My Boot Camp Diary – Day 82

The news agrees … again

Posted by Pam

One of the most important things I’ve learned during my Boot Camp adventure is that it takes time to get in shape. It also takes effort and a good attitude. A story out of Britain’s Daily Express today reaffirms what I’ve learned and reiterated time and again on this blog:

To lose weight and keep it off (Catherine Collins, a clinical dietitian) advises simple techniques such as keeping a food diary, including fruit and vegetables at every meal and down-sizing treats such as chocolate to smaller portions.

The story also advises against fad diets, such as high-protein or high-carbohydrate diets, because they can actually be unhealthy, and rarely work as long-term ways of managing weight. Sounds like something I’ve heard before. The article goes on to say that “slimming aids that ­suppress the appetite or speed up metabolism may produce short-term results but the weight soon creeps back on.”

It just goes to show you — again — that all the things we talk about in Boot Camp and here on the blog aren’t just a bunch of junk we make up. I have seen eating right and exercising work — for myself and for fellow Boot Campers. We don’t need a doctor or a dietitian giving us facts and figures. We can look in the mirror and see the results. We know we have more energy, during our workouts and in our day-to-day lives.

I will admit that I have been tempted by fad diets in my life. But they were so hard to stick to, I never made it past a day or two. Cabbage soup diet? Blech! Low-carb diet? The idea of bacon and eggs for breakfast every day was too much to stand. Besides that, the people I saw try that diet would gain weight the minute they looked at carbs. (OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but they all gained weight back when they started eating “normally” again.) And I noticed the low-carb diet they followed cut out healthy carbs like grains and fruit, as well as complex carbohydrates.

There are better ways, folks. And it isn’t about depriving yourself. Yes, you have to work hard. And yes, you have to have some self control. But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there’s no magic bullet to fitness. I want to be healthy my whole life and I know it’s going to be a life-long journey.

New Fall Classes

If you’re looking for a fun and motivating way to exercise or just something new and different to add to your current routine, our new TRX group personal training classes can add a new stimulus to your current traning program and help you get a jumpstart to your fitness this fall.

This unique fitness trend is sweeping the country and for very good reason. The diversity of TRX suspension training simple to perform and you will be challenged as every movement requires core strength and balance.

The TRX Suspension Traning System provides a quick and efficient way to target strength, balance, core, flexibility and cardio all in one workout session.

A big PLUS is that you’ll burn more calories as you gracefully move into various positions while incorporate multiple muscle groups in a short amount of time targeting your butt, abs, thighs and arms without bulking up. You’ll use your own body weight to provide the level of intensity you desire. Our classes are tailored to your fitness level and abilities.

Check out the official TRX Suspension Training Video:

 

Our new TRX Group Personal Training classes are held 6 pm on  Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Sun Spot Atlantis (6410 Austin Bluffs Pkwy) next to the former Planet Fitness.

Classes are 55 min and are kept to a class size of 12 to provide quality, hands on instruction.

To register for a discounted trial class while openings last, click here

Another endorsement for boot camp training!

A great story on NPR this morning talked about boot camp training and how interval training is the best way to burn fat.

His studies have documented the benefits of 20-minute workouts on stationary bikes. Participants cycled three times per week. They alternated between 12 seconds of slow, gentle peddling and 8-second intense sprints, peddling as hard as they could.

“In the 20-minute bout,” Boutcher says, the actual hard exercise totaled just 8 minutes, “so it’s not that much exercise.” But the payoff was significant.

Over the course of four months, participants lost an average of 6 pounds of body fat. By comparison, those who cycled at a steady pace for 40 minutes, without mixing in the interval sprints, lost less than 2 pounds.

Researchers are not certain how to explain this difference. But Boutcher is studying the role of chemical compounds called catecholamines.

Boutcher says our bodies seem to produce higher levels of catecholamines during sprint-type exercises that elevate the heart rate.

“These are hormones that tell the fat cells to release their fat,” Boutcher explains.

Read the whole article here.

My Boot Camp Diary – Day 45

We’ve been saying this for months

Boot Camp was great this morning. I was tired from waking up with my dog for a late night bout of sickness (she’s fine, by the way) but I still made it to Boot Camp on time. And I actually felt a lot better after working out. Remember, exercise relieves stress — even if it’s from worrying about your rat terrier.

Now, after telling you about my boot camp experiences for a few months, NPR is going to tell me what I already know:

“The benefit of interval training is that it’s a very efficient way to increase your fitness quickly,” says researcher Tim Church of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

Studies show that mixing bursts of cardio (even just a few intense seconds) into our workout routines helps us burn more fat and build leaner muscles.

Our Boot Camp workouts are almost always a combination of strength building and heart pumping exercises. Whether we do hill sprints or jump rope or burpees in between our planks, push ups and squats, we need to add in those cardio bursts.

And, as I’ve said over and over again, interval training — and mixing things up — isn’t just better for you and a more efficient way to work out, it’s a heck of a lot more fun. I have yet to leave Boot Camp thinking, “Boy, was that boring.”

I may leave thinking, “Boy, was that tough.” But boring? Never.

Posted by Pam

Join us for Our Next Smoothie Party!

Sharing a smoothie with Andy and Candy Brooks and Julie Holman. The "Chocolate-Espresso" was a definite winner.

Join up for our “Smoothie Party” and nutrition discussion July 28th @ 6 pm. Members and non-members welcome!

We’ll make several great tasting protein smoothies and you’ll discover the most effective nutrition strategies for losing weight and getting rid of stubborn body fat.

Some of the favorite smoothies from our last smoothie party were the “Rasberry Lemonade”, “Chocolate Banana”, “Very Berry”, “Tropical Paradise”, “Chocolate De-light”, “Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup” and the “Chocolate-Espresso” smoothie.

Julie Holman, a dedicated boot camper since February 2009, had been looking forward to the arrival of the new recipes and her personal copy of the “Super Smoothie Nutrition Guide”. Julie had lost 2 sizes and 10 inches in her first 3 weeks of boot camp and relies on her protein smoothies because “they’re  quick, easy and convenient”.

When asked her favorite smoothie of the evening, Julie said without hesitation, “Definitely the Chocolate-Espresso smoothie!” This smoothie was a crowd favorite. This smoothie is made with Starbucks Espresso, iced coffee, Stonyfield® Farms No-Fat “After Dark” Chocolate Yogurt, Starbucks dark-chocolate espresso beans (yes, espresso beans) and a touch of ice.  With only 250 calories, this smoothie had only 35 grams of carbs and boasted 32 grams of high quality protein and 4 grams of fiber. “It was the best one for sure”, Holman added. Perfect to start your day or as a quick “pick me up” any time your get-up-and-go has gone-up-and-went.

The "Chocolate De-light" was a popular and low calorie favorite and sure to put those sugar cravings to rest.

As beach party music played in the background, women gathered and told tales of their favorite boot camp workouts, and spoke of their favorite (and not-so-favorite exercises), and shared the results they’re getting with our program.

Mary Rembold, a Monument boot camper had shared her amazing results with the new recruits during her 12 week journey. Mary went from a size 8 to a size 4, lost 15.5 lbs, 5.4% body fat and over15 inches in 12 weeks.  “Due to my current career, a very demanding, high travel position, it has challenged my ability to stay in shape. My job can be all encompassing – new projects, programs, demands from high level people. If I don’t take care of myself, nobody will. It’s amazing when you really pay attention to how much and what you eat, you make better food choices.

Also, the fact that I learned to eat 5 – 6 meals a day prevented me from eating junk.” Looking through Mary’s nutrition journal, she had used a periodic protein shake either for meal #2 or #4 to keep her metabolism up and repair damage from her sometimes 2 a day boot camp workouts. “There is a difference in me,” Mary adds. “I lost weight, inches and fat. I Bought 2 new bathing suits. My metabolism has revved up – yippee!” Congratulations Mary – YOU ROCK! By the way, Mary’s favorite smoothie was the “Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup”.

James share the numerous benefits of Perfect Water, the cleanest new water on the planet.

One of the other favorites was the “Very Berry Smoothie”. “I can’t believe how good this is and how much berry flavor this smoothie has”, said one attendee.

Okay, with the weather approaching the 90’s now, I wanted to make sure you had some lower calorie, delicious and affordable smoothie recipes to help cool you down during the rest of the summer and serve either as a quick breakfast after workout in the morning or as a meal replacement during the day.

There will be some surprise guest speakers and tons of door prizes just like the last one. I had given out every single copy of my “Super Smoothie Nutrition Guide” so, I’ll be sure to get at least 50 more printed for the next event!

The great thing about this smoothie recipe guide is that it has over a dozen low calorie smoothie recipes and every single recipe has the nutrition information below so there is no guessing as to how many calories your taking in or what you’re getting.

If you’ve ever been bored with your protein shake and needed some ideas on how to make delicious low-calorie protein smoothies, you need to get your hands on this smoothie recipe guide.

To help you stay on track with your fitness and weight loss goals and nutrition plan, I’ll have 50 updated copies of my Gourmet Smoothie Recipe Guide available for those who are early enough to claim their copy.

We’ll also have a nutrition and weight loss discussion and I’ll peronally show you exactly how to fit these affordable power smoothies into your busy schedule with a 1400 calorie weight loss meal plan. Hope you can join us for this FUN and AMAZING event!

We’ll have:

• Healthy Snacks
• Tons of Delicious Smoothie Recipes
• Door Prizes (Boot Camp, gift cards, and more)
• Summer Party Games and More!

You’ll learn how to make lots of delicious, low-calorie smoothie recipes, here’s just a few of my favorites we’ll be making:

• Chocolate Almond Delight
• Chocolate Espresso 
• Strawberry Banana
• Very Berry Protein Smoothie
• Pure Amond Joy
• Green Tea
• Blueberry Pie
• and more…

Here’s the scoop:

When:  Tuesday, July 28^th
Time:  6 pm – 7:30 pm
Where:  Cottonwood Creek Townhomes
2525 Whitcomb Ct. Colorado Springs, CO. 80918
(Going West on Woodmen, pass Union Blvd. and Take the first left past the Diamond Shamrock into the Cottonwood Creek Townhomes)

Reservations are required as we have limited seating in the clubhouse

Call Joe to Reserve your spot at (719) 229-2639

Sore muscles? That’s great!

Seeing as it’s the beginning of the month and we (happily! welcome!) see a lot of new faces at boot camp, I thought it was time to talk about something we all know well: the tightness and ache of sore muscles. The experts over at WebMD have a great explanation of why our muscles become sore and what we can do to ease the ache. (Emphasis mine.)

After participating in some kind of strenuous physical activity, particularly something new to your body, it is common to experience muscle soreness, say experts.

“Muscles go through quite a bit of physical stress when we exercise,” says Rick Sharp, professor of exercise physiology at Iowa State University in Ames. “Mild soreness just a natural outcome of any kind of physical activity,” he says. “And they’re most prevalent in beginning stages of a program.”

Exercise physiologists refer to the gradually increasing discomfort that occurs between 24 and 48 hours after activity as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and it is perfectly normal.

“Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a common result of physical activity that stresses the muscle tissue beyond what it is accustomed to,” says David O. Draper, professor and director of the graduate program in sports medicine/athletic training at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

To be more specific, says Draper, who’s also a member of the heat-responsive pain council, delayed onset muscle soreness occurs when the muscle is performing an eccentric or a lengthening contraction. Examples of this would be running downhill or the lengthening portion of a bicep curl.

“Small microscopic tears occur in the muscle,” he says.

The mild muscle strain injury creates microscopic damage to the muscle fibers. Scientists believe this damage, coupled with the inflammation that accompanies these tears, causes the pain.

“The aches and pains should be minor,” says Carol Torgan, an exercise physiologist and fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, “and are simply indications that muscles are adapting to your fitness regimen.”

You hear that? It should be minor. Painful, yes, but not in the same way that true injury is. Most people can tell the difference, but if you have any concerns, always talk to your instructor before the work out to let them know about how you feel. Really. Always. No one here will ever think you’re a wimp. You’re a boot camper!

The article (read it in full here) also recommends cooling down for 10 minutes post workout with some walking or other moderate cardio activity rather than becoming immediately sedentary to prevent soreness, as well as lots of stretching. Ice, heat and massage are also known to help.

Most importantly, stick with it! Don’t let the ache discourage you. Instead, think of it as a triumph, as in, “Wow, I’m sore! I worked out so hard yesterday. Good for me!”

Posted by Kate

Workout for July 1st, 2009

Good Day Boot Campers! Here is your workout for today, enjoy!

Begin with a Warm-up consisting of Stationary Jogging for 60 seconds.

Next, Perform 15 Push-ups followed by 20 squats, then proceed to the following body weight only workout:

8 Count Body Builders
1) Start in a standing position and bend your knees and place your hands on the ground.
2) Extend your legs back into a push up position.
3) Bring your knees back in towards chest and stand back up.
This should be a continuous motion and be fluid. Modification: Burpees
Perform for 12 repetitions.

Alternating Split Squat
1) Stand with feet hip width apart. Take left leg and step back approximately 2 feet standing on the ball of back foot.
2) Feet should be positioned at a staggered stance with head and back erect and straight in a neutral position. Place hands on waist.
3) Lower body by bending at right hip and knee until thigh is parallel to floor then immediately explode vertically.
4) Switch feet in the air so that the back foot lands forward and vice versa.
5) Prior to takeoff extend the ankles to their maximum range (full plantar flexion) ensure proper mechanics. Modification: Jump Squat
Perform for 12 repetitions (each side).

Ankle Wiggle Crunches
1) Start position: Lie back onto floor or bench with knees bent and hands at your side. Head should be in a neutral position with a space between chin and chest.
2) Leading with the chin and chest towards the ceiling, contract the abdominal and raise shoulders off floor or bench. Reach for you ankle with one hand and repeat with the other side, bending in a continous “windshield wiper” motion.
3) Return to start position.
4) Remember to keep head and back in a neutral position. Hyperextension or flexion of either may cause injury (Don’t let your lower back sway or arch).
Perform for 15 repetitions (each side).

Jumping Jacks
1) Start with your legs side by side and your arms by your side.
2) In one motion jump and spread your legs out to the side while your arms raise out and up over your head.
3) Land in this position and then return to the starting position and repeat.

Perform for 15 repetitions

Mountain Climbers
1)  Start by getting on your hands and feet in a prone position.
2) Keeping your body parallel to ground drive your knees up towards your chest alternating back and forth.
3) Repeat

Perform for 15 repetitions (each side)

Elbow Stabilization
1) Form a plank position with your elbows and your feet keeping your body parallel to the floor.
2) Keeping your trunk tight and parallel lift up one elbow and rotate your trunk and shoulders.
3) Hold for a count of 2 and then return to the starting position and repeat with the other arm.
4) Repeat
Perform for 10 repetitions (each side)

Repeat 2 – 3 times

Summer Smoothie Party…and you’re invited!

In my opinion, there are 2 key elements in improving your nutrition program for optimal fat loss results. First, you need the right information to succeed. You need to know the fundamentals of good nutrition and you need to know exactly how much to eat, what to eat and when to eat it.

However, even with the right nutrition information, many busy women continue to struggle in the area of nutrition and continue to eat less than desirable for the results they want to achieve. They know better, but there is always that something that stands in the way.

That something is the second key element of improving your diet for weight loss. The second key is preparation. Let me explain, even if you have the right information to succeed, the proper meal plan, all the healthy recipes you need, and knowing exactly what and when you should be eating, if you don’t have the right food ready at the right time, you’re doomed.

For example, let’s take a look at an individual who is used to eating 3 meals per day, at most. Now let’s ask this person to eat 5 – 6 times per day and watch their eyes bulge out of their heads with extreme skepticism as they exclaim, “What, you’re telling me to eat 5 – 6 times a day?”

Why the resistance? Well, first, that just seems like a whole lot of food to most people. Secondly, it registers as a lot of shopping and work to prepare and cook that food.

Think about your nutrition scenario for a moment. Have you experienced any resistance since we introduced the 5 – 6 smaller meal recommendations? Maybe just a little? C’mon be honest. If so, don’t worry.

We’re about to rescue you from hours of food preparation and stacks of dirty dishes.

Here’s the SECRET: not all of your meals have to be big food meals. 2- 3 of your meals or snacks can be high powered smoothies to take out some of the guesswork of good nutrition. And, with the weather getting a whole heck of a lot warmer like it was today, a cold, delicious power smoothie can not only cool you off, help rev up your metabolism like the  fat-burning furnace it is meant to be by helping you get in your extra 2 smaller meals per day.

So, we’re going to be hosting a Summer Smoothie Party and you’re invited!

We’ll have:

• Healthy Snacks
• Tons of Delicious Smoothie Recipes
• Door Prizes (4 week Boot Camp, gift cards, and more)
• Party Games
• More!

I’m going to be sharing all of my favorite protein smoothie recipes, here’s just a few of my favorites:

• Chocolate Almond Delight
• Strawberry Banana
• Very Berry Protein Smoothie
• Pure Amond Joy
• Blueberry Pie
• and more…

And to help you stay on track with your fitness and weight loss goals and nutrition plan, I’ll be bringing 20 Copies of my Gourmet Smoothie Recipe Guide for the first 20 to show up for this FUN and AMAZING event!

 We’ll also have a nutrition and weight loss discussion and I’ll peronally show you exactly how to fit these affordable power smoothies into your busy schedule with a 1400 calorie weight loss meal plan.

Here’s the scoop:

When:  Monday, June 29^th
Time:  6 pm – 7:30 pm
Where:  2525 Whitcomb Ct. Colorado Springs, CO. 80918

Reservations are required as we have limited seating in the clubhouse

Call Joe to Reserve your spot at (719) 229-2639