Humans are naturally creatures of movement. The human body is designed to allow comfortable movement patterns through our sometimes unpredictable environment. However, today’s culture certainly does not promote regular movement and unfortunately offers way too many “solutions” that make our lives just a little too easy. We sit in our cars to drive to work, we sit at our desks for hours at a time, then we sit back in our cars to drive home where we typically sit down to eat dinner and watch TV. You get the picture, the average American simply doesn’t move enough!

By now, the public is well aware of the effects that this inactivity has on our health. Sedentary lifestyles are one of the top risk factors for diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Unfortunately, the dangers of inactivity don’t end there. As we’ll examine, the lack of regular physical activity can lead to significant postural imbalances, and eventually, severe pain!

Hours upon hours of sitting is a great example of improper use of the body. While it may be an essential part of most modern day occupations, it is one of the leading causes of postural imbalance. Neutral alignment of the spine is absolutely critical in preparing the body to safely absorb any external force or strain. Yet, the ability to maintain neutral spinal alignment in the modern day lifestyle has seemingly become a non existent skill.

When the spine is out of alignment at any level, muscular imbalances manifest themselves in peoples’ posture and can cause not only pain, but also acute and chronic injury. If you look at the typical American adult who sits most of the day, they spend many hours a day with their back, head and shoulders rounded forward. This puts the muscles of the back in a constant state of being stretched, while the anterior muscles of the chest, hips and shoulders remain shortened. The result? Improper function of the muscles and eventually, the joints. Once the body learns to stay in this state, the malfunctions will lead to internal pain.

Sitting for long periods of time creates several classic postural deviations that can become irreversible it the tissues and bones adapt to them.

One of the most common deviations is known as kyphosis-lordosis, which is an increase in the normal inward curve of the lumbar spine (low back), often accompanied by a protruding abdomen, increased curvature of the thoracic spine (mid back), and a forward tilted head. This one is easy to recognize, I’m sure you all have seen that person in the office who always looks like they’re listening intently to what you’re saying by leaning their head in. Chances are, they’re not listening at all! LOL

Another classic postural deviation that develops from prolonged periods of sitting is the flat-back posture. This usually develops as a result of resting the lower back on a surface like a chair or couch, and results in a decrease in the normal inward curve of the lower back. The pelvis, in turn, develops a posterior (backward) tilt. If this goes uncorrected, it leads to tightness and pain in the upper abdominals and weakness in the lower back and hip extensors.

Finally, sway-back posture can develop simply by reacting to forces that are constantly in front of you, which is what most work demands call for (ie. working on a computer, writing, using a telephone at a desk, etc.). This postural deviation is trademarked by a long outward curve of the mid back with an over accentuated curve of the lower back. It’s usually accompanied by rounded shoulders and a severely sunken chest, which can also lead to abdominal tightness and hip flexors.

If you have gotten this far, you have probably noticed you were not sitting in an optimal position in your chair and adjusted yourself!
The point here is these imbalances can occur just by performing your typical everyday activities. You can combat this partly through your own awareness of where your body is in space at all times. But, even more so, you can prevent these problems by staying active, performing strength training and stretching, and getting regular exercise!

If the prospects of obesity and illness aren’t motivation enough to get yourself moving, hopefully the prospect of living with every day pain is daunting enough to get up and start exercising!!

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True Stories of inspirational people who just won’t let ANYTHING get in their way…

In fitness and in life, we face definite obstacles.  There’s just no way around it! There are times when something seems so painful or so impossible to reach, that the easiest decision is to give up on it. It’s amazing what we will do as human beings to avoid having to deal with pain!

Luckily, I’ve recently discovered a few stories that have  truly inspired me to never give up on pursuing my goals, and I’d like to share them with you. If you’ve ever thought that your struggles were too difficult or your obstacles were too painful on your path to achieving your goals, you must have a look at these inspiring stories, and let us know what you think.

Have a look at this first video, it’s impressive!

As a fitness professional, I  hear the “I’m too old” excuse all the time! And until I saw this story, I actually somewhat sympathized with it! It goes to show you that if you have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish, you can truly beat all the odds that may be stacked against you, even if you perceive that your physical age is one of them!

This next story is worth a few minutes of your time, I promise. If you’ve ever believed that the struggles to get to your fitness goals, or ANY of your life goals were just too difficult to overcome, this story will make you think again…

This one really hit home for me. How easy do you think it would have been for Dustin to just feel sorry for himself and do nothing?  He is doing the unthinkable!  As a multi-sport athlete, I’ve been through some rigorous training sessions and have been pushed to my limits physically and mentally. In retrospect, the mental toughness that was required to survive those battles seems quite insignificant compared to those of Dustin Carter. Your mindset is such a powerful tool, and Dustin demonstrates just how powerful it can be with the right spirit!

This last story is just as inspiring. I originally saw the entire piece on HBO and it left me speechless.  It’s the story of a NY Firefighter who is also a triathlete but who had experienced a horrible accident while in training.  He was hit by a bus(and pinned under it) in NYC while on a training ride one morning.  With a mangled body, he goes on to finish the Ironman in Hawaii.  I with that I could find the entire piece to share with you but I was only able to find a trailer for it.

For anyone out there that’s ever competed in a triathlon or any other competitive sport for that matter, this story really speaks to the power of the human spirit and what we’re capable of as human beings when we put our minds to something. If you’re down in the dumps for any reason, this is sure to pick you back up.

Wow! This certainly gave me a different perspective heading into my next training season. Just when you think you have it tough, you see a story like this one, and it really makes you realize how fortunate you are, and better yet, how attainable your goals really are.

These stories raise a few questions. What’s holding YOU back from pursuing your goals – fitness or otherwise? What barriers are out there that you feel might be standing in your way? We’d love to hear about them, and hopefully we can provide some helpful pointers and inspiration to help you on your journey to success.

Better yet, if you have any comments on these stories,  please share them with us in the comments section below. The more inspiration that we can share as a community, the better we can ALL become.  Thanks for sharing!

If you enjoyed it, please let others know by sharing it on Facebook or forwarding it to them.

Dennys Passeto

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This very weekend last year, I participated in my first ever off-road Triathlon. It involved a 3/4 mile swim, 15 mile mountain bike course, and 5 mile trail run. I had completed the course in 2:50.21. I was pretty happy with the result because I had really only signed up 1 week prior to the race.

I have always felt that I keep myself in good race shape to where I can finish any such endurance event at the drop of a hat or on short notice. The Rocky Gap Xterra Off-road Triathlon in 2009 proved just that. It wasn’t without a lot of pain though. I do love to push the limits of physical abilities. Not only mine but those of my personal clients.

I was hooked on this event. I couldn’t wait to do it again this year and see how much I could improve. I signed up about 6 weeks from the event and trained strictly for it. Nothing but running, biking and swimming.

On race day, I gave it everything I had. The pain is unreal. The heart rate never dropped below 165bpm and often was seen at the 180bpm mark while wheezing for air on some of the steep rocky climbs on the Mountain bike portion. (As you can see below)!

I managed to improve on all 3 of the disciplines. Overall I improved by 9 minutes to finish the race in 2:41.24. I was stoked by this improvement. It was not at all easy but the training paid off.

Its funny how many times your mind tells you to stop because it’s too hard. I shut that voice out of my head really quickly during an event like this and replace it with one of encouragement and persistence. It’s so easy to tell ourselves we can’t do it. In fact, I think it is part of our inherent nature.

It was on my way to this very race last year that I heard one of the most eye opening mind-set theories that I have ever heard in my life…
On my 1.5 hour drive to Rocky Gap State Park (where the race took place), I popped in a book on tape that was lent to me by a good friend. The book is called “The Story Of You: And How To Create A New One” by Steve Chandler.

I got to listen to the first 8 chapters on my drive up and I’ll tell ya… it had me pumped up more than any pre-race music I had queued up in my Ipod. The book talks about how we all have a story about who we are and how we tell it to ourselves and others; and how this story we tell is the most false and limiting part of our lives. How we are motivated by the stories we want others to tell of us. Sometimes, it’s the story that others have wanted us to live for them as they want us to be(twisted but very true). But is it the story we think we are stuck in; what we really want for ourselves?

It also discusses how certain challenging obstacles in life have stories attached to them of how difficult they are and therefore, we listen to the story associated with it and never challenge ourselves to do it(i.e. Triathlon or other event).

Within the first 5 chapters Steve Chandler put into words something about personal trainers that I don’t think I have ever heard said so well (and couldn’t agree with more)…
“People Hire Personal Trainers to physically inspire them to do things they did not believe they could do. They are story busters who work not with your story but with your body’s energy, your potential. People hire coaches, consultants, trainers who see their potential and don’t care at all about the story that was previously running the show”
Wow!

This was extremely reaffirming to me about why we do what we do and it couldn’t be more true. I love what we do and love to share this passion with you. I love helping people change their story of themselves. Helping you reach goals you may have thought were never possible.

Therefore, I’d like to make you a special offer to help us be able to share our passion for fitness with you…

You may remember Mike made you a special offer a few weeks back that he didn’t want me to know about until after he did it to see if it worked. It was the “Please Call me ASAP” email. Well, I’m glad he did it. The response was pretty over-whelming.

If you didn’t call him, you really missed out on a special opportunity. But, since I’m still on such a “high” from my triathlon, I’m letting him make you that same crazy deal again.

There’s one catch, you still need to call him ASAP to receive it
The offer will run until the end of July. Therefore, call 1-888-872-7961 right now and press 1 to talk to Mike and mention “The Story of You” to receive this incredible deal.

I’m doing this because I can not imagine my life without fitness and the way it allows me to challenge myself. I really just want to share that feeling and help you reach your true potential and change the story you keep telling yourself and others about why you can’t lose weight and finally get in shape.

Here’s to your new story,

Dennys Passeto

PS: If you’d like to check out “The Story Of You”, here’s a link to where you can check it out and grab your own copy…
The Story Of You

PPS: Here’s a link to the race results from the Triathlon…
Xterra Triathlon Results AND a great pic of the finished product!
http://www.xterraplanet.com/races/view_results.cfm?race_id=1053&page=2
PS. Have you tried any events/races recently? If so, I’d love to hear about them or any personal records you may have achieved.

We want this blog to be about building a community of fitness-minded, health conscious individuals who can share their struggles, triumphs and training tips with us and our community!

Please share this article with anyone you know would be inspired by it or have anything to add. Click the button below to share it with your friends on Facebook!

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Between work demands, family obligations, and fighting the DC
area traffic everyday, you’ve probably noticed that it’s
extremely difficult to prepare healthy meals everyday when
you’re in the middle of the grind. We’ve all had the experience
of being stuck feeling hungry with only two minutes to dash
into the closest convenience store or fast food joint to get
a quick bite.

While this certainly isn’t an ideal scenario, it happens to
the best of us from time to time. So, are there healthy options
out there that are still quick and accessible? Of course! But
first, I’d like to caution you that many of the foods that
have gotten the “healthy” nod are actually laden with sugar,
fat or preservatives, despite being marketed as health foods.
I will share a few of the main culprits with you.

Protein Bars. Most of these are basically glorified candy bars.
They’re packed with sugar or artificial sweeteners, and I
challenge you to find a single ingredient on the label that
you actually recognize or can pronounce. The point is, they’re
loaded with junk. The end result – your body can’t properly
metabolize them.

Bran muffins. This is a big one. Many people think the word
bran is synonymous with healthy fiber. Bran muffins contain
two of the worst ingredients for spiking your blood glucose
levels- sugar and refined flour. The fact that they might
contain a few grams of fiber is insignificant. What’s worse -
most bran muffins you pick up at your local 7 Eleven or
Starbucks contain upwards of 450 calories and over 25 grams
of fat!

Frozen Diet Meals. Weight watchers and Lean Cuisine come to
mind. Just because they have a “healthy” label on them doesn’t
make them open game. Most of these frozen meals average about
600 milligrams of sodium and offer very little nutritional
value, if any. In addition, they’re often so low in calories
that chances are you’ll be running back for a second helping
soon after eating them.

Fruit smoothies. I’m talking about the ones you pick up at a
store. You can perfect a healthy fruit smoothie at home if you
know what’s going into it. Most of the fruit smoothies that you
get as quick pick ups contain very little fruit at all. Almost
all of them have added sugar or high fructose corn syrup, and
are usually made with ice cream to give them a sweet flavor.

SUBWAY. I know, this is disappointing. Jared wouldn’t possibly
twist the truth about Subway sandwiches being good for you,could
he? Sure, if you have the choice of turning into the Subway
parking lot or hitting the drive thru of McDonald’s, then
Subway is your healthier option. But you do have the option, so
my advice is – opt out of this one. Their 12 inch subs, even
on their “healthy” breads contain about 92 grams of carbohydrates
and are loaded with over 2000 mg of sodium. Talk about a great
way to shock your metabolism. Yuck!

There is hope, however, you just have to know what you’re
putting in your body. There are plenty of quick foods that you
can grab on the run that will not destroy your weight loss
efforts. Opt for foods that don’t contain ANY ingredients.
When I’m stuck out on the road or working all day, I stop for
an apple and a bag of almonds. If you’re absolutely stuck
having to reach for quicker options, then you can still reach
for jerky, low-fat cheese sticks or trail mix.

Train yourself to question the actual content of the foods
that are marketed as good for you, and you will make some
shocking discoveries!

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by Steven Hefferon, CMT, PTA

If you go to the gym to get healthy and fit, look good, feel good and pamper your ego, then I urge you take a minute to think about something,

Do you remember the old adage, “People like to do what they are good at and comfortable with”? Are you living that old adage at the gym? Most people do. They have a set routine at the gym, yet it’s that very routine coupled with the mechanics of the equipment that can lead to trouble-either very quickly or over time.

As beneficial as we know exercise can be, there are some things you need to be aware of before starting. The challenge is in knowing injuries can happen and how to prevent them. There are two basic categories of injuries: the sudden accident (a.k.a. trauma) and what can be described as a process injury (in other words, the long, slow development of a condition.) My goal is to protect you from both types of injury.

Traumatic Injury at the Gym

Let’s start with the 5 basic concepts of working out in order to show you how easy it is to injure yourself in a traumatic way.

•    Intensity: How hard you work out.
•    Frequency: How often you work out.
•    Duration: How long you work out.
•    Progressive Resistance: Using more resistance with each set you perform.
•    Progressive Overload: Starting at a higher level of resistance at subsequent workouts.

Each one of these principles has the ability to cause injury. But when you couple them the drive to eek out one more  repetition as you fatigue, you go into all kinds of contorted positions to get the job done.

All of a sudden, Bam-O! A hundred different injuries can happen. And they will take a long time to heal. You will have defeated the entire purpose of going to the gym in the first place. Please understand that the body can tolerate a lot of abuse before you pay the penalty of an injury. Just know that injuries can happen in seconds and the effects can last a lifetime.

Injury as a Process

Traumatic injuries do happen. But more often it is the slow progression injuries that are far more sinister and very well may  be the root cause of some traumatic injuries. So I would like to focus on what happens over the long term so that you can make a change now to prevent injuries.

I have spent the last 10 years of my life dealing specifically with what are called muscle imbalances and their effects on the back and body. In describing the concept I will use some examples and try to make you aware of what possible injuries you could be facing.

Muscle imbalance can be defined as strength and flexibility of one muscle group compared to the opposing muscle group. So if you compare the strength and flexibility of the quadriceps to the opposite muscle group, the hamstrings, in nine out of 10 people the quads will be overly strong and overly tight compared to the hamstrings. That’s the definition of having a muscle imbalance.

How Back and Body Injures Start!

The quads are always going to be stronger then the hamstrings, so you may be wondering what is wrong with that. Let me give you some possible examples of what can happen if your quads are drastically stronger than the hamstrings. As I give this example, understand that there are other imbalances that often happen at the same time to develop this condition. For example, the hip flexors and the glutes can be out of balance too.

When the quads are out of balance with the hamstrings, there can be uneven and excessive wear and tear on the cartilage and ligaments of the knee.  The knee will not function correctly and conditions will develop to the point that running and other basic physical activities will be painful, or even impossible.

Second, balance between the quads and the hamstrings keep the pelvis in a neutral and stable position. But when you have overly strong and overly tight quads, your pelvis will be pulled in several different directions. In some cases the whole pelvis is pulled excessively forward. In other cases one side of the pelvis comes even more forward and the hip elevates,
causing the pelvis to rotate. This is very common in physically active women over 40.

When the pelvis is not in the most neutral and most stable position possible, the spine may go into abnormal curvature. It is that abnormal curvature caused by the muscle imbalance that can set you up for hip problems, SI joint problems, back pain and sciatica.

How Does This Happen?

The very equipment you are using at the gym is either directly or indirectly helping you develop your muscle imbalances and setting you up for future problems.

Let me give you some examples. You cannot help but develop raw quad strength when you use the leg extension machine. As I asked you before, do you stick to exercises that you like to do? Let’s face it, everyone hates to work the hamstrings because they are weak and it is difficult. So most people overwork their quads and under-work their hamstrings.

Another example is the calf raise machine. Again, the calf muscle will always be stronger then the muscles in front of the shin, but when you blast your calves and do not work the muscles in the front of the shin you are setting yourself up for plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, Achilles tendonitis and even knee problems.

To recap, working out with gym equipment puts enormous unnatural force through the joint, restricts movements to linear motions and can very easily overdevelop muscle groups. This combined with the development to muscle imbalances is a hidden root cause of most if not all physical injuries at the gym.

Action Steps

As with any new desire to make a change in your life, you must first have a starting point. There is no easier way to get started then to take an inventory of where you are right now. It will not help you at all to make subjective assessments about yourself and not be honest, so I have a few suggestions:

•    Take photos of yourself. I would not always recommend this.  But in cases were your health and wellness are at stake, why not? Here is what you can do. Put on a bathing suit and have someone take photos, front, back and both sides, making sure that you see head to toe. Then take a look–not with a judging eye but a caring eye, looking for areas that are not in balance. For example, is your head straight? Is your head over your shoulders or is it forward of your shoulders? Are your shoulders level? What about your hips, are they level? (Look at your side view and suit line as a guide.)

Those are just some of the areas that you can gauge yourself on. You can also use the photos as a reference of how you are now so you can look back at how you were then.

•    Feel the pain. The best way to assess pain is by asking yourself how you feel in the morning, during the day and at night. With this one you will need to be honest with yourself, and I suggest that you write this down. You can even mark up the photos you took by writing on them at the body part or parts where you feel pain.

•    Listen to your body. If you are working out and you feel a little something and you’re not quite sure what it is, rest assured it’s your body telling you it does not like what you are doing to it.

•    Build your awareness. If you live with fear, worry or doubt about your weight, health or medical condition, the best way to overcome that it is to build your knowledge on the subject. Study what others already know.Working with a professional fitness trainer can drastically improve your chances of developing a safe, sound and effective exercise program.

And remember to always stay enthusiastic about the process. That is the secret to achieving your goals. If you listen to your body, you just might learn something about it!

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by Chad Ciri

The Crossfit prescription is simple, and involves “constantly varied, functional movements performed at a high intensity.” The Crossfit method of training prepares trainees for any physical contingency. Simply put, Crossfit’s primary objective is to increase work capacity. In essence, Crossfit’s specialty is achieving ANY desired fitness result through constant variation of physical training.

The core Crossfit movements are all “functional”, that is, they are universal motor recruitment patterns that duplicate movements that are applicable to the real world. They are performed in a wave that recruit muscle fibers from core to extremity. No aspect of functional movements is truly more important, regardless of your fitness goals, than their capacity to move large loads over long distances, and to do so quickly.  These variables (load, distance, and speed) qualify functional movements for the production of high power or intensity.

The Crossfit method of achieving fitness varies greatly from traditional strength and conditioning programs. Typically, fitness and health professionals will prescribe slow, isolated movements such as bicep curls, calf raises, leg extensions and lateral shoulder raises, etc followed by 20 – 30 minutes of traditional “cardio” performed on the treadmill, arc trainer or stationary bike.

Crossfit works exclusively with compound (multi-joint) movements and shorter, high intensity cardiovascular sessions. Leg extensions are replaced with squats, curls are replaced with pull-ups, and so on. Why? Because, simply put, this type of training has proven to be drastically more effective at achieving nearly any desired fitness result, including weight loss, toning, increased endurance,etc.

There’s a distinct benefit to this type of training (other than its results) in terms of efficiency. Busy professionals, parents, students or anyone else who has limited time to exercise because of life’s other demands can use this form of training very effectively without dedicating more than a few hours a week to their workouts.

To demonstrate this, here’s a video of one of Crossfit’s signature workouts called “Fran.” As you’ll see in the video, the athletes complete the entire workout in less than 3 minutes. While it takes a high level of fitness to be able to perform this workout in such a short time, even the most deconditioned people would likely be able to complete a scaled version of this in 15 minutes or less! Check it out:

The “Fran”

This approach of focusing on compound, functional movements and high intensity anaerobic cardio sessions has been scientifically proven to elicit greater fitness gains, even among elite athletic training programs (including military and police personnel, firefighters and any sports requiring complete physical prowess).

Crossfit looks at fitness as physical competence in each of ten recognized fitness domains. They are cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy.

The view of their fitness model is that fitness is about performing well at any and every imaginable task. In practice, this would encourage you to separate yourself from any set notions of of sets, rest periods, order of exercises, and routines. Nature frequently provides endless unforeseeable challenges! The only way to prepare for that is to keep the training stimulus broad and constantly varied.

Now, this may seem a little intense for some people,  so don’t be surprised if you find yourself asking: “What if I don’t  want to be an athlete, I just want to be healthy?” Let’s take a look at what defines health. Health has several measurable parameters, including blood pressure, cholesterol, resting heart rate, metabolism, body fat, etc. The good news is that the Crossfit method will help you improve each and every one of these parameters. Furthermore, by focusing on performing functional movements at high intensity, you will be better prepared (and therefore “healthier”) to take on any task that requires you to be fit or healthy.

Probably the most unique benefit of a Crossfit training regimen is its ability to improve anaerobic function. It develops competency and training in each of the three metabolic pathways- the phosphagen, the glycolytic, and the oxidative pathways. The first two (the phosphagen and glycolytic) are anaerobic pathways, that is, they are accessed without the presence of air. They are challenged through short, powerful bursts of speed and intensity in exercises like sprinting, powerlifting, rowing, etc. The oxidative pathway is aerobic (accessed with the presence of air) and can be engaged through low power activities like distance running, biking, etc. Both forms of training benefit cardiovascular function and decrease body fat – all good baby!!

However,people who engage in activities where the majority of their efforts are spent in the aerobic zone will experience decreases in muscle mass, strength, speed and power. In addition, aerobic activity has a pronounced tendency to decrease anaerobic capacity. Unfortunately, many traditional weight loss programs over emphasize this type of training.

On the other hand, anaerobic activity has proven to be unique in its ability to improve overall strength, speed, power and muscle mass, or at least the maintaining of lean muscle.  In fact, anaerobic exercise is far superior to aerobic exercise for fat loss, contrary to popular belief.

Good news! Crossfit has tested its methods on people from all fitness levels and has proven to be effective for the sedentary, the deconditioned, the overweight, and the elderly.

While every person’s  goals and needs will vary greatly, the program will work with anyone! This can be done by scaling the load, the rep counts, the range of motion and the intensity level. You can duplicate the exact same movements that are prescribed in a Crossfit regimen and use them to get results without drastically changing the program. Remember that using something even as complex as an Olympic lift will duplicate critical motor recruitment patterns that are used in real world movements, therefore will help you comfortably perfect human movement!

If you think this is too over the top for you or if you feel like you may never be able to achieve a high level of fitness, have a look at this video. All the women in this video trained hard to get to this level, but it shows you what you can achieve when you dedicate yourself to fitness!

‘The Women of Crossfit’

We currently have trainers who are certified Crossfit instructors, so if you’re interested in taking on a new physical challenge and getting some truly amazing results, we have the resources to help you using this style of training! Also, don’t forget that we are offering Gift Certificates for our personal training services in any amount for the holidays. If you’re still stuck on gift ideas, why not give the gift of health to your loved ones! Call Mike at 888-872-7961 ext. 1 by December 19th to make sure you have your gift certificate by Christmas!

And Be sure to leave your comments about the videos and any questions you might have below.

Helping You Reach New Heights,

The Achieve Fitness Team

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by Dennys Passeto

Last Tuesday I was a guest speaker at a local 12 week long weight loss challenge that concluded last week.  It was the final weigh in for the contestants that had participated in the 12 week long challenge.

They were all local people just like you and me who had just 1 goal in mind, to lose weight and get in shape.

The purpose of my speech was to give these individuals some ideas and knowledge to take with them to continue to propel their great results now that they were going off on their own.  This is the most valuable tool I can give them as a trainer to empower them to take control of their lives.

Needless to say, I was blown away by their progress as the organizers first announced the inches and total body fat percentage lost followed by presenting the winner their cash prize.  Nice prizes too.  The winner took almost $300 in cash!

It was very much like the biggest loser except the contestants did all the work on their own with the help of a weekly group meeting and weigh in at the Kentlands Nutrition store. This became their headquarters  where they received a motivating and informational speech on a different aspect of weight loss every week.

I was honored to have been invited and to get to witness this.  I wanted to let you know that they are starting a new 6 week weight loss challenge on December 1st.  Yes, I know that was yesterday but you can still sign up and be only 1 day behind. With this powerful system in place, you’ll make up the results in no time!

Anyways, if you are interested in signing up, please contact Kimberly Strickland at 240-388-2537 or by email at wlc.strickland@gmail.com. Be sure to tell her I sent you.  I’ve also attached the flyer for the upcoming challenge.  This could be a great way to motivate yourself into making some positive changes.

And don’t forget about spreading the gift of great health by giving a Gift Certificate for Personal Training to someone you love this holiday season.  Gift Certificates are available for any amount you desire.  However, you must order before December 16th to ensure you have it by the 24th so don’t put this off.  I know we all procrastinate every year including myself so let’s break the cycle.  Please contact Mike for more information at 1-888-872-7961 ext. 1.

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by Dennys Passeto

There is an abundance of misinformation that exists when it comes to developing nutritional plans that support weight loss. The majority of people who are striving to lose weight or transform their bodies by dieting end up failing, not because they lack the motivation, but because the information they receive on how to do so is inaccurate.

There are tons of fad diets that we have come across in the past few years that force people to make extreme changes in their diet by either excessively restricting caloric intake or by drastically cutting out certain macronutrients. These diets are not only detrimental to your metabolism, they also require a huge amount of effort.

However, there is a solution that will not require you to  work harder on your diet or to make drastic changes. By implementing a simple technique that is relatively easy to execute, you can make positive changes to your metabolism and to your body. This powerful technique is know as calorie cycling.

Calorie cycling accomplishes weight loss through constantly  varying your eating routine by reducing your caloric intake in short, 2-3 day cycles. In most of today’s fad diets, you end up shocking your body into a rapid weight loss scheme and your body reacts by slowing down your metabolism so it can store fat for energy use later. Calorie cycling, however, does not allow your body to fully acclimate to a particular routine, and, in turn, your metabolism stays up to speed.  This enables you burn off more fat with regular exercise.

So, how does this technique actually work? Let’s look at  an example. If you are used to eating a 2000 calorie/day diet, then your body becomes accustomed to burning that amount of energy each day. With calorie cycling, you would cut 400 or 500 calories out of your regular intake for a short period of time, about two days or so. Luckily for us, our bodies will take about 2 days to recognize this change,  and in the meantime, will continue to burn the 2000 calories a day that it is used to getting.

Therefore, if your body is still burning the 2000 calories but you’ve only been feeding it 1600, it must find the  energy elsewhere. As long as your diet consists of some core healthy foods in the form of lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, then your body will use those missing calories in the form of stored body fat. The beauty is, you don’t  need to make enormous sacrifices or changes to your current diet for this technique to be effective.

Obviously, this type of strategy has to be done correctly to be effective, so you have to exercise some common sense. Ideally, the calories you cut out of your diet for those  short periods should be calories that come from unhealthy foods, primarily flour, sugar, and any heavily processed foods. In addition, your cycles of calorie restriction should not be permanent, about a day or two before you return to your normal intake.

The powerful part of this program is that you can continue to increase the efficiency of your metabolic system by continuing  to cycle your calories. In other words, your metabolism will continue to increase throughout the cycles until it has reached  its maximum fat burning level!

The end result of this “diet” is that you’re not really dieting at all! You are simply eating healthy foods in varied caloric cycles, therefore you’re not shocking (and damaging) your metabolism. Once your metabolism is in high gear, with the assistance of regular exercise, you’ll start to see that stubborn fat be blowtorched!!

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Anyone who has followed the Bartendaz or seen their videos can attest to their amazing display of strength, power, balance and explosive athleticism. The group has blown away what was once the physical performance standard for athletes!

Yes, their style and presentation may be obnoxious to some, but once you get past the talk at the beginning of their clips, you can really appreciate the time and dedication it takes a human being to perfect these movements. Considering the fact that it can take months for a person to develop the strength to perfect a single pull-up, the ease with which they execute these exercises is truly amazing.

This group has come to redefine elite fitness. The perfectly balanced athlete displays tremendous core strength, flexibility, body control, agility and accuracy. These guys bring that to an entirely different level. Ok, enough pumping them up – check out their video below. Again, ignore the first minute of talk and try to absorb the incredible display of fitness!

Truly breathtaking, isn’t it? It’s hard to imagine what kind of training program they used to perfect some of these movements. You can see the true mastery of skills across any possible modality of training – plymetrics, gymnastics, power lifting, resistance training….the list goes on.

The one thing that is truly inspirational about this video is that it makes all of our fitness goals seem that much more attainable! Whether your exercise program is geared toward weight loss, hypertrophy, increasing flexibility,sports performance enhancement or just improving your nutritional habits, this video shows us what the human body is capable of when pushed to its limits.  These guys aren’t even Olympic athletes!

Hopefully some of us will use this as fuel the next time we step in the gym. If your body tells you that you can’t get that last rep (or you don’t believe it when your personal trainer says you can), remember what is truly possible when you push yourself!

If you liked that video, check out this other performance they put together with some new and improved moves!  Again, please feel free to leave your comments below.

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Whether you’re a serious gym rat or a sometimes fitness buff, you are trying to lose weight and strengthen the body. Funny yet how so many people are hesitant to join a gym, eat well or even hire a personal trainer at first to help get them going.

There’s something about overcoming inertia… once you get going, moving is easy. In other articles I‘ve written about the motivation “to do it.” In this article I want to share something different with you.

The other side of the coin is that once people get into the nuts and bolts of their own training and nutrition… they just love it! They feel good. They see results. They can’t imagine not doing it, or even skipping a day. And they want more and more. But there are only so many hours in a day to train… or are there?

Almost every day I have clients asking me for simple ways they can stoke their metabolism, keep their energy levels up, stretch their muscles, burn calories and get strong throughout their day. They’re addicted to the fitness lifestyle, and crave more of it. I love when I hear this and have compiled a list of daily activities you can do that keep you in fitness mode all day. Keep in mind that none of these are replacements for a sound, steady fitness program, rather supplemental things you can do everyday to improve your overall health. Here they are, by topic.

1. Avoid Driving Whenever Possible
In today’s day and age we’ve become extremely dependent on the automobile. Think of how many things you actually walk to from home or work? Walking is so great because it boosts the metabolism, strengthens the legs and keeps the hip flexors supple. And a mere 20-minute walk can burn 100 calories. To increase all of these good things, make it a brisk walk and be sure to swing your arms!

No time for a special walk, no problem. Here are some of my favorite ways to fit it in:
A) Park at the far end of your work lot and walk into the office(this avoids the stress of parking, door dings and forces you to walk)

B) Skip the elevator and always take the stairs(10 flights at a brisk pace will burn 50 calories, get your heart and lungs working hard and improve circulation which is severely diminished sitting in a chair all day. Ever notice how your feet get cold when you sit for too long)

C) Forget driving to your local market or store and walk instead. Carrying a few bags in each hand will add to the exertion and accelerate calories burned. You can also walk to lunch or go for a walk after lunch if you brought your lunch to work.

D)For a quick shot of energy and rejuvenation, instead of a cup of coffee to get you through your afternoon, drop to the floor and do as many pushups as you can. This will give your body a good quick shock and you’ll avoid the 350 calorie Caramel Macchiato.

E)How about riding your bicycle to work? This would extremely healthy not only to you but to the environment. You’d be reducing the stress of rush hour traffic and helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. Of course, if you have a 20 mile commute each way, that might not work for you, but you get the idea.

2. Housework
When you are home, forget sofa time and instead get busy with straightening up the house or cleaning. While it may seem mundane, doing your chores offers an instant metabolic boost. And the flexibility/strengthening effects of all the pushing, pulling, reaching and lifting add to your fit day.

Not sure what to do, well 20 minutes of these simple activities burns 100 calories each. Combine three things and your will burn 300 calories, elevate your heart rate, tone your arms and keep the blood moving. Try these three:
A) Vacuum the entire house, room by room.
B) Fold a few loads of clean clothes while standing
C) Clean the windows, mirrors, sinks and tubs.

3. Just for Fun
We all know the many health benefits of being outside. We draw fresh air into the lungs, get plenty of Vitamin D, tend to move about more, and walk, run, bike or play. But you can have fun inside, too, while living the fit life.

For the working adult with or without kids, fun is often limited to the weekends. Not to worry, there are things you can do during your normal week that will also keep the metabolism stoked, burn calories, tone the muscles and keep the blood moving. Here are some examples:
A) Jog or Run to get your mail from the box instead of walking

B) Walk/play with your dog or the neighbor’s dog, and let them lead you at a quick pace. Animals are a great way to get you to move about more
C) make a lunch or after work appointment with a friend and go for a power walk, a run or enjoy a quick game of tennis
D) Turn on the radio and dance yourself crazy for a song or two—talk about a stress buster! (If you’re a bad dancer, just don’t let anyone see you
E) Interactive video games like the Wii Fit is a fun indoor calorie burner and a great way to play and bond with the kids.

The best part about all of these tips is that they get you up off your seat, keep you active throughout the day, reduce muscle stiffness and slowing of the metabolism, increase weight loss capability, and help maintain a healthy, strong and supple body that feels alive and refreshed all day!

So give these little things a try and see the difference they make when they all add up at the end of your day and your week. I know you will be surprised!

Also, don’t forget that our rate increase for personal training will be effective as of November 1st. Don’t miss your opportunity to get grandfathered in at our current below market rates AND get 2 additional FREE sessions when you sign up by October 31st. Because of the overwhelming response we’ve had to this promotion so far, we may have to limit the total number of people who can take advantage of it. So call Mike now at 888-872-7961 ext.1 to get set up!

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