Dean
Dean
Nancy and I are thrilled to introduce our new contributing blogger – the incomparable Gretchen Wolfe! As trainers, we have one perspective on training and nutrition, and it is easy for us to get caught speaking from only our viewpoint, as totally and absolutely correct as it might be! 🙂
Gretchen has agreed to offer her viewpoint on training, nutrition and women’s specific challenges from the “non-trainer” perspective, and I know after reading what she has to say, you will want to keep up on her adventures. Soon she will have her own spot on our new women’s site, GetFitNHwomen.com, but for now she is hanging out with us here. Thanks Gretchen, we look forward to your wisdom!
Hi fellow bootcampers, my name is Gretchen. I’ve been going to BooT now for 12 months… a whole year! and guess what?! I still love it… I can’t even begin to tell you how many health programs I’ve attended over the years and they never stuck, or should I say I never stuck to them. Boredom mostly, it’s too far to travel, I don’t have time, you get the idea… the so called ‘trainers’ that were supposed to be helping me, but beyond the first day never got involved in my training… need I say more?
So let me tell you how I ended up at Get Fit NH Bootcamp… my friend and neighbor told me about Dean and Nancy’s program, she said I just had to try it out. Let me tell you, it was unlike any other fitness program I’ve ever tried. I gotta tell you Bootcamp is challenging, exciting, and different every day. There is no getting bored with the same ol’ same ol’.
The first month was a much needed distraction, at the time my Dad, was dying of cancer. Little did I know that Bootcamp would change my mind, body and spirit. I had been down this road before with my mother, she passed away 5 years ago also from cancer, at that time I gained 60pounds. I managed to lose 40 lbs by walking away the pounds but, I knew this time around I needed something more. Dean and Nancy were put in my path of self destruction and I’m grateful for them. Every month after that first one has been for my mental health. I looked forward to the one hour, 4 days a week, I could forget my troubles and enter into my own little zone where it was ‘all about me, and challenge myself’.
As I reflect on the past year of attending Bootcamp, where am I now? Well, I haven’t lost any weight but I haven’t gained any either. That is my own fault, I have yet to adopt a healthy eating plan. But, that’s been ok for me. Have I made some changes? you bet! I used to drink Mountain Dew (4-6 a day). I eat more green (broccoli, spinach, snowpeas, salad etc.), I’m drinking more water, and I’m learning so much about nutrition and the effects it has on our bodies. Physically, I have lost 3inches off my waist, my pants fit differently, but the best of all is the muscle definition that I can actually see. Mentally, ok, so mentally… I’m still a nutcase but that’s nothing new… I do have a healthier outlook.
I’ve got some more work to do. I’ve got a plan! Plan out my meals, my schedule, my family. My biggest obstacle, kicking my sugar addiction. Could I do this without Bootcamp? heck no… Dean and Nancy give us the tools and the knowledge, its up to us to ‘Make it Happen’. They want to see us obtain our personal goals and will help anyway they can… so what do you say? is there anyone out there to join me? It’s baby steps… lets start with the water intake… are you drinking enough, hydrating your body? If not, lets start… today!
A toast (of water of course) ‘to health and happiness!’
Blog you later…
gretchen
Fun Friday is upon us, and we have had another fan-tabulous week!
Our latest “Referral Rewards” achievers are sporting their $50! First off a big thanks to Yvonne for bringing new member Betsy, and then kudos to Elizabeth for sharing bootcamp with Jessica. You guys are the best!
Next up on the agenda is a pic of “Nurse Betty” and “Nurse Becky” both of 8:30am CDA fame. Now I know our members are extremely dedicated to making their health and fitness a priority, but I wanted to give a special shout out this week to these two ladies. Betty is a 3rd shift nurse and comes to bootcamp after working all night, and Becky has a crazy schedule that has her working into the wee hours as well, sometimes getting up and coming with only 4 or 5 hours of sleep (or less). These ladies inspire me! It’s pretty hard to whine about being tired when I know what they (and many others) do to get to class!
Get Fit NH Bootcamp goes pink
On Sunday, October 18th The American Cancer Society will host its annual Making Strides walk to fight against breast cancer. To learn more abut the many ways you can fight back against breast canser year-round, visit cancer.org/stridesonline
Last but not least, I wanted to share this video my bud Craig Ballantyne made. Just pretend the guy named “Brad” is Joe, and we are in business! Seriously though, you can’t out-exercise a poor diet. Think about that this weekend as you are making some choices!
Make It Happen!
Dean
Did you know your body has a built in “feel good” system, and that it naturally produces a chemical similar to morphine or codeine, but without the affects of addiction or dependence?
How cool is that?
This same substance can decrease pain, modulate appetite, and increase our immune response. It is a powerful mood enhancer and stress buster, and it’s yours for the taking.
I’m talking about endorphins…
Now before you tune me out because you think I have been smoking some “feel good” substance myself, let me explain further what an endorphin is an how they can help you lose weight and feel great.
Endorphins are one of the brain chemicals known as neurotransmitter, which transmit electrical signals within our nervous system.
Stress and pain can lead to the release of endorphins, but in this case the stress part is not a bad thing. When you are training (“working out”) your body releases endorphins as a response to the stress of physical exercise. Some believe this release is the cause of the so called “runner’s high”. The great news is that you don’t have to run a marathon to experience this release, as moderate amounts of exercise cause the release as well.
So how does this help us out in our quest to lose weight?
Your stress levels and mood affect many decision you make every day. Emotional eating is a response to the stress and anxiety many of us feel every day. There are few among us who at one time or another have not cleaned out a bag of Oreo’s because we had a rotten day at work. Reducing stress levels is crucial to having the right mindset to eat in a manner supportive to our goals.
There are many studies that show regular physical activity causes people just to “feel better” and keeps them from overeating or abusing drugs and alcohol. Physical activity has increasingly become part of the treatment protocol for depression. Tension, fatigue and anger can all be positively affected by simply exercising.
This is not magic, just biology. But make no mistake, exercise and endorphin release are powerful tools in your fat burning arsenal. Drugs, alcohol, and even chocolate can’t hold a candle to this natural stress fighter.
So when life seems like it’s too much, do yourself a huge favor. Skip work, skip school, skip the PTA meeting, or skip to my lou, but don’t skip out on getting your workout in. It’s just not worth it!
Make It Happen,
Dean
Q. What is my favorite fad diet?
A. The one you are NOT on!
I believe it is critical to wrap our heads around the fact that there IS NO EASY FIX!
And as long as we keep searching for it we are taking our focus off the tried and true principles that will lead to a leaner and healthier body.
(Excerpt from our “Master Your Metabolism” e-course. Subscribe by entering your email into the box to your right…)
“Nutrition has by far the greatest impact on fat loss. Eating supportively will not only allow you to improve your health and energy, and it also provides the ideal environment for your transformation – maintain lean muscle while reducing unwanted fat.
If your goal is to lose body fat, you must eat slightly fewer calories than you burn. This may seem simple, but when calories are reduced, the body becomes imbalanced. It is the body’s job to restore balance, and it inevitably does so by either reducing the amount of calories it burns for energy ( by using muscle instead of fat) or by forcing you to eat more through hunger and cravings. This is one of the main reasons why fad diets do not produce long term results. The goal of our program is to ensure that you lose fat, not muscle.
Most fad diets are simply low-calorie diets disguised by great advertising or a clever marketing gimmick. There are currently thousands of diets listed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This number alone proves that no one diet works long term. If a magic diet or formula for fat loss existed, everyone would be on it and no one would be overweight.
But why is it that some people do lose weight on diets? The immediate success most people experience from fad diets is due to water loss, eating fewer calories or a combination of the two. However, less than five percent of these dieters are able to keep the weight off. Diets simply don’t work long term because of improper nutrition and the failure to change exercise and eating habits for life.
America is fatter as a society today because we consume approximately 300 to 500 more calories per day than we did 10 years ago, yet we move less because of advances in technology such as computers, escalators and other labor-saving devices.
Supportive nutrition can be mastered by understanding that everything you eat and drink can either positively or negatively affect your fat loss goals.”
Read that again, because you need to understand and embrace that concept. Your weight, your health, and how you look and feel is affected by every decision you make regarding nutrition. You are the sum total of the choices you have made in the past and are making right now.
Choose Wisely!
Dean
You guys are awesome! Thank-you so much for sharing Get Fit NH Bootcamp with your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. Here are this weeks Referral Rewards Achievers! That $50 bill is waiting for you too!
Barbara
Fran-tastic!
Kim
Deidre & Barbara
Yesterday in our bootcamp classes we worked on our balance. It’s a lot harder to stand on one foot with our eyes closed than we may have thought!
I thought about how that “balance practice” is a metaphor for our lives. Life is full of balancing acts. We juggle family, work, duties around the home, extra activities like hobbies, and getting together with friends. When do we fit training in? Is there a way to do it all?
Your health and fitness is important to us, but it needs to be more important to you. Putting training aside, eating foods that are empty in value (or “not a food group” at Yvonn puts it) are damaging your chances of reaching those goals. Seek to balance life out. Focus on your goals. Too often we put aside what we know to be right in health because it is just too hard to do it all. Or is it?
Balance in life is conquered with planning. After all we plan for things like vacations – we know in advance where we are going, what we will be doing there, and how we will get to each point of interest. We also plan out each week. We know when we have to be at work, when our kids have soccer games, and whose turn it is to feed the dog.
Break that down to daily planning as well. When are you going to get up? What are you going to do first, second, and third? Do you waste time standing in front of the closet staring into the clean laundry hanging there wondering what you will wear? Do you do the same thing with the fridge? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to take some of that wasted time and make some plans in order to accomplish it all?
Take 10-20 minutes each Sunday and plan out the week’s menu. Include all your meals and snacks. Remember the balancing act? Would you rather stand in front of the fridge trying to grab something – anything – in order to feed your hungry stomach or would you like to reach inside each morning for the container that holds your breakfast and be out the door? What a sense of accomplishment, when you know you’ve attained your goals. You’ve found that balance between utter confusion leading to unhealthy choices, and the calmness that comes from knowing you made great choices in order to eat for a healthy life.
Take that principle to your training schedule. Are you always thinking of what needs to be done first? Does that include your training? Does it get shifted to last on the “To Do” list and usually remain undone at the end of the day? You need to seek balance. Your health and your fitness can’t be bottom of the list if you want to reach your goals. If one of your reasons for becoming/staying healthy is for your family, is there balance if they become the reason you can’t make it to class? Plan your training schedule like it is an appointment with your doctor. You have to be there. Looking at it any other way is less than optimal.
Planning is the key to a balanced life. We plan for so many areas of our life until that planning is a habit. We rarely even realize we are planning any more. To obtain balance in your eating and personal training you have to plan. Don’t try to juggle life and let some of the balls fall on the ground. Plan, practice and succeed.
Thanks for letting us be a part of your life,
Nancy
It’s your choice…
Every day you get to choose…
Not what happens to you…
But how you respond…
Attitude makes all the difference…
You aren’t always going to succeed to the level of your expectations…
So what?
That’s Life.
Get off the mat and keep working at it…
There is no such thing as “failure” when you learn from your mistakes…
Now I am not a “pie in the sky dreamer”…
I don’t believe “thinking happy thoughts” is going to solve all your problems, real or perceived…
But I also know that wallowing around in self-pity is counterproductive…
You have a lot more control than you may think…
Don’t accept being less than your best…
And strive to be better every day…
Don’t wait for “it” to come to you…
Get out there and…
Make It Happen!
We had all sorts of craziness going on this morning!
I can’t WAIT to see what the 4pm and 6pm classes have up their sleeves!
What a fantastic week at Bootcamp! You all worked hard, laughed hard and moved one step closer to your goals. We’d like to extend a special welcome to all our new members as well as those who are doing their 2 week trial. It’s always a lot of fun for us as coaches to see how the classes are so welcoming and encouraging to the “newbies”. You guys rock!
Here’s a few pictures from all the adventures of the last week…
Kerrie and Erica flashing a Referral Reward – $50 bucks!
6:15 Running “THE HILL”
Mark, is that DIRT on your shoe?
The 5:00am class looking GOOD!
Thank-you all so much for Making It Happen – You guys are the best!
Nancy and Dean
If you are not going to listen to me, how about listening to HIM – What say you??
Let’s face it, none of us enjoy being sick. With all the talk of H1N1, now is a good time to review some simple strategies to to stay healthy. There are positive steps you can take everyday to boost the chances of avoiding sickness. Don’t accept the fact that “everybody gets sick”.
Boost your immune system with the following strategy:
The CDC offers the following daily preventative actions:
Keeping your training space cold and flu free
We have consulted with commercial cleaning experts as to the best cleaners and disinfectants to use. This solution is used to mop the floors in our Epsom facility, as well as disinfect the bands and other equipment. Alcohol based hand rubs are available to use as needed and after training.
The Concord facility has a cleaning service that cleans on a nightly basis. We will be spraying the CDA mats after use each day.
Sharing of yoga and/or training mats in Epsom will no longer be allowed. A good quality mat costs less than $25.00, so please purchase one for your own use if you prefer to train on one. Please write your name on your mat.
Let’s all pull together and do what it takes to stay healthy this winter!
Make It Happen,
Nancy and Dean