Today's post is designed to help you to either keep pushing play or to start pushing play again.

I don't know where you are in regards to your workout program or your workout goals.  But I do know that no matter what happens in your day to day life, pushing play is absolutely vital to your success.  If you want to be successful at work, happy at home, excited to hang out with your college buddies at night, then keep working out.  Exercise directly effects how you approach life and how you operate on a day to day basis. 

The more you exercise, the more you'll feel good about yourself.  The more you exercise the better you will perform at work.  The more you exercise the better you'll treat your children.  And the more you exercise the more you'll want to make your spouse happy in bed.

The fact of the matter is, exercise positively effects everything in your life.  It's a win-win situation.

As I close this post, I want you to take a few minutes and focus on what's most important to you.  Is a healthy lifestyle one of your top priorities? Are you committed to looking good and feeling good?

If not, make the decision today to change your top priorities and watch your life become much much better, almost overnight!

Check Ya Later

Toni Young

There is an undeniable link between exercise and being healthy.  Spending thirty minutes a day, three times a week can play a significant part in keeping someone active and out of the hospital.

The benefits of fitness are very significant.  Physically fit people are less likely to die prematurely. Exercise and overall fitness also reduces the risk of developing diabetes and certain cancers such as colon and breast cancer. People who exercise regularly are more likely to maintain or reduce their body fat.

Some people who do not exercise do not have any weight issues until later in life when they start packing on the pounds. Significant weight gain is often a sign that a person is not physically fit. It may surprise people that fitness also plays a significant role in mental health. Studies show that regular exercise aids in decreasing stress, improves sleep, and releases endorphins that increase positive feelings. Feeling healthy and fit helps reduce anxiety and depression.

It is better to practice a healthy lifestyle from early on but it is never to late to start. There are numerous simple steps a person can take to improve their overall health and fitness. People who take the bus are less likely to gain weight. Why are they less likely to add a pound yearly? The answer is purely because they walk everyday to the bus stop. Adding a ten to fifteen minute walk to your daily routine is perhaps the simplest way to improve your health.

Many people claim they do not have time to exercise. Most anyone can find the time to take the stairs instead of the elevator, they can choose to park further away from their destination adding a few steps to their day, doing jumping jacks during commercial breaks also add up. Finding little ways to squeeze exercise into your life can lead to big improvements. In addition to exercise, diet plays an important role in health and fitness.

Avoiding fast foods and other food that is high in sugar and fat can add years to your life. Most diets fail because they are too strict or are not practical, however making small changes daily can have a big impact. Reading the labels on food will really open your eyes to what you are putting in your body and will have a positive effect on your choice. It is easier to say “no” to a delicious treat if you find out the three small cookies in the pack have more calories then your entire lunch.

Labels provide the knowledge for you to make informed decisions about what you eat and increasing your awareness when it comes to health and fitness is always a good thing. Every day try to do something to improve your health and fitness. Eventually you will find life is easier physically and mentally when you are fit.

The biggest mistake almost every dieter makes, when beginning their weight loss journey, is setting unrealistic weight loss goals.  We set goals that are ridiculous and are almost impossible to reach.

The weight loss industry has programmed us to believe that if we're not losing at least 3lbs per week, then we're doing something wrong.  We're suppose to drop the pounds easily and quickly, with no effort and no hard work.

I see ads all over the place that says, "Lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks", or "Get Six-Pack Abs doing this 15 minute workout". 

Listen, all of this stuff is a lie.  It's not true and it doesn't work.  If it was possible to lose 10lbs in 2 weeks(and keep it off), then why is the #1 health concern in America obesity.  If it was that easy to lose weight, then why is the weight loss industry a billion dollar industry.  Why are ALL of the big weight loss companies making so much money?  Why does a new "FAD" diet come out every year?

See, the bottom line is that consumers are continuously suckered into every weight loss diet that comes out.  They trap us into believing a bunch of hype and we allow our emotions to get caught up in the hype.

Well today, I want you to stop getting trapped and start making some serious progress.  Set your weight loss goals to something realistic.  Don't over do it.  Why are you rushing?  Who are you competing with?

It's not about how you start, but how you finish!

-Coach Toni

Obesity has now become the #1 health concern in America and it's time for you and me to do something about it.

If you aren't exercising at least 3 times a week, then it's time for you to step it up.  Get off the couch, stop making excuses and lets just make it happen.  Exercise has to become a top priority on your day to day schedule.  It needs to become as important as brushing your teeth or taking a shower everyday(assuming you do brush your teeth and take a shower)

I know you already have very busy work days, and even busier weekends.  Believe me, I understand.  I have a full time job, a couple of internet business, 2 kids, a husband, a great church and several other things going on in my life.  So, I definitley feel your pain.  But, out of all the "to do" items I have on my day to day schedule, I still make time to workout.  It's a must.  I gotta do it.  No questions asked.

You see, over the last year, I've realized that taking care of myself helps me take care of everything else.  If I don't feel good about myself, then it's hard for me to give my all to everything else.  And exercise is the catalyst to making me feel good everyday.    Don't wait until something drastic happens before you decide to make the decision to take control of your health.

Now is the time!  Lets make it happen!  If your looking for the perfect at home workout, consider P90X!

-Coach Toni

Let me tell you, these are great questions.  These are questions that allot of women have.  As a matter of a fact, I had the same question for years, until I was introduced to the new revolutionary workout program called P90X.

Here is what I’ve realized:

Lifting weights is a great way to build your muscles.  Building your muscles increases your metabolism.  An increase in your metabolism burns fat and calories.

Every pound of muscle burns between 40 – 120 calories just to sustain itself.  In essence, when you add a water bottle full of muscle to your body, you’re able to burn a refrigerator full of fat.

And by following the right plan, like the P90X Lean version, you won’t bulk up, you’ll firm up!

I felt great!  And was absolutely exhausted by the end of the run.

What I realized today was that it’s important to push yourself a little further than your comfort level.

If you’re exercising and don’t feel really uncomfortable, then you’re not pushing yourself.

You want to “Bring It”, every time you step foot in the gym!  That’s what I do.  I like to sweat, grunt, moan, and even scream while I’m working out.  I like to get pumped and hyped.

I like to have fuuuuuuuuuuun!

-Coach Toni

Because I’ve seen many accounts of that happening. And it can happen even faster to tell you the truth.

There are several reasons:

The main one is that they more than likely lose five pounds and then they hit a plateau. The weight seems to stop dropping of their body. And for someone who doesn’t have experience this will cause enough frustration for them to quit.

The second largest reason is that they just don’t get any results from the beginning… period.  Which is easy to fix 90% of the time.  As I said, there are other reasons people fail to lose weight, but those are the two main ones.

So the question becomes how do you avoid this happening too you?  How do you lose 20 to 40 pounds in three months without allowing those success killers to stop you?  Simple. You follow the “ultimate success formula”.

This formula has been taught by people like Tony Robbins. In short, it works! And I guarantee you that it separates the winners from the losers. Success from failure.

So there are four steps to this formula…

• Determine what you want. Your goal. After all you can’t hit a target if you don’t have one.
• Develop a plan for achieving it. Do NOT make this harder than it is! All you need is a rough map here.  When it comes to losing weight it really helps to have at least a rough idea of what you’re going to do.Speaking from experience, a few of the best things are to learn how to eat carbs at the right times and exercising the very second you wake up in the morning, before you eat.
• Notice what results you’re getting. What’s working and what’s not working. This is the #1 spot that people get “hung up”. They are far too rigid in their approach. So when things get tough. When their plan is no longer working, they just stubbornly keep plodding along.

Here are 3 things your’re probably “NOT” doing, which is why you’re tired:

1. You don’t exercise – If you peform 30 -45min of high intensity exercise at least 4 days awake, you are guaranteed to rest better at night.  If you rest better at night, then you’ll probably wake up feel 10 times better in the morning.  Try it!  It works!
2. You’re sleeping patterns are screwed up – If you don’t get much sleep during the week, and then try to catch up over the weekends, you’re probably messing with your body’s natural sleeping patterns.  I know it sounds crazy, but the more you disrupt your sleeping patterns the more tired you wil become.  Have you ever slept all weekend, but was still tired on Monday morning.  I know I have:)
3. You’re dehydrated – How many ounces of water do you drink everyday?  Is it 2 or maybe 4?  Well that’s not enough.  Our body’s crave water and we need it to function properly.

Change these 3 principles and I guarantee you’ll feel more energy

Well within a short period of 12 months, his blood pressure began to slowly increase.  After a few months passed by, I figured I should do a little research on exactly what high blood pressure is.  Medicinenet.com states that:

“High blood pressure (HBP) or hypertension means high pressure (tension) in the arteries. Arteries are vessels that carry blood from the pumping heart to all the tissues and organs of the body. High blood pressure does not mean excessive emotional tension, although emotional tension and stress can temporarily increase blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80; blood pressure between 120/80 and 139/89 is called “pre-hypertension”, and a blood pressure of 140/90 or above is considered high.”

After reading this definition, I was a little alarmed.  Because what this really means is that my husbands arteries, which carry blood to the other parts of his body, is actually working allot harder than they should.  There kinda in over drive.  And any heart that’s in over drive will eventually give out and stop working.

Now the top number of our blood pressure is called the systolic blood pressure.  The systolic blood pressure is the pressure used when the heart contracts and pumps blood forward, into the arties.  And the bottom number is the diastolic pressure, and that’s the pressure used after the heart contracts and trys to relax.

So, what this means is that high blood pressure is very dangerous and should be treated immediately.

My husband immediatly began a good exercise program after his ankle healed.  He put himself on a 4 day/week workout program.  After 6 weeks of working out, his blood pressure slowly began to return to normal.  We are so excited that he’s finally getting back to normal.

I must admit, when she told me this news I was really shocked.  We didn’t realize anything was going on with his head, therefore we weren’t prepared for a diagnosis of this type.  He went to the doctor for his 6 month check-up and after a few cat scans and CT scans, this is the resulting news the doctors told my best friend.

Now this is going to sound crazy, but immediately after the phone call I became really hungry.  Or at least I thought I was hungry.  I was under allot of emotion and almost couldn’t control my desire to eat something.  I sat at my desk, in AWE, for about an hour, hoping I would calm down and relax.  But I didn’t!

Since I always keep protein bars and shakes at work, I picked up a protein bar and ate it.  I felt a little better, but it just didn’t make me feel better.

Now let me pause for moment and ask you, “Have you ever experienced something like this?”  Have you ever received some bad news and felt like you just wanted to eat?  Or, are you going through a few bad times and feel like your outlet is food?

Well, your not alone.  I’ve been there, heck, every one’s been there!  But here is what you have to remember; eating a piece of cake won’t solve the problem.  We can’t use food to self medicate ourselves, whenever we’re having problems.

Here is the cure.  Studies show that regular exercise and a good diet helps us control our emotions and allows us to make better decisions.  Sounds crazy, but it’s true.   So I want to challenge you to get in the gym, or get some type of home workout program.  Get your body moving, and yourself going.  Pull yourself up and out of that emotional rut.  Take your frustration out on the treadmill or elliptical.

Just don’t resort to BAD FOOD!!!!!!!!