Happy New Year! 2012 is here and we say good-bye to another year passed. 2011 was a difficult year for me as I was faced with many challenges in my career, business and health. We all at some point reflect on the time we spent over the last year and perhaps focus on things we’d like to change.

Resolutions

The Resolutions! Ah yes the Resolutions!

I made them and quickly and consistently broke them throughout the year. In fact I’m late making them this year. January 1, 2012 falls (fell depending on when you read this) on a Sunday. Seems like a good day to start fresh.

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I’m not certain if it is coincidence but this week I came across some interesting information on fitness and healthy lifestyles. My friend Dean Marino who has done an excellent job in his fitness quest with P90X and Beachbody posted something on Facebook recently which I was fortunate to catch. He recommended watching a movie called Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. I found it to be rewarding and fascinating. Focusing on two men whose bodies have been trashed by steroids, obesity and illness, this documentary chronicles the rigorous healing path — including a two-month diet of fruits and vegetables — that both attempt in a bid to rescue their health.

Enough is Enough. I’m tired of being tired and lazy. I’m tired of being who I’ve become. Fat and unhealthy.

Earlier this year, I think I had a similar physical manifestation of urticaria that was depicted in the movie’s main character, . It came at the worst possible time, when I was traveling to Las Vegas. I had a significant breakout that affected my hands, upper torso and at times, my entire body. It was terrible. I was placed on Prednisone and an anti-depressant. Among other things, I had a Ton of Stress in my life. Combined with the heat in Las Vegas and the Stress of working at a 5 day convention, it was barely possible to cope with what was happening to me.

The meds helped temporarily. However, my weight also increased. As of today, January 1, 2011, I am now 245lbs. Now seems like a good time to get started on what I originally set out to do with FatAssToFit.com. I thought I’d share some of the goals I have and few projects I’d like to tackle in 2012.

FatAssToFit.com

A Re-Boot of FatAssToFit.com is in order. 2011 was a wash and I hope I have learned from it. So here are some of my goals for FatAsToFit.com:

• Implement Hybrid of 4 Hour Body and P90X (Start consistently exercising)….who knows maybe I’ll like it again
• Drink more Water
• Eat Better
• Write about it….document it here on this blog, take pictures…lather, rinse, repeat

Mojo Digita Companies LLC

Mojo Social Media became Mojo Digital Companies LLC in 2011. It became clear in 2011, that Social Media as powerful as it is became saturated with people claiming to be experts and many businesses deciding to venture out on their own. Our specialties have evolved and we have decided to remain diversified. ‘Social Media’ isn’t just Facebook and Twitter or even a Blog…its much more than that. We have worked and developed many projects and products along the way and have successfully implemented them to include Social Media Channels and Cross Channel Marketing. We have a heavy focus on Mobile and developing Mobile Apps.

Mobile Apps Labs

Mobile Apps Labs has launched a platform to help create Mobile Apps for businesses on the iPhone, iPad, Android and HTML5 devices. Our focus is to help small businesses have their own Mobile Apps and to partner with other marketers who want to develop on our platform.

GeekyToFreaky.com

GeekyToFreaky.com is a new project similar to FatAssToFit.com which has yet to be launched. It will be more of where I will include more day to day content about things that are Geeky and how they fit into my life. Think of it as couch potato geek going to freakishly fit and what has influenced him along the way…..we’ll see.

Energy Deregulation

I was approached by a friend of mine recently about an opportunity to get into the deregulation of energy here in Pennsylvania. I was curious because I had been approached about this very topic on a few occasions. Each of the people who had approached me were people who have integrity and are well respected in their industries. All of the industries were not within the Electricity or Gas industries, but rather Law, Medicine, Healthcare and Education.

Intrigued, I asked some questions about it and why each of them were getting involved. Each of them explained to me that there is a significant opportunity in energy deregulation that warranted some further investigation. So I did. The potential for residual income in Energy Deregulation is real. Turning energy into income is a venture that I will pursue in 2012 along with my Fitness.

Building something like this makes sense to me for these reasons:

• It (energy) is something that we use actively and passively utilize in our daily lives.
• For the most part the rates are cheaper than what most people are paying with their current provider
• When I flip the light switch, it never announces ‘who’ is providing it
• My current line provider will continue to manage the delivery and maintain the lines
• Why not pay myself for using the resource and help others do the same thing?
• I will have to pay an electric bill every month anyway, so it makes sense that I pay myself for using the same electricity I was going to use anyway
• The residual potential can help me remain healthy as I will have more time to dedicate to my fitness and other projects
• Its willable so that my kids will have a future that is very comfortable

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Continuing with our another post about Personal Development, I decided to analyze how much reading I was actually doing and took a brief, non-scientific measurement on the quantity and quality of my reading. I found I do most of my reading through Google Reader. I use Google Reader to aggregate the RSS (Real Simple Syndication) Feeds of the blogs that I like to read. There are quite a few of them. Perhaps its the reason I don’t read that many books these days. I always feel that I might get behind in some current posts…and by the count, the post number can increase quickly.

I’m hard on myself about keeping up with what is going on and what people are writing about. I think its good to stay current. As a caution, however, sometimes that (reading countless blogs endlessly) can be the minutiae that can get in the way of getting things done or what Seth Godin calls “Shipping”. Its good to be well read, but if we are not creating and shipping our products or services, we are just cods! That has been one of my problems!

Google Reader is an amazing tool that is easy to use which helps you aggregate blogs and websites that you subscribe to. I find it extremely useful to quickly access the information and websites that I enjoy and can easily know if there is something new to read. [Hint: there is always something new to read]. This doesn’t come without its drawbacks! One drawback is that there is always something new to read on the many blogs that I subscribe to and it makes it nearly impossible to have the number of unread posts at zero! LOL!  In fact recently, I’ve stepped back and made a goal for myself to read more books. Larry Zimberg of Team Beachbody suggests reading 10 Pages a day. If you do just that, you’ll complete an average book in about 20 days. I tend to read a bit more than that daily and I think if I substitute some of the time I spend reading all of the blog posts in my Google Reader with some content from books, I will certainly complete more books over the year. There are a bunch of titles that I want to dive into and so little time!

Google Reader can also be Social. In fact, I connect with a lot of people through my Google Reader. I learn of good posts through others who use the ‘share’ function within Google Reader. Google Reader also allows you to do other things such as ‘like’ a post, ‘share with a note’, ‘email a post’, ‘add tags’ and ‘send to’ (Delicious.com, Digg, Facebook, Ping.FM, Tumblr and Twitter). Its a great way to share and provide value to others that are in your social networks!

Another use for Google Reader for me is to gather some posts as ideas to create new content and/or discuss information that is relevant to what projects I’m working on or that which may benefit others. I’m sure there are other ways to use Google Reader that I am not thinking of but on a practical level, these features are extremely useful.

Do you use Google Reader or another Reader? If so, are there any other ways that you use it?

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As we go through our physique transformations, its difficult not to experience personal development. As our bodies change, I believe that our minds and character changes with it. This is evident in many examples all around us and can be seen in the transformation videos of those that lose fat and become more fit. Many share their experiences as feeling more confident as they have reach new accomplishments in the body transformation journeys.

One benefit of being a Beachbody Coach is the networking that you can experience with others who are on the same path as you in achieving better fitness, health and financial success. One specific aspect of the networking that I enjoy is the Personal Development topics that many within the network discuss and focus upon. I have not been particularly fond of reading until recent years, but now I am enjoying reading some of these books. Often, the challenges and schedules in my life limit the time I have to read books. I try to make the time to do so and sometimes have to exchange the time I put into reading and commenting on blogs with book time. Long hours at the hospital in the Wound Care Center and my newly founded business, Mojo Social Media Marketing, also eat up a lot of my time. Thus I try to consume Personal Development content as much as I can via Blogs, and Audiobooks and weekly teleconferences with other Beachbody Coaches and webinars.

I recently finished a book by Brendon Burchard, Life’s Golden Ticket: An Inspirational Novel, which I found was a great book about Personal Development. The lessons within the book could be applied to many areas of one’s life, including relationships and one’s approach to overall fitness. I’m trying to read more books like this one as much as I can, but will probably stick to audio books. You can get some good ones from Audible.com and put them on your iPod. I listen to these audio books while I’m in my car or when its quiet at work. I find I can usually get through one or so per week. It keeps me learning and expanding what I know and thus being able to offer more to others.

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Becoming a Different Dude

I love these Success Stories! Its awesome to see the changes in physique that people experience when they use the P90X system. Its evident that David experienced dramatic results wouldn’t you say? He made a decision, followed the system and got ripped! Its also apparent that more than just his physique changed. It sounds like his attitude changed for the better. He seemed more confident and comfortable in his physique. Naturally, if he was a coach to athletes, his message would probably be better received if he was in better shape. I think his message is being received now!

As I go through my Journey from being a Fat Ass To Fit, I am realizing a few things. Both as a Parent to three little girls and as a Wound Care Certified Nurse, I am a role model and should set an example in various ways. So as to not be a hypocrite, my fitness and health should be an example to those that I am a role model towards.

When I feed my children, it should be with healthy foods. I should avoid giving them foods and drinks that are detrimental and poor in nutritional value. This would help build strong and healthy bodies for them and as a parent, its the responsible thing to do. Keeping the kids active in sports and recreational activities is also good. I recently invested in Hip Hop Abs to do with them! I’m certain I’ll get some video footage of that soon enough!

As a Wound Care Certified Nurse, I work directly with, counsel and treat patients who suffer from diabetes and horrific wounds. The devastation and altered lifestyle that these people endure will spin your head! Some deal with infected and debilitating wounds on their lower extremities and feet, that require expensive and time consuming treatments to help heal their wounds. Many require amputations of their legs in one form or another (feet, below the knee and above the knee amputations). This hits home for me as I understand the effects of this disease process. Unfortunately, for many of these people, it hits home a little too late!

The good news for a great majority of people out there that suffer from being overweight or obesity, is that its not permanent. Programs like P90X, Hip Hop Abs and others can help people lose the weight that plagues them and steals the energy and life of many.

It requires a Decision and a Commitment to Succeed!

Who’s In?

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Life’s Golden Ticket:An Inspirational Novel by Brendon Burchard (of the ExpertsAcademy.com) is a quick read that drives home some key points about personal growth and change. I found this book to be entertaining and personally rewarding. Its the kind of book that could be passed from one person to another as it is easy to recommend. I think its the kind of story that most of us can relate to in one way or another. I find it relative to many day to day themes from finance, career, relationships, and weight loss.

I think that one theme that is true in many people that teeter back and forth on attaining fitness or attempts at weight loss is making the right choices as well as just making the decision to change. Now, this book isn’t necessarily about weight loss as much as that the lessons from the book can be applied to one’s weight loss activities and lifestyle! Sometimes we become complacent in our lives and the decisions we make are a reflection of that complacency.

There is always room for us to improve in areas of our lives. Some of those areas require changes that would be beneficial for overall health in areas of our fitness, finances or relationships. This book was a way to look in the mirror for me. As life goes by, sometimes its easy to get wrapped up and just go for the ride or live in the past. And sometimes, that past can be good or bad. Living in the past can stall one’s growth in the present and future. If it is change in any area of your life that you desire, it can be achieved.

I would recommend Life’s Golden Ticket: An Inspirational Novel [Aff] and once you are done reading it, pass it on to someone you care about.

Have you read the book?

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Doruk’s P90X Success Story

Doruk was a Professional Athlete who for one reason or another stopped his competitive rowing and started to gain weight. Like many of the other Success Stories that I’ve shared, Doruk found the P90X Infomercial. At first, like many others, he was skeptical. However, as he watched on and tried to find things that were wrong with it, he could not punch holes in it. Eventually, he ordered and went through the P90X System and achieved awesome results. Doruk shares that he achieved all his results in one 90 Day Round of P90X.

Doruk’s weight shot up to 220 lbs. After going through the P90X program, he attributes his success to P90X’s Muscle Confusion which helped him overcome the typical plateau that many experience by doing repetitive training and cardio. Doruk lost 40lbs, 3″ (inches) off his waist and got down to 6% body fat.

Doruk also characterizes P90X as a bullet proof and guaranteed way to become super fit. I like that kind of a testimonial!

Who has 90 Days to Spare?

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Fitness guru Jack Lalanne , has died at age 96. He inspired television viewers with his workout show from the 1950′s to the 1970′s to trim down and pump iron before exercise became a national obsession.  His contribution to  exercise an nutrition is legendary. He said, “The only way you can hurt the body is not use it.”

R.I.P. Jack LaLanne

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I hear countless stories like Casey’s. People in terrible shape and habitually doing things that are detrimental to them until they make a decision to do something for themselves that is life changing. I’m a huge supporter of the P90X System, because it works. Take a look at the Casey’s Success Story and you can see the changes that his physique has gone through. The one benefit, other than the physical changes that I like to hear and enjoy is the increase in Energy that people get when they go through the P90X System.

I had similar problems with lack of energy and can relate to Casey’s story when he talks about it. Almost immediately, you can and will experience a spike in your energy. I know I did and I’m thrilled that I have more energy to play with my three little girls. I used to sit around feeling unmotivated and without energy. You can’t help but feel better and have more energy to do more things. This is a bonus. I want to share this with you not only because I am a Beachbody Coach, but because I know that it works and that you’ll feel great when you exercise.

Do you feel more energy after your workouts?

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10 Ways to a New You

By Steve Edwards

Most of us make resolutions to somehow change ourselves for the better in the upcoming year. More often than not, these resolutions involve promising ourselves to get into better shape, improve our diet, or quit some habit we think is hurting our health or well-being.

While the practice of making health-related resolutions tends to be great for business at Beachbody (or any health and fitness company), these resolutions really only matter to you if they’re helpful to you. Unfortunately, the statistics show that most of us won’t see our resolutions through to the end of the coming year. Of course, you’re an individual, not a statistic. Whether or not you succeed is entirely up to you.

Our job is to make your path to health and fitness easier. So here are some tips to help you succeed with your New Year’s makeover.

1. Feel free to change your resolutions. After all, they’re yours. You made ‘em and you can change ‘em. While New Year’s resolutions are a great idea in theory, we tend to make them so challenging that most are virtually doomed to fail. Research tells us that the majority of people have already cheated on their resolutions or given up on them altogether by the end of the first week of January.The main reason is difficulty. The average resolution aims high—really high. For example, let’s look at the ubiquitous, “I’m going to stop smoking.” It’s pretty easy to mess this one up, and once you’ve cheated at all, it’s very easy to give up completely. In fact, a case could be made that many of us make our resolutions too difficult on purpose, because it makes it so much easier to stop trying. Instead, attempt a more holistic approach. Maybe your resolution is to stop smoking, but throw in “by the end of the year.” Now you’ve got an entire year to work toward your goal.
2. Make a plan. This is a big step, because given the scenario above, without a plan it’s unlikely that you’ll change anything in your lifestyle until the following December. Most of us can look at a calendar for the coming year and come up with a decent idea about our schedule and what might work for us if we were, say, going to schedule an event as part of a resolution. Taking a minute to look at the upcoming year can give you a realistic sense of what you want to attempt.Again, using quitting smoking as an example, you might want to schedule some kind of healthy retreat where you can cleanse yourself, get healthy, etc., during the year. You’ll need to know your schedule, or, as we tend to do, you may find your resolution-related goal happens to fall during a month when you’ve got a lot of other obligations. Planning ahead will help stack the odds in your favor. Then you can also plan goals for the months leading up to your retreat.
3. Remember the big picture. This one has to do with the fact that most resolutions are about self-improvement (or helping someone or something else improve). Some of the main resolutions we make are to quit a bad habit, change the way we look or feel, or become more educated. All these things require our minds and bodies to change. And while it is possible to do a 100-percent turnaround at the stroke of midnight on December 31st, it’s not very likely. Your chances for success will increase dramatically if you use your brain and make a plan that allows for failure, plays to your strengths, and moves towards your overall goal in a way that makes it harder for you to give up than to keep going.Again using quitting smoking as an example, here’s an idea that’s focused on the big picture. Break the year into 12 months. For January, you might want to start with an exercise program, because you know that the harder your body has to work physically, the less it’ll crave cigarettes. So your entire first month might not actually address your ultimate goal directly. Instead, it can focus on something you know will help you down the line.
4. Involve your family. If you’ve got a family, find a way to involve them in your quest. If you can’t get them on your side, you might face some trouble, because you might find they’re pulling you in the opposite direction. If quitting smoking is your goal, chances are your family will be supportive and do anything you ask. So for this example, let’s use a family that consists of a dog, who isn’t about to stop you from doing something you enjoy. Involving your dog is easy, because while he doesn’t care whether or not you smoke, Fido would certainly rather have you out hiking with him. So thinking something like, “When I want a cigarette, I’ll take the dog for a walk” could be an effective element in achieving your ultimate goal. And as you well know, Fido will be very supportive on this one.
5. Involve your bad habits. We’ve all got some bad habits. If you can embrace yours and somehow involve them in your efforts to stick to your resolutions, you’ll stand a much better chance of achieving success. Let’s say you smoke most often when you’re out drinking socially. Since you know you’re vulnerable and will probably break down no matter what you tell yourself, find a roundabout way of allowing this.For example, in the beginning, you might allow yourself to socially smoke a cigarette if you’ve exercised for an hour that day. This can evolve over the year to be stricter—perhaps increasing the exercise intensity or time required to earn the reward. In this instance, the harder you exercise, the less your body will crave that cigarette. So even though you’ve set up a cigarette as a reward, you’ll be likely to find that you’ll crave it less and less the more you exercise. The possibilities are nearly endless, and you’ll need to get creative, but by involving your bad habits you’ll virtually eliminate your excuses to quit progressing towards your goal.
6. Involve your good habits. While this should fall in the “duh” files, it’s surprising how often people try to ignore their own history when they attempt to make themselves over. Get realistic and embrace the things you like to do. Certainly, you must have some healthy things that you love to do that are good for you—going for walks, dancing, a favorite sport. Make sure they’re a part of your plan.And even if something you love isn’t currently good for you, there’s usually a way to change that. For example, if you love watching House, you can make this more positive by vowing to stretch in front of the TV, or exercise during the commercials. An hourlong network TV show has 20 minutes of commercials. You can get a lot done in 20 minutes.
7. Find strength in numbers. Even the most independent of us needs support from time to time. Unless your goal is completely off the radar, there’s probably a support group available, which you can prove to yourself by performing a 30-second Internet search. These support groups can be amazingly helpful and can fit any personality type. Even if you’re very shy, just reading through what others say can help to motivate and keep you on track.For exercise and diet support, we offer the Team Beachbody^® Message Boards, the WOWY (Work Out With You) Supergym^®, our virtual gym, and the Million Dollar Body Game^® (free to join, free to play!). By logging in to WOWY and working out, you can win cool prizes every day. For even more diet and fitness support, join the Team Beachbody Club—risk free for 30 days!)
8. Get involved for a higher purpose. This doesn’t have to mean a religious higher power—although it can be. A higher purpose can be your family, your friends, or any number of causes—essentially anything that helps you make the world around you become a better place. We can often wallow in our bad habits due to a sense of helplessness. Getting involved in something beyond yourself can give you the sense that your life matters, because, well, it does. Engagement can be very empowering. Not to mention fun.
9. Schedule some alone time. This is important because we tend to allow the outside world to distract us. Often this is done for the most altruistic purposes, putting family, friends, or job above ourselves. But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and allowing control of your own life to slip away—even for a higher purpose—isn’t the answer. If you’re not healthy, happy, and content, it’s going to be difficult for you to help others to be healthy, happy, and content. Even if it’s just minutes a day, make some time for yourself to be alone where you’re able to gather your thoughts and focus on what you want to happen in your future.
10. Use a target goal that’s qualitative, not quantitative. Our society loves numbers. Losing X amount of pounds, running X amount of miles, going X number of days without smoking—these are things we dangle in front of ourselves as if they were some Holy Grail. In fact, these things have very little impact, if any, on what we really want, which is to improve our lives. Numbers can be great motivators. They can be nice as signposts on your road to progress. But they can also mislead you and shouldn’t be a part of your ultimate goal, because you can’t really control them. Shooting for unattainable numbers is one primary way we can sabotage our self-improvement goals. The adage “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game” isn’t just about sports. Live your life well, and in the end, you’ll be content, no matter where the numbers fall.

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Below is an article that I received in a newsletter  from Beachbody. This article was originally written by Karen Tonnis. I hope you enjoy it.

7 Key Foods to Help You Get the Most Out of Your Workout

By Karen Tonnis

At some point in your hooked-in, hard-core Beachbody^® experience, or even if you’re just getting started, this thought may cross your mind: Wish I could get results even faster.

Well, now you can. Here’s a list of dynamic foods that bring a lot to the table. Not only do they fit within a healthy nutrition plan, they’re capable of sending your lazy taste buds a nice wake-up call.

1. Tomatoes. Make the lowly tomato your best friend and you could potentially up your chances of staying healthy and recovering faster. They’re loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients. And because they’re particularly rich in vitamin C and carotenoids, they may boost heart health, fight oxidative stress, protect against a variety of cancers, and combat inflammation. Tomatoes also contain potassium, an electrolyte that helps maintain fluid balance.
2. Fish. A powerhouse of lean protein, fish lets you load up without blowing your calorie budget. The very leanest choices include white-fleshed fish like flounder or tilapia, as well as most shellfish, including lobster. Even dark-fleshed fish like tuna and salmon are considered lean, and the fat they provide (in the form of fish oil) can help regulate hormones and metabolism and reduce inflammation.

   Of course, all this muscle-building power won’t show up as a six-pack if you’re not careful about how the fish is prepared. Watch out for calorie bombs like deli tuna salad and deep-fried fish or calamari.

3. Açai berry. What look like ordinary small, purple berries are actually one of the best superfoods in the world. Açai berries contain one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants of any known food, along with fiber, iron, amino acids, and healthy omega fatty acids. Add them to your diet in the form of juice or pulp and you can expect a load of benefits, including increased energy, faster recovery rate, boosted immune system, stabilized blood sugar levels, and more.
4. Dark green leafy vegetables. Breaking news: Popeye was right about eating spinach. Especially if you want to build muscle FAST. The antioxidants found in dark green vegetables help counteract the oxidative muscle damage that comes with heavy training or exercise. So vegetables like broccoli, collard greens, lettuce, kale, and our hero spinach should be high on your list.
5. Blueberries. Mom could’ve said, “Eat your blueberries and you’ll grow up strong.” This miniature superfruit is chock-full of nutrients and antioxidants. So if you’re involved in strenuous activity, a daily cup or two of blueberries can help reduce cell damage. They also promote healthy blood pressure and contain complex carbs and fiber to help sustain energy and keep you in the game.
6. Eggs. When you’re trying to add muscle, protein is as important as any dumbbell or training buddy. Most important, you want increased “clean calories” from whole, natural, unprocessed foods—like eggs. Eggs are one of the most perfect proteins for growing lean muscle. By incorporating egg whites into your diet (with a small amount of egg yolk), you can get a high amount of protein for a relatively low number of calories. Six egg whites will give you 99 calories and 21 grams of protein. Now that’s a deal.
7. Green tea. If you’re working out regularly, giving your body a constant supply of antioxidants can promote quicker recovery on a cellular level. And drinking green tea is a good way to vary your antioxidant intake. On top of its antioxidant properties, green tea can help protect the cardiovascular system, increase metabolic rate (which supports weight control), and may provide some anticancer and blood pressure-reducing benefits.

Add these 7 foods to your oxidant-fighting arsenal.
Go ahead and rev up your engine with these heavy-hitters for quicker results. But don’t neglect your regular exercise program and healthy eating plan. Those are the real keys. Start with a sound regimen, then add these seven for extra kick.

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