WOW! I'M DEFINITELY TEAM JASON

It isn't everyday that you get the opportunity to start a family business. Team Beachbody is totally making that possible for my family. We are all on a mission to get in the best shapes of our lives and we are branching out across the states. My son, Jason or better known as Coach Cypher, is now knocking out those P90X ® workouts and going from scrawny to buff! It was absolutely amazing to have the opportunity to watch him BRING IT with Tony Horton in our basement this weekend.

So what is he doing for supplements? He is using the P90X ® Results and Recovery Formula and P90X ® Peak Performance bars. Then he is following the P90X ® Nutrition Plan that came with the P90X ® Program. Nothing like Tony Horton to turn this skinny little kid into one heck of a buff heartbreaker. We've been teasing him that everyone needs to get over the Team Edward/Team Jacob saga, there's a new kid in town - TEAM JASON! Sorry girls, this guy is off the market. But he is certainly going to give his sweetheart something to cling to. And will definitely be available to coach you to where you want to go!

Not bad for JUST 30 Days - He still has 60 to Go!

I also have another son, Ray or better known as Coach UpATone, that will shortly be kicking off his business as he is getting ready to take on the P90X ®, too. Yes this is definitely going to be a family business. And you know what the best part is? We are all getting fit and healthy together! I'm telling you there is nothing more that can make a mother proud than to watch her kids catch the fitness bug.

So I'm definitely going to be excited to bring you guys up to date on their progress as we watch their bodies totally transform. But this is not an exclusive club. You, too, can jump on board and join us and other Team Beachbody Coaches as we work together to End the Trend on Obesity!

Team Beachbody is a successful 10-year-old, $250+ million corporation based in Southern California. They create and sell the nation’s most popular in-home fitness and weight-loss products—high-quality, well-manufactured DVD workout programs, gear, and nutritional supplements that have been proven to work. You've all see the infomercials. There probably isn't a household out there that doesn't know what P90X ®, Insanity ® and TurboFire ® are! And that is just skimming the top of the programs they have to offer. When you become a Team Beachbody Coach, you’re teaming up with a solid, stable company and a best-selling brand.

What we're offering you is an opportunity to not only get in the best shape of your life, but to actually earn money while you do it! Now that is a pretty sweet deal! I see that as a WIN WIN! If you want to know more about Team Beachbody, just check out the following video. Then if you have any questions or would like to know more about how we can hook you up with a company that is definitely going places - shoot me an email and I would be happy to connect with you! You can also come and follow our Fan Page on Facebook at Fit Me X Cellence. We would definitely LOVE to have you on board!!! Let's BRING IT!

Week 8 Challenge - 12 Steps to Fitness

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope you are feeling simply fantastic. I've had a great weekend catching up with my son and his girlfriend. Just like me, my kid has caught the Team Beachbody bug and is doing really terrific with the P90X ® . He just got done putting together his 30-Day results and is doing FABULOUS! We had a good time this weekend teasing him that they were going to have to forget about the Team Edward/Team Jacob hype and start talking about Team Jason! "Just sayin'." Anyway, a very proud parent moment was watching him workout this weekend. And even better that he is a Team Beachbody coach, too! Way to BRING IT, Coach Cypher!!!

30 Days with P90X

Now it is time for us to think about this week's challenge. This is going to be a real fun week for us. We are going to become "decorators" for our own interiors. So to speak anyway. When I think of an interior designer coming into my home, I think about how they will dazzle me with color. Color really matters. In your home it complements your mood and personality. But what about the colors we eat? What do they do for us?

This week we are going to explore the concept of interior design with the foods we eat. We are going to turn our plates into a canvas, ready for us to "paint" with splashes of deliciously vibrant colors. We are going to learn how to "design your plate." Color really matters in the food we eat. The more color in the foods you eat, the more likely it will contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients your body needs.

Choosing food of color will not only make your plate look attractively appetizing to eat, but increases nutrients essential to good health without adding lots of calories and fat. In addition to vitamins, minerals, and fiber, fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals, which are compounds that may protect us from disease.

Green: colored by natural plant pigment called "chlorophyll." Chlorophyll has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties. Along with other vitamins such as A, C and E, chlorophyll has been seen to help neutralize free radicals that do damage to healthy cells. Dark green leafy foods like spinach contain lutein, a powerful antioxidant that can also help protect against cataracts.

Fruits: Apple, Avocado, Grapes, Honeydew, Kiwi, Lime, Pear

Vegetables: Artichoke, Arugula, Asparagas, Beans, Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Cabbage, Celery, Cucumber, Kale, Leek, Lettuce, Olives, Green onions, Okra, Peas, Peppers, Spinach, Zucchini

Blue/Purple: colored by natural plant pigments called "anthocyanins." They are believed to help reduce cancer and heart disease risk and slow the aging process, in addition to having anti-inflammatory effects.

Fruits: Blackberries, Blueberries, Figs, Grapes, Raisins

Vegetables: Asparagus, Cabbage, Carrots, Eggplant

Red: colored by natural plant pigments called "lycopene" or "anthocyanins."Tomatoes and watermelon both have lycopene, which can help reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Fruits: Apple, Cherries, Cranberries, Grapefruit, Pears, Pomegranate, Raspberries, Strawberries, Watermelon

Vegetables: Beet, Cabbage, Pepper, Radish, Onion, Tomato

Orange/Yellow: colored by natural plant pigments called "carotenoids." They contain powerful antioxidants such as vitamin C, in addition to the phytochemicals, carotenoids and bioflavonoids. Deep orange vegetables and fruit contain beta-carotene, a disease-fighting antioxidant. Beta-carotene is believed to play a role in reducing risk of cancer and heart disease, promoting good eyesight, boosting the immune system and slowing the aging process.

Fruits: Apricot, Cantalope, Lemon, Mango, Nectarine, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Persimmon, Pineapple, Tangerine

Vegetables: Carrots, Corn, Peppers, Pumpkin, Squash, Sweet potato


White: colored by pigments called "anthoxanthins." White vegetables from the onion family contain a phytochemical called allicin, which has been said to aid in reducing cholesterol, lowering blood pressure and increasing the body’s ability to fight infections.

Fruits: Banana, Pear

Vegetables: Cauliflower, Corn, Garlic, Ginger, Jicama, Mushrooms, Onion, Parsnip, Potatoes, Shallots, Turnip

A few helpful tips to keep color in your daily diet:

• Decorate your kitchen counter or table with a bowl of fresh fruit. Make the choice of a healthy snack ready and available.
• Prepare your vegetables by washing, dicing, cutting and placing in small airtight containers for your refrigerator. Make it easy to add these delicious enhancements to your salads, soups or casseroles.
• Opt for mixed berries and grapes topped with non-dairy low-fat whipped topping instead of frozen ice cream.
• Buy prepared mixed salad greans to add a quick and tasty salad with your favorite vinaigrette dressing to your meals. Nothing says color like a bed of fresh romaine hearts with strips of red cabbage and shredded carrot topped with garden fresh tomatoes. Yum!
• Create veggie trays for the appetizer! Munching on raw vegetables is a great way to add color to your meal and extra fiber without the worry of excess wasted calories.
• Make it a point to serve a variety of colors in each meal with at least one brightly colored vegetable.
• Edible garnishes like radish roses or kiwi slices can also dress up an otherwise ordinary meal. Experiment with different cuts of raw vegetables and fruits to give your plate "nutrition appeal."
• Buy frozen vegetables and fruit to keep on hand and have an ample supply of colorful nutrition without the worry of spoilage.

Part of eating healthier meals is also feeling good about what you are eating. No one likes boring meals that taste like cardboard. We want a variety of flavors that are both delicious and appealing. Adding the extra color is a great step in the right direction for proper nutrition. So have fun this week creating your edible masterpieces! Don't be surprised if you don't find the nutrional designer in you!

Have a great week and just make those meals count! Remember you plate is your canvas, so what colors will you be painting yours with?

Keep Bringing It!

Week 7 Challenge - 12 Steps to Fitness

Hi everyone! Forgive me, I just realized that I forgot to post this week's challenge. Just remember you can always go to my YouTube Channel and get the weekly post, too. I'm also posting them to the Cinderella Pact thread on the P90X ® Programs Message Boards at Team Beachbody. Ok, now to catch up. This week's challenge is going to take some thinking outside of the box, but it is an important and sometimes overlooked aspect to ones personal growth, as well as our health and fitness. This week we are going to be working on our "spiritual" health. I'm not going to suggest that you devote yourself to any particular religious power. I believe our beliefs are of personal choice. I'm just asking that you at least consider and explore the following concept.

Spirituality is the part of the equation that gives our lives meaning and purpose. It is the most basic of the senses that a person develops with themselves and their inner thoughts. It is the relationship between oneself and their state of mind.

We all live in a world that is filled with "to-do" list and just the hussle and bussle of having to get things done. There will always be one more phone call to make, one more errand to run, one more email to get out and so on. Life is like that...it's a neverending array of things to do, people to see and places to go. But somewhere in the midst of all the organized chaos, and in some cases not so organized, we have to have time to "recharge."

So what I am going to ask you to do is simply set aside 10 minutes everyday to do just that. More if you need it, but 10 minutes at minimum. Find a location, whether it be your car, your bedroom, your living room, the garden...wherever you can feel most serene.This 10 minutes is for total calm...no cell phone, no iPod, no radio...just you and your thoughts.

At first it might feel a little awkward, especially if you have never done this sort of exercise. But keep with it, your creating a new way to channel your energy. And just like everything else we have learned on this journey, change is sometimes difficult.

During this 10 minutes I want you to think about yourself and what it is that you can do to become a better person. What is it that will allow you to be the best possible person you can become?

Some people will use this exercise for prayer or meditation. Calling on a higher power to feel more connected. Or perhaps reading scripture and putting it into perspective with their daily lives.

Others may use this as a time to reflect or journal about their own lives. Sometimes reading previous entries gives us new perspective in our own journey. It can be empowering to see where we have come from and how we have grown.

Others may use this as a time to practice gratitude. It's funny how much we take for granted. Our homes, our food, our jobs...sometimes just the act of being 'thankful' is freeing in itself and allows us to see we are not as bad off as we sometimes believe ourselves to be.

And others may simple use this time to find peace with their thoughts - freeing and clearing the mind. Such as with yoga. Creating inner piece can be a very spiritual release.

Spirituality can help you develop a better sense of self and purpose. It is very important to your emotional wellbeing and mental wellbeing. We all want purpose in our lives. To know that what we do matters and that we aren't just living for the mere existence of living. Though it is a very personal exploration, in the end it provides a sense of connectedness with others as well.

If you are working to become a better person it tends to overflow in the life you create around you and other people. While you are developing your sense of purpose, most likely you will also be creating positive thoughts that will bring you inner happiness. A calm within the storm...truly winning not just at your weight loss of fitness success, but winning at life.

So 10 minutes each day to work on your spiritual health is this week's challenge!

Hope you are all getting better with our challenges and are developing some really good lifelong habits to carry you forward!

Keep Bringing It!

Week 6 Challenge - 12 Steps to Fitness

This week's Challenge is going to be Balancing the Fat!

It is important to understand that you do need fat in your diet. But the real question is how much? The recommended daily allowance based on a 2,000 calorie diet, suggest 30% of those calories come from fat. So if you take 2000 and multiply it by .30 we will see that 600 of those daily calories need to come from fat. Seems like a lot, right? Here is the real misleading thing about fat. When it comes to calories - protein, carbohydrates and fat are not all created equally. As a matter of fact, by comparison in weight we can see the difference.

• 1 gram of protein = approximately 4 calories
• 1 gram of carbohydrates = approximately 4 calories
• 1 gram of fat = approximately 9 calories

That's why you should exercise caution when eating fat...those calories can really add up with very little eaten. So be extra careful about eating those foods high in fat because you may be getting more than you bargained for.

Also it's good to remember all fat isn't created equally either.

Saturated fat (bad fat) are those fats that you would normally find in animal products and processed foods like meat, eggs, dairy products, cookies, donuts, chips, etc. At room temperature, the fat in these items will turn to a solid state. These are referred to the "bad fats" that are proven to raise your LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol).

Unsaturated fat (good fat) are those fats you will find in foods like fish, nuts, avocados and olives. At room temperature the fat in these items will remain liquid. These are referred to as the "heart-healthy fats" that actually have the ability to lower your LDL cholesterol and increase your HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol).

While an over excess of saturated fats can have unhealthy consequences, it is important to know that you still need a balance of both saturated and unsaturated fats in order for the body to function at optimum performance levels. Saturated fats help regulate fluidity of cellular membranes. If they are not available, the membranes will become too fluid prompting the body to produce more cholesterol in order to stiffen the membranes, which inadvertently can actually increase cholesterol levels.

Unsaturated fats are used to promote cardiovascular health. That is why these are promoted as "heart-healthy fats". These fats can actually lower your blood pressure if used in place of the saturated fats. There a two types of unsaturated fats:

Monounsaturated fats: olive oil, canola oil
Polyunsaturated fats: fish, safflower, sunflower, corn and soybeans

The most nutritional worst of fats is the "hydrogentated fat". You definitely need to watch those food labels for this guy. This is where unsaturated fats are pressed with hydrogen. It allows the unsaturated fat to be stored at a solid state. This is how they take vegetable oil and turn it into margarine. Basically it was a way for manufacturers to produce goods that were cheaper and had a longer shelf life. But the bad news is these fats are processed by the body like saturated fats and can actually raise your cholesterol levels. So consumers pay a much higher price in the long run. My advice...avoid foods that say "hydrogentated" or "partially hydrogentated."

The right balance of fat in our diets is necessary to promote energy, healthy cells, brain power, absorption of vitamins, making of hormones, healthier skin and to provide cushion and protection for our vital organs.

It isn't that we need a low-fat diet as much as we need a "balance-fat diet". About 10% of the 30% of recommended daily allowances of fat needs to come from saturated fat and the other 20% need to come from unsaturated fats.

So for a quick recap:

Unsaturated Fat - Heart Healthy Fat

20% of your daily caloric intake needs to come from foods such as:

• Flax seed
• Fish (cold water like tuna and salmon)
• Seeds or Nuts
• Canola oil
• Olive oil
• All Natural Peanut Butter
• Hummus (made with Tahini Sauce)
• Wheat germ

Saturated Fats - Membrane Builders

10 % of your daily caloric intake needs to come from foods such as:

• Yogurt
• 1%-2% Milk
• Eggs
• Lean Meats (sirloin, chicken, turkey)
• Cocoa Butter

Hydrogentated Fats - Frankenstein of Fats

Eliminate these fats for a healthier YOU! Time to say "buh-bye" to foods like:

• Cookies
• French Fries
• Shortening
• Doughnuts
• Potato chips
• Candy bars
• Margarine

So basically, if you are doing a 1400 calorie a day nutrition plan, approximately 420 calories need to come from fat (140 calories saturated and 280 calories unsaturated). This breaks down to about 46.67 grams a day (15.56 grams saturated and 31.11 grams unsaturated). Time to read those labels! Good luck with Week 6!

Let's get ready to BRING IT!!!