Dear Friends,

The holiday season is my favorite time of year. As I write to you I am reflecting on the important things in life – family, friends, good health.

This letter is to thank you for purchasing the Ripped video and show my support for your journey into health. It’s wonderful to hear your success stories and I want to show my appreciation for the way you have been sticking with the workouts.

To help you continue your achievements we are creating four exciting new Ripped videos – new music, new moves, more results! The first Ripped video helped people to burn carbs, burn calories, and burn fat. These new videos will further these successes by maximizing fat burn, speeding up calorie burn (with compound exercises), and create that ultimate lean look.

I’m also involved with the Impact Magazine Fitness Challenge enabling people to meet their weight loss and fitness goals. Readers sent in their stories and 5 were chosen for the challenge. We are showing two of the challengers how to break out of plateaus. You can check out the website to see what kind of workouts they are doing to overcome this (www.impactmagazine.ca).

In the Winter Issue of Impact we share the results of research comparing movements using multiple muscle groups versus one muscle group (“Compound vs. Isolation”). The surprising results: people burn more calories through compound exercises than they do through isolation exercises! You can try some of the exercises and experience it for yourself!

This is the time of year that people get worried about losing weight. I want to help by offering some weight loss tips and a delicious light recipe.

All the best to you and your family!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

The average person will put on 7-10 pounds over the holidays (most of that is going to be water). The good news is that you can get rid of it quick if you just follow a few simple concepts. Here 10 weight management tips that I use with my clients:

  1. Set realistic goals. I love the 80/20 rule; if you can follow your program at least 80 per cent of the time then you are being realistic. If you allow yourself 20 per cent indulgence (for example, one “cheat day” a week), then the rest of the week will be much easier to attain.
  2. Plan ahead. Most people don’t break their resolutions because they want to fail, they are just not prepared for set backs. Cut up your vegetables and cook a chicken breast the night before to avoid snacking on fast food or quick fixes when your schedule gets out of control.
  3. Get rid of the junk. I firmly believe that your environment has more control than you, so get rid of the temptations if you want to get ripped!
  4. Make a journal of what you are eating. Many people are quite surprised at how many calories they are consuming. For example, five handfuls of nuts has 1840 calories!
  5. Get back on track. When you do slip up, and most people do, just get back on track with eating and exercising the next day.
  6. Stay Positive. When you think something negative about yourself, replace those thoughts with 10 positives.
  7. Find things that will inspire you. Keep fitness and nutrition magazines by your bedside. Not only will these inspire you, they will give you new things to try for your meals or workouts.
  8. Drink plenty of water. Six to eight glasses per day and more if you are exercising. Alcoholic beverages and pop add empty calories and will slow your progress down.
  9. Focus on the health benefits of fitness. Don’t focus on weight loss! Think of all the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, including a higher metabolism, lower blood pressure, stronger bones, reduced stress levels and prevention of certain cancers.
  10. Reward yourself! Honour your successes. Reward yourself when you have reached your goals and then set higher goals.

There are 365 days in a year and 168 hours in a week. To achieve your fitness and weight goals all you really need is three to four hours per week for yourself coupled with healthy eating choices. Ask yourself: Aren’t you worth it?

Ingredients:
Butter
Bran Flakes
2 small bags of Jet Puff marshmallows
Rum extract
Whey protein power – vanilla or raspberry flavored
Maraschino cherries

  • Melt ½ Cup of Butter over medium heat
  • Add in 1 tsp of rum extract
  • 2 bags of Jet Puff marshmallows
  • Stir until marshmallows and butter are melted
  • Then you stir in 6 – 7 cups of Kellogg’s bran flakes
  • Add in 1 cup of Whey protein powder – Vanilla or Raspberry flavor
  • Stir mixture completely
  • Pour mixture into a 11x17 square pan
  • Cut cherries in half and put on top for decoration

Takes approximately 10-15 minutes to make… delicious!

What makes this a family favorite is the fact that it taste like ‘more’. As you can see, it is very high in fiber, which is essential in our diet. The protein powder is an added benefit. Enjoy!