Being Bruce -: February 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

What's YOUR Story?


Love this image I found on Facebook. The words are lyrics from the song "Happy Ever After" by the Indie pop band He is We from Tacoma, Washington. Not sure to whom to credit the graphic.



The graphic makes my whole point for this post so there's no need to shellac it with elaboration.

If one person gets her or his "writing switch" flipped by this post, that's awesome.

So again, what's YOUR story?



Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Writing When You Have No Choice


OK, so maybe the title for this post is a teeny bit misleading. Of course we have a choice. If we didn't want to write we wouldn't have to. Unlike an automatic body function, like, say breathing, we can't consciously control whether we breathe or not - we can hold our breath for a while, but if we hold it long enough and pass out, we'll start to breathe again. Few of us write in our sleep (I wanted to say "No one", but some might beg to differ). So, yeah, we have a choice.

It just doesn't seem that way.

I have the tremendous good fortune to be married to Marge Brown. There are many reasons why she's a perfect match, not least is our shared need to write.

So maybe that's a better way to describe the urge, the compulsion, the draw to write. Perhaps a better title for this post would have been "Writing Because You Need To"? What do you think?

It seems to me this urge, desire, obsession, whatever-you-call-it to write is something you have or don't have and if someone doesn't have it, it's not part of their reality and may not even make sense.

But Marge and I each have the need to write and we're stuck with it. We accept that writing is part of who we are as individuals and as a couple so we choose to enjoy it and indulge ourselves to satisfy the inner pressure that builds when one of us doesn't write.

In my case this need to write didn't become part of who I am until my mid thirties. I'd always been an avid reader and in college I majored in English. My first career after my undergraduate years was as a teacher of English in a high school. So of course I wrote, but there was no big draw for me. I wrote because I could and I had to, first as required during my education and latter by my job.

But something happened when I was 34 or 35 that started me and it was like I suddenly was turned on to writing. It's as if I turned a corner in time and around that corner was a new me who wrote quickly and easily and enjoyed most every minute of it.

I'm still around the same corner and will never turn back. For me writing is just part of who I am. I write email, blog posts, social media messages, short books, longer books, jokes, inspirational pieces and even short notes of encouragement. While my main work is being a health and fitness coach, I seek opportunities to write within that context and I also continue to write self help how-to books and personal development works. It's a business, yes, but it's fun!

So really, as I hope you can tell, I have no choice.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Why Do Challenge Groups Work?

Everyone knows someone who has tried to lose weight and failed. Or maybe they've lost weight and then gained it all back plus some.

Everyone knows someone who has vowed to get in better shape. They joined gyms, started running, or bought home workout equipment or a set of home workout DVDs but then never used them or kept up with their routines. For many people this stop-start process is repeated over and over. Why then are Beachbody Challenge Groups so successful?

The answer is easy and can be summed up with one four letter word:


When you combine the four elements of N.E.S.I., which are available exclusively with Team Beachbody Challenge Groups, you have the best chance ever of being successful with your health, fitness and weight management goals.

Let's break it down:

N stands for Nutrition - Nutrition is the base and inarguably the single most important element in any fitness, health, and weight management program. You cannot exercise your way to fitness if you eat garbage.

In some respects it's tougher today than ever before to eat right because of all the processed foods, genetically modified foods, high fructose corn syrup pretty much everywhere it seems, plus the ever-greater presence of toxins and pesticides in our food.

On the other hand this is the best of times for great nutrition because of a growing awareness of the need for proper nutrition. Better foods and ingredients are available in greater variety and quantity than ever before - you just have to know where and how to find them.

Also, for Team Beachbody, we have an edge, we have Shakeology. Shakeology is the absolute hands down best way to have the healthiest meal of the day that is not only a meal replacement, but also a proven source of antioxidants, phytonutrients, digestive enzymes, vitamins and minerals plus a whole raft of superfood ingredients that are so good for you that several of the more than 70 ingredients in Shakeology have been the basis all by themselves for successful products.

Everyone in a Team Beachbody Challenge Group drinks Shakeology for one meal a day. Our cravings are reduced, our energy is increased, and we just feel better. Shakeology is such a key that some people start their commitment to health and fitness just by drinking Shakeology daily. No other shake in the world stands up to the combination of healthy ingredients in Shakeology.

E stands for Exercise - Exercise is absolutely required in order to get healthy and fit. You can lose or gain weight through nutrition alone, but the healthy way to manage your weight and get fit at the same time is to incorporate an appropriate exercise program.

Beachbody has dozens of home exercise programs all set to go for Challenge Groups. Everyone in a Team Beachbody Challenge Group works out according to the program schedule with a Beachbody exercise program, ranging from three to seven days a week. There are programs for all fitness levels and workout style preferences. Challenge Groups last from 21 to 90 days, depending on the exercise program.

At the end of a Challenge Group period many people repeat with the same program in another group or move on to another program either to progress in the physical challenge or just for variety.

No one else in the world offers the quality and variety of serious home exercise programs that are included in the selection for Team Beachbody Challenge Groups.

S stands for Support - The best nutritional plan and the best exercise programs won't make a difference without support.

Support can look differently for different people. Some do best with a workout buddy, others want an accountability group. Some people look for fitness instructors or personal trainers to show them what to do and keep them on track.

With Team Beachbody Challenge Groups we've combined the best of the best with multiple layers of support. Everyone in a Challenge Group is a member of the Team Beachbody SuperGym and logs their workouts online - instantly seeing who else in the world is working out and sharing the ability to chat after the workout and to converse via forums and message boards with some of the top nutrition and fitness experts.

In addition each Challenge Group is led by one or more Team Beachbody Coaches whose role is to provide support, encouragement, and accountability to Challenge participants.

Perhaps the most powerful factor in this multi-level support structure are the other members of the Challenge Group. Each day Challenge Group members log in to a private Facebook group page to mention their own workouts, to support and encourage each other, and often to post photos of their meals, share Shakeology recipes, and even post before, after, and progress photos of themselves during the Challenge.

No other company or organization in the world offers this rich a support component.

I stands for Incentives - This fourth element is often a suprise. I mean, after all, getting fit, healthy, and at the right body weight should be enough, right? Well maybe, but Beachbody makes it even more appealing through The Beachbody Challenge. All members of Team Beachbody Challenge Groups register for The Beachbody Challenge. Participants at the end of Challenge Group submit before and after photos, measurements, and their personal story and are eligible for daily $500 prizes, monthly $1,000 awards, plus quarterly and annual prizes up to $100,000!

As time goes on we know more and more people who win these awards - I was honored to win $1,000 as the male winner in my age category (50+) in November 2012.

So that's it. Nutrition, Exercise, Support, and Incentives. A winning combination that spells success for Team Beachbody Challenge participants like no other program in the world!

We run multiple Team Beachbody Challenge Groups every month for various programs. If I've peaked your interest, get in touch and let's get YOU started on your road to personal success with fitness, health, and weight management.

Bruce Brown
Bruce@BrucetheCoach.com
(910) 297-8753
www.BrucetheCoach.com

Friday, February 8, 2013

What Is A Challenge Group?

A Beachbody Challenge Group consists of a group of 2 or more people who commit to health and fitness together for a fixed interval of time. Led by a Team Beachbody Coach, everyone in the Challenge Group commits to three activities:
  • Drink Shakeology daily as a replacement for one meal
  • Exercise according to the schedule of the program they're all following
  • Post daily on a private Facebook group page to support and encourage each other and hold each other accountable.
Because of these three activities, Beachbody Challenge Groups are incredibly successful.

Here's more:



For more info on Beachbody Challenge Groups, contact me at Bruce@BrucetheCoach.com.

Most people start in Challenge Groups by purchasing a Challenge Pack, which includes a specific exercise program, a month's worth of Shakeology, and a month's membership in the Team Beachbody Club. To see what Challenge Packs are available, go to www.BrucetheCoach.comhttp://BrucetheCoach.com.