Fitness
Welcome New Athletes To Boot Camp!
Welcome new athletes!
Lindsay Patterson
Denise Schmid
Melanie Hall
Get More from Your Body
How you can improve your body’s performance in four steps.
It seems everybody who knows how to exercise has a tip or two on how to get your body to operate at its maximum potential. Which ones should you use? The ones that work for you. Believe it or not, most tried-and-true ways to get more from your body work. At least they work for a certain group of people.
Trying these different techniques will help you determine what it takes to help your body get to the next level of fitness and provide you with a better, stronger self.
Strengthen Your Core:
Just the name of your core should be enough to convince you of your need to keep it strong and healthy. When your core is weak, the rest of your body is at a distinct disadvantage. Add some muscle to your core with sit-ups, double crunches, crunches while resting on an exercise ball, and other core-strengthening and core-stabilizing exercises. The end result will be more than a good-looking set of abdominal muscles. It will be a set of good-looking abdominal muscles that supports you properly and efficiently in all endeavors you undertake – whether walking briskly through the airport with two carry-on bags tossed across your shoulder or going for a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling.
Get Vitamin D:
You’ve known for a long time that vitamin D is important for strong bones, and strong bones are important if you want your body to do its job as well as possible. Did you know that vitamin D is also important for another reason? Recent research shows that vitamin D may play a great role in whether an athlete is able to take his or her performance to the next level. Runners who underwent rigorous training reduced their sprint times by 7.4 percent with the aid of vitamin D, while their counterparts who did not receive vitamin D increased their times by a meager 1.7 percent. So if you want to get the most from your body, take a vitamin D supplement or get out in the sun.
Kick Back:
Taking some time off to relax seems counterproductive when you want your body to be stronger and more efficient. But if you don’t take time to relax and get proper amounts of sleep, your body won’t be there for you when you need it most. Instead, it will be ready for naptime. In addition to getting plenty of sleep, you should also relax your body during the day. By forcing yourself to let your limbs hang loose and your fingers drop carelessly, you stretch out your entire body and reduce your stress levels immediately. Take this time to breathe, and breathe deeply. Deep, focused breathing is a great way to reinvigorate your muscles with oxygen-rich blood, and it’s easy to do. So relax a little now and your body will be ready to help later.
Drink It Down:
Water is one of your body’s main building blocks, making up nearly three-fourths of your body mass. Are you getting enough of it? If not, you’re putting your body at a disadvantage that is difficult to overcome with energy bars and electrolyte-filled drinks. When in doubt, drink water. It will give your body what it needs to stay strong and healthy, keep you from growing weak and faint, and will help you feel fuller faster, all benefits that help your body operate at its peak all the time.
Slow It Down
There are countless ways to keep your body from reaching and operating at its potential all the time. What are a few of them? Let us count the ways…
One one-thousand…sugary sweets
Two one-thousand…focusing only on aerobic exercises
Three one-thousand…focusing only on strength exercises
Four one-thousand…a negative attitude
Five one-thousand…poor posture when standing and performing exercises
Exercising in the A.M.
How getting up early gives you the advantage.
When the sun begins peaking over the horizon, you shouldn’t be burying your head underneath a pillow, praying it will get dark and turn into night again. Instead, you should take advantage of the early hours to get in an hour of exercise. Why? Because the benefits far outweigh your desire to sleep in a bit.
Benefit #1: You’ll Lose Weight
Exercising during any time of the day is proven to help you obtain and maintain a healthy weight. However, recent research hints that exercising in the morning gives your weight-loss goal an extra push. How’s it do this? By improving your life a few ways all at once.
The first change is that working out during the first few hours of the day helps you sleep better, whereas working out in the evening can actually make it more difficult to sleep at night. Since healthy sleep habits assist your weight-loss goals, it only makes sense to want better sleep.
Working out in the morning also helps your metabolism to get high early on in the day and stay there throughout your day.
In addition, exercising early puts you in a healthy mindset from the moment you wake up, helping you make better decisions later in the day.
Benefit #2: You’ll Stick with It
Another reason morning workouts benefit you is the ease with which you can stick with them. Whereas it can be difficult to find time during your busy day to squeeze in exercise, making exercise the first thing you do during the day ensures you get in some calorie-burning time no matter what the rest of the day may bring.
Think you may not have the strength to stick with an early morning exercise regimen? Remember that in addition to sleeping better, early exercising gives you increased energy and gets the blood pumping throughout your body. This helps you fire on all cylinders, whether you have a big meeting coming up or have to pull a double shift at the warehouse.
Benefit #3: You’ll Get a Raise
As if an energy boost in the morning and increased metabolism weren’t reason enough for working out in the morning, this early-morning fix-all may be just what your career needs. If you’re skeptical, think about your attitude at work. Have you been down in the dumps? Too tired to go the extra mile?
Working out first thing in the morning may give you the boost you need to get past these issues. Once your boss recognizes your improved can-do attitude, your sudden willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty, and the infectious smile you carry everywhere you go, you may find yourself on the fast track to promotion. And to think-all of this just because you woke up a few minutes early for some running, weight lifting, bike riding, swimming, or calisthenics!
Creative Morning Routines
Getting your exercise every day is no easy task. Getting it in before the rest of your family is awake can be even more difficult-especially if you’ve not a morning person.
To make sure you get your fill of morning exercises, keep these tips in mind.
- Leave the car at home. Once you’ve eaten a healthy breakfast, hop on your bicycle or grab your running shoes and get to work the old-fashioned way by your own power. Just be sure to keep an extra change of clothes on hand so you don’t have to wear your sweaty outfit all day.
- Do something fun. Everyone has different interests. To make sure you get up every morning and get in some exercise, make your routine fun. Whether you prefer kayaking, bike riding, or push-ups, implement this into your early morning routine and you’ll have fun as you improve your health.
- Become specialized and start teaching. Wish there was a spinning class at 6 a.m. at your gym? Find some likeminded folks and work to become a teacher of the class. As a teacher, missing class isn’t possible, so you’ll be sure to get your routine in first thing in the morning, even when you’d rather stay in bed.
Merry Christmas and New Year’s Blessings
To You All!
Missy and I wanted to take just a minute and thank all of you for an amazing year. We all have accomplished so much together. We have seen clients become friends and family. We have seen gym family members lose tons of pounds and many inches. We have seen children become adults and grow so much in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
It is amazing to watch on a daily basis.
As you know, we are moving into a better gym. With that transition comes new things. We promise not to change who we are, what the community feels like or make anything else different. What we do intend to do is become a more professional and focused facility dedicated to you, our family.
Here are some of the things that you will see in 2011:
- New, done – for – you nutrition and weight loss programs. Just follow the program!
- Complete health packages – fitness, weight loss, nutrition
- Metabolic weight loss programs
- Small group and semi private group training
- More Boot Camp and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class times
- Nutritional supplements
- New, amazingly crazy Dr. Evil inspired workouts
All of this in our new 5000 square foot facility! And all thanks to you guys! Can wait to see you on the 3rd of January…
It’s gonna be awesome!
Working Out in a Polluted World
How to get a good workout in the face of smog, smoke, and general pollution.
No matter where you live, getting some much-needed exercise in the great outdoors is always a welcome change of pace. But what if your leisurely run through the streets and alleyways of your city are actually causing more harm to your body than the amount of benefit your workout affords you?
If you live in an area full of automobiles and other pollution-causing agents, take a few steps to exercise smarter while in the great concrete jungle.
Hit It Early
Though it may be painful to think of waking up an hour earlier than usual, you may want to consider it if you’re set on exercising outside. By taking your run during the morning hours, you get out before much of the day’s traffic is on the roads. Because of this, the level of ozone in the air is lower during the morning.
While you want to maintain the ozone layer miles above your head, ozone in the air you breathe can cause all sorts of illness and injury to your organs. In fact, ozone is responsible for corrosion you see on statues, monuments, and large rocks in the woods, so it shouldn’t be surprising that sucking down excessive ozone can cause substantial damage to your lungs and other body parts. Get out early and you’ll deal with less ozone than your late-exercising peers.
Practice Moderation
As with most things in life, exercising outdoors is best done in moderation if you live in a highly polluted area of the world. Because while you may not feel the impact of the pollution you breathe during your runs every morning, that ozone can be silently killing you from the inside out.
Instead of risking excessive exposure to dangerous pollutants, find a way to keep your routine indoors most of the time. Have a hunger for the great outdoors that can’t be quenched with an indoor running track, treadmill, or stationary bicycle? Get out of the hustle and bustle of the city and find a secluded area that is filled with trees and other plant life for your running, riding, and other outdoor exercises. By seeking these areas, you’ll distance yourself from higher concentrations of pollutants and be surrounded by oxygen-producing plants and trees.
Advocate for Yourself
There are some folks who should never spend time working out beyond the confines of a local gymnasium. If you have a respiratory or lung disease, such as emphysema, bronchitis, asthma, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, don’t exercise outside at all without the consent and close monitoring of your physician.
Additionally, pay attention to your body and call it quits when you’ve had enough of the exhaust and cigarette smoke. Signs that it’s time to get inside include difficulty breathing, headache, rise in body temperature, confusion, and dizziness. If you experience any of these symptoms, contact your physician immediately to ensure you do not suffer further complications.
The Other Danger
Ozone isn’t the only outdoor danger you’ll face when exercising in a large, densely populated city. Anytime you’re working out in these areas, you’ll also need to be aware of cars, trucks, vans, and other motor vehicles that pose an immediate threat to your safety.
To avoid being struck and even killed by traffic, follow the following common-sense tips:
- look both ways before crossing the street
- always cross streets at crosswalks
- use sidewalks when available
- never expect drivers to see you
- ride your bicycle with traffic
- follow all rules of the road when bike riding
Fit or Fat?
What should you set your eyes on?
If you watch much television or read many fitness magazines, you may think that becoming ripped is the goal of anyone who works out. But should that really be the goal of your exercise routine?
Ever wondered how to view the division between fit and fat? You’re not alone.
Understanding Overweight and Obesity
Ideally, every person will weigh the proper weight that allows him or her to function well during the day. Since being underweight or overweight can do significant damage to the body’s organs, bones, and joints, obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight is paramount to overall good health.
However, as very few people in the developed world are underweight, the primary issue people face with regard to their weight is being overweight or even obese. In some parts of the world – the United States of America primarily – the number of people who weigh more than they ought has grown to such numbers that an epidemic has been declared.
When an individual’s body mass index (BMI is a measure of body fat based on a comparison of your height and weight) is 25 or higher, the individual is deemed overweight. A BMI of 30 or higher indicates obesity. Falling into either category greatly increases an individual’s risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancers, and countless other diseases.
What Makes You Fit
Thanks to a recent study published by the American College of Sports Medicine, the view of what it means to be fit may be changing. That’s because the study found that while being thin is nice, it does not mean you’re fit. Rather, being fit requires some effort.
During the study, three groups of overweight individuals were told to do three different things. Group one was told to keep doing what they were doing, group two was put on a diet, and the third group was put on a diet and given an exercise regimen to stick with throughout the duration of the six-month trial.
When the study was complete, the two groups of people that changed their habits lost weight. Researchers expected this, as did the general public. What is surprising many people, though, is that losing weight was found to not be enough to improve a person’s overall fitness.
Only the group that dieted and exercised regularly improved the function of their internal organs and thereby enjoyed increased overall fitness. In other words, both groups who dieted dropped weight (approximately 10 percent of their overall body weight), but exercise was the deciding factor in whether an individual improved his or her blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and cardiovascular fitness.
Making the Difference
As the study showed, exercise makes the difference in being fit, fat, or naturally thin. So what does this mean for you? It means that sticking with your regular exercise routine – no matter how difficult it may be at times – isn’t just a good idea for your good looks. It makes all the difference in your good health and well-being.
But how hard do you have to work out? It depends on your goal. The individuals in the study were put on exercise routines that burned off 500 calories for men and 400 for women each day. However, these were overweight individuals who could safely lose a substantial amount of weight. If you’re already at a healthy weight and want to take your overall fitness to the next level, you may want to burn even more calories. Just remember to do it safely, eat plenty of healthy foods every day, and not overwork any specific muscle group during your routine.
Bigger than BMI
Want to get a handle on how fat or fit you are? You’ll need to work with a health or exercise professional. Because while knowing your body mass index is helpful, it does not give a full picture of your overall health.
Welcome 5 New Athletes To Killeen’s Boot Camp!
Welcome!
WELCOME!
Reshanda Tatum
Cheryl Fidelia
Angela Clemons
Timika Bynog
Gaynor Lewis
Killeen’s Best Boot Camp Welcomes New Athletes!
We welcome Angie Kopec and Natasha Conboy to our evening boot camp class!
Great Results On Fit Test!
Amazing effort tonight with some awesome gains in strength and crazy weight loss.
Totals:
Since last fit test a loss of 17 more pounds.
24 more strict push ups
12 more sit ups
16 more squats
Amazing results! Congratulations, your hard work is showing through…
Do These 8 Underrated Exercises
They may not be fancy, but these exercises do the body good. So why are you ignoring them?
Eat Plank For Breakfast!
You go the gym, do the same routine day in and day out, and go home But is your routine pushing your body to be its best or are you sticking by a certain set of exercises just because you’re comfortable with them? Read on to find eight exercises that you – along with half the people in your gym – may be neglecting.
Bridges
They seem so basic, because they are. Resting on your forearms and toes, you hold your stomach tight in order to cause your body to levitate a few inches off the ground, keeping your back straight. Thanks to these stripped down, basic exercises, your body gets the basic results you want – a stronger, more supportive core.
Deadlifts
Though pictures of competitive body builders may leap in your head when thinking of deadlifts, you may be surprised that the average Joe or Jo should also be performing this underrated exercise. Why? Because you perform it one way or another almost every day. Whether picking up your child during playtime, grabbing a bag of 35-pound dog food from the bottom shelf, dead lifts are part of life. Getting better at them at the gym only makes sense.
Horizontal Pull-Ups
This one may be neglected because it’s not as available as others. Or at least it doesn’t seem to be available. To perform this, you have to find a bar relatively close to the ground. Hanging underneath it with your body extended out and feet resting on the floor, pull yourself up to the bar repeatedly. While essentially the same motion as push-ups or bench pressing, horizontal pull-ups push your body in slightly different ways and more closely mimic movements necessary for climbing and other activities.
Push-Ups
Always the underdog, push-ups are the essence of basic exercise, working out the chest, biceps, and triceps. In fact, if performed correctly, you’ll be forced to tighten your core muscles during each repetition, which adds to the shape and strength of your six-pack abdominal muscles.
Running
You probably don’t see a lot of body builders on the treadmill. That’s because they run at home. One of the most vital pieces to a complete workout regimen, running consistently improves your cardiovascular health, increases your stamina, and helps tone and shape your muscles.
Squats
Toss some weight on a rack and bend at the knees until you lower yourself toward the ground as far as possible. Return to your starting position and repeat – but do it all with precision and proper mechanics. You’ll feel the burn in your legs, but squats actually work quite a few other muscles and should therefore not be neglected in your routine.
Stretches
Often overlooked as an unnecessary part of working out, stretching is anything but unnecessary. In fact, if you want to get bigger and stronger and maintain your range of motion, the only way to do it is through stretching whatever body part you’re planning to exercise. There are stretches for every muscle, from the thighs to the calves to the biceps to the neck. With a little stretching, you give your body a chance to warm up and prevent yourself from potential injury.
Swimming
It offers a full-body workout that tests your stamina and strength. You’ve known it for years, but you still don’t take advantage of it. What kind of swimming should you get started with? Any kind of swimming will work, and swimming freestyle laps at a moderate pace is a great way to break your body into swimming shape.
And the Downside
Now that you know what exercises deserves a spot in your routine, you may be curious about some of the exercises out there that get too much credit.
The following are a few of the most overrated exercises that you may be doing with a little too much frequency:
- lunges: they’re great in moderation, but it’s not uncommon to overdo lunges and wind up with knee problems down the road
- bench press: very useful in defining the chest and arms, the bench press belongs in your routine; just be careful not to start and end every routine with it
- sit-ups: yes, they strengthen your abdominal muscles, but you’ll never have a six-pack unless you eat right and get enough cardio to burn off the layer of fat covering up you abs
HCG…Should I? No!
I have been asked by several of our athletes and prospective clients what I thought about the HCG diet. I am extremely vocal about fad and crash diets and say so all the time. I didn’t know much about the HCG diet, so I did some research. Here are some of the things that I found. I listed my resources so that you too can read up and form your own conclusion.
What is the HCG Diet?
This diet plan was formulated by Dr. Albert T Simeons, who stated that a hormone HCG, can help men and women lose unwanted body fat, thereby assisting in weight loss.
The human chorionic gonadotropin hormone is a glycoprotein hormone naturally produced in pregnant women by the placenta, to nourish the growing fetus and provide nutrients.
The function of the HCG hormone is to signal the hypothalamus gland in the brain to mobilize fat stores and release the fat from the reserves. The hormone thus fuels the body with required energy by using up the fat from the reserves in the body.
Okay, okay enough of the science…
The HCG diet plan claims that it can help a person lose 1-3 pounds of weight per day. A person on the HCG diet plan is required to take HCG hormone (125 i.u. to 200 i.u. of Hcg everyday) on a daily basis. The number of days in this particular weight loss will depend on whether a person is taking injection or drops and the amount of weight wants to lose. Mostly, this diet plan runs over a period of 23 days.
One of the many things that scares me is that a person on this diet is strictly allowed to consume only up to 500 calories. Thus, besides taking HCG hormone, one also has to supplement the hormone intake with an extremely low calorie diet. The diet comprises of raw, steamed or grilled vegetables like spinach, celery, cabbage, etc. Organic fed veal, beef and skinned chicken are also permitted.
But is this diet plan safe?
HCG Diet Side Effects
Nevertheless, there are some human chorionic gonadotropin side effects that people on such a diet face. They are as follows:
Some HCG diet side effects in women are stomach ache, swelling of extremities, pelvic pain, etc. which occur due to Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS), that has been caused as a result of an HCG diet. People on HCG diet injections are also seen to experience additional side effects of HCG diet, such as muscle cramps, lumps, gynecomastia, premature puberty in men, etc.
Another side effect is sudden weight gain. What!!!
Well, an HCG diet calls for consumption of only 500 calories a day, which is not enough for supporting normal brain function. The body compensates the deficit by using up the stored glycogen, protein and fat. The additional hormone will suppress appetite, however, once one is off the diet and begins to eat normally, the weight lost is gained back. Moreover, since people have starved for over 3 weeks (500 calorie diet!) they usually tend to eat more once the diet program is over.
Irregardless of the alleged HCG diet side effects, it is important to remember that even though the HCG diet proposes to help with weight loss, it is yet another crash diet and is not a healthy way to lose weight.
Here is what our Food and Drug Administration has to say about HCG as a dietary supplement,
It is not FDA approved for weight loss at this time for the following reason, and I quote ” It is not possible to obtain uniformity in the reporting of results solely through the use of a common standard, since hCG is a complex molecule.”
To lose weight in a healthy manner there is no shortcut. Eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly is mandatory for losing weight the right way!
Just get yourself to the gym and do Boot Camp! Call me at 254-247-4999
American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/29/9/940.pdf
American College Of Bariatric Physicians http://www.asbp.org/resources/uploads/files/HCG%20Position%20Statement.pdf
http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/06/hcg-diet-reviewed-by-fullbars-dr-michael-snyder/
What to Do With Shoulder Injuries
Know them, catch them, treat them.
Oh My Back!
Though you may ignore your shoulder on good days, that all changes if you suffer a shoulder injury. Pain from a shoulder injury can be so severe that you become unable to do tasks you take for granted, such as driving a car, waving to your neighbor, and even hugging your loved ones. So how can you make sure shoulder injuries don’t leave you down and out?
Know Them.
Very few shoulder injuries affect the bones. Most injure the ligaments, tendons, and muscles on and around the shoulders. While athletes are prone to experiencing shoulder injuries, people who perform repetitive motions that use the shoulder are at increased risk.
Though there are several different shoulder injuries that may affect you, they all fall into two categories: instability and impingement. An instability shoulder injury is the result of a shoulder joint being forced out of place or moving out of its natural position on its own. These injuries often cause dislocated shoulders and make it painful to even raise your arm. Impingement shoulder injuries, frequently brought on by repetitive reaching overhead, are caused by the shoulder muscles rubbing against the top of the shoulder blade.
Catch Them.
The secret to helping your shoulder overcome any injury is catching the problem fast. Otherwise, your problem will grow worse and more difficult to treat effectively. Three of the most common signs of a serious shoulder injury that requires medical evaluation are the following:
- feeling that your shoulder could pop or slide out of your shoulder socket with ease
- lack of strength to perform activities of daily living that require you to use your shoulder
- shoulder stiffness that makes it difficult or even impossible to rotate your arm as you normally would
If you suffer any of these symptoms, don’t wait to find out if your shoulder will feel better in a few days. Rather, seek expert medical evaluation from your primary care physician or an orthopedic surgeon.
Treat Them.
When shoulder pain begins to affect you, your physician may recommend a series of exercises to strengthen your shoulder and prevent further injury. Common exercises include wall push-ups (stand in front of a wall with your hands on the wall and perform push-ups on the wall), tying elastic tubing to a doorknob and pulling on the tubing gently, and shoulder press-ups (sit upright in an armchair and push yourself off of the chair using your arms, keeping your feet on the ground).
In the event your pain doesn’t subside with exercise, anti-inflammatory medication is frequently prescribed to reduce swelling and help your shoulder recover from injury. If your injury is severe, you may require corrective surgery. Thanks to innovations in orthopedic surgery, many shoulder surgeries are performed on an outpatient basis, allowing you to undergo surgery and recover in the comfort of your own home.
Shocking News
When chronic shoulder pain sets in, physicians have a number of tools at their disposal. One of them is shockwave therapy, which sends low or medium energy waves to the injured tissue. However, a recent study shows that it may be time to hang up the shockers when it comes to shoulder therapy.
During the study, 104 18- to 70-year-old men and women were broken into two groups. One group was given shockwave treatment every week for four to six weeks, and the other undertook 45 minutes of supervised exercise twice a week for as many as 12 weeks.
At the end of the study, nearly two times as many people in the exercise group had reduced pain and disability, and more exercisers were given the okay for getting back to work. As if to add insult to treatment-prolonged injury, more individuals in the shockwave therapy group had to continue undergoing treatment after 12 weeks than those in the exercise group.
Moral of the story? If your physician recommends a shocking treatment for shoulder pain, exercise your right to say no!
