Friday, June 27, 2008

When Sharing the Beachbody Opportunity, "No thanks" means "Not yet"

We've all heard the stats:
> Over 100 million people in this country are obese.
> Another 100 million are overweight.
> Deaths related to obesity are the #2 killer in the US, and soon to achieve the distinction of #1.

So when a Beachbody Coach offers to help someone who is not involved in a fitness and nutrition program and they say "No", I think they're really saying "Not yet."

The challenge is to turn "Not yet" into "Now".

Beachbody Coaches are so resilient in their crusade to help people. They do their workouts. They plan their food and supplement strategies. And they share the message with someone every day: "I am experiencing how health is achieved. When you're ready I'll help you."

Someone can say "no" or "not yet" to that, but as life passes them by because they lack the strength, energy or perhaps confidence to really live, at some point that person will realize that the solution already presented itself in that invitation from their coach.

What has been missing from every other program they ever tried was the combination of a good fitness and food plan with the support to stay with it. When they remember the helpful coach who offered to help them that "no" turns into "now".

The other day I was on a phone call where an experienced network marketer was telling me that you need the "best salespeople to succeed" because the priority has to be making money - that's the driver to network marketing.

When it comes to Beachbody, I had to respectfully disagree. Salesmanship is what you need to sell a product one time. Sell one person one thing, move on to the next. Beachbody is not about salesmanship, it is about creating relationships by caring enough about people and their potential for a better life. And when you combine the truth about health and fitness with enthusiasm, you create that relationship, and sales... All because you care. Our coaches create lasting relationships that are productive, healthy and profitable.

Earning an income is not evil. It is an important motivator - in fact it's the motivation that got me into the best shape of my life. If I didn't think my photos would be valuable to the launch of Power 90 and P90X, I would have never pushed it so hard to get those results. That motivation got me healthy. Creating the Coach network is my attempt to see if people want to tap into that same money motivation that I had. "Become a walking billboard for what's possible, be there to help them succeed, and they'll want to buy some of what you've got!"

When it comes to sharing this system of exercise, good nutrition and peer support, what makes me comfortable to write about it in this blog and share this system with anyone I speak to is the fact that I KNOW WITH 100% CONVICTION that what we offer is the fastest path to a long-term healthy lifestyle on the market. Better than all the diet books combined. Better than gastric bypass surgery. Better than whatever cleanse is popular this summer. Less expensive and more efficient than equipment and gym memberships alone. This program works and it's healthy. And I want as many people as possible to tap into it.

I get so worked up when I realize that these crazy DVD's and simple food programs really will solve this obesity trend within five years. And it's all thanks to the community of people with the biggest heart you could find. That's how this is so different than the other MLM's - this is people helping people, not people selling juice.

If you are interested in helping people, and you wonder if you need to learn how to sell to be a Beachbody Coach, all I ask is that you show people you care, and the business will grow. And here's another tip: You don't need to find people who can sell to help you build your business. You need to find people who have the courage to show they care as much as you do.

Care like that this week, and if someone who listens to you talk about this thing called Beachbody and the power of "Play, Shake & Share" says "no thanks," hear it as "not yet". Because one day when they're ready to achieve their transformation, you'll still be there for them, and "not yet" becomes "now!"

That's how we'll grow to a force of one million caring coaches, and that's how we'll help over 100 million people make health and fitness a priority in their lives.

To every Beachbody Coach, know that every day, and every conversation matters... because every person matters. YOU HAVE THE SOLUTION!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

1 million and 100 million

We are going to reverse the trend of obesity.

It started the day we held the meeting to launch the network, and it caught on the moment we realized that our coaches understood that this was more than just a way to make some money. It is about three priorities: (1) YOU live healthy, (2) you help people around you live healthy, and (3) you recruit other people who will do the same.

The Beachbody system works 100% of time for those that follow it: Exercise, good nutrition, and peer support. 100% success. Our job together, is to turn that message into action and then habit, not by trying to get thousands at a time, but one person at a time.

Let there be no mistake in this statement, and no room for misinterpretation: Team Beachbody is going to reverse the trend of obesity by building a network of one million coaches, and those coaches will help 100 million people make health and fitness a priority in their lives.

If it is possible to recruit one coach, who gets great results with our system, who then inspires twenty more to do the same, it's possible to recruit a million coaches, who as a team will supercharge the message with their success and inspire 100 million others.

In five years, people will say "Exercise, nutrition and people helping people... How obvious."

Meanwhile, Team Beachbody and its coaches are the ones who see the potential now, and the ones who will turn that elegantly simple potential into the "obvious" reality.

We need leaders to achieve this; Bright, compassionate people who are willing to make the time to live healthy, and help others. How many of the million coaches will you personally bring to the revolution, and how many of the 100 million customers? How many will it be this week? How many conversations will you have today?

One million coaches. 100 million customers. The Beachbody Revolution has begun.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Heads Up Canada (and the US)

I love Canada. I have vacationed in Ontario almost every year of my life since I was born, enjoying some of the most beautiful scenery and people around. My wife is from Canada. Canada is like a second home to me.

So, many are wondering why it's taking so long for us to get the Beachbody Coach network opportunity launched into Canada. The bottom line is, the legal hurdles are significant. I bring that up today so, if you happen to be Canadian, to call your attention to some legislation which will only make it harder for us to launch into Canada because nutrition is an important aspect of our approach to a healthy lifestyle.

See the following article, which was orinigally posted on J.M. Mercola's site, a pretty helpful resource for a naturalist's view on health topics.

This was the headline: "Vitamin C About to be Made Illegal in Canada"
What if, just for taking vitamin C, you could be thrown in jail for up to 2 years and fined up to $5,000,000? That scenario could very well soon become a reality in Canada. The Canadian Government is trying to pass a bill known as Bill C51. According to some interpretations of the bill, it would remove all supplements from over-the-counter availability, by only allowing Medical Doctor’s to prescribe them as they see fit. This would mean that if you wanted to take a multivitamin, you would have to book an appointment with your doctor and try to convince your doctor that you are in need of these supplements. If your doctor decides a certain drug would be better for you, then you won't have access to your supplements of choice anymore.


Consequences of the bill could include:
> No more supplement stores

> Supplements made illegal unless obtained through a prescription; 70 percent of all current supplements on the market could be removed
> Fines of up to $5,000,000.00 and/or 2 years in jail per incident of being caught breaking this law


These are Dr. Mercola's Comments: After hours of cross-checking, I must admit, I’m still a bit confused about its true potential ramifications. In reading the proposed law itself (for the full act see this link), the statements above appear to be potentially accurate interpretations. Ditto on the dire predictions made by Stop51.com. And, although the Canadian government’s site Healthy Canadians claims that none of the above statements are true, it offers very little in terms of guidance on just how and why the law doesn’t mean what it says.

Why Should Americans Care?
If you’re one of the millions of people in Canada, the United States or Mexico, who has never heard of the Trilateral Union, the North American Union (NAU), or Codex, I’m afraid you may be in for a quite a surprise. But don’t feel bad, neither of our respective governments or major media outlets are speaking publicly or frankly about these plans.

These issues are far too broad and deep to go into in this article, but they are the reasons why you should care about this law passing in Canada, even if you don’t live there now – because in the foreseeable future the borders between our three countries might disappear.

If you’re reading this newsletter you obviously have access to the internet, so just Google “North American Union” or “Codex” and you’ll get more than 74.6 million and 13 million hits respectively on these two topics. You can also search my website for previous articles on Codex and what these international food and supplement standards may mean for the future of nutritional supplements. If being an informed citizen matter to you, don’t let these topics slip under your radar – they have the power to change our respective countries and our ways of life in more ways than you could imagine.

What Does Codex Have to Do With C-51?
To answer that question we have to back up a couple of paces and start with a quick explanation of what Codex is. The Codex Alimentarius Commission, conceived by the United Nations in 1962, was birthed through a series of relationships between The World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) as well as the American FDA and USDA. The Codex Alimentarius itself is a compilation of food standards, codes of practice and guidelines that specify all requirements related to foods (whether processed, semi-processed, genetically engineered, or raw). Their purpose is to protect consumers’ health, ensure fair business practices within the food trade, and eliminate international food trade barriers by standardizing food quality.

Sounds good in theory, right?
However, the two most potentially dangerous prospects of Codex are: 1) these standards are being devised as international rules intended for world-wide adoption, and 2) Codex has classified nutrients as toxins.

Yes, toxins. That’s not a misprint.
The Codex Commission decided—with the support of the United States—to use something called Risk Assessment, which assesses the maximum level of a substance – in this case a nutrient -- that may be ingested without causing any discernable biological effect.

Did you get that one? Let me explain further.
Risk Assessment is a branch of Toxicology, a.k.a. the science of toxins (as opposed to the science of nutrition). In a sane world, it is used to assess how much of a toxic substance you can safely eat without noticing any physical effects or problems. As soon as there is a biological effect, you have hit the upper, maximum limit for that substance.

Codex is slowly but surely shimmying into position to mandate the universal maximum “safe” level of every vitamin, mineral, supplement and herb that may legally be manufactured, used or sold -- with “safe” being a level that has no physical effect.

So, what does this have to do with Canada’s potential adoption of C-51?
Well, C-51 also amends the Canadian law to allow trade agreements to become law without Parliamentary approval, and for the regulation to incorporate documents produced by a foreign state or subdivision of a foreign state.

What that means is that the Codex treaty could become Canadian law without Parliamentary approval simply by passing a regulation saying it is now part of the Canadian regulations.
If the Codex rules become the law of the land in Canada, the safety of supplements might become judged on the toxicology scale, and if Canada has these laws in place when the NAU becomes reality – guess what? The U.S. and Mexico may have little choice but to fall under the same umbrella of laws and standards.

And, even if you refuse to believe that the North American Union will ever take place, passing similar, potentially restricting natural health laws in the U.S. will be a whole lot easier if Canada sets the precedent.

The Fine Art of Double-Speak
The Canadian law, known as C-51, was introduced by the Canadian Minister of Health on April 8th, 2008, proposing far-reaching changes to Canada's Food and Drugs Act. The question on everyone’s mind is whether or not it might have devastating consequences on the health products industry.

According to the government website Healthy Canadians, Canadians will continue to have access to natural health products that are safe, effective and of high quality, and claims that:
Natural health products will not be regulated as pharmaceutical drugs; they will continue to be regulated under their own regulations - separate from drugs and foods.
Bill C-51 will not increase the costs of natural health products.
Bill C-51 does not regulate growing an herb garden.
Bill C-51 does not target practitioners who compound products for their patients.
Bill C-51 does not target Canadians' personal use of natural health products.
Health food stores will not require a special license to sell natural health products.
Canadians will not require a prescription from a doctor for natural health products.
However, the site also makes somewhat confusing statements like:
“Under Bill C-51 the term ‘therapeutic products' encompasses a range of products sold for therapeutic purposes, including drugs, medical devices, biologics, and natural health products. This does not change the classification of a natural health product nor impose additional requirements.”

Personally, I’ve not been able to sort out why or how a natural health product -- if now lumped together with drugs under the term ‘therapeutic products’ -- would not change its classification, and why they would not have to abide by the same rules as all other ‘therapeutic products.’

The Power of Words
One of the most opposed changes is this radical alteration to key terminology, including replacing the word "drug" with "therapeutic product,” which is the same term used for all natural products as well.

To get a better idea of the many questions and confusing pitfalls this law change brings to fore, I recommend reading the NHPPA Draft Discussion Paper on Bill C-51.

Clearly, I’m not the only one who can’t make heads or tails out of this legislative doublespeak, and the paper (written by a defense attorney specializing in the Food and Drugs Act) succinctly points out the power of language and key words in legislative debate.

For example, the old definition of “sell” is:
“includes the offer for sale, expose for sale, have in possession for sale and distribute, whether or not the distribution is made for consideration.”

That’s clear. In fact, I think most of us have a decent idea of what “selling” means. The NEW definition of “sell,” however, opens the door for a very broad interpretation: “includes offer for sale, expose for sale or have in possession for sale, or distribute to one or more persons, whether or not the distribution is made for consideration and in relation to a device, includes lease, offer for lease, expose for lease or have in possession for lease.” Now, what’s the reason for redefining the meaning of the word “sell” to include the simple act of “distributing to one or more persons”? Who does this new meaning benefit? Who does this now include that was not included before? Why the need for such a broad definition?

In plain English, it appears the law now applies if I were to simply give something to another person for free, whether it’s a stranger or a family member.

More Questionable Interpretations
Another interesting rebuttal by the Canadian government is the issue of whether or not an inspector would be allowed to enter private property without permission or a warrant.
The Healthy Canadian site states, “Inspectors will not be able to enter a private home without permission or a warrant.”

And yet the law, Section 23 (4), clearly reads: An inspector who is carrying out their functions may enter on or pass through or over private property without being liable for doing so and without the owner of the property having the right to object to that use of the property.

Since when does “without the right to object” mean that they have to ask for permission or present a warrant?

What Can You Do?
I don’t pretend to know or understand the full potential implications of this proposed law. However, if -- after reading through the many source links I’ve included in this comment -- you believe that C-51 is a law that is not in your and your family’s best interest, you can make your voice heard by signing the StopC51 petition.

To see the original post on Merocla's site, click here.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Play, Shake and Share

If you want to get healthy, lose weight, and build a business for yourself without having to invest a lot of money, read this post.

At least one email a day hits my inbox from someone with a new concept for recruiting new people into the Beachbody Revolution. New advertising campaign ideas, institutional opportunities, and even acquisition concepts. Every idea has merit, but none are as powerful as the powerful force driving this outreach: People talking directly to people they know in order to get them started on the sure-fire solution; Exercise, good nutrition, and peer support.

This is the best of what network marketing can be, where people talk to people with the intent to help them succeed, and in turn help others do the same. High volume, high touch. Incredible results.

That's what we're doing. And for those that stay focused on building a business based on that, the opportunity is proving especially compelling.

Babak Azad is one of our VP's at the company, and he sent me an email over the weekend reminding me how, when every other infomercial company was selling "easy", Beachbody broke the mold by telling it how it is: Losing weight takes work. He compared that message to the opportunity we and our coaches have not to look for the easy way out, but to instead celebrate that if you want to build an opportunity as a coach, you need to work the program and talk to people. Just like health, when it comes to building an income stream, there is no magic pill, and no free ride.

Hard work pays off. It doesn't have to be complex. (In fact complexity is a sure way to frustrate your efforts). It has been my experience that the people who keep it simple and simply "share their success" are the ones who see the reward, both in body transformation and life transformation.

That's why I am focusing so much of my attention promoting the concept of Play, Shake & Share, where you get results, and your journey serves as a role model to inspire people around you.

Play -- Exercise at least 20 times every 30 days

Shake -- Drink a meal replacement shake like Shakeology everyday and improve your overall nutrition.

Share -- Work at building your Beachbody business by sharing it with people. Listen and learn what stands in the way of people getting results. Help them see how Play, Shake & Share can help them succeed. (That builds your business, and keeps your eye on the ball of your own body-transformation... not so easy to dig a fist into a bag of M&M's when I'm representing that this program works.)

For me, the "Play" aspect has been a couple Ten Minute Trainer's a day and an hour walk with my baby son in the Bjorn. I drink a shake a day. For the last few months, I switched from our Beachbody Meal Replacement in order to be the primary guinea pig for our new uber-shake in development called "Shakeology". A year ago I asked our nutrition development team to formulate something that would help me get the nutrition I am missing (I cannot stand vegetables. Truly. I am like a five year old. Don't know why, just can't stomach them). So Shakeology was formulated to give me a whole food source of what I was missing and just plain give me a burst of healthy stuff in at least one meal a day. While some people will spend over $6 on a Jamba Juice or a frozen Frappa-cappuccino thing at Starbucks, I wanted a shake that I could truly consider my healthiest meal of the day even if it cost me $12 a serving. And what they came up with is remarkable. I personally believe it is why I haven't gotten sick through the last 30 days of intense newborn-sleep-deprivation. I'm "regular" like sunrise, my calorie intake is steady, and everything about my health is better. The days I don't drink Shakeology, I miss it. We're launching the clinical study/test group in a few weeks, and expect to bring the product to market in early fall.

Funny aside on Shakeology; One of the main contributors to helping create that formulation was my wife, Isabelle. She has spent her career providing nutrition, fitness, and training advice to professional athletes, big time executives, and even rock stars who need to detox when they come off the road. She's the most voracious information junkie I've ever witnessed, and highly skeptical of anything "new" unless it is based on decades or even centuries of use. (Ironic that she married me, a guy who thinks pizza is a food group) She's so disciplined about nutrition that she recently called EVERY health food store and manufacturer of baby-formula she could find on the internet to find one with no preservatives or so-called "bad stuff" to help her supplement breast milk. This went on for days, asking stock boys to read ingredient labels to her over the phone. She couldn't find any one that she liked 100%. One day we needed to supplement baby-Danny (he's a heavy drinker) with a formula, so we used the best one she found. Well, you'd think I was making him an arsenic martini. So the fact that she not only put her stamp of approval on Shakeology, but actually makes my shake for me on the weekend means this stuff is top shelf healthy.
I push play, I take my shake, and I talk to people all day long to share this opportunity.

The bottom line to all this is, if you want results, the tools are there. It's time to work for it. Work the program. You want to be lean this summer, you need to put a DVD into the machine and mash that play button 20 times every 30 days. You need to eat right. That means no skipping breakfast, and no eating too late in the day. Intake calories steadily throughout the day. A shake is great way to do that without a lot of math. And if you want to give yourself a fighting chance to stick with it this time; Share it. Surround yourself with people doing the same thing. Ignite them to get healthy! And they will keep you on track.

My goal is that Beachbody and its coaches reverse this trend of obesity, and get people to make health a priority. (That includes me.) I am convinced this is how we're going to do it. I need people around me who will support that goal with hard work and courage.

I've said I want to sign up a million coaches... I need to clarify that: The goal is not just to sign-up a million coaches -- but to get a million coaches who will help get a hundred or more people healthy -- that's over 100 million people who will find the answer and feel better. THAT'S SUCCESS.

And in the world of government health insurance initiatives, corporate wellness programs, fitness gimmicks and pharmaceuticals, all which are grasping at a magic mass-solution, who would imagine that the basic concept of combining Exercise, Good Nutrition, and Peer Support would be the answer? I would.

Play, Shake & Share.

It's going to take passion to get that message out there. It's going to take patience. And it's going to take work. If you're willing to do the work, I want you on the team. You'll get healthy. And You'll get others healthy. And we'll share the rewards.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

WOWY Super Gym Traffic

Talk about a "WOWY"... 3,396 people worked out online in the Team Beachbody WOWY Super Gym yesterday, and this morning we had a peek of 234 people at 9:20 AM ET!

I remember the day we launched this application. Jon and I were on business in Florida, and I kept checking the statistics on my phone... "We have 4 people working out together." Then ten minutes later, "We have 7 people working out together!"

The only Beachbody customer complaints in those days were that people wanted a way to invite someone to join them for a workout. Within a few months, we had an invitation engine, and then we started to see this grow.

As I type this, 164 people are working out together. The record attendance stands at 522 at one time set in May of 2007, but that was a promotion. To see this kind of attendance driven by coaches and the people they support is absolutely awesome.

Today's random prize is $300, just for logging your workout live at WOWY. So keep pushing play, and I'll see you online in WOWY!