5 More Tips from Jason Minich

We know you’re anxiously awaiting the last 5 fitness tips offered by fitness expert Jason Minich.  (See previous post). We’re posting them here along with Jason’s favorite  Scripture.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." - Proverbs 27:17

If you haven’t seen them yet, we post three weekly one hour fitness videos that you can follow directly from our website, www.americanchurch.com. Thanks to Jason and a team of dedicated Christian men, these videos are produced and offered free of charge. We hope you or members of your church are enjoying them as you tone up.

Now for those final five tips that Jason offers for a better body.

#6 - Eat Food, Not Products:
Our bodies were designed to eat, digest, absorb and utilize food. The problem lies in the fact that most of us are completely confused on what food actually is. What is food? Is corn food? What about corn chips? Is a pork chop food? What about a hot dog that contains pork? Food that will give your body the nutrients it needs as well as allow you r body to digest and absorb properly is very hard to find in a box or a can. If you want to get your body functioning well and are looking for that beach body, then eat foods that are as close to their natural source as possible! When trying to choose what to eat, the question to ask is "where did it come from?" The best choices are the ones that have an easy answer to that question. "It came from the ground!" "It came from a tree!" "It's a fish from the river!" The worst answers would be something along the lines of, "well, this ingredient came from a food processing plant, this one came from a chemical plant, this one...well I'm not really sure what this one is, but this one is a berry extract!" So often today, we are given products to eat and are told they are food. Don't believe it. Not only are they stripped of nutrients, but your body usually doesn't have to work very hard to digest it. Then, you are missing out on a significant amount of calorie burning that would come from digesting real food. Processed, refined food is basically pre-digested; which means that it can absorb very quickly which can quickly cause body fat storage.

#7 - Eat Lean Protein at Each Meal
Your body utilizes protein for countless purposes in the body. Plus, protein is used to rebuild and repair muscle tissue. Muscle is the active tissue in your body. It is what "burns" body fat. The only location in your body where body fat is broken down and converted into energy is inside of each muscle cell. Thus, to lose body fat, you must optimize the muscle tissue on your body. In order to do this, you need protein. Also the act of digesting protein plays a large role in your daily caloric burn rate. Your body has to work hard to digest protein. Foods like eggs, chicken, turkey, buffalo, ostrich, salmon, shrimp and lean beef are an important part of improving your metabolism. Try to avoid commercially raised livestock as much as possible. Free range meat and wild caught fish are much better choices.

#8 - Eat Every 3 hours
If you are eating lean protein and good, quality carbs about every 3 hours throughout the day, then your body will incinerate body fat at a high level. I know that this sounds contradictory to almost every diet and weight loss center claim. However, if diets and caloric deprivation worked, then there would be no such thing as an obesity epidemic. Diets don't work. Proper exercise and feeding the body what it needs DOES. Think of your metabolism as a fire burning inside of you. You need to feed the fire to get it to burn hot! If you want to know the real effects that caloric deprivation has on the body, then stay tuned for my article in the August newsletter.

I suggest that, regardless of the time of day, you should seek out and be prepared for a meal every 3 hours that consists of visually equal serving sizes of lean protein, a starchy carb, and a fibrous carb.

#9 - Exercise with Resistance
There are many ways to exercise and challenge the body. Most of them are great. There is no one video, exercise machine, or program that is in the universal answer for everybody. However, in order to lose body fat, resistance exercise must be included at some level. The resistance can come from weights, rubber bands, machines, a wheelbarrow full of rocks, or in some cases even your own body weight. Whatever the source, you need to challenge your muscles. This is key. The fear of "bulking up" has prevented many people from realizing their body dreams because they have avoided strength training. I suggest weights first, cardio immediately after. Modern technology and conveniences have caused our population to challenge their bodies much less than ever before. We simply pick-up, carry, and lift much less than we ever did before. As a result, many of us are simply not used to challenging the body. The resulting weakness and less muscle development leads to lower metabolism, higher fat accumulation, and low energy levels. If you want to lose fat, then lift weights (just do it properly...hint...we would be happy to show you how).

#10 - The Magic Bullet Only Shoots You in the Foot
Bottom line, there is no magic bullet. If there was, believe me, I would tell you! Starving yourself, wrapping yourself in a thermal body wrap, taking a pill, getting an injection, drinking a shake, electrocuting yourself, rubbing a cream on your skin, cleansing yourself, baking yourself in a sauna, and vibrating belts are examples of "Magic Bullets". They DO NOT WORK. So stop wasting your time and money on them. Stop falling for them. Ignore them. Don't give them the time of day. Stop grasping at straws and start exercising, feeding yourself properly, and stick to it! Don't stop!

-Jason Minich is the owner of Catalyst Fitness in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Jason is also an ACE Certified Personal Trainer with extensive training in the human metabolism and fat loss. In 2009, Jason was voted as a Top 10 finalist for Trainer of the Year out of professionals from the United States and Canada.

A Fresh Persepective on the Envelope Mailing Program

It took Shirley Best, Business Administrator of State Street Baptist Church in Cayce, SC a lot of effort to convince the leadership of the church to think “out of the box” (literally). The church is almost 100 years old with a “seasoned” membership a bit resistant to change.

But, once they agreed to try monthly mailed envelopes over box sets, they haven’t looked back.  “We don’t have to deal with envelopes. AmericanChurch handles everything, and with very few problems,” says Shirley.

AmericanChurch, Inc. (ACI) isn’t the first supplier of a monthly mail plan that the church has used. But according to Shirley, they are the best.

“Right off the bat, ACI saves us close to $100 a month. Their price is about half the price of we were charged before for the same amount of mailed sets,” Shirley says. “In addition, we now have fewer complaints, and we love the fact that ACI will send out temporary envelopes immediately to new or visiting people who request them. When people say they want envelopes, you need to make sure they get them right away.”

Shirley also feels that her relationship with ACI customer service representative Lori McIntyre is just as important as getting her envelopes out in time.  “It is helpful to be able to relate to the same person every time I call. Lori is a real professional. She remembers the details of our church account. Plus, when I call her I feel like I’m calling a friend,” comments Shirley.

ACI takes pride in their customer service and sales team. Every church is assigned a representative that takes care of them throughout the relationship. This promotes consistency and a superior level of customer service.

Jason Minich Fitness Videos

Jason Minich, owner of Catalyst Fitness in Ft. Wayne, IN. collaborates with four other Christian friends to develop an ongoing series of fitness videos for distribution to churches.

“I believe that the health and fitness of each individual within a church body reflects upon the health and fitness of the church as a whole,” says Jason.

We, at AmericanChurch, Inc (ACI) applaud Jason and his team for their dedication to this unique ministry, and post the weekly videos on our website www.americanchurch.com.

Following are the first five of ten tips that Jason offers for a better body.  Check them out, then put on your workout shoes, open the video and get moving.

#1 Get Moving: 
Focus and commitment are the number 1 prerequisite if you would like to change your body. Ask yourself, "If you could achieve anything with your body and you got everything you wanted physically, what would be different?"  Honestly folks, what would that look like? How would it feel? If this is truly what you want for yourself physically, then what is stopping you from wholeheartedly committing to yourself? I suggest you write it down. Put it on paper. Let's stop dreaming and start achieving!

#2 Remind Yourself Daily:
You know as well as I do that we all have moments of weakness. We are human after all! Committing to a goal one day will not feel or look the same the next day. If you want to lose body fat, remind yourself daily about your goal. If you are a visual person, take a picture of yourself and hang it where you will see it every day. Or maybe a picture of what you want to look like will be better for you. Either way, at the beginning of the day, tell yourself exactly how the day will unfold in terms of physical activity and your eating. Otherwise, the day will get away from you and decisions will be made on the fly...and very often, those type of decisions are not the best.

#3 Drink Water:Fat "burning" is affected by how well you are hydrated. Water is the single most important thing that you need to ingest. Every moment, a countless number of chemical reactions are taking place in your body. For each one, water is needed. Without the proper amounts of water, these reactions become inefficient. This can drain you of energy, cause your body to function poorly, lead to sickness and your body may go into a water retention mode. Plus, dehydration can slow your metabolism (your body's calorie burning processes) by nearly half of what it would be otherwise. A good, quick calculation would be to multiply your body weight (lbs) by 0.5. This number would be the minimum amount of ounces of water per day that you should intake.

#4 Exercise Vigorously:I should probably clarify this a little bit. What is vigorous for me may not be the same for you and vice-versa. You should exercise as vigorously as you can more days per week than you are not. Some days, this could be a longer duration workout. Other days, it may only be a 15 minute mini-workout. Either way, when you choose to do it, challenge yourself. There are people that I know who will be greatly challenged by standing up and down out of a chair 10 times and then walking a lap around the room. If that is you, so be it...but do it daily until it becomes easier. Then, increase the challenge. Others that I know can exercise much harder than that for 15 minutes and find a quick, beneficial workout that will burn a bunch of calories. Either way, challenge yourself to improve. If you want your body to change, you have to make it change! There are very few excuses for not being able to find time for a workout.  Which brings me to....

#5 Be Consistent!This could quite possibly be the most important bit of fitness advice that you will ever hear. Those who are the most consistent are the most successful.  Exercise is not an "only when it is convenient" thing. The same applies when it comes to making good eating choices. Exercise and eating properly are not something that can be effective when approached with an "all-or-nothing sprint to the goal" mentality. Be the tortoise and not the hare. Your beach body can come faster than you think when you adopt this approach. However, progress is progress no matter how fast it comes. When using the correct methods, the only thing that will stop you from reaching your goal is quitting! The philosopher Aristotle said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act but a habit." I agree.

Visit our blog next week for the next five tips and more information on Jason Minich and his team.

Crop Hunger Walk

What is a Crop Hunger Walk? The answer is simple: people walking to take a stand against hunger worldwide.   The first Crop Hunger Walk was organized by Church World Service in 1969.  Since then there have been over 2,000 communities across the US joining in more than 1,600 Crop Walks.  The funds raised from these various Crop Walks will assist people in need around the world. CROP Hunger Walks help to provide food and water, as well as resources that empower people to meet their own needs.

This year AmericanChurch, Inc. (ACI) is participating in the Crop Hunger Walk in the Mahoning Valley sponsored by the Mahoning Valley Association of Churches (http://www.mvaconline.org/) on Sunday October 10^th.  To help raise funds to support the ACI team Heidi Janis, an ACI Sales Representative, has organized a variety of activities. 

There has been a week long bake sale. Employees donated baked goods that other employees purchased in support of the Crop Walk.  Another fundraiser was a fruit/health food sale in which employees donated fresh fruit, orange juice, and yogurt.   On Wednesday, ACI employees enjoyed a Hot Dog sale at lunch, which included a jumbo hot dog with chips for only One Dollar.  All of the items were donated by employees, with all proceeds going to support the Crop Hunger Walk.  At the time of this post, ACI has raised $192 with one more day to go.

To find a Crop Hunger Walk in your area visit: www.cropwalk.org and see how you can get involved.   If you are participating in a Crop Hunger Walk already leave a comment below, we would love to hear your stories.

ACI Moves Forward for Churches



There’s a buzz of business activity taking place along McClurg Road in Boardman. Most people know about the Budweiser Distribution Center and the new Summer Garden Food Manufacturing plant. Nestled right in between these buildings is a business that manufactures and distributes a significant amount of church offering envelopes, and has been doing so since the early 1900’s. Last year American Church Inc. (ACI) manufactured over 1.8 million envelopes to be distributed to churches and organizations nationwide.

AmericanChurch, Inc. provides stewardship solutions to churches and religious organizations throughout the United States. Founded in 1903 AmericanChurch, Inc. has grown into a leading supplier of offering envelopes, printed communications and mailing services.

The company established it roots as American Paper Products Company (APPCO) in 1915 in East Liverpool, Ohio.  Founders  R. L. Cawood, Baird Hunsicker and J. K. Moffal ‘s  original plan was to carve out part of the church offertory envelope market and then expand into paper milk bottles and other product lines. However, the church envelope business expanded very rapidly, and the milk bottle idea went away quickly.

The company remained under the umbrella of American Paper Group as Postal Church Service until 1994 when AmericanChurch, Inc. was formed by combining Postal Church Service with the Duplex Envelope Company of Richmond, Virginia. By then, the company had expanded heavily into direct mail (sending offering envelopes directly to member’s homes) as well as other product lines such as stationery and business cards.

In 2003, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., a Catholic, not-for-profit producer of parish offering envelopes acquired the assets of American Paper Group, Inc. and is currently the parent company  of AmericanChurch, Inc.

“We are excited to be a part of AmericanChurch, Inc. and to use our combined resources to benefit churches,” comments Kyle Hamilton, president of Our Sunday Visitor’s Offertory Solutions Division. “We made a solid investment in Youngstown by acquiring the building on McClurg Road.

Capital investments into the facility have been over $900,000 over the past few years. Also this past year, the company brought in Tony Tarantino as Plant Manager. Tony was plant manager for Gorant Candies for over 10 years, and see’s ACI’s future as bright.

“We are a manufacturer, a mailing house and printer. Doing my part to make those functions work together at a profit is both challenging and rewarding,” comments Tarantino.

ACI employs 67 people locally. Customer service and sales representatives talk to thousands of church customers per day helping them increase contributions, support ministries and grow congregations.  In today’s economy, as many churches are struggling financially, ACI offers programs to help maintain giving levels. One of the most effective programs is their Mailing Program, in which ACI makes offering envelope sets that are sent out to members’ homes on a regular basis. Last year, close to six million sets were mailed out to people all over the country.

Speaking of lots of mail, ACI recently implemented the new Intelligent Mail Bar Code system, the newest technology from the postal service to improve deliver-ability and increase overall efficiency. Customers receive the lowest possible postage rates with the change, which will be mandatory in 2011.

Another area of growth for ACI that speaks to our changing world is an easy-to-use Online Giving application. More and more churches are implementing this electronic giving option to promote consistent giving and relieve administrative duties of church staff.

Marketing, sales and customer service director of ACI, Terry Poplava, understands that churches today need more than just offering envelopes. “We are in the business of helping churches make it easy for their members to make financial gifts to their church. Over the past 18 months, we have introduces a number of products and services in addition to offering envelopes which we concert, print and mail.”

ACI serves over 18,000 churches nationwide of all sizes and denominations and continue to adapt their products and services to help churches reach all of their constituents.  But the bread and butter of ACI remains the church envelope. Each year, ACI recycles approximately 264,000 pounds of scrap paper each year. That's about 132 tons of paper that doesn't go to a landfill.