When you see this icon on my site it means that I have it programed into the iPhone app FitnessBuilder. FitnessBuilder is one of most comphresive exercise apps for the iPhone.
I reviewed it for 60 days and lost 16 lbs. using it. 

I can share the workouts through FitnessBuilder iPhone app or a downloadable pdf. Please contact me and let me know the email and workout you are interested in.

I am on the news! Interviewed about how I used FitnessBuilder to lose weight.
Check out the story.

I am writing this as an answer to a question some one asked me. How did I lose16lbs within 60 days working out with the FitnessBuilder. The answer is not as simple as I woke up everyday and worked out anywhere between an hour to an hour and a half for five days. No, it actually has six parts to it.

Part 1. Mental Focus Motivation.
It all started in my head.
Prior to losing 16 lb. with FB I had lost around 20lbs in 5 months on my own working out with some posters that I had on the wall.  I had basically plateau, my body stopped changing and I was getting bored with the same exercises.  My motivation was out the door I started feeling like I was wasting my time and was all around frustrated. I didn’t have time to go to the gym and hire a personal trainer. During this time of my frustration I had purchased an iPhone and you know just like the commercial says, ” They have a app for that “. So I looked on iPhone and found FitnessBuilder. I had experience a little sticker shock at first because they were asking for more than the other fitness apps. They had a free workout that I tried and I was hooked. FitnessBuilder was worth every cent. It became my personal trainer and keeper of my progress.

FitnessBuilder made knowing what to do easy, getting up every day and working out was the hard part.
If motivation came in a bottle it would sell like hot cakes. So I had to do something that would keep me on course. So I decided to blog about it, talk about my experience share with the world what I was doing. I reached out to pumpone.com makers of FB and got their full support. They were excited that I was putting their product to the test.

This gave me motivation and focus, so part one of my answer is find
” Focus and Motivation”.

Here are some other motivators and focusers  that I used.

1. Don’t laugh. Find the body you want and stick your head on it.
Matthew McConaughey is in great shape I wouldn’t mind being in shape like him.

2. Find people who inspire you.
Randy the Natural Couture UFC MMA fighter. The man is 46 and still kicking ass.
Dara Torres 40 year old Olympic Swimmer.
Declan Condro (no I am not just saying this) he is in great shape and truly works it in the FB demo videos.

Dara Torres

3. Talk about working out. You would be surprised at how much
support and knowledge you will pick up by talking about working out.

4. Take pictures of yourself. You won’t believe your eyes when you look back on how you looked. It’s a truly out of body experience when you start losing weight and looking different, you feel like you stepped out of your own skin.

Part 2. Goal setting.

When I first started this 60 days challenge I didn’t know what to expect. I was looking to lose about 8 lbs. and gain some muscles. I worked with Declan Condron cofounder of FitnessBuilder who pointed me to the FitnessBuilder workouts to get me started working with the equipment that I had at the present.
Full body work outs to get my metabolism going at the same time build muscle, circuit training to get my cardio up and then muscle group workouts to build muscle.
To my surprise I lost double of what I initially set out to do.  “Set realistic goals”, if you set your expectations too high you will fall really hard when you don’t achieve them. So shoot for something attainable then be surprised when you get more than what you expected.

Part  3. Sugar is the enemy!

Food I know what you are saying no I don’t want to hear it. I want my soda, burger and french fries. The truth is when I started watching what I was eating my body really started changing. It’s simple. What you put in is what you are going to get out. If you don’t eat right you will see changes but only slightly like where I was before I started FB. One of my biggest changes to my diet was watching how much sugar I take in. You wouldn’t believe how much sugar everything has.
4 grams of sugar is equivalent to one teaspoon and 15.2 calories.

So to put things in perspective the average soda has about 40 grams of sugar. Which is 10 teaspoons of sugar and a 140 calories, that is a lot of sugar.
Here is a great video that talks about it.

One of my most favorite food is dried fruit which is loaded with sugar. Go figure! You can’t image how disappointed I was when I thought I was eating healthy but I really wasn’t. What sugar does to your body is basically turn you from a fat burning machine to a fat earning machine. So all that working your ass off goes down the drain when your blood sugar spikes. Part three of my advice “Watch your sugar”. Look for alternatives to get your sweet tooth fix. Examples – Natural Peanut butter and apples, Jello Mousse pudding has 60 calories, no sugar and it tastes awesome. There are tons of good food out there. Also to keep your sanity treat yourself once a week or every two weeks to a cheat meal. Make your cheat meal into a reward, the next day you should do a extra set to burn off the extra calories. I didn’t start my cheat meals until half way through my experience. Food is something I will do a lot more blogging about in 2010.

Part 4. Vary your workout.

When I initially started working out it took my body some time to get acclimated to the exercises.

For example, circuit training was kicking my ass and wiping me out. Once I got used to it I was able to move up in intensity which FitnessBuilder does for you. FB starts you out with a foundation than moves you up to comprehensive. From reading I found out other bits of information that helped me.
” Varying your work out” will keep you growing and burning. Little changes to your routine will go a long way.

Here are some other tips  things I found out through this expeirence.

1. People who workout in the morning are more likely to stick with it. Makes sense, when you get out of work you don’t want to workout you just want to relax. So working out in the AM is easier to stay focused and motivated.

2. Lift so that you can complete your set with the feeling you can do one or two more. Lifting heavier doesn’t always mean your going to get the most out of your work out. So vary the amount your lift, one week heavier the next week lighter but not to light were you don’t feel it. Basically what this will do is keep your muscles guessing and this will keep you from plateauing.

3. Resting time. When I started I was resting 60 seconds between reps, I read if you want to burn more that you should lower it to 30 seconds.  I tried it and have been doing it ever since. Sometimes I do need 60 seconds of rest between reps when I am lifting heavier. Feel it out everyone is different.

Part 5. Incorporate low impact exercise with your workout.

One thing I do a lot that contributed to my weight loss is walking. I walk about four and a half miles a day. What this does is keep my body in burn mode. If you don’t walk, take the stairs at work or take a 15 minute walk at lunch. If all else fails, get at least 30 mins of jumping rope in.  Anything that gives your body a little be more motion.

Part 6. Push it.

What can I say this is one  hardest things to put into words because it’s emotional. There where times I was sick and didn’t want to workout. There were other times I just didn’t want to workout. It’s human to be lazy, it is so much easier to sit back and do nothing. Sitting back doesn’t get you anywhere pushing it does. On these days I would look in the mirror and psyche myself up. Think of something that would make me mad and take my aggression out on the weights. Another thing I would do is put my two feet on the floor and sit up immediately in the morning. I would pretend that their was a invisible me who was beating me at lifting for that day. Anything that would get me downstairs to workout. My last piece of advice is “Push it” when you feel like giving up don’t. Say to yourself that you can do it. Remember the biggest room in the world for improvement, is the room of self improvement. No one is going to give you the keys or tell you how to do it.

You can find people who are willing to help you out. You have to initiate the conversation, You have to start it and You have to keep the fire burning.
“A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step”. Lao-tzu

I hope this was inspirational. Stay tuned for 2010 it’s going to be fun. I am going to have some unexpected things going on.
I hope you will join me.
Thanks,
Nat

Seeing is believing! I did it! 60 days with the FitnessBuilder! Three months ago I made a decision to workout and get healthier. I reached out to FitnessBuilder after taking their iPhone app for a test run and asked if they would be interested in letting me put their product to the test for 60 days, they said yes! Here are the RESULTS!

Where I started:
Weight: 186
Abdomen: 38
Waist: 36.5
Chest: 39
Thigh: 22.3/4
Calf: 14
Bicep: 14  Flexed: 14 1/2

After 60 Days.
Weight: 170
Abdomen: 34
Waist: 34.5
Chest: 39.5
Thigh: 21.5
Calf: 14
Bicep: 14.5  Flexed: 15

Comparison images from the weigh in.

Summary: FitnessBuilder is an all around program – you can see from the above content that it works. For clarification FitnessBuilder did not pay me for any of this. The only thing I received was a year subscription to their plus service. Everything you see here IS REAL. I  trained for five days a week using FB to workout with.

FitnessBuilder is the personal trainer in your pocket. Cost wise it is only 10 dollars for the app. Then you can buy the third tier year subscription which I would suggest for 34.99. The total is about 45 dollars. The subscription gives you updates and the ability to reach out to FitnessBuilder with unlimited questions and get personalized training program to fit your needs. You can create your own workouts, keep track of your stats and progress. FB keeps a log of everything you do which you can email to yourself  or share and challenge others with. It is the fitness app for now and the future.

Their custumer service is  impeccable. They truly care about the consumers using their application. There are real people behind this product who stand by it and will make sure that it helps you meet your goals. With that being said this product is 60 Days approved. My journey of 16 pounds lost in three months would have not been possible without FitnessBuilder. I encourage everyone to get it and try it out.

I would like to thank Craig and Declan FitnessBuilder creators for all of their support in making this review possible.

I am going to be taking a break to reorganize my site and content. My journey with FitnessBuilder is not over, it is just beginning with FB’s ability to create and keep track of your own workouts. I will be able use FB with my future workouts and goals.

I hope this inspires others to try this great product and to get healthier.
If I can do it you can too!

Little flexing action I haven’t seen my six pack in a decade. The Six Pack Is Back. I haven’t been this weight or in this level of fitness since I was twenty four.

FitnessBuilder Week 12.

Notes: Last day of my FitnessBuilder review, I decided to go out with a a stomach routine. FitnessBuilder’s Abs & Core, Level 1: Foundation, Workout 2. Getting a six pack is everyone’s most desired muscle group. After 60 days I am happy to say that I got it back. FB’s Ab & Core routines will have your six pack saying hi again.

Workout Time: 33 min 57 sec

Abs & Core, Level 1: Foundation, Workout 2
Dead Bug / Crunch / Russian Twist / Hip Raise / Kneeling Back Extension / Twisting Crunch / Alternating Superman

Exercise of the Day: Dead Bub Ab exercise. Don’t laugh it really works try ten rest for 30 secs and do another ten, you will feel what I mean. Get your abs back with a dead bug, go figure .

FitnessBuilder Dead Bug