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Archived Newsletters
Powder Blue Productions Monthly
Update
May 2005
- I Want to be Rich
- PiYo™ Pose of the Month
- Chalene's Tips to Break Habitually Bad Eating Habits
- Back To
Archived Newsletters
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I Want to be Rich:
This month I realized it feels much better to be “rich” than wealthy. As we come
to a close, wrapping up work on the Turbo
Jam™ infomercial, I have had a few moments to reflect on the experience. I
have experienced richness, wealth and even a few moments of poverty. What I have
learned is that those of us who share fitness with others are truly “rich” and I
want to be rich.
It’s been the toughest thing I’ve ever been through. Yet, everything has gone so
well thanks to my family at Powder Blue and my family-family. I truly couldn’t
be more blessed to have found a spouse who graciously stepped up to the plate to
take over 100% of the matters of our family and running our business in my brief
absence. He mastered the art of ponytail making on a moving target, cooked the
meals, chauffeured the kids, chatted with the other moms at dance class,
finished the laundry, completed the end of the year reports, all the while
maintaining our business. He kept me motivated on the days that I (literally)
worked through the night and held me up when I felt like falling down. I am
richly in love with a wonderful man.
Also, I am certain that we chose the right company to deliver Turbo Kick™ to the
masses as Turbo Jam™.
Beachbody.com is “our kind of people.”
They are all about customer service and they’ve really made sure our program is
represented with authenticity. Let me just tell you, BeachBody has earned my
respect. When I explained that “Turbo” is all about the music… they agreed. They
have composed the biggest budget for music ever!
Turbo Jam™is everything I hoped it would
be… and so much more! Beachbody.com
rocks! Turbo Kick™ enthusiasts will be proud! This program is lush with the
essence of Turbo!
The most challenging part of the project was filming seven (more like eight)
exercise videos in three days. As always, I was developing the musical sound
tracks up until about 5 minutes before they announced “We’re rollin’!” I had
this fantastic group of instructors and a great production team behind me. The
production company created a kick-g-unit set and hired the best exercise video
director in the business. We filmed in an actual movie studio sound stage with
real camera men, video editors, a team of make-up artists, kraft services and
all the “Hollywood” stuff I had only dreamed of! I finished taping each workout
and the director (watching remotely from an editing truck) would announce over
the p.a. system, “Okay… let’s move on.” Things went great. Everyone said it was
the best “cast” they’ve ever seen. The director commented she had never had so
much fun directing a show. But something felt wrong.
As for the wealthy vs. rich part, I was about to get a big fat check for doing
what I love… teaching! We had just wrapped filming all the videos. Everyone
called to congratulate me, opening with, “Aren’t you excited? Don’t you feel
great?” I didn’t know how to answer. The truth was I felt really “weird.” I kept
trying to hide the fact that I just felt “empty.” I felt shame for not feeling
“elated” to have finally realized this life long dream. I couldn’t put my finger
on it. These were perhaps the most important workouts of my life and I felt…
well… I felt “weird.” I can’t think of a better word. I just didn’t feel like
me. It wasn’t until I confided in a close friend and fellow fitness professional
about my feelings that he was able to help me make sense of it. He said, “That’s
because you’re not an actress and last week you had to play the part of an
instructor. We [instructors] do what we do NOT because of the paycheck, but
because it is fulfilling to see people’s faces light up when they’re having a
great time and it’s because of you.”
Ain’t that the truth. I went back to my normal teaching schedule on Tuesday of
the following week. Whew… I felt “normal” again. It’s true… I’m not an actress
and that’s why I felt so weird, so empty. Where were my loyal regulars? I need
that chubby lady in the back row to tell me it’s her first time and she’ll be
back. I missed the tall guy in the front who makes noise all hour and all those
smiles that motivate us when we are motivating them. Motivating a group of
people makes me feel like a rich woman. Instead of feeding off of the amazing
energy in the front row, I was trying to get something back from the reflective
lens of a camera. I felt like I was teaching to a faceless class.
Strange.
The next day I met a woman who had lost 30 pounds from repeatedly watching an
at-home exercise video. She explained she was excited to hear that
Turbo Jam™ would be coming to home
exercisers and excited to invite me into her home. I met her only briefly. Her
name was Andrea and she is exactly what I needed to lose that “weird” feeling. I
finally had a face. That’s all I needed: a face.
It’s no wonder that many instructors by night are doctors, lawyers and
independently wealthy folks by day. We are rich to do what we do. It’s no longer
a surprise that despite his amazing success with TaeBo™, Billy Blanks still
teaches a healthy dose of “real” classes at his facility in Sherman Oaks, CA. We
share health and fitness with others because it makes us rich, not wealthy.
Congratulations to all of you who through fitness have become rich.
[Side note: I always read my mini-articles out load to Bret when I’m done
writing them. I do it because I like to see if the words sound as conversational
as I intend them. Boy, this one was tough to get through. It will probably read
like a normal account of my month, but for me, this represents so much more. I
couldn’t read two words without doing a lip quivering sob. I don’t know if
writing this was therapeutic or just a momentary rush one gets when they come to
the end of a great journey or perhaps I’m pre-menstrual (too much information).
All I know is that I’m so happy now; cured of my “weirdness” and rich, rich,
rich! ]
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PiYo™ Pose of the Month:
Plank
Plank appears to be a simple pose, yet the demand of involving the core and
stabilizing muscles proves Plank to be one of the most challenging poses we do
in PiYo™. Here are some tips, guidelines, do's and don’ts to watch for when
executing the exercise, as well as instructing a class.
Wrists aligned directly under shoulders. Maintain a tight straight line from the
crown of your head to your heels. Avoid letting your head hang, your hips pike
up or your abs sink toward the floor. Push the floor away with your palms to
avoid sinking into the upper body. In Plank with Hip Extension, keep your hips
stable and square: Avoid twisting your hips or lifting the buttocks up and down
when moving the leg. Resist the abs in opposition to the knee drawing inward.
Benefits
• Strengthens the core muscles, pectorals, anterior deltoids, triceps and
stabilizes scapula (hip extension also engages the gluteals)
Variations
Variations will challenge your upper body strength and torso muscles. Remember
to inhale to prepare and exhale as you execute the move.
• Plank Hold: Hold Plank for an extended period. Give them the exact number of
breaths or seconds you will be holding this pose. Walk around the room and help
people identify what they’re doing correctly or incorrectly.
• Single Leg: One leg lifted off the floor at hip level, toes reaching toward
the back wall.
• Hip Extensions (under): Begin in Single Leg Plank. Draw one knee under and in
toward your chest and extend leg back to starting position. Repeat 4-8x.
• Hip Extensions (side): Being in Single Leg Plank. Draw one knee in and out to
the side toward your elbow and extend leg back to starting position. Repeat
4-8x.
• Single Arm: Raise one arm straight to the front wall while maintaining body
alignment.
• One Arm/One Leg: Very advanced option. Raise one arm straight to the front
wall while raising the opposite leg off of the floor. Be sure to maintain body
alignment.
Modifications
• Lower both knees or one knee to the floor.
• Lower onto the forearms.
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- Chalene's Tips to Break Habitually Bad Eating Habits:
Fitness instructors are often the fittest of the fit. That’s not to say that we
all don’t need the occasional reminder!
Enjoy these tips for yourself or pass them along.
• Distract yourself when you have a very strong craving. Cravings will disappear
after 2 minutes. Don’t sit in front of the fridge having a negotiation with
yourself, “Should I eat this? I can eat this, right? Dang, that sounds good.
This won’t make a difference, will it? I don’t need this. I do need this.” Walk
away and turn your attention elsewhere. Your cravings will disappear.
• Think “W.I.W.M.” When you really crave something unhealthy, finish this
phrase… “What I Want More is….", the piece of chocolate cake or a body of which
I’m proud.
• Consider this… as hard as it may seem at times, it's often more stressful,
depressing, frustrating, embarrassing and even potentially life threatening to
remain overweight.
Tips to Avoid Bingeing at Night
• Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The large majority of people who struggle
with night eating are those who skip meals all day, surviving on coffee or
caffeinated super drinks but don't eat balanced meals during the day. This is a
major setup for nighttime overeating. While the calories often end up being the
same, these people needlessly see food as the enemy, rather than necessary fuel.
Eat every 2 to 3 hours. Most of those caffeinated super drinks leave you feeling
jittery, anxious and obsessed with what you’ll be eating later that night.
• Eat your evening meal in the kitchen or dining room, sitting down at the
table.
• Drink cold non-caloric beverages such as water or crystal light at night. It
tastes great and keeps you busy.
• Change your nighttime schedule. It will take effort, but it will pay off. Go
to bed much earlier and make it your goal to go to sleep with an empty stomach.
You’ll wake up feeling thin, rested and sleep is the surest way to look younger!
• Put a sign on the kitchen and refrigerator doors: "Closed after 7:00 p.m." or
whatever time works well with your families scheduling.
• Brush your teeth right after dinner to remind you: I’m done eating!
• Eat without engaging in any other simultaneous activity, i.e. no reading, TV
or sitting at the computer.
Tips to help Shed Pounds With Exercise
• The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (the food and exercise pyramid) as
developed and revised every five years by the departments of Health and Human
Services and Agriculture announced some pretty serious changes in 2005. The most
dramatic: Adults should do 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity
most days to prevent weight gain and 60 to 90 minutes of daily physical activity
to sustain weight loss. The earlier guidelines recommended only 30 minutes. An
hour of exercise, every day may seem overwhelming. The good news is that
building up to it is easy if it’s something fun like Turbo Jam™.
• Vigorous exercise won't stimulate over eating. Under eating stimulates
bingeing. Exercise should provide just the opposite. Exercise at any level helps
curb your appetite immediately following the workout and will likely cause you
to crave, need and eat healthier foods.
• Be careful of plateaus. Have you been doing the same exercise routine or the
same set of classes for years and noticed things haven’t changed much lately?
Change it up! Every couple of weeks you should try cutting back on one thing and
amping up another. Are you a distance runner? Use that same time to run sprints.
Do you love Turbo Kick™ but have seen things change in a while? Try slowing down
your music and work on perfect form, longer levers, lower stance, more powerful
kicks and punches.
Tips to Find and be a Support
• Ask for the support of your family and friends. Explain what things are
helpful and what actions, comments or foods will likely derail your new healthy
outlook on eating. Work to get the whole family and your friends interested in
eating well, but avoid negative commentary or preaching to those who haven’t
asked for your help.
• Surround yourself with a community of supportive friends who will help keep
you accountable and celebrate your successes. If you have a friend who wants all
activities to revolve around unhealthy food, hates exercise and generally is
unsupportive of your health endeavors, consider whether this person really has
your best interest at heart. Seek out those who will lift you up, not pull you
down.
• Find a new fitness friend. Make an effort to connect with someone at your next
workout. My closest and best friends in the world are those I’ve met in a
fitness class. Rather than meeting for coffee and cookies, we meet and share a
great workout. It’s truly quality time to meet my best friends for a long run
with lots of deep, intimate talk about life to make those miles fly by.
• When a drug addict recovers for an addiction, a great predictor of their
success is their ability to disassociate from those people who still do drugs.
The greatest things you can do to make your weight loss permanent is to surround
yourself with people who also enjoy eating healthy and love working out! If your
old circle of friends enjoy activities that surround unhealthy eating, binge
drinking and sedentary activities, time to change your friends or help your
friends to make some changes.
Thanks for your support! We need you. We appreciate
your business and we will do whatever it takes to keep you
happy! Best regards,
Chalene Johnson
Powder Blue Productions
1.800.315.2505
www.turbokick.com
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