long-chain fatty acids to your cells to produce energy.  l-Carnitine can be found naturally in beef and dairy products, but so little of it is available through those sources, that supplementation is the best route to getting the benefical product.

Lessons from The Book of Beast

As I've mentioned, when Body Beast was released, I was in a mass building mode with P90x.  Since the focus of Body Beast is hypertrophy, or getting bigger muscles, why not take advantage of the program and dive in.  I'm a big fan of change, and Body Beast is something new and I'm psyched about it.

Like all Beachbody programs, Body Beast came with a guide book that talks about the program, the workouts, the diet, etc.  I found The Book of Beast to be a great read beyond just the specifics of what Body Beast was about and I wanted to share some of that with you all.

Coach Mike - Checking In

What's up everyone? I'm still on my mass building P90x plan but I'm getting ready to take a detour.  I just switched up the workouts and it was good to remember back to my first weeks of P90x.  Last week I mentioned that I get bored easily.  To that end, I decided to purchase the new Body Beast program and am going to start trying that out next week.  I'm not going to officially start until August after my family vacation, but I want to get in as much as possible before then.  Look for alot of Body Beast info in the next few weeks as I start to figure it out.  How are your programs going?  What about your diet?  Be sure to keep the questions and feedback flowing.  If you have a good story to share, send it to me and I can share it with the team.

How big is a portion?

When you are working on your diet and nutrition, one of the hardest things to know is how much you are supposed to eat.  A big question is always, How big is a portion?  I've always been tolk that a portion of a protein is the size of your palm, but that's just a rule of thumb...or palm as it may be.  But what about other foods.  How much is considered a serving so that you can best estimate what you are putting into your body when you don't have your food scale with you.

Breaking Beachbody Product News - June 2012

In the last week, Beachbody has announced alot of interesting new stuff around their product lineup, so I wanted to keep everyone up to date.

Supplement Spotlight - CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)

When you want to get into good physical shape, there is no substitute for hard work.  You have to work hard in each of your workouts.  You have to work at cardio, strength, and endurance.  You also have to work hard at getting your nutrition right.  Without all of that, you're only going to get so far toward your fitness goals.  Once you have that down, then you can start to look to supplements to take you to the next level. 

A supplement that I've been researching lately is CLA, or conjugated linoleic acid.  CLA has been shown to help you rbody metabolize proteins and balance body fat.  CLA can be found naturally in beef and dairy products, but so little of it is available through those sources, that supplementation is the best route to getting the benefical product.

My Best Nutrition Tips for Weight Loss

Not everything works for everyone.  What might have helped a friend lose weight might not work for you.  What your spouse is doing to lose weight might be too extreme or not extreme enough for you.  That fad diet you saw the celebrity do might not be the best thing for you.

I think I've had pretty good success at being able to dial in my nutrition to get good results.  I went from my highest ever on a scale of 215 lbs down to 155 lbs and was able to maintain that.  It didn't happen over night.  It took months of trial and error before I was able to really lock it down, find the right combination and start losing.  Keep reading to see what has worked best for me.

Coach Mike - Checking In

What's up everyone? I'm continuing on my mass building P90x plan.  It's been going well, and I'm excited to switch up the workouts next week.  I get bored easily and a change of pace is always welcome.  How are your workouts going?  What about your nutrition?  I know I could have been better this week.  I learn from you all, so keep the questions and feedback flowing.  If you have a good story to share, send it to me and I can share it with the team.

PowerBlock Adjustable Dumbbells

Since I started my fitness journey in June of 2010, I've been using bands.  A band came with Power 90, and that was what I had, so that was what I used.  When I started P90x, I got some heavier duty bands, but they were cheap and portable.  I then got some more bands to bring them with me when I have to travlel for work, which is almost weekly.  I was able to make very good progress with Power 90, P90x, P90x2, and Asylum, all using only bands.

Eventually I wanted to take it to the next level.  With a small area to work out in, and an even smaller area to keep all my stuff, I knew adjustable dumbbells were the way I wanted to go.  The big players in the market are the Bowflex SelectTechs and PowerBlocks.  There are also a number of light weight, less expensive models, but I wanted something that would hold up and be safe in the home with my small children.

My Mass Building Plan

I've spent the past several months really focusing on getting lean.  Through a round of P90x2 and then Asylum, I've gotten my weight down and body fat down to a level that I'm very comfortable with.  Now, I'd like to add a little size via muscle mass.  It's a vanity thing, but I'd like to have more of the V shape and bigger arms and legs.  I know that Tony Horton's programs are about functional fitness, but I also know that with the right mix of weights and reps, you can add bulk.  Muscle growth, or if you like scientific terms, hypertrophy, won't mean that I'm stronger, but hopefully I will look better.

Recipe - Healthy Granola

I was at the grocery store today looking through the cereal aisle.  I thought that some nice granola would be a good way to mix up my yogurt or as a nice snack.  Then I thought, why not make my own; good granola isn't cheap.  What I learned is that making your own isn't cheap either, but on a per serving basis, you come out way ahead, and it's easy.

The basis of any granola are some grains and a binder.  Then you can add some dried fruit and nuts and other ingredients as you like.  Next, you mix it all up, bake it, cool it, and it's ready to serve.

It Pays To Lose

I know that I've covered the Beachbody Challenge before, but I'm writing today to tell you that it's for real.  On Friday, I was chosen as the Daily WOWY Supergym Sweepstakes winner and took home $500.  It really does pay to lose.

You should already be pushing play every day, so make sure you enter the Beachbody Challenge.  As you're trying to improve your fitness, you can be entered for a chance to win some great prizes, and hopefully add some incentive to meet your personal fitness goals.

• Daily Prizes*: $500 - $1,000
• Monthly Prizes: $1,000
• Quarterly Prizes: $5,000 and an expenses-paid trip
• The Grand Prizes: $100,000!

Eating Well Is Not Too Expensive

Take a look at this picture.  Sure, cooking your own food at home isn't as convenient as picking something up on the way home.  Something else that isn't convenient is developing heart disease and other related side effects of a life time of eating the wrong things.

Fast foods are just that...fast.  Spend a little time at the grocery store and a little time cooking and you can feed yourself and your family at least as much as you would get at any restaurant, and it will be infinitely better for you.  It only takes a few weeks to form new habits.  You might have a lifetime of bad ones to break, but choosing good, healthy, home-made food will be one of the best investments you make in yourself and it won't cost you any more than you are already spending.

Protein Supplements

Protein is one of the most proven supplements on the market for building muscle.  Obviously we get protein from the foods we eat on a daily basis like meats, dairy, and beans, but many people who are focused on becoming more lean additionally supplement with some kind of protein powder.  Personally, I add a scoop to my Shakeology every day to help maintain my protein ratios, and it adds to the flavor.

There are dozens of brands on the market, each with they own mixes of source of protein, additional additives, and flavorings.  For me, the best types of proteins contain isolates which are the purest, and costliest, form of the protein, so they digest quickest and get to your muscles faster.

Are You Gonna Get Any Better, Or Is This It? - Earl Weaver

Sometimes I come across a quote and it sticks with me all day.  Today was one of those days.  I was reading a book of motivational quotes, The Power of Thinking Big by John C. Maxwell and Earl's Weaver's quote really stuck out to me in relation to health and fitness.

Are you gonna get any better, or is this it?

Recipe - Sausage and Egg White Scramble

I travel alot for work, but when I'm home, I like to cook.  I always try to have breakfast be one of my largest meals of the day, and as healthy as possible.  I like eggs.  I like meat.  I like a little heat.  Lately, my favorite breakfast has been a turkey sausage and egg white scramble.  You also hae a great canvas to add some of your favorite other vegetables to round out your nutrients.
I like to use mostly egg whites, but I add in an egg for flavor and color.  Turkey sausage is a great source of lean protein, and the cheese gives it a nice flavor and texture.  To kick up the heat, I use some of my favorite hot sauce, but you can adjust that as needed.  Some of my favorite add-ons are baby spinach and mushrooms, but you can add peppers, onions, tomatoes, or any other vegetables you like into this.

Coach Mike - Checking In

What's up Team TCF? This week I'm basically back in P90x mode, trying to work on building mass.  It's been nice to get back to the original P90x for a change of pace.  How are your workouts going?  What is keeping you motivated?  I learn from you all, so keep the questions and feedback flowing.  If you have a good story to share, send it to me and I can share it with the team.

Mind Over Matter

We've all heard the phrase Mind Over Matter.  When it comes to fitness and nutrition, this comes into play every day.  Think about the last time you were getting ready to work out.  Did you consider sleeping in or maybe jsut watching a little more TV instead?  Think about the last time you went to your favorite restaurant.  Did you consider the fried chicken dinner or the chocolate cake for dessert?  Maybe you indulged your wants; maybe you thought about how they may sabotage your long term goals.  If you want to make fitness a lifestyle, be able to show off your body at the beach, set a great example for your family and friends, or run that race, you have to place mind over matter and do the right thing.

Available Now - Body Beast

Released in June 2012, Body Beast is Beachbody's first program dedicated to maximum muscle gain and fat loss.  Created by champion bodybuilder, Sagi Kalev, it uses a combination of old- and new-school bodybuilding techniques to build muscle without using expensive gym equipment or harmful steroids.  The Body Beast workout is designed to give you results. You don't have to be an athlete. Even if you've never worked out, we can help you get the body you want by using this systematic workout schedule together with a growth-inducing nutrition plan and specially formulated supplements. Here are some things you need to know about it.

If you want the kind of results you're capable of, you have to push yourself... hard. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes. - Sagi Kalev

Building Your Chest With Push-Ups

One of the muscles that every guy wants to build is their chest otherwise known as pecs or pectorals.  A bigger, broader chest helps give you a better look with your shirt on and off.  It gives you tht strong bull-like figure or that gladiator look.  The bench press is one of the most common ways to build your chest, but that requires equipment.  You need a bench, a weight bar, weights, and maybe a spotter.  Many of you have seen P90x and the results people have gotten with it.  There's no bench pressing in P90x, there are push-ups.  Push-ups are a great way to build you chest, and all you need is a few square feet of floor space, if you want to kick it up, you can also throw in a chair.