Body By Vi BMW Goal Setting

We began our Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge at the beginning of May, 2011. During the following 5 months, we have learned a lot about promoting the challenge as well as learning about ourselves. We we set a goal to achieve the Rising Star director level in our first thirty days. We were starting to get a little momentum going into June and our volume approximately doubled. In July, it went up another 30%.

In July, Dana and had a friend take the picture here in front of a shiny new Black BMW when we attended our first major ViSalus event, Vitality, in Orlando, FL. And what an event it was. We then set our goal to become Regional Directors by the next National Training event which is in Atlanta, GA in October. Then August “happened”.

Although our volume still went up, we had been unable to schedule hardly anything because my daughter was expecting our first granddaughter. Didn’t want to have a party scheduled and not be able to make it. We were also right in the middle of moving to a new office in one of our Piggly Wiggly stores that we are remodeling. I do nearly all the computer/technology stuff in our stores so I was having multiple 18 hour days trying to keep everything working while we we in the process of moving to a new office location. 3 or 4 birthday parties, One of which was another daughters 16th, which of course required a LOT of planning. Finishing up audits of our 401(k) plan, and renewing our check cashing licence with the NC Banking commission. Are you starting to get the idea? All kinds of “stuff” was just happening. Oh yeah, most important one was my granddaughter “Rylee Elaine Hunt” was born. Don’t get me wrong, all these things are just normal everyday life that sometimes just overwhelms you in the midst of it all.

We had scheduled a party for September 1st and on that same evening one of our support team from Chigago was having a call on getting it done in September. We were on board. Dana and I talked on the drive home from that party and made the decision that September was the month we were going to qualify for Regional Director. Well, even in the midst of August not being a banner month, we had planted a lot of seeds. They started germinating early in September and just kept on sprouting and growing and growing. Sometimes they just popped up out of nowhere! All of a sudden, we were halfway to regional! Then came the last two weeks of the month and we knew we would make it but had a tremendous desire to help the members of our team to make their own goals. We scheduled 5 parties for the last week in the month. Turns out we didn’t need all of them to get our goals, but our team needed them to get theirs. It was a tremendously successful month for us as well as our team. Inactive promoters “woke up” to find huge amounts of volume in their groups and got re energized. Lots of amazing stuff happened.

Set your goals, and work at them. Understand that life will sometimes get in your way. That’s ok, we all have lives outside of ViSalus. Make time for your family and friends, but don’t put your business completely to the side during those times. Keep planting those seeds! They will germinate. The marketing funnel that ViSalus has created for us with the Getting Started Training is the most beautiful in the world. Stick to it. Do NOT try to reinvent the wheel. If you run enough people through the funnel, you will absolutely be successful in this business. Remember we are promoting a Challenge and sorting people. That’s it. Make shakes, press play on a dvd player, determine 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s and work with them appropriately.

We love getting paid to party. How about you! Join us if you like, we are having a blast!

Michael

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Body By Vi BMW Bonus

Wow, I have to admit that when Dana and I started on this Challenge nearly 5 months ago, I knew I LOVED the product. I knew that I wanted to share the challenge with others. I even knew that we would get our products for free. I wanted to believe that we would one day qualify for the BMW bonus, but even with the wonderful ViSalus Sciences marketing plan, I had NO idea that we would do so as quickly as we have. I say we have because, we are literally just hours away from making that qualification. I say quickly, because by any stretch of the imagination, we have certainly not done it as quickly as hundreds of others have, but with our time constraints, we are just like the 1000’s if not millions of other people that know that the network marketing/mlm business philosophy makes so much sense but have never been able to achieve any success with it. If this rings a familiar bell with you, and you have any interest in helping others, I urge you to take a good LONG look at promoting the Body by Vi 90 day challenge with us.

I have some severe time constraints that limit how much time I have available to promote the challenge. We operate 4 grocery stores, one of which we are in the process of remodeling. If you are a business owner, you know the kind of time that entails. During these 5 months, my daughter had our first grandchild, my son was hospitalized, and the “life” that gets in the way sometimes just goes on and on. Beleive me. If we can qualify to drive an expense paid black BMW, so can you! Take a look at the company, the opportunity, the success stories. Then give us a call and let us help get YOU started on YOUR challenge!

Michael

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My Granddaughter

I’ve been a little out of touch the last couple of days! Here is the reason! Rylee Hunt, our first granddaughter was born on 8/23/2011 at 1:51 pm. (That’s the exact same time an earthquake shook a good portion of the east coast, for you trivia fans!) Congratulations to Ashley and Jason for having such a beautiful little girl. I’m sure that Dana, Kim, Allen and I will certainly be trying to spoil her.

I’ll try to fill in some more details later, but got to go right now.

Hope you enjoy the pictures

Michael

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Door Bell

I think this video speaks for itself.

I

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Why Networkers LOVE Body By Vi

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Just recently I received a call from an old friend who asked me to attend a Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge Party. Unfortunately, I could not attend. That cost me nearly 2 weeks! Fortunately, he was a good business person and followed up. We met at my office a couple of weeks later and he walked me through the ViSalus marketing plan. But even more importantly, he made me a couple of the Body By Vi shakes. WOW! I was hooked. Not only was there a huge market for the product and and excellent compensation plan but this stuff tasted GREAT!

Not being one to make rash decisions, I did my due diligence as well as I could in less than 24 hours, but after seeing what kind of growth ViSalus was having after creating the Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge marketing concept and investigating their back office options, I jumped in with both feet. We made Director in 24 or 25 days. That made me a “Rising Star” and qualified me for an extra bonus check! Ok, I could have probably done it faster, but being conservative like I am, I didn’t really share the opportunity with anyone until after I received my product, then waited 4 days until a Monday to start on the Challenge. Another mistake for me. Oh well, I got better!

You have to understand, I have been involved in several Network Marketing companies over the last 20 years and it usually took me months to generate a check at all (if at all), much less to actually get a check along with a BONUS within my first 30 days! Here is a short little video that I did a couple of days after qualifying for “Rising Star”

Come join us on this exciting journey!

Michael

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Calorie Burning Tip

Here is a very easy way to burn a few extra calories per day by making only one extremely small change to your daily routine. it involves drinking water, so if you have not already started doing that in your weight loss routine, that is your first change. In all the literature I read, the MINIMUM amount of water you should consume on a daily basis is 8 – 8oz glasses whether you are trying to lose weight or not. I will base all the calculations on this blog to this minimum. Most of the current literature that I have been reading concerning cutting body fat and keeping lean muscle mass recommends much more water than that, but that’s another blog post soon!

So, I guess you want to know my not so secret way of burning some extra calories everyday. Here goes. It’s so simple anyone can do it. (yes, even you!) Here goes…. Top easiest way to burn extra calories per day is to drink your 8 glasses of water every day ICE COLD! What??? you say? How can that make any difference at all.

First, we have to go back and look at the definition of a Calorie. A Calorie is simply the amount of heat it takes to raise 1 gram of water 1 degree celcius. Bet you may have thought it had something to do with food didn’t you? Well, a Calorie is a Calorie and that is the definition so here goes my simplified math.

There are a few assumptions that we have to make so here they are.

1. Ice water approximates 0 degrees celcius

2. Average body temperature is 37 degrees celcius.

Hopefully, we can all agree on these assumptions. They seem very reasonable to me so here goes the actual math.

There are approximately 236.59 grams in 8 oz. When you consume those 236.59 grams of ice cold water, you body has to raise the temperature of this water to your body temperature. Raising 236.57 grams by 37 degrees is 8753.83 calories (notice the lower case, which is actually a kilo calorie. We have to divide by 1000 to get what we commonly call a Calorie to get 8.753 Calories. If you agree with my oversimplified version I have spelled out for you, you are probably now saying, “Oh WOW, I can burn a whopping 8.75 calories by drinking an 8oz glass of ice cold water. BIg DEAL”

Ok, I can see your point. But wait. Let’s keep doing some more math. We have decided that (on the conservative side) we should consume at least 8 glasses per day. Let’s see. 8 x 8.75 = 70 calories per day. Ok, OK, I haven’t blown your mind yet I know, but now lets extend it to 90 days. 70 calories per day x 90 days = 6300 EXTRA Calories that we can burn by simply drinking our 64 ounces of of water ICE COLD! What, still not convinced? Let’s calculate what that equals in term of weight loss.

The most popular number I can find for the amount of Calories you need to burn to lose 1 lb of fat is 3500. I somewhat disagree with this number, particularly if you are already fairly lean, but again, I digress. Maybe another future blog post. At any rate, 3500 is the number that all the mainstream sources use, so we will use that here as well. Here is the last math I will do for you. We burned an EXTRA 6300 Calories in 90 days which should equate into 1.8 lbs.

I lied, here is some more math. What if you are like me and think you should drink much more water than 64 oz. per day. I am closer to 128 oz. while on my current Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge, so now, just by drinking my water ICE Cold, I can potentially lose an extra 3.6 lbs in 90 days. You do the math for your particular challenge.

I know, it’s still not mind boggling, but think about it, you didn’t have to change any eating habits, exercise any more, even get up off the couch to find the remote one more time to lose that extra 1.8 lbs in 90 days. Folks, it doesn’t get any easier than that.

I hope you have found something here of use an hopefully mildly entertaining. If so, please leave me a comment so I know you were here.

Thanks,

Michael

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Since this is a very random blog, I decided to post this video that I took from my front porch. For my friends not familiar, this is located in Clinton, NC. Fortunately, tornado’s are a rare site here, so I hope I never get the chance to video another one. We find ourselves very, very lucky to have been spared any major damage to our property and no injuries. As you see the video, you can tell that it came way too close for comfort. There are many, many people in Clinton and Eastern NC, who’s lives were devastated by Saturdays events. Please keep them in your prayers.

This is basically raw footage taken with my flip video camera. (I did add some flip video music before posting) I guess I could have edited out my cell phone ringing and I’m sorry about the abrupt ending but I was taking cover in the house. Probably later than most would recommend. For those of you that are familiar with Clinton, I am assuming that the large debris that is visible is from the Herring Brothers service station and Sampson-Bladen Oil Company area on hwy 421.

As an aside, Dana was in Raleigh, NC for the Work Weekend for the Miss NC Pageant. Approximately an hour before this video was taken, she called and said that the Raleigh Convention Center was shaking because of a tornado that had just gone through downtown Raleigh. My wife, sister, and niece along with a large number of my friends developed over the last year with the Miss NC organization were there. Tremendous damage within a block of the Convention Center. We feel truly blessed that both of us were spared any harm after being that close to two separate tornado’s in the same day.

The Sampson Independent has several articles with pictures of the aftermath of the tornado. WRAL also has a lot of footage and pictures online. Please comment and post links to other websites that are relative.

Michael

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20-Minute Fat Loss Workout Ideas

By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

If you’re sick of fluffy weight loss workouts that aren’t giving you any results, then you will love this interview where Hardcore Strength Coach Zach Even-Esh grills me on advanced Turbulence Training for Fat Loss  methods.

Zach Even-Esh: Craig, thanks for taking the time out of your insane schedule to talk with us. Tell us a little bit about yourself, your clientele and your overall training philosophy.

CB:
Zach, I’m a Strength & Conditioning coach in Toronto and I write for Men’s Health and Oxygen magazine.

I work extensively with clients on advanced fat loss for busy people. I’m also the training director at grrlathlete.com where we provide advanced female exercise info.

ZEE: We have a growing number of hard core men and women leading busy lives but still love to train hard. How do you train individuals like this and still get kick butt results?

CB:
I use supersets, moderately heavy weights (allowing 6-10 reps per set), limited rest interval periods, advanced bodyweight exercises, and interval training. These efficient and effective principles are the foundation of my Turbulence Training philosophy.

Turbulence Training workouts are designed to crank up the body’s metabolism because of the intense demands imposed during the workouts.

After the workout, your body has to work hard (i.e. burn calories and repair muscle) to fully recover and return to a normal, resting state (that is why I compare my Turbulence Training workouts to the Turbulence encountered in an airplane – a neat little analogy that people really like and find easy to understand).

I tend to stick with traditional weight training exercises, however, it is easy to adapt the Turbulence Training principles when using strongman implements and advanced bodyweight exercises.

For intervals, I tend to stick with 30 seconds of work and 90 seconds of active recovery, although it will vary between workout phases and for athletes of different sports.

The great thing about heavy weights and intervals is efficiency. You don’t have to do either for more than 20 minutes to get a great response. So if you are a busy executive looking to get lean, build muscle, and lose fat, you can get a great workout and shower in less than 30 minutes per day.

Combine Turbulence Training with the right nutrition, and you are well on your way to success.

By the way, we’ve got a secret bonus for everyone that invests in Turbulence Training – although I guess it’s not so secret anymore!

Anyways, you’ll see what it is when you start your Turbulence Training journey with the fat loss program.

ZEE: If you were limited to a 20 minute fat loss workout, what would that work out look like?

CB:
Providing the individual is injury free, we will move through a general warm-up circuit of bodyweight exercises (3 minutes), and then into specific warm-up sets for the first superset of exercises (2 minutes).

Then we will spend 5 minutes on the first superset pair of exercises, and then 4-5 minutes on another superset pair. We might finish with a third superset pair or some ab work, and a 2 minute cool-down if it is necessary based on the individual’s fitness level.

On non-weight training days, we would do intervals. It would look like this:

5-minute warmup
12-minutes on intervals
3-minute cooldown

The point is, you can get a lot done in a short amount of time.

ZEE: What nutrition approach do you use?

CB:
I had Dr. Chris Mohr, Ph.D., put together the Turbulence Training Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines.

I strongly agree with Dr. Mohr’s common sense, easy to follow principles. There is nothing extreme about his plan. It is very healthy and effective for fat loss.

I don’t think that people need to exclude fruit from their eating (in fact we should aim to eat at least 3 servings, and preferably berries, grapefruits, apples, and oranges), but instead we should avoid white, processed carbohydrates from a bag or a box.

Foods that should be in every healthy person’s nutrition plan:
Green Tea
Almonds
Broccoli
Berries
A variety of lean protein sources

Basically, for nutrition, just choose healthy, whole natural food.

ZEE: Last question Craig. What is the greatest misconception that you find people to have when it comes to performing better and looking better when they come to you. In other words, they tell you everything they have been doing in hopes of getting results but the results simply aren’t there. Are there any common mistakes going on here?

CB:
Most of the time I try and get people to be honest with themselves and realize they have to change things if they want to improve.

A lot of people really just want me to approve their current workout (when it is clearly not working). But in reality, they have to change their workouts drastically to finally get results.

And most people think they are eating better and using a better program than they really are.

Even when most people they list out their food intake (as I have them all do on fitday.com), some people (including some trainers that I train) still don’t see the obvious problems in their diet.

I suppose it is human nature not to see our own shortcomings, so it is helpful to have a professional review your training and nutrition or even an honest, knowledgeable friend.

ZEE: Craig, I can’t thank you enough for letting me grill you with questions.

Always happy to help,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training
About the Author

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com

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Losing Weight Accidentally

If you stop and think about how many people you know who have gained weight in the past year, or the past 5 years you can probably name quite a few people. You might even be one of them.

Now think of all the people you know who have lost weight over the past year, or the past 5 years…

It’s probably a lot less people. I’m sure there are many people who couldn’t even name one person they know who has lost weight, and I guarantee the number is far lower than the number of people you know who have gained weight.

The point is that nowadays the norm is to gain weight, and the exception is to lose weight. This makes weight loss rare. And if you can do it you will be one of the select few individuals who have managed to do something that almost nobody else can do.

Gaining weight seems to happen to us completely without our awareness. It’s very easy to overeat at social events, holidays, special occasions, long weekends, heck just sitting in front of the tv and snacking too much can do it. And getting to the gym on a consistent basis is a challenge for most people too. So there is no shortage of weight gaining events that we’re faced with on a daily basis.

But what about random weight loss events? There doesn’t seem to be too many occasions that cause random weight loss. Can you even think of one?

I’ve thought of three.

1. Maybe getting the flu, when you lose your appetite for a few days.

2. Getting dental work when you can only drink from a straw for a few days.

3. Going through a traumatic emotional event like a bad break up and that leaves you distraught and with no appetite.

These are the only events I can think of that cause random unplanned weight loss, and all three of them are very rare and none of them are comfortable. In fact they all suck.

Waiting to get into one of these situations isn’t a great way to lose weight, I personally would rather follow an eating style that causes weight loss with minimal effort (and without the dental work or a traumatic emotional event!)

For me the only way that I have found to lose weight that seems literally unconscious is Eat Stop Eat. By just adding in this one change to your eating pattern you can start losing weight as if by accident.

The closer you can get your weight loss eating routine to automatic the better it will work. If you’re dieting and it feel like ‘work’ then odds are you’re going to give up on it sooner or later. The less it feels like work and the more it feels like it is just happening the more sustainable it is.

This is the real key to lasting weight loss and this is why Eat Stop Eat works so well. It’s as close to accidental weight loss as you’ll ever get. Give it a try and see if you can ‘accidentally’ lose weight today.

John Barban MS

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