I was watching the movie The Flight of the Phoenix (2004) the other day and one of the characters said something I'll never forget. He said, "Religion divides people. Belief in something (referring to spirituality) unites them."

Now this isn't a blog about religion or spirituality but that statement got me thinking to how often 'labels' divide us. Think about politics, sexual preferences, food choices, job titles, diseases and the list goes on. We meet someone and right away we begin forming opinions based on these labels. Why do we put ourselves in these little "boxes" as my friend Derek would say?

It's these boxes that end up dividing people. Isn't it more important to unite people?

The 4th of July weekend is upon us and for many of us our healthy habits go south. It really doesn't matter if it's the 4th of July, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas.  We tend to give into social pressure and indulge.  Think about it that's all it is... SOCIAL PRESSURE. Imagine spending all those holidays completely by yourself, would you still eat as bad?!? Probably not... but I'll leave that for another blog.

Okay so Jimmie's Top 5 Tips for maintaining healthy habits during a holiday weekend...

1. Eat before you go
Don't show up to these event starving looking to dig in. Get a healthy meal in before you go and you'll be much less tempted to dive into gobs and gobs of empty calories.

So you're looking for more info on this 3 Day Refresh by Beachbody. What better place to come then from someone who's actually done it! I tell you it came out at a great time because my closest friends and I had just spent a week in Las Vegas, I needed a good cleanse.

I'm going to assume you've done a bit of research already and been to Beachbody's website (LINK) so I don't want to waste your time with all that. I just want to give you my thoughts, meals and results. If you haven't check out this quick video explaining the program.

Is there a habit you want to change? Of course there is. Let's be serious we all have habits some big, and small that we want to change but for whatever reason we just can't. I'd like to offer up a possible solution that recently worked for me.

Have you ever tried your hand at online dating?

For me it's turned up a big fat zero but I know friends who have built successful relationships so I remain hopeful. I'll go through phases of trying it, quitting and trying again but maybe I'm missing something that others seem to know. But this isn't about me. THIS IS FOR THE LADIES OUT THERE.

I've thumbed through my share of photo's online and with aps out there like Tinder, going through people is becoming faster then ever so if you really want to catch a guys attention you need to rethink your photo gallery selection.

That being said I'd like to share with you some major NO NO's I see all the time.  I want to share this because maybe you're an awesome women truly looking for the right guy but you're making some simple mistakes.  

Here We Go...

I've read about this before and kept it in the back of my mind as something I would do when I remembered. Time passed and I forgot until a friend of mine posted that she tried this same thing with good results.  Well I had 5 minutes to spare so I figured why not try it?!?

Day01 Results - Monday







Day02 Results - Tuesday

So what's the secret??? Here it is... using Activated Charcoal to whiten your teeth.

 

Trust me I am no cook... I don't mind cooking and on many occasions even enjoy it but I only enjoy it when I'm cooking for someone else.  If it's just me, I've often been known to skip the meal instead of taking 10 minutes out to create something.  That being said, for the times that I do get off my lazy boo-tay this is typically what I create.  

It's nothing special but it's cheap, quick, healthy and I always feel great after the meal.  I can save a lot of time by chopping up my food all while the stove and oil is being heated up.  

To Do:
- Turn stove on and begin to heat pans and oil
- Take out veggies, meat, etc and begin chopping (Smaller pieces cook faster and also save time later dealing with a fork and knife).
- If steaming add foods to steamer.
- Add rest of food to pan and cook.

- Don't forget to add spices for flavor.

Fun Tip: Steaming, or so I've heard, takes out some of the nutrients during the process and leaves them in the water below.  I have no idea if there's any scientific proof to this or if it's even enough to matter but to combat this effect I simply use that water to make green tea!  The water is already hot so all I have to do is pour it into a glass and add the tea bag, viola!

That's it.  I always keep some kinda of veggies and meat around for a meal or even a quick snack.

Happy cooking!

If you're here I want to say congratulations because you already know 95% of the information you need to know in order to get a 6 pack.  Why do I say that? Because as much as we all don't want to hear it, a 6 pack is not a " I don't know how to get it "thing, it is a " I'm not willing to do what it takes " thing; AND for some it may also be a " It's going to take some time " thing.

Let's clear the air here.  I'm not here to sell you any fat burning crap pills, newly discovered exercise equipment, cheap DVD's or systems that don't work.  BUT Jimmie you're an Independent Beachbody coach don't you promote DVD's and nutrition systems? YES I DO. But these things aren't required to get 6 pack abs or the results you want. They're merely tools to help make life a little easier and FOR ME that's exactly WHAT I NEEDED.

So this is my gift to you, 3 simple rules I've learned over the past 2 years from experience and programs that have helped me get AND maintain my 6 pack.


1.  Count backwards
"Getting Abs" in my opinion is a bad statement, more correctly we should be saying "Seeing Abs." You already have abs but they're covered in belly fat. If you want to see them you need to remove body fat. Counting calories, tracking macros, fasting and dieting are all methods to get there but I've found they're all a pain in the ass and it's a hard method to sustain unless you're in some form of body building.

For me I count FATS, SUGARS and SODIUM. The idea here is to play these three categories like a game of golf, the lower your score the better.

Ohhh and another huge 6 pack killer is ALCOHOL. Have you been on my Facebook page, do you know me? You could make the argument that I drink and it doesn't seem to effect me. Well... I got the results first. It's easier to maintain a 6 pack rather then get one but believe me the first thing I cut out when I really want my abs to pop is alcohol.



2.  Sticking to what makes the biggest change
This is where I see people making the biggest mistakes. The truth is that some activities have a greater impact on a 6 pack then others. So isn't it reasonable to attack those activities with full force first? You wouldn't play $5 blackjack if you wanted to become a millionaire, you'd go to the high stakes tables.

NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) says.. "70% of your daily caloric burn comes from your RMR or Resting Metabolic Rate... and 20% comes from your workouts."

What does this mean? Well it means you need to keep working out but you can make much larger strides towards your goals if you can amp up what your RMR is burning. Body size, body composition and food intake are some of the factors of RMR that are changeable. This also why it seems that skinny people stay skinny and fat people stay fat.    

So, if you want to see your abs, build the muscle required to change your RMR. Muscle is your best friend and fats worst enemy, so build it. Get done the work that needs to be done first, then work on the finer details.


3.  Fast or Sloww AND everything is not always in moderation
Would you like results fast or sloww? The majority of people will say "I want fast results" but are you really willing to do what's necessary to get them? Most people aren't so they chose the sloww route but there's one thing you need to understand, slow is sloww.  It could be the difference between 3 weeks (like me) or 6 months.

In my opinion this is not an everything in moderation situation.  Getting results is much easier being consistent with good habits rather then trying to space out 'cheat meals' throughout the week. Do the required work for longer periods of time, get the results and then you can go back to 'everything in moderation.'

Find a partner, find a trainer, get motivated and do what's necessary to get the results you want. Sure that month or two may be hell but once you're there it'll be much easier to maintain and keep!


Conclusion
In my opinion you don't need fancy meal plans or insane workout plans but you do need to work hard. Lift weights and eat single ingredient clean foods (if you have to ask if they're clean or not they're NOT) and you will be on your way.

AND if you're like me and need more help and a system to follow, then find the time and money to spend on one that will get you there. The results you get will more then pay themselves off.

Have you hosted one of these things before? If not and you don't know anything about this like I did, let me describe it to ya.

A representative from Salad Master will come to your home and cook a meal for you and up to 8 friends for free. They'll teach you some secrets about cooking and put on a nice presentation for you. Of course all of this is leading up to their sales pitch at the end but regardless it's a really neat presentation.


The Lesson 
As far as the presentation it's really quite educational. Here's some of the facts I learned...
*please note this is what I was taught from them.  I haven't done any research or checked the validity of these 'facts.'

1. Cooking above 200 degrees begins to degrade vegtables of their natural minerals and nutrients.  Try to cook them between 160-180 degrees.

2. Most of the nutrients and minerals in fruits and veggies is in the first 1/8 inches layer of the skin.  Stop peeling these things.

3. Broccoli, cabbage, etc don't discard the stalks of these items.  That's where the enzymes to help you break down the vegetable lie. Make sure to add them into your meal.


The Pitch
Now about their sales pitch.  Pretty much everything about their presentation is leading you up to buying their products. What they're trying to sell you is their cookware and let me tell you this stuff is not cheap, to put it mildly.  A 5-7 piece set is going to cost you a couple grand... holy crap!

The selling point is that their products are made of medical grade stainless steal which is a non-porous metal which keeps you from using little or no oils and water to cook with.  Clean up is also easy because there isn't much to stick to and heat distribution is even also allowing for much lower cooking temperatures. There is also a lifetime warranty on the products which can also be passed down to your family members over time.

There are some other nice features to this cookware but I'll leave that for you to discover by finding a rep in your area and having them put on a show for you.


Conclusion
I'm on the fence here. The price is a bit ridiculous but if I look at it from a shear material standpoint I don't know how much medical grade stainless steal costs. I like the fact that these things have a lifetime warranty and some reviews I found online many people keep these things 20+ years.  It would be nice to know that you have the whole cookware problem solved for the rest of your life.

The design is good not great but I do love the 'coin' on the top of the lids that lets you know when your food has hit its heat point and it's time to turn down the heat on your stove. But, again I keep coming back to price here... I mean damn!

Being health conscience I can see value in these products. The jury is still out on if your metal cookware is leaching toxins into your food and if it is, is it really harming you. While I await true scientific evidence of that this option would seem to safe guard me from any harm.

Looking at the big picture here your cookware is a piece of the entire 'health pie.' It's definitely not an end all like they try to make it sound. Let's be serious working out and eating clean will get you much further and closer to overall health then some pots and pans ever will but this is definitely a step in the right direction.

What are your thoughts?  Have you ever bought any of these products?

Are you ready for the success you want?  That's my question to you.

Maybe you want to win the lottery,  maybe you want a job promotion, or maybe you want your business to suddenly explode with prosperity. Whatever and however you define 'success' in your own life my question to you is Are You Ready?

This topic has been poking it's head up at random times over the past few months in my life so I've decided to try and grab it.

A recent example I can't seem to shake from my mind was some friends of mine on Facebook wanting to win the lottery. How great it would be, all they could do with their winnings to improve their lives and the lives of others.

I'd argue that with success (in this case money) comes a lot of responsibility that most of us are just not ready for. How often do you hear stories about past winners and how they're now broke. We hear these stories, mock the people and move on with our dreams but the truth is why do we think we're any better or any more prepared for 'success?'

Another example happened to me. One of the aspects of my business is introducing new people to the business and helping them to grow their own business. This in turn helps my business. So at first all I could focus on was bringing new people in but I noticed very quickly something happening, they were dropping off. I had finally achieved the success I wanted but I wasn't actually ready for it. I didn't know what to do with the people once they joined me!

Conclusion
My point is not, if you want success you need to go out and work hard for it. Everyone says that and everyone already knows it. My point is that maybe you're not achieving your success because you're not ready for it. Let's stop blaming the circumstances around us and work on ourselves first.

Brandon Broadwater, a personal development coach at his seminars has the audience chant, "I'm bigger then my circumstances." At first I thought this was pretty silly. Now I realize all of my success has come from looking within and improving myself and not focusing solely on the world around me.

I challenge you to do the same. If there is an area of your life you want 'success' first look within. Is there anything you can improve first?