 It’s time for you now!
Did August fly by for you, too? I am stunned that September is here already. September is one of my favorite months because it’s the month when I said, “I do” to the love of my life 20 years ago. September being my anniversary month seems to encourage me to focus more on my own health since I promised Don 60 years of marriage. So I have to do my part to honor that, don’t I?
What helps you stay on track with your health? Do you need a little help in that area?
Now that the kids are back in school, it’s time to focus on you now. Monday is Labor Day, and we’re starting a Week of Hard Labor on Tuesday. Will you be joining us? There are details about this program below in the newsletter, and if it tickles your fancy, just drop me a line so I can send you an invite to the VIP fitness support group. We're also starting a 7-day clean eating support group. Prep starts on Saturday, September 2, but we actually kick off on Tuesday, the day after Labor Day. Message me if you want in on that as well.
This month’s newsletter is jammed with goodies, and my favorite part is the huge attention we’ve paid to your nutrition in this month’s edition and the fact that the Annual All Access plus Shakeology or Performance Pack value bundle has been extended into this month. God is surely shining on you if you’ve had to wait until now to take advantage of this tremendous value. Message me, also, if you already have the quarterly package and would like to upgrade to this bundle. There are extra goodies for you.
Lastly, if you’re feeling like you’re on a roll with your own fitness journey and desire to pay it forward, we need to talk. If you live in the US, Canada, or the United Kingdom, have a blessed to be a blessing heart and want to answer God’s call for stepping out on faith to improve your financial health by blessing others with the gift of health, I invite you to consider becoming one of my business partners. How do I become your business partner, Ingrid? I’m so glad you asked. Click Here, fill out the form, and I’ll be in touch with you shortly thereafter to see if this is a good fit for you.
I’m looking forward to hearing your feedback on the Newsletter this month. Have a blessed and healthy Labor Day and month of September, and don’t forget…we deserve to be healthy!
Independent Team Beachbody Coach
Contact me at: www.IngridInPA.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
- Streaming September 5 on BOD A WEEK OF HARD LABOR!
- 10 Reasons Women Should Lift Weights
- When Weight Training is Making You Stronger But Not Bigger
- Tony Horton Talks Food
- Sneaking in Veggies
- Recipe: Sneaky Mashed Potatoes (With Cauliflower)
- Recipe: Vegan S'mores Shakeology
- The Best Deal in Fitness: BOD All-Access Challenge Packs
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Only on Beachbody On Demand: Get ready for A Week of Hard Labor with Sagi Kalev!
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 Celebrate Labor Day Like Never Before with "A Week of Hard Labor!"
Body Beast’s Sagi Kalev is back with 5 grueling days of intense weightlifting routines. A WEEK OF HARD LABOR is Beachbody’s toughest weightlifting workout series to date! Each day will target a different muscle group and take you to complete exhaustion. Get ready to work starting Tuesday, September 5, right after Labor Day weekend, exclusively on Beachbody On Demand!
This is part of the wonder of BOD! Along with full access to all of the Beachbody workouts, they keep adding new exclusive content!
A Week of Hard Labor has four 45-minute workouts and one 25-minute ab workout focusing on different muscle groups each day: Chest & Back, Legs, Shoulders & Arms, Total Body and Core. You will need weights, a bench or stability ball, and a pull-up bar or resistance bands with a door attachment. The program, of course, comes with a complete nutrition guide.
Due to the recent disaster in Texas, Beachbody just announced that they will donate $1 to the American Red Cross Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief for the first 100,000 streams of A Week Of Hard Labor program between Tuesday Sept 5th and Saturday Sept 10th. Every workout of Hard Labor we complete will donate another dollar to the relief fund, so join me and help support the cause! |
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 10 Reasons Women Should Lift Weights
“I don’t want to get bulky.”
“Weights are intimidating.”
“Lifting weights is for guys.”
Be honest, ladies — how many times have you said this to yourself when the topic of lifting weights has come up?
But when was the last time you picked up a bag of groceries? Or lugged a suitcase up a flight of stairs? Or loaded yourself up, sherpa-like, with a five-pound purse, a diaper bag, and then heaved a 15-pound kid onto your hip?
Breaking news: You’re already lifting weights every single day. Building muscle has all kinds of benefits: Strength training can help you burn more fat, lose weight, build strong bones, and help you do all the heavy lifting that happens in real life. If you avoid pumping iron because you’re afraid of getting “bulky,” then you’re missing out on one of the best fat-burning methods around.
If you're losing weight through diet and cardio exercise, you may notice some flabby and jiggly bits. Aerobic exercise is important for good health, but it’s only half of the equation. For optimal fitness, longevity, and a lean body, weight training is essential. Here are some things weight training helps do:
1. Burn more fat. When you do an intense weight-training program, your metabolism stays elevated and you continue to burn fat for several hours afterward. During regular cardio exercise, you stop burning fat shortly after the workout.
2. Change your body shape. You may think your genes determine how you look. That’s not necessarily true. Weight training can slim you down, create new curves, and help avoid the “middle-age spread.” Dropping only 3 percent of your body fat could translate into a total loss of 3 inches off your hips and thighs.
3. Boost your metabolism. The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism will be. As women age, they lose muscle at increasing rates, especially after 40. When you diet without doing resistance training, up to 25 percent of the weight loss may be muscle loss. Weight training while dieting can help you preserve and even rebuild muscle fibers. The more lean mass you have, the higher your metabolism will be and the more calories you’ll burn all day long.
4. Get stronger and more confident. Lifting weights increases functional fitness, which makes everyday tasks such as carrying children, lifting grocery bags, and picking up heavy suitcases much easier. Being strong is also empowering! Not only does it improve your physical activities, it builds emotional strength by boosting self-esteem and confidence.
5. Build strong bones. It’s been well documented that women need to do weight-bearing exercise to build and maintain bone mass, and to prevent osteoporosis. Just as muscles get stronger and bigger with use, so do bones when they’re made to bear weight. Stronger bones and increased muscle mass also lead to better flexibility and balance, which is especially important for women as they age.
6. Fight depression. You’ve probably heard that cardio and low-impact exercises such as yoga help alleviate depression, and weight lifting has the same effect. The endorphins that are released during aerobic activities are also present during resistance training. Many women find that regular strength training, in conjunction with psychological treatment, helps lessen their depression symptoms substantially.
7. Improve sports fitness. You don’t have to be an athlete to get the sports benefit of weight training. Improved muscle mass and strength will help you in all physical activities, whether it’s bicycling with the family, swimming, golfing, or skiing…whatever sport you enjoy.
8. Reduce injuries and arthritis. Weight lifting improves joint stability and builds stronger ligaments and tendons. Training safely and with proper form can help decrease the likelihood of injuries in your daily life. It can also improve physical function in people with arthritis.
9. Get heart healthy. More than 480,000 women die from cardiovascular disease each year, making it the number-one killer of women over the age of 25. Most people don’t realize that pumping iron can also keep your heart pumping. Lifting weights increases your “good” (HDL) cholesterol and decreases your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. It also lowers your blood pressure.
10. Defend against diabetes. In addition to keeping your ticker strong, weight training can improve glucose utilization (the way your body processes sugar) by as much as 23 percent. The more lean mass you have, the more efficient your body is at removing glucose from the blood, which can reduce complications from diabetes or even help prevent type 2 diabetes in the first place.
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 When Weight Lifting is Making You Stronger But Not Bigger
Many people make the mistake of thinking that lifting heavy weight is enough when trying to gain muscle. In reality, getting ripped is a lot more nuanced than that. Turns out, there are three main culprits that could be to blame for your lack of size.
Genetics
According to Melinda Sothern, PhD, professor at LSU Health New Orleans, some of us have a hereditary edge over others when it comes to our ability to gain muscle. “Some people have a higher number of type II muscle fibers that have the propensity to become very strong, powerful, and large,” she says. While no one is born with a bodybuilder physique—that only comes as the result of dedicated training—there is a segment of the population blessed with greater potential to get big.
Gender
Thanks to a higher red blood cell count and greater levels of testosterone, it’s considerably easier for men to build muscle than it is for women. Though some women naturally do have a high percentage of type II fibers, and thus gain muscle relatively easily, most have to make deliberate, consistent effort over a long period of time to build size and shape.
Generality
Third among the possible reasons why you’re not seeing size gains to match your strength is that your training lacks specificity. “Big muscles are not the typical outcome of a typical strength training routine,” Sothern says.
How to Lift Weights for Strength and Muscle Mass
There are a million ways to go about weight lifting for both strength and muscle gain. You could dedicate entire days—or even weeks—to one goal, or you could follow Syatt’s favorite approach: begin every workout with big compound movements like squats, deadlifts, or bench presses.
“Go for heavier weight, lower repetitions, and really challenge yourself strength-wise,” he says. Then, as the workout goes on, switch to moderately heavy weights and higher repetitions (think 6 to 12 reps).
Studies also show that occasionally doing low weight/high rep (15-plus) sets can also help optimize hypertrophy by targeting the smaller type I “endurance” fibers, which also have some growth potential (albeit less than type II). That’s why smart muscle building programs, like Beachbody’s Body Beast, incorporate a range of reps and sets into their design.
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What foods should I avoid to lose weight? What is your favorite recipe? Do you ever have a cheat meal? What are your favorite foods? Tony Horton talks food!
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 Sneaking in Veggies
We all know that cheese and bacon can make anything taste ten times better, and sure you can smother cauliflower in cheese and call it cheesy cauliflower nachos, but why not add veggies to the foods you already love?
Some sneaky ideas:
- Add puréed veggies to your pasta sauce.
- Mash cauliflower into mashed white potatoes.
- Blend baby spinach into your fruit smoothie.
- Add puréed pumpkin to your pancake batter or prepared oatmeal.
- Top your pizza with mushrooms.
- Mix half spaghetti noodles with half zucchini noodles.
- Add chopped mushrooms or carrots to your hamburger patty.
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 Sneaky Mashed Potatoes (With a Hidden Cauliflower Serving)
Hide a serving of cauliflower in your next batch of mashed potatoes. This recipe uses a one-to-one amount of cauliflower to potatoes, but you can use whatever amount of each that you like. Place the cooked vegetables in a food processor or blender (or use an immersion blender) for a smoother texture, or try the more rough texture you get from mashing the vegetables by hand. Serves 4.
Ingredients
- 3 medium/large red potatoes (about 3 cups), rinsed, peeled if desired, cut into 1½" pieces
- 3 cups cauliflower, rinsed, cut into 1½" pieces
- ¼ - ⅓ cup milk
- 2-4 tablespoons butter
- pinch salt, plus ½ - ¾ teaspoon salt, to taste
- fresh-cracked pepper, to taste
- fresh herbs, rinsed chopped, optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot filled ¾ full of water to a boil. Add pinch of salt and potatoes and cook for 17-20 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender.
- When the potatoes have 7-8 minutes left of cook time, add the cauliflower. This will allow the potatoes and cauliflower to finish cooking at the same time.
- Drain potatoes and cauliflower in a colander. Add the potatoes and cauliflower back to the empty pot and put the pot back on the burner you were just using, but make sure it's off. The residual heat will help the potatoes and cauliflower to dry out a bit. Let rest 2-3 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoons butter, ¼ cup milk, salt, and pepper to the pot and mash with a handheld potato masher (or use a blender, immersion blender, or food processor for a smoother texture) till the vegetables are to your preferred texture. Add additional milk until the mixture reaches your desired texture.
- Optional step - stir in fresh herbs of choice. – thechiclife.com
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 Vegan S’mores Shakeology
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 cup ice
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 scoop Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
2 tsp. ground whole wheat graham cracker crumbs, divided
Preparation:
1. Place almond milk, ice, extract, Shakeology, and 1 tsp. graham cracker crumbs in blender; cover. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour into a serving glass and garnish with remaining graham cracker crumbs; serve immediately.
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 The Best Deal in Fitness: Beachbody All Access Challenge Packs!
If you don't have Beachbody on Demand, you're missing the best deal in fitness! BOD is a one-year subscription that provides access to EVERY Beachbody workout, PLUS access to any NEW workouts released during the year AND exclusive shows. You can stream BOD and workout anytime, anywhere with your TV, laptop, tablet, or phone!
This doesn’t cost as much as you think. A full year of FULL access to Beachbody on Demand is just $99, and the absolute best value are the challenge pack options.
 The All Access Shakeology Challenge Pack gives you 24/7 streaming access to Beachbody On Demand, while fueling your body with Shakeology — the superfood shake that helps give you energy, reduce cravings, and accelerates your fitness results. This bundle includes a 30-day supply of Shakeology for just $160!
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The All Access Performance Challenge Pack gives you streaming access to hundreds of workouts, plus a month supply of two performance-boosting supplements with key ingredients to help you push harder, increase your energy, improve your endurance, jump-start your recovery, and combat exercise-induced muscle soreness. All this for just $160!
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