In Good Faith

As Program Coordinator at Grace United Methodist Church in Decatur, Illinois, Penny Butts works on finding new activities and ways to grow the church. "Fit Clubs are really big in our city," says Penny. "So the idea to combine faith and fitness just seemed natural." She adds, "God wants us to worship our bodies. After all, they are our temples."

Penny approached the Board of Directors about having faith-based workouts at church as part of a community outreach program. "Initially, they liked the idea, but had concerns about running a business out of a church," she recalls. "But they set us up as a non-profit organization and got behind it quickly."



It wasn't long before Penny's club, "Grace, Faith, & Fitness" was off and running.



The gospel truth

Participants in Penny's club work out to the inspirational Body Gospel. A typical session begins with a welcome greeting, followed by a short prayer. Then, of course, it turns from salvation to sweat. "Body Gospel is such a unique and uplifting program!" she exclaims. "Everyone is enthusiastic and really enjoys it. People are always smiling as they're working out."



Penny believes that the church environment adds to the comfort level. "People don't have to be intimidated by a gym where everyone is super-fit looking," she reveals. "They can be themselves and not have to worry about being judged."



Penny's group also does a "Biggest Loser" Challenge. "It's basically a 90-day weight loss competition to see who can lose the greatest percentage of body weight," Penny explains. "We find out everyone's weight loss goals and track their progress week by week. Any money won from the competition goes right back into the Fit Club to buy things like exercise equipment or floor mats."



Spreading the word

Penny got the word out on local bulletin boards, doing display ads at the Church, and by utilizing social media. "We're constantly adding friends to our Facebook page," she says. "It's one of the best ways for regulars, as well as prospects to stay connected to us."



Penny also contacted local Television stations and newspapers. "They love to do 'feel good' stories," she explains. "Plus, a church doing a Fit Club to gospel music is completely unique."



And Penny's Fit Club received an added boost from an unlikely source. "The Chicago Tribune found out about our club through a newspaper in Orlando," she says. "They ran a story on the club and the exposure has been awesome!"



Growing by the numbers

Grace, Faith, & Fitness has come a long way since eight people showed up to the first session. "We're averaging about 30 people now, and last night we had 44!" Penny says with enthusiasm. "We're getting repeat customers, as well as new people all the time." She continues, "The church loves it and everyone has been thanking me."



But for Penny, nothing can trump the impact that the club has had on her personally. "So many of the people who are showing up have never even exercised before," she says. "A few obese men came in and just watched for the first 2 sessions. Now they're actively participating and making progress."



Penny goes on, "I'm seeing all different types of people—from those in their late 60's, to people who are 200 pounds overweight. It's incredibly rewarding to be making a difference to so many people!"



Coach's Playbook: Starting a Body Gospel Fit Club.

Present the idea to your church as part of a community outreach program.

Conduct a Biggest Loser contest. It will help people stay accountable to their goals.

Spread the word any way you can. Contact local television and radio stations and put up signs on community bulletin boards.

Utilize social media—friend as many people as you can on Facebook.

Sign up all of your participants for the free membership on WOWY®.

For more information on Team Beachbody click on the link :  HERE

Can Zigzag Dieting Work for You?

By Steve Edwards

One of the most effective dieting techniques we've found is zigzagging. Not to be confused with yo-yo dieting, zigzag is a technique that should be used anytime you want to increase or decrease your daily caloric intake, and can be used to find out what your caloric intake should be. Instead of moving straight to a new daily caloric number, you move in smaller increments on a staggered schedule. You hear the phase "listen to your body" all the time. Can Zigzag Dieting Work for You? actually teaches your body how to have a conversation with you.

Here's an example of how it works:

Say you're eating 1,500 calories a day and have been for a period of time during which you've lost weight. Now your weight loss has stagnated. This is a common scenario because the new, fitter you has a different body composition than the former you. You have more muscle and a higher basal metabolic rate (BMR). In order to continue your weight loss, you need to eat more, because 1,500 calories isn't enough—even though it once was—and now your body is reacting by slowing its metabolism and releasing cortisol in a protective response (often called starvation mode because this is how your body would respond to being starved).

It's possible this could be a lot more calories, depending on one's size. A large person who should be eating, say, 2,500 calories to maintain his or her optimal weight could lose weight by massively undereating when he or she is deconditioned. As this person's body composition changes, he or she will need more calories to continue to lose weight. So let's say this individual figures to need 2,500 calories a day.

Weight times 10, plus 10 percent to 30 percent for daily activity depending on how active you are, plus the estimated caloric burn of your exercise, or just click here to calculate your caloric needs at TeamBeachbody.com.

You don't want to jump straight to 2,500 calories. First, it would create a shock to your system, and second, it may be wrong, as those calculators only give ballpark figures. The most effective thing to do is to zigzag your caloric intake. In this instance, I would recommend eating 2,000 calories per day for 3 to 4 days a week and 1,500 calories on the other days. Then, you note how your body responds, which I would expect to be positively on the higher caloric days and by feeling famished on the low-cal days.

You want to be energized but not hungry, so after a week or two of this, I would bump up to around 2,200 calories a day for 4 or 5 days, and 1,500 calories a day for 2 days for maybe one week. If you're still starving on the low days, try bumping them up to 2,000 calories a day and see how you respond. Use this tactic until you regulate, which means that you're energized but not hungry, and also not full. You can tell when you're eating too many calories because you'll begin to feel full, you won't digest your food between meals, and you'll feel more lethargic at the beginning of workouts.

Zigzag dieting works whether you need to reduce or increase your caloric intake, and whether you need a subtle change or a dramatic change. .There is no numbers formula except to increase/decrease in small increments between 200 and 500 calories a day, and to zigzag your caloric intake 2 to 4 times per week. Then, you just listen and let your body tell you how much you should eat



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