Dean
Dean
Becky and proud mom Sally!
In 4 days Becky is walking down the aisle and then is off to Wyoming for the summer – her last day with us for awhile is Thursday, so offer your congrats when you see her.
I asked Becky to share her experience at Get Fit NH with everyone – Thank-you Becky!
Thanks for choosing to train with us to get ready for the wedding – you have worked hard and you look fantastic!
“Hi Dean,
Thanks for your email. I have really enjoyed coming to Get Fit each day!
First of all, I started coming because of my upcoming wedding; I needed something to help me lose a few pounds and tone up. I look forward to coming each day for many reasons.
First of all, I enjoy the variety in the workouts each day. I never know what to expect, neither does my body, contributing to great results. The variety in the workouts makes it fun each day. I also really enjoy the social aspect; I made some friends and always had someone to compete with, making me push myself harder. I will miss that part of it.
I also look forward to the daily nutrition emails. Although I fundamentally know how to eat well, I don’t always put that into practice, so your emails are a daily reminder of what I should be doing. I have them all saved in a Get Fit folder in my email for future review. : )
Lastly, I have had great results. I have lost about 20 pounds, my clothes fit better, my stomach is flatter, and I overall feel better about my body. Thanks so much for all that you have done (and Erin!), I will miss Get Fit over the summer, and I hope to be able to continue training there in the near future. Best wishes, I will send some pictures of our wedding!!
Take Care,
Becky Jones”
We are going to experiment with a new training time for the July and August Training sessions.
Starting Monday July 2nd (after our next recovery week) we will be adding a 7:25am training time (Co-ed) to Get Fit NH Concord’s schedule. We have had an interest in this time from a number of you for awhile, so for the summer we will make it happen and go from there in the fall.
A couple notes:
The parking lot is going to be busy during the morning training times. If there are no lined spaces available, please park across the parking lot near the fence. Consider the extra 50 foot walk a bonus warmup.
We are also going to have to adapt to moving on and off the training floor a little more rapidly than usual. You will still be able to get in for some early foam rolling, it will just have to be moved onto the carpeted area.
Keep in mind we are doing this in response to clients needs and requests, so I would ask for a little patience and understanding as we go through this transition.
If you have any questions please let me know, and thank-you for choosing to train with us!
Coach Dean
P.S. Congrats to Karen Sheldon, who was the random winner of a free container of UMP for answering the survey. Come and get it!
Just a reminder that our next recovery week is coming up, so mark it on your calendars.
For those of you new to Get Fit NH and our system of training, here are some helpful articles to get you up to speed.
Recovery Is Where The Magic Happens
Rest, Recover and Regenerate, It’s Not Optional
I know it is hard to believe, but there are only about 10 more days in this years Sizzlin’ Summer Slimdown: Team Transformation
The races are tight, both individual and team competitions, so buckle up, buckle down, and finish strong!
Important Note:
The final weigh in will start the week of June 18th. You must weigh in on the scale at the training facility by Friday June 22nd. There are no exceptions to this rule.
If you do not weigh in your ending weight will default to your starting weight. This would be unfortunate for you and your team, so get it done.
Keep up the great work!
One of the most important skills you can have when putting together your nutrition plan is knowing how to read a food label.
Believe me, it is a skill, because many manufacturers do whatever they can to hide, obfuscate, and maybe even mislead (within the confines of the law of course).
Here’s some examples:
FAT-FREE!
Some fat-free labeled foods may be 50%, 60%, or in some cases 100% fat and they say “fat-free” on the label!
A can of “fat-free” cooking spray. It usually says on the front of the container, “for calorie free and fat free cooking.” If you turn the can around and examine the FDA regulated nutrition label, you’d find that there are zero calories per serving, zero calories from fat. The question becomes, if there aren’t any calories . . . what in the world is in that can? That’s when you look at that tiny print on the ingredients panel. You’ll find that the only significant ingredient in that can is vegetable oil, corn oil, or canola oil, foods that get 100% of their calories from fat! Yes, the fat free cooking spray is 100% fat!
HERE’S HOW – . The law says, “if there’s less than half a gram (.5 g) of fat in a serving (remember those words, “in a serving”) a food can be labeled fat free. The catch is, nobody regulates what the food companies refer to as a serving size.
If you go back to the tiny print on that spray can, you’ll find that a serving is equal to two-tenths (2/10) of a gram. Is there less than half a gram of fat in a serving? Of course. There’s less than half a gram of anything in a serving that’s .2 grams in its entirety. This loophole allows the cooking sprays, pure fat, to be labeled fat free.
The same is true of the fat free butter spreads, the fat free butter substitutes, and the fat free liquid butter for popcorn.
SUGAR-FREE
Some foods are labeled sugar free although they have as much sugar as a chocolate chip cookie. They just fail to include the actual word sugar on the ingredient list but instead USE glucose, fructose, corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, dextrose, etc.
There are cookies being sold that says right on the front label, “Sugar FREE, Sweetened with fructose.” That means “sugar free sweetened with sugar.”
Then there are the sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, malitol, and glycerol which by law do not have to be listed as sugars on the nutrient panel. A snack bar might say “Sugar Free” and list glycerol (or glycerine) on its ingredient panel. Sugar alcohols do affect blood sugar and can spike insulin levels limiting fat release and leading to greater accumulation of bodyfat.
They do have fewer calories than regular sugars, but they are not as sweet, so in order to sweeten a food with a sugar alcohol, you have to use more than you would sugar. The catch here is, the FDA hasn’t categorized sugar alcohols as sugar which is why a label panel might say 26 grams of Carbohydrates, only 4 grams of sugar. You have to wonder where the other 22 grams of carbohydrates came from? If you find sugar alcohols in the ingredients, you have your answer.
There is also a difference between the “Nutrition Fact” label and the “Ingredient List”
For instance a product could have “sugars” in the nutrition label but no sugar in the ingredient list. This would indicate there is no added sugar to the product. Of course as mentioned above, you have to watch out, because “organic cane juice” is a little more obtuse than putting “organic white sugar” on the label.
So before you put that item in your cart, turn it around and look at the label.
Yes at first it will take some time, but it’s not like you will have to do it for the same item next time you shop.
How many items do you purchase in the typical grocery shopping day?
Some you won’t have to worry about at all – fruits and veggies don’t have labels at all, and I am pretty sure you can figure out that double fudge chocolate swirled cake bites don’t belong in the cart – no matter what’s on that label.
So get your reading in – your body will love you for it!
Since introducing S3 Habit 4, one of the biggest questions has been about adding in beans. Let me assure you there is more to life than baked beans – so many varieties and ways to prepare!
We received this super tasty and super easy to make recipe from Dayle B. of Get Fit NH Concord fame.
Hi Dean,
I was thinking about the beans and greens habit. I have a recipe that I love that is really simple.
1 can black beans-rinsed (or kidney, cannelloni,black eye- choose any combo of beans)
1 can chick peas-rinsed
1 cup of favorite salsa
Chopped red onion or chopped scallions to taste
Have a good day!
Dayle
How easy is that?
This recipe is a great side dish, served on a salad, or even a topping for a beef or turkey burger.
Thanks Dayle – love it!
For 6 weeks the S3 contest has been about building good nutrition habits by addition. Adding breakfast, or a recovery drink, more protein and more veggies.
And we have seen some tremendous results.
But here is where I am calling you out, and I really want you to understand that sometimes it is a good thing to subtract a little as well.
The next two weeks were are going to focus on choosing which type of carbohydrates we are going to eat.
Nobody is asking you to not eat carbohydrate, we are simply asking you to choose which kind you want to eat.
Let’s review habit 4 again.
Choose Your Carbs:
Option #1: Replace your grains with greens and beans.
Option #2: Don’t eat any refined sugar carbohydrates – today
So let me make this as clear as possible, so there is no confusion.
If there is grain in the product, don’t score the point for option #1
Wheat, Rice, Corn, Oats, Pasta, Cereal are just some of those possibilities.
If there is added sugar in what you are eating, or you added sugar in what you are eating don’t score the point for habit #2
Here’s some sneaky places you might see added sugar:
And here’s just some of the names of sugar you may not recognize:
Honey and Agave – no go for a couple weeks.
So how are you going to know if these are in what you are eating?
Read the label – simple as that.
If there is sugar added to the food, either don’t eat it or don’t count the point.
Yes, that includes sugar in your coffee or your Chobani apple cinnamon yogurt. Buy the plain Chobani and add your own apple and cinnamon – problem solved.
You can do this, but it won’t be easy.
Part of the process is educating yourself on what is “in there”. You won’t know unless you look.
One of the questions we have been asked is “What about fruit?”
Look at the label and tell me what you see… 🙂
Questions?
Please ask them in the comment section below. There may be others who have the same exact query, so help us all out and ask away.
Make It Happen!
Coach Dean
Alright guys, here’s where the rubber hits the road. The last 2 weeks of Sizzlin’ Summer Slimdown 2012. The last habit we want you to live and learn.
Because I truly believe if you embrace what this habit is about, and honestly abide by it for the next 2 weeks you will just feel better than ever.
Better energy levels, less cravings, feeling fuller longer – these things can happen with a simple (but not necessarily easy) alteration in your nutrition.
So here it is:
S3 Habit 4: Choose Your Carbs
Carbohydrates are not evil in and of themselves. There is no bogey-man possessing that potato or for that matter even that potato chip.
But there are better choices we can make, and when we use carb intake wisely they can even help us lose fat.
I picked up this strategy from my nutrition coaches over at Precision Nutrition, and it was a mindset shift that made all the difference in the world to me. Also check out what our friends over at Health Ambition have to say. They are rocking the protein information.
To earn your S3 Habit 4 point, choose one of the following strategies.
Option #1: Replace your grains with greens and beans.
At every meal, even breakfast, replace any grains (toast, bagels, potatoes, rice, cereal, oatmeal) with 1 cup of veggies and 1/2 cup of legumes.
For many of you this is a no-brainer. Earlier in S3 you have added veggies to your breakfast meal, so now it is a matter of getting some beans or lentils in the mix.
One of my favorite breakfasts is eggs with black beans and salsa. Add a side of grape tomatoes or carrots, and you are good to go!
Option #2: Don’t eat any refined sugar carbohydrates – today
Sweet tooth dragging you down? Fighting low energy or mood swings? Could be you need to bust that sugar habit, and this single strategy could be the key.
So what is a “refined-sugar carb”?
Be Honest With Yourself
Choose one of these two strategies each day. You can stick with just one, alternate them each day or as you choose. But you must be honest. If you choose strategy one and eat oatmeal, don’t claim your point. If you choose strategy two and grab candy out of the dish at work, same thing.
To earn your S3 point starting Monday June 11, here’s what you need to accomplish:
S3 Habit 1: Eat within 1 hour of waking or consume post-training nutrition
S3 Habit 2: Eat lean protein with at least 3 meals per day
S3 Habit 3: Eat at least 5 servings of veggies per day
S3 Habit 4: Choose your carbs, option #1 or #2
Do them all, or don’t count the point. Simple as that.
Let’s get after it these last two weeks and get it done!
P.S. – Got a question about a food choice? Bring the label in and let’s take a look together!
The weather is getting nice and it’s time to get outside!
On Saturday June 23rd we will be holding our 2nd annual “Get Fit NH Outdoor Obstacle Adventure”, and you don’t want to miss it.
Even if you haven’t caught the adventure obstacle course bug (yet) you will have a blast on our course, which includes the longest slip and slide you have probably ever seen!
The timing is perfect, as the next week is a recovery week, so don’t miss it!
And don’t forget to register for “Warrior Dash NH”, being held at Gunstock on September 15. There is a crew of us already registered (most in the 10:00am wave) and we had a blast last year and expect more of the same. Register Here
2nd Annual Get Fit NH Outdoor Obstacle Adventure
Place: Get Fit NH Bootcamp Epsom
Time: 9am until we are done
Simple as that!
Check out the video from last years soiree’
I got a great question from a new client, which is always fantastic. I love being able to explain why Get Fit NH’s training is different, and why we do what we do.
Susan’s question has to do with resistance bands and what the benefit is in using them in training, rather than just using free weights. I thought that was a great question, as many of our clients exposure to band training is usually the light weight therapy bands used in physical therapy or the cheap tubular bands. When faced with the 38″ loop of heavy duty rubber it is new experience. So here’s what I wrote:
***
Hi Susan,
That is a very good question regarding bands versus free weights. As you know we do use both, but at different times in the training cycle we can emphasize one over the other.
First of all understand that the body has no idea what resistance it is working against. It could be dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, bands, bodyweight or sticks and stones. All the body knows is that it met a resistance and it needs to move it.
That being said, most resistance that is used in training moves vertically, up and down against gravity. We pick things up, we put them down, so to speak. Whether we deadlift, squat or overhead press we are moving the weight vertically against gravity. Even when we are bench pressing we need to lie down and move the force vertically.
The cool thing about bands is that they create resistance in multiple planes of movement. Horizon, vertical, diagonal and rotational. This is the way our body moves – in all vectors and all directions. Imagine trying to do a standing chest press with dumbbells – the load still wants to move down, not out. With a band we can create an effective horizontal push while standing, which is a much better position to train than lying or even sitting down.By using bands we can train efficient movement through the entire range of motion in all directions. This also helps with overall mobility and flexibility. Bands also cause us to need to actively decelerate the load in all planes of motion.
Another reason we use bands, particularly when we are training energy systems (cardio) is the ease at which we can transition through different exercise movements. You can use one band, transition from movement to movement and never have to slow down. Way more fun when you don’t have to rest!
Don’t get me wrong, I love lifting heavy loads with free weights. The great thing about working with bands is that they help us get better at those basic lifts by working all the supporting musculature. As my friend Dave “The Band Man” Schmitz says, we “Get Better With Bands”.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that flat strap of rubber that weighs next to nothing can’t kick your butt. Have you tried training with a green one yet? 🙂
Great question Susan!
Coach Dean
P.S. Want the best bands out there for your on the road or vacation training? Check out ResistanceBandTraining.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.