Jodi Braun & Janet Fox

That’s where my feelings are right now.  I know I am doing everything that I am supposed to and we can only control so much.  The rest is up to the body to cooperate.  So, I just keep moving along, taking one day at a time and one moment at a time.  This is why I consider every competition prep a journey because every time there are differences that take place.  The way your body adjusts, diet, workouts and don’t forget the mental aspect that can really start playing with your head.  With all of this going on I push through and still have other girls that I’m helping get ready for the same show I’m preparing for.  Like I have said before, helping out these women and being able to see everyone’s personality’s shine through is very exciting and it keeps me motivated!

I know for them it’s good to be able to discuss different aspects of this whole prep with someone like me who understands all of the physical and emotional aspects that take place.  They can vent and I can provide feedback , trying to keep their worries from taking over.

Cardio has increased to 45 min per day and workouts are becoming more intense as well.  Not sure what you all imagine as intense but an example would be flipping a 200-pund tire over,  40 times!  Ha! My arms felt the intensity for 3 days after! lol All of the box jumping and leaping jump squats seem to be effecting the soreness in my hip flexors (wow!) but it’s all worth it in the end right? I know it is and this is why I like pushing myself to the limit.

It’s an adrenaline rush for me and I always feel awesome when the workout is complete.

I am eating chicken now 4 times per day but I don’t mind.  I really like chicken anyway and even in my off season, chicken and fish are staples in my regimen.  At 11.9 % body fat, I am still holding my weight at 130 lbs.  This is the longest I have been able to hold it this high.

I keep crossing my fingers it will remain there.

Just so you can see the level at which all can be inspired by, the picture included this week is of myself and client Janet Fox.  About to turn 64, this coming April will be her 2nd figure show she is getting ready for.  I am truly inspired by her and feel blessed that I can train and prepare her once again.  She is also part of the dotFIT nutrition regimen with Warren’s expertise.

-Jodi

My calorie burn has increased to another couple hundred per day.

Jodi Braun doing plyometrics

Now, with addition to another day of cardio for 40 minutes, my weekly calorie burn has increased as well. My average calorie burn per day before was 2600 and now it’s 3000.  Still performing my plyometrics at the end of my weight training, and things are becoming intense.  Although the plyos are a bit torturous the feeling of achievement afterwards is my high.  Just when I think to myself “I’m not going to make it”, Warren pushes me to the edge and I love every minute of it.  Well, it’s a love/hate relationship.

Not only has cardio changed, my diet has as well.  I was having two dotFIT Pre/post workout shakes a day but now it’s down to one.  One of them was replaced with chicken and sweet potato.  As of right now, I eat chicken 3 times per day.  My bodyfat percentage is 12.6 and I am still holding my weight at 130 lbs.  I am so happy with this.  I explain to my female clients that the number on the scale doesn’t mean as much as they think.

It’s odd to women to hear my joy when my weight increases or remains the same.  Go by how your clothes fit more so than looking at the numbers.  Of course when beginning a healthy lifestyle, your weight will decrease but at some point that slows down, don’t get so caught up in a specific number.  If you are gaining muscle, keep in mind muscle weighs more than fat.  These dotFIT supplements are helping me retain muscle as I decrease my body fat.  This is so important right now that my size remains and I just chizzle my body into a sculpture.  Exciting isn’t it??

I have just began some practice with my mandatory poses and it looks like my hamstrings have gained some size.  All I can hope for is that I have improved from the last time and I have given my best with the preparation and my performance.  There is only so much I can control and I am giving it my all!!!!

-Jodi

So from here on in we will be taping more workouts, posing practice, diet information and anything Anthony Fiore will catch on film.  This should be very interesting.  As a little girl I had always wanted “The Jodi Show” and I guess I now have it!

Jodi Braun, 9 weeks from showtime

Coming in March I will be hosting a figure workshop in Premier Fitness in New York.  It will be a 3-hour workshop where I will supply all figure girls with information on posing, suit choice, hair, make-up, tanning and stage walks.  I will also be able to supply information on dieting and the use and benefit of dotFIT products.  It should be a fun, exciting afternoon with a lot of wonderful knowledge to share.  So, c’mon future figure girls, it’s time to get started!

My progression is going quite well.  With the start of plyometrics after the weight training workouts this week, I seem to be burning an extra 150- 200 calories depending on the duration of the workout. This week could be the start or incorporating plyos in between sets of weight training.  This is where the serious calorie burn is about to begin and as we progress further and closer to the show, I am expecting that things will begin to sky rocket.  I always look forward to my next meal even though sometimes only an hour has passed.  This lets me know my body is picking up the pace.  My rest between sets will only be 30 seconds and duration of plyos will be 20-30 seconds.  My after workout plyometrics have been including everything from sled pulling to sprinting to box jumping, with only 30 second rests.  Next week I will give a sample of a typical day workout.  You already know about my dead lifting on a leg day.  The leg day is the only day no plyos are incorporated.  Too exhausting on the legs to be able to get a strong leg workout.  After dead lifting, it’s followed by box squats, leg presses and hyperextensions.

I will begin practicing my posing within the next week or so and I have to start thinking about my routine and what music I am going to use to get me going on the stage.  There is so much to think about (on top of the grueling workouts) that’s going to get me there.  Right now I am doing sessions with women in helping them learn posing and perfecting their stage walks.  Although at times it’s hard to stay focused and give these women everything you have to make them succeed, it also is what keeps me motivated to do my best.  I really never

realize how much of a role model I can be for someone else.  Many clients I have watched reach their goal with my help and it is so rewarding.

Now we go into week 7 and have approached almost the halfway mark.  I am so ready for what the next 9 weeks will bring.  I know for sure intensity and determination are what the next weeks are all about. It’s crunch time!

If anyone is interested in information on the figure workshop, you can contact me yummy76@optonline.net. I will be able to not only assist in your pre-contest prep but share with you how effective great nutrition and dotFIT supplements are to achieving your goals.

The picture attached is me 9 weeks out from showtime.  Let the transformation begin!!!!

-Jodi

This week we are going to begin a weekly recorded documentary with the wonderful help of Anthony Fiore of Ocean Rock Studios.  We are going to document one workout per week leading up to the show.  This is a very exciting project getting under way, especially after just having my picture in this issue of Fitness & Physique.  Many wonderful things are happening and I am just planning on soaking it all in.

Along with all of my prep for the competition I am helping other women get ready for the show as well.  I hold figure workshops for women at all levels who want to either perfect their routines or women just beginning.  In these workshops I discuss not only presentation and posing but suit choice, hair, make-up, workouts and tanning.  I leave the diet to dotFIT and Warren’s guidance and between the both of us, a woman’s determination, goal and dream come true.  It’s a wonderful for me to be a part of someone else’s journey.  The best feeling is to watch your client grow not just physically but mentally as well and watching their confidence grow.  To have a part in it and become their role model is one reason I absolutely love my job. It does make you feel like you made a difference.

I practice what I preach and because I live the lifestyle it keeps my clients motivated.  Motivation can pick you up and take you further than you ever dreamed to go.  So keep your expectations higher than you can imagine.  A healthy lifestyle mixed with determination and desire will take you further than you ever thought possible.  Believe me, I know, I’m living it.

-Jodi

Plyometrics or known as plyos are explosive movements such as box jumps, squat thrusts or mountain climbers. It is pretty endless on the type of exercises one can do but these are examples.  They keep the heart rate up and are great for agility and over all conditioning.  As these weeks go on and I get more compact, I will be boppin’ and flyin’ all over the gym like a jumping bean! LOL

I am getting hungrier and sometimes in the middle of the night I get some hunger pains but I ignore it and roll over back to sleep. If it begins to become bothersome, I will have a couple of sips of carbonated water. That seems to calm it down. Then when my alarm in the morning goes off it’s a mad dash to the kitchen to inhale my egg whites and oatmeal!!!

My cheat meal for the week is more exciting now than ever.  Every week I am entitled to one cheat meal of whatever I choose to eat.  It could be pizza, burger or ice cream but it is just one meal.  Saturday nights are a national holiday in my home!  The last month or so prior to the competition these cheats are eliminated but I will enjoy them now while I can.  This past Saturday night was a guacamole fest! Wooo hoooo !!!!

My calorie burn is approximately the same but now with my cardio increased and another class added to my weekly schedule, let’s see if it changes.  My day begins anywhere from 4:30 am to 5:00 am and I sometimes do not get home until 7:30pm depending on my clientele for the day.  I have a long day to burn, burn, burn so in just a 12 hour period it is anywhere from 2500 to 3000 as of right now.

I am pretty impressed with my lifting because this week I dead lifted 200 lbs for 5 reps and that beat my top record.  I am getting stronger as my body fat decreases.  I am at 14.6 % and I can feel it has declined from there.  My abdominals are becoming more prominent and I am a little more vascular as well.  I just feel really happy that I still am getting stronger and my weight still remains at 132 lbs.  It is very important I hold on to my mass these next 2 1/2 months.  This is where the importance of the supplements and vitamins are crucial.  dotFIT has a wonderful line of supplements that are truly healthy to the body whether you are competing or are just living a normal healthy lifestyle.

You can see what it is doing for me!

- Jodi

Before we start down this road of dietary supplements and weight loss, let’s remember that supplements alone are NOT a weight loss program, whereas diet and exercise alone can be. But properly used and formulated supplements can accelerate progress and make the chore easier, giving users a greater chance of sticking with their chosen method of weight loss. And on that note, let’s look at dotFIT’s position on dietary supplements and weight loss. Click here to read more on dotFIT.com.

I also became best friends with my Exerspy. I find it very interesting to see my calorie burn throughout the day. It seems on a normal day without teaching classes I burn about 2500 per day. The days I teach classes it’s around 3000 per day. When I say per day, it’s a 12 hour period. I also wear it while I sleep and after uploading the information, it actually shows at what time I got up during the night to go to the bathroom and how many steps it took me to get there!!! Pretty cool, right? I will try to give updates during the week to give you more
detailed readings. Now that my diet has changed a bit and my cardio has increased, there should be some changes. As of right now considering I take in 1600 calori

Jodi Braun, dotFIT Sponsored Athlete

es, I am burning almost twice that per day! WOW! I can’t wait to see the results as I get more intense with my activity closer to show time!

My body fat did not change much from last week. Yes, I was a bit disappointed but menses had to do with it along with the fact that at a certain point your body reaches a homeostasis and change is needed. The calipers cannot differentiate between holding water and fat tissue, so many times Warren makes changes by eye.  My calories remained the same but bread is out. My light English muffin changed to oatmeal for breakfast. I still have my egg whites but half of my banana was cut out as well. For lunch I was eating turkey on light whole wheat bread. This has now changed to 4 oz of chicken breast with small sweet potato and my whole apple became 1/2 as well. Between this change in my diet and my increase in cardio, there should be a change this week. I was doing 25 min of cardio 4 times a week. Now it’s 5 days at 30 minutes.

Changes in my body are very minimal but I can see some striations coming back to my shoulders and chest I love watching the changes take place. It’s so scientific!!!!  So, I’m sure some of you are wondering if I’m feeling tired yet?  No, not yet. I’m an even 15% body fat and I usually don’t start to feel it until 11% but each journey is different.

My dead lift this week was pretty good. 185 for 5 reps. My personal best is 200 lbs for 2 reps. I hope to surpass that by 50 lbs before the competition but we shall see. I squatted 205 for 7 repetitions and I have been feeling it the last 2 days!!! LOL  Usually on our leg day we will do leg press and hyperextensions as well.  I wanted to share with all of you that I was born with 2 hernias and have had them both repaired within the last 15 years. I am very careful with my lifting and concentrate on form and breathing all the time. It seems many athletes have had injuries in the past but can still push through with them. Just perform cautiously and you will be fine. For those of you that have had injuries or do now, I know it’s
frustrating but just know that muscle does have memory so whatever you think you have lost will come back stronger. Rest is good and we all need rest for us to improve. We don’t like to admit it but it is true.

So, I have reached the 12 week point! Let the games begin!!!!!! I’m focused and determined!

–Jodi

Jodi Braun & her coach Warren Fahrenfeld of Premier Fitness

I am on a real kick using the dotFIT pre/post workout protein shake and making it into a pudding.  Slowly add your water to the powder, mixing until you have found the perfect consistency.  Add a tablespoon of all natural peanut butter and a little cinnamon and put into fridge for an hour so.  The best tasting healthy snack without the guilt!!!!!!! Besides those delicious in-between meals, my diet consists of egg whites, light whole grain breads, measured amounts of fruit/veggies, turkey, chicken and complex carbs.  Condiments are used but within reason and of course meal replacement bars and shakes. Diet  is clean and using the supplements and vitamins that I do from dotFIT makes my body feel even more clean.

As far as how my workouts are progressing, I am lifting heavy as ever.  When doing chest this week, I benched 135 lbs for 4 reps. Considering that is more than what I weigh, I was thrilled with it.  Chest is one of the parts that makes me nervous but I have to say that the fear is what pushes me to do it.  I conquer it and it will only make me stronger mentally and

physically.  And considering dead lifting is new to my weekly routine, 200 lbs for 2 reps isn’t so bad either.  I will continue to lift as heavy as possible for at least a couple of weeks. Until then, anymore personal world records, I will share with all of you!!!!!

This is also going to be the first full week that I will collect data using the exerspy armband calorie and activity tracking system that works with the dotFIT Me Program.  If you have not yet looked into this program on line, check it out at www.dotFIT.com. You record and analyze activity which will then enable you to hit your target goal. I am very curious to see my progress of calories burned throughout the day as my training gets more intense and as calories are slowly cut.  This is quite an interesting tool. I will share all of my data collected with this tool and as my body begins to transform, I will share updated pictures as well.

I feel very motivated about this competition and I know a lot of it has to do with being home.  I will admit to feeling some pressure about performing well because of the fact all of my supporters will be there and I want to do right. So, my only thought has to remain throughout the next 13 weeks, which is…I am going to ROCK THAT STAGE! I have everything and everyone I could possibly have in my corner. Visualization and positivity is the key.

I say out loud to myself, “C’mon Jodi girl, you got this!”

Keep in mind when following Jodi’s exploits that she is a VERY experienced lifter and that many of the strategies and exercise methods she employs are extreme and exceptionally demanding. This blog series is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be specific advice on what to do for your porgram. As always, be sure your are medically and physically sound before beginning any exercise or nutrition program.

Week #1

Hello everyone! My name is Jodi Braun and throughout the next 14 weeks I will be sharing with you my insightful information on my transformation as I get ready for my 3rd professional figure competition. It will take place April 17th in West Nyack, New York. Premier Fitness is promoting the event and added a pro figure category. It’s very rare I get to compete on home turf where all my friends and family can be there to show support, so I am jumping on this opportunity.

I am fitness trainer at Premier Fitness and teach group fitness as well. I hold workshops getting other women ready for figure and fitness. I assist in stage presence, posing, suit choice, and more. Warren Fahrenfeld is the nutritionist/coach here. He has been the one to get me ready for each event since day 1. Using dotFIT nutrition we have been able to get my conditioning, strength and muscle mass to the next level.

dotFIT Sponsored Athlete & Personal Trainer Jodi Braun

I wasn’t really into sports when I was younger except for an occasional game of volleyball or softball. Though I enjoyed playing I never took it seriously enough to be on a team for school. I started lifting weights in college and I fell in love from there. After training myself for a couple years, I trained friends. From there I knew the gym was where I was meant to be and I began studying to be certified as a fitness trainer. I was certified with ISSA, Apex, dotFIT and next plan to  get an NASM certification. I have worked in a couple of gyms prior to Premier Fitness part-time but now this is what I do full time. I live it, breathe it, and I keep clients motivated because of it.

At the time when Warren approached me about competing, I was a member at the gym and not yet employed. I wasn’t sure if I had what it took to do it and dismissed the idea. After about a year of Warren approaching me I finally gave in and said I would give it a shot. Well, needless to say I was hooked and loved everything about it. I enjoyed the discipline needed to make it and the feeling of accomplishment when it was time to take the stage.

In 2008, at my 5th amateur figure competition, I won overall and gained professional status at the OCB Mid-Atlantic Classic in Burlington, New Jersey. It was one of the most memorable moments in my life. I made my pro debut October of 2009. I didn’t place where I would have liked to but I knew what I had to do in order to place better 6 weeks later at the Yorton World Championships. Confidence was a must and it was the hardest 6 weeks I have ever experienced. Warren had trained me for those 6 weeks and my conditioning was better than ever before. I placed 5th!!!! I was thrilled to be in the top 5 and standing with fellow women who were my role models.

So, here I am again ready to take on another journey. That’s exactly what this is and I want to make everyone at home proud! Every time I have begun another cycle of preparation I say to myself, “Okay, it’s time!!!” So here we go! With the help of dotFIT, Warren’s nutritional guidance and support from my biggest fans, it’s time to shine and that’s what I plan on doing.

Week 1 is now complete. Cardio is pretty minimal at this point and I’m still lifting pretty heavy. In about 6 to 8 weeks the type of workout will change. Every week my body fat % is monitored and my diet changes based on what Warren sees. At 15 weeks out I started at 16.9%. My goal is not to get to a certain % but more of what will it take to get my body to peak. Last competition I was at 6.5%, but with each show it varies.

I’m pretty psyched about this competition and excited to share it with all of you. Keep checking in week to week as I post each milestone that I overcome over the next few months. I hope to inspire you as I am inspired.

Jodi

New Year’s Goals and Statistics

Roughly 50% of the adult population makes a New Year’s resolution (NYR), and more than half of these people give up before the end of March. Over 90% of these “resolvers” will have ditched the resolution before the end of the year. Meaning the problem was not resolved (well, at least they are ready for next year’s resolution).

The most popular NYRs should be no surprise: lose weight, exercise more and eat healthier. So the aforementioned success statistics for NYRs should not be a surprise to anyone considering over 90% of all people attempting losing weight fail to achieve their goals in the long term. In fact, most people will end up heavier than when they started, giving them the perfect reason start over again.

Nothing has worked because nothing fits

Today’s weight loss programs and current dietary and exercise guidelines obviously have not solved anything. Consider the continuous growth in overweight and obesity, which is now increasing at its fastest pace. At this rate our entire population will be overweight or obese by 2030. Also consider the irony of life being busier and forcing us to move less. We push buttons to send information around the world and to move our bodies from one place to the next. This is out of necessity; if we had to walk information or manually transport ourselves from place to place, we would be knocked back to the Stone Age. As I always like to say, we live in a world where we must “hurry up to sit somewhere else.”  Hence the double whammy: we eat more because we are always sitting (and food is there) and we move less because, well, we are always sitting. It’s the perfect recipe for continuous weight gain and the immovable barrier to achieving and maintaining weight loss. And it’s no wonder current guidelines fall on deaf ears – they don’t fit in the modern world.

Current diet and exercise guidelines for weight control compared to actual practices

These are the current recommendations for calories in (diet) and calories out (exercise):

• Calories in:

–      1600-2100 kcal per day: 3 servings whole grains, 5-9 servings fruits & veggies (select from all 5 vegetable sub-groups), very lean protein and 3 servings dairy

• Calories out:

–      60 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity a day to prevent weight gain; 60-90 minutes a day to maintain weight loss

These are our current actual practices for calories in and out:

• Calories in (top 5 foods):

–      1-Sugared beverages; 2-cake & sweet rolls; 3-hamburgers; 4-pizza; 5-potato & corn chips

• Calories out (top activities):

–      1-driving a car; 2-office work; 3-watching TV or movies; 4-taking care of children; 5- an activity performed while sitting quietly; 6-eating. It’s all sitting!

Results of using current diet programs including behavioral & lifestyle approaches:

• 80% gain weight back in the first year
• 95% return to original weight or higher in within 5 years

The facts above show that current weight loss guidelines and solutions are virtually useless against our 21^st century environment.

Out with the old and in with the new – do it your way

You now have one guideline to follow: control your weight/body fat into a healthy range any way you can by managing your calories any way you want. In other words, do it YOUR WAY. You can do this by: 1) paying attention regularly using a device that measures your calories in compared to your calories out; and 2) portion control of whatever you choose to eat.

For weight loss, make sure whatever you eat averages fewer calories than whatever you burn until you hit your weight goal. Use simple modern devices (e.g. exerspy, scale, etc.) to keep you on track. The rest will take care of itself. In other words, if necessary (and only as you become ready), better overall diet and exercise habits will take form as the body improves, but only because you created the path and therefore own any behavioral change. You will not succeed trying to force a lifestyle change including trying to fit into a certain program – just look at the statistics. You must create your own program by fitting it to YOUR lifestyle, where your life is the exercise and your food is the diet.

Summary

So there you have it, finally a TRUE News Year’s Fitness Resolution you can keep because it that doesn’t require you change your lifestyle: put on an exerspy, set the goal, live your life and follow the number using two simple rules:

• Keep your weight trending where it belongs by paying attention regularly
  • Manage your calories anyway you want to the desired body weight using a tool that gives you instant visibility on what’s happening before it happens
  • Eat the best you can because it’s not what you eat but how much
    • Use portion control – you can eat anything you want, just not everything you want