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Hello MOJO Fitness Friends!

Here we go into the 2nd month of the new year. How are you doing on your nutrition so far? Are you sticking to your New Year’s Resolutions? Did you even make any? If you’re like me, you didn’t make any resolutions. My reason is that because on any given month of the year I have short term goals that I must come through on and usually it has to do with me looking a certain way!

For me to look a certain way (leaner and somewhat defined) I MUST eat proportionally and balanced! Eating every 3-4 hours (at the max) with protein, carbs and fats portioned out at the right ratio, makes me feel fit and look how I need to look for my jobs and appearances! I always laugh when people ask me how I stay motivated to look decent year round, I say, “No one wants to see a chunky Monica show up!”- and I believe what I said is true based on the comments I receive at different events!

Now, I too enjoy the occasional GOOD meal at PF Chang’s (Candied Walnuts and Shrimp - you have to try it sometime), I keep in mind that my meals there are occasional and I always prepare myself by making sure I have a healthy day in advance and following too! To stay on track throughout the year I must eat to keep my blood stable and balance my foods!

Since I began my journey (way back in 1991!) of learning to eat for performance, I learned to write down(journal) my meals, counting proteins, carbs, fats and then adding up my calories at the end of the day to see what my day’s count was for that particular day. This type of journaling really helped me learn the proper way to eat and I could see on paper (BIG for me) how my eating affected my life for the next few days.. For example, if I didn’t eat well on Sunday, by Tuesday I would be feeling fatigued and sluggish and holding water. As I lowered my bodyfat for contests or photo shoots, I could REALLY see a difference in my energy and look. of course my Nutritionist and Trainer (Joanne Lee back in 98/99) could see my lack of energy too!

To continue keeping myself accountable and for my nutritionist to see my progress and talk to me about my results based on what they could read (and see on my physique) I kept a strict journal of all the foods I ate! Good and Bad. Yes, even I have had the occasional Cheat meal or meals (oops!).

Let me tell you, lots of writing was going on back then but it taught me a lot about myself and my physique! I believe I still have a few of those old journals left in the boxes of scrap book stuff I have collected over the years… interesting times.

Skip forward 10+ years… I am pleased to be able to offer you the most advanced form of online nutrition software through www.MoJoWellnessPros.com!

Not only does the software prepare gobs of yummy meals and snacks especially for you, (automatically customized by the software when you fill out the application!) it also has a user-friendly journal that you can use as much (or as little) as you like. Just make note that if you eventually want some personalized help from one of my approved, licensed coaches, the more you have journal(ed) the better a coach can assist you to get to the next level!

Trust me.. using the Journal included in your membership will be so much easier than carting a notebook around that you may end up leaving some place unexpected! The other thing to keep in mind is that any MoJoWellnessPros.com coach can view your personal Journal from any computer! You can access your membership from any place in the world as long you have access to the internet!

Oh yes, the other cool thing is that yours trully will be able to post lil’ fun notes on your journal too!

Well, only if you are a member that is...

If you’re curious our Consultation packages, keep in mind that MoJoWellnessPros.com offers Single, 6 & 12 Week Packages >>

Remember... this is an investment on your health... you invest in your future through purchases such as stocks/bonds, property, etc.. why not invest in your health too!

On another note…If you haven’t taken time to take your Free Health Assessment, let me encourage you to do so by clicking this banner:

Doing this will give you a great start to experiencing the software and gaining momentum on your new healthy life style!

If you’ve taken the Heath Assessment and like what you see or maybe you’re already training clients but can’t work on their nutrition yet. Maybe you want to take your education one step further and become a licensed coach as part of the MoJoWellnessPros.com Team?

If you did that, you could be getting paid to train and assist clients with their nutrition plans without any extra overhead!! Now that’s a great investment!

If you are interested in this option... please click:

As you determine what your best route is, I’ll be working hard to come compete with a lean and mean body at the Arnold Classic Figure International Invitational! Yes, in case you didn’t know, I was invited to compete this year! I am looking forward to being on stage again and letting everyone know I haven’t retired!

In case you’re going to be at the Arnold Classic, please be sure to scream, ‘holla’ and show some love to me(please!), and come by the BB.Com booth on Saturday or Sunday to say hello!

Maybe January wasn’t the best month for your training or nutrition.. well, February can be that BEST month for you still! Don’t let any time waste on becoming healthier and fitter (is that even a word! Ha Ha!)

Get busy now and enjoy that body that you have for a very short time on earth!

As always, Stay Fit, Love Life & God Bless!

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Culinary Corner

by head chef Valerie Cogswell

Simply Grilled Asparagus

If your looking for the perfect vegetable to serve alongside your dinner tonight, give “Simply Grilled Asparagus” a try. This recipe is easy to make and guaranteed to turn even the pickiest eater into a vegetable fan. To prepare, wash and trim fresh asparagus stalks. Place in a bowl and drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil, tossing to coat. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then grill or roast asparagus until soft and lightly caramelized. Grilled Asparagus makes an excellent side dish for filet mignon, roast chicken or your favorite grilled fish. Keep in mind that this method of preparation works well for all of your favorite vegetables including bell peppers, zucchini, and portabella mushrooms. For the complete recipe and more, please see your Recipe Tab today. Enjoy!

Login to check out this recipe in your Recipe Tab today >>

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"Diets" vs. "Programs" - The Power of Blood Sugar Stabilizationwritten by Mark Macdonald, Creator and CEO of Venice Nutrition

Like most people I’ve experimented with the different philosophies of nutrition. Most of the time you’ll hear people discuss particular “Fad” Diets or Programs. Now, believe me, I’m a fan of anything that gets people to take action with their health. For that reason, even the craziest idea helps at least to create a moment of health action within its audience. That being said, I am also very aware of what it takes to turn that moment into making your Health a Priority. My goal of this article is to provide you with the ability to understand the difference between a “Diet” and a “Program” and secondly, to help you become educated on the two main philosophies behind nutrition programs. This way you’ll learn the tools you need to ensure any program or diet you choose can provide a YES answer to these two questions:

1. Does the Program make sense based on Physiology?

2. Can I do this for the rest of my life?

First, let’s begin with the differences between a Diet and a Program:

Diets are life’s quick fixes. They are used in our moments of frustration and desperation. The most common place for these moments is when: your clothes do not fit, you’re heavier than ever before, summer’s around the corner, you’ve got a wedding in three months, you’re getting ready for vacation, etc... I know because I’ve been there myself and so have 1000’s of our clients. Diets are that piece of potential magic each of us hold on to, believing that it can be that easy & simple. We become so overcome by the pain of our current status that we’ll do practically anything. It’s at these times that our vulnerability is at its highest and our sense of reason is at its lowest. This is when we reach for the magic potion and unfortunately as we all know, the reality is it doesn’t exist. When do quick fixes ever solve the real challenge? What in life can successfully be accomplished by going for a quick fix? Can a business succeed without a plan? Can a relationship succeed without continued communication? Can you parent without leading by example? Your health is no different from these things. The fact is that anything we do that’s worth something takes a proper foundation, hard work and a commitment. I’ve never seen a diet work permanently, never. Please ask yourself... have you ever seen one work permanently? We know they can create a temporary result – they really can do that... and then life shows up again. My invitation to you is to focus on Programs and let go of the “Quick Fix” mentality that leads to a Diet.

Now, realize that Programs are actual plans. They’re designed to give you an education and follow a system. They provide Structure that can be worked into your lifestyle and direction on how to do that. The goal of a Program is to create a plan that you can follow the rest of your life. Now, there are many programs to choose from, and each can be categorized into one of two Philosophies. This is where we can finally get to the heart of the matter. If you can learn the base physiology and science behind both Philosophies, you can quickly determine if the program you’re investigating will provide you with the long lasting results, education and foundation to become a permanent part of your life.

The Two Philosophies are:

Philosophy 1: The type of Program centered on Caloric and/or Carbohydrate Restriction & Deprivation – A Philosophy that Creates Deficits:

This is the most common nutrition philosophy, most clearly explained with the phrase “calories in vs. calories out”. The thought process is this, if you are Burning 2500 calories per day and you eat 2000 calories a day, you are putting your body in a 500 calorie deficit. With that deficit, your body will burn body fat and you will lose weight... This philosophy also states that it doesn’t matter when you consume those calories as long as the deficit stays in place. These restrictions will assist you in losing weight, unfortunately, because they’re based on deprivation, the body will always hit an immovable Plateau. While following a program like this, the initial drop in weight and bodyfat you experience will be stimulated by Low Blood Sugar. Yes, it will cause the body to drop fat, but it will also cause a drop in your muscle... The drop will continue to happen until your body reaches its internal Set Point – the weight it’s used to being. Once you reach your Set Point, your body will begin aggressively attacking its muscle converting it to the glucose it needs to feed the brain the fuel that’s necessary for the rest of the body to Function. Physiologically speaking, your stored fat cannot be converted fast enough to feed the brain the necessary glucose. This is why it begins "cannibalizing" (burning its own) muscle tissue. Each pound of muscle burns approximately 30-50 calories per day, which means every pound of muscle you lose slows down your metabolism. This is why it’s almost impossible to lose fat in your trouble areas when you’re on a program centered on restriction; it prevents the body from reaching an internal hormonal balance and actually slows your metabolic rate. After this slowdown occurs, eventually you begin eating the 2500 calories again, except now your body has lost part of its engine (muscle) and you gain more weight back. The worst thing about this is that this weight contains more bodyfat than you had before you started. What I’m describing is what we call the Yo-Yo syndrome. Think about it, when in life are deficits ever a good thing? Eventually every Deficit must somehow be paid back. When the focus is on cutting and restricting, the outcome is already set. If you want the weight loss to continue, you’ll need to keep cutting more and more because you’re training your metabolism to Slow Down, not speed up. I have personally worked with clients that came to me because they could only eat 500 calories a day! They told me about the cycle of cutting and restricting and then how they gained back all their weight and body fat plus some. These people came looking for solutions, looking for answers... They felt they were doing what they were supposed to do.... They just didn’t know what they didn’t know. The bottom line is: this Philosophy is based on incorrect physiology. It fails question #1 above and for most people it also fails question #2. This leads us to Philosophy #2...

Philosophy 2: Blood Sugar Stabilization – The Solution:

Imagine using Nutrition as a foundation. Imagine using it to create balance in the body. I always like to use a baby as an example. Babies eat every 3 to 4 hours, and never overfeed or underfeed... Babies eat when they feel hungry, and stop when they’re satisfied. They drink Breastmilk, which is a balanced mixture of Protein, fat and Carbohydrates. You see, from the moment of birth, our bodies are meant to be fed with a balanced source of nutrients at regular intervals. This is due to the fact that our Energy source comes from Glucose (sugar). Our Nervous System is fueled by Glucose, and our body’s number one goal is to create Balance (Homeostasis). Homeostasis means stabilizing your blood sugar. The key to stabilization is to implement the correct Nutrition Ratios and Calories per meal, as well as maintain the correct Meal Intervals to help the body maintain stable blood sugar. This in turn creates Homeostasis among all systems in the body. Homeostasis causes the continual release of the body’s Stored Fat (each pound of stored fat has 3500 calories), which is then burned within the Muscle Tissue. As long as the body maintains balance it will continue to build Lean Tissue (what forms your Metabolism) and burn Stored Body Fat. The biggest thing that makes Philosophy 2 stand out from Philosophy 1 is that even if you are in an overall Caloric Deficit, because your blood sugar is stable your body will use the calories from your stored fat, NOT your muscle. This key process will increase your appetite and calories as you progress, which is in turn the sign of a faster metabolism. Homeostasis will also eliminate all your sugar cravings and increase your overall energy. The key to Blood Sugar Stabilization is to Use Nutrition to Create Balance, Balance to Create Energy, and Exercise to Burn that Energy up.

As I said in the beginning I think any action that’s creating a moment of health awareness is positive. Diets will fail you, and programs centered on restriction & deprivation will take you to immovable plateaus and ultimately create a high level of frustration. Programs centered on Blood Sugar Stabilization are based on the physiology of the body. That is a clear fact.

Making your Health a Permanent part of your life is a true commitment.

So, my Invitation to you is this: Take Action with your health, Become Educated on how your body works, Implement the correct strategies, Accept you don’t know what you don’t know, and Engage in a program that you CAN follow for the rest of your life which is Centered on Blood Sugar Stabilization. This way you’ll Achieve permanent results.

I would like to leave you with this quote: “Once you have the knowledge, even if you choose to not apply it, there is no disputing that you know it.”

There are many things we cannot control in life. The one thing we can control is how we choose to take care of ourselves. It is up to you and... Your Goals. Your Lifestyle. Your Choice.

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You Asked | We Answered

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Q:What is the Glycemic Index?

A:The glycemic index is a tool used to measure how quickly food items containing carbohydrates are digested in your body. In general, the food items that are lower on the glycemic index are digested slower, thus keeping your blood sugar stable longer. That being said, there are a number of healthy food items higher on the glycemic index that are still an essential part of a healthy diet. That is why the most important factor in keeping blood sugar levels steady is to eat balanced meals consisting of protein, carbohydrates and fat in the correct ratios according to your nutritional parameters; nothing else matters if each meal is lacking one of these macronutrients. Once correct nutrient ratios are achieved, it is time to focus on the other factors that will help stabilize your blood sugar levels, specifically the quality of food. For more information on the glycemic index and quality of food chart, visit your member handbook by logging into your account today >>

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