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A Recipe for Making TIME!

make-Time

This is a recipe that ANYONE can and should make! You’re going to want to hang this it up, and refer to it daily, to remind yourself that you CAN make this recipe! We all have the same ingredients! You don’t need to go to the store. You won’t need ANY special tools or gadgets. You can cook it up anywhere, anytime! If you make it, you won’t regret it! After you’ve made it, you’ll feel full and satisfied! There is no other recipe that has the potential to change your life quite like this one. Are you ready?

TIME

Ingredients

  • 24 hours
  • Goals (1 or more)
  • 1 Plan
  • 1 BIG desire to change
  • 0-2 feet
  • 1 dose of creativity
  • 1 large batch of discipline
  • A dash of passion
  • A splash of positive thinking
  • 1 or more accountability partners
  • Various sized cheerleaders

 

Directions:

  1. First, leave your excuses in a drawer. You won’t need them for this recipe.no-excuses
  2. Next, take your 24 hours, and your calendar, smart phone or other scheduling device, refer to your goal(s), and set aside at least 30 minutes/day, 5 days week to be active (you can even divide into 2 – fifteen minute portions if necessary). Studies show that this amount of time is proven to be effective for weight loss and health benefits. An alarm clock is extremely useful for this step. This recipe turns out very well when made first thing in the morning, before you do anything else.
  3. Make sure you mix in enough desire to begin shaping your goals.
  4. Now, Put on 0 to 2 shoes, and move vigorously. You’ll notice the temperature rising, as well as a quickening of the heart and pride will start to bubble up from inside.
  5. Feel free to get creative with this recipe. Some variations include: stairs at work, long walks across parking lots, extra vigorous house-work, etc. Ask the kids to join you. Maybe your significant other would like to join you, too. This recipe is best when shared with others. The t.v., computer, and/or telephone can sometimes interfere with the outcome of this recipe. I suggest turning them off.
  6. Sometimes, this recipe needs a little extra attention and will require a large amount of discipline. Stay on task, don’t give up at this point. If you want to get the best results, refer back to your goals, and recommit.
  7. A little dash of passion will go a long way!
  8. Add a splash of positive thinking, and the results will amaze you! You can make this recipe…just keep telling yourself that!
  9. Do you know someone who could use this recipe, too? Share it with them, and work on it together. Before you know it, you’ll have made time, and enjoyed it too!
  10. You’ll make your friends and family members so proud, they’ll begin cheering for you to make more! And you’ll feel so amazing…that you will!

Enjoy! Makes unlimited servings for the rest of your life.

 

WHAT’S ON SALE THIS MONTH?

 

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It’s NOT Just for CHICKS, Men can do it TOO!

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Here’s a funny story: My husband is a sucker for an infomercial! Late one night, sitting on the couch, Tony Horton’s abs and promises of a rock hard body in JUST 90 days were more than my husband could resist! And what a coincidence…his 20 year reunion was exactly 3 months away! Perfect right!?

This was back in 2009 – of course BEFORE I was a Beachbody coach – so he dialed the number, and help was on the way! Finally the package arrived!!! Joy! Bliss! He tore it open, checked out the schedule, organized the dvd’s and was ready to get his results! He did the first workout. Umm….ok…that was hard! I was invited along for the second and third workouts. Ya…it was becoming clear, that these results weren’t going to come quite as quickly and/or easily as they did in that 20 minute infomercial.

By about the 5th workout, he was done. Granted…this was a different time in his life. I am fairly certain that he could pop in any one of those workouts now and crush it! Easy Peasy!

But…I’m not going to lie…at the time… I was a little ticked off! I mean, he had just spent about $100 on this program that he used for 1 out of the prescribed 12 weeks!? I declared that someone was going to get our money’s worth out of those dvd’s…and I guessed it was going to have to be me!

I got out the schedule, hung it up where I could check it every day and was determined to do ALL 90 days…as written. I did end up needing to make a couple of modifications. For some reason, the Yoga X workout (the one that I thought would be the easiest!) actually made me sick! LOL! I did it one time all of the way through and actually felt like I would throw up; too many downward dogs for my shaky equilibrium to handle! So I just subbed in an alternate workout on those days (Core Synergistics usually). Also, I didn’t have a pull-up bar, nor was I capable of doing an actual pull-up at the time, so I used strong resistance bands, anchored over a door, and did lat-pull downs instead.

before-after-P90X-Collage

 

Yes it was hard. But I completed ALL 90 days!! And I also got in really good shape for my husband’s class reunion (probably not exactly what he had in mind! LOL!). Money well spent. This was my FIRST full 90 day Beachbody program, and I was hooked! I got amazing results, at home, with 4 kids! It can be done. I’ve completed several 90 day programs since then, because I’m a sucker for a calendar with little boxes to check off as I go! 🙂

This month P90X and P90X2 are BOTH on sale in Challenge Packs. So, if you have a reunion, party, wedding, or LIFE you’re trying to get hot for…this is your chance! You don’t have to do it alone either. If you purchase a challenge pack, you will be invited to join my November challenge/support group. These groups work so well because Fitness + Nutrition + Accountability = SUCCESS! Sometimes it’s just the support and accountability that you need to get it done. I’ll be your coach, and help you every step of the way. Promise! Next group starts Monday November 4th! Ready? Click HERE!

P90X3-Test-Group-ResultsAnd if you didn’t already know…this is all leading up to the big P90X3 coming out SOON! Check it out!

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If you’d like to be the first to know when it’s available, sign up here, and you’ll get it while it’s HOT (expected to be in HIGH demand!)

 

 

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It’s All About TIME!

News from Beachbody today! Two new programs are on the horizon! The theme is time! We have less and less time these days, and the number 1 reason people give for not getting in shape is “no TIME!”. Well that excuse is no longer valid!

First up is my old boyfriend Tony Horton with P90X3!!!

P90X3 is billed as the Accelerated Workout. That means you will get maximum results in the minimum time. The original P90X is incredibly effective and has worked for 1000′s of people, including ME, but there has been a lot of research and studies done in the last ten years which have resulted in new, refined training techniques that are more effective at getting the results you are looking for in the shortest amount of time. The program will consist of TWENTY different workouts, 30 minutes each! Expected to be available December 10!

Check out this video for a preview of what you can expect!

P90X3-play

Want to be among the first to find out the minute it is available to order? P90X3 will be only be available through Beachbody Coaches like me for the first phase of the launch. It’s likely going to be in HIGH demand! I’ll alert you the moment the new X is ready for us to order if you provide your name and email address below!

 

Next up! There is a brand new trainer coming to Beachbody!

Introducing AUTUMN CALABRESE! – Celebrity fitness trainer and national-level bikini competitor.

21-day-fix

What is 21 Day Fix?

The 21 Day Fix program takes the guesswork out of weight loss. It’s a unique portion-control system combined with easy-to-follow workouts that fit into anyone’s busy schedule. Trainer Autumn Calabrese shares her passion for food and fitness as she shows you how to make simple choices that add up to life-changing results. Test group results were AMAZING!  Expected to be available in February 2014, just in time work on your New Year’s Resolutions!

As I mentioned above, coaches and their customers will be the first to be able to order! So provide email below, and I’ll let you know the SECOND you can order! 🙂

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I’m super excited about BOTH of these! 🙂 Add them to Shaun T’s Focus T25, which is already getting people fitter than they’ve ever been in a lot LESS time, and Beachbody is ending the trend of obesity…. quicker than ever! 🙂

end_the_TREND_Blk-Blu_LR

 

 

 

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Hey! Let’s Eat Some Frogs!

challenge-Mind_bodySo if I’ve learned anything over the past year…weight loss is WAY more of a mental challenge than a physical challenge! Yes working out is hard, and it makes you sore and tired at the beginning, etc…but the real challenge is keeping your focus and getting beyond the doubts, frustrations, set-backs and plateaus that you will inevitably encounter along the way! You’ll wonder some days how you will be able to carve out the time for a workout in your busy schedule. You’ll be tired, and crabby and just down sometimes. That’s when you need your brain to remember that exercise makes you feel BETTER! You’ll struggle with nutrition, which is ALL mental! You have to retrain your brain not to pay attention to cravings caused by years of bad eating habits. You have to remember that food is fuel, not therapy or something to pass the time. These things are HARD to do!  It’s almost entirely mental!

That is why I’ve decided that September is a great time, with the kids going back to school, to do some book-learning and brain re-training of our own! I’ve decided to start a book club/weight-loss support group. Two for the price of one! 🙂 I need some accountability to work on my own self-improvement goals (both physical AND mental). This group will be open to anyone who wants to get in better shape AND learn how to get MORE done in LESS time (including your workouts!).

Join me for this “Biggest Loser” type of challenge AND book club! We’ll be reading Eat That Frog: by Brian Tracy. We’ll be starting on September 9! We’ll workout, eat better, read just 5 pages a day – everybody’s got time for that! We’ll be keeping each other ON TRACK through a private Facebook support group for 30 days. I will be your coach, providing daily motivation, tips and recipes, and we’ll all check in daily for accountability.

Fitness + Nutrition + Accountability = Success!

Don’t believe me? Read some of the testimonials from previous challenge participants by clicking HERE!

*Anyone who joins with a “Challenge Pack” will receive the book for FREE! I only have a couple of spots left for this one.

What is a Challenge Pack? EVERYTHING you’ll need for maximum results: new fitness program + Shakeology + 30 day club membership for additional support and personalized meal-planning.

There are some GREAT sales going on this month, too!

turbo-fire-august
CLICK HERE to learn more!

For just a short time longer, you can get the very popular Turbo Fire Challenge pack and save $70!

focus-t25-august-challenge-pack-discount
Click HERE to learn more!

 

And, the BRAND NEW Shaun T program, Focus T25! Workout 25 minutes/day!

 

 

 

 

There are LOTS more to pick from too! You can check them out HERE!

Ready to join? Fill out the form below and I’ll contact you soon!

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I’M BACK!

I’ve been MIA for so long because 1) It’s vacation season, and we chose remote locations this year, making any sort of computer-use completely impossible! And 2) I decided to update my blog and host it myself, giving me some bells and whistles I didn’t have before! So bear with me…as I try to figure it all out!

Back to vacations…

We had a great time this year camping with 7 of my high school girl friends and our camping2013 (72)combined 22 kids! I am always amazed that we manage to pull this off every year! The kids have so much fun, and we just get to enjoy each other’s company – even as we deal with leaky tents, bug bites, boo-boos and the occasional raccoon!

I do not fancy myself much of a camper, but I’m getting better each year. This year, I even stayed a little longer than I normally do. I decided to suck it up, and take one for the team, which made my “team” very happy! I managed to stay on track pretty well with food and workouts. I abandoned the cooler this fridge_campingyear for a full-on refrigerator! I packed it with lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and of course all of my standard Shakeology fixins! My fantastic Target find, personal Oster Blender was PERFECT! I blended my shake every morning either for breakfast, or after my morning workout. I love when I can stick to my routine. It just makes me feel better, and then I can relax and enjoy my vacation, know that I didn’t set myself back so far that I need to start over as soon as we get home. It’s a win-win!

camping2013 (69)

For workouts, I just packed my running shoes and some workout clothes and counted on some runs, walks or stair workouts. There is a BIG long stair case leading down to Lake Michigan, and I wore a path up and down them MANY times!  I went for a couple of runs, too. Running or walking is such a portable exercise! You really can do it just about anywhere and any fitness level! And when you do it on vacation, you get to see new things, smell new camping2013 (77)smells and it just feels good to get out and do something active!

Apparently, my pepper-eating technique was intriguing enough that one of the kids went home and asked his mom if he could eat a bell pepper the way that he saw me do it while we were camping. He thought it was pretty funny that I just picked it up and ate it like an apple! camping2013 (123)

All in all, it was a very fun trip! Between rain showers and thunderstorms, we managed to get some beach time! And we had a LOT of laughs and made some new memories that will be with us until next year, when we’ll do it all again!

StarvationLake-2013 (66)After that trip, we had a couple of days to unpack, unwind and then re-pack for a quick family get-away ‘up-north’. I wish we could have stayed a little longer, but we had a nice time relaxing, fishing, playing cards and board games, and just being together without the usual distractions.

no_tv

So…as summer winds down, I hope that you all found some time to relax, unwind, unplug and spend time with the people you love. I also hope that you have a healthy, happy fall and make your goals a priority. As always, if you need help getting started, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ve always got a new support group starting up each month. Want information? Click the tab “30 Day Challenge” at the top of this page.  Now I’m hitting the pool! I’m holding on to summer until the bitter end! 🙂

Want to sign up for my newsletter for fit tips, recipes and special offers?

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This is Going to be BIG!

group_challenge_2

So we have a little competition going on among Beachbody coaches right now! But get this, if we win…YOU win! The goal: change more people’s lives through health and fitness!

THE OPPORTUNITY: This will be an opportunity like NO other! I am co-hosting a group challenge! Get this: FIVE coaches, including myself and the amazingly awesome Jenelle Summers, will be coaching, motivating and helping each participant reach their individual goals! It will be a “Biggest Loser” style challenge (LOVE that show!), starting on Monday August 12 and running for 30 days! Stick with us for 30 days, and you’ll be well on your way to making some really positive changes in your life! And, if you join this challenge on my team, you’ll get me as your coach for these 30 days and beyond! This is going to be FUN!

THE CHALLENGE: This challenge will be open to anyone who is ready to invest in something that will kick-start some serious results! We’ll be working out, eating clean and keeping each other ON TRACK! Workouts can be done from home and we’ll give advice and tips about clean, healthy eating. We’ll be doing this together in a private Facebook group! *If you’re not ready to invest in anything, I would still love to hear how I can help you, or someone you know!

THE PRIZES!: What would a competition be without prizes!? There will be one overall winner selected for best results and participation! The winner will receive a $100 gift card AND a special autographed book (join the challenge and you’ll find out!).

THE FINE PRINT: This challenge is open to anyone EXCEPT current coaches or those working with other coaches! (Stay with your own coach please! They love and care about you!) 🙂

READY?! Click the “30 Day Challenge” tab at the top of this page for more information. Read some testimonials of previous challengers and contact me to sign up and let me know what your goals are and how I can help you reach them!

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Busy Much?!

platesYikes! It’s been a busy couple of weeks for me! I am used to spinning multiple plates at a time, often while riding a unicycle, BLIND-FOLDED! But I have to say, I might have bit off a bit more than I could chew this time! So to my loving husband, who supports me and gives me sound advice out of love and concern for my sanity, etc. etc….You were right! I had a little too much ON those spinning plates, and a couple of things fell off while I was riding my unicycle! True story.

Everything was going along just fine until I realized that I had forgotten to do something important, that I had volunteered to do by the way, and had several people trusting me to do it! The lovely ladies involved all assured me that it was no big deal, but it was. I was embarrassed and horrified and just really upset with myself about it. All bad things. Mostly though, I was just down on myself for realizing that I can’t do EVERYTHING! I try though! Man, do I try! Always have. It’s in my nature to multi-task, and run around willy-nilly as a chicken does when it’s head goes missing…but once in awhile…I take one or two bites that I just can’t chew. My bad. This particular story has a happy ending though, thank goodness! Everything worked out, I was able to get done what needed to get done, though AFTER it should have been done. Forgiveness was granted, and I can once again sleep at night. Thank Goodness!

Also, you may or may not have noticed that I’ve neglected my meal planning routine! ARGH! What a pain that has been, too! “What’s for dinner tonight?” asks my husband. “I have NO f’n clue!” says me. I’ve been too busy to shop, plan, or cook well. I’m pulling ideas right out of my…refrigerator (ya, that’s it), totally last-minute and late half the time! The kids are all starving, hubby is shoving hand-fulls of pistachios in his mouth, waiting for what might be dinner at some point! It’s been ugly. Add that to the fact that summer months always pose a problem for me when it comes to planning and cooking. I never have much of an appetite by dinner time. When it’s hot and muggy, I just want a salad, or something light, and I certainly don’t feel like cooking anything! I gotta snap out of it though…for the sake of the family, poor things.

Now the good news! Sometimes good things come from my manic desires to do new stuff, better stuff and MORE stuff! For example, I graduated some Challengers from my June challenge group! And check out a couple of testimonials from participants in the group:

  • “I have absolutely loved being part of this group! The accountability is what drove me a lot of the time. Can’t tell you how many times I didn’t feel like working out, or felt like I wanted “just a bite” of something, but knew I’d have to mention it here if I did. Happy with my numbers. Now I’m going to continue with my next two circuits of Chalean Extreme.”

 

  • “I feel like I have learned about a new healthy lifestyle and not about a fad diet. That is what I needed. I am thankful for all of the support that I received and all of the new FB buddies that I met  I am very happy with my results and I can’t wait to continue! I am going to keep eating clean and rockin’ the workouts [hopefully at a much higher intensity when my darn ankle heals] All and all, I am a happy camper!”

*If you’re interested in participating in a 30 day challenge, click the link “30 Day Challenge” above.

In addition, my coaching internship is underway and going really well! I added 6 new coaches to my team who are all ready and excited to learn about what it is that gets me up in the morning, keeps me motivated and fuels my passion to help others…oh and earns my paycheck, too! 🙂 I’m having too much fun not to share it with others!

*If you’re interested in becoming a coach, you can get more information, ask questions, and learn how to participate in the 6 week internship by providing your contact information below.

All in all, I’d like to say that I’ve learned my lesson. *Note the phrase, “LIKE to say”. Time management is not my strong point. I’m working on it. I should  listen to my husband more often when he tells me to take it easy. Honestly though, I feel like I can’t help it. When you love what you do, you WANT to do more of it! Sometimes though…I guess there’s just too many plates!  🙂

 

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Better Late than Never!

I did the meal plan! I swear! But I got caught up in all of the Father’s Day festivities yesterday, and just didn’t find a minute to post about it!

I had a couple of splurges over the weekend, just keepin’ it real! We went out for ice cream, and I used to always say, “No thank you”. But my kids began to hate that about me. They wanted to see me enjoying a dish of ice cream as much as they were. And so I decided, that since we go rather infrequently, it’s o.k. to have a scoop or two here and there. And for me I know that it’s not a slippery slope. I like ice cream, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not a ticket to nutrition disaster for me. Now french fries on the other hand…that’s going to be a problem. Therefore, I tend to avoid that temptation all-together!

Anyway…I digress. The point of my splurge admission, is that I’m looking forward to a week of planned meals and staying on track nutritionally. So far, I’m off to a great start! 🙂 And I’m going to need it, because I also just started the second phase of Insanity. Today was the first workout of that madness, and OMG! Have you ever had to crawl to your water bottle?!

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Click here to print and link to recipes.
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Analysis Paralysis

Back+To+Basics

When you make something more difficult than it has to be, it can become so overwhelming that it seems impossible to actually do. Take health/nutrition/the quest for the body you have always wanted. You could read a thousand different articles, theories, magazines, blogs, tips, suggestions, etc…You’ll read about counting your macros, eating certain foods, wearing special shoes, doing your workouts at specific times of day, walking vs. running vs. HIIT workouts vs. crossfit, cardio vs. strength-training, and on and on…But when you boil it all down, all that you really need to do is 2 things: eat well and exercise. That’s it.

I have had challenge participants in the past who have become overwhelmed during the process, because they start over-thinking it. How much protein should I eat? How many days should I lift weights vs. cardio? What shoes should I wear? What if I miss a day? What muscle groups should I focus on/how many days per week? How many reps should I do? I’m not saying that these aren’t important questions to ask. But they’ll spend all of this time scrolling through pages and pages of different tips and pictures and workouts and diet suggestions and recipes. Before you know it, they have spent SO much time thinking about working out, that they never had the time to actually do it! And even though they have read about clean eating, and healthy foods and pinned a bunch of recipes that they wanted to try, they have to grab something quick to eat because they ran out of time.

 
I think there are a couple of things going on here. I think there is an element of avoidance. Since they’re spending time reading about health and fitness, somehow it seems productive. But they’re not actually DOING anything productive. We live in a world where information is everywhere, at our fingertips, on t.v., your computers and tablets, anything you ever wanted to know about anything is right there. And you could never read it all! You’ll find 10 different theories about healthy eating in less than 10 minutes on the internet. You’ll find dozens of workout theories in the same amount of time. So what’s right? What do you do? Well, don’t spend so much time looking, scouring and pinning, that you become paralyzed by all of the information. All you need to know is 2 things. Eat well and move daily!

DIET-AND-EXERCISE
We all have a basic enough knowledge of food to know that some things are good for you, and some just aren’t. I mean the absolute BASICS!

  • Fruit and veggies = GOOD!
  • Chips = BAD!
  • Whole grains = GOOD!
  • Box of mac and cheese = BAD!

When all else fails, avoid the aisles (where all of the processed food lives) and shop the perimeter of the store. You’ll get most of your healthy food there.

 
And as far as exercise goes: lace up a pair of shoes and move: dance, run, jog, walk, jump rope, dvd workout (I can certainly recommend a few!), box, pick things up and put them down, air guitar! Whatever floats your boat, do for 30-60 minutes every day! Go ahead and get a little sweaty! It can’t hurt! 🙂

 
Once you have that totally mastered, and I mean MASTERED it – Like it’s an everyday daily non-negotiable habit, THEN you can pay a little more attention to details. Go ahead and read about protein and the many benefits of strength training, and calculating your macro-nutrients, and picking the perfect fitness shoe, etc…but wasting time on the minutia, especially at the beginning of your fitness journey, just takes your attention away from the basics. Find healthy foods you like to eat, and find a workout or 2 that you enjoy doing. Get yourself an accountability partner, fitness coach (ME!) or join an accountability group (check out the 30 Day Challenge tab at the top of this page), and get working on making a lifestyle change that involves just the 2 basics. It takes 21 days to form a habit (good or bad). Do these 2 basics for 21 days, and you’re set!

 
In short, don’t make it harder than it has to be. Put down the smart phone, step away from the lap-top, stop pinning and start DOING!

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Focus T25 is COMING SOON!

T25

You remember Tania from Insanity right?

Well check out her results from T25.

tania_before-after

Focus T25 should be available to order within the next 2-3 weeks! If you want to be notified as soon as it’s available, sign up below!

“I used to love long workouts, until I created the lightning-fast FOCUS T25.”

By Shaun T, creator of INSANITY, INSANITY: THE ASYLUM®, and FOCUS T25

INTRODUCING FOCUS T25™

The only thing that stands between you and the results you want is time. That’s why I experimented for the last year to see if I could create the same kind of results you’d expect from an hour-long program, in under 30 minutes.

The result is FOCUS T25—and the name implies the intent: If you focus your intensity for 25 minutes, and you do it 5 days a week, you WILL get results.

Yes, you are working out for less time. But since you have your shorts on, since you have your sneakers on, and you managed to Push Play, I’m just asking you to give it everything you’ve got, for ONLY 25 minutes. You focus, and you go! 25 minutes. 5 days a week. 100% results.

And there are major university studies out there that prove the value of shorter, more intense workouts. But I’ll save that for later. The only question now is, do you want to be one of the first to see these routines and what kind of results you can get? The answer is yes, because these routines were created at the specific request of Beachbody® CEO Carl Daikeler. The guy’s got no time, and he personally reviewed every detail so he could make T25 HIS personal program.

Don’t miss the biggest breakthrough in health and fitness since INSANITY. Join our email list and I’ll make sure you don’t miss out on the latest news about FOCUS T25.

BE THE FIRST TO KNOW WHEN FOCUS T25 IS HERE

When you provide your name and email address at the top of this page, you’ll be first to know when T25 is available! Demand for this program is expected to be through the roof—so many busy people out there want to exercise and look great, but can’t afford to spend an hour a day doing it. The only way to ensure you get a copy of T25 in the near future is to let us know you’re interested in working out 25 minutes a day to get your best body—right now!

Take a look at a preview and some testimonials from REAL people!

Sign up ABOVE to be  notified as SOON as Focus T25 is available to order!