seriously fun fitness

Push-ups: More than a measure of strength

At boot camp today I mentioned the New York Times article on push-ups (thanks for the tip, Susan). As I've mentioned before, push-ups are an excellent measure of strength, not just for the arms or chest, but for most of the body. As the article says:

The push-up is the ultimate barometer of fitness. It tests the whole body, engaging muscle groups in the arms, chest, abdomen, hips and legs. It requires the body to be taut like a plank with toes and palms on the floor. The act of lifting and lowering one’s entire weight is taxing even for the very fit.

In addition to showing just how strong you are, there are additional benefits to practicing push-ups, namely as we age. Not only are we able to break a fall safely and minimize injury to the wrist, but if we fall or find ourselves on the ground, upper body strength can help pull us up.

These are the national standards cited in the article:
40 year-old woman = 16 push-ups
40 year-old man = 27
60 year-old woman = 6
60 year-old man = 17.

And if you watch the video, check-out the plyometric push-ups (with a clap) at the end...

2 Week Boot Camp Special: November 5-16

After this boot camp (October 1 - 26) we'll be having a special 2 week boot camp for returning boot campers only. This is for anyone who's attended boot camp, ever.

Also, as a thank you and to pump everyone up for the holiday season, we're offering special pricing: attend as many days as you want for $95. We're encouraging you to try out a few more days than you normally attend.

It's going to be fun, intense and totally worth your commitment. Don't miss out on our special pre-holiday session November 5 - 16. Save your spot by emailing us today.

The Perfect Lunge

Whew! Nothing like kicking off a session of boot camp on the first day of school!

Our sessions started with a bang today. We jumped right into squats and lunges, brushing up on basics for returning boot campers, and going over some safety techniques for newer attendees. It amazes me how squats and lunges can continue to be challenging long after we achieve our beginning fitness goals.

In my opinion, squats and lunges are the best leg/lower body exercises out there. But you've got to do them right. Here are my 3 steps for the perfect and safe (stationary) lunge:

1) Step right leg forward and stand with your weight balanced evenly on both legs (hips and toes facing forward)

2) Inhale and slowly lower (bend) the back knee, keeping your body weight evenly distributed between both legs. Keep front knee behind your front ankle.

3) Exhale, press down into the front heel and straighten the legs.

NOTE: These instructions are for healthy boot campers. Check with your doctor before participating in any exercise program.

Effort and Results in Exercise: You'll get what you give

These past two weeks have been post-evaluations, and without sharing personal info, everyone's had awesome results! What's been especially neat is when we actually measure fat pounds released and lean mass gained in most boot campers. We see it in both women who've been coming for a while, and of course first-timers.

Of course, this is our goal. Our bodies can achieve so much more when we emphasize building lean mass and getting rid of fat mass than an arbitrary focus on total pounds.

If you're attending next session: what are your goals? What do they mean to you? How will you celebrate when you reach them?

You'll get as much out of boot camp as you are willing to put into it.

Stay Motivated - 2 Week Workouts

July boot campers, please email me to access your 2 Week Workouts...

Way to Rock the 9.5 Miles!

Congrats goes out to our Half Marathon training team. Not only did everyone finish the 9.5 miles, but I heard more laughter and energy after the run than before it. Some of you arrived on Saturday barely enthusiastic, but by the last lap around the track, everyone knew they were going home having accomplished a huge feat. Way to go!

Here's the route. This map measures out at 8.3234 (give or take-ha!). Remember to add-on the 1 mile at the beginning and the 0.25 mile lap at the end, which brings you to a grand total of: 9.5734 miles. It's ok to gloat a bit. Enjoy!

Questions are the answer

A first-time boot camper asked me the other day: "When will I start seeing changes?"

That's a great question. Here's the answer: "It depends."

Here are our follow-up questions.

1) Most importantly, what are you eating?

Most health and fitness experts agree that how and what you eat comprises about 75-80% of the equation. That is, the hour you spend with us each morning (or working out on your own) is critical, and what you put into your body the other 23 hours are what makes the biggest difference.

Do you eat breakfast, do you eat enough fiber, do you eat enough protein, do you eat fresh fruits and veggies? Do you eat every 3-4 hours?

We'll post again on food and nutrition, but it'd be misleading not to emphasize its importance.

2) How many days per week are you coming to Adventure Boot Camp?

Over the past two years, we've found a significant difference in results between boot campers whom     attend 3 days/week versus 4 or 5 days/week.

3) What did you do for exercise previous to Adventure Boot Camp?
Previously under-used muscles will first get bigger if they've not been exercised in a while. In the first few weeks, some women notice muscles building and before the body starts shedding fat mass. Be patient if your goal is to lose fat mass.

4) By "seeing changes," do you mean losing weight, as measured on a scale?
This is important to understand if you are going to be successful with boot camp and sculpting your body: you may be gaining muscle mass (pounds) and losing fat mass (pounds) with little net result on the scale. This is why your pre-evaluation and post-evaluation are important. By measuring body fat percentage at your pre- and post-evaluations, we are able to compare the amount of fat pounds versus lean pounds on your body. Body fat percentage tells us more than weight or BMI alone.

Also, if your body fat percentage is decreasing, you'll likely be losing inches, too. We always recommend you see how your clothes are fitting after the first few weeks, rather than stepping on the scale.

How's that for an answer in the form of a question?!

Sometimes it's good to be wrong

As we near the end of our third week, it's refreshing when boot campers share real changes they are experiencing. Most gratifying, for Tegan and I, are the internal changes, the more positive self-talk, the goal-setting and overall enjoyment of moving the body during exercise.

A conversation with one boot camper, in particular, reminded me of how great it feels to "prove ourselves wrong" sometimes. That is, many of us have an idea about our habits and personality traits. The people we surround ourselves with and the thoughts we tell ourselves reinforce these ideas.

And in this case, the boot camper had an idea that she was undisciplined. And yet, she'd shown up every single day for boot camp. So it turns out, she is disciplined.

How did she find out and break free of her self-limiting idea? She took action. Through action, we change our perceived "negative" personality traits. How cool is that?

What personality traits do you and others around you reinforce? What small action can you take to "prove yourself wrong"?

Hike Day

The weather was foggy today as boot camp started at the base of Cerro San Luis (a.k.a. San Luis Mountain, Madonna Mountain). After handing out resistance bands and workout instructions to complete while hiking up the hill (you didn't think it was just a hike, did you?), up the mountain everyone went in pairs and small groups.

Apparently the fog never cleared, but we received reports of a great workout and fun time to socialize in between hills and resistance band sets. We welcome all of our guests who attended with friends. The more the merrier!

Cerro San Luis is a fun one; adding resistance bands is a great way to add a little extra to your regular hike. You can plan exercises at timed intervals (say, every 5 minutes) or every time you see a certain animal or tree, for example. This is a great way to stay looking ahead and taking in the surroundings, too!

Today's workout
One set of 10 reps each:
biceps curls, squats, partner row, partner chest press, and lunges uphill.

4 steps to success

Wow! Congrats to everyone on today's workout. SLO went "round-the-world" in push-ups while Templeton boot camp explored some new ab exercises (thanks, Jenny!).

It made me wonder, how do we all get through a challenging workout? As most of you know, I'm recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. The recovery's a little slower than I anticipated, though it's not without some lessons.

While talking myself into a pool workout (only 15 minutes of swimming allowed), I went through the same process we all go through when presented with a challenge. Now, I had only fifteen minutes to get in and finish, compared to an hour-long workout; nonetheless, here's how I got through it:

1) Identify the challenge(s):

• The water is cold!
• I get bored.

2) Identify the benefits:

• Movement is the best way to alleviate my pain.
• When I get done my body feels alive and pleasantly tired.
• I feel good about myself when I follow-through on a commitment.

3) Identify the next step:

• Put on goggles
• Step into water, etc.

4) Just do it!
Here's where we all tend to get stuck, with any challenge. And notice, it's the same step for everyone. Step #4 is always the same, even though challenges, benefits and next steps may be different.

So yes, I did it. And the pool workout felt great! Thanks for the inspiration this morning to set a goal and complete what I started.

What do you tell yourself to get to boot camp in the mornings or get your workout done outside of boot camp?