A national tragedy unfolded for a while today. Marsha and our daughter Morgan got their upgraded phones today. Unfortunately Morgan did not read her phone information and found out that she did not have the ability to use back up assistant with Verizon for her new phone. Now to most earth bound mortals this would not matter much. For Morgan the texting queen it meant the world was coming to an end. LOL She has over 500 contacts to transfer from the old phone to the new phone, and wait for it, she has to do it manually! She is working on it a little at a time lol!

Exercise note we finished day 41 of Power 90 today! We took measurements and we're gonna take new pictures on day 45 (mid week next week). So our measurements looked pretty good this week. Marsha's results from Power90 are 18 lbs weight loss! She has lost 3.5" from her waist, 1.75" from her hips, 2" from her chest, 1/4" from her right arm, 1/2" from her left arm, 1/4" Right thigh, and 3/4" from her left thigh. That is a total of 9 inches lost WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!! I am so proud of her and the hard work and dedication she is showing! I have went sub 240 weighed in at 237.4 I'm at 27 pounds lost! waist is down another 1/4 inch this week for a total of 7 1/4 inches lost hips I've lost 4 1/4 inches chest I have lost 5 inches total 3/4 inch on right arm and 3/4 inch on each thigh!

My hope is that I will be able to encourage you to make the same kind of changes that Marsha and I have made! This is a lifestyle change and not just a quick fix. We are in this for the long run. We want to make a positive impact in as many lives as we can. With the Beachbody coach experience we have a vehicle to actually make huge changes not only in our lives but also in the lives of other's around us! Make today the day you decide to do whatever it takes to commit to this program.

We have  not only changed by waking up every morning early enough to make sure that we get our workout in, but we have changed the things that we eat and drink. There are many foods that I once would not have thought of eating, that now I love to eat. Take tonights meal for example. We had tilapia with broccoli and green, red, and yellow peppers, and a spinach salad with fat free italian dressing. None of the above would I have eaten 2 months ago! Are they mental obstacles in your way? Push them aside and succeed with this program. Become a product of the products available to you and love the person you see every morning in the mirror!

We also hit emerald in my business center today and will have Marsha's business center in the gree soon as well. A great big welcome to Jen and Ben webster. Newest team beachbody members and Power90'ers ot the team!

Gonna cut this short because it is late, but see ya tomorrow with measurements! Until then Decide -- Commit -- Succeed

WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO! Another day of Power90 in the books. Marsha and I feel stronger and stronger each day. We moved to sets 3-4 of sculpt and cardio 8 days ago. Definitely harder than 1-2 but now get through almost all of the workout! It is awesome to see the improvements in our physical abilities as well as the emotional charge it gives us to be able to say we are doing this and sticking with it. We are almost 1/2 way through our first round of power90! Tony Horton is rocking and this program definitely is a great option for improvements that we needed.

Business side of the business was good today. I got a couple of new exposures today. We are having a shimmy and shake party on February 26th at our house at 6 p.m. Alrady have several people set up to come to it. Really exciting seeing people not only recognize the changes that are happening to us, but also seeing that they can do it just like we are!

We look forward to being able to help others change not  only physically, but financially and emotionally! Keep your head up and keep pushing play!

Well Marsha and I are 27 days into the program. I have lost 19.4 pounds and a total of almost 10 inches. 5.5 of those inches has come off of my waist. Marsha has lost 13.4 pounds and a total of 4 inches! We'll be putting up 30 day numbers this coming week. I have posted a couple of photo's now as well. I wanted to share an article that I saw that might explain why we are in the right place at the right time. Have a great weekend!

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American Waistlines Expand at Fastest Pace Among Rich Nations, Study Finds

By Eva von Schaper - Feb 3, 2011

Americans grew fatter at a faster pace than residents of any other wealthy nation since 1980, during a period when obesity worldwide nearly doubled, researchers found.

Almost 10 percent of the world’s population was obese in 2008, according to studies published today by the medical journal The Lancet. The percentage of people with uncontrolled hypertension, or high blood pressure, fell, with high-income countries showing a larger drop. Cholesterol levels declined in North America, Australia and Europe, but increased in East and Southeast Asia as well as the Pacific region, researchers said.

The rise in obesity, as measured by body mass index, is worrying and may lead to an increase in diabetes, said Majid Ezzati of Imperial College London, who led the research. Ezzati suggested taxing sugary drinks and sweets as well as rethinking transportation, such as adding bike lanes.

“We are at best buying some time” Ezzati said in an interview yesterday. “We have to get very serious about BMI, beyond good intentions.” Policy changes may begin to reduce obesity in as little as five years, he said.

The findings about Americans and obesity add to evidence that the U.S. has a weight problem. About 68 percent of American adults are overweight, raising their risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer, according to the 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Almost 34 percent are obese.

Slim Singaporeans

Researchers from Imperial College, Harvard University’s School of Public Health and other institutions analyzed government statistics and multinational studies to track changes in body mass index, cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

Body mass index considers a person’s weight relative to their height. A reading of over 30 is considered obese, while more than 25 is overweight.

In 2008, 9.8 percent of men and 13.8 percent of women globally were obese, compared with 4.8 and 7.9 percent respectively in 1980, the researchers found. Among rich nations in 2008, the U.S. had the highest BMI at 28 on average, followed by New Zealand. Japan had the lowest index, about 22 for women and 24 for men. Singapore residents were the second slimmest.

The U.S. saw the fastest rise of body mass, about 1 point per decade during the 28 years of the study, of any wealthy nation, the researchers found.

Risk Factor

An increased body mass index is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and ailments of the muscles and the skeleton, leading to 3 million deaths worldwide annually, according to the studies. High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular deaths, killing 7 million each year, while high cholesterol leads to about 4.4 million deaths each year, the study said.

Controlling blood pressure, total cholesterol and smoking will cut cardiovascular disease rates, even if obesity and diabetes rise, Salim Yusuf and Sonia Anand of McMaster University in Canada, said in an accompanying editorial.

On average, Pacific Islanders have the highest body mass index in the world, reaching 34 to 35, 70 percent higher than countries in sub-Saharan Africa and countries in Southeast Asia. In Europe, Turkish and Czech women are the heftiest, while Swiss females were the slimmest.

The second study showed that blood pressure is highest in the Baltic region as well as East and West African countries. Portugal, Finland and Norway have the highest blood pressure readings of rich countries, while South Korea, Cambodia, Australia, Canada and the U.S. had some of the lowest.

Western European countries including Greenland, Iceland, Andorra, and Germany led global cholesterol levels. African countries have the lowest cholesterol.

Among high-income countries in the west, Greece has the lowest cholesterol for men and women, while the U.S., Canada, and Sweden also had low cholesterol.

The work is part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study, which is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The study also received funding from the World Health Organization.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eva von Schaper in Munich at evonschaper@bloomberg.net;

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Phil Serafino at pserafino@bloomberg.net

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