Why Do You Do It That Way?

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

It’s Go Time!

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!

Are You A Sugar Addict?

Tired all the time? Grumpy and can’t shake the blahs? Do you have trouble losing weight? Do you walk around in a fog? What about digestive issues? Constantly battling a stuffy nose?

Major health issues like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and auto-immune diseases are dramatic examples of how sugar can wreak havoc in your life. There are less dramatic ways sugar affects our bodies before we experience major problems.

Addictions come in different forms.

• The Energy Shark feels chronically tired and needs hits of sugar and caffeine.
• The Feed-Me-Now type have exhausted their adrenal glands.
• An overgrowth of yeast in the body leads the Sneak-Around-for-Sugar addict hiding to get another hit of sugar.
• And the Depressed & Craving Carbs type desire for sweets is linked to hormonal shifts.

What type of addict are you?

Do you often feel tired and achy? Do you need coffee to get going in the morning? Does your energy fade by mid-afternoon? Do you get frequent headaches?

You may be an Energy Shark.

Do you find you are often thirsty and need to use the restroom? Do you get recurrent sore throats and swollen glands? Do you sometimes get dizzy when you stand up? Is life a crisis for you?

You may be a Feed-Me-Now type.

Do you have chronic nasal congestion? Do you have irritable bowels? Have you been clinically treated for acne? Do you clear your throat a lot? Often an overgrowth of yeast internally will cause the sugar cravings like those who are

The Sneak-Around-for-Sugar addicts.

Chronically depressed, fatigued, battling insomnia and a loss of libido might have you classified as a Depressed & Craving Carb addict. Your sugar cravings are caused by fluctuating hormones.

No matter what the type you can fight your way out of your sugar addiction. Nutrition is the key to locking up the addict inside you.

1. Choose high-protein foods such as meat, eggs, and seafood and foods that score low on the glycemic index.
2. Eat small meals frequently during the day.
3. Eliminate “energy drinks” loaded with sugar and caffeine.
4. Exercise for 30 to 60 minutes a day, outside if possible.
5. Get seven to nine hours of sleep a night
6. Supplement your diet with a quality vitamin.
7. Take a fish oil supplement.

Each addiction has its own issues but don’t let your addiction control you. Furthermore don’t let the addiction you have today bring damaging diseases in your future.

To your health,

Coach Nancy

Reference – Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, author of Beat Sugar Addiction Now!

The Healthy Kitchen

It all starts here. Nutrition is not half the battle, it is the battle! What we eat is the single most important factor when it comes to how we look and feel. With today’s busy lifestyles, it is more important than ever that we learn to make the best choices to support our healthy goals.

The choices we make when feeding our bodies have both short and long term consequences. Did you know it’s possible to eat too much food and be undernourished? Not only do we become overweight, but are also more susceptible to disease because we are not receiving the nutrients we need for optimal health. It is important to remember that the primary reason we eat is to give our body what it needs to function optimally. A growing number of studies show that Americans do not receive the nutrients they need from their dietary intake.

There are a number of reasons for this. Our crops themselves are not as nutritious as in the past, probably due to soil depletion and the overuse of fertilizers. Fast food restaurants and prepackage foods in our supermarket shelves make it all too easy to consume a large amount of calories with nearly no nutritive value. While such food choices may be fast and convenient, there is no doubt they contribute to obesity and disease.

Over-consumption of grains, particularly refined wheat (eg. white flour) and corn, has also contributed to our growing problem with obesity. Too many grains and not enough variety of vegetables in our diet leads to excess calories and nutrient deficiencies.

While fruit has many critical nutrients and should be enjoyed, it may be helpful to think of it as “nature’s candy” because of the high sugar content. Refined grains and fruit juices can also make controlling blood sugar difficult.

It does take more work to prepare healthy meals, there is no doubt about it. Doing so is a small price to pay when you consider the negative health consequences of eating poorly. Most people do not think about the future, only the here and now, but the cost is greater to fight disease than to prevent disease. Eating for optimal health is the foundation of living well.

Recently we unveiled Fitgoal. Take advantage of all it offers.

• Daily food log so you know exactly what you are feeding yourself.

• Reports so you can monitor your fitness progress after each “Test Day”

• Visuals like charts and graphs for your food intake

• Write out personal goals so you know where you want to go and how you plan on getting there

• A journaling section to list important factors that give insight into your well being.

• The ability to directly contact your trainer through Fitgoal.

We are here to help you reach your goals,

Coach Nancy

Zucchini Boats

Here’s a favorite of Anne from the 8:30 Concord class.

In keeping with the zucchini theme:

Zucchini Boats (makes 8 boats) Preheat oven to 400 degrees

4 medium (8″) zucchini
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
8 oz low-fat or non-fat cottage cheese
paprika, salt and pepper to taste

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise.  Steam over steaming basket in large pot for about 10-15 minutes. 
Zucchini should be firm but able to be scooped out.  Scoop out pulp with spoon and chop, leaving a zucchini shell or boat.

Sauté onion until soft.  Add soy sauce and chopped zucchini, keep over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Put boats in baking dish and fill each zucchini boat with 1/8 of the mix.  Sprinkle paprika on top, if desired.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or until hot.

New Contest and a Cookbook with a Heart

You amazed us last year with your willingness to support Carrie Cates children after she was hit and killed by a hit and run driver last October. You rallied your support and raised over $3000 to give to her kids.

Get Fit NH Bootcamp would like to help another local family whose son needs some specialized equipment. Six-year-old Joshua was diagnosed with Autism-Spectrum Disorder just after his 2nd birthday. Autism is a developmental disorder that impairs a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others.

“Something changed,” said Joshua’s mother. “He started talking less and less and lost interest in people and toys. It was as if our little boy went away.”

For the last three years Joshua has undergone numerous treatments and therapies to combat his autism. He’s made progress, his mother said, “But it’s been excruciatingly slow.”

Joshua and his parents are looking forward to a new therapy that is expected to increase his vocabulary significantly and improve his communication skills. But the therapy requires a touch-screen computer that will cost $1,500. But with current therapies and medical bills costing as much as $12,000 a year, Joshua’s parents are hard pressed to afford the new computer.

“Joshua is an affectionate boy. He loves to run, swing and climb,” his mother said. “He understands so much, yet it is difficult for him to express it. His inability to talk and communicate is deeply frustrating for him.”

We would like to solve two needs at one time: a way to fund Joshua’s therapy computer and introduce more people to a healthy way to eat.

Many of you have asked for recipes and ideas on how to eat nutritiously. We have been working on our Get Fit NH Bootcamp cookbook for quite awhile, but we want to include some of your favorite healthy recipes as well. This will help us get the cookbook finished, printed and available for sale. One hundred percent of the profits collected for the cookbook will help fund Joshua’s computer and other therapy needs.

So here’s the deal: For every healthy recipe you submit to us your name will be entered into a drawing to win some cool Get Fit NH Bootcamp gear. We’ll choose three names at random to win the T-shirt or Sweatshirt of choice.

To submit your recipes, please click here or send us an email. Contest ends September 15th!

Thanks for all you do!

Super Salmon Cakes

Here’s another quick, easy, tasty and healthy recipe loaded with protein and healthy fats. The whole family loves this one!

Cucumber Cups

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!

Fresh Is Best

We’ve always heard that “Fresh is Best”, and this is so true in purchasing vegetables. When you have the option, purchase (and eat) your vegetables in this order:

First Fresh

Always try to buy vegetables that are in season. Don’t be afraid to try some vegetables you’ve never heard of. Most people stick to their favorites and venturing out of the regular few scares them. There are over 150 different vegetables. Chose fresh from local farmer markets, farm stands, and co-ops whenever possible. Better yet grow your own.

Second Frozen

Vitamins in frozen vegetables can be slightly diminished but mineral are still packed into them. When vegetables are out of season resort to home grown frozen and then store bought packages. Remember to buy brands that do not add salt or sugar.

Third Canned

Canned vegetables are good in a pinch or an emergency. Try to use these as a last resort. Most canned vegetables have way too much salt and sugar added. Look for low sodium varieties, and don’t avoid your vegetables just because fresh isn’t currently available.

Summer is prime time to take advantage of many different veggies. Enjoy. Share your favorite veggies recipe below.

Coach Nancy

Your Goals Aren’t

“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