Hey Fitness Warriors!   I have recently read that the Beachbody programs are “just for men”.  I have no idea where those ideas originated, but it makes me crazy how much misinformation gets disseminated on the internet.  Check out this Warrior Transformation.  Lauren clearly has shown that the idea that Beachbody is for men only is just not true! And check out Richard Neal, who showed us all what it means...

As a Team Beachbody Coach I have heard just about every excuse that a human can imagine for not working out: “I don’t have time.” “It’s too hard.” “I can’t do that!” “I am too out of shape to do those kind of workouts.” “It’s not for me.” I just don’t have the will-power.” And on and on and on.   Let me introduce Richard Neal.  He was 426...

Back in February, I began the Warrior Transformations with my friend and partner-coach, Jeff Lennon.  Those of you who have seen his transformation will agree that it was impressive.    Just as impressive and inspiring is this month’s transformation, Lauren Lennon.  She just happens to be Jeff’s wife and, together, they run Team Infinity X–be sure to check out their website.         In...

A few months back I started a segment known as Motivational Moments–those sayings, words, songs, movies, and other things that help to motivate us when we are feeling lazy, sore, sluggish and just plain un-motivated.  It is at those times when I turn to something that helps me to Find it. For this next installment, I turn to a speech that was give by none other than Arnold–who, incidentally, doesn’t really need a last...

Hey Warriors! As St. Patrick’s Day arrives I am reminded just how important it is to keep focused on our nutrition.  This is typically a day of parades, picnics, and drinking lots of green beer.  I have always been one for laughter and good times, but not at the expense of all that I have worked for to regain my health.  No green beer for me this St. Patrick’s Day!  And it’s not because I don’t enjoy...

For the next installment of  Warrior Transformations may I present my good friend, Wayne Arendsee.  I have known Wayne for nearly 25 years (how time flies!!).  His story is very similar to mine in that we both let time (and Beer!) get the best of us and set us on a path that wasn’t the one we envisioned way back when we were standing on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, watching the Mardi Gras floats go by and drinking that...

At the 2011 Beachbody Summit last June, a new program in development was announced—Tai Cheng.  It is based on the ancient Chinese Martial Arts discipline known as Tai Chi (actually, the martial art is known as t’ai chi ch’uan but it has come to be known here in the West as, simply, Tai Chi).  The origins of Tai Chi date back as far as the 12th Century, and there are traditionally five major family styles that have been...

  Hey Fitness Warriors! The Challenge Groups are in full force!  We now have Challenge Groups for just about all of the Beachbody workout programs—and many of the challenge groups have several hundred members—a HUGE community of motivated people all helping one another to maintain focus and intensity while keeping their nutrition on-track! Tropical Shakeology is now here!  Unfortunately my order has not yet arrived, so I...

As you progress along your journey back to Health and Fitness, there are three things that I can guarantee:  that it will be difficult and you will struggle; that you WILL Succeed as long as you COMMIT to it; and that there will be people who are close to you, generally family and friends, who will try to discourage you every step of the way. These people are known as The Naysayers   nay·say·er  [ney-sey-er] noun:   a person...

When I went through P90X a little over a year ago, I wish I would have had the option of using the Chin-Up Max. I was not able to do even one pull-up back then and I had to resort to wrapping one of the resistance bands around my chin-up bar and kneeling on the floor. I did that for nearly 2 months and then I “graduated” up to using the chin-up bar with my foot on a chair. Slowly but surely I was able, over time, to get one...

Tropical Strawberry Shakeology is now available!  Beachbody first announced that they were developing a new Shakeology flavor back in June 2011.  Initially, Tropical Shakeology was supposed to be available in the Fall of 2011.  But Beachbody wanted to be certain that the product was as good as they believed it was.  Further testing was done to be certain of shelf life, and this delayed the release date until now!  The most surprising...

About a month ago Beachbody released its newest supplement–Energy and Endurance Pre-Workout Formula.  I was excited to try this new product as I typically get up early in the morning to do my workouts and I sometimes find that it’s difficult to jump right into an extreme workout so early in the morning.  I have tried a number of different Pre-Workout (PWO) products and I find that some of them work very well to give me the...

  I am excited to report  that fitness Warriors is growing daily!  We are adding Warriors every day to this rapidly expanding Team!  For those of you that are new, be sure to send an email or message to me letting me know which of the Beachbody programs you are using to reach your fitness goals!  I can then plug you into on of our many Facebook groups to help you achieve your goals.  And don’t forget that I am available to...

I thought that I would start something new here at Fitness Warriors.  I had a fantastic transformation using P90X  and Insanity and I can’t begin to describe how much better I feel after dropping nearly 50 lbs.  But my story is not unique.  In fact, great transformations are the Rule, not the Exception, for those that stick to the workout program and pay attention to their Nutrition.  These are The Warriors—those that...

I hope that everybody had a great Christmas and a safe New Year’s celebration!  As we begin the new Year I thought that I would begin something new.  Rather than sending a long “Coach Indo Checking In” email, I will now send a short email with a link here to the Warrior News.   This is a new feature where I can keep everyone updated on the happenings at Beachbody, the progressive company that brings you P90X, Insanity,...

It is my pleasure to announce the Winner of the P90X Fall Challenge!!   After 90 Days of Bringing It Danny Hoefelmann has been picked by none other than Pam The BLAM! as the Winner of the Challenge! For those that don’t know, Pam The BLAM! is a cast member of P90X and appears in 3 of the 12 workouts.     Danny lost an incredible 59 lbs in just 90 days!  For his success in Winning the Challenge, he was awarded the P90X2...

So we have come to the end of 2011.  For me, this is always a time of reflection:  A time to review the past year’s Goals–what I have accomplished and where I might have fallen short.  It’s a time to review the past year so that I can plan the upcoming year based on what I learned from the past year.  I can set new Goals along the path of striving for the Warrior’s Journey… Hopefully you will do the same. ...

Of all of the workouts in P90X, probably the most overlooked and underrated is Yoga X.   You purchased an extreme workout program and the fact that there is a Yoga workout comes as a complete surprise.  It’s unexpected; it’s long; and it’s difficult.  Many people will try this workout once or twice, and then decide that they don’t need to do it–and they come up with every excuse to rationalize while they...

What?! Post Activation Potentiation, or P.A.P.—the Science behind P90X2.  Developed by Dr. Marcus Elliott, it is cutting-edge theory and technology in how one maximizes one’s ability as an elite athlete.  Dr. Elliott and his program, the P3 Project, has became the new standard in training elite and professional athletes.  In fact, many professional sports teams use his facility as part of their training programs. When...

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way. Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town Waiting for someone or something to show you the way. Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain. You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today. And then one day you find ten years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you missed the...

Throughout P90X  Tony Horton is constantly reminding us to Intensify, Intensify, Intensify—The weight vest is the perfect way to accomplish this. “What is a weight vest?”, you ask.  It is simply a vest that you wear, usually made of nylon or some other durable material, that has pockets into which you can insert varying amounts of weight.   Sometime in my third round I began to realize that it was time to...

For most people, having a clear-cut “WHY” is of paramount importance in one’s Success in completing an extreme workout program such as P90X.  Most of us want to regain a healthy and fit lifestyle that we enjoyed when we were younger.  Some see their children and the importance of a strong family life, one that they want to participate in for years to come, as an all-important motivating factor.  Rarely, however, does...

The Warrior Dash was not on my List of Goals to Accomplish. It is one of many so-called “mud runs” that are available across the country.  The “mud runs” are basically races with an added obstacle course that typically requires the participants to run through mud or water and other obstacles that generally leave the runner uncomfortable and exhausted. My participation in the Warrior Dash came about rather...

When I think of Thanksgiving, images of my childhood come to mind:  driving to my grandparents house; the multitude of  times one said, “Happy Thanksgiving” to everyone while walking through the door; and then that smell–a prolific bombardment of the senses that left one reeling in anticipation of what was to come later in the day!  A Feast like no other during the whole year! Add to that the football games during the...

FINALLY!  The long-awaited P90X iPhone App is here!  The app was first announced last June at the Beachbody Coaches Summit.  Now available, the P90X iPhone App promises to be a useful tool for tracking your workouts and nutrition while at home or on the go. The app itself (without the workouts) is $4.99 in the app store.  With the $4.99 app, you get a full workout calendar, automatic syncing to the WOWY Super Gym, Charts to track your...

“What’s the difference between P90X and P90X2?”   This is a frequent question that I keep getting. I think Tony Horton can explain it much better than I can:           And there you have it!   If you have already completed P90X and are ready for The Next Level, why not consider ordering P90X2...

I have to admit, I love muffins!   All types of muffins!  But I have been very careful to stay away from them while on my Fitness Journey because I know that most muffins are very high in calories…usually fat calories.  But when I saw this recipe I just had to try them!  I am a sucker for the smells and tastes of Thanksgiving.  I am fairly certain that I won’t be eating any Pumpkin Pie, but muffins with Pumpkin and...

Have you ever had one of those days where you just don’t feel like working out?  You’re tired because something kept you up late the night before, or you’re really sore, or you have a ton of other things to do, or you just don’t feel like it?  Trust me, even those of us that have been doing this for a while have those days, too.  Most of the time I can go to  a place down deep and find a way to motivate myself....

The long-anticipated pre-order date of P90X2 is finally here! P90X2 is scheduled to be released in December 2011, but you can pre-order it from me through this website!  You will receive it in time for Christmas and your credit card will not be charged until it ships!  Be sure to get your pre-orders in because the initial offering of this program will sell-out and you will then have to wait for Beachbody to produce more before being...

Chances are good that the reason you are in the shape you’re in is because your food choices over the past several years have not been very healthy.  I constantly get questions about my diet–people wanting me to post the specific diet that I ate through my first round of P90X and through my second round of Insanity/P90X Doubles.  Here’s the problem:  I don’t know exactly what I ate! I like a variety of different...

The Ultimate Challenge for a Fitness Warrior!  A group of our partner Team Beachbody coaches have created the P90X Fall Challenge which will begin on September 19th.  Whether you are a graduate of the P90X program, or just beginning it for the first time, this Challenge is for you!  Participating in a Challenge is a great way to stay motivated and accountable to a group of driven, motivated individuals who all help each other to push...

…I HATE it, but I LOVE it! In all honesty, I haven’t actually gone Running for about 10 years.  I have a recurring left knee injury, and the repeated pounding while running causes it to swell and hurt for several days after the run and I am often forced to ice it to relieve the discomfort.  Because of this, I had taken up bicycling several years ago, but Life kept getting in the way and I had stopped that, too.  That is,...

I wish to relate a true story.  Please be advised that this story does not have a good ending.  I know it is a little long, but please bear with me and read it all the way to the end.  This story involves some friends of mine.  I won’t give any names to protect their privacy.  The story involves their daughter, who was born with a congenital heart defect that resulted in pulmonary hypertension.  That’s a condition in which the...

When I got home from work the other day I found that familiar Beachbody box with my monthly delivery of Shakeology waiting for me on the porch.  I opened the box, and was surprised to see my box of Shakeology along with a small booklet entitled, When I say I’ll Climb the Highest Mountain to Make a Nutrition Breakthrough, I’m Not Kidding.  Seriously.  That was the title.  It’s a chronicle of Darin Olien’s...

Every once in a while a product comes along that makes you smack yourself in the forehead (in the manner of  the old “I could’ve had a V-8!” commercials) that makes you say, “Why didn’t I think of that?!!”.  The Six Pack Bag Meal Management System is just such a product. It was developed by people who, like all of us, are dedicated to a health and fitness lifestyle.  The simplicity of the Six Pack Bag...

Probably the two most important tools you can use when making healthy food choices are the Glycemic Index and Michi’s Ladder.  The Glycemic Index is a measure of the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. The concept was first developed by Dr. David Jenkins and colleagues in the early 1980s at the University of Toronto in an effort to determine which foods were best for those with diabetes mellitus.  It is the basis for a...

Insanity, until recently, has been called the toughest set of workouts ever put on DVD.  Until Insanity: The Asylum was put out, it was.  Insanity was developed by fitness expert/choreographer Shaun T to be an extreme cardio program that tests your mental focus and resolve every bit as much as it challenges you physically.  Shaun T’s mantra is “DIG DEEPER!”, and these workouts will make you do just that.  It’s a...

Let me begin by saying that P90X is not for the faint of heart.  I’m not speaking of the muscle in the center of the chest that pumps blood, but rather I am speaking of the attitude, focus, and determination that it takes to get through 90 days of this extreme workout program. With that being said, however, P90X will absolutely get you into the best shape of your life provided that you commit to the workouts and to the nutrition...

In yesterday’s post I outlined the steps needed to getting your nutrition on track.  To begin this process,  you first determine your baseline numbers (your weight and your body fat percentage), and then you determine your Recommended Daily Intake  (RDI)–how many calories you should be taking in every day.  Once you know your RDI, you must then calculate the breakdown of macronutrients (proteins, carbs, and fat) that should...

Far too often you hear of a person who is completely committed to getting back in shape and they work out intensely, but they completely ignore the Nutrition aspect of the program.  They fail to see/achieve the results that they want and wonder why it isn’t working for them.  You will hear me say over and over that achieving success in P90X , Insanity, or any other Beachbody program is dependent upon 80% Nutrition and 20% working...

It was back in high school when I first read Carlos Casteneda’s books that I first became intrigued in the concept of The Warrior.  Casteneda wrote a series of 12 books that begin with The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge.  The books were written as part of Casteneda’s PhD dissertation in Anthropology at UCLA, and are purportedly a chronicle of his time with don Juan, a Yaqui Indian Shaman/ Sorcerer who taught...