Will power...is it never ending?

I started reading a book by Chip and Dan Heath (yes, they are brothers) titled "Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard." I'm only half-way through it, but it's been such an interesting book that I wanted to share some of the information from it with you guys. Why?

Because losing weight IS a big change! You got the way you are because of the habits in your life. And changing the way you look will not happen unless you change the way you behave. Understanding how your brain works will only help you understand what your brain is doing in those moments of weakness.

So back to the topic for this email. Will power. What is it? Basically it's an attempt by your logical/rational brain to keep the emotional brain from doing something that it wants to. In the book "Switch" the authors make the analogy of an elephant and the rider. The emotional brain in us is like an elephant. It's big, it's strong, but it can be controlled...to a certain extent. The rider is analogous to the rational logical brain. Basically the rider guides the elephant along a directed path. But here's where things get interesting.

You see the elephant - our emotional brain - can take over in a hurry, especially if the rider - our logical brain - isn't directing it where to go. If we let the elephant just go where it wants, it's going to cause problems. Not just because it's unpredictable, but because it's so stinkin' strong! However, the rider usually doesn't have much of a problem directing the elephant. The elephant will go where the rider takes it as long as the path is clear and the elephant knows what to expect. And this is where we get back to my point about will power. You see, will power comes from our rational brain/the rider.

The rider can only keep the elephant doing something it doesn't want to do for so long. If the rider becomes exhausted, the elephant will run wild. We see this a lot in our culture in that many people are emotional eaters. The rider has lost control and the elephant is running wild.

Bringing this back around to our eating habits and changing our behavior, will power is a limited commodity. It cannot and will not last you for very long. This is why people who struggle with emotional eating, can't say "well I only keep these cookies in my house as a special treat." Because their will power to not eat them will eventually run out, the elephant will run wild and they'll eat the entire box of cookies and then come back to reality in this sugar coated daze. It's the same reason that when your stomach is grumbling and you haven't eaten all day, you'll eat just about anything in sight: the rider is asleep and the elephant is running loose!

To really change behavior, you have to start small. Big changes will "spook the elephant." At that point, no matter how logical the benefit of the habit is, the person will not engage in changing the behavior. Your goals must appeal to both the logical brain and the emotional brain. This is why in the last blog post I sent you, I suggested you send yourself a postcard from the future. This stimulates the elephant to move. The path is clear: come to the Hi-5 FitCamp and start with a simple habit like eating from smaller plates.

How to draw attention to yourself at work...

Most people don't like drawing attention to themselves at work. There is just something about the majority of eyes in a room being drawn to you for doing something awkward, according to them. Most people don't like drawing attention to themselves at work. There is just something about the majority of eyes in a room being drawn to you for doing something awkward, according to them.

But stretching may just well be worth the awkward glances. Stretching helps in so many ways that foregoing stretching simply because others might think its weird is flat out foolishness!

Stretching increases blood flow to our muscles, awakens our nervous system, helps decrease stress, and helps improve circulation which can improve alertness and mental acuity. Maintaining quality range of motion in joints and elasticity in muscles helps to prevent overuse injuries as well!

And if you've been coming to the Hi-5 FitCamp for any period of time, then stretching will also help alleviate the soreness you've acquired.

So here are 3 MUST DO stretches you can do while sitting in your office chair.

1. Seated Hamstring/Calf stretch: Sitting on the front half of your chair with your feet flat on the ground. Extend one foot out in front so the knee is almost straight. Keeping your back flat, reach out to that toe with the opposite hand until a moderate stretch is felt in the hamstring. Keep the toe pulled back to feel the stretch in your calves. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 3 times on each side.
2. Seated Glute/IT Band stretch: Sitting on the front half of your chair, place your right ankle up on your left knee. Place your left hand on your right ankle and your right hand on your right knee. With a flat back, begin to lean forward at the hips. You should feel this stretch in your right hip. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 3 times on each side.
3. Upper Back/Levator Scapulae stretch: Sitting upright, bring your right hand up over your head and place it in the middle of your upper back. Keep looking straight forward with your chin pulled in. Tip your head away from the elbow that is up (tip to the left). You should feel a stretch in your upper back. Then while tipping your head to the left, turn your head to the left so your chin is near your left shoulder. You should feel this stretch in your neck. Both are areas that are chronically tight on people. Do this for 5 seconds in each position, 3 times on each side as often as you'd like.

Its pretty simple. 4 minutes of stretching that can have some of the most profound effects on your physical health!!

By the way, if you like this post, click the Facebook link at the top and become a fan of the Hi-5 FitCamp!!

End of the Beginning

So we wrapped up our first outdoor Hi-5 FitCamp of 2011. Of course it wasn't entirely outdoors, only 2 days. But by using a big hill, a pull-up bar and a step, we got a lot of work done.

And hopefully as a part of that work we showed that outdoor training is not only good for you, but it's pretty fun! In fact yesterday I was speaking with one of our members and we discussed how when you're a kid outside running, jumping, climbing, crawling that it was fun. But somehow as we age, we forget how much fun it is. I think the transition goes something like this:

• Toddler - Excited to be walking. The world is yours to claim and no one can stop you!
• Elementary school - running, jumping, and climbing are necessary skills for being the ultimate hide and seek player. You dominate your neighborhood.
• Junior high - you enjoy playing sports and this is basically what your activity is now limited to. Your creativity diminishes and you start playing sports with formal rules instead of games with rules made as you go.
• High school - you only participate in sports and your tactical games are no more. You now only squat, run,  and jump according to your prescribed sets and repetitions in weight lifting. If you're a girl, you don't really do that stuff any more.
• College - your still stuck doing the high school football workout even though you don't play football anymore. As a result you get big and bulky, but without the extra cardiovascular work from playing football, you grow a belly.
• 30's - You're so involved in making your career that fitness has been condensed to 30 minutes on a recumbent bike while reading the newspaper. 
• 40's - You start to feel tight, restrictive motion and you're activity now consists of physical therapy for your knee's and back. A weekend fishing trip causes a week's worth of pain and soreness. You feel you've earned the right to say "I wish I was 18 again!"
• 50's & 60's - You now watch grandchildren climb the tree in your back yard and remember your "Glory Days." And it hits you how much you wish you could still run, jump, climb, roll and your tactical challenge is how you're going to get up the staircase of your grown children's home without your knees screaming in opposition.

But you know what? It doesn't have to be like that. Just because the majority of America grows old like this doesn't mean you have to. 

The HI-5 FitCamp is designed to keep you fit, to place challenges in your way and to make you move like when you were in elementary school. This round we jumped, ran, shuffled, and did pullups outside while inside we did bench press, cable chops, medicine ball throws, SlideBoard work and some pretty heavy squats. 

If you're in the HI-5 FitCamp, tell you're friends what their missing. Have them come try for a day or two. Although tough and challenging, it's pretty fun stuff. You get to challenge yourself and each other, you feel that youthful vigor from when you were a child and you get strong, flexible and fit.

Do you have one of THESE in your life right now?

I told my kindergarten teacher I was going to be a Navy pilot.

Who did you look up to as a kid? Who did you want to be like?

I remember when I was about 5-6 years old I had just seen Top Gun (not the best movie for a 5-year old) and wanting to be in the Navy. My dad was in the Navy, my mom had been in the Navy, my grandfather was in the Navy and now Top Gun had just elevated being a fighter pilot to superhero status.

As we grow up, our hero's change though. Many of us let go of role models and mentors as we age. 

But in the Hi-5 FitCamp there has been 1 person who just about everybody has said they want to be like. This person is a great mentor for many women. She occasionally goes by the name "Sarge" and can unleash hell on the group in the kindest of voices when filling in for me. She's encouraging, but relentless; compassionate but unwavering in her expectations not only of her self, but also of the group. 

But the thing that allows others to identify with her is that she's been through the misery of the Hi-5 FitCamp now for going on 5 years. She knows the how tough it can be and but also knows the results it can produce.

Kelly Bittick is who so many women and a handful of men (myself included) have aspired to be like when it comes to fitness. Kelly is strong, flexible, stable, mobile, powerful and persistent and I thought it would be nice to see a few things through her eyes. 

So here is my interview with Kelly on "The Hi-5 Hot Seat: 10 Questions with Kelly Bittick."

When did you first get interested in fitness? Were you an athlete in high school? 

During my high school years my sister was a manager at a couple of different gyms here in town. That’s where I started getting interested in working out. She was also into bodybuilding for a while so I was exposed to that lifestyle of intense training and diet regimens. Most of which I knew were too extreme for me. In high school, I had a very short lived diving career and was involved in dance. That’s about it . Sort of a late bloomer in the athletic sense.

 Did you have any preconceived notions on what women should and shouldn’t do for exercise? Were you ever afraid of using heavier weights? 

I can’t recall thinking that there should be any sort of set boundaries for womens exercise specifically. I know in a gym setting,  you see women typically just using machines more than bar bells or dumbbells. I was never afraid of using weights but probably didn’t try to push it as much as I do now. 10 years ago, many women including me, weren’t really as much into the outdoor/not-afraid-to-get-dirty type of workouts that we see going on now. 

Kelly doing what Kelly does: pushing us all to the next level.

You were the first woman in the Hi-5 FitCamp to do full chin-ups and in the last test you did 8 in 30 seconds. That's pretty impressive, considering many women are "afraid" of pullups. Is there any exercise you’re afraid of doing? 

I can’t think of any particular exercise that I would be afraid of doing at all, I would at least attempt it. Well maybe the rock climbing wall is a bit challenging for me with my fear of heights issues ….but I will still do it! 

What are your top 5 favorite exercises? 

Jump squats, “speed skaters”, sprints, med ball slams, any kind of cone drill. 

What are your 3 favorite foods? 

Chicken stir-fry, bean/cheese/rice burritos, apples/ peanut butter. 

What does your typical day of eating look like?  

Let’s see…COFFEE, yogurt/fruit smoothie breakfast, mid morning oats with nuts, dried cranberries, lunch usually some sort of sandwich or salad with chicken or turkey (there’s a Sequoia Sandwich conveniently located in my building at work), afternoon snacks might be apples/peanut butter, mixed nuts, or the second half of my lunch. Dinner a piece of chicken, fish, or turkey patty, salad-veggies/rice or pasta Sometimes omelets for breakfast or dinner. Spaghetti with ground turkey occasionally. Let me just add…of course I indulge sometimes…I just try to do it in moderation.   

Do you take any supplements? 

Only thing I take is a protein/energy shake powder I mix into my morning smoothies. It’s loaded with a plethora of vitamins and minerals and a tri-protein blend. 

Besides the 4 hours per week in the Hi-5 FitCamp, what does your activity level look like and what types of activities do you enjoy doing? 

Right now, I’m trying to get a run in a couple evenings a week, a long run and or a bike ride on the weekends. Sometimes I like to do some hill work on the bluffs or run stadiums. Maybe I should say those last two are more of a “love/hate”  thing??? Ha Ha. 

How much sleep do you usually get? 

Honestly…not enough. Most of the time. 6  to 7 hrs ? I am working on this though. 

What is the one thing that people can do to stay motivated in pursuit of their fitness goals? 

Don’t limit yourself or be afraid to “step outside of the box”. This applies to your exercise as well as diet. This is why I am such a huge fan of the Hi-5 fit camp, the movements and exercises that we are introduced to are always changing and evolving. These challenges are what make it fun while giving way to positive RESULTS….I know it has for me!

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So there you go! Between the nutrition, work ethic and mindset, Kelly has really excelled in health and fitness. She enjoys it for herself and enjoys teaching others about it! Thanks a ton Kelly for all you bring to our class. It wouldn't be what it is without you!

Reasons for fitness

When engaging in a fitness program you have to ask yourself what exactly you want to be "fit" for. Do you want to be fit for show (i.e. looking good) or fit for go (i.e. performing better)?

This past week my family and I were in Queen Creek, Arizona with my brother and his family, my dad and one of my sisters. One of the things we all look forward to during these get-togethers is playing some touch football and some random baseball games, in addition to the usual trip to the golf range.

Brothers and Baseball, not much better than that!

This weekend during the baseball activities it was only myself, my twin brother and my 10-year old nephew. So basically it was batting practice while the third person was out shagging fly balls and rounding up the ones that got by him.

It was so much fun to pretend to be a major league outfielder and go full sprint after a fly ball and make a great catch. The subsequent "OHHHHH!!" that came from the 3 of us after the catch would make anybody there smile. It was a moment of boys being boys and my brother and I being 10 years old again.

The great thing about this was the fact that none of us woke up the next day feeling like we'd been hit by a truck. Of course nobody expected my nephew to be sore, but when neither my brother nor I were sore the next day, it was a slight surprise for us. Neither of us are pro baseball players and neither of us routinely swing a 3-lb wood bat as hard as we can, or chuck a baseball 200 feet for hours on end.

But it was at this time when I realized that although I enjoy the aesthetic effects of strength training, but more importantly I value the functional benefits of the type of exercise I do. I enjoy being able to play baseball, golf, football, skateboarding, rock climbing, etc. without straining muscles, spraining joints or waking up feeling like I was mugged.

The Hi-5 FitCamp does just this for its members. Enjoy the things you like to do and enjoy them even more when you're body is capable of it.

So in this season of life as well as the year, I want you to think about the reasons you exercise. Then I want you to ask yourself if you are taking advantage of the physical abilities that your training program provides. Do you get out and use the ability you have developed? 

Your enjoyment of fitness will show up in other aspects too!

Those who do pursue recreational activities outside of exercise will enjoy their fitness programs even more because they know that the things they do during their training will make their recreational activities even more enjoyable! 

It doesn't have to be a sport that you play, but perhaps you enjoy cooking. The physical fitness you develop is more encouragement to put together your own healthy and tasty recipes. Perhaps you'll develop enough to write your own cookbook!

Creating a POSITIVE habit

If we look at our life, we see for most of us it runs best when we have a routine. Our day is for the most part predictable, we know where we'll be at 2pm, we like to know what time we'll be leaving work, we like to know what time we can expect dinner and we like to know whats coming ahead in the next day, week and month. 

But for some reason we begin to get frustrated about our lack of success when it comes to fat loss. Looking at the other things in our life we like predictability and we succeed with predictability, plans and schedules.

So why is it when somebody says, "to lose fat you have to plan your meals," that we get all bent out of shape because its TOO orderly and regimented, and only obsessive people will plan their meals and track their food intake.

The thing is, we like order. We like that when we go to Starbucks we know what we are getting when we order our venti mocha latte half cream with a shot of espresso, what ever that is. The truth is that we need to have habits to make our day productive. So that is what I want you to do this month. Start a new habit.

Here are 4 steps to starting a good habit:

• Be realistic. If your habit is to eat 9 pieces of fruit a day, that's most likely not going to happen and you'll end up frustrated and unmotivated.

• Make it easy. A habit of exercising everyday is not easy. And you'll quickly burnout. But a habit of taking an Omega-3 fish oil supplement is pretty easy. It takes 5 seconds and you're done with it. So make it an easy habit, but make sure it's a productive habit. A habit for the sake of a habit is a BAD habit!

• Set the time. If you're going to start a habit, make sure you set the time and set a reminder for that habit. If it's fruit and yogurt in the afternoon, be as specific as possible and say fruit and yogurt at 2:53 pm. 

• Acknowledge your success in developing a good habit!! Tell everybody about your good habit and tell them about the effects! So you made it through your first dinner without grains?? Made it through the first week? Tell somebody about it!

It is also a good idea to write down the habits you know are destructive to your fat loss goals. Keep it with you and find ways to either eliminate those habits/excuses and be successful!

A soon to be family favorite and the enemy of outdoor fitness

If you've never heard of the pasta Orzo, you should seriously look into it. Orzo is a type of pasta that looks like over-sized rice but often has Parmesan cheese and other little add in's that help to give it some zip.

This Orzo recipe was given to us by one of our morning Hi-5 FitCamp members. The recipe is for Orzo with Spinach & Tomato. Give it a shot. You might just surprise yourself.

You'll need the following ingredients:

• 1 10 oz bag of spinach
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes cut in half
• the zest of 2 lemons
• 1-1/2 cups of orzo, cooked al dente
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Working in small piles, shred the spinach into ribbons. Pile shredded spinach in the bottom of a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the halved tomatoes to the bowl along with the lemon zest. Add hot orzo pasta to the mixing bowl. Add the olive oil over pasta and toss to combine veggies and orzo. Add a little basil & pepper and toss again.


To make the orzo you can simply boil it until it is tender but still a pretty firm in the middle, or "al dente". You don't want mushy orzo!

And there you have it. Orzo makes a great side dish and is a very slow digesting carbohydrate which is why it fits perfectly into our diets! We want carbohydrates, we just don't need the fast digesting type that leave us hungry within the next 45 minutes.
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The enemy of most people who begin training outdoors are the dreaded shin splints. These things sneak up on unsuspecting folks and can be a real pain!!

 What are shin splints? Shin splints are the result of tight calf muscles pulling on the shin bone causing an enormous amount of stress to the tibia, or shin bone. If severe enough, shin splints often result in stress fractures of the tibia and can require long periods of time off.

But here are a few things you can do to prevent shin splints now that we are outside twice per week.

1. Stretch frequently. Stretching your calves of both legs can help to relieve the stress on the calves and allow the calves to have achieve greater length, thus minimizing the passive tension on the shins.
2. Start slowly. Most shin splints begin as the result of people getting out and doing too much running too quickly

Remember, you cannot start running to get fit. Instead you must be fit to run. So all you newbies out there, come on in the the Hi-5 FitCamp and lets get you started on a low impact strength training program that will help to you ready for life!!

Mental Might

So many times throughout the course of our Hi-5 FitCamp, there are people who drop off or don't get the results they are looking for. There are a variety of reasons for this, but one of the biggest is mental fatigue.

With mental fatigue we start to talk ourselves down from working hard. We use "self-talk" in a negative way. We say things like, "Well I wasn't able to do pull ups before, so its not that big of a deal" or "there is no way I can keep going!"

Well the truth is you can use self talk to get yourself through those tough times. Those times when it would be easy to slow up on intervals, the times when its easy to cheat on repetitions because you are the only one counting, or those times it would be easy to stop doing pull ups because they are too hard.

Here are a couple of things you can do to fight back and that voice who says YOU CAN"T DO THIS.

1. Use positive reinforcement with key words to motivate yourself. Use firm, positive words that describe how you want to feel, look or be. Use words like STRENGTH, POWER, or SLIM to push yourself through those tough times.
2. You can use negative reinforcement as well. Use words that describe what you do not want to be, what you are working to get away from.
3. Talk yourself through the work by challenging the "old" you. The you that used to be weaker, bigger and not nearly as able. For example, if you are doing a plank, the old you used to only be able to do 2:00 but the new you is going to DEMOLISH THE OLD YOU by doing a 2:30 plank. Compete with yourself and beat the OLD YOU!!

These are just a few things that will help to really get you motivated to really push harder, faster and ask for a bigger challenge. You can take the pain, you can handle the work and you're better than the old you. Now you have to step up and walk the walk!!

Am I lying to you?? Pt. 1

Often times in a social setting somebody will come to me with their story of how they are struggling to lose weight, they still feel flabby, that they have no energy and are always tired, despite working out a few times (at least twice) a week. I can often see the frustration in their faces and towards me. With an education in exercise science, they look at me as if that whole "eat right and exercise to lose weight" idea is a lie and that they are just genetically programmed to be overweight for the rest of their lives.

The truth is there are two parts to that equation: Proper Nutrition + Proper Exercise = Change. It really is that simply. But it is not easy. Today let talk briefly about nutrition and eating habits.

Most people only eat between 2-3 meals a day. Many get less than that (which would be 1 per day). However new research shows that by spreading calorie needs out over the course of a day. The simplest way to put it is this - If you take in more calories than you use, you will gain weight. Even at individual meals this occurs.

For example, if you have a lunch of 900 calories but over the next 3 hours (the time it takes to digest food) you only require 500 calories of energy due to biological function and other work, your body will store those 400 calories as fat!! And who wants that??

1 pound of fat = 3500 calories. So if you have an excess of 200 calories per meal and eat 3 times a day, it will only take about a week for you to put on a pound of fat. After 5 weeks you will have in the neighborhood of 5 pound of fat.

The picture to the right is a woman holding a model of 5 pounds of fat. Imagine if that was off of your body? -->

Now to the change. To change the way you look, you have to change the way you work; Change the way you eat, the foods you eat and when you eat.

Earlier this week I sent you to a website to estimate how many calories you needed per day. If you need that again, click here.

Now take that number and divide it by 4 meals per day. This is how many calories you need per meal. Keep it in the ball park, it does not have to be exact.

But here is the where the hard work comes in: You need to measure how much food you are eating and journal what you eat and when you eat it. Open a free account at www.calorie-count.com and start to log what you are eating. You will be surprised at how many calories you are taking in that you don't need. And by eating more frequently, you will have a steady stream of energy in, instead of one huge amount of energy that only weighs you down.

Remember, we who say that changing the way you look through eating and exercise are not lying to you. It has, can and will be done.

5 Ways to Improve your Results

Now that we have officially started a new 4-week period of our Hi-5, there are a few things I would like to recommend to everybody to get the most out of the time.

1. A heart rate monitor - a heart rate monitor allows us to see what your maximal heart rate is during workouts. Knowing this number allows you to know how long to rest for as well as determine your heart rate recovery during intervals. The higher your heart rate, the more calories you're using!!

2. Eat Breakfast - Most of you have heard this and can truly testify to the truth of it. If you show up without eating breakfast, odds are you're going to be on your way home after class and swear you're never coming back. Breakfast can truly make the difference between a quality workout and miserable time. So be sure to eat something right early in the morning like a banana, or a small cup of yogurt, or a slice of toast with a little peanut butter on it.

3. Drink Water - As hard as you are going to be working over this next 4 weeks, your body will need extra water to replenish what leaves in sweat and also to improve the efficiency of muscle contractions. This will allow you to push yourself harder and get more out of your workouts (bigger bang for the buck!!)

4. Stretch - I am going to bet dollars-to-donuts you're going to be sore at some point during this 4-weeks. You might be reading this and saying, "i'm already sore!" But don't be afraid. Moderate soreness is a sign of progress. Intense soreness, not so much. A way to reduce soreness as well as improve recovery time is to stretch. Go through the warm-ups in the evening, during the day get up and put your joints through their end range of motion.

5. Don't be afraid to use some weight - part of losing fat and feeling better is gaining a little muscle. The "I don't want to bulk up" line is a complete joke and if anybody uses that line as an excuse, I will take it as meaning you are afraid of hard work. Here is why that is a lie. In order for you to build enough muscle for you to feel as if you are bulking up, you would have to eat an extra 500-600 calories a day and you'd have to workout 6-7 days a week for much longer than we workout.

These 5 things will put you on your way to improving the way you feel, look and move.

Looking for Volume...and occasional soreness

This past 4-week session of the Hi-5 FitCamp included our first time outdoors. The weather was nice, fresh air was great and the challenge was met with hard work and determination.

Now with the off-week here, it is time to see if you have developed the drive to continue exercising on your own. Because here is the where most people struggle: when motivated by somebody else it is easier to stick with an exercise program. However, when that drive has to come from inside you it can be very difficult to get the engine going.

But one thing you have now that you did not have when you first started was momentum. Newton's first law is that of inertia. An object in motion will stay in motion until acted on by an external force. The same could be said for staying still. So now that you're moving and you have momentum, here is your off-week challenge.

Beginner Body Weight 200 Challenge
(This is for the guys who were beginners during last months Hi-5. If you have not yet completed a 4-week Hi-5 FitCamp, this will be very difficult!!) Perform the following circuit for a total of 200 repetitions. Go for time - Fastest time wins!!

**Do not move on to the next exercise until you complete all the repetitions for the exercise before it, even if you need to rest in the middle of a set!**

• 30 Body Weight Squats
• 20 Modified Pushups
• 30 Lunges (15 each side)
• 30 StickUps
• 40 Side Plank reaches (20 on each side)
• 30 Hip Bridges
• 20 Mountain Climbers

Be sure to time yourself so I can email out the top times and you can get some recognition as being the BW 200 Champ!

Mid-level guys (the ones who have been here for a while but don't feel that you are to the advanced level yet) then the BW 300 is for you!!

**Do not move on to the next exercise until you complete all the repetitions for the exercise before it, even if you need to rest in the middle of a set!**

• 40 Squats
• 30 Pushups (begin with regular and then switch to modified if needed
  
• 40 Lunges
• 30 Stick Ups
• 40 Jumping Jacks
• 50 Side plank reaches
• 30 Hip Bridges
• 40 Mountain climbers

And for you guys who are just short of professional athletes (we know who you are!!)
Here is the Body Weight 400!! (By the way, this makes a good beach workout!!)

**Do not move on to the next exercise until you complete all the repetitions for the exercise before it, even if you need to rest in the middle of a set!**

• 50 Squats
• 40 Pushups
• 50 Lunges
• 60 Mountain Climbers
• 20 Squat Jumps
  
• 30 Pull Ups (find a tree or a play ground to do them on, be creative)
• 20 4-Count body builders
  
• 50 Side plank reaches (25 each side)
• 80 Jumping Jacks

So there it is!! Give this a shot once or twice this week. In total it should take about 20 minutes. If you get together with somebody in the group, push each other to go faster!!

Nutrition Tip of the Week

So last week we talked about preparing food for the week so you are not subject to satisfying cravings with Doritoes and Twinkies. This week the big topic of concern is water consumption.

Whether we are trying to lose fat, gain muscle, or both, water is essential. Muscle is made up of mostly water and uncountable reactions in your body require water to take place. So what happens if we do not drink enough water?

• Muscle shrivels
  
• necessary nutrients are not absorbed
• Metabolic processes are slowed
• Hunger levels increase
• Concentration is reduced

And these are just a few things. Another area of concern is what you are drinking your water out of.

BPA has been shown to leach into food or fluids that touch it. It has also been shown to cause cancer. My recommendation is to get a reusable plastic bottle that is BPA free, or just go with a non-plastic bottle. They may seem expensive, but these things will surely not leach poisonous material from their material surface. You can find some here.

So get a bottle and get drinking!! Replace 3 non-water drinks per day with water, trying to get 1 liter per day of pure water.

Snack Time

So last week we talked about the need to eat more frequently. Remember the car analogy, too much fuel will slow you down, too little will not get you where you need to go.

Today let's talk about scheduling between 5-6 meals per day.

Here is the key. If you remember nothing else, remember this: Plan ahead.

You have to know that nothing you buy on a whim at the gas station is going to be that healthy for you. Plus you don't want to leave your health to the choices they offer. Instead plan ahead.

Make a list of 5 snack time meals that you enjoy. These can be Peanut butter and apples, celery and low fat cream cheese, dried fruit and almonds, cottage cheese and pineapple, yogurt yogurt and granola, or veggies and hummus.

At this point, I usually hear a cumulative, "yeah but..." followed by "I don't have time in the morning to get that ready for my day."

And I will respond with, "Me neither." But you probably have time the night before, on the weekend or at some point during your week. So here are the steps to planning for your eating.

Step 1: Take that time and write down 5 snacks that include fruits or veggies and a protein (dairy, nuts, beans).

Step 2: Take that list and go shopping.

Step 3: Do all your chopping and separating of foods on the weekend or in that spare time. Chop your apples and put PB in a small travel container (I like glass because food can sometimes leach from the plastic, thus you end up eating cancer causing plastic).

Step 4: Don't forget your snacks on the way out in the morning before work!!

And there you have it. Heck if you'd like, take all of your snacks on Monday morning and keep them in the fridge at work!!

Follow these 4 steps and watch how your body responds.

How to sabatoge your weightloss goals without even putting food in your mouth!!

So watching Biggest Loser last night I saw something that really hit home. And I needed to talk about it. But first let me set the background. (If you watched then you probably know what I am talking about). Bob asked his group to create video log of what they eat for a day. So they did it, thinking they were doing so good. But Bob reamed them for eating too little.

Unfortunately people get so hung up on eating less that we some how skip over this very important fact and sabotage ourselves by not giving ourselves enough food-

You must eat because your body needs fuel

I know it sounds simple yet contradictory to weight loss but lets take a look at how this fits into the car analogy. If I overload on fuel, I will have too much and extra weight will not allow my car to function optimally. But if I don't have enough fuel, I will not be able to get where I need to go.

Your body has a minimal amount of energy it needs throughout the day. If you do not meet this energy need, your body will start breaking down muscle for fuel. This is not what we want. If you do this, I can promise you will end up with a "skinny-fat" look. You will be thinner than you were before, but you can count on flabby arms, flabby thighs and the dreaded "cankles." Who wants that?? This happens because your body breaks down muscle and leaves the fat behind.

There is a very detailed cause for this but suffice it to say, protein offers a quicker energy source than fat. So when your body needs fuel quickly and has no energy from food, it will cannibalize muscle.

So take the estimated number of calories you need (find it here) and multiply by .8. This will give you how many calories you should be eating to lose weight through diet alone. If we increase activity levels, we will see even a greater deficit and before you know it the fat starts dropping off and the muscle stays.

It's simple but not easy. You can do it and remember, summer is on its way. There are no substitutes for hard work and perseverance.

Is "it" really better than nothing?

We hear it all the time. Or at least I do.

And I hear it without regard to topic. If it is anything that requires commitment, people seem to use it as a scapegoat. And it is VERY, VERY aggravating. More importantly because once people find out what I do for a living they seem to offer up this information freely.

"Well I walk in the morning. And I know that isn't much, but...[shrug] something is better than nothing."

And you know what, I guess they are right. But at the same time, it is such a cop out. Is that the kind of effort you put into your marriage, your job, your parenting, your personal relationships? Your health should be no different!!

Think about all the people that rely on you, on the things that have you as a common theme. If you are not healthy, fit and able to do them then those jobs, kids, and relationships are going to suffer. If you are going to do something, commit to it and put all of your effort into it.

if you've only got 45 minutes in the morning to exercise, then get to business!! Don't mess around "warm-up" on the treadmill, then do 15 minutes on the e-lie-ptical. If you're serious about changing the way you look, feel and get things done through the day, you need an exercise program that can deliver a butt-kicking of a workout in 45 mintes.

This is the type of workout we do at our Hi-5 FitCamp. We get in, spend 10 minutes actually preparing our bodies for exercise and then start cranking out some fat-blasting, muscle building, exercises like single leg squats, lunges, push-ups, modified pull ups, planks, ball slams and cable chops. I can tell you if you AREN'T doing these exercises, then you are missing the boat.

If you're ready to start an exercise program that can literally change your life, then sign up for our next Hi-5 FitCamp. This is without a doubt better than any other "bootcamps" in town. How do I know? Because i've been through them worked for them and I have seen how they design their programs. And it's just like 90% of gym goers, and it goes something like this, "What do we want to do today?"

You gotta have a plan, man!! You can't wing it. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. We start on April 13th. I hope to see some new faces who really want to change their life and drop some fat of their frame.

The First Rule of Fight Club...

"Don't talk about Fight Club!" was the first AND second rule of Fight Club. Fortunately, we aren't Fight Club. So ignore those rules and actually DO THE OPPOSITE!! Tell everyone you can!

We will be going outside twice per week starting this next time around, which is always so much fun. Its hard work, but it's fun. The open air early in the morning just does something to invigorate you. A nice cool breeze with the sun rising as you head back to our launching pad (the area of grass where we do warm-ups).

I wanted to let you all know how much I appreciate your referrals, as well as all the great things you say about our class. Because it really is unlike any other program in town in content and design.

So to thank you, anybody who brings in a new person this next time around will get the cost of the next round reduced by %50!! I hope to see some new faces. If not, you know I still enjoy waking up and ending the day with you guys who are here so consistently.

Thanks!!

Sabatoging your Weight Loss Goals

Alright guys. So you've been working really hard with our Hi-5 FitCamp. We are building muscle, but what about cutting out the fat??

Most of that needs to come from a change in your eating habits. If you try to out work a bad diet, you'll fail every time.

To lose weight, we have to have what is called a negative calorie balance. Meaning that in order to lose weight you must have fewer calories coming in than going out. Don't take it to the extreme, everybody has a minimum number of calories they must eat just to keep their body functioning properly. A negative balance of -500 per day will allow you to cut out over a pound per week. You can meet this negative balance through a combination of restructured eating habits and exercise. You can find out how many your body needs here. If you don't know how much you need, then how can you know how many you need to cut out? And this is the one thing that sabatoge's the weight loss goals of most people.

But you also need additional energy based on your activity level. You can find out how many you need here. Our resting energy requirement (RMR) is partially dependent on how much muscle we have on our body. The more muscle we have, the more energy we require, and the more energy we use at rest. So what happens is our body starts losing fat at rest.

So if you think lifting weights or resistance training isn't for you, you might want to rethink that. Rethink what your definition of resistance training is. Body weight squat are resistance training, pushups are resistance training. Lifting your child or grandchild up is resistance training (if he/she is over 30 pounds, I would not recommend this for most people who are new to exercise). But don't be afraid to go a little heavy. An 8 lb medicine ball is an extremely effective tool for building strength, muscular endurance, muscular power and core stability/strength.

Here is a quick at home circuit that uses a medicine ball and takes about 15 minutes.

Do one right after the other and don't stop until you make it 3 times around or 15 minutes.

A) Med Ball overhead squat x 15
B) Mountain climbers on med ball x 10 each side

C) Lateral Lunge w/ med ball push x 8 each side

D) Side plank :20 each side

Nutrition

If you've never heard of Dr. Chris Mohr, well we need to get you guys acquainted. Dr. Mohr is a nutritionist who specializes in weight loss and has consulted with everybody from the average joe, to the junior athlete, to professional baseball and football players. So if you are ever in doubt about what to eat, you can visit his website or subscribe to his newsletter that is filled with tons of great information.

His most recent idea is amazingly brilliant!! I can't wait to try it out. See it here!!. I hope you guys are able to take advantage of this and try out that burger this weekend.