Consistently... Drinking

As a guy who likes to enjoy a social summertime cocktail, I was recently surprised at how intense it was to stop consuming alcohol for a few weeks.

I thought I would have no problem. But apparently the drink a day or a few a few times a week was training my system to count on that night-time dose of sugar. And when I suddenly turned off the supply, my body rebelled. No energy. Moody. It was so unexpected and more dramatic than I thought. But at the same time, I watched as a stubborn layer of fat around the waist melted away in just a few days.

Apparently, while in body maintenance-mode and generally watching what I eat and controlling portions, those social cocktails were helping to retain a little extra padding in the love handle department.

I culled the following information from resources on the web which might motivate you to take a cocktail sabbatical as well.

> "A couple every day" adds a LOT of extra calories to your daily diet. If you're talking about two 150-calorie beers, that's 300 calories extra a day or 2100 extra calories a week. Multiply that out for a year and you have 109,200 extra calories! That's potentially 31.2 pounds of fat in a year.
> If you DO account for the calories in those drinks, then you have another conundrum - the alcohol calories displace good valuable food calories. Drinking gives you empty alcohol calories with virtually no nutritional value (and some negative value in more way than one), while pushing out important vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, fiber and other good stuff.
> Alcohol also inhibits fat burning. While your liver is busy metabolizing alcohol, it puts your fat metabolism on hold.

By the way, there's a major risk to drinking every day - even just one or two - that most people don't even think about: Daily drinking is habit forming. Anything you do every day easily becomes a habit that is difficult to break later. On the other hand, if you could establish the habit of working out, stretching, or eating 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables every single day, those would be habits worth forming!

Here's an idea, fill that shot glass with a teaspoon of Coconut Oil, one in the morning and one at night!

The Best of the Boards Is Just Showing Up

I continue to be inspired by the people who invest time and energy into a lifestyle transformation and use helping others succeed as fuel for their motivation.

This is the experience of the message boards of MyBeachbody.com. These boards are the opposite of the competitive gym locker room. Within this simply constructed community is a fabric of support without judgment, of firm guidance toward what works, with no expectation of perfection, and the kind of breakthroughs that are most dramatic through self-discovery.

It's the kind of support people wish their families would give them, but which comes more naturally where everyone shares a common goal and similar challenges. And it's a lot easier when there is no other agenda except mutual success.

From time to time members forward me examples of inspiration or breakthroughs which are so noteworthy, I will try to be more diligent about including them on this blog. Below is a post from one of the more exciting threads, the 100 Pound Pioneer Forum.

Standout Beachbody success story, Virginia (aka Gin) emailed me the post with this opening comment, which is so telling of the kind of heart that beats within these message boards: "I thought her comments on "magic" were great ones. Somehow I think this time she will reach her goals. I'm excited for her!"

If you have yet to dive into the boards to find real support, and experience how giving support is as empowering as getting it, this post might give you a nudge in that direction:

kmlclara
Posted 07-20-06 09:45 AM

Hi Everyone - haven't checked the thread in a couple of days - there is a lot to read and digest. I wanted to say a quick and ENORMOUS thank you for Gin to offering her support and wisdom to all of us. I have been 'involved', although MIA for a couple of years, with BB and Gin is someone I immediately gravitated to because, well, SHE LOST A HUNDRED FRICKIN' POUNDS and is a tireless cheerleader. For me there is always the 'I wish I could do that' factor. When you are a hundred pounds or more overweight I think it is easy to live vicariously through other people - they do all the hard work for us (me). I have realized that instead of gluing myself to those I find inspiring I must focus on being the inspiration in my own life. Gin was once where we all are - she got out there and found the answers to her questions - she didn't hide, she put herself out there and asked for help from a lot of different people. I am writing this because what Gin said about becoming potentially overwhelmed gave me an insight. I need to become part of a community - that means sharing myself - the good, the bad, the ugly - with everyone instead of whispering it to one person. It takes courage to make this journey and acceptance. If we are working out with Tony, Debbie, Chalene or our cat we have to have to courage to say "I can only do one of these *$%# leg lifts. Tomorrow I will try to do two" and not give up because we can't do all 16. (as you can probably tell by this long winded post I am working things out in my own head and hopefully this will make sense to someone and spark something in them....) I guess what I am really trying to say is, in the past, I have gone to people like Gin, and thought if I just talk to them the magic will rub off...and it just doesn't work like that. Someone else can't do this for me. Someone else's passion isn't my own. They can inspire and motivate but I need to show up with commitments I can keep and a willingness to push through some hard times. And with 100 pounds to lose, one thing I can count on is a my fair share of hard times. But what I give too little credit to is the unexpected things I will find along the way that dull those hard times. Geez. Listen to me, would ya? Thanks for helping me work this out in public, in my community.

kmlclara

Kite Tube -- Ouchie

Doesn't matter what kind of shape you are in. When you push your limits, do something stupid, show off, or do all three, you can get very hurt.

For anyone considering climbing onto one of these things, a Kite Tube, take a CEO's word for it -- don't. On the second day of my one annual week off, I climbed on this, our newest water toy, to give it a go. Attempt one was fun. I got around 5 seconds of air until a flight error twisted the tube and slammed me into the water. I got off for the day to let someone else try it.

Day two -- I climbed on to see what my body had learned. We turned the boat into the wind to get more lift with less water speed, and thus, perhaps, softer falls. After two hops, I was up... the video camera recorded the whole thing, thirty two seconds in flight. FANTASTIC! The people in the boat were mesmorized as I piloted this baby behind the Mastercraft. Then there was a gust. And the giant kite realized that, with no tail, it was untethered and free to flip around over and over. I looked down at the water from about 25 feet up and held on. (I had decided the night before that holding onto the tube was probably better than letting go. "Keep correcting and you might stay in the air". )

The kite literally did a 360 in the air, and for a moment I thought I had it under control. That is, until the moment I hit the water, basically slamming my shins into cement hard water, crushing my knees, and collapsing my entire body onto my legs. Think "cannonball position" in a vice.

One week later, and I just read the thing has been taken off the market by the consumer product safety commission. Looks like I got off easy compared to some people! I can still move my toes and breathe. I guess this is one of the times that being an early adopter has its disadvantages. Next year it's straight water skiing for me. Next year. Hopefully I'll be able to walk, run, and take a full breath without pain by then.

Hollywood as Home, and Friends Making Movies

Hollywood is a fun place to live. In so many movies each year you see stores, buildings, corners and sites that you drive by every day. It's kind of surreal in that way, the fictionalizing of your reality around you, and I can only imagine what it will be like when Ava realizes that it's actually uncommon to have a film crew take your front yard over to shoot a scene.

Beachbody has its own brush with Hollywood from time to time, as companies license videos and infomercials from us from time to time to fill a TV screen in the background of a scene, or our editing equipment gets repurposed overnight to edit one of our staff's very own shot at filmmaking big time. (More on this in future blog posts)

Currently there's a documentary in theaters which is getting great reviews, and with which Beachbody has deep roots. Chris Paine directed a movie about his enthusiasm for, and disappointment with the loss of, GM's electric car, called "Who Killed The Electric Car."

I met Chris years ago when Tony Horton invited me on a ski weekend, years before Power 90. Chris was one of the five who headed of to Utah. Chris was a brilliant guy, who was thoughtful and fascinated with life in general. He was also running a very successful web-design/development company. As I got to know Chris, I got invited to barbecues at his Santa Monica home, and one weekend he was particularly excited about his leased Electric Car. One by one everyone at the party got a sixty second trip around a parking lot to experience Chris at the wheel with the same comments to each of us -- "It's absolutely silent, you don't even know it's on!" and "Can you believe how fast it accelerates?"

He loved the thing. And I can remember getting an email from him announcing his disappointment with the notice that GM was collecting the cars. I thought it would have ended there.

Chris had just sold his company, an event which was lucky for me, because we picked up the core of our early web development team in Rich Abronson and Erick Hoppe from them, standouts at Chris' company who were looking for the next entrepreneurial mountain to climb. We hired them, and the look and feel of Beachbody.com was born.

Meanwhile, I kept getting emails from Chris. He had begun to investigate and document the demise of his precious car. And what felt like it would be a hobby or pet project that would go away the next time Chris got a big business idea, the email updates kept coming.

It's a couple years later, and I'm reading about Chris at Sundance, Chris in France, and his film is now in wide release, getting paired up with Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth directed by Davis Guggenheim! This is a feat. I've seen dozens of great directors and great films get completely ignored. The filmmaking process is hard, but the film distribution process is almost impossible, so it's incredibly exciting to see a guy take his personal curiosity and interests, and create something magnificent from it that really gets seen.

I hope millions of people see this film, not just because it was made by a good guy who's eye for talent had a significant impact on Beachbody.com, but because it's a well balanced documentary on the fate of the electric car which is entertaining and important to understand. Congratulations Chris!

Before You Eat That Piece Of Cake...

A Cautionary Tale, Featuring My Daughter Ava...

I know you're excited about the cake.











And yes, I know you're thinking about taking a HUGE bite of the cake.












Before you dive in, why not EARN the cake?












WOWY on Saturday July 1 at Noon ET/9AM PT and the system may randomly select you for the $500 cash prize! You just need to be:

(1) working out in WOWY as of 9:01:00 AM PT (Noon ET)
(2) have a WOWY icon photo or MyBeachbody after photo
(3) not a Beachbody celebrity (Sorry Tony, Debbie, Kathy, Gillian, Teigh and Chalene)
(4) not a Beachbody employee (Doh!)

Invite all the people you can, and see how good it feels not to lose your momentum and see what kind of summer WOWY peak we can create!

And then when it's cake time, you might not even want a piece... Especially if your 6 year old already committed her face to it!

Get a life.

I came across a speech given to graduates of Villanova this year. I don't know if it will speak to you per se, but it's something I wanted in this blog, if for no other reason than to make sure I read it from time to time, and that Ava will consider it when she makes choices that shape her priorities.

This is the commencement speech by the writer, Anna Quindlen, to the graduates at Villanova this year (2006)

"It's a great honor for me to be the third member of my family to receive an honorary doctorate from this great university. It's an honor to follow my great Uncle Jim, who was a gifted physician, and my Uncle Jack, who is a remarkable businessman. Both of them could have told you something important about their professions, about medicine or commerce. I have no specialized field of interest or expertise, which puts me at a disadvantage talking to you today. I'm a novelist. My work is human nature. Real life is all I know. Don't ever confuse the two, your life and your work. The second is only part of the first. Don't ever forget what a friend once wrote Senator Paul Tsongas when the senator decided not to run for re-election because he had been diagnosed with cancer: "No man ever said on his deathbed, 'I wish I had spent more time at the office.'" Don't ever forget the words my father sent me on a postcard last year: "If you win the rat race, you're still a rat." Or what John Lennon wrote before he was gunned down in the driveway of the Dakota: "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." You will walk out of here this afternoon with only one thing that no one else has. There will be hundreds of people out there with your same degree; there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do for a living. But you will be the only person alive who has sole custody of your life. Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at a desk, or your life on a bus, or in a car, or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just your bank account, but your soul. People don't talk about the soul very much anymore. It's so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit. But a resume is a cold comfort on a winter night, or when you're sad, or broke, or lonely, or when you've gotten back the test results and they're not so good. So here's what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion - the bigger paycheck, the larger house. Do you think you'd care so very much about those things if you blew an aneurysm one afternoon, or found a lump in your breast? Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze over Seaside Heights - a life in which you stop and watch how a red tailed hawk circles over the water or the way a baby scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a Cheerio with her thumb and first finger. Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter. Get a life in which you are generous. And realize that life is the best thing ever, and that you have no business taking it for granted. Care so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around. Take money you would have spent on beers and give it to charity. Work in a soup kitchen. Be a big brother or sister. All of you want to do well. But if you do not do good too, then doing well will never be enough. It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, our minutes. It is so easy to take for granted the color of our kids' eyes, the way the melody in a symphony rises and falls and disappears and rises again. It is so easy to exist instead of to live. I learned to live many years ago. Something really, really bad happened to me, something that changed my life in ways that, if I had my druthers, it would never have been changed at all. And what I learned from it is what, today, seems to be the hardest lesson of all: I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that it is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and utterly. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned. By telling them this: Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the fuzz on a baby's ear. Read in the backyard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived."

Turn Back The Clock on Your Birthday

I read a great thread on the message boards yesterday, where member Sookie (aka Itsy in WOWY) is using the new WOWY invitation application to create her very own online birthday party on July 2nd -- it's a birthday workout at 7AM ET!

And she's already got over 20 people who have signed up for that time!

I think this is a great way to turn back the clock on your birthday - you do your favorite workout, improving how your body feels and at the same time increasing your support group for the year ahead by confirming your commitment on the one day each year that is all about you.

When we created WOWY one of the things we talked about doing was having a page devoted to birthdays for just this reason, but we never got around to building that page. Now it seems the invitation tool has helped it materialize on its own. I think I'll speak to the MyBeachbody staff about taking this idea to another level in the next version of the program.

Thanks to Sookie for reminding me about the birthday application!

Good odds to win $500

While the WOWY invite tool seems to have caught on quickly, not a lot of people so far committing to the Saturday July 1st NoonET/9AMPT $500 WOWY giveaway -- and fewer still with WOWY photos uploaded.

That means that right now the odds of winning $500 is 1-in-5 since Beachbody employees are not eligible. Have you made the commitment to beat the summer slump on Saturday 7/1 at 12 NoonET? Do you have a WOWY photo uploaded? Do you like winning money just for working out in WOWY?

I sent out a few more invitations today, and asked those folks to invite two people each, and to ask those people to invite two people each.

Attendance to workouts has definitely increased already thanks to the invitation tool though. Over 750 people worked out in WOWY yesterday with a peak of 67 -- that's ten more than the peak on the same day last week. A good sign that people like connecting to keep the appointment to exercise!

Inviting people to WOWY works... So when will you invite someone to YOUR next workout?

July 1st -- You Are Invited!

That's the news at Beachbody and WOWY -- we've just launched the BETA version of a WOWY invitation tool to help people get (and give) workout support!

The existing Success Buddies feature has done pretty well, but now it gets even better because you can invite people to workout when you've put your schedule together. The system walks you through it step by step. And I'm hoping it will be another tool to help people keep their commitment to workout by giving you the power to build consistency with a group of people you know.

And to encourage you to add your photo to your WOWY profile, I'm putting up another $500 to see how many people will put off the summer-slump for a 12PM ET/9AM PT workout on Saturday July 1st. 500 smackers goes to someone logged in at Noon ET/9:00AM PT. They will be randomly chosen to win the $500 just for working out within WOWY (with an approved photo in their profile).

And while you're thinking ahead and scheduling your workouts - take moment to try out the BETA version of the invitation tool.

Here's how it works:

1. First go to WOWY.com and log in
2. Click on the date in the calendar you want to schedule (July 1)
3. Choose the time you want to workout in the drop down menu (9AM)
4. Select the workout you're going to follow (I will be doing Turbo Jam Cardio Party - my first ever TJ WOWY!)
5. Click on "Invite Buddies" in the Success Buddies" section
You'll need to have people in your address book to invite:
> Click "Add Buddies"
> Lookup members and add them to your address book.
> Consider adding non-members ( in the area at the bottom) so you can add "outsiders"
who you've wanted to encourage to start working out.
> Then click "Done adding Buddies"
6. Click on the buddies you want to invite to that workout and click "Submit"
7. Check the invitation, and click on "Yes - SEND THE INVITATION"

Maybe on the 1st we'll break the record of 331 people in WOWY set exactly 6 months ago on the first of the year! With all the Turbo Jam activity in WOWY the last couple months, I wouldn't be surprised.

I look forward to hearing how you like the invitation tool, and look forward to our July 1st workout!

Fat? Good for you? Watchu talkin' bout Willis?

Got fat? The more I hear, the more I feel like I haven't been paying attention. When did the world realize that all fat is not all "fattening". Why didn't anyone call me?

I can remember Susan Powter's "Stop the Insanity" infomercial where she knowingly held up five pounds of crystallized fat and proclaimed something kitschy like "Five pounds of fat... It can't form on your hips if it doesn't cross your lips." Whatever she said, it made sense, in an oversimplified kindergarten kind of way.

But now people are getting sophisticated. According to the National Academies Institute of Medicine recommendations for healthy eating, adults should consume between 20-35% of their daily calories from fat to meet daily calorie requirements and minimize risk for chronic disease.

Typical sources of fat in a diet include butter, margarine, vegetable oils, visible fat on meat and poultry, whole milk, egg yolks, and nuts. Look closer, and you find out it is not only best to minimize the amount of saturated and trans fats in your diet, but critical to consume the good fats in order to functionn (and, ironically, to lose fat).

Good fats, are monounsaturated fat and essential polyunsaturated fats (often called EFA's, essential fatty acides.) I personally take a teaspoon of the following sources of EFA's every morning and right before bed in order to get enough of the good fats into my diet every day: Coconut Oil, Codliver Oil, Lecithin, and Bee Pollen.

Ever since I started this regimen, I have noticed that my metabolism is running faster (i.e., I don't gain weight as easily) and I hardly ever get headaches anymore. I've read about that consequence a number of places due to the anti-inflammatory effects of EFA's.

Research is showing that EFAs help you burn excess fat, restore health to the cardiovascular system, relieve arthritis pain and inflammation, and strengthen the immune system.

Sounds good. I wish they made cheese out of the good fats. But for now, I'll continue to take my teaspoons of fish and coconut oil, bee pollen and lecithin. If you want to achieve a healthy Beachbody, I highly recommend you do some research and make the investment into some EFA's from trusted, quality sources. Not all sources deliver the same quality. So ask around, search the net. And get fat. Well... Get essentially fat so you get thin and healthy. You know what I mean.

"Show me the pout. Come on. Work it! Work it!"

When our web design team puts together emails and web promotion pages, sometimes we have great photos from the catalog we get at Fitness Camps, the Hawaii Trip, or other resources.

It occurred to me this week when I saw this image of "Girl with Banana Mouth" on the meal planning page at MyBeachbody that it would be a lot more fun and representative of the Beachbody community to feature more photos of customers whenever possible.

This blog post is an invitation to send us any digital photos you can so we can add them to our library of images for use within the Beachbody.com family of websites.

Alison picks many of the photos we use, and is excited at the prospect that we might be able to feature more customer shots. Here's what she asked me, to as you to send us:

Food/Diet Photos
- You and your family eating healthy.
- cooking or preparing smoothies.
- posing with food (see odd banana shot above)




Exercise Photos
- Strike a yoga pose, grab those dumbbells and smile!
- How about some push ups from a fun angle?
- Let's see your best imitation of a Turbo Jam cover!




Show off!
- Fun images of you or your kids showing off: flexing, posing like a model, carrying ten bags of groceries at once... Something that shows the positive effect in their personal life of their fitness



Community
- Photos with Tony, Debbie, Chalene or other trainers
- Photos of you with other customers
- Photos of you on the computer using our online community. It's hard to make a photo of a person using a laptop fun, but it can be done



The important thing is for you to get creative and play with camera angles and color a little (Think; Red shirt - Red hat - Red resistance band... that kind of color repetition).

The images I have included in this post are just examples. I hope you just go for it. We'll crop them to fit on the site. The images throughout the community are changed every week, so the more photos the better!

Send your photos (with names of the people pictured) as attachments to MyBBPhotoFame@beachbody.com

It's On! Sign Up!

Yes! Tony's New York camp is (finally) taking reservations. And the page even has exciting video to show how much fun you'll have getting to rub shoulders with the Mayor of Fitnessville, Mr. Tony Horton.

Ok. Here's the bottom line. We don't make a lot of money on these events. But there is a HUGE benefit to getting people together: People ramp up their commitment to the program when they see a meeting with THE MAN coming across the horizon... and that translates into even better success stories than we thought we'd get form the next wave of Power 90 folks.

So if you're looking for a reason to press the pedal to the metal, look toward New York, Tony's packing his chaps for a weekend at the dude ranch, so KICK IT INTO GEAR!

"Easy" Won't Get You Ripped

Traci Does P90X Plyo


Yesterday I was working with Ned, the filmmaker behind the look and feel of P90X. We were digging into the infomercial, looking for the best way to tweak the show to motivate reasonably fit people to dig down and reach for the ultimate physique in just 90 days of extreme work, with this unprecedented program.

The voice in my head said "just make it look easier, that's what they do with other infomercial fitness products."

That's when I "got it". That's when I realized what sets apart the customers who buy P90X and get the results, from those who look at it, see the sweat, and turn the channel, resting instead on the latest pitch for the "Bun and Thigh Rocking Chair" or the latest "Ab-flattening Lawn Lounge".

It's "easy" to get ice cream and chow down before bed. It's easy to drive through McDonald's instead of having a healthier option prepared for your lunch. It's easy to skip workouts when you're busy. It's easy to take the elevator instead of the stairs. "Easy" is a creeping entitlement that has resulted in the global trend of obesity, passed down from parents to their kids. "Easy" is why being lean and ripped is so uncommon.

I am not above wishing fitness was easier. But I also know first hand that if being fit were easy, there would be a lot less demand for Beachbody products. It's an achievement, because it's NOT easy.

If you are contemplating getting into a new fitness program, don't look for the one that looks easy. Look for the one that looks hard enough that the money you're spending will not go to waste. Look for the one that turns sweat into results. From programs that get you up and moving like Turbo Jam or Yoga Booty Ballet, to the muscle grinding body shredding intensity of P90X, set aside the expectation of "easy" for just three months, and see what you can achieve when you accept the challenge.

When you transcend that expectation, soon enough you'll find out, that's exactly the choice your body has been waiting for all these years.

Happy Anniversary Beachbody!

With today, the first birthday of this blog, I wanted to also commemorate the 7-year anniversary of our very first Beachbody order on May 11th, 1999 from a woman named Hope Putnam.

Hope ordered the Great Body Guaranteed™ collection.

Since then it's been a constant struggle between celebrating the excitement of success and constant innovation while working hard to keep up with demand and the constant pressure to improve systems during dramatic periods of growth (like, um, now.)

Happy anniversary to Beachbody, its employees, investors, customers, and friends, and to everyone who has signed-on to make this a great place to gather to achieve real results!

Faux Sweeteners Creating Real Problems

Generally, I am not in favor of things that are labeled "artificial". And artificial sweeteners are a good example. Whether they're in diet soda, coffee, cereal, whatever, the growing body of evidence against the pink, blue, and yellow alternatives, is clear: Unless you want to be an unknowing lab rat in the long term public study of the effects of sweeteners, avoid them.

The good news if you like it sweet, there is an alternative that seems to be both sweet, AND healthy, and I use it every day.

Splenda® looks like it might be a real danger with the wave of products it will appear in, largely in response to the low-sugar concerns of dieters. It is being touted as the great savior of the sweet tooth.

Responsible experts are on one side of the argument saying that Splenda is unsafe — the latest sweetener that starts off claiming to be a healthy choice, only later to be proven to be full of side effects. How about this: Some authorities are saying that Splenda has more in common with DDT than with food. DDT. That's poison I think.

So be careful, and be informed.

Splenda -- Products sweetened with Splenda can be labeled “natural” because of the FDA-approved claim that Splenda is made from sugar. Splenda is made from a synthetic compound called sucralose, two molecules of sucrose (sugar) and three molecules of chlorine. YES... SPLENDA IS 2/3 CHLORINE. Sounds like I'd be better off pouring a packet into my jacuzzi than I would pouring it over Ava's cereal.

Apparently those chlorine molecules get stored in your fat cells and it may take years to figure out whether they’re influencing your health. I am willing to guess it's not good. The manufacturer's own short-term studies showed that sucralose, the chemical name for Splenda, caused shrunken thymus glands and enlarged livers and kidneys in rodents. But those were rodents, and we love them. As for humans, well, in this case, the FDA decided that because these studies weren’t based on human testing, they were not conclusive. There are no long-term studies. So WE are the long term study (although it is likely Splenda SHOULD be banded from rodent use. Sorry, Mickey.)

Some evidence shows side effects from Splenda, including skin rashes/flushing, panic-like agitation, dizziness and numbness, diarrhea, muscle aches, headaches, intestinal cramping, bladder issues, and stomach pain. These show up at one end of the spectrum — the people who have an allergy or sensitivity to the sucralose molecule. But like I said, the affects of the chlorine build up are unknown. That's my real point here.

By the way, almost all the independent research into aspartame (Equal) found dangerous side effects in rodents. The FDA did not to take these findings into account when it approved aspartame for public use. And within 15 years those side effects appeared in humans who were vulnerable to the chemical structure of aspartame. Tough break.

It's important to note that as food additives, artificial sweeteners aren't subject to the same FDA scrutiny and trials as pharmaceuticals. Most of the testing is funded by the food industry, which has a vested interest in the outcome. So the fox is guarding the hen house. Bet them are some sweet hens!

Some of the chemical ingredients in artificial sweeteners are well known hazards. Side effects depend on your biochemistry. Manufacturers are "hoping" that the body won’t absorb much of these compounds at any one time. But with the Splenda explosion that's happening, you won't know the effect on you until you’re already sick. Some scientists are calling Splenda a mild mutagen based on how much you absorb. Hey, maybe you could get a cool mutant power and be the next member of the X-Men! A mutagen! Unreal. We won't know the health implications for decades. But mutants are fun to watch. So stay tuned.

For people trying to be healthy, artificial sweeteners can seem like the best of both worlds — sweetness without calories. But the risks as I've outlined can be just as great, or worse. Time will tell.

Aspartame, the main ingredient in Equal and NutraSweet should be avoided by most people, but particularly in those with neuropsychiatric concerns. Recent studies in Europe show that aspartame use can result in an accumulation of formaldehyde in the brain, which can damage your central nervous system and immune system and cause genetic trauma. I had a twitch in my neck this weekend and thought, "Did all those years of Equal in my coffee add up to this?" I hope it goes away soon.

Aspartame has also been linked with MS, lupus, fibromyalgia and other central nervous disorders. Possible side effects of aspartame are: headaches, migraines, panic attacks, dizziness, irritability, nausea, intestinal discomfort, skin rash, and nervousness. Some people have woken up and been a completely different race after ingesting a packet of aspartame. Oh. Wait. That was the movie "Watermelon man". Anyway, some researchers have linked aspartame with depression and manic episodes. It may also contribute to male infertility. That alone would make me sad.

Saccharin, was the first widely available chemical - I mean artificial - sweetener. Most researchers agree that in sufficient doses, saccharin is carcinogenic in humans. The question is, how do you know what your "sufficient dose" is? (Figure it out, and consume just a little bit less, and you'll be a-ok.)

Some practitioners think saccharin in moderation is the best choice if you must use an artificial sweetener. It has been around the longest and seems to cause less problems than aspartame. Party on.

Bottom line, these artificial sweeteners are body toxins. They are never a good idea for pregnant women, children or teenagers (unless the teenager is being really difficult, then it's probably justified) despite the reduced sugar content — because of possible irreversible cell damage. Like smoking... if you decide it’s worth the risks, then go ahead, but would you put a cigarette in your kids hands so they would consumer less sugar?

So here's the good news... sugar substitutes don’t have to be artificial. There is an alternative, and it's "Stevia". They are the natural alternatives to artificial sweeteners. For many years, diabetics have used products sweetened with polyalcohol sugars like xylitol, malitol, and mannitol. These are natural sweeteners that do not trigger an insulin reaction. (Xylitol comes from birch tree pulp.) They have half the calories of sugar and are not digested by the small intestine.

I personally recommend the herb Stevia as a natural sweetener. I use it. And good old Trident gum now uses Xylitol in some packages marked as such. Stevia has been used for over four hundred years without ill effect. Stevia has been enormously popular in Japan, now rivaling Equal and Sweet’N Low. It’s 20 times sweeter than sugar, so a small portion of Stevia will sweeten even a strong cup of tea. In fact, when I first started using Stevia, I used too much and thought is was awful. Then I tried again, used less (in coffee by the way) and now drink my coffee feeling a little less guilty.

Stevia is slowly gaining steam as a sugar substitute, despite hurdles. The FDA has approved its use as a food supplement, but not as a food additive due to a lack of studies. Stevia can be used for anything you might use sugar in, including baking. It is naturally low in carbohydrates. You can buy Stevia at most health food stores and over the web. There may be those who have a sensitivity to a substance, but based on reports in other countries it appears to have little to no side effects.

So there it is... that's my opinion. Stay as far away from the chemicals as you can, and if you like it sweet, use some of nature's sugar alternatives like Stevia and Xylitol.

Please note: This information was accumulated from a number of resources, most notably an article titled "Sugar substitutes and the potential danger of Splenda", By Marcelle Pick at http://www.womentowomen.com/nutritionandweightloss/splenda.asp, http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/3/sucralose_dangers.htm, "The Secret Dangers of Splenda (Sucralose), an Artificial Sweetener" by Dr. Joseph Mercola at http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/3/sucralose_dangers.htm, and Splenda Toxicity Reaction Samples (Updated 2/13/2006) http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/ which drew this conclusion from its research: "While it is unlikely that sucralose is as toxic as the poisoning people are experiencing from Monsanto's aspartame, it is clear from the hazards seen in pre-approval research and from its chemical structure that years or decades of use may contribute to serious chronic immunological or neurological disorders."

It's Time To Party!

Jam On! Today it's time to move, to groove, and to burn that stored energy - with reckless intent on success, mutual support, and having fun!

It's the kick-off "house party day" for Beachbody's test of a new fitness/weight loss motivation concept called "Turbo Jam House Party" and the neighborhood slim down. In over 1300 homes across the country, over 10,700 people have RSVP'd to get together today to learn about Turbo Jam, and to kick off the ten-day "Turbo Slim" program.

The point here is to get people together today to commit to following Turbo Slim for the ten days, and see how good you can feel and how much weight you can lose by teaming up for a brief ten day flight of fitness focus starting May 15th. In this case, the real motivation will come from two forces: The fact the people you are partying with today are relying on each other (and you) to keep the promise so they have that added accountability to keep their promise to you. If you don't quit, they won't quit. Second, the second house party (which we are calling the "weigh-out" party) is where people will see the visible results of ten days of consistency.

Ten days... Real results. Summer's around the corner. This one will be a winner.

Success has many fathers and mothers. This one is a group project that was motivated first by Beachbody President Jon Congdon's own Power 90 group which woke us up to the fact that, for some, it is easier to stay motivated by getting together in small groups than it is to work out alone in your living room with the accountability of WOWY to keep you going. The question was, how do we scale that concept? One morning I was reading a press release about a company called House Party, LLC that was helping media companies get fans of TV shows together to celebrate premieres and special events. I called them and met with co-founder Parker Reilly. I liked many aspects of the idea, but was not sure how it would translate to our products and community, except that it sounded a little like something that Chalene Johnson had described in terms of how she and her Turbo team band together in mini-groups to focus on accountability, especially when it comes to proper diet.

In discussion, the phrase Neighborhood Slim Down was being used to describe the motivation concept behind the House Party, and then everything fell into place. Bringing people together 1,000 parties at a time would be another arrow in our quiver to help people get in shape and lose weight without buying expensive equipment or having to join a gym.

After a few meetings and discussions, the concept had traction. And while there were many skeptics even at Beachbody, we know that no improvement ever comes from standing still. Contracts were signed, and the dates were announced. And today is the kick-off party.

So what's this mean to all of us who either didn't host a party, get invited to a party, or who aren't interested in the party aspect of the idea? With summer on the way it means that you can kick off your own "flight of fitness focus" with the rest of the Turbo Jam House Party. Neighborhood Slim Down does not have to be a physical neighborhood. It can be your cubicle. It can be your friends on WOWY. Or it can just be you and the rest of the neighborhoods who are hosting house parties. Whatever it is, we are all launching the ten-day program on May 15th. We'll be talking about it. We'll be supporting each other. We'll be in WOWY everyday.

EVERYONE who participates will benefit by the new friends, the renewed focus, and the spirit of support which is the central point to the neighborhood slimdown and today's Turbo Jam House Party event. I hope you join us and share your experience!

Sailing to Beachbodyland

Reading the Beachbody message boards, I am so impressed by people who handle any set back along the way to success with grace and determination instead of anger and blame.

No challenge along the way should ever be a surprise or even a set back to a fixed goal. The challenge just "is".

Losing weight with one of our programs (or running a company, getting a college degree, or keeping a house clean, etc etc) is a process of dealing with changing variables. There's no constant toward success except persistence applied to the best tools available. Your weightloss program is the tool, like a boat, that goes nowhere unless there is someone steering the ship.

You are the captain of the sailboat, and you are planning to sail your boat to "Beachbodyland" a destination where your clothes fit better, you have more energy, and you will gladly pose for family pictures because you like the way you look. As you sail across the sea toward Beachbodyland, the fact is, you are ALWAYS veering slightly off course. Every moment you are literally, constantly adjusting and steering your boat to make it to your intended destination. A resistance workout breaks down muscle, so that muscle will then rebuild, adapt and be stronger. When you eat, your body slows the usage of stored fat for energy, but its consequential confidence that there is food available let's it speed up your metabolism overall. The net effect is more energy usage throughout the day. Again, constant steerage, away from the goal, toward the goal.

If you're with me, I'll take this metaphor further: In addition to the very specific physical navigating of exercise and food intake that you are managing, Captain, there are multiple "life factors" and variables that constantly nudge and bump the boat off course sometimes in frustrating ways... the unpredictable "current" of work and family demands, the "tides" of holidays and seasons, the "surf" of emotion, gusts of wind such as emergencies, surprises, and accidents, plus the pitch of each sail which can be compared to your intensity of workouts, the choice of which workout to do which day, your recovery time, etc etc. Each one of those factors , they just "are". The wind is being the wind. The surf is being the surf. They are not against you getting to Beachbodyland. They just exist on their own, coinciding with your path on their way to their own. You can put your energy into reacting to the factors and be angry and miserable, or you can accept them, and maximize and enjoy the trip.

There will always be external factors that have an effect on your voyage. It's up to you to decide how you will react to those factors. Whether you put your energy into enjoying it, focusing on maximizing each variable, or you put your energy into anger, resentment, and self-judgment depends on how you Captain the ship. You can steer emotionally with each shift, in a constant zig-zag of over reaction, or you can go with it, making graceful corrections to stay on course without the fight. You make the choice. You set the tone of the trip. The more pleasant you make it on yourself, the more likely you are to keep forging ahead.

What I am saying here is, when you pin that Power 90 or Turbo Jam calendar up, don't EXPECT it to be a perfect process - expect it to have twists and turns. (Frankly, the only way it can be smooth or simple is if your are not moving at all - no wind, or tied to the dock.) As the skipper, expect the variables to come and effect the trip, and lightly steer to stay on course, and work on managing your reaction to them. When it seems like there is no time to workout, maybe you need to let it go that day. If you're exhausted, perhaps you should lighten up your workout intensity for a day or two, or perhaps you need to go for it with more intensity to break through the rut. Likewise, when the wind is blowing strong and everything is contributing to reaching the destination, seize it and maximize your progress. Increase your intensity without burning yourself out. Eat clean. Take advantage of the momentum while it's all falling into place.

And then, when there's a challenge, deal with it, without giving up.

Feel your body respond to each maneuver. Feel your moods improve when you focus your mind to let go of anger and stay on course. You're sailing. This is your life. Enjoy it by accepting challenges and staying on course.

I'll give you a sailor's salute when our boats are within view, and I'll look forward to seeing you in Beachbodyland.

In a New York State of Mind

In case you were planning/hoping for a Tony Horton Fitness Camp in the Northeast this year I have good news: We have decided to proceed with the New York camp in July, Fri 7/14, Sat 7/15 and Sun 7/16.

My understanding is that the event will take place in the same "ranch" type setting as last year, somewhere outside of Albany, but that needs to be confirmed and nailed down.

Traci, Anna, and Lara are working with Tony to finalize the details so we can announce the capacity and take reservations soon. Stay tuned NY campers.

We are still on track for the other two camps this year: Los Angeles, CA: Aug 11, 12, 13 (which we are calling "the big mama" based on the buzz we are getting) and Chicago, IL: Sept 15, 16 and 17

They are the **IT

They are the IT team, and they have put in unbelievable hours for the last ten days as they worked to solve multiple issues created by a Beverly Hills power outage in the midst of a critical system upgrade.

In case you tried to get customer service last week and were frustrated by a busy signal or lack of information, it all was a nasty ripple effect within Beachbody nerve center. But this team of dedicated folks worked literally around the clock for ten days straight to get it solved, and I am exceptionally grateful.

Now, when you hang around the office into the night with the tech crowd, you learn interesting things, like, what they use for energy to stay alert for fifty hours straight. The answer; an Indian pastry called "Jalebi". This stuff is like carnival funnel cake, with a gooey sugary center. If you ask me it's a speed pass ticket to a two hour sugar coma. But I watched them chew on it throughout the night last Friday, all the while keeping an even keel. I think you'd find Jalebi at the bottom of Michi's Ladder. But given that they seem to be in okay shape, maybe there's some magical properties that support weight loss. Bottom line is, they are getting the job done, and they are doing it with great composure. "More Jalebi Mom, please?"

Meanwhile, back at the office...

The operations and finance team are deep into it, counting ever little booklet, tape measure, DVD, vitamin and resistance band... it's the end of the quarter, and yes, EVERYTHING gets counted.

I wanted to thank the team, plus our auditors, for working hard through the weekend to make sure that this inventory would not impact our ability to ship product from weekend orders by Tuesday. So far so good!

Pictured on the ladder; Neil, Danny, Robert, and Heather.

Pictured around the table, waiting for numbers; Sofia, Helen, Louise, Ken (kinda looks like Ken's doing all the work here) and Traci (at least I spelled it right Traci!)