Real Life Fitness – Getting Fit With Brent

I’m going to write something that may be a bit controversial.  In fact, it may seem contradictory to my association with Beachbody, considering they sell supplements.  But it’s the truth, and everyone knows it whether they want to admit it or not (and most times, they will not admit it due to the financial gain they lose…more on that later).

So here it is:

It is NOT the supplement you are taking, drinking, whatever that is causing you to lose weight!

No, it’s not.

Supplements are named “supplements” for that very reason:  They are there to supplement some other change you are making in order to reach the desired effect.

To make my point:  If you started taking a supplement that promises weight loss, but you continue to eat like a pig, you may lose a couple of pounds (depending on what the supplement does), but you will not have any real long term success.

However, if you “supplement” a good diet, healthy habits like exercise, rest, etc, then the supplement MAY help.

No supplement is a miracle, though.  You will not magically lose weight unless you have already made drastic changes away from the standard American diet (SAD) and are eating how your body needs to be fed for the results you are wanting to do.

Yes, Shakeology is a supplement.  It is also usable as a meal replacement.  It is a GREAT product, but it is not a miracle product.  If you want long term results, use it to supplement a otherwise healthy diet.  You cannot drink a shake each day and then eat tons of other calories, sugars, bad fats, junk food, etc, and expect to look like Tony Horton or Shaun T.  It’s not happening.

So what brings this rant on?

There are so many companies out there in the direct sales industry that believe their supplements are miracles.  They truly believe that by just adding that supplement to their life that they have magically lost all of this weight.  And for a majority of them, that is simply NOT true.

The real truth is this:  They were approached by a product that could help them lose weight (so they were told), and they were given a plan to take the product, change how they eat to a cleaner, more wholesome diet, do some exercise, and they lost weight.  They made a lifestyle change that was supplemented with a supplement.

Who knew that eating healthy foods and exercise would help you lose weight?  (no sarcasm at all, I know)

But these people will never, ever admit that is the case.  Doing so would hurt their paycheck.  It would hurt their credibility.

When I first started P90X in 2009, I took no supplements.  I ate according to the guide.  I did my workouts every day.  I lost a LOT of fat.  Eating well, exercising, getting results…a novel concept, I know!

I did not add Shakeology until sometime in 2010 after my second round of P90X.  At that point I was taking the P90X multivitamin.  But again, it was there to support my lifestyle change I had already made.

You’re probably asking yourself, just as I have asked myself:  Why do you still use Shakeology then, Brent?

Because Shakeology to me has nothing to do with weight loss and everything to do with solid nutrition.  I’m not taking it as a miracle drink to help me shed pounds.  I am taking it, though, to make good nutrition convenient.  I credit the shake with helping me eat healthy, not lose weight (although by adding it in as a lower calorie meal option, with all natural products, toxin flushing ingredients, etc, it may aide in weight loss).

So please…quit trying to convince me that your product made you lose weight.  No….making the decision to change your life by eating better, exercising, and then supplementing your lifestyle with your supplement is what caused you to lose weight, plain and simple.

Brent Nutrition And Diet, Shakeology diet, exercise, nutrition, Shakeology, supplements

“If the upper is broken, work the lower.”

“If the lower is broken, work the upper.”

“If both are broken, work the middle.”

These words from Tony Horton ring out in my head everyday right now.  I remember being in Dallas in September of 2010 with him at a Beachbody event and hearing him state this.

And yet I SUCK at this.

To be honest, not being able to do what I want to do bums me out.  Not quite a clinical depression, but close enough to cause me to lose motivation.  All I want to do is push-ups and pull-ups, darn it!  But, with one surgery in the books (and in the middle of Physical Therapy to get it back up and going) and another one to come soon, I realize that upper body work is not going to be my friend.  For a while.  Possibly a LONG while….

I’ve had to remind myself of Tony’s words.

“Work the lower, Brent….work the lower!”  So I have been this week.  I have a pretty good routine setup, and now I just have to follow it.

Sundays is cardio.  Monday is legs.  Tuesday is cardio.  Wednesday will be a rest/stretch day.  Thursday will be tabatas on the bike.  Friday is is cardio.  Lot of cardio in there, but with the limited nature of how I can do resistance with the legs, I’m on machine weights only.  Don’t want to overdo it on the legs.

And I’ve been reintroduced to my old friend DOMS.  DOMS delayed his visit longer than normal on legs workouts, showing up more than 24 hours after I completed.  I have not done leg curls in years.  My muscles are reminding me of that right now.

I’m a realist and know that this work will pay off, but I must follow good dietary measures first.  Paleo has been good to me, minus the intense headaches so far.  5 days of VLC, and now transitioning into a period of slightly larger carb intakes.  I will still take a cheat meal once a week as long as I’ve held to 80/20 or better on my nutrition.  So far this week I’m hitting around 90/10 or better.

Today I reintroduced Shakeology.  I needed that stuff.  Over the next 2 weeks I’ll keep using it to see how it detoxifies the system while maintaining a relatively clean diet.

In the meantime, I’m going to keep working the lower and looking forward to getting surgery #2 scheduled, over with, and begin rehab on it.

Brent Fitness Tips, Nutrition And Diet, Primal/Paleo Eating, Shakeology, Shoulder Surgery exercise, exercise after surgery, fitness, fitness when injured, shoulder surgery, slap tear repair

My wife and I have been using Shakeology for around 14 months now. When I first tried it, I did it because I was curious what all the fuss my Beachbody coach was making about the product. After all, I was already drinking a protein shake and taking supplements.

After a couple of weeks on the product, I noticed a HUGE difference in how I felt. And the few times we’ve run out before the next order came in, I could tell a big difference in how I felt those days, too.

My wife agrees. Recently we went 9 days without any Shakeology. As a stay at home mom of three kids, she keeps busy watching them, cleaning house, chasing them around, keeping them entertained and not bored…well, you get the point.

During those 9 days without it, she knew something was wrong. Finally it dawned on her: No Shakeology!

Sure enough, after we got it back in, her energy recovered. She felt like she could keep up again.

One of the biggest advantages to the product for me is not weight loss but rather craving control. I used to love sweets. Chocolate and cheesecake were always two of my big weaknesses. Shakeology seems to keep my desire for carbs/sugars under control. Now, I just have sweets for an occasional treat, not a must-have to satisfy an urge!

I believe in this product so much that I want to let those who want to try it have a free sample (as available). But I want you to know a bit more about the product and why I know it will help you lose weight, get energy, feel better, and be healthier.

For starters, watch this video. This has a LOT of doctors talking about Shakeology, how healthy it is, and why you should take it.

A lot of people look at this, try the shake, like it, but think it’s “too expensive.” I don’t apologize for the price. When I used to eat out for lunch everyday, I used to spend $7-10 a day just eating lunch. Over 5 days a week, that’s $35-$50 a week eating stuff that was 700+ calories. It’s no wonder why I ballooned the way I did! With Shakeology, you are getting 140 calories (400 if you mix it per my suggestion or many of the other recipes we have) for $4 a day. So over 30 days not only are you consuming thousands of calories less, you are also saving money.

I will be more than happy to send you a sample of this amazing product, but I have to be your Team Beachbody coach yet. If I am not your coach and you do not have one yet, you can request for me to be your coach by visiting here. If you already have a coach and they are not giving you a sample, drop me an email (brent@getfitwithbrent.com) and I will tell you the steps that have to happen to become your coach and provide you with a sample.

If I am already your coach, drop me an email (brent@getfitwithbrent.com) with your address and I will send one to you.

Of course, one sample may not be enough. If you want to try a full bag and see for yourself, you can click the link below to order Shakeology. Remember, it comes with a “bottom of the bag” guarantee, so there’s no risk for you trying it.

To get started on Shakeology today,

Click Here To Try Shakeology Today

Brent Featured, Shakeology Shakeology, shakeology free sample

P90X Day 89 – I woke up with a headache.  Well, it felt like a headache.  The first thing I could think of is “low calorie result” from the Shakeology cleanse.  Apparently that wasn’t it as it went away after some water and some exercise.

Core Synergistics was….an experience.  I was actually very surprised (again) how well I did with it.  I was able to keep moving for most of it.  I did skip the bonus round and decided to hold on to those calories, just in case.  But, I was able to complete with some additional rests here and there (the thing about the cleanse, you know you cannot perform at your top and accept it….but you still do as much as you can).

Today’s menu was identical to yesterday’s menu.  And tomorrow’s menu will be identical as well.

Cleanse Weightloss after 1 day:  3.0 pounds

Brent P90X, Shakeology P90X, shakeology cleanse

P90X + The Shakeology Cleanse – Day 1

Today…easy day.  Started out with my green tea and then Stretch X.  I’m not a big fan of Stretch X, just because I like to sweat a bit more.  But oh well…it is always a good thing to do.

Breakfast – Shakeology with water and 1/2 cup banana.  Actually tasted pretty good.  To me, Shakeology with water is almost too sweet.

Snack – An apple.  I savored that apple, considering we only get 2 solid foods a day.

Lunch – Shakeology with 12oz of water.  Very, very, very sweet tasting.  Now I remember why I like a banana.  The fructose in the banana and the flavor seem to soften the sweetness of Shakeology.  Green tea was a bit cool by the time I started drinking it.

Snack – Another Shakeology with 12oz of water.  See above.

Supper – Salad.  YUM!  4oz of grilled chicken breast tenderloins with romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and bell pepper, and 2 tbsp of light Italian dressing.  Very good.

So day one was a breeze.  Was busy today which kept my mind off a  lot of it.

Tomorrow will be the first interesting day.  Core Synergistics will burn almost the total amount of calories I’ll take in during the day.  I am carrying an emergency piece of fruit with me, just in case I need it.

Will report weight loss tomorrow for day 1.

Brent P90X, Shakeology P90X, shakeology cleanse, stretch x

Tomorrow I start a Shakeology 3 Day Cleanse.  I’ve had a few questions about what this is, how to do it, it’s benefits, and decided to share a bit about it and how it has helped me in the past.

So here is what the cleanse is:

First thing in the morning – Cup of Green Tea
Breakfast:  1 scoop/pack Shakeology, 8-12 oz water, ice, and up to 1/2 cup of fruit
Snack:   1 piece of fruit (100 calories or so)
Lunch:  1 scoop/pack Shakeology, 8-12oz water, ice, 1 cup green tea
Snack:  1 scoop/pack Shakeology, 8-12oz water, ice
Supper:  Salad with all veggies (dark green leafy lettuce needed), 3-4oz of lean white meat, fish or chicken, grilled, and no more than 2 tbsp of a light or fat free salad dressing

In my opinion, it’s not that easy.  I’m also a bit hypoglycemic, so it is a bit tougher for me.  Last time I did it I lost 2.4 pounds in 3 days.

But…after the cleanse, my body fat dropped faster than ever before.  It was a reset for my body.

It is exactly what I need before my upcoming round of Insanity.

The calorie goal is between 800-1200 calories for 3 days.  The cleanse is meant to last no longer than 3 days (much longer than that and your cortisol levels may rise to high and defeat the weight loss portion of the cleanse).  If you need to you can add some calories to it in the form of fruit, seeds, nuts (raw), or other natural superfoods.  I’m going to keep an extra piece of fruit with me at all times to help.

The cleanse is meant to rid your body of toxins, undigested food, and put your body back into homeostasis.  You’ll move your pH balance back to where it is supposed to be.  It will also help with weight loss, and belly bloat.

This is also meant to be an active cleanse, meaning you keep exercising.  Realize that you will not be able to push as hard on a normal nutritional day, but you are meant to do something.  Don’t do it in the middle of P90x, Insanity, or Turbo Fire, but you could do it during a recovery week.

If you want more specific information on the cleanse or would like to purchase a Shakeology cleanse pack, send me an email to brent@getfitwithbrent.com and I will let you know when I have cleanse packs together.  Packs cost $45 for the 3 days.

Brent Shakeology Shakeology, shakeology 3 days cleanse

Think once you become a mom you have to accept anything less than a great body?  Think again…

This is my wife April and her before and after pictures.  A little background…

We had our first child in fall of 2005.  By July of that year she was back down to a size 2.  Easy, right?  After our second daughter came in May of 2007, losing the weight back was not nearly as easy.  And with the third child in June of 2009, the weight just was not coming off.

Now…April will admit that she was never “big” and she wasn’t.  But it’s that bit of fat that women often get when having a child that she knew she wanted to lose.

She tried P90X.  She didn’t like it.  It’s just not her, and that’s totally cool with me.

But then Beachbody released a video series called Brazil Butt Lift.  I’ve talked about it a bit here.  We both thought this would be a good fit for her, since she wasn’t looking for a lot of weight lifting at first and wanted to tone mainly her core areas (abs, hips, glutes, and thighs).

Here was April when she started Brazil Butt Lift.

Nothing to be ashamed of, but it wasn’t the body she was used to.  She knew she could have flatter abs and more toning.

After 60 days of Brazil Butt Lift and even a couple of weeks off after it for flu, she looked like this.

She made great progress in just 2 months of work.  She dropped 5 pounds and 10 inches from around her body in these 2 months.

But then we got into the “get ready for vacation” mode and made the fat loss bet.  And while she did not get down to 18%, she did go from 23.5% to 19.12% body fat using a combination of ChaLEAN Extreme and Brazil Butt Lift along with Shakeology and a good nutritional diet.  And this is what she looked like on vacation.

Obviously, the camera loved her, or should I say, the guy taking the pictures loves her!  But she looks great, she feels great, and is very happy with her body for being a mom of 3 kids (ages 4 and under).

So what does this mean for you?

You don’t have to settle for the body you have.  Just because you are a mom does not mean that the stubborn baby fat has to stick around.  You control what your body looks like and you can make a change.  April and I are here to help you with that.

I’ve included links in this post for Brazil Butt Lift, ChaLEAN Extreme, and Shakeology.  These are two great programs that have helped April reclaim the body she had before kids.  She went from a “snug 6″ (in her words) to a size 0/2.  What if you could drop 2-4 dress and pant sizes?  You can.  We can help.

April’s next goal?  Beachbody has a contest going for both coaches and the public for Brazil Butt Lift.  Her goal is to win one of those contest!

Her blog is at http://www.AprilWorley.com.  Expect to be reading more about her exercise and her transformation there.

Brent Fitness VIdeos, Shakeology

If you read my blog, you know I’m an Independent Team Beachbody coach, and that I use and promote a product named Shakeology.  I’ve never hidden that fact on my blog, nor will I.  Shakeology is quite simply the best single 140 stand-alone calories you can consume in a single sitting or in a single meal.

However, I find it interesting that one MLM company in particular is attempting to single out Beachbody’s product in an attempt to make their product seem superior.

Their rationale?

-  Less calories
-  Less fat (which is not true)
-  Less cost

In looking at some comparison documents between the two products, I’ve formed an opinion:

Calories are NOT your enemy, contrary to what certain companies say.

Yes, Shakeology is low calorie at 140 calories per serving.  But taking in one shake a day is not what makes the difference.  Sure, if I drank a single serving of Shakeology with nothing in it, I’d create a calorie deficit that would help with the fat burn unless I intake more calories than normal later.

Let me put it this way:

Your body has certain calorie thresholds:  Your metabolic rate, your overall daily burn rate, your maintain rate, and your optimal burn rate.

-  Your metabolic rate is the base number of calories your body needs each day to keep running.  Take in under this over a period of time and your body will start consuming itself (protein is a great alternative source to find glucose, the carbohydate your brain needs to function…get too little glucose in your diet, your body starts consuming muscle to find what it needs).

-  Your daily burn rate is your metabolic rate plus all other daily activity, including normal tasks and exercise.

-  Your maintain rate is the amount of calories you need to eat each day to maintain your current weight.

-  Your optimal burn rate is the amount of calories you need to consume in order to maintain healthy fat loss.  For many, that is a maximum of 1,000 calories per day under their daily burn rate.  If you are doing more strenuous exercise, this may need to be lowered to 500 calories/day deficit.

For most, taking a weight loss shake seems like the “easy fix” to their problem.  After all, it takes out one meal completely and allows them to have a deficit built in to a meal.

But there are problems with this:

-  You assume that the person knows their optimal burn rate.  Not many do.  They’re not taught what that is, so they just underconsume.

-  You assume that the person is going to eat clean the rest of the time.  If they are not consuming enough, their body will crave carbohydrates and fats.

So basing a comparison of the amount of calories in a single serving shake is just foolish.  The body needs fuel to burn.

With saying all of this, why do I use Shakeology and why do I recommend it?

Simple.

-  Shakeology, the shake itself, is just one part of the system.  Exercise and healthy eating is the other part, and Beachbody gives all of this information and an exercise program to those committed to using Shakeology monthly.

-  The shake can have more calories if needed.  My standard shake has 435 calories in it (and truth be told, I need to bulk it up just a bit more).

-  If I’m going to consume something, or suggest for someone to consume something, I want to make sure it has everything a person needs or would need to get out of a meal.  That has to be more than just a mild portion of vitamins and minerals.  It needs to be enough to fuel their body with nutrients, although there are not a lot of calories.

-  I have to know that it is going to keep people satisfied.  Of the people I personally know that are on Shakeology, and some of them classify in the obese range, I rarely hear of anyone saying the shake did not keep them full.

-  It has to be all natural.  It has to be whole foods, from everything from the nutrients to the flavoring.

-  It has to be able to be used for purposes other than a weight loss shake.  That is where Shakeology excels.

Don’t let comparison charts pointing to calories and a few other things fool you.  You need to consume calories to burn fat.  And you cannot rely on a shake system alone to do the work.  Proper weight loss and balance in life comes from healthy eating (including or not a shake), exercise, rest, and nutrient support.  Beachbody shows you how to get all of this with the Shakeology system.

You can check out the full Shakeology system here.

Brent Nutrition And Diet, Shakeology best weight loss shakes, calories to burn fat, Shakeology, weight loss shakes

Ahh….phase 2 of P90X begins.  Welcome to push-up hades Brent!

Seriously…I USED to think Plyo was a hard routine.  Then I ran into month #2 and this monster of a workout.  Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps wears me out, in a good way of course.  Starting with slow motion push-ups and going for a long time and THEN hitting one-arm and plyo push-ups?  Tony and Steve were crazy when they came up with this.

But you know, this routine produces results.  My shoulders stayed on fire for hours after this workout.  My arms…tired.  Chest felt fatigued.  I enjoyed it all.  I will say this:  I was a bit disappointed in my rep count on a few things, but then I remembered that it is always like this the first time through.  It will get better.

Nutrition today wasn’t the best, but wasn’t bad.  I was a bit more concerned about not getting enough.

Breakfast – Shakeology

Lunch – Turkey sandwich, 6 chips + salsa, and 8oz V8

Snack – 1oz Amonds

Supper – Chicken Fajitas on whole wheat shells with a few chips and salsa (had a couple of chips that I did dip in some cheese dip, but very limited there).  Shakeology for desert, but not a full one.  I shared with some friends.

Late snack – about 6oz of my Shakeology I fixed for desert.

Brent P90X, Shakeology, The Abs Diet

P90X workout today was Legs and Back and Ab Ripper X.  As usual, I started with Ab Ripper.  I’ve actually found that it is a really good warm-up for the main exercise.  Legs and Back, as usually, kicked my butt.  I crushed it, I pushed hard, but it wears me out majorly (I’m writing this at 9pm, and starting to feel the soreness in the glutes).

I used to hate this workout.  And I still do.  Not that I hate doing it, I just hate that I’m not crushing it.  But I guess that is what training does.  Eventually I’ll get better, I’ll get stronger, and I’ll be able to do more.

Nutrition was good today.  Ready for the spaghetti to be out of the household though!

Breakfast – Shakeology with skim milk, natural PB, and a banana.

Snack #1  – Almonds

Lunch – Spaghetti, whole grain noodles

Snack #2 – Box of raisins

Supper – Baked chicken, steamed veggies, and a bit of oven baked potato bites.

Snack #3 – Not there yet.  Leaning towards protein shake tonight, just for something different.

The Shakeology really hit the spot today.  Usually I’m very hungry by my mid morning snack.  Today, I was far from hungry.  I ate the snack because I needed to, but I did not feel like I was famished, even after a tough workout.  Plus, my energy level has been higher today.  Glad and thankful to have my shipment in and back on it.

We also got our copy of Turbo Fire in today.  Very glad to get it.  My wife is going to be starting it in February and let it run its course.  I previewed one of the HIIT workouts.  I may do one of those as an addition to tomorrow’s workout, just for fun.

Brent P90X, Shakeology, The Abs Diet P90X, Shakeology, The Abs Diet, Turbo Fire