Your body is a machine. You work it hard. You train hard every time you walk into the gym. You attack the weights, you complete every rep. Nothing is going to stop you.
And then, in the middle of making tremendous progress, we nasty trainers tell you it’s time to take a week off. WHAT?!
Actually I love the reaction I get from you when it is time to take a scheduled week off from training. You are dedicated, determined and get downright ornery!
So why do we do it? A fair question, and one we are going to answer in this article. Now there are a few of you out there (you know who I am talking about Danno) that will resist taking time off for restoration and recovery. But it is for your own good, like it or not.
You see, your body does not get stronger, faster, leaner…better…from just training. Your body adapts to the training stimulus ONLY when you properly recover. This recovery includes rest between workouts, flexibility work, proper nutrition, and periodically pretty much doing nothing.
That’s what our recovery weeks are all about. To give you body and mind a break from your hard training, in order to come back refreshed and better than ever.
So without further adieu…
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 a lifelong eating plan, 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 Progra
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
My youngest daughter is two and her sister loves to dress them both up and play make believe. To my amazement old hats, loud shiny beads, my dress shoes, along with a frilly dress transform my girls into ladies from a different era. They are no longer 2 and 4 but full grown ladies of the court.
WHAT A MORNING! Despite the wailing and gnashing of teeth (you know who you are 
If you have been in our bootcamp classes over the last couple days we have reviewing food labels – specifically a few different types of yogurt. When Nancy was doing some comparison shopping, she was looking at one of our favorite brands – Stonyfield, and noticed it was labeled much differently than the others, in that the cultures were not listed in the ingredients, but in a separate window. She called customer service, and we shared that conversation with you in class.