Archive for the ‘Must-See for Bootcampers’ Category

Band Ranking System Reviewed

Several months ago we at Fit For Life Solutions started a colored band-ranking system in our bootcamps.  Similar to martial arts belts, the colored bands represent the levels a student progresses through during training.  Although we do look at tangible results as part of the equation, our main criteria for deciding when and if a bootcamper advances in rank are the intangibles such as attitude, energy, enthusiasm, being a leader, supporting others and self-development.

ATTN: If you’ve been given a band, please wear your colored band proudly at every bootcamp class.  Thank-you!  

Displaying rank allows for the instructor to make better judgments when forming groups in circuits, and allows instructors to see at a glance how to tailor exercise difficulty and intensity according to level.

Also, you will be challenged to strive for your next level, and those with bands will receive more personalized attention during bootcamp training sessions.

If you’d like a complete break-down of the ranks and what they mean, you can view the PDF file we’ve included below:

Banded Bootcamp System

Instructors will also carry a colored-band rank.  Soon, we will have silver writing inscribed on them to differentiate them as instructor bands.  Here are the ranks the instructors carry:

Roy:  This monday Roy is being promoted to Red w/ Black Stripe.  Join us for Roy’s official testing and award ceremony this coming Monday, August 22nd!

Roy will be demonstrating his “Superman push-ups!” for everyone.  You will be amazed at this!!  He will also be leading the 6pm training session!

Dan:  Recently was promoted to Blue Band.  Dan is our Head Bootcamp Instructor and does a fantastic job.  He has grown tremendously as a trainer within the past year, and we look forward to seeing his future development as he moves up in rank.

John:  John holds Purple Band, and is our Bootcamp Safety Instructor.  John makes sure everyone in bootcamp is exercising correctly, using proper form and technique.  John also helps clients set and reach targeted goals and counsels on the topics of health, fat loss, stress and wellness.

Leslie:  Leslie is soon to be given her first band-rank.  Leslie is the newest active instructor with the Fit For Life Solutions team.

Forrest: Black Band.  ”Of course, I invented the system!”  ;  )

I’m not an ego-maniac (at least I hope not!), but you may want to know why I’m qualified to create such a system, and what my accomplishments as a trainer and bootcamp instructor are.

Forrest’s Accomplishments:  11 years in the fitness industry.  Nationally certified trainer 4x’s over.  Owner of 2 successful training businesses (my first business was a mind/body training business called Way of Life Personal Training 2005 – 2008).  Second Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo.  Published author with Examiner.com as a bootcamp expert.  Published blogger with over 1,500 readers here at www.FitForLifeSolutions.com.  Co-Owner and operator of Fit For Life Bootcamp in Foster City (began May 2008) and Fit Body Boot Camp in Mountain View.  Has clocked over 12,000 hours of training experience and has helped countless clients lose weight, transform their bodies and gain a fitness lifestyle.

How does all this help you?

• More accountability
• More results
• More incentive to succeed
• More confidence
• More appreciation
• More results!!

Thanks for reading this blog post!  Hope to see you in bootcamp soon!

-Forrest

 

 

3 Reasons taking a BEFORE photo gets you to your AFTER photo!

I find most people dread taking before photos, but for some reason, really love to see there BEFORE and AFTER photos! Hmmmmm, imagine that!

Imagine…that’s actually the perfect word for our purposes.   You see, without the ability to imagine in your mind what your life will look like and feel like when you’ve reached your goal, you’ve limited your subconscious minds ability to step in and drive you to your goals.

It’s your subconscious mind, not your conscious mind, that shapes and changes your life.   Your subconscious mind controls 96%-98% of your daily habits and behaviors, and your conscious mind only controls 2%- 4%!   It’s no wonder so many of us fail our New Years resolutions goals…they were never embedded into the subconscious mind!

So, if we know that it’s the subconscious that gets us to our goals, what can we do about it?   Well, in terms of fitness, your BEFORE photo is something you can do to get to your ideal body.   Here are 3 reasons why a BEFORE photo helps you get to your AFTER photo!

1) When you take a BEFORE photo, you’ve subconsciously stated that this is the “old me” and you are transitioning into the “new me”.  Making that mental shift from who you were, to where you are going, is the first step in making a change.  When my son found out he was in danger of being held back for poor grades, he told us, that was the “old me” and now I’m the “new me”.  Every time his old patterns crept back in, he was able to recognize them and label them as the “old him” and he was able to correct his course.  Last week he got an “A” in his science and his spelling test!

2) BEFORE photos really help you visualize your after photo.  Actually, here’s something you can do today that is very powerful! Have a trainer or a friend take a BEFORE photo of you and print it out.  Then, find your ideal body in a magazine or on the internet, print it out, then take a cut-out of your face and post it on the picture of your ideal body.  Then post your faux BEFORE and AFTER photo somewhere you’ll see it every day, let’s say…your bathroom mirror or by your bedside.  Visualize the transformation as though it’s already happened every morning and evening.  This is a very powerful way to put your subconscious to work for you!

3) Another reason to take a BEFORE photo is to pay it forward.  After you reach your goals, you’ll be kicking yourself if you never took a BEFORE photo, and the reason is because once you do hit your goals, you’re going to want to share it with others.  Think about how great you feel when at a holiday party you whip out your BEFORE and AFTER photo’s to show your aunt Betty!  And when you inspire someone else you know to get fit by showing them your photos, you create a ripple effect that spreads health and fitness into the world!  Now that’s powerful stuff!

 

 

 

MyFitnessPal food logging tutorial

Look no further! Have you ever wanted to get a better grasp on your weight loss goals, specifically in the realm of nutrition, but felt overwhelmed just by the thought of it?

In this post, I’ve taken the liberty of showing YOU just how easy it is to get your own food log started so you can reap the benefits of it right away!

Did you know that 20% of participants in all bootcamp fitness programs get 80% of the results?

Why?!?!

One of the BIGGEST reasons is food logs! This video shows you how to dominate your fat loss goals!

As you may already know, our goal is to get our bootcampers to lose 1,000 lbs this year! This means that the Foster City, San Mateo, and Mountain View community is going to be much healthier and happier! We are proud to say that our bootcampers are among the most dedicated, amazing and wonderful group, and we are so happy and thankful to have them as our clients.

If you have 5, 10, 15 or more pounds to “chip in” to help us reach our goals, please contact us at 866-431-BOOT. We are dedicated to getting the Foster City, San Mateo and Mountain View residents into the best shape of their lives this year in 2011 and beyond!

Results! Results! Results!

Every time I talk fitness, I tell people about the many benefits regular training has…especially the training in our boot camp! Benefits like having less stress, feeling more energy, having more stamina are just icing on the cake. Here’s a list some of the many benefits joining a fitness boot camp such as our can provide:

• Variety in your workout, never get bored!
• Drop 1%-3% bodyfat percentage every 6-8 weeks
• Drop pants or dress size every 6-8 weeks
• Get toned!
• Look and feel awesome!
• Get your “Me Time” and get more energy
• Flatten your stomach, lift your butt, and tone your arms
• Get a no-brainer nutrition program, not a diet!
• Get inspired and motivated by surrounding yourself with like-minded people
• Reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease
• Get professional coaching and accountability from certified instructors
• Reduce anxiety and stress
• Become a role model and inspire others!
• Get healthy
• Lose weight and feel great!

Usually, after I’ve told someone about the many benefits of training in our bootcamp, they are intrigued, but they aren’t convinced. The reason they aren’t convinced is that they’ve heard it all before…but they aren’t sure if they can do it. They think it’s for “other people” and they start making excuses in their mind why it won’t work for them…or maybe it will work, but in some far off future that never quite gets here.

Through the years, I’ve found that there is one thing that gets people seeing and believing they can do it, too. I can talk to people until I’m blue in the face, but it still won’t convince someone to take action until they’ve heard from other people like them, who’ve seen success!!

This blog is dedicated to all the bootcampers and people in training who’ve seen success, and continue to motivate and inspire others to live a healthy and fit lifestyle. Here are just a few of the people who’ve seen amazing success from our program, and who inspire others (and inspire me!) on a daily basis:

First, meet Sara! I sometimes call her “Sarah Conner” as in the movie Terminator 2 where Linda Hamilton looks totally ripped and pulls off those bodyweight pull-ups. Our Sara is equally inspiring! Check out this short video!

Next, meet Doug! He’s the male-model for what you can do with dedication and determination! He and his wife Geralynn rock our bootcamp to the core! He’s not 100% to his goal yet, but so far he’s seen great results, and he’s just getting started!

Here’s Amie, our awesome-mom bootcamper from our Mountain View location! Listen to how she lost her “mommy pounds” here:

And how about Julie, who’s is one of the leaders and pioneers of Fit For Life Bootcamp in Foster City. Many people have been inspired by Julie’s story (she lost over 60 lbs in her journey), and she continue’s to maintain her fitness even with her busy-mom schedule!

And there’s Shanon, who completely transformed. She’s lost over 20 lbs, dropped to a size 1, and is now training to be a personal trainer! Way to go, Shanon!!

In fact, there are way too many success stories to list, but here are a few more!

Yvonne, who lost 30 lbs in our Mountain View bootcamp!! She’s been training with us since July 6th, and she is doing great! I saw her this morning and she is just beaming with confidence. Keep it up, Yvonne! (I’ll see if I can get a BEFORE and AFTER photo from her soon!)

…and here’s a picture of Veronica, who got great results from us in less than 3 weeks!

“Fit For Life Bootcamp was amazing!” I was very happy with my results and couldn’t have asked for better trainers. I lost 2% bodyfat and 3 lbs in just 10 days! Would I do this again…heck yeah!!!”

…And here’s a few more!

• Tod Steinfeld from our Foster City boot camp has lost close to 30 lbs and over 5 inches around the waist!
• Linda Segal from our Mountain View location has lost over 15 lbs and 7 inches around the waist! When she first started she could do 35 push ups from her knees, and now she can do over 35 push-ups from her feet!!
• Elaine Eggen lost 4% bodyfat and went from being able to do 130 bicycle crunches in 2 minutes to 220!!
• Leah Naniola lost 27 lbs in just 12 weeks!!!

Here’s a happy bootcamper, Racquele, talking about her experience…

…and of course, one of our most awesome super-stars, Kristen G.!!!

Our boot camps are in Foster City, bordering San Mateo, and we also have a new boot camp in Mountain View. Come check us out! If you’re a San Mateo, Foster City, or Mountain View resident, come join us for a FREE trial week! Just call 650-771-5149 and ask for Forrest!

Please leave your comments below! Your comments fuel my blog, so please leave a comment! Thank-you!!

Bootcamp for Newbies

Lately we’ve been getting into advanced weight lifting routines, nutrition and motivation strategies for success in fat loss, body transformation and developing a fit lifestyle. Today I’d like to get back to basics and outline some information for newbie bootcampers.

You see, when you first start a bootcamp, it can be a little intimidating. There are people of all fitness levels in the camp, and the tendency for newbies is to follow the fittest person in the camp and try to keep up. Bad idea.

First of all, you need to leave the ego at the door. If you were the US track and field champion10 years ago, but haven’t done anything since, you still need to take your time to get your body, ligaments, tendons, muscles, mind, and coordination up to speed and use to the activity.

Secondly, with both our Fit For Life Bootcamp serving San Mateo and Foster City and our Fit Body Boot Camp in Mountain View, we recommend you stick with the beginner level exercises your instructor will review during the beginning of class, after the warmup.

A typical boot camp class is as follows:

1) Set-up. If you arrive when the instructor is setting up, it is your responsibility to ask your instructor if he needs help with his setup. Often times there is a short window for setup, and to bring in lot’s of fun equipment for you to use (tires, medicine balls, dumbells, etc.) your instructor will need your help. Not only does helping to set up help you and your instructor, but it shows you’re a team player and have everyone’s best interest in mind.

2) Warm-up. Follow along with the instructors warm-up (which sometimes can be easy, other times challenging…it just depends on the day). This is a time when you are not only warming up your body, but also your mind. It’s your opportunity, as you warm up, to start tuning into your body and your breathing, and to leave the rest of your day, including your worries, behind you. In boot camp things like taxes, family arguments, and work just don’t exist. It’s time to key into the present moment…it’s BOOTCAMP TIME!!

3) The circuit. Your instructor will “break down the circuit”. He will go through the exercises, and include beginner, intermediate and advanced levels for the stations that need it. Now is the time to ask questions, or ask for modifications or alternate exercises if you know a particular exercise may be difficult for you. The circuit is typically 1 minute per station, but even that can vary sometimes.

4) Break time. After every round of the circuit, your instructor will give you a water break. You get 1-3 minutes to get some water, walk around, and even chat with your fellow bootcampers. Boot camp is a place to make friends and have fun. This is your chance to not only get your breath back, but to make a friend!

Boot camp is always different. We’ve found that the best results come with “muscle confusion” workouts. To trick your body to respond and burn the most fat, and to keep your mind fresh and avoid boredom, our workouts change every day. This is demanding for us as instructors, but it’s worth it when assessment day comes and we see you’ve lost inches and pounds as a result. We like to see our clients smiling. ; )

5) Clean up. After the workout, you may or may not be expected to help clean up. If you must leave right away, that’s ok, just let us know. Make sure you say good-bye to all your friends and as a courtesy it’s always good to thank your instructor…I always do.

Those are the basics for bootcamper newbies. Hopefully this will help you as you get started, but just remember this:

You must be willing to “jump into the fire” if you really want to learn, get results, and have the best time. Whatever you put into it is what you’ll get out of it, just like anything else in life!

Your Trainers For Life,

Forrest, Roy and Dan

Fat Loss Trifecta

Roy and I want you to check out this Fat Loss Trifecta below!

When it comes to fat loss, even though we know it takes time and a long-term lifestyle change to really stay healthy and fit, we all want that quick-fix from time to time. As your trusted fitness pro, I’m here to tell you the cold, hard truth about quick fixes…they never work.

Sure, you may go no-carb for a while, or try a detox plan, or go really low calorie for a while, but it will eventually catch up to you.

My advice is this: If you do go for a quick-fix plan, do it, but understand what it is. It’s a short-term kick-start, designed to kick you off the couch (or out of your fast food rut) and get you some results which in turn motivate you to continue a fitness lifestyle!

I see people go both ways with this, and every time it’s the people with the awareness of living a fitness lifestyle that come out ahead.

Did it take you 2 weeks to gain that 20 extra pounds you’re carrying? Then why would you think you can really lose 20 lbs in 2 weeks time?

Now, this isn’t to discourage you, but I do want you to start reading between the lines a little bit here. The next time you read a magazine headline of “Kim Kardashian shed 2 dresses sizes in two weeks!” or “Lose 11 lbs in 7 days“, or even “21-Day Rapid Fat Loss” I want you to see it for what it is, a chance to get your butt into gear and kick-start YOUR FITNESS LIFESTYLE!

Here is the Trifecta for getting you fast fat-loss results, AND creating and maintaining a fitness lifesyle:

1) Get your butt into gear by starting off with a “kick-start” program. This is the time when it is desirable to go for the quick fix, as long as you take it for what it really is…a way to get you started!! Try a 7-day fat loss plan, or our 21-Day Rapid Fat Loss program that we offer in Foster City and in Mountain View.

The point is to get started with something that gets you to the “snowball effect”, which is when your motivating starts rolling, and you gain unstoppable momentum, which leads you to the next phase in the trifecta…

2) Join a long-term fitness program. Now this is where the rubber meets the road. Are you going to just go back to your old habits of no exercise, of feeling down on yourself because you feel guilty about not being active and eating right, of hitting the couch instead of hitting the gym? NO WAY!!!

This is where you have to be strong and make a decision to commit to something. Here’s a secret. No one cares if you don’t make a commitment, it only effects YOU!! YOU are the one you need to worry about. Stop feeling guilty about putting energy into yourself, because when you put energy into yourself, everyone in your life ultimately benefits!

I say, start a fitness boot camp today!!

Here are the common objections I hear all the time:

-I just don’t have time right now.
-I don’t think I could afford it.
-I have to make sure my husband or wife approves first.
-I’m not sure if I could do it.
-I have to think about it.

Do you see how ridiculous these excuses are? If you really examine these excuses, they are all different ways of saying “I don’t have the courage to do what I know needs to be done”. Remember these words from America’s general…General “Stormin’” Norman Swartzkoff: “Indecision has cost Americans more money than making the wrong decision.”

3) Log your food…PERIOD!! This is one of those must do’s that nobody ever does!! And it’s totally easy once you get into the habit. I won’t spend too much time on this one, because I’m always talking about this one, but I urge you to get over to www.MyFitnessPal.com and start a free account (there’s even an iPhone app for this!), and start logging your foods and exercise!

So that’s the “Fat Loss Trifecta” for you. For those who are already doing this stuff, keep up the great work!! You are inspiring others to do the same, even if you’re not aware of it, your actions ripple out all around you!

Your Trainer For Life,

Forrest Folen

Trader Joe’s Healthy Shopping w/ Cassandra and Maggie!

Hi guys,

The other day I went healthy food shopping at Trader Joe’s with two new bootcampers, Cassandra and Maggie. I must say, this was one of the funnest healthy shopping trips ever!

Here’s a video of our shopping. Hopefully it will give you some good ideas and help you with your own shopping.

Please leave a comment below. I’d really like to hear where your favorite place to shop is, and please include the name of your favorite healthy meal!

Thank you Cassandra and Maggie!!!!!!!!!!!

Roy Interviews Sam Bakhtiar from Fitconcepts.com on nutrition

Here’s an interview Roy did with Sam Bakhtiar who is a fitness and weight loss guru in Chino Hills, CA. Sam has a track record that Roy and I aspire to with getting his clients great, life-changing results. We listen to him, and so should you!

Don’t forget to check out his blog at http://www.fitnessgurusam.com/

Overcoming RESISTANCE and finally lose weight!

I’ve found it!!

This is what I’ve been searching for!

…and it’s been a long time coming. I’ve found something that’s really going to help you lose weight, and keep it off, even if you’ve tried and tried again, and failed miserably. I’ll even go so far as to say even if you’re stuck on a plateau and can’t seem to get any results, this solution will work for you!

You see, being a fitness trainer, the name of the game is change. It’s my job to change bodies. I get people to lose weight, to tone up, to get strong, to make exercise a habit, to eat right.

I’m constantly motivating, educating, inspiring people to make change.

But, when people want to change, they are in a constant battle with themselves. Why? They want to lose weight, right? They want to be healthy, don’t they?

Here’s the real deal why summed up in one word…RESISTANCE.

Resistance is the reason why change is so difficult. Resistance is what happens when you have a plan, but just can’t pull it off for some “unknown” reason. Resistance is the thing that tugs you back into your old habits when you try to quit smoking, go on a diet, start an exercise program, stick to a budget.

Remember, resistance is a good thing, because when you overcome it, you grow stronger. We know this in the gym when we lift more weight. We know this in life when we go through a tough time and come out of it as a stronger and better person. We need resistance, but we also need to overcome that resistance, or else we are beaten.

Want to beat the resistance that’s been holding you back?

Want to find out how to kick resistance to the curb once and for all?

Want to find out why you’ve tried over and over to get the same failed result?

Want to start training for results, or take your training to an all new level?

I’ve found something that will help you kick your resistance with weight loss to the curb once and for all here:

Click Here To Overcome The Resistance!

21 Tips to Rock Your Fitness Training

If you’re like me, you can sometimes get motivated easily, and other days…well, it’s not so easy. Here’s 21 tips to help you ROCK your fitness training so you get focused and motivated to dominate your fitness goals!

1) Have a plan, and log your foods! It doesn’t do much good to just “jump into it” without a little bit of a game plan. Do some research. Google is a great place to start. There are so many ways to approach fitness, it’s really up to you and what you think will hold your interest, challenge you, and get you to your goals. The people who get the best results are always the people who log their foods. Use www.MyFitnessPal.com or the iPhone app, Loseit! to keep track of your calories.

2) Drink lots of WATER! Drinking a bottle of water a day just doesn’t cut it when you start exercising. Did you know 7 out of every 10 people are dehydrated right now! Are you one of them? Keep your house, car and work stocked with water bottles, and invest in one of those BPA free bottles. Staying hydrated will help pick up your energy, aid you in your workouts, and ultimately aid in fat loss as well.

3) Exercise with a friend. Isn’t it much more motivating to exercise alongside a buddy? Challenge your friend to see who can exercise the most days in a month!

4) Form a habit with 21 days. Research has shown that it takes 21 days of doing something to create a habit. Exercise for 21 days straight and it will become a regular habit that you won’t even have to think about, you’ll just do it. Just like brushing your teeth! Hopefully… ; )

5) Use interval training during cardio. If you want to speed up your metabolism, perform interval training. Periods of high and low intensity is the proven method for burning fat and getting toned and lean. (This is one of the tricks we use in our bootcamp…)

6) Grocery shop once per week. Schedule a time and day where you will go to the store and load up with fresh fruits and veggies, nut, lean protein sources and whole grains.

7) Prepare your food for the week. This is important. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. If you take a few hours on a Sunday to prepare some meals and pack them in tupperware, it will be sooooo much easier to grab-and-go with your healthy foods during the week. You won’t even have to think about it!

8) Eating healthy isn’t enough. One of the first things I hear from people trying to lose weight is “I eat really healthy”. Don’t get me wrong, you have to eat healthy foods to feel great and stay lean, but that’s just part of the equation. You can still gain weight and store fat by eating too much healthy foods!

9) Workout with full-body exercises. If you’re doing bicep curls and crunches all day, good luck. You’re likely to get frustrated and quit because of lack of results. Use compound movements like push-ups, squats, back rows and lunges. These movements use the most muscles at once, and burn more calories overall.

10) Stop worrying about bulking up! Trust me on this one. You’re not going to get bulky. If you’re on a caloric deficit, you’ll be losing fat and creating muscle tone. Believe me, you’re lucky if you gain even 1 pound of muscle!

11) Add muscle to boost metabolism. One pound of muscle burns up to 50 calories per day. That means if you add 10 pounds of lean muscle to your body, you’ll burn an extra 3,500 calories per week! (500 calories x 7 days per week.)

12) It takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to burn 1 pound of fat. This isn’t so much a tip, but a fact. This means you can burn 250 calories with exercise and eat 250 less calories and you’ll be at a 500 calorie deficit. This adds up to 3,500 calories and will get you to drop 1 pound by the end of the week.

13) Be happy when you lose 1 pound! Sometimes people tell me, I “only lost 1 pound!” and they sound disappointed. Do you have any idea how big 1 pound of fat is?!? If I put it on a plate in front of you, you’d be impressed! Remember, slow and steady wins the race.

14) Set performance goals. Set a goal for how many push-ups you can do. Or how about going from your knees to your feet? Set a goal for how much weight you can do in a one-arm row. How about setting a goal for how long you can wall sit or hold a plank? These goals keep you motivated and help you get in great shape!

15) Join a fitness bootcamp! It’s a great way to stay motivated when you’re with a group of like-minded people. Bootcamps are challenging and lot’s of fun. Not only that, they get results. Find a bootcamp that has a 100% guarantee. This will let you know that they mean business and have your best interest at heart. Also, try out a class before you commit. You want to make sure you vibe with the energy and the instructors philosophy. Some are more “Army-style” and some are more “positive coaching”. Find what fits you…

16) Don’t set unrealistic goals. An example is, I’m going to Hawaii in 3 weeks and I want to lose 20 lbs! Remember, your body can only lose 3 lbs of fat per week. It’s designed that way as a defense mechanism for starvation during famine. If you lose more than 3 lbs in a week it’s muscle and water. And you don’t want to lose muscle! That lowers your metabolism and will make you gain the weight back…and then some!

17) Avoid starvation diets. You won’t get far with these, and you’re not likely to exercise with low energy from not eating enough. The trick is to be on a caloric deficit, while at the same time eating enough protein and essential fats.

18) Read other peoples success stories. Knowing that other people have been there and gone through the same struggles you have will help you when you are in need of some motivation.

19) Find your “WHY”. Why do you want to get in shape? You say you want to lose weight, but why? Knowing your why, will help you when you come across obstacles in your training. If your why is strong enough, nothing can stop you. Some of the strongest “why’s” are things like being in shape for the family, not wanting to die of heart failure like a parent or grandparent, sick and tired of not feeling like your old self, wanting to get back in shape after a break-up or divorce, an upcoming event like a wedding or a reunion. Do you see how much more powerful these are then just saying “I want to get in shape and lose weight”.

Exercise: Give me your why right now in the “comments” section of this blog below.

20) Don’t give up. Challenges will come up. You will get sick. You will binge eat. You will skip a workout. You will feel like quitting. What are you saying to yourself if you quit? Stay with it, and you will reap the rewards. I often tell people to imagine your life 5 years from now. One version with exercise, and one version without. Where do you want to be in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years?

21) Pat yourself on the back! Don’t forget to give yourself encouragement and a reward every so often. Buy yourself an iPod or treat yourself to a movie after you’ve exercised consistently for a month. And don’t forget to add a cheat meal once per week. You will stick to your plan better if you eat at your favorite pizza or burger joint once per week. Using this as a reward prevents you from feeling deprived and gets you to your results much faster!

There you go, 21 tips to ROCK your fitness training! Have fun!!

Your Trainer For Life,

Forrest

P.S. – Don’t forget to tell me you “WHY” below!! I want to know what motivates YOU!

Eating Frequency For Fat Loss

Here’s a cool post by our go-to registered dietician, Jayson Hunter. Enjoy!

Q: I’ve heard that eating more frequently will increase my metabolism and help me lose weight? Is this true and how does this happen? I thought you had to eat less to lose weight.

A: You’ve probably heard this advice from many different places: personal trainers at your gym, online weight-loss websites, and popular diet books. Even though it has some merit, it may not be entirely correct, especially if your physical activity levels are low or non-existent.

The suggestion to increase your eating frequency, meaning going from eating three square meals a day to six smaller meals and snacks, stems from both research and anecdotal findings. Some of the benefits attributed to eating more often include reducing hunger and caloric intake, boosting your metabolic rate, and controlling hormones that increase your desire for food. For some people this is true, for others, not so much.

In the research world, scientists have shown certain benefits from eating more often compared to less:

• By eating the same amount of calories in several meals spread throughout the day there’s a suppression of free fatty acid release from adipose tissue, which enhances your ability to use glucose (from carbohydrate foods) as fuel
• The amount of insulin secreted from your pancreas to help you use the nutrients you’re eating is reduced, so there is less potential for those nutrients to be stored in fat cells. Instead, the insulin that is released sends those calories to your needy muscle cells where they’re used to provide energy for daily movement
• Your stomach is stretched less with smaller meals, which slows the rate at which food is delivered to your intestine, and in turn, your blood stream. This creates a consistent flow of energy to your body rather than one fast, large dump of nutrients
• Blood total and LDL-cholesterol levels in your body are decreased due to less cholesterol synthesis and increased cholesterol removal

Despite these findings, reviews of all the scientific investigations looking at the effect of increased eating on weight loss have not shown that eating more often reduces body weight. The recent review by Palmer and colleagues in 2009, and the ones by Bellisle and colleagues in 1997 both found this same result; eating more often does not seem to decrease body weight in every person. Explanations for this finding includes the fact that the energy density of our food has increased over the years, even though we’re evolutionarily meant to be “grazers”. Even with lower calories, eating more frequently does not help decrease the numbers on the scale by itself.

For body composition, some observations of people that eat more rather than less show that their body carries less fat. However, research investigations have not shown that just going from eating less to eating more magically lowers body fat. Those people that eat more may simply burn more calories naturally during the day, or expend more calories in movement. Then there are those people that never gain fat no matter how hard they try (not the norm nowadays though).

However, there are clear benefits to eating more often:

• You stave off hunger before it sets in and pushes you to overeat
• You give yourself more energy to exercise harder
• You prevent swings in your blood sugar levels which can make you cranky, unhappy and lethargic

As far as increasing your metabolism, eating more often can potentially increase the amount of calories you burn in a day, by a mechanism known as the “Thermic Effect of Feeding”. However, this effect is relatively small and can be made easily obsolete with poor food choices and excess caloric intake.

It is true though that when you eat more often rather than less, you’re more likely to meet your exercise goals instead of not having the energy to even begin to do anything. Then, when you exercise more, especially a combination of weight training and cardio, you can increase your muscle mass and lower your body fat, which makes your body look tighter and fit better in clothing. And who doesn’t want that?

However, eating more often doesn’t work for everyone: If you’re not exercising, eating more will definitely cause fat gain – those calories have no where else to go! And, when you eat more you still have to make good food choices and balance your intake of protein, carbohydrates and fat; eating more chocolate and soda will not help your metabolism at all. Considering that most “snack” foods are based off sugar and starchy carbohydrates (crackers, granola bars, etc), it’s really easy to over-consume carbs and miss out on important proteins and fats.

Bottom line: Eating more can help meet your body composition and weight goals if you’re selecting your nutrients wisely and using them to help you exercise consistently.

Click here to see 7 powerful nutrients that boost your metabolism

Resources:
Palmer MA, Capra S, & Baines SK. Association between eating frequency, weight, and health. Review
Nutr Rev. 2009 Jul;67(7):379-90

Bellisle F, McDevitt R, Prentice A. Meal frequency and energy balance. Brit J Nutrition. 1997;77(Suppl 1):S57–S70

Jenkins D, Wolever T, Vuksan V, et al. Nibbling versus gorging: metabolic advantages of increased meal frequency. N Engl J Med. 1989;321:929–934

Frequent Eating Associated with Lower Lipid Concentrations. JWatch General. 2002: 3-3
Farshchi HR, Taylor MA, Macdonald IA. Beneficial metabolic effects of regular meal frequency on dietary thermogenesis, insulin sensitivity, and fasting lipid profiles in healthy obese women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2005;81:16-24

Ruidavets JB, Bongard V, Bataille V, et al. Eating frequency and body fatness in middle-aged men International Journal of Obesity. 2002; 26: 1476-1483

Bodybugg Product Review and Kristen G. Great Results!

Today I’m writing to share with you two things.

1) An amazing Fit For Life Bootcamper, Kristen Gansheimer, and her results to help inspire you.

2) Our Bodybugg product review video, starring Kristen.

Kristen started up with us in early January 2010. Here’s what she had to say about us in our Yelp.com review.

(more…)