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!!

Are you an Outlaw??

Outlaw lifting

Their is a wave of the future and it's called "Functional Training." Functional training involves using exercises that transfer to activities of daily living and use body systems that are common to everyday activity. Some of the basic tools of "functional" training are balance devices such as foam pads and BOSU balls, resistance bands and stability balls.

But sometimes, you just need to lift heavy. But these days it seems every trainer on the block is focused more on "functional exercises" rather than simply getting stronger. I don't say getting stronger at the cost of poor form, but many people are afraid of basic lifting simply because they think it causes injury. But instead what happens is that our bodies are so de-tuned and dysfunctional that we physically CAN'T do the lifts without getting hurt. So it's not that the exercisee themselves are bad, but that we are so out of shape, that in its current state of fitness, most human bodies can't HANDLE the work.

Now because of this, many exercises have been deemed unsafe and have been thrown into the scrap yard of exercises. And these used to be THE basis of exercise!! Think about it: squats, dips, overhead presses...people SHOULD be able to do these...but they are so out of shape that they can't. So the next time an injury occurs, think about the user before we blame the exercise.

In the Hi-5 FitCamp, we blend functional exercise and "outlaw" exercises. Why just this morning we did functional exercises such as slideboard hamstring curls and cable lifts, but also did a few "outlaw" exercises such as front squats and bench press. Just wait until tomorrow when we do... (GASP) HANG CLEAN + OVERHEAD PRESS!!!

Here is a quick video that I think you guys will like about an "OUTLAW" and his exercises...

And don't forget to find us on Facebook and become a fan!!

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.

Last question...

The Hi-5 FitCamp is quite an eclectic group. As with any group of people there is a wide array of personality. However, perhaps one of the wittiest has to be Jim Cowles. Jim (or Cowles as he's known when Jim Francisco is around) has also gained a bit of a legend about him. if you get to the Hi-5 FitCamp early enough, you can usually hear a Mike Moore telling stories about Cowles' ability to run up mountain sides as if they were a 40-ft hill or continue climbing when everybody else has hit the wall. In other words, Cowles is in a class of his own.

Jim graciously accepted my request to have him on the Hi-5 Hot Seat. Below is the interview. If there is one thing people should get from this it's the last question. Cowles has been active most of his life and you can pretty much bet he's experienced things that are difficult and tried activities he didn't like. I think how we approach things says a lot about us.

So without further wait, here is my interview with Jim Cowles on the Hi-5 Hot Seat: 

Hi-5: Describe how your physical activity has or hasn’t changed over the years. Have you always been an endurance athlete? 

Cowles: My activities have changed over the years. I was never a very good athlete so my activities were tied to distance running and I developed that aspect. I also have always enjoyed basketball, though I was never very adept at it. In the last five or six years I have enjoyed bicycling and have found it to be a lot easier on my body than long runs. Then last year Mike Moore got me to join the fit class and that has added another dimension which I now really appreciate.

Hi-5: You’re in pretty good shape Jim. So what was it that brought you to the Hi-5 FitCamp? 

Cowles: Mike was so enthusiastic about the fit class that many of us decided to try it.

Hi-5: What does your activity level outside of the Hi-5 FitCamp look like? 

Cowles: I do Fitcamp on Tuesday and Thursday then usually go for a 30-40 mile bike ride in the morning. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I run 4 to 6 miles from Bagels and Blenders at 5:00 AM. On Saturday I either do a long run or a long bike ride. Sundays are basketball days. I play with my son and grandson and several of our friends for two hours.

Hi-5: You hang around with a pretty active group of people. How important is the social factor in sticking to an exercise program? Do you ever exercise alone? 

Cowles: I still run and bike with friends I have run with since 1974. We have raised children together and gone through all of life's challenges and joys. If not for the friendship over the years, I am sure I would not be doing this . Over the years many others have joined us. They have also become good friends and confidants. (What is said on the run stays on the run...usually)

Note: Bear (crawls) are fueled by salmon.

Hi-5: What are your 3 favorite foods? 

Cowles: Pastries. Don't tell my friends but I also like veggies and salmon. But my reputation as a sugarholic is well deserved.

Hi-5: Do you have a pre-exercise eating routine that you follow at all? 

JC: I almost never eat before exercise.

Hi-5: Take us through a day in the life of Jim Cowles. 

Cowles: I work out in the morning (early) Biking usually ends around noon. Being retired I have a free flow routine (time for naps) most of the day. At 2:30 I go to BHS to help coach the distance runners. Evenings I watch the news, have dinner, watch some tv or sports. Then bedtime before 10:00. Real exciting stuff.

Hi-5: What has been your greatest accomplishment in life? 

Cowles: My greatest accomplishment? Hmmm . I am a happy person. I have a wonderful wife, two great children, four beautiful talented grandchildren.

Hi-5: What are some of your personal goals that you have yet to achieve in life? 

Cowles: My personal goals are personal. I would like to become more open to the amazing lives around me. To see the individuality in each person I meet.

Hi-5: What are your 3 keys to fitness success? 

Cowles: 1) Have fun! Have fun! Have fun!

2) Attitude is everything.

3) There is great joy in accomplishing difficult challenges.

Bonus!! 4) If it is a sacrifice don't do it, or change your attitude. 

Take what you can from this interview. Everybody has a unique story, personality and

Upcoming Hi-5 Fitcamp...and an upcoming event.

Hey gang,

The a new round of the Hi-5 FitCamp is coming on Monday morning! Keep telling your friends and family that summer is right around the corner and waiting till May to start shaping up is too late!!

Also remember that this weekend is DAYLIGHT SAVINGS and we SPRING FORWARD 1 hour. Which means it will be dark once again when we get to class in the morning.

__________________________________________

As for what to expect this round of the Hi-5 FitCamp, well we are going to have a couple more brute strength type of exercises that women should NOT BE AFRAID OF. Remember what was said about pullups. "They aren't LADY-LIKE" or "I don't want to get BULKY!"

Trust me, you won't get bulky. But by doing some heavy lifts you will - 

• Increase your resting metabolism
• Burn more fat
• Be more resistant to injury
• Give you the "toned" look all women want
• and...

Wait... Lets go back to that concept of "toning" and really slap it up side the head.

Toning is a word that gets MIS-used all the time. Every woman and most men want it, but what exactly is it?

If I ask somebody what their goals are and they say to get toned, what exactly are the asking for? Often times I get the answer of, "well a little less fat, a little more muscle. You know...toned!"

I bet she does pull-ups and squats every now and then.

So what is muscle tone? Muscle tone is simply an increase in resting tension levels within a muscle. So how do you increase muscle tone? Easy. 

Add more muscle. In other words, toning IS bulking up, just in more "female-friendly" words. And to really bulk up, a person must eat. A LOT. So what happens if you start gaining TOO MUCH muscle? 


First off, the odds of that happening are slim-to-none. But if it DID happen, how would we combat it?


Stop eating so much. Remember, the body can only rebuild if it has sufficient materials. Stop giving it the appropriate material and the body will stop building. But it will maintain strength. 

And that is something every woman wants.

5 ways to TORCH fat in the 2011

Breakfast: Your Number 1 fat fighter!

Every New Year, millions of people join a gym in hopes of changing their lives. But you wouldn't overhaul your car, your home or your stock portfolio without knowing how each of those systems work, would you?

So why are trying to alter something as complex as the interaction between your body and your psyche in hopes of losing weight by yourself? At the minimum you need guidance. At the most you need a personal trainer. 

But regardless of which path you choose, here are 5 ways to absolutely incinerate fat. These are in order of Importance. If can do only 1, start with the first. If only two, do the first two. And so on.

1. Eat breakfast. Anybody, and I mean ANYBODY, who has lost weight and been able to keep it off while still maintaining a desirable figure eats breakfast. And it doesn't have to be extravagant. Here's a strategy. On Sunday evening, get a plastic bowl and 8 eggs. Crack all of the eggs and scramble them in the bowl. Put the bowl in the fridge and now every morning you've got a scrambled egg mix. Just put 1/2 a cup of the mix onto a frying pan and you'll have a hot breakfast in about 3-4 minutes.
2. Start taking a fish oil supplement. Fish oil has been shown to increase metabolism, using fat stores and keeping your arteries soft, pliable and your heart healthy. Why wouldn't you take it? It takes roughly :30 seconds to do this daily.
3. Stretch at work.  Set a timer on your phone, your watch or your computer for 60 minutes. When the timer goes off, push away from the desk and stand up. Put your right hand behind your neck holding your elbow high and tip your head to the left. You should feel this stretch  in your neck and upper back. Next do 5 body weight squats. Then sit back down, reach your arms to the ceiling and lean back. Feel the stretch in your arms, abs and lower back. Feels good, right? Now get back to work!
4. Buy a 1-L aluminum water bottle and use it. Your liver is what metabolizes fat. It also detoxifies your body. The more water you drink, the better your liver works. Drink at least 1-L of water a day.
5. Join the Hi-5 FitCamp. Honestly its the best workout you'll get for the price. The Hi-5 FitCamp uses metabolic circuits to burn fat and build muscle 4 hours each week. Which is more than most people do when they buy that rip off gym membership. All you have to do is show up and put forth some effort. You don't even have to think about what you're going to do as we have a full month of awesome workouts planned and prepped. We started today, but it's not too late to sign up. 

Email aaron@pairmarotta.com to get registered for the Hi-5 FitCamp.

So that's it. 5 easy steps to incinerating fat in 2011. Here's to a healthy and productive year!

100th Post!! - 5 Habits to develop for the New Year...

Well, Christmas day has come and gone. Which means that Christmas parties are gone and....New Year's parties are just days away.

But even more irrelevant, this is my 100th post on the blog!! Hopefully you're finding the information in each blog post useful, relevant and interesting! If not, just go ahead and send me an email or leave a comment with your suggestions!

Onward and upward to 2011!!

Being that between 42-45% of Americans make New Year's Resolutions but only 8% of resolutions are maintained, I wanted to give you guys 5 Healthy Habits to develop for 2011.

So here are 5 Resolutions that are easy to keep and help shred fat:

1. Eat Breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for a variety of reasons. The first being that it stimulates your metabolism that has slowed considerably over night. Secondly it stimulates peristalsis which is a process that moves food through your digestive system, helping to maintain a healthy digestive system! A healthy breakfast is also incredibly easy to make!! Try some "Coach's Oats" with chopped apple, walnuts, a teaspoon of brown sugar and a cup of green tea!

2. Start eating 1/4 of  mixed nuts per day. Although these guys are high in fat, the fats they are highest in are the good, artery cleaning unsaturated fats. Just stay away from the flavored and honey roasted nuts. Stick with raw almonds, walnuts and cashews. When nuts are roasted, the fats change chemically and many are unusable by the body when they are heated. Mixed nuts are also a high protein, low carb snack that will keep your metabolism up and your insulin levels low and stable, keeping you in the optimal belly fat burning "zone."

Seated Adduction Machine

3. Don't just buy a gym membership, sign up for class. Gym memberships are just that: a membership. It's not a workout, it's not activity. In fact, its like purchasing an anatomy book and then saying you're going to become a doctor. You have to have somebody teaching you how to USE what is available to you. Most people purchase a gym membership, walk in, hit the treadmill for 15-20 minutes and then look around for something that looks like it works their "trouble" spots, such as the seated adduction machine that wastes tons of time and only serves to make those muscles stronger, not to lose fat from that area. 

A class will help you stay focused, will be progressive and will open your mind as to exercises you can do on your own when the time comes. Plus, with classes all you really have to do is show up and put forth some effort. No thinking, wandering or guessing as to what to do next. Just show up and follow the instructor. Plus there is a set schedule so if you miss it, it's like missing any other appointment. I personally recommend our Hi-5 FitCamp. But I bet you already knew that!

4. Buy a book on nutrition and start learning. It's difficult to follow rules when you don't understand why the rules are there. By purchasing a quality nutrition book, you'll begin to understand why you need to eat so frequently, why your body NEEDS fat, why Low-Fat foods can actually MAKE YOU FAT, and why protein is so important in losing weight. I recommend The Metabolism Advantage by Dr. John Berardi. Great book, quite inexpensive and an easy read.

 
5. Look back at last year. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. If you aren't satisfied with the way you looked and felt last year, then you need to know why you looked and felt that way. Look back at pictures of yourself and become determined to make a change. Take a picture on January 1st and then take one on the first day of every month and make sure that you are making progress. If you aren't changing, then something in your life isn't working. Most often its a result of inconsistent eating, poor food choices, and not enough movement. In which case you need to look at Number 4 again.

Look, 2011 doesn't have to be the year your resolutions drop flat. Set goals, write them down and achieve them. After all, we aren't getting any younger!

If you do what you've always done...

"It's time for change."

We've heard a lot of that in the past year. Usually it comes from the political arena, but it also comes from many other venues. Granted not all change results in success.

But change for the sake of change is far too short sighted. If something is successful, why would you change it?

Most of us are unsuccessful with our current eating habits. In the case of most of our eating habits, change is something that needs to occur.  It is not change for the sake of change. Instead it is change for the sake of eating healthier and altering the way we look and feel. There is good change and bad change though. But most of us know the difference.

Let me give you a quick example of bad change. I usually eat pretty well - 4-6 meals per day, shredded wheat for breakfast, granola-blueberry parfait for snack, tuna salad for lunch, chicken-risotto-asparagus for dinner.

But Sunday night my wife and her friends husband decided to have a pizza cook off. All 4 pizza's were winners. But I was a big loser. I changed my eating habit and managed to put away 9 or 10 slices of pizza. What happened? I paid dearly. My stomach hurt for the next 36 hours, Monday was rough day for me as  I walked around nauseated, constantly feeling as if I were one bad scent away from having to rush to the bathroom.

What would good change have looked like? 1 slice of each pizza and a large salad that we also brought.

But here is my final point:

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always got. 

Your diet is the perfect example. If you keep eating the way you've always eaten, you'll continue to look the way you've always looked. You have to change things up. Your body is the way it is, because you do the things you do. 

So change things. If you "aren't a breakfast person," try to become a breakfast person. If you eat breakfast at 7 then don't eat again until dinner, mix in a couple of snacks. If your dinner plate is usually 1/2 covered with grains/pasta and only 25% green, switch it to 50% green and 25% grains/pasta. Take small steps, branch out from the norm and see how your body responds. 

We are at the start of a new Hi-5 FitCamp. Make a change for the next 4 weeks. Stop eating bread/grains/pasta at dinner, eat an apple each workday, cut out all soda/latte's/energy drinks for the next month. These are changes that will have a positive outcome. Your body will respond favorably to them


But I wouldn't recommend eating 10 slices of pizza... Your body will NOT respond favorably to that.