Tom's Go For It Fitness

Vote for my Mom (MARY C)!! She’s a Shakeology grand-prize finalist!!!

Tom — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:06:01 +0000

I posted back in November that my mom (Mary C) won the monthly Beachbody Challenge. We now just found out that she has been selected for the Shakeology grand-prize Finalist! What a great inspiration she is at age 70 to take charge of her health.

So she needs your help to win the $25,000 and trip to the Beachbody Coach Summit in Las Vegas !!!

How Can I help??

Glad you asked! The steps are pretty simple:

If you don’t already have your free Team Beachbody Account, just click on my JOIN NOW IT’S FREE link to create your free account.
Go to the Beachbody Challenge Voting page and cast a vote for my mom MARY C
You are allowed to vote for my mom and one man every day until Midnight May 18th

Did I miss the boat?

NO! The Beachbody Challenge is an ongoing event! Real people with real results continue to submit their success story and qualify to win big bucks just like my mom! So that means if you have a success story, just started, or thinking about getting started, you can still qualify for the Beachbody Challenge. The process is pretty simple. Just go to the Beachbody Challenge and Commit to the program you will be using. When you have completed your success story, come back and submit your after pictures and story and now you are qualified to win $$$!!!! it doesn’t get any more real or authentic then my mom, who was unable to do traditional workouts from winning! If she can do it, you can do it! Let me know how I can help you get the results you want!

Better Shakeology Protein Balls recipe

Tom — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:03:04 +0000

I was really happy with my Shakeology Protien Ball recipe that I recently posted.

But I still found the need to tweak it. I tried adding crushed almonds, or unsweetened coconut flakes…all good stuff. And folks have been asking if using Unsweetened Almond milk would be ok. And that got me thinking about how I use to make my own Almond milk! I mean I have no proof that Almond milk you buy in the store is bad or highly processed as I suspect it is. But that’s all I can do at this point is be suspicions….and why not…the food industry really gives us no choice. First I find out that I have to really be careful when buying Stevia, only to buy the Sweetlead brand because all others are using a chemical process to “purify” it. And then we just learned that Agave Nector is actually a highly processed “un-natural” product. And of course we know that soy based processed items undergo a massive chemical process to extract and purify.

So what is a suspicious health conscious person suppose to do? Make your own Almond Milk! Take control of the ingreidents that are going into your body.

The recipe to make Almond Milk is very easy. All you need is…

1/4 cup raw almonds
1 cup water
2 teaspoons of 100% pure maple syrup. (Not the processed crap)

Now the normal recipe calls to blanch the almonds first. I never do as I love the gritty fiber that comes along for the ride when I use almond milk in my smoothies or recipes. You then blend the almonds and syrup until it turns a white foamy look. Next, the recipe calls to use a cheesecloth to remove the almond refuse…which again I do not do. Matter fact I want all that Almond refuse!

So I now take the 1 cup of Almond Milk and use that in my protein ball recipe! I also add one tablespoon of Chai Seeds and I have a really great protein ball. It holds its form well and taste great!!!

Nutritional Facts for each ball (I was able to make 15 all together):

180 calories
7 gr sugar
10 gr protein
4 gr fat
24 gr carbs

What is the Beachbody Ultimate Reset?

Tom — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 02:11:19 +0000

It’s a comprehensive, no-starvation, inner body tune-up. In just 21 days, the Ultimate
Reset can help you gently restore your body to its original “factory settings,” to help
you:
• Have more energy and greater focus*
• Experience better digestion and a more positive mood*
• Enable your body to function more efficiently*
• Help you lose weight*
• Improve your overall health.*

Why Reset?
Our environment has become more and more toxic. Our bodies absorb pollution and
harmful chemicals all our lives, along with the air we breathe, the food we eat, and
the water we drink. These toxins can get stored in our bodies, clogging our cells and
slowing down their natural functions.
It’s not enough just to work out and eat right. At Beachbody, we realized we had to
take a break from the everyday and find a way to get those toxins out of our bodies.
Along with getting in shape on the outside, we had to start getting healthy on the
inside. We decided it was time for a Reset.

What the Beachbody Ultimate Reset is NOT:
• A starvation diet. (You’ll eat three filling, healthy meals every day.)
• An abrupt cleanse that’s hard on the body. (The supplements work together
gradually to gently shift your body’s internal settings.)*
• A laxative-based, colon-focused cleanse, which fails to truly detoxify the
whole body. (You won’t be running to the bathroom every hour!)
To learn more, find out what to expect during the Reset, and read Success Stories
from test group participants, go to my Web site and click on the Beachbody Ultimate Reset banner. Or contact me directly and I’ll be glad to answer any questions you might have.

Get ready to restore your inner health!

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

So is Coffee good or bad for you??

Tom — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:07:36 +0000

Seems like every week a new report comes out showing the benefits and evils of consuming coffee. Personally I believe drinking small size cups of coffee with no added junk is perfectly fine and actually has some advantages for athletes. It’s the oversized, liter size Starbuck mugs serving up deserts that have a some resemblance to coffee flavor that is the problem.

I just came across two excellent articles by Steve Edwards that pretty much lays out the same thought and I thought I would share. Here is a link to his 10 things to love and hate about coffee. Below is his second article. - Enjoy!

Article: The Latté Lowdown: 10 Things to Like and Not Like About Coffee
By Steve Edwards
Depending on how you interpret statistics, coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world. Together with its brethren, tea, only soda measures up in a popularity contest. Because they all contain caffeine, they’re often lumped together in one group, which is a pity because they couldn’t be further apart. Both coffee and tea are natural tonics steeped in lore and tradition. Soda, on the other hand, has nothing natural about it. It’s a purely man-made concoction designed to elicit a drug-like response and cravings.

Coffee and tea may often be referred to as “drugs,” but that is a misnomer. They are natural herbal elixirs, more akin to echinacea than ibuprofen. A quick search of the National Institute of Health’s database shows 8,617 studies on coffee alone and 25,164 on caffeine as of the time of writing this article. The overwhelming majority of these studies are positive. Humans have been drinking coffee for longer than recorded history, and research confirms that it has very few downsides. Soda, on the other hand, has only been around a few generations, and the first long-term studies on it have just started to appear. The appalling results link both regular and diet sodas to myriad diseases and decreased life span. So, to repeat: In no way should these beverages ever be related.

Just because coffee has tradition and science on its side doesn’t mean you should have a 64-ounce trucker’s mug permanently attached to your wrist. As with all “healthy” foods, supplements, tonics, or herbs; common sense—if not downright restraint—should be employed with use. Let’s take a look at 10 things to like and not like about coffee.

Coffee can keep you awake. This can be the desired effect, but if it hampers your ability to sleep when you want to, give it a miss. While coffee has all kinds of cool benefits, none of those are as beneficial as sleep. During the various stages of sleep, our body releases many powerful regenerative hormones, making it the greatest natural performance aid around. Furthermore, a 17-year-old study out of England, featuring 10,000 participants, showed those who cut their sleep from seven hours a night to five or less faced a 1.7-fold increased risk in mortality from all causes and more than double the risk of cardiovascular death. Sleep first. Then, consider a cup of java.
“Insert your favorite flavor”-accino doesn’t make it coffee. For millennia, coffee was consumed in small cups and, perhaps, enhanced by a touch of sugar or milk. Only since the Starbucks^® revolution, has it been possible to order what was formerly a cup o’ Joe and have it delivered as something that was formerly a milkshake. The majority of most coffee house menus are filled with items that aren’t really coffee, but rather coffee-spiked dessert. Coffee and tea have zero calories. A spoonful of sugar and dash of milk contain around 40 calories. The average drink at Starbucks contains 300 empty calories or more, turning most people’s conception of coffee into something closer to soda. So before ordering your next Choco-Vanilla-accino-Frappé, consider that even one soda a day greatly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
It’s a magic elixir. And now for some good news. A 20-year-old study that followed some 84,000 women and 44,000 men concluded that coffee had a bevy of benefits. Published in the May 2, 2006, issue of Circulation, the study concluded that drinking coffee isn’t harmful to cardiovascular health, as had been long assumed, and may even be beneficial. From Harvard Health, “The latest research has not only confirmed that moderate coffee consumption doesn’t cause harm, it’s also uncovered possible benefits. Studies show that the risk for type 2 diabetes is lower among regular coffee drinkers than among those who don’t drink it. Also, coffee may reduce the risk of developing gallstones, discourage the development of colon cancer, improve cognitive function, reduce the risk of liver damage in people at high risk for liver disease, and reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Coffee has also been shown to improve endurance performance in long-duration physical activities.” Need I say more? I’m just getting started . . .
Coffee can reduce the pain of exercise. An article published in the April 2009 edition of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism shows that coffee can kill some of the pain associated with rigorous exercise. “Caffeine works on a system in the brain and spinal cord (the adenosine neuromodulatory system) that is heavily involved in pain processing,” said Robert Motl, kinesiology and community health professor at University of Illinois. These results seemed constant whether or not the subjects were habitual caffeine drinkers. So much for the knock on caffeinated pre-workout supplements!
You’re less likely to get type 2 diabetes. It’s not all about caffeine. A slew of studies report that coffee lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. The July 6, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at data from many of them and concluded that their findings were, indeed, true. One of those, from the February 2006 issue of Diabetes Care, found that decaf lowers the risk of diabetes as well, suggesting that something other than caffeine is likely responsible.
It can increase your sports performance. This probably isn’t too surprising since, for many years, caffeine was on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned substance list. Coffee increases many processes in the body that can lead to better performance. Among its ergogenic (performance enhancing) benefits are better mental focus, increased ability to use fat as fuel (which spares your glycogen stores), and increased ability to release calcium stored in the muscle, leading to greater power output, not to mention the one I referenced in number four. And you don’t need a trucker’s mug to do it. Studies at the Australian Institute of Sport report that athletes get the full caffeine effect with as little as 1 milligram of caffeine per kilogram of body weight, or about 1 cup of coffee for an average human.
Coffee makes you smart. A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in August 2006 followed 676 healthy, older men from Finland, the Netherlands, and Italy for 10 years and measured their cognitive function. Those who drank coffee had lower rates of age-related cognitive decline than those who didn’t, with maximum protection seen in men who drank 3 cups of coffee a day.
You’re less likely to get prostate cancer. Men are advised to have regular prostate cancer testing done once they hit the not-so-ripe-old-age of 40. Turns out, coffee is one of your greatest allies in the fight against it, especially when you drink a lot of it. A 2006 study conducted on 50,000 men over a 20-year period concluded that those who drank coffee were 60 percent less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer. And here’s where tea drinkers might listen up too. “Caffeine in coffee doesn’t seem to be the link, since the same reduction was seen for consumption of decaffeinated coffee,” stated Kathryn Wilson, a research fellow in epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. “It has something to do with insulin and glucose metabolism. A number of studies have found that coffee is (also) associated with a reduced risk of diabetes.” It’s also worth noting that 6 cups a day seemed like the magic number, as that’s where the risks were lowest. A follow-up in 2011 has further confirmed this study.
Six is the magic number for cancer. In 2007, almost 94,000 women participated in a study that found that those who drank caffeinated coffee daily had a 10 percent lower risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer, while those who drank 6 or more cups daily had an almost 40 percent reduction in risk. This time, caffeine seems like the key, as researchers were able to uncover the mechanism by which caffeine helps lower the risk. Caffeine molecules were already known to behave as a natural sunscreen, but they also found the stimulant to have a positive effect on DNA.
Coffee reduces your chance of having a stroke. I raise your six and give you eight. A 2008 study of more than 26,000 male smokers in Finland found that the men who drank 8 or more cups of coffee a day had a 23 percent lower risk of having a stroke than the men who drank little or no coffee. Other reports suggest the effect applies to healthy nonsmokers, too. This was backed by researchers at UCLA and USC who examined data on coffee consumption and stroke prevalence among more than 9,000 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. At a 2009 conference, they reported that the likelihood of having a stroke was highest among people who didn’t drink coffee and lowest among those who drank the most coffee: 5 percent of people who drank 1 or 2 cups a day suffered strokes, whereas 2.9 percent of people who drank 6 or more cups suffered strokes. So much for moderation.

Turns out there’s a good reason coffee is not just popular to drink but has an almost cult-like following; it makes life better. And it seems that we knew it long before we could prove it. Just like the British and their beloved tea, coffee is a part of our culture and our history. From literature, to art, to music, and cinema, life wouldn’t be the same without a steaming hot cup of Good Morning America^®.

In closing, I’d like to leave you with a few pearls of wisdom from one of coffee’s most outspoken fans—artist, musician, and film director David Lynch. “I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don’t plan it, don’t wait for it, just . . . let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men’s store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee.” —Special Agent Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks.

Resources:

Abel, Ernest L et al. “Daily coffee consumption and prevalence of nonmelanoma skin cancer in Caucasian women.” European journal of cancer prevention the official journal of the European Cancer Prevention Organisation ECP 16.5 (2007) : 446-452.
Conis, E. April 10, 2011. Coffee Studies Should Warm Your Heart. Los Angeles Times.
Ferrie, Jane E et al. “A Prospective Study of Change in Sleep Duration: Associations with Mortality in the Whitehall II Cohort.” Sleep (Rochester) 30.12 (2007) : 1659-1666.
Hu, F B et al. “Coffee consumption and coronary heart disease in men and women: a prospective cohort study.” Circulation 113.7169 (2006) : 1341-1345.
Gliottoni, Rachael C et al. “Effect of caffeine on quadriceps muscle pain during acute cycling exercise in low versus high caffeine consumers.” International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 19.2 (2009) : 150-161.
Tarnopolsky, Mark A. “Effect of caffeine on the neuromuscular system—potential as an ergogenic aid.” Applied physiology nutrition and metabolism Physiologie appliquee nutrition et metabolisme 33.6 (2008) : 1284-1289.
Van Dam, Rob M, and Frank B Hu. “Coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review.” Jama The Journal Of The American Medical Association 294.1 (2005) : 97-104.
Vasanti S. Malik, SCD, Barry M. Popkin, PHD et al. “Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes.” Diabetes Care November 2010; 33(11): 2477-2483.
Wilson, K M et al. “Coffee Consumption and Prostate Cancer Risk and Progression in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.” JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2011) : djr151-.

Exercise is Beneficial for Cancer Patients

Tom — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:32:02 +0000

Special thanks to David Haas for reaching out and asking to post this very uplifting article on my blog. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I really appreciate the following point:

Cancer is not the end, but a second beginning. While exercise is not a cure, it can be
a path to a happier, healthier life during and after treatment.

Here is the full article:

A cancer diagnosis is a scary and often surprising event. Many patients going
through mesothelioma treatment may fear losing strength and fitness by having to
rest all the time. The good news is exercise is ok during and after cancer, and may
help to extend life.

While it may seem contradictory, the more exercise a person gets, the less tired
they are. Physical activity helps to build the cardiopulmonary fitness level and keeps
muscles strong, which reduces the overall fatigue experienced by patients. The best
way to avoid the cycle of tiredness, lack of activity, wasting of muscles and more
fatigue is to get up and get moving any way possible.

An exercise regimen can guard against the nausea that often accompanies
treatment. Why this works is not clear, but it is thought that the redirection of blood
away from the abdomen may play a role. Physical activity raises metabolism and
increases the rate at which food is digested, reducing the urge to vomit. Going
outside and moving around may provide the patient a welcome distraction from the
disease and its symptoms, helping the person to feel less nauseous.

Exercising regularly can reduce anxiety, depression, insomnia and stress and help
the patient feel more independent. A fitness regimen can also bring social benefits
by allowing friends and family to tag along, increasing self esteem and motivation. In
the long term, exercise will help the patient maintain weight and provide protection
against osteoporosis and heart disease, both of which play a part in overall health
and longevity.

The American Cancer Society suggests any patient considering an exercise routine
to first discuss it with a doctor. It is best to start slow and work up to more intense
activity, with an emphasis on muscle strengthening and aerobics. Simple household
tasks such as raking the yard or washing the car are simple ways to keep up a
fitness level between workouts. Before exercise, proper warm ups such as stretching
and knee lifts should be performed to prevent injury. The patient should immediately
stop a workout if there is shortness of breath, very rapid heartbeat or any kind
of pain. It is also ok to not exercise on some days, as rest is just as important as
fitness.

Some may benefit from engaging a personal trainer to oversee an exercise program
and to help them meet fitness goals. There are trainers who specialize the needs of
cancer patients and can be recommended by the hospital or personal physician.

Cancer is not the end, but a second beginning. While exercise is not a cure, it can be
a path to a happier, healthier life during and after treatment.

Shakeology protein balls

Tom — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:20:24 +0000

I think I finally found the perfect homemade protein bar mix. In my past attempts I tried to make non-baked Shakeology Protein Bars, but they were always too goey and messy. So I removed the Almond milk from the mix and just used a little bit of water to help mix the ingredients. Made my first batch last night and I got a overall vote of approval from the Insanity Fit Club crew this morning.

Ingredients:

4 cups Rolled Oats
1 cup water
3 scoops Chocolate Shakeology (Yes I’m partial to Shakeology. You can use any Chocolate Protein powder, but there is no comparison to Shakeology. Also research the alternative protein powder and see if it’s on the hit list for those main brand name protein powders that contain an alarming amount of heavy metals and other junk.
1 scoop Vanilla Vegan Protein (Sun Warrior is a brand you can trust, next to Shakeology).
4 tbsp Organic Peanut Butter
4 tbsp Raw Organic Honey

Directions:

Just mix the protein powders, Shakeology and rolled oats first. Add the water, PB, honey and the mixing will get harder but keep at it. I do like bits of PB to be staggered around, so don’t feel it has to be a perfect mix. But I’m weird that way. Now take an ice cream scooper and stuff it with the mix, and drop on wax paper. Place and store in the refrigerator for a few hours and they should firm up nicely.

Now you have a great protein treat that is easy to take anywhere and won’t get messy. Best yet, you control the ingredients and these non baked versions will beat the pants off anything you can buy off the shelf.

Nutritional Info:

I was able to make 21 balls from this batch. So the breakdown is:

126 calories
7 g Protein
4 g sugar
17 g carbs
3 g fat

ENJOY!

Free Tropical Shakeology packets on the way

Tom — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 02:23:00 +0000

I finally was able to catch up this weekend and get all the requests fulfilled! During this process I realized how terribly un-organized I am in tracking all the request I get from email, SM, and face to face. I’ve tried using Gmail’s label system, google docs spreadsheets, and even an on-line CRM system called HQ Highrise. All cool and great tools, but I still let many more request then I originally suspected fall through the cracks. So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, if you don’t receive your requested free sample within the next 2 days, please send me a reminder.

Going forward I think I’ve come up with a better solution. You can still send me an email if that’s more convenient for you. However, I’ve created a Store for my blog that I would like to implement. You will now notice the STORE link in the menu bar above. This will allow folks to request their free sample, or even a non commitment larger order options of Shakeology. I always say folks tell me how great Shakeology taste, but to FEEL the benefit one needs to use Shakeology for at least 5 days. So hopefully this will help. But more important, I now have an Order Fulfillment process that should allow me to perfectly track new request and know which ones have yet to be shipped. So I hope to have that rolled out in the next day or two. In the meantime, use my normal contact form to make your request.

Natural Sweetener Truvia turns out to be not so natural

Tom — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:37:37 +0000

I was really devastated to learn recently that my efforts to use a natural sweetener product based on the Stevia plant was in fact not so natural. First, a recap.

Hello, my name is Tom and I’m a Diet Coke addict. Good, now that’s out of the way. I’m going on two years of not touching the stuff and it’s been amazingly easy. While I did drink 8 to 10 cans of Diet Coke a day as I lost my 50 lbs, I finally reached a point where dropping the weight was not enough if I want to be healthy and fit. So as I learned the dangers of aspartame and splenda type of artificial sweeteners, I just decided to go cold turkey. And that’s been that. With the help of Stevia related sweeteners and natural flavored sparkling water…I’ve had no more cravings for Diet soda at all! And I find myself just able to enjoy plain water if I get thirsty. That is a first for me. I also think Shakeology has greatly helped in taking off the edge of the cravings.

My Stevia sweetener of choice for the last year has been Truvia. I had a friend (Wendy) who tried to tell me that stevia based products still incorporated synthetic chemical processing in what they call the “purification” process. Well I would have none of that crazy talk and kept on using the product. Now in my defense I did include a lot of natural sweeteners in my nutrition plan, such as raw organic Honey, 100% pure maple syrup and agave nectar. These are great to use because one, they are all natural and body know hows to handle and utilize the sugar. And two, there are actual nutritional benefits to use these natural sweeteners that help the body. However they suck as a coffee sweetner. So I insisted on using my truvia. Because with a name like truvia, how can it not be a true natural sweetner…it says so right on the box! And Cargil would never lie to us…right?

Well as I dug deeper I started to see Wendy’s point. And then I can across this excellent blog post titled Will the real Stevia please stand up. A very well laid out article that explains what to look out for when selecting your Stevia products. In a nutshell….it appears Stevia products on the market sold as Stevia are in fact in name only. The truth is they are chemically processed and use corn based products as fillers.

But the good news is that there is an easy way to know if you are picking an all natural solutions. The article mentions the following…

HOW TO READ THE LABEL ON A STEVIA PRODUCT

Stevia products made from the highly commercialized and processed compound of Stevia will say “stevia,” “stevia extract,” “rebiana,” “Reb A,” or “Reb-A.”

Stevia products that contain these ingredients, “stevia Leaf,” “Stevia Rebaudiana,” or “Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni,” are made from the original Stevia extract (Steviol glycosides) which includes all the Stevia compounds in their natural state using only water extraction process.

So checking around found out from Dr. Patrick Baker recommends Liquid Stevia. Details on this can be found in the natural sweetener link I provided above.

But my quest to find a sweetner for my coffee is still on. And I would perfer to find a solution that includes packets or is easy to transport on trips. Maybe the Liquid Stevia will do the trick. Do you have a good solution I should know about? Please feel free to leave a comment or message me, I would really appreicate some feedback!

It’s not your age that matters

Tom — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:38:33 +0000

As this image indicates, it really isn’t your age that matters….but what you do while you are aging.

I came across this excellent article how chronic exercise preserves lean muscle mass. It really stresses a current trend…

Our modern lifestyle has led to more people having sedentary jobs and fewer recreational activities. Thus, living longer does not necessarily mean living well, as one-third of aging Americans become disabled.

But there is good news, because as the article goes on it mentions aging is NOT the culprit!

… more accurately related to the effects of sedentary living

This doesn’t mean you need to become a triathlete, but you do need to get off that couch….sorry.

How to get your Free P90x2 Tshirt!

Tom — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:55:18 +0000

You doing P90x2?!! Well make sure you take those before pictures and then you complete the 90 day program, submit your success story for a free P90X2 tshirt!! Sorry, you actually have to DO p90x2 to get the shirt!