My youngest son is in Kindergarten this year and this is the age where they bring home all sorts of things about their family, their friends, what they like, what they don’t like and so on from school.  So last night, as I’m sitting in the family room vegetating on the couch (complete and utter shame), my son decides to go through his school pile on the other side of the room and bring me select items.  Somehow in this pile I missed this “What I Know About My Mommy” write up that came home in last month or so that describes a bunch of things my son knows about me.  Who hears me when I say that these things are absolutely precious and well worth the read?  Well this one did not disappoint.  I’m not going to put them all here but the one that got me…

My mommy’s name is “Jodi”.

My mommy is “22” years old.  Hahahaha!!  Almost 2 times over!

But the kicker—cuz there were some good ones—is what I do for a living:

“talks on the phone and is doing work with her friends”.

Oh you gotta love him!  Well he’s right, mommy talks on the phone for work and the women I work with are ‘friends’ in an odd way and honestly, I love what I do.  But one thing I do not love about what I do is running into things that I cannot explain, see more often than I like and cannot find research for.  These things drive me crazy because you want to help but you are not sure how and one of those things is a food intolerance.

Think about this scenario: one day…for no particular reason that you know of at the time…you suddenly find yourself sick as a dog after eating your lunch.  It’s the same lunch you have had for months.  You made it so you know its fine, it’s not spoiled and it came from the batch you ate the day before and so on, so you know it’s not that the food is bad.  But for some reason you are nauseous beyond belief and your digestive track is doing the Olympics.  If this was just one day, you’d overlook it.  But it’s more than just one day—it’s been a few weeks now.  And there’s no pattern to when you’re getting sick vs. what you are eating.  You start to guess a whole host of things wrong with you beginning with celiac, moving over to lactose intolerance and rounding out with a fresh case of IBS but I am here to tell you that it’s most likely none of those.  What seems to be killing us more is that we are intolerant to the foods we call “healthy”.

For the longest time I would talk about rotating foods in our daily diet because it’s not healthy to eat the same thing day in and day out.  I would say that you are limiting the amount of nutrients in your diet and that you are exposing yourself to the same pesticides all the time and they will build up in your system, etc, etc, etc.  At the time, I knew this to be true through research but what I didn’t know was one step further which are the food intolerances that created.  I didn’t have hardcore proof—just an inkling—and I didn’t have the amount of experience I have now to be able to stand upon what I was saying until now.

EATING THE SAME FOODS DAY IN AND DAY OUT FOR WEEKS ON END WILL ABSOLUTELY PUT YOU IN A POSITION TO DEVELOP A FOOD INTOLERANCE.  YOU MAY NEVER DEVELOP ONE, BUT YOUR POTENTIAL IS GREATER THAN OTHERS.

Ok, let’s first acknowledge that that is based on anecdotal information and not hard core, double blind studies.  Second, I have not worked with anyone who has a food intolerance that has also had a varied diet but that’s not to say that they do not exist–I just have not worked with them.  So with that being said, let me tell you about the 3 main culprits that we like to eat like psychos that could be getting ready to wreak havoc in your life:

Egg Whites

Yes we love them because they are fat free, a complete source of amino acids and the only acceptable protein for breakfast besides protein powder (for most folk) but these suckers are a loaded weapon.  Besides the obvious fact that eggs aren’t eggs anymore mainly because chickens aren’t chickens anymore, the thing that makes these things so lethal is that they are easy.  Not only are they easy, they are the only acceptable binding agent out there for us clean eaters (protein pancakes or muffins anyone?).  So not only do you eat them every day, but you eat them 2 and 3 times per day.  You put them in shakes, you scramble them, you have muffins, you have bars, you have a ton of different things all made with egg whites.  OY!!  But what you may not know is that egg whites are a known allergen and eating large amounts of them may cause a food intolerance.  How I’ve seen this one show up:  nausea or vomiting, headaches and red rashes in the winter months.

Chicken

I do want to ask…is that what they’re calling it these days?  Chicken is so full of estrogen and antibiotics that I’m not sure that they can call it chicken anymore.  But here’s another one that we eat on a level that’ll make your hair stand on end.  Many of us have some form of chicken EVERY SINGLE DAY.  Really right now?  And most of the times we are buying either the big Costco pack of it or we’re buying it at our local grocery store so we’re not getting an organic chicken or even an “all natural” chicken.  No, we’re knee deep in chemicals and additives talking about “we’re healthy”.  YIKES!  How I’ve seen this one show up:  MAJOR hormonal issues and/or super sensitive to all the other known allergens.  So you’re this walking pin cushion in terms of food additives and everything sets you off in either a rash, bloating, nausea, diarrhea, you name it.  But because chicken is so prevalent in your diet, you cannot lock it down to just that so you do not suspect.

Peanut Butter

What a nuisance PB is.  First, y’alls are obsessed.  A jar of PB can silence a room full of women.  It’s the Kryptonite of clean eaters.  You go from this hard core chic who can shut anything down in terms of temptations to a blubbering fool when someone pulls out a jar of this stuff.  It’s amazing to me the hold this food has on some of you.  And because PB is yummy, smooth on the palette and a form of good fat you eat it EVERY DAY.  No, I mean EVERY DAY.  You have anywhere from 2 to 4 tablespoons of PB a day—no joke.  However, PB is more of an allergen than any of those mentioned above and I’m not sure you care. Haha!  All joking aside, this is how I have seen this one show up:  a strong wheat/grain intolerance.  You cut out the grain thinking it’s the grain when it’s not—it’s the PB.  Nausea eating chicken or egg yolks.  Celiac symptoms such as diarrhea, loose movements or lack of nutrients even though you’re eating fine.

Let me make sure I say this so you’re not confused:

• I am not a doctor.
• I do not claim to be one.
• This is all anecdotal information.
• The clients that I work with that have verified these intolerances have done so through medical professionals.  So if I cannot verify that they have seen a doctor, I have not taken their situation into consideration.
• If you suspect you have this, go see a doctor.

This information is provided so that you can navigate your lifestyle effectively and begin to be proactive about the foods you eat instead of robotic.  Change the foods in your diet regularly!!  It can save you a ton of tummy ache.  If you are not sure how to do that, go here.  This is a series I did on how to safely and effectively change up your diet and keep the lean body you like and are used to.  Cool?  We’re in this for the long haul ladies.  Woop woop!!

Honestly, you women are crazy.  Last night I was on the phone with Kas (former Tuesday blogger) chatting away just catching up when I casually mentioned that I was blogging again.  Well she nearly flipped her lid and yelled at me saying that I never told her and why was I holding out.  But wait it gets better…  She’s on the phone with me, clearly agitated that she is now strapped in by this call that we’re on because she wants to…yes, wait for it…hang up to go read what I wrote.  WHAT?  Why not just ask me while you have me on the phone?  Hahahaha!!  Needless to say, we got a good laugh over that but she still hung up on me to read my blogs.  Ummm…whatever.

I am not sure if it’s me or what but this just makes no sense!

But this is our life, ladies.  We do things that do not make a lot of sense a lot of the times thereby wasting precious time.  But what if there were some things out there that do not make a lot of sense but somehow are beneficial for us?  Would you do them then?  Probably not but it’s worth a try:

1. Eat more to break a plateau: No matter how much I try to convince people this works, they still treat me like a dude with a big poster on himself that claims the world is ending tomorrow.  If you find yourself lifting 3 to 5 days per week, doing cardio even more than that and eating next to nothing and your body fat loss has come to a hault—consider eating more before eating less.  See most of you start off dieting and training with parameters that you should have at the *end* of your dieting and training season—not at the beginning.  If your goal date is 12 weeks away and you are already starving to death doing endless cardio and lifting like a fool, you’ve got a long, wasteful road ahead of you.  There is no doubt that somewhere in there you will hit a plateau.  When that happens  EAT MORE…not less!  Let me explain what this looks like:  all clean food, over a set amount of time, at least 50% more of your present intake and then go back to your original diet.  You’ll drop right away and be shocked.
2. Go on vacation to lose weight: Say you are the girl above and not only are you stuck in a rut, you are also exhausted.  Here is a little known secret:  you lose weight when you sleep, not when you move.  So if you never sleep, you never lose.  This is for the girl right now who is reading this and is getting 4 to 6 hours of sleep/night and can’t figure out what is wrong.  A surefire way of knowing if this is you is if you decide to go on vacation and you come back 5 pounds lighter after fully enjoying yourself for the week—this was you.  Ladies, give your adrenals a break and go to bed.
3. Can’t stop cheating?  EAT THE TREAT!: Deprivation causes madness.  Hands down.  ‘The more you deny, the more you will try’ and it can become all consuming if you allow it to be.  What’s the answer?  Take the temptation out by scheduling the treat in the diet.  And don’t just schedule it.  BE OK WITH IT.  *KNOW* that it’s fine.  Know that you are allowed to have this thing and it’s not going to do any damage.  If you don’t know it on the heart level not just the mind level, you will continue to snack uncontrollably.  TAKE THE TEMPTATION OUT and you will knock it off!

I know it seems outrageous and sometimes even gloomy.  But hang in there…it really does work!

We will do just about anything over here to help you ladies see how destructive your behaviors can become if you are not careful.  Maintaining a great body with definition and tightness takes a healthy balance between workout, nutrition and emotional health.  Many talk about it but very few have it.  We have been where you are and know all of what you are going through—trust us.  It seems so simple but it really isn’t.

Keep checking in as we go through all the things that you need to do to make it through eating clean and clean dieting the healthy way.  THAT’s the difference here.  Ciao for now!  Woop woop!

Happy Memorial Day everyone!  I hope you enjoyed a long weekend because I sure did.  I went to visit my parents which means the following: lots of napping, staying up a little too late watching tv with my mother, early morning coffee with my father, and getting in some great hiking and trail running.  It also means that I don’t go to the gym, but instead workout at home.  Thankfully my parents have a small gym area where they have some free weights, an elliptical and space for yoga.  But it also means that I won’t get in my regularly scheduled workout.  Additionally, if I am home for more than a day or two, it means I will have to restructure my entire week.  Whatever plan I am currently doing will have to be modified.

It also means that when I get back home, I usually have a day or two to fill with a miscellaneous workout.  This is the workout you do when you have an extra day to fill or the workout you do when you’ve just finished a program and are not yet ready to start a new one.  Or it is the workout you do when you need a break from your current plan.

This is a variation on that timed sets and can also be called “30 seconds on, 30 seconds off”.  Essentially you set up a bunch of exercises, each of which you were perform for 30 seconds.  In between each exercise you rest for 30 seconds.  Let me give you an example workout first, and then we can talk about variations.  This example is one I would call more of a metabolic romp that is full body with plyos.  As always, perform either a dynamic warm up or at least mobility work first.  Then find an area in the gym and set up all of your weights.  For exercises to be done with weight, chose a weight for which you can do 10 reps, but no more than 10.  There is no weight needed for the ploys.  Because you are lifting for time, a gym boss really comes in handy here.

• BB Front Squat (can also use DB)
• Squat Jumps
• BB Bentover Row
• Prone Jack
• DB Overhead Press
• Burpee
• BB Romanian Deadlift
• Push-Up

Based on the above, you perform front squats for 30 seconds, rest 30 seconds, squat jumps for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds and continue until you have finished 30 seconds of push-ups. That is 1 round.  Rest for 2 minutes and repeat for a total of 3 or 4 rounds.

Now that you’ve got the basic set-up, you can start playing with the exercises, rest periods and weight parameters so the workout best meets your goals.  In this example, mixed plyos and traditional lifting.  However, if you prefer a more traditional lift, replace the plyos with all traditional lifting exercises.  I also chose a 10 rep max weight.  However, if you are currently working in a lower rep scheme and want this work to stay in line with that scheme, chose a weight you can only lift for 6 reps.  You will still lift for the full 30 seconds, but because you are using a heavier weight, your reps will take longer.  However, lifting for time will force you to possibly push out a few extra reps – don’t worry if you have to rest in between finishing the 30 set, so long as you keep trying for the full 30 seconds.

I also chose to put together a full body workout.  However, you can put together any split you want.  And finally, I put this workout together for that miscellaneous time.  But, you can easily add something like this in once/week and progress it.  You can progress it by changing up the rest period or by increasing the number of reps you get out in each 30 seconds.  If you want to progress it by time, in week 2, lift for 35 seconds, rest for 25 seconds.  In week 3, lift for 40 seconds, rest for 20 seconds.  Finally in week 4, lift for 45 seconds, rest for 15 seconds.

If you want to progress by reps, keep track of the number of reps you perform in each 30 second interval (write them down during your 30 second rest period).  Keep track for each round you do.  Next week, try to get in more reps (one or two more).

As you can see, the possibilities are endless. But this is a great workout you can do anywhere and customize it to fit the general scheme of your current plan/goals.

I always say this and I truly mean this: I love what I do. I have been doing this for a very long time and as I grow older and wiser to the ways of you crazy ladies, I have learned a thing or two about food choices. One of the most asked questions of me besides ‘how can I tighten my bum?’ is “What can I have as a cheat meal?” Depending on where you are in your dieting, my answer typically is, “Anything you want. But if I was you, I wouldn’t have…”

CHEESE
I would avoid cheese like a strange substance on a park bench—and I mean that literally! Cheese begets cheese. Are you following me? But more importantly, cheese is an experience. Mostly a texture and salt experience, cheese feels good on the palette. It validates whatever meal you are eating. Not a fan of veggies? Put cheese on them and suddenly you can eat your veggies, your friend’s veggies, veggie platters, okra—who cares!

Of course whenever I tell someone to avoid cheese they ask about cottage cheese, which by the way does not count. I am only referring to hard cheeses so cottage, ricotta and feta do not count as cheeses to avoid. Everything else, though, will send you down the river without paddles, fast!

You cannot recover from a meal with cheese. Pizza for instance will set you back at least 2 days, possibly 3. If you think you are going to have pizza Saturday night and steel cut oats on Sunday morning and not notice the difference, you are fooling yourself. When I say ‘set you back’, I do not mean by weight gain. I mean by focus. Suddenly, everything needs cheese. Your eggs, your tuna, yourself at 4 in the afternoon when you are suddenly alone with a stick of Crackerbarrel cheddar cheese and are unsure how half of it is missing even though it was new when you took it out of the fridge. You know, everything. Honestly, spare yourself the pain of overshooting your cheat/treat meal (call it what you like, it is what it is)and avoid cheese.

ICE CREAM
WOW! Now here’s the beginning of Armageddon. Forget what people say about 2012 coming, your downfall is contained in a pint-sized package managed by 2 guys and a cow—Ben and Jerry. I have 3 words for you: DON’T DO IT. I would rather sharpen my pinky in an electric pencil sharpener before I would ever have ice cream as a cheat meal. Now first of all I have to be honest…I do not like ice cream. It doesn’t do it for me and I could truly take or leave it. But the rest of you would sell your first born to the Kathy Gifford College of Sweater Making located in luxurious downtown New Delhi just to get a ½ cup of the sinful treat in a flavor you may not even like. You want some fun? People watch at a restaurant and look for a woman who has ordered ice cream for dessert. The only thing more scandalous is the awkward scene from When Harry Met Sally—and if you haven’t seen it, do so to know what I am talking about.

Ice cream is a total assault of the palette. It’s a beat down that you are not equipped to handle half way through your dietary regimen that you so proudly have been enduring. Texture: heavenly. Not only is it smooth and creamy, it’s ice cold. Taste: outrageous. Stuffed with just about anything you can think of, ice cream is an aggregation of flavors. Experience: unlike any other. If you go for a sundae, you have hot, cold and sweet at the same time and that is just hard to resist. Here…take these nails…you’ll need them for your coffin.

What ice cream does is make everything in your life pale in comparison. Suddenly your husband isn’t attractive anymore. Calling him Chunky Monkey doesn’t make him any more appealing than he was before you dropped your face in the container. Good try, though. You almost wished that uncomfortable and unpleasant things came with ice cream: “Hi Ms. Jones, good to see you here for your annual exam. Here is a robe to change into and you will find a dish of buttercrunch ice cream with sprinkles in the examination room to help you through the appointment. Enjoy.” Women would be lined up with all kinds of fake ailments if this ever happened. The medical insurance system would be thrown for a loop with false claims left and right.

My point: it is so hard to return to a focused diet the day after ice cream that it is not funny. Nothing tastes good. Nothing shuts down the craving. Nothing compares to peanut butter mocha fudge almond praline with sprinkles and whip cream on top except mmm…yum… baked chicken with broccoli. Why didn’t I think of that? (total sarcasm there)
When you hit maintenance, have some ice cream. Til then, avoid it like the rails on the staircases of the subway station. Ewww.

ALCOHOL
I am going to make this one brief because it’s simple. One drink makes every seem ok. From eating your whole fridge to going on a second date with someone you would never go on a second date with, alcohol makes you lose your senses. And then on top of that, it makes you feel like crap the next day so that you indulge even more. We have all learned this lesson the hard way, but let’s try to help those out who may not know: avoid this!

I have a post on here about this and you should read it when you have time.

In the mean time, choose your cheat meals wisely. They really do make a difference in your diet experience.

Well sort of…

See I am up to my eyeballs in “renovations”.  No, not the kind of renovations that had Heather running around like a chicken with her head cut off last November/December… Site renovations. 

First, our homepage is changing:

because it needs to reflect all of our product lines.  That’s been a fun thing to work on because Jodiojo is quite eclectic and we’ve had some good laughs in the process of having this designed. 

The overarching concept of our company is very simple:  clean eating done beautifully.  Why are we focusing on that?  Because you wouldn’t do all that you are doing to look like a weathered hag at the end.  Yes, I said hag.  But if you just “eat clean” and pound away at cardio for the next 2 years, you will find out why it is important to be intentional about balance, beauty and body all at the same time.

Next, we have to redo MP4.  It’s an awesome site but it doesn’t reflect what we do so sending you there right now doesn’t make sense.  There is so much coming to that site that I need a nap just to get enough energy to explain it all to you.   The first thing we are remodeling, though, is the services page.  We have a few hot programs on the way that are highly effective and incredibly affordable.  If you plan on running anything this year and you are fanatical about your body and how much work you have put into it, keep checking for the updates to this site.  I’ll let you know when they go live, but they will be here soon so get ready.  Here is the proposed layout of the services page, and this is in the early stages so I know this is going to change some but it’s enough for you to get the idea…

The initital design phase takes the longest time and then the rest is easy so I am super excited that they will be going live soon!  Also, all of our products are on their way, too.  We have workouts and plans that are designed to keep your gym time fun and the focus on your bum while giving you a solid, well researched nutrition plan to get you to your goal.  Ok…so not just your bum–the rest of you, too.  But tell me that isn’t worth at least a mention.  Here is a snapshot of our new glossary that is on the way:

And last but not least…Trans4mation Station.  Our flagship product line.  Hands down the most requested service of Jodiojo & Co. and growing at a rapid pace right now.  This site is in the wee early stages of development so i don’t have a screen shot, yet.  But do know that there is only a custom option available now but a scaled down version of all that grandiosity is on the way soon.

So there you have it.  Why I am stumped this week for stuff to yap about with you.  As soon as I can see the bottom of my desk again, I will have something more for you.  Or maybe, just maybe…this is what you wanted to know in the first place. 

Looking forward to meeting you all through comments, emails and just plain old working with you.  Until next week…woop woop!!:o)

Is it me or does Ginny keep cropping up everywhere?  And she still has the clipboard! OY!

How fun is your workout? Honestly. Are you still doing the same old “old fashioned” four day split based on body parts hoping that if you rearrange the exercises a little or go from incline press to flat bench that suddenly, somehow, you will have a hot body? So week after week you trudge into the gym, walk by the front desk (“Hey, how’s it going, Donna?”…”Great! Good to hear! Take care.”), head to the locker room, drop off your stuff and then hit cardio to do a tedious 5 min warm up that has absolutely nothing to do with the muscles you are about to work. After a few months of this you are over it and decide you need a 5 day split and you enter into an even deeper abyss of boredom only to re-surface with the same body you went into it with. *Sigh* Seriously, there has got to be more than that.

You know, any chance I can get to use this I am all over it!  But this is where you’re headed with that four day split.  And I mean having big hair with a head band, not the awesome triceps.

Well you know I am going to tell you there is so stop getting impatient. {staring at you with a saucy look now}

But before I do that (you knew there was more, I’m so longwinded) I have another question: Are you doing the same thing with food? Are you eating the same thing day in and day out hoping that you are just one more meal of chicken and broccoli away from tight abs? You may be…but not until you yield to hours and hours of cardio. You can avoid that cardio, though, if you get smart about your menu planning.

Below are three ways to add life to either a dead program or a plateau filled menu. Let me know which one you try and how it turns out. If you like this and want more, sign up for my emails because I give all premium content via email.

Grin and Bear It: One of the hardest things you can ever add to a program and survive it is plate pushing. If you have never heard of it, it is putting a 25 pound weight plate on the floor and pushing it across the floor with your hands. This means you are in a bear crawl position. Holy Heaven’s above, this is a killer. You would add about 3 plate pushes across a 20 foot area for every year of your life you want to take off—or at least it seems that way. These are great between exercises (not sets) on your program and I wouldn’t go above 8 in a program.

Amp It Up A Tad: Adding plyos to your program in between exercises is old hat. Adding a series of plyos to your program in between exercises is a bit more up to date. Adding a series of plyos to your program in between exercises to a set time (not reps) is beginning to separate you from “the rest”. Adding a series of plyos to your program in between exercises to a set time and increasing the volume each time is sick, twisted and truly cutting edge. (Did anybody recognize the stick of butter I just created there?) The premise? Every time you do a crank in b/w the set (per week, not per workout), you increase the amount that you do in that time limit while still keeping good form.

Twist and Shout: I know you hate to journal or track food in any way but I can guarantee you that you won’t see change without it. If you are eating a loose menu that’s clean but full of “play” in it (have a handful of nuts, a little of this, a little of that) you will have the same results as the menu. Your body will be “getting there” but you’ll be “missing the mark”. Just like your menu, you will never quite be exactly what you want. Change that by doing two things: 1) Measure and track what you eat so you have true accountability and 2) *change* what you eat over a 3 to 4 day period to keep your body guessing. We do things like low, med and high days or long run vs short run days. Whatever you choose, stick with it and you’ll love the results.

If the thought of changing your food is intimidating, start by changing your good fats first.  YUM!

If you want the actual programming behind these ideas, sign up on the right hand side for my updates. I have just begun a series on being and staying lean: how to manage it. Hop in now and you’ll get all the good stuff coming. In the mean time, get back to pushing, timing and measuring your way to the body you know you can have. Woop woop!:o)

A false sense of security mixed with a fragile self image makes for a desperate woman on cardio.

Last week I spoke of how hard it is to get lean the second time around. How you think you will just do all that you did the weeks before and it will just magically fall off again. Umm…WRONG. As we go full steam ahead into this series, let me dispel some myths so we can all be on the same page for this series:

Law of Equitability
Basically, you cannot ask the body to less and somehow you miraculously get more out of it without some type of major “reset” in your system. This is a very hard concept to get through to people but I will try my hardest to explain.

If you just spent 12 to 16 weeks eating 1200 cals/day, doing 60 min of cardio/day, lifting 4 days/week, you are not going to lose weight doing anything less than that any time soon. So let’s say you gain 10 pounds back and you are ready to lose it again. It’s been about 2 to 3 months since you hit goal weight and you have been at this new weight that long. You decide it is time to get back to that miraculous weight you were at before and you think you are just going to start back up again and the weight will fall off. Most of us now know that it does not and what actually happens is that we can stay at that weight doing all that we were doing before forever. Why? Because your body responds to *change*–not absolutes. Whatever you were doing before now must be equal or greater to be able to affect a change in your body. The danger in this is that you can find yourself down to 1000, 900, 800 calories while doing 1, 2, possibly 3 hours of cardio/day to get the scale to move. Do not fall into this trap.

No matter how much water you pour in here, it can only hold 20 ounces.

Law of Diminishing Return
There is a point where no matter how much more you do, you got whatchu got. You ain’t gettin’ no mo. Got me? If you are lean for the first time, hear me as I speak: Pull back on what you are doing to do the least amount that you need to do to get what you want. Don’t get on a cardio “high” and start banging out more than necessary. Or even worse, don’t become paranoid that you need to do a small Olympic trial every week to maintain what you have. You are setting yourself up for failure when you go to lose weight again—and I can guarantee you you will have to lose weight again. The more you do now, you will have to do at least that and most likely more to get lean again. So if you start out gang busters at an hour of cardio/day, guess what? You own that now and then some later on and that is a slippery slope that is not going anywhere good, fast.

Law of Continuation
Taking a fat burner? Tried some other stuff here and there? Messing around with hormones or supplements? If you have introduced them into your diet for any significant amount of time (and this varies/substance) they directly reduce your chances of being able to lose the weight again without them. And just like the law of equitability, you must have more, use more, etc. to get more.

Yes, we’re jackasses.  But we’re still cute.

Law of JackAssery
Unfortunately, we all suffer from this one. Here is what this looks like…

You lose a ton of weight and you look great. To do this you are doing cardio 7 days/week, eating very clean—almost no cheats and lifting like a pscycho. You hit goal weight and your event/wedding/vacation comes and goes. You begin to slip on your program. At this point, what we all should do is enter into a place of maintenance where we back our plan down a bit and settle into a comfortable weight we can maintain. Sometimes that might be 2 or 3 pounds more than what you are right now but you still look good. But mentally we can’t do that. We’ve either been beaten into submission by the scale or have such a fragile self image now that the mere thought of giving up where we are sends us right to the stair master. So we begin to cheat and fall apart WHILE still doing 7 days of cardio, super clean diet and lifting like a psycho. We have more and more days of cheating, we become more and more tired and then suddenly we are up 7 to 10 pounds. But now, shoot to the law of equitability and we see that we’re in trouble. We have gained weight *within* our “cleanness” and now there’s nowhere to go but extreme. Whatever you do, when you know you cannot hang on or it is time to call “uncle”, open up your diet and back your cardio down. Let me repeat that, open up your diet and back your cardio down.

So much to talk about and so little time!

I want to welcome all the new people to the blog, we appreciate you reading us. And we want to welcome all the new ladies who have signed up for updates, we appreciate you as well. I have not sent out anything on this series, yet, because so many new folks were signing up but I will now. Too much to talk about!

Start looking at where you are in your plan right now. Is it sustainable? Is it reasonable? Do you need an intervention? If you can relate to any of this, I want to hear about it below or email me at Jodi@trans4mationstation.com and I will be happy to chat with you.

Maybe it’s me, but as I age I want to keep everything where it is started: high. I’m just sayin’. I have no desire to get up in the morning and locate my backside, unravel my middle and fold up my arms to bring them with me wherever I go. And let us all be so honest and say this happens! Gravity is more powerful than we like to admit and it’s constant; it never gives up. Knowing this, we need to be prepared for the battle and for those of you who have already succumbed to the grips of gravity, there is help.
I am going to spare you a long, drawn out story that I am good for telling. I am not going to tell you anything about someone’s childhood when their butt was high or anything like that and now it’s their my basement and they visit it every-so-often. Nor am I going to describe what happens as you age and have babies or age and don’t have babies but how you may have an accordion for a belly now, a flour sack for a bum or mud flaps for arms. I refuse to give in to the strong desire to provide visuals of examples or horrifying details of how it can happen and scary stories from high school reunions. I had to talk myself out of giving you a two paragraph anatomy and physiology lesson about brown fat, insulin resistance and cavemen (insert whatever else is a popular topic right now…I’m drawing a blank) because it seems the industry demands this. Basically, I was having massive drama when I sat down to write this post and I decided to keep it simple. Here it is in a nutbag—shell, shell…sorry…here it is in a nutshell. Whoopsie.

• You care about how you look in AND out of clothes.
• You work hard in the gym and you watch what you eat. But it’s not enough. There’s something missing.
• You have had a few babies or were/are once heavier than you like and it left you with loose, sagging skin that does not seem to ever go away.
• You workout like a madman but you are not interested in competing in any sport so you really would not consider yourself an athlete per se. But you love a good workout and you diet like a pro.
• You want to lose the weight once and for all and you want someone to walk you through it every step of the way because you do great the first (X) amount of weeks and then it’s in the crapper from there.
• You have a wedding/shower/vacation/maternity leave coming and want to look great for it. I mean not just in your clothes, but the body parts that are not covered, too (arms, legs, abs, etc.).
• You like living on the wild side and think there’s something about this wack ball chic writing that’s appealing to you…like picking a scab or chewing on a hang nail. Hey…I’m being honest here. I will say, though, the other girls are much more sane than I.

Whatever the case may be, here it is: Trans4mation Station.

We set your goal together, we agree upon it and then we put it into action. We ask for at least 3 months full dedication and will tell you if we need more time than that, how long it may take and how it plays out. We are more concerned with your health than we are your results and we will tell you that. If what you desire is extreme, we’ll shut you down from the beginning. This is why we agree upon the goal together. Again, we’re women. We get it. We’ve either been there or are fighting like mad not to be and know what you fear. Happy, well adjusted women are our passion and hope to get you there by the end of your journey with us.
This site will be launching in the next few weeks although the business has been in existence for over a year now. This is what you can expect from a plan:
A customized nutrition plan
Weight training program
Functional Training program
Cardio schedule
Supplementation recommendations (all natural)
Snack list and recipes
Glossary of exercises
A bi-weekly phone call

The training changes monthly, the nutrition changes when necessary (sooner or later than a month, your results decide). I am sure at this point you are thinking, “Sounds great…how much? A million bucks?” Nope.

$199 down (programming fee), $67/month and you may cancel at any time.

I am sure you are tired of counting points, avoiding food groups and endlessly googling only to end up with the same body you started with but maybe a bit smaller. Let’s really transform that body together and get back to who you were before life hit you with a sack of potatoes . Hit me up as soon as possible: Jodi@trans4mationstation.com.

Because of the phone call and the level of detail we provide, we limit the amount of clients we take on. We only have a few spots open now but because enrollment is ongoing, check in with us whenever you are ready to see if we have new openings. In the mean time, I am going to go lift my derriere with a great metabolic lift this morning. Have a great day!

Keeping your food fresh ‘n new and inspiring your taste buds to keep you dieting is hard. It’s hard to vary green vegetables to the point where they begin to look like hot fudge sundaes. That takes talent.

And who wants to troll around the produce section of a store, looking lost, while searching for new and exciting things like: vegetables? Umm…not I said the pig. Plus, what if it tastes bad or even worse, isn’t that good for me.

Alright, alright…pipe down, already. The following are some veggies that you may have forgotten all about or never really paid attention to that are not obscure or unheard of that will surely give your diet a kick in the arse:

Cabbage: Sure, I know what you’re thinking. Thanks Jo, I just emptied a small convenience store in one swoosh. Not only are you not helping my cause, but you are creating mass destruction in the mean time. Ok, sorry. But cabbage, specifically red cabbage, is yummy and is stuffed full of antioxidants for beautiful skin and shiny hair. There are a bunch of different varieties of cabbage to choose from so you don’t have to stick with the red version, but it is my fave.

Cooking it: Saute it. YUM!

1 small red cabbage
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 T Olive, flax or udo’s oil
2 T lemon juice, divided
Clove of garlic, chopped or pressed

Cut up cabbage and let it sit for a minute. Sprinkle with 1T of lemon juice to preserve color. Steam cabbage in a pan with the broth for about 5 min. and then transfer to a separate bowl. While it is still hot, toss with the rest of the ingredients and enjoy.

Shiitake Mushrooms: I know, your freebies are mushrooms of every kind alongside trough size amounts of onions and peppers. Bear with me, will ya? You most likely buy the button mushrooms which are great for you, but they’re not shiitake. These babies are high in nutrients (iron, cholesterol lowering compounds, immune building phytonutrients) and come in a few different varieties as well. Not sure which ones are good ones? Grab the ones that are firm, plump and dry.

Cooking it: Saute it! Another YUM!

Same as above minus the lemon. However, make it into a soup after and it’s to die for.

4 cups boiling water and a ¼ c of miso paste and some sautéed onions and you are good to go. Let that simmer for about ten minutes and enjoy.

Lastly,

Swiss Chard: If you’re anything like me you are thinking: What in heaven’s name is swiss chard. Well I’m glad you asked…it’s a leafy green. Mmm, Jo. Just what I need (rolling your eyes), another leafy green. Oh stop it. This one tastes different. Like earwax with a sweet flavor. But don’t take that from me, try it yourself. Good stuff!

Ok, all kidding aside. It is different in taste that it is a bit on the bitter side, but its texture is what gets you. It’s nice and crunchy and also juicy. Good stuff all around. Plus, it’s not spinach.

Cooking it: Saute it! How’d you guess?

Only this time, no chicken broth. Use olive oil only and sauté it up with everything else. THEN, add 1 diced tomato, 6 black olives, ½ c crumbled feta cheese and 1 tsp fresh or ½ tsp dried oregano. This is different b/c it is warm and cold mixed together and the tanginess of the recipe adds just enough kick. Have fun!

…do it at your own pace and do it for real.

Are you fatalistic? All or none? In it to win it or you just couldn’t care less?

If you or a family member is like this, you are not going to go very far in the heart healthy arena.

Yes, you can psycho diet and hit your goal quickly. You’ll be down 20 pounds in 8 weeks and aren’t you fabulous? Where will you be 6 months from then, though? You could still be down in weight, but odds are you won’t be any healthier.

The AHA doesn’t want you thin, they want you healthy. Having you lose the weight and the bad habits is not about making you look good in your room. It’s about keeping you alive in your room. Nothing is worse than getting excited about your new body and possibly having a heart attack because of it. Let me clarify that statement, too, because I think it will be lost on many. When you lose weight without investing in the process, you run the risk of having a weak heart but a lighter, faster body. This is dangerous stuff and you see this with people who want to just “lose the weight first” and then bring in the good habits second. The thing is, you strengthening everything—including your heart—when you do it the right way and leave yourself weakened and vulnerable when doing it the wrong way. Commit to at least one good habit every 2 to 3 weeks and you will be more likely to keep them.

Here are 3 of the easiest changes that you can get your mom, aunt, cousin, friend or whomever to buy into without them feeling backed into a corner:

1) Movement attached to something enjoyable. Typically shopping. Go with them to a mall and make them move at least once a week. While you’re doing that, ask them their schedule and have them tell you when they have periods of downtime. Give them examples of how they can fit 10 min. of exercise into those spaces. Things that do not count as exercise: running late, giving you the run around, jumping to another topic, etc.

2) One colorful food per day: Tell them they must eat one colorful fruit or veggie per day and they cannot have the same one two days in a row or more than 2 times in a week. That’ll make them a bit mad but they’ll get over it and begin to change or they’ll eat red peppers every day and tell you to MYOB. Beware of the latter.

3) A glass of water at 3 meals/day: You’re not saying every meal. You’re not saying they can’t have their precious diet Coke. You’re saying I just need you to have 3 glasses of water every day. If you can do that for me, I will {fill in the blank here: mow the lawn, pay your taxes, stop growing hemp in the basement, whatever} and they will be more likely to adopt this habit as well.

They say it takes 21 days to make a habit (and 3 min. to locate the nearest Coldstone Creamery—keep the away from Google!) so stay close to them for a while and encourage.

You know someone who is worth it to you. Help them along wouldja?

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