What’s The Big Deal About Exercise Anyway?

Leave a Comment

So you’ve slacked off a bit and avoided exercise.

Maybe your job demands too much of your time or you simply fell out of the routine. I have good news for you. Whether you’ve taken off one year, ten years or haven’t exercised a day in your life – it’s never too late to start.

You see there are problems with living a life devoid of exercise.

Big problems.

Your weight rises along with your blood pressure and cholesterol. Your muscles and joints degenerate at an astounding rate leaving you with daily aches and pains. Your body becomes weak, making you susceptible to all kinds of medical issues.

Why Should I Start Now? You’ve heard about the benefits that consistent exercise bring, but what if you haven’t been consistent? Should you even start at all?

This has been the subject of many medical studies and the results are unanimous:  Exercise helps improve your quality of life even if you start late.

Researchers are constantly finding new benefits to consistent exercise. It’s no wonder that Dr. Robert Butler, of the National Institute on Aging, once said “If exercise could be put into a pill, it would be the single most prescribed medicine in the world.” Imagine if a pill could offer all of these benefits (without harmful side effects):

  • Substantially reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and osteoporosis
  • Decreases the risk for stroke, colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure
  • Helps to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight
  • Contributes to healthy bones, muscles and joints
  • Helps relieve anxiety and depression
  • Promotes well-being and reduces stress
  • Is associated with fewer doctor visits, hospitalizations and medications
  • Helps prevent and treat chronic medical conditions associated with old age
  • Increases energy levels and promotes sound sleep
  • Strengthens immune system

I know that I would take that pill – wouldn’t you? Exercise may not be something that you can gulp down with a glass of water, but it will offer you all of the above benefits that can greatly enhance your quality of life. Excuses, excuses, excuses… I know what you are thinking. Those benefits sound great, but I can’t exercise because:

  • Exercise is painful. Not if you do the type most suitable for you.
  • Exercise is boring. Most people who exercise find it to be quite enjoyable.
  • Exercise takes too long. It only takes 30-60 minutes a day.
  • Exercise is confusing. Not when you work with a trained professional (me).
  • Exercise is for young people. Studies have shown that exercise benefits people of all ages.

Get Started the Right Way. Many people have started an exercise program only to quit days later. Now that you have decided that exercise may be worth your time after all, ensure your success with the following tips:

  • Make a Commitment

You know the meaning and value of a solid commitment. It’s in your blood. So don’t view exercise as something you will merely try. You will only reap the true benefits of exercise when you stick with it. A great way to reinforce your commitment is to solicit the support of your friends and family. Tell them how you plan to improve your health and quality of life through exercise – who knows, they may join you.

  • Set Reachable Goals

This is an immensely important ingredient to your success. Don’t start your exercise program with unreasonable expectations. If you expect to lose all of your unwanted pounds, drop your blood pressure and cure your joint pain all in one week then you will be sorely disappointed.

Remember that it took years for your body to fall out of shape so it makes sense that it will take some time to regain it. The key to unlocking all of the benefits of exercise lies in one word: consistency. Only then will your body be transformed.

  • Rearrange Your Schedule

They say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. This may be because his schedule simply didn’t allow for it. The truth is that as we age there is a tendency to become ‘stuck in our ways.’ The thought of rearranging your schedule may leave you a bit squeamish. Remind yourself that exercise is worth your time and then think long and hard about your daily schedule. The fact is that you do have time to lend toward exercise – you simply need to find it. Your class time at bootcamp is an appointment- keep your appointments.

  • Increase the Challenge

You should start your exercise program with the thought of easing into it. Since you haven’t exercised in awhile your body will need to build up strength and endurance. Consider a car that has been sitting in your garage for years. You wouldn’t turn it on and instantly slam down on the gas would you? You need to warm it up. However, this warm up period should not last forever. Your body has an amazing ability to adapt to new challenges and will grow complacent when asked to do the same exercises over and over. When your routine begins to feel easy take that as a hint to increase the challenge.

I want to help you achieve all of the benefits that consistent exercise can bring you.

To your best Health,

Coach Nancy

Pan-Seared Salmon

Leave a Comment

Ingredients:
Two 8-ounce salmon fillets, without skin
1 tbsp coconut oil
Salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

Pat the salmon fillet dry with a paper towel, and then season both sides of each fillet with salt and a generous amount of pepper. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add fillets to the skillet and cook until edges are opaque and bottoms are golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes for 1-inch thick fillets. Gently flip the fillets with a spatula and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is firm yet tender and moist, and the flesh has become opaque with a slight translucence. Serve immediately garnished with chopped fresh parsley if desired. Serves two.

Tip: When is salmon cooked just right?

Cooking your salmon until it’s ‘flaky’, as commonly suggested, can result in overcooking. Here’s how to cook it just right: use a paring knife to peek inside the middle of the fillet. If the flesh is translucent, it is undercooked. If it is opaque and slightly flaky but still juicy, it is ready to serve. It is overcooked when the flesh falls apart and looks dry.

Why Do You Do It That Way?

2 Comments

Is a question we love to hear at Get Fit NH Bootcamp!

When someone asks us that, we know we have an engaged member who wants to make the most of his or her training, and has a true desire to get better. In fact if you have a question please ask!

We are also happy to get any feedback and suggestions regarding bootcamp, but I will caution you, we aren’t always going to adopt those suggestions when it comes to your training!


Serious Trainer Fail

TRAINER FAIL!


Outrageous? Not really, and here’s why.

We have a unified system of training, and while we are certainly always learning and seeking to improve training methods as scientific and empirical evidence proves them effective, we aren’t into “fads”. The tools we use (KB, TRX, Bands, Dumbells, etc.) have proven themselves over and over. You are not going to see one-footed dumbbell curls while balancing on a bosu ball at Get Fit NH Bootcamp! Tires, sleds and sledgehammers are cool tools and can be very effective, but you won’t see them everyday. Icing on the cake, so to speak.

Like you, we have seen “Bootcamps” popping up everywhere, and while there are some good trainers out there with good programs, we work hard to make sure Get Fit NH Bootcamp is second to none. Just because it has “bootcamp” in the name doesn’t mean it is an effective program.

So why are we any different than anyone else? Besides the reasons above,  let me share some of the core principles we adhere to:

1) If you are injured you can’t train. That doesn’t mean we can’t work around and with pre-existing injuries or conditions. We work together with your physician, physical therapist or chiropractor to make sure we understand any injuries you may have and get you better. What is does mean is that we are going to do the necessary mobility and flexibility work IN CLASS to promote joint health and range of motion. The ability to perform movements with correct form through a full range of motion is critical to your long term health and helps you get the most from your training. Our recovery weeks are also designed to promote lifelong progress and health.

2) Your training will be balanced. Sometimes we get requests for more of this or that – ab work for instance. We spend hours every week carefully designing your program to allow for a proper training/recovery balance, and sometimes “more ab work” isn’t in the plan. Not because they aren’t important, because a strong “core” is critical, but because your abs need recovery too. We are also going to make sure that we work the “go” muscles, like the scapular retractors and hamstrings, not just the “show” muscles like biceps and chest. This is crucial for shoulder, hip and knee health.  Refer back to #1!

3) Your training will be fun. Now I know sometimes our members think my definition of “fun” is a bit different than theirs, but I think they will also agree that cranking through a killer workout and achieving more than they thought possible is fun too! Our training programs are designed to be “totally unboring” – providing the progressions our more experienced members need and also providing a high level of coaching to those new to the program.

4) Ultra-Flexible class times. I don’t know of any bootcamp anywhere that has more class times – 8 per training day, 32 per week in our two locations! Is more necessarily better? It is in this case! We leave virtually no reason why you can’t make a class or make one up. This is huge!

5) Some added bonuses you need to be using. If you are a member and not actively using your Fitgoal.com account – get to it, particularly the food logging portion. We added this at no additional cost to you, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth anything! In fact we are seeing that our members who actively use their account are making the best progress toward their goals. Read the newsletters and subscribe to the blog. Every week there are articles, recipes and more. Invest a few minutes each week to educating yourself on your health and fitness.

So there you go. Just a few reasons why we “do what we do”. Remember we want your questions – we are ready and willing with the answers.

Thanks for choosing to train with us! (And if you aren’t yet – Make It Happen!)

Dean & Nancy

Zucchini Boats

1 Comment

Here’s a favorite of Anne from the 8:30 Concord class.

In keeping with the zucchini theme:

Zucchini Boats (makes 8 boats) Preheat oven to 400 degrees

4 medium (8″) zucchini
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
8 oz low-fat or non-fat cottage cheese
paprika, salt and pepper to taste

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise.  Steam over steaming basket in large pot for about 10-15 minutes. 
Zucchini should be firm but able to be scooped out.  Scoop out pulp with spoon and chop, leaving a zucchini shell or boat.

Sauté onion until soft.  Add soy sauce and chopped zucchini, keep over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Put boats in baking dish and fill each zucchini boat with 1/8 of the mix.  Sprinkle paprika on top, if desired.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or until hot.

10 Ways To Eat Fresh

Leave a Comment

1. Plant your own backyard garden or patio garden. Do you have a green thumb? Tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, herbs, lettuces, and many more veggies and fruits can be as easy to pick as going to your own backyard. Not much of a green thumb? Small patio containers will supplement your family’s dinner nicely.

2. Free Food is always wonderful. Raspberries and blueberries can be found many times while walking along your favorite trail or next to the road. Please be sure to ask the landowner first. There are many logging areas near us and before the trees take over often wild berries thrive. Along a stream we’ve often found grapes in September.

3. Visit a Farmer’s Market or Farm Stand. These farmers grow and raise everything. So if your garden didn’t do too well or if you would like a vegetable that you didn’t plant, visit a farm near you. The Farmer’s Market in Concord which operates each Saturday morning sells veggies, fruit, free range meats, eggs, honey, jams, and many other items you remember from your grandmother’s kitchen.

4. Welcome Localvores! Nothing is more local than buying New Hampshire raised meats. Miles Smith Farm in Loudon raise Scottish Highlander and Angus beef . You can visit their store to select beef that is naturally raised without hormones or antibiotics.

Please call 603 783- 5159 or visit http://www.milessmithfarm.net for more information.

5. PYO- Pick Your Own Farms are plentiful in New England. Whether it is blueberries from Lyon Berry Farm 986 Route 129, 435-7640 or apples from  Appleview Orchard. You can find many other fruits, veggies, maple syrup, and even Christmas tress at local farms. Check out this site for more information. http://www.pickyourown.org/NH.htm

6. Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)- Milk and Honey Farm from  Canterbury have summer and winter shares of crops. They grow them and you pick them up. You can have fresh all year round and not have to get your fingers dirty. They also sell seedlings in the Spring for your garden.

7. The Seacoast is close  enough we can almost smell the salt air. Our favorite market is Durham Market Place. The drive is worth the time. They have so many varieties of seafood fresh from our shores. It’s the only place I go for fresh tuna steaks. Every Monday they host a Farmer’s Market so you can take advantage of fresh produce as well.

8. Support restaurants and food vendors that buy locally produced food. The Celery Stick Café found in The Concord Food Coop prepares foods from seasonal local produce.

9. Buy from a local specialty store or food coop. The Concord Food Coop has a full-service natural foods grocery store with an extensive organic and local produce department along with a variety of natural food, health, body, and household products. Celery Stick Café prepared foods and seasonal local produce are available at both stores.

10. COOK! Our culture has forgotten the joys of cooking.  Cooking your own food is better for you, saves money and passes a skill to your children. With a little planning cooking doesn’t have to be a chore.

What’s With The Funny Shoes?

3 Comments

So this week Nancy and I started sporting some new footwear – Vibram Five Fingers -  and they have generated a lot of interesting conversation this week.

Those of you who have been in a Get Fit NH Bootcamp class with Dr. Dave have seen them before, and we credit him for the discovery. Dave runs in them, and turned us on to the book “Born To Run”, written by Christopher McDougall.  I can’t describe this book any better than Amazon.com does: “Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.”

Now if you know anything about me, you know that I have no love for running, on many levels. However if you insist on beating the snot out of your joints in this way (just kidding – sort of) do yourself a favor and pick up this book.

So if I am not going to run in them, you may be asking yourself, what’s the point?

It has everything to do with joint health and proper exercise mechanics. For those of you who are, ummm, mature enough, you probably remember “Chuck Taylor” basketball sneakers. They were (and maybe still are) popular again not all that long ago. Well “Chucks” are the preferred shoe for many powerlifters and strength athletes, particularly when squatting and deadlifting, as they have a flat sole and encourage proper lifting mechanics. The challenge with them is that they aren’t really good in a cross-training environment like bootcamp for the same reasons.

You see when we wear those fancy shoes that support our feet and arches in 900 different ways we can actually do more harm than good. Your body was designed in a very logical manner, joint by joint. As you move up the kinetic chain, each joint is designed to alternate between MOBILITY and STABILITY.

The ankle is designed to be MOBILE.

The knee is designed to be STABLE.

The hip is designed to be MOBILE.

The lumbar spine STABLE.

The thoracic spine MOBILE, etc…all the way up the chain.

So when we over-stabilize the first joint, the ankle, the next joint wants to “make up” that lack of mobility. Unfortunately that next joint is the knee, and stiff ankles often leads to sore and injured knees, which are now moving in a way they were not designed. This can also happen when the hips have less than the optimum mobility. By “freeing” the ankle joint to work properly, you very well may find your knees feel better! The same principle can apply to your lower back. Get the hips working optimally can help relieve low back pain. Pretty cool.

So what’s the solution? GO BAREFOOT! In fact when we opened the Epsom facility we discussed it being a barefoot gym. We decided for a few reasons not to go that route.

And then comes Dr. Dave and his Vibram Five Fingers. Perfect solution! When I heard Joe Kings in Concord started carrying them, we were all over it. (No, I don’t a make a penny from Joe Kings or Vibram)

So how’s it going after a week? I can tell you they take some getting used to; just getting them on takes awhile at first. The first two days my feet were sore – it was pretty apparent that my foot muscles were weak. Today is day five, and I hardly notice I am wearing them. They actually feel really good! I am already squatting better and lower than I was – which is pretty exciting for me.

Some of you have already joined us by training barefoot, and some of you already were. I would urge you to pick up a copy of “Born To Run”  and do a little research into this craziness yourself. One precaution – ease yourself into the barefoot thing. Running right away will cause you nothing but pain. Your foot needs to strengthen before you go nuts.

My biggest problem now? Nancy discovered they sell pink Vibrams – looks like she may have TWO pairs!

Make It Happen!

Dean

I’m Fit, Right?

Leave a Comment

What does it mean to “Be Fit”?

To assess “being fit” we view overall health as three legs of the same stool; Health Markers, Fitness Performance Markers and Body Composition Markers. Without each of those being taken into consideration, overall health and fitness is compromised. Two legged stools are pretty hard to sit on!

For instance we have seen members in the first responder community who can pass a base line fitness test which is all about numbers, but who are overweight, have high blood pressure and cholesterol levels out the roof. They could hardly be considered fit. Not picking on first responders, as many of us are in the same boat. Just saying there is more to it than “passing the test”.

At Get Fit NH Bootcamp we also perform a physical fitness test, but this is not a test you can fail. During a one minute time frame each client will do a certain exercise to the best of their ability. We do this with five different exercises in order to get a good judge of overall physical fitness abilities. (Some might be great at squats but have a difficult time with push ups, so one exercise will not be an overall judge) We repeat this test every four to six weeks, with the goal being to see improvement.

This improvement might come in way of the amount of the exercises being done or how they are done. But in real life most will not give two hoots how many pushups and situps they can do or how fast they can run, but they will care that they are improving.

We use these tests to demonstrate the efficacy of the program as well as show our members how much their hard work is paying off. If you have a women who could do no pushups the first time around but 8 weeks later can do 5 rock solid pushups, that is more important than being able to push an arbitrary number just to pass a test. We can then set goals for the next phase of training.

But fitness tests are just one leg of the stool. We also need to consider health markers such as blood pressure and cholesterol. It is more critical from a health standpoint for these numbers to be in line, as they are predictors of health challenges such as diabetes and heart disease.

Here are the baselines we use.

Blood Pressure: <120/80

Cholesterol:
Recommended Total: <200 mg/dl
Recommended LDL: <100 mg/dl
Recommended HDL: >50 mg/dl
Fasting Blood Glucose: <100 mg/dl

Triglycerides: Recommended: <150 mg/dl

Finally Body Composition Markers. We need to know a bit about how our body is put together- The ratio of our lean body mass to fat percentage. An easy way you can do this at home is with a quick trip around our middle.

Waist Circumference:
Women: <35″
Men: <40″

So don’t just look at one set of numbers. When we are looking for accurate predictors of overall health, all these factors should be considered. 

So what do you think now? Do you know all your “numbers”?

Do they tell you that you are “Fit”?

To your overall health,
Nancy and Dean

Nancy Dishes On Food Prep

Leave a Comment

Busy mom, fitness pro and food prep expert Nancy Carlson chats with our Your Metabolism Makeover class on planning, preparation and persistence.

Here’s your chance to listen in to her great tips and tricks for getting it all done.

Click the link below to listen in!

Nancy Dishes on Food Prep

Fat Loss Check List – 10 Reasons Why You Are Not Seeing Results

2 Comments

Here’s a sneak preview of one of the tools in the “Fat Loss Toolbox”, which is included in the “Your Metabolism Makeover” nutrition coaching course.

Many times people will give me a ton of “reasons” why they just “can’t lose weight”. Sometimes there are legitimate medical challenges that make weight loss difficult, but that is a very small percentage of us

More than likely…

1. You are eating TOO much. Even if you are carefully measuring and planning your main meals, extra calories can sneak in during snack. It is VERY common to significantly under-estimating the number of calories you are consuming on a daily basis. If you’re not sure, write down everything you eat for one whole week.

2. You are not eating enough. You need to create a caloric deficit by reducing you calorie intake slightly. If you go too far below your maintenance calories, your body goes into starvation mode; sheds muscle and stores calories as fat, for a future energy source. Not eating enough supportive foods also lowers the amount of calories you burn….less thermic meals = less body fat burned.

3. You are not lifting weights: Cardio burns calories but it doesn’t boost your metabolism. Resistance training is *critical* to maintaining your muscle and tone. If you’re not lifting weights while trying to lose body fat, you will lose muscle and tone and your metabolic rate will decrease causing you to burn fewer calories 24 hour-a-day!

4. You are simply not exercising anywhere near enough! You can only decrease your caloric intake so much before you start losing your fat burning muscle. The only other alternative is to increase calories out. VERY FEW people are successful at losing weight AND keeping it off without exercising almost everyday!! Make it a rule to be active at the very least 30 minutes a day.

If you’re having trouble losing weight, 20 minutes of exercise three times a week isn’t going to cut it! Most people who tell me they are *really serious* about losing weight are not willing to do what it takes to get where they want to be. If you’re not willing to make exercise a *serious* priority in your life, your chances of succeeding at losing weight and keeping it off are VERY small!

5. Are you impatient? Are you looking for *instant* results? When it doesn’t happen, you may give up. You HAVE to be resolved to the fact that it takes the integration of the Factors of Fat Loss and change WILL be slow yet steady! Try focusing on progress, not perfection.

6. Are you any skipping meals? If so, do not expect to see results.  Skipping meals slows your metabolism causing body to store calories rather than burn them

7. Are you eating sugary foods or simple / refined carbohydrates? White rice, white (non whole wheat) flour products, white pastas, soft drinks , sweetened drinks – like juice, and the hundreds of products that contain added sugar that’s deceptively listed on ingredient lists with names like sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, etc. turns off the hormones responsible for releasing your body fat and instead turns ON the hormones that store fat.

8. How many alcoholic drinks do you have each week? Alcohol stimulates your appetite, slows your metabolism, and it’s loaded with empty (sugar) calories!

9. Are you having fruits and/or vegetables EVERY time you eat? Are you taking your multivitamin supplements every day?

10. Are you planning and preparing your meals ahead of time? If you have not planned your meals, you are more likely to cheat and find yourself off track.

As you can see, fat loss can be VERY difficult……and can seem very confusing! Too little, too much, do this, do that…UGGHH!

Don’t stress out!

We offer the nutrition coaching you need to get it all figured out and achieve permanent fat loss. It’s up to you to get on board.

If you are ready to take the next step and get serious about your nutrition, the next 12-week “Your Metabolism Makeover” nutrition coaching course begins June 9, 2010 @ 6:30pm.

Sign Up Here!

Sizzlin’ Summer Slimdown – The S3 Debrief

4 Comments

At the time I am writing this blog, there are less than 24 hours until the final weigh in for S3 – Our 8 week “Sizzlin’ Summer Slimdown” contest. We have seen some incredible changes in many of our members. Not only in the way they look, but in the way they feel, the sense of purpose and focus to themselves and their health, and as a bonus some pretty drastic fat loss as well!

We have also observed a pretty wide range of emotions as the contest draws to a close and the day of reckoning approaches.

Some of you are excited, some of you are dreading facing the scale, and others are, well, pretty indifferent about the whole thing.

There are three basic outcomes that we will see at the end of the contest. You will have:

  1. Lost pounds and inches
  2. Gained pounds and inches
  3. Stayed the same

I would suggest that how you approach those results, how you feel about how you did as well as the actual results themselves, is actually more important than what happened during this brief 8 week period.

Why?

Because there are reasons why you did or did not succeed to your level of expectation.

In other words your outcome over the last 8 weeks that is an amalgamation of all the choices you have made, for better or worse.

I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to say that those who were committed to their training, nutrition and sleep made great progress, while those who were not, did not.

Now what are you going to do with that?

One definition of insanity is “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result”.

Were your actions in line with your expectations? Did you do anything different over these last 8 weeks?

Changing your body composition is only easy if you are trying to do one thing – be overfat. Most of us have experienced that – you wake up one day and you weigh 30 pounds more than you did a couple years ago, and you didn’t even have to try!

Going the other way is not that easy, as many of us have also discovered over the years.

But it isn’t rocket science either.

The #1 reason why we don’t make the progress we desire is because we are unwilling to change what we are doing, usually in the area of nutrition.

  • Unwilling to record a food diary
  • Unwilling to plan and prepare
  • Unwilling to limit non-supportive foods

I defy anybody to demonstrate they have taken these three steps over a reasonable period of time (8 weeks maybe?) and not made significant progress toward body composition goals.

I am extremely proud of everyone who made the effort to make the changes necessary to achieve the outcome they desired. I know you will continue on the path you have started.

I want to help those who did not.

Do you really want to make the change necessary to achieve your goals?

I have to believe that you do.

So here is what I want you to do.

Step #1

I want you to go to http://fitday.com and set up your account. Click here to watch our video on how to do that. Make your account public so we can look at it.

Step #2

Talk to Greg, Anne or Stephanie about the results they have achieved over just the last few weeks since they started keeping a food journal.

Step #3

Log your food intake into your account for one week. When you have done that, send me an email and I will not only take a look and evaluate for that week, but put you on my schedule (or Nancy’s if you prefer) to look at it every week, as long as you continue to be consistent.

No other changes, no other hassles, no nothing. Those three simple steps.

This is our gift to you, our current clients. Very soon we will be offering nutrition classes and coaching, and there definitely will be a charge for those. I would strongly encourage you to receive and use this tool.

If you won’t, think long and hard about why not.

I am excited about tomorrow. I am excited to see how you all did. To hear your success stories and your challenges overcome. It has been incredible to see the changes that are being made, and I am more excited than ever about helping you reach your goals.

The only way you can fail is to give up.

Don’t ever, ever, ever give up!

Make It Happen!

Dean

« Older Posts