Happy Customer Service Week!

I'm hoping you've got it marked on your calendar --> It's National Customer Service Week! (I assume smart people celebrate it all across the world, but I believe we only formally recognize this here in the US... thus the "National" distinction. With some Canada thrown in too.)

First of all I would like to be the first to say "THANK YOU" to the people on our customer service staff who have taken the hit for a very challenging year. Although, I know I am not first, because Jorge Molina who runs the department thanks them everyday. With the new business model, challenges in our processing systems, and an increase in shipments, we've had longer hold times, some angrier customers who rightfully are confounded when the rep they are speaking too can offer only intermittent access to their customer information. I mean it when I tell you, these folks have taken the bullet for us. But things have recently seen incredible improvement. This week signals the change, a shift toward the excellence we all seek for Beachbody Customer Service.

Our customer service management team is so strong it is difficult to say anything except, we got lucky. That luck started when we asked our utility player, Heather Church to find us some help to supplement our customer service area back in the early days. Her nose for talent ws keen since the three people she hired as temps back in 2001 still work for us - and have evolved their careers into something really special. Cintra continues to work with the Beachbody community while she spends time raising her son. Drew has grown from customer service temp to our Training Manager. Amber has also grown from temp rep to our Director of CRM. When I need an answer, I know she can find a way to get it for me. And I think everyone in the company feels that way.

Things got so tight this year that I finally had to take a deep breath, and look into expansion off shore. One of our senior managementnt team, Ravi has contacts in India that were well educated and well trained. When it came to fighting this year's customer service fires Jorge even had the chops to get this offshore capability implemented in under two months, instantly expanding our customer service capabilities by 50%, and instantly cut our benchmark hold times drastically. There were times last Friday our hold times were under thirty seconds! Awesome!

I know many of our customer service staff feel what they do goes by unnoticed. But it's not true. We know that when we give them the right tools and capacity, they are the bedrock of the company. When we struggle with technology, they feel the heat. My gratitude for this group runs so deep, I am almost embarrasseded to visit. Any action I take feels like it would be insufficient.

So at Beachbody we are taking this week to recognize them, and their noble profession, servicing the reason we have a company in the first place: Our awesome customers.

[Pictured -- Jorge, Delia, Shakima and Jude]

We will have competitions all week that recognize a spirit of "Focus on the Customer" and create fun ways to say thank you for their efforts. There will be team competitions, in the categories of Perfect Attendance, Customer Compliments, plus some funny costume and food competitions.

We will also have a "composition competition", where many in the department will share their best Beachbody Customer Service story. A winner will be selected each day of the week.
This is my favorite part. THIS IS THE STUFF I NOTICE. THIS IS THE STUFF WHICH MAKES ME LOVE THIS COMPANY EVEN MORE.

So, with this blog entry I say "Thanks to YOU, CS Team." I know it hasn't been easy. But I am hoping recent efforts to make it work better will succeed. In the meantime, please accept my gratitude, my salute, and resounding "hooyah!" for a valiant effort and your continued commitment to our customers and delivering on our Core Values.

WOWY>>>> Closing in on 200,000

With the increased traffic to WOWY during the fall and the $100-a-day giveaway in October, I wouldn't be surprised to see us get very close to 200,000 WOWY workouts by mid-November.

If you participate in WOWY at a predictable time, I hope you check out the Success Buddies feature. It is so helpful to other people to have accountability - and knowing that there are two other people who have RSVP'ed to workout at the same time as you is that extra nudge to make sure everyone shows up.

If you don't currently participate in WOWY, I hope you check it out and upload a photo so we can see your face as we log in. It's a very interesting application of the Internet to help people stay motivated and feel connected to others who are choosing in-home fitness or their own personal activity to stay fit. (It's actually more social, and less judgmental than the gym if you ask me.)

Of course, I am hoping the $100 each day will help make it that much more interesting. The winner of the random drawing from anyone who WOWYed the prior day is announced on the WOWY home page.

On Motivation and the Masters Series

The first two titles of the Power 90 Masters Series are now available at Beachbody!

The first 2 titles are "Core Cardio" and "Plyo-Legs". And they have been designed to help people reach the next level after completing Power 90. And for those who want a comfortable bridge from phase 3-4 of Power 90 to the big mama, P90X, the Power 90 Masters series will take you there, gracefully, so you keep your momentum and stay motivated.

Speaking of motivation, the other day I was talking to two buddies, who were remarking how a mutual friend seemed forever frustrated by her weight.

One said "She needs to just resign herself that she's a big girl."

The other said "She's not getting younger. She says she wants to meet men. But it's not happening. She doesn't need to resign herself. She needs to do something."

To which the first replied "What she needs is for you to get off her back about it. She knows what she needs. The bottom line is, she needs to decide to be happy, no matter what, and then do what she needs to be healthy."

Interesting conversation to witness, especially as I see people who have amazing results with their first Power 90 round, then they struggle to keep that motivation through to the next phase of their fitness or weight loss when the mirror is telling them they look great.

The bottom line is, motivation changes. Some days it will be the desire to look great on a vacation, to impress someone at a reunion, or to be fit for a sports activity. But hopefully, ultimately, a person will find traction with a more substantial goal that makes exercise and portion control a habit in their lives.

For long term consistency, you just don't want to be pressing "play" to satisfy a demand of your ego. You don't want to be eating healthy because of how you might get down another dress size. You don't want to be looking in the mirror thinking, "If I just got that body part into shape, I'd be happy." That's a cycle you can never win. Because you will find that despite wins along the way, you will never be perfect enough, or thin enough, or as attractive as you want. Your ego will always find something to criticize when that's the way you train your mind to motivate you to take action. I think that kind of motivation is fine to drive flights of intensity, but in general, you need something more substantial if you want to maintain your results.

You want get traction into how the benefits of this lifestyle really can IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR LIFE. The most inspiring testimonials we've interviewed all have that theme; When you're fit, you can do more. When you are fit participate with people. When you are fit you struggle less with survival, and get on with living. When you eat right your body works better. When you eat right you have more energy. It all serves your moods, your patience, your zest, your outlook.

THAT'S THE TRACTION which we need to get to, to really get the benefits of these programs. And that does not happen by accident!

One of my favorite books is Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich." The philosophy of that book does not just apply to wealth creation, as he explains. It applies to anything you want to achieve. You need to make a habit of focusing your mind. That's where traction comes from. It is not by accident. It is by deliberate, conscious choice where people decide that, in this case, a healthy lifestyle is not optional.

My point is, focus your mind not on the ego benefits, but the short and long term health benefits of this lifestyle. Those benefits are for real and will never change. Of course, your ego will argue with you along the way that those benfits are not worth the effort. This is what I hear my mind say all the time when it's late and time to push play; "No no... let's just watch some TV. Hey look, the phone. Call Pizza Hut!" But if I want to create and maintain a success mentality, I need to control my mind to get traction on living this lifestyle.

I felt it was appropriate to reemphasize this as we look forward to the Hawaii trip as well. Many people from past trips have been so motivated for that trip that they peak, and then when that motivation is gone the day after the trip, they slide back into old habits. They let it all go. And then just a few months later, they disappear from the community in their self-imposed shame that their success celebration might have been a hoax on themselves. The weight came back. But I don't want to see that happen this year. (It's the main reason that each year we consider terminating that trip.)

Frankly, that's what the whole point of the "90 Day in-home boot camp" was in the first place. Getting people with no plan to change things, to commit to something for 90 days. "I can do anything for 90 days" is something we hear all the time. But we also hoped that people would take that 90 day success and find the momentum and will to keep at it. And more and more, we are hearing people say "I will now do this for the rest of my life."

I hope that's true, and I hope it is for you too.

This lifestyle is a conscious decision, and sometimes that requires discipline and focused thought. That's the traction that will give you the energy and power to get the most out of life. Yes, the ego will enjoy the change in appearance, but you can't let the ego run the show. The real motivation has to come from a healthier place. And if you make that part of the work, you might actually enjoy the workouts more too.

The Dating Service... How I Met Jon

After last week's "leaving Las Vegas" post I got a bunch of emails asking for more insight into how this all got started. So here goes:

In 1996 I was hired as a consultant for infomercial juggernaut Guthy-Renker. I was prospecting for direct response TV opportunities for them or just to find new businesses they might want to get into. I looked at transactional programming ideas, new media concepts, retail kiosks, hardware products, and housewares (surprisingly, no fitness.)

And then one day, a dating/matchmaking service got pulled out of the "not for GRC" file, and landed on my desk. Code name; "Comfy Shoes". Very hush hush.

This dating service was being promoted in partnership with radio stations and was growing fast. It was an interesting concept that was poised to explode as more radio stations sought "non traditional revenue" by promoting the "dateline" service under their station call letters. As my staff and I were researching the concept, one person actually started dating a guy she had met through the service, and two years later they were married. True story! This concept worked for anyone who could get past the stigma of "dating service"! In fact it was working so well on radio, that Guthy-Renker and I decided to go for it and attempt to expand the business to more radio stations and eventually television. It went from hush-hush, to all-speed-ahead, The Select Network was born.

Ben van de Bunt, the Exec VP of GRC who also runs business affairs for the company believed I would be over my head operationally if I tried to go it alone. Turned out a guy who was a friend of his at UCLA was then a school teacher looking to get more aggressive about his career. This was a guy Ben trusted, who he felt had a work ethic that would match mine; Jon Congdon. (This is saying a lot by the way, because Ben has stellar judgment and can break a situation down into its critical pieces as well as anyone I have ever met. So his faith in Jon alone made it an easy decision to want to meet.)

And of course, Jon and I hit if off immediately. We were yin and yang... Where I can be impulsive, Jon will contemplate change carefully. Where I might round corners to get to market faster, Jon will patiently push for "just right" execution. Where I sit in my office alone contemplating new concepts which could create a breakthrough, Jon excels at working with the team on execution, management, analysis, and relationship building. Plus he's funny. So we laugh a lot. And he's fantastically tall, so any photos of us together are kind of comical. Bottom line; We were a good match from day one.

Which is ironic, because the point of the business was to help people improve the productivity of their "matches" by pairing singles together based on stated interests and relationship objectives. But it turns out, we were probably a year late to that game. The internet was starting to fill the automated matchmaking need quite well, in fact a company called "PerfectMatch.com" was clearly doing it better than we were. But we slugged it out for a couple years, building up The Select Network to over 100 radio stations, 50 TV stations, plus a handful of cable networks and syndicated TV shows (even including a spot that was dedicated to helping the Jerry Springer show TV audience find their ideal match... not sure what I was thinking would result from that one, but it was surreal trying to make it succeed).

Ultimately Guthy-Renker decided to exit the business. Jon and I were disappointed at the time, because, as I like to say, "the premise has promise". Dating is a nightmare if you're doing it by random selection. It just makes sense to give people a better selection process than catching someone's eye at the corner bar. If you want to increase your odds of dating success, it makes sense to start with a basis for compatibility based on guidelines which have merit for long term relationships. And it would make sense that those guidelines should be beyond the type of drink you order or where you work, right?

Preferences like religious beliefs, age, ethnicity, hobbies and social styles are the guidelines that help two people start a potential match with some common ground. That's not to say that those guidelines deliver the entire picture. Things like chemistry and communication style are so important, and no computer can figure that out for you. But it makes sense that starting on a common platform, especially where the people entering share the same interest in a long term relationship, would give people a better chance of finding Mr. or Mrs. Right. But our chance to make the premise work in an infomercial was over.

That's when I asked Jon if he wanted to start a new company that, whatever we focused on, would be innovative, significant, and use the internet to create an affinity with the brand and community among customers. Basically, use what we learned in our brush with dating, and find a broader market. About a year later, Beachbody was born.

Of course, ever since we started Beachbody.com, we knew there would be a day when we would revisit the concept of matchmaking on some level. But, rather than build it from scratch, we decided to simply look to the company that was doing it right way back when. So we struck up a new relationship that might help those single members who were interested, get closer to their goal of being... un-single.

So, as you start to see messaging from PerfectMatch.com around the website - that's what's going on. We're giving the premise of affinity-based dating another chance within the realm of Beachbody. We'll still rigorously keep the focus around our boards and the community on fitness and weight loss, but don't be surprised to see us take a very active interest into the first Beachbody marriage that happens, when it happens!

Somehow, that one event would validate the work that brought Jon and I together in the first place. That people who share an interest in living a healthy lifestyle might be more fundamentally compatible than two people with an opposite approach to eating or being active.

And if you hear about a Beachbody marriage, PLEASE let 'em know we have a spot on the wall here at the offices for a wedding photo! We might even send them a protein package of P90X Meal Replacement Bars to serve to anyone at the reception who would like to skip the gravy-soaked roast beef in order to stay on their program and still have energy to do the chicken dance!

It's Just A Matter Of Time

I got some numbers* today which absolutely blew me away. Check it out:

Gym members in the US: 39.4 million
Gym revenue per year: $14 Billion

Average cost per member per year: $355.00

$355! That's $29.58 a month, average! That's before parking, gas to and from the gym, and the extra bucks you spend to compete in the daily gym fashion show. That's all real money.

There are 26,830 clubs in the US. That's an average of near 1,500 members a club. I don't know what the gyms in your area look like, but there's not 1,500 people showing up or even fitting into the Curves in Malibu. I get it: Sell a membership... Hope they don't show up. Nice racket.

And for those gym members that actually do get in their cars, fight the traffic, park, check in, find a locker, and get dressed (I'm tired already) once they're out on the gym floor they've still got to figure out for themselves how to get a world class workout. Or they can pay even more money for a trainer who might know what he's talking about. Then, once they get back in their car and drive home they've still got to figure out how to eat so they support their weight loss goal. Good luck.

That's $355 a year, plus travel costs, plus trainer, plus diet advice.

I know Beachbody has issues to clean up, and of course we're in business to make a profit too. But our business is first focused on customer success. Each individual, each package that goes out the door, carries our hope that the package will find its way into the hands of a person who will take advantage of the expertise in that box and the most supportive peer group ever assembled at MyBeachbody.

So if you ever hear people wondering if the money they spend on a Beachbody system is really worth it, or whether a membership to MyBeachbody with diet info and peer support and direct access to our experts is worth it, tell them to surf through the smiling faces on the success stories page. See what real success looks like. And remember that not only did they NOT have to pay $355 a year to get in that shape, they got those results in less time from some of the best trainers in the world. Tony Horton, Debbie Siebers, Kathy Smith, Gillian Marloth and Teigh McDonough... and of course, Chalene Johnson. Once you've seen her in action, the neighborhood aerobics class is going to look like an amateur talent show. You just can't get this kind of professional, comprehensive guidance at the local gym. And you certainly can't get it for this price.

In-home fitness - the Beachbody way. Look-out gym business. It's just a matter of time. This baby's gonna tilt.



*Source: 2003 IHRSA/American Sports Data Health Club Trend Report

Leaving Las Vegas

As I mentioned in my last post, this week a bunch of us from Product Partners/Beachbody attended the annual Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) convention in Las Vegas. Basically, it’s where all the infomercial companies and vendors get together each year, and I’ve been going since the association was formed.

It is interesting to return to these events and see the same faces each year. Having been in this business since 1987, it’s like a reunion, or a career highlight film. I enjoy running into guys like Jim Caldwell, who was the first to hire me to produce an infomercial in ‘87. I’ll never forget Jim asking me if I could produce an infomercial, and as an eager TV production salesman I said “of course”, making a mental note to find out what the heck an infomercial was. (In case you don’t know – it’s a program length commercial, usually around a half hour long.) And once I got started, I moved around to every aspect of the business, from production, to media buying, international distribution and operations, and later to being an entrepreneur, sourcing and creating new products.

I would list some of the names of the people I ran into, but it would probably only be interesting reading to me. I’ve worked with most of the leaders in the business, and it’s a list of some of the most interesting characters and personalities you could imagine. Walking the convention floor and seeing the same people I’ve worked with when this business was an infant, who are now ultra-successful, is surreal.

At the same time, I can hardly describe the pride I felt sitting in on meetings with the Beachbody team as they consider opportunities which can improve our operations, telemarketing, and production. Truly, world class. Asking the right questions. Never being arrogant. Open to new ideas, but never getting pushed around. The exact culture Jon and I set out to create when we launched the company in 1998.

One thing I heard at the show is how people in the industry, even competitors I’ve never met, talking about Beachbody with pride in what we do and how we do it. Acquaintances would call me or Jon over and say “This is one of the guys who started that company I was telling you about, Beachbody, with the website and the real customer success stories.” I had a bunch of those moments when you see people pointing at you and nodding from across the room. I figure either I had spinach in my teeth or they’re actually talking about some Vegas showgirl who’s standing somewhere behind me. Nope. They’re talking about Beachbody.

Last night I was lucky enough to attend an informal dinner with senior executives from billion dollar mega-success marketer Guthy-Renker, and spent the meal sitting beside their marketing team of Jonathan Flicker and Jeff Engler, plus Greg Renker (The “Renker”, of Guthy-Renker). I’ve known Greg since 1989 when I was running a national satellite media business that ran what I think was their “Think and Grow Rich” infomercial. And I was lucky enough to work with and learn from them for a couple years just prior to starting Beachbody. When I first congratulated Greg on his success last night, without hesitation he pointed at his executive team of Ben van de Bunt and Kevin Knee who were in another conversation nearby and said “honestly the smartest thing was hiring those guys.” If you’ve ever read “Good To Great”, you’ll recall that the characteristic of a leader that builds a company from good-to-great is called level 5, where the level 5 leader doesn’t bask in the spotlight of success, he shares it. There’s proof.

And with all their success, I was again impressed with how Greg still enjoys what he called “the riddle” of trying to make an infomercial work. The true test of whether you love what you do or not comes when you’ve made your fortune, and you are still motivated to make it bigger and better.

Which is also why I am already back home, while the convention continues through the week. The lion’s share of my job is not in networking or reminiscing, it is creating and working to improve everything we do. That’s what I love. And that happens in the office. Back at it in the morning.

I've Always Wanted to Live on a Boat

This is the view from the porch on my first floor. Normally you could see a sliver of sand down there. But not this week... Calm one moment, then SLAM a wave will hit the house the next!

You might have heard of the high surf conditions along the Southern California coast. Let me tell you, as a person who lives by the beach on the southern end of Malibu (the slums of zip code 90265), it's more like living on the water than by the water.

Honestly, the last few days of waves crashing into the foundation of this summer rental sounds and feels like I live on a tank practice range or in the center of Beirut. It's intense and shakes the entire building with a deep "BABOOOM!" every time a set of waves regroups to attack. Kind of exciting... But for a very light sleeper, it's also a great time to head to Vegas for the annual Electronic Retailers conference with Jon and the team from Product Partners. I'll try to post photos from the convention to give you a peek.

It's Oktoberfest - WOWY style!

Yes... I have no shame. I'll do anything to encourage daily WOWY participation and more success buddy activity within the MyBeachbody community.

We're repeating the $100-a-day giveaway we launched last October, with the same theme, artwork, and prize money. The goals of the promotion are (1) to encourage people to have a current photo on their WOWY identity, (2) and to turn up the October activity while we head into the holiday season.

As you may know, WOWY stands for "Work Out With You". It's our patent pending free-to-join super gym, where people who exercise at home can make themselves accountable just like they were showing up for an aerobics class at the gym (without the commute or grungy locker). It's the only community that gives you the sense that, even though you're working out at home, you're not alone!

Every day in October we'll reach into our cyber-ping-pong ball machine to choose the $100 winner from every member who logged into workout at WOWY, so long as they have an approved photo image.

We'll announce the winner of the prior day at the bottom of the WOWY.com home page each day, and send off another check for a hundred smackers.

So if you're going to workout, log in to WOWY, and based on the current run rate, you have about a one-in-300 chance* of getting paid $100 for your workout.

If you don't have a current WOWY photo, click here, log-in, and go to your WOWY Member page. At the bottom of the member page is "Manage My WOWY", and a link for "Change My WOWY Image". Follow directions, and we'll approve and post your image asap!

*odds based on my rough estimate of the number of WOWY workouts a day of people with photos.

The Annual Meeting of the HICs

Better known as the "Hawaii Invitation Committee," Jon, Heather, Lara (not pictured) and I (the "H.I.C.s") have spent the better part of the day reviewing a ton of submissions to join Tony Horton in Kauai this October.

We're gradually, painfully, trying to narrow it down to the final group of guests this week. We're all blown away by the number of substantial weight loss stories we have this year. And never before have we seen such a broad range of successes ranging from people who have lost over 100 pounds to absolute hard body transformations with Power 90.

Soccer moms, military, kids in highschool, teachers, clergy, police officers and firefighters -- the people that have found their inspiration from Power 90 have no common source or definition. Bottom line is, people of all walks continue to be inspired by the "I can do anything for 90 days" simplicity of Power 90.

We expect to notify people by the end of the week, and post the guest list shortly thereafter. I wish we could bring everyone. And as always, I hope people who submitted but are not invited still consider themselves success stories because of the stellar results they achieved. And that everyone continues to "push play" with the same persistence and commitment.

Yeah really -- Ten moves. Ten minutes.

OK, so I have been asked why a guy who graduated from P90X has been logging into WOWY to do our shortest program, Fast 10. I am hesitant to use this blog to promote it with the passion I have for this program, but here goes. This really is not a commercial, but I want to explain what the product is for those who have asked, in a more straight-forward way perhaps than the website explains it, and to explain why I use it more than our other programs for maintenance.

Why I like Fast 10...Two words: (1) Freedom (2) Time

Of everything we sell at Beachbody, Fast 10 is the only one I can really do without following a DVD. That's the freedom. As a CEO, I travel a fair amount. All I need to take with me when I travel is the B-Line band with the Fast 10 routine photos on the sides of the handles or the Body Cards, and I've got my routine. No DVD/TV. No walk through the hotel lobby in my shabby t-shirt and bad shorts to find the teeny hotel training room. No excuses for blowing a perfect month of consecutive workouts.

I do each move for a minute. Ten moves. Ten Minutes. And I'm done. That's more freedom, and a great quick workout.

Fast 10 also lets me get outside more, because like most people with an office job, I spend most of my time indoors. Example: I had a meeting outside of the office the other day. I went down the elevator to my car in the garage in Beverly Hills. Drove into the garage of the building in Century City, parked and rode up the elevator. The receptionist asked me if it was still hot outside. I said "Actually, I didn't go outside. I got here in a climate controlled tube and bubble system." It's kind of pathetic.

So when I get a chance to workout outside, I don't want to be tied to my TV. I take the bands outside with one of the seven "Fast 10 Body Cards" and do a couple rounds (after I put on sunscreen... usually.) Sometimes Ava will want to go for a swim in that one moment I have to workout. So she swims while I get my sweat going, poolside, with Fast 10. That's more freedom.

And sometimes it's not about the freedom -- it's about time. And contrary to what your logic might tell you, getting a small workout in is very effective if you make the time count. When people around the office wonder why my office door is closed for a couple times a day, it's not because I'm taking a nap in there or contemplating a corporate reorganization*, I'm knocking out a quick round of Fast 10. Ten moves. Ten minutes. Pumped and back to work with a healthier break than the folks shuttling in and out for a smoke break.

The key to the system is the resistance bands: When I first started to investigate who was using these bands, literally back in the early 90's, I was impressed and surprised: I interviewed NFL star Walter Peyton, tennis great Tracy Austin, boxers, snow skiers, baseball players -- all who use the bands for resistance when they workout at home and on the road. Last year I was at major league baseball's spring training with my father and brother and saw the entire Philadelphia Phillies spring roster lined up against a fence using bands to work their core/abs. YES - professional athletes really do use these bands.

When anyone really learns how to use them, they see how great they work compared to a full set of dumbbells. The key is that they supply the greatest amount of resistance where the muscle is the strongest. That's called "variable resistance", and it's why studies show that bands increase strength faster than dumbbells. (six times faster, actually... go figure) And in the middle of a set, if you hit the wall, you can adjust the tension on the fly. try that with a Bowflex. Well, don't. Cause you can't.

That's the answer to the people that saw me in WOWY today doing Fast 10. And since most people reading this already own a set of B-Lines bands with the photo handles, I highly recommend you use that feature whenever you are short on time or motivation to get in a full Power 90, Slim in 6, Project; You or other workout.

Grab the bands. Give yourself ten minutes. You will feel great, and you will know you got in a great quick workout good enough to count.

*usually

It's On The Way

It's really coming soon, the Power 90 Masters Series. Conservative estimate is that you will see the first two titles on the website by October 1st!

I'll keep you posted here too.

The Fresh Air of Another Beginning

This is a good time to give you a peek into the personal side of this blog (as promised) because this week has been a landmark for my family. It's the kind of week that reminds you that you're mortal. No matter what, the only constant is change.

Ava, my daughter, that cute little two year old you may have seen at the end of some of the workout videos on the beach in Kauai saying "Beachbody... dot commmm," is now five. And this is her first week of kindergarten. [Begin singing "and the circles, they go round and round and the painted ponies go up and down..."]

First let me say that, taking a kid to elementary school in Malibu is surreal. Dodging the line of Hummers, BMW's and Escalades as they all jockey for the best parking spots in order to drop off their precious forty pound cargos, all serenaded by a chorus of seagulls celebrating the faint crash of the morning tide, well, it's not the same way I experienced kindergarten:

I distinctly remember my fears as I approached Montgomery Elementary for day one. Something scary was in that giant building; People I did not know. That fear was only validated when the game of the day became "kill the new kid with the bad hair" (me). I quickly decided that being an ambitious loner was my path for least pain.

But not so for Ava. Not this week. Not this kid. She took to the social challenge of meeting new kids in this new school like a Hilton sister walking into a South Beach night club. (She gets the social skills from mom, Tricia.) Then it was bring on the math. Bring on the spelling. Bring on the puppet show (picture above). Ava was a natural.

Within the first ten minutes of her orientation Ava was over in the dress up area. First it was princess. Then executive chef. Finally hero firefighter. This wasn't school - it was a new stage!

Tricia noted that most of the kids we saw made this transition into kindergarten pretty easily. It was the emotional parents outside that reminded you that this was a milestone. And yes, in the back of our minds we were all thinking something along the same theme; that in fact, some day all these cherubs would turn 16. Can't we keep them this size? Can't we trim them back like Bonzai trees and enjoy their innocence forever? Guess not.

It was a beginning for me too, as I spent twenty minutes learning what a PTA is, and trying to avoid getting roped into M/W/F morning traffic duty (although the orange vest did have strong appeal). I managed to stay on plan, volunteering to help raise money so the school has what it needs for a well-rounded program and to help beef up the PE program, possibly with the help of visits from some fitness experts (whom you know and whom I am lucky enough to consider friends).

Professionally and personally, I enjoy new challenges. This chapter looks to be a good one. And perhaps over the course of the next twelve years I will finally learn what calculus was really all about. (And that periodic table. What on earth was that thing for?) This is my chance to pay attention, and go through it with Ava.

That's what this week was for me, the fresh air of another beginning.

New Workout Group > "Keep Pushing Play!"

As I was signing into WOWY today I realized that I was still grouped in the "Spring Into Summer" WOWY group. It's a little late for that motivation. So I checked my member profile to see what group I should join for a more current affinity... What will properly identify me with a group of people as we all sign onto WOWY?

None of the current groups really spoke to my current motivation and routine. I was looking for something that was less event-driven, something with a little less pressure since I am not training for anything specific right now.

My answer can now be found in the brand new WOWY group called "Keep Pushing Play!"

Here's the description of this WOWY group:

Exercise should be as routine as brushing your teeth or going to work. For you, it's not about an upcoming wedding, reunion, or vacation... from now on it's about feeling healthy, staying strong, and loving the life you live. That's why you're gonna "Keep Pushing Play!

If you've completed your time-goal program like Power 90, Slim in 6, and Project: You, and are now working out for the long term just because it's good for you and an important part of your routine, I hope you join the group and spread the word... and of course;
KEEP PUSHING PLAY!

I'll see you online in WOWY!

Customer Videos Reveal The Truth

I have spent hours since the Hawaii submission deadline reviewing customer videos we have received from Beachbody customers. I am blown away by hearing these direct comments from customers, in their words, with no prompt from any interviewer... "confessional style".

Case after case of personal stories show both how unique each situation is and how certain common themes appear. I am particularly excited at the role the MyBeachbody community plays in the success. Almost every video I've reviewed cites the Beachbody people who contribute enthusiasm and support to the concept of body transformation as a key to success. It is clear that this community that makes Beachbody not just another source of workout videos ("yawn"), but a comprehensive system of (1) workout systems (2) simple food guidelines, (3) online support tools, and the killer app... (4) the people who populate the Beachbody community.

That's what is exciting, because that's the kind of special combination that we can expand upon to improve on how effective our system is for people, and to widen the distribution of Beachbody.com as a unique resource for people who are serious about wanting to lose weight and get in shape.

Now, this entry has nothing to do with who will ultimately be invited to Hawaii. I just want to share the early review process and react to how the submitted video footage is so fun and so real. Some of the comments I have enjoyed so far include;

- The surprise of getting into "single digit" pants after 25 years of struggling with weight issues

- The value of a white bikini to motivate you when you consider skipping your workout

- An extreme couple who did their meal planning together each week - and got ripped

- The "distractions" which lead to the orange juice spill... where Power 90's "fast feet" on the towel came in handy

- Push-ups with your two-year old on back, and then loading the kids into your "fat" pants with you!

- A personal "screen test," with bloopers!

- Professional ballroom dancers that did Power 90 together to get in shape for a cruise! Come on!!!

- A woman lifts 70 pounds of dumbbells, to demonstrate how difficult everyday life was, carrying that excess weight around before Power 90.

- 36 year old mother of five max-out at 50 push-ups!

- Great quote: "I didn't know how bad I felt, until I felt good"

If you read this blog for motivation but do not participate in the MyBeachbody community, I cannot stress strongly enough how the greatest success stories with the most consistent progress come from the people who get their support from others who are doing the same program they're doing, at the same time. (Long sentence, simple concept: If you are struggling with motivation, the community is the secret to turning things around.)

Something about communicating with people who have been through the very program that is challenging you is magic. Other message boards can spiral into a pure social experience or gripe session, and don't have the same focus on real community support and persistence of this one. This support system is the difference between just another pile of workout videos, and the programs associated with the support and enthusiasm that comes from the coaches and members of MyBeachbody. From the comments of the hundreds of people who sent in their videos, I am more convinced than ever.

Footnote:
Of course, as the guy who came up with the name for the extreme program, P90X, it is a little frustrating to hear how many people insist on calling it "Power 90 Extreme". P90X. P90X. P90X.... But looking at the results people get with it, I guess you could call it "Sweating to the Oldies" for all I care. Thanks to everyone who submitted! I think we'll have the invitation list completed within the next ten days!

"We're Already on It"

Sometimes you get a pleasant surprise that has nothing to do with business or marketing -- but the quality of human nature. Today is one of them;

It's frustrating to watch the awful scene play out along the Gulf Coast. I've written a check to the Red Cross. But what more can I do from here? I raised that question in our management meeting yesterday and the creativity was fast and definitive. "Add a banner to the home page to raise money into the McCormick Tribune Foundation - they're matching funds up to $2 million." "Add a fundraising link on the exit page at the end of a transaction," "Change the pop-under of the message boards from a MyBeachbody promo to a Red Cross link."

Management jumped at the chance to switch some of the valuable advertising and promotion real estate on the website over to help relief efforts. We stopped short at committing to send whatever high protein meal replacement bars we have in inventory, because we couldn't figure out how to get them to where they need to be (although we are making some calls).

This morning I realized that an end-of-the-week shipment of video, supplement, and other shipments were about to go out. The idea of billing and shipping continuity orders to these devastated people seemed ludicrous. So I discussed suspending those shipments with Jon Congdon, President of Product Partners/Beachbody and thought it made sense. So I walked over to Heather Hanson our Director of Operations and Saeed Gorbani in data management to ask how we stop those shipments... wouldn't you know the response; "We're already on it". Together with our customer service team, they had already, proactively taken it upon themselves to stop shipping and billing to the region!


Here's what I love about it. They never asked me for my approval! They knew that ultimately the culture of this company would want to do the right thing. THAT'S AWESOME! It's a clear indication that, no matter how many growing pains we have as a company, which we are constantly working to solve, "the horse is still in front of the cart"; We are serving people. And that is what we consider when we make business decisions.

Operations, processing, customer service, and IT; I salute you guys and your perspective on how we operate, and the underlying priority that you have to keep working to improve how we serve the customer, how you treat people with respect, and how you work with passion, enthusiasm and common sense to make it all happen!

WOWY TONIGHT!

Tonight (Wednesday 8/31) is the night -- at 8PM ET/5PM PT I start my live chat, then at 6PM (or slightly after) I will log into WOWY for my workout, and we will draw a name randomly from the WOWY members who are working out at that moment... then tomorrow (Thursday) night at 9PM/6PM again, if that person shows up, I will announce in my WOWY log-in message who won (that's the message that appears under my photo inside the WOWY virtual gym).


The only way to find out if you won by doing a WOWY workout on Wednesday at 6PM PDT, is to show up for a WOWY workout by 6PM Thursday. (And no, I will not reveal who it is if they DON'T show up... I'll just reschedule it, and we'll try it again in a week or so.)

I will announce the winner here on my blog on Friday morning though, assuming there is a winner.

I'll be doing P90X Core Synergistics tonight, one of my all time favorite workouts. My WOWY Success Buddies who should be showing up are LoriJ, betsyb, and psalm9567. I hope to see YOU there!

Speaking of WOWY, we found a minor glitch in the statistics; the timing of the celebration for crossing over 100,000 workouts by Aug 19th was late. When I announced that milestone a few posts ago, I happened to notice at that time that we had also logged over 150,000 hours of workouts. I did the math. I thought, "No way do we average an hour and a half per workout." So I emailed Erick Hoppe, the man at the top of the WOWY pyramid, to ask if he could look for a glitch. So yesterday, I'm watching the stats again, and notice that now we've actually logged in over 150,000 WOWY workouts, and just over 100,000 hours of workout time. The stats were flipped! The good news is, we crossed over the 150,000 workout level on August 11th -- so the momentum of WOWY is building faster than I even expected! And even better, people are succeeding and spending less than an hour a day on average doing it - and there's no drive time to the WOWY gym! That's a winning combination!

So here's to a great chat at 5PM PT, and workouts tonight and tomorrow night at 9PM/6PM -- with a chance to win 500 smackers... I hope to see you there.

Aloha... Here we come!

Each year around this time we encourage people to submit their before and afters from Tony Horton-trained programs like Power 90 and P90X. People submit photos, success stories from one to ten pages long, weight loss and inches statistics, and even home videos for consideration as we put together the group we'll invite to our annual success celebration in Kauai, Hawaii.

Sept 1st is the deadline for the 2005 trip, scheduled for Oct 15th to the 21st, and the next batch of inspiration is starting to come in with some impressive results: We're seeing 100 lbs weight loss stories, couples succeeding together with Power 90 and P90X, people getting off anti-depressants, grandmothers "crushing it" with P90X, physical rehab success, washboard abs, muscle makeovers, and even some kids who have taken matters into their own hands to get themselves in shape where their school fitness programs weren't doing the trick. Like I said, inspiration. These are the stories that will inspire a whole new set of customers to "get it", to stop cutting corners and to do the work, follow the diet plan, and get the results.

This year I am particularly interested in seeing what kind of abdominal transformations we get, and am hopeful we see a family or two send in their information for consideration. (There happens to be a cable network that wants to cover the trip if we happen to feature a family success story!)



We don't do this trip as a "carrot" to get people to use the programs they bought from us. It's actually a very efficient way for us to gather testimonials from authentic success stories. And it's extremely efficient to do it in one location, one that is conducive to motivating future potential customers to want to achieve their own "Beachbody" success; and that ideal setting is the beaches of Kauai.

Pure Kauai manages the events and activities while we are on the island. It always includes a variety of hikes, outrigger canoeing, kayaking, and of course a bunch of workouts with Tony Horton. The meals are generally healthy, although I've seen things migrate to the hotel bar often enough to know that this doesn't qualify as a pure Kauai "health vacation".

This trip is a lot of work for our team. In fact, what we thought would be a perk, is actually exhausting for the staff. That's because there is a lot of pressure to make sure the guests have a great time, but that we also get great testimonials. It's heavy lifting. But it's so worth it.

No matter how much work it is though, the most gratifying aspect of the week is not the moment I set foot on the beach at the Sheraton, or get a morning run in at sunrise along the coast, or see the 360 degree vista from the top of the Sleeping Giant. For me, the Hawaii trip is an annual touchstone, a chance to learn first hand how our programs can touch people's lives. All year long we get success stories that inspire us. But they come in amidst the operational, customer service, and other challenges of running a business day to day. But when I finally get a chance to sit across from customers and hear how they succeeded with our programs and their own determination, everything we do seems so worth it.

And with that in mind, I look forward to this year's celebration, and to meeting a diverse group of people who had what it takes to get the most from the tools we offer. Aloha!

150,000 WOWY workouts so far in 2005!

Congratulations to everyone who is using WOWY for consistency and accountability to stay on schedule with their body transformation!

On Thursday Aug 11th we crossed over the 150,000 workouts mark, cumulative for 2005! That means over 150,000 times, people from all across the country and the world have logged in to "Work Out With You" and that's pretty cool!

Our peak so far was 248 people signed-on at the same time during a live Power 90 web cast workout with Tony a few weeks ago (shown here). It was a blast to have everyone working out with us as Tony did his thing live from the Beachbody office workout room. At the end of the telecast we gave away two autographed P90X posters and a special offer on Peak Recovery Formula.

WOWY was an idea I had one morning when I was not inclined to get out of bed to workout. I got to thinking how gyms have an advantage over us since if I am supposed to meet someone at the gym or show up for a class, I will get out of bed on schedule. But when it's just me, with no witnesses, it's easy to blow it off. The idea for WOWY was born as a way to connect people for workouts so there would be some external pressure to show up, and some motivation to log in and see that you are not alone. At any given moment you know there are other people out there, pushing play on their DVD player, working up a sweat in the rec room.

My favorite thing about WOWY is seeing how people connect to be success buddies. When we built this system and applied for the patent, we weren't sure people would get it. So we just went for it, and pretty much let it sit there to see if people would figure it out. They have, in ways we never even imagined.

We've seen people use WOWY to stay connected "virtually" with loved ones who were in Iraq by scheduling WOWY workouts together. We've seen friends create workout groups around workout times and keep each other accountable. We've seen people compete for consistency, tracking "perfection" in consecutive days without a missed session. And there are so many applications we have yet to pursue -- like getting businesses to use WOWY to track and reward employee involvement in fitness programs, or letting doctors motivate their patients to get active by leading them to WOWY for motivation.

And with the price of gas these days, I am hoping people think of WOWY as the way to keep connected socially with people for workouts. As more and more people are choosing to save the time and money they normally spend driving back and forth to the gym by simply working out at home, WOWY let's you still feel a sense of community while you're working on your transformation.

That's why we didn't close WOWY off to just Beachbody members and Beachbody products. It has a different look and feel from the rest of the site because we wanted everyone to use it, regardless of their product affiliation. I remain hopeful that regardless of what program a person is doing, they will find support and motivation within WOWY by signing on and staying accountable. I know personally how much easier it is to hit the snooze button at 5:30AM than it is to hit the play button - unless you have a WOWY success buddy who's going to be looking for you online.

OK... I've got myself kind of revved up on this all over again. Here's what I'm gonna do, right here in my blog; I'm putting up $500 to motivate people to WOWY on Wednesday August 31st and Thursday September 1st at 9PM ET/6PM PT.

On August 31st I will randomly pick someone from those logged in and working out in WOWY at at 9PM ET/6PM PT.

The next day, Sept. 1, as I log in for my WOWY workout at 9PM ET/6PM PT I will post in my WOWY greeting (the message that appears under my picture as I workout in WOWY) who won the $500... But the winner MUST log in to WOWY for both sessions to get the cash -- if they don't show for Thursday 9PM ET/6PM PT, there's no dough.

If there's no winner, I'll do it again, rolling the money over to the next challenge date (TBD) perhaps adding a little more cash to the bucket.

Let me be clear before the lawyers swoop down on me for this - there is no purchase needed -- WOWY is free to anyone who logs in, and you don't have to be doing a Beachbody program to qualify. You can be doing a half hour of toe touches, and you will be just as eligible as someone earning their chance doing Tear It Up from the Slim Series.

My goal here is to see how many people we can get online to WOWY at one time in a late workout in the middle of the week. If you plan on showing up, I would love it if you would invite someone you know who could use a motivational moment to get started with something and use the chance t win $500 t bring them to the party. I'd love to see a big WOWY number for both nights.

So if you want to maybe win $500, and no matter what, get a workout in with a hundred or more people from all over the world, I hope to see you there on Aug 31 and Sept 1 at 9PM ET/6PM PT.

And nonetheless, let's celebrate the 150,000th WOWY workout thus far in 2005, and continue our march to 200,000!

Get A Grip - By Letting Go

What happens when a group of people who were inspired enough to do what it takes to transform their bodies and lives get together for a weekend? More inspiration.

Tony Horton, the trainer of Power 90 and P90X, held his annual Santa Monica fitness camp this weekend. This is where he and thirty people get together to share their experiences with his programs, actual customers get to train in person with "the man" and celebrate living a more active, healthy-minded life. It's a cool thing to witness when he fills a room with people who are proud of themselves and proud of each other.

These types of events happen all over the country - there have been Beachbody get togethers in Chicago, New York, Portland, and others. The Hawaii trip we hold each fall is invitation only and is probably a favorite, our Super Bowl of get-togethers.

Anyway, this Saturday's group had planned a morning at a rock climbing gym called Rockreation. Since I did not have specific plans to meet up with them, I decided to bring Ava (my 5 year old daughter) to "hang with the kids" from the walls at Rockreation.

It was amazing to see those familiar faces and extra special to meet the new success stories that the last wave of leaders held accountable to succeed through their support within the MyBeachbody system. And while I appreciate every "thank you" I get from people who appreciate what we put into these programs and the overall mentality that is "Beachbody", it is they who continue to impress me with what's possible. Every one of these folks had seized onto the simplicity of Tony's programs, and literally found what it takes to turn their lives around. Now I was watching them scale walls, dangle upside down from ropes, and embrace life with an enthusiasm most of us left behind in grade school.

Predictably, Ava was my special highlight. She stepped right up to the excitement, asking to climb once she saw Tony go inverted. So we suited her up, and I belayed her up the wall. Then this crew showed me what "extended family" means, as they turned to applaud my daughter as she explored this new adventure as if they were blood relatives. After she came off her first ascent she had to find Tony; "I did it I did it I did it!" And moments later she was back on the wall, hunting for a grip, finding a toe hold. She was total focus, her little tongue twisting through her lips as she stretched for each step higher.

At one point as Ava came off the wall, I looked over to see Ronda Hendrix, a person I met in Hawaii last year, now climbing twenty five feet in the air, hanging from her fingertips to get another foot or two up the wall. The group had turned to cheer her on. My story with Ronda is beyond this blog, but I have a great deal of pride and affection for her and her family. And to see this woman, who two years ago was carrying 60 extra pounds, straining to reach the top of an otherwise-pointless climb up a wall leading nowhere, actually choked me up. You couldn't tell that from her determination that she had ever been anything but fit and courageous, which goes for every other person in that room that faced their own demons and fears to give it a shot. I wish every one of our Beachbody customers, or all those gym members out there, and of course frustrated fad dieters could have seen the enthusiasm being shared by these people. I wish everyone could see what is on the other side of ignoring the excuses or your history of failure, and truly achieving transformation.

When/if you happen to be in the midst of your own fitness or weight loss program and you are struggling with motivation, these are such great examples of real motivation you can turn to. This is the foundation from which you can "keep pushing play" when the pull of a great AFTER photo is not doing it for you. That's because these are examples of how amazing it can be to bring joy into your life if you let go of the baggage that is trapping you in your own patterns of abuse and thus limiting your enthusiasm for what lies ahead. When you just let them go, when you stop judging the present by looking back, you can experience what is being presented to you right now. When you are stuck, check yourself for the guilt, fear or blame that is crowding your ability to live a moment the way your REALLY want to live it. You simply can't carry a grudge on your back and experience the joy of climbing a wall of rocks. The only way to get a grip, is to let go.

And even when you accomplish the kind of transformation we've seen in so many before and after photos, it's possible for the grievances to creep back in. This is a never ending process of cleaning house. Patterns will find their way back, which is how you can find yourself staring in the mirror at a brand new "before photo". But the best part about square one is, you know you are never without hope. You know what it takes to turn things around. And if you really do let go of blame, guilt, and shame, you will find it a smooth transition back into the healthy lifestyle, and more important, back into a mindset that will support a happier existence.

The good stuff is all there for your own inspiration, whether it's Ava's courage to take on the wall at five years old, or Tony M's ability to climb back into the program that helped him once (and find that the first trip wasn't a fluke), or Gregg and LeAnn Steele's bottomless pit of gratitude and zest for life, or Ronda's ability to face trauma and not abandon her life or the potential of the rest of her family -- or so many other inspirational stories available from every member of the Beachbody family.

Set backs happen. Accidents happen. Trauma happens. And that's when guilt, blame and thus fear, can happen. I am convinced that my own job in all of it is to manage how I react. My job is to let go of the past and pay attention to now. Let life happen. Everything else works when I succeed at letting go. That is what I learned while watching my daughter, a trainer, and thirty almost-strangers as they celebrated their success together on one Saturday morning in Santa Monica.

People are hot for Turbo Jam!

I haven't seen this much anticipation for a Beachbody product since we launched P90X -- and P90X had two years of behind the scenes build-up to create the buzz.

Ever since word got out to the hardcore aerobics and video fitness set that we were producing a line of videos with Chalene Johnson, my email box has had at least ten requests a day for the product details, launch date, etc. So, this is it - the official pre-launch notice... Monday Aug 15th the site goes live to take orders for Turbo Jam.

In case you wouldn't know a Turbo Jam from a traffic jam... Here's the "skinny":

A year ago we were contacted by Tony Kerry, a great guy who is part of the management at Script To Screen, one of the leading infomercial production companies in the universe who produced our Kathy Smith and Yoga Booty Ballet shows. His wife was taking classes called "Turbo Kick" from a spark plug of a woman named Chalene Johnson, and he thought it had potential as an infomercial. Chalene wanted to turn her popular combination of kick-boxing, dance, and meticulously remixed music, into a comprehensive video program to be sold on TV. I think Beachbody was one of four on the list of prospective partners. They sent me a package of material to look through in order to consider it. The key in the presentation was a blue binder that was a real page turner; over fifty of the most impressive before and after photos and success stories I've read from any fitness system - ever. People who had lost 30, 50, 80, and over 100 pounds were gushing about this mix of music and movement, and in particular their devotion to the program's creator, Chalene. And when I popped a VHS tape of Chalene demonstrating some moves, I knew there was something special there.


Let me put it this way; if you combined Kelly Ripa with a ripped fly girl and Billy Blanks and turned that combination "up to 11", you'd be getting close to Chalene's enthusiasm, infectious rhythm, and crisp delivery of moves... A natural for video. We set up the meeting to discuss turning her Turbo Kick success into a program called "Turbo Jam".

We loved Chalene at first sight. I think she liked us (she says it was because we wear jeans at the office). But she still had other companies to visit - including some that absolutely did NOT want to see Beachbody get this one. A month or so into the discussions, I could sense things getting off track. One of the competitors was promising a big budget for music and the same director that launched Richard Simmons into infomercial megafame. All I could do was play it straight and let the chips fall where they may. So I promised Chalene my next born child. (Kidding!) Actually, I promised Chalene that we would do our best to live up to licensing and creating the quality of music that sets Turbo apart from everything else, and assured her that when it comes to focus on the fitness and weight loss market, no one was going to pay as close attention as Beachbody. Making Turbo achieve her vision is a real priority - because her vision is incredible. Ultimately, I think it was a close decision, but my "next born" promise sealed the deal. Chalene committed to Beachbody, and we committed to create a program with her that would be as addicting as her live classes.

And here we are... The team nailed it. This is going to be a monster. We broke the bank on music, licensing awesome popular music like "Blame it on the Boogie", "Baby Got Back", "The Roof is on Fire", "Mama Said Knock You Out", "Busta Move",and a bunch of others. On top of that, Chalene is the ultimate perfectionist - she remixed everything in marathon recording sessions so that every key move in Turbo Jam has an accent; every burst of intensity has a driving beat. It's like, perfect.

But it's not all about fun and music (or is it?). It's also about results -- We were so impressed with the weight loss results of the test groups we did to validate the product (like, over ten pounds in ten days. Yes. Truly.) that we commissioned a university study to compare the calorie expenditure from an hour of Turbo Jam to other activities. Check it out: Walking = 343, Pilates = 445, Running = 537... and Turbo Jam came in at a whopping 705 calories an hour. Some people in the test group even topped 1,000 calories in an hour! That's like burning off a quarter pounder and fries from one workout! Like I said, this is gonna be a monster.

So if you're one of the couple hundred people who have been emailing me, asking "when! when! when!", ask no more... Monday Aug 15th, the next sensation in Beachbody fitness get unleashed. Prepare to have fun. Prepare to get fit. Prepare to go Turbo!

Hug Your Meter Maid

I just saw something happen on La Cienega Blvd that, in LA at least, never happens.

A parking enforcement officer was writing a ticket for a car by an expired meter. The guy came out of the store protesting that he was JUST coming out to leave, and begged to avoid the ticket.

She looked at him, then down at her ticket book, and then smiled. She tore it up and gestured for him to carry on.

The guy was so shocked he dropped his shopping bag, ran over and hugged the lady in the middle of the street. The joy was palpable. Every passer-by who witnessed the exchange of mercy and affection seemed brighter, maybe even happy in that moment. The two parted ways probably never to meet again, but certainly each will approach their day with slightly more enthusiasm for wherever they are headed. Overall, a positive outcome.

Next time I miss the deadline on a meter, I hope I get so lucky. And the next time I am in a position to pass judgment, I will remember how positive the outcome can be by cutting a person some slack.

Yes, Fitness Videos Are For Men Too

When I workout, I DO use our fitness videos. I don't like working out in the gym surrounded by people or having a trainer counting my reps. I prefer to go it alone, getting my training from the DVD player. The results I got in these photos are from exactly 90 days using P90X. That sometimes surprises people, that a guy really would use fitness videos sold on an infomercial to get those results.

Last night in a focus group for the Turbo Jam product there were men in the group who were proclaiming that they would probably never buy a workout video because "workout videos are for women." It's a common perspective which points out how far we have to go to promote that exercise videos are not ALL dancing and kickboxing.

Video is an incredibly efficient medium of delivering consistent professional training instruction to men and women - with emphasis on your goal whether it is to lose weight, get toned, or perhaps even get totally ripped.

That's the case for Beachbody customer and college senior Jamie Roberts. I wanted to share an unsolicited email I got from him today relating his experience in just the first 17 days using Power 90. This is a great example of how a program can take the guess-work out of fitness, even for someone who has been working out for years. I will paste his email in its entirety below:

Hello,

My name is Jamie Roberts. I have been lifting weights and working out since my junior year of high school. In a few weeks I will be starting my senior year of college. When I started lifting I was around 6'0" and 205 lbs, not very tone and not lean at all. I continued to lift and workout and when my sophomore year of college ended, I was around 6'2" and 198 lbs. That is the least I've ever weighed and I still couldn't get ripped. I was working out all the time and participated in many activities such as basketball and cycling. I changed my workout this past year of college, I became really dedicated to weight lifting. I seen my max bench press go from 250 lbs to 315 lbs in about 5 months. However, I also seen my weight go from around 205 lbs to 240 lbs. The day I maxed 315 lbs and weighed myself at 241 lbs, I decided to change some things.

I decided to put the dedication I put into strength training, into dropping the weight, getting ripped and in the best shape of my life. About a month into my summer vacation, I realized that I wasn't doing anything towards that goal and the dedication wasn't there. My diet during the months of power lifting was very poor. So I decided to order Power 90. I had always been skeptical of things I see on infomercials, writing them off automatically and not giving them any thought. Something drew me to Power 90. Upon ordering it, I changed my diet completely, I cut out all of the junk that I was putting into my body. When I recieved Power 90, I read the program guide. I also found the Michi's Ladder card to be very helpful in building a great diet. When I recieved it, I stopped lifting weights and started Power 90, following all of the guidelines that were laid out. Having power lifted for 7 straight months, I have been through some pretty tough workouts, I seen after day one of Power 90 that it was for real. I honestly expected it to be something that I would breeze through, boy was I wrong. I have to admit, and being a very strong and somewhat in-shape guy, it kind of hurts, but I had to use my pause button a few times throughout the first several workouts.

Today I finished my 17th day of the Power 90 program. I remembered reading on page one of the guide that you wanted to hear feedback. I try not to look in the mirror often, but after todays workout, after just 17 days, the results are already showing. The results are very noticable in my chest. My arms are starting to get definition and become toned. I am seeing my stomach and waist shrink. During the weight gain I sustained during power lifting, I developed love handles and didn't have very much firmness to my abs at all, I'm starting to see all of that go away and my abs are starting to shine through. I am on day 17 of Power 90 and I just want to say that this is for real. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't do this halfway, and I haven't. I can't say how excited I am that I already see results and it's just day 17, I can't wait to see what my body will look like on day 90. I have already had several people comment me on my weightloss and the toning of my muscles. That is the ultimate motivation, when other people notice your hard work and dedication, and now, I notice it too. To you, Mr.Congdon, and Mr.Horton I say thank you. Thank you for developing a program that along with dedication and hard work, really works. Thank you for taking the time to read this also.

Thank You,
Jamie Roberts

I emailed Jamie to ask him for permission to include that kind email in my blog, and this was his response:

Mr. Daikeler,

Hi. Yes, I would be more than happy if you used my story in your blog. I honestly think I've already influenced a few people around here. When I ordered Power 90, I heard from several people things like "you know that isn't going to work" and things like "I would never trust a workout from a infomercial." Now that they see the results that I am getting, they say nothing. I am very flattered that you want to use my story. Once again. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Jamie Roberts

I know for guys like Jamie, having the persistence to "push play" on the DVD player can be a tough hurdle to overcome -especially if you've been athletic in the past and look down your nose at videos. I know my own brother has found it hard to stay motivated after he lost 20 pounds using Slim in 6, whereas my 40-something year old sister gets into every video we produce and now has the body of a teenager.

So, to my brother, my attorney, investment banker and friends who have "convinced" themselves they cannot stay with it, I say - "stop making excuses and please, make the time in your day to push play!"

First, do it for yourself. That directly translates into a better quality of life with your kids. Your back will thank you. Your knees will thank you. Your mirror will thank you. And it's highly likely your wife will thank you too.

REAL motivation

I am working on expanding our message to market our fitness products so we're not only appealing to a person's desire to look great in low rise jeans or look great walking around a swimming pool in a bathing suit. There are other - more compelling benefits which seem kind of obvious, but we hardly ever talk about it.

So this week I posted this request in a forum on the Beachbody message boards: What specific benefits have you gotten from getting fit other than how you look?

The response was quick and compelling. For anyone looking for "chicken soup" type motivation to workout and eat right, or if you have any doubt as to the heart of the membership Beachbody community, it's worth the fifteen minutes of reading the entire thread.

There are recurring comments: "No more back pain" is a big one, like Charline's weight loss and back pain story which is amazing. She wrote: "Pre-Beachbody, I had a doctor tell me, "you are overweight. You have a bulging disc on your lower back and will continue to have debilitating pain until you either lose weight or have surgery." I chose to lose weight starting at over 200. To my amazement, once I strengthened my abs, and lost over 50 lbs of weight, I have not had lower back pain at all. And I used to be down 2 weeks at a time with back pain." For me, back pain sucks the energy out of me like nothing else - so i know what kind of relief that can be.

Improved relationships is another recurring theme. I can only imagine the lifestyle change experienced by Chris Girard who has lost 135 lbs - yes 135 lbs - not by eating Subway sandwiches, but by working out and eating smart. "More spice"/"better sex" was listed by a bunch of people, and even contributed by Dr. Dale, who also listed less sickness because of his boosted immune system - Awesome! A doctor who gets it!

Another theme was getting out of depression. Mahala said her Post Partum Depression cleared up within a week of starting her program.

And then there are the specific stories of triumph, like from Kathy who summoned the courage to end a bad marriage, Virginia who ended her fight with self-esteem issues, Mary (a frequent visitor to this blog) who just completed a round of Power 90 who points out that she is "learning to love myself more".

Dawn ("absmom") summed it up so eloquently with her post, where she actually took it a level deeper than attributing her life-change to the fitness or the weight loss: "Being fit and losing weight didn't change my emotional well being. Being RESPONSIBLE and ACCOUNTABLE changed my weight and made me fit. They are somehow intertwined and cannot be separated. For me the ultimate benefit was becoming a WHOLE person."

How awesome is that? While I'm doing what I can to attend to the operational, financial, and human resource issues of the business side of Beachbody, this is si the human side of what my job comes down to; Creating programs that get real results and elicit this type of feedback from customers. I am grateful for the responsibility, and I don't take it lightly.

But let me be 100% clear -- this installment is not a gratuitous Beachbody tribute. I am not jumping up and down to celebrate the business or urge you to order -- this is a celebration of what happens when people take action, exercise and eat better, and overcome their own patterns in order to succeed. All the information you need to get these same results is available on the internet, in the library, and by using good common sense. Go for a walk. Join a gym. Control your portions. Of course, Beachbody is also a resource for the guidelines to achieve all these results. But no matter what, the proof is undeniable -- the slightest change, combined with perseverance, can have a dramatic change on the quality of your life.

Oh, and you will happen to look great in low rise jeans and you will look great walking around a swimming pool in a bathing suit too. So be it!

"Hit It!"

Water skiing is my first love. I was on two skis by age six, I was lucky enough to train at the legendary McCormick Ski School when I was twelve, meet champion Camille Duvall-Hero through business, and even have my ski signed by Sammy Duvall. The day my family bought a Mastercraft ski boat I felt the love most kids feel when they get a new puppy.


The only accomplishment that overshadows the first time I ever succeeded at gliding across the water on barefeet, is the day I did it backwards. While I never competed or had anything but a smile to show for my passion for this sport, to know me is to know that I am happiest on the water.

Frankly, waterskiing was one of my motivating factors for the development of P90X. I had never had a fitness program that would prepare me for the bursts of power and stamina required of the sport. Selfish, but I figured if I needed something to train me for my sport, there had to be others out there who wanted a solution for their sport as well whether waterskiing, snow skiing, bowling, hurling, curling, etc.

Now generally, I have not seen many people share my intense enthusiasm for the sensation of waterskiing. "Neat" or "yeah that's fun" are about as compelled as I hear most people get. For me though, it is a supercharged experience every time I get pulled up for another run across flat water. No matter how spent my legs or my grip, I'll find a way to get another run in. It is my one true break from whatever is going on in the "real world". Nothing feels as gratifying as a crisp turn into a hard pull across the wake, over and over again. There's just nothing like that sensation for me.

So last week when I was on vacation, and my five-year old daughter Ava asked for the first time, "is it my turn to ski now?", I was shocked, and ready to support her completely. We started on the boom, and she nailed it right away. Then we added a five foot extension. And the next day, it was long line off the back of the boat. I asked her to yell "Hit It!" when she was ready to get started. I barely had to put the boat in gear and this little peanut was up. She is a natural!

And I could not be more proud or excited about the fact that for the rest of my life I can share my favorite sport with my favorite person.

The Huddle

When Jon Congdon, President of Product Partners, leaves the country on business/vacation each year, I sit in on his regular staff meetings for a couple weeks. This year has been especially eye-opening!

From Monday to Friday, it seemed like I kept having the same meeting, with the same 7 people, plus or minus two, discussing the same activities! As I looked around the room and added up the burn-rate per hour, it seemed clear I had found a leak. "This has got to change" I thought.

But by the weekend I realized I was completely informed as to what was happening within each department on key decisions we had made. When marketing makes a move - and they make a lot of them, telemarketing, operations, and customer service generally are in on it because of these meetings. When information systems contemplated cutting over this weekend to a new processing platform, the company was informed, and everyone who needs to be in on that process has been alert to it all weekend, despite the holiday.


These were not "meetings" where the suits talk, and the staff is twiddling their thumbs to pass the time - these were critical "huddles" on highly detail-oriented maneuvers. Just like a football team will circle up into a huddle to make sure everyone is in on the play, my team was doing the same.

If you have good people ("players") and make sure everyone understands their assignment in whatever decision is being made (the "play") then out of the huddle everyone can split-off and perform their function. The key is to make sure you have great players, and then to keep the huddle brief so everyone shows up ready to get the information and then get back to execution.

As I consider the metaphor of the huddle across other activities, this regular perspective on group communication started to show its value in motivation. What we're doing with the 100lb Club can be seen as a huddle of sorts. In fact I intend to discuss with our motivation staff how we might create regular "huddles" so people know that if they check in on these sessions, they will be likely to stay more consistent.

Today I searched around the web to see if I was late to the concept -- if "huddles" were being applied elsewhere. I read how the Fellowship of Christian Athletes was using huddles to describe weekly bible study and how the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Boston, Massachusetts was using their concept of huddles to promote faster communication in shorter meetings.

For anyone who loathes the concept of a meeting when the demands for productivity are piling up, to think of the meeting as a huddle might change your perspective. It might even help you determine if your presence is really needed. I can remember when I was on the Beachbody Across America trip on a chartered plane a few years ago, gathering testimonials for the Power Half Hour program, the production crew at Mega Mace would get together every night to discuss the way the shoots from the day had gone, and to discuss the plan for the next day. I remember being critical of all these meetings. But in retrospect, that trip went incredibly smooth because of their nightly huddle. I didn't need to be in on them, but they were critical for the key players of that frenetic ten day trip.

The concept of the huddle has shifted my judgment on meetings, from thinking of them as a creeping virus of bureaucracy, to a management opportunity for better team execution. In fact, as a guy who generally prefers to work on his own, the concept of the huddle actually opened me up to embrace a more collaborative role.

Sometimes I get weekend ideas and insights that fizzle by Monday, but I wouldn't be surprised this one is a turning point for the quality and quantity of productivity I am able to accomplish, thanks to a simple shift in perspective on the need for intra-company communication... Huddle up!