Happy New Year Special!

Happy New Year everyone! I always love the beginning of a new year. I feel like I can start over and do/accomplish anything I want, become who I want to be, I can take on the world. It's the time when we all sit down and really nail down those goals that we want to accomplish for the year.

Some of my goals for this year include doing acts of service weekly, getting more motivated to exercise (Yes, even I have a hard time buckling down and exercising daily, hehe), and living a healthier life (An O! lifestyle)... along with many more. It's always important to prioritize your goals, to be realistic, as well as to take babysteps (don't try and take it all on in one week). I like to start one goal the first week, then once I'm getting used to that, I'll add another goal the next week, etc.

So, for those of you who have set goals about health, exercise, your bodyshape... we wanted to give you some free tools to motivate you and to track your progress. Happy New Year!

FREE Chart Your Success

PLUS

FREE Measuring Tape

Promo Code: SUCCESS09

To help you with your goals Every order of the TV Special or $35 or more receives a Chart Your Success book and a tape meaure FREE! Enter promotional code SUCCESS09 in the shopping cart to take advantage of this special. This special is good clear through the end of January, so get those goals for 2009 set and receive your free tools asap.

Make this the year that you get healthy and feel great about yourself. All it takes is some determination, and we will give you the tools you need to track your progress and you can watch the inches roll off. What better time than now to commit to a healthy Oxycise! lifestyle.

You can do it!

Who loves Africa?

Ever since I was 18 years old, I've had a special affinity for Africa. I had the opportunity to live in Lusaka, Zambia for 5 weeks then. I went down with Mothers without Border since a close friend of ours started the company. It was incredible. I got to live with a family down there, the Sifaya's, and live how they live. They taught me to cook their nshima, I learned to hand wash my clothes, best of all I fell in love with the people. Every day was spent teaching in an Elementary School, spending time at a Foundation for Street Kids and Orphans -- teaching them to read, do puzzles, art, etc., also we would visit the hospital once a week to hang out with those who never had anyone to visit them. It was incredible, a totally different world, I loved it.

Why do I bring this up now? So many years after I was able to live among the beautiful city of Lusaka, why mention it now? Well, my mom, Jill Johnson, is now living in Africa with her husband, Ray. They are living in Ghana... but for a much longer time than I lived there. They will be there until mid-2010. She's spent so many years dedicating her time to Oxycise! and bringing others to love themselves and their bodies. So many of you have felt her influence and your lives have been changed.

Now, she's off to take care of the world. She will spend her time in Ghana serving the people and helping where it is needed and bringing hope to Ghana. She sends her love to all of you and still loves the updates on how everyone is doing, so keep on writing us. We love to hear from you.

It's all new

The stress of filming the new videos is over... and we are sooo excited to finally get them out. They should be available by January. We filmed them outdoors on this beautiful green grass, with trees and the gorgeous mountains behind. My mom, Jill, actually found the location. She's so great. She's been the one to keep everyone motivated and loving exercise more than ever, because Oxycise! is that great. It's just accessible to everyone. Ever since I was young I always wanted to be like my mom, as I got older I started wanting to take over Oxycise!, I had no idea I might actually make exercise videos like hers. She's such a great example and I'm blessed to follow in her footsteps.

I have such mixed emotions about these new videos, nervousness, excitement, but I just know others will benefit from them. They are the same workout, just updated... new music, new people, closed captioning, a testimonials section, and I'm the one leading the workout. The first time I'll really be introduced to the public... Jill's daughters carrying on her legacy. Only one month away. Eek, we're so excited!

Losing Weight Safely - from the U.S. FDA

If You're Overweight, Slim Down for Better Health

Overweight people have an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and other illnesses. Losing weight reduces the risk. The following tells you how to lose weight safely.

Ask Your Doctor About Sensible Goals

Your doctor or other health worker can help you set sensible goals based on a proper weight for your height, build and age.

Men and very active women may need up to 2,500 calories daily. Other women and inactive men need only about 2,000 calories daily. A safe plan is to eat 300 to 500 fewer calories a day to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week.

Exercise 30 Minutes

Do at least 30 minutes of exercise, like brisk walking, (or Oxycise!) most days of the week.

The idea is to use up more calories than you eat. You need to use up the day's calories and some of the calories stored in your body fat.

Eat Less Fat and Sugar

This will help you cut calories. Fried foods and fatty desserts can quickly use up a day's calories. And these foods may not provide the other nutrients you need.

Make sure your other foods that day are low in fat and calories.

Eat a Wide Variety Of Foods

Variety in the diet helps you get all the vitamins and other nutrients you need.

Watch Out for Promises of Quick And Easy Weight Loss

Fad diets aren't good because they often call for too much or too little of one type of food. As a result, you may not get important nutrients you need daily.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't true.

What About Diet Pills?

Diet pills you buy without a prescription won't make a big difference in how much you lose each week or how long you keep the weight off. If you do use them, read the label carefully. Because of possible side effects, like high blood pressure, never take more than the listed dose.

Also, be careful about taking cough or cold medicines with diet pills you buy without a prescription. These medicines may contain the same drug used in diet pills, or a similar drug with the same effects. If you take both products together, you may get too much of the same type of drug. This can hurt you.

Before taking a cough or cold medicine while using diet pills, ask your pharmacist if it's OK.

Prescription diet pills may help some people. If you use them, follow the doctor's directions carefully.

Before Signing Up for a Weight-Loss Program, ask Questions

Does the Company:

• Explain all costs?
• Include weight control over a long time?
• Have proof of success, not just praise by other people?
• Give a clear, truthful statement of how you're going to lose weight, including how much and how fast?
• Teach how to eat healthfully and exercise more?

For More Information

• Please visit our website: http://www.oxycise.com/
• E-mail: info@oxycise.com
  

New Oxycise! Level 1 and Level 2 Coming!

Hey all you faithful Oxycisers!

It's time to update our Level 1 and Level 2 exercise videos!

We need your help!

We need any and all ideas that you would like to keep or change from the previous videos. We want to make these videos how you picture them, and we appreciate all of your input so far. Get your responses in soon so they can be put into effect.

Please fill out this short survey.

Thank you so much for your suggestions and feedback. We value each one of you and are always here to answer your questions and help keep you moving towards your goals.

Add the Oxycise! blog to your blog

If you feel that this has been helpful to you and that it may also be beneficial to others, please consider adding it as a resource link on your website or blog!

Does oxygen burn fat? YES.

I get so excited when I see good articles educating people on the benefits of oxygen. It is fantastic that the word is spreading about the usefulness and incredibility of oxygen. Increasing your oxygen right now is probably one of the healthiest things to do. Go ahead and take some deep belly breaths right now, you'll feel better, I promise.

This is an article by Baldwin about burning fat with oxygen. Just check out what he found in all of his research on the topic.

"Sure, you know how to breathe...or do you? And do you know what breathing can do for you...beyond keeping you alive, that is? Did you know that breathing properly can help you burn fat even better than some exercises? In fact, studies by a California university have shown that simply deep breathing can help burn up to 140% more calories than riding an Exercycle.

Obviously, oxygen is important for life, and I think we can all agree that it would seem reasonable to assume that it has a great deal of importance for health, fitness, and weight loss. Not as obvious is that several factors have made our attention to oxygen even more important in the last few years. Studies show that the level of oxygen in the air we breathe is diminishing due to pollution and climate shifts.

Not only is the level of available oxygen diminishing, but due to the stresses of modern life and lack of physical activity, modern Americans breathe shallowly and process oxygen less efficiently. Most of us have never been shown how to breathe properly, and we are poorly able to take in and process the oxygen that can contribute to a successful weight loss program.

Oxygen, when used effectively, can increase metabolism, flush fat-trapping toxins from the body, and increase energy, decrease fatigue, and encourage a healthy lifestyle which can lead to a multi-level attack on fat in the body.

Oxygen is required by our intestines to help effectively process and absorb nutrients. In fact, this area requires more oxygen than most other tissue. When the oxygen supply is diminished, as is the case with most shallow-breathing Americans, this ability to absorb and process nutrients can drop almost 75%, according to research by the University of Edinburgh.

As expected, increasing oxygen availability increases the intestines' ability to to process nutrients. Surprisingly, this change can begin to occur within a matter of minutes.

To dispose of fat already stored within the body, this fat must be combined with oxygen to help burn it. Research has shown that a large percentage of Americans use less than 25% of their lungs' capacity. Merely increasing oxygen intake through proper breathing can increase the body's ability to burn fat by 100% or more.

The process by which the body loses weight and creates energy depends on a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). By oxygenating body cells through effective breathing produces an environment which encourages production of this substance.

Cortisol and insulin are also produced within the body. In a normal situation these chemicals have beneficial purposes, however, modern stress can cause over-production of these chemicals over extended periods of time. This leads to many destructive effects, one of which is the storage of fat. Proper breathing keeps the bloodstream oxygenated, reduces stress, and decreases cortisol production.

Another major function of the body is the removal of toxins. Modern day invaders such as food preservatives can cause the glands that regulate weight to become less effective. Even worse, one defense technique of the body is to form more fat in an effort to store those toxins. Well over half of these toxins can be converted into gases which can be expelled from the body. Studies by one California Clinic indicated proper breathing technique could increase the removal of these toxins by more than ten percent.

SO HOW DO YOU BREATHE FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND HEALTH?

First of all, regular (daily or almost daily), sustained activity, such as walking can, over time, guide your body to a deep breathing pattern which will eventually become almost second nature. By the way, strolling through the mall, stopping to look in windows or chat with acquaintances, has a place in a well-rounded life, but sustained activity means exactly that...sustained over periods of at least 20 minutes.

Yoga or Tai Chi are great examples of learning basic breathing techniques. In fact, the effects of these disciplines hinge to a great degree on the breathing techniques they teach. You can see why Oxycise! works so well for weight loss.

The simplest thing to do is simply start breathing properly. As an exercise, take a few minutes, standing or laying down. Feel your abdominal muscles stretch as you slowly and deeply "belly breathe" to bring large quantities of oxygen into your body. Hold that breath for a moment, tighten your abdominal muscles, and exhale through your mouth as if blowing up a balloon or through a straw.

The goal should be about 15 minutes of this a day, either in one period, or over several smaller periods throughout the day. Once comfortable with the technique (which may take a few days) you can do this laying in bed (great relaxer at bedtime or energizer upon awakening), while driving, sitting at a desk, or standing at a cash register. They can be done almost anywhere, anytime."