Core Health Products are the Only Vitamins and EFA's I'll Use

I had the privilege one Saturday in April 2010 of sitting in with a nutritionist by the name of Shan Stratton. Shan Stratton has been the nutritionist for the NY Yankees for 17+ years & has worked with numerous baseball teams such as the Boston Red Sox, LA Dodgers & more. His newest clients Donnovan McNabb & Maria Sharapova are just a few more to drop significant names to the list. The reason I feel the need to drop thses names is because these people, as Shan says, have access to the best of the best & they choose Shan. So what does that tell you? Its a given that he is the best of the best at what he does.

In order for these athletes to stay in top physical condition inside and out, Shan helps to show them how to actually UTILIZE the food they eat instead of storing it in the body where it turns into UNDIGESTED FAT, or what most people don't know it as, CHOLESTEROL. Undigested Fat in the blood stream is Cholesterol. When you have high levels of it, you are diagnosed with high cholesterol. So what does this mean to you? Your first instinct & generally your doctor's orders are to get you on something such as Lipitor & start dosing you up with pills. The PROBLEM is, those pills DO NOT FIX the issue, they COVER it up.

The nutrition that Shan has created & is proud to share, don't just cover up the issue at hand like pepto bismol, but they actually fix the problem inside of you. Here are a few things to put it in perspective for you:

First of all, not one of us actually UTILIZES the food we put into our bodies once its out of the raw state. When we cook something, meat, vegetables or whatever, we KILL all of the Live Enzymes in the food. Which leads to our bodies not absorbing the actual nutrients we need form the food.

So what are enzymes? You might ask....

Enzymes are catalysts. Most are proteins. (A few ribonucleoprotein enzymes have been discovered and, for some of these, the catalytic activity is in the RNA part rather than the protein part. Enzymes bind temporarily to one or more of the reactants of the reaction they catalyze. In doing so, they lower the amount of activation energy needed and thus speed up the reaction. (Courtesy of my dictionary for the full description)

In order for your body to burn Undigested Fat, you need Enzymes. Period. Until you burn the undigested fat in your blood stream, you will not successfully burn that excess fat we carry. The fat around the belly, legs, thighs, arms, butt & more. Yep, I said it. YOU WILL NOT BURN THAT WITHOUT THE HELP OF ENZYMES. For those of you who don't know, our bodies cannot survive without Enzymes.

What Shan has created are phenominal Vitamin Supplements that contain what he calls MEDS. It stands for Maximum Enzyme Delivery System. The vitamins he has created are similar to the way Shakeology works for us, but actually burns the undigested fats in the blood stream and also promotes the separation of the red blood cells so oxygen can properly flow through the blood stream the way its intended to.

When we do a cardio workout, a majority of people in the world are burning more muscle than fat. We can workout over & over again with different routines, & we may lose weight, but the capacity to gain it back is much easier because we never successfully burned the undigested fat in our bodies. Its like a cover up. Take this example & swish it around in your brain for a minute:

We have land. Under that land lies massive amounts of oil. We drill for that oil for many many purposes. The main reason is to fuel our cars, planes, boats & more. We take that oil, put it through a refining process and then its ready to be UTILIZED by our vehicle/transpostation methods. Now, take that same oil straight from the ground & put it into our transportation. Are we gonna make it anywhere? Is that transportation method going to run on the unrefined gas thats in it? The answer of course is No.

That is exactly what we do to the foods we cook & eat. Does this make sense now? I hope so. Shan said this while we learned from him as well:

"Take an orange, if you could reach in and pull out the Vitamin C, 100% of the time, NOT 99.9999%, but 100% of the time you will pull out the 5 components that make up the actual Vitamin C. Its not just 1 component" here are the 5 components that make up Vitamin C:
Real vitamin C found in whole foods like fruits and vegetables contain the following components:

* Rutin
* Bioflavonoids (vitamin P)
* Factor K
* Factor J
* Ascorbinogen
* Ascorbic Acid

The J & K Factor are 1 component so if you count 6, its ok, but when you look at the pie chart for this, you will see the J & K Factors are in one section of the pie chart. What most people do not know at all is, when you buy Vitamin C tablets, you are told you need 500mg  a day of Vitamin C, but in reality you only need 60mg of Vitamin C.

I am on the Core Health Pack & the Heart Health Vitamins & I cannot say enough good things about these vitamins. I feel lighter, I feel the food being UTILIZED when I eat 20 minutes after I take them & my workouts are BETTER by FAR! I am energized & I am seeing things change on my body that were not changing before. Even doing INSANITY. This is as honest as it gets.

I am so excited to share this with everyone & I'll always support Shan & what he has done for me & so many other people. Its the missing link in the question that lingers with everyone "Why can't I burn this excess fat when I've done everything I can possibly do?"

There is also a Digestive Health Vitamin he has which actually is for Indigestion, Digestion & a few other things for your insides. That actually goes in & FIXES the problem instead of covering it up the way Pepto Bismol, Rolaids & Tums do. Those DO NOT FIX the problem. They simply cover it up for the time being.

When I tell people that Fitness starts on the inside, this is exactly what I mean. Shan preaches it too. Why cover up something forever when you can fix it by delivering ENZYMES to our bodies that we ACTUALLY need?! It makes sense & I'm on board with a few other people I know.

Shan said there are 3 things he will ALWAYS have in his life:

Core Health Vitamins
SHAKEOLOGY (Yep, he LOVES IT)
Kangen Water

I couldn't agree more! What a fabulous time I had & what wonderful things I learned. I am happy to say it is a genuine blessing that I was able to join Shan & learn everything I did. If you want to check out his website, you can & there is even a short clip of him introducing himself & talking about the vitamins. He is a VERY genuine guy & cares about everyone's health! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask & if I don't know, I'll ask him myself!

Thank You for your time & I hope I was able to deliver the information so everyone understands. Below is his website: http://www.corehealthproducts.com/coachashley  


Added Note:

Who is Shan Stratton?

Shan Stratton is known internationally for his training sessions and corporate speaking events as a nutritional consultant, a sports supplementation specialist and a renowned motivational speaker. He has addressed crowds of up to 3,000 on both the national and international scene and is proud to possess the credibility to speak at professional health conferences as well as the “down to earth” ability to motivate and educate the everyday American.

Career highlights include:
Sports Supplementation Consultant to:
World Champion New York Yankees
World Champion Boston RedSox
World Champion Miami Heat
and scores of others including SF Giants, LA Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Rockets
One-On-One Nutritional Training:
Legendary Hall of Famer, Reggie Jackson
Two-time WNBA MVP, Cynthia Cooper
5-time Cy Young Winner, Randy Johnson
Famed Coach and Player, Joe Torre
Head Coach NY Yankees, Joe Girardi
Disney Sr. Executive, Mitch Ackerman
100 of other professionals
Discussed Business options with:
MLB (lead consultant in world recognized NSF certification for MLB)
US Military Special Forces Unit
Donald Trump
Hulk Hogan
Mentor-Teacher-Conference Speaker:
Health Professional Organizations
Sports Conferences
International Sports, Medical and Health Practitioners:
Korea
Mexico
Singapore / Malaysia
Japan
Intercollegiate Athletic Organizations
Radio and Television Talk Show Guest across the USA

Shan’s knowledge, expertise and passion for health has enabled him to interact with product formulation teams; co-edit Health Products Newsletters for the World Wide Web; and command the respect of sports professionals in nearly every major league profession. His commitment to enrich and enhance the quality of life for millions worldwide is evidenced by his love for people and drive for excellence.

Don't Chase It

 

There are many reasons why people don't want to be a part of something. Trying to chase an individual into something they aren't interested in or ready for doesn't benefit you or them at all. One of the things you end up doing is running in circles chasing your own tail. You put so much concentration and focus on this one person that you don't realize you are missing out on so many others who are just waiting for an opportunity like the one you have to come their way. If you have found yourself doing this very thing, you need to let it go. Let them go. Let them take the time they need in their lives to figure out what in life truly is for them that will make them happy. You can talk yourself to your grave with these people and they still won't pick up the shovel to bury you. Just let go.

I have experienced this very thing with many friends and family in my life. I have found family to be the hardest to break. Even being that I am an example of what I do works, its still not enough. There have been plenty of times I have tried and tried to get my family or friends to see the things I do & come along with me on the ride I have taken but they just won't budge. After a while, you get tired and you realize nothing is going to give so you eventually stop. People have to see it for themselves. There isn't a way to get them to see things the way you do. All you can proceed to do is what you have chosen and be a positive example of it for them. 

You will get a promised cold shoulder form someone who has heard from you over and over again about whatever endeavor it is you have to present to them. They ignore your phone calls, they don't want to talk to you, they keep any conversation short or deter it onto something else as quickly as they can & you start to see that they are doing everything they can to completely avoid you. RECOGNIZE when that's happening to you! You could be chasing someone so far out of your life by continually begging and nagging them into this endeavor and you won't have them around anymore. STOP, and RECOGNIZE when that is happening with you. 

People have to be READY. When you try to force someone to see what you see or do what you do, they won't apply their best performance at any of it because you never gave them the time to actually find their own love for it. It can take weeks, months or years for some people to finally come around, & sometimes they won't come around at all. So why would you spend all of that precious time on one person when there are so many other people out there who actually WANT what you have to offer? 

Find a way to release the chase in you. Identify when you are running into a wall made of concrete and realize you are not going to break it no matter how fast and strong you're running into it. There are just people out there we cannot break and you have to be ok with that. Be it 10, 20, 50, or 100 "No's", you have got to just LET IT GO. Somewhere out there, YES is waiting for you to approach it. Once you see it, and you find other people who want the same things you do and who have the same vision, you'll ask yourself why you wasted so much time fighting yourself to get that one single person who just wouldn't budge. 

Everyone is different. Everyone has their own purpose and mission in life and its not up to us to figure out what that mission is or force what we have upon someone. Plant a simple seed & move forward. If people are going to respond to your opportunity, you can't expect it to happen right away. When you plant a seed in the ground it takes TIME to grow. It needs water, food & light to become its very best. Plant small seeds. Have faith that whatever happens, is for a reason and just accept it. Life is much fuller when you learn to release the chase in you. 

Lack Of Planning

Over the years I've been noticing the small things people do to make life more convenient because of busy schedules. Whether its a drive thru to get your breakfast, lunch or dinner, a morning pit stop at the local coffee shop or the gas station for your "stress" relieving cigarettes. The lines in those places seem bigger and bigger every morning. People all over the nation are scurrying about these places because they haven't given themselves the time to figure out how to make their busy schedules easier. 

What everyone fails to understand or just plain refuse to notice, is we all have the same amount of one thing; time. We all have 24 hours in a day, we all have 7 days in a week, 30 days in a month and 365 days in a year. So what's the one thing missing in all of these people's busy schedules? Planning. There is a SERIOUS lack of planning on people's plates. We start blaming others for something we could have easily planned ahead and it escalates into something unnecessary. When it comes to deadlines or being somewhere on time or getting a quick lunch before you head back to work, school or wherever it is you have to be. People have failed to PLAN AHEAD.

"Lack Of Planning On Your Part Doesn't Constitute An Emergency On Mine" 

I grew up on that saying. My dad, one of the smartest & most successful men I know, taught me that if I fail to plan ahead for my life, it doesn't create an emergency on his behalf. I am the one who failed to plan things out, therefore, its my duty to take the responsibility of failing to plan upon myself & not point the finger at so & so because they forgot to do something. Its not the other person, its me. I am the one who was required to do my part in a job, a project, a meeting or whatever it is. I am the one who needs to hold my ownself accountable for the things I need to do in order to lead a successful life. If I keep pointing the finger at someone else for my faults, I am simply creating an unnecessary argument over something I could have prevented if I just planned it out.

So where am I going with all this? What is the point of my reasoning behind lack of planning? Glad you asked! Whether or not you were wondering, I'm still going to tell you. 

Excuses. Absolutely every single day I hear, and you do too, excuses that removes a person from being at fault for something. For instance, being unhealthy and overweight. & yes, I'm using that as an example because it is a SERIOUS problem and my blogs are based on health and fitness. The most common excuse out there and the most irritating in my opinion is "I am too busy." Too busy for what? May I ask? Too busy to take control of your life so you can actually live it out longer and enjoy life more? Too busy to take control of your eating habits & lose weight because it takes hard work & self discipline? DO YOU REALLY THINK its a legitimate excuse?? I don't. I wake up at 4am every morning, whether I'm going to class or a meeting, or even if I have nothing to do no matter what because that is the time I know I will be without interruption. I plan it ahead. I plan my eating ahead when I'm at the grocery store. I buy healthy things I can place in ziplock baggies, be carried in my purse or in my car, so I know when I get hungry, I will have something to hold me over until lunch so I don't starve myself & devour lunch in 1 minute when its time to eat. 

Start planning out your schedule. Sit down at night before you go to bed and make a list. It takes 10 minutes to write a list of the most important things you need to get done the next day and it ensures you won't be running rapid during the day TRYING to figure out what you need to do next. 

Did you know it takes more time to figure out what you have to do as opposed to already having a list you can refer back to more than one time a day to constantly remind you what to do? Think about a day in your life where it seemed that getting everything you had to get done was almost virtually impossible. Now take that day and compose it into a list. Would that day have been less frantic, less stressful and MORE productive if you had a list starting with THE most important thing first and finishing with the least important? The answer is Yes. If you had to think about that, we need to talk. Its absolutely Yes. Without question the people who follow a list are less stressed and have enough time to do everything they need to get done in their day. 

No more excuses. Start planning your days out. Understandably life happens sometimes & we are interrupted, you can't plan that, but what you can do for the time you have without interruption, is plan ahead & take control of your life one step at a time. Its easy, its simple and you will find yourself finishing projects, deadlines & more and still have time at the end of your day to take care of you. Start small & start today.

You Gotta Want It

 

"I'm gonna try." The most common sentence people use to give themselves the option to fail without feeling like they didn't at least try. Why is it that so many people give themselves the option to fail at something? It doesn't matter what it is, people all over the world, in many different languages use the same excuse over and over again; "well at least I tried." What does that feeling of failing give someone? Is there satisfaction behind it? Do they hold their head high thinking to themselves "I tried but it was impossible so I gave up."? How many people do we know today who think that way? The answer is most likely a very high percentage of people we know, think exactly like that. The problem is, they haven't given themselves a reason to believe that they can actually achieve something because they let their attitude, pride and ignorance get in the way. They cannot see the end point of achieving their goals.

I know so many people who have told me they've tried and tried but failed and just decided to quit trying because its just too hard. No matter what it was, they just decided that giving up was the best thing to do. Don't get me wrong, I've been there. I was at a point in my life where giving up just seemed like the easiest thing to do because I didn't have to work hard on giving up. All I had to do was just quit. Simple enough. Anyone can just quit. People do it everyday, but do you ever notice how far in life those people get? Do you see these people walking around with a smile from ear to ear extending praise to others they encounter? I don't. I see unhappy individuals who set themselves up for failure because it was much easier to give up than really give it their all. Its not something to brag about and it isn't something I see people gladly sharing with others. When I talk to people who give me their "I tried but..." story, their heads are hanging low and thier attitude is usually negative because the feeling of failure is ugly. 

YOU HAVE GOT TO WANT IT. Period. There is no "trying" in the sentence "I'm Going To Do It!" If you genuinely, want something, with everything you are inside, you WILL NOT give up on the goals you have set for yourself. You will make sure that everything in your power with the tools you have available are utilized in every way, shape and form to get what you want. Desire is the key asset to reaching your goals and getting what you want. Knowing, that its out there for you and you won't let anyone or thing stop you from getting exactly that. The desire is what keeps you focused, keeps you motivated and keeps you pushing every single day, no matter how long it takes, to reach your set goals. Ambition, faith and courage in yourself will drive you in the opposite direction of trying. 

I often wonder why it is people wait so long to take control of their health, finances or any type of security in their lives? Why is it that thousands of people would rather wait until its almost too late, and spend hundreds upon thousands of dollars trying to fix what they could have prevented if they just did what they were supposed to in the beginning and never gave up on achieving their goals? The only answer I have seen to be true, is that giving up was easier to do because there was no work involved. People have let their family, friends, co-workers, teachers and more give them comfort in the simple phrase "I tried." They have received recognition from those people and found comfort in giving up. Its a very sad situation and most people will either wait until its almost too late to fix it, or won't fix it at all because the work and effort they have to put in to do it is too much, too hard and it would take too long. They have lost sight of the end point and given up altogether.

Remind yourself every single day why you aren't giving up. Envision the end point in your goals. Your future can be so successful if you keep going and going until your goals are achieved. Set yourself up for success. Once you have taken the first step towards the direction of up, you'll never want to be facing the direction of down again. You will be accomplished, feel good knowing you never gave up, be happy in life and have a willingness to help other people you know and love reach their goals because you understand how much more there is to life when you achieve your goals. You Gotta Want It.

Passion in Fitness-Being a Beachbody Coach

DECIDE. COMMIT. SUCCEED.

In 2008 as I was sitting on my computer scrolling through Craig's List for a job, I stumbled upon an ad posted giving the opportunity to become a Coach for Beachbody. Since I had been using Turbo Jam, a workout Beachbody sells created by fitness expert & trainer Chalene Johnson, and their nutrition products, I thought to myself "Oh my goodness, I didn't know Beachbody offered jobs!" My first inclination was to find out about it as fast as I could considering I was using Beachbody workouts and nutrition already. I picked up the phone and dialed the number given and came across a very informative coach for Beachbody, Elaina Sapperstein. She explained it to me, had me watch a few short video's and when I was done I was to call her back to let her know what I felt about it and if I was remotely interested. I did just that. It took one video for me to DECIDE that I was definitely interested and this is something I can do. 

What I saw in the video boosted my decision & I quickly arranged to meet up with Elaina and get rolling with this business asap. What I didn't realize is how much I was going to fall in love with this company and the drive behind it to help others become physically and financially fit, all while doing it for myself too. I was amazed that a company was so willing to help other people reach not only their fitness goals, but also reach financial freedom. Without hesitation when I met with Elaina I was in. I signed up as a Beachbody coach and was on my way to a journey I never thought actually existed. It was almost to me, like a fallacy. I always heard people say if you love what you do, its not a job. I didn't realize that actually existed until I found The Beachbody Coaching Opportunity. 

Opportunity. That is what this is. Opportunity knocks at your door only so often and its on us to recognize it and take action, or let it slip away into another person's hands. I decided to take action and I cannot reiterate enough to anyone what a genuine blessing this was. To further elaborate on that, after I had stumbled upon the Craig's List posting, the ad was flagged & removed immediately that same day by Craig's List. Had I not come across it when I did I cannot tell you whether or not I would be aware of this wonderful opportunity Carl Daikeler, CEO of Beachbody, has offered to anyone and everyone who wants to be a part of something huge. Not just for the physical part, but for helping others with a community of the most positive & uplifting people and to reach financial freedom as well. Little did I know how much I would LOVE helping others until I came across the same like-minded people that day. 

I have grown to know and love so many new people in this community of Beachbody Coaches and people who just want to help others reach success in their lives. I have been genuinely touched by the positive flow of inspiration, love, belief in others and the drive to really get as many people healthy as we can to bring their life back again. To see what health and fitness does for families and friends is truly an amazing feeling and the reward to us, are the people's lives we help change for the better every single day. 

As a coach, I am often asked what we do & why we are called coaches. To answer that, I will simply tell you this: We are coaches in that we use and love the products Beachbody has to offer. We have and are succeeding in using them and all we do is share that with others. Not all of us are fitness experts, but there are those of us who have taken it upon ourselves to learn absolutely everything we can about health & fitness to better help others when they come to us for help. We are a community of people who also, in turn, help eachother when needed. There is no selfishness what so ever and I can honestly say there is not one business out there that compares to the love and compassion that is within this Beachbody community of people. 

If you are interested in learning more and still have lingering questions, please feel free to let me know. I am here to help and I am excited to say that I can! My websites are listed below this blog and I look forward to helping you DECIDE, COMMIT and SUCCEED.

www.beachbodycoach.com/tjash2009

www.mytimeismine.com/tjash2009 (referring coach is Ashley McTucker)

Comprehension of Another Kind

 

Every single day, each of us are faced with people who cannot grasp why it is we choose to live a healthy lifestyle. It bothers them so much that they feel the need to put their negative 2 cents in where it doesn't belong. That is why Im calling this blog Comprehension of Another Kind. I'm talking about people who have no idea what its like to be healthy, fit, motivated, positive and inspirational about it. You aren't alone. A majority of people who choose to live healthy get a lot of flack from those who choose not to live a healthy lifestyle.

One of the most common questions I get from people who are just starting to take control of their life & become healthy ask me if I still or ever had people try to bring me down & stop me from living this way. The answer is of course always Yes. I have and I still do. It won't ever stop and I can't try to make it stop. There are a few different ways to go about it and there are also ways to avoid drowning yourself in their cesspool of crude & rediculous remarks. 

When you begin your new healthy lifestyle, the one thing you focus on changing first are your eating habits. What you consume, how much you consume & what you avoid that people all around you don't think twice about. You probably notice you are being made fun of, ridiculed, mocked and laughed at. The problem with this is, if you pay attention to the people doing this to you, you'll probably see a very unfit & unhealthy person doing it to you. Someone who is insecure with themselves & finds it necessary to turn the attention away from them and onto you so others forget about that person's flaws for a bit. These people usually haven't ever even tried to do what you are doing and what they "sometimes" don't realize is they have absolutely NO ROOM to talk. Take into consideration who it is you are receiving these negative remarks from. They aren't credible to be lashing out at you about the way you choose to live period. The reason I have "sometimes" quoted above is because there are also the people who KNOW deep down they want to change but have already talked themselves so far out of it, that its not in their sight anymore. They have lost their dream and don't want to see others achieve what they wanted for themselves. 

There are also people who have been skinny their whole lives and don't think they need to do anything because they never had problems with weight. But what about thier insides? What about the problems they have on the inside of their bodies you and no one else can see? They haven't taken a minute to consider that just because they are thin on the outside, doesn't for one second mean they are fit on the inside. A majority of these people live that *Push of a Button* lifestyle and are visiting drive thru after drive thru and coffee shop after coffee shop loading their bodies with more processed and artificial foods and sugary fluids than you can imagine. Day by day they live like this and think they are completely healthy because on the outer appearence, they can't SEE anything wrong. No weight gain, no deterioration of the body, no energy loss or anything. They claim to "feel just fine" and they don't see a reason to change what they consume. However, all of that junk they're consuming, compounded over time like anything else, will catch up to them. Their health will most definitely fail in some way shape or form. They will lose energy, vitality, the natural glow of human skin, hydration and all kinds of things will start to appear or disappear. That's the point where they stop and wonder how it happened? How did all this just SUDDENLY occur. They can't grasp the fact that all those years of consuming absolute crap, has caught up with them and they are fading fast. The whole time they were making fun of healthy people, they were in turn destroying themselves from the inside out. 

Those of us who TRULY want our good health and are determined to have it, will INDEFINITELY go get it. Others who want it but just expect it to come easy, most likely won't ever get it, and if they do, it has taken so long for them to realize they ACTUALLY have to put in work to get it, that the process is MUCH harder than they ever could have imagined. Lastly, there are those people who want it, but don't care enough about themselves to even try. It is a really sad scenario. You can try to help these people all you want. You will find that you are chasing a dead end. You will have talked yourself into your grave constantly trying to get these people to understand why they should look after their health. You cannot help everyone. People have to be WILLING to get started, have their OWN determination and reasoning to do it. Let it go. Stop chasing these people and focus on whats important for YOU. We all have our own reasons to live the way we do. 

I want you to finish reading this blog knowing this, YOU are the most important person in your life. Before you can truly care for or help anyone else, you have to first care for and help yourself. Once you realize how important you are, you will understand why its important to take care of you first. We all have people we love in our lives, people we want to help and people we know need help, but won't ask for it, and won't ever admit they want it. The best thing you can do is continue to love those people, be a good example, don't criticize them and do for you what no one else can do. Be a positive role model to everyone. Whether or not you see it or realize it, we all have someone who looks up to us and those are the people we need to be good examples for. Create a ripple effect of love with a positive attitude, healthy habits and continual support of anyone's dreams and goals.

The Food Challenge

The first thing people struggle with when it comes to changing their lives & becoming healthier from the inside out is FOOD. The way people eat is always grab and go. Sitting down at the table with the family has become almost extinct everywhere and its very depressing. Failing to pay attention to the things you put in your body is like forgetting to take in oxygen.

Our bodies were not created to process artificial and processed foods. We were created to absorb natural ingredients, vitamins and minerals so that we could live long healthy lives. The lifestyle this world has created before us has become too convenient for those of us who are constantly on the go. The fast food restaurants, vending machines in our working environments and schools, chain restaurants, coffee shops and "juice bars" have all contributed to the obesity rate in which people have just gone completely out of control and are now at the heaviest they've ever been in their life. This is outrageous and it truly needs to stop. But it won't. No matter how much we try to stop what I call the "Push of a button lifestyle," its always going to exist because these food places and coffee shops aren't going to disappear. 

In order to take control of our eating habits, we need to first be self disciplined in controlling what we eat and have a reason behind it to keep us going. Working out requires that you put the correct fuel into your body at the correct plate portions. We have to maintain a balance between the good, the bad and the ugly. What I mean by that is there has to be a definite distinction in your brain between the difference in good, bad and ugly proteins, carbohydrates and fats. These nutrients are essential to our health. If they are GOOD, such as vegetables without the butter loaded on top, lean cuts of meat, fruits and water, you are on the right track to being healthy & achieving your fitness goals. But if they are BAD nutrients like soda, candy and grease infested french fires, the results are UGLY. You will not succeed in attaining the results you want for your body; and inside, you'll be killing yourself. The foods we eat have a very impactful effect on our bodies an can either work in our favor to keep us healthy or break us down into very ill, unhealthy individuals. 

When I first started working out, I already knew my eating habits would have to change. I would have to discipline myself, change what I consumed, how much of it I consumed and when. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that it wasn't gonna be easy. I knew my whole life that in order to get what you want or need in life, there is usually a sacrifice you have to make to get it. I took control of what I know I needed for me and my results are the proof in the decision I made.

Food is fuel. That's it. Its JUST FUEL. If we didn't need fuel, food wouldn't exist. Could you imagine that? Not having to fuel your body every single day to keep it running correctly so we don't crash. That is the very first thing I started to discipline myself with. In understanding what food is really here for, I had to first figure out that its only fuel to recharge my body with energy, keep my metabolism going & help me get through intense workouts everyday. In my decision to change my eating habits and help me not eat bad foods, I changed my shopping habits. I knew if I bought it, I would be tempted to eat it. So my grocery list started to dramatically change. When I went to the store I had a list of vegetables, fruits, non-processed, clean & lean cuts of meat, high fiber, no sugar cereals, water, tea and much more. I made it a point to only buy the things my body actually needed. I was on a mission to succeed and that was just the beginning.

I also had to learn that I wasn't going to gain weight by eating 5-6 small meals a day. By doing that, you are actually keeping your metabolism going and burning fat all day long because you constantly fuel your body with the PROPER nutrition at the RIGHT times. I set an alarm daily for every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. When that alarm goes off, I had better have something with me or be able to get somewhere before my body goes into "starvation mode. 

What happens to your body in starvation mode is your body knows its not being taken care of so it creates a hormone called Cortisol. That hormone is produced by the body to protect itself from starvation and your body will cling to the accessable fat you have. In the ChaLEAN Extreme Motivational DvD, Chalene puts it like this: "If you wanna look like a Sumo wrestler, then train like one." What she means is part of a Sumo wrestlers routine is to SKIP breakfast. That way when they go to eat lunch, they have been in starvation mode and they are producing the fat they need to participate in Sumo wrestling. In order to be a Sumo wrestler, most people are aware that you have to be BIG. Not big from muscle, but big from fat. I don't find that very attractive. Not one bit. I find it looks extremely hard to breathe, move, talk or function in normal daily activity and the insides of their bodies without a doubt in my mind look horrific!

Here are a couple tips to take with you before you finish reading this blog. These are tips that have helped me and many others on the journey to becoming healthy starting from the inside out. What you do for your body inside, creates the outside physical physique you and others see.

1. Change what you buy at the grocery store. If it isn't good for you, don't buy it. An indulgence every now and again is ok, just don't make it a daily habit.

2. Alcohol slows down the rate of fat loss. Having 1 or 2 drinks a month won't kill you, but none of it will help your goals you have set up for yourself to lose the weight and get toned.

3. Set an alarm. On your phone, your watch, your HR monitor, whatever, NEVER EVER go more than 3 hours without eating. If you are busy, PLAN AHEAD AND PACK STUFF FOR THE NEXT DAY. Weigh out an ounce of almonds, make some protein bars, take some fruit or yogurt. Grab something that will aide in your weight loss goals.

4. Customize anything at a restaurant. You don't have to eat the bread before dinner. Get a side salad with Olive Oil and Vinegar. Olive Oil is a great healthy fat. When you order your main course, ask for grilled lean meats like chicken and fish, steamed vegetables with no butter or condiments and have hot tea or water to drink with your meal. Do you ever notice that the Japanese/Chinese cultures are always generally thin and pretty healthy? One of the reasons is because they drink hot tea with their meals. It helps flush any unnecessary oils out of your arteries and keeps your insides flushed of toxins.

5. Don't give in to temptation. If you are doing REALLY good and you have a goal, don't let your friends talk you into doing something YOU KNOW will ruin your success. Chances are, they aren't on your journey, and some of them may need to be, so taking advice from people who have NO IDEA what you are going through to change yourself isn't beneficial. They will ALWAYS try to lead you astray fro your main focus. DO NOT lose that focus. Stay on track.

6. Mindless eating. Its a killer.If something stresses you out, makes you angry or sad, you usually result to food. DON'T DO IT. Resort to a workout, a walk, play with your kids, the dogs or whatever. Leave your house if you have to. Don't let mindless eating ruin your progress!!

Now, here is where I am going to introduce SHAKEOLOGY to everyone. Those of you who know about it and use it, already know how beneficial this stuff is, what it has done for hundreds of people & what it will continue to do for anyone taking it. 

Whether you are overweight, thin, healthy, diabetic or anything else, this product is LITERALLY changing lives. It was introduced to Beachbody Coaches in March of 2009 and ever since that time, I have not been without it. Not for one minute, unless of course the UPS man didn't deliver due to a weekend which put me and the people used to taking SHAKEOLOGY every day on a man hunt. About 3 weeks ago I received a phone call from a friend of mine who told me she may have diabetes, cholesterol and blood sugar issues and she had to go in for a doctors appointment in a couple weeks to be tested again. As I was writing this blog, she was leaving a message on my voicemail THANKING ME SOOOOO MUCH, telling me she loves me for introducing her to SHAKEOLOGY and letting me know she just had her doctor's appointment and her results turned out phenomenal. He doctor told her that she is "free of diabetes, her blood sugar and her cholesterol are where they are supposed to be" and her doctor "wishes that all of his patients had her results and were where she is now" because of SHAKEOLOGY. 

I am TELLING you, this product is not a joke. With 70 NATURAL, HEALTHY ingredients, all of your vitamins, minerals, prebiotics, amino acids, digestive enzymes and so much more, it is the only product in the world to help you get all of the nutrition your body needs on a daily basis. It is fighting disease and reversing the horrible things we take in every single day. It has helped me become energized, helped me lose weight and so much more and I now get to share that with others. My website for SHAKEOLOGY is below. Please feel free to check it out when you are done reading. I Thank You for your time and I am here to answer any questions you have.

www.myshakeology.com/tjash2009