I Feel Good!

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

Re: My Favorite Fad Diet

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

Handing Out More Moola at Get Fit NH Bootcamp!

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

The Great Balancing Act

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

YOU Make It Happen

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!

Must Be A Full Moon at Get Fit NH Bootcamp!

We had all sorts of craziness going on this morning!

• The 9:00am ladies class practiced field sobriety tests (what’s up with that Rachel?)
• At the 8:30am ladies class Celeste lost her tennis ball
• The 5:00am class had a fashion show
• The 6:30 am class had a ban on cheaters
• and the 6:15 class, the ENTIRE 6:15 class, ran hills!

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

What’s YOUR Excuse?

If you are not going to listen to me, how about listening to HIM – What say you??

No Flu For 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:

1. Eat a nutritious diet full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and remember that sugar suppresses your immune system.
2. Drink plenty of water and green tea
3. Get to bed early and get a good night sleep – consistently!
4. Exercise regularly. Your body produces antibodies when you train vigorously, boosting your immune system.

The CDC offers the following daily preventative actions:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.

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

Friday is Fun Day!

During today’s training I asked Jane how she was doing, and she answered “Good, because you only kick our butts on the days that end in ‘y’ ” – I thought that was a great point!

In keeping with our theme of “Fun Friday” I am passing along an interview with an internationally renowned physician that Tammy sent me. There is some real wisdom in here…somewhere!

Have a great weekend, and Keep Making It Happen!

Dean & Nancy

***

Q: Doctor,  I’ve heard that  cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your  heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it…don’t waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually.Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend  the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a  nap.

Q: Should  I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these?  Vegetables.  So a steak is nothing more  than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your  system. Need grain? Eat chicken.Beef is also a good source  of field grass  (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you  100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable  products.

Q: Should  I reduce my  alcohol intake?  
A: No,  not at all.  Wine is made from  fruit. Brandy is distilled wine,  that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How  can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well,  if you have a body and you have  fat, your ratio is one to one.  If you have two bodies, your  ratio is two to one etc.

Q: What  are some of  the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can’t  think of a single one, sorry.  My  philosophy is: No Pain…Good!

Q: Aren’t  fried foods bad for you?  
A: YOU’RE  NOT  LISTENING!!! …..  Foods are fried these days in  vegetable oil.  In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for  you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be  doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?  
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It’s the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?  
A: If swimming is good for  your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?  
A: Hey!’Round’ is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

For those of you who watch what you eat, here’s the final word on nutrition and health. It’s a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than  Americans.

4. The  Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like. Speaking  English is apparently what kills you!

An apple a day…

It is no big secret that the majority of our members are the awesome ladies of Get Fit NH Bootcamp. However we do have quite a few men joining our ranks,  and I snapped a few shots of our Concord guys (and a few ladies too) getting it done, just to prove it!

A special thanks today goes to Steve, who put one of our Referral Rewards cards in the hands of his friend Rich, who then joined him at bootcamp. That earned Steve a cool $50.00 bill this morning – Not Too Shabby! If you’ve run out of cards (or don’t know what I am talking about) please ask us and we will get some into your hands!

[nggallery id=8]

I had a great time recently visiting our local apple orchard with my three youngest kids. It was a perfect autumn day with a spectacular view was topped off by wonderful apples. Macintosh, Mollys, Red Delicious, and about a hundred other varieties filled the trees. I couldn’t ask for a better morning or a healthier example to give my kids. We walked up endless rows of trees picking as we went. The apples were delicious. There is nothing like eating a freshly picked apple.

Who knew? An activity totally centered around food and very healthy!

We liked it so much we are going to do it again, and we want those of you who can to join us Friday, September 25th at 11:00am at AppleView Orchard in Pittsfield. Bring a lunch for a picnic on the grounds. For a map to the orchard, click here…

Now I need some recipes to preserve some of these apples. Does anyone have a good apple recipe to share? One of my favorites is below!

Maple & Apple Walnut Oatmeal

• 1 Cup Water
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (not instant)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 of our favorite variety apple, cut into small chunks
• 1/4 chopped walnuts
• 1 tbsp Real NH Maple Syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 scoop Vanilla Ultimate Muscle Protein

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil then add oats and cinnamon. Reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in apples, walnuts and Real NH Maple Syrup. Stir remaining 1/4 of water into UMP vanilla until smooth, adding more water as desired, then pour over oatmeal. Makes a great breakfast or post-workout meal!