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The Power of Choice

Every day I am reminded of the Power of Choice. I was first introduced to the concept about 12 Years ago when I’d just finished my collegiate soccer career. At that time, I gained 60 lbs in a 6 month period. Every day that passed was centered around food, primarily pizza and ice cream. What happened to me is familiar to many: During my soccer years, I exercised constantly to stay lean and once the exercise was removed, my eating habits were still poor and the weight and body fat began to pour on very quickly. In addition, my weight gain became exacerbated as I used food to fill the void left over by my lack of a soccer career. You see, after college, I thought I was ready to move to the next chapter of my life. The challenge with doing this was that the majority of my life up until that point had been centered around eating, exercising, and living a particular way. When two very large pieces of that lifestyle were removed (hours of daily exercise and soccer training) I became lost. The change was much greater than I anticipated and I did not know then what I know now.

So there I was, 250 lbs, 22% body fat, depressed and feeling uncertain on my path. I had a choice. I could continue my current behavior and keep gaining fat and feeling miserable, or I could choose a different path. I could choose to educate myself on how to adjust my nutrition to work for me with or without the hours of daily exercise I’d been doing. On top of that, I could choose to find a new passion to replace soccer. I chose to focus solidly on my health and during a 3 month period, I dropped down to 185 lbs and arrived at 4% body fat.

Through the years that I’ve coached thousands of clients, I have witnessed many who’ve been faced with a choice very similar to mine. Many times people search for deep answers… Look for reasons to get motivated with their health - try hard to find that magic solution… In reality it is just a simple choice, a choice to make your health a priority. Make it a permanent part of your lifestyle.

We each determine our destiny by the choices we make. We choose to be whatever we want to be and live the quality of life that we desire. Once that choice is made, challenging periods of time will still occur. As long as you are committed to your choice, you’ll have the strength and courage to push through. Please remember: There’s no starting or stopping along this path, just the choice to walk along it. My invitation to you is to look closely at your health and see how simple choices can take your health to the next level, providing you with the tools you need to achieve your goals.

Culinary Corner

by head chef Valerie Cogswell

Banana Nut Muffins Fresh From the Oven

I've always loved muffins but usually avoid them for obvious reasons: the high fat and sugar content can be a killer – and so is the sugar crash I get an hour later. For these reasons, when challenged to find a muffin that works for our member's goals, I jumped at the chance. Hours and hours of taste testing and recipe testing led me to a delicious banana nut muffin full of heart healthy fats like walnuts and olive oil and even a shot of protein. These vanilla and banana scented muffins are rich and healthy and won't sabotage your "get-fit" goals.

To get the recipe, log in to your online program and see the Recipe Tab today!

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The countdown to summer is on!

Bathing suit season is just around the corner. You’re probably wondering how you can take your body to the next level without too much added time or effort. After all, summer barbecues, parties and vacations are meant to be enjoyed!

Our team of experts put together an easy-to-do one month plan to shock your body into shape without taking away the fun! Incorporate each of the weekly tips below (in addition to your personalized health plan) to boost your metabolism and see a noticeable difference in your body by the end of the month. If you keep up these tips for the entire summer, you’ll see even greater results!

Week 1

• Reduce your sodium intake. Avoid table salt, check food labels, limit processed food and when dining out, make sure to ask for your dish to be prepared without the salt. Salt bloats you and causes you to retain water weight, which leads to unwanted pounds.
• Switch up your interval training. Used to sprinting? Try the fast and slow intervals on a stair climber or when walking uphill instead. See your online member handbook for tips on how to perform interval training efficiently.

Week 2

• Target your strength training. Add one new strength training movement to your workout each time you train. For example, if you’re used to doing dumbbell presses on "chest day", switch them out with push-ups instead. If you shock your muscles with something surprising, your body will respond.
• Add 5-10 minutes onto each red fiber, fat burning cardio session. This prolongs the fat burning process and yields faster results. See your online member handbook for tips on how to perform red fiber training efficiently.

Week 3

• Skip one "off" meal a week. On a Saturday night out, it's very easy to take in an extra 500-1000 calories when splurging! Imagine what a difference making a healthier choice on your “off” meal can do. Which brings us to our next tip...
• Try a new restaurant geared towards healthy or fresh eating. Do an internet search for an especially health oriented restaurant, or try a new seafood / sushi restaurant where healthy options are readily available. Doing this will be a fun experience and you'll most definitely save lots of calories.

Week 4

• Improve your quality of food. The more natural, un-processed food you choose to eat, the leaner and fitter you'll be. See the quality of food chart in our online member handbook and choose as many of the "highest" quality items on the list that you can. Eating these “highest” quality foods will grant you a big difference in muscle tone and definition.
• Indulge yourself. This summer, it's time you rewarded yourself for a job well done. Book a deep tissue body massage to flush out toxins, improve circulation and skin tone (you'll look great in your swimsuit) and prevent injury!

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You Asked | We Answered

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Q:What is the most effective leg move to tone and strengthen legs?

A:The squat is the best way to strengthen and tone all of the major muscle groups in your legs. The squat naturally recruits the most muscle fibers because it allows you to engage your balancing muscles (compared to using a leg press machine). We recommend that you see a trainer to perfect your form and to prevent injury.

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