SHAKEOLOGY

For several weeks now our family has been using Beachbody's latest nutritional product, Shakeology, and I must say, though I was a bit skeptical at first, it's quickly becoming a favorite in our home! The more information I find on this product, the more impressed I am! Rather than me trying to explain all it's great benefits, I'm going to simply post Beachbody's description of this nutrient-packed shake.

Why You Need Shakeology Now!

Shakeology can help you:
1. Lose Weight
2. Feel Energized
3. Improve Digestion and Regularity
4. Lower Cholesterol
Tastes Delicious, too!

Shakeology Works Two Ways
This daily nutritional shake helps your body gently eliminate toxins more efficiently while allowing for better absorption of the essential nutrients you need.

What It Does

In an independent 90-day study, participants replaced one meal a day with Shakeology and exercised regularly.
Here's what they told us:*

• "I felt full and didn't struggle with hunger."
• "I felt a better sustained energy throughout the day."
• "I have tons of energy. I feel so healthy!"
• "I replaced all my vitamin supplements. I felt healthyand energized."
• "I was able to think more clearly and stay focused."
• "I have more energy, less cravings, more endurance, and feel more youthful."

Here's what the doctor who ran the study observed about the participants:*

• They reduced oxidative stress, a risk factor for degenerative diseases, by as much as 90%.
• They lowered their total cholesterol levels by an average of 30% and their "bad" cholesterol levels by an average of 38%.
• They reduced their cardiovascular risk factors by an average of 24%.
  

How It Works

This daily nutritional shake helps your body gently eliminate toxins more efficiently while allowing for better absorption of the essential nutrients you need. A proprietary blend of digestive enzymes and prebiotics helps your body progressively eliminate the toxins that build up over time from eating today's highly processed foods.
At the same time, whole-food ingredients deliver the essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals your body needs to curb cravings, allowing it to shed stored fat while the more than 20 different antioxidants and phytonutrients help reduce free radical damage that can lead to heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and stroke.

What's In It

Even if you searched all over the world, you probably wouldn't be able to find all of the 70-plus, ultra-high-quality ingredients we've included in Shakeology. Not only do you get a wide range of essential nutrients from the fruits and vegetables you should be eating more of every day, you'll also get the benefits of important foods from all around the world—foods that the latest scientific research has shown to be highly advantageous to your well-being.
More than 70 different ingredients were chosen from around the world for their potency and bioavailability (the ability to deliver nutrients your body needs).

Here are the key nutrient groups that these ingredients deliver:*

• Protein and Essential Amino Acids to help build long, lean muscles and reduce food cravings
• Prebiotics and Digestive Enzymes, which aid in improving digestion, regularity, and nutrient absorption
• Antioxidants and Phytonutrients to help counteract free radical damage that can lead to degenerative diseases
• Vitamins and Minerals your body needs to function for optimal health
  

Protein and Essential Amino Acids

• Help build and repair muscles
• Reduce hunger and food cravings
• Help keep blood sugar steady
• Promote healthy skin, hair, and nails
• Shakeology includes whey protein isolate, an easily absorbable source of high-quality protein that's ideal for building and maintaining lean muscle mass.
  

Prebiotics and Digestive Enzymes

• Aid digestion
• Increase absorption of nutrients
• Help boost the immune system
• Help keep you "regular"

Shakeology contains many ingredients that are beneficial to the digestive system. Prebiotics, natural components of certain plants, help support the "friendly" bacteria in your digestive tract. They may also help with absorption of minerals such as calcium. Digestive enzymes, from plant sources such as pineapples and papayas, help your body break down food into its individual components, making the nutrients easier to absorb. Cooking can destroy food's natural digestive enzymes, so there's a good chance that you don't get enough of them in your diet.

Antioxidants and Phytonutrients

• Get rid of harmful free radicals
• Help decrease inflammation
• Help boost your immune system
• Potentially decrease the risk of degenerative diseases
• May even increase longevity

Many of Shakeology's fruit and vegetable sources have been chosen for their high concentration of healthy natural substances known as phytonutrients, including flavonoids, polyphenols, anthocyanins, and catechins. These substances have antioxidant properties, meaning they help get rid of molecules known as free radicals, which damage cells and may be a key component of the aging process. In laboratory tests, phytonutrients have shown promise in helping to prevent a wide variety of degenerative conditions. What's more, studies suggest that the natural mix of phytochemicals you get from whole-plant sources is more effective than taking them individually as nutritional supplements.

23 Vitamins and Minerals

• Get a wide range of essential nutrients
• Get your necessary vitamins every day
• Make up for dietary deficiencies

Most of us don't get the complete range of essential vitamins and minerals in our daily diets. Some important vitamins, such as vitamin C and the B vitamins, are water-soluble, meaning they're flushed out of your body after a short time and need to be replenished regularly. Others, like vitamin E, can be difficult to get enough of in food. Shakeology provides all these nutrients in an easy-to-take, easily absorbable form, so you never have to worry.

30-Day Money Back Guarantee! We're convinced you'll start to see and feel the benefits of Shakeology within the first month of using it, but if you're not 100% satisfied for any reason, just return it within 30 days for a FULL refund of the purchase price, less s&h—guaranteed. That's our promise to you.

So how can you get started with this wonderful product? Visit my website and order some today! And email me to find out how you can save 25% on all your Shakeology orders just by signing up to be a Beachbody Coach!

Time For a Fresh Start!

May has been quite a month! It’s been a LONG one and somewhat of a difficult one as our family readjusts back to island life. Though everything around me is quite chaotic at the moment, one thing I have been able to jump right back into is a workout routine. I “officially” started a new rotation of Power 90 on Monday, May 4th and so far it’s been going great! It feels good to have at least one consistent thing going on in my life. Power 90 is one of the programs I’ve had the best results with in the past, and after the added pounds and inches that crept on with all the traveling, it’s the best program to get me back into the shape I was “pre-travel”. My plan is to do one full week of Level 1-2 (completed May 4-9), then two full weeks of Level 3-4 (working on the second week of this now), and then the remaining ten weeks will be spent on the Master Series workouts (starting this coming Monday!). If anyone cares to “join me” on this rotation, shoot me an email at coachsueann@yahoo.com and we can help hold each other accountable! I have a thread in the Power 90 forums of the Team Beachbody Message Boards as well where others doing the same program encourage and motivate each other, and I’m planning on starting a thread in the Master Series forums as well. Join me with Power 90, Master Series, or whatever workout program you are doing right now or email me to help you figure out what program would be best for you! All are welcome!

Weekly Weight Loss Tips

Here are a few more tips to boost your weight loss!

• Eat some peanut butter! “Foods rich in monounsaturated fats (including nuts, peanut butter, olive and canola oils and avocados) can help you lose weight, according to a study conducted at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital. Researchers studied 101 overweight people who were divided into two groups. One group was put on a lowfat diet that got about 20 percent of its calories from fat; the other followed a diet that got 35 percent of its calories from fat, mostly the monounsaturated kind. While both groups of women lost an average of 11 pounds in the first year, only those on the so-called "peanut butter" diet were able to keep the weight off for 18 months or longer.” Something to note, however, is that olive and canola oils cannot withstand high temperatures. The best oil to use for cooking at high temperatures is coconut oil. Also, when selecting peanut butter, check the ingredients! Most commercial peanut butters are what I call “peanut-flavored Crisco”. If the word “hydrogenated” or “partially-hydrogenated” is in the ingredients, DON’T BUY IT! Also avoid brands that have high fructose corn syrup added. Look for all natural peanut butter where the first ingredient listed actually is peanuts! Natural peanut butter usually separates so you will have to stir it after opening and also refrigerate it.


• Keep sipping! “Experts say you should drink enough water to equal half of your body weight in ounces. If you weigh 160 pounds, aim to drink 80 ounces a day. One way to keep tabs: Drink fluids with each meal and keep a water bottle with you at other times so you remember to drink, suggests Kimberly Glenn, M.S., R.D., L.D., a registered dietitian at Northside Hospital in Atlanta. Drinking adequate water will help keep you from mistaking thirst for hunger, which is a common pitfall.” Drinking adequate water throughout the day also boosts your metabolism!


• Skip the high-calorie drinks. "There are approximately nine packets of sugar and close to one hundred and fifty calories in one twelve-ounce can of soda or juice," says Netty Levine, M.S., R.D., a registered dietitian at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Smoothies and specialty coffee drinks often contain 250 to 500 calories, and that's not including the whipped cream. Ahem, I think that includes Frapuccinos.
  

Have a healthy day!

There's No Place Like Home!

I want to begin by apologizing for the hiatus in my posting lately. We have FINALLY completed all of our traveling and are at long last HOME! It has been 8 ½ months of traveling and we are beyond overjoyed to finally be settling back into some semblance of normalcy again. It’s so good to be home on our little island and our work here and we’re looking forward to what God has planned for us in the coming months and years here in the south Pacific. Now that I am home, I hope to be more frequent with my posting here on this blog.

I had mentioned in a previous blog that on Mondays I would be posting weight loss tips. Well, I am a day behind this week but here are this week’s tips:

• Put the kettle on! “Drinking green tea (which is also known for its powerful cancer-fighting compounds) may help you burn more calories by inducing slight changes in metabolism”, according to researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Just a note: I personally have found for me that drinking green tea on an empty stomach (i.e. first thing in the morning) can bring on some mild nausea. I used to think I was just weird but have recently heard from others that they experience the same effect. I found it to not be a problem if I eat something first or have my tea later in the day. I also take tea supplements which cause the same discomfort so I have started taking these in the afternoon instead of morning. (Though yes, I probably am still weird!)
• Change your morning routine! “Boston public relations executive Sherry Moskowitz, 24, switched from drinking a large coffee with cream every day to a large cup of tea without milk or cream. ‘I still treat myself to coffee on the weekends, but during the week I get the same amount of caffeine with tea, without the added fat or calories.’ Just by switching her morning beverage, she cut about 250 calories a week.” Wow, this one really got me thinking, ‘cuz, um, yeah, I love coffee! I have actually found I feel better overall when I’m not drinking coffee regularly, and when I really sat down and calculated how many calories I was consuming just from the “junk” I added to my coffee, I was shocked!
• Fill half of your dinner plate with vegetables. “You'll increase your vegetables (the lowest-calorie category) and decrease your calories. ‘Rather than just one, you may want to make two vegetables at every meal,’ recommends Cathy Nonas, M.S., R.D., a registered dietitian at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. ‘The other half of your plate could be equal parts protein and starch’.” Personal note: Make sure you include raw vegetables in your diet daily, not just cooked as the cooking process strips away so many of the nutrients. Also, your starch should be a healthy complex carbohydrate such as brown rice, a whole grain bread or pasta, or a sweet potato.

Experiment with some of the tips I give weekly and find what works best for you! Every little change added helps you on your journey to a healthier you! Have a great day and remember, you can email me at any time with questions, comments, advice, whatever. I’m here to help you and your health!