Your Dog Is Fat!

If your dog is fat, you’re not getting enough exercise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Huh?

Well if Fido was getting enough exercise, chances are you probably would be a lot closer to fitting into those new jeans, right?

Sometimes it’s all about how we look at things.

Perspective is important, and keeping the right perspective is key to reaching your fitness goals. Our 21 Day “Steps to Success” guide can give you that proper perspective – when you use it.

You must actually do something now that the guide is in your hands.  Print out your copy, read it once, then read it again. Congratulations, you’ve done the hard part – you started!

Now do step 1, write down your specific goals, then on to step 2. This is an easy one you can do before your next training session – just weigh and measure yourself, and write it down. You’ve already completed steps 1 & 2 – How hard was that?

Keep in mind your goals are like the finish line at the end of a running race. The weight and waist measurements are the starting line. You need to be able to see where you want to go from where you currently are now. Looking in the mirror from the neck up is not good enough. You’ll end up with the wrong perspective.  Standing in front of a full length mirror with as few clothes on as possible will give you the correct perspective. Taking a picture is even better. What’s that you say – you don’t want to see those pictures? Precisely why you need to take them and look at them every single day. You can fool yourself when you look in a mirror, but pictures don’t lie – they give the real perspective.

No excuses! – Do those first two steps, and you get the momentum going in the right direction.

Remember if your dog is fat, you’re not getting enough exercise.

Now get out there and do it!

Nancy

Summer BBQ for Four!

Believe it or not, we are finally seeing some signs of the sun here in the Northeast! It’s time to get the grill fired up and enjoy some healthy and tasty barbecue. Here are four of my favorite recipes that are easy to make,  taste great and great for you!

Let me know which one you like best!

Nancy

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Summer BBQ for Four

Melon Strawberry Salad

4 cups Romaine Lettuce, chopped
1 small honey dew melon, cut into cubes
2 cups Strawberries, sliced
1/2 medium cucumber, sliced
Fresh mint sprigs

Dressing:
1 cup plain yogurt
½ cucumber, peeled
Lime rind
Truvia (stevia) to taste
Fresh mint sprigs (optional as garnish)

Arrange the lettuce in four two – cup bowls. Place the cubed melon on the bed of lettuce along with the strawberries and cucumber slices.

To make the dressing, add the yogurt, cucumber, mint leaves, lime rind, and Truvia to a blender or food processor. Blend for 15 seconds until smooth.

Serve the salad with dressing and mint sprigs.

Ginger Chicken Strips

1 cup chicken broth
3 Tablespoon Pineapple juice
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped
1 Tablespoon honey
1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast

Reduce chicken broth to a ¼ cup on medium high heat. Add the remaining ingredients except for the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Place the chicken in the ginger marinade for 2 hours up to overnight.

Preheat grill for 10 minutes on medium high. Grill the chicken for 4 minutes, turn and grill for another 4 minutes, brushing with ginger glaze. Cook until juices run clear.

Quick Grilled Veggies

Zucchini, Summer squash, red and green peppers, and portabella mushrooms cut into large chunks (you can use whatever veggies you have on hand)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 T chopped Basil
2 Cloves Garlic, minced

Mix oil, lemon juice, basic and garlic in small bowl. Cut up veggies. Pour marinade over veggies. Let sit 1 hour, mixing occasionally. Put on Skewers like Kabobs to grill. Grill on medium high heat on the grill until desired doneness.

Using skewers to grill the veggies, works out really well. The veggies did not get all mushy like they tend to do in the foil packets, plus I could more easily see their progress as they cooked.

Summer Berry Delight

Topping:
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup Truvia
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 Tablespoon lemon juice

Fresh Fruit:
1 ½ cup fresh raspberries
1 ½ cup fresh blackberries
2 peaches, peeled and cut into wedges

Combine all topping ingredients in saucepan, simmer covered over medium heat for 20 minutes. Cool

Mix the fresh fruit and divide it among four bowls, Top with blueberry topping. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!!

It doesn’t seem that long ago when we ushered in the New Year, full of hope and promise.

This was it! This was the year I am going to (fill in the blank)_______________!!

Reality Check Time!

We are now halfway through the year – How are those resolutions looking now?

Have you lost 15 pounds out of the 30 you wanted to?

Have you even started your fitness plan yet?

Something Alwyn Cosgrove says repeatedly hits me upside the head every time I see it…

“The Time Will Pass Anyway…”

That simple statement has impacted me profoundly.

The time will pass whether I workout today or not…

The time will pass whether I work on my business today or not…

The time will pass whether I spend it with the people I care about today or not…

and Time is the great equalizer.

Everybody gets 24 hours a day – 168 hours a week.

You control what you do with it.

You must take control of your time.

Don’t let the people around you steal your most precious asset.

We give ourselves permission to fail; “I don’t have time” – because of our circumstances, our job, our boss, our children – whatever.

The truth is that the decisions you make today determine your tomorrows.

The choices we make now determine our future selves.

So here we are – half of 2009 is already past, never to be reclaimed.

There is nothing you or I can do about the time we have lost.

What we can do is to Start Today making better choices and better decisions that will move us closer to our goals and dreams.

So what’s the action plan?

Adjust your goals to reflect the remaining 6 months in the year.

Track your progress.

Get Started Today!

Make It Happen!

Dean

 

Can I Eat Chocolate For Breakfast?

Sure you can – but should you?

It Depends…

Chocolate Frosted Cocoa Bombs – Not so good…

But what if I told you you could not only have chocolate, but throw some peanut butter in there as well?

And that you can make it in 5 minutes in the microwave?

And that is the most popular recipe we have ever introduced?

How can you resist that?

Seriously it is really, really, really good.

And it’s even easier (really) to make. Takes 5 minutes, tops.

Give it a try and fall in love with breakfast all over again.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup rolled oats
1 cup chocolate 2% “Calorie Countdown” dairy beverage
2 tsp NATURAL peanut butter (take it easy on the peanut butter – 2 teaspoons means 2 teaspoons)

Put all the ingredients into a bowl and microwave on high for one minute. Stir, then microwave for another minute. Stir it up, let it sit for a few minutes, and you’re done!

This is a wonderfully balanced breakfast with 19 grams of protein,  44 grams of carbs, and 14 grams of fat.

I guarantee if you eat a good breakfast, like this one, you won’t find yourself running for the candy machine by 10:00am.

This is a GREAT way to start your day. Eaten right after training, this bowl of goodness will replentish your energy stores and set to work repairing and rebuilding lean tissue.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter for breakfast – Make It Happen!

The Maintenance Manifesto

The Maintenance Manifesto

Learn How to MAINTAIN Your Overall Health, Performance, and Body Composition During Off Weeks

Congratulations! For the last 8-12 weeks you have done a phenomenal job of improving your overall health, body composition, and performance. You have been introduced to new ways to think about training and eating, and have been building healthy habits that will serve you for a lifetime.

However, your body can only be pushed so hard for so long before it needs time to recover and regenerate before unwanted chronic overuse injuries present themselves. In addition, you can only follow aggressive fat loss plans for so long before the mental and physical grind begins to wear you down and your results begin to plateau as your body enters survival mode to hold on to as much body fat as possible. This is why it is paramount that we accomplish the following things during the transition week between the various phases of Get Fit NH Boot Camps:

Moving to Maintenance Mode

1.) Physical Rest and Regeneration

–        Our bodies must rest and recover to prevent overtraining issues so that we can come back 100% healthy and energized for the next phase of the program

–        Focus on maintaining and/or increasing flexibility and tissue health by stretching and foam rolling daily. 15-30 minutes is fantastic!

–        Daily restorative walks are beneficial during this week. 30-60 minutes briskly walking (not jogging/running) will keep your body refreshed and active, without negating the purpose of this week. Don’t overdo it!

2.) Physiological and Psychological Rest and Regeneration

–        We must normalize key anabolic hormones, refill muscle glycogen, increase caloric intake, and prevent any diet induced catabolism (losses of lean body mass) so that we can enjoy greater fat loss for the next phase of the program

–        We have taken the road less traveled by being flexible eaters with a long-term approach to success and thus we will take a break from our aggressive fat loss nutrition plans. This is not a free for all, so stay away from your “trigger foods” (junk foods and sweets) that open the door to excessive calorie intake.

–        Instead plan (key word) and enjoy 1-2 controlled free meals to reward yourself for all of your hard work, but do not overdo it!

3.) Celebrate the Fruits of Your Labor

–        Take some time to reflect on how far you have come since you joined this program in terms of improving your overall health, body composition, and performance.

–        Enjoy your results!

 

4.) Track your Progress from this Last Phase and/or the Start of the Program

Step#1— Answer the Following Questions

–        How much progress did you make this past phase?

–        Did you meet your goal(s)?

Step#2— Use Outcome-Based Decision Making

If you met or exceeded your goals:

– You are on the right track so keep doing what you are doing

If you fell short of your goals:

–        Assess your compliance to our training and the nutrition program you are following. Be honest in evaluating compliance. 90% is what it takes to make realistic progress toward your goals.

–        If compliance was not an issue, plan to speak with Dean or Nancy so that we can monitor and adjusts your plans if need be.

Step#3— Re-Assess Your Goals

–        Were your goals S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Trackable)? If not, talk to one of us to re-assess your goals for the next phase of the program.

–        Use outcome-based decision making to determine if you need to adjust your goals for the next phase of the program:

If you met or exceeded your goals:

–        Your goals for the next phase may change based on your progress over this past phase

–        If you have reached your ideal bodyweight, clothing size, or “look”, your goal may now be to maintain it, or maybe these results have motivated you to try to take it to the next level?

–        If your results were better than you were expecting, maybe we should set more aggressive goals for the next phase of the program?

If you fell short of your goals:

–        If your results fell short of what you were expecting, maybe we should set more conservative goals for the next phase of the program?

5.) Take Advantage of Your Free Time

–        This is a perfect time to get things done that you otherwise could not during the last phase of the program (e.g. household chores, doctor’s appointment, travel/vacations, quality time with friends and/or family, etc.)

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

 

We would just like to take the time to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your hard work and dedication to improving your health and fitness… keep Making It Happen!

You will never know how much this means to us and how much this is appreciated. It has been a total team effort from the start and though we provided you with all of the necessary programs to get the results that you were seeking, YOU DID ALL OF THE WORK! We cannot wait to get even better results during the next phase of the program!

 

Get Fit NH!

Dean and Nancy

Never Fast Enough

Human beings are impatient.

We want what we want, and we want it NOW! (disclaimer – this post is heavily influenced by the fact we have a two year old 🙂

But are we adults any better?

Not really – we want fast service, fast food and fast cars.

And when we want to lose weight we want it to happen light-speed fast!

One of our classes got into a discussion about when I was on my weight loss journey, and I told them that I tracked my weight loss during that time, and that I would find that chart and post it.

I started the chart when I weighed 250 and it stops when I broke 200 for the first time. In my case this took a period of a little over three months.

There is a couple key things I want to point out:

1) My progress was not linear. By that I mean that some days my weight actually went up. Where would your mindset be if that happened to you?

2) My rate of weight loss was about 3.5 pounds a week over that period of time. I was drastically overweight, and my body could handle that rate of loss. Not everybody can and will lose at that rate, but it can be done.

I have often been asked what was the key to my weight loss, what’s the “secret”?

Here it is – there is no secret, and you need to stop looking for one.

Now there are a number of components to successful body composition change – “weight loss”.

Quantity and type of exercise

Quantity of food

Quality of food

Rest and Recovery

Social Support

and others.

But the common thread I see for clients who steadily and successfully reach their goals is this –

They completely change their mindset, and that’s what I did.

It wasn’t anyone else’s fault that I was obese – end of story.

Only when I took complete responsibility did I start to make real progress.

Stopped looking for the latest pill, potion, lotion, ab-blaster, and diet program.

Applied daily effort toward my goals.

Learned how to exercise to encourage my body to lose the fat.

Learned and applied rational, healthy principles to my nutrition plan.

Let myself make a mistake without beating myself up about it, getting depressed, and heading to the all-you-can-eat buffet.

Perfection – not gonna happen. Don’t let the quest for perfection get in the way of your progress. You will never be perfect – get over it. When you fall down, get back up.

I say it often – I am nobody special – if I can do it, so can you!

I look forward to working with you as you reach and exceed what you thought was possible.

Make It Happen!

Dean

SMART Goal Setting With J.

So I asked one of our long time Get Fit NH Bootcamp members (“J.”) for some feedback on our new “21 Day Steps to Fitness Success” plan, due to roll out on July 6th.

She had such incredible things to say about goal setting, I am sharing our dialog here!

I asked J. for some input, and this is what I got back…

J: Very nice I get a lot out of all your informational pieces….The only other thing I would say is to use the SMART goal format for peoples monthly goals. As a past sales coach I always used SMARTS with my clients and I love the idea that its all their ideas so they are already sold on the actions it will take to reach there goal.

Me: Great ideas J. – thank-you for your input. Do you have a specific format you use for the SMART goals?”j

J: I would have them on a piece of paper write down the left side of it S for specifically what are you going to do M measure how are you going to measure it A actions what actions are you going to take to reach this goal R what is the result T the timeframe you are going to do this in.

Family Fun

I have really enjoyed getting to know all our new members in Concord, and have  been able to meet many of you in the early Epsom classes as well.

At the core we are a family business. Everything we do revolves not only our  immediate family, but our training family as well. We really appreciate you letting us be involved in reaching your fitness and performance goals, and it is always a lot of fun to hear about what is going on in “real life” as well.

A few of you in the Concord class (o.k. it was Celeste 🙂 wanted me to put up a few pics of the family, so here goes.

In case you were wondering, here are names and ages…

Tim 22, is married to Debra.

Jeff 21, wants to get married to Kimberly, (but only after he is done with his undergraduate work, right Jeff?)

Andrew is 6

Karalynn (KJ) is 4

Amy is 2

Also pictured is my much younger (just ask her) wife Nancy.

So now you know!

Have a great weekend!

Dean

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Health Care – Do It Yourself!

As you are probably aware, there is a big debate raging in the US regarding the issue of health care. Proposals are flying all over the place from all quarters on how to “fix” the system.

I have a simple solution to the problem.

It has taken me years to figure it out.

Personal trial and error.

You ready for it?

Don’t Get Sick!

I know what you’re thinking – “No kidding wise guy!”

But I am completely, honestly and 100%- Not Kidding!

I mean seriously, does this prize winning pie chef look healthy?

He took charge of his health, and so can you!

The #1 thing YOU can do to make the biggest impact on the “Health Care” system is to STAY OUT OF IT as much as possible.

Now I understand that accidents occur. We are fragile beings and things break – and our medical system is the best in the world at fixing traumatic injuries.

But when it comes right down to it, accidents are a relatively small part of the overall picture.

Take a look at the leading causes of death in the United States as put out by the Centers for Disease Control.

1. Heart Disease: 631,636
2. Cancer: 559,888
3. Stroke: 137,119
4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 124,583
5. Accidents: 121,599
6. Diabetes: 72,449

Of the top six causes of death, accidents cause only 7.38%.

What is the common thread of the other 92+ percent?

They are largely behavior related diseases.

Too much food, too much sugar, too much alcohol, too much stress.

Not enough exercise, not enough sleep.

Not much there that has a thing to do with health insurance, who pays what and when, ppo, hmo, socialized medicine or any of that baloney.

I am not insensitive to genetic disease and inherited traits. Those things are real and do occur.

The fact is way too many of us have used them as an excuse, as if somehow the fact that your dad had heart disease means you should be 100 pounds overweight and taking 5 different drugs.

I have seen what happens when our clients take charge of their own health. You want to control health care costs? Think about how much you will save when you aren’t paying for thyroid meds, or multiple blood pressure meds, or drugs to help you control your blood sugar! I have seen that happen over and over (never take yourself off, always consult your doctor)

See how much better your back feels when you become flexible and can move freely again.

See how much more productive you can be when you have the energy you did 20 years ago.

It can and does happen, becuase we see it every day.

But it’s up to you!

Not your doctor, not your spouse, not your brother, sister, father, mother, boss, congressman, senator or president.

YOU!

You are reading this because you are ready to make a change, and I applaud you.

And that’s why we are here, to help guide you as you take charge of your own health and well-being.

Use the resources on this site, talk to your trainer, leave a comment on this post.

We want to hear from you. We want you to achieve your goals and dreams.

Make It Happen!

Dean

Eat Raisins, Don’t Look Like One!

Human beings are made up of 2/3 water. We need to drink plenty of water to maintain an over all healthy body. Our organs need to stay hydrated to function properly.

Did you know that your skin is the largest organ of the human body?

Your skin is crying out for water too!

Dry skin is usually associated with winter but summertime also has its drying elements. Sun and wind are the two main contributors to dry parched looking skin. I love being outside in the summer. I enjoy basking in the sun and if I can do it while enjoying an ocean breeze – Wow!

I don’t want to look like a dried raisin though. If we are to understand how to moisturize our skin we need to understand skin.

There are three layers to our skin.

1. The deepest layer is where our body stores all the fat we use for energy, it also helps regulate our body’s temperature and it protects our inner organs.
2. The middle layer is the thickest layer. Here we find all the nerve endings, blood vessels, sweat glands and hair follicles. The dermis also holds the oil glands that keep the skin properly lubricated and impervious to water. Two proteins, collagen and elastin, found in the dermis support the skin’s top layer and provide shape, tone and flexibility.
3. The top layer is our protector. It is a barrier against the outside elements like the sun, wind and temperature. Just as important is its ability to protect us from outside invaders like germs and viruses.

Obviously, anything that affects the all-important top layer can dry out your skin-sun and wind both rob skin of moisture. Adding a topical moisturizer helps add moisture back to this layer but what about the underlying layers? What can you do to help keep your skin soft and touchable?

As your body’s largest organ, your skin depends on the nutrients in your diet. You have to feed your skin well if you expect it to stand up to wind and sun.

• Eating fish, rolled oats and ground flaxseeds frequently as these foods are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which help the skin retain moisture. Include other healthy oils, such as safflower and olive oil, in your meals. Supplemental omega-3s, in the form of flaxseed or fish oils, can also help.
• Taking a quality vitamin that contains vitamin A, B, and C are vital. Vitamin A helps with skin growth and repair while Vitamin B is a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin C promotes the growth of collagen, which provides skin with its structure.
• Bathing or showering for too long, or using water that’s too hot, can actually cause your skin to lose moisture. Prolonged visits in a bath or shower washes away your skin naturally oils that hold in moisture. When you do get into the tub or shower, don’t scrub your skin and don’t use harsh cleaning agents. Instead, go for natural cleansers that feature such skin-friendly ingredients as glycerin.

Drink plenty of water. Keeping your body properly hydrated is like providing the fuel for the car. Your body knows what to do with the water you intake.

By all means, enjoy the summer sun. Just make sure your skin enjoys the summer too, by staying hydrated and happy!

Make today your best day ever!

Nancy