I was at my daughter’s track meet last week where she was competing in the long jump and high jump events. An opportunity came up for her to run the 50-meter dash but she was hesitant to run it. When I asked her why she was reluctant to compete in that event, she confided in me that she was really nervous and didn’t want to do it. I thought about what I should say to her and the bible verse, “We are not called to win the race but to run the race,” came to my mind. I shared that with her and told her that how she did in the event wasn’t important; what was most important is that she tried her best and that she run the race. Even though I could see that she was still very nervous, she overcame her fear and she ran the race.

As I saw her taking her place at the starting line, knowing how she was feeling at that moment and pushing forward despite her fear, I couldn’t have been a more proud father. It made me reflect on how we all face challenges and have to overcome our fears in order to run the race. I thought about how this relates to our Max Muscle customers who face the challenges of getting into or staying in shape on a daily basis. I thought about how difficult it can be for so many of our Max Muscle family who battle with weight gain and health issues or just aren’t accomplishing their health and fitness goals.

The wisdom that I had shared with my daughter is great advice for all of us no matter what challenge we are facing. It’s not the results that we should be focused on, it’s the process. When we focus on the result, like my daughter did, we get overwhelmed. We think things like, “I can’t lose that much weight” or “I’m just too old or too tired or too out of shape to (fill in the blank).”

We need to focus on running the race – focus on the process. What can I do today that is going to help me be a little better than I was yesterday? Can I walk for 30 minutes after dinner? Can I get to the gym twice this week? Can I do some type of physical activity at home for 15 minutes? Can I clean up my diet a little bit or commit to drinking my protein shakes?

Whatever that something is, it’s about running the race. My daughter taught me something at that track meet that day. The things we may read about or learn about or may have heard a hundred times don’t really matter unless they are applied. We all need to take our place at the starting line, whatever that may be and not worry about winning the race; just running the race.

As we BEGIN May, the temperature out here in California isn’t the only thing heating up. We are full swing into our focus on sports performance and May’s promotion is buy one FBXXX and get any MMSN sports performance product at 50 percent off! That’s a pretty awesome offer considering there are so many great and diverse products in Max Muscle’s sports performance category.

FBXXX has proven to be a very effective product for those looking for a pre-workout formula without the additional calories and carbohydrates. FBXXX contains several ingredients that affect energy, focus and intensity levels, which really help you dial in and ramp up the intensity of your workouts.

There are several other products in the sports performance category that you can stack with FBXXX to create incredible synergy. Max Nitro 2 will help you increase your vascularity and give you insane pumps in the gym. Max Anabol and Max Tribustak are two great natural products that help boost testosterone. And, CNS Black has proven to be a very effective night-time sleep aid to really help you recover from your workouts. At Max Muscle, we have something for everyone regardless of what your sport or activity is.

Whatever your goal may be, our Certified Fitness Nutrition Coaches (CFNCs) have been trained to assist you in achieving those goals by educating you not only on what to do, but how to do it and then helping you along the way. This is something that we all take great pride in.

We hear amazing stories every day from customers from all over the country who have benefited by the passionate and dedicated CFNCs in Max Muscle stores. Whether it’s a mother of three from Northern Florida losing 30 pounds and gaining her life back or the 16-year-old high school athlete in Lincoln, Nebraska who packed on 15 pounds of muscle for football season, the stories always inspire and motivate us. They serve as a constant reminder of why we do what we do and how this role we have taken on is rewarding in so many ways and on so many levels.

So, to all of our great and loyal Max Muscle customers out there, thank you for the inspiration and keep up the hard work! You are all AWESOME!!

…we switch our focus from diet and weight loss to sports performance.

During the first three months of this year we offered our valued Max Muscle customers some great savings on our complete diet- and weight-loss line of supplements. Beginning this month and up through the month of June, we will be offering those same great savings on our entire line of sports-performance products.

The sports performance category is also very comprehensive and we have products ranging from the extremely popular new CNS Black, a natural sleep and growth aid product, to the preworkout category featuring Full Blown Extreme (FBX) and Full Blown XXX (FBXXX), to post-workout with Max ARM and Pro BCAA.

There are plenty of great products in this category that can help you improve your performance, whether it’s on the athletic field in the weight room or recovering from your training.

This month we are combining two of our best performing products in a Buy-One-Get-One 50 percent off promotion. For every purchase of 2Tx, our top-selling male performance product, you get 50 percent off Max ZMA, a night-time hormone support supplement.

Several of our Max Muscle stores have received testimonials from customers telling of the great results they have achieved by stacking 2Tx and Max ZMA, so we have taken that feedback and created this promotion in an effort to give more of our customers who have never tried these two together to do so.

Now is a great time to check them out and benefit from the great savings being offered in the month of April.

Finally, if you haven’t already heard about MMSN’s newest product, JAVA Red, it is in stores now and combines two of the hottest ingredients for weight loss today: Raspberry Ketone and Green Coffee Extract. These two ingredients come in the correct, most efficacious amounts – all in one great formula.

We have already been receiving rave reviews on how effective JAVA Red is working for our customers; some have claimed five pounds of weight loss in just the first week without changing anything else in their diet or training program. The best part is that it’s a non-stimulant weight loss product, so if you don’t like the stimulant type of weight loss products, JAVA Red would be a great supplement to try!

The Fit Moms month at Max Muscle Sports Nutrition is definitely one of my favorites because my wife happens to be a fit mom.

Peggy is busy raising our four children and she always finds the time to stay fit and healthy. One of the greatest gifts she has given to our kids during their developmental years is showing them by example how important a fit and healthy lifestyle is. Even though it would be much easier for her to not exercise and probably faster for her to cut corners when it comes to preparing meals, she continues to exercise daily and cooks healthy dinners each night because she knows how important it is for our family. She also makes sure that our kids eat healthy breakfasts and lunches. What Peggy has instilled in our children at a young age has now become habits for each of them when they make their own breakfast in the morning and (for the older ones) when they pack their lunches for school.

This month is much more than just teaching moms how to get back in shape for themselves; it is also for educating moms on how important it is to pass this wisdom on to their families. We have a national epidemic of childhood obesity in this country and we need more moms to know how to make better choices when it comes to themselves and their families. If you have a friend or someone you work with who has a family, do them a favor and grab an extra copy of this issue and give it to them. It’s full of great information that will help them and ultimately help their family.

One of the greatest gifts we can give is the knowledge of how to become and stay healthy and fit. We owe this to ourselves and to our children. For all the moms out their struggling each day to raise their families, this issue is dedicated to you. We appreciate all that you do and commend you on one of the most difficult and most important jobs of all

We have received so many great testimonials from our Max Muscle customers across the country on the results they’ve been getting using Emerge, Max Muscle Sports Nutrition’s newest weight loss drink! I want to thank you all for sharing your results with us. We’ve already featured some of you in our new national advertising campaign and we’ll continue to share more testimonials in the months to come, so keep them coming in. If you have a great testimonial, send it our way. You can email your testimonial directly to me at sean@maxmuscle.com and be sure to include before and after pictures so we can see those amazing results!

Another great diet and weight loss product that MMSN introduced last year is Lipo-Red. This month, Lipo-Red is the featured promotion. When you purchase a bottle of Lipo-Red all month long, you can get 50 percent off any other MMSN diet and weight loss product. That’s an exciting deal because there are so many in the category that can help you in different ways depending on your specific goals. There is Femme Lean & Balance designed specifically for women, Anabol Cuts for men, the Quadra Cuts line and non-stimulant fat loss products like Max Liqui-Carn and Max CLA. Talk to an MMSN Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach (CFNC) while you are in the store and they can point you in the right direction based on the information you provide them.

If you haven’t signed up for the $25K 2013 MaxForm Life Challenge and you need a little extra motivation to get you going on your New Year’s resolutions, why not give it a try? I’ve heard from thousands of our customers who were initially reluctant to do the contest but in the end were glad they did because it gave them that extra push and kept them going when they felt like giving up.

In addition to providing the monetary incentive, the MaxForm Life Challenge is a great way to keep you accountable. Your local Max Muscle store will be there for you to keep you encouraged and provide the right information you will need to keep improving on your way to achieving your goals. Sign up today at MyMaxMuscle.com. It’s free to join and there are many others just like you in the MyMaxMuscle online community who provide encouragement to each other every day.

The new Max Muscle Top 10 Secrets To Get Lean Fast guides are available again for the New Year. If you don’t have one, be sure to ask your CFNC the next time you are in the store for one. It’s a great resource for helping you lose weight the right way!

I can’t believe i’m writing my editorial for the start of a new year. If you’re reading this, that means we all survived the end of the world and the Mayans were wrong. That’s great news! And better news is that our best selling weight-loss drink, Emerge, has two great new flavors expected to arrive this month just in time for diet and weight loss season! New Blossom White Tea and Minty Mojito are coming soon and the initial feedback already is that these are two of the best flavors Max Muscle has ever done!

To top that off, Emerge is on special all month long; when you buy the first one, you get the second one 50 percent off! This is a great way to take advantage of some special savings and try any of the 12 great flavors of Emerge – at half the price!

To help our awesome customers get motivated and achieve their New Year’s Resolutions, we’ve brought the MaxForm Life Challenge back for 2013 and are awarding the best body transformation with $25K in cash!

In addition to the money and great new body, there’s a lot of recognition and publicity that comes along with it. If you haven’t already seen it, the current MaxForm Life Challenge Champion, Amanda Freeseman, is featured prominently in the new issue of Fitness Rx Women. She’s in a 3-page pullout poster inside the magazine that goes through her entire workout and diet routine. She is also appearing on Fitness Rx Women’s website in a series of videos where she talks about her training, diet and supplementation. You can check it out at FitnessRxWomen.com. She’s also going to be featured in an upcoming issue of Muscle & Fitness Hers with a full page editorial write-up on her amazing MaxFormation! We’re so proud of you, Amanda!

While you’re surfing the web, be sure to check out the newly designed MaxMuscle.com. We’ve updated the site with a brand-new slicker look, making it easier to navigate and find the information that’s important to you. The same goes for our monthly e-newsletter, so if you aren’t currently getting it and you want to get even more specials and the latest product announcements and info about the company before everyone else, then sign up for the e-newsletter when you’re on MaxMuscle.com.

We’ve got some exciting things planned for this upcoming year with innovative new products being developed, Max Muscle stores being reformatted and the Customized Max Muscle Nutrition Plan getting an overhaul. Thanks to all of you who helped make 2012 a great year for Max Muscle and here’s to 2013 and Max Muscle’s best year yet!

To kick things off, Team Max Muscle Athlete Ryan Winther recently won the REMAX World Long Drive Championship in Mesquite, Nevada by blowing away his competition! Ryan already held world records for swing speed and ball speed and now he holds the title as the World Long Drive Champion as well. Ryan has some exciting things planned for this upcoming year and Max Muscle will be with him all the way supporting his nutritional needs with his favorite Max Muscle Sports Nutrition supplements. The Max Muscle Team in NorCal is also working with Ryan on his nutrition plan to help him build more muscle and flexibility so he can come back in 2013 with the goal of repeating as champion.

Next, look for our very own Amanda Freeseman, 2012 MaxForm Life Challenge champion, in the January issue of Fitness Rx Women that hits newsstands soon. Amanda will be featured in the magazine sharing her amazing transformation and inspirational story with readers. Amanda will also be featured in a series of videos each week on Fitness Rx Women’s website in the months of January and February, so be sure to go to FitnessRxWomen.com and check it out.

Also, MaxForm 2013 officially starts December 1. We’re awarding this year’s winner $25K, so go to MaxMuscle.com and sign up today! If you are serious about getting into the best shape of your life this year, head to your local Max Muscle store and talk to one of our Certified Fitness Nutrition Coaches (CFNC). They can get you set up on a customized nutrition plan and get you on your way to achieving your health and fitness goals!

This month, Cleanse & Lean, your secret weapon for weight loss, is on special! For the entire month of December, when you buy one Cleanse & Lean, you get the second 50 percent off! If you’ve never tried Cleanse & Lean, now is the perfect time. Cleanse & Lean is a powerful cleansing agent that will help your body get rid of all of that waste that accumulates inside your body and is the best way to get started the right way on any nutritional program. A CFNC at any local Max Muscle store can educate you more on this great product!

If you’re not getting our e-newsletter each month and you want to get special money saving offers and information that we only share with our VIP email club, be sure to go to MaxMuscle.com and sign up today!

Happy and healthy holidays!

We’ve had a lot of great MaxForm Life Challenge Champions over the years. Each has had a unique and truly inspirational story behind his or her incredible life transformations. We have had MaxForm Champions from every part of the country. They have been different genders, their ages have ranged from early 20s to late 40s and they’ve come from all walks of life. This is what is so great about the MaxForm Life Challenge: anyone can win! There is no set criteria, such as age, sex or background. The only criteria that matters are those before and after results and the story behind them.

Amanda Freeseman, our newest $25K MaxForm Life Challenge Champion has raised the bar again. Not only did Amanda have an incredibly inspirational life transformation, losing over 60 pounds and completely reshaping and toning her body in the process, but she is also a genuinely nice person. After Amanda’s photo shoot during her trip to California, every one of our staff told me what a nice person Amanda is and what a pleasure it had been to work with her. I think what surprised everyone the most was you typically don’t expect someone who looks the way Amanda does to be so incredibly nice and down to earth.

When you see the cover shot of Amanda for this issue it’s hard to believe that she hasn’t been doing this her whole life, and just a year ago she was 60+ pounds overweight and not happy with where she was in her life after letting herself go to the point that she had. The first time I saw the cover proof that our editor sent over, I was blown away. I just couldn’t believe how Amanda had transformed! And that this was the same person I had seen in those before pictures just a short time ago.

I love the MaxForm Life Challenge because it offers hope and motivation to all of those out there who just need a little push to get them going and bring out the best in them. Everybody has that champion’s desire burning down in them somewhere: that desire to do their best, to be recognized, to get noticed. Amanda certainly had it and now in addition to all of the prize money and experiences that she has already received, she can add cover model to her list.

Get ready Amanda, the ride is just beginning!

I look forward to the youth issue because the articles are always so informative and beneficial for my own children.

Hundreds of studies validate the need for proper nutrition in children and now more than ever, it’s so important not just for young athletes but for all children to eat correctly. It’s interesting to me that until just a few years ago, mostof our tax dollars were put into child development from an educational and psychological standpoint.

We know that a child’s physical development is very dependent on proper nutrition and the impact that has on their ability to perform and function in the classroom. Even brain development and cognitive function hinges on proper nutrition.

With childhood obesity a nationwide epidemic – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently revealed that more than 17 percent of our youth ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese – and more and more children suffering from an increase
in diseases directly related to obesity (such as diabetes), it really is a wonder why more focus and resources are not being put into programs to turn this around.

My oldest child is now a teenager and big into competition cheer. These girls train hard every day, pounding their core and their muscles. After the first week of training for the new season, she was really sore. I remember thinking to myself “Wow, Mackenzi eats healthy and drinks what we refer to as ‘Power Shakes’ packed with protein and glutamine every day, what about
the girls on her team who don’t eat right and aren’t taking any protein and glutamine supplements to help their bodies recover?”

The same goes for my three boys. All of them are playing soccer and the oldest is playing football, too. All of them drink their “Power Shakes” every day to help their bodies recover from all of the training they are doing. I know the fact that they supplement with high-quality protein and glutamine along with their essential omegas and vitamins, it gives them an advantage.

Even at their young ages, they understand the importance of what they are putting in their bodies and that it makes them better, too. My daughter told my wife just the other day that she’s referred to by her friends as “the healthy friend.” My wife asked Mackenzi if that made her feel uncomfortable and she said, “No mom, I’m proud of it.” That makes two of us.

I’m proud to announce that our new $25,000 MaxForm Life Challenge Champion for 2012 is Amanda Freeseman! Amanda was one of more than 600 contestants who competed in our annual MaxForm Life Challenge contest.

After her competitive days of Division 1 volleyball at Iowa State ended due to an injury, Amanda’s weight gradually increased year after year as she became more sedentary and less concerned about what she ate. Amanda had become so overweight that by October of 2011 she was mistakenly asked by a woman in a public bathroom: “When are you expecting the baby?” This was the turning point in Amanda’s life.

After she cried by herself for what seemed like an eternity in that bathroom, she decided that was it. She had to make a change in her life and she had to do it immediately. Shortly after that she found her local Max Muscle store and was educated by the Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach on the importance of a proper diet, exercise and the role that high-quality dietary supplements play in an overall nutrition plan.

Amanda then found out that the $25,000 MaxForm Life Challenge was about to begin and decided that she was going to use the contest as additional motivation to get into the best shape of her life. What Amanda wasn’t counting on or expecting was the support she would soon get from the MyMaxMuscle.com online community and the other MaxForm contestants. This was the kind of support she had so desperately missed from her team and coaches during her competitive
years.

The online support and knowledge and support from the team at her local Max Muscle store in Minnesota helped Amanda thrive. She lost 53 pounds and is now in the best shape of her life. Amanda looks forward to her next goal of helping motivate others to get their lives back through proper nutrition and education.

She is excited about what the future has in store for her and it’s never looked brighter. We are thrilled to call Amanda our new 2012 MaxForm Life Challenge champion and look forward to seeing all the people she will most certainly inspire in the years to come.