Beachbody

It's that time again. The official start to summer is just day's away, time to get buff for the beach. Time to break out the Bikini, skinny jeans, tank tops and all the fun clothes made for people with the body of a Greek god or goddess. For some this is what comes to mind when they hear the word "beachbody".

I would like to put a different idea into people's noggins. Yes "beachbody" is a word often associated with the things I mentioned above. However, it is also a company that helps people literally transform their lives for the better. (No this is not a paid review). I just know that this time of year can be stressful with unrealistic images bombarding people on a daily basis. It puts unnecessary pressure on people to be fitter, and it can be confusing to sort through all the information and programs available out there. Many people have injuries that have made physical activity difficult if not impossible sometimes. So, I would like to offer a little insight into my experience as a beachbody customer since 2002.  

It all started with Slim in 6 with Debbie Seibers, a program put out by Beachbody. I've always been active and loved exercise. At the time I had been working out with Tae Bo by Billy Blanks for about a year and I wanted to try something new. So I ordered it and loved it. Then I discovered Tony Horton and the original P90, oh what fun that was.

I have always been fascinated by the fact that people who exercise and eat right look so young. Tony Horton at the time was about forty-four and he looked no where near it. I was thinking wow if this guy looks so young and healthy this program is definitely something I want to try. To this day he still looks nowhere at all near his age, and like one of my other fitness heroes Jack LaLanne, he has continued to defy the norm, giving a new face to what the human body can and should be at a particular age.

Anyway without going off into a novel of my fitness journey over the last fifteen years, the point is that there are always options. Since that time, Beachbody has produced countless programs for nearly all fitness levels. Almost every program has modification options, which makes "excuses" for not putting your health first obsolete.   

I have many fitness heroes, some not even affiliated with Beachbody. I love Jillian Michaels, Jackie Warner, and I also really like the Firm fitness programs. Not every body is the same and even the same body will not always need or like or even be capable of doing the same program forever. Which is why it is important to always stay in the game no matter what is going on with your body. It's not about getting a ripped hard physique (although I'm guessing everyone would like that). It's about being the best possible you that you can be. To get and stay healthy and strong so you can enjoy life to the fullest. 

Injuries happen to the best of us. Slips, falls, work, overuse injuries, accidents, you name it. For me it was two close dated car accidents. People with herniated disks simply should not jump, period. So that takes things like running and plyometrics training off the table. Does that mean you can't exercise? No, it simply means you modify your workout. So for example; if you're doing a workout program like say 21-Day Fix (which is not an extreme program by any means) but there are jumping jacks, etc., what do you do? You modify the jacks, by doing step jacks instead. Almost every program will have a modifier doing the workout so you can see exactly what options are available if you are not able to jump or do the advanced version of a particular move.

There are so many options, walking, yoga, pilates, one workout program I particularly love, love, love, (did I say love) is Piyo created by Chalene Johnson. Piyo combines yoga, and pilates, and gets your heart rate up like crazy. It sculpts, and stretches your body and you feel like a million bucks after a workout. The best part is no jumps, no weights, so it is fantastic when traveling. Which by the way, is a major excuse people use for skipping workouts.

The thing is you can make excuses or you can make results. The choice is up to you. There are super short workouts, even as short as twenty minutes. Everyone has twenty minutes. Endorphins really are God's medicine. Exercise is good for your mood, and really should be something you do every single day, just like brushing your teeth.

So what are you waiting for? Get to that phone, computer, or iPad, and find out what you      like and get started on that beachbody ;o) or shall I say healthy body. One that will carry you into your golden years if you treat it right. Remember the saying... use it or lose it. Happy working out!   

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava xo
www.avaaston.com

Joy

It's finally here! In fact I'm so happy about it I've been humming a little tune all around the house for weeks now. "I've got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart..." Joy about what Greek Girl you may be wondering?

The new movie Joy starring cutie patootie Jennifer Lawrence? No, but it was a fantastic movie that I highly recommend! The characters were all very well developed, and it's a super feel good film that gets a big fat thumbs up and five stars from this film critic. 

If not that, what pray tell could be causing all that "joy" I am talking about? Why The Biggest Loser premiere of course! Why on earth am I so excited about a TV show one may wonder? Well hello... it has many of my favorite elements: sneakers (my number one favorite shoe to wear), people doing things they thought they couldn't, inspiration, drama. Sure in my opinion the show will never be the same without Jillian, but it's still incredibly inspiring, and never fails to have me in tears at some point during an episode.

I have been so inspired by some episodes in the past that I have even written lyrics to songs from watching. So for me it's a win-win. 

New year, a new chance to get up to bat and swing for one's goals and dreams in life. We all have them, many start out strong at the beginning of the year and for a multitude of reasons peter out and end up quitting. For me it is magical to watch people who have tried time after time, after time to achieve a goal who have never been able to do it, finally break through and get it done. It's just my happy place. 

Society today has so many tools to be healthy and live longer, yet it seems is getting more and more unhealthy by the second. Your body is a miracle. When you treat it right by feeding it the right things and making fitness a part of everyday (just like brushing your teeth) the results are remarkable. That's why I love the show so much, it demonstrates this principle in such a dramatic way on such a large scale, literally. 

I think everyone has the ability inside them to blast through barriers... it's just a matter of will. Not a matter of "can", but a matter of "if". Excuses can be made for everything, everyone has something. Not everyone has the "physical capability" to be an olympic athlete, this I know very well. Accidents, disabilities, many things can make a person think they "can't" be physically fit. The truth of the matter is though that there is a modification for almost everything. There is some kind of physical activity that everyone can do, and once one changes their mentality from can't to can... the entire world can change. 

So you can be your bottom dollar I'll be parked in front of the TV watching. With a hot cup of happiness a la Dunkin's in my hands (with Truvea instead of sugar of course). Will you? If not my hope is that 2016 is a year for everyone to reach beyond their limits and break though barriers to reach goals and dreams they have buried on the inside. Remember, everything is possible... you just have to believe. Happy 2016!

Blessings, Love & Music!
Ava xo
www.avaaston.com

The Return of Jillian

It finally arrived... the day I had been waiting for ever since I heard it announced (on my Birthday of all days) that one of my most favorite fitness hero's ever - Jillian Michaels was set to make her return to The Biggest Loser after a two season hiatus.

I had been so excited all through the holidays as it was getting closer and closer.  Tick tock, tick, tick tock.  Today when I woke up I felt like a kid on Christmas.  You see not just for me, but for so many people who love fitness and working out and even those who have yet to make that change in their lives, Jillian is an inspiration.

Those of us who watched saw that she did not disappoint.  She steamrolled back onto the show by throwing not one or two but three contestants out of the gym.  She does not take any bull, and she does not want to hear excuses.  Over 10,000 people submitted applications to be on this season, and I do not blame her.  If a contestant is there they should be grateful for the spot and the opportunity to once and for all fix what is broken and change their lives forever.  If they are giving her resistance, not doing what she says, whining, complaining, and still having a victim mentality then they should leave.  They are taking up a good spot that one of those 10,000 would only love to have.

Yes it is hard, yes the people have health issues, yes it is going to hurt.  The thing that Jillian whips into each and every contestant if they have the backbone to dig in and really grasp what she is there giving her time to show them is that - there is no "TRY" you either do something, or you don't.  It's that simple.  All the chatter in your head, if you do not tap into your will and find the why - you will not find out how strong you really are.

We have seen it season after season.  Just when you think you have seen it all, in comes another heartbreaking story and inside my head at least I'm thinking, my gosh my heart is breaking for these people who have lost their will.  Jillian has a way to break through all the crap and get to the heart of person and help them to find their "why" and push and push them to reach their goals.  That is, if they can get past her tough exterior.

There are those that like to bash her in the media for this or that, methods, yada yada.  Muckery I say.  I used to be a little fat kid, just like she was.  The kids picked on me, and I struggled with weight my entire life until I was an adult.  (That is until I discovered my love for sneakers ;) ) Her methods - they work.  Because I like to workout at home (as I'm not really into being ogled at the gym when my face is all red like a tomato head) I have every single DVD she has put out, and trust me I have every workout system you can think of just about.  P90, p90x, insanity, slim in 6, tapout, turbofire, rev abs, urban rebounder, the firm, tae bo, Bob Harper, Jackie Warner, and on and on.  I love them all, and I always no matter what I'm doing incorporate Jillian's workouts.  Why? Because Jillian's workouts are effective and do not waste time.  You do not have to be super coordinated or able to do a bazillion push ups in order to do them.  You just have to keep going even when you do not "feel" like it.  She has workouts as short as 20 minutes, from beginner on up to advanced, all give results you can see and feel.

Anyone can go buy any one of her DVD's or systems, put in the DVD, push play when the calendar says to and see the results for themselves.  The best part, they do not cost a fortune.  So literally anyone can workout at home and watch along with the Biggest Loser week after week and see her help people while they are getting in shape at the same time.  I don't know about you, but for me, it is so inspiring.  To see people with serious weight issues change their entire lives.

Some Awesome Jillian Quotes:

"Unless you puke, faint or die, keep going." 

"Transformation isn't a future event, it's a presant activity." 

"Pain is fear leaving the body." 

"Your legs are not giving out, your head is giving out, keep going." 

"When you have a Why, you can tolerate any amount of How." 

So it's no surprise that this Greek Girl gives The Return of Jillian (also a Greek Girl) a great big Giamungo Thumbs up!  Can't wait to see what this season has in store.  Happy losing.

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava :D xox
www.avaaston.com

Biggest Loser, Life Without Jillian

Do you see what I see?.... Something is definitely wrong with this picture, NBC someone's got some splainin to do.

Speaking the title of this blog actually hurts me in my heart, yes I am serious.  Anyone who knows anything about the Greek blonde girl knows that The Biggest Loser is my favorite show and this one other thing, that I love my Jillian Michaels.  In fact I admire her so much that I even named one of my cars after her... Jillian Jetta. ;D (yes I name my cars, doesn't everyone?)

Back to the Biggest Looser.  So it stands to reason that I would not be a happy camper to settle in and watch the first episode without one of it's best assets.  Why do I like Jillian so much you may be thinking? Well the answer is simple really, she is real. If you know or have known or encountered any Greek people at all in your life, you know one thing: we are very direct.  We say what is on our minds, if you want to hear it or not, and that is the beautiful thing about Jillian. She tells people what they "need" to hear, not what they want to hear. The things that are in most cases glaring them right in the face, but they have spent years burying or avoiding.  These things usually end up being hidden in poor and unhealthy eating and or exercise habits and then people end up on the Biggest Looser for help.  That is what is so amazing about Jillian, she has a way of cutting through all the crap and getting to the issue and dealing with it. Life is hard and every choice we make effects the quality of our life. Loosing weight is really simple in principle and it is not building a rocket.  Calories in vs. calories out and exercise. It is the "doing" part and the "sticking to it" part that most people struggle with.  Jillian has a way of staring down the truth and presenting the choice to people and challenging them to do it.  It is honest, blunt and yet caring at the same time.

Some of my favorite Jillian quotes:

"I know you're tired, wah wah wah - You want to be skinny, shut up and do your mountain climbers."       

"Remember I can always see you, kind of like a horror movie and if you don't do it I'm going to come through that TV."


"If it is not burning, then something is definitely not right, it should be so hard you should be cursing at me in your living room right now." 


"You have no idea what you can accomplish until you try, you might just surprise yourself at how strong you are." 

Can the Biggest Looser survive without Jillian?... Of course it can because at the heart of the show it is about the contestants. What we love to see is people figure out how they got to that point, then make the transformation to change and then see them do it. The trainers are a really big part of the show and no not all trainers are going to be as enjoyable to watch as Jillian, no one can argue with that. However at the end of the day in the early days of Biggest Looser Jillian and Bob were not the big dogs and the people still lost weight and changed their lives.  

Do I think they could have made a better choice? Well... that remains to be seen. I would never want to discount anyone just because I do not know too much about them yet. Just the same way I wouldn't want anyone to discount my music just because they have not heard it yet? ;D 

Now if they decide to get rid of or if Bob decides to leave, then that my friends is a whole other story, and I may just have to change the channel.  Happy loosing.

Have a wonderful day!

Blessings, Love & Music ~
Ava :D xox
www.avaaston.com