Desert Sage

Did you know margarine is only one molecule away from being plastic?

Thanks to my friend Cheryl Rowe for this great information!

If you were to set a tub of butter outside and a tub of margarine outside next to each other the flies would be all over the butter, but not the margarine.  Even FLIES won’t eat it!  They don’t consider it food.   As much as I am sure we all detest flies… If they won’t even eat it you have to know it’s bad.  Margarine was originally supposed to be an alternative food source to feed to turkey’s but the turkey’s they fed it too died.  So what did they do so they wouldn’t lose money? They added color and flavor and marketed it to humans.

Next time you’re at the grocery store about to add a tub or stick of margarine to your shopping cart pick up some butter instead.  Try smart balance natural butter it’s amazing!  Margarine isn’t something you want to feed your family even if it is for a cheat meal.

– Tom

Desert Sage

I just love this page on Black Beans. They talk about the unique nutritional benefits found in black beans, different ways to prepare them, how to get your complete proteins vegan style and so much more. Check it out! Article: Black Bean Nutritional Facts

Cholesterol is a waxy substance manufactured in your liver and small intestines found just about everywhere throughout your body. Your body weight is about 0.2 percent cholesterol. Molecules called lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout your bloodstream. There are two types of lipoprotein molecules.

Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) – These lipoprotein molecules carry cholesterol to various tissues throughout your body including organs. Because of its lower density, when this lipoprotein molecule transports cholesterol to your organs, it will allow some of the cholesterol to stick to blood vessel walls. When cholesterol is found in greater concentrations along the blood vessel walls it will eventually block them, stopping blood flow to the heart until your heart stops too.

High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) – These lipoprotein molecules act as a protector of the heart. While the LDL’s transport cholesterol throughout the body and leave some of the cholesterol stuck to blood vessel walls, the HDL molecules pull the excess cholesterol from the artery walls and transports it back to your liver for removal.

Knowing your cholesterol level is somewhat meaningless unless you also know your LDL to HDL ratio. Here is a table of exactly how much is desirable, borderline, and undesirable measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood to serve as an easy quick reference for you.

Triglycerides – The storage form of fat. Triglycerides, at the bottom of the chart, is worth showing also because if your Triglycerides are too high the elevated levels in the blood can lead to heart disease and artery clogging regardless of where your cholesterol level and LDL to HDL ratio is at. The two most dangerous things you can do for your heart is to lower HDL levels or increase your triglyceride level.

Consuming cholesterol can raise your cholesterol level but a lot of this is genetics. Consuming less cholesterol does not mean you are going to lower your cholesterol unless you are genetically prone to self regulate your cholesterol levels. In other words, if you are genetically prone to self regulate your cholesterol level you could increase your daily cholesterol consumption and your body will offset that by producing less cholesterol on its own. If you consume too little, the opposite affect. This varies from person to person on how the body self regulates cholesterol but everyone produces at least some amounts of cholesterol on their own without the help of consuming cholesterol. And like wise, everybody’s body self regulates cholesterol levels differently from one person to the next which means you DO NOT want to go crazy and eat a whole pound of bacon and a carton of eggs in one sitting. The less lucky people are those who are not genetically prone to self regulate cholesterol levels so they MUST monitor how much cholesterol they consume to keep cholesterol levels down. The body’s ability to self regulate cholesterol levels generally decrease with age.

Healthy and Un-Healthy fats and how they can regulate your cholesterol

Saturated fats raise your LDL’s but they also raise your HDL’s to remove the cholesterol left behind on your artery and blood vessel walls by the LDL’s AND saturated fats lower triglycerides. Saturated fats certainly raise your overall cholesterol levels. Even though your HDL’s are raised its still better to limit your consumption of saturated fats. Saturated fats are found mostly in animal products including dairy, poultry, and red meat. Because of a largely important Testosterone factor men and women should generally follow different nutrition guides especially when it comes to quantities of fats. A one plan nutrition fits all is an over simplified nutrition plan because of gender differences alone. An adult female may want a diet of 25 – 35 percent fat and an adult male may want a diet of 33 to 50 percent fat. Instead of replacing your fat intake with more carbohydrates, replace more cholesterol raising saturated fats with healthier types of fats. A higher fat diet of healthy fats verses a lower fat diet replacing fats with more carbohydrates will actually raise your HDL levels, protecting your heart. The lower fat diet with higher carbohydrates will generally lower your over all cholesterol including your LDL level but it will also lower your HDL levels making you more vulnerable to heart problems. The bottom line here is to make sure you get enough healthier fats in your diet.

Monounsaturated Fats – These are probably the most important fats you could consume for your heart health. In short, monounsaturated fats will raise HDL levels and lower your triglyceride all while NOT raising your LDL levels. This is the model of the Classic Mediterranean diet. Monounsaturated fats are found in oils from olives (olive oil), canola oil, and oils from nuts such as macadamia nuts. What makes these unsaturated fats Mono is that these fats are not fully saturated with hydrogen. Each molecule contains at least one pair of carbon atoms connected by a double bond.

Polyunsaturated Fats (polyunsaturated fatty acid) – Polyunsaturated fats are divided further into omega-3 (fats found in fish and fish oils) and omega-6 (fats in plants and plant oils) fatty acids. A subset of these are essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids are fatty acids your body needs but cannot produce on its own, so you must consume it from food. These essential fatty acids are important because they help regulate blood pressure and blood clotting. One omega 6 essential fat is linoleic acid found in safflower oil, walnuts, red meats, vegetable seeds, polyunsaturated margarines, and poultry. One omega 3 essential fat is linolenic acid found in fatty cold water fish like salmon, Halibut, Snapper and tuna as well as in flaxseed oil, shrimp, scallops, winter squash and raw Tofu. What makes these unsaturated fats Poly is that each fatty acid has more than one double bond that exists within the representative molecule. One type of polyunsaturated fat to stay away from is trans fat.

Trans fats – polyunsaturated fats transformed from liquid to solid fats during a chemical process called hydrogenation. Trans fats are also commonly known as partially hydrogenated fats. Trans fats are primarily found in baked goods, processed foods, and very little amounts in natural foods. Trans fats lower your hearts greatest protector, your HDL levels while raising total cholesterol and raising LDL. This is not a good combination and sets the stage for serious heart problems, even death.

The Classic Mediterranean Diet

People living in the olive growing regions tend to live longer healthier lives than the rest of the world. They have fewer heart attacks, less heart disease, fewer cancers and they experience an increased all around wellness than other people living and eating in other regions. Most of their fat comes from monounsaturated fats such as olive oil. Certainly not trans fats or partially hydrogenated fats. Their protein comes from fish, eggs and cheese. Their carbohydrates comes from whole grain and whole wheat breads and pastas as well as rice and fresh seasonal fruits and veggies. They consume small amounts of saturated fats and almost no refined or artificially sweetened carbohydrates.

– Tom

Desert Sage

I want to go over a couple myths about portion controlling meals that millions of people fall prey to and struggle with weight loss as a result of.

Myth – “I ate way too much/little for lunch today. I’ll just make up for that by eating less/more for dinner”

Reality – The body is only capable of absorbing so much nutrients or calories in one sitting. You cannot make up by eating less or eating more food in the next meal; the body doesn’t work like that. If you go over that threshold of what can be absorbed and metabolized in one sitting then those nutrients have a higher propensity to add to fat accumulation and you could feel lethargic. If you don’t eat enough then you risk starving your bodies cells of nutrients before you eat again and possibly crashing if you workout between those meals. It’s really a balancing act you must perform here to find that happy medium between eating too much and too little at meal time. You’ll find that through trial and error and making small changes till you get there. Once you do find that middle ground you’ll find it easier to not over eat at meal time because you won’t be starved. You’ll also crank up your metabolism and your workout performance will be enhanced for even further gains in your fitness!

Myth – “I need to protein load to build muscle so I’m going to take 50 grams of a protein supplement right after my workout”

The same is true for individual nutrients as it is for over all calories. The body can only absorb and metabolize so much protein till it has a propensity to spill over into fat accumulation. The average maximum grams of protein that a person can absorb in one sitting is only 30 grams or less. Whatever your maximum capacity to absorb protein is; once you cross that threshold you place an un necessary burden on your kidneys and you increase the odds of putting on more body fat. Besides, after a vigorous workout the body mainly wants water and fast absorbing carbohydrates. Protein is secondary to that. An ideal blend of water, carbs and protein after a vigorous workout is 8 – 12 oz of water with 4 grams of fast absorbing carbs for every 1 gram of fast absorbing (usually whey protein) protein.

To keep it simple just remember to do a few things regarding portion controlling your food.

– If you don’t have any idea of how many calories to eat a day to loose weight you need to figure that out first. Recalculate once a week using this fitness calculator that I want you to bookmark. As your body changes so does your calorie requirements:

– Eat at least five or six times per day.
– Don’t ever go more than three or four hours without eating anything.
– Avoid eating more than your body is capability of absorbing and metabolizing in one sitting. For most people that maximum calorie count can be anywhere from 400 to 800 calories in a single meal.

Follow up to this article with an incredible article I wrote on Simplifying your meal planning for vibrant health

Once you get your nutrition right then you have just become your own nutrition expert to maintain vibrant health for the rest of your life! Isn’t that alone worth the early on small pains of discipline?

Tom

Desert Sage

Breakfast – carbs and proteins (perfect time of day for a Shakeology)
Mid morning snack – proteins
Lunch – carbs and proteins (feel free to mix in some vegetables here)
Mid afternoon snack – proteins
Dinner – proteins and vegetables
Optional night time snack – proteins and or vegetables

Visit my Healthy Grocery List page to find the BEST Carbs, Proteins, and Fats for your Daily Eating Schedule.

We tend to make our nutrition really complicated because of the vast amounts of data scientists have accumulated over time. If that sort of thing interests you, you could take a more scientific approach but if you are like most of us who just want to know how to eat right to live better then just learn a little bit about the three macro-nutrients, timing, and portion controlling your meals. That’s all it takes to eat right!

The three macro-nutrients you should know about are carbohydrates, fats and proteins. These are the only nutrients that contain calories, so partitioning and portion controlling them plays an important role in planning your diet. Proteins are the building blocks of all the bodies cells. They are also a major component of enzymes, hormones, and antibodies. Protein is the multi tasking nutrient! Carbohydrates do many things such as help utilize fat for energy, enhance brain and nerve health, provide dietary fiber etc. but their main roll in planning your diet is that they increase insulin levels which in turn deliver needed nutrients to the bodies cells. Fat is the chief form of energy in the body, provides fat soluble vitamins, insulates and protects organs, and can enhance the health of your heart and blood vessels or create fatally unhealthy heart and blood vessels depending on the quality of fats that dominate your diet. The most important modification to ones diet one could make is the quality of the fat that dominates ones diet. To learn more about choosing foods with higher quality fat sources for optimum health visit my page on “Cholesterol, then fats and triglycerides”

Timing your nutrients plays an important role in how you plan your meals because different nutrients cause different physiological occurrences in the body. For example, ideally for breakfast you want carbohydrates and protein to get your blood sugars and metabolism in check after eight hours of fasting. This will set the tone for the rest of your day! The easiest and most effective way to do that is to drink a Shakeology which will set the stage from the beginning of your day to eat good and feel good all day long. For lunch, ideally, you want the bulk of your food to be proteins and carbohydrates to facilitate your blood sugar levels and to provide fuel for the bulk of your day that still remains. For dinner the bulk of your nutrients should come from proteins and fresh vegetables. Carbohydrates are no longer needed in bulk because you’re day is coming to an end. Any extra carbohydrates that are not burned by your activity will be more easily stored as fat.

Time your nutrients for your workouts as well as for the time of day! This is important regarding when to consume specific kinds of carbohydrates. There are fast absorbing carbs (high glycemic) and slow absorbing carbs (low glycemic). Save your fast absorbing carbs for breakfast and immediately following a vigorous workout. Eating a fast absorbing carb for dinner will spike your already stable blood sugar levels too much too fast. You’re body will probably not be able to metabolize that much in such a short amount of time resulting in an overflow of nutrients to be more likely stored as fat.

Eat at least five or six times per day. Every three hours is ideal. If you wait four hours between meals you are weakening your metabolism because by that time your body automatically switches into starvation mode by breaking down muscle cells to extract protein for energy instead of glucose and fat (the bodies intended sources of energy).

The most important variable in having control over your body weight is calories in are equal calories out. If you burn more calories than you eat you will loose weight and vice versa. If you portion control your meals you can have more control over your ability to loose or gain weight. A generally accepted safe caloric deficit to loose weight is 10%. If you’re daily caloric needs to maintain your current weight is equal to 2,000 calories then an 1,800 calorie per day diet is ideal to loose weight at a safe rate. If you don’t already have an idea as to how many calories you should be consuming daily then figure that out first on this Fitness Calculator. Recalculate once per week. As your body changes your calorie requirements will change.

Take the time and put forth the sometimes tedious effort to learn how to apply good nutritional habits that work for you and the desired results you’re going for. In time it will become second nature! Once you have conquered that task it’s an invaluable education you will take it with you for the rest of your life and even teach others how to do the same for themselves. Priceless!!!

– Tom

Get Shakeology – The Healthiest Meal of the Day

Desert Sage

The Science Behind the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse
by Steve Edwards, Director of Results

* Download the printer friendly 3 – day Shakeology Cleanse

I like to call the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse a “performance cleanse.” This is because it was designed to be done with a workout program. Let’s take a look at how this differs from other cleanses, how to tailor it to your needs, and what to expect if you decide to try it.

First of all, it’s not a true cleanse. It’s a calorie-restricted and nutrient-dense diet plan. Traditional cleanses contain very few calories and nutrients. Compared to the much more popular Master Cleanse, it’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Traditional cleansing diets are done to rid your system of toxins and bring it into homeostasis. They also contain a spiritual aspect. This process can take a long time, which is why you may have seen coworkers walking around the office in a zombie-like state for weeks on end—swilling a strange concoction of lemons and maple syrup.

The Shakeology cleanse is nothing like that. Depending on how you decide to do it, you’ll be eating frequently and consuming between 800 and 1,200 calories per day, and it could be even more should you feel the need. The point of this cleanse is not calorie restriction, per se—it’s nutrient efficiency. The aim is to get the most nutrients possible into the fewest number of calories. The goal is to put all of these calories to use as a part of your exercise program, to rid your body of undigested foods and toxins, and to bring your hydration levels into homeostasis. The result you’re after is not weight loss—though it will likely occur—but for your body to be running more efficiently. This should make you feel lighter and more energetic, even though you’re doing an exercise program.

How It Works
Your eating structure doesn’t change. You still eat every few hours while you’re awake. Each meal should have a balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and fiber. And while you’re not eating as much food as you’d normally eat, your calorie-to-nutrient ratio is extremely high. This means that you shouldn’t restrict the actual nutrients you’re getting by too much, so activity can continue as normal.

We recommend you try to keep your shakes to just Shakeology. Adding fruits of any kind, or seeds (for fat and fiber), or the Shakeology Fiber supplement, can and should be done as you see fit.

Ditto for your one solid meal—a salad. As we all know from any salad bar, the definition of salad can be varied. The goal of the salad in the plan is to keep your calories coming from natural sources (no artificial ingredients should be added, including artificial salad dressing). Aside from that, you can add ingredients as necessary. Keep your meat intake to four ounces or less, but add veggies, seeds, nuts, fruits, and legumes in quantities to satiate you.

The goal of the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse is to optimize your performance. You want to eat enough to fuel your day AND your workout. The foods you’re eating are so high in fiber and nutrients that it’s virtually impossible to overeat. You’ll be consuming so much fiber, along with enzymes and digestive aids, that your body’s ability to flush excess foods quickly will be at its peak.

What to Drink
Water, of course, is recommended in quantity. This is vital to any cleanse, because one of your goals is to bring your hydration into homeostasis. When your electrolytes are out of balance—the main problem we have is salt—you often retain water outside of your cells. This situation, which we refer to as retaining water, is cured by drinking more water. As the excess salts are diffused, your body begins to hydrate your cells (using sodium as it should be used) and flush the water held outside the cells. So, oddly enough, you drink water to eliminate water retention.

Sodas, alcohols, juices, etc., should be eliminated entirely during a cleanse. Coffee and tea, which are diuretics, should be minimized at the very least and eliminated if possible. Again, performance is the key, so if you need a cup of Joe as a pick-me-up, go ahead. Just use only as needed, and don’t use additives. Eliminating sugar and chemicals is vital. However, do not use energy drinks or soda for this purpose, including the ones with artificial sweeteners. Coffee drinkers may find that switching to black tea during a cleanse will give you the energy you’re looking for with less upset. Coffee’s acidic nature can heighten the effects in a negative way during your cleanse.

Why You Won’t Lose Weight
I should say why you might not lose weight, but I wanted to get your attention. Most people will lose some weight during a cleanse, but that is not the goal. Those with a lot of undigested gunk in their systems will lose weight as it’s flushed out. Those of you who are properly hydrated and already eat well are less likely to lose. For those of you who need to lose weight, take heart: you are setting up your system to use nutrients more efficiently and improving your ability to lose weight through structured diet and exercise. So while you may not lose much on the cleanse, you’ll be more prepared to lose weight later.

Another reason why we don’t always lose weight on cleanses is due to a stress hormone called cortisol. Restricting calories is stressful to the body, and it reacts by releasing cortisol. Cortisol is performance-enhancing in the short term, but if you somehow keep your body stressed for long periods, it creates havoc in your system and can cause you to doggedly hang onto weight in a type of survival mode. We don’t want this to occur, which is one reason the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse is short. It’s important not to remain in a highly calorie-deficient state for long periods of time, especially when you are trying to exercise hard.

Here is the full plan:

The Shakeology® 3-Day Cleanse
The key is to follow the same regimen all three days.
Essentials:
3 Shakeology shakes per day
2 cups of green tea per day
1 or 2 pieces of fruit per day (optional)
1 salad for dinner—can include fish or poultry
No dairy or extra sugars (this includes almond and soy milk)!
Drink 2 to 4 liters of water every day
Only use low-fat dressings, and go easy on the salt and/or pepper to taste
2 snacks before/after any of the major meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Fruit is optional, and it is discouraged (however, some of you will need the calories while others may not)
Power-workout participants (those who are already super conditioned) are recommended the higher numbers of calories
For maximum results, do NOT use additives
Dinner salad may include WHITE GRILLED PROTEIN—poultry or fish only

Daily Regimen:
1 cup of green tea to start the day

Breakfast:
1 scoop Shakeology (140 calories)
1/2 cup of fruit (60 to 90 calories)—optional
Ice to taste
8 to10 oz. of water

Snack 1 (85 calories):
1 piece of fruit (apple, pear, orange, banana mango, etc.)

Lunch:
1 scoop Shakeology (140 calories)
Ice to taste
8 to 10 oz. of water
1 cup of green tea or a detox tea

Snack 2: (you can have the second snack before or after dinner)
1 scoop Shakeology (140 calories)
Ice to taste
8 to10 oz. of water

Dinner: Salad with grilled white fish or poultry (roughly 340 calories)
Greens—3 servings of vegetables, plus 4 oz. of grilled white meat (fish or poultry)
2 tablespoons of dressing—no more!

Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse FAQ
Here are the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions:
1. How many calories per day?
800 to 1,100 calories per day

2. How often can I do the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse?
Ideally, you should do it once per quarter (every 3 months)
As the seasons change
Before starting a new workout program
When you feel you need help breaking through a plateau.

3. Should/Can I still do my workouts during the Cleanse?
Depends on the individual
You’ll have less energy than normal, so consider doing it during a recovery week
Try not to do in the middle of P90X® or INSANITY®

4. Can I do a 1-day or a 2-day cleanse instead of a 3-day?
Yes! Some people will see results with one or two days
We recommend against continuing the cleanse for more than three days

5. Should/Can I take other Beachbody® supplements during the Cleanse?
Results and Recovery Formula™: No, too much sugar/calories
Others (Omega-3, etc.): Not necessary, but won’t hurt either

Get your own bag of Shakeology!
It automatically comes with a 30 day full refund guarantee!

Getting my parents to turn their health around was a gift that pays for itself every day, truly. Shakeology and cutting out the junk food was the major change that made the drastic differences in their health. For my birthday my parents gave me the coolest Birthday card ever! In it is a short but sweet poem that my dad hand wrote me:

“Shakeology is in my Glass and I will drink it all. You got me on this regimen – that was a super call.

It doesn’t cost a lot to buy, so I can keep my wealth. It wouldn’t matter if it did – I’d rather have my health.

Love
Us”

I don’t think this needs any explanation.

– Tom

Desert Blue Sky

We almost lost my dad a couple years ago. He only has 1/3rd of his lungs left after many years of smoking. He no longer smokes but the damage to his lungs is irreversible. He is now very vulnerable. For example just one bout of pneumonia or a bad bronchitis flare up could kill him. His immune status is of paramount importance to protect him from such things.

Today I took my dad to a routine doctor visit but the feedback from the doctor was anything but routine. My dads doctor today tells my dad, “You’re doing much better than you have any right to expect. You’re no where near wear I first saw you a year and a half ago. Most people would be dead by now”.

I bought my dad Shakeology a year and a half ago and told him he’s drinking this from now on. I saved my dads life with Shakeology according to his doctor.  He’s also able to walk the treadmill a few minutes at a time now which for a guy with only 1/3rd of his lungs left capable of exchanging gases is an amazing feat. It’s critical for him to work his lungs out to the best of his ability every day to keep the functionality of what’s left of his lungs working optimally.  He’s also pre diabetic.  Shakeology is a meal shake rated at only 24 on the glycemic index and will prevent him from becoming diabetic.  Many who were full blown diabetics have literally reversed their diabetes using Shakeology as an effective tool.

On the opposite side of life saving… In the past 5 or 6 months I’ve known several people to drop dead of a massive heart attack or stroke leaving behind spouses, children, friends, family and other loved ones to grieve.  All of whom had the warning signs and did nothing about it. They were shown Shakeology and that it’s proven to lower those risk factors and decided to either wait for “someday”, which sadly never came for them, or some just giggled about it referring to Shakeology as “one of those silly health shakes”.  Stubbornness can either kill you or save you.  For petes sake develop the wisdom to know the difference if you haven’t already.

I’ve got four messages that’s extremely important to me and for you to share…

1.) I’m NOT promising Shakeology is going to save your life or cure anything:  I’m not undermining any health care professional you might be working with. Fact is I know thousands of people drinking Shakeology and I’m not aware of a single case where those risk factors for heart attack or stroke hasn’t been significantly reduced among many other benefits. Include your doctor and others as part of your over all TEAM in your life to make important decisions and make those decisions CONSCIOUSLY.  In other words… It’s your life so OWN IT.

2.) Fellow Team Beachbody Coaches: The people you are meant to help are one million times more important than your nay sayers. Do not project a negative experience from a negative person onto someone you’re suppose to meet in the future; whos life you will significantly impact and possibly even save. No nay sayer in your life is worth while to keep you from sharing this gift with as many people as you possibly can. You’re doing this for those people and NOT your nay sayers, right? Know where your focus is.  It’s not on your nay sayers it’s on the cooperative and nurturing relationships you will build as you meet new people.

3. Anyone NOT drinking Shakeology and sharing it with friends and family: Try it, http://shakeology.com/metalpalace Contact me for the coach discounts. Get this today. And get it not just for yourself but also for everyone you love and care about. In other words Don’t be selfish! Point blank the more people who try Shakeology the happier, healthier, and more fulfilled more people will be. And quite honestly the more people will LIVE and treat others with more kindness.

4.) SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE:  Sign up with the Independent Beachbody coach of your choosing. Coaches and non coaches you can share this with everyone. Coaches make sure they know to go to your website and not mine.  You need to communicate with your friends and family this is a “belly to belly” relational business.  Non coaches sign up, use Shakeology in your own life, share it with everyone else around you it’s too important not to.

There are people all around you who will not be around 10 years from now because of how they are health wise. GET INVOLVED IN THEIR LIVES, HELP THEM, AND BE SIGNIFICANT.

-Tom

Beautiful Natural Flower Arrangement in the Desert Outside of Las Vegas, NV

Three friends of mine in the last 6 months had a diabetic dad or husband who needed to make a life style change that included a diabetes meal plan and couldn’t be bothered. Shakeology is the most powerful tool I’ve ever recommended and witnessed to help people reverse their type 2 diabetes and for others to prevent them from entering into the diabetic zone.  Naturally I recommend it to everyone because I’m certain if everyone were to try it we’d all be much happier people.

My friends tried to get their husband or father to try shakeology.  One of them just laughed and kept on with the same devastating daily rituals.  The other two just couldn’t be bothered to listen to anything new.  All three died instantly of a massive heart attack afterwards. I won’t say shakeology would have prevented that but all three of them had classic risk factors for heart attack or stroke that shakeology has been proven to dramatically reduce.  Within my

own team of people there are MANY stories of people coming off of heart medications, blood pressure medications, statins for cholesterol, even insulin dependent people no longer needing to administer insulin because of the nourishment in shakeology and cutting out the junk food.  I believe my friends dads and husbands would be alive today without question if they just tried shakeology, cut out some of the junk they were eating, and even got in just a little bit of physical activity every day. Instead they were too self absorbed to be bothered with any of that and made their loved ones emotionally suffer their own funeral.

Everyone needs excellent nutrition to live a better life.  Diabetics and pre diabetics generally run even higher risks of physical debilitation and death by lifestyle choices if they don’t consciously pay attention to what they put into their mouths.  The Diabetes Meal Plan is literally a life saving education for this special population in our culture.

– Tom

I Feel Like $31,000,000+ and I Want You To Feel That Good To

To begin with your self esteem will increase drastically.  When you transform your body from where you are now to the body you have always wanted your self esteem will go through the roof.  You will probably want to re acquaint yourself in the mirror.  The feeling you get when you look in the mirror, loving the way you look, is powerful.  It is nearly impossible to have low self esteem when you re acquaint yourself with your newly transformed body and self image. If I were to place monetary value on the worth of high self esteem then high self esteem = $1,000,000.

High self esteem leads to high self confidence.  If I were to place monetary value on high self confidence then high self confidence = $5,000,000.

Opportunities come knocking!  There is a saying, “Success is something you attract by the person you become”.  When you’re in great physical and mental shape, when you have high self esteem and  you have high self confidence you begin to attract opportunities that other less confident people just don’t get.  This kind of confidence emotes from you and resonates with anyone you come into contact with.  Have you ever tried to go out looking for opportunities?  It’s like chasing butterflies you come so close but you just can’t quite catch them.     If I were to place monetary value on opportunities knocking on your door vs. trying to look for those opportunities without developing yourself first then opportunity knocking on your door = $10,000,000.

Who you have become, your self development, is a result of learning and doing.  You are creating a legacy.  It is a legacy because what you do, both positive and negative, will affect other people you come in contact with.  If you become a self employed business owner (within my team or elsewhere) then in monetary value this legacy you create could be worth $15,000,000 at a minimum because you have the tenacity to pursue your dreams and pass down high self esteem and high self confidence to others you mentor.

If I were to add up the monetary value of having a great body, high self esteem, high self confidence and the tenacity to pursue your dreams then your total monetary net worth = $31,000,000+

– Tom

Muscle Burns Fat | Tips to Get Motivated | What Is The Value of a Beautiful Body?

Knowing what to do is the first step.  If you don’t know what to do you need to learn.  There is nothing more frustrating than getting busy without any direction or results.  You  must be confident in knowing that the means of getting from the body you have now to the body you want is going to work.  That alone is motivating but it may not be enough.  Sometimes there is a gap between knowing what to do and then doing it.

Taking the focus off of yourself and on someone else is motivating.  Encouraging others to succeed will give you a boost especially if they reciprocate.  Helping others is a powerful human desire that makes us feel good about ourselves and should be harnessed for our own motivation.

You may just be beginning a fitness program in my team and have not experienced any results first hand yet.  Observe and absorb the many documented stories of proof that what you are doing does indeed work.  You can build your belief on that for endless sources of motivation.  There are literally thousands of videos, stories, and other forms of documentation that proves what you are doing is working.  Just ask me about it!  I can shower you with so many powerful inspirational success stories you won’t believe it.

You must know that you are not alone.  No one wants to be isolated.  In the context of self doubt, health and fitness you are NOT alone.  Everyone has been there at one time or another and their are ALWAYS going to be people who are just starting out just like you.  Some people will loathe in self doubt and let it consume then, others will reach out to people who make them feel good for help and then do wondrous things and transform into a pillar of inspiration themselves for others who are where they once were, looking for help in their own transformations.  It’s a cycle that keeps on giving and transforming lives.  To be part of a TEAM of people who stand each other up to succeed TOGETHER is very motivating if you allow it to be.  The energy and pure excitement you find in my Teams online Virtual Gym, the Club, the Interactive message forums and other mediums is world class and allows more support and closer connections to other like minded people.  Many, MANY life long friendships and sources of accountabilities have been founded in these interactions.  If you are looking for more motivation this will launch you to new motivation.

Your legacy can and must be used as a source of motivation.  When you embrace the simple fact that everything you do and say (negative or positive) has an impact on others FOREVER, your motivation to succeed will go through the roof!  Step up! Take hold of your life!  YOU have the power to create PERSONAL AND GENERATIONAL HEALTH!

– Tom

Muscle Burns Fat | Tips to Get Motivated | What Is The Value of a Beautiful Body?

We love beauty in our society.  Most of us subscribe to a false pretense of  what makes the most physically beautiful body beautiful.  Many of us believe that dieting and aerobic exercise will increase our metabolism and make us beautiful.  Why are so many starving themselves “trying” to be skinny?  The most beautiful bodies are ones that are lean, strong, Firm and in perfect symmetry.  Peoples methods for trying to be beautiful profoundly underlines the lack of knowledge that exists in our culture.  The problem or solution isn’t a mystery.  It was medically and scientifically proven long ago that there has been too much focus placed on cardio and dieting and not nearly enough on strength conditioning the body and eating nutritiously to fuel a meaningful workout.  Strength conditioning is how you shape your body, trim the fat, feel better, feel healthier, age more gracefully and raise your metabolism. Muscle burns fat!  The more muscle you have on your body the more fat your body will burn.  Lift some weights!  Build STRONG active muscles.  Those active muscles will burn off the fat from your body because muscle burns fat!

Mother of Two

At age 25 your muscles start to deteriorate.  Women, you have it worse because you  begin muscle deterioration right after puberty. Right up to that point your body is still growing.  Muscle is still being built on your frame but after puberty your essential muscle growth is over and your muscles begin deteriorating through every stage of life till death.  The ONLY way to stop this, and even reverse this, is to regularly lift weights.  If you

Enhancing her natural feminine physique with long lean muscle

don’t use your muscles you WILL loose them. Weight training will actually re build your lost muscles making you strong again and more youthful!  Lean muscle burns fat AND lean muscle IS the bodies natural fountain of youth!

Many women in our society believe that if they lift weights they will bulk up and look scary.  This entirely false belief adds to the epidemic like lack of knowledge in our society. Men have a much higher propensity to keep building muscle than women largely because of testosterone production differences.  Ladies, You cannot bulk like a man. Lifting weights will not increase your muscle size much, just your muscular density and strength.  Forget about your fears of bulking and lift some weights instead of eating less and focusing on aerobic exercise.  Adding lean muscle is how women get smaller, not bulky.  Dieting and aerobic exercise without strength conditioning causes muscle loss, making it easier to gain fat and exacerbates the affects of aging.

On a very personal and sad note: I have taken my father to physical rehab many times.  The rehab facility here is used mostly by older people who have lived an inactive sedentary like life and it finally caught up to them.  Combine an inactive life with the passing of time (aging), the inevitable is certain to happen. There is a saying, “Exercise now before you have to” and “For those who think they have not time for exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness”.  All of us know and even associate aging with growing old and frail.  For those of us who do not strength train this process literally begins right after puberty.  For those of us who diet and exercise without any strength training, we have the added insult of an even weaker metabolism with screaming bones

Self doubt replaced by self confidence

and joints as we age.  I do not believe anyone chooses to grow frail and ill.  I believe we all would like to live a life we can fully enjoy and one day pass on peacefully in our sleep.  Maybe some of us believe we will spend half of life frail like, worsening till death and just accept it because that’s what we see in so many others who grow old.  Is it just a lack of knowledge?  That is exactly why I am so saddened by good people around me that I see aging, growing frail, and dying in not so pleasant ways.  Maybe no one told them about strength training and the enormous benefits to a higher quality of living?  Maybe they, like so many others, were fatally miss guided to dieting and aerobic exercise without adequate strength training.  According to a source in the American Council on Exercise %80 of deaths in western civilizations is a result of chronic illness largely due to lifestyle choices. This is alarming but also serves as exciting news that if we want too we can live healthier lives and enormously increase the odds of escaping chronic illness forever.

Here are some FACTS about Shaping your body and burning fat the natural way
* MUSCLE BURNS FAT
* Muscle shapes the body
* Muscle is the largest  drive behind your metabolism
* Muscle is a MAJOR contributor to the over all higher quality of life and feeling of wellness
* Muscle is a MAJOR factor in enabling you to do more in your day to day functions before feeling Fatigued
* The primary fuels for muscle are FAT and oxygen

The more muscle your body has to support its systems and its frame the more calories from FAT you will burn and the better you will perform your day to day living.  failing to use your muscles post puberty will allow your body to weaken progressively and over time you will be able to do less and less without feeling fatigued.  If you give your body what it innately wants, strength and good health, you can be handsomely rewarded with a beautiful shapely body, a happier outlook mentally and the ability to enjoy very satisfying meals without it ending up on your gut and butt.  We know for a fact that extra muscle requires an ear mark of nutrients just to sustain itself because active muscles are constantly rebuilding themselves.  This is WONDERFUL news for us food lovers because this means that if you have a certain amount of muscle supporting your body then you will be able to enjoy more satisfying food without gaining weight. Granted some elements of metabolism are purely genetic but its ultimately the life choices we make that has the largest affect on metabolism.  We know this because Muscle Burns fat, there is no way around that fact.  There are no loop holes in that beautiful physiological fact whatsoever.

When is the best time to get started?   THE BEST TIME TO GET STARTED IS ALWAYS NOW!!! That cannot be emphasized enough.  The bodies muscles start to deteriorate right after puberty but even if you are forty, fifty, sixty years old there is enormous amounts of scientific evidence that shows a metabolism, bone density and muscle density can be built back up.   At this later stage in the game it may never be what it was when your strength peaked in your younger years but enough SIGNIFICANT gains can be made to significantly improve your over all quality of life and feeling of wellness, even youthfulness.  Unless you consciously choose to grow weaker and more ill by the day Don’t put it off another day. The longer you wait the further you will have to go to get from point A to point B.  The longer you wait the more difficult it will be to rebuild your metabolism because you will have less and less muscle to work with.  If you were to live the rest of your life inactive then the strongest you will always be is right NOW, therefore; get started TODAY while it is still easier than it will be tomorrow. If you have no medical reason why you shouldn’t start today and are still on the fence about putting it off another day after that profound true reasoning not to wait then think about this and you may get to know yourself just a little bit better.  Some will read the information, it will resonate, and they will act TODAY.  Others will read the same exact information, it may or may not resonate, but for whatever reason they decide to keep putting it off.  Ladies and gentlemen there is a very profound reason why some people, not just in fitness but in anything, seem to excel in life and become successful in many areas and some people seem to never excel in anything except in making excuses which only serve to put to death any dreams and goals forever.  TODAY is the day to affirm the truth so that you may learn from the past and make some simple changes to change everything for the future and the future belongs to YOU.

The three points I made that are of the most paramount importance:
1. Muscle burns Fat
2. Get started TODAY
3. Thirst for knowledge always

What is the Value of  having a great body?  The key to my motivation in my own fitness is to encourage YOU.  Helping YOU change your life is the key ingredient to my own success and feeling of accomplishment.

Reach out for help and accountability! Those who “go it alone” usually quit.  As impact creatures we are far less likely to quit on someone else than we are to quit on ourselves.   Harness that powerful human attribute for your own advantage! Look me up on social media such as facebook.  You can have a direct line of contact with me.

– Tom

Muscle Burns Fat | Tips to Get Motivated | What Is The Value of a Beautiful Body?

Desert Sage

Shakeology is the most important product I recommend for people to help them get healthy, feel better, and live better with long term Success. I enjoy Shakeology every day and I get feedback literally every day from my users who I’ve helped by recommending that they try Shakeology. Watch my Youtube Video to hear some of the incredible feedback I’ve gotten from people who I’ve recommended to try Shakeology…

If you see Shakeology as a fit for you I recommend that you try it. My phone number, facebook page, and contact information is on my Shakeology and Beachbody Coach website

With Love,
Tom