How much water should you be drinking? The rule of thumb is that you should drink 8-8oz glasses a day. If you have a very active lifestyle and are bringing everyday with an extreme workout like P90X, you might need to drink more. Exercising only increases the importance of drinking water. The more you sweat, the more you need to replenish that loss. Also thirst can be mistaken for hunger, which can also sidetrack your weight loss goals because you are eating more calories when really all you need is to drink water.

Tips for increasing the amount of water you drink

1. Carry a water  bottle. If you have water constantly with you, you are more likely to drink it.

2. Add no calorie flavors to your water. If you want to mix up the taste of your water try adding a flavor packet, but be careful. Do not add extra sugar or calories, that defeats the purpose.

3. Drink when you are hungry. Remember, sometimes hunger masks thirst so try taking a drink of water when you get that hungry feeling.

4. Drink a glass of water when you first get up. It helps to get you on the right track!

Hydration plays a huge role in your body’s ability to function and your overall results. Don’t forget the unspoken mineral. Remember the importance of drinking water.

Like I mentioned above, you must stay away from drinks with added calories or sugars which includes many of the mixed drinks out there. A 1.5 oz shot of 80 proof alcohol has 96 calories just by itself and that just goes up the more mixers you add to it. To put it in perspective, 1 gram of protein has 4 calories whereas 1 gram of alcohol has 7. What alcohol to drink on a diet? Two very good choices include a white wine spritzer (5oz =100 calories) or a vodka with a splash of juice and a twist of lime. Try to avoid drinks like margaritas and mudslides that are loaded with sugar and extra mixers. A glass of wine or light beer are also a better choice. Another good strategy to help keep off the pounds at a party is to alternate your alcohol drink with a water or soda water with lime. That way you drink less and stay hydrated which has the extra bonus of avoiding a hangover the next day!

• Screwdriver: orange juice and vodka -180 cal.
• Wine: 125-150 cal. (depending on the glass)
• Lite Beer: 64-198 cal. (they have fewer carbohydrates than regular)
• Long Island Ice Tea: 780 cal.
• Rum and Diet Coke: 100 cal.
• Martini: 160 cal.

Use this list if you are going out and need to know what alcohol to drink. Otherwise try to avoid alcohol if you are trying to lose weight. If need any help achieving your goals you can make me your coach for free and I will be here to motivate you along the way! Remember keep putting one foot forward and you will make it!

Over consumption of processed sugar can contribute to a number of conditions, including tooth decay, type 2 diabetes, hormonal imbalances, overgrowth of candida yeast, chronic fatigue, more severe PMS symptoms, anxiety—and yep, even wrinkles. On the other hand, if you start to cut sugar out of your diet, you can shed excess weight, increase your energy, improve your concentration, improve your moods, and possibly steer clear of diabetes. Ready to kick-start your sugar detox? To help you out, I’ll let you in on some reasons why we get addicted, and how to read food labels for hidden sugars. I’ll also give you some tips on how to start your sugar detox so you’ll have a much better chance at living a long, vibrant, and disease-free life.
Why we crave sugar. According to AskDrSears.com, “Sweets trigger an increase in the hormone serotonin—a mood-elevating hormone. The body and brain get used to this higher level of serotonin and even depend on it for a sense of well-being. So when our serotonin level dips, (we dip) into the (sweets) to ‘correct’ the situation.” According to the Web site, sweets also “trigger the release of endorphins . . . the brain’s natural narcotics, helping you to relax when stressed.”
You’ve probably noticed that although sugar gives you an initial high (a rapid spike in your blood sugar), you crash several hours later, leaving you wanting more. It’s because sugar takes away more energy than it gives. Eventually, you find yourself exhausted, anxious, and moody. I know I’ve definitely experienced this crash too many times.
Is the sweet taste worth the unpleasant effects? Think gaining weight is the only negative effect of consuming too much sugar? Nancy Appleton, PhD, author of Lick the Sugar Habit, describes some surprising ways sugar intake can negatively affect your health:

• Suppresses the immune system’s defenses against bacterial infections
• Increases the risk of blood clots and strokes
• Contributes to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, and difficulty concentrating
• Can lead to hypoglycemia, kidney damage, an elevation in harmful cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and tooth decay
• Helps speed the aging process, including wrinkles and gray hair

The list goes on . . .
Make the decision to detox from sugar. The first step in breaking a sugar addiction is making the decision to stop eating it completely for at least a few days to start to get it out of your system. While it’s usually best to make dietary changes gradually, sugar has the unique ability to inspire cravings that are refueled every time you give in to them. The only way to break the cycle is to stop feeding the fire. Then your cravings should subside substantially. Continue to resist large amounts of sugar and actively avoid situations that cue you to eat sweets. And whether you’re at work, at home, or at a party, just because a cookie is sitting out on a table in plain sight, that doesn’t mean you have to eat it.

Ask yourself why you’re eating sugar before you put it in your mouth. Are you eating out of habit? Because of circumstance? For a special occasion? Because everyone else is? Watch yourself like a lab rat. Begin to face your truth by keeping a food journal. I like to jot down what drives me to eat sugar, when I crave it, where I eat it, why I want it, and how I get it. For example, do you pop up out of your desk chair in search of cupcakes the second you hear people at the office singing “Happy Birthday”? Journaling can be helpful preparation for stomping out your sugar habit by making you aware of why you’re eating it.
Begin to eliminate sugar from your diet. For thousands of years, people ate whatever sugar occurred naturally in their diets, and it didn’t seem to be a problem, it was a treat. Registered dietician Becky Hand reports that the typical American now eats the equivalent of about 31 teaspoons (124 grams) of added sugar every day (about 25 percent of the average person’s daily caloric intake), and that sugar alone adds up to almost 500 extra calories each day! Our bodies simply weren’t designed to handle this massive load. The American Heart Association recommends that added sugar should be limited to no more than 6 to 7 percent of your total calories (not including naturally occurring sugars found in fruit and dairy products). To put this in perspective, if you eat 1,200 calories a day, you should limit your intake to 21 grams of sugar per day. That’s the equivalent of about 6 ounces of low-fat fruit-flavored yogurt or one 8-ounce glass of orange juice.
To begin eliminating sugar from your regular diet, simply cut out foods with sugar, white flour, and high fructose corn syrup—including cakes, cookies, pastries, and most desserts. It’s okay to have a dessert or sugary snack on occasion, but make sure it’s not your main dish. Although sugar is generally found in desserts, added sugar can also be found in your main and side dishes, and even sauces. Look closely at the labels of processed foods, cereals, and sauces—like ketchup, barbecue sauce, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, and dressings. You can usually find nutritious alternatives with less sugar that taste just as good.

Eliminate hidden sugar. As you begin to decode ingredient labels, it’s really important to know all the other words for sugar and sugar alcohols. Here’s a hint: Look for words that end in “-ose.”

• Agave nectar/syrup
• Cane juice crystals
• Cane sugar
• Caramel
• Carob syrup
• Corn syrup
• Corn syrup solids
• Dextrin
• Dextrose
• Fructose
• Fruit juice concentrate (apple, grape, or pear)
• Galactose
• Glucose
• High fructose corn syrup
• Honey
• Lactose
• Maltose
• Malt syrup
• Molasses
• Sorbitol
• Sucrose

Trick your taste buds. Using spices and herbs can trick your taste buds into thinking you’re eating something sinfully sweet. Try adding cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, or other sugar-free flavors and spices to your coffee, cereals, or other dishes and drinks that could use an extra kick.
Eat a healthy breakfast. What you eat for breakfast will actually influence your food choices for the next 12 to 15 hours, and influence your energy levels, moods, and overall sense of well-being. Dr. Joe Klemczewski, PhD, explains that eating a healthy breakfast balanced between lean protein (like egg whites) and slower-digesting complex carbohydrates (like oatmeal) will help you have good energy throughout the day, stabilize your blood sugar, reduce cravings, and make wiser food choices. Typically, your blood sugar is at fasting levels when you wake up in the morning. If you start the day off with a muffin and a latte, you’re choosing to ride the roller coaster for the rest of the day. If, on the other hand, you begin your day with a veggie omelet and fruit or some oatmeal, you’re opting for a balance of foods that will be absorbed at a slower rate. Then you’ll have a steadier flow of blood sugar that’s far easier to keep balanced than if it were fueled by a muffin, a bagel, or a cup of coffee dosed with sugar and cream.

Eat throughout the day. The best way to avoid impulse eating when you’re overly hungry is to eat several small meals, spaced throughout the day. This will keep your blood sugar more stable than eating the traditional two or three large meals spaced farther apart from one another. Schedule your meals around your body’s needs rather than around your to-do list if you can. You’ll find it much easier to stop eating once you’re full; to make smart food choices from a rational, calm place; and to maintain even moods and energy levels. Eating balanced meals is essential for getting real satisfaction from what you eat and leaving cravings behind. For most people, this means approximately 50 percent of your meal should be vegetables or fruit, and the rest should be split between protein (beans, meat, dairy, etc.), grains, and a bit of oil or other fat. However, everyone’s a little different, and you should experiment to find what works best for you.
High-fiber foods fill you up—yet they bring less fat to the table, says Barbara J. Rolls, PhD, the Guthrie Chair in Nutrition at Pennsylvania State and author of The Volumetrics Weight Control Plan. Plus eating high-fiber foods allows you to eat a higher volume of food while ingesting fewer calories. It’s a concept called “energy density”—the number of calories in a specified amount of food, Rolls explains. Some examples of energy-dense foods are apples (skin on) and bananas, avocados, flax meal, and kidney beans.

Find alternatives for when you have a craving. Make sure you find alternative foods and activities that you actually enjoy. If they aren’t satisfying, you’ll eventually abandon them for your old habits. When I’m craving something sweet yet healthy, I usually go for either low-fat Chocolatey Cats Cookies (for People) from Trader Joe’s® (only 9.9 grams of sugar per serving) or chocolate Shakeology® (only 9 grams of sugar)—that’s not bad for a sweet treat.

Who is at risk?

• Age. People who are older are more at risk
• Sex.  Women are more likely to get it than men.
• Certain exercises like running
• Faulty feet  People with flat feet or high arches are more likely to get as well as those with a unusual walk.
• Obesity
• Occupation.  If you stand on your feet a lot you are at higher risk.
• Improper shoes. Be sure to wear supportive shoes

What kind of treatment is there?

• Rest your feet
• Uses ice to help reduce the swelling
• Do calf and heel stretches in the morning before getting out of bed
• Get better shoes

I had to use all of these treatment methods. Every night when I got off of work I would put an ice wrap around the bottom of my foot for about 20 minutes. Then when I would wake up in the morning I would do several stretches that you can watch on webmd.com And I had to quit wearing my beloved crocs at work because they just didn’t give me enough support. Finally after a few months, the pain went away. I still try to stretch in the mornings and try to wear good shoes. I have actually found that the Vibram 5 finger shoes work great for me during work outs but I never wear them outside. Also I have started wearing slippers inside and trying to limit the amount of time that I walk barefoot. The best thing is to be aware of the problem and take steps to fix it.

1. Start your day off right. I have noticed that if I skip breakfast or eat a huge breakfast burrito that my chances for eating healthy the rest of the day really go down hill. If I start with my Shakeology, I often tend to eat a better lunch and dinner.

2. Do your workout as early as possible. If you put off your workout it seems you can come up with more and more excuses. Things come up during the day and you run out of time. If you get your workout in early then you don’t have to worry about it anymore.

3.Eat veggies at every meal. Vegetables are great because they often pack a lot of fiber and really fill you up but have half the calories of other foods. Besides all the great vitamins they have.

4. Get your zzzzz’s. Make sure you get plenty of rest. If you are tired you are more likely to eat a candy bar or something else. Being rested helps you make healthy choices.

I try to focus on one day at a time. Don’t get discouraged if you make the wrong choice. Try to focus on the next opportunity and don’t say “Well, I blew this day, now I’m just going to eat and do what I want”. Try to make as many healthy choices as you can each day and soon enough you will be having great days! If you need any support or motivation you can make me your free coach.

8 Foods that Boost your Metabolism 

By Joe Wilkes

1) Keep the proper form. When performing many of the exercises found in P90X you must maintain the proper form. Do not try to fight for extra reps if you start to get sloppy form. This goes for the push-ups and pull-ups, many of the leg exercises and even the weight lifting. Quality over quantity is the best way to prevent injuries.

2) Stretching   Before and after every work out, you should stretch out your muscles. Not only does this promote injury prevention, but it also helps lengthen your muscles which helps them grow. Your body should be warm and loose before you start jumping around and lifting those weights! And don’t skip the after work out stretching because not only is this good for preventing injuries but also helps with muscle soreness and fatigue. Flexibility is a huge factor of success in your fitness journey and it should not be taken for granted. For extra stretching, be sure to check out the foam rolling they do in P90X:2. It has taken my flexibility to another level.

3) Know your limits!  Of course you should always push to increase your max reps or your weight but listen to your body. Don’t try to lift 20lbs more than you did the day before because that is not how to prevent injuries. Remember, it’s important to push yourself as close to the breaking point but not over it.

4) Strengthen your core. Your core muscles (those around your stomach and back) provide lots of stability for your body. The stronger they are, the more stable and balanced you are. If you notice that in P90X:2, the whole first phase is dedicated to that area. Work on areas like your transverse abdominus, which is the internal muscle with fibers that run horizontally in your abdomen. The transverse abdominus aids in forced expiration, which means you work it every time you breathe out forcefully while completing squats, deadlifts, and other heavy exercises. The more stable and strong your core, the better you are injury prevention.

5) Rest. You must let your muscles heal and repair before going at again in order to prevent injury. While resting, your muscle repairs itself. That time is very important in order for your muscle to become stronger.

So by following these simple steps you can help prevent injury and keep up your progress on the pathway to getting ripped! Keep pushing play and avoid getting hurt!

You’re tracking calories, working out each day, then bam! For a week or two, the scale refuses to budge…and you realize you’ve hit a dreaded weight loss plateau. Now what?

Even though it’s completely normal to hit a snag in your fitness journey, a perceived setback like this can send even the most dedicated dieter off course, away from healthy eating and toward cookies, cake, and pizza. But you can be strong and start getting back on the weight-loss track again. Try at least one of the following techniques, and there’s a good chance you’ll burst through your plateau in no time.

Here are five important things to know about hydration and exercise:
1. Zigzag your daily calorie intake.
In theory, you’ve got to eat less to lose more, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes you just have to shake things up. Here’s one way to do it: If your average daily intake is 1,400 calories, try dropping to 1,200 one day, going up to 1,800 the next day, and then dropping back to 1,400. The idea is to keep your metabolism guessing. There’s no magic number that works for everyone, so you’ll have to experiment until you find the right calorie levels for you.

According to Beachbody Director of Results Steve Edwards, what happens when you zigzag is that you force your body to choose how many calories it needs to recover from the rigors of your exercise program. “Most people who hit a plateau are undereating. If you are indeed undereating, adding calories for a few days, then lowering them again, will help you force your body into a hormonal response that will not only help you break out of a plateau, but—as you learn to recognize the signals—will teach you how much food you should be eating.”

2. Switch up your exercise routine.
If you do the same workout each day, eventually it can start to become less challenging, and (unfortunately) less effective. If you push yourself to new levels of strength or exhaustion, you’ll almost certainly see a shift. Here are some ways you can challenge your body:

• Swap your jog for a bike ride.
• Try weights with your cardio routine. (ChaLEAN Extreme® or RevAbs® can help you do this.)
• Add intervals of high intensity to really make you sweat. (INSANITY® is a great workout for this.)
• Drop to the floor for 10 push-ups right now!

The idea is to try something different. According to Edwards, “The better you get at something, the easier it becomes. That’s why we’re always telling you to add more weight as you get stronger, and to move faster and jump higher as our programs progress. But it’s also why all of our programs have phases of training. As your body adapts to stimulus, you need to change that stimulus in order to keep results happening.”

3. Eat some almonds.
Almonds are a great snack, plus there’s some research that indicates that they can help you burn fat. That’s because they contain fiber and fatty acids—the good kind of fat that helps you lose weight. A study published in the International Journal of Obesity compared two groups of people who ate a 1,000-calorie-a-day diet. As part of their daily diet, one group ate 3 ounces of almonds every day. The other group ate a mix of complex carbs. What happened? The group that ate the almonds lost more weight.

So next time you grab a snack, try a small handful of almonds, or as Edwards says, “Any nut, really. While almonds are one of the better nuts, all of them have a similar nutritional profile and make excellent snacks. That research probably would have turned out similarly if they’d used walnuts or filberts or whatever.”

4. Get more sleep.
This may seem like the opposite of number 2, but the truth is is that you could be training too hard, which is about the quickest way to hit a weight loss plateau, because an over-trained body holds on to weight as if it were starving to death. There’s no better way to test this than to try and sleep more. The reason is that your body recovers much more quickly from exercise while it’s asleep, and if you’re burning the midnight oil while trying to do INSANITY, you could easily plateau from lack of recovery time.

In a recent study at the University of Chicago Medical School, researchers found that during a period when study participants were deprived of sleep, they metabolized glucose less effectively. Additionally, they had higher levels of the hormone cortisol, which has been shown to impair memory, increase insulin resistance, and slow recovery in athletes. “There’s a good reason why five-time Tour de France winner Eddy Merckx said, ‘The Tour is won in bed,’” says Edwards. Your body’s recovery response during deep sleep is only rivaled by performance-enhancing drugs. When you’re on the borderline of overtraining, getting more sleep is the first thing anyone should try.”

5. Relax.
Believe it or not, the one big thing besides diet and exercise that can cause you to plateau is stress. When you’re stressed, your body sends out higher levels of the hormone cortisol that, as stated in number 4, can encourage your body to hang on to fat. “Cortisol is actually a performance-enhancing hormone,” says Edwards. “But it’s gotten a bad rap because we’ve begun living our lives at too high a volume. Cortisol is released at times when the body is in an emergency state. It increases performance, but only over a short period of time. When cortisol is released and forced into action at regular intervals, it causes your body to wear down and switch to more drastic means of survival, like holding on to excess amounts of body fat. Your life shouldn’t feel like one big emergency. As a society, we need to learn to be more tranquilo, as the Spanish say.”

We get stressed for many reasons, almost all of which are influenced by the society around us. One of the best ways to combat stress is to get some alone time to chill. If you’re the type who can’t let go, try some forced relaxation techniques, of which yoga seems to be one of the most effective. There’s something special about the mind/body interaction of yoga that forces a relaxed state even from the most stressed of us.

If you feel you need a lot of help, dig into an intense course, like P90X Yoga X. For others, something lighter, like Yoga Booty Ballet^® Pure and Simple Yoga, will do the trick. If you’re not into yoga, then consider at least adding some stretching into your schedule. Most of Beachbody’s programs have at least one stretching session. TurboFire® even has two!