Fit For Life Solutions

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Boot Camp vs Gym Membership – What’s the Difference?

Boot Camp vs Gym MembershipIt’s time for the ritual New Years Resolution where we make hopeful promises to ourselves that we are unlikely to keep without some extreme effort and accountability. One of the most common goals is to regain control of our weight and/or health. Consider these differences between boot camp vs gym membership and how this might fit into your resolution goals.

Boot Camp vs Gym Membership

Let’s start with gym memberships:

Gym memberships offer a cheap way to access a variety of exercise equipment. Some big box gyms also offer classes and even daycare. The reality is, however, that most people who walk into a gym have no idea what they’re doing, or how to put in an effective workout. Gyms make their money off of those who sign up and eventually fizzle out by the time March rolls around.

What about boot camp memberships:

Boot camp runs more like a guided class, designed to offer a balanced and effective workout throughout the week. Boot camp is great for beginners and seasoned alike. Unlike a basic gym membership, boot camp offers more personal attention from a certified personal trainer as you work toward your goals, without the added cost of hiring a personal trainer at the bigger gym. Boot camp also brings you into a community of others who keep you accountable and encourage you to show up. And, it’s a lot of fun (just ask the veterans!)

Boot Camp vs Gym Membership – 2018

You know yourself the best. If you’ve already gone the gym membership route and fell off the wagon, maybe it’s time to consider the boot camp route. If it’s all about goals, why waste another year?

Check out the Fit for Life boot camp centers in the Bay Area and at our new, larger location in Fresno. We offer a FREE two-week trail membership (for first time visitors only.) Here’s to your New Years’ Resolution for 2018!

 

What Helps With Muscle Cramps

What Helps with Muscle CrampsWhat Helps With Muscle Cramps

Adopting a new way of eating along with a new physical fitness routine may have you experiencing painful muscle cramps. Often, people assume that adding salt back into their diet helps with muscle cramps.

While increasing sodium helps with muscle cramps related to sodium depletion, it’s important to keep in mind that sodium depletion is rarely the main underlying cause of muscle cramps. Increasing your sodium intake will also hurt your weight loss and health efforts.

What Else Causes Muscle Cramps?

There are actually several suspected reasons that you might experience muscle cramps:

  • Over-use of a muscle
  • Dehydration
  • Inadequate blood supply to muscles caused by narrowing arteries during exercise
  • Mineral depletion – potassium, calcium, magnesium (and sometimes sodium).

Other Increased Risk Factors include

  • Age
  • Dehydration
  • Pregnancy
  • Diabetes, nerve, liver, or thyroid disorders (some medications can cause an increase in muscle cramping)

While there are several theories presented for the cause behind muscle cramping, it’s important to know that currently, we don’t know exactly why they happen, but we do know a few remedies that helps with muscle cramps:

Epsom Salt Bath – Helps with muscle tension and restores magnesium levels through the skin.

Supplements – Taking a multivitamin can help with nutritional gaps, while a ZMA or ZMA-5 can help with magnesium and zinc levels.

Potassium – Some Challenger-approved ideas include: half a banana before morning workout (33mg magnesium), Spaghetti squash (450mg per half a cup) plus tomato puree (1/4 cup 660mg potassium), fish like tuna or halibut (3oz is .5g, plus 170mg of magnesium), yogurt (calcium and potassium 580mg 8oz yogurt), sweet potato (700 mg), half a medium avocado (500mg), half of a typical salmon filet (800mg potassium and 53mg magnesium), broccoli (half cup 200mg potassium and 51mg magnesium) medium plain potato (size of fist 800mg), spinach (400mg per half a cup).

 

Do Taste Buds Change?

Do Taste Buds ChangeCongratulations to our 6-Week Challengers! You made it to the end, AND YOU DIDN’T DIE! HA!

Now, if you haven’t already done so, the temptation to indulge in some of your pre-weight-loss favorites may be on your mind, but don’t be surprised if that giant cookie a la mode or that $5 greasy pizza from your favorite restaurant or take-out doesn’t quite taste like you remembered. In fact, it may taste way too sweet, salty or fatty to even enjoy. Is this because your taste buds change?

Do Taste Buds Change?

Technically speaking, yes, they change completely about every 7 years, however, you’re probably referring more to your food preferences which takes only a few short weeks to start making adjustments.

Why Do My Cravings Change?

It’s not just your tongue that’s involved, either. Did you know that your gut also contains taste receptors for both fats and sugars? Your body begins to crave junk food less when you reduce or cut it out. When you begin to nourish your body with good foods, your gut changes, your brain changes, even your hormones change, which all affect how you perceive things like fats and sugars. When these changes happen throughout the body, your body also begins to send signals to your brain that you would actually PREFER that loaded salad bowl over a greasy bowl of pasta. And, when you do decide to take a bite of something unhealthy, it probably won’t have the same appeal as it did before.

Why Maintenance Becomes Important

Just as your food preferences or “taste buds change” for the better, they can also be eased back into preferring the junk, too. Surrounding yourself with a community of like-minded health-conscious individuals becomes important to maintain your new lifestyle, and for some individuals, this will be a lifelong struggle to continue making healthful choices for yourself. You’ve got the tools to continue on this journey, but we hope you won’t choose to make this journey alone.

 

When You Plateau – The Role of Leptin Hormone

Leptin Resistance When you PlateauWe’re now well into the third week of the challenge. You may have had a huge loss in the first week but now the loss numbers seem to be tapering off. What was working during the first week or two doesn’t seem to be as effective anymore, and at some degree, this is normal. However, when you plateau completely, it’s important for you to go over your detailed food logs with your trainer so they can help figure out what’s going on.

What is Leptin?

Leptin is a hormone secreted by your fat cells to tell your brain that there are plenty of fat stores, so it’s okay to burn fat as energy. Not dissimilar to insulin resistance, when someone is overweight, too much of the leptin hormone can desensitize the brain to where the brain no longer recognizes the signal that the body has enough fat storage to safely burn fat. Then as you start to lose fat, your body is now producing even less of the leptin hormone and your body now thinks you are starving, even though you may have plenty of fat stores left to burn.

What Does Leptin Have to Do with a Plateau?

When you plateau, it’s possible that your body is experiencing some degree leptin resistance. This is common on a low-calorie diet. Let’s say you’re consuming 1200-1400 calories a day and have been at it for four weeks. You’re working out, eating right, but now you have stopped losing the weight. It’s likely your energy is low as well, which means your workouts are now also less effective. These symptoms are likely due to your body’s metabolism shutting down to reserve energy because it doesn’t know you’ve got “enough” in the way of fat storage. Reducing calories might even work for a few days, but you will continue on this downward spiral of lowered metabolism and now, low energy.

How Do You Overcome a Plateau Caused by Leptin Resistance?

The good news is that even a small spike in carbohydrates may be all your body needs to get the leptin signals going again when you plateau. Here are some ideas:

  • A Cheat Day – Do NOT read this as an “eat whatever the flip you want” day. A cheat day simply means that you elevate your calories with healthy carbohydrates by roughly 300 calories on ONE day during the week to stimulate a spike in your leptin production. It’s just enough extra calories (glucose) to remind your body that you aren’t starving. Continue to eat how you normally should for the remainder of the week.
  • Fasted Workouts – If you workout in the morning, try working out on an empty stomach for a few days, but follow it up by immediately consuming about two servings of healthy carbohydrates (like oatmeal or sweet potato). Continue to eat normally for the rest of the day, and skip carbohydrates for your second or last meal if you need to make up for the extra morning calories. The rise in insulin after a workout is very effective in triggering a spike in the leptin hormone to signal your brain to burn more fat.
  • Intermittent Fasting (IF) – This should be discussed with your trainer first before trying. Taking up to 24 hours to fast and then eating one carbohydrate-rich meal works similar in concept to the fasted workouts but should be used cautiously. It may not be right for everyone.

When you hit a plateau, resist the temptation to continue to reduce calories. It might seem counter-intuitive to consume more calories, but oftentimes, it’s necessary to kickstart the hormone leptin to do its job of telling your brain you have plenty and to rev up your metabolism.

Why Fad Diets Don’t Work (And a 6-Week Challenge Taco Seasoning Recipe)

6-Week Challenge Taco Seasoning RecipeEveryone is looking for that magical, painless shortcut to weight loss. Who wouldn’t want to eat cookies and lose weight, or consume tacos all day for a “cleanse”? (Speaking of tacos, there’s a 6-Week Challenge Taco Seasoning recipe below for you.)

Sorry, Cupcake. There are no magical shortcuts to permanent weight loss and health.

Why Fad Diets Don’t Work

Any time you change up your diet from the processed standard American Diet, you will likely experience some level of weight loss. The problem with fad diets, however, is that fad diets are difficult to maintain as a permanent lifestyle. You might lose 10 lbs. but once you go back to life as usual, it’s likely that you’ll gain back that 10 lbs. and then some. The other problem with fad diets is that, over time, the lack of variety of foods can deprive the body of necessary nutrients to function.

Lifestyle Change is the Only Thing that Works

Adopting a permanent lifestyle change, which includes a diet void of too many processed foods and rich in whole food nutrition is the only thing that will provide permanent health benefits, including weight loss and lower risk for disease. In many cases, the human body has an amazing ability to heal itself if you provide it with the basic building blocks to do so. Giving your body anything other than what it needs to function properly will usually result in a pattern of unhealthy up-and-down weight loss ( also known as “yo-yo dieting”).

The 6-Week Challenge – It’s About Nutrition

The 6-Week Challenge is our way of helping you learn the basics of building a balanced, nutrient-dense diet – as a permanent LIFESTYLE change. It’s a jump-start to learning how to use whole, nutritious ingredients to take back your health and form new habits to keep you there.

And while it’s not a fad diet, who doesn’t like tacos? This 6-Week Challenge Taco Seasoning recipe is void of the crap usually found in store-bought blends and delicious.

6-Week Challenge Taco Seasoning Recipe (Makes apx. 1 Cup)

  • 4 TBSP Chili Powder
  • 2 TBSP Ground Cumin
  • 4 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt (fine)
  • 4 tsp Erythritol (optional; this is a sugar alcohol, found at Whole Foods or online)
  • 4 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
  • 2 tsp Garlic Powder or Granulated Garlic
  • 2 tsp Onion Powder or Granulated Onion
  • 2 tsp Ground coriander
  • 2 tsp Paprika
  • 1-2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (more for spicier)
  • 1 tsp Dried Oregano

Tip: Buy your ingredients in the bulk section of places like Sprouts, Winco or Whole Foods, shake it up and store in a small mason jar. Great for taco salads, fajitas, or tacos with lettuce “tortillas”.