Tag Archives: Exercise

The secret of success is you!

Posted on May 15, 2012 | 2 Comments

Remember that girl who gave up… yeah, no one else does either.

We have had a lot of people come through our boot camp program over the last few years.  I can now spot almost immediately who will be able to tough it out and who will give up.  I firmly believe that like attracts like.

Your everyday, overall attitude and also the attitude you show how you view specific things is what will determine your success. It’s like people who play poker poorly…they often have a “tell” that gives away their odds on success.   Poker players don’t want to give away what their holding.  You’re can’t be a poker player with your health.  You should be giving away your positive attitude in everything you do! Let other’s see it.

Exercise is a reward not a punishment.  One hour a day for your overall health is a very small investment.

You might spend hours and hours AND hours in your garden/yard for the few short months of nice weather we have here in Canada, but you won’t invest an hour into your life long health.  Crazy right?  You’ll do everything you can to beautify your property which only a few people will see, but you won’t make that same investment of time in yourself which everyone will see.

The difference of fit vs fat, strong vs weak, longevity vs shorter life span is as simple as the difference between being able to tend to your garden in your 80′s or sitting in a wheelchair watching others do what you used to take for granted.

Is our boot camp program hard?  Hells yes it’s hard, but it works.
It is fun and always changing.  You can’t get that from a bunch of machines.
The support I see everyday from your fellow boot campers encouraging each other is something that I am in awe of.

Think it’s not for you or it’s too tough?  You do what you can and you get stronger! Are you going to get stronger, healthier, fitter, faster doing what you’re doing now?

You need to start, set daily goals and not quit even when “life” gets in the way.

Stop settling for status quo. Stop beating yourself up in your mind. You have been through a lot harder in your life and there is no doubt you can tough out an hour of exercise.

Be stronger than your excuses.

There will always be an excuse or “reason” why you can’t.  Make your reasons why you can stronger than your excuses.

Limitations only exist when you let them.

When you are tired and I have you heading up that hill or stairs or I say 10 more burpees, dig deep, push through.  Show yourself, me and the world that you can do it. I know you can do it.  You just have to know you can do it. I have said it, well, yelled it 100x – you don’t walk to the finish line. You summon up that strength and you fight on!!

I refuse to give up on you!

Boot Campers are too busy getting better to have time for excuses!

Who loves ya’?

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Don’t you dare…

Posted on May 9, 2012 | 11 Comments

Excuses…we all have them and most of the time we can justify them to ourselves.  Excuses are how we justify not doing things.  Most people run into trouble when they try to use excuses to avoid tasks, challenges or change.

Here is a video that will slap any excuses you might have right out of your head.

Where you are now and where you want to be with your health and fitness is totally within your control.

Don’t you dare complain if you aren’t going to do something to change it! The reality is that you have to make the decision and dedicate yourself to the changes you want for yourself.

If you want to be fit, if you want to be healthier than you are or you want to be a certain size, you have to do something to get there.

  • You have to move your body
  • You have to go beyond your comfort zone.
  • You have to STOP with the excuses.

I can introduce you to a number of people who have it much worse than you do.

  • I can show you people who are in pain but show up.
  • I can point out to you people who work 80+ hours a week and still show up
  • I can introduce you to people who have kids who have sports and activities and they manage to show up.

There will never be a perfect time.  If you decide that you want to try to wait for the perfect time, you will run out of time.

When are you going to show up for your health??

Think you have it bad?  You might want to re-think that!  There is always someone who has it worse.  There is always someone who has challenges that you and I can’t imagine living with.

Never underestimate what you can accomplish.

Never give up!  Never make excuses…they’re just like                   , everyone has one.

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Excuses we make for gaining weight and the real reason you need to control

Posted on April 24, 2012 | 2 Comments

I saw this poster and needed to share it.
The truth hurts, but sometimes, we all need a wake up call.  Excuses are like belly buttons…every body has one!

Your April Promise:

  • I will become who I should have been all along
  • I will give 110% when I workout
  • I will try something new
  • I will put my health first
  • I will remind myself that my goal is to be fit
  • I will eat right-No excuses
  • I will be stronger today than I was yesterday
  1. Start with doing what is necessary (show up to boot camp);
  2. Then do what is possible (push yourself) and;
  3. Suddenly you are doing the impossible!!

I was inspired by the snow last night (not really inspired but ugly about the snow) and decided to make a treat for the family.  It’s a twist on the classic “Snowballs” recipe that we always see around Christmas…yummy and healthy!

Protein Snow Balls:

  • 2 -3 scoops of vanilla boot camp protein
  • 1-2 cups of natural peanut butter
  • 1 cup of unsweetened coconut

Mix protein and pb together, (if it is too sticky add more protein / too dry add more pb.)
Make into little balls then roll in coconut–place in the fridge for 30 min to firm up.  You can moisten the balls with a little bit of water to help the coconut to stick.

*note* I made these with two 7 yr olds fighting over who could roll them--hence the non round shape

Mango Coconut Protein Shake

  • 1 scoop vanilla boot camp protein
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1/2 frozen banana
  • 1/2-3/4 cup of frozen mango
  • couple of drops of coconut extract

Blend and enjoy!!!!!!!!

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Motivation to keep you moving!

Posted on April 20, 2012 | 3 Comments

Here are a few motivational / inspirational posters to keep your head in the game.  When you think about giving up, or slowing down…read these…print them out- remember them!

Happy FriYAY everyone!

 

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Why be responsible when you can just have weight loss surgery…twice!

Posted on April 10, 2012 | 2 Comments

I had to take my daughter to the dentist today and while we were waiting I picked up the latest copy of People magazine.

There was a big feature on Carnie Wilson, the singer who had gastric bypass surgery and lost a whack of weight.  Good for her! Oh, hold on…she gained it back!!  How do you have a huge chunk of your stomach removed and you gain back 2/3 of your weight!!

The story was about her going under the knife AGAIN for another type of surgery.  This time, lap band surgery.

Shaking my head while reading this story was an understatement.  Even my daughter asked what I was reading about, likely because of the disgusted look on my face.

Really? A second surgery? COME ON??????????  She wrecked her stomach and stretched it SO much that she gained back the weight she lost, so she decided to fix her over eating problem by making her “tiny” stomach even smaller.

So what is gastric bypass?  First and foremost, it is a major surgery first and that in itself is a huge risk to your health. Gastric bypass surgery makes the stomach smaller and causes food to bypass part the small intestine. You are “supposed” to feel full quickly. It is supposed to reduce the amount of food you can eat at one time. Bypassing part of the intestine reduces how much food and nutrients are absorbed.  This all sounds really healthy and such a simple way to lose weight?? NO

So what happened to Carnie and many others just like her??  They never changed their behaviors. They looked for the easy way out. They didn’t want to do the work to be healthy. They wanted a quick fix, just like the Jenny Craig’ers, Herbal Magic junkies, and every other fad of the week.

Carnie lost weight with the surgery and she likely kept eating crappy food.  Day by day stretching her stomach. Stuffing in more and more food.  She didn’t learn a thing. She didn’t learn to eat better.  She didn’t understand the reason for exercise and tadaaaaa…she is once again morbidly obese.  Repeat; AGAIN.
Her answer to “fix” this and to get healthy?  Well, I’ll just try a DIFFERENT surgery. She decided lap band surgery was the answer.  Oh and the surgeon who agreed to do this?  I’ll say what he is…a money grabbing quack that doesn’t deserve a medical license.  He should have turned her out the door and directed her to someone who would actually help her to understand what she is doing to herself and why!

So she goes under the surgical knife again and has a silicone band – (because that is a natural foreign object that should be in your body; NOT) placed around the top portion of her stomach so again she’ll feel full quickly and limit the amount of food that can be consumed.

I bet, and this is a shot in the dark, that the exact same thing will happen to Carnie. She will lose weight and then stretch the “tiny” pouch of a stomach AGAIN.

The only thing that Carnie has learned is that she can eat and eat and eat and then get some kind of surgery to fix it.

In the article she said she is doing this for her health–WOW, now that is total BS.  She is doing this because she is lazy and doesn’t want to do the work.  She wants a quick fix for the last couple of years of binge eating.  If she cared about her health she wouldn’t eat so recklessly.

She has been on the diet roller coaster for years.  She knows what to eat and what to avoid.

Here is a fact.  We’re not born loving ice cream.  It is a learned behavior. We mentally condition ourselves to find some kind of reward in eating certain foods.
I have been open and said that red velvet cake makes me start to drool.  But I wasn’t born loving red velvet cake.   I learned it.

We condition ourselves to what we eat and the habits we have.  I didn’t want to ruin the surprise, but, YOU ARE IN TOTAL CONTROL of your weight.
You are in control of the excuses you make or the reasons you make.

OK, before I get hate mail from people who are pro-weight loss surgery. Yes, there are some cases that they do require surgery. Those people are the ones featured on TLC that can’t leave their homes.  Most people and yes most people can eat healthy and exercise to stay healthy.  They choose not to because its too hard.  Or it’s work or requires commitment.  There’s no instant gratification in responsible methods of weight loss.

Carnie Wilson, where does this end?? You have PROVEN that you can cheat your way out of surgical alteration of your body.  Once you lose weight with this next surgery and then regain it again, what’s next?? Full removal of your stomach along with lipo suction or permanently wiring your jaw shut?
Madness….

Yes, this fires me up because people read her story and think they are in the same boat as her and then turn to these ridiculous measures.

If you are struggling with your weight,  you’ve done it to yourself. There is no fat fairy that is punishing you, you are punishing yourself.  When I weighed over 225lbs -I DID THAT TO MYSELF.  Eating was my sport and I suffered.  But I actually wanted to be healthy and I lost the weight the right way and I am never going back.

Do the opposite of Carnie Wilson.  Choose health not quick fixes.

Gregg McBride also wrote a great post on this subject.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregg-mcbride/weight-loss-surgery_b_1375800.html

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If nothing changes……nothing changes.

Posted on March 8, 2012 | 2 Comments

Everyone knows what they “should” be doing but only very few actually do it, and by “it” I mean exercise and eat properly.

It’s time to make changes.

  • Time to plan your meals and COOK THEM
  • Time to schedule in your workouts

Things will come up that will derail your from your plan, but you need to dial into your ninja stealth moves and be able to recover and stay on track.
(Oh yes, I just said ninja stealth moves! LOL)

Meetings come up, kids get sick, traffic happens, you forgot your lunch.  The list of “didn’t plan on this happening goes and on and on…

Bumps in the road are bumps in the road.  They do not give you a  licence to eat whatever is quick or easy.  It’s not permission for you to skip exercise.  You really need to be stronger than your excuses.

Being healthy is not a punishment…it is a reward!

Exercise and eat smart.  That’s all I’m asking for.  It’s prevention.  It is going to help you live a longer, happier and healthier life.

Think about this for a sec.  How many people do you know that have health issues and for them, it’s now too late.  TOO LATE.  Don’t become that person or statistic.  Not when you have the ability and wherewithal to take control.

You get through one day at a time. You set goals, real goals (specifics please!), not fluffy, obscure goals (i.e. I will lose weight).  You say, “I will lose 10 pounds by April 1st, be able to do 10 more pushups”…etc.

Those days you just aren’t feeling up for a workout.  Show up to boot camp.  I guarantee that you will leave feeling happy and proud of yourself that you did it!

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Even Disney suffers the effects of bullying

Posted on March 5, 2012 | 11 Comments

Imagine if you will, a child is on the street running back and forth between moving cars.  He is jumping in front of cyclists, buses, cars and people just walking.  There, on the sidewalk is his mother; ignoring the obvious danger her son is putting himself in.  In fact, a driver stopped his car and told the mother that if she didn’t stop the boy, he was going to die.  The mother was incensed!  How dare this man tell her how to raise her child?  How dare this obvious “do-gooder” point out the shortcomings of her parenting abilities?

It went so far that the mother sued the man claiming that she embarrassed her and caused her to suffer depression.  There were other mothers that joined the lawsuit creating a class-action lawsuit against the man, claiming that no one has any right to try to protect any child from their parents.  A parent has a right to allow their own child to kill itself and no one can stop their bad parenting.

Seems completely impossible for this to happen doesn’t it.  This is political correctness run a muck.  This is ultimate in stupidity.  This is what is happening all around us.  No, not this exact situation, but this premise that we can’t tell the truth because we are so afraid of offending someone.  We can’t tell it like it is because some ‘expert’ has said little Johnny will suffer low self-esteem for the rest of his life.

Well, this week, I was floored when I read that my favourite place on earth had also fallen victim to political correctness.  The greatest company on earth gave into the outcry of a few at the cost of many.

Disney threw in the towel on a great program, “Habit Heroes”.  The attraction hadn’t even received full-blown release yet, and it has been closed. The program was a direct hit at child obesity using exercise, healthy choices and the always popular good versus bad as Will Power and Callie Stenics would have battled such evil beings as “The Snacker”, “The Glutton” and “Lead Bottom”.

"If you're smart, I'm broke. Don't educate yourself about fat loss."

So who complained? Weight loss surgeons and fat-acceptance groups! So, who has the most to lose by children learning proper nutrition, exercise and healthy choices…that’s right weight loss surgeons.   And if everyone learns how to be healthy and control their weight through exercise and nutrition, who will be left on the outside looking in? Fat-acceptance groups…what the hell are “fat-acceptance groups”?

Fat-acceptance?  I accepted that I was fat when I was a teenager.  I would look at myself in the mirror and make excuses about why I was the way I was.  I would lie to myself.  I would tell people around me I was happy and ok with myself.  The reason I did that was because who in the world wants to admit, they are happy being fat!!??  Hold on, I know…people who are too friggin’ lazy to do what it takes to lose weight.  People who are too lazy to make a real meal because its easier to go buy fast food and chips than it is to cook a meal and cut up veggies.

“The attraction is currently closed as we work to further refine the experience,” Kathleen Prihoda, Disney’s media relations manager, told Yahoo on Wednesday. “Our goal with Habit Heroes is to make sure it conveys a positive message about healthy lifestyles in a fun way.”

Well, in my humble opinion Kathleen, that is exactly what Disney had in it’s new Epcot exhibit.  So bring it back, unchanged and ready to teach with the truth.

Fat is expensive to all of us.  Fat is not healthy.  Fat impacts quality of life.  Offended by fat education?  Then move right past the exhibit, keep waddling right on over to find a funnel cake with ice-cream, syrup and sugar and all the finest fixins’.…they are incredible and will satisfy any binge needed.  No need to stop at any of those silly healthy restaurants that serve salads and vegetables.  Fresh produce…oh the horror if your children saw you doing something that was good for them.  In fact…why don’t you threaten to sue restaurants that have healthy choices because a skinny smiling child seated next to you and your “fat-acceptance” family could be disturbing to you and your precious “little” herd.

Was that harsh? You bet it was harsh but this crap has me fired up.  This is political crapness.  Where do I get to complain that my rights and feelings are being hurt?  Oh yeah, and I have the right to voice my opinion on this subject.  I’ve been on the obeses (not fat) OBESE side of the fence and NEVER would I tell skinny, healthy, fit people to conform to accepting fat.  I wanted to be able to conform to the world of healthy!!

Disney did it’s homework.  Disney had a solid partner on the program.  Disney doesn’t go into any thing without doing it’s due diligence, research and testing.  So what happened this time?

I just don’t get it! What’s next…a new Disney Princess to appease the massive?  I can see her now, Princess Porker in the Land of Lard.

On a side note…I’ve read lots articles all with polls on the subject.  I’ve cast my vote on everyone and guess what?  100% of the polls show that Disney has made a mistake and should put the exhibit back AS IS!

Here are lots of articles about the cancellation that was to have opened today!

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/disney-shutters-childhood-obesity-exhibit-habit-heroes-complaints-article-1.1031939

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/03/how-helpful-was-disneys-childhood-obesity-exhibit.html?cmp=rss

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2108811/Disneys-tool-shame-Florida-resorts-Habit-Heroes-attraction-closed-accused-stigmatizing-fat-kids.html

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/disneys-habit-heroes-accused-fat-shaming-232300194.html

http://www.inquisitr.com/199919/disney-closes-habit-heroes-exhibit-over-obesity-outrage/

http://www.neatorama.com/2012/03/01/disney-closes-new-habit-heroes-exhibit/

http://news.taaza.com/source/889008-disney-cancels-plan-to-open-fitness-park-after-obesity-bullying-claims.html

 

 

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Have your resolutions given way to your excuses?

Posted on February 28, 2012 | 6 Comments

It’s almost March….3 months into a the New Year and where are you?

Did you start the year all gung-ho and saying that this was the year you were going to kick that body fat to the curb??

Where are you now?? Have you given up or are you staying strong??

Have you been using one of these 3 excuses?  The three excuses get me absolutely  fired up.  These are literally about the worst excuses anyone can come up with!

  1. My ____(insert body part) is not good. When it’s better I’ll start
  2. I don’t have the time
  3. I just can’t put the money together

ALL 3 excuses are bull. Here’s how I see it.

*My ___hurts:  everyone has something that hurts.  We can always work with you and your hurt and you’ll still have the benefit of exercising, safely. Your heart will hurt if you keep carrying any extra weight.

Yeah, your excuse is so invalid!

 

 

 

 

 

 

*I don’t have the time:  TOTAL LIE.  There are people who are busier than you that manage to “fit” in fitness. You have enough time to make excuses, so how about you redirect that time and get your butt moving!! I can guarantee that  watching TV is going to do nothing for your health.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*I don’t have the money.  Fair enough, but if you break it down and look at what you spend money on (Starbucks, eating out, movies, entertainment, etc) I think you could probably find a way.  If it’s worth it to you, you’ll find a way, otherwise you will find an excuse.  Is it worth it to you to be healthy?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trust me, I have heard just about every excuse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is one of my favourite kick your excuses to the curb videos.  If you “think” you can’t …YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS

 

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Super Bowl Belly Hangover

Posted on February 6, 2012 | 3 Comments

If you’re like a lot of people, you may have over-indulged last night while watching the Super Bowl.

This morning you might even have a food hangover. Part of the food hangover is the actual hangover of pudge. Your pants are tighter, you feel icky, you have LOTS of regret.  Thoughts like, “Why you ate that 4th piece of pizza?” might even come to mind.

If you are one of those scale jumpers, you know who you are, you might even be cursing yourself this morning!!  The ones that get on the scale a few times a day may be having a fit today trying to figure out where the extra weight came from this weekend.  You will notice that your weight is up after the weekend festivities if you decided to indulge, (over-indulge).  For those of you professional dieters, you are likely trying to do some kind of math to figure out how in the world you are up 3 -5 lbs in one day. Pizza x beer + nachos – water / chicken wings + chips (insert a lot of math lingo here) = WEIGHT GAIN!!

For those that have been at this weight loss game for a while you will know that a pound of fat is about 3500 calories and with your rough estimate there was no way that you scarfed down that many calories this weekend.  (Oh, for you points people, just hush….I will deal with you and your points in another blog post.)

Maybe you didn’t and I really hope you didn’t eat over 3500 calories yesterday. So, why the weight gain???

Drum roll please…………

SODIUM

All of that party food tends to be loaded with sodium.
Women have a terrible time with hormones and water weight.
Men will be feeling the super bowl belly this morning as well!

Don’t stress, I have your post super bowl binge recover plan.

How to overcome this….well, boot camp of course.  You need to move your body! Oh and don’t use excuses like super events to sacrifice sound nutrition in the first place!

I am not a fan of Madonna but I will give her props for looking great at 53yrs old and poppin’ and lockin’ like a 25 year old.  Who doesn’t want to be in fab shape at 53??  I can guarantee you that she doesn’t take her fitness lightly and she sure doesn’t eat like a lumberjack, “just because”.

Don’t just talk about how you want to be fit.  Become fit.  Show up and do what has to be done!

Here are some other steps to take to get back to your pre-super-bowl weight:

Action Step #1:  Water, water and more water.  That is your drink of choice. You need at least 3-4 litres to flush that sodium out.

Action Step #2:  Add 2-3 cups of dark leafy greens to your food intake today (spinach, kale, etc)

Action Step #3: Show up to boot camp and we will do the super bowl shuffle and sweat out the bloat!!

Action Step #4: Have a post boot camp recovery protein shake (add in some spinach).  Feed your muscles the nutrition they need.

Action Step #5: REPEAT tomorrow and the next day!!

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Boot Camp is BETTER!

Posted on February 2, 2012 | 8 Comments

Boot Camp IS better!!

A bold statement.  A true statement.  Don’t worry I can back up those statements too.   For those of you know that know me, I am not the wishy-washy type. So, when I say boot camp is better, I mean it, I believe it and I can prove it.  Here’s why.

At boot camp we move from our feet to fingers.  By move, I mean we MOVE our ENTIRE bodies, every single muscle. We push, we pull, we lift, we get up, we bend/stretch, we run stairs.

What kind of moves are those? ALL FUNCTIONAL REAL LIFE MOVEMENTS.  They are the moves that mimic real life activities.  Things you actually do!  We make those movements more challenging with the use of body weight and resistance.

Boot camp better because we have accountability.  You don’t show up, you get an email from yours truly!  You have group support.  Other boot campers support and encourage you…we’re a team, a kind of family.
(The gym knows and actually hopes you don’t show up.  I want you to show up.  We want you to show up.  I make sure that you do! )

Simmer down all of you yogi’s and gym goers.   Sitting on a bike peddling away, going nowhere fast doesn’t do it for me.  To each their own.

An ABC news report revealed that standard cardio equipment caloric readings are not accurate.  “Liar, liar elliptical on fire” was the biggest offender with a false reading of 42%.  42% over-estimate of calories burned!  Yikes!! You just got burned! Your calories, not so much.

So you think that you just burned 500 calories pushing away on that elliptical, bike or treadmill and you really didn’t #fail.

We burn 800-1000 calories at boot camp.  We move feet to fingers!

I am proud of you boot campers.  I am proud of how hard you work.  This blog post is to give you a virtual hi-5!!!  I am proud of your dedication, commitment and energy!

Here is a shout out to some of our 7 Day Slim *stars*.  These are INCREDIBLE 7 DAY results! 7 DAYS people.  Who else wants results like this?

  • Kelly  8 3/4 inches lost
  • Rhoda 5 inches lost
  • Lori 9 inches lost
  • Bridie 5.5 inches lost
  • Sara 10 inches lost
  • Maureen 9 inches lost
  • Lisa 4.5 inches lost
  • Diane 7 inches lost
  • Jess 5.5 inches lost

So proud of everyone that shows up to boot camp each and every night!!!  You are awesome!

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