jwshumate’s BodyBlog

Going to LA in a few weeks for some business meetings but also get to do a shoot at Ironman studios, I’m treating this like a contest prep to see what it’s like dropping down to skin-thin BF levels.  Using a fat burner, cutting down calories, hitting the gym hard, haven’t measured but pretty sure I’m down into single digits now, hope to land at about 6% by the shoot.  Pretty interesting about how the brain needs calories and carbs just like the body, things get a bit flakey at times and you really have to focus and maintain.  Going to take my new CF bike out tomorrow for about an hour to ride hard and set the metabolism on fire.  Tomorrow night going over to the NGA NW here in Boise, I’ll be doing some interviews there for the bb.c site, should be a lot of fun.  If you’re in Boise and headed over to this give me a shout!

I’m about 8 weeks out from my first half marathon of an ambitious season, had an intestinal bug that set me back last week, gotta get going hard now, this is billed as the toughest race in the northwest, 8 miles up over a 4,600 ft. summit, then 5 miles down.  I’ve been so into lifting this winter that mentally I’m having  challenges shifting away from it towards running, when workout time comes I feel more like lifting than running, I’m sure that will change as the weather warms up but no time to wait for that.  Last night I downloaded a bunch of new iPod songs to get me more excited and motivated. Always fun to see the body change with heavy running as the excess BF melts away (along with some muscle but not too bad). 

Anyone else out there doing the same lifting-to-running transition now?  How’s it going? 

How many people do you know and care about that will drop their "new year’s resolution" on fitness in about three weeks?  As BodySpace members and fitness enthusiasts, we are ambassadors to the health and fitness world, and with that carries a responsibility. In 2009, rather than making another resolution about your own health and fitness goals, instead make your 2009 resolution to reach out to people about changing their lives.

Think of the people in your life that neglect their health.  We look at them and just know what an incredible physique they carry under all that excessive bodyfat.  We know that beneath the neglect lies a natural athlete, wiating to be sprung free. Do you care enough about the people in you life to insist they change their lifestyle?

Health and fitness are our most priceless asset in life.  Is this your own personal well-kept secret?  If so, you’re not recognizing your own ability to impart positive change in other people’s lives. Get the word out.  Evangilize health and fitness to someone you care about, reach out and ask them to change.

What’s the first step?  Tell them about BodySpace.  Better yet, sit down with them, log on, sign them up, and show them how it works.  Get them on a fitness routine and show them how fun it is to share their health and fitness journey with the other 250,000 active BodySpace members.  Personally hold them accountable. Do this for five people in your life you care about who need health and fitness in their lives. 

Make 2009 your most important new-year’s resolution ever, the year you decide to reach out and help others.  BodyBuilding.com and BodySpace are here to support your efforts.

What will you do with 2009?  We’re all blessed with an entire new year that’s been handed to us, a blank slate to fill in however we’d like for it to look.  What an incredible time and place to be alive, a unique place in history where liberty and self determination allows us to set our own personal goals, persue them with our own commitement of will and energy, and then let the results speak for who we are. 

 Who would you like to be in 2009?  For anything related to health and fitness, Bodybuilding.com is your partner.  Want to add that extra mass?  Set a new BF goal?  How about setting a new PR for your running, cycling, swimming, or tri event?  Maybe you want to move up a level in tennis (yes, that’s right, strength training and proper nutrition play an important part in any sport). 

Make 2009 the year for changing your life.  Start now.  Set a goal that’s important to you, then research BB.C on how to achieve it.  Make your goal public on Bodyspace.  Then commit yourself to the goal, every day, starting today.  Turn your thoughts into actions, visualize what you will be at the end of your goal completion date.  Work. Sacrifice. Push yourself beyond you present limits. 

2009 is your year. 

How many people, out of our total population, do you suppose would like to be healthier, fitter, and change their appearance to reflect this?  It’s probably a large number, but too many just don’t see changing their lives as possibility for themselves.  Why not?  Out of many possible factors, the biggest is probably an inability to create that critical visualization of the future self, the understanding that we all have the power within ourselves to change into whatever we want to be, provided we are willing to set goals and make some sacrifices.

Have you ever watched new gym member prospects taking a gym tour?  Notice the look of bewilderment on their faces, watching everyone cranking away with their well-polished routines, most looking very fit.  It’s as though these folks are thinking "look at these people, I can’t do this, I’m not able to do what these people do".  Bodybuilding.com carries a distinct and passionate mission of helping people achieve their health, fitness, and appearance goals through information, motivation, and supplimentation - for everyone.  Not just for bodybuilders.  Not just for jocks. Not just for ex-gymnasts and track stars - for everyone.  Everyone who wants to change themselves, who wants to grab ahold of their lives and manage their bodies, their attitudes, their spirit. 

For all of us who have traveled any distance on the health and fitness road, inlcusiveness should be our goal.  After all, if you love people what more could you want for them than health and fitness, for it carries no price tag.  Reach out to someone today, everyday, and invite them to participate in this wonderful journey. 

So I’m the new marketing director @ bodybuilding.com and after about six weeks on the job and a couple of butt kicks from my boss I’m starting up my blog.  I came to bb.c out of high-tech and have about 20 year of marketing and business management experience, but most importantly I’ve been a fitness geek (or freak) for most of my life and a big bb.c fan for the base five years or so.  Very cool for me to be involved in all of this. 

 The internal culture here is just what you’d expect if you’re a frequent site user - intense passion for understanding what the customer wants and needs and delivering that service in a world-class way that consistently exceeds expectations.  The gig here is all about helping people everywhere take control of their bodies, providing a tool-set that includes knowledge, a peer support base, and nutritional supplements.  Have you ever searched this site and not found the fitness-related material you wanted?  I never have, but if you have let me know (john.shumate@bodybuildng.com). 

One key aspect we’ll be working on in 2009 is inclusiveness - that bodybuilding is for everyone, indifferent to gender, age, body type, experience, goals.  More about that on my next post.