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Join one of our TEAM’s FREE Challenge Groups by sending me a message here
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P90X® Certification is Here! What is it? What does this mean?
If you’re a certified personal trainer, fitness instructor or just love P90X, with your P90X Certification, you will now be able to teach P90X in a gym or if you’re a personal trainer, to your clients! If you’re not a fitness instructor of personal trainer, but just love P90X, this certification will give you a more in-depth knowledge about the science behind P90X®.
Click HERE to get register so you can start teaching P90X in your gym or teach your clients as a personal trainer:
If you liked P90X®, you’ll love our P90X® Certification program. Watch and learn how you can become one of the first P90X® certified trainers in the world.
Most of us think of fast food, office doughnuts, or that tub of ice cream in the freezer when we think of diet traps. But what about those unplanned little grazings that happen when we wander out to happy hour with colleagues after work, hit the nightclubs for somebody’s birthday on the weekend, or gather with friends at the local sports bar to watch the playoff game on Sunday afternoon? Somebody passes around a bucket of wings, a plate of calamari, or a couple of orders of fries and onion rings, and you decide you’re just going to try one of these, one of those, and you surely can’t refuse that one at the happy hour price—it’s like throwing money away! Emboldened by judgment-loosening alcoholic beverages (not to mention highly caloric), a whole diet plan can be shredded in one evening. But none of us wants to stay home with our celery sticks and cabbage soup while our friends and coworkers are out on the town. So let’s take a look at some of the worst offenders offered up at our favorite watering holes and some alternatives we can order instead.
1. Buffalo wings
These little deadlies took off like crazy in the 90s and now they, or some variation, are available at almost every bar in town. Sold by the pound, by the half-dozen, or by the wing, they are delicious, but watch out—these babies can give you a buffalo butt. The basic recipe for the classic Buffalo wing is to deep-fry separated wing sections and then toss them in a combination of butter and hot sauce. Some places have added breading to the mix to better absorb the fat and sauce, and most serve them with celery and carrot sticks with a healthy serving of full-fat ranch or blue cheese dressing. Why have they become so popular? Well, of course, they taste great, but more than that, think about the bar’s strategy. What are they in the business of? Serving drinks. And here’s where the wings become the perfect bar food. They’re spicy—which makes you want to drink more. They’re salty—which makes you want to drink more. They’re fatty—which makes you feel the effects of the alcohol less . . . and makes you want to drink more. It’s a perfect storm of high-calorie temptation to make you ingest more high-calorie drinks.
I initially went to the Hooters Web site to get nutritional info for their wings, and finding none, went to their FAQ, where I was informed they couldn’t possibly give out nutritional information for such a customizable dish. I found this to be the case at most of the popular chains. This reluctance to divulge didn’t bode well for the dainty chicken wing. I finally found a third-party site reporting that a 10-piece chicken wing appetizer order at Ruby Tuesday had 910 calories and 66 grams of fat. Add the blue cheese dressing, and you can knock it up to 1,090 calories and 85 grams of fat. This seemed pretty typical. If you add variations like breading, or syrupy sauces like teriyaki or sweet-and-sour, you can bump up the calories even higher. It’s safe to guess that for every wing you eat out of your table’s wing bucket, you’re getting around 100 calories and 7 grams of fat. Chicken wings are mostly skin, so they’re pretty much the least healthy part of the chicken you can eat. And chicken “fingers” or “nuggets” aren’t much better. Some grind up the skin into the meat, which ends up being the base for the nugget, and even the all-breast-meat versions have tons of fat from the breading.
Instead: Just treat yourself to one or two wings or fingers from the bucket. But then fill up on the accompanying celery and carrot sticks (however, skip the ranch and blue cheese; ask if there’s salsa or marinara sauce). You can ask your waiter and barkeep for extra sticks, too, so your friends don’t think you’re a celery hog.
2. French fries
Fries are definitely high on the bar’s salty-fatty scale. But they’re another perfect bar food. Loved by vegetarians and carnivores alike. Usually the cheapest appetizer on the menu and great finger food for passing around. But a basket of fries, depending on how they’re prepared, can have 500 to 1,000 calories, at least half of which come from fat. Not to mention the sodium content, and even the accompanying ketchup which is usually full of high-fructose corn syrup. And, you can also get creative by adding cheese, chili, bacon, or anything else to the fries. At the Outback Steakhouse, you can order the Aussie Cheese Fries, whose one-pound, 12-ounce serving contains 2,900 calories and 182 grams of fat. Outback—it’s Australian for heart attack! Hopefully, this dish is meant to be shared, but even an individual 10-ounce cheese fries order at Johnnie Rockets clocks in at 760 calories with 43 grams of fat.
Instead: Skip the toppings. Fries, at heart, are just potatoes, which, while a bit carby, aren’t unhealthy. If you have an option between steak fries and shoestring/thin-cut fries, go with the steak fries. The potato-to-grease ratio is much higher, so essentially each steak fry absorbs less fat than the shoestring/thin-cut variety. Also, if you’re at an Irish or British pub, you could use no-calorie vinegar as your condiment of choice instead of HFCS-laden ketchup.
3. Nachos
This “snack” plate is a fiesta of fat and calories—a bed of deep-fried tortilla chips, loaded with full-fat melted cheese and sour cream. At least there’s some salsa, which is low in calories; refried beans, which give you a little fiber with your fat; and some heart-healthy guacamole. But don’t let those ingredients justify the indulgence—nachos can often be the most caloric item on the menu. One order of Classic Nachos at Chili’s contains 1,570 calories and 115 grams of fat (58 grams of which are saturated). Even if you share this pile of fatty goodness with a friend, you’ve still inhaled almost your entire day’s recommended allowance of fat, and you haven’t even ordered dinner. Olé!
Instead: Let your fork be your friend. Instead of using the tortilla chips as your cheese delivery system, use a fork and pick at the healthier things on the nacho plate—the salsa, the guacamole, the jalapeños, the olives, the beans, or the lean chicken or steak (if the nachos come with that). I also recommend sitting/standing far away from the nachos. It’ll be less tempting to eat them absentmindedly. If you’ve only ordered chips and salsa, try keeping your salsa-to-chip ratio high. The salsa’s low-calorie and nutritious, the chip is fattening and virtually nutrition free. So load up a chip with healthy salsa. Better to get refills on the salsa than the chips.
4. Deep-fried delicacies
This year, a top seller at state and county fairs is deep-fried Coke. Clearly, as a society, we have arrived at a point where we are able and willing to deep-fry pretty much anything. From classics like onion rings and calamari to new innovations like deep-fried jalapeño rings, anything that can be dipped in batter and dropped into a vat of sizzling oil will be served at your local bar. But keep in mind that while these munchies may have begun their lives as vegetables and seafood, they are not for the health-conscious. A large raw onion has 60 calories and no fat; a typical serving of onion rings has 500 calories and 34 grams of fat. Three ounces of squid contain 78 calories with one gram of fat; an order of calamari fritti at the Macaroni Grill has 1,210 calories with 78 grams of fat (13 of which are saturated). Clearly the lesson is to stay away from the deep fryer.
Instead: The bright side of a deep-fried menu is that a deep fryer is usually a sign of a working kitchen—one that might have a refrigerator. If so, you could order an alternate appetizer like shrimp cocktail—a 10-shrimp serving only runs you 228 calories with 4 grams of fat. Or order a salad with dressing on the side. And if you feel bad that you’re not joining the crowd at the saturated fat trough, see if you can get a buddy to go halfsies with you on a healthy menu item like a salad. Then you can bond with your friend instead of having plaque bond with your artery walls.
5. Sushi
If your alcohol-themed gathering is at a Japanese-themed or sushi bar, you may have hit diet heaven. Sake is only 39 calories an ounce, comparable to wine, and sushi—generally a roll of fish, rice, and seaweed—is actually low-calorie, low-fat, and healthy! Score! Be careful though, not all sushi is created equal. Some rolls that contain spicy mayonnaise sauces or tempura batter can rack up the calories big time. For example, a plain tuna roll is about 184 calories with 2 grams of fat. A spicy tuna roll is 290 calories with 11 grams of fat; and a tuna tempura roll is 508 calories with 21 grams of fat. Of course, with true Yankee ingenuity, Americans have figured out ways to incorporate all manner of ingredients into sushi. I swear to you, I’ve seen cheeseburger and pizza sushi on menus. Watch out for the ones that will turn your heart-healthy snack into a gut bomb—like the salmon-cream-cheese roll which has 517 calories with 20 grams of fat. Traditional Japanese appetizers like tempura can also be as fattening as onion rings. Three pieces of vegetable tempura run about 320 calories with 18 grams of fat.
Instead: Stick to sushi made without sauces, tempura, or other caloric ingredients. If you really want to cut calories (and carbs), order sashimi, or sushi without rice. A typical serving of tuna sashimi is less than 40 calories and 3 grams of fat. Also, look for other low-calorie items on the menu like miso soup (76 calories) or edamame (100 calories for half a cup).
6. Peanuts, pretzels, popcorn, and mixes
The diviest bar in town might not have a menu from the kitchen, but they’ll probably have a barrel of some crunchy treat which will be served in small refillable bowls—gratis. Again, this isn’t just an act of incredible generosity by the bartender, it’s motivation for you to get full of salt and fat so you can order more drinks, early and often. Peanuts are a good source of protein, but they have about 164 calories an ounce (about 30 peanuts) and 14 grams of fat. Popcorn is 140 calories an ounce (about 2-1/2 cups) with 8 grams of fat. Pretzels are only 107 calories an ounce (about five pretzels), with almost no fat, but you also get a full 20 percent of your sodium RDA in that ounce. An ounce of Chex mix (about 2/3 cup) is 120 calories with 5 grams of fat. And Asian snack mix (largely seasoned rice crackers) is 142 calories an ounce (about a cup) with 7 grams of fat.
Instead:
You can pretty well name your poison on this one. They’re all around the same calorie count per ounce. I’ve yet to find the bar where the bartender dished out a healthy alternative from the bottomless snack bucket behind the bar. The main thing to remember is that the bowl is indeed bottomless, and the bartender will keep filling the bowl, so you keep filling your glass. And keep in mind Ben Stiller’s speech from Along Came Polly, where his risk assessor character explains to Jennifer Aniston the number of people in the bar who went to the bathroom, didn’t wash their hands, and then plunged those dirty hands into the communal nut bowl. The nice thing about joints like this is that they’re not going to give you a dirty look if you pull a P90X® Peak Performance Protein Bar out of your purse. Also, if you plan on getting your nutritional sustenance from a bartender in the evening, it might be wise to pop a couple of ActiVit® multivitamins in the morning. Bottoms up!
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OK, I’ve been waiting to write this post for quite some time now, because I’m absolutely PUMPED about this.
Those of you who know me know I get pretty excited about certain things, and this is definitely one of them! Over just the past few months Beachbody has been rolled out a new promotion, the new Beachbody Challenge. What is the Beachbody Challenge? Well, it’s a number of things I guess, but what it all comes down to is putting groups of 5 people together doing the same program, using the same supplements, and having them all stay accountable to each other, all while having ME as your coach during the entire 30, 60 or 90 days (depending on your program). When I form each group of 5 people, I will create an exclusive Facebook group, and that will be where all 6 of us stay in contact with each other during the entire 30, 60, or 90 day commitment.
What makes Challenge Groups so effective? I’ve always been a big believer in challenges because it highly motivates people, and I and everyone else taking part of it always tend to commit ourselves even more when we’re a part of one. When you have a small group, communication is much easier, and you’re able to hold each other accountable and push each other even more than being part of a large group. Plus, there is always some serious competition going on, forcing you to push even harder to achieve better results. When you have competition, encouragement, accountability, and support from 5 other people, it literally is a recipe for success! From the challenges I’ve held in the past, it’s unbelievable the type of results that some people got, and they even mentioned to me that there was no way they could have gotten those results without being part of an exclusive group. If you want to achieve your fitness goals, you’re not going to find a better way than with these challenge groups!
How do I join a challenge group? The first thing that you have to do is make me your coach if I’m not already. As you already know (or may not know I guess), it’s free to make me your coach (click here to do so). By making me your coach, you will have constant access to me for questions and support and I will be checking in daily with each challenge group. Next, you have to be using Shakeology and a Beachbody program like P90X, Insanity, TurboFire or one of the other 130+ programs we offer. The reason Shakeology is a requirement is because it serves as your Nutritional Foundation and it’s a product that I’ve been using for about 12 months now, am 100% confident that works, and have recommended to literally everyone I know, including my friends and family. If you want to get the best results possible, you have to be using Shakeology as (weight lose, a meal replacement, typically lunch; weight gain or hard gainers, WITH your breakfast) every day and combine it with a healthy diet and a workout program. I know for a fact that you will get results by doing all of these together, because over the course of 12 months, the ones who have done this have gotten the best results! Beachbody just actually released new Challenge Packs that combine Shakeology, a workout program, a FREE 30 Trial of Club Membership, FREE Shipping at a discount price for purchasing as a bundle. Next, once you purchase a Challenge Pack or reach all the requirements to join a group, email me at HankFit247@LBHank.com, and I will connect you with 4 other people who are going through the same program and have the same goals as you, create an exclusive Facebook group, and then you will get started!
What will I need to do once I’m in a Challenge Group? The first thing that you will need to do is share your goals and past struggles with everyone else in the group, including me. Once in the group, you will need to post daily that you’ve completed your workout, followed the diet, and ask any questions or provide support to the other group members. While going through your journey, you’re going to want to make sure you take progress photos every 15 days and post them in the group as well. This way you can show each other that you’re getting results and staying committed! If you want, you can hold certain challenges within your group as well, such as who loses the most weight during the 90 days.
Are there any prizes? YES! Beachbody awards $500 daily, $1000 weekly, $1000 monthly, $5000 quarterly, and even a grand prize of $100,000 for those with the best results. Complete your program, submit your results and claim your FREE t-shirt. Plus my TEAM and I award $25 eGift Cards, T-Shirts and DVD’s every 30 days based on your SuperGym calendar.
Winners:
Angel Cruz (P90X) – Invited to participate in the P90X Spanish Infomercial
Barry (Power 90) – April 2012 Beachbody Challenge Winner, $1000 CASH!
March 2012
April 2012
May 2012
June 2012
I’m confident that you’re not going to find a better way to get results than you would by being part of a Beachbody Challenge Group! Unlimited support, constant encouragement, friendly competition, and some added prizes will motivate you to commit yourself for the entire 30, 60 or 90 days and get into the best shape of your life . I can’t wait to help you guys reach your goals and again, I can’t tell you how PUMPED I am to get these groups rolling! LET’S DO THIS!!!!
After a hard workout, you’ve probably used up all or a lot of your body’s stored carbohydrates. To replenish them quickly, so that your body can recover in time for your next workout, it’s important to enjoy a recovery snack within 30 minutes of your workout. Your ideal recovery snack should contain 1/2 gram of carbohydrates per pound of your body weight, and at least 10 grams of protein.
A few great recovery snacks: