Dean
Dean
Is a question we love to hear at Get Fit NH Bootcamp!
When someone asks us that, we know we have an engaged member who wants to make the most of his or her training, and has a true desire to get better. In fact if you have a question please ask!
We are also happy to get any feedback and suggestions regarding bootcamp, but I will caution you, we aren’t always going to adopt those suggestions when it comes to your training!
TRAINER FAIL!
Outrageous? Not really, and here’s why.
We have a unified system of training, and while we are certainly always learning and seeking to improve training methods as scientific and empirical evidence proves them effective, we aren’t into “fads”. The tools we use (KB, TRX, Bands, Dumbells, etc.) have proven themselves over and over. You are not going to see one-footed dumbbell curls while balancing on a bosu ball at Get Fit NH Bootcamp! Tires, sleds and sledgehammers are cool tools and can be very effective, but you won’t see them everyday. Icing on the cake, so to speak.
Like you, we have seen “Bootcamps” popping up everywhere, and while there are some good trainers out there with good programs, we work hard to make sure Get Fit NH Bootcamp is second to none. Just because it has “bootcamp” in the name doesn’t mean it is an effective program.
So why are we any different than anyone else? Besides the reasons above, let me share some of the core principles we adhere to:
1) If you are injured you can’t train. That doesn’t mean we can’t work around and with pre-existing injuries or conditions. We work together with your physician, physical therapist or chiropractor to make sure we understand any injuries you may have and get you better. What is does mean is that we are going to do the necessary mobility and flexibility work IN CLASS to promote joint health and range of motion. The ability to perform movements with correct form through a full range of motion is critical to your long term health and helps you get the most from your training. Our recovery weeks are also designed to promote lifelong progress and health.
2) Your training will be balanced. Sometimes we get requests for more of this or that – ab work for instance. We spend hours every week carefully designing your program to allow for a proper training/recovery balance, and sometimes “more ab work” isn’t in the plan. Not because they aren’t important, because a strong “core” is critical, but because your abs need recovery too. We are also going to make sure that we work the “go” muscles, like the scapular retractors and hamstrings, not just the “show” muscles like biceps and chest. This is crucial for shoulder, hip and knee health. Refer back to #1!
3) Your training will be fun. Now I know sometimes our members think my definition of “fun” is a bit different than theirs, but I think they will also agree that cranking through a killer workout and achieving more than they thought possible is fun too! Our training programs are designed to be “totally unboring” – providing the progressions our more experienced members need and also providing a high level of coaching to those new to the program.
4) Ultra-Flexible class times. I don’t know of any bootcamp anywhere that has more class times – 8 per training day, 32 per week in our two locations! Is more necessarily better? It is in this case! We leave virtually no reason why you can’t make a class or make one up. This is huge!
5) Some added bonuses you need to be using. If you are a member and not actively using your Fitgoal.com account – get to it, particularly the food logging portion. We added this at no additional cost to you, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth anything! In fact we are seeing that our members who actively use their account are making the best progress toward their goals. Read the newsletters and subscribe to the blog. Every week there are articles, recipes and more. Invest a few minutes each week to educating yourself on your health and fitness.
So there you go. Just a few reasons why we “do what we do”. Remember we want your questions – we are ready and willing with the answers.
Thanks for choosing to train with us! (And if you aren’t yet – Make It Happen!)
Dean & Nancy
By now your body is enjoying the fruits of recovery week and is getting a little bit antsy to get back in the gym and get back to work. You have reaped the rewards of hard training, and staying out of the gym too much longer is out of the question. Hang in there – Tuesday is almost here!
The best thing is that over the last few weeks you know why you are getting better. You are seeing the benefits of feeding your body premium fuel – lean protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. You have cleaned out your cupboards of junk food, because you know that even if the kids “like it”, it’s not good for them either. You start every day with a healthy breakfast of lean protein – eggs, yogurt, or in a pinch a protein shake. Your new habit of drinking only calorie free beverages has taken a few hundred unwanted calories out of your nutrition plan, and you don’t even miss it.
Your habit of eating every few hours has stabilized your blood sugar and you aren’t having the late morning/early afternoon energy crashes anymore. Your forays around the perimeter of the grocery store has led to the discovery that there are hundreds of tasty fruits and vegetables available. How come mom only fed me corn and peas, you wonder?
You have established the habit of planning your splurge meals, knowing that strategically relaxing your nutrition leads to better progress and less craving. You are in charge of your eating, and you have stopped letting your emotions plunge you headlong into overeating and regret.
You never miss a bootcamp class, and it shows. You are earning the strong, lean and healthy body you have always wanted. Your friends want to know your secret, and it spurs you on to making even better progress.
Only a few more days until you keep making all this happen – Can’t Wait!
Here’s another quick, easy, tasty and healthy recipe loaded with protein and healthy fats. The whole family loves this one!
Here’s a fun recipe for hot summer days that was just family-tested by Greg and Judy at 6:15 Road Crew…
Cucumber Cups
2 seedless cucumbers, trim ends
1 cup hummus (can substitute cottage cheese)
finely chopped green onion
finely chopped red/orange bell pepper (can substitute carrot – fresh bell pepper doesn’t agree with Greg)
Score sides of cucumbers with fork (can skip this if in a hurry-it’s just for looks) & slice into 3/4 – 1″ thick rounds. Scoop out 1/3″ deep well with of each round with a melon baller or spoon. Spoon 1/2 Tbsp hummus into mound & sprinkle with garnishes. Fun & quick & yummy!
Haven’t tried tuna, but I bet that would be good too!
“What do you mean my goals “aren’t? My goals aren’t what?”
Well for a lot of you reading this, they probably aren’t existent. You don’t have any (and if they aren’t written down, posted and reviewed regularly, stop kidding yourself – you don’t have any).
Dr. John Berardi of Precision Nutrition fame breaks goals into two separate and distinct parts, and the distinction is critical to success.
1) Outcome Based Goals are the objective or objectives that you hope to accomplish. “I want to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks” is an outcome based goal, as is “I want to earn $100,000 a year by the age of 30”. You can’t directly control the outcome, rather the outcome will be the result of things you have to do.
2) Behavior Goals represent the steps that need to be taken to accomplish your desired outcome. This is where the rubber hits the road. When you want to lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks, your behavior goals will likely include “I will reduce my total calorie intake by 500 calories a day for the next 10 weeks”, and/or “I will not miss training at bootcamp for the next 10 weeks.”
See the difference?
You directly control the behavior goal.
You choose to take action on it…
or you don’t.
Behavior goals for a 10-week fat loss program might include some of the following (which are familiar to many of you):
“I commit to eating breakfast every day for the next 10 weeks”.
“I commit to taking 3 grams of fish oil and a multivitamin every day for the next 10 weeks”.
“I commit to planning my “splurge meals” and eating junk food only during these 2-3 meals a week”.
“I commit to exercising 4 hours a week, with at least 2 being with my trainer at bootcamp”.
Building Behavior Goals does not have to be complicated. These are regular daily and weekly action steps that will positively and immediately impact your Outcome Goals.
Following is a real world example from a client that we received just yesterday. It is an outstanding example of behavior goals that are sure to contribute to her desired outcome (fat loss). She has already shared how establishing these goals with a end point (she set them for the month of August) has helped her overcome the feeling that she was somehow depriving herself. She just has to keep them for a month, not the rest of her life. So turning down the blueberry waffles wasn’t that hard, because it’s only for a month. Great lesson there as well!
Here are her behavior goals for the month of August.
***
1. I will keep my list of guidelines in a spot where I can easily
see them, and I will read them every day.
2. I will exercise 4 times every week.
3. I will write down specifically what I am eating.
4. For the rest of August, I will . . .
a. eat protein and vegetables at every meal.
b. drink a minimum of 80oz. of water each day.
c. eat no more than one whole grain bread serving each
day (and no later than lunch time).
5. For the rest of August, I will not . . .
a. eat any dessert items except for perhaps on special
occasions.
b. eat any pasta, rice, white potatoes, or white bread.
c. eat any more than one serving of cheese and one
serving of nuts or nut butter each day.
***
Now there is a lot on this list, yours doesn’t necessarily have to be this long. In fact here is what I want you to do. Establish one outcome goal for the next 8 weeks. It could be “lose 8 pounds in 8 weeks” or “drop 2 inches off my waist in the next 8 weeks”. Note there is a specific time period involved, don’t skip that part!
Now that you know your desired outcome, establish 3 behavior goals that support that outcome. You have some great examples above, and your trainers can help you if you are stuck.
Once you have your outcome and behavior goal(s), post them to the comments below. Hold yourself accountable to meeting both categories of your goals. We look forward to seeing what you come up with, as well as coaching you to get there.
Now Make It Happen!
Dean & Nancy
By Dr. Laura Riley Jones
Hormones are powerful molecules essential for maintaining physical and mental health. Steroid hormones support a wide range of essential physiological functions, including blood lipid balance, bone mineral density, fertility, sexuality, a general sense of well being, as well as certain aspects of brain functioning. We frequently think of estrogen as being a female hormone, and testosterone as being a male hormone. But men AND women make both, plus several more that need to be in balance for optimum health. An imbalance of any one hormone can throw your physical and mental health out of balance, causing aggravating and even serious health problems.
For decades western medicine has prescribed Hormone Replacement Therapy as if everyone needed the same hormones and the same amount of each. Unfortunately, this method does not take into account the fact that one size does not fit all when it comes to hormones. Your hormones are like your fingerprints and in order to achieve optimal health, you need to know what your specific imbalances are.
There are several ways to test for hormones (saliva, serum and urine), however, a continually growing sea of reseach is demonstrating that salivary results most closely correlate with a person’s true levels and symptoms. This is because only the active portions of hormones are measured and it is these portions that determine how individuals feel. Because salivary collection can be done at home, timing of the test can be precisely controlled and levels can be determined at optimum times. Saliva testing provides a means to establish whether or not your hormone levels are within the expected normal range and it is simple and non-invasive.
Dr. Riley feels salivary hormone testing has great benefits and treats many patients, both male and female in order to restore hormone balance. Her preferred methods of treatment include adrenal support, phytoestrogen therapy and bio-identical hormone therapy. The severity of problems caused by the use of synthetic hormones led to a landmark decision in 2002 by the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a long term health study of postmenopaual women. After discovering that instances of breast cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis increased with the use of medroxy progesterone and pregnant mare’s urine conjugated estrogens, research was halted. Bioidentical hormones were brought into the spotlight after women sought a safe alternative for synthetic hormone replacement therapy.
The difference between bioidentical and synthetic hormones starts at the molecular level. Bioidentical hormones have the same chemical structure as hormones made by the human body, and can replicate the actions of those made naturally. Side effects and risk factors are minimized when your body recognizes its own molecular structure, fills its receptor cites efficiently, and can utilize, break down, and detoxify hormones effectively. Bioidentical hormones can be tailored to match each individual’s needs by a compounding pharmacist. Synthetic hormones, on the other hand, have an altered molecular structure that the body does not recognize completely, thus their actions are not straightforward and they are not detoxified from the body as easily. Side effects are more common with these types of hormones because they are foreign to the body.
One common condition often identified as a result of salivary testing is Estrogen Dominance. The term “Estrogen Dominance” can be confusing at times because it is less related to the amount of circulating estrogen and more related to the ratio of estrogen to progesterone in the body. Contrary to popular belief, Menopause and PMS are not the result of estrogen deficiency although estrogen levels do decline during the latter phases of a woman reproductive cycle.
More relevant is that the estrogen levels drop by approximately 40% at menopause while progesterone levels plummet by approximately 90% from premenopausal levels. It is the relative loss of progesterone that causes the majority of symptoms termed estrogen dominance. The disproportionate loss of progesterone begins in the latter stages of a woman’s reproductive cycle, when the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle begins to malfunction. The malfunction is initiated when the remnant tissue of the follicle (corpus luteum), the primary source of progesterone, begins to lose its functional capacity. By about age 35, many of these follicles fail to develop creating a relative progesterone deficiency. As a result, ovulation does not always occur and progesterone levels steadily decline. It is during this period that a relative progesterone deficiency, or what has become known as Estrogen Dominance, develops.
Typical symptoms of estrogen dominance are:
Mood Swings
Irritability
Depression
Irregular Periods
Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
Hot Flashes
Vaginal Dryness
Water Retention
Weight Gain: Hips, Thighs and Abdo men
Sleep Disturbance (Insomnia, less REM sleep)
Decreased Libido
Headaches
Fatigue
Short-term Memory Loss
Lack of Concentration
Dry, Thin, Wrinkly Skin
Thinning of Scalp Hair
Increased Facial Hair
Bone Mineral Loss (Osteoporosis)
Diffuse Aches and Pain
For more information on Salivary Hormone Testing and the use of phytoestrogens or Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement therapy, contact Whole Health Concord at (603) 369-4626 for a free 15 minute consultation with Dr. Jones.
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So this week Nancy and I started sporting some new footwear – Vibram Five Fingers – and they have generated a lot of interesting conversation this week.
Those of you who have been in a Get Fit NH Bootcamp class with Dr. Dave have seen them before, and we credit him for the discovery. Dave runs in them, and turned us on to the book “Born To Run”, written by Christopher McDougall. I can’t describe this book any better than Amazon.com does: “Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.”
Now if you know anything about me, you know that I have no love for running, on many levels. However if you insist on beating the snot out of your joints in this way (just kidding – sort of) do yourself a favor and pick up this book.
So if I am not going to run in them, you may be asking yourself, what’s the point?
It has everything to do with joint health and proper exercise mechanics. For those of you who are, ummm, mature enough, you probably remember “Chuck Taylor” basketball sneakers. They were (and maybe still are) popular again not all that long ago. Well “Chucks” are the preferred shoe for many powerlifters and strength athletes, particularly when squatting and deadlifting, as they have a flat sole and encourage proper lifting mechanics. The challenge with them is that they aren’t really good in a cross-training environment like bootcamp for the same reasons.
You see when we wear those fancy shoes that support our feet and arches in 900 different ways we can actually do more harm than good. Your body was designed in a very logical manner, joint by joint. As you move up the kinetic chain, each joint is designed to alternate between MOBILITY and STABILITY.
The ankle is designed to be MOBILE.
The knee is designed to be STABLE.
The hip is designed to be MOBILE.
The lumbar spine STABLE.
The thoracic spine MOBILE, etc…all the way up the chain.
So when we over-stabilize the first joint, the ankle, the next joint wants to “make up” that lack of mobility. Unfortunately that next joint is the knee, and stiff ankles often leads to sore and injured knees, which are now moving in a way they were not designed. This can also happen when the hips have less than the optimum mobility. By “freeing” the ankle joint to work properly, you very well may find your knees feel better! The same principle can apply to your lower back. Get the hips working optimally can help relieve low back pain. Pretty cool.
So what’s the solution? GO BAREFOOT! In fact when we opened the Epsom facility we discussed it being a barefoot gym. We decided for a few reasons not to go that route.
And then comes Dr. Dave and his Vibram Five Fingers. Perfect solution! When I heard Joe Kings in Concord started carrying them, we were all over it. (No, I don’t a make a penny from Joe Kings or Vibram)
So how’s it going after a week? I can tell you they take some getting used to; just getting them on takes awhile at first. The first two days my feet were sore – it was pretty apparent that my foot muscles were weak. Today is day five, and I hardly notice I am wearing them. They actually feel really good! I am already squatting better and lower than I was – which is pretty exciting for me.
Some of you have already joined us by training barefoot, and some of you already were. I would urge you to pick up a copy of “Born To Run” and do a little research into this craziness yourself. One precaution – ease yourself into the barefoot thing. Running right away will cause you nothing but pain. Your foot needs to strengthen before you go nuts.
My biggest problem now? Nancy discovered they sell pink Vibrams – looks like she may have TWO pairs!
Make It Happen!
Dean
Thank-you to superstar client Becky for sharing her take on this tasty recipe with us. Make sure you check out her notes at the bottom!
Serves 4
Chicken Salad:
1 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded and meat shredded OR
1 lb. cold cooked chicken, shredded or diced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1/3 seedless cucumber, chopped
2 ribs celery from the heart, thinly sliced on an angle
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
Yogurt Dressing:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 cup. reduced-fat or fat-free Greek yogurt
Small handful dill, parsley, and chives; finely chopped
Three dashes hot sauce or to taste
In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the yogurt, herbs, and hot sauce. Add the chicken, bell pepper, onion, cucumber, and celery; season with salt and pepper. Top the salad with the tomatoes.
Notes from Becky:
I used white vinegar (instead of the white wine vinegar) as that is what I had.
I used Vidalia onion since I think that is sweeter than the red (and I don’t really care for raw red onion).
I mixed the tomatoes in to the salad rather than putting them on the top.
This makes a large amount. We got at least 6 servings—I guess it depends on
how large of a serving you have! ?
And just to give credit where credit is due–I got the original recipe from the magazine “Every Day with Rachel Ray” August 2010 issue, pg. 103.
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