Hate mail

Hey crew! Happy Tuesday!!!! And by happy, I mean really really happy. Super smiley happy.

Just trying to spread the love here, peeps....because I just got some HATE MAIL.

That's right, somebody out there doesn't like me OR what I have to say!! Can you believe it?

So here's the dope. You might remember a few months back when I did a short video blog series on all the fat people near where I live in Waynesboro, Virginia. Just in case you missed it - click HERE to see the first in the series on Youtube.

Now - because of this video, I have been threatened with physical violence and called a bunch of nasty names. Whatever.

The latest has called me an outright liar. Again...whatever. But here's the real kicker - this angry Waynesborian (Steve L) also shared a little bit of information that might be reassuring for people on the heavier side. I'll use a direct quote:

"We're not all fortunate enough to be born skinny! Some of us are meant to be fat!"

Hmmmm....really Steve, REALLY???? Dude - don't be a dolt. Nobody is meant to be fat. If you are fat, it's because you eat like crap and don't exercise. Period. Fortune has nothing to do with it.

Seriously, look around town - go to the grocery store and check out what people are buying. You'll probably notice that everyone is freaking HUGE. Did you happen to catch what was in their shopping carts? Mountain Dew? Little Debbie? Doritos??????? Did you notice that?? So you can drop the BS about people who are "meant to be fat."

Now, Steve - you also mention that I ought to be helping people. Well if you had been paying attention you might have noticed that I offer help to anyone FREE of charge.

But I have one condition - I do not accept excuses. Ever. Neither you nor anyone was "meant" to be fat. You got fat all by yourself...it is your fault, Steve - not genetics, the media, your parents, or Burger King.

And one last thing, just to prove that I do have a heart (despite what you say) - I'll help you too, Steve. All you need to do is commit to a healthy lifestyle and I will give you all the support, advice, and motivation you need. I used to be fat myself - so I know what is it like to overcome obstacles and challenges. I also belong to a community of life-affirming, inspirational people. So I know what it means to have a crew in your corner.

How does that sound, Steve? I'll be waiting to hear from you.

Wishing Steve and everyone else peace, health, and happiness.

Keith

www.crushplay.net

Guilty!!!

Yep - I have had an epiphany! Lately, I have been doing a lot of thinking about the alarming obesity statistics in this country. It seems that southerners stand out among Americans as the fattest in the nation. Congrats to Mississippians for taking the grand prize as the fattest in the South!

People have come up with all kinds of reasons for this. It's some sort of cultural thing or something to do with a social demographic...blah blah blah. Nonsense. I have figured out the problem.

It's sweet tea (for any Yankees reading this, that's pronounced "sweeeteee"). If you have never had this drink, let me describe it for you. It is a sickeningly sweet concoction consisting of pure sugar and brewed iced tea. That's it. It's simple, sticky, and will send you into a sugary coma after a glass or so. Southerners drink this stuff by the gallon.

I did a little digging (for nutritional info) and thought I would share that with you too. The average 12 ounce glass of sweet tea contains 27 grams of sugar. That is almost exactly the amount of sugar in a Snickers candy bar, which has a sugar content weighing in at 28 grams.

Now, the other day I was in a local eatery here in the Old Dominion (aka: Virginia) and noticed a table of larger than average individuals eating lots of fried things covered with cheese (and by average people I mean fat people - numbers don't lie) . Nothing healthy passed their lips to be sure but people eat like this all over the country. Something was clearly afoot....

What struck me most was that in addition to the greasy goo they were shoveling in, they were also drinking glass after glass of sweet tea. The largest of the bunch, a woman who must have weighed at least 300 pounds drank eight glasses all by herself. EIGHT GLASSES!!! That's 216 grams of sugar! The equivalent of eight Snickers candy bars with her lunch - and she had dessert too! Good grief.

So - there you have it. Is your blood sugar off the charts? REALLY????? Diabetes anyone?? Sweet tea = guilty (actually, to be more precise, southerners are guilty for drinking it in the first place).

I am guessing that a few of my southern readers will be challenging me to a duel or something for calling them out and attacking one of their cherished traditions - but hey...I call 'em as I see 'em. Here's an idea. Stop drinking this stuff. You are killing yourselves.

Peace,
Keith
www.crushplay.net

Insanity with Shaun T - the final fit test

Hola amigos!
It has been a while indeed. I have to say that life has a way of getting a little hectic, and thus, I have (sadly) neglected my blog for the last couple of weeks...apologies to loyal readers :)
But rest assured - I have not slacked off on the workouts! And today was the final day of Insanity - fit test #5!!

Numbers don't lie, peeps - we are talking improvement across the board. My endurance is up big time - I can jump higher and run farther than I could before I started this program.

Now here's the deal. I am in better shape now at 42 years old than I have been in my whole life. I know that if you push yourself - you can do what I have done. It just takes commitment.

Really - the solution is simpler than you might think. All it takes to get in great shape is consistent exercise and proper nutrition. Forget all the gimmicky nonsense and weight loss pills (even the ones endorsed by TV fitness personalities who shall remain nameless...). Just work out and eat the right foods. Period.

If you think I am full of it - here is a little back story. A few years ago, I was a big fat tub of goo (check out the TRIPLE chins!!!). I weighed in at roughly 230 pounds. I ate nothing but crap, smoked 2 packs a day, and drank in excess. My work (I am a historian) is more or less sedentary - I sit in libraries a lot. But I was just using that as an excuse to not do anything...too busy, too whatever - sound familiar??

With a lot of encouragement from my wife, Coni, I eventually stopped making excuses and got to work. How did I do it....?

Readers of this blog know that I have been using Beachbody products for some time now. P90, P90X, and now Insanity have been the tools that have helped me get where I am today. 176 pounds - and leaner and stronger than ever!

But working out is only half the battle. Proper nutrition is absolutely essential. I am a big fan of Shakeology. In one glass - taken daily - you get the nutrition you need to achieve optimum health - plus it will give you tons of energy and help you lose weight. Seriously, check out this video by clicking HERE.

This is the combination that worked for me. I want it to work for you. So click HERE and join my crew for free. I am a Beachbody coach - my job is to lead by example and help YOU.

Once you have done that, get with the program. You can order P90X, Insanity, and Shakeology by just clicking the links.

If you stick to it, you will get results. It is that simple. SO quit making excuses and get to work.

Now I said that numbers don't lie, right....well, here are the results from the first and last Insanity fit tests - judge for yourself.

Shaun T's Insanity - highlights of Max Interval Plyo

Hey crew - I thought you might like to see a few highlights from today's workout. I am in the second month of Insanity...the MAX month. It is thoroughly kicking my ass, to say the least. This is Max Interval Plyo. I have condensed a 1 hour workout in to 3.5 minutes, but you will get the idea anyway.

By the end, you will see how crushed I am. This is one off the hook workout.

If you want to give this one a go, here's what you do.
First, click HERE and sign up for a free Beachbody membership with me as your coach.
Next, click HERE and order Insanity.

Brace yourself - this %#@& is bananas.

Peace,
Keith

Insanity Update - Recovery Week!!

Hey crew - I have now completed the first month of Shaun T's Insanity and I am now nearly done with recovery week. Seeing that the second month is about to fire up (in two days) I thought I would post a quick update and talk a little about my progress so far.

So here's the deal. Insanity is a 60 day program broken up in to two parts, separated by a week of recovery (not included in the 60 days). The idea is to give your body a bit of a break for a week before you really step things up.

Now, the first month was hard enough so I have to admit that I am more than a little nervous about the "max" month coming up.

But let's be clear about something - just because the middle week is called "recovery" week - the workouts are still pretty hard core - just not quite so high impact. Trust me, your body will thank you for not beating it up so hard.

In terms of progress, here's what I have got so far. I have dropped a couple of pounds, yes - but weight loss was not really my goal. My plan was to lean out and increase definition and endurance. This has been a tremendous success so far. I can really notice an increase of definition in my abdomen, legs and even my shoulders and chest.

What's more, I went running the other day for the first time since Insanity started, and it was the strongest I have ever run. Clearly, Insanity has increased my athletic performance by a significant degree. When ths is all over, I will time myself on a 5K or something just so I can gauge exactly how much my running has improved.

Well - I am all geared up for my last recovery day and a day off before month two gets rolling - so stay tuned. I will keep everyone posted on how that goes.

If you think you are up to it and want to give Insanity a try - here's what you do.

1) Sign up for a free Team Beachbody membership by clicking HERE. This will ensure that you get ME as your free Beachbody coach, and I'll be there when you have any questions.
2) Order Insanity by clicking HERE. Ordering from my Team Beachbody site will guarantee that your shipping will be faster and less expensive than just calling in an order.

That's it for today my friends!

Peace,
Keith

Pay it forward!! Free Tony Horton Workout - pass it on to someone who needs it!!

Hey crew!
I am guessing that you are all probably familiar with the "pay it forward" idea. Not too long ago, Beachbody came out with a 25 minute workout specifically with this idea in mind. The plan: Tony and Brian (Brian weighs in at 400+ pounds) would demonstrate how a person who had a lot of weight to lose could get things moving and start to change their life. But that's not all....

We all know someone who is really overweight, right? Wouldn't it be cool if we could just give them the video to help get them started in the right direction - help them get their life on the right track in terms of health and fitness?

Well, that's exactly what we did. This video was given free to anyone who subscribed to Tony Horton's One on One series. Now, you can just have it - no strings - no purchase necessary - it's all yours. Just click HERE.

The next step is to pass this along to everybody you know who could use it (you will see an email function on the video or you can simply repost the link). You'll be doing them a favor and they will thank you for it. Believe me, Team Infinity's very own coach Nancy shared the workout with a friend and made a huge impact on a person's life. All because she cared enough to want to see someone make some healthy changes. You can read the story in Carl Daikeler's blog.

This is just one thing you can do to make a difference. It's easy, it's free, and it's just the right thing to do. Help us reverse the obesity crisis by sending Tony's Pay It Forward workout to everybody you know who needs it.

Thanks :)

Keith

Recipe Makeover - Vegetarian Cincinnati Chili

We had this for dinner last night!! Coni made it...and now she's making it famous on her blog. Yes indeed...I just stole her post about it. Thanks shorty :)

Happy Sunday Peeps!

Being committed to a healthy lifestyle means that I am frequently working on ways to make my favorite foods healthier but still super tasty. Today's offering is a vegetarian version of one of my all time favorite dishes, Cincinnati Chili. Enjoy!



Vegetarian Cincinnati Chili

1 lb. package of brown or red lentils
4 cups vegetable broth (I confess that sometimes I use low fat-low sodium chicken broth)
3 cups water
1 T olive oil
2 med onions, chopped
2 8-oz cans of tomato sauce
5 whole allspice
1 tsp red pepper (feel free to use less if you prefer a less spicy chili)
1 tsp ground cumin seed
4 T chili powder
1/2 oz bitter baking chocolate
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 T white vinegar
1 lg bay leaf
5 whole cloves
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt (I don't use much so adjust to taste)
1 tsp cinnamon

cooked whole wheat spaghetti or vermacelli


Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for an hour or until lentils have reached desired consistency. You may need to add a bit more liquid if the chili starts to become too thick. Serve over cooked pasta with additional chopped onions and low fat sharp cheddar cheese if that floats your boat :-)

Coni usually also add a splash of Bragg's Liquid Amino's . I think that stuff tastes like burning tires so she keeps it on a per serving basis...unless she sneaks it in I don't notice. Love ya honey!!

Peace,
Keith
www.CrushPlay.net

Are your friends making you fat?

Hey crew - guess what...I just totally swiped this from Coni's blog. Yep...I just took it - I went to her blog and copied it word for word. It's all good though...we collaborate (ie - I "borrow" her work) a lot.

So I'll ask the same exact question too - are your friends making you fat?

The sad and short answer, according to a study done by the New England Journal of Medicine, seems to be yes. We've all heard that misery loves company and now its clear that fat does too.

I think if we all stopped to think about this we inherently knew this all along. Friends can often be great enablers, getting us to do all sorts of things that aren't necessarily good for us. This in no way removes personal responsibility for our own health but it should make us take a closer look at our circle of influence. The rationale that "everyone else is doing it" is often used to justify unhealthy behavior and if you waist line is growing right along with your pals that larger size tends to looked at as normal. Not a great cycle!

So what does this mean if you've taken a long hard look at your buddies and realize that they are having a negative effect on our pants size and your health? Drop them like hot potatoes for thinner friends? Not so fast. While I think it is important to start surrounding yourself with healthier peeps this can also be a chance for you to pass on healthy habits to those in your life who are lacking in that area. If friends are directly influenced by those around them it stands to reason that THEY are just as likely to pick up on YOUR habits and be inspired by YOUR results.

Peer support can be a very powerful thing and is the main reason I chose to include myself in the Beachbody community. Being surrounded by people who are healthy and fit makes it WAY more likely that I will make positive lifestyle choices myself. It's also nice having your own personal cheering section!!

We can never have too many fit friends and I'm more than happy to be yours! To get even more support and encouragement just sign up for my newsletter on the right.

Peace,
Keith
www.CrushPlay.net

Abs Abs Abs

And the questions about P90X, P90X+ and Insanity just keep rolling in - that rules!!! Keep 'em coming. The big one lately concerns ab work. Folks want to know the differences between P90X, P90X+ and Insanity. Great - let's get to it!! Since these questions are starting to stack up. I thought I would write something here to address the issue. Here you go:

You use your core in all kinds of exercises - but since the question concerns the workouts specifically targeting the abdominal region, let's look at Ab Ripper X, Abs/Core +, and Cardio Abs.

Most of us are familiar with Ab Ripper X from P90X. This is one killer routine. I guess it takes its cues from the original Great Abs Guaranteed video from days gone by. Well, ARX surpasses this and all the ab work from p90. Here you will go through 12 exercise - 25 reps each..all seated. Tony pretty much hits the abs/core from all angles. If you can make it through this one...well then, you are pretty freakin' extreme.

Abs/Core plus from P90X+ is somewhat more comprehensive. Here you have 5 rounds (timed) where you proceed to do four sets per round with one exercise each: hanging, standing, sitting and in a plank position. There is stuff in this that will fry your core alright. Just think Cherry Bomb.

Cardio abs from Insanity is significantly different from the X series, but just as effective. Shaun T uses no crunches here. The routine is approximately 18 minutes in length and puts you through standing (cardio) exercises focusing on the abs as well as seated and plank work. Did I say no crunches? Don't let that fool you. Cardio abs will knock you on your tail if you push to you max level.

So that's it in a nutshell - you can always send me an email if you have any more questions.

Now - since you are clearly ready to rock one of these programs you will need to do two things:

1) Sign up for the free Beachbody membership and get me as your personal fitness coach by clicking HERE
2) Get going on a program. Just click the links to buy P90X, P90X+, or Insanity


S0 - as always, I am here to help. Now...quit making excuses and get to WORK!!!!!

Peace,
Keith
www.CrushPlay.net

how does Insanity compare with P90X?

I get this question every single day. Every day. So I thought it would be a good idea just to write up a quick post.

Now - if you follow this blog you know that I think these are both fantastic programs. But I think that in many ways the comparison is a little tough. P90X and Insanity are very different

For starters, P90X is a weight trainer's program. Lots of pumping iron - while there are plyometrics and cardio segments - the emphasis is on lifting.

Insanity is very cardio and plyometrics heavy. The focus here is on endurance. This is not a weight loss program. Sure, you'll probably lose some weight, but that is not really the objective.

One of the main differences is in regard to equipment. In P90X you need weights or bands and a pullup bar. Insanity uses no equipment - your body provides the resistance.

Now - this is something that I think is very important that everyone should carefully consider. You could feasibly begin the P90X program using significant modifications. (Do your best and forget the rest....remember?). This is not the case with Insanity. There are no modifications. If you have to modify an exercise, then you are not doing it correctly. Insanity is full tilt as hard as you can go from day one.

So...if you are doing Insanity, you should feel as crushed in week one as week ten. The idea is to improve - never to modify.

The consensus seems to be that Insanity is not for everyone. I would agree. This is for people who are already in good shape who want to get into peak physical condition. So if you are a P90X grad, got great results, and you want to take your cardio endurance to a whole new level - then Insanity is for you. If you are a marathon runner and want to improve your performance - Insanity. You get the drift. Make sure you consult your physician first - then dig deep and go for it.

So when you are ready to get going on either of these programs, first...click HERE and sign up for the free Team Beachbody membership with me as your coach. You can win up to $1000 for working out and I'll give you all the support you need. How's that for incentive?

Next, get started on a program. You can get P90X HERE and Insanity HERE.

What are you waiting for? If you really want to get in great shape and live a long healthy life you need to get started now - no excuses!

Peace,
Keith
www.CrushPlay.net

PS - if you want to find out how to get 25% off of any Beachbody products, send me an email