Hey everyone...I wanted to share something sweet (literally) with you this week for V-Day.

If you love healthy and yummy dark chocolate, this is your chance to try some Craver on-the-go snacks.

You've got to try these things. The taste is out of this world good.

They are touted as the best tasting healthy snack on the planet for good reason - they taste THAT good.

And I really love this part...they have no preservatives, are only 180 calories and they come in three delicious flavors: peanut butter, almond butter and spirulina. (I am partial to the peanut butter, myself...and YES, these have been cleared for safety by the FDA).

The even better news is they are on sale all this week for Valentine's Day.

Here's everything you need to know:

- Again, because it's Valentine's Day, the sale is 14% off all purchases of Prograde Cravers

- When you checkout you will enter this coupon code to save the 14%: vday0909

- Shipping will take 3-5 days, so while I HIGHLY recommend you jump all over this sale, don't purchase these as a gift expecting them to be their for Valentine's Day itself. Buy them as a healthy gift for yourself or others.

- The offer cannot be combined with others from Prograde and it ends this Saturday, February 14th at 11:59pm EST.

- Prograde Cravers are NOT available in stores anywhere. You can only find them online here: Prograde Cravers

Look, I'm not kidding about how great they taste. They are the EXACT opposite of the bars you are used to that taste like cardboard and chemicals. In fact, if you go to Prograde Cravers and watch the video of a real life taste test, well, I know you will be blown away.

It's all about the love! ;)

Curtis

PS - Remember, it's 14% off all Prograde Cravers purchases this week only. The sale ends this Saturday, February 14th at 11:59pm EST.

So by now you've probably heard that Olympic champion Michael Phelps has gotten himself into a little bit of hot (bong) water. I felt I couldn't let this opportunity slip by without sharing some lessons from his mishap.

First, we all have to remember that we're role models. Somebody somewhere is looking up to us for guidance. It's a shame Michael Phelps screwed up, but he did. What's done is done. I know it reminded me that as a fitness pro, I MUST lead by example.

Second, again, he screwed up. And while I'm not one to give people a million chances, I do believe in second chances. And forgiveness. Which, when it comes to melting fat and getting fit, is VERY important.

I can tell you from experience working with hundreds of people with similar goals to yours, you WILL screw up somewhere along the way. The key to success is to forgive yourself and move forward. The people who truly fail are the ones that just give up the first time they make a mistake.

Third, this has nothing to do with what Michael Phelps has recently done, but it's another great reminder. If you want a lean, hard body and 6 pack abs, you're going to need to WORK. Regardless of his recent actions Michael Phelps is an Olympic Champ because he worked his rear end off. Don't fool yourself into thinking achieving your fitness goals is going to be a piece of cake.

Fourth, much was made during the Olympics of Michael Phelps and the massive amounts of calories he was consuming. If YOU want to get into peak condition then you need proper nutrition, not a bazillion garbage calories from every source on earth.

Look, if you're not eating enough fruits and vegetables you need a Whole Foods based multi-vit like Prograde Nutrition's VGF 25+

If you aren't optimizing your workouts by refueling with the correct blend of carbs to protein (based on the research) then you need to start using something like this post-workout drink like I do.

Anyway, when you see a news story like this one involving Michael Phelps, always remember to look for the positive lessons you can learn.

Keep healthy,

Curtis

There is a reason few people reach their goals and make their dreams come true.

Know what that reason is?

It's because they actually HAVE goals written down. The vast majority of people on this planet do not.

And not only do people that achieve goals actually set goals, they also create a a plan to make sure they make things happen.

So where does that leave you?

Do you keep telling yourself you are going to "lose some weight?" Or do you have specific goals and a plan to reach them?

Do you have a plan for what you're going to eat each day so you're not tempted to fill up on fast food? Do you have a deadline for when you're going to reach your goal?

Here's another one: you KNOW you need to be eating breakfast every day. Do you have nutritious food in the house you PLAN on eating each morning?

If not have you looked into taking advantage of a delicious meal replacement shake like Prograde Lean?

This is YOUR life. Whether you want your body to look better naked, you want to improve your health, you want to have more energy, or whatever your goal is, you MUST have written goals and a plan to achieve them.

Till next time everyone...

Curtis

PS - Fail to plan, plan to fail. Life is easy when you plan for it to be.

Did you know that a mere 12% of people achieve their
New Year's resolutions of losing weight, getting fit and eating right?

That means about 9 out of 10 people won't be losing any weight, getting fit or eating better. They'll just be back making the same resolutions for next year.

What if you could change all that and guarantee yourself success?

What would transforming your body (and lifestyle) mean to you?

When you transform yourself, you do much more than lose weight and trim off a bunch of inches….
- You become more confident.
- Your self-image improves.
- You gain control over your body and your eating behaviors.
- You realize that you are much stronger than you previously thought.
- You find out that you have the power to inspire and motivate others!

That's why this could be the most important thing you do
for yourself all year…

Announcing the “6 Week Total Body Transformation Contest” with Our Rapid Fire Results Workout System!

-Starts Monday, January 26 through Thursday, March 12, 2009 (just in time to get into shape before Spring Break)
-3 challenging, and time-efficient 30 minute workouts per week (not long, boring ineffective workouts)
-Weekly nutrition plans (which includes no dangerous weight loss pills or useless fad diets)
-Exclusive 24/7 personal trainer e-mail support to answer all your fitness and nutrition questions
-Offer good at Phoenix and Scottsdale boot camp locations
-Our website/blog viewers will vote on who they think has made the biggest transformation
-Prizes will include FREE MEMBERSHIPS to Arizona Fitness Boot Camp, Old Navy Gift Cards (because you won’t fit in your old clothes), private training sessions, and Fridge Makeovers…but most of all, your biggest prize will be a healthier, stronger YOU!
-Entry is just $225 per person for the 6 week contest

So are you going to wait another year to make real changes in your health and fitness?

Get started and invest in yourself today!

Get over to our Registration Page to secure your spot in this life changing challenge!

It's no wonder people have gained so much weight.

With TV commercials as misleading, people get confused – a lot of times, it’s just not their fault.

You're inundated with crummy information and myths every time you turn on the TV.

Cookies for breakfast? High fructose corn syrup “ok” because it’s “made from corn”.

Yeah, those are real commercials out there right now. I know, I know - don't get me started on that...well, OK - just a couple words ;) :

Are you joking? A while back they were even running a commercial for some silly Rice Puff product. It was in an office setting and someone had brought in cupcakes for everyone to enjoy.

One woman looked worried she was going to ruin her "diet" because of the temptation and decided to "fill up" on a Rice Puff product.

Come on. You have got to be smarter than that. You know darn well that a rice puff thingy is not going to fill you up and stop you from stuffing your face with cupcakes.

For one thing, you need to expect these junk food offers to arise. Whether you want six pack abs or just want to get to a perfectly healthy weight, you have to have a plan for temptation.

Second, that means you need to plan meals so you aren't completely starving when someone brings cupcakes to your office or something.

You know you need to eat small, frequent and nutritious meals if you really want to achieve fat loss.

Third, if you are looking for a great tasting healthy snack that fulfills your love of chocolate then look no further.

Prograde Cravers are just what the fitness pro ordered.

( Check them out here: http://curtis.getprograde.com/cravers )

Cravers are only 180 calories and they are made with 100% organic dark chocolate. They are completely delicious and just like our fast fat burning workouts, they are perfect for busy people on the go.

They even come in three flavors. Personally, I love the chocolate/peanut butter ones :).

Anyway, don't buy the hype on TV. You know better than that.

Keep healthy,

Curtis

PS - It ends this Thursday! Remember, Prograde Nutrition is currently having a BIG 10.9% off everything January Celebration Sale to celebrate the New Year and the fact they are now shipping to the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

Yes, that's 10.9 as in January of 2009 ;-)
Here are some other details I want to make sure you know about:
- Again, you receive 10.9% off all Prograde products.
- Offer expires Thursday, January 15th at 11:59pm EST.

- Yes, that 10.9% off will be applicable to SmartShip orders. But it only applies to that first purchase. Not ongoing.

- The coupon code you enter at checkout is:

012009

- The website is http://curtis.getprograde.com
- If you want to check out Prograde Cravers right away go here: http://curtis.getprograde.com/cravers

A colleague of mine, Craig Ballantyne, recently shared 3 Olympic Predictions:

Have you caught any of the Olympics yet?
Have an amazing week!

A colleague of mine, Mike Geary, sent me this...I have experienced it first hand many times, but I figured I'd let you see it for yourself.

If you have ever grabbed a protein bar hoping for a quick, healthy snack...you gotta see this:

There are so many types of "health bars" on the market today, how do you know if you're actually buying something healthy or junk food in disguise?

Again, just as I've talked about grocery store food choices, you really need to know how to read labels if you're going to stand a chance at finding a truly healthy food bar. To be quite honest, most of the bars out there are pure junk... candy bars disguised through labeling as a health food bar.

Just recently, I was going on a mountain bike ride and needed a quick bar to make sure I had enough energy for the ride.

Well, I didn't have any bars on me, so my friend gave me an extra Slimfast bar he had. Keep in mind that this Slimfast bar is marketed as a "health food", that is supposedly appropriate for someone trying to lose wt.

What a freakin joke these bars are!

In my opinion, these Slimfast bars are WORSE for you than a candy bar! The 1st ingredient in these bars is corn syrup!

Then the 2nd ingredient is sugar (yay more sugar!), followed by hydrogenated oils (trans fats), and then the list went on with nothing but junk such as artificial flavors, colors, more hydrogenated oils, nasty artificial sweeteners, and rounded out with some highly processed soy protein isolate just to give your body some more junk.

Back to these "worse for you than candy bars" Slimfast bars... not only are they a disaster nutritionally, but the bar tasted horrible... it tasted like chemicals and was way too overly sweet (not a surprise with all of the corn syrup, sugar, sugar alcohols, AND artificial sweeteners).

This is a prime example of "over-engineering" of food. So how do you determine a healthy bar?

I look for simplicity in a good bar.

Many of the healthiest and tastiest bars I've found have only a couple basic ingredients such as nuts, seeds, and fruit. I also look for organic ingredients and raw ingredients if possible. A couple of my favorite truly healthy bars:

1. Organic Food Bars - This is actually the brand name. Depending on which flavor, these are usually a base of organic almond butter (or cashew butter) with a certain type of fruit, organic seeds, organic biosprouts (quinoa, etc), and some organic rice protein. Some flavors include an organic dark chocolate as well. They also have a line of bars that use exclusively raw ingredients.

Not only are these bars extremely nutritious, but I think they are delicious as well and have a lot of flavors to choose from such as blueberry, cranberry, chocolate chip, high protein, and more. You won't find these bars at your local grocery store, but I have found them at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and several health food markets.

2. Larabars - These are even simpler in ingredients than organic food bars. Usually larabars are just 2 or 3 ingredients, and mostly raw... a blend of crushed nuts along with a type of fruit is the usual combination, but they have a lot of different flavors so it can vary. These are also delicious and you will NEVER see a list of chemicals a mile long in their ingredient list...usually just nuts and fruit, and that's it!

Simple IS better.

I don't know who this Lara is, but she made a great product. Again, I've found these at various health food markets.

3. Prograde Cravers - These are made by Prograde Nutrition. I know the founders of this company personally, so I have a high level of trust in their products. These are definitely some of the tastiest bars I've ever had (especially the peanut butter flavor!)... and they are also made with all organic ingredients using nut butters, rice protein, organic dark chocolate, etc.

You actually can't get these in any stores, but you can get these online at the following site: https://curtis.getprograde.com

When you actually find truly healthy bars like these examples above, they make great quick snacks while you're traveling or while you're at work. I carry some on me almost at all times, just to make sure I have healthy options to eat whenever I need a snack, so that I'm not tempted by fast food joints or junk food vending machines.

That's it for today. Please fwd this email on to your friends, family, and coworkers if you think it would help them make healthier choices.

Greetings Everyone!

Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Arizona Fitness Boot Camp blog! I am so excited to share my passion to help you live a more healthy, fitness oriented life. Since we opened our first camp at 5:30am on March 31, 2008 (special thanks to our "first to arrive at 4:45am" camper, Kim). This photo is "post-opening day" workout. To date, we have more than doubled the number of campers...due to WORD OF MOUTH referrals only...and I couldn't be more grateful for that. Over the past 7 weeks, we (as a camp team) have witnessed outstanding weight loss and fitness level improvement in everyone...ask Kristy about her new fitness lifestyle, ask Brenda about being in better cardiovascular shape; the list goes on...with so much more to come. Be sure to bookmark our site, www.ArizonaFitnessBootCamp.com because there will be exciting additions and announcements regarding new fitness workouts, nutritional supplements, and our exclusive Youth Fitness and Conditioning programs. Again, a heartfelt "thank you" for being part of Arizona Fitness Boot Camp!