To be sore or not to be sore, that is the question?

I think I was dropped on my head as a child! What was I thinking?!

After Tuesdays arm workout, I come home and have the ‘brilliant’ idea to go out snowmobiling. Around this area you have to muscle the machine around trees, around turns, and over waterholes… (plus, riding without kids on the back we tend to ride a little harder). Lets just say that it was another arm workout that lasted 3 hours. After we were done I was thinking ‘I’m not gonna be able to move my arms tomorrow, good thing it’s Wednesday to recover’.

snowmobileWell, Wednesday came and my arms felt great! I could not say the same for my lower back, around my kidneys, both sides, what’s up with that? Was it the Tuesday highpulls? I mention this to my husband and he feels my pain… literally, he feels the same pain in his back. Duh! it’s from bouncing and jouncing over all the bumps from snowmobiling.  I spent the day trying to stretch my aches and pains on Wednesday. I woke this morning feeling even worse. I was trying to back out of going to Bootcamp until my husband told me to ‘suck it up’, so off I went.

I’m finally to the point of my story… when is it a good sore versus a bad sore? For me personally, a good sore is one that hurts before I enter Bootcamp and by the end of class, the soreness is gone. When it’s a sore that takes my breathe away and brings tears to my eyes… that would be a bad sore. Today was a bad sore day and surprise ‘Testing… I mean, Achievement Day’.

I started class making sure Nancy knew my dilemna and just took it one exercise at a time. It was an ‘easy’ day for me as I gingerly went through the exercises to make sure I didn’t put more strain on the muscles in my back. I was able to do most of the exercises, pushups, squats, situps weren’t too bad, mountain climbers were one step at a time, squat thrusts pulled but didn’t hurt-much. However, by the time we got to chinups it was uncomfortable so I stopped, and the 100reps were ok until the starjumps so I stopped there too.

So why am I telling you all this… besides letting me whine?… I just want to remind everyone to listen to your body when you are sore. Determine if its a good sore or a bad sore. But to stress that if you have bad soreness make sure you tell Nancy and Dean so they can help you assess how to proceed in your workout, or to take the day off.

I’ll be back for more tomorrow… I don’t want to miss Fun Friday! (now do you see why I think I was dropped on my head as a child?!)

Blog you later
gretchen

Morning Bootcamp Classes Closed Monday Jan. 18th

Hey guys, looks like it’s going to be a pretty crazy storm overnight and into the morning, so we are canceling both Concord and Epsom morning classes. We WILL be open at 4:00pm and 6:00pm in Epsom. If you are in a morning class and can make it later, I would encourage you to come at 4:00pm if you are able, as 6:00pm is… very full. If you have any questions, shoot us an email or call the office.

Brah, I am so stoked!

Have you ever noticed kids these days have their own language… ‘Brah, I am so stoked, just hit a knarley jump… yard sale dawg!’



Excuse me??

snowboard‘Brah’…are boys wearing bras now? a new fashion? ‘Stoked’, have you been playing with fire? Last I knew, a ‘yard sale’ is “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure”, and ‘Dawg’, whose dog? did it bite someone?…

Isn’t it true that we all have our own little languages? I’m sure anyone who reads my bootcamp blogs and has never been to Bootcamp, scratch their head and think I’m ready for a straight jacket… well I am ready for a straight jacket… but, you understand what I’m talking about.
Lets see… Bootcamp-isms….

‘It feels awesome’ – when in fact if we have to do any more, we are going to collapse.

‘Let it marinate’ – gotta love Sven this is his way to say rest, when we can’t even twitch our finger.

’10 seconds down’– I want to hurt Sven because I think we’ve been at it way more than 10 seconds and we have 30+ more to go!

How about ‘Julie’s stretch’, truth be known Julie doesn’t even like this one! it’s the taffy pull one, you are the taffy.

‘Stephanie’s Stretch’ equates to the 50’s moviestars posing on the beach (bent knee, stretch, wave) we just need the big sunglasses and the bufont hairdo.

We have ‘butt busters’, ‘amazing abs’, ‘plankity plank planks’ = Pain, pain, and more pain!

We have gone so far as to label the days… Marvelous Mondays! Terrific Tuesdays! Woohoo Wednesdays! Thrilling Thursdays! and yeh! FUN FRIDAYS!…

And Finally, my favorite ‘MAKE IT HAPPEN’– Dean and Nancy’s polite way of kicking us in our behinds… ok, so it means with a little bit of effort on our part, we can achieve anything we want!

… see you tomorrow for an extra Fun Friday.

Blog you later.
gretchen

Your Nutrition Questions Answered

We want to help you with the answers, but first we need to know your questions.

Here is your assignment – I need to know your #1 challenge with nutrition. If there was one thing that is holding you back from losing bodyfat, what is it?

Please answer in the comment section below…

Why Do We Do This?!? because…

“And the 2010 Award for Best Butt goes too….” drum roll please…. every Bootcamper that attended todays workout (or all week for that matter!).

thanks200900014Ok, so it was really ’20/10 best butt’ … aka: Tabata butt finisher 20 seconds 1 leg hip/thigh, 10 sec holding the 2 leg hip/thigh bridge – tight! It was KILLER! Especially after the 50/10 workout complete with 5 squats – hold the squat for 5 seconds, repeat; front lunges with a reach; the abs cruncher in and outs; chin ups (or pulldowns); to the small scapula airplane movement = massive rubbery limbs.

Did I mention… I went skiing yesterday and found that even with all the squats, lunges, etc. my legs still burn on the mountainside? The girls heard it several times today as tears roll down my face. Today’s workout just added to my already screaming thighs. I found myself in quite a pickle on a few lunges … ‘help! I’ve lunged and can’t get up’, a very bizarre feeling let me tell you.

Why do we do it? Other than being sadistic?! It’s fun!! An hour out of your busy day that is just for YOU! Longevity and living strong!! Not to mention before you know it, the warm weather comes and the clothes get shed… it’s bad enough to expose the pastey skin that glows, but, flabby, cottage cheese cellulite is a definite fashion faux pas don’t ya think? Surgical enhancements are always available but who wants to spend that kind of money, take those kind of risks, not to mention scarring…just to look good? Not us!! We’ll do it the healthy, old fashioned way with hard work and healthy choices… to BOOTCAMP we go!!!

So KUDOS to you all for putting YOU first (‘It’s all about ME’ attitude). I’m proud of you all!!!
J-Lo and Raphael Nadal have nothing on us… we are 2010’s Best Butts!

(side note: I did a little research… they actually have a list of best famous booties… Raphael is a tennis player and J-Lo came in 4th because she’s… flabby(heeheehee) the winner was Vida Guerra for being rock hard – who knew?!)

blog you later!
gretchen


The Most Critical Part Of Your Workout

We have been proud to be a partner of Beverly International ever since we have been training clients. For those of you who use Ultimate Muscle Protein(UMP), you know that is a versatile, great tasting and convenient way to fuel your body.

There are a couple of different ways I use “UMP”.

Post-Workout:

Studies have shown that a carbohydrate AND protein formula is more effective for rapid replenishment of muscle glycogen after exercise than a carbohydrate only supplement of equal carbohydrate or caloric content.

In other words, just drinking a “sports drink” after your workout doesn’t cut it. The research indicates you need to fuel your body with just the right combo of carbs AND protein. And yes, this is hyper-critical to optimizing your efforts.

That’s why after training I always add carbohydrates to my Ultimate Muscle Protein, usually in the form of fruit (blueberries is my favorite) and some rolled oats. This is an awesome post workout shake!

Pre-Bedtime Snack:

The other way I use UMP is as a healthy snack an hour or so before I go to bed. A scoop of chocolate UMP, 2 teaspoons of natural peanut butter, and some water is all I need to satisfy any hunger and help the body repair itself as I sleep.

Progradeworkoutfinal_thumbI love UMP and it will always be part of my nutrition. However as you may know we also partner with Prograde Nutrition, and I wanted to let you know about their post-workout supplement “Prograde Workout”.

You may be thinking “IF UMP is so great why would you need ‘Prograde Workout’?”

A fair question, so here some reasons you my want to give it a try:

  1. It is an optimized post workout supplement with the right mix of protein and carbs to fuel your body for max results.
  2. Because it is formulated in the above way, you don’t need to “add” anything to it post-workout. Just pour it in your shaker bottle, mix with water and you are good to go. No blender needed.
  3. As a proud Prograde Partner I’m thrilled to let you know that Prograde Workout is now available on a FREE trial basis. There’s just a small S & H fee.
  4. On the link below you can also learn more about the research study on post-workout nutrition.

Yes, Prograde Workout recovery drink is based on this very research. It provides the right combo of protein and carbs that your body craves after a tough training session.

Just click this special link right here and find out for yourself how you can try it for FREE:

http://getfitnhbootcamp.getprograde.com/workout-free-trial.html

Make It Happen,

Dean

Are You Getting Itchy?

I know I am, and it’s only partly because of this beard I am letting grow in during our recovery week from Get Fit NH Bootcamp.

Speaking of the beard, it’s a little grayer than last time I let the whiskers grow a little in. Funny how that happens.

I get asked sometimes why I train, you know “spend all that time working out. You can’t stop the aging process you know.”

bonfire-4

Truth be told it is my goal to train more this year than last. And the only way to “stop the aging process” is to die. Not on my list this year, but that is out of my hands.

The poet Dylan Thomas wrote of death and dying “Do not go gentle into that good night”, and isn’t that really why we train?

Not in a quest for immortality, but to keep our minds and bodies sharp as long as we can.

Not to deny we are getting older, but to be better as we age.

To take care of the precious gift of life we have been given, not to abuse it with excess of anything, maybe especially food.

So why I am getting itchy?

Because I personally have a passion to train, and I have even more of a passion to help others reach their fitness potential – to lose bodyfat, get stronger, feel better – BE better.

Are you with me?

Is your fire burning?

Are you ready to put aside the things that are pulling you down, to let go of the excuses, cast off the toxic people who tell you it can’t be done?

Is your body ready to get back into action, to struggle against the sweat and the pain?

Soon enough, my friend.

Just a few short days until January 4th – when we will step back into the arena and go to war with ourselves.

Are you going to be there?

Why would you miss it?

http://getfitnhbootcamp.com/fitness-bootcamp-sign-up/


Holiday Eating Tips

haybaleMy Dad grew up working on a farm, and if you have ever heard of “farmboy” strength, you know that he was a strong dude! He used to tell me stories of hoisting a bale of hay in each hand and throwing them into the barn loft – that’s strong!

He was fast too. When I was about 15 we were doing some roofing on the big chicken house, about 20 feet up a ladder. For some stupid reason I smarted off to my mother and headed as fast as I could down the ladder. He was on me so fast I didn’t know what hit me. So much for being stronger and faster (or evidently smarter) then the old man. Ahhh, good times!

So anyway he sent this list on holiday eating tips, so having wised up a bit, I figured I would share them with you too.

Thanks Dad!


  • Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a Christmas buffet table knows nothing of the Holiday spirit.. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.


  • Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It’s rare. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!


  • If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.


  • As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.


  • Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Holiday party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello?


  • Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.


  • If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.


  • Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?


  • Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards. Unless it’s been soaked in rum for a year. (My mother’s recipe)


One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Have a great holiday season!!
Merry Christmas


bethlehem